#why do they all make music that without the lyrics could just be the punk band in a coming of age disney channel original movie in the 00s

[outcast-stomp]

Saying this as someone who spends a lot of my time searching for new queer bands and has a whole spreadsheet of almost 1000 queer bands + artists -

Why are trans mascs so adverse to making music in styles that are not commercially viable?

[falloutboylyricss]

Fall Out Boy and Questions

note: this is a list of lyrics that are questions themselves, not ones that contain the word "question"

Evening Out With Your Girlfriend

"But that's none of my business, is it?" - Pretty In Punk

"Knocking boots in the back, how degrading is that?" - Pretty In Punk

"How's the weather up there?" - Short, Fast, And Loud

"Where can I go when I want you around but I can't stand to be around you?" - Moving Pictures

Take This to Your Grave

"Where is your boy tonight? I hope he is a gentleman" - Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy

"Are you through with me? / So, and when it all goes to hell, will you be able to tell me sorry with a straight face?" - The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes

From Under The Cork Tree

"Why don't you show me the little bit of spine you've been saving for his mattress?" - Dance, Dance

"Am I more than you bargained for yet?" - Sugar, We're Goin' Down

"Is this more than you bargained for yet?" - Sugar, We're Goin' Down

"Isn't it messed up how I'm just dying to be him?" - Sugar, We're Goin' Down

"Can I lay in your bed all day?" - Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner

"Are we growing up or just going down?" - Sophomore Slump Or Comeback Of The Year

"They say, 'You want a war? You've got a war,' but who are you fighting for?" - Champagne For My Real Friends, Real Pain For My Sham Friends

"She said, she said, she said, 'Why don't you just drop dead?'" - A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me"

"So say, what are you waiting for? Kiss her, kiss her" - A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me"

"Write me off, give up on me, 'cause, darling, what did you expect?" - A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me"

"Why put a new address on the same old loneliness?" - Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part To Save The Scene And Stop Going To Shows)

"'What did it ever do for me?', I say" - XO

"Which came first, the music or the misery?" - The Music Or The Misery

"And did you hear the news? I could dissect you and gut you on this stage" - My Heart Is The Worst Kind Of Weapon

Infinity on High

"Wouldn't you rather be a widow than a divorcee?" - "The Take Over, The Breaks Over"

"How cruel is the golden rule when the lives we lived are only golden-plated?" - Golden

"'Who does he think he is?'" - Thnks fr th Mmrs

Don't You Know Who I Think I Am? (title only)

"Got postcards from my former selves saying, 'How you been?'" - The Carpal Tunnel Of Love

"I am God's gift, but why would he bless me with such wit without a conscience equipped?" - Fame < Infamy

"Baby boy can't lift his headache head, isn't it tragic?" - You're Crashing, But You're No Wave

"Do you remember the way I held your hand under the lamp post and ran home this way, so many times I could close my eyes?" - I've Got All This Ringing In My Ears And None On My Fingers

Folie à Deux

"Why, why, why won't the world revolve around me?" - America's Suitehearts

"Does your husband know the way that the sunshine gleams from your wedding band? / Does he know the way? Does he know the way of the crickets that would convince me to call it a night?" - Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet

"It's a sign, what if you peaked early?" - Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet

"Does he know the way I worship our love?" - Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet

"So when the world ends, will God go down with it?" - What A Catch, Donnie

"Are all the good times getting gone?" - 27

"Oh, freckle, freckle, what makes you so special? What makes you so special?" - w.a.m.s.

"And mama, if we pray to the Lord, does he sing on a stage?" - w.a.m.s.

"Have you ever wanted to disappear and join a monastery, go out and preach on Manic Street? / Who will I be when I wake up next to a stranger on a passenger plane?" - 20 Dollar Nose Bleed

Save Rock And Roll

"Hey youngblood, doesn't it feel like our time is running out?" - The Phoenix

"I don't know where you're going, but do you got room for one more troubled soul?" - Alone Together

"Do you wanna feel beautiful? Do you wanna?" - Alone Together

"Woah, where did the party go?" - Where Did The Party Go

"Did you trip down twelve steps into Malibu? / So why the hell is there a light that's keeping us forever? / Bel Air baby, did you get dressed up?" - The Mighty Fall

"Americana, exotica, do you wanna feel a little beautiful, baby?" - Young Volcanoes

"Are you ready for another bad poem?" - Rat A Tat

"How'd it get to be only me?" - Save Rock And Roll

PAX AM Days

"Miss me? Me, love? Mr. Superstar" - Eternal Summer

"What if it were all a dream? What if we were demigods?" - Demigods

"What if we grow like a weed?" - Demigods

American Beauty/American Psycho

"Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright?" - The Kids Aren't Alright

"Did you ever love her? Do you know? Or did you never want to be alone?" - Jet Pack Blues

"Don't you remember how we used to split a drink?" - Jet Pack Blues

"And I'm starting to forget just what summer ever meant to you, what did it ever mean to you?" - Fourth Of July

"Do you, do, do you remember when we drove, we drove, drove through the night and we danced, we danced to Rancid?" - Favorite Record

MANIA

"Are you smelling that shit?" - Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea

"You were too good to be true, gold-plated, but what's inside you?" - The Last Of The Real Ones

"Confidants but never friends, were we ever friends?" - HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON'T

"And in the end, if I don't make it on the list, would you sneak me a wristband? / Would you give me, give me, give me, give me a boost, a boost over Heaven's gate?" - Heaven's Gate

So Much (For) Stardust

"What would you trade the pain for?" - Love From The Other Side / So Much (For) Stardust

"Is there a word for bad miracle?" - Heartbreak Feels So Good

"But could we please pretend this won't end?" - Heartbreak Feels So Good

"Who am I dialing tonight? That's a bummer" - Hold Me Like a Grudge

"Do you laugh about me whenever I leave, or do I just need more therapy?" - Fake Out

"Baby, please, would you read my eulogy?" - Heaven, Iowa

"Tell me, when the party ends, will you still love who I am?" -Heaven, Iowa

"Oh God, kinda please, would you kill me now?" - Flu Game

"What is there between us, if not a little annihilation?" - Baby Annihilation

"I got the quarantine blues, bad news, what's left?" - What a Time To Be Alive

Misc.

"Why can you read me like no one else?" - It's Not A Side Effect Of The Cocaine, I Am Thinking It Must Be Love

"What good comes of something when I'm just the ghost of nothing, nothing?" - "From Now On We Are Enemies"

"Lunatic of a god or a god of a lunatic?" - "From Now On We Are Enemies"

"When they say, 'You and what army?', I guess they're talking about you and me, baby" - Bob Dylan

"Would you bury me next to Johnny Cash?" - Bob Dylan

"So what fates do we share?" - Bob Dylan

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Bpp my love what do you think about people who bias hoseok (knowing hes one of your faves)

***

It’s a bit weird for me to answer this because then I’d also be talking about myself. But you asked, with an odd but sweet endearment attached, so I’ll try.

Deep down, we're all Type A bitches with a specific kind of kink. No point sugarcoating it. And Hoseok scratches that itch.

Whatever he is, we see it and we're mad for it. We’re all gaga for him and shameless about it.

I mean,

Holy Mary Mother of Christ that is a man who is serving cunt sweet and hot.

Not to be vulgar, it's just hard to talk about Hoseok, to think about the choices he’s made as an artist - the way he quietly supports the team with practical advise, the way he chooses when to use music or dance to communicate his point, the way he balances how severe he is in his beliefs and principles, with the emotional and physical needs and limitations of the team, his very palpable ambition as an artist and the skill he exhibits every time he gets in the booth or steps on a stage… It’s hard to talk about this man without wanting to bite my fist.

But one thing I do want to say before I lose the plot is I’m glad to see how healthy he looked at Yoongi's concert. He looked happy and content, alert and savvy, basically himself. And that made me happy. But with Hoseok, it's not like I really worried for him in the first place. You know? I think other Hoseok biases would agree or at least, know what I mean. Military service comes with specific challenges that I don't doubt he's capable of handling. Though it’s also possible he's not exposed to the most extreme risks, so that could be working in his favour as well.

When I think of Hoseok as a person, his conscientiousness is the first thing that grips my heart. It’s something Hoseok biases recognize instinctively I think. That man cares about the work he does. He cares so much about everything in his life, that sometimes I worry that he could burn out fast. But that care is also one reason he’s become one of the best in the field, at just 10 years into his career.

That care he puts into his work translates so beautifully into his music btw. As a quick experiment, I'd like you to listen to Dionysus.

(This is the extended version from Mama 2019)

What do you think? Have you heard anything that sounds exactly like that, anywhere? Have you ever heard a song that combines punk rock, synth-pop, and acid trap, to express the joy, anguish and momentary insanity an artist experiences when making the effort to create something worthwhile… a song that uses Dionysus - the God of fertility and wine, the patron of the arts, as the central lyrical motif. Do you notice the production choices in the pre-chorus and bridge?

Dionysus is easily one of the best made songs in all of k-pop. In my opinion. And it was made primarily by Jung Hoseok.

Hobi biases see that he’s the kind of person to care a lot. He takes constructive criticism seriously, he wants his craft to be assessed with no bias or favouritism. Just honest, raw, expressions and feedback, that’s one of his primary goals and you can see that in the lyrical and stylistic choices in Jack in the Box.

Hoseok biases see all that in him, and we cream our panties.

That’s the truth don’t lie.

This is going to sound so pretentious but it has be said because it’s true: Hoseok’s cerebral intensity, the way he loses himself inside his work, is such a turn on. I’ve said before that I can see why a lot of people in the fandom underestimate him or don’t really bother to look past the giggly, goofy, sweet and social media savvy Hobi cheerleading the members, but Hobi is the only member who could show up wielding a riding crop and I won’t laugh in his face.

Because we all know, he’d know exactly what to do with it, he’d enjoy pushing you to your limits because that is what he does himself, and that you’d enjoy it.

Hypothetically.

Anyway,

Another reason his conscientiousness matters to me, is because I recognize that for Hobi, the 'work' he loves includes his team. His love for his work boosts my confidence in BTS as a lasting unit. Because Hoseok cares too much about his work to risk losing them, simply because they are so connected to it.

It's so simple with him.

Taking it back to Hoseok biases, we like to act superior, like we're not also sluts for his visuals. We act like we appreciate him in a more holistic sense. But the fact is that we see him, and bark.

I'm just going to come out and say it. I'm proof. I barked. On reflex. I don't know how it happened exactly, but I saw this pic one Friday afternoon and the sound that left my mouth certainly wasn't human.

Generally and maybe hypothetically speaking here, toys are nice and all, but completely unnecessary when Hoseok exists and you’ve allowed yourself to be chosen by him. His music, his person, seeing him in his element is all it takes.

I mean…

The details… Sheesh.

*

Everything about Hoseok and his sense of style is a gag.

He’s just always, so Effortlessly himself.

*

….two fingers would be enough. Just saying. Two fingers would do the job.

*

He's too smooth for his own good.

*

Some people somehow forget this happened and well, now I'm reminding them. Look at him, really look at him... isn't he perfect?

*

This isn’t a hot pic but it’s one of my favourites of him. This is the only pic in this post from my top 30 Hobi pics. Enjoy.

*

When he does cute it's a very particular type of cute.

