#which is also from my favorite album of theirs

[stellomiacis]

Those who are dead are not dead, they’re just living in my head.

[dedalvs]

I've been listening to the langtime studio chats and it's made me wonder, what are some of your favorite hard rock/heavy metal bands? What kind of genres do you tend to enjoy?

What is and is not metal has changed over the years. It's kind of like how in the 90s every single new band was "alternative", a genre designation which ended up meaning nothing. I loved (and still love) bands like Van Halen, Bon Jovi, the Scorpions, and Def Leppard, which, believe it or not, were considered metal at one time or another. I was also a huge fan of Soundgarden which was called metal on an episode of Northern Exposure I recently rewatched. But my first real metal band was Megadeth.

In 1994 Megadeth came out with an album called Youthanasia which was accompanied by a music video for the song "Train of Consequences" that ran on MTV. The same way that Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" begins with a drum solo that's reminiscent of a motorcycle engine, the guitar in the beginning of "Train of Consequences" is reminiscent of a steam train engine. Trains are something that have always fascinated me, so the video caught my attention. Soon I was looking forward to it in the regular rotation of music videos on MTV (at the time, this would've been Weezer, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Coolio, Nirvana, Liz Phair, TLC, etc. [all good stuff!]). The singer of a band can really turn me on or off, and Dave Mustaine's voice is unique. At the time, when I thought of metal, it was primarily screaming, but Dave Mustaine was singing, and I found that interesting. I bought the album, and soon had all of Megadeth's albums. I was hooked.

From Megadeth, I moved on to Metallica, when I learned that Dave Mustaine formed Megadeth after getting kicked out of Metallica. Metallica itself was an interesting story at that time. They came out with the black album, which was a mega mega hit (and controversially so, as metal fans saw it as a departure from real metal), and then they disappeared, with Nirvana and alternative taking over. Then, after years of nothing, suddenly they release a new song, "Until It Sleeps", which sounds...weird. It was followed by the album Load, which...I mean, listen to "Mama Said" and tell me that's metal. I heard "Hero of the Day" played on Coast—the adult easy listening station. Whether you could get into or not, it definitely did not sound like Metallica—or metal, as we understood it. They did accidentally invent the band Volbeat with Load, for which we must all be grateful, but still, with Megadeth getting a new lineup very album, Metallica going off the rails, Iron Maiden with Blaze Bailey, it was clear that metal was moving forward, so I needed to move backwards.

I started going back and finding any metal band from the 80s that I'd heard of to see what I liked. Guns N' Roses and Ozzy Osbourne were easy favorites. I dug everything they did. Other more glam/hair metal bands I didn't really get into as much—Poison, White Snake, Mötley Crüe, LA Guns… But then I found Queensrÿche. Queensrÿche was the favorite band of my history teacher, so I gave them a listen. They'd come out with a new album, Promised Land, and then I happened to get as my second album of theirs Rage for Order, and I lucked into what would end up being my two favorite Queensrÿche albums and two of my favorite albums of all time. The album Rage for Order is sheer perfection—and one of my name-alikes is thanked in the Special Thanks section! I mean, look at this photo:

If that isn't a fuckin' mood! Geoff Tate singing like a gothic opera singer, everything that can have a harmony being harmonized, every one of them taking every aspect of it so desperately seriously. This album is an entire genre all by itself. It was so good Stratovarius wrote, essentially, a terrible fan fiction song based on "Screaming in Digital" (with, perhaps, some influence from "NM 156" from Queensrÿche's first album The Warning). It also serendipitously to introduced me to Dalbello (a real life Robin Sparkles transformation), whom everyone should check out (seriously, check out whomanfoursays. She just laid it all out).

Queensrÿche also disappointed after Promised Land in the 90s, but I want to return to Iron Maiden. My introduction to Iron Maiden was The X Factor. This was their 1995 album, the first with former Wolfsbane singer Blaze Bayley. I didn't know that. I assumed what I was listening to was the Iron Maiden—the ones Bill and Ted waxed so eloquently about. All I could determine is that maybe they just got old...? I didn't get how the band I was listening to could have ever been popular.

Fast forward a couple years and I'm listening to the only metal show left on SoCal radio after KNAC died and I hear a song that sounds like nothing I've ever heard before. Fast-paced with a beat like galloping horses and a singer with power, range, vibrato, but also a kind of wild, undisciplined menace not found in more refined singers like Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche. Who was this band?! Clearly someone from the 80s I hadn't heard, but I thought I'd heard everything. The song finished, and then the DJ came on listing all the songs in the set, finishing up with "Run to the Hills" by Iron Maiden.

Clearly I had been duped. I went back to the record store to look up Iron Maiden's old albums and, lo and behold, only the most recent album featured Blaze Bayley. Before that there were seven albums featuring lead singer Bruce Dickinson.

A few albums later, Iron Maiden was my favorite metal band. Pretty soon I'd listened to everything—including the first two with Paul DiAnno which I would come to appreciate later—and I was disappointed. There was nothing left! Iron Maiden came out with a new album with Blaze, and we were cursed with "Como Estáis Amigos?" and other disappointments, but it became clear that the Iron Maiden I'd falle in love with was a thing of the past. Imagine what I felt when I was back home from college and heard on the radio a commercial for a new Iron Maiden album with a song I'd never heard being sung by none other than Bruce Dickinson. The song was "The Wickerman", the album was Brave New World, and I would go on to see Bruce Dickinson and Iron Maiden in concert six times—and a seventh coming this October (with the Hu!!!!!! I'm so pumped!!!!!).

There's a lot more to tell here—like the time I visited my ex-girlfriend in Michigan after she'd moved away hoping to rekindle a relationship that I didn't realize was deader than 8-track only to be introduced to Dream Theater by her older brother, or the time the company my friend worked for was hacked with all computers playing a song that would introduce me to Finnish heavy metal, or how looking into James Ronny Dio led me to the truly baffling yet kind of sweet story of Blackmore's Night—but as this is getting long, here are some highlights that haven't yet been mentioned with one song I'll recommend (bands with an asterisk I've seen live):

European Power Metal

Nightwish* ("Bless the Child")

Sonata Arctica* ("My Selene")

Epica ("Cry for the Moon (The Embrace that Smothers, Part IV)")

Lacuna Coil* ("Our Truth")

Delain* ("Stardust")

Amberian Dawn ("I Share with You This Dream")

Helloween ("Power")

Sound-Alike Bands

Crimson Glory ("Lonely")

Autograph ("Hammerhead")

Enforcer ("From Beyond")

The Sword ("Lament for the Aurochs")

Proto-Metal

Black Sabbath* ("Sweet Leaf")

UFO ("Doctor, Doctor")

Deep Purple ("Burn")

Hawkwind ("Assault and Battery/The Golden Void")

Not Quite Metal

Faith No More ("From Out of Nowhere")

X-Japan ("Silent Jealousy")

System of a Down ("Chop Suey")

Tool* ("Sober")

Monster Magnet* ("Mastermind")

The Mars Volta ("Goliath")

Mdou Moctar ("Ilana")

All right, I put a lot of time into finding all those links, so listen to some of those songs! I could write a book on this. I've already taken two hours too long, though. Need to get back to the stuff they pay me to do! >.<

[athforskz]

More Random Ult Kpop Group Questions: SKZ Version!

I did something like this a while ago when I first started this blog. So it’s time for another round! Questions below the cut I'm marking as MDNI. Like before, feel free to use this template of questions for your own ult group & tag me (and some friends if ya like). I love to see everyone’s responses 🤗

Dumbest thing you believed as a new fan?

Oof… there’s a few things I fell for as a baby stay, technically I still am a baby stay I think, BUT here’s my uhhh list: 

I thought Hyunjin had an identical twin brother.. 🫣 wait WAIIIT before you come at me, there was a rumor/joke going around at the time and obviously I didn’t know any better, so I believed it. There were even really good edits of Jinnie and his “twin” too. Then when I watched interviews where Hyunjin said he was an only child I was like ???? but eventually I figured it out.

