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illustratedtapes · 5 years

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Welcome to Illustrated Tape’s favourite releases of 2018 that sounded and looked good, chosen by this year’s contributors. We’ve put together a playlist featuring one track from each of the releases featured so you can check out the sounds we were digging this year. Happy listening!

➔ spoti.fi/2LCgrQp Listening in order recommended

Delta Sleep - Ghost City Big Scary Monsters, 10 August Artwork: Owen Findley at Or8 Design Selected by Megan Reddi // IT014

This is my favourite music/artwork combo of 2018! The whole album is just amazing - it is beautifully arranged and has this lovely dreamy quality to it, with repeated musical motifs woven throughout to really pull the whole album together. Not only is Ghost City musically fantastic, but the artwork is beautiful and so fitting for the album. It is designed and screen printed by Owen Findley and the warm colours, imagery and textures are just spot on.

Definitely my favourite release of 2018. It is my go-to driving album and I will be blasting it while we’re driving around this Christmas!

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 014: Nautical Dusk by Megan Reddi

Okay Kaya - Both Heavy Body, 1 June Artwork/design: Kaya Wilkins, Aaron Maine, Phillip Wong

Selected by Hannah Buckman // IT016

Okay Kaya’s Both as an album that came out this year which I enjoyed, and which I feel has a strong visual component to it. To me the album feels sickly (in a good way), gloomy but still pop. I think the mood is conveyed really well through the Adinah Dancyger directed music vids and the album art.

I liked finding out more about Kaya’s thinking behind the project, like how the twin in the videos is like a physical manifestation of trauma... it’s something that once I read I couldn’t stop thinking about. The idea of something traumatic inducing this birth of a second self, a kind of split off part that is still attached in some way to the whole, but there being a kind of safety in acknowledging what might be a darker part of yourself, from a distance. Also the album art kind of conveys the idea of duality and how that relates to race/sexuality, but I didn’t feel like that was really explored as much. I think I like this album ‘cos it kind of ties in with things (mentioned above) I’m currently interested in, but maybe it feels a bit surface-y at times.

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 016: Protect Your Extremities by Hannah Buckman

Quavo - Quavo Huncho Capitol / Mowtown / Quality Control, 12 October Artwork: Mihailo Andic

Selected by Conner Perry // IT020

I think my favourite music/design combo of this year has to be Quavo’s Quavo Huncho. Not only is it full of bangers, the cover by Mihailo Andic is just brilliant. It really sets itself apart from the Migo’s visuals and changes the way you listen to the record. Definitely check out the rest of his work, especially the stuff for Lil’ Yachty.

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 020: Nice one bruva by Conner Perry

Parquet Courts - Wide Awake! Rough Trade, 18 May Artwork: A. Savage

Selected by Holly St Clair // IT021

I was really late to the Parquet Courts party, but actually both of my initial encounters with their two recent releases have been solid arguments for the importance of decent album artwork. For both Wide Awake! and Human Performance I ran into - literally - the artwork before the music. Twice, two years apart, whilst wandering around London I turned a corner and came face to face with Adam Savage’s superb cover work. He smacked me in the face with poppy colours and amorphous dancing forms and I loved every moment. Add in an anarchic use of type and you’ve got me shouting, “Oh shit! A new Parquet Courts album!” to no one in particular outside an old meat market in Shoreditch.

A. Savage is both front man and painter and that adds a special flavour to the whole affair. Album marketing can be a laboured, commercially driven affair, there’s something authentic - a little DIY flavour - about this relationship between artwork and music. It’s a nice parallel to the musical throwbacks typical of the bands style. Wide Awake! dropped earlier this year and it’s fab. (Although, I love the artwork so much even if it was god awful I’d still buy the record and hang it on my wall.)

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 021: To: You, Love: Me by Holly St Clair

D.A.L.I - When Haro Met Sally Burning Witches, 23 May Artwork: Luke Insect

Selected by Thomas Hedger // IT017

According to my recently played, I’ve been stuck on a pre-'90s loop. I've crept slowly into 2018's releases picking out albums like books - by their covers - and it really paid off! I don’t often delve into electronic but I love this album, it’s a perfect blend of hopping on your bike and hitting the tracks, nailing the look of how the album feels in all its haze. A solid sunny day good time.

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 017: Sink by Thomas Hedger

Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar Ninja Tune, 9 March Artwork: Tom Hingston

Selected by Katie Chandler // IT003

This cover was immediately striking and memorable to me. Upon listening to the album, I found that the artwork resonated with this feeling of odd, unrestricted expression. It's a little unsettling, ultimately bold and intriguing. Much like the music, it feels hot and cool all at once, like a burst of energy that leaves you in a sweat. It's the exhilarating soundtrack to your runner's high, and you're not really sure why you're running or what you're running from.

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 003: Porch Light by Katie Chandler

Gesu no Kiwami Otome (ゲスの極み乙女。) - Suki Nara Towanai (好きなら問わない) Taco Records, 29 August Selected by Greg Stasiw // IT009

Although it’s not the ambient and electronic fare I usually enjoy, Suki Nara Towanai (好きなら問わない) by Gesu no Kiwami Otome. (ゲスの極み乙女。) is a hoot. The artwork features a stylized neon pachinko machine. Or maybe it’s a console in a rad indie pop spaceship, which would also make sense for this funky fresh group! It feels somehow familiar, somehow alien, and altogether really, really cool.

The neon suggests something retro, and there are some retro leanings in their funkier tracks, but it's definitely neon as seen in 2018. Modern pop (and J-Pop) tropes emerge, but infectious basslines, tight drumming, and smart keys make this album something special. Some math rock even surfaces at times, and the remix included proves that this group goes for whatever feels fresh. One look at the artwork reminds me that this is one of the funnest albums I've listened to in a while. “Funnest” is definitely a word when you’re talking about this band!

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 009: Atmospheres by Greg Stasiw

Aphex Twin - Collapse EP Warp, 14 September Artwork: Weirdcore

Selected by Alex Vissaridis // IT002

2018 was a great year if you grew up listening to the music I was into. Some of my all-time favourite artists released new stuff this year, and they didn’t disappoint. The artwork was pretty excellent too, but nothing grabbed my attention like the world created around Aphex Twin’s Collapse EP. Album art doesn’t seem to mean as much as it once did, so it’s always exciting when it appears outside of the little square on your screen in unexpected ways.

This year, Aphex Twin logos appeared all over the world, from Elephant & Castle tube station to the side of a record store in Tokyo, designed in a way that made it look like the logo was collapsing into the environment around it. I’m a sucker for stuff like this; random cryptic messages that send internet detectives into a frenzy. It was eventually announced as marketing for the Collapse EP, but they kept the ‘collapsing logo’ visual going on the EP artwork, in the music video for the track ‘T69 collapse’, and even through to projection-mapped videos around London (again announced in typical smoke-and-mirrors fashion) and a collaboration with Crack magazine. Way more than just a collection of pixels.

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 002: Tape Fuzz by Alex Vissaridis

Flohio - Wild Yout EP Alpha, 2 November Selected by Rachel Maughan // IT012

I got into Flohio after I saw her on COLORS in January with 'Band'. She's fucking explosive on that track, you can feel her spitting straight into your chest. She's been savvy with her producers and killed her work with God Colony - 'SE16' was my most played track of the year. Her 2018 EP, Wild Yout is a cocktail of perfection.

