#also the verse/chorus status are kinda made up

[mascarasalocaso]

‘Mine’ is literally Andreil (especially Neil but not just him); the song was written about them, I'm convinced. Ever since I had that realization I've had the need for everyone to know that and, since I haven't seen anyone mentioning it in the fandom, I had to do my best to ensure more people have this information. 

I mean, these are the lyrics of the song:

(Text in brackets are my comments, text in blue are the actual lyrics of the song)

Verse 1:

You were in college working part-time waitin’ tables [Well, Andrew no longer works at Eden's, but he does go to college, so I'd consider it a partial match] 

Left a small town, never looked back [Cass' house back in California] 

I was a flight risk with a fear of fallin’ [“Flight risk"? That is literally Josten's middle name]

Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts [I know that Neil 'didn' t swing' (being the fandom consensus, I think, that he's demi) but at first he was also all like 'Yeah, I can't afford to trust people and caring about anyone in that way it's not worth it , since it only leads to trouble'  and so on] 

Verse 2

I say “Can you believe it?

As we’re lying on the couch?"

The moment I can see it.

Yes, yes, I can see it now [I haven’t thought of any special meaning to this, so if anyone sees anything, feel free to point it out in the comments]

Chorus A 

Do you remember, we were sitting there by the waters? [*on the roof] 

You put your arm around me for the first time [their first kiss (and many others) but it is also a safe place of sorts for them, somewhere they can go to to be alone. At first, it's Andrew's place, but later on he also takes Neil, and it turns into a safe space for the both of them, metaphorically putting his arm around Neil] 

You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter [Andrew made Neil a rebel in the sense that he convinced and motivated him to stand his ground and fight instead of keep on running. And I guess the part about his father doesn't need much explanation] 

You are the best thing that’s ever been mine [They've both lived lives full of trauma, people hurting them, and other negative things. And now they have each other and it's so much better than anything either of them thought they could get. I’m not one to say that a certain couple is perfect because it sounds cheesy, but in each other they now have someone who really (bothers to) understand them, and “accepts” them, with everything they have in a way that they couldn't find in just anyone] 

Verse 3 [This might be my favourite verse]

Flash forward, and we’re taking on the world together, [This could refer to the part between Andrew coming back from Easthaven and Neil getting kidnapped, where (at least for Neil) it was a time of peace and things going fine (all things considered), or to their lives post trilogy/college, even if then it alters a bit the chronology of the song] 

And there’s a drawer of my things at your place [I was about to say that they skipped this part and moved ahead to living together, but actually, I think this could be connected to the keys. It isn't having his things at Andrew's but, ultimately, the whole thing about having something (a space) that is yours at someone else's house is that this person is allowing/inviting you in it. The drawer is like saying "This is my thing, but you are also welcome, not only as a guest but rather as it also being your thing", and that is (more or less) what Andrew was saying when he gave Neil the keys to his house and his car. ] 

You learn my secrets, and you figure out why I’m guarded, [Do I even need to explain?  I will anyway. Again, doesn’t chronologically follow the story, but I feel like the scene in Wymack’s living room coming back from the first time at Eden's really does count as Andrew “figuring” Neil out. He doesn’t get all the truth, but he then gets the blurry picture of what Neil’s life is. I guess this line is just perfect for them and really didn’t need explaining] 

You say we’ll never make my parents’ mistakes [I could be tripping here, but I think Andrew does at some point say to Neil something about not being his father, not looking alike and… Alright, I don’t remember, maybe I should reread the books.]

Verse 4

But we got bills to pay, [At first metaphorical bills, then “real” ones. I already mentioned the “time of peace” Neil has before getting kidnapped. During this time, he has long decided how he’s going to play thighs and made peace with the fact that his death is nearing. So, yeah, they have their moment of calm, but bills are due, he has to answer for all the unresolved issues surrounding his life. The second interpretation, the one with the real bills, would be, of course, about the deal Neil makes with the Moriyamas at the end of the books.]

We got nothing figured out, [1. Taking into account what I said about the preceding line, this is obvious, I guess. Neil and Andrew are at a point where they are finding their footing and also their happiness, I suppose. But they haven’t really resolved their problems, and they (the problems) are just around the corner. 2: They kinda survived through the whole deal, but they didn’t exactly “solve” them (except for Nathan, I guess?), they merely did that: surviving. I think the first interpretation is much more fitting and just goes along better with the rest of the song.]

When it was hard to take, 

Yes, yes, this is what I thought about [Here I’m not completely sure I understand what the song is saying, so I’m sorry if I get it wrong, but if I’m right: This is during his time with his father. Of course life at that point isn’t very nice. And while he is suffering he also thinks about the nice things in the last years. Namely, the foxes and Andrew. 

Chorus A

Do you remember, we were sitting there by the water? [This follows the same string as the last verse. So while Neil is with his father and everything he has the good memories of Andrew, etc]

You put your arm around me for the first time [Given that Andrew wasn’t the only good thing Andrew had while with the foxes, this time we could say that the “you put your arm around me for the first time" doesn’t mean just Andrew but the rest of the foxes (especially Wymack) as well]

You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter

You are the best thing that’s ever been mine [With that in mind, this line makes even more sense, because with his troubled childhood and everything that was his life from hen on, the foxes are by far the best thing he has ever had]

Chorus B

Do you remember all the city lights on the water?

You saw me start to believe for the first time

You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter

You are the best thing that’s ever been mine

Oh, oh, oh

[All the chorus part is that, remembering the various instances. Both mentioned priorly on the show and not mentioned]

Verse 5

And I remember that fight, two-thirty a.m. 

When everything was slipping right out of our hands

I ran out crying, and you followed me out into the street

[I really liked thinking about this as a scene that’s a bit different from what the song might be describing; Which is the one in TKM, if I’m not wrong, where Wymack tells Neil he’s going to be captain the following year, and he has a panic attack (I think). So the “fight” wouldn’t be an actual fight but a conversation that did upset Neil nevertheless. This upsets him because it’s something that he wants but knows he can never get; and this causes a crash between the life that he’s kind of build for himself at PSU, where he’s a promising striker for the Foxes who could be Court, and his “actual life”, where he’s the runaway son of a criminal and will die before the end of the year. All of this to say that at that moment Neil was made aware of the fact that the life he really wanted was going to slip right out of his hands without him being able to do anything about it. He then literally ran out, except not crying but having a panic attack. And Andrew came to him.

As I said I liked seeing this part as a reference to that scene, maybe because I like the scene, but now I’m thinking it actually matches way better with another scene. It’s still not chronologically in order, but it doesn’t go as far back (as the aforementioned scene). The scene in question is the riot. There was in fact a fight. It was not 2:30 a.m., but it was late at night. Everything was in fact slipping out of their hands (except Andrew didn’t know it, but still), that with Neil getting kidnapped, probably never to be seen again. Neil very much did not run, and he did not cry, but he was in distress and Andrew went to follow him where he went. (I know Andrew at the moment was looking after Aaron and Kevin, not so much after Neil, since they had broken the deal. But once his people were safe and stuff had calmed down a bit, he did try to find Neil in the car park, he choked Kevin for information, he tried to fight the FBI, etc. Neil doesn’t really know about what Andrew is doing at the time, but when he speaks with the FBI he knows Andrew wouldn't just leave him. And later, of course, he hears of what happened, all that Andrew did.]

Verse 6

Braced myself for the "Goodbye"

‘cause that’s all I’ve ever known

Then you took me by surprise

You said, "I’ll never leave you alone"

[Even ignoring how Neil thought he was going to die at the hand of his father and because of that said goodbye to Neil and everything he (Neil) had. 

When Neil is with the FBI, he thinks the Foxes probably hate him now that they know the truth, so when he goes to meet them at the hotel it’s mostly to say goodbye. He thinks Andrew, more than anyone, will be mad at him for lying to him, but when they actually see each other Andrew is just relieved to see him alive. He then refuses to leave his side, both while they’re in the room and later with the FBI, making it really clear to Neil that Andrew will be with him no matter what, “you aren’t going anywhere”.]

Chorus C

You said, "I remember how we felt sitting by the water

And every time I look at you, it’s like the first time

I fell in love with a careless man’s careful daughter

She is the best thing that’s ever been mine"

Whoa

You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter

You are the best thing that’s ever been mine

Verse 2.2

Do you believe it?

We’re gonna make it now

And I can see it

I can see it now

[They're in love (or something) forever, etc, etc ]

#andreil #aftg #neil josten #tfc #andrew minyard #andrew x neil #all for the game #Sorry for this whole ramble about something that could've been explained in two sentences #also the verse/chorus status are kinda made up #taylor swift #Just added a cut bc I was getting bored scrolling through it

[catbooknerd22]

ttpd thoughts

loving fortnight 

the echos in headphones in fortnight>>>>> 

apartment, department rhyme in ttpd is so satisfying 

i also love the “im not patti smith” and all the other artist references in ttpd

WAIT IS SHE CALLING THEM TORTURED POETS?????

“you’d kill yourself if i ever leaved” (ttpd) thats so fucking toxic bro 

i love the beginning of mbobhft

why are so many of these songs so sad/hurtful/heartbreaking and yet the tone makes them a bop

“fuck it if i cant have us” (down bad) why is this kinda relatable and also not- 

lowkey sounds like tay and joes relationship was really toxic 

“i stopped cpr / after all, it’s no use” (so long, london) - it’s def a reference OR the reason for the heartbeat in you’re losing me

i need to play so long london and london boy at the same time and i need for them to match (they prob wont but its a NEED)

the intro to daddy i love him sounds like miss americana eras tour version/the opening of the eras tour when the clock is ticking and then the montage of “it’s been a long time coming” starts

but daddy i love him ??? omg

love the florence and the machine verse in florida

so many florida references in the beginning of the album? then they stop after florida??? tay what is this

also several references to texas 

note that drug problems have been mentioned several times - “my drug is my baby?” - was taylor’s love/obsession with joe like a drug problem and it ruined their relationship that way??

“who’s afraid of little old me? they should be” jaw DROPPED

“i’m so depressed i act like it’s my birthday… every day” (icdiwabh) 

icdiwabh is a bop

ICDIWABH IS MY SONG STOP- “i’m so obsessed with him but he avoids me like the plague” 

icdiwabh also sounds similar to you’re losing me around 2:03

“i was grinning like i’m winning, i was hitting my marks, cause i can do it withe a broken heart” sounds similar to “no one wanted to play with me as a little kid, so i’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since” 

“i’m a real tough kid, i can handle my shit, said baby gotta fake it til you make it and i did” —OMG????

the breath at the beginning of the smallest man who ever LIVED????? LAST KISS TAYLOR IS BACK

taylor explicitly saying fuck you to the person who the song is about- (joe?)- she’s never done that before holy shit

“i dont miss what we had but will someone give a message to tsmwel” - “you go talk to your friends talk to my friends talk to me”

“once your queen had come” - SHITTING ON BRITISH PPL??? LMAO

TSMWEL CHORUS???? STOP- 

she is destroying joe

“who are we to fight the alchemy” - LIKE HOW IF YOU HAVE TOO MUCH OF THE CHEMICAL FORM OF LOVE YOU BECOME OBSESSIVE??? IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED WITH THEIR RELATIONSHIP??? OMG 

clara bow is giving the lucky one x mean

“you look like taylor swift in this light” what????

i love her for name dropping herself

“old habits die SCREAMING” the instrumental there??? genius songwriting. it sounds like screaming 

the black dog entirely is incredible

i relate to imgonnagetyouback so much its a lil concerning 

wait so high school is actually really cute i hope its about travis

it has so many references too i love it 

also, its relatable 

another fuck you in thanK you aIMee?? woah

wait actually thanK you aIMee is really cute 

but also toxic damn

but what is up with the capitalized letters? KIM??? i wonder if that’s the name of the person who the song is actually about - WAIT DIDNT TAYLOR HAVE BEEF WITH KIM KARDASHIAN??? IS IT ABOUT HER OMG

(the prophecy) - “slow is the quicksand” kinda parallels “green was the color of the grass” in invisible string, it’s the same writing style

“even statues crumble if they’re made to wait” - “i feel like my castle is crumbling down”

the amount of parallels - im sure there are some i haven’t noticed, too, jesus

the prophecy hurts 

the bolter is giving elementary school girl who can run really fast and all the boys are in love with her 

#taylor swift #the tortured poets department #ttpd

[deep-hearts-core]

2007 - semifinal

originally posted 7/16/20

We've officially reached the point where I haven't watched the actual shows anymore. I've seen videos of a number of the songs from 2007 and earlier, but I've never watched the full shows. We're also reaching the era of only one semi, which means... well... rankings for me are gonna be a little harder, especially in the semi, because there are twenty-eight songs in this semi, holy shit. Only one semi with more autoqualifiers also means that there's a much larger percentage of songs I only hear once, and as I mentioned in my 2008 ranking sometimes hearing a song again makes a big difference. Bulgaria This song has ascended to epic status in ESC fandom, and for good reason. I've never seen the whole performance before, and... god. Elitsa's chain mail shirt and leather pants actually look good. The instrumental and background staging for this song are so cool. Elitsa's voice works against that instrumental. And, of course, the drums. Stoyan and Elitsa are fucking monsters on the drums, it's so incredibly cool to watch. Israel A weird take on a peace song, but this entry is endearingly quirky in a way. I think each individual section of the song is good, especially the prechorus and the Hebrew rap, and I enjoyed the sort of comedic camerawork and slapstick staging. However, the song seemed to have been stitched together weird, with shaky, unpredictable transitions between sections.

Cyprus I'm really enjoying Evridiki's take on... what is this, synth-rock? This is a pretty good song... like, this is good. This semi really started off strong. I think the staging worked really well with the stage itself here, too. I guess the only part that's questionable is, like, her outfit. Even her vocals are good! I was genuinely thinking the vocals would be bad when this started but I was pleasantly surprised by most of this. Belarus I appreciate the Bond-like feel at the beginning. This is a cool song - definitely typical for 2000s Eurovision, but not in a bad way. I love the guitar here. The staging is also really cool, Dmitry and his dancers are both doing a good job keeping the energy up. My only issue is with his vocals. They're not bad, they're just kinda nasal and I'm not a huge fan.

Iceland Bruh how have all five of these songs been good. Wtf. Strong vocals here and pretty competent staging, but honestly I like this one the least so far because it leans a little too far into the rock genre for my personal taste. You have to admit the vocal line is cool-sounding, though. And that one lyric about the tiger trapped inside his cage makes me think of Nael, Age 6 - yknow, "The tiger. He destroyed his cage". Lol. Georgia A strong debut! The composition of this song goes hard. I think maybe there was some trouble with the sound mixing at the beginning though, Sopho sounded really faint; parts of the staging were also messy. She's a good singer and performer though. I enjoy the sort of enticing feeling the music gives, especially towards the beginning.

Montenegro You have to understand that this is not a bad entry. It's just that all the other songs so far have been so good that this one doesn't make a strong impression. The verses are good, but the staging and camerawork is messy and I'm not a huge fan of the chorus; also Stevan's hairstyle here makes him look like a second-gen Kpop boy. Switzerland This entry is just stupid. Like lyrically it's just... like, what? Okay, vampires, sure. I like the dance routine that goes to this and I think the instrumental is good but the Black guy was the only one with really impressive vocals and the costumes also made it hard for me to like this. Also, the mannequins on stage kept throwing me off - they looked weirdly realistic and my brain kept going "oh shit they have like 12 performers onstage". Moldova The beginning to this is absolutely mesmerizing. Then the singing starts. I don't have anything super against this song - Natalia actually has an amazing voice especially on her more sustained notes and I think aspects of the staging were really cool - but a lot of this just feels clumsy. The outfit, the vocal line, the way Natalia sounds on the verses. Idk. Netherlands It took me a while to get into this one, but I was jamming along to it by the end. The chorus here is especially good. I'm not a huge fan of Edsilia's styling, though. Maybe it was just the 2007 fashion, but I really didn't like her dress. Albania Finally, something that I actually dislike... that sounds bad, but it's hard for me to really categorize the songs when all of them are so good. And there's nothing so objectively bad about Hear My Plea either, it's just boring and not my style. Denmark Not bad, just kind of tacky? Idk. The verses here are nice I guess. I don't have strong feelings about this entry. Croatia Another one that just bores me. It's not bad it just doesn't super draw me in - I also don't super love the male singer's voice. Poland This is another song that's good in two separate pieces, but they don't work put together. The verses are really fun to listen to, and while I don't like the chorus as much it's still good, but the transition between the two just doesn't work. Which is a shame, because the staging and vocals are pretty fun here. Serbia A deserved winner. I think maybe I'm desensitized to this song because it's the one from this year that I've seen performed in full so many times, so I can't really appreciate it the same way I might have in, say, 2016, but this is a great song, and Marija has a very strong voice that really conveys all the feelings she's having while she performs. Czechia I just don't like harder rock music. This is alright and honestly Czechia could have done a lot worse for their debut. Portugal This is one of the better Portuguese entries - which, let me be clear, that is not exactly a high bar. The song is good and Sabrina has a lot of energy and stage presence even if her vocals are kind of shaky. I liked the styling here. I do think the staging could have been a little more cohesive though. North Macedonia Styling here is great, and Karolina's one high note was really well executed. I'm not crazy about the rest of this, though. The vocals for most of the song didn't sound very supported and I'm just not jazzed about the composition here. Norway I personally am of the opinion that Norway has no business sending a Latin dance number, but this is solid - maybe more so than some of the things Spain and Portugal have sent. Guri has a nice enough voice and she and her backing people are good dancers. Malta The CA here aside this song is BAD. Olivia doesn't have a voice that I like and frankly Vertigo as a song is quite boring. That's a no from me, Malta.

