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luxxsolaris · 7 months

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Victoria's Secret Rebrand and the Selkie example

This is something thats been in the works for over a year now- a lot of commentary surrounding the VS rebrand has focused on largely fatphobic and body exclusive critique which is not the perspective I believe should be taken towards criticism of the rebrand. This discussion will focus on the idea of the 'angel', why people are upset with the rebrand and why people SHOULD be able to critique it

The popularity of Victorias Secret has been declining to the point of near irrelevancy in the early 2020s after years and years of criticism for culturally offensive runways, fatphobia, problems with sizing, and pushing their models into severely disordered eating habits in fear of being dropped as ambassadors over half an inch of fat. Things got so bad for the brand that in 2021 they announced plans to change their concept entirely to a more subdued, low-key, neutral collection showcasing their new ambassadors and shifting focus onto the success of these women as opposed to their body type.

The brand of Victorias Secret has been predominantly centred around the fantasy of the angel- women so ethereally beautiful that brings a developed sense of elegance, seduction and glamour to their shows. Part of this desire to rebrand was to escape this idea of the male gaze and this male centred fantasy created by their runway shows in that these women were designed to be the 'perfect' woman oftentimes forgoing the actual opinions of what women wanted to see from the brand. This is where the critique of the new-wave VS collection begins.

Thousands of people have taken to tiktok to spread the entirely fatphobic rhetoric that the reason there has been such little support for VS even into their rebranding because they have abandoned the original idea of the angel.

This mindset that models for VS must adhere to a specific image of femininity is not only disrespectful to the women currently involved as brand ambassadors but to the very Angels they claim to defend as hoards of familiar VS Angels including Adriana Lima, Erin Heatherton and Bridget Malcolm have all come out and discussed the ways in which their modelling careers have affected their eating habits and body image, with Lima commenting (same article) that she would refrain from eating solid foods for nine days prior to a VS runway show.

To wish for Victorias Secret to be this unattainable display of the peak of feminine beauty and sexuality is to push the women involved to unhealthy extremes, damaging their bodies to the extent of chronic exhaustion and missing periods due to extreme weight loss . The push for body inclusivity was a desire to see beautiful women represented by all body types but also a movement to protect the women already involved in the agency and allow them to be and feel healthy and glamorous.

so what happened to the glamour? The recent 'my wings my way' campaign has received a lot of flack for its sense of casualness, embracing a new kind of natural beauty reminiscent of the pages from a 90s magazine as opposed to the high feminine glamour of the 2010s era. Similarly, the new VS collective underwear release has focused on more neutral, subtle styles with a large range of nude colours to appeal to all skin tones almost identical to the Dove body inclusivity campaigns from 2017.

These concepts are both beautiful in design, but the 180 degree turn from the original concept has left fans wondering if the iconic Look of the brand has been entirely abandoned upon its movement to become more inclusive to age and body type. It's a decision that has subsequently prompted more criticism, this time focusing on the ideas of 'why cant my body be glamorous?".

Why did body and age inclusivity mean that the ideas of femininity, glamour and angelic beauty had to be forgotten? Is VS sending the message that plus sized bodies are not sexy? Is this an attempt to cater to 'what women want' without actually acknowledging what women want (again)?

Natural beauty is a wondrous thing, it's something that everyone possesses and that needs to be celebrated- but thats not the point of Victoria's Secret. Brands are allowed to adhere to a certain aesthetic. Brands are allowed to have a target audience based on selling a specific type or style of clothing. Women appreciated VS garments for feeling glamorous and hyper feminine- what needed to change was the ranges of sizes they carried and the way in which the shows were run (and their intrusive in store measuring lets be real) to ensure that all women of all sizes and ages had the opportunity to experience that high feminine fantasy.

That's where Selkie comes into play. For the past two years selfie has presented absolutely phenomenal spring/summer collections at NYFW with models of differing shapes and sizes- and their 2024 collection featuring their first disabled model (whose name I have not been able see featured in any articles on the runway).

Selkie embodies what people wanted to see of a VS rebrand. Maintaining the essence of who the brand is- for VS as a hyperfeminine, classy and sexy underwear brand- and feeling that fantasy within inclusivity. The strive towards appreciating that all bodies are beautiful should not have to sacrifice the aesthetic of the garments and in such sacrificing the core audience who appreciated and anticipated their designs.

