#title from lp's muddy waters

[scaryscarecrows]

All the Spirits Gather 'Round Like it's Our Last Day

Kitty is going to kill Joker, Batman, and Killer Croc, in that order. Joker first, so he’ll go out with the knowledge that he never did get Batman to break his stupid rule. Then the Bat, when he comes to fuss and complain, like he’s got any goddamn RIGHT, and finally Croc, which is…likely to end poorly, but she’ll get him one way or the other, so help her God–

(Jonathan isn’t…that thing–Batman didn’t help but Joker was the one who arranged all this, she’ll kill them ALL–)

She got hold of a transport boat, about forty minutes ago. Strangled the guard left to man it with a rusty chain she’d found inside and heaved his twitching, vomit-dripping corpse overboard. It’s a small thing, but it’s enough to get away and find somewhere dark to settle in and–

Jonathan?

Widow isn’t the right word, really, but it’s the most accurate one and she can’t–she doesn’t–

What’s that?

It’s probably nothing. But she gets the lantern anyway, because it’s better to look than to sit here and dwell.

It’s a box. A box with a person on it, and her first instinct is to shoot them so they can’t tell anyone they saw her, but then she registers tattered burlap and syringes and chucks the anchor over the side, boat-safety be damned.

“Jonathan!”

The water is freezing and she’s terrified that she’ll get to him only for him to be…not…there, anymore, but her frigid, shaking fingers find a pulse in his neck.

“Fuck–c’mon, love, we’ve got to–” Breathe. Assess. First things first: get out of the water. “Jonathan. Jonathan, love, you need to…”

He’ll be useless. Okay. She can manage this without him.

She shoves the box he’s draped over as close to the boat as she can muster, figures it’s not that high, and wishes she’d taken the guard hostage earlier instead. Never mind. She’ll manage.

She’s just bracing herself to try and drag him up the ladder when he pulls in a ragged gasp and chokes, “Kitty–”

This may have just gotten easier.

“Can you help me help you up there?” She has no idea what’s damaged. Likely everything, judging from what she’d heard back at Arkham. “We need to get out of the water.”

Silence. Then, “Yes.”

He’s nothing if not stubborn. He’s always been like that, even when they were teenagers, though it had been more…subtle, then. He’d gotten a confidence booster after killing his grandmother.

“All right.” His left arm, at least, isn’t so mangled that she can’t work it across her shoulders. “I’ve got you, we’re going to go up now.”

Out of the water, it’s obvious his left leg is…lucky to be attached…, but she manages, in the end, to semi-help, mostly-drag him up the ladder and onto the boat.

“Titan,” he’s murmuring when she gets him flat on deck. “Don’t–don’t leave it, don’t leave it…”

She thinks to Hell with the damn Titan, but it’s got a ring on it and she uses an old towing cable to drag it up. There.

There’s a cot downstairs, and getting him to that is much less hideous than getting him out of the water, but now he’s in much better lighting and–Jesus Christ–

Compound fracture of the left leg, right arm broken and–and torn, that’s not–bite on his right side, goes deep, lucky he didn’t bleed out but the cold water might have–likely hypothermia–

Breathe. You can fix this.

Well. She can maybe, hopefully, please-God-if-you-take-him-I’ll-kill-you keep him alive, at least. Bite first, then arm, then wet clothes.

There’s not much down here; a crappy first aid kid, sure, and a spare uniform that she’ll keep for later to warm him up, and…there, there, someone’s canvas bag, it’s not sanitary but it might help the bleeding. She wedges it against his side, tucks it as snug as she can, and turns to the arm.

That’s not something she can fix. She can do her best, but he needs a surgeon for that, and for the leg as well.

Fine. There was one–Dolarhyde, she hated him for his name--that had fixed her arm a few years ago, if he’s still in town she’ll get him. Later. Soon, but later.

She works the glove off, mindful of the needles (broken, most of them, did Croc get a dose?)  and decides to get what’s left of the mask next. It’s slashed and half-off already, and when she works it off she finds something else; a long, jagged gash running from his hairline to his chin, just barely missing his eye. It’s deep, nearly to the bone, but it probably won’t kill him outright and it’s something that she can deal with.

He’s still awake. Or. Conscious, anyhow, if clearly concussed. She kisses his uninjured cheek and murmurs, “Don’t. Don’t.” Don’t die, is what she wants to tell him, but she can’t get the last word out. “Stay with me,” she says instead. “Don’t go.”

“Haven’t yet,” he breathes, followed by, “You look. Like a raccoon.”

What?

Oh.

Yeah, waterproof mascara is a lie, apparently. And she’d been crying before, that probably hasn’t helped.

“You always did know how to make me feel special,” she says, ignoring how her voice is trying to be wet and thick and weepy. “Be still, I…I’m going to try and patch you up, yeah?”

“Mm.”

She can do this. She can do this.

She can do this.

THE END

[therecordchanger62279]

THE RECORD COLLECTOR

When is a soundtrack album not a soundtrack album?

In 1975, three years after the release of George Lucas's wildly popular classic film American Graffiti, MCA Records was still mining the film for more money in record shops by releasing a 2-record collection of 31 classic oldies - none of which were heard in the American Graffiti film - under the title More American Graffiti. It's a fantastic collection of songs from the period, so what's the harm in suckering in record buyers like me by using the American Graffiti brand?

I found my copy in a used rack at a local Half-Price Books in Beavercreek, Ohio more than twenty-five years later for just $2.99. I already owned most of the songs, but what had me reaching for my wallet was the note on the back of the record at the bottom just after the song titles: "With introductions by the howling, prowling Wolfman Jack." Who doesn't love The Wolfman?

Imagine my surprise, and delight when I played the record, and discovered that those introductions were, in fact, part of the original film, but were not used on the original soundtrack? That was more than enough for me to make this one of the best finds in all my years collecting records.

Of course, MCA had to muddy the waters a bit further by issuing another soundtrack to the 1979 sequel More American Graffiti. The two albums share the same title, but that's where the similarity ends. That soundtrack is a collection of the 24 oldies (most from the mid-to-late 60s) used in the sequel - all of which post-date the songs from the first film. They're all great collections, but there's something special about compilations of oldies from the pre-Beatles age. That was the golden age of the 45 when the 45 was far more important than the LP. And the likes of Wolfman Jack ruled the airwaves.

[mooncatmelodies]

SCARING THE HOES Album Review

by Josefina Gaspar

The highly-anticipated collaborative album between JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown has finally been released. This album has been on my radar for quite some time now, ever since Peggy expressed his desire to collaborate with Danny Brown on Twitter. After numerous leaks and posts on social media, I was eager to listen to this album and see if it would live up to my expectations. So, when it finally dropped, I waited until I got home, put on my headphones, and pressed play. And I must say, it did not disappoint. Without further ado, let's review the new record by JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown, "SCARING THE HOES."

The album kicks off with Lean Beef Patty, and it sets the tone for the rest of the record quite well. Right from the beginning, you can hear the production style of Peggy's previous release, LP!, in the production. While there has been some criticism online about the production quality, mostly on reddit, I feel that it complements the style of the album. This project has more of a mixtape feel to it rather than a traditional album, and Lean Beef Patty serves as an excellent opening track. Peggy's performance is, as always, fantastic, but it doesn't feel like he's trying to replicate what made LP! great. Although Danny's verse is shorter than expected, it still adds to the overall quality of the track.

Moving on to the next track, Steppa Pig does an excellent job of maintaining the high energy established in the opening track. Danny delivers a spectacular performance, not overdoing it but adding enough to satisfy the listener. Peggy's verse is impressive, showcasing his ability to rap flawlessly along with the instrumentals he produced. The title track, Scaring the Hoes, is also noteworthy, especially with the unique, moist sample in the beginning. However, I did feel that the track could have been more, as it felt slightly drawn out. Nevertheless, it's still a great track overall. Garbage Pale Kids is possibly one of the better tracks on the album, and it's also one of my personal favorites. Peggy's sampling skills are on full display here, demonstrating his incredible talent. Similarly, Fentanyl Tester is another great track that features an unexpected but successful sample from Kelis's Milkshake.

Burfict! is another prime example of Peggy's exceptional beat-making and producing skills, as the track bursts with energy. The use of "super-bowl-ahh" horns is particularly impressive, and I would love to hear more tracks in the future incorporating horns in the mix. By this point in the album, I realized that I had been listening to the first five tracks in absolute awe. The album had completely captivated me, and I found myself shutting my mind off and just listening. The energy doesn't let up with the very next track, Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Waters. Every track on the album thus far has been great. One of the things I appreciate about this track is that it feels like Danny Brown has his moment to shine. Although he's featured on every song, it often felt like the album was more of a New Solo JPEGMAFIA record with lots of Danny Brown features. However, this track made me feel like it was truly a collaborative effort between Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA, rather than a solo project with supporting features.

Moving on to the next track, "Orange Juice Jones," it offers a moment of respite and allows for some reflection after the high-energy first half of the album. While not quite an interlude, it still provides a break from the intense tracks that preceded it. "Orange Juice Jones" is still a great track that showcases Peggy and Danny's standard of talent. It's a reminder that even when they slow down the tempo, they still maintain their skill and ability to create captivating music. The next track on the album is "Kingdom Hearts Key," which is possibly my favorite track on the entire record. It features the only artist besides Peggy and Danny, and that artist is redveil. The energy on this track is electrifying and it stands out in every aspect - from the production to the beat switches and the overall performance from the artists. Peggy's first verse is a great start with his flawless flow and production, especially with his beat switch section. The track is so mesmerizing and catchy that it was my number one song on my playlist. Danny's performance is an excellent complement to the track, and you can really feel the chemistry between the two artists. The amount of fun they had while creating this album is evident in their work. Finally, I can't forget redveil's flow and style. While there are criticisms about redveil's solo work, he really shines on this track. His ending verse is outstanding, and it's impressive how he is the only artist featured throughout the entire project.

God Loves You, another great track, does a really good job at building and maintaining energy. I absolutely adore everything from this project, and it’s just amplified with this track. Jack Harlow Combo Meal, on the other hand, is a standout for me. The piano sample used in the beat is amazing, and it's a great change of pace from the more aggressive tracks on the album. Plus, hearing Peggy's singing on this track is just beautiful. HOE (Heaven on Earth) should’ve been the ending track. It’s everything that this album is, it’s a project from the two legends of experimental hip-hop having fun. The ending part of this track is my favorite thing they sampled throughout this entire record. But finally, the last track, Where Ya Get Ya Coke From. While a great track, I do wish that this would’ve made it in the middle section of this record. Still a really good track. I don’t think there really was a track that I really didn’t like.

Overall, this album blew me away. I already knew this was going to be a record that I had on repeat, however, I think I underestimated the absolute greatness these two growing legends would produce. And to think that JPEGMAFIA isn’t done this year. He already announced, some time last year, that this was the one out of the three records he would be releasing. I can already predict what one of the releases would be, however, I won’t say much. Besides, I am just speculating. This album is simply a 9/10

My top 3 favorite songs are:

Kingdom Hearts Key (feat. redveil)

HOE (Heaven on Earth)

Burfict!

Least favorite song:

Run The Jewel's

you know this is all an opinion, right?