Andorra Pop punk is usually something I like at least a little bit. I don't hate this entry - it just could have been better. The English lyrics were clumsy (I would have much preferred this entirely in Catalan) and the singer didn't have a voice I liked and also seemed to be flat a lot. Hungary Not usually a blues fan but I think this is done well... although, like with Norway's entry, this is a genre that I think is weird for a White Hungarian woman to sing. Magdi does have a great voice, though, and while I'm not usually a fan of ubercasual clothes on the Eurovision stage somehow that choice made the song seem more honest here. Estonia Thanks, Estonia, I hate it. Everything about this song is really awkward. Gerli does not have the stage presence she thinks she does, and the song is shouty and hectic and overall just bad.

Belgium The lead singer here has a lot of stage presence, but that can't change the fact that disco is one of my least favorite genres of music. Disco in 2007 played completely straight... I just can't like it. Slovenia I enjoy the stage aesthetics here, but this is another case of the performer not really having the charisma to pull this off. Also, classical vocals in Eurovision are one of those things where I either really love them or really hate them, and in this instance it just doesn't work. Turkey This placed fourth? I honestly can't believe it. Yes, this song is catchy in places, but Turkish Troy Bolton onstage singing about "sweet things" is not my idea of top five material. Not to mention that his vocals were also not so solid.

Austria This is the song that Austria got so pressed over its NQ that they withdrew for three years? Unbelievable. The song itself is actually good, and Eric's a strong singer, but the staging for this is terrible. The silver and red costumes are hard on the eyes, and the ultra-white background gave this entire performance an unfinished quality. Latvia THIS HERE? This is how classical-style vocals in Eurovision can work. The song just makes me feel very warm, idk. All six singers are incredibly good and the song is really well done - it doesn't feel dated, but it's true to genre.

My personal qualifiers Cyprus Bulgaria Serbia Hungary Latvia Netherlands Georgia Iceland Belarus Norway Miscellaneous thoughts Both the opening and interval acts were really cool to watch! I especially liked the choral performance in the interval. Having the hosts draw for the starting number in the final is... fascinating. I don't think it's a bad idea, in the era of the random draw... Mikko is getting so excited during the draw, I love that for him. TBH I really am enjoying Mikko and Jaana as hosts! They're really funny, have a great platonic chemistry with each other, and they're working with a great script.

#esc reviews

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Croatia brings no men in a hamster wheel to Rotterdam 2021

Now could this be the teddy bear uprising invasion Muse has warned us about 12 years ago?

And LITERALLY, these review series make me feel like Croatia is openly taunting me - I watch the days go, I’m losing track of time, and when another day comes, I’m screaming “oh no I forgot to publish a review sooner than wanted!!”. Guess I’m for one glad there’s a time related song this year, hum?

ARTIST & ENTRY INFO

Repping the Adriatic coast nation that got all the sea instead of Bosnia & Herzegovina is some 22 year old Albina Grčić, who first popped up on X Factor Adria back when that was a thing, and got lumped into a girlgroup in later stages, but to that she said “hvala ne” and moved on with her life, getting eliminated just like that. Queen <3 She did get her second chance to compete as a soloist and make a more prominent mark on her career when she ended up on The Voice in Croatia. She did well, placing third overall in the season, but somehow, during the duel stage, her coach initially favoured her fellow Dora 2021 contestant Filip Rudan:

Her Voice success landed her a record deal with the Croatian division of Universal Music, she released a debut single, sometime later ended up on Dora, and here she is now, on Eurovision.

“Tick-Tock” is the song, a standard upbeat pop song, and one of the ones that talks about a girl leaving a terrible relationship and being so well over it that she “found [her]self and [she’s] finally free”, and the “tick-tock” here is used to represent the time passing by, not the sound of her heart, unlike a fellow ESC entry of a similar title. The tune (or its lyrics only) is co-authored by some dude you might’ve heard of from France’s 2018 preselection Destination Eurovision, and that is Max Cinnamon - some half-English guy with a half English song about love (”Ailleurs”) that did moderately averagely in the final... I don’t even know if his influence shows, I just love how 2021 has sort of become revenge of the NF flops but they’re writing other entries instead (Suzi P, “Adrenalina”).

REVIEW

I often don’t really fully vibe with female bops in Eurovision as much as I want to, like, for the most part they’re overhyped, and I let the “yass queeeeen” audience gorge on the everything their favourite bops give them. But this year there are plenty of great ones to choose from, as I think that it’s safe to say that most, if not all, are tucked in somewhere inside my top 20, top 25 at the very minimum. Croatia managed to even do the impossible and land into my top 10.

Why?

Well, the answer is that the song is just so damn good.

I mean, what’s NOT to like about it? It’s a catchy and upbeat song that incorporates xylophones (or whatever is it that sounds like them), guitars and synths; has a good bassline in the chorus; and it’s just... a very good composition overall, like, all the instruments in it are just in their right place and uplift the song massively. I also like Albina’s performance on it, both live and studio, it clearly shows that she’s a very good singer (also shown on her cover of the scandalous Oscar award snubbery “Husavik”). Sounds like a song a common pop loving Eurofan could gear themselves towards. Besides, it also has possibly my favourite pre-chorus section of the 2021 year? Oh wait, there’s also Switzerland, scratch that. “Tick-Tock” has one of my favourite pre-chorus sections of 2021. It builds up so well instrumentally and the way Albina sings it is even better. I obviously like to believe Albina heard those voices from far away that helped her to escape, has found herself, and she’s finally free from her “partner’s” bad lovin’ and restraint. Yas queen go be free you didn’t deserve his tomfoolery anyway!  👏 (Also I admire a section that’s not quite the pre-chorus but is still before the 1st chorus, the one that goes “If you pull me down then I'll come around” - literally just a lot of the parts of the song are full of nice vocal performance and I don’t regret ranking this in my top 10 not a second.)

If it has any drawbacks, it’s just that it gets a tad too repetitive after the halfway mark... like, the pre-chorus before the second chorus is the one to be repeated once again, and no new verse, nothing - but it does launch itself into something extraordinary, and that is a chorus in Croatian, which I assume she would perform in Eurovision because there’s no Eurovision version on the song promo bundle, I suppose. Comparatively the Croatian chorus is not as complex in lyrics as the English language one, and flows slightly differently too. But the song still has a long chorus by the end, and song with too many choruses is never a good sign for those that look for a song that’s constructed well, but I guess it’s a good factor for those that value the song’s catchiness. I guess that’s what one of the two Eurovision 2005 hosts valued the most when writing the Ukrainian 2006 entry “Show Me Your Love”, which if you ask me, is straight up 75% chorus, lol.

So yeah my verdict is that almost everything about this song, I like. I’m just a little devastated that in a usually very easily gorged on category of female bops, this just tends to lag behind in love, like a fellow song I really like this year, Israel. Instead people tend to prioritize Cyprus (which I get because they’ve established themselves as a girlbanger nation since Fuego swept Eurovision) and... probably even Azerbaijan? (which I might also get because Eurovision rarely has this thing called an ethnobop anymore, and it has more ethno than “Cleopatra” did, but still unnecessarily underwhelming lol.) Well then, in a year of female bangers, I would just like Croatia to not be swept under the rug come semis I guess. Yeah “Tick-Tock” may not sound like it brings something totally never seen before in a Eurovision environment (foreign language lyrics, themes about a break up, hell even her dancers looked like they were wearing the same hats as Tamta’s dancers), but you got to have a lot in you to sell a worn out idea to the new heights, and Albina does exactly that in my eyes.

Approval factor: Yeah! There is a lot of it in here for me. Follow-up factor: A great follow-up, not so great in regards to panini but musically it’s just going up and up from what we had in the past few years. I’ve actually not minded “The Dream” for the most part but I knew it was a chanceless plodding ballad and Roko harboured heaps of wasted potential working with Jacques Houdek and having wings as part of his performance, uff. *_* And then there’s “Divlji vjetre” which I also like a lot - a much better male ballad winner choice! If the Dora re-up winners keep being decent imo just like this, I have a feeling I will follow it a lot more often than I did just this one time this year. I am just saying that panini-wise, it was a sucky move from HRT for not allowing their last year’s winner promote his new song with Tijana (from Serbia 2017) on the Dora night, so we sadly only heard a pre-recorded opening version of “Divlji vjetre” to start off with :( Otherwise I think it’s not Dora’s fault in itself that Damir himself chose not to even submit an entry this year because he hadn’t found a good one - much like with Diodato for Sanremo (he was NOT rejected, if you think he still was, shush). But aside that, musically, it just keeps going up for me. Well done Croatia, for you’ve used to be a Eurovision country I don’t necessarily care about, that you brought two pretty damn good entries in a row. Qualification factor: I can absolutely trust in Albina bringing in a little bit of her charisma and well-likedness, and on top of that, a great vocal performance, in Rotterdam. Don’t ask me why, I just do. She doesn’t really perform her song live on pre-parties as much as I’d like to hope she would, but you heard girlie on the national selection, she didn’t win for nothing. Yeah yeah there might as well be female uptempo songs hungrier for the last spot, but I’d like to think Albina is one of the ones ready to devour than to be devoured. Go girl! Take us all dancing!

NF CORNER

To be honest with you, “Tick-Tock” winning Dora caught me by surprise. Ever since its re-up, the last two editions were kind of won by male ballads, and maaaaybe the dancey females were doing moderately well enough for themselves, but not overall? But look, juries were very keen on Albina, probably because she can SANG and she creates one hell of a fancy presence on her performance. And somehow she ended up snatching a win out of the hands of 5G conspiracy theorist 2016 representative Nina Kraljić, who was at first too drunk to care, but too unexpectedly sober to yell all over the soc. media how she was robbed and how the contest was rigged against her with her being on first and all that. Which is a shame that she is one of THOSE people, because her NF entry “Rijeka” is kinda nice? We did have the Balkan-esque ballads coming from Croatia in recent memory, but we haven’t had a truly proudly folksy one at that from Croatia for a long while, if not ever. Nina could’ve very well brought that to Rotterdam (and another mismatched wardrobe choice oops). But instead she was the one screaming “oh no, oh no, oh no”.

Actually I regarded Nina as one of my faves pre-show, and Albina was on her way, though she didn’t really cement the personal fav status until after all performances, thus making Nina and Albina switch spots for me. But truly, the one song that was my top favourite, iiiiiiiiiiis

GIMME AN OCEAN! OF LOVE!

2021 made me realize that damn, maybe anything that’s funky is my favourite music genre afterall. Up until then I vibed with entries like “Tonight Again” and “What’s the Pressure?” that had this sort of energetic flair and very rhythmic kinda sound to it, but 2021 just simply cemented it to me that my music world has probably been about nice and smooth and funky all along. I owe so much gratitude to ToMa first and foremost along the lines of more to have come in this year’s lineups - I just can’t not want to dance to “Ocean of Love”, and ToMa is quite alright at selling it live as well. There are small gripes with some instrument usages but that doesn’t detract from the fact that I love love LOVE funky guitar tunes.

Aside from that, I can give shout outs to Beta Sudar, whose song not only was underrated, but also had an underrated meme format throughout its performance:

My other props go to Bernarda, who not only competed in a national selection singing a song about seeing “Colors” while blind (and ironically there was a song called “Blind” in that same NF sung by a well-seeing guy!!), but also for finally putting this every country’s reject to rest. Seriously. That particular song was passed on to everyone in need of a competitive Eurovision bop, from Poli Genova to Helena Paparizou as of recently. Oh well, at least the song died a honourable death - well performed slice of good typical Eurovision pop (maybe even overperformed a little towards the end), that got a good rank with the regional juries, but somewhat murdered in televote, fellow Boris Milanov composition “Chameleon” style.

This one Mia Negovetić chick was promising too! Her song was written by the Debs and you might be tired of them trying to continue infiltrating Eurovision at this point, but a lot of their Eurovision songs are usually something I enjoy, “She’s Like a Dream” is no exception. Nothing but 3 minutes of pastel-dressed Croatian Ariana Grande doing what she does best <3

Oh and also some dudes tried to play chess on stage too I guess. But their song is not worth looking into, because one of the acts on it is apparently also a conspiracist, and maybe because oft this their entry is aptly titled “Sing, for the freedom has arrived!” lol I wonder what exactly is the kind of freedom you’re thinking of my guy

Was this the “better mood game” Laura was warning everyone about? Beats me

NF CORNER (NON-COMPETITIVE)

• It’s still hilarious to me as to how one of the acts this year, Brigita Vuco, was planning to bring in backing dancers, only for them to show a fake COVID test or something and outright BARRED from coming with her on stage. <3 Whatever she intended to do with them dancers, I have absolutely no idea, but at least she committed to her song being about drunken nights visually by having all these blurry shots

• Nina Kraljić’s greenroom shenanigans, from the “1-2-3, 1-2-3, drink” to numb the sadness over some results (and the 8 she got from the region Rijeka for the song “Rijeka” lmao), to whatever she saw on the phone that made her smile or go neutral

• Greenroom reactions in general. I swear, this year had cameramen in every single corner everywhere just to make sure something covers up for a human audience instead of severals of Zoom screens permitted to act as an audience. Random people in greenrooms were doing some sort of emotions after random acts, and also randomly they ended up pointing a camera towards an act that lost, but the act didn’t treat losing as if it were such a big deal <3

• All the other memes the Croatian Twitter might’ve noticed me for:

seriously Bernarda was locked in a bluelight mathematical dice contraption. how fucking cool is that

ANY LAST WORDS?

I just fucking hope that Albina shatters any doubts that people have had about her song come rehearsals, and somehow Croatia AND Israel slip through, because never too many female bangers I appreciate in the final, if they all are the bangers I appreciate, lol.

#eurovision #eurovision 2021 #rotterdam 2021 reviews #croatia #Albina Grčić #albina #tick-tock

[plasticflowering]

Top Ten Songs

I’ve gotta stay up until 7 p.m. KST for a fansign call (not with ONEUS, I’m not that lucky), so I’m finding things to hold my attention and keep me awake. One of those things is writing about my Top Ten ONEUS songs at slight length. 

10. “Hide and Seek” from In Its Time 

I love that dirty bassline, what can I say? As another Cosmic joint, I have to admit this feels like Now, the Sequel, but better (Now: ”Who are you?” Hide and Seek: ”I’m you, but funkier”) Bonus points for cute Ravn rap. Favorite part: The pre-chorus! What is UP, melodic subversion?? Also excuse me, hello to those ad-libs over the lead-in on the final chorus. Seoho, could you calm down for like three seconds, sir??

9. “Dead or Alive” from Lived

I could write essays on this song. Dead or Alive is what I desperately wanted from TBONTB. The vocal arrangement is risky, which is what I kind of expect from ONEUS at this point, and it is so satisfying for that. Not that I don't love TBONTB, but oh my ever-loving GOD, Dead or Alive!!! I only hesitate to rank it higher because I always try not to rank new songs too high without breaking them in for a few months (spoiler: another song from this EP ranked higher). If my ears do not deceive me, this song uses the full chromatic scale in the refrain, and that alone is worth like +500 points from me. And the storytelling in this song...? My heart!! The way it takes elements from every other song on Lived and rolls it up into one? Seriously think about THAT and then come back and tell me that Dead or Alive isn't the most incredible song on the EP. I could keep going. I could talk about this song for a long time. But I'll stop here. Favorite part: "Shigando geoseulleo galge" fucks me up every time because it opens my third eye about the lore of this whole EP. 

8. “808″ from 808

808 goes harder than JP releases usually have a right to, and I absolutely love it. I would say it's all down the production/arrangement (whoever had the idea to include epic violins in this song deserves all the money), but the chorus vocals are also legendary. Woong, Keonhee, and Seoho nail this song to the WALL. Favorite part: All that said about the chorus vocals, my favorite part of this song is simple but non-negotiable: it is definitely "sudeni ready to aim for the stars!" thank you Xion bb for my life. 

7. “ZigZag” from Light Us

I love cute poppy songs, what can I say? This song does great things with the melody, though. It really reminds me of an early MMM song - it's definitely RBW, and ONEUS brings something unique to it. Favorite part: The way the synths go absolutely crazy in the pre-chorus. 

6. “Dizzy” from Lived

My top ten is really dominated by the bright ONEUS songs, isn't it? I just feel like this is where they all shine as a vocal ensemble. Their personalities all come through in Dizzy, and I'm a sucker for that emotive sort of performing. Also, local Seojo trash continues to push Seojo agenda. Really though, how incredible does everyone sound in this song? Keonhee's honey vocals especially send me over the moon (hm... ToMoon... much to think about). Favorite part: The fact that you can literally hear Seoho grinning while he's singing before the last chorus. But also (this is a trend with me) Ravn coming through with the cutest rap in the world that still manages to have a killer flow. 