Selkie's work proves that all bodies are mystical and goddess-like and ethereal and embody the fantasy that their audience are attracted to. The angel can be fat or disabled or old and still be angelic. The fantasy of the angel is not held in body type or skin colour or age or ability but in the women who feel it. What was needed of VS was to allow women to feel their angelic fantasy instead of marketing it towards a male gaze through an unrealistic standard of the ideal woman. What was needed was allowing their models to feel beautiful instead of pushing themselves on strict food exclusionary diets to obsessively maintain their weight. Victorias secret needed a rebrand in conduct that didn't sacrifice the identity of the brand. Because let's face it, there was nothing wrong with a glitzy thong.

#fashion blog #fashion commentary #selkie #victorias secet model #Victorias secret #fashion essay #fashion analysis

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zannabees · 2 days

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not a lot, just forever

Like the rock bears the weather—— Not a lot, just forever.

I have yet to see the vulnerability and complexity of love captured as beautifully as Adrienne Lenker’s song “Not a lot, just forever” released in 2020. While I am a firm believer that the complexities of love cannot be contained in a four-minute melody, this song will remain my only exception. From the title, to the lyrics, to the melody, the song perfectly captures love in its true form, stripped of all the glitz and glamor. It shows love at its most raw, its most intimate, and at its most vulnerable. Dare I say, this song could be the greatest love song of all time.

From the title alone, there is a sense of modesty and simplicity despite how grand the word ‘forever’ is. Adrienne Lenker explained to apple music: “We were talking about how something can happen forever, but not a lot of it, just forever. Just like a thin thread of something that goes eternally,”. It explores the concept of how small, seemingly insignificant moments, yet are repeated endlessly are bound to have an impact on us. Like how rocks bear the weather, they have changed over time, little by little, yet are still changing endlessly.

The title could also be interpreted as a forever just not being enough. It simply is just forever. It shows us how love can transcend infinity, making it seem small and insignificant. Similarly, how the holding of hands, or long embraces aren’t enough, you must be intertwined, sewn together.

While the song does capture a lot of the beauty of being in love, it also beautifully showcases the anxiety, fear, and insecurity that comes with it. In the song, Lenker brings up the safety and comfort she feels with her current partner, that she’d be willing to be a mother and be a wife, though she holds him to her knife, as her joy is tethered to him—— and just as easily as he can make her smile, by simply leaving, he could take away all her joy.

Despite the insecurity, Lenker finds peace in her partner, and to offer them the same peace, she must find peace in herself as well, though it isn’t an easy task, as seen in the lines: “So I bash around the house, and the poison stains my mouth. She comes, I let her (…)”. It’s clear that past experiences have led her to act in such a way, though eventually, when there is no sign of danger in sight, a wave of peace with remnants of guilt and regret wash over her, as she lets herself succumb to this tide, accepting the peace, knowing that with her current partner, she is safe.

The song covers a lot of the nuances and shows us how love, slowly but surely, can change a person over time. In the lines: “As the wren sheds her feathers” in the second chorus, paralleled with “As the wren bears her feathers” in the last chorus—— she knows that their relationship won’t last forever, for that would be impossible, in fact, she can never truly know how long their relationship will last. What she is sure of is that no matter what happens, their love will stay with her forever, changing her little by little, yet endlessly.

Behind the minimalistic melody of the guitar, and Adrienne Lenker’s ethereal vocals, lies true poetry. Poetry that doesn’t just scratch the surface of what love is, instead it is poetry that pierces through the concept of love and turns it inside-out. It shows us the imperfections and pain of love and how despite that it is still such a beautiful thing. The song shows us how love transcends time, and status, because that isn’t where real love is seen, real love is seen in the endless change it has done to a person. I believe that “Not a lot, just forever” by Adrienne Lenker is the best love song of all time because it tells us more than just a love story, it tells us about love as a whole.

#adrienne lenker #music #music analysis #essays #yapping #love

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presumenothing · 1 year

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ZHOU SHEN: UNCONDITIONAL SURVIVAL

translated from 《人物》 magazine, part 1 of 5 | main post

Proof of Existence

Last December, on the recording day for CCTV's New Year's Eve gala, Zhou Shen walked onstage and realised that there was an audience in the seats.

"Like a lifetime ago"; it'd been so long since anything like this. To hear the audience's cheers from such a close distance – Zhou Shen felt that was the single most important moment he experienced in 2022, "because it'd been too long without such close communication", "to have people hearing you sing, that utterly real sensation hitting you in the face". That day, Zhou Shen sang with little restraint, wanting to properly enjoy this moment when he could have such a face-to-face dialogue of emotions with the audience.