Mashing up genres it's a high energy listen with punchy, grimey hip-hop that is uniquely South London. The artwork is beautiful simplicity - her achingly slick androgynous aesthetic, the clean photographic composition, with a flowing chain to bring it tightly back to SE. Gorgeous.

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 012: High Rise by Rachel Maughan

Sudan Archives - Sink EP Stones Throw, 25 May Photography: Jack McKain Design: Jeff Jank

Selected By Tom J Newell // IT004

Sink submerges the listener in flowing loops and beats, with splashes of violin and vocals floating above the sunken monolith, which stands tall on the deep blue cover art. The composition is reminiscent of two of Jank’s other iconic Stones Throw sleeves, Donuts and Madvillainy and continues his striking yet varied art direction for the label.

Check out the ‘Nont For Sale’ video from the EP too, which adds powerful choreography and styling to create another successful visual accompaniment to the music. Much love to Sudan Archives and hats off to Jeff Jank. I painted a tribute to the cover art on a 12x12” piece of wood.

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 004: FEAR. by Tom J Newell

Drinks - Hippo Lite Drag City, 20 April Selected by Molly Fairhurst // IT015

Hazy, dazed, an album I hold dearly to 2018 (and many strangely lit walks in a then new, unknown city).

A collaboration between Cate Le Bon and White Fence’s Tim Presley, the pair took an (isolated) retreat to St Hippolyte-Du-Fort in the south of France to record, frankly, crudely, seemingly, whatever the fuck they wanted to. Hippo Lite is born, a joyful, playful, sometimes quiet, sometimes screaming object.

What senses like an eavesdrop through closed doors rightly has a cover that can’t be quite understood- a narrow column of, at the glance of the reader, ‘nonsense’ notes, which flank photos of Le Bon and Presley. Both are snapshots of an absurd holiday we have been invited along to, so long as we sit across the table. A tender and private piece.

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 015: The Wilder Woman by Molly Fairhurst

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - King of Cowards Rocket, 28 September Artwork: Sophy Hollington

Selected by Drew Milward // IT010

First off, this album is wall to wall, solid gold bangers. Kind of like the lovechild of The Fall and Black Sabbath, who has been cautioned by the police for possession of a massive bag of skunk, a bong in the shape of a skull and a copy of ‘The Holy Mountain’ on DVD.

Aside from the fact it’s a full on riff-o-rama, the artwork by Sophy Hollington is absolutely incredible. It summons up the sound of the band, via folk horror infused wildness. It really captures the sonic landscape of the album, yet completely avoids any of the cliched imagery that could so easily have taken its place. It really is the whole package.

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 010: BE GONE, YOU CREATIVE GREMLINS! by Drew Milward

Djrum - Portrait With Firewood R&S, 17 August Artwork: Michael Mitsas

Selected by Sam Ailey // IT001

Portrait With Firewood is one of those rare gems within the electronic genre - a true ‘album’. With holistic production, emotional range, and a captivating narrative, this really is a stunning listening experience from start to finish. Felix Manuel combines electronic and acoustic sounds seamlessly on this intimate record, with exceptional attention to detail in his sampling and tender piano sections played by Felix himself.

Michael Mistas’s cover art is a real departure from the typical design aesthetic of electronic albums and caught my attention straight away. I love its composition and rough, imperfect execution. To me these feels reflective of the range and depth of emotional states explored across the album, and the feeling that some things are easier to express through your craft than with words. Plus I’m a sucker for pink things.

➔ Listen to Illustrated Tapes 001: Quiet by Sam Ailey

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angeltriestoblog · 4 years

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I watched a couple of movies! (Part 1)

Back when I regularly had the luxury of long breaks, I spent my days binge-watching films, as you can see from my extensive knowledge of 80s chick flicks and all the cheesy tropes and disgustingly adorable, predominantly white leading men that come with them. Sadly, a side effect of growing older in the digital age seemed to be the diminishment of my attention span: the only things I could focus on were academic requirements, simply because I had to. But, thanks to several factors—the suspension of online classes, the sudden annoyance I developed towards Barney Stinson that prompted me to discontinue How I Met Your Mother, etc.—I decided it was high time to rekindle this lost love. So, here is an unsolicited review of the 17 films I managed to finish in a little over a week! Rest assured, I tried my best to venture out of familiar territory and brush up on some of the more cultured picks, according to Letterboxd, at least.

Bar Boys (2017, dir. Kip Oebanda) ★★★

The film that kickstarted everything, which I never would have seen if the director had not uploaded the full version on YouTube. This well-meaning tale of four best friends (Carlo Aquino, Rocco Nacino, Enzo Pineda, and Kean Cipriano) and the challenges they face in law school—terror professors, fraternities, and financial difficulties included—does have a lot of heart, and is sensitive enough to show how the effect of this experience differs depending on a student's background. But, what it lacked for me was a certain degree of specificity: I think the same premise would have been applicable in med school, or any other post-graduate degree for that matter. So, why did the characters choose law? I also would have appreciated some commentary on the shortcomings of the country’s justice system, and further fleshing out of the characters so the audience could have seen why we could count on them to fill in the gaps.

Legally Blonde (2001, dir. Robert Luketic) ★★★½

The rating might be surprising, considering that the courtroom scene was responsible for the short law school phase I had in Grade 5. As if I could ever make use of the rules of haircare in an actual cross-examination. Of course, I am compelled to admire Elle (Reese Witherspoon) and how her motivations for going to Harvard shift from winning back a boy to discovering what she never knew she had and using these gifts to help those around her (especially the manicurist, who I feel was given way more exposure than what was due to her). Ultimately, though it was inspirational at some points, it felt too good to be true and impossible to relate to. (But then again, shouldn’t there be a willing suspension of disbelief when consuming forms of media such as this?)

Lady Bird (2017, dir. Greta Gerwig) ★★★★★

I’ll probably end up making a separate post dedicated to this movie and how it singlehandedly called me out, as a sensitive, occasionally self-important product of an all-girls Catholic high school. For now, I am forced to condense my overflowing feelings into a couple of sentences. Lady Bird takes place over the course of the titular character's senior year, a pivotal moment in the lives of all teenagers. But, instead of focusing solely on the formulaic firsts like the normal coming-of-age film would, it shines a light on her dwindling relationship with her equally strong-willed mother. Saoirse Ronan’s colorful performance as the human embodiment of my pre-teen self's conscience, and Greta Gerwig’s tremendous ability to make even oddly specific scenes speak to any viewer shine through and speak to me the most, and easily make this gem something I will be recommending this to anyone who bothers to ask for as long as I live.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018, dir. Bryan Singer) ★★★

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding Bo Rhap, particularly its failure to portray Freddie Mercury in a manner that does him justice. While I understand that it is a valid concern for fans of the band, I admit I don’t know enough about who he was as a person to criticize the film in this aspect. Regardless of its factuality, this still was just average for me, the typical rise-and-fall type of biopic that is indicative of a rockstar’s legacy, but with laughably faulty editing. The redeeming factors were Rami Malek’s brilliant portrayal of the legend himself—his Live Aid performance gave me chills that lasted the entire 20 minutes, how alarming—and, obviously, the soundtrack that I kept on loop for several days.

