#Spin that record one more time [self promo]

[dustedmagazine]

Coventry — Our Lady of Perpetual Health (Septic Jukebox)

Our Lady Of Perpetual Health by Coventry

Coventry is a Chicago-based jangly folk-pop duo, made up of Mike Fox and Jon Massey. Both principals have been in bands before, Massey in Silo’s Choice, Animal Mother and Upstairs and Fox in Arthhur and Flesh of the Stars, but neither has made much of a splash. With so many bands vying for attention, you might wonder how their charming debut, Our Lady of Perpetual Health, entered our critical field of view. The answer is simple: they asked.

Of course, it’s not really that clear-cut. Lots of bands ask for a spin. Few get our collective ears, and fewer still become the subject of reviews. Not to be too full of ourselves. We all understand how insignificant Dusted is in the greater scheme of things, but we still get a fuck ton of promos.

Success depends a lot on when you ask, which is hard to time. You want to show up in the inbox when the writer isn’t completely buried, burnt out and this close to never reviewing another record. That’s hard to time, but deep summer is as good a guess as any. It also depends on how good you are. Here, the bar is high but not insurmountable. We all like finding something wonderful, especially if no one else is listening.

So about the record: it is damned good.  

Let’s start with the sunny sting of “Chain Wallet,” with its bubbly lilt and bittersweet haze of nostalgia, its slippery little guitar riff that cascades over a series of notes like the self-effacing protagonist of this song clearing his throat. Here I am. Love me. But no, he’s stopped up the toilet and broken the girl’s bathroom scale, and all the jaunty, indie rock jangle, all the tight harmonies are likely not much use. It’s an imperfect world, nice guys lose all the time, so why not make a song about it? There’s that riff again in scat format: diddle-diddle-doo, diddle-diddle-doo.

“Seneca” is even more endearing, with its hard-strummed guitars and soft, near-falsetto choruses, its gleeful hooks and rueful lyrics. “I see you bobbing on the ocean/I see your hand above the waves,” they croon giddily, and whether they’re seeing a swimmer or a drowner, it’s hard to say.

I do not love the soft, white boy funk of “Ottawa,” which puts me in mind of the Spin Doctors, and I think, overall, the best stuff comes in the album’s first half. However, the piano and organ-laced “Sprouts” has the rueful 1970s pop resonance of Eric Carmen, the stylized articulate drama of certain Destroyer songs.

Indeed, Our Lady of Perpetual Health seems like the sort of sunny but shadowed, catchy guitar pop album that used to arrive more regularly in our post boxes and email accounts. But maybe they have been and just got lost there? Very possible. Glad to have caught this one.

Jennifer Kelly

#coventry #mike fox #jon massey #our lady of perpetual health #jennifer kelly #albumreview #dusted magazine #songwriter #guitar pop #jangle

[omegaplus]

# 3,674

Marilyn Manson: Smells Like Children (1995) Sexual assault and toxicity are ‘no dice’. We’ve had close friends and allies who were illegal-ed on different levels, and toxicity is what we experience personally and daily on Long Island. We never condone any of it. There’s never a positive outcome when anyone is on its’ receiving end.

There’s no more writing off what Brian Warner / Marilyn Manson has done. With 25 years-plus of controversy mostly involving several exes, former bandmates and collaborators testifying against his atrocious behavior, it’ll be a near-impossible sell to walk away unscathed. Evan Rachel Wood, Rose McGowan, Dita Von Teese, Trent Reznor, Madonna Wayne Gacy, Wes Borland, and many others have their accounts matching up how ruthless, heartless, and demented he was towards everyone who ever supported him. So far, it’s cost him his record deal with Loma Vista, and his music career is crumbling before his very eyes.

Bad news come from all colors, denominations, alignments, and affiliations. Hear the names of R. Kelly, Phil Spector, or Michael Jackson and surely the boomerang of controversy always returns to rear its philosophical and social issues. Time and time again, your favorite big names’ behaviors cause us to question if and how we can separate the art from the artist. We question if and how far cancel culture can be applied, how much we’ll tolerate or write-off their actions or viewpoints, and if we can wrangle listening, watching, or reading our vital artists again without scrutiny.

It’s been forever since I listened to Smells Like Children. It stands as the only Manson release I got into because it was the first truly out-there album I’ve ever experienced. It’s the definition of ‘shits and giggles’. Fans took notice because of how nightmarish the Dean Karr-directed “Sweet Dreams” video (‘95) was, a cover of The Eurythmics synth-pop hit. With Trent Reznor and the Nine Inch Nails camp’s seal of approval and production, Smells Like Children broke Marilyn Manson out to the mainstream and he / the band solidified their place in metal with 1996’s Antichrist Superstar.

As I returned to it, it’s no surprise how his themes ran parallel to not only his bad parts of his personality but also his conduct. “Sweet Dreams” was Dave Stewart’s and Annie Lennox’ observance of motivation, personal gain and treatment. Warner chose that track not just on the lyrics but he’s played that fame game to a tee. More lyrics all across the board told of his deviant mind (“white trash get down on your knees / time for cake and sodomy” and “who said date rape isn’t kind?”) on “Everlasting Cocksucker”, or the opening lines on “Diary Of A Dope Fiend” that hints of vengeance against an ex-girlfriend. And those weren’t the only flags that turned from yellow to red if not for his actions.

Listen to “Fuck Frankie”, about a former tour manager immortalized for embezzling $20,000 from the band. It’s a passage of torture and submission that’s peppered his image and being. In fact, the two promo- only tracks accidentally released by his former label Interscope, “Abuse I & II”, also told signs of Marilyn Manson’s real-life fetishes of debauchery. A fan account of her molesting her seven year-old cousin was so shocking that they omitted it from the original release. “I Put A Spell On You”, a cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ original, is given the Manson treatment that provides more of a possessive, captive, and sinister spin. The closing track, “Rock ‘N’ Roll N*****”, covering Patti Smith, self-designates him as not only an outsider (misusing the n-word) but shows society’s demonizing and disposal of idols and people in general.

Now fast-forward to the right now. With Warner pushing back on his latest claims against him, he won’t own up to the “Kiddie Grinder” lyric “I hate what I have become” any time soon.

Everyone knows he’s been both a wind-up merchant and a magnate for controversy. It’s one thing to have his personal viewpoints; ones against religion and pointing out the contradicting, hypocritical nature of society that sadly gave the American media ammunition to falsely pin him for The Columbine shootings. To have misdeeds of sexual misconduct, abuse, mistreatment, and torture if they’re true? He’ll put that on himself.

Now, life didn’t imitate art, it reflects it. If it’s believed to be, then that’s artistic integrity being himself in a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ proposition if it’s the case. Hearing this release in its’ atrocious, bizarre, outlandish sonic form wouldn’t have a huge question mark without any accusations involved, but his behavior has caught up to him. Warner had continued to match the grotesque and ugliness of his output. His former flames, scorned bandmates, disassociates, and other fans with first-hand accounts of his mistreatment would carry more weight than anything else. Set up the dominoes of negativity and rumors, then have someone like Wood knock them all down so that their eventual collapse makes sense. (And let’s not forget, they did collapse on Jeordie White / Twiggy Ramirez, who was let go by Warner himself based on a rape accusation.)

Regardless of what happens to Warner / Manson, fans will still listen to the music. No person, label, or music outlet can ever completely erase the actions or works of anyone specific. Regardless of how many cancellations or ripped contracts there are, their works are more obtainable than ever to anyone who wants them, even if their names momentum slows down or completely stops. There’s no gangbusters to eye or decide on everyone’s listening habits. Morrissey, Genesis P. Orridge, PWR BTTM, and Boyd Rice have done and said some outlandish things that have tarnished or destroyed their legacies, yet people will still enjoy them. Great. At this point, for whoever we’re reading, viewing, or hearing, we’d be remiss if at times we didn’t show their red cards or strikes. It’s still possible that the works our favorites have created will stay with us and be held tightly; because we’re so used to them before we realize how notorious their actions are. The life actions they commit unto others, obviously, is another ballgame in itself. Now, to each your own.

Ask yourself how much carte-blanche you and / or the industry will give to artists for their misdeeds? Who gets to decide whose careers get taken down or let off the hook and why? What’s allowable and what’s not? Why do slips of the tongue or mere words cost people’s entire careers instantly while others who have done much worse still have theirs? It’s a contradictory, privileged beast we’re figuring out right now.

#omega #music #mixtapes #reviews #playlists #Marilyn Manson #industrial #metal #horror #goth #NIN #Nine Inch Nails #Trent Reznor #WTF #wow #personal

[tbhwhocaresanymore]

Nancy Drew 1x14

I just got done watching Nancy Drew episode 14, the sign of the uninvited guest and before I get into spoiler details let me sum up my thoughts on the episode.

Holy fuck

Okay so we’re just gonna dive right in and to start off it turns out Tiffany Hudson was never the murder target? Instead, it was RYAN Hudson. Lucy’s brother Joshua was taking his mother to look at a new mental asylum but when they stopped for gas she stole the car and hightailed it over to the Claw, where she used to work. The spare key spot has apparently not been changed since the 90s and so she just let herself in, creeping everyone out. My biggest issue was her red eyes she looked like she hadn’t slept since she was a waitress.

Lara Tandy has awoken from her coma and is feeling totally zen after her near death experience and wants Ace to come to Paris with her. The entire time I was torn between “that would be so sweet” and “Ace don’t you fucking dare”. Nick picks up a stranded Joshua and brings him over as Nancy charts out everything they know about the Lucy/Tiffany murders. Patrice sees and starts muttering the Lucy Sable Murder Song (seriously who even started that) and then Dead Lucy (my creepy precious daughter) trashes the entire board except for one (1) image. A screenshot from Nancy’s video of Tiffany where Lucy first shows up.

Nancy and Ace and Lara go to the police precinct to get Tiffany’s cell phone data. Turns out Tiffany was going to rich sounding places like the yacht club, leaving her phone there, and walking to her real destination so they go to the library where she spent a few hours before she died. Side note, I would watch an entire episode about just Ace and the library politics. I want to hear more about capture the flag and Denise. Maybe they used to hack together and it went sour, maybe they were rivals from the get-go. I don’t know but I want to Find Out.

Ace manages to find what Tiffany was looking at: emails between Lucy Sable and Ryan Hudson circa 1999-2000. Most of them are lovey dovey including an actual “I think I might love you” until the end where Lucy asks Ryan to forgive her. Ryan says he will never forgive her, calls her a whore and says he hopes she dies. Then they arrange to meet the night of the Sea Queen ceremony. You know, that one little night when Lucy was murdered. Let’s take an environmental minute to talk about what we think happened. Lucy apparently did something unforgivable, and since they were in a relationship and he called her whore, there is one glaring idea: INFIDELITY. But Lucy loved Ryan. Now I’m going to go out on a limb here. What if Celia and Papa Hudson hired some guy (maybe Owen Marvin???) to seduce Lucy or something and then told Ryan. Or maybe Lucy felt awful and told him herself. OR on an even further limb, Lucy and Josh are only half-siblings. Maybe they’re going to go a la Riverdale and make Lucy and Ryan (DISTANTLY) related or something. Either way, Lucy did something she regretted and then Ryan found out.