*

…

*

I miss Hobi.

This doesn't happen often, but sometimes I wish time didn't exist for a while and we could be in 2026 now. We'd get to see Hoseok 3.0 and my god will that be a sight. Their performances are already god-tier even in hiatus (thank God for those three encore concerts that showcased the active members in their element), so imagine how unrestrained they will be, how epic their performances will be then.

If there’s one thing I’m nearly certain about with BTS, it’s that the wait will always be worth it. And a big reason I can say that is because the team has Jung Hoseok.

I just hope Hobi biases can keep our shit together till then because heaven knows we’re…

You know.

Stream Jack in the Box, put an order in for your box set version if you haven’t gotten around to doing that yet, get yourself your caffeinated drug of choice (mine today is a flat white with whole milk. I’m not really an Americano gal), and enjoy Chapter 2.

[roguelov]

AU where Morpheus wasn’t in the fishbowl and was able to experience the punk/rock/early 2000s edgy eras.

Death pulls him out of The Dreaming to experience humanity again since the times are changing and he needs to not be cooped up in his room like a moody teenager. They go to festivals where humans are more comfortable, everyone is dressed similarly and more expressive. Their truer selves in a sense.

Morpheus rolls his eyes at the humongous groups of people, the loud screaming of lyrics, he’s still not fond of interacting with humans and finds this whole trip a waste of time.

Suddenly the show starts and Reader is the opening act on stage playing to their hearts content. They’ve got the whole crowds’ attention in the palm of their hand. The songs’ lyrics are deep, catchy and has everyone else screaming/singing along.

Morpheus can practically feel everyone daydreaming about living better lives, getting that job, speaking up to their parents, etc. and is stunned at how much was brought out from all these humans just from one of Reader’s songs.

They end their song with a bang where confetti bursts from the edges of the stage and the crowd is loving their slow exit off to the side as they wave and blow kisses. Morpheus’ eyes follow them the whole way and the feeling he’s receiving from all the daydreamers slowly dissipates.

The main acts make their way on stage after a few minutes and the rest of the show continues without Reader being seen again. Morpheus being slightly sad he can’t hear another song. The sensation is the same from the other singers but not as strong as earlier with everyone daydreaming when Reader was at center stage.

He and Death stayed for the whole event and she asks what his thoughts are from the experience.

“What of the first singer? They were only onstage once compared to the others.”

“Why don’t we go see them then?” Death smiles knowingly and leads them both to the backstage area.

Reader is in their own section getting cleaned up and making sure they have everything. When they spot Death they run up to her with a big smile and hug her.

“I’m glad you could make it! What did you think?” They ask, still vibrating with adrenaline from the festival.

They converse with Death for a while as Morpheus stands off to the side, silently observing this person who evokes such strong dreams from people with their voice and music. A portion of himself in The Dreaming is doing research about this human who has caught his eye.

Just who are they? What drives them to make songs? What’s their inspiration? Are they single?

“And who’s you’re friend?” He suddenly hears.

Morpheus is pulled back to The Waking and sees Reader is giving him their full attention. He’s tongue-tied. Words of introduction lodged in his throat with no way to escape. The brief look into Reader’s dreams leaving him breathless and hungry to know more.

Death quirks an eyebrow at this sudden silence but hides a smirk and tells Reader a little about her brother. Eventually finding his voice, Morpheus joins the conversation just as Death excuses herself to return to her duty.

Cue friends to lovers with the King of Dreams and Nightmares being the number one fan of Reader. He always watches them when they have a show and is the first to hear a finished song and asked for any critiques. They both are fashion icons, mostly with Reader helping find an outfit for Morpheus.

This idea popped into my head and just kept going anyways I hope you liked it as much as I do 🤗

DUDE I DONT LIKE THE IDEA I FUCKING LOVE IT

Dream adored when you visited.

He especially loved the music which always followed you. It may be a hum on your lips or an actual melody - a half completed song - trailing behind you on the wind.

You were his lovely muse, his songbird.

Currently, you were in the Dreaming. You were in a music room - one Dream specifically created for you - filled with instruments found all over the Waking and the best recording studio ever imaginable.

Sitting on a couch, a laptop rested in your lap with headphones dangling around your neck. You were almost feverishly working on your newest song, one that had been stuck in your head all day. It was going along okay, it could be better. You hit a bump in the process and you wanted a fresh pair of ears.

“Dream? Could you have a listen to this?” You asked, handing over the headphones.

Dream, directly beside you with a book in hand, set the book in his lap and nodded. “I would love to.”

He put on the headphones and you anxiously pressed play. Dream was taken away, taken on a journey with your music and how you weaved your lyrics.

You truly were gifted.

Once it finished, he handed over the headphones. “So?” You nervously asked.

“I loved it.”

You groaned, “But you always say that. What does it need? Something feels missing. The chorus is catching yet it seems to … I don’t know, basic? It feels like I need better wording.”

Dream smiled softly. “I’m sure everyone will love it.” I know I do, he thought.

“But -“

“How about you take a break?” He suggested. “You had been at it all night since you first came. Relax and I’m sure time away will provide new perspective.”

You grumbled, glancing back at your screen. “How about just one more hour? I’m right there, I know it. Maybe it’s the second verse, to be honest I wasn’t completely sold on it. Or maybe it’s the melody altogether -“

He closed your laptop.

You gasped, and playfully glared at him. “Dream -“

“Time away is what is best, songbird.” He stood up, extending his hand towards you. “You will figure it out, I know you will. But, you must give yourself a break.”

You sighed. You placed the laptop and headphones down. Your hand slid into his. He easily helped you up. “Okay, okay, Sandman, I’ll relax.”

He smiled softly. “That’s all I ask.”

[lenalvthor]

tethered playlist breakdown - ch 2: all too well

this chapter’s music centres mainly around Imogen and Ashton! because i didn’t say anything about Ashton’s musical backstory in the ch 1 breakdown, let’s start with them 🎸🤘🏼: 

Ashton

like Laudna, Ashton had a musical career as a teenager with his band The Nobodies (vibe: 2000s/2010s pop punk/punk rock, see - Five Minutes to Midnight by BOYS LIKE GIRLS or Check Yes Juliet (Run Baby Run) by We The Kings). also similar to Laudna, Ashton found themselves chewed up and spat back out by the industry they’d found a home in and were burned badly when the hamster wheel of international tours and year-after-year back-to-back albums slowed down for the first time (aka 1D vibes of burn out, band break-up + hiatuses). 

their first foray into making music again was through a single, Floating in the Night (by Judah & the Lion) which they had originally written as a more pop punk song, but Bertrand directed them towards The Crown Keepers who Ashton collaborated with to rewrite it into more of a indie/folk rock song, and who ended up featuring when the single was released. Ashton signed with Eshteross Records soon afterwards and started rebranding as a solo artist making more folk rock style music as the years passed (again, taking suggestions for what songs could be the right vibe for an album during this period). 

post 2-year-Bell’s Hells-separation-period, Ashton’s music has mellowed from the thing that’s remained so distinctive about him - the angry rock elements - which is why he is so nervous about his new music. that tone lingers a little in the lyrics and sometimes the instrumentation, but it’s not as consistent, so in the fic’s present-day, Ashton’s vibe most closely resembles Noah Kahan. 

the album Ashton’s been working on over these 2 years, and that he shows Bell’s Hells in this chapter, is:

how it is / how it was / how it has to be 

the view between villages

homesick 

growing sideways

no complaints

stick season

paul revere

call your mom

halloween 

dial drunk

new perspective

orange juice

you’re gonna go far

all my love

now listen to these songs through a different lens for me, will ya? — 

in this au, Ashton’s first real home was music; it was the industry, it was the fans, it was The Nobodies, it was discovering a queer world beyond the place they grew up. but at the same time, just like what happened with Laudna, that same home started to dig its claws in and try to tear Ashton apart without them realising. the industry, the expectations, the lifestyle, the spotlight … it became something so dangerously toxic, threatening to swallow him whole. it was the reason Ashton developed chronic pain, the industry pressure was the reason The Nobodies didn't stay together, it was the reason Ashton became angry and cynical and bitter jaded. so there was an unexpected, devastating relief when The Nobodies broke up and Ashton had an excuse to step away. even though it was his home, it was where he found himself, where he first found the thing in the world he loved to do most, where he found his first real people. 

so one of the reasons Ashton stayed away from music for as long as they did afterwards - older than many of the other Hells, just a little, having started in the industry before they did and waiting longer than Laudna between the teenage career ending and the adult career starting - was because they couldn’t figure out what to do with the conflict of the ‘place’ (the world / the lifestyle / the people / the culture) that made him also being the thing that caused him so much pain. 

how it is / how it was / how it has to be is, in some ways, Ashton’s life and career mapped in its trajectory. from meeting FCG first and toeing the line of being tied to that world, taking the long drive back (the view between villages, homesick) and being reluctantly pulled back into making music (growing sideways, no complaints), eventually signing to Eshteross Records and telling stories again (stick season, paul revere) and everything that’s happened with the Hells plot-wise (some things you know, some things you don’t, i.e. rest of the tracklist) until now (all my love).  

now, the song Laudna and Imogen mention that Laudna collaborated with Ashton on is, probably predictably: Call Your Mom ft Lizzy McAlpine. (Ashton writes it after Laudna gets back from her world tour to all the other Hells gone - Imogen especially - and Laudna and Dusk break up, and Laudna is just not doing well. Ashton first releases the original, and later that same month, a version with Laudna on it too.) also, as already mentioned in ch 2, the song Ashton wrote for + shows Imogen is you’re gonna go far because of course it is. 

Imogen

here it is, here it is, the heart of the fic, its namesake (almost all Taylor Swift songs (different albums tho!) and if you aren’t heels dug in the dirt with only listening to rerecordings, OG versions sound the most like Imogen to me) — 

tethered

breathe 

come back…be here

the story of us 

haunted 

all too well

wouldn’t come back [by Trousdale]

enchanted 

long live 

now buckle up buttercups, we’re looking at these songs through a whole new light. forget romance (mostly),  we’re doing family trauma: 

(okay, admittedly, there is romance woven into all of this because it can’t not be. but that’s not at the heart of this album, is what’s important to note.)

breathe is about Laudna, of course - about their rela—friendship falling apart after their fight two years ago, and as Laudna started dating Dusk before Imogen left. But it’s also about how Imogen saw the crumbling of Liliana and Relvin’s relationship from a young, co-dependent, whirlwind marriage to something neither of them were sure how to hold onto. 

come back…be here again, of course, is a little bit about Laudna (love how I said forget romance and here we are) — about her leaving to go on tour and follow the success of a career that’s finally controlled by her and not Delilah, about Imogen’s feelings of being left behind. but it’s also about Relvin and Imogen, being left behind by Liliana, about the faint memory Imogen has of watching her father pine for her mother as Liliana was off touring and making something of herself, Imogen and Relvin each longing for her to come back to them in Gelvaan one day but not knowing how to articulate that to each other and connect over it. 

the story of us is Relvin and Liliana once their relationship had ended and Liliana still came to see Imogen, and things were tense and uncomfortable and Imogen could tell that a chapter in her life had come to a close in front of her eyes (both for her parents and for her relationship with her mother, knowing it’ll never be the same because Liliana won’t want to come back in the same way.) 

haunted. look. I had many ‘oh my fucking god’ moments about this song. It’s my favourite Taylor song and I’ve used it for many an au, and l i s t e n. I know that for its symbolism and its imagery, could and should be about Laudna. but it’s not — this is about Liliana and Imogen. because the electric guitar and the tension and the building, growing crescendos of the whole song, the sharpness of the violins and the fury of the electric guitars all just fucking sounds to me like a storm. It’s about Imogen’s betrayal over Liliana leaving. so, you’re welcome. 

now here’s the one that fucked me the most and I am begging y’all to appreciate it with me okay — all too well. OG and not the 10-minute version. it’s the song Imogen is the most proud of and the most afraid of putting into the world because she doesn’t know if it makes sense to anybody except her. the perspective changes nearly with every line; it’s the song that blurs together the experience of Relvin, Liliana and Imogen all loving and hating and missing and losing each other. the lines between where one person’s experience ends and another’s starts is impossible to see, and the resounding message of i was there, i remember it, all too well is Imogen determined to make sure that despite Liliana’s death years and years ago, despite Relvin as good as pretending she never existed, despite Imogen having moved away and left it all behind her, none of it is forgotten; a memory of the fact that it all happened has to continue to exist. 