[mywifeleftme]

315b: Various Artists // Top Teen Bands Vol. 2

Top Teen Bands Vol. 2 Various Artists 1966, Bud-Jet

Doing a three-for-one today on this trio of Minneapolis-St. Paul garage rock compilations originally issued in 1966 on the Bud-Jet label, and mysteriously bootlegged on CD and vinyl around 2005. With the exception of bluesman George “Mojo” Buford (on Vol. 2), none of these acts ever managed to cut an LP, and a few barely managed to get a single out. The Twin Cities had a decent little rock scene, and these comps give us 16 bands across 36 tracks, good, bad, and bluhgly. First time opening these guys that have been sitting on my shelf for ages, let’s see what we’ve got.

Top Teen Bands Vol. 2

Deacons — Baldy Stomp (The Deacons’ other song with “Baldy” / “Baldie” in the title, this one features more Wildman vocal ad libs, and a decently edgy sound for '64.)

Gregory Dee & the Avanties — Say Boss Man (A nice little groove with some fun organ playing and a semi-buried, distorted vocal that's practically another instrument at times—kinda peters out just as it's getting good, this would’ve probably cooked live.)

Corvets — So Fine (Finally somebody in the Twin Cities doing Jerry Lee shit, though the excitement fades a bit when you realize it's going to be an instrumental. Ends up kind of like listening to Linus from Peanuts tear ass on his toy pianer.)

Gregory Dee & the Avanties — Because of You (So, these guys have heard the Animals too. They're kinda close to nailing it with this vocal melody and jangly guitar figure over an organ drone. The mixing on the version on YouTube’s a bit rough, but on the comp it’s hideous—the drums, bass, and organ become this gross thud that buries the rest of the track.)

Canadian Love Bugs — Moanin' (Good vocalist; someone should rap the organist on the knuckles and make him behave himself; just kinda there.)

Rave-Ons — Love Pill (More Please Please Me-era Beatles pastiche from the Rave-Ons, and honestly, pretty close to the genuine article except the vocals are just like 20% less refined; pretty good hook.)

Novas — On the Road Again (Good, tough garage R&B.)

Accents — Louisiana Man (Piano-led and countrified in kind of a "Billy Bayou" way, but with a thuggish stomp—it would skip along better without it, but the wallop gives it a kind of stoned drag that's sorta interesting.)

Satisfactions — Girl, Don't Tell Me (A serviceable cover of the Beach Boys' "Girl Don't Tell Me," a song I could listen to in basically any arrangement—less impassioned than Carl's vocal on the original, but it lets you appreciate that twinkly "Ticket to Ride"-y instrumental hook even more.)

Mojo Buford — Whole Lotta Woman (Nice harmonica driven jump blues / rock 'n' roll track from an actual Black guy, formerly of Muddy Waters’ band.)

Underbeats — Broken Arrow (Crickets-y jam with a lot of gimmicky Dr. Seuss-y wordplay happening in the verses, but overall it’s very likeable. Would listen again.)

Gregory Dee & the Avanties — Because of You (More blown out, super deconstructed sound, but this one goes pretty damn hard, weird groaning organ hook, Eric Burdon-impression vocals. A trashy trip.)

Overall: Vol. 2 is probably the weakest of the three collections, but it's still mostly a breeze to listen to. Gregory Dee's "Because of You" takes the cake here, but the Accents, Rave-Ons, and Novas tracks aren't bad.

See also: Vol. 1 / Vol. 3

315b/365

[staxoftrax]

OCTOBER 7th NEW ARRIVALS!!

So I dropped off 2 boxes of my usual great & eclectic records at the shop today. Pictured highlights include Joni Mitchell - Clouds, James Brown - Revolution of the Mind, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells - Play the Blues, The Cramps - The Smell of Female, The Beatles - Yesterday & Today (and some other titles as well), George Harrison - Wonderwall Music, Warrant - Dirty Rotten Stinking Rich, Johnny Cash At San Quentin and an original braille cover copy of Talking Book. Also some LP's from The Temptations, Doc Watson, Muddy Waters, Warren Zevon, Roy Harper and many more including some fine Jazz LP's.

And don't forget the Baba Comandant & the Mandingo show Oct 20the at 3 Dots. It's going to be an amazing show! Buy tix from me on Saturday at $20 (a $5 discount from door price) and buy your records w/ a 15% discount. It's a non-football weekend so the town is ours! Check out this 3 Dot link for info

Josh Ferko / Stax of Trax Records

[everythingloureed]

Humphreys was raised in Bridgeton, NJ, and San Antonio, TX. It was said that the family were of part Mexican Native descent. An apparent trans child who played with dolls, and wore girls’ clothes, Humphreys wanted to do people’s hair. As Rachel she graduated in hair-dressing at a cosmetology school in Bayonne, NJ, (north of Staten Island, across the river from Manhattan).

She was a regular at Max's Kansas City, the hip and glam rock nightclub on Park Avenue South. She also frequented the 82 Club on E 4th St which was in transition from a transvestite performance club to a glam rock and then punk club.  The New York Dolls did their first show there on April 17, 1974, when they performed in drag, except for Johnny Thunders who refused. They were followed by Wayne County (not yet using the name Jayne) and short-lived glitter bands like Teenage Lust and Harlots of 42nd Street.

It was there at this time that Rachel met Lou Reed, the musician. Lou described Rachel in an interview with Bambi magazine:

"It was in a late night club in Greenwich Village. I’d been up for days as usual and everything was at that super-real, glowing stage. I walked in there and there was this amazing person, this incredible head, kind of vibrating out of it all. Rachel was wearing this amazing make-up and dress and was obviously in a different world to anyone else in the place. Eventually I spoke and she came home with me. I rapped for hours and hours, while Rachel just sat there looking at me saying nothing. At the time I was living with a girl, a crazy blonde lady and I kind of wanted us all three to live together but somehow it was too heavy for her. Rachel just stayed on and the girl moved out. Rachel was completely disinterested in who I was and what I did. Nothing could impress her. He’d hardly heard my music and didn’t like it all that much when he did. Rachel knows how to do it for me. No one else ever did before. Rachel’s something else.”

She moved in with him right away. He was then living in a modest one-bedroom apartment at 405 East 63rd Street. Lou had already written a few songs about trans women, and with the single, “Walk on the Wild Side” (which referred to the Andy Warhol-sponsored trans stars, Candy Darling, Holly Woodlawn and Jackie Curtis) had his biggest hit. Rachel was at this time oscillating. Some days she was Ricky, and others he was Rachel. People who knew Lou and Rachel used either pronoun. One journalist referred to Lou’s ‘boyfriend named Rachel’. Both Lou and Rachel enjoyed the confusion and further muddied the water by wearing each other’s clothes. She was street-wise and spunky in a way that Lou only pretended to be. She was said to always carry a knife, and was good in a fight – which proved useful when a concert at the Pallazzo dello Sport in Rome turned into a riot 15 February 1975.

Lou had been working on his fourth solo album, Sally Can’t Dance – the title track and spin-off single assumed to refer to trans woman, Sally Maggio, who was manager at the 220 Club, another trans bar where Lou went drinking. Sally would in the 1980s open Sally’s Hideaway, and then Sally’s II, again a bar for trans persons and with trans performers. However it was Rachel whose image was on the obverse of the Sally Can’t Dance LP sleeve, drawn as if reflected in Lou’s shades.

She supported him on some of his tours. In New York, they lived for a while in the Gramercy Park Hotel, and then an upscale apartment on East 52nd St at FDR Drive where Henry Kissinger, Greta Garbo and John Lennon had lived. In 1975 they began to frequent the rather grimey but seminal punk club, CBGBs. Lou was recording Coney Island Baby, released January 1976 and several tracks refer to Rachel. At the end of the follow-up tour, Rachel was mugged and assaulted. A doctor was called, who inevitably referred to Rachel as ‘she’, even though Lou was saying ‘he’. As Aidan Levy says:

“Rachel had been contemplating gender reassignment surgery, but the transgender rights movement had not yet solidified, and not fully understanding the nature of the decision, Lou was adamantly opposed to any operations, a growing source of conflict in their relationship”.

Despite this, a friend commented: ““I think that Rachel was the glue holding Lou together, or at least keeping him in the public view in many respects … I know that he doted on her. If there was a light shining, it was the two of them together. It doesn’t mean it was the healthiest relationship in the world.” The cover of Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed, 1977 is of photographs of the two of them.

Rachel acted as road-manager on the next tour, managed the money, and watched over the road-crew. They were in London for their third anniversary and ordered a three-tier cake to celebrate, and Lou gave her two diamond rings. He said:

"Rachel knows how to do it for me, no one else before ever did”.

However by the end of 1977, Lou and Rachel were fighting more and more, and frequently it was about the issue of transgender surgery. She had a date for surgery but backed off as Lou said:

“Well why are you doing that? I love you because of the way you are”.

The title track of Street Hassle, 1978, is about her, and an article in Rolling Stone referred to Rachel as the raison d’etre of the album, although in fact it marked the end of their relationship. Lou moved on, having met Sylvia Morales, who became his third wife in 1980.

Reed completely refused to talk about Rachel after 1978. He desisted and decided to go straight. Both his later marriages were with cis women.

Rachel died in 1990 age 37 at St Clare’s Hospital, which specialized in treating AIDS patients, and she was interred in the gigantic pauper burial site on Hart Island off the Bronx coast (which contains over a million corpses).

Lou died in 2013, aged 71, from liver failure.

LegsMcNeil & Gillian McCain. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. Penguin books, 1997: 154-5, 206.

Marc Campbell.  "Rachel: Lou Reed’s transsexual muse".  Dangerous Minds, 02.06.2013.  Online.

Howard Sounes. Notes from the Velvet Underground: The Life of Lou Reed. Doubleday, 2015: 182-4, 187, 189, 191, 192, 194, 195, 202, 203, 205, 208, 212, 213, 214, 215-6, 221-2, 226, 229, 235, 248, 269.

Simon Reynolds. Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and Its legacy, from the Seventies to the Twenty-First Century. William Morrow Publishers, 2016: 271-2.

Aidan Levy. Dirty Blvd.: The Life and Music of Lou Reed. Chicago Review Press, 2016: 221-2, 227, 233, 244, 251-3, 264, 285.

Corey Kilgannon.  "Dead of AIDS and Forgotten in Potter's Field:  In an untold chapter of the AIDS epidemic, scores of unclaimed bodies were buried in a remote spot on Hart Island.  How many exactly remains unclear".  New York Times, July 3, 2018.  Online.  

[makeste]

a BnHA playlist/fanmix thing

@psqqa so I finally put together a list of some of my BnHA playlist tracks! this is by no means comprehensive because I have literally half a dozen different playlists with different themes (e.g. “instrumentals”, “BakuDeku”, “songs that either remind me of Kacchan or that he would work out to”, “angsty apocalyptic final battle”, and so forth) and omg it’s a lot. but this is my most inclusive playlist, which consists of general character theme songs for most of class 1-A, the League of Villains, and a few others. my taste in music generally leans towards alternative/indie/rock/grunge, but it can kind of go all over the place. so the genres may vary here and there, especially since I opted to go with whichever song I felt fit the character best regardless of how well the tracks all blended together musically.

also I have a bakudeku bias but THAT’S NOT EXACTLY BREAKING NEWS what can I say. and this is actually me holding back lol but oh well.

