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#afternoon is mid-2000's pop
sunburnacoustic · 1 year
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Muse’s Matt Bellamy: ‘I felt that we could do no wrong. Obviously, we could’
By Mikael Wood in the L.A. Times (pasted because paywalls)
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(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Matt Bellamy wrote Muse’s new album in a Santa Monica recording studio painstakingly decorated to resemble the so-called red room from “Twin Peaks.”
Crimson curtains, leather armchairs, black-and-white zigzag flooring: The 44-year-old frontman of one of England’s biggest rock bands reproduced every detail of the otherworldly chamber from the cult-fave TV show he remembers devouring during Muse’s first tour on a bus back in the early 2000s.
“It just sets a certain tone, you know?” he says, looking around the space with obvious pride on a recent afternoon.
Yet as Bellamy sat composing amid a thicket of electric guitars and vintage synths — including an old Roland model he says was the same used for the “Stranger Things” theme — what really inspired him was the tumult unfolding outside the studio, which he observed through an enormous one-way mirror in the building’s front wall.
This was mid-to-late 2020: Bellamy, who’s written for years about the menacing encroachments of technology and government, watched (without those on the street being able to see inside) as shops went out of business during the pandemic, as Black Lives Matter protesters marched through the city, as riot-gear-clad police and National Guard moved in to shut down demonstrations, as a man took up residence in a car parked right in front of the studio. Helicopters seemed to be circling constantly; a drone hovered over Bellamy one day as he loaded gear in through a back door.
“It was like being inside a scene from ‘RoboCop,’” he says now. “All the anxieties and the dystopian strangeness that had always been kind of speculative in our music — suddenly it felt like it was all coming true. It was actually happening.”
The result of his observations is Muse’s ninth studio album, “Will of the People,” on which Bellamy rhymes “a life in crisis” with “a deadly virus” and “tsunamis of hate are gonna drown us.” (Sample song titles include “Kill or Be Killed” and “We Are Fucking Fucked.”) But if the LP confronts a brave new world, it also knowingly looks back: Musically, the band—rounded out by bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard—dials down the fluorescent electro-pop vibe of 2018’s “Simulation Theory” in favor of the harder, more guitar-oriented sound that made Muse a prog-metal sensation more than two decades ago.
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Muse performing in Philadelphia in 2013. (Owen Sweeney / Invision via AP)
What are those so-called worst parts of Muse? Probably a tendency to veer off and experiment in areas that we’re not very experienced in. Most of [2012’s] “The 2nd Law,” for instance — classical dubstep, weird clarinet solos, whatever else is on that album. I think we felt we’d achieved so much with [the 2009 hit] “Uprising” that we could do no wrong. Obviously, we could.
You produced “Will of the People” yourself after collaborating with the producer Shellback on “Simulation Theory” and with Mutt Lange on 2015’s “Drones.” With people like that who are so successful, I think sometimes we’ve gone in the studio and been a little bit like, “OK, we’ll do just whatever you say.” In hindsight, I wish I’d been more involved and put more of our stamp on it. So we’ve kind of gone back to our safe space on this album. If we’re in complete control, it may not be the most cutting-edge or the most modern-sounding thing, but it’s the only way to guarantee that we’re gonna love it.
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(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
June 2020 was a heck of a time to bring a baby into the world. I came to America in 2010 as a single person looking to experience L.A. for a bit — and, boy, have I had an experience. Ended up with a Hollywood actress [Kate Hudson], had a baby together and the whole cliché scenario of the ups and downs of celebrity life. Then married a Texan [model Elle Evans] and had another baby. Been evacuated from my house during wildfires. Then the pandemic and the full January 6 Trump meltdown. It’s just been an unbelievable period to be here.
“Will of the People” suggests it hasn’t left you terribly optimistic about the future. It depends what your definition of optimism is. To me there’s a fighting spirit in the music, which is a form of optimism. It’s like the moment in “Rocky” when Adrian tells Rocky to win.
Do you think it’s clear to listeners who you’re fighting? In the new song “Compliance,” you’re singing sarcastically about people falling into line and doing as they’re told. It could be interpreted as an anti-woke anthem. I never thought about it that way. I thought about it in terms of the rising authoritarianism that we’re now seeing is a real thing— Trump in this country, but also Putin and the China situation. These ideologies, I feel like we kind of tested the waters in the 20th century and realized that fascism and communism are both just absolute disasters and that we don’t need to go near that stuff ever again. And yet it’s emerging.
What’s your reaction to that? I have an anti-authoritarian nature. My parents say that when I was a young child I was never very good at being told what to do. I don’t like the idea of vast centralized power that’s very far away from where I live. I come from Devon in England, which is a couple hundred miles from London. But when I went to see where my wife’s from in Paris, Texas, it’s like, Holy s—! It’s thousands of miles from the places of power in America. So the resistance to someone deciding how I should live who has no idea what my day-to-day life is — I can understand it, even though there’s a risk of it being hijacked by more extremist factions that have gone down roads I don’t agree with.
Have you considered becoming a U.S. citizen? I have. Overall, I actually think the United States’ structure is really amazing, with all the different ways to make laws at the local level. It seems like every month my wife is voting on some sort of proposition. I’m looking at that going, Wow, England is so behind on that front. We don’t ever get to vote on policy.
The oddest thing about that late-2020 period where things in America and California seemed so chaotic and crazy was that I felt my connection deepening. There’s something going on here that is critical to what’s happening in the entire world. America has become a kind of center point for this idea that there’s an empire on the verge of collapse, and how do we save it? Or how do we know which parts to save and which parts to let fall away?
For some people — Dom, to some extent — it made them want to get out. But for me it had the opposite effect. It’s everything I’m interested in, and it’s massively creatively inspiring.
Has becoming wealthy shaped your political views? I don’t think so. I remember all my feelings of what it was to be from a poor rural background with no opportunities and all the disadvantages. And I still have some views that would be considered pretty socialist by some. Universal health care is an obvious one; I can’t even believe there’s not universal healthcare here. I’ve also come to the view that maybe land shouldn’t be privately owned.
Can you relate to music that’s unambiguously joyful? Coldplay, let’s say. Absolutely. Chris [Martin] is a friend of mine. I love what they do. I wish I could write more songs that enter the love sphere. But I think it might be against the nature of the sounds our band makes. When the three of us are jamming, it’s like Rage Against the Machine riffs are coming out all the time. I can’t imagine hearing those riffs with Chris Martin singing about peace and love on top.
What’s the happiest Muse song? “Starlight” is pretty positive. I think “Verona” on the new album is pretty nice — little bit of “Romeo and Juliet” in there.
Do you think rock music is in good hands with the generation behind yours? My 11-year-old son likes Slipknot and Metallica. My stepson Ryder from a previous situation [with Hudson], he’s 18 and he’s really into rock. He turned me on to Willow Smith.
Can you envision touring in your 60s and 70s like Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones? Yeah, but Metallica is the one that’s really made me think we could do it. The Stones and McCartney, they have universally uplifting music. But Metallica — I’m not sure how old they are, but they’re up there — that’s really heavy music and they’re still out there. The great thing about rock is that, even though the genre is largely irrelevant in the mainstream, you can actually grow old with it. You can make a real life career.
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aidenwaites · 3 years
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We've reached the country music phase of my workplace
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cureforbedbugs · 2 years
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MIX 8: I'm Alive I'm a Mess
Sixpence None the Richer - Kiss Me
Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
Heather Nova - London Rain (Nothing Heals Me Like You Do)
Jennifer Paige - Crush
Laura Pausini - La mia risposta
Idina Menzel - Minuet
Anouk - Nobody's Wife
Bic Runga - Sway
Vonda Shepard - Searchin' My Soul
Donna Lewis - I Could Be the One
The Corrs - So Young
Jennifer Brown - Tuesday Afternoon
Lhooq - Losing Hand (7" Mix)
Alisha's Attic - The Incidentals
Emilia - Big Big World
The Chicks - Wide Open Spaces
Merrril Bainbridge - Lonely
Axelle Red - Mi Cafe (The Coffee Song)
Alanis Morissette - Thank U
Madonna - Mer Girl
For all my temptation to peg this mix to Lilith Fair, I must confess that I don’t actually know very much about Lilith Fair, and when I think of it, I don’t quite think of the vibe here, which I call “jagged lilt.” Less folky, more rocky, comfy on Adult Contemporary radio with occasional crossovers to alt and country. If you’d asked me in 1998 whether this kind of music would define my taste in the mid-00’s…well, I’d have stared blankly at you because I wouldn’t really understand the question. (I would also probably still be listening to Jagged Little Pill a lot and not processing that there were reasons I kept returning to it even when part of me was convinced I wasn’t supposed to like it.) But if you’d asked me in 2000 or so I’d have scoffed.
This is music I mostly experienced as wallpaper, heard more frequently in malls than the stuff I’m about to call mall rock in Mix 9; in every film and television soundtrack (Ally McBeal is represented here, along with the She’s All That introvert anthem); in cars when you just let it go to a random station; in grocery stores and gas stations and chain restaurants. But some combination of the three Women in Rock mixes (this one, Mix 5, and the upcoming Mix 11) are all of the ingredients of the teen confessional rock sound.
So now I’m bumping the hell out of this mix. I already knew Sixpence None the Richer, Natalie Imbruglia, and Jennifer Paige at the very front of my mind, found Donna Lewis, Bic Runga, the Corrs, and Heather Nova hanging out somewhere in the back of my brain. Have come around to varying degrees on post-Jagged Little Pill Alanis (Alanis Morrisette, microbiome queen!), the Chicks, and Madonna, whom I probably would have written off circa 1998. A lot of new-to-me non-US stuff: Alisha’s Attic from the UK, Laura Pausini from Italy, Merril Bainbridge from Australia, Anouk from Denmark, from Sweden Jennifer Brown and Emilia, and from France Axelle Red (discovered via People’s Pop a month or two ago, but not sounding like this) and Lhooq, whom I cannot help but report is named after the Duchamp piece and thus “should be spelled out in French: Elle a chaud au cul, which translates into She is hot in the arse. ‘Avoir chaud au cul’ is a vulgar expression implying that a woman has sexual restlessness.”
That just leaves Idina Menzel, of whom you are no doubt by now familiar, but who I did not know put out a very 1998-sounding album in, you guessed it, 1998.
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greenbagjosh · 3 years
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23 April 2001 - the Böögg burns slowly - James Joyce found in Fluntern
Grüezi Mitenand!  Bonjour!  Buongiorno!  Hi everyone!
Thank you for joining me on the fifth day of the April 2001 journey.  Today is Monday the 23rd April 2001.
As I was still under the influence of jetlag, I went to bed early the previous night after dinner.  I consequently woke up about 4:40 AM, it was still dark.  I did not have any roommates to disturb so I just went to the shower in the hall.  The hostel would not serve breakfast until 6 AM, so I left the hostel about 5 AM, walked to the Besenrainstrasse bus stop and took it to Morgental where I changed to the tram line 7 - note, I had my Swiss Pass with me, so I did not have to buy a separate ticket.  I picked up a copy of the 20 Minuten newspaper and it had an article about today's upcoming event at 6 PM, the Sechseläuten burning of the Böögg.
What is a Böögg?  Since the 19th Century, Sechseläuten has been celebrated every mid-April in Zürich.  According to zuerich.com, "Who or What is a Böögg? The word “Böögg” is probably related to the word “bogeyman” and similar names in other languages for this frightening imaginary figure, such as Bullebeiss, Buhmann or Boesman. In Zurich, the Böögg resembles a snowman and symbolizes the winter. The burning of the Böögg serves to drive out the winter and herald the spring."  Eventually the Bürkliplatz towards Lake Zürich was too small, so it was moved across the Limmat eastward to the Bellevueplatz, on the northern end of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung headquarters.  You might know the Bellevueplatz as the starting point for the Street Parade techno music festivals that start about 1 PM on the second Saturday in August, of which I have been to five in total so far.  
So what happens at the Sechseläuten festival?  Sechseläuten is a half-day holiday, in the Canton of Zürich, but nowhere specifically else in Switzerland.  The Böögg is a textile snowman filled with explosives and is meant to be set alight on a controlled flame, in other words, a bonfire.  The most explosives are put in the snowman's head.  Then there is a parade, for the guilds of Zürich from Paradeplatz to Bellevueplatz, to put the Böögg on top of the wood for the bonfire.  That is the plan for the afternoon.
I took the tram about 5:15 AM to Selnau station and walked from one end to the other.  I exited the station, and walked along Sihlstrasse to the intersection of Talstrasse and Löwenstrasse.  At the pedestrian crossing there was a crossing stripe with the phrase "rauf mit den o+löhnen" spraypainted, with o+ being the female symbol, I guess a demand for gender pay equality.  That was about 5:35 AM, according to the picture screenshot.  
About 5:38 AM I found a guild sign, namely the "Zunft Schwamendingen" while walking along Talackerstrasse that leads southeast to Paradeplatz.  At Paradeplatz was a big banner for the local tram company VBZ (Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich) "damit am Sechseläuten nur der Böögg den Kopf verliert" (so that on Sechseläuten, only the Böögg loses his head".  I remember from September 2000 a similar banner for Knabenschiessen, as I was in Zürich for that festival as well.  I took a tram to Bellevueplatz to have a look at the bonfire.  It must have been stacked about two stories high.  I took a tram line 6 to Bahnhof Enge and then tram 7 to the hostel.  It was about 6:55 AM and the hostel started serving breakfast, in the part where in 2004 onwards the checkin desk is located now.  With the renovations of December 2001 onwards, the checkin desk and hostel restaurant had swapped sides of the hostel ground floor.  I can explain at another time.  Breakfast included bread, cheese, cold cut meats, dry cereal, milk, tea, orange juice and coffee.  Coffee was from the espresso machine and you could order at least three different kinds of coffee drinks, all for free during breakfast.  For tea, you would pick out a bag, and with the espresso machine just select the hot water.  
As the Sechseläuten parade would not start until about 2 PM, I decided to make a couple of side trips.  One of which to Aarau in the canton of Aargau to the northwest, and to Üetliberg to compare a nice sunny and warm September visit would be to a chilly one in April.  I thus took my video camera, my Swiss Pass, and headed to the Besenrainstrasse bus stop, Morgental and on to Zürich HB.  I boarded a train to Bern that would stop at Lenzburg AG and Aarau.  There was not much in Aarau that I particularly wanted to see, other than the Altstadt and crossing the Aare at Flösserplatz.  Little did I know that Aarau is close to the cantonal border with Solothurn, and I did not take time to walk along route 5 to cross, but I made up for it a few days later when changing trains at Olten.  Before returning to Zürich, I remember passing by the Pickwick pub.  It was, and is still, at Graben 6 close to the Kasinopark.  It was not yet 11 AM and I was in no mood for any alcohol at that time, and I needed to return to Zürich.
I took the train back to Zürich via Lenzburg, and changed to the S-10.  I may have mentioned the S-10 many times in the past, and it is an anomaly in comparison to the other S-Bahn lines in Zürich.  Its rolling stock, instead of the standard 15 kV / 16 2/3 Hz voltage as used by SBB, Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB of Austria, uses the 1,000 V DC, which is long since outdated and is due to be decommissioned by 2023, but is still used by the existing rolling stock.  To avoid a conflict of voltages, the pantographs of the S-10 rolling stock are moved from the center of the train but placed on the left side (assuming the direction of travel is towards Zürich HB) with its own catenary.  Parts of the tunnel between Zürich HB, Selnau and Binz/Giesshübel allow for opposite side and switchback use by both lines S-4 and S-10, but SBB and VBZ have seen an increase in ridership on S-10 and they are trying to invest in line expansion, so the 1,000 V DC power will need to be decommissioned and only one power source will be supported.  The S-18, aka Forchbahn, is another story, which I will not go into at this time.
About 11:25 AM I returned to Zürich HB.  The tracks to the S-10 are underground and close to the Bahnhofplatz and Löwenstrasse rail station platforms.  In 2001, the platforms were called platform 1 for the S-10 and platform 2 for the S-4.  After the opening of the four platform Löwenstrasse station, platforms were renumbered, so platform 1 and platform 2 are now platform 21 and 22, the Löwenstrasse station platforms 31 to 34, and the original S-Bahn station towards the National Museum, are called platforms 41 to 44, when they used to be 21 to 24 when first opened.  Sigh, you have to admire the progress that Switzerland went through during 20+ years......  I think I boarded a 11:35 AM S-10 train to Üetliberg that did not terminate at Triemli (had that happen to me in July 1998).  I remember passing by the Giesshübel station about 11:41 AM.  So far there was no sign of any significant snow, and the skies were mostly clear, though the air was chilly, maybe mid 40s or +4 to +6 Celsius.  After the train passed Uitikon, the snow was starting to show up.  
By the time I reached Üetliberg, there was about six inches of snow almost everywhere, tracks visible but sleepers covered.  It was 11:58 AM when I stepped out of the train, and some of the snow had started to melt, so I had to watch where I stepped.  At Üetiberg they still have an axle with a cog, but the Üetlibergbahn S-10 line does not use any cog rail at all, and is billed as one of Switzerland's steepest rail lines that does not use either a cog or traction cable.  Prior to 2016 I used to love to ride the fun roller slide where you use a hard V shaped coaster and the rollers have a ten foot decline with maybe three or four bends.  I rode it the last time in September 2000, and made a video of it.  I think it was dismantled in 2016 or earlier and replaced by a less entertaining set of stationary bicycles or similar.  
It was getting close to 1 PM so I headed back down to where I could catch the tram line 7 to the hostel, get a fresh camera battery, and find a good place to view the Sechseläuten Parade.  Somehow I walked to just outside the Münsterhof location of Leder Locher, and a band was practicing at 2:25 PM, about thirty people in total, and in Georgian / US Revolutionary period costume, though I could not tell you to what guild they belonged to.  I remember there was a little girl about 5 or 6 years old with a Pooh Bear balloon.  I walked to the Bahnhofstrasse, somewhere near the Bärengasse and watched the parade for an hour or so.  There were many musicians from various guilds, and even the wine barrel making guild had an excellent percussion session.  The baker guild threw bread rolls at the crowd.  
At 5 PM I walked towards Bürkliplatz to cross eastwards to Bellevueplatz so that I could have a good view of the Böögg.  I found some place where I could see the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" corporate sign.  I think I was about a hundred feet away, and could see about fifteen feet of firewood as well as the Böögg itself.  I had a nice view, and was getting very excited for 6 PM to ring.  By then, the cavalry was circled around the bonfire.