(and of course, that’s also the theme of this chapter.) 

It’s a mixture of Liliana’s perspective of the whirlwind, small town, young love between her and Relvin that was always doomed to end, and Imogen watching the tail end of this relationship, Relvin seeming to lock it away the second Liliana was too far for him to hold onto. it’s Imogen trying to remember, to make sense of her parents’ relationship, their family. 

and because this song is my roman empire for this au, please prepare for the fact that i’m giving you the line by line perspectives of this entire song, you’re welcome (i’m sorry): 

the first verse is about Liliana, the second verse is Relvin, the prechorus - “and I know it’s long gone…” - is both of them and Imogen. 

first chorus is Liliana and so is the verse that follows, but the second prechorus, that “there was nothing else I could do, and I forget about you long enough to forget why I needed to” is Relvin. 

the first lines of the next chorus - “there we are again in the middle of the night, we’re dancing in the kitchen in the refrigerator light” - are Relvin and Liliana, but then the “down the stairs, I was there, I remember it all too well” is Imogen, as a little girl perched on the second to last step of the staircase, watching her parents dancing to the songs they used to love when they were teenagers, bathed in the light of the refrigerator with the door hanging open to cut through the sweltering, thick, night heat of Gelvaan’s summers (and in those moments, Imogen had been so sure that the three of them would be okay).

but of course, that’s not how it unfolded, which becomes clear in that build up to the bridge. so when it climbs and climbs to the “maybe we got lost in translation, maybe I asked for too much, maybe this thing was a masterpiece til you tore it all up” is Relvin and Imogen, being left by Liliana, feeling hurt and betrayed and not good enough in such different but also achingly similar ways. 

“running scared, I was there, I remember it, all too well” is Imogen and Liliana, a decade apart, running from Gelvaan, from Relvin, from a town that wasn’t enough and desperate to find more but equally terrified for that murky unknown at the same time. 

and then — “you call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest” is Imogen. the experience of Liliana slowly but surely drifting away from being Imogen’s mother in a way that felt like such a betrayal. 

everything after this is all of them, everything from “time won’t fly” to the “it was rare, i was there” is all of them, losing each other at the same time and not being a ble to do anything as it happens. 

then those last three lines: “wind in my hair, you were there, you remember it all” is Liliana to Relvin; “down the stairs, you were there, you remember it all” is Relvin to Imogen; and “it was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well” is Imogen (to both of them, but to herself more than anyone else). 

anyway. moving on. 

wouldn’t come back is about the uncomfortable ease with which Imogen understands Liliana’s choices and decisions, when it comes down to it. because she left too, just like Liliana, and then she did it again years later, from people she really did truly love and a life she cherished, and this song is Imogen writing about those choices and those parallels and understanding both the hurt on the side of being left behind and the desperation of needing to leave. 

enchanted is about Laudna. every note, every line, every second, every piece of the story, is all all all Laudna, because I was lying to you about forgetting romance because c’mon. about first meeting Laudna years ago and thinking that she should, by all accounts, be intimidated seeing someone who’s music she’d listened to for years, who’s a household name in a way Imogen has only ever dreamed of being, in a way Liliana was, but Laudna was so shy and flighty back then, so soft and holy shit, she was - is - beautiful, her voice even more … musical than Imogen had heard in the interviews and clips. so that’s enchanted. 

and long live is, of course, about Bell’s Hells. about how they made each other better,  about how they saved each other at points when they were so afraid of what the world had in store for them, about how they made each other the most authentic versions of themselves, and how, as Imogen wrote this album, she was so isolated from all of them by her own making, how all she had was the memories of how that used to be, but that’ll still be worth everything to her. 

so that’s tethered. 

(oh as a little treat: the song Laudna is working on that afternoon while she and Imogen hang out in the apartment is Apple Pie by Lizzy McAlpine xo) 

I’ll wrap it up there so that this doesn’t become as long as the chapter itself, but: hope this gives you some music to listen to and a world to think about in the two week wait before next CR ep! 

give me music recs for this au if you think of any, tell me what you think of the songs I’ve already told you about, and for the sake of ease: here’s a playlist for y’all (will update it every week with new songs as I add them to the plot in the fic). 

love, chim ⚡️

[themuse-if]

Another 20 (or so) Questions with Ro Sawyer

Interviewer: Welcome to another installment of our character interviews, where we dive deep into the lives and minds of our favorite cast members of The Muse. Today, we have the dynamic Ro Sawyer with us, the frontperson of The Rebel Rejects. Ro, thank you for joining us. Could you start by telling us what made you want to pursue music?

Ro: Hey, thanks for having me! Music has always been my way of expressing myself, you know? First I started out just playing the guitar at about 7, I had a lot of energy as a kid and my parent’s thought that music would be a good way to channel it. Then slowly as I got older and had more experiences I started writing lyrics and discovering my voice. The Rebel Rejects came together at just the right time, like fate or something. We clicked instantly, and making music with these guys is everything I've ever wanted.

Interviewer: That's awesome! How would you describe your art, both musically and personally?

Ro: Our music is raw, unapologetic, and full of energy. It's a mix of old school punk, pop punk, and alternative rock with a touch of poetry. Personally, I see myself as a storyteller. I like to paint pictures with words and melodies, creating something that isn’t just full of abstractions, something that people can actually relate to.

Interviewer: How do you want to be seen by others, both on and off the stage?

Ro: I want people to see me as authentic and fearless, both in my music and in my life. I’m brimming with confidence and I’ve never been afraid of going after what I want. I hope to inspire others to be unapologetically themselves.

Interviewer: And how do you want your art to be seen by others?

Ro: I want our music to be a form of liberation, a soundtrack for those who feel unheard or misunderstood. Our music sets out to make people feel like they can take on the world and tackle all the pleasure and pain that life throws their way.

Interviewer: What's your latest obsession, musical or otherwise?

Ro: Lately, I've been obsessed with creating logos and merch for the band. T-shirts, pins, stickers, tote bags. I’ve just been trying to really solidify our image, and good merch is a great way to do that.

Interviewer: Describe your best friend(s).

Ro: I have two of the best friends anyone could ask for, and we all balance each other out so well. They’re fun and loyal, and we share such a great passion for music, which lets us fully support each other's dreams. We share everything, from music to clothes to late-night adventures. They're my rock, and I couldn't imagine my life without them.

Interviewer: How would you describe your ideal partner?

Ro: I want whoever’s by my side to be able to understand that wild, crazy, sexy Ro Sawyer is just who I truly am, that it’s not just a façade. I need someone who can understand me and isn’t afraid of being with someone who craves the spotlight. I need someone wild enough to crowd surf at my show, someone who wants to dance in the rain. Just passion, a lust for life! I can’t be with someone who is completely vanilla, I need more.

Interviewer: What was your first kiss like?

Ro: Honestly my first kiss couldn’t have gone better. I had a crush on my friend Leo and we started going out in our sophomore year of high school. On our third date we went to the movies, and let’s just say our hormones were ragging and the movie quickly faded into the background. Good thing we were in the back row. *sly wink* That first peck rapidly went to third base. *cheeky grin*

Interviewer: Always so hot and heavy with you. *playful eye roll* Moving on, have you ever been in love?

Ro: Yeah... I think maybe I’ve been in love. *long thoughtful pause* Or maybe just infatuated, I’ve never felt real heartache so I’m not sure I can really say I’ve been deeply in love.

Interviewer: When was your last relationship, and why did it end?

Ro: I haven’t had another exclusive relationship since Leo. He was great and we were great together, but I’m extremely open and fluid. When I mentioned opening up our relationship, he was understanding but it wasn’t something he wanted.

Interviewer: I see does that mean you only do open or polyamorous relationships?

Ro: I think that every relationship is different. Depending on what feels right I think that I could be completely monogamous. I will say that I do really enjoy being in more open relationships though. I have a lot to give, and I'm open to giving and receiving from one or multiple partners.

Interviewer: Very interesting. What's your ideal Friday night?

Ro: Playing a gig with The Rebel Rejects, of course! There's nothing like the energy of a live show. After that, maybe going over to De’s place just to hang out, and eat some of their dad’s amazing food.

Interviewer: What's the last song you listened to?

Ro: "Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill. It's a classic that always gets me pumped up and ready to rock.

Interviewer: How do you behave in a relationship?

Ro: I think that I'm pretty consistent in all of my relationships. I really love to build my partner up and make sure that they know exactly how I feel about them. I'm also super needy like I neeeed physical touch. *winks at the camera*

Interviewer: Do you approach those you're interested in or let them come to you?

Ro: I'm definitely more of a go-getter. If I see something I want, I go after it. Life's too short to wait around for things to happen.

Interviewer: What is your biggest pet peeve?

Ro: People who are boring...I know it sounds harsh but it's true. I'm not saying someone has to be on 100% of the time but I can't really hang with someone who is completely dull.

Interviewer: What do you notice first about a person?

Ro: I could lie and say something cute like their energy or their eyes....but truth be told it’s everything. If I notice them I give them a long once over, from head to toe. *gives the interviewer a long look up and down*

Interviewer: *hides behind notecards* Alright I have to ask the question on everyone's mind. Have you ever gotten involved with one of your band member... romantically of course?

Ro: *sly smirk* I bet you'd love to know exactly what we all get up to after practice. *runs hand through their hair* If you're asking me if we've dated each other then the answers no. If you're asking me about whether or not we've fooled around...well I don't kiss and tell. *shrugs*

Interviewer: *gives them a knowing look*

Ro: *bursts out laughing* Oh who am I kidding! Have you seen Jo and De! Have you seen me! None of us are tied down and we spend A LOT of time together, things were bound to get at least a little physical.

Interviewer: *clears throat* Alright final question, what did you dream about last night?

Ro: You know now that you mention it, Jo and De were there and they were waiting for me in a hot tub...

Interviewer: *blushing so intensely* Ok I think I know where this is going and I'm gonna stop you there. Thank you so much for coming in today Ro this interview has been very *deep sigh* enlightening.