Deku - Rise (Katy Perry) - “makeste did you really just kick off your BnHA playlist with a Katy Perry song” yeah I did! because!! I won’t just survive/oh you will see me thrive/can’t write my story/I’m beyond the archetype. like, this song was made for anime protagonists. oh ye of little faith/don’t doubt it, don’t doubt it/victory is in my veins/I know it, I know it. this kid just doesn’t give up. this is no mistake, no accident/when you think the final nail is in, think again/don’t be surprised/I will still rise.

bonus: Blood (Archis) - this song is fucking gorgeous both musically and lyrically. don’t let them win/don’t let them get/under your skin, into your head/they’re full of it/you’re full of life/you’ll prove them right if you’re giving up/so let’s go for blood. it really is fucked up how dismissive BnHA society is of anyone who’s quirkless. it’s so stupid too, because the majority of quirks aren’t even all that great. “look at me I can make DSLR lenses pop out of my body!” lol fucking great. so obviously superior to normal people who have to take pictures with actual cameras like fucking scrubs. anyway, so Deku was written off from a young age as helpless, defective, and deficient, all because he lacked a quirk. so it’s been so fucking great to watch him finally prove them all wrong. (...by getting a quirk. lol. but STILL.) well it sure took a while to turn it around/but I never gave up on me.

Bakugou - We Will Rock You (VonLichten mix) (Queen) - I like this version of the song because it adds a bit of an extra oomph and it’s a little bit fiercer. anyways, this has been my Bakugou theme song since day one, and what I love about it is that each verse works for a different stage of his ~journey~. buddy you’re a boy/make a big noise/playing in the street/gonna be a big man someday -- this is Katsuki as a fearless young child, with hints at the growing chip on his shoulder (kicking your can all over the place). and then the second verse is him a little older, starting out at UA -- buddy you’re a young man/hard man/shouting in the street/gonna take on the world someday -- and proclaiming to the world that he’ll be number one. and lastly we have the final verse, with its line gonna make you some peace someday, which I know is meant in a make-peace-with-things-before-the-end kind of way, but in a BnHA context you can totally tweak it to be a reference to the man he’s aspiring to be. gonna make you some peace, because he’s gonna be greater than the Symbol of Peace himself someday.

bonus: Defy You (The Offspring) - the wind blows/I’ll lean into the wind/my anger grows/I’ll use it to win/the more you say/the more I defy you/so get out of my way. perfect song for a boy who cannot and will not be stopped. you cannot stop us/you cannot bring us down/never give up/we’ll go on and on. or, in his words: “I will win... that’s what heroes do.”

All Might - Legends Never Die (League of Legends OST) - listen I have never played League of Legends lol, but ever since I heard this song in a Marvel edit, this has been the All Might song for me. you could probably just watch the Kamino battle on mute with this song in the background and everything would fit. legends never die/when the world is calling you/can you hear them screaming out your name?/legends never die/they become a part of you/every time you bleed for reaching greatness/relentless, you survive. the lyrics basically speak for themselves. we stan a champion.

Aizawa - I’ll Make a Man Out of You (Mulan OST) - y’all I went through so many songs looking for something that summarized Aizawa’s tiredness/doneness-with-life while also alluding to his mentor side, and then suddenly BAM, it hit me. anyways so yeah. you’re the saddest bunch I ever met/but you can bet before we’re through/mister I’ll make a man out of you. also just try to listen to the “say goodbye to those who knew me/boy was I a fool in school for cutting gym/THIS GUY’S GOT ‘EM SCARED TO DEATH” part without picturing 1-A bitching about their scruffy teacher overlord whom they secretly love.

bonus: I’m So Tired (Fugazi) - if you’re looking for something more musically cohesive with the rest of this playlist in general, as opposed to SUDDEN DISNEY SONG OUT OF NOWHERE, this may be a bit more up your alley lol. I’m so tired sheep are counting me/no more struggle, no more energy/no more patience/and you can write that down/it’s all too crazy and I’m not sticking round. anyways Aizawa needs a nap.

Todoroki - Alive (Sia) - I grew up overnight/I played alone, I played on my own/I survived/I wanted everything I never had/like the love that comes with life/I wore envy and I hated it/but I survived. guys this little candy cane boy has been through some shit. but he hung in there and now he is thriving. I’m still breathing/I’m alive.

Ochako - You Gotta Be (Des’ree) - because she’s a badass. you gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser/you gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger/you gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together. anyways I sure would like Ochako to get the spotlight in an arc again one of these days. she’s the best.

Iida - Never Die (FNDTY) - it was actually pretty hard to find a song that fit Iida’s unique forty-year-old man personality since my musical tastes usually run towards moody shit and he’s pretty much the opposite of that lol. but I think the tempo of this song fits his quirk, at least, and it makes me smile, which he does also. you can run/you can fly/you can never die.

Kirishima - Guts Over Fear ft. Sia (Eminem)  - so this is a song all about overcoming your insecurities and finding the courage within yourself. I freaking love how the pre-chorus I was afraid to make a single sound/afraid I would never find a way out builds up and transitions into so here I am and I will not run/guts over fear. I’m so proud of Kiri you guys.

Momo - You Are Young (Keane) - another song about getting the better of your personal doubts and demons! hey now, don’t be scared, baby, don’t be scared at all/of all the things you don’t know/you’ve got time to realize. Momo has so much potential and she’s going to be such an incredible hero one day. now that she’s gaining more confidence the sky is pretty much the limit for her. you’ve got time/you’ve got to try/to bring some good into this world/cause you are young.

Mina - Safe and Sound (Capital Cities) - oh hey it’s the most upbeat song in the world, for the world’s most cheerful and optimistic and endlessly delightful person. I could fill your cup/you know my river won’t evaporate/this world we still appreciate/you could be my luck/even in a hurricane of frowns/I know that we’ll be safe and sound.

Kaminari - Thunderstruck (AC/DC) - okay yeah maybe I didn’t try too hard on this one lol. BUT IF THE SHOE FITS and honestly, it does. title aside, I think this song fits Kaminari musically too. it’s badass and it puts a smile on your face. went through to Texas/yeah Texas/and we had some fun/we met some girls/some dancers who gave a good time/broke all the rules/played all the fools. and then, of course, the chorus. you’ve been thunderstruck.

Jirou - Dream On (Aerosmith) - you know I had to go with a rock song for Jirou, so might as well go with a classic that’s all about (a) loving music (sing with me, sing for the year/sing for the laughter, sing for the tear) and (b) shooting for your dreams. dream on, dream on/dream until your dreams come true.

Tokoyami - Dark Necessities (Red Hot Chili Peppers) - I could have possibly gone with something a bit more goth for Toko as opposed to the Chilis, but the lyrics just fit so well though. you don’t know my mind/you don’t know my kind/dark necessities are part of my design/tell the world that I’m falling from the sky/dark necessities are part of my design/do you want this love of mine?/darkness helps us all to shine. Tokoyami doesn’t get enough respect for being a teenage edgelord without being a cringey mess. he’s setting such a good example for others.

so that’s pretty much it for my 1-A songs, but here are some bonus BakuDeku songs because I am obsessed

Muddy Waters (LP) - this is my theme for Deku VS Kacchan 2. goddamn Katsuki is such a hot fucking mess during this fight. and he’s hurting so much, and he’s reaching out to the only person he knows to reach out to in the only way he knows how. I will ask you for mercy/I will come to you blind/what you’ll see is the worst me/I’m not the last of my kind/in the muddy water we’re falling/in the muddy water we’re crawling. this song brings that good angst you guys. this is a relationship that has been through the wringer, and two boys who have basically no idea what they are doing, just kind of stumbling along. it is not clear why we choose the fire pathway/where we end is not the way that we had planned/all the spirits gathered round like it’s our last day/to get across you know we’ll have to raise the sand. anyways these kids chose the highest possible difficulty level for their path forward, but they’re doing it though. together, y’all.

Admiration (Incubus) - because Izuku is frankly infatuated and doesn’t even try to hide it. you’re an unfenced fire/over walls we’ve trampled/it’s you I admire/my living example. “an amazing person who was even closer to me than All Might.” he’s so open in his respect and awe for practically everything Kacchan does. just staring at him in starry-eyed wonder. and this part of their dynamic has always been so compelling to me -- how unconditional it is on Izuku’s part. that is some fiercely strong love there on his part that it can survive all the bullshit Kacchan heaps onto it, and all his best attempts to snuff it out. he just latched on and wouldn’t let go. anyways it resulted in something extremely unhealthy for quite a while, but it’s turning around now and being reciprocated, even if Kacchan’s version is prickly and tentative. don’t get ahead of me/could we just this once see eye to eye?

Ordinary Love (U2) - I can’t fight you anymore/it’s you I’m fighting for/the sea throws rocks together/but time leaves us polished stones. I fucking love that metaphor, though. yeah, just give them time. they’re gonna figure this all out one day.

and have a bonus theme song for class 1-A in general before we move on

Charlie Brown (Coldplay) - something about this song just embodies that restive, fidgety energy of youth to me. all the boys, all the girls/all that matters in the world/all the boys, all the girls/all the madness that occurs/all the highs, all the lows/as the room a-spinning goes/we’ll run riot/we’ll be glowing in the dark. there’s like a disorderly, disheveled beauty to this. say what you will about Coldplay, but some of their songs are like the musical equivalent of a rainbow.

anyways so now I’m gonna segue into some songs for a few of the season 4 characters. starting with...

Nighteye - While I’m Still Here (Nine Inch Nails) - ticking time is running out/yesterday I found out the world was ending. I still can’t get over how psychologically devastating Nighteye’s quirk is. it’s basically just Major Bummer: The Quirk. this season is really going to fuck me up emotionally isn’t it. a little more/every day/falls apart and/slips away/I don’t mind/I’m okay/wish it didn’t have to end this way. fucking hell. guess I better brace myself for some solid gut punches to the soul.

Eri - Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (Florence + the Machine) - nothing to see here, just a little girl being treated as nothing more than a human bloodbank, and told that her quirk is nothing but a curse even as her abuser hoards it and uses it to wage a war. this is a gift, it comes with a price/who is the lamb and who is the knife?/Midas is king and he holds me so tight/and turns me to gold in the sunlight. but I also picked this song for Eri because of the way the POV slowly gathers up their courage and tries to fight back. I wish that I could just be brave/I must become a lion-hearted girl/ready for a fight/before I make the final sacrifice. excuse me I need to go hug Eri.

Mirio - Carry On (fun.) - okay so it was kind of hard to pick a song for Mirio, I think maybe I was overthinking it. anyways I ended up going with something hopeful to try and embody his endless, determined optimism. this song has kind of a quiet courage that builds up as it goes on. my favorite part is the second bridge: cause we are/we are shining stars/we are invincible/we are who we are/on our darkest day/when we’re miles away/so we’ll come/we will find our way home.

bonus: Mirio and Tamaki - Kids (Acoustic) (OneRepublic) - back when we were kids/swore we would never die/you and me were kids/swear that we’ll never die. lol at least we have one healthy childhood friendship to stan in this series.

and now on to THE VILLAINS, yay. this is probably the most musically cohesive section of this playlist, since VILLAINS!! means I can go with an overall darker ambiance.