About Time (2013, dir. Richard Curtis) ★

Apparently, this movie focuses on Tim (Domhnall Gleeson), who discovers at age 21 that the men in his family have the power to time-travel and thus revise and repair certain parts of their lives. He uses this to address the fact that he’s never had a girlfriend, and effectively so as he ends up bagging Mary (Rachel McAdams), a charming American who is the settler in this relationship by default. But, of course, this gift is not without its dire consequences—or at least, that’s what it says on Wikipedia. It’s hard to trash on this and admit that I bailed halfway because so many of my friends swear by this. But, I just couldn’t stomach the lack of chemistry between the two leads; the surprisingly boring dialogue for a screenplay crafted by Richard Curtis of Notting Hill fame; and the story that, although bore enough of a resemblance to “The Time Traveler’s Wife” to be interesting, was still not powerful enough to sustain my attention.

Your Name (2016, dir. Makoto Shinkai) ★★★★★

I’m a huge fan of plots that are sure to make my eyes swell and heart hurt—I can’t explain the psychology behind this either. So when this was recommended to me and I had made it through an hour without shedding a single tear, I was prepared to be disappointed. But, the events leading up to the conclusion proceeded to rip me into shreds, as if to taunt me and say, “You asked for it.” Mitsuha (Mone Kamishiraishi) and Taki (Ryunosuke Kamiki), teenagers living on opposite sides of the country, suddenly start switching bodies following the appearance of a comet. This unexplainable phenomenon causes them to forge an unbreakable bond that transcends the very limits of time and space. I know the description is not much, but it’s best to experience this unique plot for yourself. Besides its storyline, its charm lies in its excruciating attention to detail in depicting life in urban and rural Japan, both in the realistic animation of one picturesque scene after another, and the use of cultural elements to arrive at a twist viewers will not see coming.

Booksmart (2019, dir. Olivia Wilde) ★★★★½

I can't summarize what I imagine Booksmart to be for teenagers in the future, so here's an entire scenario: It's the year 2070. Two young girls of around 16 are sprawled on their bedroom floor, watching this on whatever device they use for streaming. (Maybe it's from an LCD projector embedded in their foreheads, who knows.) The credits roll, and they instantly think to themselves, "Man, we were born in the wrong generation!" (They simultaneously think of doing a high-five, and without raising their hands themselves, it happens because that's technology.) Anyway, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are best friends who played by the rules all throughout high school and realized too late that they could’ve afforded to have a little more fun. On the eve of their graduation, they decide to cram four years’ worth of adventure in a single unpredictable and outrageous night, getting to grips with everything that comes their way in an exceedingly comedic yet refreshing fashion. Also, the protagonists have such a genuine and wholesome relationship: the way they hyped up their most ridiculous looking outfits, or overshared borderline uncomfortable stories is honestly my personal definition of an ideal friendship.

When Harry Met Sally (1989, dir. Rob Reiner) ★★★★½

Despite this film’s constant presence in every “chick flicks you must watch” list I’ve bothered searching up, I spent a huge chunk of my teen years in constant protest against the decision to cast Billy Crystal as the male lead instead of, I don’t know, literally any other actor on the planet. But, once I finished it, I realized that he’s a much better fit than I thought. The laidback Harry to Meg Ryan’s finicky Sally, both of them spare no effort exploring and debunking truths and misconceptions about modern relationships: examples of which are the idea of being high maintenance, and the quintessential question of whether a guy and girl can ever be just friends. Although their dynamic is the definition of slow burn, audiences can’t help but earnestly root for the pair—the frustration brought by the several almosts pay off in the end, as they lead to one of, if not, the most romantic love confession scene.

Hintayan ng Langit (2018, dir. Dan Villegas) ★★★★½

This tale adapted from a play by no less than Juan Miguel Severo is set in purgatory—a grandiose art museum-four star hotel hybrid of sorts—where souls can stop and rest while their papers for entry to heaven are being processed. It is here we meet Manolo (Eddie Garcia) and Lisang (Gina Pareno), ex-lovers with unfinished business. Things admittedly start off a bit slow, but it's understandable since there needs to be ample provision of context regarding the standard operating procedures of this unique waiting area. Once that’s done, the focus stays on the main actors, who drive audiences to tears with their powerful performances, and thought-provoking questions on matters of betrayal, forgiveness, and the afterlife. The ending had me rocking back and forth like a baby, my shirt soaked with tears, so do take heed and stock up on tissues!

The Social Network (2010, dir. David Fincher) ★★★★★

Within its packed first 15 minutes alone, you can easily see what makes The Social Network an example of cinema at its finest: an intoxicated Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) hacks into the websites of all Harvard dorms to create Facebook’s oldest ancestor from scratch, in an attempt to get back at his ex-girlfriend. The atmosphere is tense, the dialogue is loaded with witty one-liners and powerful insight, and the actors are so in touch with their characters they practically fuse into a single person. This remains consistent for the next two hours or so, making for an enjoyable and fast-paced, yet still informative glimpse into the human side of what is arguable the most powerful company of this era. I also heard that it’s much more fun if seen with the cast commentary on, so I’m gonna have to find a copy of that for myself!

Pretty in Pink (1986, dir. Howard Deutch) ★★★★★

I’m cheating here, I know: this has been a long-time favorite, but I guess I can still give a review if I was still 15 when I last saw this. Andie (Molly Ringwald) and Blane (Andrew McCarthy)’s classic “poor girl + rich boy = happily ever after” story is masterfully tackled by John Hughes, who manages to inject equal amounts of swoon-worthy romance and biting criticism of the inherent class divide in society. Others would argue that Duckie (Jon Cryer), Andie’s devoted best friend, is the true star of the show, and while I do agree that he has his shining moments (if you listen closely, you can hear Try A Little Tenderness playing softly in the background), I sadly inherited my mother’s adoration for Andrew, which I will pass on to my child and so on—truly the defining characteristic of our lineage.

St. Elmo’s Fire (1985, dir. Joel Schumacher) ½

I understand that being an adult in the Real World is bound to come with some grave mistakes and lapses in judgment. But, not a single character in this friend group redeems themselves by the end. While Ally Sheedy’s Leslie and Mare Winningham’s Wendy were just borderline forgettable (why did the latter even end up here with the Brat Pack?), Judd Nelson’s Alec cheats on his girlfriend and believes that marriage is what will make him change his ways; Rob Lowe’s Billy neglects the family he didn’t plan on having by fooling around with other women and making a home out of his favorite bar; Demi Moore’s Jules relies on cocaine and extramarital affairs to hide trauma she refuses to process, and Andrew McCarthy’s pretentiously cynical Kevin suddenly claims he knows what love is when Leslie pays attention to him for 10 minutes. But, none of them compare to Emilio Estevez’ Kirby, the sociopath obsessed with a girl he barely knows. It honestly resembles some sick contest of how many problems this gang can cause before they end up behind bars, with the last scene being a lazy and rushed attempt to wrap everything up, in the name of this surface-level “friendship”.

Before Sunrise, Sunset, and Midnight (1995, 2004, 2013; dir. Richard Linklater) ★★★★★

Guess it’s better to admit it now, but I made this post as an excuse to rave about how beautiful this trilogy is, the most authentic depiction of love in its purest form. Sunrise has been recommended to me by both friends and the Netflix algorithm, but I put off watching it again and again and again. I mean, what could I possibly get out of looking at two strangers roam around Vienna? Well, to answer that question: quite a lot. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy)’s relationship spans an entire trilogy, and throughout that period, they manage to define then destroy the idea of having a soulmate to call your own in approximately six hours. But certain constancies are present in each movie: the emotion intense even in the smallest of gestures (you don't understand the anguish I feel when the scene at the listening booth randomly pops in my head), the dialogue truly thought-provoking and natural, the settings so picturesque, and the chemistry of the actors so electric I have trouble believing that the director didn’t actually invade the personal space of a real couple and eventually get issued a restraining order.