It eventually turned 6 PM.  The time had come to start the bonfire.  Unfortunately it was getting cloudy and colder, upper 30s, or maybe +3 to +5 C.  What is important to note about the bonfire, is how long it takes, from exactly 6 PM to when the Böögg's head explodes with the explosives.  If the fire takes less than ten minutes for the Böögg's head to explode, then it will be a good summer in Zürich.  Otherwise it may be a chilly one (e.g. 1997 and 2017 from what I remember, temperatures below normal and precipitation above normal).  On 23 April 2001, it took a while.  Even by 6:10 PM, the flames had not even made it halfway up to the Böögg.  Fuel had to be put on the fire as it was going out.  About 6:20 PM, the flames made it to the Böögg's feet and explosives started to pop.  The Böögg's textile skin started burning and more explosives went off.  It is not over until its head completely disappears.  The next five minutes would be suspenseful.  About 6:27 PM the Böögg was reduced to his head and a wooden frame where his "body" used to be.  And right as my video camera's clock said 6:28 PM, I caught an explosion that was about five times the size of the Böögg's head.  The crowd, of maybe 10,000 people at the time, cheered, and the head guild's band played a victory song.  At 6:29 PM, all that was left on the bonfire, was a wooden frame and where the head used to be, just a charred out 2 by 4.  According to the head guild, Sechseläuten 2001 was declared "mission accomplished".
After such excitement, I thought I should do the cable car rotation, namely the Polybahn and Rigiblickbahn, that I remember riding in 1997, 1998 and 2000.  Then I would come back by tram lines 5 or 6.  From Bellevueplatz, I walked to Central, the lower station of the Polybahn.  If you have heard of ETH Zürich, that is the upper station of the Polybahn.  My prior ride on it was on Friday the 24th July 1998 with my striped top hat, and I took a selfie about 3:30 PM that day.  The Polybahn was still operating at 6:55 PM so I took it up to ETH Zürich, and managed to watch the other car go down to Central.  I took the next tram from the ETH/Universitätsspital three stops to Seilbahn Rigiblick, and around 7:10 PM I took the cable car up to the upper station.  The Seilbahn Rigiblick is automated kind of like an inclinator at the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas.  You pick your station, Goldauer Strasse, Hadlaubstrasse, Germaniastrasse and Rigiblick, then it makes the appropriate stop.  It was built so well, that if both cars stopped along the way, you would be at any one of the stops (Goldauer Strasse for one and Germania Strasse for the other).  I was at the top station, and there was a bus line 39 to Im Klösterli near the zoo.  Interestingly enough, for those who like James Joyce's literature, he is buried close by at the Fluntern cemetery.  I thought about eating at the Klösterli restaurant, but I took a pass after looking at the dinner prices so I went back to Niederdorferstrasse by tram line 6, where I know that prices are more reasonable.  By then it was about 7:45 PM and the sun was about to set.  The tram did pass Toblerplatz, for which there is a famous triangular chocolate bar named after it.  Also the trolleybus line 33 terminates there, still does after part of its route was cut back and replaced years later with line 72, also a trolleybus line.
I ended up back at the ETH/Universitätsspital tram stop, took the Polybahn down to Central, and looked for my favorite restaurant to eat supper at.  In April 2001 I did not know of Bierhalle Wolf, that I more frequently visit since 2011, so I did not go there then.  Instead I went to the Brasserie Johanniter on Niederdorferstrasse 70, had a seat inside, and started off with a liter of Hürlimann Lager.  The last time I ate at Johanniter, I had their Graubündner Spätzle with ham, cheese and onions, and luckily it was still on the menu.  It was priced 20 Francs.  I think 2002 it was withdrawn and the only Spätzle they serve anymore is in the vegetarian style.  I had someone share my table, and we had a conversation, not very deep.  After paying our respective tabs, we went on our ways.  I went back to Bellevueplatz to see what remained, if anything, of the Böögg, and there was still the skeleton that I remember from 6:29 PM.  So I went back to the hostel to sleep, as tomorrow would be a travel day to Bern.
Please join me as tomorrow I will see two new cantons, one of which has two half-cantons.  Then we will see a new astrological clock similar to the one in Prague, and not too far from the Bundeshaus.  See you then.
Auf wiederluege!  Au revoir!  Arrivederci!  Goodbye!
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💍 Rose and 10 (or TenToo)
thank you so much for this one anon eighth grade me would be frothing at the mouth for an ask about these two
where they get married
I know, before anything else, that Jackie has to be there when they get married, because if she weren’t there and she found out they were getting married, she would slaughter them, so it has to be somewhere Jackie would be willing to go. I can imagine they don’t have a large wedding, so they don’t have a huge venue. Also somewhere they haven’t had a near death experience at. So maybe a nice botanical garden, or an uninhabited planet with gorgeous plant life. Somewhere with a view. Definitely an outdoor wedding.
when they get married ( ie what time of day, what month and season etc. )
They strike me as the types to have a spring or summer wedding, since you have the most outdoor options, but a winter wedding with lightly falling snow would be a delightful callback to the Christmas Invasion. Definitely an afternoon or evening wedding though. Rose is not a morning person.
what traditions they include ( do they get married under a chuppah and crush a glass, garter toss, ‘something borrowed, something blue,’ etc. )
I think they definitely do the borrowed/blue thing, with the “something borrowed” being something from Jackie or Pete. The Doctor claims the tardis falls under old, borrowed, and blue, but Rose keeps telling him it doesn’t work like that. Also I wanna see them throw rice if only cause I think that’s a fun sort of tradition. I feel like Rose would want the Doctor to try and bring some Gallifreyan traditions into the wedding, though frankly I don’t know what those would be. Also the ringbearer is K-9.
what their wedding cake looks like
Something traditional, but with lots of color. Maybe they have it marbled to look like space. And it’s gotta be chocolate.
….who smashes cake into whose face
Rose agrees not to smash cake into Ten’s face but Jackie immediately comes from left field and smashes it directly into his face. I would pay money to see that.
who proposed to who first
They both wanted to propose, but Ten was perpetually nervous about it, and Rose always liked going against society’s standards for women so she proposed first. Their wedding bands are Jackie and Pete’s, since Jackie has Pete’s from their world and Pete has Jackie’s from his.
who walks down the aisle and who waits at the altar ( or neither )
Pete walks Rose down the aisle. She would’ve asked Jackie, but even though Pete was from the other world, he had become as much of a father to her as her own Pete would have been if he had lived. Happy to have her father back, Rose knew he’d be the one to walk her down the aisle.
what their wedding dresses / suits / other look like
Ten wanted to wear his normal suit, but Rose expressly forbade it, since something different would make the day feel a little more special. Instead, he wears a black tuxedo with blue accents, with just a little bit of glitter to make it pop. He wears a rose on his lapel, but managed to get Rose to at least agree to let him wear one of his more professional pairs of converse, since “they’re comfortable!”
Rose wears a white dress, but not without some flair. The skirt is just a little poofy and made of layers of tulle, and each layer has finely embroidered light pink flowers on it. Her veil continues the flowery theme, with white and light pink petals making up the headband thing, and absolutely with some glitter. Is there body glitter involved? Maybe! And, since the Doctor was wearing comfortable shoes, Rose also wore a pair of sneakers, since “Nobody will see them anyway.” I watch a lot of say yes to the dress I’m sorry
what their wedding colour scheme is and what sort of decor they have
I like the idea of blue and pink, but not in an oppressively heterosexual kind of way. However, if they didn’t care about the scheme matching their outfits (i’m a coordination kind of man sue me), I would love to see a scheme based off of the amber, earthy tones of the tardis interior. Their decor isn’t over the top, but it’s not minimalist by any means. Lots of appropriately colored streamers, flower arches, the whole nine yards.
what flowers are in the bouquet ( if applicable. bonus: what do the flowers mean? )
I don’t know shit about flower language so we’re gonna ignore that. I like the idea of Rose having a lot of pale pink flowers in her bouquet to match her dress, flowers with character. Maybe they get flowers from another planet.
what their vows are ( eg poetry, traditional, improvised etc. )
They write their own vows, and everyone assumes that the Doctor’s gonna be long-winded and Rose is gonna be short and sweet. But instead, Rose has long, detailed, emotional vows, leaving much of the crowd in tears, recounting everything they’ve been through and how he changed her life. The Doctor is by no means succinct, but his is definitely shorter. He talks about how Rose came into his life at such a dark time, and how she helped him forge a new path, giving him hope for the future.
if anyone’s late to the wedding
I know this doesn’t agree with the timeline of anything (if we’re assuming they get married before the end of season 2) but I think it would be extremely funny if Jack decides to roll up late to the reception and ask them both for a dance.
who’s in the bridal parties / groomsmen / other
Ok so Jackie is definitely one of the bridesmaids, and so is Sarah Jane, and I can imagine Rose would want some of her old friends to be bridesmaids too. Hell, Jackie can be the maid of honor, why not. The Doctor has Mickey be one of his groomsmen as well as Pete, and frankly I can’t remember any other male characters close enough to them to be at their wedding.
what their bridal party / groomsmen / other are wearing
Definitely something coordinated. The bridesmaids are wearing pink, and dresses that by modern standards are a lil gaudy but by late 2000′s standards were all the rage. The groomsmen... I dunno. Suits.
who gives speeches at the reception ( bonus: what do they say? recount a sweet memory or two between them? tell an embarrassing story? )
Oh, there’s lots of speeches. Jackie gives an emotional one, Pete gives a short but sweet one, Sarah Jane gives one. Jack, if he decides to roll up, absolutely tries to flirt with the both of them, but in the end it all comes together in a heartwarming story of how he just knew the two of them were meant for each other.
who catches the bouquet( s )
One of Rose’s old friends. Rose feels bad for having left them all for so long, and is positively overjoyed that at least one of them can catch the bouquet. Maybe it means there’ll be a wedding in the future they can attend.
what their wedding photos are like ( are they sweet, with the couple holding hands or kissing or ~gazing into each others eyes~? are they silly, with a snapshot of the ‘cake-smash’ moment? or are they artistic, with one of them facing the sunset or holding their bouquets? )
They have the serious ones, of course, the ones that you’ll frame and hang on your living room wall, but they have a lot of fun ones. Running into the sea, pretending to fall off cliffs, shooting aliens with laser guns. They take a number of pictures in the tardis, but the one they love the most is right outside it, with the tardis door open, framing them like an archway. They’re facing each other, staring into each others eyes, hands locked, and you can tell immediately that they’re so very much in love.
what sort of food they have at the reception
Stuff that’s a little fancy, but mostly tasty. The staples, like your fish option, your meat option, what have you. But there are french fries, which Rose wanted, jokingly saying it was because the Doctor had never paid for chips in his life.
who cries first during the ceremony
Jackie, out of happiness. But as things get going, just about everyone sheds a tear or two. Rose cries walking down the aisle, and the Doctor cries during his vows.
how wild their reception gets ( who dances the best, who gets drunk first, etc. )
Since it’s not a big party, things don’t get overly rowdy, but there are absolutely some drunken shenanigans. It takes some effort to get him tipsy, but eventually, the Doctor does the YMCA on a table.
what their rings are like
Definitely Jackie and Pete’s rings. But, if they didn’t do that, I can imagine they’d have simple, practical bands, perfect for the fast-paced life they live.
what sort of favours they have ( heart shaped sparklers, mini champagne bottles, personalised candy etc. )
I love the personalized candy idea so they definitely have those. I think they’d want to give out practical favors, like maybe engraved portable chargers (i know, i know, i’m messing up the timeline), but not without fun stuff like miniature nerf guns.
where they go for their honeymoon
Everywhere! Across space and time, they visit both their greatest hits and fun new places. They visit Miami Beach, watch fireworks on Mars, learn how to shoot bows and arrows on a planet out by Alpha Centauri.
something memorable that happens during the party / ceremony ( do they run out of ice and someone goes to get it in full formal wear on foot, does anyone fall asleep in the middle of the party, etc. )
Ok if Jack shows up, he would absolutely be the memorable moment. I’m picturing him teleporting in mid-party or even mid-ceremony, bringing confetti with him. If you’re gonna crash a wedding, might as well make it memorable.
who officiates the ceremony
I think it would be really sweet if Sarah Jane officiated it, and she also seems like the one most likely to be legally able to do so. They could just hire a minister, but given the nature of their lifestyles, they probably wouldn’t want some rando being like “what kinda nonsense wedding is this”
what song their first dance is to
I’m gonna be honest. I have no idea. But I do know that their second dance HAS to be Tainted Love, since that was from their first real adventure together, and I love shit coming full circle.
Thanks for the ask! sorry it got so long, it’s a long ask meme lol and I have a lot of thots. I love tenrose and would officiate their marriage myself. actually i’m ordained so i could legally do it.
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derangedangel · 4 years
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Halloween Endgame - Stiles Stilinski
Stiles Stilinski x Reader
Summary: The pack decides to dress up as the Scooby-Doo gang for Halloween with you as Velma and Stiles as Shaggy, but the rest of the pack notice something is going on between the two of you. 
Word Count: 1,581 
Author’s Note: Let’s get freaking spooky! If Stiles Stilinski as Shaggy hasn’t been done yet, it’s a shame. 
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Last year Stiles was worried about the pack staying together during College. Over time, he learned to live with the distance. Just because you all were separated, didn’t make you any less friends than before. Plus with Lydia at Stanford and Scott at UC Davis, you all could find time to see each other. You and Stiles manged to see each other a lot more than the others because you both attended UCLA.
The two of you spent Monday nights studying in the library, Wednesday afternoons in the student union, and Friday nights picking Netflix shows to binge in Stiles’ dorm. It wasn’t long before your friendship began to develop into something more, but the both of you were hesitant to tell your friends. The relationship was still new and neither of you wanted to add the pressure of the pack knowing.
For Halloween, you all planned to meet up and spend the weekend together. You all agreed it would make the most sense for Scott and Lydia to come to you and Stiles. Liam felt left out when you told him the others were coming for a visit, making you feel bad. You invited him to come down thinking his parents wouldn’t even allow it, but he convinced them it was so he could see what the college was like. Mason couldn’t tag along because he already had plans with Corey. And Malia was still in Paris living her best life with those French men she kept talking about over the summer.
When Liam said he could come, you came up with the perfect idea for a group costume.
“Scooby-Doo?”
“It’s perfect, Stiles,” you said excited, your face lighting up. “Lydia’s got the red hair and the beauty for Daphne, Scott is our Alpha like Freddy, you’re tall and lanky with brown hair like Shaggy, and Liam’s like a puppy, so he’d be a great Scooby.”
“And what about you? You’d be Velma, right,” Stiles asked from next to you at your usual table in the student union.
“Yeah,” you shrugged, “only cause she’s the last one left, but hey, it works out since there’s five of us.”
“Hey,” he said elbowing you, “you’ve got Velma’s brains,” Stiles tried to reason.
“We all know Lydia’s the smart one,” you said absentmindedly as you scrolled on your phone.
“You got into UCLA, Y/N. They don’t let just anyone in here.”
Your only response was your mouth twisting up briefly.
“I know,” Stiles said scooting closer to you, the sound of his chair sliding across the union floor making a loud screeching noise. “You just want to be Velma because her and Shaggy are together.” Your lips turned upwards and you rolled your eyes. “Y/N, if you wanted to do a couples costume, all you had to do was ask.”
You laughed then said, “Shaggy and Velma aren’t canon. That wouldn’t be a couple’s costume.”
Stiles threw his arm over your shoulder. “But we all know Shaggy and Velma end up together. It’s a friends to lovers trope.”
Your eyebrows raised up. “Someone’s been listening to me talk about my writing class.”
“Great listener! Add that to the list of things that make me an incredible boyfriend,” Stiles said grinning.
“Well just make sure this incredible boyfriend,” you said while grabbing Stiles chin and shaking his head, “doesn’t mention that he’s my boyfriend when our friends come.”
“I know, I know,” Stiles replied as you let go of his chin. “We both decided it would be better if they didn’t know right now. But if I get caught ogling my hot girlfriend and they start asking questions, I won’t lie.”
You giggled while you shook your head. “Then keep your eyes in your head Shaggy.”
Stiles raised his hands in defense. “I make no promises.”
                              ____________________________________
Stiles, Lydia, and you pregamed in your dorm before you went out. Scott thought at least one of you should be sober so someone would be responsible in the group. Even though Scott and Liam couldn’t get drunk without the help of some wolfsbane, you personally told Liam’s parents you would keep him out of trouble, so you forbid him from drinking anything. 
Early 2000′s Britney Spears blasted from you speakers as you painted a dog nose over Liam’s nose. Lydia was in the mirror touching up her makeup. Meanwhile, Scott was trying to convince Stiles he shouldn’t take another shot before you guys went out.
“Maybe you should slow down on the shots Stiles,” Scott said loosening his orange ascot around his neck. 
“I’ve learned to handle my liquor a little better since being in college Scotty, I’m not a light weight anymore.” Stiles brought the shot glass to his lips and tossed his head back. “Ahh,” he cried as the clear liquid burned his throat. 
Stiles watched you as you finished up Liam’s dog nose. He squinted a little annoyed at how happy Liam looked staring up at you in the chair. Everyone in the pack knew Liam always had a little crush on you. 
“Maybe we should get Liam a doggy bowl for some water. He’s looking a little thirsty,” Stiles mumbled more to himself than to Scott. 
“What,” Scott said turning to look at Liam smiling up at you. “Oh, he’s still like a puppy around Y/N,” he said with a chuckle. “It went away when he started dating Hayden, but since she moved away I guess his crush is back.”
After Liam’s dog nose was finished, he walked over to Scott and Stiles. Lydia began helping you get your Velma wig on so all of you could head out. 
Stiles looked over and watched you get ready in the mirror. Scott and Liam were talking and Stiles was completely zoned out staring at you.
“Stiles,” Scott shouted slapping Stiles on the back. 
“Huh, what,” Stiles said as he jumped becoming aware of his friends around him. 
“We were asking you about getting something to eat before the party,” Scott said.
“But you were too busy staring at Y/N,” Liam said suspiciously as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“I was just admiring her Velma costume,” Stiles said shifting from one foot to the other. “I don’t remember Velma being that hot in the cartoon, ya know,” he said trying to laugh it off but being serious. 