All for One - Sympathy for the Devil (Neptunes Remix) (Rolling Stones) - didn’t even have to think about this one. please allow me to introduce myself/I’m a man of wealth and taste/I’ve been around for a long, long year/stole many a man’s soul and faith. this is the gentleman villain song and a perfect fit IMO.

Tomura - Pet (A Perfect Circle) - or really, this is more “AFO and Tenko”, I guess. manipulating a traumatized child into hating the world and raising him to become a killer. pay no mind to what other voices say/they don’t care about you like I do/safe from pain and truth and choice and other poison devils/see, they don’t give a fuck about you like I do/just stay with me/safe and ignorant. this is one of those songs where literally the entire song fits both lyrically and musically. just perfect. I’ll be the one to protect you from your enemies and your choices, son/they’re one and the same/I must isolate you/isolate and save you from yourself. like it’s a struggle here not to quote the entire song. ...eh, one more. swinging to the rhythm of the new world order and/counting bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums.

bonus: Flesh and Bone (Black Math) - Tenko angst. god that last arc was so fucking good. I walk alone, beside myself/nowhere to go/this bleeding heart that’s in my hands/I fell apart. stupid manga with its darkly compelling villain character arcs.

Dabi - Shadow on the Sun (Audioslave) - aaaangst lol. and I can tell you why/people go insane/I can show you how/you could do the same. p.s. Dabi you still owe me a flashback! also “shadow on the sun” is a pretty good metaphor for his relationship with Endeavor. fire quirks make for such great metaphor potential.

Toga - Bones (MS MR) - you know I really have no idea why this song pings me so hard for Toga lol. but whatever, it is what it is. marinate in misery/like a girl of only 17/man-made madness/and the romance of sadness.

Twice - Misfits (Third Eye Blind) - my people are the misfits/the ones that don’t fit in. this is another song that clicked pretty naturally without requiring much thought on my part. well those are the ones for me/yeah those are the ones for me/the misfits, the freaks, the enemy/you and me.

Spinner - Normal Person (Arcade Fire) - is anything as strange as a normal person?/is anyone as cruel as a normal person/waiting after school for you/they want to know if you/if you’re normal too/well are you? this song is such a burn on quirk society and all of its issues. I can’t tell if I’m a normal person, it’s true/I think I’m cool enough/but am I cruel enough? I especially love the ending -- if that’s what’s normal now/I don’t want to know.

and a bonus League of Villains song:

Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears cover) (Lorde) - just change “rule” to “destroy” I guess lol. help me make the most of freedom/and of pleasure/nothing ever lasts forever/everybody wants to rule the world. god I love this cover. this is one of those songs I’ll play over and over again anyway so it’s nice to have a good excuse what with the direction this new arc appears to be headed in.

and lastly, a couple of Hawks and Endeavor songs because they don’t really fit in any other section and I didn’t really plan out this post!

Hawks - Weapon (Matthew Good) - just a really nice, angsty theme for the man who goes too fast, off on his spy mission of doom. careful, you be careful/this is where the world drops off. plus some bonus angst about how he’s trapped in this role that he never wanted to be in. and you give in/and you give out for it/ain’t it so weird/how it makes you a weapon.

Endeavor - Find My Way (Nine Inch Nails) - lord my path has gone astray/I’m just trying to find my way/wandered here from far away/I’m just trying to find my way/you were never meant to see/all those things inside of me/now that you have gone away/I’m just trying to find my way. I don’t really need to comment more on this, do I? also, the part where Trent Reznor’s voice drops to a whisper and says please/I never meant for this, though. omg. Endeavor you’re such a bitch and you had all of this coming, but even so. oof.

and that’s pretty much it! she said, like this post wasn’t long af as it is lol. anyway so there are... 34 songs here, lol. I should probably try and put it all into a youtube playlist or something for convenience. I’ll edit once I’ve done that.

edit: playlist!

[krispyweiss]

Previously Unreleased “Trouble No More” Demo Heralds New ABB Box Set

The Allman Brothers Band’s first recording - a previously unreleased, 1969 demo of “Trouble No More” - is the lead single and title track to a forthcoming retrospective box set.

Out Feb. 28, Trouble No More: 50th Anniversary Collection will appear on five CDs, 10 LPs and digitally and be bookended with the Muddy Waters tune in the form of this recording and another from the band’s final show in 2014.

These are two of seven previously unreleased tracks slotted to appear among the 61 songs representing each of the Allman Brothers’ 13 unique lineups, comprising 20 members.

The initial single finds the original group - Gregg and Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Jaimoe and Butch Trucks - honing what would become its trademark sound with slide guitar and roiling bass anchoring the beginnings of a new kind of blues-rock-jazz-country music. With this recording, a band looking for a record deal began a 45-year journey of high highs and low lows that none of the members - or the people who would become fans - could have possibly imagined.

An unboxing video accompanied the announcement.

1/14/20

[sinceileftyoublog]

Weekend Picks: 2/21-2/23

Big Head Todd and the Monsters

BY JORDAN MAINZER

There were no live picks for yesterday, but plenty for the weekend!

2/21: Objekt, Smartbar

Here’s what we wrote about Objekt’s Cocoon Crush when we named it our #6 album of 2018:

“An artist solidly known for his bold exploration of techno, Objekt now takes a plunge into a new kind of ethereal beauty on Cocoon Crush. A foray into ambient music, Objekt subverts a lot of what we have come to expect from him. The line between digital and analog is smeared. Tracks are ungrounded, punctuated still by percussion and synthesizers, but in patterns and textures that materialize in mysterious ways. And just as they appear, they stutter and morph in ways unexpected to the listener. The cold machinations of the dancefloor are still present; they are just stretched and masked in exciting and rewarding ways.”

Darwin and Flower Flood open.

2/21: Knuckle Puck, Beat Kitchen

We previewed Knuckle Puck’s set at Durty Nellie’s two years ago:

“Covering last year’s Riot Fest, I found Knuckle Puck the worst set of the festival, though I did remark that the band’s new, unreleased material had the crowd’s attention as much as their released material. As it turns out, the album versions of the songs are pretty good. Shapeshifter, released about a month later in October, was exemplary of what Knuckle Puck do best–write catchy songs with powerful melodies and hooks, enough to showcase the band’s more-than-capable instrumental prowess while avoiding the try-hard singing that plagues so many of today’s emo bands.”

Cleveland power poppers Heart Attack Man and Wilkes Barre hardcore band One Step Closer open.

Objekt; Photo by Kasia Zacharko

2/21: James McMurtry, Old Town School of Folk Music

We previewed James McMurtry’s show at FitzGerald’s two years ago:

“James McMurtry plays tonight as part of the 37th Annual American Music Festival at Fitzgerald’s, still touring strong off of Complicated Game (one of our favorite albums of 2015) like he was when it first came out. When we caught up with him last November, he said of new songs, 'I’ve jotted them down on my phone as I’ve gone along. That whole record was written on an iPhone3. Unfortunately, I dropped that phone, I don’t have the cool Notes app anymore.' Well, either he’s got a new phone or doesn’t need one, because late last year, he released 'State of the Union', a trademark jab at fascism and racism. It might not be as succinct as him telling us 'There never been a good Nazi a day on this earth dead or alive,' but at least there’s hope for more new material.”

2/21: Raphael Saadiq & Jamila Woods, Vic Theatre

Last year, Raphael Saadiq released his first album in 8 years (since the great Stone Rollin’). Jimmy Lee is named after, inspired by, and partially about his brother who died of heroin overdose after contracting HIV many years ago. As such, whether singing or inhabiting the character of his brother, Saadiq is at times uncharacteristically somber. He’s at the other end of a barrel of a gun on “Sinners Prayer”, reflecting on his wrongs, wondering whether it’s too late: “When a sinner is praying, God, will you hear it?” He wears a heavy burden on the funky, stomping “Something Keeps Calling Me”, the song’s wailing guitar solo in the bridge a mirror to his emotions. Saadiq calls out society, too, just as much as himself. “The people are mad,” he sings on “This World is Drunk”. The one-two punch of anti-mass incarceration jams “Rikers Island” and “Rikers Island Redux” presents the issue as simply as it should be put: “Too many n***as in Rikers Island / Why must it be / Set them free.” The former expresses its anger with upbeat piano and a simple refrain, the latter with spoken word over gentle guitar strums.

Best, though, are the reflections of grace that rise above the despair. On “I’m Feeling Love”, over a slower, more warbling funk, Saadiq, singing as his brother, is thankful for the little that he has. And on the skittering, rolling “Glory To The Veins”, he again distills his brother’s death to what matters: “I lost a brother to AIDS / Still, he laughed every day.” We’re lucky that as he gets older, reflecting on his life, and playing live reflecting on his career in Tony! Toni! Toné! and all the legendary artists like D’Angelo and Solange that he’s produced, Saadiq is willing to impart his wisdom.

Jamila Woods’ LEGACY! LEGACY! was one of our favorite albums of last year:

“Yes, Jamila Woods’ stunning LEGACY! LEGACY! is a tribute to important artists of color. What makes it stand out among other tributes, however, is the remarkable way Woods is able to present how each figure has guided her. Take opener 'BETTY', about funk artist Betty Davis, a woman married to a far more famous jazz trumpeter who gets his own song later on. Woods explores the gender and power dynamic in the relationship and uses it to make a personal and universal plea: 'Let me be, I’m trying to fly.' Fly, she does. On 'ZORA', over a hip hop beat, Woods succinctly declares in an all-time line, 'My weaponry is my energy', the drive and desire the catalyst in the noble goal to make her mark on the world as a black woman as opposed to while being a black woman. In various interviews surrounding the album release, Woods spoke about being inspired by black artists who perform and make art truly for themselves independent and often in spite of the race of the end consumers. 'Motherfuckers won’t shut up,' beings 'MUDDY', referencing Muddy Waters adoption of electric guitar because white audiences would talk over his sets; 'Shut up, motherfucker,' she sings inversely on 'MILES', 'I don’t take requests.' But the percussive, jazzy 'EARTHA' best encapsulates her aims of self-love and ultimate pride. 'I used to be afraid of myself,' Woods admits before stating, 'I don’t wanna compromise.' Ultimately, the refrain of, 'Who’s gonna share my love for me with me?' is the mindset by which Woods approaches relationships throughout the record and then life itself. You can be a part of it, but she comes first.”

DJ Duggz also opens.

2/21: The Wailers, SPACE

We previewed The Wailers’ set at Old Town School of Folk Music last year:

“Bob Marley might not be around, but his original band, containing many of the original members and their children, continues to play his songs. Seeing them in a venue as small as this is rare.”

Tonight at SPACE--an even smaller venue--they play two shows, an early and late one.

Joe Henry

2/22: Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Vic Theatre

We previewed Big Head Todd & The Monsters’ show at the Vic Theatre two years ago:

“The Colorado jam band that saw mainstream success in the 90′s is touring fresh off of last year’s heavy New World Arisin’. In 2016, as Big Head Blues Club (the band’s project with a wide array of blues legends like Cedric Burnside and Charlie Musselwhite), they released Way Down Inside. But for the full potential of Big Head Todd and the Monsters, go a few years back and try 2014′s Black Beehive, a rawer, more diverse blues record than you’d expect from the band who recorded 'Bittersweet'. What’s for sure is that live, they’ll lean heavily on the new material while not forgoing their more beloved classics.”