[shadowkat678]

For someone who’s talked so much about the value of hope, I don’t think I’ve been doing much to show that I believe it. Saying, maybe, but not doing. Not really.

I wish I could claim that it’s just been a hard time lately, but that’d be downplaying the length of it. Two years ago I wrote an essay on the concept of Hopepunk by Alexandria Rowland. I wrote that I’d been clinging to the concept like a life raft, but I’m not sure if that’s true. Clinging is active. Drifting might be more apt. Passively draped around it while screaming at others to hold on. I didn’t have the energy myself.

My family likes to tell the story about how I learned to swim, in Florida at my great grandmother’s pool. I was four years old. Stubborn even then, they’d say. Smug, even.

We had a rule like responsible families do that kids had to wear water wings, but I’d been wearing them. The whole trip I’d been wearing them, and I was doing fine. In fact, they were slowing me down. So, I decided I was going to show off, called out for my great gran and mom to watch, tore off the wings, and ran straight for the deep end of the pool.

I don’t remember much after, but I remember somehow making it to the other side of the pool, my mother worried and scolding me as she pulled me out, and my great grandma laughing. The story always ends with my mother mimicking me, saying, “I told you I could” like the smart mouthed child I was. But I also remember the fear before that. The flashes of my head bobbing below the water. Of the glass roof surrounding the pool room above as I tried to orient myself.

Two years ago, after just learning to drive and never living away from family, I moved all the way across the country. My car broke down halfway. The engine was overheating. I tried to keep driving. I’m lucky I made it into the autozone just as it gave out.

My whole life has been me jumping into the deep end, getting out, catching my breath, and doing it again, pushing myself to keep going, with or without the support. But through the last year the weight has increased. The water is deeper now, and the shore is a lot farther away. I’m not sure who’s running to the other side to try and grab me.

When the news broke, I felt like I was finally drowning. On election night (or very early morning, by the time I checked the results) I didn’t sleep, I was too busy crying. The second day I spent sleeping. The third day, I turned to music, old songs made years earlier and still far too relevant. Protest songs. Punk music. Lyrics that screamed the same anger and sadness and loss I felt. The rage at a system that is still continuously failing us and leaving us to tread water.

I didn't know why this hit me harder. Not that other instances had been exactly easy, of course. Then I read a post that someone else wrote.

They'd been used to being angry. Being tired. Being disappointed. But they weren't used to hoping. They let themselves hope. And they watched it implode.

I think one of the reasons I've been so fixated on the idea of hope is because honestly, as much as I like to pretend, I haven't actually had a lot of it.

I knew there was a chance of loss. I knew there were still plenty who supported the policies of Trump, or at the very least overlooked them in the hopes of gaining safety to float away from their own fears and concerns. But the magnitude of it still caught me off guard. The emboldening of those who resonate with him, even if a smaller subsect of the total numbers, frankly scares the shit out of me.

I had hoped that after one term we'd learned. I hoped that while things weren't perfect, the match of progress was going steadily forward, even with backsliding. I hoped that people had become more aware the past few years, even with hatred very much alive and well. Even with genocide. Even with natural disasters. Even with everything else. I hoped that maybe, just maybe, there were enough people that saw now to at least choose someone who'd mitigate the damage of the situation our world is facing, as much as there still is to fight for.

And I watched my hope implode. I watched the country vote across the board for people who have been nothing but loudly vocal about their intentions and hatred. More even than the first go. After we already have been seeing a mass movement to repeal civil rights and protection for minorities and vulnerable populations.

I watched it happen in a way that could not be brushed aside as a near miss. It was a landslide.

I wanted to sink. I felt so tired at that moment. Of fighting. Of hoping. Of seeing the support I’d finally relented into admitting I needed so badly being ripped away from me. Why should I keep swimming if it only ends with me drowning again? Not that this is exactly new for most minorities, but it felt like things were changing. People were waking up. Before it just was. This was a slap in the face.

And yet. And yet.

I started moving anyway. After three or so days, the panic receded, and I started treading water again.

I went to the grocery store. I got hugged by a stranger while I was checking out groceries, and we shared our fears. She told me about her kids. I told her about how I was hoping to start T this year. I cried again in the middle of the check out line.

I went on a walk at 3am and kicked a Trump sign. I didn’t watch the sunset, but I did watch the sunrise. I checked in with friends. I sat with myself. I cried again. I screamed in my car, the same one that has been sitting for three months waiting for a repair that no one in town but the manufacturer can fix an issue with, that’s been booked for one and a half of those months after I dropped 2k on other car issues before that.

I accepted that in no way, shape, or form am I remotely fucking okay. The world is not okay. Genocide. Natural disasters. Climate change. Emerging facism. Those aren’t things you can be okay with if you’re paying attention.

I have no idea what’s going to greet me as I head towards shore. I don’t know exactly what lurks under the water. I don’t even know if there’s going to be a shore to reach.

Part of me feels like raging against that is just a way to cope. But we only have the options in front of us, no matter how tired we are, and despite all these feelings. Despite it all. I’m still swimming, for some fucking reason.

Maybe it’s instinct at this point. That same stubbornness I had as a child pushing back against the waves crashing down around me.

Maybe I just don't want them to get the satisfaction of winning here too.

Feel the feelings. Acknowledge the situation. But FUCK them if they think this is over. If I stop swimming, it will be. At least for me. And I can't let myself accept that.

So I'm going to keep going the same way I always have. Because I can't turn back on what's happened. I can't change it. I can't make the storm in front of me disappear. But I can live through it. I can show up on the other side. I can build another support to help me on the days I'm tired, and I can try my best to build a raft big enough to pull others onto with me.

They can vote away our rights. They can try their best to intimidate us. But they can't make us lay down for it. Be afraid. Be sad. Be angry. But they don't get to drown us. Fuck that.

I've been clinging to hope like a life raft, but hope is motion. Hope is a muscle you train. Hope isn't thrown to you. It's taken and built with bloody, stubborn hands.

Sometimes hope is a burden, not a gift. Sometimes you don't want it. I don't want to fight. I want rest. I want peace. I want safety. But that isn't handed to me either, even if it's unfair.

It's not something you can take and hold and keep. You have to build it up, consciously and constantly. You can share it, but you can't promise it's going to stay without maintenance.

When it's taken, you have to find it again, and you have to accept it's going to hurt every time.

You have to be ready to open yourself to what that means. To hope is to face disappointment, again and again and again, and decide to keep after it anyway, because the only other choice isn't any better.

Sometimes it's more sadness than rage. A quiet voice of longing for what you wish could be, and the knowledge that if no one else is going to make it so, you have a choice if you accept it or try and make the change you long for, even if it's smaller than you'd like, because it's better than nothing. A small act of resisting when your arms feel like lead and you're hardly able to keep your head above the water line.

Self destruction is what they want. Hope is turning the page, even if what comes next is scary, again hoping that eventually a new chapter can be written. It's pushing the boulder up the hill. It's going out in public despite the best efforts to shut you away. It's spite. It's love. It's anger. It's continuing to live despite all efforts to make you choose to the contrary.

And that's how change works too.

Uninteresting times are a myth. The world is always chaos. People are always having to fight for things that in a just world would already exist. This fight, these feelings, aren't new.

Here in the USA where I am, only a few decades ago women couldn't own their own bank account. In my grandmother's lifetime Jim Crow was still in effect. Same sex couples have only been decriminalized since 2003, and still are fighting for that much throughout other parts of the world.

If those who came before us facing injustice gave into these feelings at every setback, we wouldn't be far enough along to feel these losses.

Does that make it sting less? No! It doesn't! But it's still important to remember. It's proof. Hope is not pointless, as much as it hurts. To continue moving forward you have to go through the rough waters.

We're in the storm together now, and there's only one direction we can go to get out. Feel your feelings and please. Keep moving. I love you. I see you. I'm so sorry. But one day the waters will be calmer. Keep allowing yourself to hope. If you struggle to do so alone, let this help to start, when you're ready.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Meteor Shower (Part 3)

There isn’t enough booze in Cloud Tower to take her through the headache that is listening to Darcy and Stormy bicker over lyrics and beat arrangements. Lyrics and arrangements that aren’t even worth arguing over. Evidently, with this particular genre of music, Icy would wager that just thoughtless slapping any old lyrics together with no regard to how one verse sounds after the prior is exactly how it works. An uncoordinated amalgamation of verses and sounds. 

And that’s if they want to get creative; most of these artists just sample shit anyways. They take bits and pieces of popular hits, slow them, speed them up, throw them in reverse, distort them beyond recognition, and then loop them over 808’s and a hoover synth to create frankenstein abominations of songs that somehow manage to play over every speaker in every goth club. 

Really, she is inclined to believe, it is less about the music and more about the aesthetics; how many occult symbols can they flash over horror movie clips in three to four minutes. How many upside down crosses can they overlay upon grainy images of nuns and graveyards. 

They borrow elements of death rock, post punk, and drone and mash them up with hip hop, shoegaze, and techno until they lose the charm of every genre appropriated. 

The only genre that she resents more is darkwave and what it has done to goth clubs. She misses the old names; Christian Death, 45 Grave, and, of course, Siouxsie and The Cure. Misses when she could go for drinks and a good time and hear some real music with guitars and feeling.

She can’t name a single Darkwave or Witch House artist and she would like to keep it that way.

She folds her arms over her chest and watches Darcy and Stormy fuss with their new DAW. She doesn’t see why they can’t just produce this new music using their old programs. It’s all so pointless and ridiculous. Frankly it would be boundlessly more useful to seek out a new opening act but priorities have never been their strong suit. 

“Come on, we can’t record this song without you, Icy.”

“Yeah, leave the diva thing to the faeries!” Stormy grumbles. “It’s not a good look for us.”

“Not a good look…” Icy mutters. “Not a good look! Do you know what else isn’t a good fucking look!? Changing out sound within minutes of finding out that we lost our opening act. We’ve just checked two of the three boxes of a desperate band that’s about to sell out and fade out. We’re one gimmicky music video away from failing as a band.” And as witches overall.

“Don’t you think that you’re being a little dramatic, Icy?” Stormy asks.

“There’s nothing wrong with 

“Nothing wrong except that it reeks of desperation.”

“If you say desperation on more time, I’m going to rip Darcy’s hair out!”

Darcy scoffs. “Rip your own hair out like everyone else who uses that expression does. My hair is too silky and voluminous to go to waste.” She gives her locks a pointed flick.

“And my vocals are too haunting and ethereal to go to waste on frivolous electronic tracks.” 

“Ethereal?” Stormy crinkles her nose. “Please. They’re not that great.”

She is perhaps a sentence or two from slapping her arms against the armrests of her chair and violently heaving herself out of it. And three or four sentences away from stomping away from that chair and to the door that she plans on slamming behind her. 

Those two idiots can make their washed up, passionless music without her name attached to it. 

“You want to do the singing, Stormy? Then do it!” With a gesture to the computer she adds, “you can always add some effects to hide the…rough bits.” 

Stormy grits her teeth. “My singing isn’t that bad!”

“Stormy, I put you on the drums because listening to microphone feedback is easier on the ears than your voice.” 

“Icy…” Darcy frowns. 

