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daincrediblegg · 1 year

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okay your turn if nobody else has asked: TOP FIVE JH CHARACTERS GO

... girl... how does one choose? how does one??? when there are so many beautiful boys??? ok. OK I'll give it a shot.

5. Captain Crow - The Sea Beast This film is just incredible on every front. One of my favorite concept artists worked on it (which I did not know until a few weeks ago but now that I know I feel like kicking myself because I REALLY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THEIR STYLE WELL ENOUGH BY NOW). But I remember watching this, and screaming when the credits began to roll because WAIT?!?!?! THAT WAS JARED HARRIS??? OH!!! WHAT A DELIGHT!!! I LOVE THAT GUY!!!! (oh babygirl wait a few months it's gonna hit you so bad). He's great. I hope we see more of him in the sequel that would be great for me.

4. Hari Seldon Honestly. What a little shit. "But Egg," you might ask "If he's such a little shit why is he on here?" well. He's hot. Really I am not over how hot this dude is. I know I couldn't fix him not in a million years. But idk. Something about him always makes my brain go brrr. So he's on here. Also I just love how fucking atypically written this show is and I have a wee soft spot for asimov. They didn't have to cast Jared as Hari and make him unbelievably hot. But they did. And he's so enigmatic. I love that.

3. John Lennon Egg's love for Jared Harris Origins. I was a Beatles girlie, ok? I'm not ashamed to admit that. It was my introductory fandom experience at the ripe old age of baby, and I really ate it up. I remember going into this movie being like "oh it's some dumb TV movie about John and Paul how good can it be?" Very good, as it turns out. And having assigned myself a John Lennon girlie I literally could never get over this depiction. The mannerisms, the fucking tripped-out way he philosophizes in conversation, the softness, and ofc the old friends tension. Jared got it all. Of course I'd seen him in stuff here and there, but this was the one that cemented him as a beloved actor in my mind for me (I literally re-wound the kiss scene as well like 20 times don't judge me but that awakened some stuff in me). Been following him ever since.

2. Lane Pryce - Mad Men This dude broke me for real. I didn't get into Mad Men until college, and binged it all on my friend's hulu account. And lemme tell ya. Did NOT see his final episode coming. Did not. And it made me genuinely weep. He was a highlight in the show. He was one of the only guys I could actually say is a good dude in that show, and he deserved so much better than he got in the end. I look at him and I'm just like... leave ur wife. Leave your job. Lets just go out of this capitalistic hellscape. I want to make him Well. I will love him forever for how he just completely destroyed me.

1.Francis Crozier / Valery Legasov - HA! you thought I was not going to tie them? WRONG! I can't keep these bad bitches apart.

Francis really needs no explanation at this point. I am so actually genuinely in love with him I'm writing a whole ass gothic romance novel of a fic for him, as you all know (and which has summarily turned out a BANGER of a modern AU as well). I made a bloody self-insert oc for him. Gothic Cinema is literally my favorite genre and Francis is the most Gothic Hero of all time, honestly (well besides Valery obviously). The serotonin he continually gives me makes my meds redundant. He is my sweet husband who I love with my whole life and that's that.

And Valery? sorry you can't put a babygirl of a man like that in front of me and not expect that I would want to jump his bones like? Not only is the constant existential dread relatable, but as much as people tell him he's not brave, he IS without a doubt, and honestly, just by virtue of uttering the most iconic logline ever fucking created he deserves this spot on this list. Both of these dudes make my soul ascend in a certain way not just with how brilliantly they were written, but with how incredibly Jared executed them (for which I want to kill the academy for not giving him awards on either). Top Beloveds forever and ever and ever amen.

#ask games #top 5 #jared harris #ofc there's a secret sixth one that only cherry knows about but it's ok y'all don't have to know #shout out to moriarty as well he was technically my first proper JH introduction before JL but #there wasn't room I'm so sorry y'all #I love him tho a lot wait I have regrets but I'm too tired to fix and debate with myself on this list anymore

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konnorhasapen · 1 year

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AHAHA @friendlyfaded TAGGED ME SO I GET TO DO M O A R

Also- I forgot to mention last time that this is the "applying songs to ships" tag thing, so I'll go ahead and mention that now ajebdknx-

More Sam/Darlin':

More Ben Platt bc Ben Platt is good for the soul<3

Milo/Sweetheart:

They don't have it on spotify or soundcloud, but one that fits really damn well and honestly makes me tears up every time I listen to it on my Milo playlist is 'Breathe In, Breathe Out' by Mattias Tell.

'Follow You' by Imagine Dragons is another great one that reminds me of them<3

Vincent/Lovely:

I have said it before, and I'll keep saying it until someone cuts out my tongue-

More Elliott/Sunshine:

Enough said, I think.

More Darlin'/Quinn bc I feed on the sad/bad times and I lowkey hate myself-:

And also this one for Quinn/Darlin' because 1: it totally reminds me of the type of relationship they had early on, and 2: IT'S A FUCKING BANGER AND EVERYONE SHOULD LISTEN TO IT, OKAY?? I GIVE MYSELF WHIPLASH EVERY TIME IT COMES ON-

Have a platonic kind of self-indulgent one for the soul- Darlin' & Lovely:

Little storytime, I went to a NSP concert back in October and the last song they performed was a cover of 'Hey Jude'. It was one of my grandma's favorite songs by her favorite band and I wound up sobbing all of my eyeliner off. It was a good feeling, though. So no worries :)

Guy/Honey:

It's just giving "kayla's gone now *waggles eyebrows*" you feel?

@itsdaifuku @itsyourstarboy TAG, YOU'RE IT- unless you've already done it ajdbdk-

#redacted audio #redacted asmr #Spotify

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wastelandcth · 4 years

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lovebug - cth

summary: a moment captured by ashton leads to an engagement present that the doves had no idea would ever exist.

author’s notes: alright guys, this is all thanks to the most amazing ask that left me floored and eager to write this up. i hope you all enjoy this and that lovebug is stuck in your head as it was mine for the past couple of days.

warnings: pure fluff and dovey (for once) being a soft human towards her soulmate, calum.

masterlist || request

It had happened almost by accident, a moment that was meant to be shared by just the two of them. But Ashton found himself in a lot of these moments when it came to Calum and Dovey, in little pockets of time where it seemed like they were both too lost in one another to realize anything else. He'd been early, the first guest to the monthly band family dinner that the Doves had been hosting since moving into their new house a few months back, Dovey claiming that they needed an excuse to use their new kitchen and what better way than celebrating with the band. He'd walked in through the side door which he knew Calum always kept unlocked since it was closer to his home studio and the guys could just come in and work on songs without ringing the doorbell and having Duke bark up a storm. He had expected to see the two of them procrastinating on making dinner, which was usually the case when it came to band dinner night, but he was instead met by the two of them dancing along to lovebug, a song that reminded Ashton of the Doves in general. He wasn't even sure why he did it but in an instant, he had his phone out and he was recording the moment, a fond smile on his face as he watched his best friend fall further in love.