5. “Plastic Flower” from Fly With Us 

Give Xion more lines!! This song is proof that he is capable and adds a very interesting sound to the group whenever he's allowed to sing! Also I'm soft. I love this song so much I named my blog after it, okay? This was also, I remember very clearly, the first b-side of theirs that caught my attention (I started to stan and listen to full EPs with Lit), so I also have sentimental attachment. GOD Fly With Us is such a good EP, DANG. Favorite part: As previously mentioned, I'm Seojo trash, so of course it's "Annyeonghaseyo, jeo jeoneun Kim Young… :/ "

4. “Blue Sky” from Fly With Us

Oh my god, Blue Sky. Okay. This song defies classification to me. I hesitate to call it a ballad, because it goes so hard. The first time I heard it, I was blown away. It has some of my favorite vocals AND two of my favorite raps in their discography - I love Leedo and Ravn's "ballad raps" in general but these are my favorites. Leedo in particular sounds so amazing in this song, and Xion's lines!! Xion HAS lines, first of all, and he absolutely kills them. Favorite part: The entire last verse leaves me breathless every time. The way Ravn, Seoho, Leedo, and Keonhee's voices weave together is so powerful and unique, aaaaahahhhhhh.

3. “Lit” from Fly With Us

Everything a K-Pop song should be. Absolute king shit. It's well-structured, it's catchy from the first listen, it has an iconic refrain (whom amongst us did not immediately start singing along with "Eolssu! Eolssu!", I ask?) I've gotta say, this song may not rank as high if I'm talking from only the musical standpoint. But can we talk about the MV? Can I say how much this MV reflected their personalities and elevated the song because of it? I think it's a package deal, personally, Lit and its MV. Favorite part: Ravn's rap, yes absolutely, I owe it my soul. But more than that, going deeper (Inception noise), I cannot stay mad whenever I hear that little "yekki!" 

2. “BingBing” from Raise Us

So full of personality. Such an earworm. Emotional and kinda unsetlling lyrics. Xion speaking French? OKAY. It's title track worthy, for sure, but luckily this song seems to have legendary status among ToMoon. I'll admit, it took me a while to warm up to BingBing, but once I did it was like a tidal wave of appreciation for it. Another marvel of production - the layering of the vocals goes DEEP and gives it so much texture. Favorite Part: I'm a simple person. I cannot resist the "Neoneun gaeya? Neukdaeya?" There's so much attitude there. I know I say this a lot about ONEUS, but they didn't have to go that hard.

1. “Valkyrie” from Light Us

This song goes places. It's the one that made me fall in love with ONEUS and it's still my favorite, oops. The tempo changes are ridiculous and the song is so rewarding to get to know well. I should have known I'd be in deep for this group when I said "what the fuck" at least three times during my first listen to this song. It's produced SO WELL - I still find new things to hear in this song.  It also helps that the whole thing starts off with a guitar riff. I gravitate to good guitar and/or bass riffs. Favorite Part: The bridge on this song is absolutely jaw-dropping, and I'm a sucker for a good bridge as it is. 

#v.list #v.text #might fuck around and do more top ten lists #especially during drought #i'm going to need something to keep me posting during drought #oneus #just my onion

[secretradiobrooklyn]

Radio Decameron |1.16.21 & 1.23.21

Secret Radio | 1.16.21 & 1.23.21 | Hear it here.

1. Sylvain Sylvain - “I’m So Sorry”

I never feel right saying “RIP” or “rest in peace” about an actual human being who is no longer with us. But I will say: I hope Sylvain Sylvain died content with the music he made and the life he lived. 

2. The Honeydrippers - “Impeach the President”

And ideally, then we would never have to hear from or talk about that accursed criminal ever again. We recorded this section before the inauguration — may we never forget how ALL 50 STATE CAPITOLS plus the US Capitol itself were being guarded against attacks by American citizens on that day — and shit was tense there for many days. As of this writing, things are… unviolent. It feels like a lull to me, honestly, rather than, say, all that stuff being in the rearview. It is not. 

But meanwhile, check that beat out!  

I love how Roy Charles is trying to convince them to stop demanding, but they just keep insisting. This song is brilliant, and the playing is — c’mon now — unimpeachable.

3. Niagara - “Tchiki boum”

We heard this song in the film “Perdrix,” known as “The Bare Necessity” in the version we saw via SLIFF. They’re dancing in a club to this, and it’s just a really distractingly good song for the scene.

- C.K. Mann - “Mber Papa”

We just recently learned about Essiebons by learning that he passed just this August. He was a producer of legendary status to a lot of people. Listening around his music we came upon C.K. Mann and this righteous track, which Essiebons produced. I think this is a pretty ultra track, really. Every instrument really kicks it out. I hope Essiebons died happy.

4. Rocky Horror Picture Show - “Hot Patootie / Bless My Soul”

New president, feeling kinda upbeat and hopeful. Really just starting to feel the tips of my soul from where it’s been getting singed. It’s going to take a long time to scab over what happened to us all over the last four years. I’m so fucking glad he’s gone that it makes me really love that rock n roll!

5. Moon Unit & Frank Zappa - “Valley Girl”

Tell you what: we watched the movie “Zappa” recently as part of a film festival, and I highly recommend watching it at your earliest opportunity. It is absolutely for people who do, and for people who do not, love his music. He shows up as a really interesting character throughout his whole life. The film skips through his songs with amazing speed, which actually works really well in his case. This song is with his daughter Moon Unit, who actually slid a handwritten note under his door introducing herself by name and saying that she wanted to collaborate on a project. They did this, and while Zappa was in Europe, Moon Unit brought the acetates to KROC and the song became an instant hit for them. Meanwhile he was writing for multiple orchestras.

6. Jacques Dutronc - “Sur Une Nappe de Restaurant” 

This is totally not how I tune my drums, but I love how Dutronc’s drums sound in every song. I mean, the whole band of course, but there is a physical space both in the drum part as written and in the recorded texture of the whole that is just deep and wide.

7. Nyame Bekyere - “Medley: Broken Heart / Aunty Yaa / Omo Yaba (Nzema)”

This is another discovery via Essebiens, who released it on Essiebons Enterprises. It’s such an intense track! The cover artwork is by K. Frimpong, who plays a crazy Cuban guitar style on his own albums. 

8. Ros Serey Sothea - “Tngai Neas Kyom Yam Sra (Today I Drink Wine)”

This is a voice, and a cast of characters, I can’t stop thinking about. This is from “Cambodian Rocks Vol 1,” which is full of great recordings. Her voice could shatter glass, and it’s so skillfully wielded — I’d love to hear her in a face-off with Frankie Valli.

- There’s a moment from Paige’s phone archives of a little George and Isabelle aching to ride rides at the Millstadt homecoming.

9. Les Poppys - “Isabelle je t’aime” 

These young boys singing collectively about their — collective? 17 individual? — love(s) for Isabelle is even more innocent in video format:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o618mlIaR7E

- more C.K. Mann - “Mber Papa”

10. The Jam - “In the City”

This song makes me miss the city so much! It sounds like everything we really can’t get up to right now. I feel like this song helps me feel like I’m walking fast under streetlights.

11. Bruno Leys - “Maintenant je suis un voyou”

This 7” from Born Bad is so incredible! Bruno Leys worked on just a few songs with a band that included a guy named Emmanuel Pairault who plays parts on an instrument called the ondes Martenot, a super early, very eclectic and ungainly electronic instrument. The fact that he could actually compose music of any kind on it was considered remarkable. The fact that he was able to write such incredibly expressive parts to thoroughly filigree the choruses is what amazes me. 

This band recorded four songs, then Bruno Leys left for his military service, and when he came back it was all completely over — the catalog was sold, everyone was scattered. Four songs. 

12. Sleepy Kitty - “Nothing = You”

I’m pretty sure this song was essentially our response to our own growing fascination with French pop. To me it sounds more French than American in texture. We played this song with the Incurables once at The Pageant in STL and it was especially glorious. I think of that moment — Kevin Bachmann harmonizing flawlessly with Paige, four different guitars ringing through the chords — every time I hear this track.

13. Plastic Bertrand - “Pogo Pogo”

I don’t know why or when “Ça Plane Pour Moi” became the one French pop song that Americans are likely to know, but it’s a total banger so I have no complaints. It turns out that pretty much all of his songs sound very similar — one-note melodies in the verse, cool vocalese hooks in the chorus, and super-driving guitar parts throughout. Turns out that’s a formula we totally dig!

14. Os K-rrascos & Vanessinha Do Picatchu - “Bochecha Ardendo”

For whatever reason, a variety of Brazilian music seemed to be the very hottest stuff to be found in Chicago’s art-school party nights, and I remember losing my mind to some heavy Brazilian rhythms that just kept folding over and over on themselves while staying so impossibly funky that the whole night just turned into a deep-green-and-dark orange smear of a late-night winter warehouse dancing and sweating and then way, way later, walking home steaming along a cold sidewalk on a tree-lined street.

- Eric Dolphy - “Hat and Beard”

15. Von Südenfed - “The Rhinohead” 

I feel like no one in my zone talks enough about how awesome Von Südenfed is. I mean, we only know this one album, but it’s so fascinating — a band where Mark E. Smith is contributing but not in control, and on purpose. He shows off his pop chops and gets to be a whole different character in this one place, while the Mouse on Mars guys get to play new characters themselves. It feels like it’s related to “Extricate” in how it’s constructed, but the music doesn’t sound like something any version of the Fall has made. 

16. Fischer-Spooner - “The 15th”

A friend of Wire is a friend of ours.

p.s. Paige here, they went to SAIC (before I arrived) but they were super famous to all of us in the dorms. 

17. T.P. Orchestre - “Pourquoi Pas?”

The depths of this band just continue to amaze us. We’re waiting on some T.P.O.C. vinyl right now, featuring mostly songs we’ve never heard, and the everlovin’ post office is misdelivering it BACK to France even as I write this. It’s driving us totally nuts.

18. Nina Simone - “Mississippi Goddam”

The hardness of her voice, the hardness of her experience, the hardness of her words.

19. Fanny - “Blind Alley”

I don’t know who first put this in front of my eyes, but it was a few years ago. The video is so basic — they’re performing in front of a video-psych effect — but the performers themselves are just so absorbing. And the production is so heavy, it feels legendary. 

20. Manmadha Leela soundtrack - “Kushalamena”

I think we first saw a colorful glimpse of this song before we heard it. Paige automatically starts dancing a little dance as soon as “Kushalamena” comes on. 

This I think came from the “Now Playing” group I’m in on FB: a guy was holding out a picture of the cover of this album and said he’d bought 40 more like it and he LOVED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. He just wanted to see if anyone knew anything more about them. I did my best to hear the album he was showing. I think this is it. I think he’s right to be super jazzed about it, we just want to hang out with him and listen to all those records.

21. Francis Bebey - “Je vous aime zaime zaime”

Paige was working on her pronunciation and when to use the ellision — the z sound for the s letter, depending on what comes next — and he said something about, “Unless you’re Francis Bebey and you’re singing ‘Je vous aime zaime zaime.” And she said, “Francis Bebey? I know Francis Bebey!” and he said, “No, you’re thinking of another Francis.” But we all know the truth. This was our introduction to the song though.

- Jack Teagarden - “I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan”

Paige was looking for the Fred Astaire & Jack Buchanan version from “The Bandwagon,” but found this great instrumental trombone-forward version instead.

22. Pono AM - "Good Vibes"

This is one of those things you see every once in a great while when you’re playing clubs in a music scene — a band hits a natural home run. They just have an undeniably appealing crowdpleaser of a song that they wrote, and everyone flips out when they hear it. We salute Pono AM for writing this perfect song. They enrich the STL music world. My only advice to them was to never get tired of it or take it for granted. 

Paige: We took their band photos at our space on Cherokee Street, for an RFT article. I was impressed because they arrived with matching shirts that still had the tags on them, and it was really exciting to see a new band on the scene who was really good and also putting in the effort to be graphically interesting. We believe that stuff counts. All of their shows, if you got there early, you’d see all of the band members blowing up as many balloons as they could, so there would be balloons bouncing around their set for the whole show, and it made it even better.

23. Sir Victor Uwaifo And His Titibitis - "Iranm Iran"

Analog Africa has a new album! It’s called “Edo International,” and it shows off a whole other side of Beninese music that isn’t T.P. Orchestre. I think of T.P. Orchestre as just a giant force in Beninese music, but then this comp comes out showing so many other roots of Benin City’s highlife-funk scene. Victor Uwaifo was a Nigerian guitarist who returned to his hometown in Benin City and built Joromi Studio. The sound he put together at that place, via his own bands and others’, came to be called Edo Funk.

24. Laughing Man - "Brilliant Colors"

This is a tape of one of the artists of one of the group houses that we always would stay at in DC. Benjamin Schurr runs a tape label and it was always such a treat getting the new batch of Blight. releases for the van soundsystem when we’d roll through town, or one of his bands would tour through St. Louis. They were always interesting stuff and a wide range of sounds and styles. 

We first met Brandon Moses when he was on tour with Paperhaus in St. Louis. I think it was his birthday, too. He didn’t tour a ton with them. Laughing Man was our first time hearing him front songs. We always enjoyed staying with Erik and Benjamin and Brandon and enjoyed sharing that green power juice that Brandon gave us — really powered us up for the next drive. 

- Bembeya Jazz - “Petit Sokou”

I have felt love for this song for awhile, but Josh Weinstein recently sent a video of the band actually performing this song and WOW, it is hypnotizing. The outfits, the instruments, and the expressiveness of the guitar playing are all so vivid in black and white: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpZVF_kKUJ4

25. Maxime le Forestier - “San Francisco”

Our thanks to Paige’s French instructor for showing us this song. Paige’s version is well worth hearing too, I must say: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKhJfqDDe2q/

p.s. Paige again, if you want to see the dragon birthday card that Evan made, here it is!

[radramblog]

Linkin Park Retrospective Part 6: The EPs

I can’t listen to One More Light yet. Don’t have it in me to tackle that. So instead, we’re going to cover the two EPs released by the band, Collision Course and Songs from the Underground.

Collision Course

…who’s idea was this?

Apparently MTVs, as part of an “Ultimate Mashups” series, though their involvement seemed mostly hands off. A 6-track Jay-Z/Linkin Park crossover album isn’t an idea I would have tried to sell, but Mike and Jay seem pretty into it based on the snippets of studio chatter you get in between tracks. The album opens with that, in fact- Chester (?) going “I ordered a Frappucino where’s my fuckin Frappucino?” is certainly one way to start things off.

I’m just going to make it clear now that I’ve never heard most of the Jay-Z tracks being mashed up here, so I can’t really comment on that end. As these tracks are mashups with songs I am quite familiar with, though, I can at least give some degree of assessment. And unfortunately, I’d argue Collision Course compares unfavourably to Reanimation as far as crossover albums go. Largely speaking the remixes done to the Linkin Park instrumentals are uninteresting, though they do match the new vocals done over the top of them, and Jay-Z is basically fine but not overwhelming.

I think my biggest issue with this album is that a bunch of the songs just drop just about everything new about them and are just the Linkin Park track for the last like minute or so- Dirt off your Shoulder/Lying from You, Jigga What/Faint, and Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer are all pretty guilty of this. That isn’t to say that the rest of these tracks aren’t good, but this in particular is a sticking point I couldn’t ignore.

Track-by-track, then. Dirt off your Shoulder/Lying from You is the most straightforward track on the whole project, and probably the biggest sufferer from eventually just being Lying from You (seeing as that’s kinda the worst of those three LP tracks). I have no idea whats going on in the instrumental from Big Pimpin’/Papercut, but the Papercut verse on top of that sounds just sort of weird- Jay-Z’s verse fits better, but also, that’s probably the one written for that instumental isn’t it. Jigga What/Faint is interesting, with the first half’s backing being a heavily remixed version of the verse instrumental from Faint, but a minute in it’s just Faint oops. With that said, Jays bars over that instrumental actually does fit pretty well.

I don’t know rap that well, I can’t really comment on the flow or anything, but while the vocals are new recordings, they are the same verses from the songs being mashed up, so some originality is lost there.

Numb/Encore is the one single from this album, and it’s definitely one of the better ones, yeah. You’ve got Mike and Jay both working together in bits, the remixed Numb instrumental feels like exactly the extrapolation you’d want for a track like this, and that “what the hell are you waiting foooooor” is super satisfying. Unlike some of the other tracks, the final bit (with Chester, yknow, doing Numb) maintains that remixed instrumental, making it stand out a bit better from the original versions, which is nice. However, Jay-Z basically just isn’t on the latter half of the track, making it extremely awkward when he did a live performance of it after Chester’s passing.

For a song called Encore, however, it’s a bit weird that it’s not the last track on the album.

Izzo/In The End opens with this really bright instrumental and Mike, thanking a live audience like it’s a concert, sure. It’s just super odd that this is the same song with the In the End vocals, the emotions not really fitting the fun of the instrumental and previous verse. It is performed significantly more light-heartedly, but it still feels like an odd fit. To be fair, though, I’m not sure what Hybrid Theory/Meteora era track would have worked better there, so fair play. The album ends with Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer, ther first half of which I actually think is better than Numb/Encore. It’s got an actual fresh verse from Mike over Points of Authority, and him doing the cop bit from 99 Problems’ pull over bit actually works super well. Unfortunately, when the instrumental switches over to One Step Closer, the song gets a bit worse- the mix on Jay-Z’s vocals is way too low for a lot of it, being drowned out by the instrumental most of the time, and the last minute is just One Step Closer again but also Jay-Z is occaisionally repeating the 99 Problems line. It’s a weak finish to an otherwise solid song and album.