“And you!” She slams her hands against the armrests and forces herself upright. “You have all of these ‘great’ ideas. All of these new age, experimental sounds to try. Maybe you’d like to work with Mirta. That loser is all about new age, modern witchery.” 

“Well maybe that loser actually has a point. Maybe we could stand to get with the times a little. Most of the big name bands have.” Darcy counters

“We’re going to embarrass ourselves.” Maybe they are alright with making fools of themselves but she will not go back to how things used to be. How she used to be.

“We or just you?” Stormy sneers. “I think that Darcy and I will do just fine with our new style.” 

And that is it, she is walking briskly across the room and slamming the door as she should have done a few sentences ago. First Darko and now these twits. Maybe it would do her well to take a break from people. She imagines Darcy putting a hand on Stormy’s shoulder when she says, “just let her go, you know how she is about change and trying new things.” 

.oOo.

They are shooting a music video today. Kyanite is filming two of them. It is terribly overwhelming. Sometimes she feels as though she has no time for the things that she loves anymore; rollerblading, ice cream in the park, trips to the amusement park that end with her holding cotton candy in one hand and a huge stuffed animal in the other. Topaz hasn’t asked her if she’d like to go to the roller disco in some time now and she is starting to wonder if the other girls resent her for beginning a solo project right as they are about to release their fourth album. 

They have been glaring at Valtor all afternoon, whispering amongst themselves when he makes an adjustment to her hair or makeup. 

“Valtor can give you some pointers too.” Kyanite offers. 

“We’re fine. Thanks.” Ruby says curtly. “We’re MeTor not KyaNight.” 

Kyanite swallows. “I didn’t mean…I just thought that…nevermind.” They are probably right, it would be better to have two very distinct looks and sounds. MeTor is pretty and cute, innocent. Kyanite is…what is she? Sexy and mysterious? She doesn’t think that, that image suits her. And yet…

“I think that this outfit would be better for you.” Valtor suggests. It is shorter, it reaches only mid-thigh whereas the one that MeTor’s manager had suggested for her rests against her knees. The shorter dress is tighter too, she can tell just from the shape of it that it will constrict her at least somewhat and she isn’t sure if she is ready for that yet.

Kyanite bites the inside of her lower lip. “I don’t think so.” 

“Don’t think so?” Valtor taps his chin.

“I don’t exactly have a tight dress sort of physique.” 

Valtor chuckles, slow and deliberate. Kyanite has grown to hate that particular chuckle and its sinister candece. It is almost always followed up by a saccharine sweet remark or uncomfortable advice. “My dear, we’ve been working on that and it’s paying off.”

Kyanite twiddles her fingers. 

“You had fans before. Imagine how many you’ll have now. The right dresses and makeup can take you very far.”

She casts a glance at her friends. They are all giggles and smiles as their usual team of makeup artists glitz them up with fake eyelashes, the ones with the bejeweled tips, and colorful hair extensions. “I think that I should…” she gestures to them. 

“What? Fall in line with the rest of them? Fade back into the background.” He shakes his head and clicks his tongue. “It would do you well to…” He waves his hand, “liberate yourself from that shy girl image.”

“It’s not an image, it’s me.”

“Was you.” He corrects. “It’s time to evolve. Break out of that cocoon, butterfly.”

Kyanite swallows hard, her fingers curling around the fabric of her dress. The one that she had picked out. The one that matches that of her bandmates. “I’m wearing this one.” She declares. 

Valtor clicks his tongue and shakes his head. But she is already walking back to her girls, a request to correct her makeup once more at the ready. She tries not to listen but she hears him anyways; “I suppose that you’re right, you haven’t lost enough weight for that dress yet anyways.” 

.oOo.

Bloom can’t help it; some songs are just humming songs. And some songs are burst into song for yourself songs. She thinks that Musa would understand perfectly. Stella? Not so much. But she can’t imagine that Stella will stop her. Tecna might ask her to keep it down a little and save it for band practice.

“Aren’t you getting tired of that song, Bloom?” Stella asks. “You know that, that band has more than one song right? They have like three whole albums of them, in fact! Musa has a huge stack of CD’s and those three albums are in it.”

“I don’t know, I just like…”

“So you don’t have to listen to the same song over and over again.”

“Stella.”

“I could totally give you some band recommendations. Cute boy bands…”

“Stella.” She tries again.

“Or I could tell you the best songs by the group that you’re already listening to!”

“Stella!” 

Stella winces. “Oh, sorry, Bloom. You know me, I get a little excited about…things. I just thought that you might like to find something new to listen to.”

“I’m fine, I want to listen to this one again.” She presses the pause button and the music videos freezes, and on an unfortunate frame for the three members on screen who are now stuck making the strangest faces. “I just feel like we could use this band as inspiration.” She looks back at the screen and moves the video’s progress bar just a hair forward to a more flattering shot. “The music video is so pretty, don’t you think?”

“Well yeah, now that you’ve fast forward a bit.” Stella laughs. 

Bloom rolls her eyes. “I mean the video overall! I think that we could base a song on this one or you could make some outfits inspired by these.”

“Hmmm, yeah, maybe.” She tilts her head. “I do like what they did with the necklines. And the jewels look nice too.”

“I really love that necklace, Stel!” She wishes that she can zoom in on it. “Blue isn’t my color but I like how she’s using a raw stone instead of a polished one. What kind of flower is that supposed to be shaped like?”

“Sounds like a question for Flora.” Stella replies. “I might be able to make you a necklace like that one. Do you want me to keep the tinsel and the white feathers?”

Bloom shakes her head. “Just the stone, we don’t want to copy it exactly. We still need our jewelry to be Winx, you know?” 

“Of course Bloom, I’m just trying to figure out which elements we should take inspiration from.”

“Maybe we should try to find an opening act before making fashion choices?” Tecna suggests. “At this rate we won’t have a show to make outfits for. Priorities, we need to get those sorted out.”

“Relax, Tecna, we’ve already got Musa out searching for Magix’s next up and coming band. I’m sure that she’ll find us a perfect opening act! And while she does that, we can start working on making sure that the show is memorable!” She pauses. “I’m thinking glitter and confetti falling while I use some light magic to make it really twinkle! Oh and we can…”

Bloom chuckles to herself, once Stella gets started she is an unstoppable force. Opening act or none, she is certain that their concert will impress the crowd. And even if it doesn’t they can at least say that they had a good time trying to put on a good show. She always loves seeing how brightly Musa smiles when a microphone is in her hands. What more can a fairy ask for?

[slickshoesareyoucrazy]

Photograph

In the summer of 2021, right after everyone got their first set of COVID vaccines, my best friend of (at the time) 30 years, A, drove 5+ hours and stayed with family he was estranged from and uncomfortable with to see me. In April of that year (as in, 3 months prior to this rare in person time together), my dad's lifelong best friend died. He died 2 days before my dad's vaccine wait time was up, so my dad hadn't seen his best friend since Christmas of 2019. And then he DIED. A and I talked about this when it was happening and in the immediate aftermath A LOT. Big, long, weighty conversations that we COULD and DID have with each other at other times over our 30 year friendship, but usually we just sent each other random shit (that was usually extra silly) on text. Both of us clearly felt some anxiety about it, having that empathetic reaction of 'what would I do/how would I feel if...' Like, Christ, how fucking awful it must be to have your best friend die and not have seen them for so long. It had been a long time since we'd seen each other in person and we both brought it up a lot in May and then in June A was just, 'I'm coming home for a weekend.' COVID robbed a lot of people of a lot of joy and connection left, right, and center, and this was a way it personally got us. He made the effort to come up here to make sure we got time. I took a picture of A with me in our back yard. I took one of him petting our dog too. The first pictures of A I'd taken since high school. I didn't take pictures the other dozens of times we saw each other between graduating high school in June of 1996 and June of 2021, but I did that time. Turned out to be the last ones I got to take, because A died in early December of 2023. They were the last ones. It kind of feels, looking back now, that some inner part of me knew I better take some photos. Some part of me maybe knew they'd be the last ones.

I've written about A's red hair here before. And how because of his gingerhood, Ed Sheeran songs always reminded me of him. I teased him about it. (I don't normally tease people, but he teased me all the time, which I haven't really ever tolerated from anyone else either, and turnabout is fair play and all). He liked Ed Sheeran, which I still find hilarious, because he was SUCH a grungy emo punk almost all the rest of the time, music-wise. But he liked Red Ed. Probably because of the shared gingerhood, although he never said that was why. A did have some Sap Potential, as much as he gave me the business for that all the time. He was all Pearl Jam, Live, Radiohead, Audioslave, (and especially) My Chemical Romance and shit, but he also loved Elton John and Billy Joel. Anyway, he sent me songs on text all the time. It's actually a main way he'd let me know how he was feeling and how he'd say the Big Important Shit to me, and occasionally he'd send me an Ed Sheeran song. He sent me Photograph more than once. Almost as often as that fucking MCR song that makes me cry now. Admitted it was his 24th most played song on Spotify; admitted it made him cry if it hit at the right time. It's made me cry every time I've heard it since he died (which has weirdly been pretty often, particularly without seeking it out). But now it's strangely prophetic on another level because J did buy me a new charm for my necklace. For A. He bought me a locket that holds 4 photographs: me with J, me with our son, me as a toddler with my grandparents, and me with A...that last photograph of us together.

Here are some song lyrics:

We keep this love in a photograph We made these memories for ourselves Where our eyes are never closing, Hearts are never broken, Time's forever frozen still And you can keep me Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans, Holding me closer til our eyes meet. You won't ever be alone. Wait for me to come home. Loving can heal. Loving can mend your soul. And it's the only thing that I know. I swear it will get easier. Remember that with every piece of ya. And it's the only thing we take with us when we die.

I used to think keeping a photograph inside the pocket of your jeans was kind of strange; it would ruin the photograph. But then I remembered we are old people and this song was written by a Not Quite As Old As Us Person. I do carry photographs of everyone I care about around in my pocket every day in my goofy phone. And the final chorus changes to:

Oh you can fit me Inside the necklace you bought When you were sixteen Next to your heartbeat Where I should be. Keep it deep within your soul.

I never wore a locket until today, when it arrived after J special ordered it for me on Mother's Day evening. I didn't buy a necklace when I was sixteen, but now I do carry A (and J and our son and my grandparents) around next to my heartbeat every day (and next to the original charms J and our son got me years ago)...where they should be. Where they ARE. Where they always have been.

A, look what I'm doing now, you fucker. I'm analyzing a fucking Ed Sheeran song and crying while I'm doing it. Jesus, you'd read this and make fun of me so hard core I know I'd eventually just tell you to eat shit or go fuck yourself or something. I miss you. I miss you making fun of me, which is something I can't even believe is a real thing I'm saying, because sometimes you really did drive me fucking nuts and piss me off. "I'm lovable this way," you'd say, just fucking oozing smartass snark, and my face would get red, and I'd do one of those teenage girl scream-sighs at you and then you'd laugh that laugh I'm never gonna hear again.

I'll see you at the cemetery tomorrow, man. Hoping for growing grass and some kind of sign that you're ok. I'll show you my new, enhanced charm necklace. The one with your photograph. Next to my heartbeat where you should be.