Calum loved family band night, he loved being able to spend time with his brothers and their partners, and he especially loved the part where he got to show Dovey new recipes to cook together. They'd been making a new Italian recipe, the smell of fresh tomatoes and herbs filling the kitchen as they both worked in silence, the only sound around them was of the knife against the chopping board and the music playing from the speaker on the counter. Calum had been lost in cutting up some basil that he almost missed the soft gasp that left Dovey when she heard the familiar guitar notes playing from the speaker. Calum recognized the song almost immediately, knowing that it was one of Dovey's favorites because as she had told Calum multiple times during their car rides or when cooking, "the Jonas Brother's were the best band ever and no one, not even The Beatles could compare. Well except maybe your band, Cal, but even then, Lovebug is a banger." Calum never argued with her on that because he knew how special the band was to her and she wasn't wrong, Lovebug was an absolute banger.

Calum had set the knife down on the counter and made his way over to Dovey, his arms wrapping around her waist as he sang quietly along to the song. He couldn't help but smile as he saw the way Dovey's eyes lit up and her arms wrapped around his shoulders, to pull him in closer. They were both singing to one another, swaying along to the guitar as the world seem to just blur until it was just the two of them swaying and taking each other in.

It wasn't long until the song started to speed up and Dovey pulled away from him, a fond look still in her eyes as she squeezed both of his hands in hers. Calum had been admiring her ever since he pulled her into his arms, wishing things could always be this way and the pressure of touring or promoting would go away. He hadn't told anyone yet, besides Mali who had gone with him to what seemed like every jewelry store in Los Angeles, but there was a box with a ring in it hidden in his office. He'd bought it a month before, his heart racing every time he thought about getting down on one knee to ask Dovey to spend the rest of their lives together, to become one. He'd been trying to plan the perfect time to ask her, to make it a day she wouldn't forget but it just seemed like life kept getting in the way and Calum kept getting whisked off to a different city for a performance. He'd been planning on taking her next time he was pushed onto an airplane and just ask her in the most romantic spot he could find but-

"Now I'm! YEEEEAAAAHOW!"

Calum's thoughts were once again interrupted by Dovey, who had seemed to take her performance of the song from dancing with Calum to a full on air guitar performance while she bounced around him. Calum's laugh echoed through the kitchen as he watched the love of his life rock out to a Jonas Brothers’ song while they were meant to be making dinner. He couldn't help but join in on the fun, whipping his head back and forth as he joined Dovey in playing out the guitar riff as he sang along, knowing that Dovey was the one for him and that he was going to be marrying her one day.

Ashton, who had been staring at the couple and recording them, stifled his laughter and shook his head as he watched them both dance along to the song. He slipped out of the hallway, making his way back to the side yard as the two lovebirds were left panting and in a fit of giggles from their performance. After looking back at the video, he opened up his messages with Calum and was about to hit send when Calum walked out of the house and called his name, the message long forgotten as he saw Calum struggling to juggle a bag of recycling and a very excited Duke on a leash.

Ashton had gotten a call a few weeks later, Calum speaking way too fast for him to understand and sounding like he had just run a marathon. After telling him to calm down and take a deep breath, Ashton couldn't help but chuckle as he heard the good news about an engagement and Calum asking him to be his best man. Without hesitation, Ashton agreed and congratulated the couple as he switched the call to Facetime, grinning as he saw the Doves with flushed cheeks and teary eyes. With promises of a celebration of their engagement and another round of congratulations, Ashton hung up the phone before Dovey could start crying again and started planning a time where everyone could get together.

It had started off as a group chat, late one night when Ashton's worries about not getting a present for the Doves' engagement party had him scrolling through homeware websites until all he could think about was Dutch ovens and air fryers. He'd sent out a message to everyone he could think of that had had the honor of spending time with the two weirdos known as the Doves, it was a simple request really, one he knew he'd get plenty of replies from.

"Can you guys send me any videos you have from the Doves?"

It wasn't long before he and Andy were looking through all the videos Ashton had received and sorted through the best clips. After a few hours filled with both of them laughing at how perfect Calum and Dovey were for one another, Ashton's present was complete and ready for the Doves to see.

Calum had been obsessed with holding Dovey's hand ever since she had started wearing her engagement ring, running his hand over the thing gold band every time he had the chance to. Whenever they were out running errands or hanging out with their friends, his hand would be tightly grasped in hers, his eyes looking down at the ring every once in a while to admire it. Even as Calum drove them to the address that Ashton had texted them at the beginning of the week, with promises of free booze and a celebration of their big news, Calum couldn't help but glance at the ring that was adorning Dovey's hand.

The party had been filled with lots of congrats from the Doves' friends and family who had all found themselves in a courtyard hidden in the middle of the wine country where flowers decorate the walls and love flowed throughout. It was filled with delicious food and a lot of champagne, not that anyone was complaining too much. But it wasn't until Dovey and Calum found themselves in the middle of everyone facing a projector screen that Ashton had been setting up for the past few minutes with Andy that everyone had settled in their seats and waited with anticipation. Calum looked around the crowd, confusion clear in his eyes as he tried to figure out why everyone was watching them both him and Dovey.

"So as we all know, we're here to celebrate the fact that these two lovebirds have finally decided to tie the knot!" Ashton grinned as he clapped his hands and chuckled when everyone followed him. "And to celebrate that, our good friend Andy and I have decided to make a video, with the help of many of you here today, to show exactly why these two lovebirds were meant to meet."

Calum's head cocked to the side as he listened to his best man speak, his eyebrow raising as the projector screen switched from plain white into a picture of him and Dovey with a kangaroo when they had visited Calum's family back home and taken a trip to the zoo. As the picture faded, Calum heard Dovey's laugh playing out from the speaker near the projector, a video of her and Calum from one of the many game nights they'd attended playing out.

As the rest of the video played out, Calum's laugh joined Dovey as the scene switched and a video of both of them at the latest album release dancing along to Wildflower. Different moments in time showed the way Calum and Dovey's relationship seemed to be something more than either of them realized, something more than just two people who loved each other. It was moments where Dovey was laughing over Calum spotted her from the stage and they both waved at one another, moments where they were both asleep on a couch while their friends argued over the rules of a game, moments where they seemed too lost in one another to even notice anyone recording them.