As far as Lucy’s actual murder, during the seance when asked if the Hudsons killed her she said yes/no. Celia Hudson was in Argentina at the time but could have hired a hitman, Papa Hudson has no known alibi and already murdered a crew full of sailors including his wife’s boyfriend, Ryan Hudson had plans to meet with Lucy the night of her death “at our spot”. I am Strongly Suspicious their spot is the cliffs she died on. I think it’s a safe bet at this point to say Ryan was somehow involved in Lucy’s murder. He is a Hudson, they’d been dating and she betrayed him somehow, and they had plans to meet the night of her death at an undisclosed location. Now whether he is the one who physically murdered her, I don’t know. I suspect we will have more answers after finding out how Lucy died which we need her BODY FOR. Or at least her skeleton. We assume she was stabbed because of the bloody dress and also knife, but what if she wasn’t? What if it was an emergency C-section, what if someone else stabbed her already and Ryan just couldn’t save her, what if it was some kind of accident? And remember there was also that whole Ryan Is Being Haunted thing for the Velvet Masque. Lucy haunted him so she could use his wedding ring to show her death led to Tiffany’s. Maybe she specifically used Ryan because he caused her death, either directly or by accident.

Back to the episode, I liked seeing the entire walkthrough. I didn’t realize how much had happened off-screen that first episode. There is also the question of WHY it all happened off-screen, but considering the leaps and bounds of progress quality the writers have made I will give them a pass. When they first brought up the switched salad I wasn’t sure if they were being genuine, or if it was a part of their plan to trick Ryan, but when he and Nancy were outside and they were still talking about it I realized it was Legit.

Then that scene at the end, how Nancy managed to flip the switch from “oh hey Josh” to “holy fuck you killed Tiffany” so quickly was so in character. My girl is just so suspicious of absolutely everybody and her mind just JUMPS between puzzle pieces as fast as mine does but her brain actually stays on topic. I thought the fight scene was really well done, because Nancy was mostly improvising and trying to get away not fight, and his death was accidental. But I also want to see her take self-defense lessons or something at some point because at the rate she keeps almost dying it feels like the reasonable next step to take. Or at least like buy a switch blade. Have Nick make her a toothbrush shiv. SOMETHING.

MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER. DEAD LUCY.

Okay guys, the part with the phone. I knew it was coming, and it was creepy, but now rewatching it I have to laugh because the first face she’s making during Nancy’s recording is really just a ghostly 😐. But then when she starts fucking crawling, now THAT was creepy. And then when she kept moving closer to Ryan with each lightning flash. (He CLEARLY had something to do with her death.) Epic. It makes me wonder how long did it take her to learn this ghost stuff, and what was she doing before Nancy found her dress? Just sulking around, maybe pulling the occasional Halloween scare. I would also watch a spin off of the 20 years where Lucy is just hanging around and dead.

Side theory. What if Patrice was somehow there that night? I have no evidence to back this up but she seemed very set on Lucy always being in the water and so maybe she saw her fall or something and that’s why she’s so crazy. Moving on.

To talk about the characters who are of course important. I didn’t entirely catch the whole Bess/Lisbeth/Amaya drama of the episode. I will say I like her with Amaya a lot more than Lisbeth for some reason because I can feel the chemistry a lot better with those two, and she and George had a nice talk at the end. SPEAKING OF GEORGE. I can see multiple ways the George/Nick/Nancy triangle could play out, let’s discuss some. A) George is about to confess her feelings to George right before learning he and Nancy have gotten back together. B) George is about to confess her feelings to Nick right before he tells her about his remaining feelings for Nancy and how much he Wants Her Back. C) George and Nick get together right as Nancy decides to fight for Nick. Let’s talk about this one for a moment. Promo for next week shows Owen Marvin (ugh) is going to be back (Ugh) and he and Nancy will kiss (UGH). Potential scenario, her and Owen are talking and he goes to kiss her and she lets him before pulling away and he says “why won’t you date me” and she says it just doesn’t feel right or her heart still belongs to Nick or something. Owen redeems himself before disappearing forever by telling Nancy to fight for Nick. Problem is Nick has seen the kiss but not Nancy stopping it and leaves, angry, because he was about to ask her to get back together or because he thought they had an Understanding or something. He goes to George who asks him out and he says yes and Nancy finds out and puts on a happy face and then leaves to go cry. God I really want to write fan fiction for this show but I CAN’T until Lucy’s murder is solved. Let me know how you guys think it will play out. Speaking of Nancy x Nick whom I love and adore, that part at the end when the cops and Nick had showed up. He said like less than ten words the entire time but his concern was just SEEPING out of him, and he so clearly like wanted to hold her but held himself back because he feels it is not his place anymore. I also find it telling that just as Bess is telling George to come clean to Nick, he is with Nancy.

In totally expected news, I am still pining for Victoria. Writers, please bring her back. I haven’t seen her since the seance episode and I Miss Her.

I have absolutely no idea what happened to Joshua’s body don’t even ask me. However I AM hopeful he has turned into a ghost and will have to be banished requiring VICTORIA.

I am SO excited for next week’s episode, the terror of horseshoe bay. It looks awesome and spooky and creepy and we will hopefully find Lucy’s body. Owen will be there which is Unfortunate but I am sure I can cope because Lucy will also hopefully be there and Nancy like spits out ghostly teeth at one point which is so metal. Since the season is getting close to wrapping up and Tiffany’s murder is officially closed, Lucy’s murder is the only major plot left, so I am curious what they will do for next season. I am hoping they will start laying the groundwork for it this season, but I also don’t want them to just drag out the Lucy Sable storyline for ages upon ages. (I’m looking at you Pretty Little Liars with your like five fucking As.) I’m interested in if it’s one or two murders again, or if it’s like one main murder but then with a bunch of mini mysteries sprinkled in a la the serial poisoner episode. I am thinking (wishing) as far as college goes, maybe Nancy applies and gets into Columbia but she decides to stay and open up some sort of paranormal/normal investigative service with Dead Lucy as her receptionist and Nick as her literary loving arm candy and the others can help upon request or something and eventually join. Let me know if you think Nancy will manage to clear her dad’s name or if he’ll actually be indicted. CANNOT WAIT.

#Nancy Drew #Nancy Drew cw #George Fan #Bess Marvin #Ned Nick Nickerson #Nancy x Nick #Nick x George #Dead Lucy #Lucy Sable #Ryan Hudson #Tiffany Hudson #the sign of the uninvited guest #the terror of horseshoe bay

[goldstarnation]

OCTOBER 2019 GOLD STAR MEDIA SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn 3 points each (up to 6 points) for writing, by the end of November 7 KST:

A solo para of 400+ words based on their monthly schedule (does not count toward your monthly total).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) based on their monthly schedule.

Threads do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule for the month and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated throughout the month if new information needs to be added.

Reminder: September schedule posts are due by the end of October 7 KST.

Overall Company

Such quick growth in such a short time period appears to be catching up to Gold Star now. There’s been avoidable problems with management recently, most noticeable in their handling of Origin’s and Fuse’s next comebacks, and even the constant delay of a comeback for Gold Star Soloist 1. Gold Star may have an attractive reputation of caring more for their artists than Dimensions or BC, but their behind the scenes employees are clearly being overworked due to executives’ reluctance to expand teams as needed and incur costs that could lower their lead in industry profits. Messy management decisions haven’t affected everyone yet, but word is starting to get around within the company to watch out for delayed comebacks and poorly-handled scheduling.

Important dates:

N/A

Gold Star Soloist 1

Meetings with management, marketing, and A&R continue to be her primary schedule, but she’ll be called into one in particular early in the month after returning with representatives from all three departments to discuss her career direction and where she sees herself going musically as she enters her twelfth year. As such a big face of their company it’s important to them that she feel heard so that her eventual contract renewal is guaranteed. This month also marks the beginning of preparations for the fan meeting she’ll be holding in December to bring a close to the year.

Important dates:

October 18: Fan meeting stage outfit fittings.

Gold Star Soloist 2

Now that recording for her album is done, October brings a focus on preparing all of the remaining details for her comeback, including learning the choreography, shooting comeback teasers, and filming the music video. Later in the month, she holds a solo concert in Taiwan and performs at a festival in Busan. She won’t be performing any of her new music, but she’s allowed to hype fans up about it.

Important dates:

October 2: Comeback stage outfit fittings.

October 5: Performance at Sharing Festival at Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea (also performing: Knight).

October 12: Performance at SBS Radio K-Pop Concert in Jeongeup, South Korea.

October 14: Comeback teaser photo shoot.

October 15: Behind the scenes choreography video filming.

October 17: Room Shaker MV filming day one.

October 18: Room Shaker MV filming day two.

October 20: Hello Taipei 2019 concert at Taipei International Convention Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

October 25: Performance at Busan One Asia Festival Family Park Concert at Hwamyung Park in Busan, South Korea (also performing: Aria).

Gold Star Soloist 3

The beginning of the month brings more European tour dates before he returns to Seoul. He’ll finish off his European tour dates next month, but, in the mean time, it’s fall festival season, and Gold Star has booked him for two different events, one that is likely to be a more idol fan-based audience, and the later of the two, which will draw in an audience more attuned to indie music, to capitalize on his cross-demographic appeal.

Important dates:

October 1 : Self-titled tour concert at Lido in Berlin, Germany.

October 3: Self-titled tour concert at Kantine in Cologne, Germany.

October 4: Self-titled tour concert at La Madeleine in Brussels, Belgium.

October 6: Self-titled tour concert at Trabendo in Paris, France.

October 12: Asia Song Festival 2019 at Ulsan Complex Stadium in Ulsan, South Korea (also performing: Dimensions Soloist 1, Dimensions Soloist 2, and Lucid). 

October 20: Performance at Grand Mint Festival at Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea.

Silhouette

Leading up to their comeback at the end of the month, the members are going through the usual preparations of fittings, photo shoots, MV filming, and practice. The increase of expectations on this comeback grows increasingly more noticeable throughout the month and the decreasing success of their latest comebacks is no longer going ignored out of respect for their seniority in the company. Rumor is that if this comeback doesn’t do well, Gold Star may be making changes as they approach their ten year debut anniversary. What those changes might be is still entirely unclear. Before they come back in the final days of the month, the members are also saddled with another Mizuno fan sign and a filming for a Weekly Idol episode for their comeback.

Important dates:

October 4: Stage and MV outfit fittings.

