#would all be considered 'classic rock'. as tho 'classic rock' has a particular sound

[nero-neptune]

no, i don't believe in gatekeeping music. but i do draw the line at calling "classic rock" a genre. a grouping of decades doesn't make something a genre bc that's not what a genre is.

[polar-stars]

ok. i must know the music tastes of *preparation cough* [insert all of your ocs here] :}

Thank you for enabling me to talk about this 🙏

Kimiko Yukihira 🍳

Kimiko has her own little radio in her room and this radio is pretty much her main source of exposure to music. She therefore listens to a lot of Pop and is especially fond of the upbeat kind. Thanks to the men in her family she has been introduced to various Rock or more Alternative songs as well though. 

Favorite Artists: I feel she’d like Owl City & possibly also Paramore

Hiroshi Aldini-Tadokoro ⚓️

Hiroshi listens to soft things that ease him down. His playlist is full of cute, soft-sounding pop songs and acoustic stuff. 

Favorite Artists: Hm, Jason Mraz, Sleeping At Last & Ai Means Love, I think

Mika Aldini ☀️

As an avid dancer, Mika mainly listens to songs that you can also dance to. So her playlists mainly consist of very fast-paced, exciting songs. Her favorite Genre is Latin-Pop, but she listens to a lot of regular Pop as well (as long as it’s good for dancing). She also does enjoy some Reggae once in a while, especially if she does feels like relaxing.

Favorite Artists: Shakira & Jennifer Lopez 

Kaori Hayama 💐

Kaori listens majorly to Soul, R&B & Blues. She considers it very relaxing and she does mainly listen to music in order to relax. Kaori does also have a little soft spot for a lot of older jazzy tunes from her mother’s favorite movies.   

Favorite Artists: Aretha Franklin, Sade, Alicia Keys & Adele

Lola Nakiri 🦊

Lola is Daddy’s little girl when it comes to the matter of music. When Lola Nakiri puts on headphones, she’ll be blasting her ears off with Rock & Heavy Metal. She’s also known to have a rather impressive collection of band T-shirts. She can find some appreciation in the sassy Pop her mom listens to, but ultimately Rock & Metal is where her heart is. 

Favorite Artists: Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin I guess. And probably another Metal Band. I sadly only know a few and only by name because I do not listen to Metal, ever. 

Mona Nakiri 🐺

Techno. Mona walks around with her headphones a lot more than Lola does and what she listens to is all sorts of Techno sub-genres and House, with a good number of  Remixes in-between. 

Favorite Artists: Lea doesn’t know any tbh sfghgfhg

Takayuki Hojo 💥

Takayuki listens to Rock like the tough cookie he is. Should he ever listen to anything that isn’t Rock, his father or Suzume most likely made him listen to it. His two favorite songs of all time are “T.N.T” by AC/DC & “Eye Of The Tiger” by Survivor (Takayuki loves the Rocky movies)

Favorite Artists: As long as it’s Rock he doesn’t care who sings. Okay but he is pretty fond of AC/DC and Guns n’ Roses

Kazuo Mimasaka 💕

My boy Kazuo surely has one big playlist that is filled with nothing but the most sappiest and emotional love-ballads imaginable. And I don’t even want to think about how long it would be. Kazuo can listen to almost anything, the exception being Hardcore Gangster Rap, but what he listens to privately is...yeah, Ballads. 

Favorite Artists: Lionel Richie & Celine Dion are the first names to come to my mind. “My Heart Will Go On” is at the very top of Kazuo’s playlist

Yasu Ibusaki 🌲

Shun passed his liking for Rock down to Yasu. When growing older, Yasu additionally also developed a love for all things Indie & Folkish. Has been called a Hipster for his music taste more than once by Hideyoshi. 

Favorite Artists: Arctic Monkeys, Twenty One Pilots, Hozier 

Chieko Marui 📚

Chieko does listen to a lot of LoFi or Movie/Video Game Soundtracks for studying and relaxation. Her favorite movie soundtrack is that of “The Theory of Everything”. However, when it comes to casual listening her mother got her into Pop. And also thanks to her father, Chieko kinda became accustomed to Pop from all decades. She majorly listens to all sorts off love songs. 

Favorite Artists: TAYLOR SWIFT, Chieko is a confirmed Swiftie. Also really likes Britney Spears tho I feel. 