Calum glanced over to Dovey, who had been watching the video while squeezing his hand every time she laughed, she had a soft look on her face, one she rarely ever showed to anyone except for Calum when sleep was so tempting but she wanted to stay up and talk the night away. Her eyes were focused on the video that was playing in front of them, too lost in reliving those moments where she thought that no one had been watching nevertheless recording. It wasn't until Calum heard the familiar notes to a song that Dovey loved that he saw the tears forming in her eyes. His own eyes moved back to the screen, watching that moment from weeks ago in their kitchen where they had danced along to a Jonas Brothers' song and had gotten lost in each other, never realizing that Ashton had been recording them.

It was the moment when Calum had realized that he had needed to ask her to marry him as soon as he could, it was the day where after everyone had left Calum had booked them a trip away where the two of them could take each other in and where no one could stop him from asking her what had been on his mind for a while now. It was all in front of him and Calum felt the breath sucked out of him as he once again was hit with the realization that Dovey, who would have dance parties with him in the kitchen and then proceed to fight with him over the fact that celery was not a delicious treat, was his soulmate and there was no way he was ever going to let go of her, the ring on her finger shining almost as bright as their smiles as the video ended with the one and only, Lovebug.

#calum hood blurb #calum hood imagine #calum hood one shot #calum hood fic #5sos blurbs #5sos imagines #5sos oneshots #5sos fics #calum hood #5sos #5 seconds of summer #gemma writes #this was one of my favorites

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crushxiu · 6 years

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shout out to @minseokpng for tagging me!!! thank you Miki!!!

1. nickname: uhh I’ve had like, a million that have developed over the years from various occasions but I guess if I had to narrow it down to One that has stuck the most my family has always called me Buggy ygfdhu

2. gender: female

3. star sign: I am The most stereotypical pisces in the world :/

4. height: 5′3 :( small...

5. time: 5:46pm

6. birthday: february 24th!

7. favorite bands (non kpop): panic! at the disco, twenty one pilots, young the giant, and I’m That Guy that loves the beatles fhdsij

8. favourite solo artist: oh god aaa I really love Beyonce

9. song stuck in my head: none bc I’m listening to music rn

10. last movie watched: the life aquatic with Steve Zissou

11. last show watched: osomatsu-san

12. when did i create my blog: november 6th 2017 !

13. what do i post: just exo with a heavy emphasis on Xiumin fydhus

14. last thing i googled: the life aquatic with Steve Zissou bc I couldn’t remember the name hdsuji

15. do you have other blogs: my main is @shiroqanetakashi :)

16. do you get asks: on this blog, no :(

17. why did you choose your url: I was afraid no one understood the reference my last url was making bc it was Obscure so I wanted a more obvious Xiumin url and crush u is a goddamn banger

18. following: 274

19. followers: 22 ygfhusdij

20. favorite colour(s): purple! but I also like a lot of shades of blue

21. average hours of sleep: hhhh during vacations/when I don’t have to get up for something I manage 8 but on an normal school day 5-6

22. lucky number: I don’t think I have one??

23. instruments: I’ve given up on every instrument I’ve tried to learn bc me and commitment don’t get along

24. what am i wearing: a baseball tee from my high school mock trial team and underwear...pants are for cowards

25. how many blankets do i sleep with: two

26. dream job: marine biologist!!!

27. dream trip: japan dsdsudhuf I’m that weeb :/ or italy I’ve wanted to go for years

28. favorite food: chocolate omg

29. nationality: half white half african american :)

30. favorite song rn: KING AND QUEEN BY CBX THAT SHIT SLAPS

31. hogwarts house: hufflepuff!!!

32. posts: 1,425

33. when did my blog reach its peak: it still hasn’t fhsufhu slow start

tagging: all my mutuals!!! ty for being here @pchanyecl, @sweetjunmyeon, @babyminseok, @suholeo, @milky-waee, @minsoek-l, @randomxiu, @gummyminseok, @kokomyeonie, @clionadraws, @xiudaengerous obv you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to!!

#I talk too much ygfdhsu #about me #ramblings

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wobc-fm · 6 years

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Five Album Serenade: Athena Matsil

The WOBC blog is launching a new series called Five Album Serenade: we will now be posting interviews with Oberlin students and members of the community about the albums that have played major roles in their lives. This series is currently curated by WOBC Dj Benjamin Stevens.

The first interview of the series is with Oberlin student Athena Matsil

Album that is inspiring to you:

True, Solange

I have always loved pop music. For a long time at Oberlin I’ve been trying to make my rock band Thee Hundos work, and we keep running into a lot of weird roadblocks. We have a lot of weird obstacles coming our way and I’ve kind of given up on that project. I’m trying to see how in my final time here I can write more pop music, which is something I’ve always wanted to do more of anyway. After listening to that album a lot over winter term I’ve been making stuff in Garageband that is poppier and dancier.

I also have been really inspired by Frank Ocean recently because he put out that “Moon River” cover and that’s so different from everything he’s ever done. Blonde is one of my favorite albums; I have a Blonde tattoo! The way he works with form is really inspiring because he’s a pop star and a songwriter who is defying all conventions of pop music writing. It’s so cool and so mainstream but also so critically acclaimed.

Have you seen him?

Yes! I saw him this summer! I cried so much. I had an incredible view of him right in front of the tent where they were mixing sound. That was pretty cool.

Who else did you see that day?

I saw Solange! I was doing my own thing but then I ran to see Solange and Frank Ocean. The whole dancing marching band…

I thought “How is he going to follow this?”

Yeah it wasn’t very elaborate. It was so personal I felt like I was in a studio for some sort of in-studio performance.

Favorite album from a decade:

The Doors, The Doors

In high school I was obsessed with classic rock because that’s what my dad listened to and my favorite band for years and years was the Doors. During high school when I was figuring out what my music taste was. I didn’t know any hip hop and I didn’t know any pop music until I got into college. The Doors’ first album is really inspiring to me because all the music I had listened to from the ‘60s like the Beatles and the British invasion bands were so quaint and put together, and the Doors were so loud and pissed. I remember being so into That 70’s Show when I was in high school and Hyde always wore a Doors shirt and I was “Hyde’s into the Doors and he’s cool and I’m into the Doors and I’m cool!”

What’s a favorite song off that record?

The first song is “Break on Through” and it’s such an intense and fun start to an album. I learned a lot about the Doors because I was obsessed with them and I remember reading the first song they had written they didn’t put it on the record and it was cool to see what songs they put on the record as their break onto the scene. The first song they ever wrote was “Moonlight Drive,” which has a lot of slide guitar on it and it’s not as anti-establishment as a lot of their work. They just have such a weird sound, there’s no bassist in the band and the .