I thought the sunshine twins were legitimately twins (they are) . Like biologically. Wtf is up with me believing twin things??

At first, I could NOT for the life of me tell the difference between Lee Know and Jeongin. No joke thought they were the same person. Which looking back on this one… how could I ever have trouble with them? They literally look nothing alike in facial structure and sound completely different in the way they talk & sing. Only thing they’re the same in is their menace behavior. 

2. Favorite duo/ship?

Usually not a shipper type of person but in regard to favorite friendship dynamic in skz, it’s gotta be SeungChan. Just watch this and there’s my reason why. Jilix is a close second because, again, sunshine twins. Followed by MinChan because watching Lee Know with his only hyung is so precious.

3. Favorite Racha (or other mini group within the whole group)? 

MeanRacha (Minho, Seungmin, & I.N) One of these 3 is literally always up to something. Causing chaos when you least expect it. The phrase “Lee Know is linoing” has become a favorite of mine because it always means he’s doing some menace antics again.

4. Favorite unreleased song?

There was a song that Hyunjin and Chan recorded years ago that Chan supposedly lost. We got a snippet of it and when I heard it I went feral because like Red Lights part 2???! PLEASE I NEED THIS SONG LIKE I NEED AIR! Chan like wtf do you mean you lost the track?! FIND IT. RECORD IT AGAIN. 

Also, all the solo performances they did at the opening concert in Seoul for the DominATE tour. Yeah, I need all those unreleased songs to be RELEASED right tf now. Give us another Replay album! And Chan… ykw let me shut up and be good for once, but I just wanna say THE GRASS AINT WORKING 

5. Favorite old song of theirs? Favorite song from their most recent project?

HEYDAY by 3racha. The whole song is a vibe but Jisung’s lazy rap when he first starts his part just does something to me 😩 

In regard to the whole group, I’d say the song 'YAYAYA' is one of my go-to jams from their older stuff. I love the tempo changes, scratches my brain in a good way.

Now as for the new album “ATE” this may be controversial to say but “I like it” is my favorite. It’s just so catchy!

6. Has your bias/bias line changed?

Since the last time I did this, yes and no? I mean as I’ve grown more as a stay I can confidently say OT8! But if I was forced to choose I say Hyunjin no surprise there and Minho.

7. What about your wreckers?

Chan continues to wreck me every. single. day. Like it’s truly insane, that man KNOWS what he’s doing. I’d also like to add that I.N has been wrecking me left and right the last few months which I blame his hyungs for that. 

NOW FOR THE UNHINGED QUESTIONS!

Please skip this portion if it makes you uncomfortable. This is the delulu brain talking. 

8. Which member are you attracted to the most physically? What about emotionally?

Physically I’m going to say OT8! Like have you seen those MEN?! I would be lucky to even get a crumb from them like bffr. Changbin, Hyunjin & Minho

Emotionally probably Changbin & Chan. From the glimpses we get of their true feelings & perspectives on things I relate to them the most. Honorable mention for this one will be Hyunjin because he’s such a romantic and I wanna say Seungmin too. I feel like before we didn’t get to see a lot of Seungmin ‘off camera’ per se, but with his [Song by] series we get to see more of his real personality and thoughts.

9. If you ever actually had the chance, who do you think you’d work out in a long-term relationship with (please remember the first rule of Kpop)? 

Probably, Changbin. Mans is a walking green flag. He’s a good listener, considerate of other’s feelings while still being honest. Always there for you. Funny af too. Overall, considering how I am as a person I think, Changbin would just be a good match for me. Like in my delulu brain me and Binnie would have that friends to lovers trope going for us. Even my dearest honey bun thinks so, she did write about it for me afterall💕 

10. A favorite kink of yours and member to fit that kink?

To keep it somewhat light in the kink department I’m going to go with hands. And a member to fit it the best, aka who I think has the most attractive hands will go to Jeongin. Innie has giant and such well structured hands. Rings sit so pretty on his fingers too which makes me feral. Like AHHDKSISVJKDW please grip my wrists and throat sir! *ahem* I mean, please let’s hold hands 🫶🏽 

Honorable hands mention will go to Minho because the veins on that man’s hands are just so ✨🥴

11. Favorite sluttiest choreography/move they’ve done?

Damn do I have a lot for this one *cracks knuckles*

The choreo for Silent Cry. Need I say more?

Anytime Hyunjin body rolls

Every single hip thrust/roll from Minho

The “POPPIN 🗣️” part in Maniac, especially when Binnie does it.

That one part in Charmer. Y’all know exactly what part I’m talking about.

Red lights. Need I say more, pt 2

The entire choreo for Taste. Bonus points to Minho when he did the special stage where he’s fucking hip thrusting from the side (I hope y’all know which one I’m mentioning here)

12. Most unhinged fic or edit you have enjoyed of them?

There’s a lot for this question too but I’ll keep it short. I’ll start with unhinged fics. I enjoy dark themes because let’s face it. Trauma. Please be warned these fics aren’t for the faint of heart, so if you read them, be warned. Some are lighter than others, but please read warnings!

Game Over feat. Seungmin & I.N by @sanakimohara

Games feat. I.N by @dandelions-143

Chemical Infatuation feat. Han by @hanjisick

ABANB series feat. OT8! by @doitforbangchan

The SKZ House series feat. Chan & Hyunjin by @writeonwhiskey

As for edits, there are even more that I enjoy. But I’ll only choose 1 for the sake of time and it’s only letting me attach one video.

Alright, that’s it! Thanks for reading if you stuck it out this far! I really didn't intend for it to be this long but it was so fun that I got carried away. Now for tags, I’ll go with my typical beautiful babes @doitforbangchan @jehhskz @torialefay + anyone else who wants to join!

[meanbossart]

A long over-due ask compilation (Art & Music)

It's vaguely based on a short story from the book "The Consumer" by Michael Gira, specifically "The Boss". I think it came up in conversation with a friend or something when I was picking a new username, so that's how we arrived at it - this was almost a decade ago so, my memory on it is a little hazy!

{MORE UNDER THE CUT]

HAHA thank you so much!!! Glad you enjoy what I do 😎🍻

I BELIEVE this little guide I put together over here might be helpful to you, also! I touched on pretty much everything you brought up.

As for reference material when it comes to facial expressions, I have a mirror next to my desk which I glance at often and make weird faces at LOL and for consistency, it's really a matter of learning to dissect and remember facial structure. It's just something you end up developing an eye for when you've done it for long enough! Naturally, if we're talking about drawing existing characters, it's always helpful to just look at some pictures of their mugs and take a minute to define what features about them make their faces recognizable - I touch on this at the link above as well!

I do plan on making a "drowstarion" (love that, by the way LOL) playlist eventually, life's just been kicking my ass and I hardly have the time 😭and when I do, I just wanna draw.

Otherwise I don't have any other playlists floating around at the moment, BUT the one my boyfriend made for his Vellioth comic can be found here, and it might scratch a similar itch!

Thank you! I believe this was in reference to this post. Something like that takes me about... An hour??? If we're talking just the colors, at least. Though that's a really rough estimate because I take a lot of breaks, so my sense of time when I work ends up pretty skewed. Even if the application of the colors themselves took less than 20 minutes I probably spent 2 hours just staring at it LOL.

My friend, I have no idea. I'm in a constant battle between "I want to draw more realistically" and "I want to simplify my art so I can draw more/faster". What you see is the result of that ongoing brain-tug-of-war.

Also, just the way I assume everyone else develops theirs - they see stuff they like and emulate it until their art is Frankensteinish enough to be it's own unique thing!

I'm far from a Type O Negative buff, BUT I'm happy to share some of my favorites with you! They're quite scattered across a couple of their albums so I'm not sure I have a favorite, but I would say October Rust is a good starting point.