High Fidelity (2000, dir. Stephen Frears) ★★

I’d like to think of this as an essay: I'm confident that the introduction is the protagonist Rob's soliloquy on his five biggest breakups to understand why he’s so flawed that everyone always leaves him, and the conclusion his attempt to win his ex Laura (Iben Hjejle) back. But as for the body, I’m not entirely sure. Interspersed between these moments are thoughtful top five lists of anything that can be enumerated, and occasional banter with the employees at his record store that may be charming, but do not enhance the film in any way, shape, or form for me. Also, I normally enjoy seeing John Cusack onscreen, but more often than not, he was nagging in front of the camera instead of talking to the people around him; no wonder his relationships failed!

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010, dir. Edgar Wright) ★★★

I wanted to enjoy this so bad, I swear! Sadly, the one thing I gained after seeing this is knowledge of where the “I’m So Sad, So Very Very Sad” meme came from. I get that it’s supposed to resemble a comic book or video game, and maybe the reason why I failed to appreciate this as much is because I was never a fan of either. I found the prolonged action scenes surprisingly boring, the storyline too fantastic, and the whole quest of having to defeat seven monstrous exes for the hand of a manic pixie dream girl not worth it in the end. Although I can’t give it less than three stars given its impressive visual effects, and appeal to the entire Tumblr community (gamers on one end, millennial film connoisseurs on the other), it’s definitely not something I would watch a second time.

There will surely be more where that came from! (I mean it. Since completing this post, I’ve finished another five films.) If you wanna keep tabs on what I’m watching without having to wait on another post, you can give my Letterboxd a follow. Wishing you love and light always, and don’t forget to wash your hands and pray for our frontliners!

#recs #angeltriestoblog #life dump #movies #movies to watch during quarantine #or at least movies I'VE watched over quarantine #so far #17 films are u CRAZY!!!!#i have carpal tunnel #quarantingz

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kristallioness · 7 years

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I was tagged by @cassidy-alice. Yay! Thank you so much for tagging me, it's been a while since I last got to answer something like this. This will be fun. ^_^

🎀 - Are you named after someone? No, I'm actually named after something - the name of a brand of a specific type of product, but my mother changed the last letter.

🎀 - When was the last time you cried? Last night after watching one of my favourite Kataang AMVs, this one right here. The song, the lyrics and the scenes used in that video all blend together so well and it makes me really emotional.

🎀 - Do you like your handwriting? Yes, very much! I've always liked cursive because I think it's pretty. My handwriting has pretty much stayed the same since basic school. When taking quick notes on some random piece of paper or solving crosswords, I usually use block/capital letters and not cursive. I have many nice examples of my handwriting posted along with some sketches in the 'my sketch' tag (such as: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

🎀 - What is your favourite lunch meat? Umm, I don't think I have a favourite. When it comes to making sandwiches or cold dishes, then perhaps turkey or just regular ham/sausage?

🎀 - Do you have kids? No, but I've given it some thought already and I believe that I'd love to have at least one child in the future.

🎀 - If you were a different person, would you be friends with you? Probably not, since right now I consider myself to be very kind, humble, intelligent and rather confident with who I am (which has taken me a long time to accept). If I were different (mean, cocky and not worked hard to study as much as I could during school and university to become a well-educated person), I might not like me as much.

🎀 - Do you use sarcasm? Quite often every day, ever since I learned what it is and how to use it properly.

🎀 - Do you still have your tonsils? Nope! I had those removed when I was a very little girl, about 7+ years old. Whenever I became sick, I used to take a long time to recover from even the simplest colds and that happened pretty often during my childhood. The doctors thought it'd be better for me to have them removed. My voice changed a bit after the surgery and everybody (my parents and, later when I returned to school, my classmates) kept saying that I sounded different, but I never really noticed it (or was too young to understand the difference), so it was really funny to me.

🎀 - Would you bungee jump? I haven't so far and I don't think I will in the near future. I'd have to be reassured several times that everything is secure and there'd have to be some soft thing to land on down below in case anything happens.

🎀 - What's your favorite cereal? I've eaten so many throughout the years and they're all so good! I've been eating lots of Froot Loops and Lotte cereal lately (Lotte is an Estonian dog cartoon character), which tastes exactly the same as Chocapic, but I also love Nesquik, Coco Pops, Frosties, Cookie Crisp, Cini Minis and Cheerios. Did I miss any of my childhood favourites which are still sold in our shops?

🎀 - Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Every time.

🎀 - Do you think you're a strong person? Physically, strong enough to defend myself but not like I visit a gym daily. Mentally, stronger than I might seem because I've endured bullying throughout basic school and learned how to defend myself against such people.

🎀 - What's your favorite ice cream? Right now I'd have to say it's vanilla Jättis by Ingman, which is a Finnish ice cream company. *sends greetings to awesome neighbours*

🎀 - What's the first thing you notice about someone? Probably their face and, shortly after, their general appearance.

🎀 - What's your least favorite physical thing about yourself? I strive to be thinner (for a good reason, since I'm overweight). During the last 5 years I've managed to lose 55 pounds and I've never been as thin as I am right now in a long time (my mother said I was this thin back in 6th grade). I'm proud of that. I feel lighter and am confident that I'm healthier, too.

🎀 - What color trousers and shoes are you wearing right now? I'm not wearing any shoes since I'm indoors, but I'm wearing black jogging pants that have white stripes going down the sides.

🎀 - What are you listening to right now? Nothing, but I remember one of the last songs I listened to on YouTube was "Good Grief" by Bastille.

🎀 - If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Maybe pink? Because I'm optimistic, friendly, feel great love for all my friends and family. Or perhaps blue? Because I'm also realistic, intelligent, introverted.

🎀 - Favorite smell? Fresh air, freshly cut grass, the Mayday trees and common lilacs near my home.. some smells I like when it comes to nature. Our apartment (every apartment has a unique smell, believe me), nice soaps, washed laundry/clothes, when my mother is cooking something tasty. The smell of new books (my Estonian/literature teacher from secondary school told our class how she likes smelling new books and her habit sort of grew on me when I started ordering the Avatar comic trilogies, those Dark Horse books have a unique smell that I like).

🎀 - Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My mother.

🎀 - Favorite sport to watch? Formula 1, followed by football, athletics, skiing and everything else (especially those fields where Estonians are participating).

🎀 - Hair color? Blonde.

🎀 - Eye color? Greyish blue.

🎀 - Do you wear contacts? Luckily no, no glasses either.

🎀 - Favorite food? I try to vary my menu, so I can't choose anything specific. Have you heard of kama, Estonia's national food? It's so yummy, I love making it sweeter by adding more sugar to the kefir (which gives it a sour taste). You should definitely try a spoonful when you have the opportunity.

🎀 - Scary movies or comedy? I prefer comedies over scary movies, but I wouldn't mind watching a good scary movie sometimes.

🎀 - Last movie you watched? "Planes" on channel 3 last Saturday (which I enjoyed, but "Cars" is definitely closer to my heart).

🎀 - What color shirt are you wearing? A dark emerald green tank top.

🎀 - Summer or Winter? Why must you make me choose between two of my favourite seasons!? Nah, I love all of the seasons to be honest. Summer, because it's warm, you can wear lighter clothing, I enjoy eating strawberries, my birthday is near the end of July, Estonians celebrate Victory Day and St. John's Day in June as well as the day we restored our independence in August.