It was three years ago when he found himself abruptly quarantined at home, recording two full episodes of Singer 2020 with his back to the white walls of his home. From then on, amidst the waves of the pandemic, he'd gradually grown accustomed to singing to empty broadcast halls; voice gliding out along the microphone, and perhaps it would reap an audience's response at some point in the future, but never in the present.

To a singer on the rise of his career, this was an immense regret. "Personally I've always felt that a singer's greatest charm must be at live performances. No matter that you might not be able to perform a hundred percent perfectly when live – we'll definitely have some notes floating off now and then, we're human after all – but that's the charm of live performances. Everything you are is right in that moment."

Even so, through the screen, Zhou Shen was reaching more and more audiences.

In the past year, Zhou Shen has almost continuously appeared on various shows and stages. Our interview was conducted at 7:30pm two days before Chinese New Year; throughout the first half of January, he was busy with rehearsals for CCTV's Spring Festival gala, and on the same day of our meeting had still gone to a publicity event for The Wandering Earth 2 earlier in the day, having performed the defining theme song 人是_ for that movie. After the interview's conclusion at 9pm, he would still go on relentlessly to his next assignment. And on CCTV's Spring Festival gala just the next day, Chinese New Year's Eve, he once again appeared on televisions in the living room of each household.

Especially in this new year period, Zhou Shen has practically been the one artist with the most onscreen appearances. He participated in New Year's Eve galas across four networks, so regardless of which channel you switched to, there were always glimpses of him. Within one night, he presented eight songs to the audience, and even that would understate his diverse richness. In just one song of 四大名著连连看, he'd already demonstrated four different voices and singing styles, like seemingly endless treasures to be drawn forth from his pockets. "A bringer of surprise" – that has become everyone's tacit expectation of him.

Yin Yue, the lyricist and producer of 大鱼, is also Zhou Shen's good friend of many years. In her view, Zhou Shen is an especially "well-armed" singer: "He has every cold weapon you could possibly want, and can also give you that bombastic kind of hot weapon. He can perform with incredibly fine detail, or the etherealness of fantasy and ancient styles, or brimming with explosive power… his performance is suited to many occasions, and he's capable of mastering works across many styles and genres; that's why he's been able to be seen and heard by so many people in various settings and stages."

Zhou Shen too has always wanted to shatter the labels and boundaries that the wider world has put on him. "Because my [initial] characteristic and style was very obvious, perhaps everyone's first thought would be 'graceful and floating'; that's a very good side to it, but afterwards it seems like people end up using that one impression to narrow down your capacity", and thus he is always using new changes to overwrite that rigid impression.

To be seen and known, to Zhou Shen, is almost like finding his own "proof of existence": "Because in the past there would inevitably be [some people] who listened to me singing out of curiosity or so-called 'exoticisation', but now that everyone has started to accept that Zhou Shen's voice is just such a voice, and then going to hear me sing again, I think that'd make a difference in their mentality too."

Thinking back to eight years ago, when participating in the blind auditions for The Voice of China, Zhou Shen heard such a muttered comment from beside him before he'd even gone on stage: "Can someone who looks like that even sing?"

At a New Year's Eve gala several years later, a friend in the audience told Zhou Shen after seeing his performance: "I'm gonna cry!" Zhou Shen was confused – why cry at such a lively event? His friend said: "Because when you went onstage, the voice of the audience members around me were all that this guy is really good at singing, we must listen to him properly. What you hear won't be those words from that blind audition anymore."

A while back, one of the music directors from The Voice of China sent Zhou Shen a message over WeChat: "I'd never thought you would have this much power stored away later on." He had thought that Zhou Shen could astound everyone, but little had he expected that Zhou Shen could make everyone stay.

(part 2)

#zhou shen #周深 #long post #article links and credits in the main post!

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harrelltut · 8 months

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newmusickarl · 1 year

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Top 50 Albums of 2022: #40-31

40. Present Tense by Yumi Zouma

As ever the Music Twitter community have handed me some incredible recommendations over the last 12 months, and one strong favourite came earlier this year from Twitter pal Kiley Larsen (@kilarzleesen) and his Check This Out! blog. 2022 was flush with great dream pop records with the likes of Cannons and Beach House narrowly missing out on a spot in this list, but my pick of the bunch was the mesmerising fourth album from New Zealand’s Yumi Zouma.