In no particular order, these are my most listened tracks of theirs: -Love You to Death -Black N.01 -Haunted -She Burned Me Down -Can't Lose You -I Don't Wanna Be Me -Be My Druidess -September Sun -Tripping A Blind Man

Alas, I was one of those people who was already drawing in kindergarten 😅 though I would say I only started taking it seriously when I was around 15-16 years old. As someone who has tried their hand at several other hobbies since reaching adulthood, I get what you're saying that it can kinda feel like... You missed the wagon? I've felt that way about all kind of things lol

That said, I've seen adults managing to develop their art skills extremely fast and effectively before. Understanding where and how you need to improve, and how to follow lessons/guides best is something that is vastly improved by maturity and knowing how to best hone your time, attention, and resources - and those are skills we completely lack as children. So, I sincerely believe that as long as you commit yourself, you can definitely get to a point that you're happy with in a couple of years if not less.

JUST DO IT BUDDY we are all just people looking through a screen and you won't ever see, talk, or meet 99% of the folks who ever clap eyes on what you post. Whenever you start getting nervous about sharing something, take a minute to ask yourself why you're nervous, and if none of the reasons have any genuine substance besides being afraid of what people "might think", just go ahead and post it. You're no mind-reader after all, and if you are, I doubt you can hear what a guy from Argentina or wherever is thinking about the art you made.

Point is, nobody online can touch you 🤷and if someone doesn't like what you do, they can simply choose to not interact with it, and if they do you can block and move on. There are zero reasons for you to feel "bad" about putting up a doodle when our experiences on the web are so easily curated nowadays.

[catmaidetho]

bands to listen to that arent lovejoy

hi, i just wanted to make this list for anyone who might be looking for something to replace any sudden voids in their music taste that lovejoy has left if they no longer wish to listen to the band.

the front bottoms - a classic, midwest emo staple. you already know "twin size mattress" and "lone star," i also recommend "lonely eyes," "camouflage," and "flashlight"

pinkshift - a fantastic band that leans way into punk and riot grrl. my favorite songs of theirs are "mars" and "burn the witch" :)

lincoln - another midwest emo/indie artist, his songs deal more heavily with mental health. (i cannot speak for "everything is wrong" as i've only heard the singles off it, but "a constant state of ohio" definitely touches on some dark shit.) "banks" goes hard

the toxhards - a bit more rock and roll, and also a bit goofier! you've heard aengus the prize winning hog, i also recommend "the coffee song," and "doombop!" but they have so few songs out that you can listen to everything at once

i dont know how but they found me (idkhow) - DO YOU LIKE WELL-CRAFTED LINES THAT ROLL OFF THE TONGUE WELL AND/OR HAVE A SATISFYINGLY SHARP BITE. DO YOU LIKE FUNKY BASSLINES. ARE YOU A HATER AND A LOVER AND ALSO A HATER. listen to idkhow. they just released an album last week and as one of their top 0.05% of listeners i cannot make a recommendation list without them. dallon weekes is my 42 y/o wife. listen to "do it all the time," "new invention," and "downside" to start, but i literally recommend their entire discography.

(if you like idkhow, also check out the brobecks, dallon weekes' band before idkhow from which he's taken at least two songs.)

the crane wives - do i need to tell you about the crane wives? this is an mcyt fandom. their songs deal with topics ranging from abuse (from both parties, the abuser and the abusee), adoption, getting mad at people on the internet, feeling like you're bad at life, and so much more, and it's all very beautifully written and sung. "the moon will sing" rips me to shreds every time, but also check out "volta," "nobody," "ancient history," and their latest single "the well"

some other bands i cannot reccomend any specifics from because im not big on them are los campensinos!, good kid, two door cinema club, and the hoosiers. they're very similar sonically, but beyond that i can't tell you more because i dont care that much.

[veliseraptor]

I don't know if you're still doing this but top 5 musicians?

i can still be doing it, for sure. honestly i can still be doing top fives whenever, they're fun for me

Vienna Teng. my OTM (one true musician), queen of my musical heart, comfort artist I always come back to. I think Spotify told me I was in the top less than 1% of listeners last year? and that's been true the last several years running. I'm so excited for the new music this year that was promised to me. or if it doesn't happen this year I'll be excited for it next year, or whenever it happens, I don't even care. would try to pick a favorite song but honestly I don't know that I could

ThouShaltNot. I tripped over this one because of @shorelle back in my livejournal days and they've been a mainstay of my listening rotation ever since. I love their lyrics and their sound both. very different from most of the others on this list but still a fave, for sure. favorite song is probably "We Could Have Flown Like Pollen" though it's a toss up between a lot of them on that album.

The Crane Wives. I found these guys through "Tongues and Teeth" which is a #shipping aesthetic song and then learned that I just really like the rest of their music also. "Tongues and Teeth" probably remains my favorite of theirs but I also have a big soft spot for "The Hand That Feeds."

Delta Rae. another more recent discovery where I just really like their general sound/style. I think my favorite is "Chasing Twisters" but I also really like "Forgive the Children We Once Were."

Within Temptation. this spot was a bit of a toss up between them, Nightwish, and Blind Guardian (mostly for Nightfall on Middle Earth, lbr), but ultimately I landed on Within Temptation. bonus points for giving me hella nostalgia for a very specific period in my life. this is another one where my favorite song is a serious open question, but I am deeply attached to the entire The Silent Force album.

[foxgloveinspace]

thanks for tagging me @fancassticfiction <3 <3

list your top 5 albums from your top 5 artists and have people vote on which one matches your vibe!

(Starting a new post cause the other one was getting a little long <3 some notes and links to the albums under the read more if y'all wanna listen, but that's not part of the tag game lol).

I'll tag: @a-little-lynx @absentviolet @blue-lollipops-and-ice-clouds @bluesey-182 @excelsior9173 @kyloreno-911 @ anyone who wants to do this! (as always, if you don't want to do the tag game, no worries! <3)

Sadly Til Fauna doesn't have an album out yet so I can't include them oof. Honorable mention; Diary of Jane by Breaking Benjamin which I listen to in July a lot ironically. Also honorable mention, Happy Anniversary by Dixon Dallas. It's brand new and I can't put it on this list cause... it feels like cheating, cause I like it so much rn cause it is new ya know?

Picking a Sleep token album was so hard. But obviously they have to go on here. I won't lie my favorite album of theirs changes every month. Ask me next month, it'll probably be Sundowning.

[midnightsslut]

the whole cardigan/Peter parallels are messing my head can u explain

okay so peter is actually one of my favorite songs on the album for this reason! I think it has parallels to a lot of other songs, not just cardigan. the first thing to get out of the way is the cardigan lyric about peter and wendy: ‘tried to change the ending, peter losing wendy.’ now, that line doesn’t make a ton of sense because peter losing wendy is the ending of peter pan (idk I’ve never seen it and never thought I’d spend this long thinking about them), but I think what she’s saying is that he tried to change the ending of *their* story to peter losing wendy. peter loses her because she outgrows him, while he remains a ‘lost boy’ forever. the cardigan demo has an alternate lyric where peter actually *leaves* wendy. this does not happen in the original story, and to me, it reads like betty (eh, I don’t think those characters existed when she wrote that song, but bear with me) is accusing him of trying to change their fate by leaving her. peter is meant to always come back to wendy. *she* is the one who eventually leaves him. either way, cardigan ends with them together. yay for betty and/or taylor.

now, peter was written 3-4 years later, and it is the conclusion of a story about outgrowing someone despite truly wanting them back. the ending was not, in fact, changed. she did outgrow him. very sad. I actually want to go lyric by lyric, but I’ll put a cut just in case.