October 10: Teaser photo and album jacket shoot.

October 13: “ME&YOU” MV filming.

October 27: Mizuno fan sign in Seoul.

October 29: Weekly Idol filming (to air November 6).

October 30: Release of “ME&YOU” & WE mini-album showcase, promotions continue until November 30. 

Aria

They hold their Seoul concerts the second weekend of the month (please see September’s schedule for solo/duo special stages) and have a few performances in the later half of the month. Amid concert rehearsals for their Seoul concerts and continued rehearsals for concerts in Japan month, the members will be in the studio to record their December comeback mini-album. It’s a return to original form after “I’m So Sick” earlier in the year, but they’ve been assured future comebacks with a different sound aren’t off the table once marketablity advantages between concepts and sounds have been adequately compared. The members will begin learning the title track choreography in addition to choreography for b-sides “Like U” and “Rewind” after their Seoul concerts are out of the way.

Important dates:

October 11: Pink Space concerts at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea.

October 12: Pink Space concerts at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea.

October 20: Performance at Follow Gyeonggi K-Culture Festa in Jakarta, Indonesia.

October 25: Performance at Busan One Asia Festival Family Park Concert (also performing: Gold Star Soloist 2).

Origin

Their comeback is still indefinitely delayed, meaning more unclear studio time, though Gold Star seems to want an early 2020 date and are certainly willing to move around their plans for other groups to accommodate the company’s money makers. Current priority has shifted to the release of Origin World next month, which Gold Star seems to be putting a lot of stock in bringing in enough money to make up for only one 2019 comeback. The members have group promotional photo shoots for that this month and will film “behind the scenes” interview videos, answering questions like which member’s route they would want to play in the game, why they’re excited for the release, and why fans should play the game. A MediHeal CF for a new brand deal and another concert stop on their tour round out the month.

Important dates:

October 5: Origin World promotional photo shoot.

October 8: Origin World behind the scenes filming (examples 1 & 2).

October 19: Mediheal CF (videos 1-7 in playlist) filming.

October 25: Speak Yourself Stadium Tour concert at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Impulse

The month begins by flying out to the States for their US tour. The day before their first stop and the day of, they’ll appear on the Today Show and Good Day New York, two American morning shows, respectively, to give interviews and perform the English version of their latest title track. Members who can speak English will of course take the lead during interviews, but management has told them that all members are expected to get in something to say, even if it’s something they must rehearse and set up beforehand. Similarly, they’ll be filming a lot of online promo while in America, including a friendship test, trying nine things they’ve never done before, a boy band lyric challenge, song association, and a "most likely to”. After returning to Seoul mid-month the members will begin learning the choreography for their Japanese comeback and will also film the music video.

Important dates:

October 2: Appearance on the Today Show in New York, NY, USA.

October 3: Appearance on Good Day New York in New York, NY, USA.

October 3: Keep Spinning 2019 World Tour concert at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, USA.

October 6: Keep Spinning 2019 World Tour concert at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.

October 9: Keep Spinning 2019 World Tour concert at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX, USA. 

October 12: Keep Spinning 2019 World Tour concert at The Forum in Inglewood, CA, USA.

October 16: Keep Spinning 2019 World Tour concert at Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA, USA.

October 26: “Love Loop“ MV filming.

Fuse

By mid-month, the members are completely done recording for their new mini-album and have moved on to learning the “Umpah Umpah” choreography in order to be ready for their comeback next month. The concept of their comeback still seems questionable for late fall and the first fittings of the intended outfits for promotions present a mix of summery dresses and crop top styling for the music video as well as a selection of intended stage outfits that don’t seem to know whether they’re going for the summery feel of the music video outfits or something more appropriate for the fall season they’ll be promoting in. Overall, management feels messy this comeback, but that hasn’t stopped the company from letting the members know in their own way that now that they’ll no longer be competing with Origin during promotions as initially anticipated and Femme Fatale’s smash summer comeback has vacated the very top spots of the charts, they’re expected to make this comeback a hit for its more public friendly sound. Regardless of how messy management seems to be for them this time around, Gold Star has chosen to accept an offer for Fuse to serve as tourism ambassadors between Switzerland and South Korea. Their duties haven’t begun in earnest yet, but they will attend a formal ceremony to be appointed to the position, an event that’s more for mediaplay than out of true necessity.

Important dates:

October 5: Performance at Gwangyang K-Pop Super Concert at Gwangyang Public Stadium in Gwangyang, South Korea.

October 11: Performance at Changwon K-Pop World Festival in Changwon, South Korea (also performing: Alien).

October 24: Switzerland Tourism Ambassador Appointment Ceremony at Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea.

October 29: Comeback outfit fittings.

Element

No word on a comeback for Element yet, confirming they’ll only have one digital single to show for the year musically after “Bomb Bomb” failed to become their breakout hit. There’s no word on Gold Star contacting composers for new songs for them either, but when even management for Origin and Fuse has been messy lately, it’s only to be expected Element will suffer too. They’re scheduled to continue touring overseas in November and December, but this month, they don’t even have that to look forward to. Instead, their personal team is still brainstorming ways to expand their fandom and have decided to give them a test run of their own YouTube series on the company channel to “show their hidden charm points”. Before bringing managerial structure into it, they’ve tasked all of the members to shoot their own vlog in a category of their choice (e.g. mukbang, gaming, Q&A, challenge, daily vlog). They should film one by themselves and one with at least one other member. Ultimately, only the vlogs deemed interesting enough will be posted to test the waters of fan interest in more Youtube content in the form of a series. Outside of their own content creation, they’ve been booked on RUN.wav, where they’ll give a performance of “Bomb Bomb” and showcase covers of “24K Magic” and “Side to Side” they’ve previously performed on tour. During the interview portion, they’ll talk about how their predebut project prepared them for debut, the challenges of being a co-ed group personally and musically, and their touring experience.

Important dates:

October 11: Filming of RUN.wav (to be aired October 19).

Femme Fatale

Femme Fatale’s Japanese tour continues throughout the month with dates in Fukuoka and Chiba (please see August’s schedule for their assigned solo stages), leaving them only their first ever dome concert in December to finish their Japanese tour. While in Japan, they are scheduled to shoot a magazine photo shoot and film a CF, both aimed at the Japanese market. They have their first ever concerts in Seoul next month to begin their In Your Area World Tour, which will introduce some changes to members solo stages from what they’ve performed so far. Some stay the same or retain certain aspects while others change entirely. Again, the members are allowed input, but the stages are ultimately management’s decision. For the beginning of their world tour, the members also have fittings for new stage outfits.

Main rapper/lead vocal - Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You - (pt. 2) [No change from Japanese arena tour]

Main vocal/lead dancer - Let It Be / You & I / Only Look At Me [Completely changed from Japanese arena tour]

Maknae/main dancer/lead rapper - I Like It / Faded / Attention [Some changes from Japanese arena tour]

*special note*: She will also begin to practice Take Me / Swalla stage which will be her solo stage beginning at their Bangkok concerts onward in 2020.

Lead vocal - Clarity [Completely changed from Japanese arena tour]

Important dates:

October 9: Photo shoot for JJ Magazine Japan  November issue.

October 10: Femme Fatale Arena Tour at Kokusai Center in Fukuoka, Japan.

October 11: Femme Fatale Arena Tour at Kokusai Center in Fukuoka, Japan.

October 12: ABCMart CF filming.

October 15: World tour stage outfit fittings.

October 18: Femme Fatale Arena Tour at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

October 19: Femme Fatale Arena Tour at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. 

October 20: Femme Fatale Arena Tour at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

#fmdschedule #queued post

[freewheelshippin]

“You know, I think it’s right that my first vinyl is Defenders of the Faith.” 

She held the record in her hands, appreciating it for a long time before even considering putting it into the player.

“Yeah, you mentioned it was important to you. I know you’ve been wanting to try vinyl for a while so I figure you can just borrow my player while you save up.” 

He hovered a little bit, both out of savoring the moment and being a little protective of his vinyl player. She was grinning so much. 

“I’m also really excited it’s secondhand from you,” she remarks, twirling it in her fingers. “Because one, it means you just had a spare copy lying around, and two, it’s just right.” 

“Right,” he repeats. 

“You know. Like. How it should be! Borrowing music from your favorite people, getting into the good stuff that way...I mean, I got one of these songs on a mixtape and boom! Baby little metalhead born.” 

“Is that why you’re so nuts for this one? And not one of the better ones?” 

“OH.” She laughs and drops into a readied stance, weight on the balls of her feet, brandishing the record like a blade, grinning fiercely. “Those are some fighting fucking words from someone with two copies on vinyl, bucko.” 

He takes the record back, putting it into the player and doing proper setup. “What, you think I won’t go? Screaming for Vengeance and Rocka Rolla have more raw soul. Painkiller’s aggression and musicality hits you in the gut and plays better live.” 

“Oh, I’m sure you like Painkiller,” she interrupts, folding her arms and smiling incredulously. “You know, with all the leather daddy stuff finally just all hanging out. You take one look and you’re like ‘ah, my kin, except let’s make it more absolute Hot Topic knob and less ‘daddy.’” 

He chokes and flushes for a half second. “For the last goddamn time! I didn’t pick those fuckin’ outfits!” 

“Mmhmm. Oh, sure, between the big dumb softboy, the calculating bastard with a beauty mark, and the biggest edgelord at the agency, it’s the rocker toughie that had no say in the three of ‘em getting into leather and tying themselves all up in chains for promo.” 

He grumbles and scowls before she laughs and lightly touches his back, drumming her hands against him before guiding him back to putting the vinyl on. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I’m just giving you a lot of hey. You know I have nothing but glowing reviews for everything you did on that project.” 

Ranmaru just grunts as he guides the needle to the record and starts to play. Everything stops as Freewheel Burning starts -- the cozy room becomes a little stage as she immediately turns on. She lip-syncs, dances, thrashes, and looks at him like she were the professional performer between them. He plays along, even deigning to an air guitar duet with her during the song’s big solo, smile wide on his face. 

She scoops him into a princess carry and spins them around as he finishes the last notes of the song, leaning back and letting them both collapse onto the couch behind them. 

“Guess I’ll just stay like this,” he remarks with a chuckle, sitting up squarely on her lap as she’s still an awkward heap over the cushions. 

“Ohhhh. What a tragedyyyy,” she mockingly groans as she pushes herself up before wrapping her arms around his waist. He feels her tap her foot to the beat of Jawbreaker, now well into its first chorus, but also sigh contentedly as she leans into him.

“Why are you so nostalgic for Defenders, anyway? There’s gotta be more to it than it just being your first.”  

“Oh, yeah. I mean, no, I mean. I guess it was my first real taste of western metal, so it does have this iconic sound for me. But no, you’re right, it was more than that.” 

He says nothing when she pauses at first, but it goes longer than the usual allotted politeness. 