The sound of a band hitting their stride, this is gorgeous, string-tinged dream-pop that will frequently move you and whisk you away to some place magical. Front-to-back this is just a blissful 34-minute listen, with a special shout out to Haunt, Of Me And You, If I Had A Heart For Chasing, Mona Lisa and Astral Projection, which are probably my five favourites from the sub-genre all year.

Best tracks: Haunt, Of Me and You, Astral Projection

Listen here

39. Sing With Abandon by VLMV

Every year there are multiple albums that fly under the radar and don’t get the attention they deserve. One of the big ones for me this year was this absolutely spellbinding album from London-based ambient post-rock outfit, VLMV.

If you are partial to soaring instrumentals from the likes of Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, then do not sleep on this album. Boasting haunting, beautifully atmospheric, string-drenched soundscapes, it makes for a constantly enchanting and spine-tingling listen. With the album almost a 50/50 split between complete instrumentals and some vocal-led pieces, the moments when the soft ethereal harmonies come in really take the record to another level. On tracks like There Are Mountains Underneath Us, For Empire and The Navigator, it adds just another dimension to the melancholic beauty that seeps out of every pore of this record.

Also perfect winter listening!

Best tracks: For Empire, There Are Mountains Underneath Us, The Navigator

Listen here

38. Radiate Like This by Warpaint

There were more than a few welcome comebacks in 2022, with one of the top ones being the re-emergence of American indie rockers Warpaint, who returned with their first new album in six long years.

Whilst Radiate Like This mostly sticks to Warpaint’s usual winning formula of understated, wonderfully chilled-out guitar grooves, the big difference this time is the emotional heartbeat of the record. It’s the same four women that first captivated the world with their dreamy shoegaze sound over a decade ago, but their perspective has changed as they’ve grown and that shines through in the writing here. Across this collection of songs, they explore motherhood, relationships, and their own lasting friendship with one another, as only they can - in a shimmering haze of desert rock that indeed radiates.

Welcome back Warpaint, please don’t leave it so long next time!

Best tracks: Champion, Melting, Trouble

Listen here

37. Fear Fear by Working Men’s Club

With their first album placing 13th in my final Albums of 2020 list, whilst also being my highest rated debut of that year, Yorkshire industrial synth-pop outfit Working Men’s Club had given themselves a tough act to follow. However just two years on, Fear Fear arrived packed with songs troubled by loss, panic, isolation and trepidation – perfect for the times.

Just like their debut, the album’s dark underbelly is glossily sheened over thanks to the neon-soaked drench of pulsating, nostalgia-laced electronica. Addictive lead single Widow is my personal highlight, carrying shades of New Order and the spirit of the 90s Madchester rave scene, with a wonderfully hypnotic central synth groove.

With a dark, moody aura, lots of fun sonic exploration and plenty of replay ability, Working Men’s Club continue to ride their wave of momentum on this very solid second outing that is just as fun as their brilliant debut.

Best tracks: Widow, Ploys, Cut

Listen here

36. Every Moment, Everything You Need by Deserta

Another album recommended to me earlier this year by Kiley and then duly reminded of its greatness recently by Twitter Shoegaze guru Stevy (@StevyK1973), this majestic second album from Matthew Doty is something quite special to behold.

Bringing together those atmospheric walls of sound synonymous with shoegaze alongside some welcome synth and dream-pop stylings, Matthew’s second Deserta album is an utterly awe-inspiring listen from beginning to end. The fact that Every Moment… was recorded at home during the pandemic while Doty was continuing his day job as a nurse makes it even more impressive.

There’s plenty of highlights here too courtesy of some dreamy melancholic soundscapes, with Far From Over my personal favourite, standing out as the album’s glistening six-minute centrepiece. Elsewhere, I’m So Tired is the record’s most pure pop moment with its scintillating melody, It’s All A Memory hits you like a gentle breeze amidst a siren of synths, and Goodbye Vista is just a gorgeous glide across some towering guitar weaves towards the end.

Overall, this is an incredibly enchanting record and I’m so grateful to have had this one sent my way several times this year, as it’s turned into a really big favourite – so huge thanks to both Kiley and Stevy for the recommendation!