They haven’t released a new album since then but have released a new song every month as part of a series. They should play some of these live, including gospel piano ballad “Hard Times Come No More” and the funky, rollicking “Train of Storms”.

Nashville band Los Colognes open.

2/22: Todd Barry, Thalia Hall

We previewed Todd Barry’s sets at SPACE two years ago:

“So, this isn’t exactly music, but deadpan comedian Todd Barry is performing 2 stand-up sets in one night at SPACE. Commemorating his 30 years of being a comedian, he’s going on another crowd work-only tour like the one documented in his 2014 special Todd Barry: The Crowd Work Tour. From watching that and his most recent Netflix special Spicy Honey, Barry’s dry observational humor is effortlessly tailored to specific crowds and cities, making this one of the must-see comedy events of the year.”

Even if tonight isn’t crowd work-only, he should do some of his specialty.

Chicago-based stand-up comic Chelsea Hood opens.

Hot Snakes

2/22: Joe Henry, Old Town School of Folk Music

Since we last saw Joe Henry five years ago, he’s done quite a bit of production work and released two albums, 2017′s Thrum, and last year’s The Gospel According to Water. In between the two, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer; considering that, the latter takes on weight. It’s, first and foremost, raw, from the guitar playing on “Famine Walk” to the title track. But Gospel sports moments of beauty, too, as on the woodwind of “Mule” and rich vocal harmonies of “In Time For Tomorrow” and “The Fact of Love”.

Americana duo Birds of Chicago open.

Pissed Jeans; Photo by Ebru Yildiz

2/22: Tim and Eric, Chicago Theatre

Who knows what Tim and Eric will bring to their Chicago stop of their Mandatory Attendance tour, other than their purported "brand new spoofs, goofs and insanity” and “special surprises.” The last time I saw them, Dr. Steve Brule showed up and almost married Jan Skylar!

2/22: Hot Snakes, Pissed Jeans, & HIDE, Empty Bottle

Music Frozen Dancing is upon us again, with suggested donations benefiting the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless! Go and donate!

We last listened to Hot Snakes from the medical tent at September’s Riot Fest. Since then, they’ve released the first two of four seasonal 7-inch singles leading up to the next LP: the burner “Checkmate” and wonderfully plodding laziness anthem “I Shall Be Free”. (The latter’s 7-inch has “A Place in the Sun” as an exclusive.)

Hot Snakes also play Sunday night at the Bottle with an opening set from post punk band Pink Avalanche.

Allentown hardcore band Pissed Jeans haven’t released anything since 2017′s Why Love Now, but they’re thankfully back to warm your pants before Hot Snakes. Maybe they’ll have some new songs to play?

Local industrial duo HIDE (artist Heather Gabel and percussionist Seth Sher) released their second album last year, the raw, disgusting Hell is Here. The drum programming and screaming is just as cringingly visceral as the recorded sounds of vomit hitting a toilet that end opening track “Chainsaw”.

Synth band Crash Course in Science, arty The Hecks, and local punk band Hitter also open.

[the-raven-sisters]

Chapter Sixteen

Title: Skeletons in the Closet

Theme Song: Muddy Waters by LP

Word Count: 3,911

Warnings: language, kidnapping, violence, blood, anxiety

Characters: Harper Raven (OC), Maisie Raven (OC), Piper Evans (OC), Simone González (OC), Peter Benson (OC), Danny Anderson (OC), Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester

A/N: alternative title for this chapter: Harper Getting Roasted By Almost All of Her Friends -mara

Shit. Is. About. To. Go. Down. -Hope

Read the previous chapter and mini-chapter here!

Chapter List | Extra Content | Character Roster

The soft glow of Harper’s lamp spills out onto the small outcrop of roof Maisie and Harper are perched on. The stars are shining brighter by the minute as dusk settles into the night. Taking a sip of her Triple Black Smirnoff, Maisie rests her head on her big sister’s shoulder.

“You can say them out loud if you want,” Maisie says, knowing her sister is going over all of the constellations in her head. It’s her favorite hobby.

“Well, you ought to know them all by now,” Harper comments, sipping on her own drink.

“That’s the Big Dipper, right?” Maisie points to the obviously smaller dipper, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she looks up at her sister. Harper sighs heavily, shaking her head.

“Hilarious.” Harper puts the cool glass to her lips again, savoring her drink and the view. “You know, some of these stars could be dead right now. I love how we can still see their light even after they’re gone.”

Harper turns to Maisie who lifts her head so they’re facing each other. “I’m sorry, Maisie. But you’ll still see me,” Harper says softly.  

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Maisie’s face scrunches up in confusion, not understand the turn this conversation has taken. Harper puts a hand on Maisie’s shoulder, looking at her intensely.

“I’ll still be here with you. Always.”

Harper begins to slip away from Maisie’s focus even as she tries to hold on to her. To ask her what she means. Suddenly, the glow of Harper’s lamp is replaced by the hallway light spilling into Maisie room. The roof is replaced by Maisie’s bed, and Harper is replaced by her father shaking her shoulders to wake her.

“Maisie you’ve got to get up,” Peter says urgently. Maisie wipes her bleary eyes, blinking up at her dad, still confused by her dream. It was one of her favorite memories with Harper, when they had finally moved into the Safehouse and made it feel like home. It definitely hadn’t ended like that.  She didn’t have time to find the answer, though, with her dad trying to get her up.

“What’s going on, dad? Are you okay?” Maisie asks, sitting up and trying to get her bearings.

“We have to leave the city. Vampires have Harper and I’m sure they’ll come for you next,” Peter only half explains, tossing a pair of shoes at Maisie’s feet before grabbing her hand and trying to pull her up from her bed.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Maisie questions, her groggy brain trying to make sense of the situation. She hastily slips the shoes on then follows after Peter who is still tugging on her hand.

“There’s no time to explain we have to hurry if we want to make it out alive,” Peter urges as they hurry down the stairs and out the back door towards Peter’s van. The same one as the VonVamp’s but they didn’t need it now that they were dead so Peter put it to use.

“If some vampires have Harper, we have to go get her back,” Maisie says as Peter opens the passenger side of the van, making sure she gets in before shutting it firmly. He jumps in the driver side, the van already running, and immediately starts to pull out of the dirt driveway.

“Do you know where Harper is? We’re going to find her, right?” Maisie presses, her mind waking up now.

“We can’t go back, we have to stay ahead of them. We should go to your mother, once the other vampires find you’re not here they’ll use Harper to get to her next.” Peter pulls out onto the road and floors it.

“Why do they have Harper!? How did they get to her!? Dad!” Maisie keeps questioning Peter, still trying to make some sense of all this, but Peter shakes his head.

“It doesn’t matter, we just have to focus on getting to Quincy. Where is she, Maisie?” Peter asks urgently. Maisie runs a shaky hand through her hair; Maisie and Harper had always kept Momma Q’s location a secret. Hunters made a lot of enemies, and they couldn’t take any chances. But she had no choice. Her whole family could be in danger.

“She’s in San Francisco.”

Two Hours Earlier

It’s the dead of night, but Las Vegas is still awake, as Harper and Simone traverse the streets. Harper had waited until Maisie was sound asleep in bed before sneaking out to meet with Simone. This is the fifth night of stalking Peter since returning home from Texas. The ambience of the city offsets the silence between the girls. The neon lights of the strip club glare against the dark street, uninteresting people entering the building.

Harper lets out an exasperated sigh, feeling impatient about the lack of evidence since she’s gotten back. Peter always seemed to do the same thing every night. He’d come to ‘Hunk O’Mania’ for a few hours before going back to the Safehouse. It is suspicious, but it isn’t concrete evidence that he’s doing something wrong. And they couldn’t exactly just stroll into the club looking for evidence. Or at least, Harper couldn’t.

“Why don’t you just go in there and see what he’s up to?” Harper asks, glancing over to Simone, who rolls her eyes as if the answer is obvious. “Peter’s the only one that would know you, right?”

She shakes her head slightly. “Most of his old crew know me.”

“How?”

Simone’s expression grows deadly serious, guilt flashing across her features briefly. “Used to be a part of their little group, back when I was a newbie vampire that didn’t know any better. Not my proudest moment.” Harper isn’t surprised by this revelation, but it still makes her feel uneasy. “I’m doing my best to make up for it now.”

Harper nods, unsure of what to say. “We all fuck up sometimes.”

“Mmm,” is all Harper gets as a response. Simone straightens up suddenly, eyes glued to the club. “Movement out back,” she whispers before quietly taking toward the alley.

Harper follows behind, trying to catch a glimpse around Simone. She gently nudges Harper back, as she peers around the corner of the neighboring building, watching the alley. Simone looks back to Harper, mouthing ‘Peter’ before turning back to watch him. The anticipation starts to build in Harper, hoping and praying for this to be something big. After a long minute, Simone motions to follow. They quietly walk down the alley, avoiding discarded trash and litter on the cement.

Harper catches a last second glance of Peter as he enters a small abandoned building behind the club, and she wants nothing more than to keep following. Simone, however, holds her back for a few minutes, quietly watching the building for any further movement.

Finally, they make their way to the door, easing it open quietly and checking to make sure no one is around. The door leads them into what used to be an old storage room; now it’s simply filled with litter and empty wooden boxes. The girls set off, exploring the building to figure out where Peter had gone inside.

A faint creaking noise echoes through the building. They follow it as best they can figure, weaving in between rows of the shelves and boxes. Finally making it through the maze to the back of the building, they find a shelf pushed out of the way to reveal a low doorway in the wall.

Simone peeks in the doorway first, making sure no one is right inside, and she finds an empty hallway leading straight towards a rusty staircase going up.

“You stay put. I’ll go up first and check it out,” Simone commands, holding up a hand to silence Harper’s resistance. Harper rolls her eyes as Simone advances without waiting for Harper to agree. Harper leans against the opposite wall as the shelf, peeking around the corner to watch Simone’s careful progress.

Simone’s upper half disappears up the stairs, where she stalls for a beat. Harper sees Simone’s head pop back down and she quickly motions for Harper to come her way. Harper is down the hallway and right behind Simone in a matter of seconds. She is ready to be rid of Peter.

Simone makes room for Harper to to see what she’s seeing. As soon as Harper’s eyes adjust to the low lighting, her stomach twists in disgust. It looks like a communal feeding spot for vampires. Cages, only tall enough for someone to sit up in, line the room. Locked in the cages like animals are dozens of people. Some of them look as if they are dying as Harper and Simone process the scene they have plunged themselves into, but others are only halfway dead, there’s still hope for them.

At the far end of the room, Peter sits in a lofty armchair with his fangs buried into the wrist of a young man. Simone has to hold Harper back from jumping the gun and charging Peter right then and there; they need a plan. Peter takes his time draining the young man. When he’s finished, one of the hunks from ‘Hunk ‘O’ Mania’ drags the barely breathing body back in to one of the cages.

“Harper, dear, you can come out now. No more hiding. For either of us.” Peter’s voice rings out loud and clear. He licks a stray drop of blood from the pad of his thumb, waiting for Harper to show herself.

“Fuck it.” Harper sets her jaw and before Simone can do anything to stop her, she ascends the remaining steps of the staircase to face Peter. “It’s over, Peter.” Harper stares him down, machete in hand.