“Yeah...,” Liam said not buying what Stiles was saying.
                             ____________________________________
Stiles’ hands rested on your hips while yours grabbed his arms as you both laughed uncontrollably. The two of you always had a good time together, but the combination of the Halloween party and the alcohol was intensifying things.
Scott, Lydia, and Liam watched the two of you together trying to figure out what was going on.
“Those two have gotten real close since being here,” Liam said squinting his eyes over at you.
“They’ve always been close. They’re just drunk,” Scott said defending you two.
“That’s not it,” Lydia said as she fiddled with her ascot. “Those two aren’t telling us something.”
“If there was something to tell, they would tell us,” Scott said.
“Oh come on Scott,” Lydia said. “I know you see it too. He’s your best friend.”
Scott thought about it for a second. “He did say something earlier that made me think something was going on, but it’s Stiles. If him and Y/N were together, he would tell me.”
Lydia hummed as she twirled her ascot around her manicured finger. Some guy asked her to dance, and as soon the song was over, she quickly came back over to the boys. Liam and Scott were bopping up and down the pop rock song the DJ played next. 
“I think they just answered our ‘what’s-going-on-between-Y/N-and-Stiles’ question,” Lydia said pointing over to the two of you. Scott and Liam turned around and witnessed the two of you playing tonsil hockey on the dance floor. Scott’s mouth dropped to the floor and Liam’s face scrunched up in disgust. 
Your eyes grew wide before you pushed Stiles away. He tried to pull you close again, his eyes still closed as he puckered his lips. You laughed while you tried to keep him at arms distance. “Stiles! We’re not supposed to be kissing right now remember.” 
Stiles opened his eyes and looked around. “Well I don’t think it matters anymore.” 
You scrunched your eyebrows in confusion. “Why not?” 
“Because our friends are watching us,” Stiles said nodding his head in their direction. You turned and looked at them, Lydia giving a dainty wave to the two of you.
 “Oh my God,” you said giggling. 
“Since they know now, we might as well get back to our previously schedule program.” 
“And what program was that,” you replied smiling up at your boyfriend. Stiles pulled you closer to him.
“That episode of Scooby-Doo where Velma and Shaggy finally come clean about their relationship and tell the gang.” 
You turned your head to the side and pretended to think. “Ginkies, I don’t think I remember that episode.” 
“Zioks! Well let me remind you,” Stiles said before leaning down and reconnecting your lips. You started laughing uncontrollably mid kiss and Stiles pulled away smiling at you.“Is my kissing that horrible?” 
“No,” you said shaking your head while you laughed. “It’s just the way you said Zoinks and the whole Shaggy get up makes me really feel like I’m kissing Shaggy.” 
Stiles let you finish your laughing fit before he spoke. “So, does this mean Shaggy and Velma are canon now?”
You reached up and pushed his hair back gazing into his brown eyes. “Canon. OTP. Endgame. Baby, we are everything.” 
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blackkudos · 4 years
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Shirley Horn
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Shirley Valerie Horn (May 1, 1934 – October 20, 2005) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She collaborated with many jazz greats including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and others. She was most noted for her ability to accompany herself with nearly incomparable independence and ability on the piano while singing, something described by arranger Johnny Mandel as "like having two heads", and for her rich, lush voice, a smoky contralto, which was described by noted producer and arranger Quincy Jones as "like clothing, as she seduces you with her voice".
Biography
Shirley Horn was born and raised in Washington, D.C.. Encouraged by her grandmother, an amateur organist, Horn began piano lessons at the age of four. Aged 12, she studied piano and composition at Howard University, later graduating from there in classical music. Horn was offered a place at the Juilliard School, but her family could not afford to send her there. Horn formed her first jazz piano trio when she was 20. Horn's early piano influences were Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson and Ahmad Jamal, and moving away from her classical background, Horn later said that "Oscar Peterson became my Rachmaninov, and Ahmad Jamal became my Debussy." She then became enamored with the famous U Street jazz area of Washington (largely destroyed in the 1968 riots), sneaking into jazz clubs before she was of legal age.
According to jazz journalist James Gavin, the small New York City record label Stere-O-Craft discovered Horn in Washington, D.C. and brought her to New York to record her first album, 1960's Embers and Ashes. Horn had recorded with violinist Stuff Smith in Washington, D.C. in 1959, as a pianist in one of the rhythm sections featured on Cat on a Hot Fiddle. Unfortunately for Horn, Verve Records did not include her name on the album's list of backing musicians, and the experience did not raise her professional profile.(A later reissue of Stuff Smith's Verve recordings on Mosaic Records documented Horn's participation, and included three Horn vocal performances of George Gershwin songs that were left off the album.)
Horn's Embers and Ashes record attracted the attention of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, who praised Horn publicly and invited her to play intermission sets during his performances at the Village Vanguard. Davis's praise had particular resonance in two respects: because he was highly respected as a musician, and because he rarely offered public praise for fellow musicians at that time. A 1961 live performance recorded in St. Louis' Gaslight Square district was eventually released on LP under the title "Live" at the Village Vanguard. (A later CD reissue of this material was released under the title At the Gaslight Square 1961).
By 1962, Horn had attracted the attention of Mercury Records vice-president (and jazz arranger) Quincy Jones, who signed Horn to Mercury. On her two Mercury LPs, Horn was placed in a traditional pop setting with medium-sized jazz orchestra, and on neither album did she play piano. According to jazz journalist James Gavin, a third Mercury LP was recorded but never issued, and as of 1993, the tapes for that album were presumed to be lost. Horn's final LP of the 1960s was 1965's Travelin' Light, recorded for ABC-Paramount. She was popular with jazz critics, but did not achieve significant popular success.
Though she had recorded a song by The Beatles on Travelin' Light, Horn for the most part resisted efforts to remake her into a popular singer in the mid-1960s, later saying of such attempts "I will not stoop to conquer." From the late-1960s to the early 1980s, she was semi-retired from music, staying in Washington, D.C. to raise her daughter Rainy with her husband, Sheppard Deering (whom she had married in 1955), and largely limiting her music to local performances. She made one album in 1972 for Perception Records, but the record received little notice, and Horn did not tour to promote it.
In 1978, Horn's career got a boost when SteepleChase Records of Denmark tracked her down in Washington, D.C. and offered to record her with drummer Billy Hart, (whom Horn had known for many years) and bassist Buster Williams. The resulting album, A Lazy Afternoon was the first of a total of four Horn albums released by SteepleChase between 1978 and 1984. Horn also began to play engagements in North America and Europe, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, where two of her albums were recorded.
In 1986, Horn signed a one-record deal with CBS-Sony for the Japanese market and released All of Me, a studio session recorded in New York City with her regular trio and guest Frank Wess on three tracks. By early 1987, Verve Records was pursuing a recording contract with her, and in May of that year, the live album I Thought About You, her first for Verve, was recorded in Hollywood. Horn recorded one further session for an indepdendent jazz label (1987's Softly, for Audiophile Records), then returned to Verve. She released a total of 11 studio and live albums for the label during her lifetime (additional compilation albums added to this total). Horn's most commercially successful years were spent with Verve, and the label helped her find a large international audience.
Miles Davis made a rare appearance as a sideman on Horn's 1991 album You Won't Forget Me. Although she preferred to perform in small settings, such as her trio, she also recorded with orchestras, as on the 1992 album Here's to Life, the title song of which became her signature song. A video documentary of Horn's life and music was released at the same time as "Here's To Life" and shared its title. At the time, arranger Johnny Mandel commented that Horn's piano skill was comparable to that of the noted jazz great Bill Evans. A follow-up was made in 2001, named You're My Thrill.
Horn worked with the same rhythm section for 25 years: Charles Ables (bass) and Steve Williams (drums). Don Heckman wrote in the Los Angeles Times (February 2, 1995) about "the importance of bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams to Horn's sound. Working with boundless subtlety, following her every spontaneous twist and turn, they were the ideal accompanists for a performer who clearly will tolerate nothing less than perfection".
Her albums Here's to Life, Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles) and I Love You, Paris all reached number one on the Billboard jazz charts.
A breast cancer survivor, she had been battling diabetes when she died of complications from the condition, aged 71. She is interred at Ft. Lincoln Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Since her death, concert recordings of Horn have been released on CD and DVD by Resonance Records and Image Entertainment.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Shirley Horn among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Awards and honors
Horn was nominated for nine Grammy Awards during her career, winning the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards for I Remember Miles, a tribute to her friend and mentor (the album's cover featuring a Miles Davis drawing of them both).
She was officially recognized by the 109th US Congress for "her many achievements and contributions to the world of jazz and American culture", and performed at The White House for several U.S. presidents. Horn was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Berklee College of Music in 2002.
She was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2005 (the highest honors that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians).
Discography
As leader
Embers and Ashes (Stere-o-Craft, 1960)
Loads of Love (Mercury, 1963)
Shirley Horn with Horns (Mercury, 1963)
Travelin' Light (ABC-Paramount, 1965)
Where Are You Going (Perception, 1973)
A Lazy Afternoon (SteepleChase, 1979)
All Night Long (SteepleChase, 1981)
Violets for Your Furs (SteepleChase, 1982)
The Garden of the Blues (SteepleChase, 1985)
I Thought About You (Verve, 1987)
All of Me (CBS/Sony, 1987)
Softly (Audiophile, 1988)
Close Enough for Love (Verve, 1989)
You Won't Forget Me (Verve, 1991)
Here's to Life (Verve, 1992)
Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles) (Verve, 1993)
I Love You, Paris (Verve, 1994)
The Main Ingredient (Verve, 1996)
Loving You (Verve, 1997)
I Remember Miles (Verve, 1998)
May the Music Never End (Verve, 2003)
You're My Thrill (Verve, 2000)
Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz with Guest Shirley Horn (Jazz Alliance, 2006)
Live at the 1994 Monterey Jazz Festival (Concord, 2008)
Live at the Four Queens (Resonance, 2016)
As guest
Benny Carter, Benny Carter Songbook (MusicMasters, 1997)
Bill Charlap, Stardust (Blue Note, 2003)
Benny Golson, One Day, Forever (Arkadia Jazz, 2001)
Charlie Haden, The Art of the Song (Verve, 1999)
Quincy Jones, For Love of Ivy (ABC, 1968)
Carmen McRae, Sarah: Dedicated to You (BMG/Novus, 1991)
Oscar Peterson, A Tribute to Oscar Peterson – Live at the Town Hall (Telarc, 1996)
Jeffery Smith, Ramona (Gitanes/Verve, 1995)
Stuff Smith, Cat on a Hot Fiddle (Verve, 1960)
Clark Terry, Live on QE2 (Chiaroscuro, 2001)
Toots Thielemans, For My Lady (EmArcy, 1991)
Joe Williams, In Good Company (Verve, 1989)
DVD
Live at the Village Vanguard (Lucy II, 2006)
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My 18 Favorite Albums of 2018
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Well...Here it is again! 2018 was a...YEAR. One of the toughest I’ve had so far. But full of hard work, growth, challenges, & little victories. Here are some of the albums that soundtracked it. 18 releases that I loved & supported. Songs that helped me make it through. For the seventh year in a row...My favorite albums. Listed here in no particular order (unless you know/enjoy the english alphabet). Top 5 are probably Monae, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Field Report, McEntire, & Liza Anne, in that order. Music marks time & space. These are the ones for this year. Enjoy! 
AMERICAN TRAPPIST   /   Tentanda Via
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       We start our 2018 journey in a comfortingly familiar place with the second official full length album from Toms River, New Jersey’s American Trappist. His self-titled debut made my 2016 favs list and his old band River City Extension (top 5 reunion tour wish list for sure!) were second to Fun. on my list way back in 2012. Safe to say Joe Michelini is one my favorite songwriters of the last 10 years. Lucky for us, 2018 found Michelini writing equal parts depressing & uplifting boardwalk rock & roll for/from the underdog/underground. Tentanda Via (Latin for “the way must be tried”) is a blast of an album; full of horns, drums (both jazzy & rock & roll-y!), inspired piano, & Michelini at the helm sounding altogether confident in his existential breakdowns. To me this reads like a coming-of-age album at heart (the way must be tried!), but a deeper, wiser sort of unraveling. A mid-30′s rock opus about learning to live with yourself. Learning how to make yourself better. These songs are inspiring and mix more than a little Springsteen ethos (maybe it’s the horns?!) with some late 90′s/early 2000′s emo/indie/alternative etc...
The straightforward rockers “Death Wish” & “Nobody’s Gonna Get My Soul” bookend the nine track album with surprisingly nimble & crunchy electric riffs and off-the-charts energy! In between, the mid tempo drive of “Getting Even” & “Don’t Get In” lets Michelini’s emotional writing really shine. The words jump out of the songs, full of passion, desperation, & an urgency that makes me glad people are still making records like this. There’s also a unholy, weird interlude that you have to hear to believe called “Unfresh Dirtwolf.” American Trappist is a band that came from the ashes of another band. A band that seems reluctant to tour West of...Ohio. A band that stays under the radar. Michelini has been writing some of my favorite songs for awhile & it feels good growing older together. Here’s hoping for a new one of these every other (or just every?!) year for me to belt along to with the windows down in my Subaru. Joe, if you’re listening out East, don’t stop. This is why I love music. 
       “Driving through my hometown I feel the peace of the Lord / Ride up behind me on a blind dream from my childhood / Looking back again, it’s hard to understand / Getting older, I guess I do / Waiting on some waking dream like it might find you...”
BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT   /   Mother of My Children
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       I bought Black Belt Eagle Scout’s debut album at Twist & Shout Records the day it came out. I think I loved the cover art and the idea of Katherine Paul’s solemnly solo rock album, recorded in the dead of Winter in rural Washington, sounding like just what I wanted in my headphones to face the Fall. Then (as so often happens) I got a text a month later from my partner at 12:27am that read simply...
“I’m okay. Going to bed meow. Listen to Black Belt Eagle Scout.” 
From there we took Mother of My Children on a snowy road trip to Durango, Colorado. Crisscrossing mountain passes through snowstorms, & visiting Mesa Verde National Park, we let Paul’s earnest, determined, & emotional songs, sweep us into the gray. All this to say that this album has already marked some pretty specific time & place for me. There is a starkness to these songs, a simplicity that makes the songwriting stand alone. Where lesser lyricists would be revealed as phonies (or simply bad) Katherine Paul’s stark, powerful words are illuminated by her minimalist production. With a rhythmically mournful 80′s/90′s emo touch (for more modern emo fans I might even hear a little Manchester Orchestra) Paul doesn’t pull any punches. The guitar gets delightfully heavy on the outro to six minute epic opener “Soft Stud” and then twirls & spirals with the drums in the entrancingly sad “I Don’t Have You in My Life.” This is an important album for Paul to have written and there is a great power in her words. Oh also... she plays every instrument on the album!?! Guitar, bass, drums, vibraphone, keyboard, organ, various percussion, & all vocals. Very Vagabon. Very Caroline Rose (spoiler alert!)! With our world on fire, and full of threats (from our own government) to native lands & native people, it’s increasingly important to listen to and hear/heed the words and writings of people like Paul; a radical, indigenous, queer, feminist from Oregon. Thanks for speaking out KP. Listen to Black Belt Eagle Scout. 
       “Do you ever notice what surrounds you? When it’s all bright & tucked under / Do you ever notice what’s around you? When it’s all right under our skin...”
CAMP COPE   /   How To Socialise & Make Friends
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       Camp Cope is a GREAT band name. Camp Cope is a REALLY GREAT band. Camp Cope has a wit & an attitude that is so punk rock, so genuine, & How To Socialise & Make Friends is a powerful album. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Camp Cope rides a practiced garage-y sound and lead singer & lyricist Georgia Mac’s passionate howl and impressive writing. As someone who grew up on early 2000′s pop-punk, emo, & alternative (something I guess I probably regret more often than celebrate. Because toxic masculinity & white male fragility) there is something so bittersweetly nostalgic in these chord progressions, the earnest electric strums, the yell-sing vocals, that takes me back to high school. Georgia Mac has a way with words, sliding them in & out, over cascading, steady strums, & then sometimes building them up to a frantic yelling. These are songs that sound as if they had to come out, had to be sung this way, like no one else could write or sing them. With an equally muscular rhythm section, “The Opener” attacks music industry sexism head on (if you haven’t seen Camp Cope live, it is chill inducing hearing a whole room belt along to every word) with a bass riff that could fly a jetliner. The three members interact so well together musically and everything from the driving “UFO Lighter” to the lilting “Sagan, Indiana” sounds tightly rehearsed. Equally passionate in their social media presence and their willingness to engage and fight for social justice issues, Camp Cope represents the future. Bands like this are changing the game right now and it’s exciting to hear it in real time. 
When I close my eyes for a second, as the title tracks rings out and the gorgeously, lightly sad “The Face of God” ambles in, I’m 17 again. I’m driving for the first time, crying at the moon by myself or laughing with my friends. I’m a freshman in college, skipping my Friday classes (and braving mountain passes!) headed west, headed home. Then I snap awake and I’m 32, it’s Winter here and Georgia bellows “Just get it all out, put it in a song. Just get it all out, write another song!” Thanks Camp Cope. This album is special. 
       “It’s another all-male tour preaching equality / It’s another straight, cis man who knows more about this than me / It’s another man telling us we’re missing a frequency / SHOW ‘EM KELLY / It’s another man telling us we can’t fill up the room / It’s another man telling us to book a smaller venue / Nah, hey, cmon girls we’re only thinking about you / Well, see how far we’ve come not listening to you / ‘Yeah just get a female opener, that’ll fill the quota’...”
CAROLINE ROSE   /   Loner
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       It took Caroline Rose four years from her weirdly rootsy-riffy debut album to find her true self, but Loner sounds every bit like an artist comfortable in their own skin & confident in their craft. Dialing up the synths, fuzz, and brilliantly tongue-in-cheek lyrics, Rose touches on all the big topics: drugs, death, sex (ism), and money! with a casual, conversational songwriting maturity that belies her 28 year old sophomore-ness. Favorites include “Jeannie Becomes a Mom” (check out that bouncy organ!), the steady build & twisty, head-turning songwriting of “Getting To Me,” & the electro warp & wend of “To Die Today.” I was finally convinced into falling for this album when my partner played it three times (or was it six?) back-to-back-to-back on a rainy Summer Sunday afternoon drive from Granby, CO back into Denver. Something about the pacing; the complex, yet immediate song structures that leave you wanting more. These are songs of tested confidence. But shining through it all, Rose is a wild card. A red clad rockstar with a palpable spirit, not afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve & laugh a little along the way. Loner is full of dance jams for the cool kids & the loners. At its core it preaches acceptance, and teaches us to love ourselves & love each other for who we are. Go Caroline! See you in a month in LA! 