 Songs from the Underground

Released in 2008, Songs from the Underground is a collection of tracks from Linkin Park Underground collated into an EP along with a couple of unreleased live recordings. Linkin Park Underground, or LPU, is the official fan club, which gets a yearly CD as part of membership that has assorted demos and live versions on it, which is where this EP pulls its tracks from- its also a set of CDs I desperately want to get my hands on but their limited nature makes their price obscene. I have managed to get LPU 9, which is the one I wanted most, but the remainder have eluded my grasp.

My precioussssssssssss

Side note, this album isn’t on spotify, and the only Youtube upload I could find was a shit recording, so you’re best off looking for each individually.

This compilation opens with Announcement Service Public (from LPU6), a pretty decent instrumental with Chester screaming unintelligibly in the background. This is more of a joke than anything- as the name suggests, it’s a PSA reversed, and reversing Chester’s vocals reveals he’s yelling a reminder to brush your teeth and wash your hands. I mean, I’ve been in an LP mosh once, and I can confirm that this was an announcement that needed making.

The second track QWERTY (LPU6), sounds like it wasn’t even written by Linkin Park, rather, one of their contemporaries. Allegedly, they wrote it on a long, long plane flight, which I could see- a non-studio environment leading to a more different track. Honestly, this could fit right on to Meteora, as much like Faint or Nobody’s Listening it’s a different take on the sound they’re known for. This one’s a lot of fun- the riffs are sick, and the chorus, if simple, is solid to sing along to. This deserves main album status.

And One is one of the tracks on this album that’s actually a rerecording off of the EP made by the band when Hybrid Theory was their name and not just their first album (though the EP was self-titled, so it’s pretty confusing). This album would later be rereleased as the first LPU, and then again (with an official video) along with the 20th anniversary edition of Hybrid Theory. And One is interesting, as it’s the first track recorded after Chester joined the band back in the day, and it’s so fucking edgy holy shit. I think it’s pretty decent, but unlike with QWERTY I’m kinda ok with this being a little by the wayside. With that said, I really like the little breakdown at the end, and the verse Mike is doing over it.

Sold My Soul to yo Mama (LP4) is a real track, huh. It’s a short, heavily electronic piece, ganking lyrics from Points of Authority and Papercut, but like, it’s mostly just Joe Hanh fucking around for 2 minutes. Not a huge fan of this one.

Dedicated (LP2) is another of this album’s better songs. It’s very Lose Yourself, that sort of emotional rap track about doing a rap track, and while obviously it’s not at the same level as that one it’s still excellent on its own. This is just such an excellent demo, one of Mike’s best performances- and considering he’s carrying it on his own (I’m not sure Chester’s even on this, unless those background aaaahs are him) that means a lot.

The next track is Hunger Strike, actually a live recording by Chris Cornell (of Soundgarden and Audioslave fame) with Chester as a feature. They were good friends, which is going to come up tragically when we get to One More Light. To be honest, though, this track kinda sucks dick. It is far from Chris’s best performance, nor Chester’s, and the instrumental is fucking boring. It picks up around the two minute mark, but at that point it just sounds like a bad Audioslave song, and I’m not really down for that, yknow. Just go listen to Like a Stone or Black Hole Sun again.

Another live recording is next, My December (a B-Side from One Step Closer, also on LPU2). My December is far from my favourite track- I think it’s kinda overdone, and this live version is so much worse. Look, it’s just Chester singing over someone (maybe him?) playing the song on piano? It doesn’t work, man. Not a fan.

The album’s final track is called Part of Me (HTEP/LPU1), and feels a lot like a better version of And One, if I’m honest. Mike’s actually going hard here in the verses, especially in the pre-chorus, and said chorus is actually pretty solid, even though the instrumental there is a little weak. It’s a slow, chugging song, heavily affected through Hahn’s DJing, that does do a nice little build to the track’s ending.

Except it doesn’t end, because there’s a hidden track in it. I don’t think this one has an official name anywhere, but it’s an electronic instrumental. It’s basically ok. Tangent, but I remember thinking when I was younger that if I was ever in a band, I’d want to write an electronic instrumental named Oxymoron- because of course, it wouldn’t have any real instruments in it.

That closes out Songs from the Underground, and I’ve never really broken it down in my head before, but it’s a lot more mediocre than I thought. The live songs are not good, and several demos or rarities that should have been on it absolutely weren’t- Across the Line, Drawing, A6, and where the fuck was High Voltage? Honestly, more of a miss than I remember. If I’m low on ideas, I might break down LPU9 individually, but I probably won’t spend any other time on LP demo stuff- I’m sure you’re sick to death of me talking about Linkin Park by now.

#ramble #linkin park #music

[rwbyconversations]

RWBY Volume 6 Vocal Songs review

Well, we finally have it people- the Volume 6 soundtrack is out. And hopefully this time Spotify mains won’t feel left in the corner like the Ladybug fandom does during the inter-RWBY shipping discussions.

I’ll say overall I adored the songs this year and there weren’t any duds- in fact this is probably my new overall favorite lyric soundtrack since Volume 4, which was just overflowing with bangers. This year was similarly jam-packed, with every new song being the usual outstanding fare that RWBY has become known for.

... and then there’s the remixes which continue to be absolutely awful and will never go onto my playlists but this is the token mention of the remixes. Why do they keep doing them, the only good one’s been Sacrifice.

But regardless, this is my review of all the vocal songs in Volume 6. Enjoy! (forward warning I’m not a music critic so don’t expect anything too deep here)

All GIFs were made by @edelblume​, someone actually proficient in talking musical theory.

1) Rising

Rising was already one of my favorite openings to date for RWBY, if for no other reason than the superb opening animation itself. But fortunately, the song itself more than met my expectations. Featuring an incredibly strong riff from Jeff from Alex along with a surprising synth appearance in places, Rising kicks off the soundtrack with gusto, a defiant acknowledgement that their road is faced with a permeating darkness, but it won’t last, and much as nature simply knows how to be, they were born with the knowledge to do the right thing and stand against evil. For they are paragons, and death can’t hold them down for long. After years of ranking Time To Say Goodbye as my favorite opening of the show, Rising supplants it and takes its new spot on the throne.

2) Miracle

Miracle was a surprise- for the first time since Volume 3 and It’s My Turn, we got a new song in the premiere alongside the opening itself, capping off RWBY, Oscar and Qrow’s desperate struggle to buy the Argus Limited time to escape with its civilian cargo. It’s a much bleaker song than Rising, coming right as the heroes are about to have their senses of morality tested by the truths that Ozpin had been hiding from them for years. Miracle laments how they’re running out of time and that their own triumphs don’t matter- a reckoning is near and they have to answer the question of whether or not the path they’ve been walking was the right one, or just one made of lies. As the heroes scramble for a miracle, they’re dismayed to find that none’s in sight, but as they realize they’re fighting on the sight of light and all that’s good in the world, they’re determined to stand and fight until their miracle arrives.

Miracle can be seen as a proper theme song for the first half of Volume 6, as it more deeply examines the themes of the volume, especially the team’s inner conflict. The final verse especially can be seen as almost an abridging of the Brunswick arc, as the team reach their lowest points and despair at how nothing they do is worth anything before they take a breather and decide that even if the end time are coming, they’ll face it head on and give it a bloody nose before it consumes everything, still hoping for that miracle to arrive- just like a young silver eyed girl arrived in Brunswick to cleanse its tainted halls of apathy. 

Miracle was a surprising song back in October last year, and now that it’s out in full it’s honestly my favorite song lyrically on the track. It’s a perfect assessment of the situation the heroes wind up in this volume, capping off with their blunt refusal to let the end take them quietly. 

3) Lionized

I know they spell it Lionize but I don’t care, they say Lionized in the song for Christ’s sake! 

I’ve been waiting for this song for nearly an entire year since RTX and the short that won me back onto RWBY, and fortunately Lionized didn’t disappoint. Adam finally got his solo song to bow out his character after sharing From Shadows with Blake, and much like his character short, it offers a compelling, if truncated, account of his rise and fall into darkness. 

While Amity Arena’s bio had already revealed Adam’s early life to be horrific- born into slavery in an SDC dust mine, dreaming of looking up at the sky with his own two eyes one day- Lionized also makes no point of hiding the details, having the lyrics open with Adam reflecting on how he was “Insulted and reviled, Enthralled by human overlords since I was a child” (which gives off serious vibes of Adam being a sex abuse victim as a child to me and Jesus Christ). That punishment broke Adam and drove him mad in his desire to make humanity pay for what it had done to him and the hundreds of thousands of Faunus in those mines. 

Jeff kills it in this song- it’s easily my new favorite solo from him as we get a deep dive into what drove Adam past the brink of madness, as his revenge dovetails into building him up and making him more of a figurehead than an actual hero- “Watch them fall as I am glorified,” “You’ll see, I’m their hero/I’m here, I’m your savior, I’ll be lionized!” And the guitars are something else, a constantly churning ripping and shredding beat that combines with Jeff’s voice sounds like a feral animal about to attack. And if there’s one way to get me hype for a villain in anime, grab some guitars and start shredding. 

While Miracle might be my favorite song of the OST on a lyrical level, Lionized just knows how to get me hyped and this’ll probably be the one that gets the most replays on my playlist. It captures the old spirit of RWBY’s original music and delivers with a rip-roaring track that matches its narrators madness with shredding gusto.

4) Big Metal Shoe

I had no expectations for Big Metal Shoe. In fact I figured this would be the weak link of the soundtrack. Surely what seemed to just be a diss track at a villain I wasn’t especially fond of wouldn’t make for a good song, right?

And then we got Caffeine 2.0 and... it was actually kinda good. Again, I’m a simple man- throw some guitars at me and I’ll smile and nod like a kid watching fireworks. This sound wound up being a fun little darkhorse for the soundtrack, alongside a seeming self-imposed challenge by Williams and Abraham to make as many fairytale references in two and 3/4 minutes as physically possible. 

There is one downside though- this song’s actually incomprehensible. I don’t understand half of it. Jeff and Casey have this problem a lot of the time where it’s hard to understand them but this is just peak “Are you even speaking English anymore?” And then Lamar shows up for the Token Lamar Rap Verse that every RWBY OST includes and then it gets even worse.

While I wasn’t expecting much from Big Metal Shoe, it still made for a fun few minutes. Now I can’t wait for Flynt’s lyric video so I understand most of the song! 

5) Forever Fall

RWBY’s track record with ballads can be generously described as “hit or miss.” For every Cold or Home, we have Wings or All That Matters. Forever Fall has a crucial advantage over those weaker examples in that I actually like most of the characters featured in the song. Being about Pyrrha encouraging Jaune from beyond the veil while Jaune struggles to press on, much as she did in the Boundless Jaune Amity Arena bio, it’s a somber tune, and easily one of the better attempts Jeff and Casey have made at a slower, more quiet song. I’m not the biggest fan of how RWBY has handled Pyrrha’s death since Volume 3, sometimes it feels a little like they keep JNR around just to more easily have access to angst fuel for it, but Forever Fall definitely helped set the bitter stage for the statue scene, which does still stand as one of the better scenes of Volume 6 (even if it does lose some of its weight once you realize Pyrrha probably wouldn’t have actually liked the statue due to her hatred of being put on a pedestal). Casey knocks it out of the park with her voice and the piano plays a beat on many a fan’s heart. 

I’m especially fond of the theory that this isn’t so much a Pyrrha singing to Jaune song as it’s a song that can symbolise both of them at the same time. Credit to the crew for that.

6) One Thing

Neo’s far from my favorite character in RWBY, and I’ve made no secret of how I think she’s dreadfully overhyped outside of being a good luck charm for well animated fights. Luckily for her and fans then, her charm status made it into Maya unscathed, and Neo was protected by the universal rule of soundtracks.

The villain songs are always really fucking good.

Casey finally lives out her dream of voicing Neo in One Thing, a bitter revenge fantasy where Neo makes no reservations about how much she’ll love putting down anyone and everyone responsible for Roman’s death. She talks (heh) of how she had nothing before Roman came- not a voice, not a home, maybe not even a name if I’m hearing that one line right. “Then a brand new flame brought a brand new name.” 

Add in a badass as all hell chorus and Neo jumped up a few places in my personal RWBY polls thanks to the presentation of her musical debut alone, to say nothing of her fantasies about killing Cinder (can relate). One Thing shows just how effective a great song can be, setting the scene for a fantastic fight scene, a solid return for a fandom-beloved character and then even making someone who considered her the Boba Fett of RWBY start to like her. I’m eager to learn more of Neo’s past before she met Roman, whenever that day comes.

(btw is it bad if I kinda ship Neo and Roman now?)

7) Nevermore

I don’t have a lot to add that hasn’t been said since the finale aired- it’s a pretty great song and a fantastic closer for the volume, I hope Atlas means we finally stop getting Blake or Yang-focused credit songs because this was the third in a row and it’s getting tiring, the disconnect between the writers and actors calling Adam “the worst” while the songs and bios paint a far more complex picture is a bit of an odd disconnect that I hope doesn’t repeat if they ever remember that Cinder’s an abuser too. 

8) Armed and Ready Acoustic

Nice song, shame it’s gonna get ruined by all the fucking Beehaw/Yorse jokes. You weren’t funny in February, you’re not funny now. You’re not even worth a comment about beating a dead horse. Not sure I like the acoustic going full country but whatever. Wake me up when I’m The One gets the acoustic treatment.

9) Indomitable

Indomitable was the song I was probably the most hyped for in the V6 OST alongside or even surpassing Lionized. Ruby’s Silver Eyes scene was a strong contender for the best scene of the season and single-handedly made up for what otherwise could have been a Breach-level anticlimax of a finale, and part of what made it work was Indomitable, the short but powerful song that played as Ruby gave Bubbles The Leviathan both ocular barrels. Ruby finally getting a song after five straight albums was ambrosia to my soul, after years of having to make due with “Maybe Ruby’s song is meant to be the OP?” as Weiss, Blake and Yang got song after song after song, oftentimes getting multiple songs in a single year (Hi Yang. Stop hogging the jukebox. Please.). Finally, I thought, she’d get a track, and one that appeared to be about her accepting her role as the light standing against the darkness, all capped off with a beautiful quiet tribute to Monty in the form of his old blog quotes about the human spirit.

So I must admit, when I listened to Indomitable proper, I was... disappointed on the first listen. It’s still a lovely song, but it wasn’t what I hoped and wanted it to be and it took a little while to appreciate it in spite of that.

Indomitable is a tribute song to Monty, a la Cold from Volume 3. But while Cold had a double meaning that made it work in and out of universe (being a song from CRWBY mourning Monty that could also reflect on Jaune mourning Pyrrha), Indomitable is far less connected to RWBY in-universe unless Ruby had a dream offscreen where she met a tired looking guy who made worlds based off his ketchup stains then woke up and made a Christian Rock song out of it. 

Rather sadly for me at least, this also hurts the original Indomitable scene in question as well. It doesn’t truly fit the original scene now, as much as it did when we thought the song was about Ruby recognizing her spirit. It was a great way to cap off a volume that was overall great for Ruby. As she finally got to take center stage as protagonist in her own show, we finally got a new song about her standing unyielding against the darkness. What was a great character moment for Ruby has now rather sadly been hurt by the song. Not terribly, I still love the climax of Volume 6. But now the song just feels a touch out of place.

I know some people have already been rather critical of anyone who didn’t like the song because it wasn’t what they wanted (I’ve seen a fair few people express disappointment that the song wasn’t the Ruby-focused song the chorus and placement in the show led us to believe) and that tired old “subverting expectations” argument came up. To which I must reply that “What did you expect me to take from a song showing up during Ruby’s most powerful moment, that the song was actually about Port?” While what we got was still a powerful song that makes for an interesting trilogy of songs of RWBY dealing with Monty’s death in Cold, Let’s Just Live and Indomitable, I think Ruby’s fanbase especially are very fairly allowed to be disappointed that they were stripped of the chance to finally get her first focus song in half a decade. Instead we get another Ruby song where she’s not even the real focus (much like Blake’s trailers get hijacked by her supporting cast, Ruby’s songs get hijacked by anyone within a mile of the recording booth),  

I still liked Indomitable, and it does become a stellar song after the first chorus.. It still has Ruby’s overall attitude and the lyrics do still allow one to reflect on Ruby and her growth over Volumes 1-3 and 6. It’s a lovely, touching and very emotional tribute to Monty and a rousing anthem to celebrate his legacy (wait does this mean Indomitable breaks the Monty Rule? ;) ) and had it been a simple bonus track that we only learned about when the OST dropped a la BMBLB or Dream Come True it would have been a lot better in my opinion. We still got a lovely song and in the heat of the moment, it worked really well for Ruby. But at this point, I really just want a new inarguable Ruby song above all else, and this probably should have been kept as a bonus song instead of being used in-show. Still good, but I’m just a bitter bitch and wanted something else

Conclusion and ranking

Volume 6′s vocal tracks were a near-perfect selection this year. After Volume 5′s tracklist was more comparatively disappointing (Smile and This Time are the only ones I’d really go back to at this point), the V6 tracklist was far more impressive and a near constant streak of home runs. While Indomitable wasn’t what I hoped and wanted it to be, it was still a touching tribute to Monty and proof that his soul lives on in RWBY. If Jeff, Alex and Casey are as on fire next year as they were this year, the wait for the Volume 7 OST will be even more painful. Round of applause for the music team this year, they did a stellar job and I wish them all the best for Volume 7. 