[crypticsalutations]

A Conversation with Simon Edwards: Bassist, Backing Vocalist, and Co-Lyricist of Saturnalia

Saturnalia. A short lived, Leek based post punk project built between friends in the 1980's, but for Cryptic Salutations they represent so much more; the beginning of an era. Coming across The Cold Night Air deep within the forgotten recesses of YouTube one night a few years ago, I had no clue that a band with only four publicly released tracks would leave such an impression that their very existence would contribute to the birth of an entire blog. This blog. This one right here. When I started sharing tracks, I'd never planned to go in an interviewing direction. I just wanted to share my interest in obscure music with others and find a bunch of cool jams along the way. One thing I noticed consistently, however, was that many of these bands and artists I'd come to enjoy were pretty much faceless. Maybe one obfuscated photo here and there, or names that were seemingly untraceable, and Saturnalia was no exception.

Cover of Inside the Devil's Circle 7" single, previously the only identifiable image of the band online With only one black and white photo, as well as first initials and last names listed in one of their singles, Saturnalia were effectively... nobody. You had to know them to know them, pretty much. For some reason though, this anonymity intrigued me. It was just baffling that a band could drop 4 banger tracks, then disappear into the world without leaving so much as a foot print. Who were they, what was their inception like, and where were they now? This curiosity is almost singlehandedly what changed the direction of Cryptic Salutations. Every few months I would poke around online in attempt to get this thing rolling, but I hit road blocks time and time again. I'd already interviewed the likes of Steinhardt and Jonathan Lemon, so I figured I just wasn't looking hard enough... Until I stumbled upon, hilariously, a Facebook post. A Leek local was sharing his memories of Saturnalia, and also appeared to be part of their local music scene. It was the closest lead I'd ever gotten, so I contacted him, and it magically paid off! To make a long story short, I was put into contact with Simon, who played bass, sang backing vocals, and co-wrote Saturnalia's lyrics, and today he has offered to answer some of my burning questions regarding the how's, why's, and when's of the band. It was exciting enough for me to rise out of the coffin of hiatus-land, so I'm very pleased to bring you the interview here in full! Enjoy! Interview below

Cryptic Salutations: What is the story of Saturnalia’s beginnings?

Simon Edwards: The roots of Saturnalia came from four school friends jamming together in bedrooms and garages, learning to play our instruments, and figuring out how to play together. I played bass guitar, occasional double bass, and did backing vocals, Dave Woodcock played keyboards, Jonathan Kirk was on drums, and Steve 'Spacebat' Masters was on main vocals, guitar and sax.

In the last six months or so of the band's existence, we added a second guitarist, Martin Hedley.

CS: What first got you into music? Who were your inspirations?

Simon: Punk and new wave gave us the impetus to do something, without having to be virtuosos. A couple of the guys had also been into Pink Floyd previously, and later we were all quite open to all kinds of influences. Dave Woodcock and I got quite into jazz theory and tribal sounds. I'd say that some of the band's main contemporary influences were Ultravox (pre-Midge Ure), Psychedelic Furs, Japan, Joy Division, The Stranglers, Talking Heads and Chrome.

New photos courtesy of Simon CS: What was the band’s creative process like?

Simon: Ordinarily, someone would bring a chord sequence or a riff along to a rehearsal, and we'd jam around it, but on occasion Dave W or Spacebat would bring an almost complete idea. The lyrics were written by me or Spacebat, about half-and-half.

CS: Were there ever any live shows, if so, does footage exist, and did you enjoy playing live?

Simon: We played about fifteen or twenty live shows, mostly in our local area, in community halls, pubs, nightclubs, the local university student bar, but we also got to play one gig in London, at the iconic Marquee Club on Wardour Street. I don't believe any live footage exists, but I'd love to be proved wrong!

CS: Where has life taken you since the end of Saturnalia?

Simon: About a year after Saturnalia split up, I moved to London with Martin Hedley and my then girlfriend, and formed a band called Ask Virginia, which lasted a few years, played a few gigs and recorded loads of demos. I then joined Martin's resurrected band, Bible For Dogs, which was a frantic punk-jazz experience. I currently curate and present a specialist music show called Loose Canon, which is broadcast in the UK, Hong Kong and Bulgaria. I'm also a music promoter in my local area, specialising in alternative/indie/post-punk/punk.

Spacebat and Kirk now live about an hour from me, and we still get together now and again for a few drinks and a jam session. Dave Woodcock lives in Canada, but we see each other every couple of years. Martin Hedley lives on the south coast, and is in a horror swamp blues band called The Wattingers.

CS: In your own opinion, what do you think of the music industry then and now?

Simon: In the seventies and eighties, it was so much easier to get people to come out to gigs, at least in a small town, as there was so little else to do. Selling vinyl was so much easier, too – local bands like us would print a thousand or two thousand 7” singles, and easily sell most of them through local record shops.

CS: Of Saturnalia’s four tracks, did you have one that stood out to you as ‘the best?’

Simon: Of the four tracks on the Saturnalia singles, my favourite was 'Girl On The 8th Floor' - I think we'd all found our own musical voices by that point. All four of the original members had a creative hand in putting the song together, and I wrote the lyrics. I feel that the track still holds up well, is very evocative, yet still obviously of its time.

Lyrics from 'Girl On The 8th Floor / The Cold Night Air' 7" single CS: If you could give your past self any advice, what would it be?

Simon: I'd tell my younger self to stick to his guns, not compromise musically, and generally be a bit more pushy.

CS: How was the name ‘Saturnalia’ chosen?

Simon: I really can't remember how the name came about, to be honest, but a three out of four of us voted for it.

CS: Are there any unique stories behind the lyrics? ‘Inside the Devils Circle’ has a particularly interesting narrative.

Simon: 'Devils Circle' was one of Spacebat's lyrics – I seem to think that he got the idea from a film, but I don't remember which one. Most of my own lyrics were written using a variation on Bowie's cut-up technique.

Lyrics from 'Inside the Devil's Circle' 7" single CS: Anything else you’d like to share or promote?

Simon: I'm sending you rehearsal room demos of three more Saturnalia tracks (CS Note: Find the track 'Oh Tara' below!!), which I hope you'll enjoy – feel free to play any of them to your listeners, if you'd like to. I'll also include a studio demo from another band I mentioned, Ask Virginia, from around 1986. Anyone who's interested in current alternative/indie/post-punk etc might like to listen to my radio show, Loose Canon – here's a link to my Soundcloud account, where there are a large number of archive shows: Link

Never before seen 'Oh Tara' rehearsal room demo

[stardustjessie]

JESSIE'S 2024 ROADMAP

So, I just wanted to ramble about the projects I have planned out for 2024. I've been very ambitious about some due to being able to afford to invest in them. Of course, art will forever be my #1 ambition and will continue to improve my craft. I'm always finding new ways to improve and exploring new ideas. However; I do have various non-digital art related! And I want to tell you all on my own personal blog about them and what you can look forward from me in the future!

MUSIC PROJECTS

I've actually been taking my time to figure out how FL Studios work, and how to work with it with Audacity. I've been attempting at voice training, so once I'm satisfied with my voice, I'd really love to do lyrics. I'm planning on working out something special for the first quarter of 2024. An EP called "Hear my Voice! (Existence)". I want it to be focused on the progress of HRT and Voice Training and just the idea of artistic freedom and the great feeling it is to be able to create things the way I want after being so long unable to. I don't know, 3 songs sound good for an EP. I want to be crafty and creative with them. I'd love for it to be Lo-Fi Pop Punk. As in, actual Lo-Fi, not the Synthwave kind of Lo-Fi. I want it to be the classic lower quality and lower frequency sounding music. I have a grudging respect for Lo-Fi and what it can represent, so I want to have my own take on it. The other project would be a proper album for once I get the hang of it all. I plan to call it "Celestial Wishes". I so far only have the plans for it to be Pop Punk and be very angelic sounding. I want it to be like heaven answering my wishes to finally do music. Obviously I won't sing about that-! I want it to carry the story of Ponies living life and miracles happening in various ways. How many songs ? God knows! It's only an idea thus far, and will take shape later. Right now I want to focus on making a couple of singles, maybe having one done in December still even. That and focusing on the overall theming and style I want for "Hear my Voice! (Existence)". I'll post all of these on a new Youtube Channel I've created, StardustJessie Music! Subscribe for when I start posting some!

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

I don't know how aware you are, but I do have a Youtube Channel. I primarily post Video Game Analysis Essays. I'm extremely proud of the ones I made this year, those being Deus Ex 2 and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Well, I have two more videos planned out! The first, POKEMON SUN & MOON ARE GREAT AND HERE'S WHY; Which I'm very ambitious and passionate about this idea. Everyone was very quick to defend Sword & Shield, Sun & Moon didn't get that same treatment. I want to be one to defend Sun & Moon, which I have a lot of argument for, and have a lot to say about its history and the state of pokemon in that age. I actually really hated S&M when I first played it and deeply regretted buying Ultra Sun (Which I still do.), so it's almost like a redemption arc for me! I'll have to gather up a shitload of footage though. Pokemon Red, Silver, Sapphire, Ruby, Diamond, Black, X, Alpha Sapphire, Red Team Rescue, Explorers of Sky, Gates to Infinity, Super Mystery Dungeon, Sword, Violet, Rescue Team DX, Sun, Ultra Sun, and more! These are just the pokemon games I'll have to record! Not to count other games I bring up as a precedent and examples like Persona 4 which is some 60 hours of gameplay! So yeah. It's a lengthy project. Thankfully I'm purchasing a 4TB HDD this week so I should be able to gather that much footage without a worry. I imagine I'll only have this done in a year or even 2025! It's a tough project. However; I want to also work on another video! MORROWIND WALKED SO SKYRIM COULD RUN (AWAY WITH MY MONEY); I really despite Skyrim for a lot of reasons. But I really love Morrowind. A lot of the things I see people praise Skyrim are things I genuinely believe they'd have a better time and enjoyment of those aspects if they played Skyrim. I believe I can actually get this video done in 2024 as these games are waaaaaaaaaaaay shorter than all the shit I have to play for a Pokemon project! But even then, Skyrim would be some 30 hours and Morrowind some 15, not to mention any other games I talk about. It's a great topic to analyse and I'll be very ambitious. I should get to write it sometime and have a W.I.P project in mid 2024 so it'll be my annual essay.

BOOK PROJECTS

I'm very interested in writing my own book honestly. Ever since I read Dracula I've considered writing a story that touches on similar themes and ideas and can evolve them further through the lens of 2024. I'm slowly taking shots at it. Sometimes I write a sentence or two. As any Tumblr Writer knows, it's very tough. Be on the look out! Once I have anything concrete I'll definitely post!

I believe this would be it! I don't have many individual projects, but they are ambitious and time consuming projects that I want to have done next year or have something substantial to show in 2024! There are more projects, like my Game Project which I'm very passionate about and have 74 pages of documentation of and still working on it! Since it's on very early planning stage I rather not talk too much. But maybe 2025 roadmap ? Thank you for reading this if you have at all! I just want somewhere to put all my ideas. Who knows. It'll be interesting in 2034 to look back to 22 year old me being so ambitious, while 32 year old me has those ambitions fully realised and onto new projects. This is almost like an archival of my personal artistic ambition and my passion for the crafts of Writing, Visual Arts and Music.