Best tracks: Far From Over, Goodbye Vista, I’m So Tired

Listen here

35. Hugo by Loyle Carner

Hip-hop as a genre has had an absolutely massive 2022 and I think I could’ve easily made a separate list just for all the great rap records this year. Although I couldn’t find space for them all here with heavyweight records from the likes of Vince Staples, Denzel Curry, Nas and Billy Woods all just missing out, there’s still several that have made the final cut. The first to feature in my year-end list is the dazzling third album from young British wordsmith, Loyle Carner.

Hugo finds the rapper back on top form, as he eloquently explores racial identity and fatherhood across the album’s brilliant 10 tracks. Usually friendly, calm and collected, opener Hate finds Carner in an angry and defiant mood, as he puts the world to rights over racial inequality and injustice against an infectious piano-driven beat. Recent single Nobody Knows is then a soulful exploration of his heritage whilst Georgetown is a Madlib produced track that is interspersed with spoken word poetry from Afro-Guyanese playwright, John Agard.

As great as the singles are though its arguably the album tracks that hit the hardest here, as Speed of Plight sees Loyle let loose his frustrations over a brilliant electronic beat, whilst Polyfilla and A Lasting Place show off his softer side with a pair of beautifully written, piano-backed pieces.

As a huge fan of his Mercury Prize-nominated debut Yesterday’s Gone, it’s been great to hear Loyle back to his best in 2022 and producing one of my favourite hip-hop releases of the year.

Best tracks: Hate, A Lasting Place, Speed of Plight

Listen here

34. Stellar Drifting by George Fitzgerald

Speaking of genres that have had an amazing 2022, there has been a real abundance of fantastic electronic records this year. Again whilst I sadly couldn’t include them all, a shout out to the likes of Bonobo, Brothertiger, Daniel Avery, Hot Chip, Lane 8, Kavinsky, Moderat, HAAi and Mall Grab, who are just some of the artists who have helped make this year a hallmark one for synth-soaked, mind-bending sonic whirlpools. However, representing the genre is my personal favourite from this brilliant bunch, the imaginative latest outing from Mr George Fitzgerald.

Titled Stellar Drifting, this third album from George began life with him using pictures of stars and galaxies and turning them into audio wavelengths. From there he would build the sounds out, until they eventually became the 10 tracks found on Stellar Drifting. Cosmonaut Alley takes the listener on a journey across Jupiter whilst The Last Transmission imagines a spaceman’s final message to Earth. Therapeutic and uplifting, this collection of ambient tracks will charm, soothe and relax in equal measure. Amidst all the celestial wonder, there’s some great collaborations to be found too with George teaming up with the likes of Panda Bear (Passed Tense), SOAK (Rainbows and Dreams), Ellie Goulding (Cold) and London Grammar (The Last Transmission).

As a huge fan of George’s last album All That Must Be – which also finished in my Top 20 Albums of the Year back in 2018 - I’m pleased that this latest effort is as equally spellbinding. Magically constructed from cosmic patterns, it’s an interstellar trip that you’ll want to take again and again.

Best tracks: Cold, Passed Tense, Setting Sun

Listen here

33. Cub by Wunderhorse

One of 2022’s biggest surprise packages and another one of the year’s top debuts. Having seen that Wunderhorse (the solo project from Jacob Slater, the former frontman of now-split London outfit The Dead Pretties) were due to support Fontaines D.C. on their UK tour, I dived into this record back in October to get a heads up on what I could expect to hear and see. With no expectation going in, I was quite frankly blown away with what I found.

On this brilliant solo debut, Slater serves up a blistering collection of country-infused rock songs with plenty of replay value. Leader of the Pack draws big shades to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama but without the cringe, whilst Purple is a heartfelt track reminiscent of some of Idlewild’s more melodic cuts. After Teal’s bluesy guitar slides, Poppy then offers up big Stone Roses vibes with plenty of added haze. All that said, Slater arguably saves the best moment for last as the aptly-titled Epilogue delivers a raw, coming-of-age track, drawing comparisons to Nirvana as the pained acoustic-backed vocals steadily build into a big, grungy finale.

If you are a fan of rock music or any of the bands mentioned above and ended up having this album bypass you during the year, then definitely give Cub a spin. It really is an excellent introduction to Wunderhorse’s chameleonic sound and chances are, like me, you’ll find plenty to enjoy.