“...Tell me.” Something occurs to him, and his stomach drops a little as he backtracks. “I understand if it’s private, though.” 

“......nnot really,” she murmurs. “.....Just a lot of teenage awkwardness and growing pains, you know?” 

“Mm.” He lets her take her time. 

“...I told you I don’t really feel romantic stuff like other people do, right?” She hesitates. “It’s just not been a part of how I relate to people. Love songs and stuff felt really hollow. But,” she pauses, then decides to lean back until she’s dragged them both into reclining. They take some time to rearrange themselves comfortably, her arms still clinging around him. “Someone confessed to me at the right time. A really volatile time for me. I desperately wanted to try feeling that love I was supposed to, and I also just...needed to feel loved. So I said yes, and she sent me a mixtape with all her feelings. ….For whatever reason why, the only song that stuck with me was Turn on Your Light.” 

“You hate ballads.” 

“I do. Except the one you made and this one. I don’t know, something about how it was recorded, something about the feeling of listening to it in that weird time, all hunched over a computer after lights-out, secretly communicating with my new girlfriend...it didn’t feel so hollow. It still doesn’t.” 

He thinks on it for a moment, running through what he remembered of the song. They were still far from it in the album, but it was easy enough to remember the simple lyrics.  

“...It’s cuz it was someone telling you that you were special to them,” he says, confident he’s right. “All it asked you to do was turn on your light. No pressure to feel a certain way. Someone just showed you you’re as bright a light as you are, and you believed it.” 

She had dramatically thrown her hair out of its ponytail (and her only hair tie across the room) back when she was lip-syncing to Freewheel Burning, and it still lay in somewhat of a mess. He pulls it out of her face, making very pointed eye contact as she loses her nerve, looking away, and at a loss for any kind of quip, joke, or reasonable response. He chuckles breathily, feeling accomplished. 

“So I’m right.” 

She kicks him very gently before she hugs him very tightly. “You’re very sweet and smart for being an absolute dumb piece of shit.” 

He laughs again and hugs back. They lie like that for a while, enjoying the vinyl still playing, the gentle pressure, and the warmth. 

Eventually she locks her arms behind him. “Now while I have you-- tell me why you have a dupe of Defenders. It looks like you’ve had it for a while, too, judging from the wear on the cover.” 

Now it’s his turn to clam up. 

“...Or is that private? It’s not an eye for an eye sort of deal, you don’t have to reveal to me a secret just cuz I told you a baby metalhead me story.” 

“I got it for someone I liked. A long time ago. ….Bandmate long time ago.”  

“....That’s practically a lifetime ago for you.” 

“...Yeah.” 

“And you never gave it to them.” 

“.....Yeah.” 

“Is it for a reason I need to track them down and kick their ass for?” 

That catches him off guard and he ‘hmphs,’ cracking a bemused smile. “...Nah. I was just too chicken to give it to him. And when the band went south... ” His heart thumps in his chest, but he finds some comfort knowing she’ll feel it. 

“It’s proof he didn’t deserve you,” she adds sagely.  

“....I mean, yeah, nobody deserved me back then.” 

“Bah,” she dismisses. “We’re all absolute turds when we’re young, dumb, and full of oh, you know.” 

“I’ve burned that part of me to ash,” he says with absolute sincerity. 

She chuckles. “You’re so dramatic. I love it. But really, if there’s anyone I’d trust to kick his own ass and grow into a dipshit a billion times better than his old dipshit self...definitely you,” she adds, ruffling his hair.

“Good. Kick my ass if that ever changes.” 

“Oh, you know I will. But I don’t understand why you kept it this long. I mean, you hate stuff, even if it’s music it’s still just extra clutter. Why didn’t you just...you know, donate it or chuck it or whatever?” 

 “I guess I didn’t get rid of it because that’d be admitting the band dream was dead. Even after joining Quartet Night, I guess I just kept it out of habit. Like getting rid of it would be bad luck.” 

“Oh, hey, thanks?” she replies, releasing the hug, pushing at his shoulders until she’s maneuvered him to make eye contact. “This terrible tome of horrible luck, you’re just gonna dump it on me, huh?” 

He groans, climbing back up to hug her tightly again. 

“Oh, butter me up with cuddles, I see how it is.” But she ruffles his hair affectionately, sighing and relaxing against the weight. The album had gone on long enough that Turn on Your Light was finally playing. Softly, in mumbles and hums at first, they carried the tune along with it, until they were both singing. 

Her voice isn’t as strong or practiced as his, but they still harmonize well. 

#iron maiden & rocka rolla #lads the life difficulty just keep gettin cranked up and i just keep smashing here to release some of this pressure #scribblings

[ajw720]

As for Mia Blasting D's secrets on social media LOL- She doesn't even have any social media except a rarely used SC. When you say things like this it proves how much you make up in your head. We know very little about their private lives. I mean, yes- you fabricate entire stories around every photo we get, but none of that is actually real. That is where you confuse reality & fantasy. D will keep talking about his wedding until the wedding. You will be shocked & angery but he's warned you

Anon you are a delusional idiot that i should no longer engage.  She doesn’t need to post, she has all of her enablers post for her!  And under her direction as many of them are paid by HER and HER FAMILY and D’s Inept Team.  And those that aren’t paid, like that fool J/ulie J/ames, are getting free promo.   

And when the enablers aren’t around that is when she uses her “rarely used SC” (like her not so private trip to bali and their European trip).  

You do understand when they pose for paps and KISS (incredibly private) that is PLANNED and team shit arranges for the paps to be there.  They look at the people with large cameras and then they pose.

I know about nearly every outing D&M have, and as they don’t live together and they aren’t a couple, yes EVERYTHING THEY DO IS ON SM. 

Oh and her “private” IG is NOT private as fans have access, so get over yourself.  Not to mention the myriad of photos “leaked,” (it just happened with yet another private “kiss” pic). If you think for one second she is not behind the “leaks” you are even more ignorant than i thought.

The woman talks about her oh so private “wedding” in front of a person known to post and repeat everything she hears at the bar.  DELIBERATE. She looks right at the same person recording, grabs D, and kisses him DELIBERATE.

Again you are going to lose every argument. M is not famous and i should know little to nothing about her yet unfortunately i do as she has self inserted herself into everything D does.

And i have facts that can topple the house of cards so fast it would make your head spin. I just respect D too much to list them.

Not responding to your other post in a futile attempt to block you and your ignorance that is wasting my time.

[stdennard]

2 years ago today, I was still floundering to write Windwitch. For the record, I was over a year past deadline at this point. I was a disgusting ball of stress and terror. I mean, I had already spent almost 2 years failing to write ANYTHING useful, first I failed with Sightwitch and then with Windwitch. My publisher was pretty frustrated, and they weren’t keen on pushing back the book’s release. (Understandable. Fans want books; publishers want sales. I get that.)

I had to figure out the story, though. I HAD to because I was out of time. And yet...I couldn’t seem to.

There were a lot of contributing factors to my blockage, of course -- some pretty intense life stuff, a title reconfiguration disrupting the series arc, a desire to reach more readers even if it wasn’t true to me, a borderline ridiculous amount of self-promo + a street team, etc. I’ve talked about all that at length in my newsletter and on here, so I won’t bore you again.

One of the biggest sticking points, though, was that all the series plot I had planned and planted in Truthwitch felt...wrong. For one, I was being FORCED to reconfigure the arc of the story because of titles, but for two, my heart was no longer in my original plan.

But here’s the thing: it’s not fair to readers to suddenly change your mind about what a series is halfway in. Or even only one book in. You make promises with your words, and breaking those promises is the #1 way to ultimately lose reader trust. And plus, I think it’s just a shitty way to treat your readers; I’m not onboard with ret-conning, you know?

So there I was, knowing I had made a lot of promises about what this series was and where it was going (not to mention, I’d dropped SO many hints). I also knew that while some of what I’d planned I still loved, I had also grown as a person, grown as a writer, and grown as storyteller.

Basically, I was reevaluating everything. Trying to find a new formula, one that would hit all the beats promised, one that would work with all the hints I’d laid, one that would work with my new title restrictions, and most important of all, one that was TRUE to who I was and the message I wanted out in the world.

Now let’s go back to that special day in 2016. I was standing in the lobby of a Vegas hotel (at the end of LeviosaCon) and I heard this song on the radio. “Before the Dive” by St. Lucia. It was 5AM, no one was around, and I was grabbing the free lobby coffee before I hunkered in to work.

I bobbed my head, thinking, Wow, that’s catchy. Then the ending section played (from about the 2:20 mark after, if you’re curious). And I stopped pouring coffee, stopped bobbing my head, and I just listened.

Look, this likely sounds ridiculous, but I have this belief that the right song (or book or game) comes along when I need it most. And when I heard this, it was like a fucking lightning bolt. All the puzzle pieces I already had for the Witchlands started spinning and moving...

And when the dust settled, they were all rearranged to form a new picture. A better picture. The right picture.

Let me tell you, I have never whipped out my phone so fast to try to shazam a song. I couldn’t hear the lyrics -- just the tune -- so it was like, if I don’t get this song now, I’ll never be able to look it up again!

Shazam figured it out (thank god) right as the song was ending.

Then I finished pouring my coffee, went outside to enjoy the desert before it got too hot, and I started writing down everything my brain had just reassembled. All while listening to the song on repeat on Spotify, of course.

Two and half months later, I finished Windwitch. Less than a year after that, I finally managed to write Sightwitch. And now, I’m almost done revising Bloodwitch, and though the deadline has been intense for that book, I haven’t been STUCK like I was before.

So thank you, St. Lucia. Thank you for this song, that literally saved the Witchlands and saved my mental health.

And I’m sure some of you will listen to this and be like, “Really? That song? Huh?”

To which all I can reply is, “Yeah, I know. It’s weird. The universe is a mysterious place, though, and you never know when that one missing puzzle piece will come along.”

#truthwitch #windwitch #bloodwitch #sightwitch #witchlands #susan dennard #writing #writer's block

[topweeklyupdate]

TØP Weekly Update #57: Thanks, Jay Z (8/9/2018)

Turns out last week was a pretty good one to take off. Very little of major note happened in the Twenty One Pilots sphere while I vacationed in the Canadian wilderness. This week, however... that’s a whole other story. 

New music. New music video. New track list. New merch. Let’s get into it. 

This Week’s TØPics:

“Levitate” and Trench Track List Leak, and Then...

“Levitate” Video and Trench Track List Released

“Jumpsuit” Drops Off the Hot 100 (But Still Gains At Radio...)

Mark Goes Off

AND MORE

Major News and Announcements:

On Tuesday, the streaming service Tidal briefly posted the third promotional track for Trench before realizing their mistake and taking it down. This still provided the Clique with plenty of time to record and post it in so many places across the Interwebs that Warner Music Group’s copyright bots couldn’t hope to catch up. The likelihood that Tyler and Josh leaked it themselves is honestly pretty low extremely high.