1) Miracle 2) Lionized 3 One Thing 4) Rising 5) Forever Fall 6) Nevermore 7) Indomitable 8) Acoustic Armed and Ready  9) Big Metal Shoe 10) The music that played during Merc and Em’s scene in Lost.  10) The godawful Triumph and Path to Isolation remixes. Please. Leave the songs alone, I hate Volume 5 but even it didn’t deserve that torture. 

Thank you for reading. 

#rwby #rwby volume 6 #rwby volume 6 soundtrack #rwby volume 6 ost #rising #miracle #lionized #forever fall #one thing #indomitable #big metal shoe #nevermore #armed and ready #ruby rose #neopolitan #rwby analysis #rwby review

[rhiezus]

               1989 As Our Ships, Moments & Characters.

Welcome To New York

This song is kind of annoying but it’s a classic, of course that I thought of Kim Yura and Abe Chiyo first because... c’mon, first Yura was born in New York and second the lyrics is very them... Also a little bit of WNDR? Because of their tour? I mean they getting famous and coming to America, it also reminded me of them a lot because it’s like fame is been waiting for them.

Walking through a crowd, the village is aglow Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats Everybody here wanted something more Searching for a sound we hadn't heard before

I mean you can see why I mentioned WNDR right?

When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors Took our broken hearts, put them in a drawer Everybody here was someone else before And you can want who you want Boys and boys and girls and girls

Also Kim Yura and Abe Chiyo forgetting their past to be together and shit.

Blank Space

Okay I have no idea, I thought of Linlin but... I don’t know, the thing is this album has a lot of “personas” created by Taylor so it’s hard to tell which one of them is who. I have no idea, seriously, let’s just listen and think together. 

Style

I was thinking about this one while I was washing the dishes, that’s why I decided to do this today, hehe. Okay so hear me out, first I remembered this whole album I tried to associate with Nayoung years ago but then I was remembering our ships and came up with Julie and Valak, but I was like? Not so much because they are very dragged only by each other, so I don’t know. Then I though of 2sun, I was like, yes? Very much. But then, finally out of nowhere I was... Oh my god this is Ruy and Hai.

The lights are off, he's taking off his coat (mm, yeah) I say, "I heard, oh That you've been out and about with some other girl" Some other girl He says, "What you heard is true, but I Can't stop thinking 'bout you, and I" I said, "I've been there too a few times"

Right? I mean... It was exactly why i thought about them.

Oh, you got that James Dean daydream look in your eye And I got that red lip classic thing that you like And when we go crashing down (and when we go) We come back every time 'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style

The gays literally never go out of style, that’s why we keep making them.

Out Of The Woods

Oh my baby, I love this song. Funny thing that when this about first launched, I didn’t like this song because I thought it was too repetitive but then when I came across while we were in the mood “nayoung x keun breakup fiasco thing”, I just fell in love with it. Because it’s literally Nayoung’s mind, I just- Yeah. I also I was just thinking about how it reminds me of Danbi and Daehyun too, somehow?

Looking at it now It all seems so simple We were lying on your couch I remember You took a Polaroid of us Then discovered (then discovered) The rest of the world was black and white But we were in screaming color

It makes so much sense, yes. I don’t have much to say about 1989 this album just speaks for itself, I just point the people that it speaks to.

Looking at it now Last December (last December) We were built to fall apart Then fall back together (back together) Your necklace hanging from my neck The night we couldn't quite forget When we decided, we decided To move the furniture so we could dance Baby, like we stood a chance

December? Does it ring a bell? Haha, we knew. 

Also, I gotta add this description by Genius, again: The repetitive nature of the chorus reinforces the idea that the fear and nerves that came with the relationship were overbearing and completely took over her thoughts. 

When you started crying, baby, I did too But when the sun came up, I was looking at you Remember when we couldn't take the heat? I walked out and said, "I'm setting you free" But the monsters turned out to be just trees When the sun came up, you were looking at me

I wanna cry this is so Nayoung and Keun, for god sakes... Finally they out of the woods kkkjkjk

All You Had To Do Was Stay

Anna and Kuen, I literally just thought of it. Before I thought of Haneul and Hyuntae, but honestly? Totally Anna and Kuen, I can literally see.

People like you always want back The love they gave away And people like me wanna believe you When you say you've changed The more I think about it now The less I know All I know is that you drove us Off the road

Yeah, I mean, I’m still out of words, I’m just trying to make my point cross effectively. 

Let me remind you This was what you wanted You ended it You were all I wanted  But not like this

Yes?? Also, she repeats the “stay” like a hundred times so, yeah.

Shake It Off

It is still Hailey to me, or just WNDR being goofyes in the dorm. Literally what Taylor says about this song just speaks to WNDR in a nutshell: I really wanted it to be a song that made people want to get up and dance at a wedding reception from the first drum beat. But I also wanted it to be a song that could help someone get through something really terrible if they wanted to focus on the emotional profile, on the lyrics.

But I keep cruisin' Can't stop, won't stop groovin' It's like I got this music in my mind Saying it's gonna be alright

So yeah, nothing more to say. 

I Wish You Would

I literally can’t stand the connections between Taylor’s songs and Harry anymore on genius, but here we go. This song is about while he was in the car making the decision to get out the car and see her, she was sitting in her bedroom, wishing he would make the move and go back to her and just pitch up at her house. She compared it to a classic John Hughes movie where both parties want the same thing but neither has the guts to say anything.... So it did kinda reminded me of Nayoung and Keun, can you blame me, no? BecUASE LITERALLY ALL THIS ALBNUM Oh MY gOD, This is so Bonghu and Sanchan breakup days too... 

I wish you would come back Wish I never hung up the phone like I did, I Wish you knew that I'd never forget you as long as I live, and I Wish you were right here, right now, it's all good

Like, shut up?? It’s totally young Bonghu and Sanchan, okay? Okay.

It's 2AM in my room Headlights pass the window pane I think of you We're a crooked love in a straight line down Makes you want to run and hide But it makes you turn right back around

Hahahah, I soooo I’m right, I don’t knowkkjl.

Bad Blood.

THIS IS CHIHYE AND INNA. OH. MY. GOD. THIS IS SO CHIHYE AND INNA. ALSO. THIS IS 7SINS TO JULIE. KKKK IM DYING. Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?‘ she did something so horrible. I was like, ‘Oh, we’re just straight-up enemies.’ .... 7SINS ABOUT JULIE, AND CHIHYE AND INNA ABOUT Hmm NothING THEY JUST BITTER (MAYBE BC BOTH MARRIED PYONGHO AND ONE LITERALLY FOR NOTJISNJKJ)

Did you have to do this? I was thinking that you could be trusted Did you have to ruin what was shiny? Now it's all rusted Did you have to hit me where I'm weak?

I mean Julie literally kind of destroyed 7sins so I can see the point of anger, and Chihye is just a bitch so yeah...

Band-aids don't fix bullet holes You say sorry just for show If you live like that, you live with ghosts

Yes girls, that’s why them, in the end, make peace with each other is all good SPB is the bitch here c’mon... And I mean Chihye and Inna were never “friends” again because they never really saw each other again but Inna always made an effort and still wanted Chihye to be alright? So it’s true she lives with ghosts, she went nuts... But I wonder now if their friendship never ended because off status and guy problems, maybe... just maybe... Chihye would have moved on for a better life and maybe even Nayoung wouldn’t have been born and things would be good. In the other hand, 7sins was built to break because SPB was poor and hanging by a string, so all that shit just was the point of the iceberg so it was fine judging Julie for a while because she didn’t take it personally and when things were revealed that it indeed was for the best, they didn’t share grudges and just moved on with their lives like they were supposed to. 

Wildest Dreams.

We literally just talk about her, I mean Chihye is every tragic story about Taylor.. But, in a way, this could also be about Inna and Pyongho, or Lian and Chihye, it depends on the day. ALSO COULD BE OH MY GOD ARAKI AND KAYNKKKJ, yes. 

He said, "Let's get out of this town Drive out of this city, away from the crowds" I thought, "Heaven can't help me now" Nothing lasts forever But this is gonna take me down

OH, YES BRING ME THE TRAGIC BRING ME THE PAIN BRING ME THE SAD AND MEMORIES AND LONG LASTING LOVE AND YEEEEAAAAH. I’ll shut up.

He's so tall and handsome as hell He's so bad, but he does it so well I can see the end as it begins My one condition is

This just applies to Lian and Kayn, oh what a combination. Maybe not even them because they are nice too.

You'll see me in hindsight, tangled up with you all night Burnin' it down Someday when you leave me, I'd bet these memories Follow you around

Yes, Araki and Kayn & Lian and Chihye all in one song. Maybe I was just crazy with Pyongho and Inna, I don’t know, I get crazy all the time. This verse made me want to answer one of smutty times between Araki and Kayn, because literally all they do is fuck and miss each other.

How You Get The Girl

Finally, you are here Haneul and Hyuntae, I’ve waited to talk about how much this song is them because... You will see it. First Taylor says: It’s written for a guy who has broken up with his girlfriend, then wants her back after six months. But it’s not going to be as simple as sending a text like, ‘Sup? Miss you.’ That won’t work. You need to do all the things I say.

Stand there like a ghost Shaking from the rain, rain She'll open up the door and say, "Are you insane?" Say it's been a long six months And you were too afraid to tell her what you want

It wasn’t exactly like that, but a girl can imagine and not everything has to be right. First, because that’s literally Hyuntae realizing he did things wrong and missed his timing to explain things, but Haneul is just pissed at his ass. 

I want you for worse or for better I would wait forever and ever Broke your heart, I'll put it back together I would wait forever and ever

Like I said, it wasn’t exactly like that but it was pretty similar. 

Remind her how it used to be, be, yeah-yeah With pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks, cheeks Tell her how you must have lost your mind, ooh-ooh When you left her all alone And never told her why, why

I meAN, I MEAN??? CmOn. I love the “pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks” because it’s so cheesy and so Haneul and Hyuntae when they were dating, they probably do have pictures like that on their cellphones and at a time Haneul’s cheesy ass must even have one framed to give to Hyuntae. AND YOU LEFT HER ALL ALONE AND NEVER TOLD HER WHY, cmOn, yeah?kkjk Also lost your mind, yes, it was the anxiety talking, not Hyuntae, makes sense...

Anyways, I love this cheesy song because the beat, the lyrics, everything reminds me of Haneul and Hyuntae’s relationship not only as lovers but as friends too, you know? Yeah *sobs*

This Love

Oh, it’s Lian and Chihye again. Okay, let me think... yeah, can’t... Yeah. Also I was just about to go to the other song, when I thought “maybe this is Taewoon and Hojin” and then all of sudden... This is also Hansol and Chan-u.

This love is good, this love is bad This love is alive back from the dead, oh-oh, oh These hands had to let it go free, and This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh

The sad melody, the way Taylor is whispering? I mean, almost makes me wanna cry because I love young Lian and Chihye just trying to survive. (( I also love young and innocent Hansol with wicked and confused Chan-u, how they managed to survive and still get married and shit? wHO KnoWS

Tossing, turning Struggled through the night with someone new And I could go on and on, on and on Lantern, burning Flickered in my mind, only you But you were still gone, gone, gone

Totally Chihye about being with Pyongho but wanting to be with Lian... LeT IT GO, GO IN TO THE LIGHT CHIHYEEEEEEE

Your kiss, my cheek I watched you leave Your smile, my ghost I fell to my knees When you're young, you just run But you come back to what you need

*sOBS*, this part is so sad what the fuckkkjk. DIE CHIHYE DIE I CANT TAKE YOUR SADNESS IN THIS ALBUM ANYMOre for god sakes. “when youre young, you just run but you come back to what you need” sounds like a board name,, OH MY GOD THIS COULD ALSO BE TAEWOON AND HOJIN OH MY GODKKKJK shut up ..... Hansol and Chan-u got married and Chihye is dead, get over it, life is good xd

I Know Places

I don’t really listen nor like this song, but the lyrics reminded me of Julie and Valak, i’m telling this album is about the terrible and twisted people. ALSO YURA AND CHIYO TOO BECAUSE THEY ARE GAY AND MEDIA IS A BITCH.

You stand with your hand on my waistline It's a scene and we're out here in plain sight I can hear them whisper as we pass by It's a bad sign, bad sign Something happens when everybody finds out See the vultures circling, dark clouds Love's a fragile little flame, it could burn out It could burn out

This is also jenkai. 

Baby, I know places we won't be found And they'll be chasing their tails trying to track us down 'Cause I, I know places we can hide I know places, I know places

For Julie and Valak the place is his car, that’s my theory. And Yura and Chiyo is just Japan... (jenkai is that park at midnight & jongin’s car). Oh my god, when Julie and Valak were discovered by dispatch imagine everyone like “valak drives?”

They are the hunters, we are the foxes And we run Just grab my hand and don't ever drop it My love

I’m addicted to this song now. 

Clean

My god I don’t know 2/4 of this album. It’s... Hansol and Chan-u, now that I remembered of them I simply won’t forget.

The drought was the very worst  When the flowers that we'd grown together died of thirst It was months and months of back and forth  You're still all over me Like a wine-stained dress I can't wear anymore

See? I mean their relationship is very complicated, but according to genius this song is about getting over a heartbreak and moving on with your life to rediscover yourself and like Taylor said: When it did hit me, it was like, ‘Oh, I hope he’s doing well’. And nothing else. And you know how it is when you’re going through heartbreak. A heartbroken person is unlike any other person. Their time moves at a completely different pace than ours. It’s this mental, physical, emotional ache and feeling so conflicted. Nothing distracts you from it. Then time passes, and the more you live your life and create new habits, you get used to not having a text message every morning saying, ‘Hello, beautiful. Good morning.’ You get used to not calling someone at night to tell them how your day was. You replace these old habits with new habits, like texting your friends in a group chat all day and planning fun dinner parties and going out on adventures with your girlfriends, and then all of a sudden one day you’re in London and you realize you’ve been in the same place as your ex for two weeks and you’re fine. And you hope he’s fine. The first thought that came to my mind was – I’m finally clean....... Also, it reminded me of Haneul and Hyuntae. 

Ten months sober, I must admit Just because you're clean, don't mean you don't miss it Ten months older, I won't give in Now that I'm clean, I'm never gonna risk it

I’m speechless for both ships. Also they both risk it so... hHAHAJKk Oh my god this is so Kaili getting over Julie too jkjkk jeez But finally what she says in the end sends me: The hidden message to Clean is “She lost him, but she found herself, and somehow that was everything.” This song is not just about losing someone you love – it’s also about losing yourself. Being clean is about moving on as a person and really taking care of yourself mentally.

Wonderland

How many songs are left for this, oh god... At this point I can only point Hansol and Chan-u too, I’m tired I’ve written to much. But because too: It is a description of a toxic relationship, from beginning to end. It uses the story of Alice In Wonderland as inspiration for the highs and lows of enjoying this state of relationship wanderlust, irrespective of negative consequences.

Didn't they tell us don't rush into things? Didn't you flash your green eyes at me? Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds? Ooh, didn't it all seem new and exciting? I felt your arms twistin' around me I should have slept with one eye open at night

I seriously can’t take the Harry Styles on Genius anymore... You read this, you tell me who ship it is: https://genius.com/4254518

You Are In Love

I love this song *michael’s meme*. Seriously, ugh. Dedicated to all my lovebirds with a happy and healthy relationship who had been missing here because this album is so so very tragic and I haven’t got my time to mention them properly. Specially: Zeev and Eleanor, Kaili and Raye, Mark and Hana, Minhye and Jukan, Jinhyung and Kyungri... Who else?

Morning, his place Burnt toast, Sunday You keep his shirt, he keeps his word And for once, you let go Of your fears and your ghosts One step, not much, but it said enough You kiss on sidewalks You fight and you talk

This reminded me of Eleanor and Zeev... 

One night, he wakes Strange look on his face Pauses, then says "You're my best friend" And you knew what it was, he is in love

And this... Minhye and Jukan.

You can hear it in the silence (silence), silence (silence), you You can feel it on the way home (way home), way home (way home), you You can see it with the lights out (lights out), lights out (lights out) You are in love, true love

And this... Jinhyung and Kyungri.

And so it goes You two are dancing in a snow globe, 'round and 'round And he keeps a picture of you in his office downtown And you understand now Why they lost their minds and fought the wars And why I've spent my whole life trying to put it into words

Okay the “office downtown” reminded me of Keun and Nayoung... I’m telling, I love this song I just can’t pick one ship for it. Also this song Taylor wrote for her friends who are in love and this comment just cracked me up: Isn’t it much more likely (and adorable) to imagine Jack looking at a picture of Lena while he produces music in his home studio? kkkj 

New Romantics

THE BEST WAY TO FINISH THIS FINALLY CAUSE IM SO TIRED. LETS JUST LISTEN AND APPRECIATE FOR God sakes its been an hour.

just appreciate me screaming the lyrics of this song in telegram when it cames.