Best tracks: Leader of the Pack, Purple, Epilogue

Listen here

32. Where Myth Becomes Memory by Rolo Tomassi

There wasn’t too many metal records that captured my imagination in 2022 (although further recommendations always welcome!), however one early year highlight did leave a lasting impression to make it onto this countdown – this majestic sixth album from Sheffield metalcore outfit, Rolo Tomassi.

The charm of Rolo Tomassi’s music has always been how they manage to seamlessly marry the beautiful with the ugly. This is characterised in their music by effortless switches between frontwoman Eva Korman’s gentle clean vocals to her loud screams, as well as jumps from melodic electronica over to brutal, pummelling metal riffs. This is again what they lead with on Where Myth Becomes Memory, however now with years of songcraft under their belt, it has become second nature to them. The compositions are masterfully constructed and more refined, with various pieces from across their musical spectrum intricately sewn together.

Almost Always is the perfect scene-setter, a glorious six-and-a-half-minute opener of hazy noise, spine-tingling vocals and ambient piano. Mesmeric 2021 single Cloaked is then propelled initially by a mind-melting heavy central riff and Eva’s aggressive vocals, however towards the back end it morphs into a twinkly pop song contrasted against some crushing drums and thrashing guitars.

From there, Tomassi pretty much spend the album swaying between divine beauty and ferocious anger, with gorgeous piano-driven pieces like Closer and Stumbling sandwiched between more high-octane cuts like Labyrinthine, Drip and Prescience. It all plays out like a captivating trapeze act, with not a single dull moment to be found.

The isolation of lockdown has clearly given them the time to fine-tune these songs and their flawless waltz between the angelic and the punishing has never been more enthralling. This album set the bar for other metal albums early on in 2022 and in the end, for me at least, nothing toppled it.

Best tracks: Closer, Prescience, The End of Eternity

Listen here

31. The Family / TM by Brockhampton

It is never fun when a band you love decide to call it a day, however when they go out on such a high and with a sense of finality to their work, it can really help soften the blow. Thankfully that closure is what rap troupe Brockhampton gave to their fans as a parting gift when they finally split up in 2022, delivering not one but two great albums to round off their tumultuous but rewarding decade together.

Taking inspiration from Frank Ocean’s Endless/Blonde release a few years back, the two albums were delivered back-to-back on consecutive days in November, with The Family emerging first and feeling more like the band’s definitive final album. On that record, group leader Kevin Abstract takes centre stage and essentially presents a whirlwind tour of Brockhampton’s entire journey – from their initial meetings on a Kanye West Fan Forum, through to their supersonic rise to stardom, as well as the reasons behind their eventual split. Each chapter is short and snappy, with most of the tracks either well under or just over two minutes long.

As a project to close the book on Brockhampton, they really couldn’t have asked for a better swan song – not only is it one of their finest albums to date but also one of the very best hip-hop records all year. Lyrically it is sharply written, the mix of hard electronic-driven beats and soul samples is dazzling, and the performance from Abstract is also both frequently impressive and heartfelt. There’s a bucketload of highlights and eclectic sonic treats throughout, but the eponymous closer is the one that ends up hitting the hardest. A string-soaked, real gut-punch of a finale, it sees Kevin bidding a touching final farewell to the band and all its members.

Before fans could even fully process The Family, a day later TM arrived featuring a collection of songs that were started by the group during a two-week stint in California last year but were never originally completed during those sessions. Now finally released, this may be more of a full band project compared to The Family but it feels more like just an extra treat for fans than anything else. That said though, there’s some great trap-style thumpers to be found such as ANIMAL, NEW SHOES and MAN ON THE MOON.

If The Family is the emotional goodbye, then TM is the jubilant celebration of everything that made the band so great. Together, it’s a triumphant final send-off for a group that have put their stamp firmly on the hip-hop scene over the last few years and leave behind an impressive legacy. Farewell Brockhampton and really, thanks for everything.

Best tracks The Family: Brockhampton, All That, My American Life

Best tracks TM: MAN ON THE MOON,GOODBYE, ANIMAL

Listen to The Family here

Listen to TM here

The countdown continues on Thursday with #30-21!