I like how they sound like a Skating rink with a guy in the middle talking about lizards.

Their sound is really distinct sound too. Even if you haven’t heard a song of theirs before, you immediately know it is them because of their arrangement. Jim Morrison’s voice is so powerful, it makes me mad! I studied classical voice in High School and I think about how if he had been classically trained he could have been a great singer. Instead, he was great in a very different context. It made me feel like if he could be great without the training I had, I could be great too!”

What’s a record that’s outside of your comfort zone of stuff you typically like to listen to that you love?

Build Nothing Out of Something-Modest Mouse

There’s this album by Modest Mouse that’s a collection of singles. It’s called Build Nothing Out of Something. It’s got a lot of cool songs on it, I’ve heard its a collection of singles. The lyrics are really angsty in a way that is different than I’m used to. Karen O’s album Crush Songs is probably my favorite album ever. There’s this person called Space Show, this anti-folk person. Their lyrics are really angsty and sweet and most of the arrangements are just acoustic guitar and glockenspiel. The Karen O album is all acoustic guitar. The Modest Mouse album is so heavy and expresses the same things that those artists want to express but in such a different way. I don’t know any other music in that genre. I couldn’t name any bands that sound like Modest Mouse to me.

I get what you’re saying where albums just come out of the blue to you with no reference points that you can recognize.

My roommate a couple of years ago played me “Baby Blue Sedan,” and that was the song that put me on to the rest of the record. My roommate’s taste was so different and it was funny how that of all things was the place where we met.

A favorite record from high school?

Rubber Soul-The Beatles

When I was in high school I really loved The Beatles and I loved the album Rubber Soul. I just love every song on that record. A lot of my friends from high school were also really into the Beatles; we would listen listen to it together on the train all the time, we would listen to it in the park, and we all had it on vinyl. We went to the record store and bought a bunch of copies of Rubber Soul. It doesn’t sound like anything that came before it.

Definitely it’s a record that has a lot possibility. They seem very free to do what they want.

Banger after banger after banger! It’s so hard to pick a favorite Beatles era. I remember listening to Abbey Road in the car with my whole family we each had a song that was ours and we would each take the lead in singing it. We all had our different parts singing “Oh Darling.”

Album that reminds you of home:

Jim Croce

I really love Jim Croce. I’ve only listened to his greatest hits. He’s really special to my parents and they will always sing along to Jim Croce. They listened to Jim Croce after their first date. When they listen to Jim Croce they sing it to each other. When I listen to Jim Croce I feel like I am at home in a loving environment. His voice is so beautiful, his guitar playing is amazing, his songs are so pretty. And his music reminds me of my parent’s love and how that extends to my brothers and I.

[editors note: this interview has been edited for clarity]

#interviews #as told to #the beatles #solange #jim croce #the doors #modest mouse #karen o

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slamsams-blog · 4 years

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Goldfinger - #24WeeksofBond

We continue our Bond marathon with an absolute banger of a movie - Goldfinger. When you think of James Bond, this movie might come to mind. There are so many classic lines, scenes, and characters in this movie that it is really hard to make the case of this film not being one of the best Bond films ever. In fact, until Goldeneye, this film was the bar when it came to James Bond. The franchise saw many crests in its lifetime, but unfortunately, it would never reach this level of excellence. Now a days, we have a few Daniel Craig movies to insert into the “Best James Bond Movie Ever” conversation in Casino Royale, and Skyfall. This is Sean Connery at his absolute peak.

Honestly, I’m finding some difficulty in unpacking all of this because this film is just so precious that I don’t want to do this blog an injustice of underselling this movie. This film has a wonderful, easy to follow plot, some cleverly crafted writing, and characters that have lasted forever. In some ways, this film could be viewed as the Bond film that started Bond as we know it today. Dr.No, and From Russia With Love hit a few singles for the franchise, but Goldfinger comes to the plate and hits a home run putting the Bond franchise in a very comfortable lead and giving it the momentum it needed to last as long as it has. If not for Goldfinger, Bond could have only lasted for a few more years.

Sean Connery is hitting on all cylinders here. He seems to have all the swag and confidence in the world, having played Bond twice now he really seems to have a grasp on this character. Remember that Connery is the man who made Bond, Bond. There was no man before him to learn from, only the fictional James Bond you would find in the books. And for a relatively unknown at the time...that is quite the responsibility to take on a franchise that everyone is expecting to be amazing, when nobody knows who you are. Well, Sean Connery did and now here he is at the top of his game.

Even starting with the pre-title sequence...a classic scene where Bond enters from the water in a wet suit and lays out some plastic explosives...only to take the wet suit off to reveal a white tuxedo that still has the steam coming off of it from the dry cleaners. I mean, that’s Bond in a nutshell right there. After this, we then move into the title sequence that would set a trend for Bond movies for decades - a title song. Shirley Bassey sets the tone of the film with an intoxicating, and eerie performance of “Goldfinger” that kind of stays in your head for a few hours after hearing it.

The film opens in Miami where Bond is being put up in a high end resort to keep an eye out for a man named Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe). Apparently Goldfinger has sprung the curiosity of the British Government because of how much gold he is moving around the country. Bond sees Goldfinger playing Gin Rummy with a guy, and finds his suite to discover that he has been cheating at cards with his paid side-piece Jill Masterson spying on his opponent. Of course Bond breaks up the party and makes Goldfinger start losing which leads us to lovely Jill Masterson being asphyxiated by gold paint. Classic scene...however I’m curious about the dig at the Beatles...(Just as bad as listening to the Beatles without ear muffs.). Oddjob must’ve been a Beatles fan which is why he knocks out Bond right after this comment.

After Jill’s death, M puts Bond on the mission to find out all he can about Goldfinger and to figure out what he is up to. So Bond meets Goldfinger for a relaxing game is golf. Man oh man do I love this scene. A classic set up between Bond and villain where villain knows that this ain’t a coincidence so they both start trying to play each other. Bond whips out his big gold bar and Goldfinger ups the ante to put it on the line, exercising strict rules of golf to give himself an advantage. Bond expertly switches Goldfinger’s golf balls before the final hole, sealing the victory for Bond. Just so simplistic, & fun to watch. I love Bond’s relationship he develops with his caddy.

To spare you the lengthy, scene by scene description of the film, it turns out Goldfinger is trying to set off an atomic bomb in Fort Knox which would drive the value of his gold up by hundreds of thousands of pounds, all the while trying to set this up as a basic bank robbery. Bond finds out about Goldfinger’s operation while spying on his facility late at night where he will eventually get caught and tied up to a table with a laser slowly moving up to his crotch. Again, a classic scene where Bond says “You expect me to talk?” to which Goldfinger replies “No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!”. You just can’t write that any better.