Forgive me Peter

My lost fearless leader

In closets like cedar

Preserved from when we were just kids

Is it something I did

the song starts with taylor trying to figure out what went wrong. did she do something wrong to crush these dreams of theirs? she kept him in a closet of cedar (where unmarried women kept their belongings that they would want to take with them after getting married) in her mind, but things didn’t work out anyway. the first line being ‘forgive me, peter’ indicates that she is the one who pulled the plug, and she’s apologizing for it. again, she isn’t entirely sure what went wrong, which, to me, is a clear parallel to how did it end.

The goddess of timing

Once found us beguiling

She said she was trying

Peter was she lying

My ribs get the feeling she did

when they first met, the timing seemed to be perfect for their relationship (‘the goddess of timing *once* found us beguiling’), but that didn’t last. the goddess of timing claimed that she tried, but nothing could save them. taylor even wonders if she lied, which suggests a lack of faith in higher powers like fate or deities. this verse introduces timing as a major conflict in the story. ‘are you really gonna talk about timing in times like these?’

Said you were gonna grow up

Then you were gonna come find me

Words from the mouths of babes

Promises, oceans deep

But never to keep

peter went away, but he promised to come down once he was ready for a relationship. yes, this kind of applies to both of the main storylines on the album. you could take this to mean that they actually broke up a decade ago but promised to get back together, or you could assume there was some sort of break to their relationship, which she and joe did have. i kind of took it to mean that he wasn’t fully committed to the relationship, but he promised to be eventually. again, the renegade lyric, but also ‘i’m a fire, and i’ll keep your brittle heart warm if your cascade ocean wave blues come�� and ‘I’d hold you as the water rushes in,’ both of which are grand promises that neither party could keep.

Are you still a mind reader?

A natural scene stealer

I've heard great things Peter

But life was always easier on you

Than it was on me

he is charismatic. his magnetic field is a little too strong. he can read people. but he’s also fragile and inexperienced (‘he was a hothouse flower to my outdoorsman’). he may be able to read people, but things have been way too easy for him to ever understand a truly hurt person fully.

And sometimes it gets me

When crossing your jet stream

We both did the best we could do underneath the same moon

In different galaxies

And I didn't want to hang around

We said it was just goodbye for now

this is the thesis statement of their relationship to me. obviously, there’s the call it what you want parallel, but more importantly, it shows that the two people really wanted this to work. they just came from completely different places in their lives and perhaps the entire universe. this verse seems to reference the epilogue (‘resentment rotting away galaxies we created’ / ‘some stars never align’). they learned the right steps to different dances, if you will. she knew he needed time, so she left temporarily.

And I won't confess that I waited

But I let the lamp burn

As the men masqueraded

I hoped you'd return

With your feet on the ground

Tell me all that you'd learned

Cause love's never lost when perspective is earned

she does get with other men, but she keeps longing for him. she wishes that he would return with a grasp on reality and be the man she needs. if anything, the time away would give him the perspective he needs to ground himself. interesting parallel to ‘I said I don’t mind / it takes time’ in loml.

And you said you'd come and get me but you were 25

And the shelf life of those fantasies has expired

Lost to the lost boys chapter of your life

Forgive me Peter, please know that I tried

To hold onto the days when you were mine

But the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light

this is just devastating to me. well, first of all, both matty and joe were 25 when they first met her, which, lol. the dreams they had together have expired now. it’s been too long. she cannot keep holding onto a love from almost a decade ago. he took too long to return. he lost his lifelong dreams to what was only supposed to be a chapter of his life. she tried to hold onto the days when he was hers, and everything was right, but she had to turn out the light at some point. this is the moment when she gives up on their relationship. she apologizes for abandoning the ship, but she must do it.

overall, I think peter is a story about two people who genuinely did everything they could to be together, but their needs and their growth no longer aligned. there’s a sense of acceptance and lingering fondness here. she did everything she could not to bolt, but the ending was the same.

[jesuisgourde]

My first-listen thoughts on the new Manics single:

I haven't really liked the past two albums. I'm a little skeptical about this new one (the title feels like I'm being sideswiped by a leftie facebook boomer) and I'm so tired of the sound they've been using that started during Resistance Is Futile. But one thing I do like is Nicky's first solo album, which I think is a rarity among Manics fans.

This new song feels like it could have been a b-side to IKTZ. It still has the sonic style that the Manics seem to have unfortunately gotten stuck on since 2018, but it also reminds me a bit of You Will Always Be My Home and Afterbloom.

This song is Nicky walking the same line he's been walking since TUVL, all the same themes of nostalgia and growing older and and solitude and searching for an identity from all the detritus of the years. I think having his vocals rather than JDB's does help a lot; since he wrote the words he infuses them with his characteristic monotone that's like sighing feelingly. (I always loved his "I'm not a singer, I'm a sigher" comment from recording Williams Last Words.) I think sometimes when Nicky is writing about himself specifically, JDB's vocal style is too dynamic and clear and it feels like an odd juxtaposition. I don't know who the lady singer is (she looks familiar but maybe I'm psyching myself out) but I like the addition of her as backing vocals, which heightens the sort of characteristic "creakiness" of Nicky's singing, in a good way.

Lyrically I don't have much to say. It's Nicky talking about the same thing he's been talking about since TUVL. I wish so badly that he'd go back to writing about art movements and artists and history. I don't think I particularly care about him writing about current political events, but I like his songs about history, and so much of RIF was songs about individual people (artists, writers, other musicians, historical figures) and I found it so much more interesting and compelling than hearing Nicky write about himself, since he kind of tends to write about the same themes over and over.

(Side note: I wonder if the moment in the music video where you see him writing "hate and despair" over and over was a bit of a self-mocking or self-aware moment. Those have been 'his' two words since the beginning.)

I don't think this is a favorite of mine in terms of their whole ouevre, but nothing has been since 2018, really. But this is the first time since RIF that I've listened to a song of theirs and thought "oh, I could listen to that a few more times and not get bored".

[gffa]

FYI: still thinking warm thoughts about you, and hoping that you're doing ok after the pain of (last week?).

I'm doing all right, thank you for the check in, I appreciate it a lot. I wish I had something of interest to say, because it starts to feel like it's hard to talk about it without some new insight or some clever turn of phrase, as if grief can't be boring, mundane, or cliche. But the truth is that it often is cliche and mundane. When my dad died, one of the things that I could finally do was start to clean things out, he was a hoarder and he didn't want anyone cleaning while he was sleeping (he slept about four times a day) and always wanted to save everything to go through (except he had no energy to do it, so it just piled up, but you couldn't sneak out much because he'd get mad) and earlier this week I came across his ereader, which still had his books on it. He hadn't used it much in the last few months, the dialysis made his hands shake so bad he couldn't hold it anymore, and his lucidity was waning pretty badly so he couldn't focus anyway, but he'd had it for years and I'd always been the one to help him put books onto it, since I was a little more tech-savvy. It's just a reader, he had several of them over his lifetime, it wasn't uniquely special, so I was charging it up and would take his books off and consider using it as my backup, and I'd already spent so much time crying and pouring those feelings out of me. It was just one more thing to clean up and either repurpose or throw out. You know how sometimes you watch TV shows and they portray grief in such a cliche way, where the person left behind discovers an old photo album or a favorite shirt of theirs or a letter they wrote, and they start crying again and you know it's not insincere, but it feels almost like a trope that just happens because writers want to show the audience something, not because that's how it really happens? Well, I looked at that reader, something I'd never really felt that strongly one way or another, looked at his list of books, and immediately collapsed back into grief, I can't take those books off his reader yet, I don't know if I ever will be able to, and I can't explain why. Other than that it was his and he loved it so much once upon a time, it was one of the longest lasting joys he had. I feel like such a cliche about all of this, from the rocky relationship I had with him and the complicated feelings that gave me, but he was still my dad and this is a massive shift in my understanding of the world and it's hard to give myself the space for that, because of course I know that grief often is cliche and that it's okay to have it hit over small things, but logic also has little place here and it's hard not to feel like I'm falling into banal and trite reactions. Because sometimes grief is mundane and cliche and I don't know how to talk about it in a way that doesn't feel trite or like I'm making a big deal out of something that happens to people regularly and should be handled on my own. It still doesn't feel real half of the time and the other time it feels too real and I'm probably going to swing back and forth on that for awhile, but at least I'll have times in the middle where I'll still be able to blog about comics or whatever, because sometimes it's also true that you just have to take a break from it before it consumes you and do something purely recreational and fun.