#new music #best new music #albums of the year #album recommendation #album of the year #best of 2022 #best albums of 2022 #brockhampton #rolo tomassi #wunderhorse #loyle carner #deserta #working men's club #warpaint #yumi zouma #vlmv #george fitzgerald #aoty #aoty 2022

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nugothrhythms · 6 months

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youtube

Music video to the title track off of 2020 album Commemorate by Glasgow, Scotland-based ethereal goth band Witch of the Vale

#ethereal wave #nineties inspired #goth girl #horror folk #Witch of the Vale #Commemorate #title track #music video #music #2020 #Glasgow Scotland #Scottish goth #female singer #Youtube

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haveyouheardthisband · 4 months

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#Ethereal Wave #Gothic Rock #Singer-Songwriter #Darkwave #Dark Folk #Doom Metal #2010s #2020s #USA #poll

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haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll · 4 months

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Tracklist:

Michelle Pfeiffer • Crush • God's Country • Unpunishable • Inbred • Two-Headed Mother

Spotify ♪ YouTube

#hyltta-polls #polls #artist: ethel cain #language: english #decade: 2020s #Dream Pop #Slowcore #Ethereal Wave #Pop Rock #Ambient Pop #Post-Rock

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bryan-damage · 10 months

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youtube

Fazerdaze

"Winter"

Music video, 2022

from the Break! (EP)

#fazerdaze #music video #alternative music #alternative rock #indie music #indie rock #2020s music #2020s #shoegaze #dream pop #dreampop #ethereal wave #misty haze #neoteric music #Youtube

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karlamielgoart · 1 year

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ETHEREO-REALISM

February 2020

Declaration of Intention:

The movement declares a new wave of expression. Neither realism or abstract.

Perpetually seeking it’s purpose, it’s meaning.

What artist has never questioned this rethorical question? What is art?

What's the point of making art? Plato’s theory of Mimesis states that all art is mimetic by nature. Art is imitating life. He believed that “ideas” are the ultimate reality. Art imitates ideas and so it is imitating reality.

Why after all, after the invention of photography and specially now in the digital era , would we continue to reproduce the world as we see it, as we feel it, as we experience it. Just like Sontag and Barthes inquired into the nature and essence of photography, I inquire the need to re purpose photography. It has been two years since I wrote this essay, the beggining on my manifesto, in which I state that painting,the beaty of drawing and illustration has and will never died. It’s meaningful beaity surpasses it’s utility.

IN FACT.

What we as a society,thought would kill the visual arts,aka the and distribution of photographic cameras in the 1900s, SAW THE RENAISSANCE OF MODERN ART. The avant-garde movements. The ultimate rebellion against capturing reality.

On our continuous search for purpose through artistic expression we question the futility of our actions. To sell or not to sell? That is the question.

Abstract art might upset many classical artists, probably more than to the average person. Abstract art confounds its viewers, how are we supposed to deal with an art completely untethered (inalterada) , from the world of recognizable objects? Why should we? BUT. Freed from the burden of realistic representation it gives space to more interpretation. Since then,the history of art has been diveded in two opposites,often rivalries. In my attempt to explore both sides equally, first I must agree on a convienience marriage between the figurative ( the terrenal plane) and the abstract (the astral plane) we intent to explore the three bases of human needs; emotional, spiritual & carnal.

We must shed off the burden of high expectations of traditional mastery, and become understtanding of the misunderstandment of the abstract. With the abstraction of realism , the distraction of subject matter is no longer apparent, with it,art can directly act on the soul.

Declaration/ Statement of Intent We are against the XXI century popular movement of the superficial & fake. A movement which illustrates the complex imagery of dream or subconscious visions and irrational space and form combinations. Ei. George Grie modern surrealist dreamns, dark gothic, inspirational romanticism etc. Etherealism explores the conscious, existencialism & expressionism

⦁ Rivalry between classic and modern painting must stinguish ⦁ That each artist must find it own way into abstraction (if they belong to the classics & reject the unkown, the uncertainty of the abstract) ⦁ To explore our subconscious-idealism ⦁ To disfigure reality into our reality ⦁ the introduction of Psychoanalitical realism ⦁ Do not fear the de-construction of matter ⦁ neither the composition of life & perfect beauty ⦁ Meditation through mind and body will lead to your true expression. ⦁ Emotion and consciousness are realities ⦁ Intuition ⦁ Anti mimesis- imitación de la naturaleza como fin esencial del arte ⦁ to use whenever its possible our melancholy & neurasthenia ⦁ the equilibirum of Apollonian & Dyonisioan artistic natures. ⦁ Emotion and consciousness are realities. ⦁ Artistic feeling & Intuition ⦁ Symbolism ⦁ Colour ⦁ Perspective ⦁ Nature ⦁ Space ⦁ Distorsion Realism