[gerogerigaogaigar]

Wire - Pink Flag

This one is revolutionary. Wire were doing things in 77 that most bands wouldn't be trying for at least a couple of years. Punk moved so fast I. The 70s that it's a blur to track the evolution of the genre. By the time the first punk albums were being released in 76 the genre had already peaked for many first adopters and by 77 we were already seeing the first wave of post punk. Wire were definitely amongst those bands Ex Lion Tamer, Three Girl Rhumba, are very post punk. But they weren't content with just doing one thing where a lot of the album is very traditionally punk there are also a lot of songs that would hearken towards hardcore punk like Pink Flag and 12XU. 106 Beats That feels like a prototype noise rock song, Strange could easily be mistaken for some sort of British grunge, Fragile is basically the blueprint for alternative rock. I feel like you can divine a person's preferred punk subgenre based on their favorite track from this album.

Joy Division - Closer

Slightly more gothic than Unknown Pleasures and no less bleak. The more obviously personal a project becomes the closer it gets to unreviewable. This is Ian Curtis's suicide note. It sounds like a suicide note. Reading interviews about the recording sessions is harrowing. "We'd go to rehearsals and sit around and talk about really banal things. We'd do that until we couldn't talk about banal things any more, then we'd pick up our instruments and record into a little cassette player. We didn't talk about the music or the lyrics very much. We never analysed it." Bernard Sumner once recalled. This album is amazing but thinking too hard about it kinda terrifies me. I don't want to review Closer.

Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets

After departing from Roxy Music Brian Eno decided to make the weirdest, most unpredictable piece of art glam he could. By far the most theatrical thing in his discography and one of few that is still tethered to the rock idiom, if only barely. Here Comes The Warm Jets is full of off beat vocal delivery and wild guitar tones. It will flit between rock n roll riffs, manic guitar solos courtesy of Robert Fripp, and hazy droning bits that are early predictors of shoegaze. And through it all Eno delivers vocals in the most off kilter cadence possible shifting from Frankie Valli falsetto to warbled crooning. This is kind of the final form of glam rock, you can't come back from it only move forward.

Sam Cooke - Portrait Of A Legend 1951-1964

Okay, I've been pretty hard on greatest hits so far but I'm gonna give this one a pass because most of Cooke's best works were originally released as non album singles. Sam Cooke's ability to absolutely nail the doo wop sound while also amassing a rock and roll fan base is amazing. He may be the crossover artist of all time. Cooke's biggest hits are without a doubt some of the catchiest songs of all time, I don't know whether I'm gonna have Cupid, Chain Gang, (What A) Wonderful World, or Another Saturday Night stuck in my head, but tomorrow morning imma be living with one or more of those on repeat.

Al Green - I'm Still In Love With You

I've talked about Al Green before and things haven't changed. He's one of, if not the, greatest vocalists of all time. Like all of his albums from this era it shows off his incredible range, going from low to falsetto with an ease that baffles me. It's unfortunately sandwiched between my two favorite Al Green albums so I definitely overlook it, but it's definitely worthwhile.

KISS - Alive!

KISS is potato chips. Is it high quality? Is it good for you? Who cares that's not why you eat potato chips. If you want some extremely stupid music about drinking, fucking, and the vague concept of 'rocking out' then this is the best your gonna get. It's high energy fun. It's camp. The best part is that this was released before their smash hit album Destroyer so you get all the early songs with good blues riffs and guitar solos instead of the dreadfully boring Detroit Rock City or, god forbid, Beth. This is so obviously the best KISS album.

Bill Withers - Just As I Am

Withers' debut leans more towards a folksy gospel feel than Still Bill's funk soul flavor. While I think it's less dynamic overall Just As I Am has plenty to offer. The hit, Ain't No Sunshine is a classic, and Withers turns the mediocre Beatles hit Let It Be into an amazing gospel number. But to me the biggest things this album has going for it is Grandma's Hands, a song that is just so beautiful.

ABBA - The Definitive Collection

Oh wow another greatest hits. I don't know if this is a hot take or not but I really like ABBA. I think they have like six albums that would be great choices for this list spot. At the very least ABBA, Arrival, Voulez-Vouz, and The Visitors are all fantastic albums start to finish. No need to pick out the hits and package them all together.

Neil Young - Tonight's The Night

When Young made On The Beach he poured despair into it, but only seemingly as a distraction from the even more profound despair that was Tonight's The Night. While recorded before On The Beach it was not released until after. The album is entirely about the death of two friends of Young's, Crazy Horse member Danny Whitten, and roadie Bruce Berry. The intensely personal nature of this album is apparent from the bleak lyrics, stripped down production, Young's constantly faltering voice, and even the album liner notes which state "I'm sorry. You don't know these people. This means nothing to you." When I was dismissive of On The Beach that was because this album exists. All the melancholy and anguish of On The Beach is just residue from Tonight's The Night. This is one of music most sincere and pure expressions. The fact that the entire rest of Young's discography is not rendered irrelevant by this album is nothing short of a miracle.

New York Dolls - s/t

I am once again positing a potential starting point for punk rock. The combination of glam aesthetics with the 50s rock and roll musicianship is one of the more obvious influences on the evolution of punk. Very extremely silly lyrics are coupled with riffs that are basically all ripped from Chuck Berry songs. The result is an album with a constant manic energy that's as fun as it is infectious.

[chaosincurate]

Alvvays defined

This one is gonna be a fun post for me to make. Listening to the monarchs of musical bliss, the indie pop idols, Alvvays, every time, without fail feels like an inherent act of musical artistic appreciation, like I can't help but to think about how great music as an art form is. To make it all the more impressive, the band manage to maintain that high constantly throughout an album, and across albums. I don't tend to buy into the whole "no bad songs" thing because I find it undermines the value of your appreciation if you ignore flaws as opposed to loving something in spite (or even because) of them, but when it comes to Alvvays, I genuinely don't dislike a single song, even really a single moment, they've created. They aren't perfect of course, and we'll get into that a little bit in a second, but I'm convinced they are one of the best indie acts going. Let's get into why.

Alvvays (self-titled)

When I say this album is one-note, you'd be forgiven for thinking I found the album monotonous, boring, and repetitive. You'd be forgiven, but mistaken. This debut album from Alvvays is consistently exciting and establishes a core identity expertly over a concise 33 minute runtime, which also helps ensure that their lack of experimentation isn't felt. Featuring flowery and left-field lyrics (see Adult Diversion), dreamy guitar lines (see Atop a Cake) and the perfectly restrained rhythms to facilitate the euphoria of each and every song, the Alvvays sound was focused and flawlessly executed from day one.

I did mention that Alvvays weren't perfect in the preamble, and while they came out on their first album more or less fully formed, that applies as much to many negatives of theirs as it does to positives, and the clearest negative I've found in their discography is inconsistent album sequencing. I haven't tried, but I get the impression their albums, especially their later two, wouldn't be too badly affected by playing them on shuffle, although each project certainly has its own identity which helps them feel cohesive.

Even with that negative though, the sheer quality of these songs make it fantastic, especially considering it's a debut. Not many acts are immediately gifted enough to get me whipped up in the pure joy of music like songs such as Archie, Marry Me, Party Police, Atop a Cake, and Red Planet do.

Apple Music link

Antisocialites

What do you get if you take the exceptional qualities of the last album, and add some refinement and slight experimentation, along with punchier production? A 10/10 album called Antisocialites, apparently. You hear it all right off the bat too, with In Undertow introducing you to the album with a washed out distorted guitar that feels like the aural version of a low wave on the beach immersing your feet. That blissful, "life is great", picturesque holiday feeling pervades this album entirely. You cannot love music, hear this album and not feel joy. It's just impossible, and I will not be convinced otherwise. Alvvays had me by the balls from the first note of the album and took the opportunity to give me a (barely metaphorical) orgasm.

I must admit, I struggle to be at all analytical about this album, as you may have noticed, simply because this capacity to induce joy and awe almost evades analysis. I can tell you it's indie pop. I can tell you it's brilliant and one-of-a-kind, but I just cannot tell you why beyond what I have here. It all just either seems so perfect but so obvious, or just completely indescribable.

Again, I don't like to say that something is without flaws, I don't like sounding so uncritically adoring, but every song on here (except one that I will get to) is noteworthy and awe-inspiring to me. The perfect energy of Plimsoll Punks and Your Type, the girl-group charm of Not My Baby, the dynamism of Hey... I could easily go on, but I'll spare you any further pious rambling, and leave it at the promise that every song is incredible in its own unique way that branches naturally from the sound established on the band's debut.

The one criticism I have that I hinted at earlier, was that the sequencing was a little awkward again, particularly in that Already Gone, a song that is well below the album's par for me (although still great in a vacuum because of course it is, Alvvays are almost annoyingly good at this whole music thing), felt forced in between Lollipop (Ode to Jim) and Saved by a Waif. I'm glad it's a song that has seen the light of day, and I think there's definitely a version of this album with that song on it that feels more natural, perhaps having it by the slightly slow Dreams Tonite as opposed to being sandwiched between very high energy, happy songs, but it just doesn't work here in my opinion.

Anyway, that's about enough fawning for a [blank] defined post, so overall thoughts: Alvvays' middlebrow status-quo rituals more than sufficed here and if you like indie pop or any surrounding genres and don't listen to it, you're stinky and I don't respect you until you do. Do it. It's good, you'll like it. Look, I'll even link it for you:

Apple Music link

Blue Rev

And after a quick 5-year non-hiatus- induced break filled with drama, personal and global (Donald Trump's presidential era gets strictly no Alvvays, which I respect), the frankly too talented Alvvays returned with their most diverse album yet, starting with a slightly garage-leaning rendition of their sound with Pharmacist and Easy On Your Own? before getting back to their old sound, and their best version of it yet, at that, with After the Earthquake (obligatory mention that the final "are you awake now?" that Molly Rankin belts out is eargasmic), which makes for an incredible introduction to the album, telling you to expect a lot of variety, but in a way that is true to their already established identity.

Then they try their hand at being a The Smiths cover band without getting into legal trouble with Pressed, and they mimic their indie royalty predecessors with an apparent ease that is mind-boggling and follow it up with the sincerely sweet Many Mirrors which, thematically, appears to act as a reprieve from the stories of romantic hardship to tell a, presumably, more reality-founded story of a situation that is as effortless as it was at the onset of their feelings.

Then there's a sharp left-turn towards the delightful Voidz-esque Very Online Guy that just confirms that the band are having as much fun as you are, as the band takes the soundscape of the early internet to inspire the instrumentation on the track about a guy who is, get this, very online. It goes over cyber stalking, constant opinions, and similarly modern stressors with a sense of humour that makes it go down so easy.

Then Velveteen (yes we're going more or less track-by-track, this album is chaotic in the best way) serves as the payoff to mentions of "velvet" found in other songs on the album, giving those mentions an added level of meaning retroactively before flowing perfectly (credit where it's due) to the similarly mellow, and distinctly melancholic Tile By Tile and then reminds you what band you're listening to by taking the foot off the brakes with the ball of tired altruist energy of Pomeranian Spinster, my personal favourite Alvvays track that doesn't even get enough love amongst Alvvays fans from what I've seen. It's a typical length, 3 and a half minute song that is so incredibly fun and charismatic it feels like half that at least.