The track, entitled “Levitate”, is the most unmistakable hip-hop track in the band’s discography thus far. Running at a tight 2:20, Tyler delivers some truly impressive bars in what is essentially a single extended verse, constantly mixing up his flow against a slick trap drum beat and the eerie synth that was hinted at in the end of “Jumpsuit” (if the entire album flows from song to song like this... automatic 10/10). 

Lyrically, “Levitate” sees Tyler discussing the role of songwriting in his life, a form of expression that allows him to “fire-breathe” and “levitate” beyond his problems. The song is littered with gems (“we are not just graffiti on a passing train”) and jabs against the music industry for trying to rein him in or make him into something he’s not (“this culture is a poacher of overexposure, don’t feed me to the vultures”, “you’re the worst; your structure compensates, but compensation feels a lot like rising up to dominate”). The reference to Tyler getting back “what I once bought back in that slot, I won’t need to replace” is perfect, and I’m still emotional about it.

I do have a few minor quibbles with the song. I think the looped instrumental is a little too minimalistic to justify the length of the outro. “At least they all know what they hear comes from a place” and “you can levitate with just a little help” lack specificity and fall a little flat for me. And I’ve expressed before that I’m not overly interested in songs about the music industry that aren’t directly applicable to most people’s experience (sorry, "Fairly Local” and “Lane Boy”). 

All that said, the production and presentation is so slick. Plus, Tyler grounds the song in enough personal experience and relatable struggles that it succeeds in crossing over that gap of fame and success to actually hit home. Lines like “danger in the fabric of this thing I made,” “I thought I could depend on my weekends on the freezing ground,” and “don’t feed me to the vultures, I am a vulture who feeds on pain” show the same vulnerability and self-aware introspection that attracted me to the band in the first place.

“Levitate” wasn’t all we got from the leak. An updated version without the yellow duct tape over the track list was included as the background, revealing the names of the other eleven songs that we’ll hear sometime between now and October 5th. The track list is as follows:

Didn’t think that I’d struggle with a song title more than “Bandito”, but “Pet Cheetah” and “The Hype” are really gonna have to go the extra mile in ways that no other song from the band has before to justify those artistic choices. (That said, “Neon Gravestones” sounds rad as hell.) We’ll save picking apart the meaning for all of these titles for a later date; we’ve still got another two months before the album is out, and I don’t think we’ll be getting any new songs or videos until late September at the earliest, so we’ve got time.

ln the wake of the leak (much like with “Heathens” two years ago), the song and video for “Levitate” were pushed out the following day, two days earlier than originally planned if the date on Tidal is anything to go buy. The third installment in this Trench trilogy features Tyler and Josh performing the track at the Bandito camp while vultures fly around looking cool. At the video’s conclusion, Tyler is snatched away from a campfire by a bishop and dragged without a struggle back to Dema. One Bandito looks frightened by this, but another just ominously states “Welcome to Trench”.

I must confess that this music video didn’t fully do it for me. While the production value remains stellar, the “Car Radio” call-back with shaving Tyler’s head is great, and I love any opportunity to see the boys perform together, “Levitate” as a song is frankly too short and moves at a too breakneck pace to make a truly compelling video out of the song alone. I’m honestly shocked that there wasn’t a longer extended scene attached to the end of the video to provide a stronger narrative conclusion to the pieces laid in the last two videos, especially considering that “Jumpsuit” opened with such a scene. As it is, the video moves by so quickly and shares so many aesthetic qualities with its two predecessors that it didn’t leave much of an impression on me.

There is, however, one (potentially unintentional) aspect of the “Levitate” video that really resonated with me. Tyler enjoying himself while performing and being with people only to be yanked out of the group once the energy dies down a little is a perfect representation of anxiety and depression, which so often sets in without warning in circumstances where one would think are supposed to feel happy and safe. The fact that this story ends on such a down note reads as an honest reflection on the nature of mental illness, even if it is perhaps narratively unsatisfying. Besides, I highly doubt this will be our last exploration of the Trench universe; we’ll just have to see where else Tyler and Josh take us when the album drops.

With the initial wave of promo singles out of the way, the marketing team has moved ahead with the business of actually selling the album. Trench is now available for pre-order on iTunes. The Twenty One Pilots webstore is now full of various bundle packages for pre-order that include t-shirts, hoodies, a dope bandana, a 10′’ vinyl EP with the three promo tracks, CD and cassette versions of the full album and (if you order before the end of the month) a neat little patch, all at pretty reasonable prices.

Other News and Shenanigans:

There isn’t too awful much to report outside of the mountain of major developments (thank God). Andrew Donoho posted some dope behind the scenes pics starring Clifford the Vulture. Josh is still occasionally tweeting and posting pictures of hanging out with Debby, his brother, and other cool people. Tyler is still quiet as ever, and I’m not sure why that shocks people. It bears repeating that he was rarely on social media pre-hiatus, that this is probably going to be a regular thing, and that stepping back from social media is honestly one of the better decisions one can make for your mental health and overall leisure time.

The only really notable thing that I missed during my vacation was Mark clarifying on Twitter that the Trench music videos have all been in chronological order and that he’s been happy to be giving Andrew Donoho creative control over how the videos have developed. With how cryptic things have been surrounding this album’s release, it’s refreshing to have a voice of reason to tell it like it is. Thanks Mark.

Chart Performance:

While the new song has been at the forefront of everyone’s mind, its predecessors have still been putting in work... but perhaps not as much as might have been expected based on the last album cycle’s success.

In spite of the release of the new music video two weeks back, “Nico and the Niners” slipped off the Hot 100 after its first week and has declined in all metrics. This week, “Jumpsuit” also fell off the Hot 100 and has also been steadily sinking in sales and streaming. There are plenty of reasonable explanations for this: the too-heavy-for-Top-40 rock sound, the constant stream of other TØP content drawing focus away from any one song, the lack of promotional appearances from the band itself on TV and radio.

Many hopeful fans have pointed to the performance of “Stressed Out” as a hopeful sign that “Jumpsuit” may mount a future comeback, but I have my doubts about that comparison. 2015 was a very different time for the band- “Stressed Out”, like “Fairly Local” and “Tear In My Heart”, debuted on the Hot 100 because the Clique was as ravenous then as it is now, but the band still had next-to-no mainstream recognition. Those songs thus debuted low and fell off pretty quickly. It wasn’t until months later that the Clique’s grassroots support and the band’s rising esteem within the industry resulted in “Stressed Out” getting picked up at radio and being shared with new audiences, creating a snowball of promotion that launched Twenty One Pilots into the popular consciousness. When “Heathens” was released, the band’s profile was big enough to ensure it debuted at #14 and remained in the Top 40 for months. Compared to that performance, “Jumpsuit” is flopping commercially, no question.

However, there is still a glimmer of hope for the song’s future. While it is falling off pretty hard in most categories, it is still gaining spins at radio. It took #1 on the Rock Airplay chart for this last week. That means that more casual music listeners are hearing it than ever, which could make for another snowball where these listeners go back and search for the song themselves in the weeks to come. We will have to wait and see how the band and Fueled By Ramen decide to market the song and promote the album as it gets closer to its release date.

One thing is for sure: the band is not in any financial trouble. Even if “Jumpsuit” never returns to the Hot 100, even if “Levitate” is rejected by both lovers and haters of hip-hop and fails to chart, even if Trench somehow fails to match the Week 1 chart-topping sales of Blurryface even after the band picked up millions of new fans over the last three years, two things remain true: Blurryface made them more money than any individual will ever reasonably need, and they’ve already sold tens of thousands of tickets for their next tour. The days of worrying about this band are over for the foreseeable future; for now, we can just enjoy the music.

Power to the local dreamer.

|-/

#twenty one pilots #tyler joseph #josh dun #trench #levitate #jumpsuit #nico and the niners #top weekly update

[hiphopscriptures]

Fresh Artist Fridays: Sincerely Collins

At long last, Sincerely Collins is ready to drop his most ambitious project to date: ALIEN.

You may recognize Sincerely Collins as the voice behind “Light Work” and “Possible." More recently, Collins’ one-off song, "Let It Ring," was the official promo song used by UFC 253 (Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa). Another of his top tracks, “Prosper Season,” is currently in the Shazam Top 200 Global Chart.

Collins’ songwriting is often compared to Drake, Kanye West, and Kid Cudi, but he maintains a distinct approach to his work. On ALIEN this is more true than ever, and Sincerely Collins outdoes himself with plenty of heart behind his fiery flow. Coupled with Tony Choc’s foundation of moody and vivid production, the result is a musical experience which is both catchy and compelling.

Tony Choc wasn’t the only producer to work on this project. Collins called in old friends Iroc Daniels, Qux, and AKT Aktion to lend a hand with production. Alongside them were new contributors such as The Kaleidocope Kid, Marley Rich, EQHarp, Matt Campbell, and Beatknockaz. In addition, Collins found himself reaching out to his “secret weapons” for orchestration. Longtime collaborator David Thulin and former high school bandmate Dan ET added a silky-theatrical finish with their incorporation of classical live strings, horns, bass, and synths.

ALIEN is the final chapter in a trilogy of albums which details the fall and rise of the Sincerely Collins character. The story began with his first full-length album, DESTROYER (2015), continued with The Legend Of The Phoenix (2016), and is now concluding with style. Having spent two years pouring his heart and soul into ALIEN, this project will be sure to satisfy longtime fans in addition to drawing in new ones.

As a deeply spiritual artist, Sincerely Collins is very conscious of the impact he makes with his music. Speaking on his goals for ALIEN, Collins said:

“Every time I speak on that microphone I direct the intentions of my words with precision. I live my art and I take the expressions that I put out into this universe very seriously.”

The care he puts into his craft is palpable in the finished product, and listeners will be sure to resonate with the carefully cultivated energy of his music.

Sincerely Collins – Bio

We all have words we use to describe ourselves, but Sincerely Collins takes his self-descriptors to the next level: ALIEN, visionary, wordsmith, genius, wizard. That’s not just smooth talk — the man lives his truth every day and tells the stories that he knows best.

The work of this Phoenix-born hip hop artist is teeming with joy, pain, hardship, celebration — an autobiography, to be sure, but also a blueprint for the life and spirituality of Everyman. Collins taps into the common experiences of his uncommon life for his otherworldly lyrics, and in doing so, becomes the kind of messenger that is too often missing in today’s musical landscape. Collins’ work is a microcosm of his life: both sobering and brash. 

Born Kyle Collins, he grew up without a father, survived the early disappearance of his mother and later homelessness, then threw everything he had into hip hop. Listening to his work is an eye-opening existential journey — a road map to enlightenment. “I make music for dreamers,” he says. “I make music for people who just know that there’s more, I make music for people who have visions, for people who believe in themselves but don’t necessarily know how to take action on that.” 