Hideyoshi Kawashima 🎤

Hideyoshi listens mainly to things you can #party to. Out of all the characters he’s the one who keeps up with the charts the most. Likes Pop and also K-Pop! His dad did successfully get him into some HipHop as well though. Hideyoshi also has a secret soft spot for the boybands of the 90s.

Favorite Artists: Jason Derulo, Backstreet Boys & BTS

Daisuke Aoki 🎸

Daisuke is our Retro-Kid. His music libraries is mostly 80s and 70s, with some songs of the 50s and 60s that his father likes in-between. Is usually the last one in Polar Star to discover the newest hit in the charts, because he’s too busy bopping to the past. Lea can relate. 

Favorite Artists: Queen, A-ha & Huey Lewis & The News

Hiraku Yukihira 🐙

Hiraku likes the modern Rock from the 2000s and 2010s. Occasionally he will stumble over something in the Indie and Alternative department and then be real proud over being the only one who knows a particular song. 

Favorite Artists: Panic! at the Disco, Coldplay and Imagine Dragons

Akio Hayama 🌱

The same as Kaori. This is a thing they have in common, they both do enjoy the same music pretty much. Though I can picture Akio liking some Reggae once in a while in addition. Also just a few days ago, I established that he’s a secret theatre kid who also listens to a lot of Show Tunes. 

Favorite Artists: Stevie Wonder & Marvin Gaye 

Suzume Hojo 🔥

Out of all the characters in the cast, I’d say that Suzume probably has the broadest music taste. She is capable of enjoying a lot of stuff. Being the Meme-Lord that Suzume is, she does love to put on some Meme- and Guilty Pleasure songs. Though of course, there is irony playing into that enjoyment. When it comes to the songs she enjoy unironically, they’re mostly very fast-paced and energetic. I guess you could say her favorite genre is bouncy pop of all decades. Her favorite song of all time would be “Girls just want to have fun”. 

Favorite Artists: Lizzo, Beyoncé and Cindy Lauper. 

Shigeo Eizan 💎

Jazz is Love. Jazz is Life. Shigeo listens to Jazz ahdhd. A lot. He basically always has Jazz going on in the background when he’s working. When he finds the time to listen more attentively, he loves listening to Swing the most. 

Favorite Artists: Frank Sinatra. Also likes Michael Bublé tho I feel. 

Noboru Shinomiya 🍂

Noboru loves nothing more than his collection of classic French Chansons. It’s what he listens to on his long autumn walks through Paris and it makes him happy and content. He also does like the Enka-songs his mother enjoys though.

Favorite Artists: Joe Dassin and Édith Piaf

Kiyoko Saito 🌸

Kiyoko really loves Classical Japanese music a lot but she only really does listen to it on special occassions. She does also enjoy a lot of modern Pop and also K-Pop as well though and she really loves to put it on whenever she dresses up, paints her nails... etc. (Also I can see her being into Vocaloid tbh). 

Favorite Artists: BLACKPINK. I can also see her liking Ariana Grande

Masashi Eizan 🍜

Okay this is our true Classic-Fanatic. All of Nene’s efforts to bring Masashi to operas, ballets and just plain classical concerts have paid off. Masashi listens majorly to Classical Japanese music or Western Classical music. He also does really like Enka. 

Favorite Artist: His favorite Western composer is Beethoven, I haven’t figured out anything else yet. 

Ran Mimasaka 🖋

Ran listens to a lot of operas actually ahdh because, well, she likes operas. Aside from that, she does also enjoy Rock and ChillHop though shdhf. To some this might be a weird combo, but it do be like that sometimes.  

Favorite Artists: In the Rock-department it’s David Bowie. 

-

I admittedly only did the most important high schoolers here, I will need a Part 2 I guess ahdhdf

But still thanks for asking ☺️

[commajade]

hmmmmm this is for the album ranking: wonder girls' 'wonder world'

to me it's a bit of a ridiculous album with no clear aim as to what it wants to sound like, but I absolutely adore it.

i actually haven't listened to most of this before! i've listened to be my baby dozens of times but i haven't listened to the bsides before.

1. be my baby - ICONIC ICONIC ICONIC the retro concept is truly done best by second gen girl groups no one can compare to the experience of being around when this song dropped it's not quite as iconic as tell me so hot or nobody but it's a def contender. i used to do the baby cradling dance all the time. the ra.d remix is also excellent!!!!!