       “Waitress sets the tables, two & four & six / Laying placemats, knife, fork, spoon, upon napkin / All the counter people, she knows us all by name / A counter people fission, everywhere we are the same... / & so you line ‘em up, a single cell, another one gone / Ostracon vase with your name on the line...”
FIELD REPORT   /   Summertime Songs
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       At some point during this year I begin to realize how important beloved songwriters releasing new works is always going to be to me, I was falling (& re-falling) for new works from long time favs Calexico, Gregory Alan Isakov, Florence & The Machine, & of course Phosphorescent. But somehow it was Field Report’s third release Summertime Songs that stuck and became perhaps the most meaningful of all. I fell in love with Field Report in the midst of a hard, hard winter (2012 I think). Their sophomore album Marigolden has been a constant companion since 2014. I first heard this set of songs (the ones that comprise Summertime) in the June of 2017, sweating in the familiar Eau Claire, Wisconsin heat. Hearing a set of 100% new, unreleased material is exciting and also kind of a risk. After the set I wrote that the new tunes “Sound like June. Like wet cement & flash floods. Like swollen rivers & mosquitos full of hard fought human blood. Like growing older & having kids. Intimate details stretched over skittery, percussive thunderclouds. Like grabbing an electric fence. Digging in &...replanting.” I was 100% in it. On a high in Wisconsin & falling deeper in love with music. Then Field Report went mostly silent & we had to wait till early 2018 to get the recorded versions. Adding even more drums (Shane Leonard deserves a shout-out here as a killer pocket player!) some electronic effects, and ramping up on the arm-out-the-rolled-down-window singalongs definitely serves Chris Porterfield (did you know the name Field Report is just an anagram of his last name?!) well. Whoever it was who asked him “why don’t you try Summertime songs” was on the right track. His songwriting is as electric as always on this set of heartbreakers & as usual he follows a lot the same threads. His lyrics here are visceral, wordy, & wise, & i can feel the songs growing up with me. Sometimes I lead, sometimes they lead me, but we always seem to find each other exactly when we need to. 
       “Time is a bird with a mean, hooked beak / & he’s just waiting around to work on you & on me... / Shotgun wedding, black on blue / The river’s swelling like a bruise...”
H.C. McENTIRE   /   Lionheart
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       Heather McEntire has been carving out a name for herself in the North Carolina music scene for years fronting old-school punk band Bellefea & more recently, the much loved Mount Moriah. But way way back in January, Lionheart roared in under her own name; all ferocious & tender, confident & wild. A true southern record, Lionheart is vocal & lyric forward. From the Sunday morning hymn swell of opener “A Lamb, A Dove,” to the driving swing of “Baby’s Got the Blues,” & the late night, red wine country of “When You Come For Me.” McEntire enlists all her talented musical friends on this effort. There are co-writes with the legendary Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill (whom McEntire credits with helping her find her individual voice), bgvs from Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Angel Olsen, & Tift Merrit, & inspired guitar work from William Tyler & Durham favorite Phil Cook!
Through it all, McEntire stays true to the thread that made Mount Moriah’s “How To Dance” one of my 2016 favs. Lionheart exudes the smells & scenery of North Carolina and reads like a map at times, referencing points from Stoney Creek to the Green River Gorge. Some of my favorite songs written over the last five years (or ever) have a very strong (& often specific) idea of place. If country music is going to representative of the country that I want to live in, it’s going to be sung by people like Heather McEntire.  A powerful queer southern woman; vulnerable & brave, a true Lionheart. 
       “You’ll find me in the hollow, dosing anything that might / Make the map look any smaller, give me a dog in the fight / So call it off or call it God, call it anything you like / Do you see it in my eyes? / A levee on the rise, do you see it? / The tellin’ ain’t told gently, so pay your tab & pay your dues / The dogwood & the chicory & a silent wood stove flue / Your baby’s got the blues just like you...”
iZCALLi   /   IV
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       I was late to the party on Izcalli (a band from my own city!) and when I found them, it was magical, I think they were playing an opening set for Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas at Lost Lake and I probably stumbled in late from PS Lounge or Tommy’s Thai to shredding electric guitar & ska, latin funk, & pure Led Zepplin Rock & Roll. Frontman Miguel Avina was howling & stomping in Freddy Mercury-meets-Mariachi white pants, his long curly hair everywhere, all energy. I was immediately hooked. Calling them my favorite local band and finally getting to put them on this end of the year list. Izcalli joins some pretty good “local band” company here on linernotes&seasons. From Nina De Freitas’ EP last year; Yawpers, Covenhoven, & Rateliff in 2015, to Isakov & Covenhoven in 2013 & The Lumineers all the way back in 2012! Izcalli has been playing around Denver for 13 years and have slowly built up enough of a following to headline the Bluebird Theater last year. Their fourth album (aptly titled IV) comes out swinging and showcases plenty of heavy power chord riffs, violin, horn, & songs in both English & Spanish. Their heavier, more classic rock influenced songs (”Lightning Red” & “Eso Velocidad”) absolutely explode with fiery lead guitar and inspired drumming. When they dial it back and let their Mexican influences show through, like on the eerily crunchy, violin led “Quite de Mas” and the woozy saxophone breakdown of “Solo Se Morir,” they showcase depth and a real songwriting ability. There is an almost Muse-like thunder to the monstrous organ riff of “A New Lie” and closer “Si Estoy Contigo” sends everybody out dancing. With influences from all over (most notably their homeland Mexico City) & a live show that’s not to be missed, Izcalli embodies everything I think of when I think of a true Denver band. 
       “A frozen heart in me turned out to be my one way home / I swear I’ll leave, I’ll drive myself down to Mexico...”
JANELLE MONAE   /   Dirty Computer
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       Dirty Computer is my favorite album of 2018. Much like my favorite album last year (Lorde’s Melodrama) no one was as simultaneously honest & excavating in their personal songwriting; while still writing such absolutely shredding club bangers, as Janelle Monae. Dirty Computer acts as a coming out party of sorts for the 32 year Kansas City-ian, although, to be fair, her first two albums had already scored her Grammy nominations and the stamp of approval from Prince, Eryakah Badu, & Michelle Obama. Her debut The ArchAndroid and her followup The Electric Lady, found her creating elaborate alter egos, protest songs, and complex, critically acclaimed song cycles about life as a black woman in America. With Dirty Computer she is able to hold multiple titles at once. Schizophrenically on top of her game, tying all her alter egos together with stellar production, monster vocals, and some of the best, most interesting pop songs since...well...maybe since Prince. From the Brian Wilson assisted eerie sci-fi sweetness of stage setting opener “Dirty Computer,” she lets loose on some of her most fun, live-a-little anthems “Crazy, Classic Life,” and “Take a Byte.” Deeply personal, political, & inspiring “Django Jane” is stunning, & sets the stage for mega back-to-back singles “Pynk” & “Make You Feel.” Songs of my (and everybody else’s) Summer for sure. “I Got The Juice,” is light & bouncy, & personal favorite “I Like That” is rebellious & rides an immediately memorable instrumental into one helluva vocal take from Monae. She makes a political statement in closing with the anthem “Americans,” (anybody else think this one especially sounds like a lost Prince track?) but her strength is her ability to be both personal & political; a true diva with a purpose. These songs are Janelle creating and sounding exactly how she wants, pushing the limits of what a superstar can do, Her show at the Paramount in July was a highlight for me, and Dirty Computer is hands down my album of the year. 
       “Box office numbers & they doin’ outstanding, running out of space in my damn bandwagon / Remember when they use to said I look too mannish? / Black girl magic yall can’t stand it...”
LIZA ANNE   /   Fine But Dying
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       In a year where I seemed to gravitate to albums & songs about living in, and growing through, mental health issues; Liza Anne’s blistering (and epically titled!) Fine But Dying was definitely a top five album for me. A gifted songwriter, Dying finds Anne finally letting it out with a heavy band, a light touch, & a deep dive into the insecurities & struggles that seemed to be (gulp) some of the same ones I was going through this year. Songs about conversations, relationships (both romantic & platonic), and most importantly, about examining & improving yourself. No one on this list unpacks, observes, and mines their own heart & mind as well or as deeply as Anne does across these 11 tracks. When she really cuts loose, like in the ballistic breakdown of “Kid Gloves,” the fuzzy crunch of “Get By,” or the spiraling, swirling (& also epically titled!) “I Love You, But I Need Another Year” she shines. Fine But Dying is wise beyond its years and a no-holds-barred, place-in-time look at mental health & how we should all be addressing our issues & working things out. Her show at Globe Hall here in Denver back in April was cathartic, thoughtful, & one of my favorite of this year for sure. Yay for fearless songwriters, Yay for rock & roll. Fuck yeah Liza Anne!
       “I ran once, took my flight across the ocean / I thought if I could make my way across the sea I’d find a place / Now I’m swallowed up by a city that doesn’t give a fuck / To whether I am up on time / Or whether if I am, well...alive / & I’m so good - getting too good at hiding / Too good at keeping to myself that I’m spiraling...”
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO   /   Ventriloquism
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       I think it was “Atomic Dog 2017″ that first caught my ear at some point last year. I didn’t know Meshell Ndegeocello, but I knew that what I was hearing was classic. The off-kilter guitar strums slithering into that bass drop, finally settling into a steady groove, that melody appearing (seemingly out of nowhere) into a rolling, & instantly recognizable chorus. Next thing I know I’m googling George Clinton and off into an 80′s funk youtube rabbit hole. A covers album to stand up to any other covers album, Ndegeocello has a masterpiece on her hands in both song selection & creativity. In a year where she turned 50, the sneakily titled Ventriloquism is her 12th studio album, Inspired by listening to oldies radio on car rides to her childhood home, influenced by Prince & Neil Young; Ventriloquism is a super smooth revamp of 80s & 90s R&B. What Ndegeocello does so seamlessly on Ventriloquism is take these songs and make them flow as a part of a whole. There is light in the darkness here. There are threads of continuation here. An appreciation for those who came before, those who paved the way. Ndegeocello is a true artist and these reinterpretations not only nod to classic songs & artists, but dig out their own little important niche in 2019. 
       “Sometimes it snows in April / Sometimes I feel so bad, so bad / Sometimes I wish life was never ending / & all the good things they say, never last / Springtime was always my favorite time of year / A time for lovers holding hands in the rain...”
MIYA FOLICK   /   Premonitions
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       Every year I wait till the last minute (and beyond!) to finish this list. I write it up in November & December, agonizing & filling out what I think are my favorite albums (18 this time!) of the year. I enjoy whittling the list down to a manageable number, but I also enjoy reading everyone else’s lists; finding new finds & hearing what other people liked. Then, sometime in the middle of December, I am knocked out by something I missed over all the year of listening & reading. This year it is MIYA FOLICK! I was given a wintry new year’s mix of goodbye 2018 (and F*** you!) tunes from my partner (which I will probably post & write about sometime as soon as I finish posting this because it is goooood), and track 9 of that spotify mix. Bouncy horns, a killer beat, & lyrics that cut right to me but leave me smiling. Rhyming “self home” with “cellphone”?! Singing about leaving the party?! Yesssss!. This is for me! On deeper listens, Premonitions is a goddamn masterpiece. Starting slowly & melodically, openers “Thingamajig” and the title track are captivating, then it unexpectedly explodes into 80′s dance bangers about half way through. Most of the album is deeply personal and self examining, finding Folick digging into to her own weaknesses & fears, without always settling on answers. She is vulnerable yet grand; part Lorde, part Florence, part Stevie NIcks, part Regina Spektor...All Miya. At its core, Premonitions celebrates life, celebrates the little victories. If you want to know/hear what that sounds like, maybe I should let you read from Miya’s bandcamp page...
       “Premonitions begins with ‘Thingamajig’ -- something you can't quite recall the name of, but you know exactly what it means and what it feels like. Like the pull of desire that comes with not quite remembering fully. The magnetism of something just on the tip of your tongue. I wanted the album to feel like that thing.
I think a lot about about memory-making as an act of creation, the words we use to describe a memory give shape to and sometimes mutate the memory itself. I believe that the way we choose to describe the events of our lives is not only a means of creative fulfillment, but an absolutely vital part of creating the world we want to live in. When we are dishonest in the present, we create a dishonest future. When we are honest in the present, we create a more honest future. I wanted this album to be the vehicle for a hopeful, truthful, generous, and loving world. I tried not to posture or pretend. I wrote about my life as I've seen it and how I'd like to see it, as both memory and premonition.
The producers, Justin Raisen and Yves Rothman, and I spent months collecting organic sounds to fill the world of this record. We threw away everything that felt false and tried to keep the soul of each song alive. I hope Premonitions gives you comfort and joy. I hope it feels like all the mysterious details of your lives, all your massive and mundane glories. I hope it reminds you that there is beauty in the details. Rainbows in your sprinklers. Drinking water from a hose. The way it felt to make a friend for the first time. Locking yourself in a bathroom to avoid everyone. Dancing until your shins burn. Leaving your phone in an Uber and making your best friend drive you an hour away to knock on a stranger's door after locating it on Find My Phone. Losing a friend. Losing yourself. Remembering...”
MT. JOY   /   Mt. Joy
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I had almost finished making this list and nearly forgot about an album that marked a month-plus in the Spring when I listened to almost nothing else! Philly by way of LA’s Mt. Joy debut with an album that blends sunny California folk & smoothed out east coast pop-emo, into easy listening, easy singing indie rock. Named after a mountain in Valley Forge National Park (SE Pennsylvania); Mt. Joy’s songs similarly find geographic touch points across the US, making this a true road trip record. Multiple California references (San Fran, Mulholland, Hollywood, the ocean), make their way down to New Orleans, and end up on the east coast (”blood on the streets in Baltimore” & “the beaches of Chincoteague”). Without breaking any new musical ground, Mt. Joy sounds comfortable & confident, and their songs play bigger & stickier than your average radio friendly pop-saturated-folk. When the title track hits its festival ready build (”you can’t stop us, feel like Ziggy Stardust”) you’ll have a hard time not rolling down your window and singing along. “Way up over Mt, Joy. Where everyone’s free now. To move how they feel now.”
       “Your life will change straight out of the blue / The clouds in your mind just passing through / Image the horses when you set ‘em free / Go tear down the beaches of Chincoteague...”
NONAME   /   Room 25 (& Song 31)
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       Room 25 kicks in innocently enough: smoothly humming wordless voices, steady drums, & jazzy piano flourishes. Like a lazy Sunday morning. Noname (Chicago’s 27 year old Fatimah Warner) introduces herself with a laid back, matter-of-fact, stream of consciousness “maybe this is the album you listen to in your car when you’re driving home late at night, really questioning every god, religion...” But then she says something that should make you pay attention. 
“Nah. Actually this is for me.” 
That creative confidence. That freedom, defines the rest of her album. No matter how much critical acclaim Room 25 racks up (I saw this album on a ton of end of the year lists!), no matter how downright fun & laugh out loud funny her breakneck rhymes are, this one is for Noname. I mean, you can still download (aka OWN...like for your ipod!) the whole album on bandcamp FOR FREE! Following in Chance’s footsteps, it’s free mp3s for people like meeee! Raised in Chicago’s slam poetry scene, she dabbles here in downtempo, smoothed out, futuristic jazz & soul. All the while she is unapologetically herself. Her words tripping over each other, too many thoughts, too much energy, too much passion to hold in. A clear blockbuster talent. One of my favorite new finds from last year’s Eaux Claires festival, her late afternoon set up on the hill was radiant & joyful. The artwork I used here is from her early 2019 single “Song 31,” as she has pledged to change the official Room 25 cover art, due to assault charges leveled in October against the artist who did the original cover. “I do not and will not support abusers, and I will always stand up for victims & believe their stories.” Noname said, and she has been proven to be as vocal in her personal life as she is on tape. As she says in the uplifting “Ace...” 
“Globalization is scary, and fuckin’ is fantastic” And yall still thought a bitch couldn’t rap huh?...
       “When labels ask me to sign, say ‘my name don’t exist’ / So many names don’t exist / Moved into Inglewood & the trauma came with the rent / Only worldly possession I have is life / Only room that I died in was 25... 
Medicine’s overtaxed, no name look like you / No name for private corporations to send emails to / Cuz when we walk into heaven, nobody’s name gonna’ exist / Just boundless movement for joy, nakedness, radiance...”
RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE   /   How To: Friend, Love, Freefall
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       Rainbow Kitten Surprise made one of my five favorite albums this year (and probably the one that I sang along to in the car more than any other!) Imagine Modest Mouse growing up in North Carolina, in the 2010′s, writing smart, anti-lumineers-imagine dragons tunes, and going on to play arenas & rock clubs alike. This Boone, NC (pop. 17,000) five piece crank out catchy pop rock tunes; equal parts funky basslines, ooohs & ahhhs, and deceptively clever lyrics about religion, the south, and relationships both platonic & romantic. Huge single “Fever Pitch” rides rolling drums, background whoops, and finds charismatic frontman Sam Melo languidly recounting his religious upbringing and sing-rapping about getting to know you better. Other standouts include the acoustic blues (and Aha-Shake-era-Kings of Leon reminiscent!) “Painkillers,” the “Moon & Antarctica” rattletrap sing-song of “Possum Queen,” and the laugh-out-loud funny breakneck alternative pace of “Matchbox.” But it is song of the year contender “Hide” where Melo lays bare his feelings about growing up gay in a deeply religious south, when you get a peek at what Surprises these Rainbow Kittens are capable of. What starts as a bouncy love number takes a turn into some deep songwriting with “I’m running from a place where they don’t make people like me, I keep the car running, I keep my bags packed. I don’t wanna’ leave, just don’t wanna’ leave last.” This is Fruit Bats’ “Soon-to-be Ghost Town” written by someone who’s lived it. RKS packages it all up as emotional anthems, dancey-catchy choruse that stick, & an album that-while serious, is so damn fun to sing along to. They’ll be at Red Rocks next Summer so come hop on the bandwagon and get to know your new favorite band!