Art is currently in a dormant phase. Stuck either in the past or thrilled by the hope of selling abstract pieces. Society is blinded by the superficiality of fast produced images, suberged in constant self hatred , racism,borders and conflicts. We are afraid of feeling & the reality of life. Real-ism, real raw artistic expresion. It's absolutley neccesary to get rid of superficiality , superficial beauty, superficial erotism, superficial sensuality, superficial fanatism, superficial instant gratification attention-It's ESSENTIAL to search into the reason and meanings of art making. The lack of purpose comes with the death of art.We are in search of sources and origins of structures of signification.imaginary world's evoking our visual experience. The pursuit of realistic optical effects, we artists still the attempt to achieve extraordinary realism. But why is this? What is the use of this mimesis and is it worth our time to observe it with awe when the world around us it self is all around us in pure form.since the Romantics vision of artists, artistic endeavour roots from a deep need of expressing a vast variety of emotions ,sometimes beauty,sometimes ugliness. When "Realism" emerged in the mid 19th century , it was at the same time when photography was emerging and getting the attention into every aspect of our lives. photography.We can find cameras in technological devices, a large range of photography cameras , digital & analog. Everyone has access to photography. But the aim of realism was not to glorify mythological or historical figures. BUT to depict the reality around , every day people and places of the time, in no way idealized or sentimentalized. NOT to paint in a photographically realistic manner aka naturalism and this theme has been prelevant throughout human kind history, to depict us humans and our enviroment, our landscapes, the people & their beliefs. It was SHOCKING to paint like life it self, it still is, but it can somehow lack purpose and meaning. It's done for the sake of beeing able to. Sometimes, essential and neccesary skill to become an artist. The development and use of linear perspective; helps in crafting the appearance of a three dimensional world on a two dimensional surface. Shocking immediacy and impact. Looking back to the ancient classics, the greeks, who represent the IDEAL figure. The desire to depict life itself, has long played out in three dimenions. The IMPACT of the wildly uncanny feeling of realism. Realism emerges as a strategry amond many thats combined with other approaches and employed toward a wide variery of ends. Disrupting many people's expectations about what art should be, showing us the often aggresivly unartful side of every life, and acknowledged the invasiveness of advertising and consumer culture. While the subjects of photorealists paintings aren't usually that remarkable, the skill involved in their reproduction often is. Cries for help as we drown in an image saturated world or the death rattle of the great pictoral tradition. ABSTRACT Throughout the time spam of ( 1780s-2020) artists have demonstrated that things that exist in the world can often look abstract eg. James McNeil, Victor Hugo, William Turner. Artists became increasingly interested in depicting things non-naturastically, the early stages of abstracting things, ie stylizing,symplifying, flattening it. Reaching the 20th century artists were painting familiar themes in unfamiliar ways, using intense vivid colours in broad brush strokes that critic dubbed them the Fauvs or Wild Beats. Or as the case of Hilma Af Klint (1862-1944) was painting mostly abstract works as early as 1905 as a form of spiritual communication. The main interest was in the spiritual and the occult, science and the depiction of of invisible forces , recently discovered such as electromagnetic fields. Annie Besant / Charles Leadbeater had published images in 1901 they called Thought Forms, illustrating their belief that ideas, emotions and sounds manifest as visual auras. Then the Cubists came along, the Futurists in Italy, German Expressionists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, who used abstraction and rich unreal colours to depict the chaos and anxiety of the streets-city life. As Kandinsky's interest in to commune with the spiritual, he claimed his art was quote " What the spectator lives or feels while under the effect of the form and colour combinations of the picture". Abstraction was not opposed to Realism. It was realism. The immediacy & pictorial realities of color and contrast,by Sonia Delaunay & her first disk was considered the first and purest obstraction at the time. As she illustrated an influential book of poetry combining abstraction and typography, a style she extended into painting and fashion. The sentimentalism of expressionism, this style is filled with emotion, spontaneity, and movement; you can feel an artist’s mood almost jump off of the canvas at times. It’s all about painting a feeling or experience that is shared with the world through the canvas.

"For this reason we call on all those in the world of science who know that art is a fundamental requirement for our species, that they may direct part of their research towards discovering that malleable substance full of light and instruments that will produce sounds which will enable the development of four dimensional art."- Concrete Art or White Manifesto?

#ethereo-realism #mielgo #k.mielgo #fine arts #manifesto #2020

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