Peter smirks, relaxing back into his chair further. “Oh, it’s not over yet. At least, not for me. Can’t say the same for you, though… No one else came along with you? No Maisie, or Sam, or even Dean?”

Simone lets out a heavy sigh, before finally climbing the remaining steps. “She’s not alone.”

Genuine surprise crosses Peter’s feature as he makes eye contact with her. “Simone? It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?”

“Too long. I’ve been itching to see your head detached from your body. But I’ve had a difficult time finding you these last few years. You finally made a mistake by finding your kid, so here we are. Quite sloppy of you, Peter.” Simone stands beside Harper, tension coursing through her.

“Was it sloppy? Or did it serve a purpose? You were always the smartest of your siblings, Simone, you should know better. I‘ve always had a plan,” Peter replies with a glint in his eyes. He stands abruptly, causing both girls to tighten their grip on their weapons. “As much as I would love to keep chatting, I’ve got a daughter to corrupt and a plan to see through. But don’t worry, I brought some friends to keep you company.”

A few vampires come out of a back room, some dress casually while others are workers from ‘Hunk-O-Mania.’ Another handful of vampires come up the stairs where Harper and Simone had entered, effectively surrounding the girls.

“Take care of these two for me, will you?” Peter says, strolling through his vampires and patting one on the shoulder as he makes his way to the stairs. “I would say work on your stealth next time, Harper, but there won’t be a next time.” He gives them a lazy wave as he descends the steps.

Harper’s hand tightens around her machete, her free hand tightening into a fist. “We’re completely fucked,” Harper grounds out. The group of vampires stay in their positions, fangs bared and ready for the girls to try to make a move. “This was a bad idea.”

“This was your fucking idea!” Simone chides back. She then grabs Harper’s shoulder and nods to the large window on their right. “We have a chance of being slightly less fucked if we don’t stick around.” Only two vampires stand in the way of their exit route.

“That fall is going to suck,” Harper mumbles, eyes scanning the room.

The girls make eye contact for a split second before sprinting toward the window. Simone barrels into the one of the right, shoving him out of the way, while Harper ducks, avoiding being grabbed by the one on the left, only tripping up slightly. Simone covers her head as she dives out the window, landing on the ground with a graceful roll. Harper jumps out after her; one of the vampire’s hands snag her pant leg, causing her to fall awkwardly. She lands on her side with a grunt of pain, scraping her arm on the concrete as she rolls.

Simone pulls Harper to her feet, tugging on her. “C’mon, you’re fine,” she says, pulling Harper down the alley until Harper gains her footing. Her arm burns, as they sprint away with vampires close behind. Somehow they would have to make it back to Harper’s truck without the parade of vampires chasing them, and if the stinging in her arm is any indication, they aren’t off to the best start.

“We can’t go back to your truck. They’ll be on us any second, we have to lose them,” Simone explains, checking their surroundings.

“Exactly, and my truck is closer,” Harper argues, taking a minute to see how bad her arm is; it’s bleeding but nothing that can’t be fixed.

“Yes, because you parked across the fucking street at a gas station! They’ll be waiting for us.” Simone is exasperated. Taking charge again, she dashes across the street, heading back to where she had left her car before meeting up with Harper.

“I’m sorry,” Harper whispers mournfully in the direction of her truck before she sprints after Simone as fast as she can with a limp. They only get one street down when a vamp tackles Harper. She kicks him off and rolls to her feet, slashing her machete at him.

He jumps back and dodges Harper’s advance, only to meet Simone’s blade. One quick whack and Simone is taking off again, not waiting to see the vampire and his head fall to the ground.

“Thanks,” Harper mumbles, limping after Simone again. They run down several more streets, Harper beginning to run out of breath, when Simone finally turns down another alley. Barely lit up by a street lamp, is a small electric blue car. Harper recognizes it as 2002 Toyota Echo.

“You have.. The Blueberry!?” Harper exclaimed, referring to the name of Burton  Guster’s car in the TV show Psych. Simone smirks slightly, acknowledging the comment, but simply telling Harper to get in. They ease out of the alleyway, making sure they don’t have any more oncoming vamps, then Simone shoots down the road towards the Safehouse.

Harper pulls out her phone, calling Sam the first chance she gets. It rings twice before he answers. “Hey, Harp.”

“Hey, so, um… I might have gotten myself into trouble,” Harper says sheepishly, glancing at Simone, who rolls her eyes.

Sam sighs. “Can’t say I’m surprised. What happened?”

“Peter found out, and he’s going after Maisie,” Harper confesses.

“And how did Peter find out?” Sam presses.

“I kind of, sort of, followed him into a shady warehouse where he was waiting to ambush me,” Harper let out a heavy breath, knowing that isn’t going to make Sam any happier.

“We’re two hours out, Dean says we’ll be there in an hour,” Sam states.

“Sam…” Harper wants to apologize for not telling Sam beforehand what she was going into. To be fair, she didn’t know tonight would be the night shit hit the fan with Peter.

“Harper, stop.” Sam doesn’t let her get it out. “At least you’re not dead,” he relents slightly.

“I guess that’s one thing that didn’t go Peter’s way,” Harper admits. She doesn’t want to think about if she hadn’t made it out and couldn’t get to Maisie.

“Dean wants to talk to you,” Sam warns before he’s cut off. Harper sucks in a breath, ready for more beratement by Dean.

“Status on Maisie?” Dean asks tensely, and Harper lets herself breathe slightly. That wasn’t as bad as she was expecting, but she is sure she hasn’t made it through the worst of it.

“I- I don’t know yet. We’re getting close to the Safehouse, but-“ Harper answers tentatively.

“But what?” Dean cuts her off aggressively.

“But Peter had almost an hour head start on us,” she confesses, squeezing her eyes shut against the possibilities of what could be happening to Maisie.

“What the hell were you thinking, Harper!? You just left her alone so you could go galivanting after Peter with your new gal pal when you suspected Peter was up to no good? You should have kept us in the loop!” The levee has broken and Dean isn’t going to let Harper get off easy. Not that she is going easy on herself. Harper is silent, not knowing how to answer. She doesn’t have any good excuses.

“Son of a bitch.” Dean grumbles, handing the phone back to Sam.

“Just… Call me when you get back to the Safehouse, okay?” Sam makes Harper promise before hanging up. Harper looks over to Simone, wondering how much of that she had heard.

“Don’t look at me, I’m just here for revenge, not emotional support,” Simone deadpanned. Sighing to herself, Harper looks out of the window to notice they were closing in on the safehouse. The dirt road seems to stretch on for miles as anxiety courses through her.

As soon as Simone gets close enough to the house, Harper opens the door and jumps out. She runs to the front door, not needing to bother with her key because the door is already ajar. The sound of Neptune and Gandalf barking is muffled by the closed door of the infirmary. She rushes to let them out, Gandalf darting up the stairs towards Maisie’s room as soon as Harper opens the door.

She spots the back door open as well and she runs up the stairs. “Maisie!” She yells desperately, bursting into Maisie’s room and fumbling for the light. Her breath catches in her throat and tears start to well in her eyes. Maisie is nowhere to be seen.

Harper’s heart starts to race as her breathing grows more shallow. “Maisie, she’s— she's gone, fuck,” she sputters, her voice shaking. Her gaze falls to Simone beside her; in a small, desperate voice, she asks, “What do I do?”

Simone’s face softens, putting her hand on Harper’s shoulder. “Take a deep breath, we’ll find her, okay?”

Harper’s eyes sting with unshed tears. Running her fingers through her hair, she looks around the empty house, searching for any kind of clue. Simone sees the panic in her eyes and knows she will have to talk her through this.

“Now that he has Maisie, and he thinks you’re out of the way, is there anyone else he might go after?” Simone asks calmly. Harper wills herself to calm her breathing and think.

“Piper,” she breaths, pulling out her phone and finding Piper’s number with shaky hands. She only gets voicemail but she immediately hangs up and calls again. It rings again and again. Harper holds her breath, afraid she won’t get through and what that will mean. At the last minute, the line picks up.

“Harper, it’s four in the morning, if someone isn’t dying, I’m going to kill you,” Piper croaks out. Harper huffs out a breath of slight relief but her stomach is still in knots.

“Don’t jinx it, Piper. Peter has Maisie. I was right about him, and I wish I could have been wrong this one fucking time,” Harper grits out.

“Shit, Harper. What can I do? I don’t know how I can help, but whatever you need you’ve got me,” Piper reassures, her voice still tired but determined.

“No, it’s okay, I’m going to fix this. I just needed to make sure you’re okay. I’m going to send someone over to make sure it stays that way,” Harper replies, trying to reassure her.

“Cas?” Piper asks about their friend they usually assign as Piper’s guardian angel.

“No, I’m going to have to call someone closer. Someone who probably doesn’t want to hear from me.” Harper clenches her jaw, knowing who she needs to call.

Harper hangs up the phone and searches through her contact for the number she needs to call next. Her thumb hovers over the name; it’s been so long she doesn’t even know if he’ll pick up. But she has to try for Piper’s sake. As the line rings, she takes a deep breath.

“Hello?” The man’s voice is slightly groggy. Harper finds herself at a loss for words momentarily. She hadn’t expected her heart to skip a beat. Old feelings die hard, she guesses. “Harper, is that you?” The voice sounds more stern this time.

“Yeah, Danny, it’s me.” Harper finally replies.

“Are you drunk calling me?” Danny asks. Harper huffs put a short laugh but no one is amused.

“No. I don’t have time to explain but I need a favor. It's really important,” Harper says. Now it’s Danny’s turn to laugh humorlessly.

“Oh, so now you have time to call me, when you need something. It’s been over a year, Harper,” Danny returns harshly. Harper sighs, she knows it sucks but she couldn’t think of anyone else she’d trust with Piper.

“I know, Danny, I know you don’t owe me anything but i wouldn’t call if I had another choice. It’s life or death,” Harper is pleading now.

“What? None of your other backups picked up?” Danny scoffs. Even though he has every right to be angry with her, Harper is almost starting to get impatient. What doesn’t he understand about life or death?

“Actually, you were the first person I thought of. Please, Danny, I’m calling because I trust you with this. I’ll make it up to you when I get back and everyone’s safe. I’ll make up for everything.” Danny is silent for a moment, hearing the desperation in Harper’s voice breaks through his anger. He could’ve sworn she was holding back tears.

“What do you need?” Danny concedes. Harper’s eyes squeeze shut in relief.

“My friend Piper Evans. I need you to keep her safe. I’ll text you the address,” Harper explains.

“Okay.” Harper almost hangs up, but she gets the urge to say one last thing.

“Thank you, Danny. And I- I am sorry,” Harper doesn’t know how to convey everything she means with the simple statement, but it’ll have to do.

“Yeah, well, just make it back in one piece so you can make it up to me.” Harper manages a small smile; she can almost hear the old Danny, the one she knew before everything got so complicated. He hangs up before she can promise anything.

Simone raises an eyebrow. “Well, he gave you a hard time, didn’t he?” Harper lets out a sigh, but doesn’t respond.

“Now, is there anyone else Peter might go after?”

Harper stays silent for another beat, letting her thoughts ramble off anyone important in their lives until there’s only one possibility left. “Momma Q, but she’s in Cali…”

“Momma Q? As in your foster mom? She’s  is still alive!?”