       “You’re a master of passive-aggressive magic tricks like “that’s not the card that I would’ve picked, but it’s your life to live like how you’d like to live...’”
SUN JUNE   /   Years
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       Sun June’s debut record Years is an album that I never expected to be on this list, but one that pushed its way into my heart, ears, and mind a lot over the early Summer. I kept comparing it to Leif Vollebekk’s gorgeously haunting 2017 release Twin Solitude that made it on last year's list in that it managed to be rhythmically funky & interesting while being mostly SO quiet. Even the more “upbeat” numbers; from the gorgeously, golden swing of “Young,” to the steady backbeat of “Baby Blue” keep their composure meticulously. The writing is transfixing on Years and the band is so tight, with every member adding just the right amount of soft sound. I tried to explain it to somebody as music you have to “squint to hear.” It sounds good in the background, all sweet & rolling. But better up close, turned up in headphones. All together & bright. This is an album I would listen to sleepily, on my way home from work, driving Colfax in the first light of dawn at 5 in the morning. Sun June’s lack of an internet presence is refreshing (is there ANYWHERE I can find the lyrics for this album??!!), I think they’re from Texas, and I don’t think they’ve even played a show in Colorado yet! Regardless, Years is tied together with a quietly tight rhythm section, and Laura Colwell’s wispy vocals, grabbing at the edges of my brain, calmy insisting “Four in the morning, I could get used to this...”
       “I was almost always leaving / Looking for the reason / Bedside hospital daylight / I go with the Southern mountains / Down the 405, I’m coming tell me you don’t deserve this / I was young...”
TIERRA WHACK   /   Whack World
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       I love me a good concept album, but even I would’ve thought that the idea of 15 one minute songs(complete with video accompaniment) making up an entire album, would be a tough sell. Whack World makes good on an innovative concept, delivering something breezy, catchy, & lasting, and making Tierra Whack one of my favorite new finds of 2018! My little sister showed her to me on a “Get-your-ass-to-the-gym” playlist and “Fruit Salad” was immediately stuck in my head for weeks. Mostly down-tempo, Whack is clearly a witty lyricist and creative mind, and at 23, a game changer in the music scene. Also an effortlessly cool, musical, badass. With almost no choruses, this is an album you can listen to over and over (and throw any tracks in mixes) without any clear singles. The bouncy gospel-tinged “Pet Cemetery” has hand claps & dog barks, and is followed immediately by the laugh-out-loud vocals of “Fuck Off.” Whack never takes herself too seriously (so many off the wall and laugh out loud funny vocals!) and the Philly native shows that one minute songs can turn a lot of heads and end up on a lot of end of the year best album lists! Whack World!
       “Crispy clean and crisp & clean / For the dough I go nuts like Krispy Kreme / Music is in my Billie genes / Can’t no one ever come between yeah / Don’t worry about me I’m doing good, I’m doing great, alright...”
TYPHOON   /   Offerings
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       It seemed like a lifetime since Typhoon released their sophomore knockout, masterpiece album White Lighter back in 2013. I’ve grown a lifetime since, experienced everything since. In the first few weeks of January 2018, out of the darkness, out of the silence: came something darker, weirder, but still magical and at its core, celebratory. Typhoon is one of my all-time favorite bands, one of my favorite live shows, and frontman Kyle Morton writes about memory & loss, life & death, better than anybody in the game. With Offerings they have dropped the peppy horns, slimmed down to (only!) seven members, and zeroed in on the heavy, spiraling folk-rock that hearkens back a little to Bright Eyes or The Decemberists, Broken Social Scene or Arcade Fire. As a loose concept album, Offerings explores in four movements (Floodplans, Flood, Reckoning, & Afterparty) what happens to a mind stripped of memory. Or (side quest/plot/twist) a world willfully forgetting its history. From the hushed chanting that explodes into huge string swells, drums, and shouts of opener “Wake” to the rhythmic, glowing build of the 8 minute “Empricist,” to the mystical picking and ruminating of “Algernon” the first movement could almost stand as an album of its own. The rest of the album unravels at equal parts slow reflection (”Mansion” & “Beachtowel”) and sweeping indie rock (”Remember” & “Darker”). Although a lengthy (and at times not easy) listen, I think Offerings will go down as one of the most ambitious rock records of the last few years. 
       “& so the light fades / It’s still your birthday / So blow out your past lives like they’re candles on a cake...”
VALLEY MAKER   /   Rhododendron
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       There is a mysticism buried somewhere in the emotive vocals & break-in-the-clouds writing of North Carolina by way of Washington State’s Valley Maker. Austin Crane is the singular voice behind the Valley Maker project, painting time & space on a dark, slippery canvas, and hiding complex truths in the rhythmic tides of Rhododendron. This ground has been tread before; by countless folk singers & prophets, wailing of death, dark magic, & the myriad mysteries of time, but Valley Maker understand their place in the linear and bring a modern take to ancient stories. Part War on Drugs-highway-drone (check the double yellow rattle of “Light on the Ground”), part Ben Howard’s-foggy-British-countryside (”Beautiful Birds Flying”), Crane writes songs that stick. They claw and seep their way into skin, into veins, and haunt in a way that echoes of the past. This is songwriting as a conduit. These stories are Crane’s, but they are older; tales told since religion begin. From the first lines of the roiling, dark sky opener (”time is just a game I play / it’s written on the ocean’s waves / circling beyond my brain / something I could not contain.”) to the uncertain give & take of the earthy “Seven Signs” (”I’m cutting in line but I haven’t decided...”) the writing is equal to the musicianship Crane and his backing band clearly have in spades. With Chaz Bear (Toro Y Moi) providing stellar percussion and Amy FItchette (who I was lucky enough to see sing with VM at the Doug Fir in Portland) lending absolutely haunting, otherworldly harmonies, Crane has depth beyond his strange tunings and bleep & bloop electric forests. Through it all there is a steady rhythm to the darkness and like in “Baby, In Your Kingdom” when he tops a wonderfully simple, acoustic walk-down with “Baby are you satisfied? Take a decade, take a lifetime, I know we’re always on a one way street...” there is a timeless beauty even in the mystery. Oh, and saxophone. Rhododendron has some great saxophone. 
       “Baby in the next life / I can touch you, I can ride the light / Goddamn I wan’t where I thought I’d be / 29. Burn the world around me & I hide / Baby in your kingdom / Sink my roots in, I’m a tall tree / I know, wind is gonna blow again / I know, when I am with you...I am known...”
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winsister91 · 6 years
Text
Marriage Guidance
Part of the SOWINFREDSISIE Celebration!
(Yeah...remember that? We’re still slowly working through these. We are aware it has been literal months. Soz.)
Summary: @feelmyroarrr (won’t let me tag, sorry :( ) asked: Ohhh congrats both of you! How about having to pretend to be married to the Winchester but having to pretend you don’t really fancy them.
I wrote for Sam and @sofreddie wrote for Dean (link when fic is posted).
Characters: Sam x Reader, Dean, OC Dr. Wells
Warnings: Um...this fic is stupid? I wouldn’t say it’s angst and I wouldn’t say its fluff. An attempt at crack if anything. Oh, and no doubts swearing coz I’m just like that. Oh, some mild blood and violence briefly.
Wordcount: 2000~
My Masterlist!
~ Sam and forever tags are open! ~
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“Wait, what?” you stopped the youngest Winchester mid sentence, “J-Just run that by me again?”
“Well…” Sam shrugged, tilting his head curiously at your sudden reaction, “It’s the easiest way in without breaking in.”
“B-but,” you stuttered desperately, hoping to god the hotness on your cheeks wasn’t evidence that they were turning pink, “Pretend I’m your wife and go see the fucking marriage counsellor?”
You gestured to the small building Dean had pulled up in front of. A perfectly innocent looking place with a professional looking business name. However there was some suspicions that the counsellor himself was Werewolf. This didn’t exactly fill you with any confidence regarding this plan.
“Yeah I wouldn’t wanna be married to Sam either,” Dean tittered, “But Sam’s got a point, it’s a clean way in.”
“Are you boys forgetting what this guy possibly is?” you blinked rapidly in horror, “We could walk in and become this guy’s meal for his lunch break.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sam flashed a reassuring smile at you, “We’ll conceal some silver weapons on us, it’ll be fine.”
You sighed heavily in defeat, rubbing your temple as you felt like the only person on the planet who thought this was a ludicrous idea, “Go on then, we get in there, then what? Get our marital issues out in the open?”
“Improvise,” Sam shrugged, “They’ll probably just ask us to make an appointment. So you keep them talking to buy us time and I’ll ask if I can use the bathroom and... scope the place out. See if I can find anything that confirms this guy is the culprit.”
“Wonderful,” you whined, “Foolproof, love it.”
“Here,” Sam opened the glovebox, retrieving a small box from inside.
You recoiled, instantly recognising the box and knowing what it held. Sam opens it to reveal his mother’s wedding ring.
“You can wear this,” Sam stated nonchalantly.
You felt the blood rush from your face and you freeze on the spot. You could just see Dean’s eyes twinkling with glee in the corner of your eye. He was loving this. Many a drunken night ago, the eldest Winchester had fed you one too many tequilas and all your concealed feelings for Sam came pouring out. You could see the corners of Dean’s mouth twitching, swiftly followed by him silently mouthing the word “awkward” at you whilst you stared down at the ring Sam offered you. You’d fantasised many a scenarios of Sam asking you to be his wife, precisely none of them were like this.
“S-Sam,” you shook your head, “O-okay we’re getting a bit too serious about this now, we don’t need-”
“Just put in on,” Sam laughed, forcing his Mother’s memento onto your ring finger, “It’s all we have that’ll be convincing.”
You grimaced, staring at the beautiful golden band. This isn’t right. This isn’t right. Help. Abort. ABORT.
“C’mon let’s go,” Sam opened the car door and quickly steppd out, popping open the boot and rummaging for some silver weapons quickly. You couldn’t find the motivation to move, you were completely frozen to that seat.
Dean tittered to himself in the driver’s seat.
“Shut up,” you snapped quickly, “He can’t make me do this. I won’t. I refuse!”
“Aw, but I’m afraid he is making you do it,” Dean giggled gleefully, as Sam tapped on your window, beckoning you to get out, “Hang in there soldier.”
You shot Dean your most dangerous glare as you reluctantly threw the car door open and climbed out.
You took a pistol loaded with silver bullets from Sam and stashed it inside your jacket. Clenching your eyes, you hoped that something would come up and stop you both from doing this. Alas, with each step towards the building, you felt your heart sink lower and lower.
This is not gonna go well. It can’t possibly go well. We’re either getting eaten or I’m gonna blurt some bowl full of crazy out.
Sam held the front door open for you and you both entered, walking into a small reception area. Nothing special or out of the ordinary jumped out at you. A small sitting area, the surrounding walls painted with a safe and neutral beige. Sam dragged you up to the counter where an over-smiley blonde lady sat expectantly.
“Hi!” she cheeped in an irritating tone, “How can I help? Do you have an appointment?”
“Uh, no,” Sam smiled casually, “We were hoping to make one?”
“Well aren’t you guys just in luck,” she clapped her hands making you jump with a start, “Dr Wells has a free slot right now if you’d like?”
“Uh…” Sam stuttered slightly, briefly glancing to you. With all the power you can muster you tried to force the message ‘OH HELL NO’ telepathically back to him.
“Sure!” he laughed unconvincingly, and your heart sunk more, “No time like the present.”
“Can I take your names?”
“It’s uh...Sam and Y/N Winchester.”
Your heart skipped a beat hearing your name referred to as a Winchester, but then you remembered the situation you’re in and come crashing back to reality.
“Great!” the receptionist typed away on her little computer behind the desk, “I’ll just let the doctor know and you can go right on through.”
“Great,” you drawled sarcastically as she swiftly left through a door.
“Could you be any less convincing?” Sam whispered harshly at you, “Can you just try a little?”
“Sam!” you hissed back at him, “We’re going to see a marriage counsellor. And. We. are. NOT. Married!”
“It’s okay, we’ll just improvise, like I said,” he tried to reason with you, “I’m sure we can make up some marriage problems stuff.”
“What, like my husband is a freaking pain in the ass who doesn’t listen! You didn’t even use a fucking fake name!”
“Just go with it, please!”
“Oh I’ll go with it, you just watch me go with it.”
The receptionist suddenly popped out from behind a different door and cheerily beckons you through. Sam watched you with narrowed eyes as you barreled on ahead in front of him with heavy stomps.
“Good afternoon,” an elderly gent with white hair and a neatly trimmed goatee welcomed you in the room the receptionist lead you.
“Hi!” you beamed over-enthusiastically, prompting Sam to throw you a worried look.
The man beckoned you to sit on the couch opposite his arm chair. He smiled warmly at you both and spoke with a soft calm voice.
“I’m glad we could fit you in on short notice. What made you decide to seek marriage counselling?”
“Yeah, what was it Sammy?” you folded your arms and glared at the Winchester.
“U-uh,” he stared wide-eyed at you for a moment before turning back to the doctor, “I- W-we feel like we’ve hit a-a road block in our marriage?”
“Oh really?” you tilted your head at him, not giving Dr Wells the chance to speak, “I thought it was to do with the fact I’m constantly tidying up after you. You stay up all night on your computer. You don’t clean your damn hair outta the shower plug. You never re-fill the damn coffee machine when you’ve drank it all!”
“W-what!?” Sam looked at you mortified, the biggest ‘what the fuck’ face you’d ever seen in your life on him.
“Well that’s what we do in these things right?” you narrowed your eyes and glared into his soul, “Vent out our frustrations?”
“Right,” he narrowed his back and counter glared, “So I can tell the good doctor here about how stubborn you are? That you blast music out at stupid hours in the morning? That you randomly go out on all night drinking benders with my damn brother?”
“Oh dont worry,” you huffed, still mad at Dean for teasing you, “Your brother’s a damn jackass too.”
“O-okay…” the doctor tried to step in tentatively, “I can see we’ve got a lot to delve into here.”
“Shut up!” you and Sam shouted at the doctor in unison.
“I don’t know what you’re getting all pent up about Sam,” you shrugged very matter of factly at him, “It was your idea to come here!”
“I don’t believe this,” Sam sighed in defeat, rubbing his forehead. This wasn’t what he planned. “L-look, Doctor h-have you got a restroom I can use?”
“Sure,” he answered, leaning back in his arm chair to take a breather, “Just up the stairs on your left.”
You continued to glare at Sam as he got up and motioned to leave, he shook his head, still in total disbelief and the door clicked closed behind him.
You sighd heavily, a thick tension filling the room. All that could be heard was the obnoxiously loud ticking from a clock on the rear wall. The Doctor observed you, making you shuffle uncomfortable on the couch.
“I get the feeling you don’t want to be here,” he chuckled.
“Way to go Doc,” you growled, every fibre of your being wishing Sam would hurry the fuck up already.
“I can see there’s a current hostility sure, the key is finding where that stems from. Do you resent your husband?”
“What the hell are you talking about? No he just fucking annoys me.”
“You say he stays up all night on his computer. He says you go out drinking with his brother. Do you feel his brother pays you more attention? Are you attracted to him?”
“Dude!” you cried in horror, “Ew!”
You couldn't deny that Dean is certainly a looker, but knowing him like you did, you could never yourself with him like that in any way.
“Are you still attracted to your husband then? Do you engage in sexual interaction?”
“Ha!” you squealed comically, “Oh Doc. Oooh if only you knew. I try so hard getting him to look at me and there’s just nothing. Nothing.”
“Are you scared he’s looking elsewhere?”
“I know he’s not looking elsewhere. He doesn’t have the time too. Listen, you don’t know the full story here and you’re not likely to ever find out if I have anything to do with it.”
Dr Wells looked at you puzzled, unable to find a suitable reaction to what he was hearing.
“All you gotta know is that big lug up there,” you pointed to the ceiling knowing Sam was probably creeping around and snooping somewhere on the upper floor, “Is the fucking love of my life, and I can’t even get the damn guy to look at me.”
The door suddenly burst open and Sam stumbled through. Your eyes widened at the sight of his jacket now spattered with copious amounts of blood.
“W-werewolves,” he gasped while he panted for air.
Dr Wells jumped to his feet, his face suddenly contorting into a mangled embodiment of rage. His teeth grew long, sharp and deadly, and a menacing roar bellowed from his snarl.
You hastily fumbled in your jacket for the pistol Sam gave you previously, but there was no need. As soon as Dr. Wells lunged for you, Sam was there, stopping the creature in its tracks with a silver blade to the heart.
You froze in disgust as the Doctor’s blood sprays back on you, and his body then slumps to the floor.
“You okay?” Sam rushed to you, “He didn’t get you did he?”
“No…” you mumbled, grimacing as you looked down at your ruined shirt, “Just bits of him got on me.”
Sam sighed with relief, dropping onto the arm of the couch to rest for a moment.
You followed suit, dropping onto the sofa next to him.
“Who’s that?” you pointed to his blood spattered shirt.
“The receptionist...” he answered bluntly.
“Right,” you nodded. Well, case closed at least.
“Um…” Sam looked at you questioningly, “What was that stuff you were saying before I came in?”
“W-what?” you blurted out, hairs standing on end, “Nothing. I said nothing.”
You instantly retreated, heading straight for the exit. You needed to get back to that car and kick Dean’s ass too.
“But!” Sam jogged after you, “I could’ve sworn I heard you say-”
“You heard nothing Sammy!” you squeaked, barging out of the exit and proceeding to scream obscenities at Dean.
Sam stopped inside for a moment, sighing deeply and shaking his head.
“She definitely said...” he mumbled to himself quietly, “....I love you too Y/N.”