2. sweet dreams - CLASSIC SECOND GEN TRACK it had me from the intro it's a great retro second gen track with a funky walking bass line and EXTREMELY 2011 use of autotune and vocal layering but this is like the best of 2011 it's fantastic. strong chorus melody which is absolutely crucial.

3. me, in - it starts like a jazzy second gen gg track but goes into an electric beat? and the rock band instrumentation and the lyrics are a remade korean traditional children's song? the jazzy diva power vocals? it feels like they threw a lot of things into the pot and it all works surprisingly well!

4. stop! - it's great!!! another second gen classic!! the chorus loses me a little bit but the verses r stellar!! i've actually heard this song a bunch of times from somewhere maybe tv. this would be #2 but the impact of the chorus is a little disappointing compared to the super interesting chromaticism in the verses and the beat isn't as dynamic as i would want. i'll totally sing along if it comes on in public tho.

5. do go do go - CLASSIC RNB BALLAD!! LOVE IT!! also p clever korean pun for the title lol. is that sunye going crazy on the rnb adlibs??

6. nu shoes - fun!! a well done english track but it's such a korean song there's no way it would've worked with the US audience they wanted

7. dear boy - another rnb ballad!! this one had me from the opening too. the synths they used r So dated but i'm not opposed! u can rly tell the differences in vocal ability between members here tho. who's the one showing off with the rnb runs omg!!! pls lmk!!

8. girls girls - ACOUSTIC TRACK??? female empowerment song for a young audience. it's very 2011 very enjoyable.

9. super b - club bop! there's some interesting songs going on here but it gets old a lil fast

10. g.n.o. - quite generic imo but classic and fun. it has that trot adjacent 뽕짝 beat i like in girl group tracks but it's a skip.

11. act cool - omg trying to a rap heavy hip hop track? it's fun but i do not consider 99.999% of kpop rapping to be rap at all so there is varying amounts of success here. why does this feel like the prototype for a lot of 4th gen girl crush gg releases. and then a RANDOM ASS switch to piano and melody out of nowhere that was so jarring. also san e sure did try his best.

ur very right it's a whole lot of diff things at once and it's a good time for it!! i feel like nostalgia fuels a lot of my enjoyment of this particular album but there's a lot of solid tracks.

[edibleflowerseu]

SOUNDS

stzzy / far away (lofi hip-hop mix) (2017) [no label]

“I've been going through a lot lately and I find it hard to distract myself, but your uploads never fail to help me out. Thanks man, keep it up <3 <3 <3″ (---)

___

“Good luck m8, I hope you figure yourself out and understand everything. I hope things get better, everything has a positive side to it as long as you let it. Keep strong friend!” (---)

___

“this is a great set of  songs to smoke to” (---)

...

More of the same grind. Sit and stare music. Wake up music. Watching yourself from your own window music. Thinking bout how u used to feel music.

The art work makes me feel a sweltering sorta something on a summer vacation that you won’t get again. Careless summer days with your careless summer friends. Back pocket polaroid.

The Microphones / Mount Eerie (2003) [K Records]

“After his three prior Microphones releases turned out, quite subconsciously, to be about Air, Water, and Fire-- respectively and chronologically-- Mount Eerie is, in Elvrum's words, an album "more consciously about mountains and earth, though it turned out to be more about space." Its nominal peak is naturally at its heart, but only as a caricature plucked from the mind of an over-imaginative young poet, twisted and ominously stretching upward as a bridge to the heavens. Above and below, the album's drama is unveiled as a five-act play in words and music, profound and surreal, made all the more so with its awesome, childlike simplicity. It's a grim myth of revelation, death, and rebirth, but written in crayon, ensuring with its bright colors that all will work out in the end.” (---)

...

Put this on the other morning but half-slept through most it. This is the last album by The Microphones before Phil Elverum did his solo stuff under – oh shit – the name Mount Eerie. Elverum has a distinct knack for using simple language to describe the overwhelming beauty and terror of nature, our cosmic place within it, and the space between people. Because honestly, how else can you capture the majesty of that which has been there all along?

There's a story going on here, that I couldn't catch, especially because I was asleep. But the mythology of Elverum is something else, and when I muster the energy, I wanna explore it deeper.