🎀 - Hugs or kisses? Hugs.

🎀 - Book you're currently reading? None, because I prefer reading (and writing) fanfiction nowadays. The last one I read though was "North and South: Part Three", the third part of the last Avatar trilogy. I'm waiting for my preordered copy of "Turf Wars: Part One" to arrive next month, so that'll be next.

🎀 - Who do you miss right now? My old classmates from secondary school and my coursemates from university. Our school is organizing a reunion in October, so I'll get to see my fellow alumni of our class then.

🎀 - What's on your mouse pad? The background is red, but there's a mouse holding a piece of cheese. The mouse has a wide smile with human teeth and it looks really funny. Like someone photoshopped a human's smile on the mouse's mouth.

🎀 - What's the last tv program you watched? "Bones".

🎀 - What is the best sound? This soundtrack, the entire Avatar series' (both ATLA and TLOK) soundtrack, the thrush nightingales singing at the beginning of spring, Estonia's national anthem (which has the same melody as Finland's), the soothing sound of a (slow) heartbeat.. it's impossible to bring out just one because there are so many and some of these totally depend on my mood.

🎀 - What's the furthest you've ever travelled? I've never left Estonian soil, at least not yet.

🎀 - Do you have a special talent? I solve sudokus pretty fast. My friends were surprised to discover that I draw using only my touchpad and/or my mouse.

🎀 - Where were you born? In a local hospital of the town that serves as the hub of the county.

Tagging: @chel-burr @eskalations @hailkuvira @jinoras-light @kataracy @mindatworkk @snotpup @thecaroliner (I hope I don't miss your posts and that you haven't already been tagged!)

#personal #shards of Kristal

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buttermybooks · 7 years

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HI HELLO IT’S ME AND I AM BACK WITH ANOTHER AWESOME POST! I am so excited to have the opportunity to share a playlist from the amazing Emily Barr; inspired by her upcoming book THE ONE MEMORY OF FLORA BANKS.

This book first hit my radar when an arc showed up in my grab bag from YallFest in November. Immediately after we got the book, @thebookblr started reading it, and LOVED it. Taking her word for it, I dove right in and also LOVEDDDD it. I absolutely flew through this book, finishing in 4 hours, and then cursing myself for not savoring it more!!!

I will leave a link to a playlist inspired by her time writing this book, as well as a little background from Emily on each song that was included. Buy links and Synopsis below the cut!!

(To listen to the playlist on spotify, click here)

Flora Playlist

I listen to a lot of music when I write: it’s best when played loud. Music helps me block out the sound of the outside world: it’s too easy to be distracted by letters dropping on the doormat, the slamming of a car door, a conversation in the street.

When I need to blast out words to beat a deadline, I blast out opera. It helps that I don’t speak Italian or German so no stories impinge on the one I’m writing. The operatic voices become beautiful instruments. If I need to sink into a deep and meditative period of concentration - to iron out troublesome plot wrinkles - I drift over to sweeping classical music: Brahms, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich or Chopin. I played the cello for year, and cello music is my comfort blanket.

However, early on in the process, when a book is beginning to take real shape, when ideas are bubbling faster than I can type them, when my characters can be anything or do anything, and I simply have to follow the threads and see what happens; this is when certain songs and certain albums become addictive. They start to soundtrack the novel. I played the songs on this playlist throughout the process of writing Flora Banks. I played them when I stopped writing, closed the laptop and had to get on with the day to day domestic chores. I can never quite switch off from thinking about the book I am writing, so all the while these songs were playing, a little bit of my brain was thinking about Flora Banks.

1: Glacier / John Grant / John Grant and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Live in Concert

This whole album is sublime. Witty, tender, hugely melodic songs and a full orchestra. Some songs are dark and some are romantic. John Grant is a wonder. He writes songs from the heart and sings them beautifully. He has had his demons and been close to the brink. He is also a huge lover of Scandinavia. In fact, I used him as the inspiration for the character of Toby in Flora Banks. Glacier is actually a song about the conflict between the church and gay rights, but the message is clear: be brave and find your own answers.

“Don't listen to anyone; get answers on your own

Even if it means that sometimes you feel quite alone

No one on this planet can tell you what to believe

People like to talk a lot, and they like to deceive”

And when one is brave in the face of adversity, wonderful things can happen:

“This pain

It is a glacier moving through you

And carving out deep valleys

And creating spectacular landscapes

And nourishing the ground”

2: Looped / Kiasmos / Kiasmos

I played this album endlessly while writing this book. Every note of it matches Flora’s adventure. It is subtle and it reveals more with each listen. I love the pulses and the swooping strings and the periods of calm and the bursts of danger. The album is full of looped musical phrases that build and fall away and build again. There are some structural similarities to Flora in this respect. This particular song soundtracks Flora’s boat trip, away from the town and out in to the Arctic wilds.

Kiasmos is a duo and features the legendary Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds. Which leads us on to…

3: 3055 / Ólafur Arnalds / Arnalds: Eulogy for Evolution

I first listened to this album just before I first travelled to Svalbard in 2013. It’s by turns elegiac and joyous. This song in particular hits the spot. You can hear those Scandinavian winds and the piano is so delicate. Then in come the drums when you’re least expecting it.

4: Everybody’s Talkin’ / Iggy Pop / Après

I love Iggy Pop: seventy this year and as charming and as charismatic as ever. Thankfully he managed to survive the 2016 (Cohen! Bowie! Prince!) In 2012 he put out this album of covers. Most of the songs are French and Iggy croons throughout in his deep and croaky tremolo. Nobody could have predicted an album of such melodic easy listening. In it’s own way, it’s a pretty punk thing to do. I play this album a lot while cooking and it always made me smile. This song feels Flora like, especially when she is leaving Penzance.

“Everybody’s talking at me

I don't hear a word they're saying

Only the echoes of my mind

People stopping, staring

I can't see their faces

Only the shadows of their eyes

I'm going where the sun keeps shining.”

5: Where is my mind? / The Pixies / Surfer Rosa

I love this song. This song is playing in the opening scene, in which Flora is feeling out of place at a house party. The title is apt but completely unintentional - I just love the song. A dose of Pixies is good for the soul. Frank Black’s voice blows away the cobwebs.

6: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) / The Beatles / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

I adore The Beatles. How did they do so much in so little time? Aside from their massive cultural impact, they simply knew how to construct a song and perform it perfectly. When The Beatles hit Spotify for the first time, I binge listened. It soundtracked the whole of Christmas. Flora listens to this album when she’s left home alone. The album also contains the song ‘She’s leaving home’ - something I only noticed while compiling this playlist.

7: Atmos VIII / A Winged Victory for the Sullen / Atmos

This album is hypnotic. It’s sort of ambient, droning, glacial, electronic classical. It hums and purrs and scrapes and whooshes. It’s meditative and clever. This song sounds like it’s echoing in a cathedral. Play it as loud as you can and let it hit you in the chest. To me this is what Svalbard sounds like.

8: The Beigeness / Kate Tempest / Everybody Down

I am in awe of Kate Tempest! She was born in 1985 and has already achieved more than most do in a lifetime. She is an award winning poet, an insightful novelist and a gifted rapper. She writes about real issues and is a fearless role model for young women. I love this song. And I like the message: stand up for yourself and don’t fade into the beigeness. Be heard and be seen. I think Flora has some of that spirit. Tempest’s follow up album ‘Let them eat chaos’ is a masterpiece. I am following her career with interest: I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.