Tags! Forevers Posse: @sofreddie @chelsea074298 @ria132love @untitled39887 @chicagolove88 @akshi8278 @sis-tafics @younoeatcheeseyounobefat @mandilion76 @teamfreewill92 @supernaturalmagicfolk @emoryhemsworth @musicistobeheard-blog @pheonyxstorm @mrswhozeewhatsis @turnttoverr @itspronouncedsatanbitch @the--real-wombat  @xagateophobiax @samisimportant @jensen-gal @castiel11235   @waiting-to-find-myshadows  @19agbrown   @mogaruke @nyxveracity   @cole-winchester @esoltis280 @maui137 @internationalmusicteacher @meganywinchester  
Sam Lovelies: @andkatiethings
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gaybluesargent · 6 years
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okay but Ronan&Noah alive and happy AU where Noah is alive in the 2010's with the Gangsey or where Ronan is an emo teenager in the mid 2000s and falls in love with the pop punk skater kid
i’ve been saving this ask for when i’ve got enough brains to elaborate because I Have Thought About This A Lot and i’ve almost written it as an au a few times. i still dont have any brains SO here’s some disjointed Thoughts:
ronan & noah being friends from middle school and spending every afternoon together skating and skinning their knees and getting sunburns
ronan teaching noah to drive because you Know niall taught ronan before he was ~legally~ supposed to, and noah almost wrecks the car a dozen times but it’s still one of ronan’s happiest memories
noah & ronan driving their big dumb loud cars all around side-by-side and being awful in traffic
noah & ronan constantly exchanging mix tapes, and even though ronan swears he hates noah’s music, he listens to it all the time
spending all their rich fathers’ money on gelato and pizza and never ever obeying their curfews, but their parents aren’t that mad because noah’s family loves ronan and ronan’s family loves noah and they know they take care of each other
ronan getting sent to the principal at least once for beating up someone who’s picking on noah
and noah just making fun of him for it forever, like, “aww you were defending my honor” “shut the fuck up czerny or you’re next” 
noah always cheating off ronan’s latin homework and ronan always letting him
noah always having rly vivid dreams and telling ronan about them, and those stories sometimes inspiring ronan’s own dreams, and ronan sometimes bringing noah’s dreams to life but not being able to show noah because It’s A Dangerous Secret
but someday when noah finds out, it’s.. A Lot. does noah cry? maybe a little bit. because ronan literally made his dreams come true.
ANYWAY. ik none of this is explicitly romantic but it absolutely is and they kiss and fall in love. someone else should add to this or write it because i’m never going to get around to it !!!!
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kaiserdingus · 6 years
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MegaMan PSP Games - Powered Up / Maverick Hunter X
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The Mega Man series has always been tough for newcomers to dive into. Its a series based on challenge, skill, and memorizing stages and patterns. The original series was restrained by the technical limitations of the time, so they look more cartoony and kid friendly. The Super Nintendo’s Mega Man X series was a sequel intended to carry the torch and bring the Blue Bomber into the 16-bit era with a new look, new moves, and a new, more mature storyline.
In 2005 Capcom announced a pair of simultaneous releases for Sony’s PlayStation Portable handheld console. Mega Man Powered Up and Mega Man Maverick Hunter X were remakes of the first games in the Mega Man and Mega Man X series that utilized the 3D capabilities of the PlayStation Portable to render new ways to experience these gems of gaming. Both were remade with the idea to be accessible to newcomers, and plans were in the works for sequels to both games based on Mega Man 2 and Mega Man X2.
Unfortunately, sluggish sales would lead to both sequels being canceled. Today we have the Mega Man and Mega Man X Legacy Collections to give us our fill, but these titles were more than just ports. There were new features, new bosses, they were practically their own games worthy of their own discussion. That’s why today we’re going to be taking a look at Mega Man Powered Up and Mega Man Maverick Hunter X.
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MegaMan Powered Up
It’s said that when designing Mega Man, Keiji Inafune wanted to use a “super deformed” style for the characters. Big heads on little bodies for a funny, cute look. The problem was that the technology of the time made it difficult to portray this style, so a compromise was made. The characters were still cute, but the proportions weren’t as exaggerated as originally intended. Inafune would get his chance to try his “chibi” designs when Capcom announced Mega Man Powered Up in 2005, a complete remake of the original Mega Man, updated for Sony’s new PSP handheld.
Gaming had changed a lot between the 1980’s and the mid-2000’s. Before, game design was influenced by arcade trends. Challenge and difficulty were added to games of the time to hide the fact that these games theoretically could be beaten within the span of a few hours. The original Mega Man games came from an era where rental services like Blockbuster made it easy for someone to spend $5 instead of $50 on a game for the week. If a game could be beat in an afternoon, then there was no reason for the gamer to buy the game. This was also helped by the lack of save features in these early games.
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In the mid-2000’s, however, these tricks were irrelevant. Game development had reached a point where games had enough content. There was no longer a need to pad a game with challenge to keep them from beating it in a single sitting. With this in mind, Capcom sought to re-work the original Mega Man series for the next generation of kids who hadn’t grown up with the originals. Now there are multiple difficulties to cater to different kinds of players.
The premise, characters, levels, music, almost everything in the game are based on the original Mega Man, but now everything is expanded upon. Characters pop-out in 3D, and the levels follow the same designs, but now the world feels more alive. The story is played out through character dialogue and little cutscenes. This game would go on to influence the story and characters in the Archie tie-in comics.
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Two new characters were created specifically for this game, each with their own unique level. Time Man and Oil Man bring the game’s original six Robot Masters up to eight, in line with the rest of the series. Oil Man’s design would cause controversy as it closely resembles the “Blackface” stereotype, with his black skin and big red lips.
For some background, Japanese artists are influenced by those who came before them, and a lot of the original manga artists learned from American cartoonists. Blackface portrayals were prominent in American cartoons and comics, which were imported to Japan after World War II. The average person in Japan doesn’t have any context for the history of Blackface in America, which doesn’t excuse the depictions. Because of this cultural misunderstanding, Oil Man’s skin was turned dark blue and his lips were colored yellow.
My favorite addition to this game is the ability to play as the boss characters you defeat. Each boss has their trusty weapon as their base weapon, and now the empty hole they left in their stage has been filled by a rogue Mega Man who’s looking for trouble. There are other playable characters, but I won’t spoil them for you.
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I’m disappointed that we never got to see any sequels to Powered Up. It seemed like the perfect formula for Mega Man. Remake 1 through 6 in this style, maybe 7 and 8, then they could’ve done 9 and 10 too. Every time I see a new trailer for 11 I just think of it as a sequel to Powered Up, but with a more streamlined design. Don’t get me started on Mighty No. 9, the unfortunate “spiritual successor” to the Mega Man series.
Mega Man Powered Up is one of the best PSP games, and possibly one of the best Mega Man games. It’s unfortunate that it came out too early in the PSP’s lifespan to really take off, maybe if Capcom had ported the game to the PS2 or Gamecube it would have fared better.
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MegaMan Maverick Hunter X
Maverick Hunter X, the companion title to Mega Man Powered Up, is a remake of the 1993 Super Nintendo classic Mega Man X. Unlike Powered Up, which completely redesigned the classic Mega Man, Maverick Hunter X stays relatively true to the original design and style of the Mega Man X franchise. It features anime cutscenes, similar to those used in Mega Man X3 and X4. One could argue that the animation and voice acting are noticeably better this time around.
While Powered Up was designed to be accessible for anyone, Maverick Hunter X is designed to be a more mature challenge. There’s no Easy Mode this time, only Normal and Hard. The first Mega Man X was never as challenging as later games in the series, but it wasn’t a walk in the park. Maverick Hunter X isn’t easier, but it does feel a little tighter to control.
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The MegaMan series has never been strong on plot, but the Mega Man X sub-series does have a surprisingly strong lore. This has only ever been casually hinted at, with little exposition besides a few animated cutscenes or slideshows. Maverick Hunter X delivers a decent story in the form of an animated opening cutscene, as well as character dialogue between stages. Each boss battle opens with a back-and-forth between X and the boss in question where they explain their perspective before jumping into the action.
Once you beat the game you unlock what’s probably the coolest bonus a video game can have: a 25 minute animated film. The Day of Σ is a self-contained animated special that ties in with the game. The special is a prequel that ends where the game begins, and it tells the story of Sigma and the other reploids going Maverick.
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This approach to video game storytelling works surprisingly well because it doesn’t interfere with the gameplay. Most story-driven games feel bloated with unending cutscenes, other games don’t feel fleshed out enough when they don’t include any cutscenes. Maverick Hunter X including an anime OVA is similar to 2003’s Dot Hack series from Bandai, which also came with a four part animated mini-series. 2010’s Dragon Ball Raging Blast, also from Namco Bandai, similarly featured a 20 minute special called The Plan to Eradicate The Super Saiyans.
Fans of the Mega Man X series have noted some inconsistencies with Maverick Hunter X and The Day of Sigma compared to the rest of the franchise. These story inconsistencies wouldn’t matter if Capcom had gone through with their plan to reboot the X series. Had they continued the groundwork started by Maverick Hunter X, future games would fill in the blanks, and re-tell the original stories in new and exciting ways.
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As far as fan speculation goes, we can draw all of Mega Man’s problems in the late 2000’s/early 2010’s right here. Mega Man Powered Up and Maverick Hunter X were great games, but for one reason or another neither title was very successful at the time of release. What’s worse is, Maverick Hunter X was available digitally on the PlayStation Network Store when the PlayStation Vita debuted, but Mega Man Powered Up couldn’t get the same treatment due to technical issues.
Both games are great and it's a shame that they’re lost to time, trapped forever on a long forgotten handheld. I have nothing against the Mega Man Legacy Collections, but I miss the days when developers attempted to remake their classic games for later generations. While there’s no arguing against the value of preserving original games and making them available to be played as originally intended, I think the world would benefit from more modernized remakes that take advantage of today’s technology to do things they could never originally do.
I hope one day Capcom releases both Mega Man PSP games. Possibly alongside other mid-2000’s curiosities like Mega Man X Command Mission and Mega Man Network Transmission. There are enough oddball Mega Man spin-offs to fill a few more Legacy Collections, I think.
Where to Buy
Mega Man Powered Up (PSP)
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X  (PSP)
Mega Man Double Pack (PSP)
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skateofministry · 3 years
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Paul Van Doren, co-founder of Vans shoes, dead at 90
Paul Van Doren, co-founder of the Vans brand name, has actually passed away at age 90, the shoemaker’s moms and dad business stated Friday.
“Paul was not just an entrepreneur; he was an innovator,” VF Corporation stated in a declaration.
A co-founding sibling of Vans, Paul Van Doren, has actually passed away.Vans through AP
A cause of death has actually not been launched.
The canvas boat shoes with vulcanized rubber outsoles entered into the casual gown code for skateboarders, web surfers, snowboarders and those imagining the beach way of life.
With sibling Jim Van Doren and partners Gordon Lee and Serge Delia, the Van Doren Rubber Company was developed in early 1966 as a factory and shop in Anaheim, California. The seller’s very first day orders were made on the area and handed to clients in the afternoon.
The beginning rate for a set was $2.49. In subsequent years, the seller ended up being called the “House of Vans.”
Paul Van Doren was born in Boston and worked for Randy’s, a shoe business that made vulcanized tennis shoes. In the mid-1960s Randy’s dispatched Van Doren, his sibling and Lee to right the ship at an underperforming factory in Gardon Grove, California, stated Paul Van Doren’s boy, Steve, in the book “Sneaker Freaker: The Ultimate Sneaker Book.”
They remained and developed Vans in surrounding Anaheim.
Flat, grippy and developed like a tank, Van Doren’s shoes were embraced most plainly by 1970s skateboarders, consisting of those choreographing surf-style relocations as part of the Zephyr skateboard group commemorated in the 2001 documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys,” which was produced with the aid of Vans.
It was likewise in the 1970s that the shoemaker included the words “off the wall” and a spear-shaped skateboard deck to its branding — to highlight the shoes’ usage in vertical skateboarding relocations.
Perhaps no single pop cultural minute commemorated Van Doren’s production as much as 1982’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” based upon a San Diego high school exposé for Rolling Stone publication by future director Cameron Crowe.
Steve Van Doren stated in “Sneaker Freaker” that the business sent out a box to the movie’s manufacturers and were shocked at the outcome. Vans were used by Sean Penn’s character, internet user Jeff Spicoli, and were included on the cover of the “Fast Times” soundtrack.
Vans offered “millions” of the checkerboard design used by Penn. “We had no idea” the movie would be such an advantage for the business, Steve Van Doren stated.
The “Fast Times” shoe style was credited to Jim Van Doren, who passed away in 2011 at 72.
In the 1980s, Vans, which currently had actually grown its retailers throughout California, broadened beyond skateboarding, producing shoes for basketball and even breakdancing, and paid a lot, generating countless dollars of financial obligation and going into a three-year duration of personal bankruptcy reorganization.
Paul Van Doren came out of semi-retirement to conserve the business, ultimately taking over from sibling Jim in 1987, Steve Van Doren stated. Paul Van Doren’s payroll and line of product austerity line settled, and Vans emerged debt-free, he stated.
In 1988, Paul Van Doren offered the business for $75 million. It went public in 1991. The business ultimately included a factory in San Diego, however it contracted out all its production to Asia in the 19990s, Steve Van Doren stated.
In the mid-1990s Vans purchased the Triple Crown of Surfing, the sport’s most revered Hawaiian contests, and released the Triple Crown of Skateboarding. It likewise sponsored an alternative rock display related to board sports, the Warped Tour, which Vans bought and developed into the Vans Warped Tour.
The 2000s saw the return of much of Vans’ “retro” designs, consisting of distinct items initially developed under its circa-1960s custom-made program.
Vans is now owned by VF, which likewise has skateboarding brand name Supreme and climbing up clothing company The North Face in its portfolio. The shoes are offered in 97 nations, consisting of through 2,000 merchants, according to VF.
In April, Paul Van Doren released, “Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans.” He stated he was more of an issue solver than a visionary.
“It helps that we knew our customers,” he composed, “especially the skaters, the surfers and the moms.”
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Dennis Romero
Dennis Romero composes for NBC News and is based in Los Angeles.
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borggolf · 3 years
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My 2020 Golf Year
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In the past several years around late February into March I would watch the weather forecast every day, hoping for a high near 50 degrees with no snow on the ground. Many people believe I’m crazy for wanting to golf so early in the season. Once a worker in the clubhouse told me on a 50 degree day in February that he wouldn’t be out there playing “even if a $100 bill was on the first hole’s flag.” But I just can’t wait to hit the links after the long offseason, at least most years. 2020 was much different.
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Still recovering from a sore shoulder and with the COVID shutdowns beginning around mid-march, I had little desire to golf. Even when the courses opened up for walking-only, there were a few days that were quite warm but I just couldn’t get myself to put the clubs in the car. Not so much that I was worried about the virus, but more in that my shoulder still hurt and I was afraid that swinging a club again would make it much worse.
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It wasn’t until May 1st when I finally decided to play a round. I’d actually put the walking cart in the trunk, but the state just started allowing motor carts to be used. My score that day and most of my rounds in May were atrocious. I didn’t card a respectable score until mid-June. I’d just gotten my handicap under 15 near the end of 2019 and it ballooned up to 20 by the end of June. But there was an unexpected silver lining: the shoulder pain not only didn’t get worse, it greatly improved.
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I’m not really sure how it worked as my orthopedic doctor, my physical therapist, and my chiropractor all told me I shouldn’t golf as long as I’m still experiencing pain. But the first few rounds significantly helped the aching I’d been experiencing over the entire off-season. The pain was still there, and it would worsen a little as I did what I said I shouldn’t and started playing 4 rounds a week again, but nowhere near as bad as it was last year or even the year before. Possibly the best thing I did, which could have culled the situation had I started doing it in 2018, was I iced my shoulder immediately after rounds. I was finally feeling better about my golfing health, until my golfer’s elbow returned with a vengeance.
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Around 4 years ago I was golfing nearly every day and developed what’s known as “golfer’s elbow,” very similar to tennis elbow. I’d purchased a compression band for my arm to wear during golf rounds for the remainder of the year, and the pain went away during the offseason not to return until this summer. This time it was much worse, making the elbow tender and my forearm sore, as well as my wrist. It got so bad that it hurt to simply pick up a glass of water with my right hand. Seeing as how my company’s on-site clinic closed down, and remembering how many thousands of dollars I spent on doctor bills for my shoulder last year, I decided to treat my condition with nothing more than ibuprofen, a new compression band, and ice. Along with reducing my golfing to 2-3 rounds a week in the fall, that seemed to work well through the rest of this year. I only hope that much like 4 years ago, it gets better in the offseason and doesn’t come back next year. Unfortunately I will be one more year older.
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Despite getting a very late start in the season, I ended up playing about the same amount of golf as I did last year thanks to unseasonably warm weather in the autumn. Usually when the weather gets colder my game goes to hell, but surprisingly some of my best rounds of the season came in October and November. Previously my lower temperature threshold for golfing was about 46 degrees. Since I was playing so well this fall, I was on the course several days when it was 37. And I wasn’t the only one. During the first two Saturdays in December, golf courses in the area had full parking lots. Grand Geneva even decided to open up The Brute despite it being closed due to all of the Christmas decorations spread out on the 17th fairway near the resort entrance. It’s clear that people were looking to take advantage of continuing outdoor activities as long as the weather allowed during the pandemic. 
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The biggest drawback to the golf boom of 2020 was the fact that a lot of people who rarely or never golfed before started playing a lot more rounds. It’s great that more people are discovering their interest in golf, but it seems like training sessions need to be held for these people, and I don’t mean lessons. Etiquette has been on a decline already, but this year you had newbies that either don’t understand or just ignore the rules (written and unwritten) of the courses. 18 hole golf rounds in some places went from 4-4.5 hours to 5-6 hours. People seem to be louder on the course than ever. Most venues did not have rakes out for the bunkers, which makes sense to help eliminate virus transmission, but now all of the inexperienced golfers are learning that they don’t need to rake the sand. I’m not saying I’m an expert on etiquette, but I’m learning more and more by golfing with more experienced players.
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One of the many things I love about golfing is spending time with my dad. He’s now in his late 70’s and can’t swing anywhere near as well as he used to. In 2019 we’d played 11 eighteen-hole rounds together and 4 nine-hole rounds, but this year he wanted to scale back. We still got in 16 rounds together, but most of them were just nine holes. During the eighteen-hole rounds, he was popping ibuprofen like candy. My brother asked me to ease back my golf rounds with dad, and it looks like I’m going to have to do just that. It is just as well though, as I’ve developed a desire to play nicer, more expensive courses when dad thinks Glen Erin is almost too fancy. 