From there, you're given a little bit of a break with the Belinda Carlisle-approved Belinda Says which is a beautiful anthem about just making it work. Being dealt a shitty hand but going all in anyway and figuring it out as you go.

From there, the album mostly just continues to wind-down, which is far from a flaw. In fact I think it was necessary. Constantly high energy isn't as easy to pull off over 30 minutes as it is over 40 and taking that extra few moments to just bring you back down to reality pays dividends for an album that gives you transcendent moments like they have an overabundance of them, which I imagine isn't actually far from the truth.

All that positive stuff being said, the album does have it's flaws. Personally, Fourth Figure strikes me as tonally redundant, and while the sequencing is more or less on point here, the album does still feel a little too messy to match or surpass the quality of Antisocialites, even if it does provide it's own charm.

Apple Music link

Playlist

Frankly, I'd recommend just listening to the albums, in chronological order even, but for those who, for whatever reason, would prefer a playlist of some of their best, most representative stuff (at least in my humble opinion), that can be found below. I hope it helps you in some way!

Spotify

Apple Music

[mieczyhale]

if you have a rock / punk / metal band and you aren’t anti-cop and/or are right-wing: congrats on misunderstanding the assignment, first of all, and second of all it is impressive that you managed to listen to the genre of music you make without taking in any of the lyrics or messages. did you grow up with your head up your ass or did your parents put it there for you??

you made a song about how mad you are that people *checks notes* are against an entire job created to preserve oppression and racism, that’s so corrupted people don’t even react to it anymore because literally nobody is surprised, whose employees take advantage of their position to hurt people and get away with crimes, who rarely get charged for murders they commit, who fire anyone that works with them that tries to do the right thing, who signed up for the job, of their own free will, knowing how dangerous it can be - what with guns being a thing - but act like their lives are at risk if they.. see a black person standing in a public place?? who act like their job is the hardest, most dangerous job of all, who demand respect without giving any

because you.. saw the good done by law enforcement during 9/11?? one day twenty two years ago??

if you could join us in reality, in the year 2023, that would be great

i don’t give a shit what good you saw some of them do in 2001. i don’t give a shit that a few have been killed since because they’re cops. y’know why?? because the number of black people who have been killed just for being black will, unfortunately, always vastly outnumber the total of cops killed for their choice in job

CHOICE in job. they saw the reputations cops had and picked that shit anyway. black people?? ANY person of color?? there’s no fucking choice. they don’t get to change their skin color to keep themselves safe (not that they should fucking have to) and to toss it in because fuck it it’s relevant:: the entire lgbtqa+ community. gender. sexuality. being whatever human being we were born as.

not. choices.

minorities have always been in more danger than any fucking cop and you want people to be.. calm and nice about it??

fuck that and fuck you

fuck ANYONE that looks at people upset about police brutality and has the attitude of ‘but you have to see the other side, the side of these poor cops and their families, oh and you’re a whiny pathetic baby if you dont’

and a bonus ‘fuck you’ to anyone that brings that shit into these genres. ‘killing in the name of’ wasn't written about your parents, idiots

take your head out of your ass the boot out of your mouth and catch the fuck up

[le-souriant]

#MusicMonday Review - March 2024

#MusicMonday is the hashtag I've been using for quite a while to share music recommendations from up-and-coming artists. Always fresh, and always different, trying to look for trends before they become one. You can check February's review for more music.

Get into March Madness with a full range of musical deep emotions: anger, hopelessness, depression, angst, and heartbreak. Give it a listen, and dive in, with a word from the artists themselves. 🎧

Taking On Water – Get Away

Won't step on foot outside, we're living in the sun and the world's on fire, the asteroid’s coming universal collapse, or sucked into a hole of infinite black.

We'll get struck by a solar flare, or the poles will flip and gps will fail big rip, colliding galaxies, or lose the ozone over me.

San Diego is the epicenter, for this Melodic Punk track about our pale blue dot in an ocean that we all have to share, and how only the Universe knows it's fate, as band member Greg tells:

"I was watching a YouTube video on extraordinarily natural disasters and I had just made up a solid tune that needed lyrics. It struck me that the topic and the tune could be the perfect combo, thus, the post apocalyptically themed 'Get Away' was quickly written. Simple as that!"

Jaws – Solitaire

Misery is a key I've learned I'm having dreams and they seem absurd Then I woke from a sound I didn't know how to lay back down and find you where we just were And it's all for not

What if I blew it up? We stay in San Diego with the gloomy mood, for an Alt Indie track about those out of line thoughts that leave you mystified. Just don't say it's all in my head:

"This is one of those songs that just stumbles out of you because it needs to come out. I don't know if any single experience inspired it, more like a release of different things I had been feeling at the time.

I just remember sitting in my home studio feeling kind of frustrated, pent up, and a little sad to be honest. I had come up with the opening riff and it was like a spark and the rest came together before I knew it, and most of the guitar and vocals you hear on the track were recorded that same night.

With that being said there wasn't much thought put into a planned theme at the time of writing it, but I think everyone can relate to the feeling of losing your mind alone with your emotions and intrusive thoughts.

Also just checked out your blogs, they're super cool man. Thanks for taking interest in our song and thanks for elevating the underground/up and coming community!"

Lunch – Luggage Case

I've got a luggage case and I fill it with bottles

Give me your Chardonnay and there won't be any trouble

We now move to London, England for an energetic Post Punk protest song about those double standards that some people just feel entitled to. Don't you worry lads, don't forget to stay indoors, and remain calm:

"The British government held a total of 14 illegal parties whilst imposing lockdown on the rest of the country. They would go to the supermarket and fill luggage cases with alcohol to sneak it back into our government building without paparazzi catching on.

It’s so shameful you'd think it's made up but it happened.

Punk is full of anti Tory messaging (rightly so) and I wanted to find an interesting way in, so inspired by this awful story I wrote the song from the POV of a Tory sneaking booze into their illegal party."

The DIXEN – Me Besas Y Te Vas

Me siento perdida Se acabó la ilusión Llevo días encerrada En mi habitación En unos días Todo acabará

Estas presente Pero estas ausente Dices que me amas Luego te arrepientes Si te necesito Me besas y te vas

From Mexico City, this Latin Pop song makes us explore the idea of being insufficient for someone that makes us feel lonely, and everything we do is wrong:

"It was a long process to produce the song you're hearing now. That's why it went through various meanings and two different people when we wrote the song. The lyrics were composed with thoughts and emotions towards one person, but when singing it, it ended up being a dedication to another.

What we were looking for at the beginning is the message: Right now everything feels bad, but tomorrow it will hurt less and further on everything will be okay."

Idle Hours – W.I.C.

I wish the world would change but I can't see it coming

Am I a real man or just a plastic model?

We finish up in the City of Salford, England for a Indie Rock track about making an effort to come back to a place of comfort whenever you can:

"So the song was actually inspired by a breakup, although there’s only one line which directly addresses this ('I love you but I'm leaving this place tonight') the whole subtext of the lyrics are about the breakdown of a relationship."

Listen to them and much more on the complete Playlist:

[musicarenagh]

Gaze Your Eyes Upon The 'Donuts' By Bingo Boys In February 2020 Gus Matracia, Noah Mackey, and Michael Carter came together to form a band under the moniker Bingo Boys. The band name was coined by Gus who initially described it as ”a nonsense name that i came up with and we all thought was kind of fun.” Donut is the latest release by the trio, the song starts with the guitar riffs on a low tone, but don’t be deceived, that serene sound switches from a low tone to its complete opposite. Donuts is a song you can’t help but dance to it. The drums are fast-paced with the bass on full blast, the trio really joined forces in creating Donuts. The delivery of the lyrics on the song are in a perfect sync with the instrumentals, and Gus made sure the vocals are piercing and aggressive giving. Bingo boys are the epitome of a rock band which I suggest you keep an eye on. The band had an Interview with Mister Styx of Musicarenagh, where they shared some of their personal life stories with their fans. Get the full story below:   Follow Bingo Boys on Facebook Spotify Bandcamp Youtube Instagram https://open.spotify.com/album/1yzBjZbq9ot8EoatJrxJrw   What is your stage name Gus Matracia- guitar/ vocals Noah Mackey- bass Michael Carter- drums   Is there a story behind your stage name? Just our names! Where do you find inspiration? Gus- going to local shows and supporting the scene   What was the role of music in the early years of your life? Noah- I always remember when i liked something musical, i really liked it and would try to listen to as much as possible but that was difficult in those days (mid 90's) without the internet. Taping songs off the radio/movie credits/etc. was something i did a lot of. holding the microphone up to the tv speaker and all. Are you from a musical or artistic family? Carter- growing up i remember my dad playing guitar. Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? Noah- Other than the obvious first bands i really loved, namely green day at around 12 years old, id have to say Tony Hawk. The THPS games came out, and had all this cool punk music which inspired me. but also, first I wanted to skateboard and was terrible at that. figured i had to learn to do SOMETHING cool and probably couldn't injure myself so badly with a guitar. How did you learn to sing/write/to play? Gus- I learned how to play from reading tabs and watching concert footage of bands i loved over and over again. constantly watching the musicians hands trying to understand a new solo or riff. What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? Noah- My first real concert ever was the Allman Brothers and Phil Lesh. I didn't care for it at the time... First real concert I truly enjoyed was later that year (2002) at the Pop Disaster Tour with Blink 182 and Green Day. I was 15 and absolutely loved it. How could you describe your music? Gus- Our music is 90's leaning punk with some garage rock influences. Describe your creative process. Carter- You really just start with a guitar or bass riff that sounds cool and build off of that. come up with a transition and some lyrics and you got a song started. After that its just about jamming it and working out the kinks. What is your main inspiration? Noah- My main inspiration is people dancing. I think music that doesn't make you want to move should be engaged in cautiously, and with moderation. Music where the end goal is to make people dance and feel happy is the whole point to me. [caption id="attachment_47188" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Gaze Your Eyes Upon The 'Donuts' By Bingo Boys[/caption] What musician do you admire most and why Gus- This is tough because there are so many inspiring people making music. If i had to pick though id have to say John Dwyer, it seems like that guy just never stops creating. always reinventing his sound and collaborating with other amazing artists. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your car

eer? Carter- Yes buts its gone full circle back to punk. Who do you see as your main competitor? Gus- No one, music shouldn't be a competition. What are your interests outside of music? Noah- Sim racing, cooking, camping, hiking, and I love dogs in a big way. If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? Carter- I’d be a chef What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? Gus- One of the biggest challenges we've come across is getting venues out of state interested and willing to book shows with us. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? Noah- The rates artists get paid from streaming services. I like that streaming and the internet are toppling the old fashioned music industry, but it's still nigh impossible to make much money as a smaller/mid sized artist. Why did you choose this as the title of this project? Gus- Bingo Boys is just a nonsense name that i came up with and we all thought was kind of fun. What are your plans for the coming months? Noah- We are looking forward to being able to get a small tour going and get some more music recorded. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans Gus- We are working with another local Indy two piece synthesizer fronted band called "Pilots". we will be covering a few of each others songs, and hope to have those recordings out sometime later this year. What message would you like to give to your fans? Noah- Thanks for listening, tell your friends, don't trust a hippie, and no matter what, never take yourself too seriously