9: How Long? / Julia Holter / Have You in my Wilderness

Again - an album I played over and over. Julia Holter is brilliant and this is such a polished album, simultaneously complicated and accessible. It feels like looking into somebody’s mind and not quite understanding the thoughts and feelings that are there. This song gives me goosebumps. It is woozy and intimate and her voice is spellbinding.

10: Northern Lights / Ola Gjeilo - Voces8 / Ola Gjeilo

Gjeilo is a young Norwegian composer and his work is gorgeous. Last summer my partner Craig and I spent a week in Tromsø, which is in the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway. There’s a cathedral in Tromsø, and it’s s a magical place beside the water with spectacular acoustics. Through the summer they run midnight concerts: we went to one and heard a mixture of Bach, Mozart and traditional Norwegian music. It was still light when we got there, and just a little bit dusky as we walked back over the bridge to our hotel. This piece - although it’s called Northern Lights and so is from the opposite end of the year - takes me straight back to that evening.

About The Author:

Emily Barr (www.emilybarr.com) began her career as a journalist at the Guardian before realizing that she was drawn more toward books. After taking a year to go backpacking for a column assignment, she returned home with the idea for her first book, the New York Times bestseller Backpack, and never looked back. She has since written 11 additional books for adults. The One Memory of Flora Banks is her young adult debut. Emily lives in Cornwall with her partner and their children. You can follow her on Twitter @emily_barr.

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. She lives under the careful watch of her parents, in a town she is familiar with, among people who are equally familiar with her story. She has not been able to recall any part of her past since she was ten, when the tumor that was removed from her brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend's boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this singular memory breaks through Flora's fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake and their shared kiss are responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world, Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step in reclaiming her life. With little more than the tattoo "be brave" inked into her skin, and written reminders of who she is, how old, where she lives, and why her memory is so limited, Flora sets off on an impossible journey to the land of the midnight sun--Svalbard, Norway. There she is determined to find Drake, and to explore the romantic possibilities and hopeful future that their reunion promises her. But from the moment she arrives in the arctic, nothing is quite as it seems, and Flora must "be brave" if she is ever to learn the truth about herself, and to make it safely home. Rich with psychological twists, powerful moments of hope, despair, and confusion, and a landscape very much a character unto itself, FLORA BANKS is an emotionally compelling and immersive read that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit, the depths of the human heart, and the power of the human mind.

Buy on Amazon

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GIVEAWAY:

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Enter for a chance to win one (1) of five (5) copies of The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr (ARV: $17.99 each). NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on May 1, 2017 and 12:00 AM on May 22, 2017. Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about May 24, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

#author takeover #the one memory of flora banks #emily barr #penguinteen

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mpp1cameronnaylor · 5 years

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A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships

The 30th of November marks The 1975′s 3rd studio album. After touring for over a year with the success of their album ‘I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of it’ (ILWYS), and playing their final show at TRNSMT festival. This album details the events that transpired in their time off. From ballads on lead singer Matty Healy’s 6 week rehab experience, to numbers on the current political climate, this album (as the title suggests) forms a comprehensive detailing of the aspects of millennial life.

THE 1975

The introductory track follows the theme of the previous two albums, an iteration of the same song that Healy describes as “A signpost of where we are”.

This time around the song starts with Matthew alone with a piano, singing the opening line in a candid manner, leading the audience to believe it to be a softer jazz track. This is not the case however, as the multi-layered vocoder vocals punctuate the lyrics and serve as the start of a theme seen throughout the album. Over the top of a single piano, these vocals evoke a feeling of magnitude that the track is synonymous with.

GIVE YOURSELF A TRY

Give Yourself a Try was the first single to be released on the 1st of June 2018, a date significant to the band as the name The 1975 is derived from a diary entry from within a poetry book dated ‘the 1st June, the 1975′.

The song pivots around a distorted guitar riff that is repeated throughout, coupled with a drum machine esque percussion section that bears resemblance to that of a dance track.

Lyrically the song centres around the idea of ageing and identity. Lines like “You learn a couple things when you get to my age”, and “Getting spiritually enlightened at 29” suggest a reflection on Matty’s own past. This vulnerability adds to the sincerity of the sentiment presented in the lyrics which allows them to ring true with listeners.

TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME

Combining the signature pop tropes from the 90′s and current day chart toppers, TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME is arguably the most approachable song on the album.

The use of lush synthesisers, and a simple yet effective drum loop, provides a stereotyping of the most prevalent qualities found in chart toppers. Coupled with the auto-tuned vocals of a 90′s pop hit, the song eloquently blends the old and the new while remaining catchy as ever.

The lyrics are purposefully repetitive, reenforcing the captivating hook. during the song, Matty recounts a lovers argument with lines such as “You pick a fight/And I define it” and this juxtaposition creates an interesting dynamic between lyric and instrumentation.

HOW TO DRAW/PETRICHOR

Born out of a reimagining of a bonus song from (ILWYS) in the form of a Target exclusive. It is described “Soundtrack to nighttime”, much like how TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME is an ode to pop hits, How To Draw/Petrichor draw influence from dance music on the late night radio.

The same vocoder from the introductory track is used again here, Its function of building suspense and an enormity within the track is somewhat thematic throughout the album and serves to reinforce the grandiose scale in which this album presents itself.

Produced by drummer George Daniels, this song serves as testament to his musical prowess, especially at the halfway mark as the song evolves to resemble what someone would expect from a dance song. The use of glitchy drum and bass sequencing in tandem with Healy’s vague crooning generates a buoyant and alluring soundscape.

LOVE IT IF WE MADE IT

A song with a statement cemented in the current state of the world and particularly the political climate, Love It If We Made It is the anthemic antithesis to TOOTIMETOOTIMTOOTIME.

The song covers all manner of topics such as the death of rapper Lil Peep, to obscene quotes taken directly from the leader of the free world, Donald Trump. Healy’s hard hitting lyricism highlights the shortcomings of todays society.

Lead by Daniels playing a driving drum beat, the steady and consistent instrumentation elicits an industrial sound that stresses the abrasive lyricism throughout, changing only in the chorus with the introduction of the saxophone, bringing the melodic ideas to the forefront.

BE MY MISTAKE

A complete 180 from Love It If We Made It, Be My Mistake is stripped back and consists mainly of an acoustic guitar with the addition of sparse instrumentation at points.

From vulnerability in the form of brutal narrative heard in Love It If We Made It. The guilt ridden honesty that Matty conveys is the core principle with which this song revolves. It manifests in a reflection of the feelings of confusion and the sadness that revolves around growing up.

An interesting aspect to this song is the implementation of the piano. Played quietly in the background, it is the ‘Love theme’ that is referenced later in the album.

SINCERITY IS SCARY

Featuring acclaimed trumpet player Roy Hargrove, this feel-good song has evident jazz aspects, as well as utilising a choir that draws influence from traditional gospel songs.

The drums, described as a “Jay Dilla beat” coupled with the lush piano chords that Healy describes a likeness to “9th Wonder” gives context to what emerged as a neo-soul type instrumentation. The wide array of features; from Roy Hargrove’s brass section, to the London Community Gospel Choir, does not leave the song feeling messy as one would expect and this is down to the time and care taken in the composition.