[koisurufortunecephalopod]

A Comprehensive Guide to DESURABBITS

Hey guys, your friendly cephalopod here to tell you all about the group I’ve fallen in love with! 

(ripping of shades sorry not sorry)

So what is this group?

Formed as DEATHRABBITS (デスラビッツ) in late 2013 when the idol group usa☆usa Shoujou Club (usa☆usa少女倶楽部) of Mochizuki Emi, Okawa Yuzu, and Yasui Karin did a crossover unit featuring the section chief of their indies label G-ANGLE RECORDS and vocalist of the digital hardcore unit AKIRADEATH, Kanzaki Akira. While “Bucho” supplies backing death metal screams and often stands around menacingly in the background, the girls sing and dance like any other idol group. Their style is often described as “Japanese Death Pop”, often compared to BABYMETAL and (OG) LADYBABY with how it has maybe a slight bit of an edge compared to other songs in the idol genre, plus metal influences. 

For the past six years, they’ve evolved their sound in a variety of different ways, trying different styles with their latest released song “Sotsugyou Shoujo- Mirai E” taking on more of a rock influence. They’re one of those groups that tends to just throw stuff at the wall to see what sticks. One of these being “ramen editions” of their singles. Starting in 2016, the singles sold at their live shows are packaged with dry ramen, and purchasing one also sends packets of ramen to disenfranchised areas of Malaysia. Unfortunately as of 2019, this is being discontinued (although the members and staff have expressed interest in replacing this with ramen edition goods). They’ve also changed their name (confusingly) a few times as well-- to Desu.Rabbits (です。ラビッツ) in 2016, and recently to DESURABBITS (デスラビッツ) in February 2019. Either way, most fans affectionately refer to them either as “DesuRabi” or “Rabbits.” 

Also fun fact, Bucho is bffs with Ladybeard because of course those two are friends. They crowdfunded a unit song that’s a collaboration between their groups called “DEADLIFT RABBITS”

Members!

Mochizuki Emi (望月愛実)

Currently 17 and about to start her final year in high school, Emi is the youngest member of the group and was only a sixth grader in elementary school when she joined. Her parents were both involved in the music industry, leading her to become interested in becoming a singer from an early age. She’s the lead vocalist of the group as well as the center of all currently released songs. She’s the one who gets all of the long solo parts and has always had a rather strong voice since she joined.  Emi’s grown up A LOT since the early days (they’ve never posted heights on their profiles, so we’re not sure, but she has guessed that she’s grown about 15cm (~6 inches) and has gotten a much more mature hairstyle. As the baby of the group, in some of their older material, she would often come across as a little spoiled and quick-tempered and compared to that she’s really mellowed out, becoming more mature and cool-headed.  Her English pronunciation is impeccable, but she actually isn’t very good at speaking it in conversation.  Before member colors were abolished in 2019, her image color was pink! She also posts song covers on her personal Youtube channel, but it hasn’t been active for a while. 

Okawa Yuzu (大川柚)

Yuzu is the leader and often the one tasked with leading MCs and acting as the spokesperson of the group. Since joining, her catchphrase has been “Always full of energy,” which is something that describes her well. While she isn’t necessarily a ball of sunshine bouncing off the walls, she has more of an intense “Let’s give 100% to everything” sort of energy to her. She takes her role as leader very seriously; consulting with staff about the direction of the group and recently dying her hair ash pink and requesting that her new costume look “strong and like she can fight in it” in order to really highlight how their new era is about taking a new direction.  Since early childhood, Yuzu has aimed for a career in show business. Originally wanting to be a talent or a broadcaster, she eventually studied dance in order to become an idol. From there she made connections with singer-songwriter and producer of other idols and artists (such as KOTO, Terashima Yufu, and TsubasaFly), SAWA. She is the best dancer in the group, so look for her if there’s a dance break.  Her voice is the deeper one out of the girls, although she doesn’t get as many solo parts as Emi. It was announced recently that she will be getting her first center song as the double A-side with “Sotsugyo Shoujo”, “Demo, Nigenna.” She’s also an avid bookworm and very studious, and will be attending university this spring.  Her member color was previously purple! 

Yasui Karin (安井夏鈴)

Karin is the oldest of the three girls and the mood maker. She’s carefree and my pace beyond my pace. If she actually speaks during an MC (and isn’t just staring off into space the entire time), she will most likely forget what she’s saying halfway through the sentence because she’s always off in “Kariko World” as she calls it. She has a very distinct way of speaking that’s very slowly rhythmic, so she will often get speaking lines in songs (and recently something of a rap verse). Her singing voice is also the most “idol-like” of the three-- high pitched and sweet-- but while she also doesn’t get many solos, it’s very easy to pick out. Also she has such sweet guitar skills. She and Tomo-zo should totally collaborate. Totally. I can’t find much about her background, but I do want to say on a personal note that she was the first member to remember my name and that I was a Bucho oshi after even the first time I saw them. And every time she’s the one taking the cheki, the camera “somehow” doesn’t have any film in it and you two just have to hold that pose for a bit. Karin will also be attending university in the spring and I am so proud of her.  She used to be the green member!

Kanzaki Akira (神崎晃) Bucho (部長)

The 41-year-old section head (or “bucho” in Japanese) at the record label G-ANGLE RECORDS with a background in singing in metal, grindcore, enka, and classical styles who was a vocalist in a handful of metal and rock bands from high school that never went anywhere, Bucho officially emerged in the music world in 2006 with the underground digital hardcore duo AKIRADEATH. As such, Bucho’s role in DESURABBITS is to provide backing death metal vocals (and rap). At 190cm (~6′5′’) with his gas mask and body armor, he can strike an intimidating figure. Despite this, he usually plays the part of a bumbling goofball of an “uncle” figure to the rebellious teenage girls. He himself is a huge idol wotaku (which is really annoying at events when you’re trying to get a two-shot with him and he’s wandered off to get in line for a different idol group. The girls however seem to find it hilarious to yell across the very crowded room for him to get back here because Loren wants to take a cheki with him) and has done video streams talking about the state of the idol industry. While he definitely doesn’t dance (but is incorporated into the choreography sometimes), he does his best in the back to kind of furi-copy or give gestures for the wota-gei if he’s not bumping into things.  As technically a part of the record label staff, there is something of a debate over his status of a member. Since the early days of the group, there was a theme of “Emi, Yuzu, and Karin vs. Bucho,” with even several of their one-man concerts being titled as such and given the caveat of “if tickets sell out, Bucho will be fired.” However, as of their 2019 makeover, it was announced that they will be “graduating” from this image and “allowing” Bucho to be a member.  In the earlier singles, his involvement was a lot larger (often having full verses), but his vocal parts have been scaled down a lot since 2015. Since 2018, he has remedied this by often having a DJ set up behind the girls and DJing live along with their performances (doing some sick mashups while singing, it’s pretty sweet), and their most recent song plays this up. He also does solo DJing as “DJ Bucho.” Not to be confused with “DJ Akira,” which is just what he calls himself when he talks in an “ikemen voice.”  His member color was black!

Okay, so what about their music?

WELL I’M GLAD YOU ASKED. HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF MY OPINIONS. 

“Idol STAR WARS”

Their very first song. The girls are at peak baby. Emi is a literal fetus. 

I actually really like the instrumental for this, it has a bit of a gritty electronic edge to it. It sets the precedent for their style of “cute but with a screaming man”, but is a bit more so, because Bucho actually has verses???

The chorus is pure sugar pop though I love it

But what I love more is Bucho just hecking going off with the verbal keysmash screams after the final chorus. Fucking spectacular you funky bastard.

I’m pretty sure they only filmed like seven minutes of video for the music video. I’m not convinced Bucho and the girls were ever in the same building. 

“Hell Near Bucho ~ Ugokisugi da yo Nihonjin 2013 ~”

The B-side off of Idol STAR WARS, so still pretty old form with the line distribution but

Bucho screaming about having a hernia for four minutes

ngl because of the title being partly in English and the album version having a random-ass intro with an American woman talking about Bucho battling an endless battle with the enemy of “hell near” i didn’t actually make the connection for months and thought this was like. DesuRabi Lore. 

OKAY BUT THAT CHORUS IS SO CATCHY AND PEAK IDOL I LOVE IT

And A+ screaming I love it

I really want to see it live at least once because the “Hell! Near! Bucho!” chant part sounds like it would go so hard

“Koisuru Kisetsu”

Second single, getting into their style a bit more

But they still acknowledge that like... Bucho has a name.

I highly recommend checking out the subbed version because the things Bucho is screaming about are just. What.

Literal Rabbits to represent Emi, Yuzu, and Karin

Emi, Yuzu and Karin just being like “The lyrics are kinda dark... Bucho’s singing about his love life again lmao let’s just hecking change this song because we wanna sing something else

Just hecking shove him behind some fake cherry trees. He’ll be fine.

“Omatsuri JAPAN!! Kokuhaku Night”

This is probably their most straight-up idol song. Like you could legit just have this song without him grunting in the background, but why would you want that.

Like that sounds weird by itself but trust me it really pumps up the energy of the song

It’s one of the songs that’s an absolute bop at lives, especially when they shuffle around who does the “Daisuki desu” line. And then we mosh. 

Listen it just has such a great energy that you don’t always get in the “cute summer love song” niche of idol songs and I greatly appreciate this

“DESURABBITS Gun no 7 Kajou”

Another one I highly recommend watching the subbed version for because it outlines the “Seven rules of the DESURABBITS Army”, and is basically the theme song and list of principals for the group and fans. 

Music and MV aside, I want to say that this was one of the things that REALLY sold me on the group, as the rules are all “do your best at your life outside lives, be kind to one another and the live venue” and the fanbase really reflects that. Like they’ve welcomed me more than Gachamen/pinkos which is kind of an accomplishment. 

Like you don’t gotta make your edgy idol group 2edgy4me, you can still be about respecting the fans of other groups and the other fans and just having a good time. 

ANyways

Yuzu: Yeah we have no idea what the fuck Bucho is ever saying

Emi’s vocals in the pv are really great for her age and I wish there were better quality live versions for it recently bc dang she’s improved so much

This is another goes absolutely insane at lives with the “WE! ARE! DESURABBITS! DESU!” chant it’s amazing

I do kinda love the bit where it looks like they’re going to go into a dance break and all they do is... spin. 

Also they call Bucho a mascot character

“Usagi no Kimochi”

Honestly this song is just kind of hilarious once you realize that it’s basically just “don’t talk shit online and come watch our shows”

Complete with Bucho fucking murdering the Twitter bird

They’re starting to change their styles a bit with many tonal shifts and fewer Bucho parts. I’m not personally too into the verses, but I do like the choruses

I really dig the way they go in on the “pyons” at the beginning as well as the piano parts

DJ AKIRA GA KONNICHIWA

“Chuuni no Natsu. Ojisan no Natsu.”

This is a very good summery idol song just in general and mood which I love, with that lovely piano, string, and Emi-solo intro. Very refreshing and nostalgic with a good energy to it. 

THEY LET BUCHO SING!!!! About how much he wants to go to the beach but can’t because he has work just let him go. 

But for real, I really love his singing voice here. It matches well and has a bit of a punk rock sound to it which is my jam outside of idols. Also in the last chorus the way all four of them harmonize is surprisingly nice!

Also as a song that really sums up the relationship between Bucho and Emi, Yuzu, and Karin, it’s hilariously fitting. 

KUSAI, KUSAI!

O-Ji-SA-N!

“Nande?”

First things first the video is amazing like could you guys not shoot on the same day who came up with the story what is going on who believes Bucho could fight ninjas

But honestly that’s kind of the point

ngl this is my favorite DesuRabbi song, because: 

A) HOOKS FOR DAYS. From the “nande naze nande naze nande naze” to the “chikirichi, chikirichi, chikirichi” to the “nande, nee, nande”

B) honestly joining the fandom I was in the mindset where I needed something to express my “why what what the fuck what why what”

and this song supports that that is okay. If you can’t have a happy idol song that is just like “lmao we don’t know what’s going on and that’s fine” idk you’re a stronger person than me I guess??

Also the video

This also really marks the shift into Bucho taking a backseat to the girls, which ye Emi’s voice is clearly getting stronger

But tbh the highlight for me is Karin’s solo at the start of the bridge. Her voice is perfect for the whimsical tone they’re going for at that part of like “hey it doesn’t matter my dude!”

“Shitsuren Shitara Wasabi”

Okay, just gonna be up front, I’m not the biggest fan of their 2016-2018 “です。ラビッツ” era songs. They tried experimenting with songs a lot more with tone changes and different styles, and honestly I just found them lacking the same energy. However, I love this song a lot as it has that with that same “throw a bunch of things at the wall at once”

The tone is a lot more mature than their older material, but you still get the energy, especially in that chorus

The girls are the focus, and even though Emi still has ALL OF THE SOLOS, Yuzu gets some spots too, especially her spoken line which kind of makes this “her song” among her oshis and I’m really happy that she got that since she was the only one who didn’t have that before this

The lyrics are just so hopeful and good??? Idk maybe I’ll translate someday

WASABI WASABI WASABI KURE

“Sotsugyou Shojo-Mirai E-”

Or as I like to call it “When the heck did you guys get a budget???”

This is the first song with a different producer and uh... yeah you can tell. It’s radically different with a darker, rock image, but the lyrics are really hopeful and nice. I translated them over on my jp twitter if you’re interested??

THAT BASS THO

Yuzu’s voice suits this well with her very short solos. I feel like Karin’s solo singing part barely sounds like her, but I do like her little “rap”

And of course Bucho’s rap. What a nerd I love him. 

Seriously where did they get a music video budget

I’m more into their old stuff just because that’s what I like, but I do really appreciate that they went for a harder sound but keeping the hooks and the hopeful outlook and the weird old man who stands behind them

This is most definitely the most intense dance they’ve done. Emi and Karin tried very hard. 

Okay we get it so how do we follow them?

Unfortunately, on one hand, DesuRabi very much are focused on live performances as part of the underground idol tradition. They don’t have a very active release schedule, and while their Youtube channel sometimes posts live videos, it’s a bit sporadic. HOWEVER, they are a group that if you somehow manage to get to Japan, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out, if only for the fact that they have lives almost every weekend which are very cheap and very easy to get tickets to. Unless it’s a larger event or through a different event planner, usually you just reserve under a name and email and pay at the door. The DesuRabi Army is super nice and accepting and I will possibly be there. 

But other than that: uh yeah, social media. 

Official Youtube

Official Website

Twitter (group)

Twitter (Emi)

Twitter (Yuzu)

Twitter (Karin)

Twitter (Bucho)

They’re all fairly active on twitter (although Karin will sometimes just kind of... fade from existence). Emi, Yuzu, and Karin seem to have SOME rules on when they can reply, but Bucho just replies whenever he wants, which is often. Even sometimes when he isn’t tagged in the conversation or following you. They’re always very excited to see foreign fans, so tell them Loren sent you!

#desurabbits #desu rabbits #death rabbits #this is a bucho appreciation blog #idols #idol #jpop idol #with the kind of person bucho is there is always a 60% chance he will find this #please do not #but anyways please love them

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Supernatural LSB: Jared Padalecki x Platonic reader ft. Jensen and Misha pt.2

And here we go with pt. 2 and boy did I enjoy writing Round 2 because I’ve got some special surprises for ya’ll in store and trust me when I say.....I wish this would actually happen should someone of the cast compete on the show against J2, this could get u a win *wink wink hint hint*. Okay now in this there is just a fight scene that Jared does with a FAKE gun that can make the actual popping sounds but you’ll see what I’m talking about but I thought I might put a warning up for gun use (AGAIN FAKE BE-BE PISTOL GUN BUT THAT’S IT!!!) Enjoy my lovelies :)

____________________________________________________________

Soon it was time for Round 2.

“Welcome back to Lip Sync Battle, the War between Winchesters have gone through the roof but now it’s time for Round 2. Let’s see what Jared Padalecki did to prepare for his second piece”.  The crowd applauded and the camera came up on me and Jared and he gave a salute and soon the cameras began to show what he did to prepare for his second act.

He was in the costume department speaking to his costume designer and he said to her.

“We actually did this song on the show and I’ve seen this song on the show thanks to (n/n) but I want to try and go a different route”.

“Okay so we do have these and I can have them in a different color or is this good?”

“No, no that’s perfect now what about the hat?”

“Right here for you Jared”.

“Excellent”.  Soon Jared’s voice came over and it showed him back in his dressing room. “This might give me the win cause this is one of (y/n)’s favorite songs and when we did this on an episode, so the expression on her face in the episode is her true reaction. (Y/n) baby girl you’re good but,” he placed the cowboy hat on his head and said in with his Texan accent coming out, “There’s a new sheriff in town, and I’m takin that there belt back home”.

(Play up till 1:34 then skip to the next instrumental tune at 2:37 and basically kinda go from there)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py6U3XMy-AM

The stage was dark and I was getting a little scared of what song he chose for his next choice but soon the familiar guitar solo came up on the speakers and I collapsed to my chair holding my hands to my mouth.  

The spotlight came on Jared in a full black cowboy attire with a six string guitar in his hand sitting in front of a fake fireplace, and he was actually strumming it as I could actually hear it playing.  There was also a fake tree with a Wanted poster with Jared’s picture on it and his reward was for $1000.