After Bond convinces Goldfinger that he is worth more alive, Bond is tranquilized and later wakes up to the site of one Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman). She may be more famous by her name, but this is the first time we see a strong women who isn’t just good looks as the leading female. This will also start the trend of naming female characters as puns. (Holly Goodhead, Chu Me, Jenny Flex, Xena Onatopp, etc.). Not that that was a crucial part of the Bond franchise, but it definitely became a signature that was eventually smoked out come the Daniel Craig era.

Honor does a fine job here, I wouldn’t say her character is written the best or that her character is given the proper chance to shine, which is why I would say that her performance simply is remembered by her name alone. Pussy Galore sounds ridiculously vulgar now a days, but back in the 60s it wasn’t. Her originally name was supposed to be Kitty Galore, but they opted for Pussy Galore, because Kitty Galore was too vulgar...lol.

What I REALLY love about this film is Oddjob (Harold Sakate). Oddjob is the quintessential quiet muscle man of a henchman who has a signature weapon in his top hat. He can frolf with his hat to kill people, basically. Oddjob was an olympic weightlifter and professional wrestler named Tosh Togo. He was stout, bulky, and stoic and really made you buy into the threat of his strength and frolfing skills. This of course comes to a head in the end when Bond is handcuffed to the atomic bomb in the vault with Oddjob and they battle it out. I love these old fight scenes where the only thing playing in the background is the sound of the bomb timer. This gives the fight more urgency as it’s an added layer of danger.

Another classic addition that would influence future Bond films is the Aston Martin car. Q is unleashed in this film as the over worked and underpaid government worker who makes gadgets, and who doesn’t have time for Bond’s games. Q tells Bond about his new car and lets him know there is an ejector seat to which Bond says “Ejector seat? You’re joking!” and Q brilliantly says “I never joke about my work, 007″.

I mean, everything I am pointing out here is groundwork for the future of the Bond franchise. The exotic cars, the dangerous henchmen, the women who had jerks for parents in naming them, the theme song, the list goes on and on...Goldfinger, to me, is the bar as far as James Bond films go. I love this film so much where it was very hard to say that any other Bond film was better. This easily sits in my top 3 with Goldeneye and Skyfall.

This film would be the third and best film of the Sean Connery era. Connery would still see success in his films, but tensions between him and the studio execs would start to mount as Connery was fearing the type casting that he might see because of his longevity with the character and getting tired of the grueling schedule. (His first three films came out in three years). But despite all that, Goldfinger will live on forever as one of the best Bond films in the history of the franchise.

What did you think, and where does it sit in your top three?

Reviews from Friends:

Jamie Gray

Not my favorite Bond movie, but DEFINITELY my fav and the best Bond theme song except for The world is not enough. I said what I said.

24 Weeks of Bond will continue next Monday with -

The Spy Who Loved Me

#Goldfinger #sean connery #Pussy Galore #oddjob #James Bond #24WeeksofBond

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roseisread · 6 years

Audio

You Make Me Not Wanna Die: The return of the Pop Menagerie playlist! It’s been way too long since I posted anything on this blog. My only excuse is that I’ve had a crazy year in my personal life and sometimes internet things take a back seat to self care. But right now, I think my best form of self care is listening to and sharing my pop culture faves so I’m back to do just that. I’m starting off with a playlist that contains songs I love to sing along to, cry along to, dance along to, write along to, and think along to. Almost all of these songs are from albums released in 2017, although there may be an exception here or there for songs released earlier that I only discovered recently. In any case, here you go. Enjoy! 1. Allie X - That’s So Us If you love Carly Rae Jepsen, you should love Allie X. This song makes me so happy, and also it makes me cry sometimes because it reminds me of those people that you really can be yourself around and they love you anyway. Those people are rare and wonderful, and if you are one of them for me, then thank you. “You make me not wanna die,” as the song says. I love that line so much I used it to title this playlist. 2. The Drums - Shoot the Sun Down Remember these guys? Kind of sunny indie pop, hit it big with “I Don’t Know How To Love” off of their album Portamento back in 2012? Yeah. They are still here, still awesome, and the album this came from just gives me shivers it’s so freaking great. Also, I joke that this song is dedicated to my cat when she tries to bite and scratch me at night, because of that repeating line, “I put a blanket over my face.” Nena, this one’s for you. 3. Knuckle Puck - Conduit I have such a goddamn soft spot for emo-leaning pop punk, you guys. I can’t even lie. As a bonus, they’re from the Chicago area so technically I can claim them as a local band. This song reminds me of the best of Blink 182, early Jimmy Eat World, and maybe even a little Brand New. I also love the lyrics, with their references to grinding teeth and lucid dreams. Definitely relatable for me. 4. MUNA - End of Desire You might be familiar with MUNA if you love Tegan and Sara, because this band appears on The Con: X covering Relief Next To Me. I love the way their voices blend, and I love the vulnerability of the lyrics. This song is open to interpretation, but it seems to allude to having feelings for another person that you didn’t ask for but can’t get rid of. Who hasn’t been there? 5. Kiasmos - Jarred The Icelandic duo is back with more incredible, chilly electronic tunes that almost sound like icicles forming or frost creeping up the inside of your window pane in the night. This song definitely makes me want to hop the next plane to Reykjavik and spend a week sipping dark liquor in some poorly lit club that only the locals know about. 6. MUTEMATH - War You know about my love of MUTEMATH by now. Their latest album goes in so many different directions musically--not just from one song to the next but within the space of a single track. This one is a banger live, and one of my favorites on the album. Lyrically, it reminds me of my own not so great tendency to get heated as I try to convince someone they’re wrong and I’m right. A good debate is healthy sometimes, but not everything needs to be a battle for the ages. “War’s in my nature,” all right. But I’m trying to find a way toward peace. 7. Cat Dealers/Groove Delight - Calabria This is just a sick dance track. I can’t claim to know all that much about Cat Dealers, although I know they hail from Rio de Janeiro and that this song makes me want to tear it up on the dancefloor or the living room or the driver’s seat of my car. Groove Delight is Brazilian as well, making me think I probably need to go to Brazil sooner rather than later to discover what other booty shaking gems I’ve been missing. 8. Converge - A Single Tear Can you believe these guys have been around for 27 years? This song encapsulates so many things I love about them, from their always insane percussion to the insistent guitar melodies to the impassioned vocals of Jacob Bannon. The lyrics (which allude to “holding you for the first time,” presumably about becoming a parent) are so sweet, a word that doesn’t probably come up in a lot of reviews of metal and hardcore songs but still, I stand by it. 9. Luna Shadows - Jesus Christ (Brand New cover) I have always loved this song, and it’s awesome to hear a young up and coming artist take it on. She really puts her own spin on this classic of the emo genre, and I look forward to hearing more original tunes from her. 10. ROMES - Someone I just saw these guys open for MUTEMATH and they have so much energy live! Canadian by way of Ireland, they bring out anthemic indie pop tunes that are just irresistible. I’m reminded a little bit of Peter Gabriel and a little bit of Bastille, but not in a derivative way. 11. Fever Ray - Red Trails Ahhhhh! Fever Ray is back!!!! It’s been way too long since we’ve heard from her, but the album that she just released online helps make up for the absence because it just kills. She still has that haunting, hypnotic voice layered on top of unexpected instrumentation and arrhythmic beats. The lyrics are mysterious and dark. There’s something sexy about it but not in a Britney Spears way. She sounds kind of dangerous but you can’t help but want to follow her wherever she’s going. 12. ABRA - Bounty Speaking of hypnotic and sexy, ABRA is definitely both. Based in Atlanta, she sounds like she’s based in another planet altogether. Her off kilter brand of R&B does not fit any category--she has this supple voice that leads us along across breathy beats and frantic counter melodies. It’s unsettling and gorgeous at the same time. 13. Tove Lo - Disco Tits Tove Lo is my ride or die. She’s unabashedly herself in all her nympho trashy glory, and I adore her for it. I promise I’m not into club drugs, but Euro pop songs about them sure are fun. I put this song on the car radio when I’m driving to work just to wake myself up and then have to make sure my phone volume is on mute before I walk into the office because “nipples are hard ready to go” is probably not appropriate lyrical content for the workplace. 14. Golden Features - Funeral Tom Stell, aka Golden Features, has sold out tours in his native country of Australia but it won’t belong before he’s selling out everywhere. This track makes me want to see him in an underground dance club at 4am. It’s fire. 15. Jessie Ware - Stay Awake, Wait For Me Another one of my faves is back! I love her upbeat songs but this is one of those instant classic pop ballads, and I had to find a spot for it on this list. It’s intimate and romantic and sexy in a grown up way. Don’t put this song on if you’re trying to be celibate, is all I’m saying. 16. Hundred Waters - Particle If you miss Imogen Heap/Frou Frou, you should most definitely be listening to Hundred Waters. Nicole Miglis has that hushed tone in her voice that belies intense feeling, and the skittering electronic elements fill the spaces in between as a sort of musical representation of anxiety and uncertainty. This song, about a romantic coupling that seems lopsided. “I’m only a particle, a drop in you, forever dissolving,” she sings. Damn.