Lyrically (as the title suggests) the focal point is the rejection of sarcasm in favour of sincerity in music. All of the lines for this reason are very on the nose, expressing opinions such as “Keep on putting off conceiving/It’s only you that you’re deceiving” which highlights this principle of favouring sincerity above all else.

I LIKE AMERICA & AMERICA LIKES ME

“A homage to SoundCloud rap” is how Healy summarises this next tune. A song that addresses the anxieties in the youth of America, exploring current issues such as gun control and speaking out for what you believe in.

The vocals are unmistakably dominant throughout. The statements made such as “Kids don’t want rifles, they want supreme” are an insight into the topics that are greatly debated, while also relating to current trends in fashion. This take on the condition of present day America hits hard in its implications.

Autotune is used throughout this track and also plays a part in the rest of the album to varying degrees. It is used in this instance to accentuate the melodic ideas and allows for the vocals to be used as a compositional device.

THE MAN WHO MARRIED A ROBOT/LOVE THEME

By using Siri to speak a poem makes for a somewhat unnerving, yet enticing track. The disjunct articulation plus some choice phrases such as “cooked animals”, and “watching videos of humans” indicates a warped perspective of humanity, as if the poem was read by the internet which puts a dystopian spin on familiarities we take for granted in the present day.

The love theme is applied once again in this track. Reprised from Be My Mistake, the theme draws the album together thematically, however the use of the passage in the background of the disconnected poetry seems to conflict the original context, a very human and vulnerable coming of age song.

A resolution is provided as the poem finishes however, and the love theme is given time to evolve. by incorporating strings and horns into the theme, it begins to sound once again more organic and dreamy, synergising the internet and the human experience depicted at the start.

INSIDE YOUR MIND

Morbid romanticism is the premise of Inside Your Mind. The balance between love and violence plays well into the creating what turns out to be both a love song and a horror story simultaneously.

A deep obsession is portrayed in the lyrics. lines such as “I’ve had dreams where there’s blood on you/All those dreams where you’re my wife” create a conflict as the premise behind the lines (being romantic fixation) is endearing, however the resulting actions are gruesome and disquieting.

This tension is furthered with the stylistic approach of the song. A pop-rock ballad setting would typically indicate to a listener how romantic such a song is with the ethereal chords, and slow distorted guitar being devices to indicate a sense of longing. The macabre nature of the lyrics however, give new meaning to the fixation and bring forth an uncomfortable experience as a result.

IT’S NOT LIVING (IF IT’S NOT WITH YOU)

After years of drug use, lead singer Matty took the hiatus to focus on becoming sober. This formed the basis for It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You), a song used as an outlet with which to talk about his personal struggle with addiction.

Unlike the previous albums 'UGH!’, which explored his addiction through the first person, this time around the concept is disguised in a narrative about a man called Danny. This allows for sensitive subjects to be touched upon through the medium of the fictional protagonist. “If I choose then I lose”, and “Distract my brain from the terrible news” shows the train of thought of an addict trying to justify the fight which proves a dark topic of discussion.

Where the lyricism doesn’t shy from with grappling tough subjects, the instrumentation understates the grim content by masking the song with upbeat pop-funk. Riff driven guitar grooves, and the inclusion of the London Community Gospel Choir downplay the adult nature of the song and we are left with a catchy and approachable tune.

SURROUNDED BY HEADS AND BODIES

A song with the title being the opening lines of David Foster Wallace’s ‘Infinite Jest’. Surrounded By Heads And Bodies is a song written about the process Healy went through during his 6 weeks in rehab in Portugal.

While seeming like a love song on first listening, the woman in question (Angela) was one of the only people Healy saw in those 6 weeks. The loneliness of the compound gives a sense of longing and pessimism to the song. Lines like “we don’t speak”, and “I see her in my sleep” furthers the longing and gloom that Healy is conveying.

The instrumentation, mimicking the idea of isolation, is sparse for the most part. With only Matty and bassist Ross playing on the track. The lyrics are distributed sparingly with large pauses which gives the effect of being sedated, this directly correlates with the line “The things they make her take” which establishes a haunting feeling, along with the use of reverb and distant vocal accompaniments.

MINE

A jazz standard conceived from the band’s collective love of John Coltrane, Mine is best described as a swing piano love song.

Having all the key elements of a timeless jazz ballad, it’s only fitting that this song includes Roy Hargrove on the trumpet during interludes between verses. A soft string section following the laid back jazz piano, accompanied by double bass and a drum kit played with brushes, this song eloquently incorporates all the assets of a classic jazz track.

Centring on the prospect of maturity, settling down, and love, this song reflects a contented Matty, giving a relieving contrast to the two previous songs and their sombre tones.

I COULDN’T BE MORE IN LOVE

The penultimate song on the album is brought fourth as a ballad dedicated to all the fans of the band. I couldn’t be love was written before Matty went to rehab and this shows in the desperation and intensity conveyed within.

The style of singing is unlike anything Healy has recorded before, admittedly because he finds it hard to sing in such a way. The lyrics are put forward as a conversation about the future of the band and the apprehensions of nobody caring anymore. “Because I’d give you all the years of my life” exhibits how much the fans mean to the band and this vulnerability expressed shows sincerity in their point.

A power ballad is a fitting style for a song about deep love. The soulful choir and organ sound give it an appropriate confessional delivery, this drives the implication within the song. The key change draws further from the balladic influence.

I ALWAYS WANNA DIE (SOMETIMES)

Finishing the album is I always Wanna Die (Sometimes). Matty tweeted “I think albums should finish like movies. So we did the ending from The Graduate”. This rings true as the inclusion of David Campbell on the strings creates a cinematic feeling to the ending track.

The soft spoken vocals at the start, expressing unfulfilled dreams, start the song off in a gloomy unassuming manner. This all changes however as the focus shifts from lyrical content as the song builds to a repetition of the title. The fixation on “I always wanna die” only stresses the point made, being written when Matty was at his lowest, the truth in these words bear an integrity that puts weight on their meaning.

Starting off with the acoustic guitar is a reprisal of the theme of stripped back vulnerability. It begins with a sparing instrumentation and following the vocal shift, the texture builds with the addition of a heavily distorted guitar and a fuller string sound. This crescendo builds indefinitely until the very end, where everything stops except for a haunting strings section to wrap up the album.

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junker-town · 7 years

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When them Falcons gon get here: Atlanta unites as it waits

As the Falcons make one more charge into the postseason, the college football capital and transient, diverse Southern hub is finally bonding over its NFL team.

This article was originally published in 2013, ahead of the Falcons divisional round game against the Seahawks.

"Ay breh," he said, "Fuck with me, now."

He was selling weed, walking beside me in a way that made clear this was an A-okay location for broad-daylight drug sales despite a clogged North Avenue just feet away. I don't smoke, but had to admire the enterprise.

He was wearing a Brian Finneran jersey, a regulation dopeboy uniform in fabric color (road white) only. If Finneran, former Atlanta Falcons possession receiver from Villanova, had been there, he would've been the only white person in the area besides me.

***

Atlanta is one of the NFL's few majority-black cities, along with Detroit, Baltimore, D.C., on-field archrival New Orleans and possibly St. Louis by now*. The city proper's residents are 54 percent black as of 2010, though that's been dropping over the years as black families move to the suburbs and whites move inside the perimeter, defined as the I-285 loop that surrounds the city. The perimeter is now only the perimeter in a transit sense.

* Apologies if I missed a city. I'll admit I didn't check Green Bay.