“One of them, yeah?”

Simone rolls her eyes, heading for the door. “You dumbass, he wants revenge.”

[brn1029]

June 10th…it was this date in music history…

1956 - Pat Boone

American singer, actor Pat Boone was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I'll Be Home.' Boone scored over 30 UK Top 40 hit singles during the 50s and early 60s and was the second biggest charting artist behind only Elvis Presley.

1964 - The Beatles

On their first world tour The Beatles took a flight from Hong Kong to Australia making an unscheduled fuel stop in Darwin, where over 400 fans greeted their aircraft. The Beatles then flew on to Sydney, where they arrive in the middle of a heavy downpour. The group were required to appear in an open-top truck in the pouring rain to wave at the 1,000's of fans greeting them at the airport.

1964 - The Rolling Stones

The first edition of the official The Rolling Stones book was issued, priced at one and six, (the publication ran for 30 issues). Also on this day, at producers Phil Spector’s suggestion, The Stones recorded 'It's All Over Now', 'I Can’t Be Satisfied' and 'Time Is On My Side' at Chess studios in Chicago. During the day, the Stones got to meet, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy and Chuck Berry.

1966 - The Monkees

The Monkees first recording sessions took place. These sessions featured members of the Wrecking Crew, a group of studio musicians in Los Angeles but proved to be unsuccessful.

1966 - Steve Marriott

Steve Marriott of the Small Faces collapsed while performing on UK TV show Ready Steady Go! The group were forced to cancel the following weeks gigs.

1991 - Eddie Kendricks

Temptations member Eddie Kendricks was arrested while attending the funeral of soul singer David Ruffin in Detroit on charges of owing $26,000 ($15,294) in child support.

2004 - Ray Charles

US singer, songwriter Ray Charles died aged 73. Glaucoma rendered Charles blind at the age of six. He scored the 1962 UK & US No.1 single 'I Can't Stop Loving You' plus over 30 other US Top 40 singles and the 2005 US No.1 album 'Genius Loves Company.' Charles who was married twice and fathered twelve children by nine different women appeared in the 1980 hit movie, The Blues Brothers was also the winner of 17 Grammy Awards.

2006 - Led Zeppelin

The surviving members of Led Zeppelin met at a secret rehearsal space in England to run through songs for the forthcoming 02 Arena benefit tribute to Atlantic Records co-founder, the late Ahmet Ertegun. It was the first time the three members had been in the same room with instruments since their four-song set at Led Zeppelin's 1995 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

2007 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones played their first UK festival in over 30 years when they appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival. The Stones arrived at the Isle of Wight on their own privately chartered ferry for their 200-strong entourage including five Winnebago trailers and private security team. The Stones last UK festival appearance was Knebworth Fair in 1976.

.

2009 - Jimmy Page

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page was inducted into the Mojo Hall Of Fame at the magazine's award ceremony. Singer Richard Hawley won the best album prize, while Kasabian's single ‘Fire’ was named song of the year. Mojo had become the best-selling music magazine in the UK, selling more than twice as many copies as NME. A further 16 honorary prizes were handed out. They included the classic album award, which went to The Stone Roses for their 1989 self-titled debut LP and veteran space rockers Hawkwind accepted the Mojo Maverick honour.

2009 - Cher

The daughter of Cher, Chastity Bono was set to undergoing a sex change to become a man. The gender-swap process began shortly after Bono's 40th birthday in March and more than a decade after she came out as a lesbian.

2016 - Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for services to music and charity. Stewart said: "I've led a wonderful life and have had a tremendous career thanks to the generous support of the great British public. This monumental honour has topped it off and I couldn't ask for anything more."

[t-underneaththeradardancing]

LP - Muddy Waters [Live Session]

We are kneeling at the rivers edge and tempting All the steps to follow closer right behind Is it only when you feel a part is empty That it’s gnawing at the corners of your mind [Pre-Chorus] I will ask you for mercy I will come to you blind What you’ll see is the worst me Not the last of my kind [Chorus] In the muddy water we’re falling In the muddy water we’re crawling Hold me down Hold me now Sold me out In the muddy waters we’re falling [Verse 2] It is not clear why we choose the fire pathway Where we end is not the way that we had planned All the spirits gather 'round like its our last day To get across you know we’ll have to raise the sand

[Pre-Chorus]

I will ask you for mercy

I will come to you blind

What you’ll see is the worst me

I'm not the last of my kind

[Chorus]

In the muddy water we’re falling

In the muddy water we’re crawling

Holds me down

Hold me now

Sold me out

In the muddy water we’re falling (falling, falling, falling...)

[Bridge]

Don’t fail me now

Put your arms around me and pull me out

I know I’m found

With your arms around me, oh save me now

[Chorus]

In the muddy water we’re falling

In the muddy water we’re crawling

Holds me down

Hold me now

Sold me out

In the muddy water we’re falling

 13 EmbedMORE ON GENIUSAbout “Muddy Waters” 4 contributors

LP is struggling with a difficult situation, and the unhappiness or depression resulting from it. She begs someone (a friend or girlfriend) to help her out of the “muddy waters” of her depression, wondering if she’ll be able to get herself out.

The song gained attention when it was used in the fourth season’s finale of Orange Is The New Black.

Upvote+25  4  Share

What has LP said about "Muddy Waters"?LPvia Songs for WhoeverVIA SONGS FOR WHOEVER+12

This song came about like a storm really. It was all written in one quick day (except for the bridge) with Josh Record, an amazing British singer/songwriter. We met at a sorta crappy recording studio in the middle of London and talked about wanting it to have an old field recording vibe as far as the tempo and the sadness. We were searching for some good sounds and a vibe but were coming up short at the studio so we took a cab to his house out in Crystal Palace and had a few beers and it popped out pretty quick. I was at a place in my personal relationship where we hadn’t broken up but I knew something was off. That song kind of leapt out of my subconscious onto the page. Like any good collaborator, Josh was right there with me and we built the track with that mood in the room. I had the title Muddy Waters in my phone and knew it would be cool if I could get it right. Not to mention impossible to google!! Well done!

Then Mike Del Rio who later produced it fleshed it out with even more moodiness and when we put some amazing gospel singer friends of mine on it and it really just came together.

[guayabaenjoyer3000]

tag thing

note: i cannot tag anyone due to technical difficulties so alright so i was tagged in this like 3 weeks ago by @sweet-annies-blog and now im finally getting around to it (sorry for taking so long lin rip) RULES: using only the song titles from one artist/band, cleverly answer these 9 questions. then, tag ten people the artist/band i’m selecting: LP (there's lots of her old music that i dont know but i love her & i'll try my best) gender: girls gone wild describe yourself: strange how do you feel: lost on you if you could go anywhere: into the wild favourite method of transportation: other people your best friend: into the wild (cause of the uh. the muppetsona.) favourite time of day: night like this if your life was a TV show, what would it be called: muddy waters relationship status: someday your fear: death valley i tag:@ghostedeer and @moonsofmercury and @calliope1264 and uhh literally anyone else who sees it and wants to do it!

[luuurien]

Parquet Courts - Sympathy for Life

(Post-Punk, Indie Rock, Dance-Punk)

After their bombastic and urgent 2018 LP Wide Awake! The restlessness accumulated over the COVID-19 pandemic is barely capitalized on throughout Sympathy for Life. The muted energy in so much of this album makes its messaging fall flat, even when Savage's songwriting is inquisitive and in the moment.

☆☆½

"Only though those! Who stay awake! Can an institution! Be dismantled!" The breathy shouts of Andrew Savage on the opening track to Parquet Court's 2018 album Wide Awake! sounded like no other punk frontman: hopeful, energized, supportive. The rest of the album followed in this fashion, making songs that were not only catchy, but aimed towards making music that could at minimum invigorate its listeners to care about the crumbling world around them. Many of the same feelings are found on Sympathy for Life, the band's first album since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Strangely, the urgency of its topics never comes through the music, and even Savage himself sounds disinterested at times. I wasn't anticipating a second helping of the rocket-fueled dance-punk of Wide Awake, even if the album singles (Walking at a Downtown Pace especially) followed that formula, but the more structurally sound indie rock they play towards never has the aggression or fighting spirit it needs. Marathon of Anger is dreadful in how overdrawn and empty it is, Savage's library-quiet vocal performance on top of a digital drum pattern that could dissolve with a drop of water makes its recount of the Black Lives Matter protests that swept the nation in the early months of 2020 feel lifeless and unengaged by comparison. I could maybe see the tiredness in his performance as a way to expose the depression and emptiness many felt during the early months of the pandemic, but Parquet Courts' goal has never been to simply state that People Sometimes Are Sad. Janglier cuts like Just Shadows, the funky title track, or the garage-rock tinged Black Widow Spider have a stronger push to them that is more befitting of the band's writing about pulling through struggles and finding community in others, but they're much too repetitive and the message gets lost quickly. Savage's writing can still be as thoughtful as it was before, but when the instrumentals are this barren, it's hard to get me to care much for what he says at all. The worst feeling I got out of Sympathy for Life was boredom. Even in their more traditional rock albums, they always knew that their message couldn't get across without a strong foundation. Now, that foundation has been replaced with muddy dirt that sinks as soon as any sign of rain begins to come their way. Rarely is there a distinct moment on the record, every song too one-note to do much of anything. It's never unlistenable, but it's almost always not worth listening to. They don't have to live in the shadows of Wide Awake, and they never do on Sympathy for Life. Instead, they travel somewhere so far away from it that all the admirable qualities about their work that could have carried over get lost in translation.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Robert Poss

New York has been the ground zero for the intersection of American avant-garde art music and rock and roll for half a century, and Robert Poss has made that his creative zone since 1980. That’s when he co-founded Trace Elements, a label that documented early work by electronic composer Nicolas Collins. On the one hand, Poss led the hard-rocking Band of Susans from 1985-1996. On the other he has composed incidental music for films and dance companies, done audio recording for films and TV, and collaborated with Rhys Chatham and Phill Niblock. Frozen Flowers Curse The Dayis his latest solo album; earlier today Jennifer Kelly said of it, "even the most familiarly structured guitar rock compositions take on the hallucinatory bend and stretch of Poss’ experimental inquiries."

The New York Dolls—The New York Dolls

Unlike the Ramones, who had a demented comic book Beach Boys mentality, the New York Dolls were musical revolutionaries of another sort, giving us The Audacity of Dope, the urban life of fey dissipated dandies married to a dirty yet glittering hard rock of the streets. Johansen/Thunders gave us an updated off-kilter Jagger/Richards with anarchy, and tongue-in-cheek nihilism added to the mix. The guitar playing was revolutionary. The lyrics were urbanely urban or maybe vice-versa. This record changed my life. I bought it the week it came out, and saw the band perform it live a few months later. It blasted my teenage mind into the future. Magic.

The Rolling Stones—Beggars Banquet

One of the most electric and electrifying records of the 1960s, Begggars Banquet employed mostly acoustic guitars, piano, dulcimers and brilliant electric bass parts in a dark harmonic onslaught of major chords and suspensions. The dark devilish mood of protest, sex, violence and bravado was tempered with remorse and humor. I keep coming back to this record for its stringy harmonic density, layered drones and drama as well as its brilliant Nicky Hopkins piano. It is a force of nature, and the urgency and poignance of the lyrics mark a key high point for the Stones.