Or maybe they don’t believe in themselves... yet. “Maybe they want to believe in themselves. Maybe they come to me, they come to my music to learn how to believe in themselves or to learn how to break away from the norm as much as they’ve wanted to their entire life,” he says. “I just provide that bridge for people to unplug from the Matrix.” 

His first mixtape, Destroyer, was released in 2015 to critical acclaim from reputable sources such as (COMPLEX, HipHopDX, 2DopeBoys, HNHH, and more). The album spawned Collins’ first big landmark record “Light Work”, which made it to A list rotation at KKFR POWER 983 Phoenix. The album featured guest appearances from Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo of Gym Class Heroes, Jason DeVore of Authority Zero, Locksmith, Rittz, and Jarren Benton. His second, The Legend of the Phoenix, was released in 2016, and included the haunting standout track “Others”. The album also birthed the inspirational song “Possible” which was Collins’s second radio single to receive heavy spins at KKFR, Phoenix. Since then, his fan base has exploded — and includes devotees who don’t just enjoy his music, but who also consider him to be a new age shaman. 

After experiencing 4 more years of life since his last major release effort, Collins is set to drop his latest LP, ALIEN, describing the sound of his newest project as “a mature, confident, dark, and inspirational look into the most recent chapter of my life.” Collins’s lyricism leaves it hard to believe he isn’t on a journey to becoming one of the most inspirational and influential creators of our time. He knows it can be done because that’s the central theme of his own story. It’s what makes this visionary, wordsmith, genius, alien, and wizard more than just a man who moves to the beat of his own drum, but one who encourages the rest of us to get with the rhythm of believing in our infinite potential. 

That, more than anything, is what his music is all about. 

Check out his music through the links above and stay connected with Sincerely Collins through his socials to make sure you never miss new music. Remember to follow Hip Hop Scriptures to stay updated on the latest Fresh Artist Friday.

STAY CONNECTED WITH SINCERELY COLLINS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook - Instagram - Twitter - Spotify - Apple Music - YouTube

STAY CONNECTED WITH HIP HOP SCRIPTURES ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

#fresh artist fridays #new hip hop #new music #sincerely collins

[recommendedlisten]

It’s been a couple months since the first volume of Listen to These., Recommended Listen’s relatively new album catch-up series, but let’s just preface it by saying this: Volume II isn’t even the half of it of new music that’s worth your listen if you haven’t already made space in your life for them. There’s more words to come hopefully sooner rather than later on that. As always, if you’ve missed any of the most recent full album reviews, catch up with those over here.

Armand Hammer - Shrines [Self-released]

Underground NYC hip-hop vets Armand Hammer -- the duo of billy wood and Elucid -- are back to worship at the alter of our new age dystopia with their fourth album Shrines. The listen is a style clash fete of trippy beats and lush, wavering loops that have the power to distort our view, in a sunken spiritual journey but never ceases to see the reality of our broken culture, societal ills, and false gods within our political systems as they truly are. On this outing, they’re also joined by the likes of Earl Sweatshirt, Moor Mother, R.A.P. Ferreira, and Quell Chris who pop in like true supporting cast members for what is otherwise an ensemble display of art rap with a timely statement of purpose.

Shrines by Armand Hammer

Deerhoof - Future Teenage Cave Artists [Joyful Noise Recordings]

Deerhoof have been at it for over 25 years at this point, and yet, album after album from the revered experimental rock outfit revels in the present moment and their own inimitable ability to mirror the events of the outside world through their projection of sound. With their fifteenth studio effort Future Teenage Cave Artists, the band have created a listen filled with sardonic joy fit for the end of everything that is worth anything in this world: culture, society, and the very Earth we walk. Satomi Matsuzaki’s vocals dance on the ashes of our decaying lifestyle as the music behind her ushers in the apocalypse. Like the Titanic band playing as the ship goes down, Deerhoof persist in creating so that when everthing goes black, at least they can say that their joy as an act of resistance put up a good fight.

Future Teenage Cave Artists by Deerhoof

Dougie Poole - The Freelancer’s Blues [Wharf Cat Records]

The Freelancer’s Blues resolves the question of what would happen if country music was centered in the backdrop of Brooklyn’s DIY scene, as Dougie Poole’s breakout sophomore effort fuses traditionalist songwriting with the stardust of experimental pop influences. Between his cosmic country aesthetic are stories that are also timely in their arrival as well, as Poole’s cowboy croon centers on a post-millennial malaise with life in being stuck in place by way of the cost of living’s bottom dollar, capitalism’s drain on the soul, or hard work getting swept under the rug. Poole’s dry humor on the matter makes these melancholic country songs go down easy like comfort food -- even if it doesn’t quite taste like your usual southern cooking.

The Freelancer's Blues by Dougie Poole

DRAIN - California Cursed [Revolution Records]

Santa Cruz thrashers DRAIN have been seething to make their official first move in the hardcore scene since amassing a cult following within its DIY circles and becoming fest highlights over the last few years. Their debut full-length for venerable hardcore label Revolution Records does no hold back on that feeding frenzy. Rattling influence of NYC hardcore as well as a high voltage metallic intensity, California Cursed is a filthy homage to their home state that chomps with disgust and reckoning for its polluted air and water. Frontperson Sam Ciaramitaro’s sneering performance ups the confrontation with a tidal wave of chaos backs up his audacity. Washed ashore at its end, you won’t know what hit you.

California Cursed by DRAIN

KeiyaA - Forever, Ya Girl [Self-released]

Much of hip-hop and R&B lately has benefited from creatives thinking outside the mainstream trajectory, and one of the latest promising signs comes from NYC-by-way-of-Chicago singer, producer and multi-instrumental triple threat KeiyaA on her debut album Forever, Ya Girl. The 15-track listen pieces together broken relationships and self-empowerment through a kaleidoscope of sound fusion blurring the colors of modern beatmaking (occasionally assisted by fellow underground rapper MIKE’s DJ Blackpower alter ego) into psychedelic transformations, funk deconstructed, and samples of TV commercials. It plays out like a scrapbook of all the voices you heard running your head yesterday and working hard to hear yours alone to come a far way, Through it, KeiyaA keeps her identity to herself in both style and knowing thyself.

Forever, Ya Girl by KeiyaA

No Age - Goons Be Gone [Drag City]

Goons Be Gone is the fifth proper full-length effort (sixth if you count 2007′s early singles comp Weirdo Rippers) from Los Angeles DIY noise pop scene heroes No Age, and it shows no signs of fatigue from the duo in shape-shifting their aesthetic. Like much of the sounds created by guitarist Randy Randall and drummer Dean Spunt, Goons Be Gone feels like a disorienting fever dream caught somewhere between a memory and the blinkering effects of our modern day calamity. In this instance, the differences are granular -- be it the amount of space left between tape loops or how much fuel they push behind each pedal -- and yet, it continues to make all the difference in No Age’s sonic spin in modern punk art.

Goons Be Gone by No Age

OHMME - Fantasize Your Ghost [Joyful Noise Recodings]

The sophomore effort from buzzworthy Chicago art rock duo OHMME is about finding your way home when you’ve so spent so many of your days living away from it. Fantasize Your Ghost certainly contains an endless appreciation for unpredictable detours and roads less traveled along the way, and that guitarists Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart are comfortable mapping their own route that oft falls off the grid is what makes the album a thrill ride. Throughout, the pair’s vocals consume an aerodynamic free will as well as constant control, and the energy they create from their collective creativity presents possibility in several forms. Gliding pop can just as easily bend into rock ornations, leaving the idea of home to be wherever it is you can make the space your own.

Fantasize Your Ghost by OHMME

Sparta - Trust the River [Dine Alone Records]

It’s been 14 years since Sparta -- the post-At the Drive-In hardcore vehicle of primary songwriter Jim Ward -- to reemerge. Between the band’s 2006 effort Threes and their return in Trust the River, Ward has ventured off the beaten path with his songwriting by delving into folk and indie rock with his other projects under his own name and the band Sleepercar, respectively, and some of those homegrown hints have seeped into Sparta’s atmosphere on what is a fitting return to ground-level after gravitating far above the horizon for so long in the band’s early catalog. Trust the River communicates with these times’ politics as well as the complexities of our own personal relationships in that way where Sparta’s roughened melancholia can feel like a faded picture. This time, it’s easier to see the faces from down here on Earth.

Trust The River by Sparta

Truth Cult - Off Fire [Pop Wig Records]

Truth Cult is breaking out of the Baltimore hardcore scene with their debut full-length Off Fire, released fittingly on local scene label Pop Wig Records (the label ran by members of Turnstile and Angel Du$t.) Its membership is familiar with spaces that form pits, as it collects members of Give, Pure Disgust, and Red Death, and their sound touches on the gruff post-hardcore rumblings of its surrounding environment. For context, they’ve opened for Lifetime, and have a very Dan Yemin-like energy to their sound that deadlifts a weight similar to what Paint It Black and Open City are throwing down. Off Fire is similarly politicized and swings hard, but that takes nothing away from the melodic gravity of the LP in a way that hears Truth Cult’s sound living up to the elements of its title.

Off Fire by Truth Cult

Westside Gunn - Pray for Paris [Griselda Records]

The Griselda Records collective continues its ascent with the diamond in founding member Westside Gunn’s crown on this moment, his building coronation ceremony Pray for Paris. Featuring his Griselda family members Conway the Machine and Benny the Butcher as well as production from Alchemist and Tyler, the Creator, Pray for Paris scales the fine line between an elaborate hip-hop opus and the the art house aesthetic burgeoning throughout rap’s current underground. In a sense, this is also the best album about pro-wrestling ever made, as Westside Gunn loops in iconic promos to compliment his own flex. Truly, he’s on the path to becoming the showstopper.