Atlanta's arguably the gayest NFL city. Something must be done about our continued slide in these rankings, though still only Seattle and D.C. top us there. When Joey Harrington took over as temporary quarterback in 2007, a portion of Falcons fans swooned.

Atlanta's the NFL city most likely to turn up fans of 31 foreign teams, I'd wager. People move from Wisconsin, Ohio and Buffalo to Atlanta. They don't move from Atlanta to Wisconsin, Ohio and Buffalo. When they come, they bring allegiances with them, then show up at games. So nobody writes pieces like this about braving the Georgia Dome. That's cool -- you underestimate how fun it is to watch disappointed Cowboys fans stream out of your own building.

Racially and otherwise, Atlanta has as wide a range of sports fans as anywhere in the country, maybe anywhere anywhere, plus respectable attendance for its home teams (look it up!) and undeniable college football bona fides.

I think Atlanta is a great sports town. Or a good enough sports town. Or a town you might not understand.

***

This has brought to mind one of four things for you: Turner Field going ghost town during the MLB playoffs, Hawks fans sounding outnumbered when the Celtics or Kobe are in town, hockey or that time Falcons fans all rose their voices as one and turned on the team to revere rival convict Michael Vick.

The first is a myth, the second is adorably true and what is hockey?

As for Vick, I was at that game, in a red No. 7 and surrounded by tealy algae-funk green 7s. I bought my ticket the day he joined the Eagles, then rooted for the Falcons along with the far majority of the Dome. Vick scored in the second half of a blowout and got a pop from the crowd. A viral Atlanta soundbite was born.

You need to understand Vick was briefly our Jordan, or more accurately our Elway, since Chicago had had Payton and Butkus and Ditka and Sayers and probably some baseball guys before Jordan. (What is baseball?) We'd had to share Hank and Deion and Dominique and Dale Murphy and most of those 1990s Braves with other cities, and in Vick's first year Chipper hadn't played half his Atlanta career yet. Whom were we supposed to ride for instead of Vick?

For a year or so, he made our insignificant Falcons the country's most exciting and interesting pro team, bringing us within a few plays and a bullshit holding call away of a Super Bowl trip.

He was our first star quarterback and our black star quarterback, and he signed a 10-year contract.

That cheer, overstated by people who weren't there as it was, wasn't a betrayal of the Falcons. It was a goodbye to the only reason we'd ever mattered.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Until the Falcons became something like those '90s Braves, with prolonged success out of nowhere. The Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith regime posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history, then made it five in a row. Four of the franchise's 12 all-time playoff trips have come in the last five years, which have included two of our five all-time division titles and two of our three No. 1 seeds. Roddy White, Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and others have already taken over the club record books, and we're not talking about guys who've been here forever.

But, yeah ... '90s Braves. The Birds have also gone 0-3 in the playoffs during this run, becoming the league's most reliable Super Bowl springboard.

It's our golden age. But local gold monitor Trinidad James has to scoff.

***

We're a musical fan base, and a specific flavor of music.

The 1998 Super Bowl run had a bass soundtrack, T.I's "Bring Em Out" provided the best intros in city history at the height of the Vick years, Big Boi is lobbying for "In The A" to replace that Godsmack-y stuff they play at the Dome now, "Whoomp! There It Is" is still a completely unironic team anthem and James Brown and MC Hammer were Elvis fan Jerry Glanville's sideline mascots.

You can't have rappers rap about the NFL without having rappers rap about the Falcons. There's currently a song using Julio Jones and company as a drug-dealing metaphor. Our locker room freestyler is better than yours. Ray Buchanan and Deion Sanders also technically released rap albums.

No other city produces coverage quite like this.

***

In many ways -- because of Arthur Blank and Vick and, back among the ancients, the Dirty Bird -- this is a fan base aged 10 or 15 years or so. Except for spurts of oddity like 1991, 1980 and ... that's about it. That's our history.

Considering college football reigned here for more than 70 years before we got any pro team of any kind (save the Atlanta Black Crackers, whose field was once stormed by my hammered, 120-pound great-grandfather) and a full century before any of them got good, I think the Falcons are doing fine.

Especially since nobody is actually from here, as the phrase goes.

***

As a California native and a white guy who was surrounded by black coworkers while a Falcons wide receiver from 2000 to 2010, Finneran's a total Atlantan. He's now a co-host of 680 The Fan's morning show.

"Lord knows I wanna get back to California, when I'm old and gray, to sit on the beach," he says. "But Atlanta is my city. I adopted all the home teams as my teams. It's just one of those places were once you get here, there's no reason to leave."

Nobody settles down in Atlanta quite like black NFL players, whether they play for the Falcons or not, with Finneran listing friends Rodney Harrison, Kordell Stewart and Jamie Dukes among the many who've done so.

"Atlanta is great for young, black professionals," he says about the Falcons using the city's demographics when recruiting free agents. "I definitely think it's a lure."

Finneran's best known outside of Atlanta for two things: the playoff punt block against the Packers in 2002, which sparked Green Bay's first-ever home postseason loss* and his emergence as the sneakiest cheap weapon in Madden history. His 2004 rendition was tall and could jump, the perfect sidekick for that year's virtual Michael Vick, the most unfair video game athlete since Tecmo Bo.

* Of the current Falcons crew's playoff problem, he says, "This is the year they can do it, and it's not gonna be an easy task against Seattle, but this team is loaded. If they're gonna do it, this is the year, and they need to do it. You talk about a must-win for an organization, this is it. A sigh of relief will be breathed around this city if we can come away with this victory."

Finneran still calls former locker room neighbor Vick a friend despite their cultural differences, which inspired Jim Mora to nickname the duo "All-American Dad and Hip-hop Nation."

He describes the Atlanta he arrived in as "a baseball town," attributing Arthur Blank's legit hometown concern (the Falcons are one of the few NFL teams to contractually stipulate multiple community appearances for each player, "from Matt Ryan to practice squad guys," every year) and wins provided by Ryan and Vick for "turning it toward the NFL."

"You build that fan base by having the team winning, and having those players in the community, doing those five or 10 events every year."

Finneran, told of the kid at a rap show wearing a white possession receiver's No. 86 Falcons jersey, says, "Those type of stories, minus the weed part, give me chills. I get tweets from young black males who tell me, 'You were my favorite receiver.' You think people forget about you ... my head doesn't get too big, but it gives me the ability to be proud of things I did and reminds me to be a role model for young adults, white or black."

***

The two biggest moments from that Goodie Mob show, other than Big Boi rocketing out of nowhere during "Dirty South," were when Pastor Troy performed in a Volunteers jersey a week before Georgia-Tennessee (deemed a confrontational choice during a show that had been one big tribute to Atlanta, until the crowd realized it was a jersey of Eric Berry's, a local) and when a shirtless dude in leather pants and a top hat played Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" through all of "Cell Therapy."

Here we had a paranoid rap song about inescapable poverty and impending global race war performed alongside a chugger by a blues-turned-metal band about a behemoth, powerful creature that finally snaps.

Skinny black dudes in the crowd threw up devil horns and headbanged. I don't know how else to explain it other than it was really, really Atlanta.

The point is Atlanta, more and more, is this place that's not for white people over there and for black people over here. There will always be parts of the city forbidden to people who look a certain way, but this city is becoming the melting pot of the melting pot.

And I'd bet there's no major gathering place in America more consistently black-and-white than the Georgia Dome on NFL Sundays.

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