U2—Boy

Laugh if you want, but David Evans (The Edge) took Keith Levene’s two string PIL tambura drones to a new level of arpeggiated melodicism. These are simple stripped-down song structures often with a bass line as a lynchpin holding it together as a repeated guitar figure loops and rotates. Best of all, Bono had not yet discovered or realized his full persona, and his grandiosity is kept somewhat in check. There is purity here and majesty.

The Kinks—Kinks Kronikles

These small vignettes of English life, humor and pathos still amuse, move and inspire me. Ray Davies had the greatest range of any songwriter of the era, including Lennon/McCartney, capable of impromptu rockers, tender reminiscences, boozy tales, sardonic social commentary and pointillistic character studies. Dave Davies’ voice and guitar adds a delightful tension and twang. This is a collection spanning several years and several styles, but it captures some of the best of the band. All wheat, no chaff.

X-Ray Spex—Germfree Adolescents

The exuberant brilliance of Poly Styrene’s vocals and the hilariously on target lyrics make me almost forgive the wailing saxophone. This teen girl/woman’s perspective was such a breath of fresh air amidst the suffocating machismo and latent (or not so latent) misogyny of Punk. These melodies and scenes stay in one’s mind. Social commentary with a youthful yet world-weary screw-you-if-you-don’t-get-it vigor. Buzzcocks-tight song structures. This LP always puts a smile on my face. Love saves the day.

Wire—Pink Flag

I was late to this party, I admit. After writing and recording Band Of Susans' Blessing And Curse (1987) and Hope Against Hope (1988), there was talk of a summer tour with Wire that Paul Smith (Blast First) was going to try to work out. As this solidified, I got hold of some Wire records. I think I first got The Ideal Copy and A Bell Is Like A Cup, since that was the material they were touring on, and then I got Pink Flag, which I absolutely fell in love with. It seemed like the missing link between Punk and the future, and it was so smart, so catchy and so inscrutable. I didn't learn the song titles or decipher the lyrics; I listened to it as one long suite of songs -- I didn't always know when one started and one ended. But suddenly I saw how bands like R.E.M. and Mission Of Burma and so many others had clearly been influenced by them. And it always makes me want to play guitar, write songs and write lyrics when I listen to it, and that’s a good thing. This is an absolutely impeccable LP.

The Rolling Stones—Their Satanic Majesties Request

Imbued with hashish mysticism wedded to medieval futurism, this is one of my most beloved Rolling Stones efforts. The blend of Mellotron experimentation, cutting guitar parts, science fiction lyrics and dark Eastern-tinged psychedelia keeps me returning to this most misunderstood masterpiece.

Tom Verlaine—Dreamtime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBGR5hJ9760

Majestic, inscrutable, moving and fecund, this record is comprised of mini-masterpieces. “There’s A Reason” is one of the most perfect guitar songs ever recorded. Verlaine’s Television promise is exquisitely delivered on here, and his band is superb.

The Clash—The Clash (U.K. Import version)

Another record that changed my life. The discovery of a smart politically charged band employing gruff guitar minimalism and raw, acerbic but clever vocals had me a convert from the first few chords. I think this record is more appreciated in the U.S. than in the U.K. It put down a marker for me and woke me up out my post-New York Dolls slumber. There is humor here as well as earnestness, and a bit of self-aware mockery and self-deprecation amidst the societal critique. It mentored some of my work with the band Tot Rocket.

Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper—The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper

Bringing together my love for Albert King, The Blues Project, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Highway 61 Revisited-era Bob Dylan and the legacy of Muddy Waters, this live record excited me to no end as a teenager. Kooper and a cast of mostly West Coast characters (including Carlos Santana subbing for a an out-of-commission Bloomfield) provide a backdrop for the main event: the lyrical, singing melodic lead guitar of one of my musical idols, Mike Bloomfield. There are some sublime blues moments here, with a bit of drama, pop and rock thrown in. It is perfectly imperfect.

[auskultu]

The Black Elvis?

Michael Lydon, The New York Times, 25 February 1968

SAN FRANCISCO —“Will he burn it tonight?” asked a neat blonde of her boyfriend, squashed in beside her on the packed floor of the Fillmore auditorium. "He did at Monterey,” the boy friend said, recalling the Pop Festival at which the guitarist, in a moment of elation, actually put a match to his guitar. The blonde and her boy friend went on watching the stage, crammed with huge silver-fronted Fender amps, a double drum set, and whispering stage hands. Mitch Mitchell, the drummer, came on first, sat down, smiled, and adjusted his cymbals. Then came bassist Noel Redding, gold glasses glinting on his fair, delicate face, and plugged into his amp.

“There he is,” said the blonde, and yes, said the applause, there he was, Jimi Hendrix, a cigarette slouched in his mouth, dressed in tight black pants draped with a silver belt, and a pale rainbow shirt half hidden by a black leather vest.

“Dig this, baby,” he mumbled into the mike. His left hand swung high over his frizz-bouffant hair making a shadow on the exploding sun light-show, then down onto his guitar and the Jimi Hendrix Experience roared into “Red House.” It was the first night of the group's second American tour. During the first tour, last summer, they were almost unknown. But this time two LP’s and eight months of legend preceded them.

The crowds in San Francisco—their three nights here were the biggest in the Fillmore’s history—were drooling for Hendrix in the flesh. They got it: this time he didn't burn his guitar ("I was feeling mild”) but, with the careless, slovenly and blatantly erotic arrogance that is his trademark, he gave them what they wanted.

He played all the favorites, “Purple Haze,” “Foxy Lady,” “Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire” and "The Wind Cries Mary.” He played flicking his gleaming white Gibson between his legs and propelling it out of his groin with a nimble grind of his hips. Bending his head over the strings, he plucked them with his teeth as if eating them, occasionally pulling away to take deep breaths. Falling back and lying almost prone, he pumped the guitar neck as it stood high on his belly.

He made sound by swinging the guitar before him and just tapping the body. He played with no hands at all, letting his wah-wah pedal bend and break the noise into madly distorted melodic lines. And all at top volume, the bass and drums building a wall of black noise heard as much by pressure on the eyeballs as with the ears.

• • •

The black Elvis? He is that in England. In America James Brown is, but only for Negroes; could Hendrix become that for American whites? The title, rich in potential imagery, is a mantle waiting to be bestowed. Within his wildness, Hendrix plays on the audience’s reaction to his sexual violence with an ironic and even gentle humor. The D.A.R. sensed what he is up to: they managed to block one appearance with the Monkees last summer, because he was “too erotic.” But if Jimi knows about his erotic appeal, he won’t admit it.

"Man, it's the music, that’s what comes first,” he said, taking a quick jerk of Johnny Walker Black in his motel room. “People who put down our performance, they’re people who can’t use their eyes and ears at the same time. They got a button on their shoulder blades that keeps only one working at a time. Look, man, we might play sometimes just standing there; sometimes we do the whole diabolical bit when we’re in the studio and there ain’t nobody to watch. It’s how we feel. How we feel and getting the music out, that’s all. As soon as people understand that, the better.” 

• • •

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, now doing a two-month tour (they will be at Hunter College on Saturday and at Stony Brook, L. I., on March 9), was formed in October, 1966, just weeks after Hendrix came to London from Greenwich Village encouraged by former Animal Chas Chandler. Mitchell, 21, came from Georgie Fame’s band, a top English rhythm and blues group, and 22-year-old Redding switched to bass from guitar, which he had played with several small-time bands. Their first job, after only a few weeks of rehearsal, was at the Paris Olympia on a bill with Johnny Hallyday.

Their first record, “Hey Joe,” got to number 4 on the English charts; a tour of England and steady dates in the in London clubs, plus a follow-up hit with “Purple Haze,” made them the hottest name around. Men’s hairdressers started featuring the “Experience style.” Paul McCartney got them invited to the Monterey Pop Festival and they were a smash hit.

But Jimi Hendrix, born James Marshall Hendrix 22 years ago in Seattle, Wash., goes a lot further back. Now hip rock’s enfant terrible, he quit high school for the paratroopers at 16 (“Anybody could be in the Army, T had to do it special, but man, was I bored”). Musically he came up the black route, learning guitar to Muddy Waters records on his back porch, playing in Negro clubs in Nashville, begging his way onto Harlem bandstands, and touring for two years, lost in the bands of rhythm and blues headliners: the Isley Brothers, Joey Dee, Little Richard, and King Curtis. He even played the Fillmore once, but that was backing Ike and Tina Turner and long before the Haight-Ashbury scene.

• • •

“I always wanted more than that,” he said, “I had these dreams that something was gonna happen, seeing the numbers 1966 in my sleep, so I was just passing time till then. I wanted my own scene, making my music, not playing the same riffs.

“Like once with Little Richard, me and another guy got fancy shirts ’cause we were tired of wearing the uniform. Richard called a meeting. ‘I am Little Richard, I am Little Richard,’ he said.‘the King, the King of Rock and Rhythm. I am the only one allowed to be pretty. Take off those shirts.’ Man, it was all like that. Bad pay, lousy living, and getting burned.”

Early in 1966 he finally got to Greenwich Village, where he played at the Cafe Wha as Jimmy James with his own hastily formed group, the Blue Flame. It was his break and the bridge to today’s Hendrix. He started to write songs—he has written hundreds—and play what he calls “my rock-blues-funky-freak sound.”

• • •

“Dylan really turned me on—not the words or his guitar, but as a way to get myself together. A cat like that can do it to you. Race, that was okay. In the Village people were more friendly than in Harlem where it’s all cold and mean. Your own people hurt you more. Anyway, I had always wanted a more open and integrated sound. Top-40 stuff is all out of gospel, so they try to get everybody up and clapping, shouting, ‘yeah, yeah.’ We don’t want to get everybody up. They should just sit there and dig it. And they must dig it, or we wouldn’t be here.”

A John Wayne movie played silently on the television in the stale and disordered room, and Hendrix started alternating slugs of scotch and Courvoisier. He stopped and turned to the window, looking out over San Francisco. “This lookslike Brussels, all built on hills. Beautiful. But no city I’ve ever seen is as pretty as Seattle, all that water and mountains. I couldn’t live there, but it was beautiful.”

Besides his music, Hendrix doesn’t do much. He wants to retire young and buy a lot of motels and real estate with his money. Sometimes he thinks of producing records or going to the Juilliard School of Music to learn theory and composition. In London he lives with his manager, but plans to buy a house in a mews; in his spare time he reads Isaac Asimov’s science fiction. His musical favorites, as he listed them, are Charlie Mingus, Roland Kirk, Bach, Muddy Waters, Bukka White, Albert Collins, Albert King, and Elmore James.

• • •

“Where do you stop? There are, oh man, so many more, all good. Sound, and being good, that’s important. Like we’re trying to find out what we really dig. We got plans for a play-type scene with people moving on stage, but everything pertaining to the song and every song a story.

“We’ll keep moving. It gets tiring doing the same tiling, coming out and saying, ‘Now we’ll play this song,’ and ‘Now we’ll play that one.’ People take us strange ways, but I don’t care how they take us. Man, we’ll be moving. ’Cause man, in this life you gotta do what you want, you gotta let your mind and fancy flow, flow, flow free.”