[fromtenthousandfeet]

About what you mentioned with wondering if Jungkook didn't get a lot of help with those older songs. I'm not sure about solo songs, but if we're talking group songs, I never valued those credits too much. Specially if compared to solo songs. I remember Jungkook fans loved to brag about him having more credits than Jimin, but most of those credits are from group songs while most of Jimin's credits are from his own songs (Jimin may have more credits now after Face and Muse, I'm not sure). And that's better in my opinion. Cause I feel like there's a limit to how much involvement a vocalline member can have in a group song.

Think about it, if you write down the lyrics of every BTS song at least half of it will be the rapline's verses. When you listen to the song those verses go fast, but there's normally a lot of lyrics. And the biggest section of the song for the vocaline is the chorus, which tends to have only a few lines and then is repeated usually three times without any change in lyrics. So, like I said, at least half of the song is the raplines's verses, and I'm pretty sure they write those themselves, I sincerely doubt the vocaline has ever written any rap verse. So that means that every time a vocaline member is credited in a group song, there's only half the song they could've have contributed to. Which is not to say they made that entire half, cause while the vocaline doesn't write the rapline parts, the rapline does often write the vocaline parts, so rapline is included in both halves. And then there's the other non-BTS people credited in the song, often producers. So that's a minimum of 5 people (3 rappers + 1 vocalist + at least 1 producer) all writing that half of the song. So how much do you think the 1 vocalist really wrote?

We don't normally get the answer for that, but there's one example. We know exactly what Jimin's contribution to Dis-ease was. He made the brigbe of the song, that's it, no other parts. And sure, that one part is literally the best part of the whole album and one of fans favorite parts in any BTS song, but that's just Jimin and his magical touch, I doubt the other vocalist could do so much with so little, that's a Jimin only specialty (shout out to him changing the course of k-pop history with his 20 seconds in BST). Anyway, the point is that this is probably what the vocalists contributions to group songs normally look like, just one part of the song.

In contrast, the vocalists are probably way more involved when it's their solo songs. No three rappers to take half the song here. Also, when the song is only yours you can write more personal lyrics, while in the group you have to be a little more general because it's a song six other people have to sing too. Think of how personal Jimin got to be in FACE, he simply couldn't have done that in a group song. And Jimin is also big on melodies (NO shout out to him being robbed of his credits in BST), and if the song is only his he can fully decided what it's going to sound like. There's just a lot more control someone gets to have in a song that is only theirs. With a group songs there's only so much space for your own ideas when there's 6,7,8 other people involved.

When you look at the credits of Dis-ease and Alone (my favorite), Jimin is credited in both songs. But are those credits comparable? Honestly, I would rather one solo credit than ten group credits. So when people brag about Jungkook's credits, which are mostly from group songs, I'm not impressed. Because when solo era came around he had zero involved in his own album and no credit in a random BTS song people don't even realize he wrote some lyrics for is gonna change that.

Seriously though, what BTS songs did he even write? You mentioned Magic Shop and I had forgotten about that and can't remember much more. I think he did one of their japanese songs, which is weird cause he didn't seem to speak japanese very well in AYS, so how the hell did he write that? Honestly, I think the majority of fans have no idea he wrote any of these group songs, people are way more aware of solo songs. All fans know Jimin wrote his own albums, you don't need to look at the BTS wiki to find out about that.

I’m sharing without comment because it’s should be sleeping. Anon, thanks for sharing your perspectives.

[dandelions-143]

IM SO LATE SORRY!!

Thanks for tagging me! @moonchild9350 you can find hers here ❤️

1. Dumbest thing you believed as a new fan? I thought I.N. and Hyunjin were brothers because they looked so much alike to me!!

2. Favorite duo/ship from this group? I don’t ship them but.. Seungmin & Chan for sure and Hyunjin & Changbin. I just love each of them together. Their chemistry and friendship is just the best.

3. Favorite sub group within the whole group (for skz: favorite Racha)? I would have to say 3Racha & PaboRacha

4. Favorite unreleased song? All of their solo songs on the world dominate tour… like hellooooo!! We need those songs ASAP! Changbins was my favorite. I love when he gets all aggressive… anyway…

5. Favorite old song of theirs? Favorite song from their most recent project/album? Probably Voices, I still listen to that song at least once a week. And from the ATE album, I like it.

6. Has your bias/ bias line changed? Not really. My bias is still Chan but, I’m wrecked by Changbin, Minho, and now Seungmin on the daily. Also my bias wreckers are wrecked by Hyunjin, Han, Felix, and Jeongin as well. So guess this makes me OT8 lol… 😂

7. What about bias wreckers, have they changed?

See above question 🤦‍♀️ but yes they change daily.

8. Which member are you attracted to the most physically? Emotionally? Changbin for sure. I love big boys and he’s funny but obviously emotionally mature.

9. If you ever actually had the chance, who do you think you’d work out in a long-term relationship with (please remember the first rule of Kpop)? Mmm… Changbin or probably Felix.

10. A favorite kink of yours and choose a member to fit that kink? Big arms and veins. So Chan, Changbin, and Lee Know bc of those veins he has.. Jesus!

11. Favorite sluttiest choreography/move they’ve done? Just watch this.. 😁

https://youtu.be/d_xcyVmjYYg?si=kDIskMR5CQLxpmcL

12. Most unhinged fic/oneshot or edit you have enjoyed of them? Gosh there is so many so I’ll just tag the writers I love ❤️

@milkteabinniechan @valkyriexo @writeonwhiskey @moonchild9350 and there are many more!!

No pressure tags

@moonndustx @milkteabinniechan @valkyriexo

[bunchashapes]

any music recs?

i could have made this very short or entirely too long. i opted for the latter:

HAVE YOU LOOKED FOR SOME NEW MUSIC TO LISTEN TO? LOOK NO FURTHER, FOR HERE IS

I know. There's a lot of music out there. Well have no fear, because I've selected, organized AND categorized a fine number of music selections, just for you! I tried to keep it to just stuff you probably haven't heard of before, but I make no promises. Hopefully you'll find at least one new thing you can take with you into 2023.

MAKE YOUR SELECTION:

1 - MIKE, I'M LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO GROOVE TO. SOMETHING I CAN GET DOWN AND VIBE WITH OR PERHAPS LISTEN TO WHILE I WORK:

Sounds good! Let's start with a few of those:

Vulfpeck - Okay you may already know about Vulfpeck. Sorry. If you HAVEN'T, they're a wonderful group of dudes from Michigan that are all insanely talented. They have a wide-range of styles they cover and pretty much every member has gone on to do other solo stuff, which may also suit your interests. They also have a spin-off band called The Fearless Flyers that I'll cover a little further down.

Jacob Mann (As well as his Big Band) - Jacob's solo stuff has a nice laid-back feel to it, while his big band stuff is slightly more bombastic, but all of it is fun and groovy. Great example of a musician effectively switching between different toolsets, whether its a whole group of talented musicians at his disposal or just a bunch of nice Roland presets.

EMEFE - They haven't been very active lately but EMEFE is an incredible ensemble with plenty of amazing music for you to listen to. Their live album from 2017 makes me wish i could go back in time and watch it live.

Louis Cole - Louis Cole's also pretty popular, but maybe you haven't heard of him! Originally hailing from Knower, he's collaborated with a ton of musicians (including Vulfpeck AND Jacob Mann Big Band, mentioned above) as well as produced an impressive array of solo music. I can't understate how much I love this guy.

Thundercat - Know who else he's collaborated with? Thundercat. Have you listened to Thundercat? You should really do yourself a favor and listen to Thundercat.