17. The Tuts- Dump Your Boyfriend What’s not to love about this UK based garage girl group? This song describes the kind of toxic relationship that it’s easy to criticize from the outside but harder to shake when you’re the one who’s in love with an asshole. 18. Fellwarden - Sun of an Ending This kind of moody, atmospheric black metal is so soothing to me. It feels ancient and primal, like the old gods are still roaming the land slaying dragons and protecting those that live in their realm. If you’re a black metal fan, you may recognize the vocals as those of Fen frontman The Watcher. 19. Palehound - Silver Toaster On Boston-based Palehound’s second album, the writing sounds more self-assured and the songs even more personal than those on the debut. Frontwoman Ellen Kempner attributes this in part to being more comfortable in her own skin as a queer-identifying woman, and in part to being in her first healthy adult relationship. This song is short and simple, but I love the unexpected turns of phrase and imagery, like the line, “hack off my split ends.” There are plenty of bands doing the whole DIY stripped down aesthetic, but this one rises above the rest. If you were into artists like Kimya Dawson and Mary Lou Lord, you should definitely be paying attention to Palehound.

20. Kelsea Ballerini - Miss Me More Nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy earlier this year, Kelsea Ballerini hits the ground running on her latest release. She’s been writing songs since she was 12 years old and listening to Britney, Christina, and N Sync. Something about the fact that she considers Shania her biggest influence really charms me. I am obsessed with this song, which I can relate to on a very personal level. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you’ve compromised yourself for another person until you don’t have them in your life anymore and suddenly the real you starts to re-emerge. 21. The Maharajas - Too Late To Repent If you hear this song and think it must be a re-release of some little known 1960s garage rock/British Invasion group, I don’t blame you. I wondered that myself. But it turns out these Swedish dudes have only been active since the 90s, and they are still recording music that sounds like it’s from a bygone era. A little Kinks, a little Beatles, a little surf rock--it’s all here and it’s all great. 22. Margo Price - Don’t Say It This Illinois native was signed by Jack White to Third Man Records, and she recorded her debut album at Sun Studios in Memphis. Both of those things make sense upon hearing her traditional country sound. She has one of those clear, classic voices that really do harken back to the Lorettas and Patsys and Tammys. Her second album even features a duet with Willie Nelson, proving that she’s definitely earned her classic country bonafides. 23. Peaness - Skin Surfing OK, yes, initially I was drawn to this 3-piece English band because of their silly name. But once I heard the first guitar strums and vocal harmonies, I was truly done for. Formed in 2014, they have songs about everything from wasting food just because it doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing (”Ugly Veg”) to George Osborne of Brexit fame (”Oh George”). This song is very seductive while staying playful and affirming consent. I dig the occasional Veruca Salt vibes it dips into as well. 24. Dori Freeman - Ern & Zorry’s Sneakin’ Bitin’ Dog I guess an acapella song about a mean neighbor dog might be an odd choice for a playlist but it’s so adorable I couldn’t leave it out. Dori Freeman, who cites Peggy Lee and Rufus Wainwright as her major influences, hails from Virginia and her songs have an Appalachian flavor. I predict a T-Bone Burnett collaboration in her future. 25. The Blow - Summer It’s hard to believe The Blow has existed in some form for going on 20 years, but it’s true. The K Records vets continue to release hypnotic, electronic indie pop with a lo-fi feel, and this song has been stuck in my head from the first listen. It’s a simple melody but good luck escaping that hook. 26. Austra - Beyond a Mortal The Canadian dark wave is back with their third album, this time recorded in Mexico. For this particular track, singer Katie Stelmanis says she recorded the vocals over 100 times to achieve the hushed, whispery effect. The rest of the album, titled Future Politics, is a meditation on the state of the world as it is now and what we all wish it could become. 27. MGMT - Little Dark Age Finally! It’s been 5 years since MGMT’s last album, and even longer since the world sat up and took notice of them. This lead single off their upcoming album makes me think that they’re poised to re-take the synth pop throne. This song has elements of their earliest work, but it also incorporates bits of industrial and even krautrock. I listen and think Depeche Mode! Kraftwerk! Skinny Puppy! So many of my musical faves somehow distilled into a single track. I can only hope that the rest of the album lives up to this single. 28. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Ring-a-Ring O’Roses To me, there’s always been an otherworldly quality to Charlotte Gainsbourg’s voice. She took some time off from music to do some acting, notably in Lars Von Trier’s Nymphomaniac volume 1 and volume 2 and Melancholia. Those films required heavy lifting and emotional degradation, which perhaps allowed her to tap into a deeper place when recording the songs for this album, her first in seven years. The video for this song features Gainsbourg’s son, carrying on the family tradition started by Charlotte and her father Serge Gainsbourg. 29. Sun Glitters - Where the End Begins If there’s one thing I love, it’s shimmery electronic music. And Sun Glitters, who hails from Luxembourg, produces just that. Rarely does an artist’s name so aptly describe their sound, but this is one such perfect marriage. If you enjoy the likes of Gold Panda, Boards of Canada, Fennesz, Teen Daze, or Blackbird Blackbird, you will definitely dig this sound.