#armand hammer #deerhoof #drain #dougie poole #no age #keiyaa #ohmme #sparta #truth cult #westside gunn #features #listen to these

[metalmessage]

Time travel up to date ! "In Control" is the title of the second album by the Dutch rockers HARDLAND. Even more than with the self-titled debut of 2017, the band has managed to create a completely different MELODIC ALTERNATIVE ROCK sound from very different influences. 
This ranges from Heavy Rock, AOR over 80s-Wave to accessible (Power)Pop, with a special love for music from the 1970s and 1980s.
 The very well done cover "Are Friends Electric", which was a big hit for the British synthesizer formation Tubeway Army in 1979, further underlines this. "In Control" otherwise only contains own compositions: hard Rock songs interspersed with a single ballad. 
 LINE-UP: Paul • Guitar, Vocals Aeilko • Guitar, Vocals Remi • Bass, Vocals Marco • Keyboards Eric • Drums HARDLAND's story is something special anyway. The band started as a project by the two singers and multi-instrumentalists Aeilko Venema and Paul Evers. The two musicians shared the same musical preferences, started working on songs together and finally felt the need to record them in a studio. In 2017, the first long player "Hardland" was created, which was mainly recorded with friends of musicians. Quality immediately had top priority: veteran Sean Magee took over the mastering at the legendary Abbey Road Studio in London. He worked with greats like Rush, Gary Moore and Deep Purple, but was booked by HARDLAND primarily for his collaboration with Pink Floyd, David Gilmour and The Beatles. Thanks to Magee's contribution, the first CD immediately developed an international appeal. On May 18, the current album successor "In Control" was preceded by the single "The Nation's Biggest Enemies", which is also the opener of the album. The song was immediately positively received and supported by Rock Rage Radio, one of the largest Rock stations in America. TRACKS: 01. The Nation’s Biggest Enemies 03.27 02. Are Friends Electric 05.16 03. The Powers Within 05.15 04. Rise & Shine 03.15 05. Haunted 03.20 06. Dazzled By The Presence Of Love 03.45 07. Love, Love, Love 04.46 08. Pleasure & Pain 03.54 09. Still Dreaming 04.52 10. Last Goodbye 04.06 total: 41:58 min. In the continuation of the musical history of HARDLAND, the best of the 1970s and 1980s is once again transformed into the present: striking melodies, varied vocals, beautiful keyboard parts and tasteful guitar work. And this time there is the whole thing from a real band, which has now optimally merged. Although the main tone of the music is once again determined by rock-solid, classic (Hard) Rock, HARDLAND deliberately deviates from it several times - for example with the cover "Are Friends Electric". Or also with a song like "Love, Love, Love", in which the fascinating spirit of the good old Beach Boys and their tears roams in the morning. DISCOGRAPHY: 2017 • Hardland (Full-length) 2019 • The Nation’s Biggest Enemies (EP) 2019 • In Control (Full-length)

"Everything comes back in our sound universe", says Aeilko. "We love giants like Led Zeppelin, Journey and Whitesnake. At the same time, we have a weakness for songs that were produced in the 80s by unforgettable acts such as Tears For Fears, Talk Talk and Tubeway Army. In the choirs of certain songs on the second album you can also hear that we really adore the polyphonic vocals in which the Eagles as well as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were so immensely good. Yes, the list of musicians and groups that inspired us is endless." (Markus Eck) HARDLAND are available for interviews via phone, Skype & e-mail ! [email protected] Official PR & Promo: https://www.metalmessage.de/Promotion_HARDLAND_en.php MEDIA FEEDBACK: 8 / 10"… good songwriting …"(Metal Temple)8 / 10"… loads to like here …"(Powerplay)75 / 100"… HARDLAND brings catchy music with which they will undoubtedly score live … due to the wide influences there is enough variety to fascinate."(Hellspawn)74 / 100"… positive feeling … the group knows how to fascinate … HARDLAND is an asset to the Dutch Melodic Rock."(Metalfan NL)7 / 10"… very solid album on which Melodic (Hard) Rock still predominates, but on which time and time also nice experiments are made with alternative influences … there are also a number of songs on 'In Control' that will certainly appeal to traditional Rock fans."(Arrow Lords Of Metal)"… HARDLAND has taken multiple musical risks on ‘In Control’, adding seventies synthesizers sounds into the mix together with more contemporary Rock … in a way musical daredevils … served with a twist and some spin … for the more adventurous type of rocker something to dive into!"(HeadBangers LifeStyle)etc.[ Pic: DCH Photography ][ Cover art: Frans Mensink ]

[hannah375blog-blog]

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[savagegardenforever]

Darren's Character

Interviwer : So, describe yourself with three words? DARREN: Oh God. Umm emotional, stubborn, generous

                                    20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002

I am happy with my life at the moment. I feel grateful that I have so many beautiful people around me who love me. I hope the future brings peace on earth..

                                       Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

craziest? I'm not really a crazy person .. as in 'wild'.. I'm sure my friends will tell you I'm nuts in general so probably just getting out of bed today was the beginning of a series of strange behaviors that constitute my personality!

                                       Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

I wish for calm sometimes.. peace.. love.. those kinds of things.. the ability to eat anything I want and never gain weight.. but that's about it.

                                       Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

there is a fine line between being critical and being negative.. and you have to find the wisdom in the words that are thrown at you and avoid the insult..                                        Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

I think we are taught that happiness is a luxury when it should be a birthright... to me, happiness is not bliss.. it is content.. it is feeling loved and loving.. it is grace and gratitude..not ecstacy.. I think elation and that kind of heightened euphoria is never meant to last.. it is a moment that defines the gap between the dark and the light in your life and the life wouldn't be worth living if it didn't contain those extremes.. but in general I don't think we place enough importance on feeling good.. when we should.

                                       Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

Well it was a very cleansing experience for my soul.. I felt a lot of pain and I wanted to get it out and reflect upon it. I did that and I feel like a stronger person for having identified what happened to me and where I am today.. now I feel more aware  

                                        Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

How popular? Hm... popular enough to sell more records than last time that's for sure!! haha.. but not so popular that I can't walk down the street without worrying if I look presentable.. I'm a professional slob so I can't be having the snapparzzi stalking me..                                  Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

I hate promo..! I love singing live but I hate selling myself.. I can't lie...so anything that utilizes the live aspect is my fave form of promo                                          Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

No. I usually find that out later. I really don't think too much about that stuff.. If you click then you click. (when being asked : have you ever felt attracted to someone but you didn't make a move cus you was afraid that person was only attracted to you for being a huge star?)                                         Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

I don't think there is just one person for us.. I think there are many but we settle for the one who fits best..                                          Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

General Stuff About Darren

please! Barefeet. never the slipper (when being asked if he wears slippers, socks or barefeet around the home)

                                        Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

Smoking gets me angry. I hate it!

                                   20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002

when I can't sleep I usually watch music televsion until I get exhausted with either how boring it is to see nekkid 17 year olds sexing up the camera for fame..

                                        Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

Darren Hayes: Celine Dion live in vegas ( when being asked about the most embarassing CD he owns)                                          Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

Moralistic Darren

I – Is money important? D – Sure, I mean…but it's not God…I mean money is… I – Come on. D - …Yeah, lets get into it. Money is…umm…,it helps you pay the bills, and I'm not gonna insult anyone's intelligence by saying that it hasn't made my life easier, but umm…, you know, I don't think, if you're obsessed over it, it makes you a pretty empty person.

                                  20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002

I would never pose naked for anyone unless I was having sex with them. ha. (when being asked if he would pose naked for charity)  

                                     Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

I'm sure not in such a crass way... but I've definitely felt people have wanted to sell themselves to me to get ahead certainly.. the song is really talking about selling out.. selling your soul.. the price of fame.. whether it be giving up your body or your morals.. to make $$$ For me Pop!ular is about our obsession with fame and it's my lack of faith in the music industry and saying.. 'who do I have to sleep with to get my record played?'... and so far it's working a treat..

                                     Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

the most important reason for me to make this record was NOT to sell out.. to make ART.. to make a record that I passionately believed in.. to be honest and unflinching Darren Hayes: if that inspires people or makes them feel less alone that's a bonus..

                                     Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

Sexy Darren

I – What do you think is sexy? D – Confidence.

                                   20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002 Funny darren

does anyone really take me seriously with a fluffy dog on my lap?

                                   20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002

I – Who would you prefer to date, Hillary Clinton or Cher? D – Oh that's not good. They´re my options? Hillary Clinton or Cher… Oh gosh…I go on a lunch date with both of them. How's that?

                                    20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002

I – If you could be invisible, what would you do? D – Obviously I'd just go into you know bathrooms and dressing rooms, and just watch people naked. Isn't that what everyone would do?

                                    20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002 What´s the most embarrassing thing you've done? D – Umm, I'm gonna make something up, because the most embarrassing thing I´ve ever done is, it would ruin my career. I – Ok. D – So, I just tell you that I walked into a window, this is true actually, of a restaurant, when everyone inside knew who I was, and they were all going "no, no" and I walked into the window. I – Were you drunk? D – No, that's the sad thing, and all there was, was a, just a mark of my lips, on the window. I – So you had lipstick on? D – No, I had moisturizer on my lips, thank you.

                                        20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002

I got a bit concerned when we almost got arrested... the lame dancers were terrified and one of them kept saying.. 'I can't get arrested! My dad will kill me!!'... but it was a lot of fun... I didn't mean the dancers were lame... I mean they were wearing gold lame... a metallic fabric..!                                              Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

Well...after hugging all of you... I got TERRIBLY SICK... so you can kiss goodbye to your hugs from Uncle Darren on tour kiddies that's for sure..!

                                             Fanclub chat 9 july 2004 Well it is probably falling off stage...in various places but probably in Brisbane in front of a sell out crowd... but thankfully Daniel did the same later so it was a family affair..(when being asked about themost embarrasing moment)

                                             Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

Religious Darren

I – Is there life after death? D – Oh sure. In some way. I don't know if we come back as this dog.                                         20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002

Darren & Yoga

I'm good at Yoga. I'm pretty good. I'm competitive

                                        20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002

Talented Darren

What can you do best besides singing? D – I Vogue

                                       20 Questions on the Swedish music channel Z TV 2002

Darren & Family

I am asking Leonie and she is saying mid sept at this point.. remind me to tell my mum (when being asked when he will be back to Australia for promotion)

                                                     Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

Darren & Music

most challenging? Technically popular because it was a very intricate and complicated rhythm track with lots of stops and starts..lots of edits and cut and paste.. I loved it though.. emotionally probably Unlovable.. it used to make me cry..

                                                      Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

as soon as a song is finished being recorded I begin changing the arrangement because I personally get bored!!

                                                      Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

sometimes a melody comes into my head that is so infectious that I think it must be someone else's .. but it isnt..                                                        Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

I don't know if I'm cheekier in general.. I think popular is cheeky but the rest of the album is actually much more serious.. even pop.. is quite a dark and sarcastic tone if you think about it or really listen to the lyrics.. it's about selling your soul for fame

                                                      Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

Spin was written in a very self conscious way... with pressure to find hits and with a certain degree of ego and arrogance.. the tension and the spark was the complete opposite... very organic experience...experimental and confessional.... almost writing and recording without being aware of the end result.. Darren Hayes: also this record was everything I wanted to say for years but was afraid to

                                                       Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

About Daniel

I'm singing to Daniel .( when being asked why everytime he performs TTMAB live, at the end he sings "don't get me wrong, I still believe in you)                                                        Fanclub chat 9 july 2004

#darren hayes #chat #quotes #intreview

[fancypantshoodlum]

ALBUM REVIEW: HAIM ‘Something To Tell You’

The wait is over! HAIM's second album is here, but it's not like they've been completely off the radar. 