“Yes Jared!” I heard Jensen cry out. Like a true Texas cowboy getting ready for a showdown, he slowly raised his head up then raises his head, allowing the hat to only show his eyes first as he began to sync out the words.

He put the guitar down and he walked up towards his Wanted poster and ripped it off the tree before crumbling it up and tossing it towards the audience.  He then turned towards me and pointed right at me as he synced out “I’m Wanted, Dead or alive”.  He then walked across the stage and soon it jumped right to the part where the song really begins to pick up.

Soon the lights came on and dancers dressed as sheriffs came right at Jared and for the first time that I or anyone else had ever seen on LSB instead of dancing, the stage turned into an all-out stage combat.  

Jared fake-punched one guy then as another one came with a fake-punch towards Jared, he placed his hand on his chin like he had actually gotten punched before acting like he was reconnecting his jaw and then taking the man by the arm and literally flipping him over his shoulder.

I was in shock as was LL, Chrissy and Misha while Jensen was having a ball with this. It was then Jared took out his ‘gun’ and began firing one shot which made actually popping sounds and one by one each sheriff dropped to the ground.  He blew on the gun getting rid of the ‘smoke’ before syncing out as he walked towards his “steel horse” and mounted it as he kept syncing.

It soon came to the part where Jensen, Jared and I once got to actually sing this song and I couldn’t help myself but actually sing along and I even turned to see Jensen doing the same thing and then once the verse was done, Jared synced out the last few words until the song finished and the lights exploded off.

The crowd went nuts as Jared breathed heavily and the stage combaters all got up and Jared got off the horse statue and LL came up on stage and proclaimed.

“Wow!” He now stood beside Jared and said, “Chrissy, Chrissy tell me what did you think of Jared’s second performance?”

“I think we just witnessed our first Lip Sync stage combat?” The crowd applauded and Jared tipped his hat to the crowd.

“Okay let’s go to the Supernatural guest judges, Jensen, Misha your thoughts?”

“You truly embraced our Texan culture there partner, and like Dean said Bon Jovi rocks on occasion and Jared—that occasion was now!” The crowd cheered and screamed as Jared saluted to his brother.

“I have to agree with what Jensen said, I mean that was probably the best way and probably the only way to do that song and only you could’ve done that Jared, hats off to you partner” Misha tipped his fake hat to Jared and he returned the gesture.

“Alright so (y/n) what did you think did Jared do you proud?” I was speechless at this point.  Everyone laughed included Jared and I finally brought the mic up to my lips and I said.

“I want to say some kind of come-back but I can’t. Not with this song. Like seriously this is my all-time favorite Bon Jovi song and J2 know that, I first heard that song in Scooby Doo 2 and was obsessed with that song and then when we got to actually sing it in an episode that was—Jared well done, amazing job”. I then got off the VIP section and embraced him and he did the same for me.

Everyone awed at us as Jared picked me up and spun me around a few times before removing his black cowboy hat and placing it on top of my head.

“Well Jared Padalecki took us straight to the Wild West as the World’s Most Wanted cowboy, when we come back will (y/n) prove herself worthy of the belt? Followed by the decision of which Winchester wins the LSB belt, we’ll be right back”. “Wanted” came back on over the speakers as the camera came onto both Jared and I and we were both Lip syncing to the song.

After the commercial break, LL stated.

“We’re back with the final performance of the night. It’s been a Supernatural rollercoaster but now it’s time for the youngest Winchester to see what she brought with us to the table to beat her older brother”. The camera came on me and I waved and got my hands into fighting position before it went straight to my other performance.

I was in my dressing room getting ready in the same style of clothes that I have been wearing for almost 12 years of my life.  

I was now in the dance studio practicing the dancing and the choreographer was proclaiming at how well I was doing and when it was over, my entire crew applauded and I high-fived every single one of them.

It now showed me practicing on stage and I was eating a doughnut as I sat beside LL Cool J and I told him.

“Jared’s definitely gonna tap out as soon as he sees my next performance”.

“Oh is he?”

“Yep, in fact I bet he’ll probably leave the room” he then bursted out laughing as I smirked and drank up my water.  As the show would show my dancing my voice came over before filming me in my dressing room, “I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve, it ain’t over till I say it’s over. Jared you might as well give up honey, because this next performance will rock your world”.

(Now I just want u guys to play Jessie J’s part, then skip straight to Ariana’s part, play the first half of the chorus after Ariana’s part, then skip again to Nicki’s part and then just kinda let it play out up until the verse before the last part of the song hopefully you guys got this if not then I’ll try to put up the numbers so that ya’ll can follow along)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxTdKnW-03Y

The lights soon went on and my song “Bang Bang” by Jessie J ft. Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj came over the speaker.  But the stage was now decked up almost exactly like the Bunker set we have back at the Vancouver set and my outfit was exactly like Natasha’s.  

For the past few seasons since about 8-9, Natasha went for a red jacket kinda similar to Emma Swan’s on Once Upon a time, jeans, black combat boots, and a simple black short sleeved t-shirt.  She also wore a silver necklace with a single ruby red gem at the center and of course the shirt allowed my anti-possession tattoo to show that stood a bit over my chest.

As I synced to the song, I went a bit crazy and shook my booty sexually trying to mock Jared then I even pulled out a replica prop of Lucille that we teased during the 200th episode.  I walked up towards a desk and I slammed the bat down twice and soon popping out dressed in a female version of Sam was a special guest star to help with the song for Ariana’s part.

Genevieve Padalecki.

Gen came around and the two of us stared Jared down and coyly wagged our finger at him in a ‘come hither’ motion.  And I swear I have never seen Jared’s face look more shocked than seeing his wife help me with my LSB.  

We continued to act like two proud sexy ladies letting the music take us, facing each other and placing a finger to our lips as we synced the shhh then we faced back towards Jared as we both gestured the bad girl line right towards Gen since she did play a demon.

Soon the chorus came and Gen and I danced together as soon coming onto the stage once again was a replica of Baby that Jensen and Misha came in on and as half the chorus was played and Nicki’s part came on, another special guest came on stage all dressed as Female Dean.

Danneel Ackles.

The crowd went insane at seeing both J2 wives up on stage with me dressed head to toe just like their husbands on the show just minus the hair since I wanted this to be a Winchester-Sister parody.  Dani, Gen and I were bouncing around, doing the fist-bump as we jumped backwards just going crazy with Nicki’s rap.

When the rap slowed, like true super models I lead followed by Gen then finally Dani down the catwalk as the three of us strutted the catwalk with our hands at our waists just strutting slowly yet powerful.  When we got down the catwalk we went crazy once again by pop-in-locking our shoulders from side to side before spinning our bodies like a clock at the spelling of Bang.

When Jessie’s solo came on, Dani and Gen went down to the ground as I took center stage and we then raced back and soon my backup dancers who were all dressed up as either demons, angels, werewolves, vampires, or any other monster that was on the show.  

So we did what we Winchesters did best, hunted them down and killed or exorcised them. Once they were take care of, we returned to Baby.

Dani and Gen up on the hood while I literally got right on top of the car and then stood up proudly as the three of us synced the song, I then slide down from the roof right between Gen and Dani on the Hood and we all turned in sync and flipped off Jared and that’s when my song ended.

The room went crazy as I slide off the rest of the Impala and Gen and Dani wrapped their arms around me and we all group hugged.

“Ladies and Gents give a round of applause to DANNEEL ACKLES AND GENEVIEVE PADALECKI!!!!” I cried into the mic.  The girls bowed as I clapped with the audience and LL came up to us and was beyond words.

“The Wayward sisters have made a comeback!” The crowd cheered as I now stood between Gen and Dani and we all turned towards Jared who was now down on the ground completely dead. We were now laughing hysterically as LL said, “Jared? Jared are you alive?”

“This is why you wouldn’t be a part of my Livin La Vida Loca act!?” proclaimed Jared. Gen smiled widely and she said.

“(Y/n) asked me first, and what can I say? I can’t say no to this face” She cupped my chin and I did my puppy dog eyes and she kissed my cheek and wrapped her arms around me.

When she came on the show at season 4 when I was 12, even though my character absolutely hated her guts to no end, I ended up personally falling in love with Gen. I thought she and Jared would make a cute couple someday if they ever got married, and even when I shipped it, Jared even tried to get me to be his wing woman to try and win over Gen. Of course she rejected him till finally she agreed to go out on a date with him, then on that beautiful February day of 2010, I was invited to be one of Gen’s bridesmaids for their wedding.

Around that same time, Jensen also married Dani and the three of us girls became like sisters and soon the rest was history.  I became an aunt to each of their kids and they all called me Auntie (y/n) and pretty soon little Odette will be on her way to calling me that once she gets a little older.

“Jared I am so glad to not be in your spot right now” mentioned Jensen.

“You dodged a bullet baby, I’ll get you when we get home” proclaimed Dani.  The crowd all oohed at Dani’s burn and I fist-bumped her on a job well done.

“Alright ladies please step on up to the VIP or join your husband Mrs. Ackles whichever one you prefer”. Said LL.  I then went up to the VIP with Jared as Gen followed behind me while Dani went up to where Jensen was and we went to a final commercial break.  

I sat beside Jared and he hugged me on a job well done while he brought Gen on his lap and wrapped his arms around her and placed his head on top of her rocking her side to side.

Soon Jared and I were asked to join LL as the belt was now about to be given out and the audience would decide who was the Supernatural LSB Champion.  We were finally back and LL said.

“Welcome back to Lip Sync Battle. The night has been fierce and each of these Winchesters have fought their hardest but now it’s time for the audience to decide, Chrissy are you ready?”

“I am overly ready” she said as she held the one and only LSB belt.  She stood beside Jared first as LL said.

“Is the Lip Sync Battle Supernatural champion Jared Padalecki?” The crowd cheered and he tried to get them to scream louder.  I stood there in place feeling above all nervous of how the outcome would be, I mean don’t get me wrong I had a hell of a time, I’ve always wanted to be on this show and I love Jared to pieces but I really wanted to win this.

“Or is the Lip Sync Battle Supernatural champion (y/n) (l/n)?” For me the audience screamed even louder than Jared’s and I barely did anything.  I raised my arms up in exult as the crowd even began cheering my name.  “And the winner is….. (Y/n) (L/n)!!!” I screamed loudly and covered my mouth overcome with joy as Chrissy strapped the belt around me.

I felt tears coming down my face as I was overwhelmed with emotion right now.

“Talk to us, talk to us (y/n) how’s it feel to be the Champ?” I sniffled and tried to stop myself from crying as the audience awed at me.

“It feels….Oh my god it feel amazing but I thought I wouldn’t win this!” The audience awed again. “But first I would like to thank Jared for being quite the competitor, I had a lot of fun and thank you guys so much this means a lot to me”. I wiped my tears away as I felt Chrissy rub my shoulders and even hug me.

“Jared, even though you lost did you have a good time? How has this experience been for you?”

“It was wonderful I see now why this is (y/n)’s favorite show. I had a hell of a blast and if there was anyone I could lose to, I’m glad it was (y/n) and not Jensen”. Jensen cried out offensively as Jared came up and embraced me and even picked me up and rocked me back and forth.

Soon Jensen, Misha, Gen and Dani came down and joined us as LL took us out and my backup dancers all came out.

“(Y/n) (l/n) proved herself to be the Supernatural Champion, a big thanks to the cast of Supernatural and remember, whatever you do in life….Knock em out the box cell. Knock em out L!” “Bang, Bang” came up on the speakers again and we all were dancing along to the song until we were told that we were off air.

Later that night, Jared, Jensen, Misha, their wives and I were celebrating my victory and Jared soon called out.

“Hears to (y/n) the LSB champion”.

“To (y/n)!” They all proclaimed as their raised their glasses in the air for me and we spent the rest of the night celebrating before the guys and I were to head back to continue filming the rest of Supernatural since our Hiatus break was almost over by this time.

#supernatural #supernatural imagine #supernatural imagines #jared padalecki #jared padalecki x reader #jared padalecki x platonic reader #j2m #j2m x reader #spn cast imagine #jensen ackles #misha collins #jensen ackles x reader #jensen ackles x platonic reader #SPN FANDOM #spn imagine #spn imagines #spn cast fanfiction #spn cast x reader #j2m imagines #j2m fanfic

[legendsmag]

A COMPLETE RUN DOWN OF THE 2020 LEGENDS AWARDS PERFORMANCES

WINNIE KANE

Winnie Kane opened the evening with a double performance of “Lose You To Love Me” and her latest single, “Look At Her Now”. She started off a little shaky but that’s to be expected with a less experienced performer, especially on one of the biggest stages there is today. Visually she looked incredible. The black and white filter was a really nice touch. There were some timing issues, some pitch issues and I kept waiting for her to shake off the nerves, hoping that maybe something more high energy would help as she moved into “Look At Her Now”, it didn’t. Her dancing needs work, vocals need work, pretty much all of it needed several more days of rehearsal.

OLIVIA MARIE

The pick up in energy did take place once Olivia Marie took the stage to perform “Cool For The Summer” (very fittingly). She looked amazing, badass and much of that was reflected in her vocal delivery. The change of scenery was welcomed, she delivered her performance from the streets of LA, where the crowd seemed even more enthusiastic and loud. It was sexy, steamy and technically sound. This is how you deliver a performance.

RYDER TOMASI

The sole hip hop-rap performance of the night, Ryder Tomasi sings about “Stoner Girl” while clearly being inebriated himself. However it didn’t really distract from his performance. He did well for what it was, there wasn’t much expectation of anything better so Ryder did what hes known to do. Overall a fine performance. 

BELINDA BLANCHARD

Belinda Blanchard sings about how “California Gurls” are unforgettable while delivering one of the most forgettable performances of the night. Belinda, who is quite pregnant, pranced around in a metallic mini dress while doing half assed choreography with a set of backup dancers. You can tell her voice has some assistance, which isn’t uncommon during a performance, but it just made her sound fake and unenthusiastic. Not much else to say. She can do better, hopefully. 

MAXWELL HARPER-BENNETT

Maxwell Harper-Bennet never fails to be a crowd pleaser, even with a more mid tempo song like “Lights Up” he really gives his all on that stage. With very little production, mostly just him, a mic and a band backing him, he manages to shine and keep everyone invested in his performance. His little dance during the vocal break was very Max and you can tell that he honestly loves being on that stage. The audience backed him up on his last chorus continuing to prove he's a fan favorite. 

RYAN PRICE

Ryan Price mellowed things out with his performance of “Heart Out”, contrary to that of Max before him, but it works. His vocals were where they needed to be and he seemed to be having a good time up there, which clearly translated to the audience who joined in on the fun. Less spectacle, more music and it worked.

CALLAN DUFFY & MAIA KARIM

This performance was simply a beauty. Callan Duffy and Maia Karim are a duo that seemingly came out of nowhere but it works perfectly in the fact that it’s really a showcase of what happens when you bring two great talents together. Their voices blend so beautifully with one another, and Maia in a different stripped down setting was truly a sight to see. They suckered in the entire audience with this one, had everyone in the palm of their hands.

CHLOE ZUICQ & CARTER BLUE

Chloe Zuicq and Carter Blue were up next with a somewhat forgettable performance of their song “One Kiss”. Visually it looked really cool. The colors and stage production were lovely and, vocally, Chloe was near perfection but it just seemed rather low energy given the song they chose. It’s supposed to be a dance track yet Chloe, who we know is a great dancer, just kinda stood there swaying back and forth. Carter may have saved this performance just by live mixing it but honestly it was a bit of a low point in the show. Neither really put their all into it and it showed.  

QUINTON HARPER

Quinton Harper can sing! Vocally this was a huge stand out moment for the show. It wasn’t the radio version of the song everyone was expecting but honestly, this was way better. He did the entire first verse with minimal backup, proving to any of his haters that he really is that talented. Even when the band and backing vocals kicked in you couldn’t help but feel the passion Quinton brought with flawless vocal execution and the dance break on the rising platform was spectacular. 

LYNN SAWYER

The sole country performance of the night delivered by Lynn Sawyer did not disappoint. Her voice was on fire from start to end. Not shying away from the country roots and highlighting the banjo was a bold move, but that’s exactly what this entire performance was. Lynn brough the fire and owned that stage in a way no other performer that night had done. This performance felt straight out of a broadway show with it’s theatrical delivery and it was perfect. The choir was a delightful touch and really filled everything out beautifully. The lighting was stellar as well. The representation of country music was important and who better to deliver it?

ROMAN

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Roman deliver a performance, and it fit nicely into the program following Lynn’s fire. He kept things simple, but it was the unique nature of his voice that won over audiences. It’d have been nice if there was a little more energy kicked into him, but his voice emoted the song, “Take Me To Church” perfectly. The performance would have benefitted from some sort of spark or change of pace, but it served its purpose. The band sounded amazing, and that was what mattered here.