#playlist #2017 music #mgmt #charlotte gainsbourg #sun glitters #austra #mutemath #the drums #allie x #tove lo #fever ray #romes #the tuts

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heartfullofharry · 7 years

Text

Let It Be

based off the short film of the same name by bertie gilbert - "I just don't see it. The earlier albums have such bangers." "C'mon, the later stuff is much better!" Harry just rolls his eyes and shakes his head, hands in the pockets of his multicoloured jacket as he follows behind Harry toward their–his house. It's his house now. Harry is quite taken aback when he sees a tall girl stood in the back garden, a small handgun pointed to their–his Westie Poo named Ringo. "Excuse me?" Harry asks, trying to be stern when his voice is shaking. "W-What are you doing?" "How did she get here?" Louis hisses into Harry's ear once he notices the scene in front of them. "M-My job?" The girl stutters, gun still pointed at poor Ringo as her thick eyebrows furrow. Harry's face softens as Louis claps his hand onto his left shoulder blade. "Oh, your job!" Louis exclaims as though he understands, afraid the girl will hurt him if he argues. "This is your job, yes, right, okay, well we'll be going now, let's go Harry. We'll be out of your hair, you're getting paid to do this, sorry Ringo, c'mon, H." "Whose later stuff?" "Sorry?" "What band? I heard you a few minutes ago. You said something about their later stuff being much better. Who?" "The Beatles," Louis replies uneasily. "He likes their earlier music. I like their later stuff. Are you...a fan?" "I've never heard them, actually," The girl replies, biting her plump bottom lip as Louis furrows his eyebrows. "Really?" He asks. "I don't listen to music, really," The girl continues. "Well you should," Louis says quickly, hand still a heavy weight on Harry's shoulder. Harry thinks his skin is on fire. "It's lovely, music is very popular. Well, we should be going, let's go-" "Listen," Harry interrupts Louis and steps closer to the girl, voice soft but stern. "Just put the gun down. You don't have to do this." The girl, dressed in all black, looks up at Harry with wide eyes. "Don't I?" "No, no," Harry assures. "Of course not. Just p-put it down, we can talk, I'll make you tea, okay?" The girl looks stunned. She nods, dropping the gun and practically sprinting toward Harry, attacking him into a tight hug. Harry, caught off guard by the sudden affection, freezes before hugging her back just as tightly. The girl is trembling, breaths heavy as she stands only a few inches shorter than Harry. "I'm sorry," The girl weeps into Harry's chest as Louis picks up the small gun and examines it. "I didn't even need to kill him, I was just being stupid." "Oh," Harry breathes. "Oh. No, don't worry about it. Do you need anything? What can we do for you?" "I want to live," The girl cries shakily. "I just want to live, I-I've heard that it's nice." "Okay, alright," Harry says soothingly, rubbing the girl's back. "Okay, yeah, we can do that. What's your name then?" "Death." "Okay, I'm Harry," He says, pulling back from the girl and keeping his hands on her upper arms. "And that's Louis-wait, I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?" ♛ "Alright, well, here we are," Harry sighs as the girl–Death, he supposes–sits down on his sofa. "My house, make yourself comfortable." "Is this it?" The girl asks, looking around. "Rude." "Shh," Harry hushes Louis over his shoulder before turning back to Death. "Yes, I'm afraid so. Um, how about that tea?" "Can I have some wine, actually?" Death asks with her hands folded in her lap, black fingernails contrasting with her pale skin. "I-I've heard it's good." "Of course, sure," Harry nods. "Red or white?" Louis asks. "Well, I've taken on the form of a young white girl," Death explains, picking at her skirt. "Usually only the higher-up demons are red." Harry and Louis both just stand there, stunned. "Right, okay, Harry, a word?" ♛ "I don't like it." "What?" Harry asks as he pulls a wine glass out of the cabinet as Louis leans against the counter. "Her, I don't like her," Louis explains. "I don't like this game she's playing." "That's not fair." "What's not fair is trying to kill our dog and go around saying you're a manifestation of the grim reaper. What is it, some kind of fetish thing?" "It's obviously not some kind of fetish thing," Harry rolls his eyes and shakes his head, pulling a bottle of white wine out from a different cabinet. "Whatever it is, I don't like it, and I want her out of this house." "What makes you think that you have a say?" Harry asks as he pours the wine into the glass. "Because this is our-" Harry slams the cabinet closed and leans against the counter. "No, no, sorry, obviously not. I just haven't...adapted." Harry nods. "Can we talk about it?" Silence. "Harry." "I don't think now is a good time," Harry says softly, shaking his head as he pours Louis a glass of wine as well. "What's there to talk about? You're moving out on Friday. It's sorted." "Sorted?" Louis scoffs. "Seriously?" "Look, I really don't want to talk about it," Harry practically whimpers. "There's a girl in there who clearly has some issues and we need to feed her, find her a place to go. Then...maybe...we can talk." Harry hands Louis his glass of wine before picking up his own. "To death," Louis says, holding out his glass. Harry raises his eyebrows before repeating him softly and clinking their glasses together. ♛ Harry excuses himself and goes to the washroom with the wine bottle in his hand. He finds himself crying. He didn't intend to cry. But he can't help it. He feels as though the world is swallowing him up. He tries to pull himself together and wipe his eyes, but as soon as he looks at himself in the mirror he finds himself crumbling once again. "Why are you crying?" Harry slowly looks toward the bathtub where Death is sitting in her clothes, water filling it about a fourth of the way. "O-Oh," Harry stutters out, clearing his throat. "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry. I-It's nothing, nothing." "I'm just having a bath," Death shrugs. "I've heard that relaxes people." "Um, yeah," Harry gives her a strained smile and nods. "Yeah, yeah, it does." "Did you guys break up?" Harry's face falls. "Um, yes, we-we did. Break up." "I'm sorry," Death says a bit insincerely. "That really sucks. Nobody wants to die alone." "Die alone?" Harry gives her a small, confused smile. "I'm still young, I have plenty of time." Death gives him a knowing look. "Do you really believe that?" Harry's face falls and he looks down at his lap. Death folds her hands in her lap. "Why do you like their earlier