There was that collab single with Bastille which was fun, 'Pray To God' with Calvin Harris - a leftover from the 'Days Are Gone' sessions that I'm hoping the original pops up on an anniversary reissue in, gosh, 2023, 'Holes In The Sky' from the soundtrack of the 2nd Divergent movie that I wasn't feeling at all, and their cover of Tame Impala's ‘Cause I'm a Man' which is BETTER than the original (sorry Kevin).

While all this was happening, they were making an indelible but overlooked mark on the pop and cultural landscape - which I’ll elaborate on in seven topics

 TRENDSETTING

I started hearing their inventive brand of polyrhythmic synth guitar pop crop up in tunes like Shura's 'Touch' (lowkey soulful icy synth HAIM), 'Emotion' by Carly Rae Jepson (Latin Freestyle HAIM) and most recently Paramore's 'Told You So' and 'Forgiveness' (all of the above).

Just like The Strokes East Village thrift was hugely influential back in the day on Mens fashion (what Spin magazine hilariously described as “part Bowery Boys, part CK One hotties”) 

HAIM definitely popularized a uber long hair, leather jacket and cropped shorts LA boho look that was practically everywhere in 2014/5 (or maybe just in the hipster places I hang :P )

There is an actual website called What Would HAIM Wear?

 DAYS ARE GONE MARK II

Now here we are with 'Something To Tell You' - not a repudiation but builds on 'Days Are Gone' - a sequel and clear step forward that's more confident and audacious in its approach and teeming with new musical ideas and different sonic textures.

While still largely stuck to love songs, the lyrics represent a quantum leap in terms of thoughtfulness and maturity.

 THE INTERPRETATION GAME

 The first glimpse of this record we got was 'Right Now' which came in the form of a video filmed as they recorded a take - giving an instant impression of muso credibility. a down tempo, foreboding ballad, not really a summer jam but hot on it's heels came 'Want You Back' the euphoric banger if there ever was one.

Lyrically they could be two sides of one story, 'Right Now' a tempestuous rebuke against an dishonest ex whose come crawling back.  Like an argument that evolves into a full on row , the song builds and builds with each incrimination like thunder, a guitar squalls, Taiko drum patterns rumble - and then it all explodes. 'Want You Back' the ex, having gone back into the dating world, realises that they miss the narrator, apologises '' I’ll take the fall and the fault in us. I’ll give you all the love I never gave before I left you''.

'Want You Back' has the wistful wisdom of a folk song which makes complete sense when you learn that it was originally written as a much slower song on an acoustic guitar. I remember John Lennon saying on The Beatles Anthology Documentary (or it could've been from Ian MacDonald's Beatles book 'Revolution In The Head') that whatever instrument a song is written on influences the flavour of the song, and its defo left its mark.

I really love 'Night So Long' though. The desolate blend of echoic harmony, ambient guitar twang & weeping melodies gives it a real nocturnal, countrified, dark night of the soul vibe to it. a lovelorn hymn that's really evocative of post break up, being lost in quiet despair, resigned to another crack around the merry-go-round of Love - for the narrator Romantic Love is a Sisyphean act

I could get really SAT English Literature with my interpretations of these songs but I'll spare you the pain lol

 STUDIO AS AN INSTRUMENT

One of the common critics of HAIM albums, especially this sophomore release is that it's over produced. To be honest it's no more heavily produced than a classic Neptunes track or Timbaland one a decade before and Trevor Horn back in the 80s.

The Daddy of them all being Phil Spector whose Wall of Sound approach was a dense aesthetic that included an array of orchestral instruments—strings, woodwind, brass and percussion—not previously associated with pop music, characterizing his methods as "a Wagnerian approach to rock & roll: little symphonies for the kids".  

Brian Wilson, a huge Spector fan, used a similar recording technique, especially during the Pet Sounds and Smile eras of the Beach Boys, the most recognizable examples being "God Only Knows", "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and especially, the psychedelic "pocket symphony" of "Good Vibrations"

Wilson says "Before Spector, people recorded all the instruments separately. They got great piano, great guitar, and great bass. But he thought of the song as one giant instrument. It was huge. Size was so important to him, how big everything sounded. And he had the best drums I ever heard."

‘Something To Tell You’ (and ‘Days are Gone’ too) is very much in the spirit of Spector but with a modern vernacular. ‘Ready For You’, ‘Want You Back’ and the title song are really sonically dense and defly work in a lot of elements.

The dichotomy of the synthetic, adventurous interpretation of the songs on the record compared to the more reigned in, organic live version isn’t unique to HAIM.

Led Zeppelin live were, as legendary rock critic Lester Bangs described them, 'a thunderous, near-undifferentiated tidal wave of sound that doesn't engross but envelops to snuff any possible distraction' or in Robert Plant's words it was a "very animal thing, a hellishly powerful thing,". In contrast Page's production on the records gave their songs a sense of auditory cinema to what could have been, in a less-imaginative producer’s hands, simply bombastic rock songs.

There’s all sorts of panning and added the effects, echo-chambered voice drops into a small explosion of fuzz-tone guitar, including using Low Frequency Oscillators on tape machines that was really startling to hear at the time.

I had qualms about the use of pitched vocals that are at the start of ‘Little of Your Love’ and in the call back in the chorus of ‘Right Now’, because in the latter I thought it undercut the poignancy by having something so alien sounding in something so human, and the prior I thought a synthetic touch in something so throwback was jarring – like T Pain at the start of Springsteen’s ‘Hungry Heart’ – but maybe not a teenager who hasn’t grown up with sounds being rigidly compartmentalized in genres the way people did in the 20th century.

SIDE NOTE: In fact it could be argued that auto tune / vocal pitch shifting (techniques for deliberate misusing of programs designed for correcting pitch as a way of colourizing the human voice with distortion) is the musical signature of the 2010’s the same way a Wah-Wah pedal makes you think of the 60s or the sound of a Fairlight CMI is very 80s. Which if true makes Cher’s ‘Believe’ ridiculously ahead of it’s time – the pop equivalent of what The MC5 were to Punk?

 SPOT THE INFLUENCES

 Critics love to play ‘Spot the Influences’:  X sounds as if The Reminder-era Feist fused together the acoustic riffs of ‘I Don't Want to Know’ and ‘Never Going Back Again’ – it weirdly reminds me of families gathered around a new-born baby talking about how it has it’s mother’s eyes but grandfathers nose – all these are just cosmetic judgements that are useful to introduce the uninitiated to artists they’ve never heard about but music, like babies, are more than the sum of their parts.  

When critics would name check Fleetwood Mac in reference to HAIM in 2013 it always felt tenuous though I knew what they meant – the songs didn’t sound like Fleetwood Mac in the autonomy of the song structure but in the emotional resonance. People hadn’t heard a guitar pop band sing about relationships like that, in a style like that for a long time – since probably Fleetwood Mac and so made the connection – but the fab ‘You Never Knew’ completely pastiches the gossamer textures of Tango In The Night era Fleetwood Mac in its production to its detriment I think because every time it starts I’m half expecting Christine McVie to come on and tell me sweet little lies.

 NO GENRES

I once stumbled on a useful insight about art criticism from an article that the writer and journalist Janet Malcolm wrote in response to vitriolic critiques on J.D Salinger's writing made by literary luminaries such as Updike and Didion: ''negative contemporary criticism of a masterpiece can be helpful to later critics, acting as a kind of radar that picks up the ping of the work’s originality''.

Now, I’m not saying this record is a masterpiece - It's really good - but unpacking and investigating the critiques have lead me to some interesting places, like this douchey one from the Guardian.

‘’…Haim were swiftly co-opted by the world of mainstream pop, which seems less interested in their place within a lineage of classic Californian rock than their way with a honeyed melody.’’

 From the off this is not true because they did tour with Florence and The Machine and play the big pop extravaganza that was Chime For Change before they even dropped an album. This smells more like a Luddite Gen Xer hang up about transgressing the dividing lines between musical genres.

Music critic Lizzy Goodman on the promo trail for her excellent book ‘Meet Me In The Bathroom’ a thrilling 600-page oral history of New York’s Rock renaissance of the 2000s  - brought up a fantastic point on a podcast about the analogue kids of The Strokes generation and their Post Napster successors Vampire Weekend, Grimes and HAIM etc.

Listen to that podcast here (it’s brilliant)

https://soundcloud.com/the-watch-podcast/lizzy-goodman-on-the-rebirth-of-rock-n-roll-in-new-york-city-from-2001-to-2011-ep-153

 but here’s the paraphrased version of what I want to highlight:

 Interviewer: The time between ‘Is This It?’ and Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut is 7 years – one was the beginning of something and one was the end of something.

LIZZY GOODMAN: You could imagine The Strokes debuting in 2008 but you could not imagine Vampire Weekend happening in 2001 because there is no Ezra brain without the internet.

Interviewer: When I interviewed Ezra for Spin, I became the most oldest man in the universe! I was so angry, I was like: ‘’how dare you go to an Ivy League school, be white and like Hip Hop’’ says the guy who went to an Ivy League school, was white and loved Hip Hop, but how dare you talk about it (so well) and have fluency in all these different worlds and jump between things and never break a sweat.

LG: He’s literally like ‘I don’t know what you mean?’

This is normal to a Millennial but to a Gen Xer that level of musical sophistication is unheard of because they didn’t have the access to everything ever recorded pooled together in one space that the internet is. This Age of Musical Plenty has freed people up from the rigid lock of genre and toward an eclectic palette which is also reflected in the music they make.

  BAND BY IT'S COVER

I LOVE ALBUM ART! (I'm also a keen linear notes reader *did you know there's a Grammy for best linear notes? musicians take note lol*) when done right they're great windows into the tone of the record inside. 'Days Are Gone' & 'Something To Tell You' are really cool to contrast.

'Days Are Gone' was the start of a huge career for the band. The album offered listeners a look into their sunny, romantic lives and the cover art too reflected HAIM's bright prospects. Seated in three fold-up chairs on a big green lawn (suburban kids) the heads of the HAIM sisters are turned to the left, eyes averted and covered in shades (future's so bright, I gotta wear shades)

They followed the Spice Girls’ template of being a charismatic group, whose individual styles all added to the bigger picture - their meshing of high street and storied, thrift store pieces gave them an indie rock relatability. They looked like regular joes with great personal style.

On the flip-side 'Something To Tell You' is the glam fulfillment of that promise. It's like a souped up version where the pastoral suburban LA setting of 'Days Are Gone' gives way to more traditional iconic rock images of LA interspersed with glam fashion editorial-like images and (my fav) the quirkier bold coloured zoot suit-y David Byrne-esque stuff.

  'Something To Tell You' is a clear step forward, artistically and career-wise. You can hear adventurous enthusiasm in how they approach every song and from the lyrics you get that too that the uncertainty that was a motif in a lot of the songs from their last LP is gone and not only do they finally know what they want from life but are racing towards it. Record #3 is going to be an exciting listen.