Sammy Rae and The Friends - Only learned about Sammy Rae very recently but The Feeling (linked) was an earworm that lodged itself in my brain for months. Infectiously positive vibes, a great ensemble and really brilliant singing.

Silk Sonic - Okay they played at the Grammys so it definitely doesn't count as a deep cut but listen to Silk Sonic anyway okay? Okay.

2- MIKE I NEED SOMETHING THAT WHIPS ASS. SOMETHING TO COMPLETELY KNOCK MY SOCKS OFF.

Can do. Your metric of kickass may vary but at least one of these should work for you:

King Gizzard and The Wizard Lizard - King Gizz has put out such an unbelievable volume of music that it's hard to just recommend ONE thing from them. I've linked Nonagon Infinity, a great little album with the fun gimmick of seamlessly looping front to back. They really haven't put out a single bad album, so just go wild.

Royal Blood - Royal blood's bassist plays through an octave pedal, giving their stuff this fuckin' beefy sound that's well-rounded enough you'd never guess the band is just a bassist and a dummer. Their style has gotten poppier lately but it's still all worth listening to.

Tricot - Tricot's been around for around 10 years now and their stuff has only gotten better over time. I feel like Math Rock is kind of an obtuse genre for most people but their recent stuff is absolutely worth checking out even if that's not your usual sort of thing. Makkuro (真っ黒) is my favorite album of theirs by far.

Thank You Scientist - Stranger Heads Prevail is probably one of my favorite prog albums ever and you'll probably like it too. Insanely good ensemble (the amazing triple threat of sax/trumpet/violin is such an integral part of their sound) and really fun vocals.

Nova Collective - Another incredible prog group. As far as I know they've only put out one album but it whips ass.

Ask My Bull - These guys popped out of the woodwork a few years ago and I've been obsessed with them ever since, I can't wait to see what they do next. If you're a horn-loving freak like me you absolutely need to listen to them.

Fearless Flyers - The previously aforementioned Vulfpeck spin-off band, guest starring Mark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy and the incredible Nate Smith on drums. Their album Tailwinds is easily one of my favorite albums ever, the addition of a sax trio takes their stuff from incredible to legendary.

Daikaiju - Kaiju-themed surf rock. That's really all that needs saying.

3 - MIKE I NEED SOMETHING THAT'LL MAKE ME SAY "DAMN THAT'S COOL"

Well you're in luck! A wide range of things fit the bill:

Snarky Puppy - A powerhouse jazz/funk/rock ensemble full of insanely talented musicians. Just give this song a listen, you won't regret it.

The Dear Hunter - Dear Hunter (not Deerhunter. Different band) has remained my favorite band since high school. The band has a number of different projects, A collection of EPs for each color of the rainbow, a 5-part rock opera/narrative concept album (with a 6th part that may be a movie??) and other more straightforward albums that still cover a broad range of genres and styles. I think they're great and hopefully you will too.

Hiromi Uehara - Hiromi's probably my favorite pianist ever. Just watch that video. She's ridiculous. She also plays in an incredible trio and guest stars on my favorite Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra song! Preposterously talented and insanely fun to watch. I love her.

The Bad Plus - Speaking of great trios, you can't go wrong with The Bad Plus! Really vibrant arrangements and generally incredible musicianship throughout their work.

Esperanza Spalding - Obscenely talented bassist AND singer AND songwriter. As someone who sings and plays bass (not at the same time, of course) watching her do effortlessly do both at the same time is mesmerizing. I love her.

Chon - Chon's also pretty big now but I want you to imagine you're me at a Dear Hunter (see above) concert back in 2015 and one of the opening bands walks onstage and you're like "well okay what's these guys' deal" and then they start playing these fucking insane picking solos in perfect unison. I literally couldn't believe what I was seeing. I wish everyone could experience Chon through those eyes.

4 - MIKE THOSE ARE COOL AND ALL BUT WHAT I'M REALLY LOOKING FOR IS SOME MUSIC TO GET BUNDLED UP AND GO TO SLEEP TO

You need ambient? I got your ambient right here.

Hiroshi Yoshimura - I was first exposed to the wide, wide world of Japanese ambient music back in college and in all my years since then, few things have been able to beat Yoshimura's atmospheric soundscapes. If you need music to shut your brain off (and who doesn't, from time to time), look no further.

Chihei Hatakeyama - Another Japanese ambient powerhouse, Hatakeyama's got a huge discography of music and all of it will knock your lights out (very pleasantly).

Green-House - Very much inspired by Japanese ambient, Green-house is described as "music for plants". I only wish there was more of it.

Joep Beving - Not exactly an ambient artist but a masterful practitioner of minimal, atmospheric piano. His style is understated but filled with emotion, a great mix of more classical elements with a modern cinematic flair. Great to work to!

5- MIKE EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT JAPANESE CITY POP, JAZZ FUSION AND EARLY ELECTRONIC MUSIC BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START. GET ME ON THE GROUND FLOOR HERE

You got it boss:

Yellow Magic Orchestra - You've probably heard of these guys by now. I've only known about them for 6-ish years after they had a moderate burst of fame here but I think it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say these guys were one of the principle pieces of genetic memory that coalesced into the DNA of modern electronic music. All three of the principle members, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi (rest in peace) have all had really prolific solo careers in a ton of styles of music that are all worth your time.

T Square - An absolute titan of Japanese jazz fusion, their album Adventures is a veritable Rosetta Stone of video game music, directly inspiring a good number of video game songs including the dang mario brothers theme! Their stuff is an absolute joy to listen to.

Tatsuro Yamashita - Yamashita is often called the king of city pop and is (according to wikipedia) credited for pioneering Japanese "soft rock". Having grown up on the pacific coast, there's some ineffable truth in his schmaltzy surf music that touches me deep in my soul. You may not have the same experiences as I do, but I hope listening to him will allow you to tap into that divine spark and enjoy it for yourself.

Masayoshi Takanaka - Perhaps not quite as famous as Yamashita, Takanaka is a brilliant guitarist and musician known for that same schmaltzy pacific rock (just look at that damn guitar. I love him) as well as a number of other styles of rock and jazz fusion. He's got a huge discography and it's all incredible.

Casiopea - I would be remiss if I didn't mention Casiopea. I'm not an expert in Japanese music obviously, but I think it'd be fair to say they and T-Square are the two titans holding the glory of late 70's-early 80's jazz fusion like Atlas shouldering the world. Do yourself a favor and listen to Mint Jams.

Himiko Kikuchi - Truthfully I don't know much of Kikuchi's discography other than Flying Beagle (linked) but she absolutely killed it. Do yourself a favor and listen to that too.

6 - WELL MIKE THAT'S ALL WELL AND GOOD BUT WHAT IF I WANT SOMETHING WEIRD THAT DOESN'T FIT IN ANY OF THOSE CATEGORIES

I'm always happy to recommend unconventional stuff. Here's a few albums that I love to close us out:

Tom Waits - Alice - First of all, you should listen to Tom Waits. I know you know him as the Funny Voice Guy but he's had such an incredible musical career that starts great and only gets more and more amazing over time. Anyway, in the 90's, Tom and his wife (and writing partner since the 80's) Kathleen Brennan were scoring weird experimental musicals in Germany, namely The Black Rider (also worth listening to) and Alice. The musical is a strange extrapolation of Alice in Wonderland, namely inspired by Charles Dodgson's (Lewis Carroll) relationship with Alice Liddell, generally accepted as the real-life inspiration for Alice. Though the actual specifics of their relationship are uncertain, the age discrepancy and Charles' general fixation with Alice leads many to assume....the worst about their relationship, an interpretation the musical runs with. The actual musical is hard to find evidence of (there's some documentary footage from the 90's and I've found the script) but Tom rearranged his music for the show and released it in 2002, which in my eyes is the definitive version of the music. The album is unbelievably melancholic, heart-wrenching, at times deeply uncomfortable, and absolutely filled with beauty. Lost in the Harbor is maybe one of my favorite songs of all time. If ANY of this sounds even slightly interesting to you, I implore you to check it out. It also has Colin Stetson on saxophone and clarinet, which segues quite nicely to the next album.....

Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2 - You may have actually heard Colin's music before, he's scored films like Hereditary, Color Out Of Space and the newest Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. New History Warfare is one of his experimental solo projects, most characterized by Stetson recording basically everything in a huge room filled with microphones, creating this incredible impression of scale. It's filled with some of the craziest shit I've ever heard someone do on a saxophone; long, galloping phrases with no pauses for air thanks to circular breathing, mixing in the sound of the valves opening and closing, and an incredible unnatural-sounding delay all achieved with live recording. The Righteous Wrath of An Honorable Man is one of the coolest things I've ever heard in my life (you've probably already heard it before) but the whole album is absolutely captivating.

Caroline Shaw - Partita for 8 Voices - Caroline Shaw is an amazing musician, singer and composer. All of her stuff is really beautiful and worth listening to, but few things stand out as much as this composition, written for and performed by a cappella group Roomful of Teeth (which is probably the sickest possible name for a choral group). I feel like a cappella music has a woefully bland perception among most people (thanks in no small part to Pitch Perfect); all lavish arrangements of pop music with absolutely no soul. If this is what you think all a cappella music is, I urge you to listen to this album. It's a masterful blend of speech, song and energy, filled with a vibrancy and passion I have a difficult time putting into words. You really just have to listen to it.

[jehhskz]

Thanks for the tag twin @athforskz ❤️

Click here for the questions. Kindly asking for MDNI because there will be nsfw stuff!

I'm tagging @doitforbangchan / @moonchild9350 / @jeonginsleftcheek / @ssickmagnolia8 ❤️

1.Dumbest thing you believed as a new fan?

I was convinced that Han and the actress Shin Se-kyung were sibilings because in my mind they are pretty much twins, i even went to check on Google because i couldn't remember her name and not to confirm they aren't related 😅

2.Favorite duo/ship from this group?

Although hyunlix fics makes my heart warm, i don't ship any of them romantically. But friendship speaking, my favorite is hyunlix and hyunjin and innie, i love how they are with each other 💕

3.Favorite sub group within the whole group (for skz: favorite Racha)?

Danceracha, they altered my brain chemical forever

4.Favorite unreleased song?

Mic and brush and their solos from dominATE tour 🥹 can they hurry up and released it soon, please?

5. Favorite old song of theirs? Favorite song from their most recent project/album?

I love love love Case 143 but i'd say Lonely St too, for their new album i loved everything, but i'd say chk chk boom, because this song instantly puts me in a good mood

6.Has your bias/ bias line changed?

Hmmm, i met skz because of Felix, but even if we had a - weird start - Hyunjin caught my attention right away, and i remember watching the topline mv and thinking if i was dating Felix i'd have those - oh i wish it was you instead - feelings for Hyunjin (look at me being delulu when i didn't even know what delulu was 😵), so yeah i guess it's always been Hyunjin 👉🏻👈🏻

7.What about bias wreckers, have they changed?

I'm torn between Lino and Felix, but it has been like this for awhile, so i'd say it didn't change

8.Which member are you attracted to the most physically? Emotionally?

I think ot8's so hot, i'd feel luck 🤭 but i'd say physically Han, him dancing to lalalala in that cropped top lives rent free in my mind, Hyunjin too and i'm not saying this just because he showed his abs recently, this man fully dressed was already messing with my head, and emotionally i'd say Han or Hyunjin too because i feel like i'd be very safe with them and could just be me without having to worry about what to say or do

9.If you ever actually had the chance, who do you think you’d work out in a long-term relationship with (please remember the first rule of Kpop)?

What's the first rule of Kpop? Without a doubt, Hyunjin. Not to hype me up or anything, but i just know i'd know how to love him right ❤️

10.A favorite kink of yours and choose a member to fit that kink?

Ohhh tmi moment 🫣 i'm obsessed with men neck, it drives me insane and Hyunjin has the most beautiful neck 🤤 and fingers intertwined, it's like my thing, very intimate, very loving, feeling his beautiful hands connected with mine during our intimate moments would make my heart explode, also finish inside, very intimate ❤️

11.Favorite sluttiest choreography/move they’ve done?

Have you seen my bias dancing? That man's moves is really something else 🫣 to highlight some of him and the boys, i'd say danceracha during taste, Hyunjin's hall of fame, that move from thunderous, Changbin's poppin, and Chan and I.N's solo during dominATE, their JJAM dance, oooh and the iconic play with fire!!!

12.Most unhinged fic and oneshot or edit you have enjoyed of them?

Ohh i've got quite a long list 💕 i usually go for the romances, here's some of the favs:

Hyunjin - Deity by @doitforbangchan

Hyunjin - Three days with you @moonchild9350

Hyunjin - Teach me and Too much kitten? By @seungfl0wer

Hyunjin - Sweet Reunion by @jeonginsleftcheek

Hyunjin - TAGAM by @leeknowsallyoursecrets

Hyunlix - Losing my breathe for you by @ssickmagnolia8

SKZ - All bark and no bite by @doitforbangchan

Felix - Of Ex's and Oh's by @athforskz

Han - Weather the storm by @doitforbangchan

There's a lot more, but i think i'm not suppose to make this list too long (?), but it's basically all my babes masterlists: @athforskz, @doitforbangchan, @jeonginsleftcheek, @leeknowsallyoursecrets, @moonchild9350, @ssickmagnolia8 i'm obsessed with their writting ❤️

Edits: This // This // This // This

[thats-the-teen-spirit]

Bring Me The Horizon - POST HUMAN: NeX GEn album review

Well I didn't expect to write a full BMTH album review today but here we go. The band officially blueballed their audience to the point that as soon as they passed the longest streak without releasing an album, they surprise-dropped it completely unexpectedly. Just a heads-up, I'm not familiar to the lore of the album, what the Nex Gen is or whatever but still, here's my review:

[ost] dreamseeker

This is the shortest and most basic noise intro they've done I think for a while, it's just sounds of steps and the fade in to the first track

2. YOUtopia

Way before the album was announced, back during the Survivor Horror album cycle Oli said something along the way that the Post Human series wants to explore each of their favorite and most played genres, one of which was "emo" as he said. Emo in a sense that MCR or Underoath was emo, not the old-school way. YOUtopia has definitely the MCR feeling to it, not as much as LosT has though but that is not the point. This song has a bouncy riff, catchy chorus (similar style to Werewolf, the song the guys did with Lil Uzi Vert on his latest album) and the most 'amo' feel outside of the singles for me. Great song, definitely will be played during concerts.

3. Kool-Aid

The last single before they dropped the album, possibly the most balanced song out of the singles. Very catchy chorus, even the first few seconds feel like the "you're gonna die in the pit" fright that I usually feel at concerts. The breakdown is crazy, it has a very death metal guitar solo, what more do you want?

4. Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd

When I first read the title I thought this would be the most emo song on the album. I was not wrong. The style of 80% of the song is pure pop punk. There's the old school blink-182-like riff, the chorus sounds like it's from a 00's teen movie. Sometimes in the song there are cheeky blastbeat parts which I adored with Super Mario coin sounds that were hilarious. Oh and there's the Poliphia-bridge that made me smile. This is gonna be a top song on the album for sure for me. It's just so unapologetically fun, it's crazy.

5. liMOusIne (feat. AURORA)

The most out of place song for me, it doesn't even feel like BMTH. It sounds like they hopped on the Deftones-core hype train with the 8 or 9 string low tuned guitar riff that is more Sleep Token than BMTH. Still it's a banger, the bridge by AURORA is really catchy as well. The outro of the song is probably my favorite of theirs outside of One Day the Only Butterflies... on the previous album.