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Much like how I enjoy trying a variety of different beers, I really enjoy trying out golf courses I’ve never played, as well as often rotating the courses I play every weekend so I’m not always golfing the same places. This year I golfed at 38 different courses in the area, 14 of them being new to me. Some of the notable new courses were in the Rockford area, which I used to consider ‘out of my range’ to travel for golf, were Aldeen in Rockford, Oak Grove in Harvard, Prairie View in Byron, and I revisited Timber Pointe in Poplar Grove. I also made quite a few trips north of I-94 to try out Scenic View in Slinger, Deertrak near Oconomowoc, Naga-Waukee and Western Lakes in Pewaukee, and Fairways Of Woodside in Sussex. Back in Walworth County I finally was able to play the elusive Gary Player course at Geneva National as well as both Grand Geneva courses, and the hidden gem Nippersink near Twin Lakes. The courses I’m most looking forward to playing again next year are Naga-Waukee, Nippersink, Western Lakes, and Oak Grove.
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I did not renew my membership with Majestic Oaks at Lake Lawn this year, but they still got a large portion of my golf spending as I played 22 rounds there as well as a fair number of range balls. Not too surprisingly my 2nd most golfed course was just up the road at Evergreen where I played 10 rounds (I only played it once last year), and then Delbrook with 6 rounds. Still, my favorite courses are Morningstar & Broadlands in Waukesha County, Hawk’s View in Lake Geneva, and Shepherd’s Crook & Thunderhawk in Zion, IL. I love the Geneva National and Grand Geneva courses, but I only play them when their rates are lower. 
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I mentioned earlier that I’ve been traveling greater distances from my home to golf. I started keeping track of miles driven to golf courses in 2017. While the number went up in 2018 (2376 miles), it went down to under 2000 miles in 2019. This year I racked up over 3700 miles. Much of that was possibly due to playing many fewer rounds at Majestic Oaks (22 this year vs 52 last year) which is only 2 miles from my house, but round trips to Slinger, Hartford, Pewaukee, Byron IL, and Zion IL really roll over the odometer.
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Along with breaking from my self-imposed temperature and mileage limits for golfing, I broke through my spending limits. Many of the new courses as well as my favorite courses were outside of what my price range was just a few years ago. I often spent over $50 per round this year when previously that price would make me cringe or at least hesitate to agree to make the tee time. In 2018 I’d spent a lot of money on greens/cart fees ($2582), but I scaled that back in 2019 ($1742) by taking advantage of more discounts. This year I’d spend $2944 on greens/cart fees. While choosing more expensive courses might be a large reason for the big spending, I also take into account that I often would leave for vacation 2-3 weeks during the year but 2020 canceled that. Instead I spent many of my vacation days golfing on nice days in the fall.
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I was disappointed that I once again wasn’t able to beat my best round ever carded in 2017 (+7 for 18), but I did have a notable round with my dad this year at Bass Creek where I scored +1 for 9 holes. My best score of the year was +9 at Prairie Woods, but really my best round was when I scored 82 at Western Lakes the first time I played it. I may never know how I managed it, but that day I had a lifetime-long 290 yard drive down the middle of the fairway on hole 16. One day in late October I took the afternoon off work and played two 18-hole rounds at Delbrook, scoring 85 & 81 (that 81 being my lowest calculated handicap differential of the year - which ranks your score with the difficulty of the course). Finally, one of my most memorable rounds of the year was in late November where I played the Gary Player course at Geneva National for the first time and carded an 85 from the hybrid tees. I’d never scored better than 102 at the other two GN courses.
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As I’m someone that enjoys variety, I’m the same when it comes to golf balls. Much like my taste in different styles of beer, my taste in which balls to play over the years changes. In the past I’ve preferred mid-level 3-piece balls like the Srixon Q-Star Tour and the Taylormade Project(a). This year my favorite balls were the more expensive Bridgestone Tour B RXS, my old favorite Callaway Chrome-Soft, and the Taylormade TP5 & TP5x. I tried the new Bridgestone B12 and had a few very good rounds with them, but I didn’t love them. But my most pleasing golf ball find this year was how well I played with Callaway SuperHots, even in cold weather. I already bought a few more boxes of those this offseason.
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I didn’t make any major equipment purchases this year besides a new rangefinder, so at least I managed to keep my hardware spending down under $500, which was mostly balls and new grips. I’d also managed to sell off some of my old equipment, which helped my budget. I’m strongly considering a new golf watch next year, and the one I’m eyeing up is $400. Along with my newfound desire to play more expensive courses, more expensive balls, and the potential need to replace a club or two out of my bag, it’s my guess that next year I’ll be breaking spending records on the sport.
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You don’t need me to tell you 2020 was a garbage year. But despite not cracking a score into the 70’s and no eagles, it was a good year for me on the links. I was voted to be in charge of our company golf league which went well, my game started badly but showed consistent improvement through the season, and my shoulder has improved to the point where I no longer feel I will need surgery. I also broke personal course records at five frequently-played courses. It’s hard not to be optimistic for 2021, but really the most I can hope for is to stay healthy....and finally get a hole in one.
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Photos:
My league opponent’s ball stuck in a tree, hole 9 Majestic Oaks
Looking down hole 7 Majestic Oaks during pandemic closure
1st green, Majestic Oaks (17th green in background)
4th fairway, Bass Creek
Hole 16 Towne Country Club
Hole 14 Naga-Waukee War Memorial Golf Course
Small crane in front of #2 green, Hawk’s View
#1 green, Deertrak. Alderly Millpond dam
Practice green, Aldeen
Byron Nuclear Power Plant cooling towers in background, Prairie View
Morningstar
Hole 14 Shepherd’s Crook, looking down on landfill
#2 North green, Evergreen, Thanksgiving Day
Hole 13 Gary Player course Geneva National
Hole 10 Gary Player course Geneva National
Hole 7, Western Lakes
Sunset over Delavan Lake, Lake Lawn driving range
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nocrying-offical · 6 years
Text
Darkest Hour
I’m never sure where to start about my father. He’s a tall man, six foot one. Silent and solemn if he’s not angry. Alcoholic. Smoked on and off. Ex military. Easy to anger. Scary when angry. Played favorites with me and my brothers. He praised David but was clinical with him. He chose to spend time with me because I was quiet and, if something went wrong, it was Eli’s fault. Always. That’s how I would describe him.
I hid under my older brothers and never saw my father’s wrath because I was the baby. Most of our time spent together was watching TV or quiet board games. He taught me dominoes during a snowstorm, chess in the fall and even mahjong, something he picked up in his army days. I don’t know if he liked me the best, it was obvious he was the most proud of David, but I spent the most time with him. So… I knew. It didn’t surprise me when it finally came to.
Dad liked to drink and when he drank he was easier to set off. He took it out a lot on the twins and my mom by blaming them for things out of our control. Sometimes the cops were called because the screaming was so loud, especially since Eli would instigate out of confused anger. So, I think to ease things with everybody, Dad used to take long camping trips with his old war buddy, Adam. I don’t know how long they knew each other, my mom made it seem like longer than she knew him. But whatever happened to dad’s eye Adam was there for.
I noticed… Their body language with each other. The way Adam would laugh whenever Dad made a joke. The way Adam was the only one who made Dad crack a smile. They whispered to each other when Mom wasn’t in the room a lot. Adam was always there when the family needed him. If Eli got into a fight at school he would ease it over, if we needed new school clothes Adam would take us, if my mom started considering more shifts at the diner Adam would hand her envelopes with cash. He always helped with Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays… In a lot of ways Adam was like our uncle but… Brothers don’t act like Dad and he did. I’m not sure if anybody noticed that but me.
I was 11 when it happened. My brothers had just turned 14. Late June of 2000. The twins were interested in completing video games and enjoying summer. I was noticing both David and Eli’s shifts into becoming teenagers and not kids at that point. My relationship with my brothers was reaching this turning point and being the baby felt like it meant being left behind.
Mom was trying to do some deep cleaning in her bedroom, looking for an old pocket knife she promised Eli. She never found it. She did, however, find old letters in a cookie tin. Some were dated two years ago at the time. Some way back to the mid 80’s. I remember her crying so much that afternoon and Eli sitting with her trying to figure out what was wrong but, all she could muster was “your father has some explaining to do.” Dad was supposed to go on one of his trips with Adam that evening. So, maybe it was fate but I think there was never a knife to begin with.
David and I were taking turns at the Playstation by this point. I had the gist of the game down and pointed out a strategy Eli hadn’t thought of. So, while he was in the other room comforting our mom, we just tried to keep out of it.
I looked over to my brother, “Do you know what those letters said?”
He shook his head as I made my next move on the TV.
“I think Dad is seeing somebody.” I said this quietly, just throwing the idea out there in the open.
“Yeah?” David’s face scrunched up with a mixture of worry and doubt, “Do you think they’ll divorce? Then we’ll get split up?”
I paused and sighed, looking over at him, “Maybe.”
There was a long silence as we both stared at the television. This wasn’t the first, or last, time our father made Mom cry like this.
David spoke up quietly, “I just wish he didn’t put me on the spot and make all of you feel bad. Sometimes I think about being bad at school so Eli would feel better but whenever I fuck up he still compares us.”
I could feel my face sagging with sadness, “Sometimes... I feel bad that he only likes spending time with me because I’m so quiet. I’m afraid if he leaves he’ll split me from you two.”
David looked me dead in the eye, “I’ll never let that happen. Okay? I promise. None of us will ever be split up. We’re all in this together.”
I nodded.
“I taped some old Nitro if you just wanna watch something.” My brother tried to force a smile.
I shrugged and we screwed around with the TV to get the Playstation unplugged and the VCR hooked up. David started to rewind the tape and as I put the game console back into the entertainment cabinet, my mom came out into the livingroom, “David? Caleb? Do you know where you put your baseball bat?”
We both looked at each other with worry and I stammered, “Um, I left it out on the back patio last week.”
“Okay. Well... It’s almost time for your father to come home. I want the three of you to stay inside. Promise me, okay?”
We back at each other and nodded as Mom left through the back door from the kitchen. Eli came out of the hallway shortly after, looking around, “Mom went outside?”
I nodded.
“You might wanna turn off wrestling, something better is about to go down.”
I reached over and turned off the VCR player, watching Eli get on the couch and peek out the window it was sitting up against, kneeling low. David murmured, furrowing his brow, “What’s going on?”
“Come and watch.” he grinned, biting his lower lip in anticipation.
We both got up on the couch and peeked out of the beige and red checkered curtains, catching a glimpse of our mom standing in the driveway with a louisville slugger.
David squinted, “What the hell is going on?”
“Dad’s cheating on Mom. Those letters were filthy but I could only read what mom left on the table when she wasn’t looking. It was like something out of Playboy. And she packed bags for all of us except him. She purposefully unpacked his shit for his trip this weekend.”
My oldest brother looked over at me and we exchanged looks.
Eli glanced beside himself, “You knew?”
I shrugged.
He frowned and went back to looking out the window, “Help me open this real quiet.”
The three of us gently cracked open the front window, hoping to hear whatever argument was about to ensue.
About five minutes passed and I let out almost a whimper, “I hope nobody gets hurt.”
“Shut up.”
Eventually, The sound of crunching gravel in the driveway and the hum of a Chevy Silverado slowly came into earshot. One by one we turned around quickly, afraid to be seen peeking from the curtains.
“Did you see-”
“Yes.” David whispered.
I reached out and I held my older brother’s hand. Both of us went into a cold sweat hearing the truck turn off. I mouthed “Don’t let him, please.” and my brother nodded, chewing on his cheek.
The car door popped open, “What’s wrong?” It was my father.
“Why don’t you tell me that, Huh? What the fuck is wrong? You wanna tell me?”
Another car door opened, “Janet.” Uncle Adam.
A hiss from gritted teeth escaped from my mom’s lips, “Oh. You stay the fuck away from me you cocksucker.”
“Let’s just talk about this like adults, alright?” There’s no reason to bring out a bat.”
“Oh. But it’s fine to throw bottles at me? Huh? Or threaten to stab your own son?”
I opened my eyes and caught Eli wincing. David whispered he was going to bring our luggage into the living room and got up, clearing his throat.
“Does he tell you about that Adam, huh, when he’s fucking your ass in the woods?”
“Janet!”
Eli let out this noise that was halfway between a snort and a gasp.
“Dad’s gay?” David whispered, dropping all four suitcases.
His twin slowly tried to take a peek at the backpedaling going on outside, “That doesn’t even make sense. But-” He slid back down into the couch, “Maybe that’s why he hates us so much. We’re not family to him.”
“Just a cover.” David finished.
“Let me just take my shit and go. Nobody has to get hurt, Okay?”
“Oh! That’s how you think it’s gonna go? I’m just gonna let you pack your bags and leave? No. You are not getting into that trailer.”
”Fine I’ll jus-”
There was a loud crack, and then two male scream. We heard keys jingling and then quick stomping up the stairs. As the door slammed open our mom screamed, leaning into the house, “Boys!”
The three of us scrambled to grab our old thrift store luggage. David offered to carry Mom’s and in almost one swift motion, we were in the backseat of the truck. I’m not sure how, or where, but mom got ahold of Dad’s hunting rifle. She slung it over her back, still holding the bat as she ushered us into the car.
I never saw where Dad or Adam were during that, especially since between the luggage and the three of us it was like a clown car in the extended cab. We drove until the first stoplight in silence and then mom instructed David to take the rifle and put it under the backseat, along with the bat.
I finally spoke up, “Mom?”
“Mh.”
“D-... Did you kill dad?”
She shook her head, “No, he’ll live.”
“Where are we going?”
Eli sighed heavily.
My mom looked up into the rear mirror, “We’re going to Grandma’s, okay? It’s going to be okay.”
We eventually moved the luggage into the truck bed and Mom stopped to kiss all three of us on the head before heading back on the road. The three of us were getting to be as tall as her at this point and she commented how there will be a day where she wouldn’t reach our heads anymore. The evening set into night,and we stopped at a dirty truck stop for dinner when god knows when. Mom dug up some quarters and called her mother outside while we got back in the car. It took a few tries before somebody answered
“No Ma, He- There were letters.”
I watched Eli roll up his window so he could rest his head against it. David had been using an old jean jacket as a blanket and started to nod off.
“Please don’t do this now.”
The conversation on the phone very clearly went nowhere and was extremely short. We didn’t go to our grandmother’s.
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jasondillisdead · 6 years
Text
JDID’s Favourite records 2017
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50. Brian Eno - Reflection   Although not the definitive version of Eno’s generative music, the permanent and impermanent formats of the most labored over conceptual kick of his career are both vital listens.This was the first record I heard in 2017 and was almost relieved how untenable it was, Eno’s been defending this position for years. Reflection is not the result, nor last chapter, just a tiny fragment.  
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49. Godflesh - Post Self Post self is a flattened charred industrial record as all Godflesh records are but built on an idea that they had transcended what they had become. It succeeds - Post Self relies on a guitar sprawl so unique the way the ear navigates these tracks is indescribably different. It becomes a suffocating evil cousin of their ambient project Jesu.
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48.  Aaron Dilloway - The Gag File  In 2017 Dilloway graced me with a track called “Karaoke with Cal” - anyone that knows or works with me know s the significance of that. If you don’t then all you need to know is that this record is the only one that legitimately creeped me out last year.
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47. Tinariwen - Elwan
Elwan is little more than a beautiful extension of the middle eastern band’s meditative rounds they perfected on 2014's Emmaar but in current times it feels potent. Despite the band actually not being able to return to mali after being directly targeted by militants  Elwan is not as urgent, political or anything a band from the region with a strong western following could be. It makes a far more confronting point, this magic that is under threat from the current dangerous political and cultural climate closer to our increasingly nationalist western homes.
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46. Talaboman - The Night Land  Perhaps deliberately designed not to overshadow the solo work work of either John Talabot or Axel Bowman, this collaborative album feels relaxed and Jam-session-like at face value which as a concept sounds appealing anyway. The pair have made an album that is so overtly welcoming to the point where spending copious amounts of time within it to discover each of the artist's sneaky signatures is really easy. When Talabot has been making us wait for years for a Fin follow-up there are plenty of moments here that tease what that could sound-like.
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45. The Necks - Unfold   I first listened to the Australian improvisers expansive 19th (!) record whilst stuck in the Grampians preparing for a music festival whilst exhausted and sleeping in a tent. It seems to stretch on forever, Tony Bucks’ percussion refusing to stay still. It was one of those perfect place and time moments to experience a record. 
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44. Tom Rogerson with Brian Eno - Finding Shore  High drama plays out the second you read that Eno has a second billing, yet alone when he starts to play with the composers piano shapes with lasers.
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43. Chuck Johnson - Balsams  The pedal steel guitar has been a point of many emotive musical moments for me. It’s an instrument that seems to deal only in longing beauty. Chuck transformed that often fleeting feeling into an entire album of indulgent ambience.
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42. Jenny Lin - Philip Glass: Complete Etudes for Piano  Glass wrote these classical vignettes to challenge him to learn, he later admitted the structure of some of them, especially the 11-20 movements, were beyond his grasp. Lin’s technical experience has injected new life into them via their most competent delivery yet.
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41. Matthew Hayes - Indigo      Indigo is at first very disarming, a series of patient, calming exhales. Soon interwoven moments of intricacy, a voice here, a trickle of water there shape it into something that culminates explosively and joyously in relative terms by the final track. It’s a journey record that resets you and perfectly balances between melancholy and the quest for a more patient world. I listened to it a lot on my repeated plane rides from Melbourne to Adelaide. During the most capitalist points of my existence in 2017 it politely re-positioned my perspective on things.
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40. Bicep - Bicep  The Field re purposed trance in a way that felt inexplicably sophisticated, in the same way these Bicep must be in on a joke, because they take the muscularity out of prog house and make it ephemeral.
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39. Yves Tumor - Experiencing The Deposit of Faith The first track I heard in 2017 moments after midnight on new year's eve was Yves’ “Limerence” one that wasn’t on his acclaimed Serpent Music, my introduction to him a few months earlier. It blew me away. “Limerence” went on to be the centrepiece of PAN’s Mono No Aware and one of 2017’s most vital pieces of music. Yves has made the most of it. Experiencing the Deposit of Faith rides the feeling of that seminal track in varying directions.
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38.  Khotin - New Tab A few years ago everyone either realised Macs were overpriced paper weights and acknowledged that functionalism is the future or became nostalgic for Window's 95. Although I hope it's the former I suspect it's the later fascinatingly, 22 years later windows operates not that differently but still looks like the future. You could say the same about the best mid 90's IDM I love so dearly and Khotin.