PENNY LANE

Penny Lane was next to take the stage and boy was this a performance you did not want to miss. She is simply THAT performer. We got the two sides of Lane we love and adore and the first side came through the flawlessly belted out “Imagine”, the title track of her latest album. It was clear she felt this one, and the feeling bled through to her vocal. She looked beautiful and the accompanying orchestra was a beautiful compliment to not only her voice but to the aesthetic of her performance. This part was short and sweet as she quickly dove into the classic “Favorite Things” as a transition into her most recent hit single “7 Rings” This triggered a loud audience reaction in addition to a costume and set change. Now we got the second side of Lane we love… the bad bitch. Featuring probably the best choreography of the night, this 7 Rings rendition was on point, featuring an impressive split moment to be remembered. She closed off with the final bridge and chorus of “Thank You, Next” which was delivered emotionally yet triumphantly as a grand finish.

KYLIE BLUE

I mean, really. Did anyone think that Kylie Blue would be anything other than mind blowing? From her wardrobe, to the stage, the features she included in her performance, to the choreography, it was everything you could want in a performance and then some. She kept the energy up with “You Need To Calm Down” a fitting choice given it being Pride month, however, it was her premiere of her new song “Lover” that stole the show. After a very quick wardrobe change, Kylie walked downstairs to the applause of the audience and delivered what could arguably be one of her best performances to date. Between showing Kylie the camera flashed around the audience highlighting some of the couples including a very sweet moment between Olivia Marie and Maxwell Harper-Bennett slow dancing but it was very clear Kylie only had eyes for one man as her attention kept being drawn back to sing lovingly to Callan Duffy (was that a tear, Callan?). Vocally she was flawless, proving once again that she can sing her heart out and we can already tell that this will be a fan favorite track off her upcoming album. 

YOUNGBLOOD

Youngblood, about to take off on tour, stood as the sole band to perform and, as always, did not fail to deliver. Levi’s vocals were on point, Zeus didn’t miss a single moment, Saint pulled double duty with piano and later on in the song bass and Benjy showed why he’s one of the best drummers in the game by not only keeping the rhythm steady but also providing major backing vocals with near flawless delivery. However it seemed like the chemistry was slightly off? The boys typically play off each other a lot more and this performance felt like four separate guys playing their roles but not really vibing? Hopefully it was just an off day. Maybe they were just a little tired from all the tour prep? 

ESSENCE WOODS

Closing out the show, Essence delivers a keen to the ear rendition of “Summertime Sadness” a song that has quickly taken the world by storm. There’s not much to the performance, just vocals and Essence taking up all of the attention but that’s pretty typical of an Essence Woods performance. There’s a wish for the show going out with a bigger bang performance wise, especially following up some of the nights earlier grandiose showcases, but the name Essence Woods is a pretty big thing in itself. She managed to keep the audience entertained however, as this served as one of her more vocally charged performances. It was also very beautiful to see the quartet of violinists accompanying the piano is a simple sonic setup that elevated the sound quality of the performance. The final chorus felt like a climax and a good send off to the show. Though we wish she had gone a little bigger, the performance was good on a bill of great showings.

-

The Best: Quinton Harper definitely leaves tonight the golden boy despite only taking home one trophy. His performance is the one moment of the show people will be talking about for years to come. He proved his star status and talent.

The Worst: Belinda Blanchard/Winnie Kane both ladies could’ve given us much more here or much less and we would’ve been better satisfied. Both rookie performers here so the hiccups are expected.

#legend awards

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 29th July 2018

So, there a lot of new arrivals I need to talk about today, six specifically, by a whole bunch of artists – seriously, it’s all over the place this week. Let’s just get right into this.

Top 10

The top five is almost completely different this week, but that does not mean the top of the charts has shaken up at all, as Drake stays at the number-one spot for a second week with “In My Feelings”, featuring City Girls, after an incredibly impressive streaming week. I don’t know who that Shiggy guy is but I hope Drake’s writing him a big check for starting this dance challenge that has boosted this track’s popularity – because I highly doubt this cluttered, dull mess would be this popular any other way.

Oh, and “Shotgun” by George Ezra is also steady at the runner-up spot. Yeah, the number-two spot is quite ironic of a place for this song to be in, but I don’t think it’s going to gain back its chart-topping status anytime soon.

“Rise” by Jonas Blue featuring Jack & Jack rose three spots up to number-three.

“Youngblood” by 5 Seconds of Summer also enters the top five after a four-space increase that lead it all the way to number-four.

The last song to have a nice gain into the top five here is “Jackie Chan” by Tiesto and Dzeko featuring Preme and Post Malone, which has also gained four spots to number-five.

“If You’re Over Me” by Years & Years joins the gang of songs gaining four spots within the top 10, as it has also jumped to number-six, mostly because of the collapses of two songs that were above it.

“Don’t Matter to Me” by Drake featuring Michael Jackson and Paul Anka is down two spots to number-seven.

“I Like It” by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin has suddenly rebounded up three positions to number-eight.

“Girls Like You” by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B on the other hand, has decreased two spots to number-nine, despite continued YouTube success.

Finally, to round off the top 10, we have the collapse of “God is a woman” by Ariana Grande, which has leaped down six spaces straight to #10.

Climbers

A lot of songs that I thought were not going to re-peak or climb any higher increased this week, including “Fine Girl” by ZieZie up eight spots to #31, “Ocean” by Martin Garrix featuring Khalid up five spots to #29, “This is Me” by Keala Settle and the Greatest Showman Ensemble showing a stupid amount of longevity as it increases by nine to #28 (on its 30th week!), the terrible “Nevermind” by Dennis Lloyd is up five spaces to #24, and “First Time” by M-22 featuring Medina has entered the top 20, as it zooms up six spots to #20. “Ring Ring” by Jax Jones featuring Mabel and Rich the Kid does the same, as it jumps up to #17, while “Lucid Dreams” by Juice WRLD has gone up five spots to #12, meaning it might enter the top 10 next week... delightful.

Fallers

Wow! Due to UK chart regulations, cuts to streaming have demolished some songs’ chances of longevity. Former #1 “Solo” by Clean Bandit featuring Demi Lovato is down 10 to #13, “2002” by Anne-Marie is down nine to #21, and another former #1, “I’ll be There” by Jess Glynne, is down 11 spaces to #25. That’s not a bloodbath or even a massacre, because only three songs were affected and none of them dropped out, so I’d just say it’s the early stages of a premeditated mass murder.

Oh, yeah, and Drake’s “Nonstop” falls seven spots to #22, and is not falling fast enough.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

Speaking of drop outs, there are more than a couple of spoonfuls this week. We have “APES**T” by Beyoncé and JAY-Z featuring Quavo and Offset out from #36, “SAD!” by XXXTENTACION finally dropping out from #22, “Summertime Magic” by Childish Gambino out off the debut from #30, “Back to You” by Selena Gomez dropping out and ending its chart run pretty abruptly from #24, similarly to “German” by EO from #28. “Familiar” by Liam Payne and J Balvin drops out from #32 – good riddance! Finally, “Man Down” by Shakka featuring AlunaGeorge is out from #33.

In terms of returning entries, the only one here is “Flames” by David Guetta and Sia coming back to #36 after dropping out last week, so let’s get straight to the new feature on this show.

The Ed Sheeran Update

How’s Ed Sheeran fared today? Well, none of his songs are in the top 40, but outside of the top 40, “Perfect” is down a space to #59 and “Shape of You” exits the top 75 once again, going down three spots to #76, right below “Despacito”, which is also still there, somehow... and that’s all he has on the charts right now, so let’s look at the new arrivals!

NEW ARRIVALS

#40 – “Eastside” – benny blanco, Halsey and Khalid

We all know who Halsey and Khalid are at this point, but benny blanco is less of a big name. benny blanco is a producer and professional songwriter (who always stylises his name in lowercase for no reason), helping produce multiple hits for Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, Rihanna and... Gym Class Heroes? I’m not even kidding, he co-wrote and co-produced their song “Stereo Hearts” back in 2011. Anyway, despite more than a decade in the industry, this is his first ever lead single, where he partners with Halsey, Khalid and co-producer Cashmere Cat for a short pop tune that has gained moderate success worldwide. Well, it definitely feels more Cashmere Cat than benny blanco, with a rather minimalistic vibe, simple handclap-like percussion and a pretty guitar-based instrumental, albeit a tad bass-heavy. Khalid sounds pretty damn good, especially harmonising with Halsey on the choruses, who also gives a pretty... unique performance. I can’t say if it’s really as good as Khalid because they take a completely different angle and direction, but, yeah, it’s serviceable, although more interplay with each other would have made this more interesting, and probably longer too. This feels way too short. It breezes over entirely with very little consequence. It’s underdeveloped, sure, but for what it is, it’s okay.

#39 – “079ME” – B Young

Really? We’re letting the “Jumanji” guy have another hit? Yikes. It’s not any better either – with a twinkling synth sound that makes this faux-dancehall-grime-fusion schlock feel even cheaper and lazier. B Young is even worse than he was in the last song, because he tries – and yes, that may seem strange, but he bothers with inflections and puts some effort into his vocals here, most of which is still moaning, which makes the result even more pathetic and kinda sad. The phrase “0-7-9 me” is trite too, but I will admit – B Young’s vocals in the bridge/second verse aren’t as bad, as he sounds kind of bearable over the beat, at least better than the first verse where he tries to replicate an American trap-rap ad-lib, specifically “skrr skrr”, yet it doesn’t sound slick and relaxed as when people like MadeinTYO or Offset make that sound, mostly because what surrounds it are bland steel pans and an utterly gutter-trash performance. Hell, I may not like Yxng Bane but at least we know he never tries or at least never seems to. This is just depressing.

#37 – “High Hopes” – Panic! at the Disco

This is actually the first time I’ve talked about Panic! on this show, despite me being a big fan of them, personally. Brendan Urie, frontman and at this point, the one man, of the band, has got some pipes and they always have some fun, poppy production and instrumentation. This song was a single released before their most recent album, Pray for the Wicked, and now, after a month of the album’s release, the song’s finally debuted on the charts, and was it worth the wait?

Well, those horns I now expect from Panic! as they always include some kind of symphonic element to otherwise mindless pop rock songs, however the strings are a nice touch and Urie kills it as usual, especially with the multi-tracking in the verses and the fantastically-sung hook, however I’m not sure how I feel about the pitch-shifted vocal sample that comes in and out, but I barely notice it, especially in the hook where the borderline-trap percussion is hard-hitting and adds some punch to that great horn riff. That pre-chorus with the piano and strings performing almost a solo behind Urie is also pretty great, and the third hook where there’s no instrumentation and it’s just Brendan harmonising with either himself or a female backing vocalist, and then the drums build up and explode for a final hook, ending as excitingly as it started. This is an absolute explosion of bombast, and is a pump-up jam that even when this whole pop-trap trend dies down, will stand the test of time as a fantastic example of a band never running out of steam. Still impressed, Brendan, very much so. So, what’s the next song?

#35 – “FEFE” – 6ix9ine, Nicki Minaj and Murda Beatz

Oh. Oh, Lord, no.

Okay, so, I hate this song’s concept alone. Tekashi69 or just 6ix9ine, 3 times-certified scumbag who plead guilty to sexual contact with a minor, has now collaborated with one of my personal favourite rappers, Nicki Minaj. Delightful. Listen, Nicki, if you’re going to buddy up with this freaky deformed Skittle, at least try and deflect backlash with any sort of reason. “All you’re hearing is #Nic9ine this, #Nic9ine that”, you say. Is that your defense, Nicki, moaning about the amount of attention you’re getting from collaborating with a paedophile? You knew you were going to get it, and all this is a PR move that you knew would help you from flopping hard with “Barbie Tingz”, “Chun-Li”, “Rich Sex” and “Bed”, all four singles from your upcoming album Queen, that have had little success compared to your older songs, and you’re just trying to stir up controversy so you can feel relevant again. This is a pathetic attempt at trying to upstage Cardi, when, really, that youthful exuberance is missing from Nicki’s work nowadays, and it shows on songs like “Bed”, where it’s clear she’s not really trying. This is 6ix9ine’s highest-charting song in the UK, and it’s expected to debut in the top five on the Hot 100 next week, and the only people to blame for this are mindless Nicki Minaj fans streaming an awful person... but I’m not particularly mad at 6ix9ine’s success, I’m just making sure it’s known that the only reason this is so high is because the added feature of Nicki Minaj, and her large, loyal fanbase. The people complaining about this should definitely keep that in mind... yeah, except, it’s still Nicki and 6ix9ine’s fault, but who cares? They’re getting their money and their attention... as is Murda Beatz for some reason... why is he in the title again? In fact, there’s another producing duo here, why are they not credited? It’s not like Murda has a verse or anything.

#35 – “FEFE” – 6ix9ine, Nicki Minaj, Murda Beatz and Cubeatz

Yeah, give them the credit they deserve. It just seems odd and unfair. It’s like there’s no rhyme or reason to who gets credited on this song. It’s also not from an album, so why is it 6ix9ine featuring Nicki and Murda on Spotify? It should just be all four acts, ideally. There’s no reason... except Azealia Banks. Yes, Azealia Banks of all people is the person who isn’t taking this lightly and is the voice of reason amongst the hellfire. Justin Credible of the Power 106 radio station gets even more credible when you realise he just plays Nicki’s verse and no-one else’s. Thank you, Lord Credible.

See, I didn’t complain and go on a whole spiel when XXXTENTACION charted, because he was making something, you know, good? Same with Tyga, who’s in the same boat as 6ix9ine, he hasn’t shown remorse, but at least he’s making something quality out of it. Chris Brown and 6ix9ine aren’t in the same boat as X and Tyga though. They are purposefully making trash music to gain the masses’ attention, without showing any remorse or regret for what they’ve done in the past. 6ix9ine denied some of the details he earlier plead guilty to in an interview, while Chris Brown is buddying up with Lil Dicky of all people to mock his controversial past. The song? I haven’t listened to it, and it won’t get a title in the conclusion because of that, because, frankly, I don’t want to give these dudes any money. Sorry, Murda Beatz and Cubeatz, you’re not getting the five cents you’ll get from my singular stream, if anything, because producers and songwriters are not getting the credit and money they deserve, especially when working with hip-hop artists.

I’ll end off this little rant with a quote from Nicki Minaj herself.

“People who abuse children should be stoned to death in public.”

At least the cover art looks kind of nice.

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2018/07/25/nicki-minaj-queen-album-rollout/#57f929732ddb

#33 – “Love it if We Made It” – The 1975

Oh, come on! I can’t catch a break. First 6ix9ine, then these douchebags again. Well, okay, at least I don’t need to get into too much detail here considering this is a pretty simple song. There’s a few synth melodies in the start, with a more ambient/alarm one behind a pulsating heartbeat, before the drums quickly come in and Matthew Healy shamelessly shouts “we’re f***ing in a car!” Yeah, that part’s pretty funny, but otherwise, this is a pretty decent composition, with a twinkling synth and a nice steady beat, smooth backing vocals but borderline unintelligible guitar parts until a brief bridge section which is actually pretty cool, but not as cool as the static-y second bridge that follows it, and the final chorus with some choir vocals. Overall, this is a pretty good instrumental...

Matthew Healy is not my favourite frontman. He’s way too shouty on this song, and he just yells all over the track, making it pretty unlistenable at times. The lyrics aren’t too bad here, I like how he mentions Lil Peep and how “the poetry is in the streets” (seemingly respecting hip-hop culture and how it has grown, which is nice), as well as making a pretty funny reference to Trump’s now iconic tweet “Thank you, Kanye, very cool!” Yet he also says “poison me, daddy”, so I’m not taking any of what this dude says seriously.

#26 – “Body” – Loud Luxury and brando

So, this is pretty cool – two artists I know absolutely nothing about, so I can get digging and I still don’t know who brando is.

Loud Luxury are a deep house DJ duo, and I heard their “Scared to be Lonely” remix and it was okay, so I decided to see who brando was, and he was a British trap-rapper with his most-streamed single raking up only 5,000 streams on Spotify. Okay, well, that’s less than impressive, and he still has very little info on his Spotify bio, but that’s not to discredit the underground; a lot of lesser-known artists are damn talented.

brando’s not, for the record. He’s pretty boring and he can’t sing, like at all. However, like Post Malone and Preme got assisted by Tiesto and Dzeko to make a decent, danceable song out of their reverb-drowned crooning, brando got a funky bass-line, nice wobbly synths and some pretty piano melodies, as well as a couple edits that chop up his pretty fast vocals that somehow make them even catchier, albeit a bit sloppily-put together. All the elements put together and this is actually a pretty cool, fun song. Check it out.

Conclusion

No, “FEFE” won’t get anything. That’d be unfair. Instead, Worst of the Week goes to B Young for “079ME”, with no Dishonourable Mentions. Instead, we have a tied Honourable Mention, going to Loud Luxury and brando for “Body”, as well as the 1975 for “Love it if We Made It”. It’s not perfect, but it’s alright enough, and at least more interesting than “Eastside”. Best of the Week should be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway, as it’s going to Panic! at the Disco for “High Hopes”, definitely one of my favourite songs I’ve ever reviewed on this show so far. See you guys next time.

"As Queen of rap, you are responsible for protecting the rights, safety and well-beings of young women of colour, and as such, thou shall not associate with or lend your voice to known paedophiles – as you send the message that it’s okay for 18-year-old boys to fondle with 13-year-old girls and get away with it. Thou shall not ever be that desperate for chart success that you basically slap all of your 8-15-year-old fans and their moms in the face for allowing their daughters to listen. [...] Hip-hop is the only genre in modern times that normalises sexual assault and physical abuse against women. It’s f***ing sad.” – Azealia Banks