Superchunk / Foolish (1994) [Merge]

“Foolish can be plenty fast and plenty noisy, but it skips the meathead aggression that's a nasty side effect of so much fast and noisy music. It's unafraid of getting down to personal angst, but smart enough not to get all gross and mawkish about it ... These are the kind of songs about bad breakups, worse parties, and lonely walks home that you and three of your friends might have written.” (---)

___

“They were just more driven than the bulk of their contemporaries ... and while they had an anti-pretentious streak that was a godsend in the messianic years of grunge, Foolish is where the band's ambition really blossomed for the first (but not the last) time, a dozen songs that turned small-town heartbreak into loud and weirdly triumphant anthems.” (---)

...  

Truthful, all I've been listening to the past week or so has been Superchunk. I'm trying to reacquaint myself more intimately with the indie guitar-rock of the 90s canon, and so I'm gonna try to listen to the full catalog of more bands and pick out the directions they've gone in, how they explore themselves, etc. Dunno, man, we'll see.

This might be my fav Superchunk album but very impressed w/ Here's Where the Strings Come In and Majesty Shredding as well. But all their albums are solid ways to kill an hour or so. They're one of those bands I've always been a fan of but did not listen to nearly enough of. So I fixed that.

Superchunk has a very particular vernacular and sonic profile courtesy in no small way to their vocalist and loser-everyman Mac McCaughan. His perfectly bad tenor and poetry-tucked-in-a-notebook lyrics may take a sec to grow on you, but if you let your guard down its quite the fun time.

Here's to more.

Iceage / You’re Nothing (2013) [Matador]

“It's the quartet's first offering for the larger label Matador (the album's still being released by Escho in Denmark) and they come off even wilder and more chaotic than they did in 2011, but also more experienced and nuanced. They've honed the uncanny sense of classic punk songwriting-- the guitar sound's huge, the hooks more present, the charisma of dead-eyed, out-of-breath vocalist Elias Bender Rønnenfelt even greater.” (---)

___

“During their set, a bass head blew, then another, and then another. This is something that would usually cause a group to apologize, or blush, or throw a tantrum. But Iceage kept playing, didn't seem to sweat it, and calmly did their thing until someone else fixed the problem ... Iceage are a band who do these things honestly, and without thinking too much about it, and that's a big part of their power.”  (---)

...

Is there another band as consistently enjoyable as Iceage? They take the rich traditions of goth, post-punk, hardcore and who knows what else and make it this refreshing sound all their own. Cohesive, organic, undeniably good.

Plus the band members are nihilist hotties, sooo.

Yung Lean / Warlord (2016) [Year0001]

“Being in America, Lean says, always made him want to seize life to a superhuman degree. Everything was so different, it was like it didn’t count. “We come from a very non-materialistic lifestyle,” he says, “and just, you know, anxiety. At 21, people in Sweden will be like, ‘My life is over, and I'll just work for the rest of my life.’ So once you do get to the U.S. and someone meets you at the airport and gives you money and gives you drugs, we go too crazy.” (---)

...

Also listened to this one half-asleep. Don't remember it at all. It got hella mixed reviews and from my realm of half-dreams I could def see it being underwhelming compared to Unknown Memory. People give Yung Lean hella shit for being a lame dumb ass with dumb lyrics. No one takes him seriously, which is weird to me, cause ya he's dumb but why can't dumb be serious?? He's an outsider artist who happened to be launched to the mainstream, which made him even weirder. Daniel Johnston type shit if u ask me.

Tho I get it, his Sad Boy legion stans blow. Worst combo of dude self-pity and ~a e s t h e t i c~. But i don’t give a fuck, bruhhh.

He's been hanging out with Dean Blunt lately and I'm pumped for whatever that becomes.

Slayer / Hell Awaits (1985) [Metal Blade]

“Often considered the less offensive little brother to their genre defining Reign In Blood released a year later, Hell Awaits is, for many, a more influential record and one which paved the way for all manner of extreme metal acts which are now considered household names. (---)”

...

Listening to more metal, or trying to. Working out more, or trying to. Listening to more metal while I work out, or trying to.

I had three Slayer songs on my iPod in junior high and I remember pretending to like them. I never went in earnest down the path of thrash but it's lately been a detour I've been itching to go on. So hopefully more of that happens this year.

Other shit:

literally everything ever released by Superchunk

Sleater-Kinney / Call the Doctor

The Mountain Goats / The Life of the World to Come

hella other beat tape mixes off Youtube

Kool AD / The Natural

David Borden / Music for Amplified Keyboard Instruments

Basement / I Wish I Could Stay Here

Emeralds / What Happened