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37. Visible Cloaks - Reassemblage The critical darling of experimental music in 2017, possibly with thanks to the hard work of their lauded mixes that landed a few years ago. I’m not sure it it actually re purposes Hiroshi Yoshimura’s music but it’s nod to it is convincing enough to be be received as sincere and at times beautiful homage to it.
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36. Golden Retriever- Rotations  There’s an alluring bass clarinet (I think?!) that populates Rotations -an unusual instrument to use prolifically especially in a Neoclassical leaning piece of experimentalism but it codes rotations with its own unique sound. It’s a new language that is rooted in emotion, although very different it wants to be felt by as many people as possible. 
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35. Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement - Ambient Black Magic
At the very least  Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement as a project wins best bullshit back story, a bunch of cassettes found in Port Moresby believed to be from missing christian missionaries, reissued in all their terror. I was a fan from the get go but possibly due to Fernow’s prolific 2017 workflow this is the best shape the project has been in since its inception. 
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34. Actress - AZD
Due to his bizarrely complex modes of operation every time I listen to a new Actress album I wonder if it actually is him or an imitator, it takes a few spins for things to line up again.  This didn't happen with AZD, a capital B Black afro futurist techno record that is the true spiritual successor to 2012's rightly lauded  R.I.P. - a record he threatened never to make.
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33. Shabazz Palaces - Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines/Born On a Gangster Star This epic double album streamlines Ishmael's sound into a distilled, aggressive but typically cosmic assault on America. Although this might be the easiest Shabazz Palaces album to digest, the music still forms a wonderfully alien ELM laced world where emotionless voices become percussive ghosts dancing around swamps of alien synths. 
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32. Lee Gamble - Mnestic Pressure Apparently political, Mnestic Pressure’s finest point is the maze like way you need to train yourself to listen to it and extract full reward. It’s more psychological than political to me but maybe the point is they’re not so far apart.
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31. Four Tet - New Energy   The insane popularity Kieran Hebden experienced at the turn of last decade seemed to throw him. New Energy finally scratched an itch for his magic I hadn’t had satisfied since Rounds. 
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30. Moon Diagrams - Lifetime of Love  Lifetime of Love is a particularly weird, aching piece of ambient electronica.  Torn between a hypnotic ambiguous drawl of his Geographic North peers and his band's early ambient psych pop monuments, Deerhunter's Moses John Archuleta has made something here that is a rhythmic buffer from the catharsis of his day job. 
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29. Forest Swords - Compassion  Barnes's latest offering as Forest Swords creates a vibrant maximalist voyage by narrowing the occasional kitsch musings of his previous album and blasting the important and unique aspects of his project into full scale widescreen stuff.
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28. Cologne Tape - Welt Magazine's finest assemble for a homage to German music that although oddly eclectic is full of purpose and resolve. Magazine once again proves a safe haven for artists like Jens-Uwe Beyer and The Field to experiment outside their comfort zones, making me very happy.
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27. Rafael Anton Irisarri - The Shameless Years  Although not his finest, Irisarri’s latest is a real grower by one of the ambient masters that rewards repeated listens and like his best can still suspend a Sunday afternoon in pure weightlessness.
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26. Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds From Another Planet  Michelle Zauner's smoldering sophomore record was originally intended as a science fiction concept album. It never quite became that but a strange dystopian shade is cast over it. It's as if she made it 50 years in the future in mid western America, past its prime remembering its past. 
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25. Strategy - The Infinity File  
Jefre Cantu Ledesma's excellent 2016 release on Geographic North meant more people than usual pointed their heads at the direction of the label. They didn’t waste the opportunity to capitalise on the attention, TIF is a genre hugging tape loop record running in the lineage of Basinski that beatlessly flirts with idea that this is music that can make you move.   
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24. Shannhet - So Numb
Bordering on classical in its grandeur, So Numb is the ambient metal titans at full wingspan. An austere and almost comically epic record, they understand like few others the grace and beauty required to pull something like this off.
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23. Avey Tare - Eucalyptus  Anco’s Meeting of the Waters was the return of a sound I felt had long cease to exist, an early 2000's ambient record with folk-pop song gems hidden inside. Eucalyptus is  the realization of those songs in broad daylight. Its stunning lucid dream state at its best it sounds like a sister album to Deakin's Sleep Cycle, or even Spirit. 
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22. Juju and Jordash - Sis - Boom- Bah  The idea of improvisation in techno normally lends to a sloppiness but these two have worked together so closely over the last decade that this record scans as each predicting the other’s next move. Impulsive yet perfectly refined.
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21.  Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - The French Press Quite possibly the most unfathomably fully formed guitar band since The Walkmen and about the only indie rock record I cared about this year.
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20. Jefre Cantu Ledesma - On The Echoing Green  For the third year running the noise maniac has outdone himself. This ventures closer to shoegaze and song structure than anything he's released before and wonderfully for noise heads and MBV fans alike, pulls it off.  
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19. Richard Dawson - Peasant  Peasant is sort of halfway between the absurdity of modern day Scott Walker and the somber beauty of prime time Nick Drake. It’s the most confounding record I heard all year. He plays the guitar like a 7 year old snapping at a nylon string but does it so intricately that it feels like there’s no other way to play the instrument. It also simply must be noted that for me there was also no better song than “Beggar” in 2017. 
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18. Call Super -  Arpo I heavily underappreciated the depths that Joe could mine, he’s always been able to flick his music around just enough that it becomes genreless but the LP format give it time to crystallize in a way that is a lot less messy and much more rewarding. 
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17. Just Neighbors - Being where I Thought I'd Be 
Being where I thought I'd be could be the best math album since Mutiny on the bounty's IMAX epic, Digital Tropics. Just Neighbors is the counterpoint to the record that out battlesd battles, a patient neighborhood band that know their limitations millimeter perfectly and simply coast through a near perfect suburban album like a  lost cousin of American Football. 
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16. Kettenkarussell - Insecurity Guard  Giegling may be the first label to become a glorified electronic music meme. Insecurity Guard is virtually impossible to get a hold of digitally and if you want a physical copy you have to pay, big. The problem that seems to encourage this ostentatious behaviour is the music is somehow gorgeous enough to justify at least some of it. That last track is on some serious BOC shit. 
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15. Forest Walker - UV Sea  Constilation Tatsu have always had an astoundingly consistent output of soundcloud ambience  but this tape from Oakland's Forest Walker is the next step above. UV Sea is an enveloping wave of humming machines and perfectly measured, piano that melt together. Ambient bliss of the finest order.
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14. Ahnnu- Special Forces  I’ve been a massive Ahnnu fan since Battered Sphinx but always seem to overlook the LA surrealist when writing these dumb lists, his music is timelessly expressive and fascinating, Special Forces is yet another record to ad to his ludicrously high standards of experimentation. 
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13. Mount Kimbie - Love What Survives Mount Kimbie were once ambassadors for a sound I really loved that only seemed to really exist in 2010-11 before it was consumed by pop culture and somehow became something different. James Blake is a pub singer playing stadiums now. Love What Survives rescues some of that sound but also offers a nerdist offering of their fascination with the MS-20 - one of my favourite synths.
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12. William Basinski - A Shadow In Time Many debate the legitimacy of the connection between Basinski's Disintegration Loops to 9/11. On his first work that has actively engaged with the same technique since that career defining legacy, he crafts music that shifts over essentially large scales with new techniques to further unravel his difficult relationship with tragedy. It further homes in (and perhaps justifies) the most lauded conceptual framework of the his career. The two pieces introduce violent acts around the 6 minute mark, like a real marked event, by the distant end of the track's twentieth minute it's hard to remember what the pieces were like before fate reared its head.
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11. Varg - Nordic Flora Series Pt. 3: Gore-Tex City   Varg takes contemporary popular music culture, purist independent ambient techno and our self perception in the digital age, irony and steely purpose and compresses it to a dense singular point. Then he boasts on instagram about how easy it was to make on his ipad. This is your reality, are you flying business class?
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10. Albrecht La'Brooy - Escape Velocity  As with much of the Melbourne duo’s work Escape Velocity is yet another place making exercise but this time one that is interpretive and cosmic bound. Their previous records relied on personal experiences and recordings to supplement their sometimes astoundingly intricate soundscapes, this proved that they can project that same romance to places they could only dream of going without diminishing any of their music’s power. 
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9. PAN - Mono No Aware Mono No Aware strikes a balance that few label comps could ever dream of, and feels as important as Artificial Intelligence must have. The record is an incredible distilled snapshot of the way ambient music operates within the music of today, eclectic enough to keep you on your toes and yet captures a beautiful static and very specific mood. The thought that has gone into this is immeasurable, it doesn't read as a collection as much as a modern ambient classic.
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8. Baths - Romaplasm 
Born from the 2010’s era where poptimism and independent music were still distinctly separated, Bath’s masterful third full length gave me hope that there is still a pop utopia hiding in the queer underground.
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7. Bing and Ruth - No Home Of The Mind Composer David Moore's neoclassical drone opus is waves upon waves of arpeggiated chords and shuddering, gut wrenching bass tones executed with mathematical, classical and emotional precision. Very few can do this type of thing.
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6. Bjork - Utopia Utopia has been unfairly labelled Bjork’s “Happy Album,” unsurprisingly it’s far more complex than that. Bjork has become the perfect catalyst to bring out the best in Arca, strangely she grounds him but also manages to paint these surreal collages that are both “happy” and also somehow skin crawlingly weird. Their second meeting has resulted in my favourite Bjork album since Vespertine.
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5. Shinichi Atobe - From the Heart, It's A Start, A Work Of Art The mysterious chain reaction expat has been pulled out of hiding revealing a plethora of stunning technoscapes, Atobe crafts three dimensional loops that weave in and out of each other with no beginning nor end. His distinctly Japanese sensibility puts him squarely in a lineage of greats like Rei Harakami Susumu Yokota and the beyond legendary Hiroshi Yoshimura who plucked the impossible out of the most simple of electronic constructions. There is something desperately elemental about it, as though he's trying to expose what it means to be human.
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4. King Krule - The Ooz One hailed as the new voice of our generation, I never saw Archy as more than a modest fad, an english kid with a guitar and a deep voice. I’m very happy to be wrong, The Ooz is an incredible jazz fused odyssey and nothing sounds quite like it. Marshall plays with perception of the English language, bone shattering bass and quirky and brash areas of a lengthy album that open up into gorgeous interludes. His voice is one thing - and still notable - but his abilities as a producer and a lyricist are where things have become incredibly interesting. He’s getting a lot of attention right now and he deserves every bit of it and you don’t need me to tell you. 
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3. Bibio - Phantom Brickworks  Phantom Brickworks borrows from just about every corner of modern ambient you could imagine. Basinski’s disintegration techniques, Glass’s repetition, GAS’s hiss, Eno’s placemaking melodies, this list goes on. What’s so absolutely remarkable about this is how an established artist who has never operated in this field has made such a convincing and beautiful masterpiece out of recycled ideas.
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2. Skee Mask - Skee Series - ISS001 - 2012 / ISS002 After last year's already canonical Shred, The peerless German returns with a series gorgeously realised, ungodly pieces of ambiguous IDM. Both EP’s were razor sharp, bold statements from a producer with absolutely nothing to prove at this point. He has an LP on the way in 2018, repent sins, the messiah might be here.  
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1. GAS - Narkopop Full disclaimer: I regularly regard GAS’s 2000 record Pop as my favourite of all time to the point where I once wrote an entire book about it. Wolfgang Voigt has done a lot since then including building one of the most important techno labels ever in Kompakt and continued to explore ambient avenues, but never returned under the GAS name. Myself and others started to loudly wonder if he ever would, or more importantly if he still could make this music. Pop perfected the formula he had been testing in the mid nineties, it sounded like the universe breathing, it gave new meaning to existing. The conclusion was always simple: Why would he?
Eyes fixed on the future, when Wolfgang brought back GAS for a fleeting remix of The Field a few years ago it felt unimportant but also opened up the possibility that he may not be done with the name. He had ever so slightly tarnished Pop’s perfect full stop. 17 years after Pop he’s exhaled another opus over the decades that does the GAS name justice and reinstates his god given right to walk away from it. One thing to readily note here is this record is certainly not Pop 2.0 as the title may suggest. Narkopop's new unstable nature brings fascinating, readily consumable answers to the question of where he planned to take us as well as obligatory nods to Konigsfrost and Zauberberg in overwhelming ecstatic waves of classical music. Narkopop is anything but nostalgia, it presents itself as a stunning individual entry into this once seemingly sealed vault. Gone are the naturalistic running streams of Pop’s opening three tracks, replaced by human voices on 3, horrifying militaristic drums on 5 and most strikingly, blindingly gorgeous piano fills, clear as day on 6. Its meaning was quickly clear.   Narkopop feels heavier than Pop ever did. It’s a velvety record, luxurious even but where Pop felt like it could have been accidentally made by the forest, Narkopop is undeniably the result of fingers on buttons and keys. Pop would never have let a human made piano fill enter the frame yet alone a voice. 17 years later perhaps Voigt can no longer achieve such feats, what’s more likely is he is trying to tell us that the world has gotten to the point where it won’t let him. Once a vision into the surreal side of nature, Narkopop seems to point the project somewhere it has never faced, nor needed to - the human condition required to program it. Not so strangely 2017 felt like the right year for him to do it and for me it was the best record of the strange year by a mile. 
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musicinquarantine · 4 years
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Future Nostalgia review
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Dua Lipa’s sophomore album Future Nostalgia has come at an interesting time. What was meant to be a soundtrack to a night out with friends, clubbing with strangers, or driving through a crowded beach town, is for many people now soundtracking an afternoon in their backyard, or a difficult Zoom yoga class. The album was released on March 27, a week earlier than the original planned release. Dua Lipa attributed the early release date to wanting to give her fans something to get them through this difficult time, although it was more likely due to the fact that the album leaked online 2 weeks earlier. Regardless of the reasoning, Dua Lipa deciding to release this album when so many other artists are choosing to postpone album releases during this time has allowed for a unique situation and context for the album. I have spent a lot of time with this album during my isolation, more than I would have otherwise. Here is my track by track review: 
1. Future Nostalgia 
The title track of the album, “Future Nostalgia” starts out cocky and sets the tone for the rest of the album. The song is perhaps a fourth wall breaker, introducing the journey that we are about to embark on as we go through the rest of the album. Dua states “You want a timeless song, I wanna change the game… You wanna turn it up loud, future nostalgia is the name”. And she’s right. The rest of the album proves that she is creating timeless pop music. 
2. Don’t Start Now
Being the album’s first single, you would think “Don’t Start Now” would be tired and overplayed by the time the album was released, let alone when I am writing this review 1 month later. But that is not the case. “Don’t Start Now” sounds as fresh as ever, the smooth bassline carrying it all the way to the end. And the lyrics have become a sort of mantra for the self isolated; “Don’t show up, don’t come out”. Don’t worry Dua, we won’t. 
3. Cool
“Cool” feels, well, cool. It’s light and easy going, relying on its sparse but meaningingful bass and drumline to carry us through. This song in particular reminds me of a day spent on the beach, that I hope to safely be able to enjoy soon. Dua says “I guess we’re ready for the summer”, and this song makes me feel more ready than ever. 
4. Physical 
Another single off of the album, “Physical” feels classic despite its recent release date. This song feels like it is straight out of a Jane Fonda workout video, and Dua even created her own workout video to accompany the song. The sound is big and bombastic, unlike the songs we’ve heard on the album until this point. It feels like a climax, like the energy we’ve built up listening to the previous songs finally gets to be released. 
5. Levitating
Back to the more easy listening tracks, “Levitating” feels fresh and light. This is the song on the album I wish I could blast in a car packed with my friends. It is infectious and euphoric. The most notable and screamable lyrics come at the bridge, where Dua states “My love is like a rocket, watch it blast off, And I'm feeling so electric, dance my ass off, And even if I wanted to, I can't stop”. 
6. Pretty Please
My personal favorite off of the album, “Pretty Please” strips back the production further than any other track on the album. It is carried by its bassline, and the song gradually builds as it continues, but maintains its simplistic structure. The song’s lyrics are a plea for personal connection, which is something I think we can all relate to during this time. 
7. Hallucinate
“Hallucinate” sounds like it was written with the dance floor in mind. The four to the floor bass drum creates a club like atmosphere even as I am sitting in front of my laptop. It feels classic but also new. It’s not trying to do too much, but instead relies on the classic disco format, updated with Dua’s modern vocals. 
8. Love Again
“Love Again” is another track on the stretch of the album that could have been disco hits of the 70s in another universe. It samples the incredibly catchy trumpet hook from White Town’s 1997 hit “Your Woman”. But the song makes it feel like this trumpet lick came out of the 70s instead of the 90s. The song’s samples and simple structure make it a perfect, classic feeling dance song. 
9. Break My Heart
“Break My Heart” is the final and most powerful of the disco inspired tracks on the album. The strongest of the trio, this song samples INXS’ 1987 hit “Need You Tonight”. It takes the song’s classic guitar riff and transforms it into a powerful melody for “Break My Heart”’s chorus. The newest single from the album, this song has gained attention for its classic feel and even more quarantine-friendly lyrics, like when Dua states that “I would've stayed at home, 'cause I was doing better alone”. Let that be a warning to all of us considering breaking our quarantine.
10. Good in Bed
Unlike the rest of the songs on the album, “Good in Bed” has a mid-2000s feel, almost like it could have been a track on Gwen Stefani’s 2004 solo debut, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. The song has a catchy hook, almost making you forget about the song’s questionable lyrics, where Dua states the physical benefits of a toxic relationship. 
11. Boys Will Be Boys
The final track on the album is “Boys Will Be Boys”. While this song may sound revolutionary to some, to me it feels forced and unnecessary. The message of the song is incredibly important, discussing the double standards that men and women face and the fear that is a normal part of women’s everyday lives. However in the context of the album, it feels out of place. The rest of the album is light and fun, and to add a political commentary at the end feels strange and wrong. Most of the time, the album for me ends at “Good in Bed”. 
While this is my review now, I would be interested to see how much the context of the album influences my opinions. Listening to this album in isolation is a unique experience that I’m sure was not Dua Lipa’s intention. Once this is all over, I can’t wait to experience these songs the way they were intended to be experienced. But right now, I will put on the album and imagine that I am.
Listen to Future Nostalgia
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