6. DArkSide

DArkSide was the fifth single, and in my opinion the most basic bitch one. It just sounds like they wanted to rip off Linkin Park's Somewhere I Belong again, this of course doesn't mean that the song is bad. In fact it grew on me a lot since it got released. The lyrics are very edgy which is expected from a BMTH song but this song was also a bit too cheesy for me, it definitely goes for the safe radio play option that the band still needs to be as popular as they are.

7. ​​a bulleT w- my namE On (feat. Underoath)

If you read this review carefully you might have noticed that I namedropped Underoath earlier. Well, they are featured on the album. This one literally feels like an old-school Underoath song but with Oli's vocals and the modern hyperpop spin that they do through the whole album. At some point Spencer's vocals felt like they were originally be Jordan's which kinda broke my heart a bit, since the Oli+Jordan duo were my favorite songwriters in the scene. If you're a fan of Underoath you should definitely give this one a spin.

8. [ost] (spi)ritual

Intro=Dark Signs by Sleep Token, Lyrics=Fully Satanic, title=clever wordplay. It's a 2 minute long interlude that has some guitars in it so most fans will not be disappointed in it, the biblical references are there for the edge of it but are barely audible, if you're one of those fans who recently got offended by their latest marketing ploy (the Jesus one), then I'd suggest skip this one. Also it's BMTH, they have always been against religion in general so... don't be surprised.

9. n/A

This song broke me. The first two lines are: "Hi, My name is Oli and I'm an addict. I'm here cause I'm not quite all there". The guitar work is very simple in the beginning, reminiscent of Where is My Mind by the Pixies, but you can sense that something big is coming. This is the most personal song on the album, I haven't heard Oli open up this much about suicidal thoughts and addiction since Sempiternal. It also has a grotesque feel to it as he discribes how he would kill himself in various ways (jumping down a building, making love to a chainsaw, etc). This one is also pretty emo, but not just because of the lyrics, by the sound as well. Definitely will be landing on my playlist.

10. LoSt

Undoubtedly my favorite song on the album, i've been constantly listening to it since it came out last year. If there is a thing called "I'm not Okay"-core this is it. The breakdown is the funnest one through the whole discography of the band, the chorus is a clone of the aformentioned MCR song and the pacing feels like a pop punk banger with an easycore breakdown. Still 10/10 for me.

11. sTraNgeRs

It's kinda crazy to think about how much time passed between each single and the album itself. This song will always remind me to coming home from my ex-girlfriend whom I've completely alienated from at that point and humming to myself: We're just a room full of strangers. I know that the original meaning of the song is quite the oposite, it has a sense of unity and togetherness but still, my personal story overwrote this one for me and I cannot help it. This was the second single and in my opinion didn't age as well as the others but still a very good song.

12. Rip (duskCOre RemIx)

Some segments of the lyrics of this song can be found throughout the teasers BMTH put out in the past few years. This one is a purely hyperpop/heavy pop banger that is very common towards the end of the record. The pacing is again very pop punk and emo, but it has those glitchy effects and even a dance beat at some point. It's a fun one but the poppiest out of the whole record I think. Oh and there's a woah-woah post-chorus which is again, very pop punk. Also despite the sound is very happy and hyper the lyrics are very self-loathing and depict the disappointment Oli had with himself after relapsing during COVID. Just a not so fun fact.

13. AmEN! (feat, Lil Uzi Vert and Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw)

The heaviest song on the album that was premiered live in my home country last year. I'm really disappointed I missed that and am still salty about it. Anyway this song is the same as Darkside for me, it's not a bad one, in fact, the old school BMTH fans will like this one the most, but for me it's not as exciting. I'd rather listen to the random bullshit they come up with than Oli trying to replicate Suicide Season style vocals which tore his throat up back then. But back to the song, it also grew a lot on me, the choir breakdown will always be fun and the lyrics have very much the Hospital of Souls kind of feel and edginess.

14. [ost] puss-e

Speaking of randomness, this one is about the female genitalia. it's an interlude (as every song beginning with [ost]). I think it's the biggest brain fart they had since the Music to Listen to... EP dropped. The callout before the breakbeat is literally: What would you do for pussy?. It's a random noisy shitshow that people will be mad about just like they were during the amo era but this is still unfathomably BMTH at their finest.

15. DiE4u

It's crazy to think about but this song came out almost 3 years ago, back when Survivor Horror had its album cycle and people were still mostly locked up in quarantine. The lyrics are about addiction again, not surprisingly and were inspired by Oli's relapse that I mentioned earlier. During COVID he made some very bad choices that lead him to get on ketamine for the first time since I think 2013 or so. This song is basically him singing to the drugs, it's a little fucked isn't it? It definitely didn't hold up as well as LoSt or AmEN because back in 2021 Oli was still trying to spread the idea he had about making a new genre called heavy pop. Well, some of his ideas are on the album so I guess he was successful.

16. Dig it

The closing track of this massive album and again we're back to the topic of self-hatred. Oli is again very disappointed in himself to a melody that is similar to Something in the Way by Nirvana. Maybe that was an inspiration, since that song also screams self-loathing. Then there's the modern pop drumbeat, but still the instrumentals are very lowkey, it's clear that the intention is to focus on the lyrics. The closure of the track gets heavy as usual and we hear Count Your Blessings era vocals again. There is even a little snippet at the very end after a little silence, that the AI playing the album failed which means the album is over.

Overall it's a great album, I think Oli and the band ended up with a terrific record, however I still miss Jordan's work on some of the songs. Maybe some ideas were scrapped, maybe even reworked at certain points but I'll always miss his handprint from now on I think. All of the fanbase will be happy with this record I guarantee it.

[prairieparadox]

when you get this, list 5 songs you like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to the last 10 people in your notifs (positivity is cool!!) :)

hi M please list more than 5 for me giggle we have similar enough music taste that any I don't know I wanna listen to and add to playlists 🙏

oh boy songs i like? well there's a lot but I'll avoid the obvious ones like tnc and bug hunter

-find love (stepdad) - really good song that reminds me of doing psychedelics. weird vibes but in a wholesome way. fun stuff

-good luck babe or pink pony club (chappell roan) - im hooked on the queen lately and she was on loop all day yesterday for me

-rainforest (noname) - she's probably my favorite rapper. brilliant lyricist whose singing is as smooth as butter but as impactful as any rockstar. this is my favorite of hers

-plastic death (glass beach) - this is cheating cause it's an album but, while its not my favorite of theirs, its a brilliant album that plays with the post punk genre while adding in cool trans vibes and messing with expectations for what their band should do

Change Your Mind (GOCK) - very obscure transfem artist who makes beautiful music and goes underappreciated. Change Your Mind is their epic, and is just so powerful

Give the Anarchist a Cigarette (Chumbawumba) - chumbawumba is a good classic anarchist band. you might know them for the "get knocked down but I get up again" song but they've produced works way better than that and this one is no exception. fun song that helps vindicate anti state vibes and give in to a bit of leftist edge. also recommend their rendition of Bella Ciao, specifically the full one with background music

Trans Girls Need Guns (Flummox) - another amazing obscure transfem artist, this one more punk. very fun little song

First Rate Town (Goodkid) - a fun song that has a lot of meaning to it and can be especially meaningful if you've ever left a place behind to go somewhere else. i also recommend their remix second rate town.

Somewhere City (origami angel) - another really cool album, my favorite of this band. very cheery and tbh i get transmasc vibes from it which is fun, although i think the lead singers a cis guy

Cocaine Jesus (rainbow kitten surprise) - fun relaxing but also bright and colorful but also kinda chill song that just has interesting vibes

Money Game Pt. 3 (ren) - ren is a really good anticapitalist rapper, and this song is very powerful for that. tw suicide I will say for this, but only to an evil capitalist politician multimillionaire character.

okay I think I've given enough recs that have good variety, if u want anymore lmk!!!