music?" "Sorry, who?" "The Beatles." "Oh, ah," Harry shrugs. "I guess it was happier. Less serious. Less...jaded. They got political toward the end. Yeah, I don't know, it's just more youthful, you can hear their prospect a bit more in the music, like all the great things they have to offer." "Like their later music?" Death asks. Harry giggles a bit at that, thumb smoothing over the wine bottle in his hands. "Um, yeah," He says with a small smile. "I honestly like to pretend they never broke up. So uh, just out of curiosity, why were you going to shoot Ringo? Our dog?" "I don't know," Death sighs. "It's been a rough day at work, I think I might want a career change." "Sorry, what career was that?" "Killing people. Killing everyone, actually. It's just not fun anymore, it's like, what's the point, you know? In cutting people's lives short? Death sucks." "Yeah," Harry practically whimpers, biting his bottom lip. "Yeah, it does." "I never really stopped to think about it," Death ponders. "Like, poof, they're gone. Just like that. The end. Everything someone was and everyone someone could've been. Gone. In an instant." She leans back. "Every person in human history dead because of me. I'm the worst." "No," Harry says softly. "You're too hard on yourself." ♛ "Oh, man, is it finished?" Harry stares down at the piano keys, fingers itching to play another song. "Yeah, afraid so." "Do you know any songs from The Beatles?" "Yeah, yeah, I think so," Harry says with a smile, fingers on the keys of the beginning of When I'm Sixty Four. "Hang on, uh." He starts to play until he hears Louis walk in wearing a black turtle neck and jeans, round glasses sitting at the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry," Harry giggles. "Who are you supposed to be?" "Steve Jobs," Louis says as though it's obvious. "You know, the jeans, the turtle neck, it's the get up." "You look like someone's uncle," Harry continues to giggle. Louis rolls his eyes, and it seems less fond than usual. "Alright, who the hell are you supposed to be then?" Louis grumbles. "A dog," Harry replies with a bright smile, pointing to his face makeup. "Oh," Louis puts his hand over his heart. "A dog. You've gone as a dog. A dog from...not even a film, just a dog. No, that's great, generic dog, fantastic, what about-" He looks over to Death, who's face is painted as a very realistic skeleton. "The word enabling comes to mind." "Hush, she looks lovely." "C-Can we have a word outside, please?" Harry just looks at him. "Please?" ♛ "I wanted to apologise," Louis says as he leans against the wall. "It's not good to rush these things. We can talk about it when you want to talk about it." "Okay," Harry says quietly. "Okay, um, maybe it's best to just...not?" "What?" Louis asks. "Like, ever?" "I just-" "Don't," Louis interrupts. "I don't understand why everything you're saying has to be so conditioned and calculated." "I just thought we'd go out on a high-" "How is suppressing our feelings and shit going out on a high?" "We'll talk about this later." "We won't." ♛ "So, like, if you're unhappy, why don't you get a new job?" "I wish it were that easy," Death sighs as Niall takes a sip from his solo cup. "I mean, what would I do? Work at an office job?" "I'm not saying you have to work at an office. You're a good looking girl, you could be, like, a model. Or an actress." "This is just the current form I've chosen," Death explains. "I can change my appearance whenever, regardless of perceptions of beauty." "Oh okay." Death looks over to see Harry sitting on a bench staring at his feet, Louis staring at him intensely from afar. She walks up to Louis. "Why do you like The Beatles' later stuff?" She asks pressingly. Louis, eyes still on Harry, scoffs. "Why do you care?" He asks bitterly. Death shrugs. "Just do." "It's more...complex. More instruments. It feels like a continuation, like all their earlier work was leading to their later music. It's just more complete. That's my answer." "Sure." "Fifth drink," Louis says coldly as he watches Harry. "Why is he drinking so much?" "Why do you care?" "Because-" Louis just sighs and rips off the glasses before taking off the turtleneck. "Fucking turtleneck." He walks over to Harry and sits neck to him, their knees pressed together. Harry slowly leans into Louis' shoulder, and Louis just looks down at his lap. When Harry lifts his head a bit to look at Louis, Louis starts to lean in. Harry pushes him away. "What are you doing?" "Oh, I-I just thought-" Harry stands up and walks quickly toward Death. "Can we go? I'd really like to go," Death gives him a sympathetic nod as Louis follows him. "Harry," Louis says desperately. "I'm sorry. I. This is fucked up." He looks over to Death. "There was a time where he'd use to get out of the shower and come talk to me about everything under the sun while his hair would dry. And now I can't get a damn thing out of him. Do you know how much that fucking hurts? How does he expect to get me to adapt this quickly?" "He's dying!" "I'm fucking sorry?" "I was supposed to kill him today but I postponed it. I thought I'd shoot the dog instead." "Wha-" Louis looks over to Harry with the most pained expression. "Is this true?" Harry's face crumples up as he nods. "You told her and not me?" "I didn't tell her, I don't know how she knows," Harry says shakily. "This is just fucking great." "I'm sorry?" "Well now I can't be angry with you, can I? You're fucking dying, w-what are you playing at? You're supposed to tell me this shit." "W-We're not going out anymore." "I-It's cancer. It's fucking cancer, isn't it, oh my god, it's fucking cancer." "Yeah, it's fucking cancer. You happy now?" "Why would take make me happy?" Louis looks like he wants the ground to swallow him up. "I can't do this," Harry whimpers, looking to his right to see Death isn't there. "I need Death, I can't do this." "Yeah, she's the priority," Louis spits with teary eyes as Harry starts to run in the other direction. "Oh man, that's a real shame." "Oh, fuck off, Niall." ♛ "How did you know?" "I got ordered at work," Death says as she stares into the lake that was right near the party. Harry huffs. "You don't believe me, do you? Whatever. Take it or leave it. I'm done with life. It's overrated. But what else it there? Death? It just makes people unhappy." "It's a necessary evil. It needs to be faced." "There you are," Louis runs up to Harry, panting heavily. "I-I ran all the way here. It's not even far, I'm just not in good shape. Harry I'm sorry. I really am. But listen, I'll stay. I'll take care of you, and not as your boyfriend. As you're friend, as we're broken up. And it's fine. We'll talk about it at some point maybe, or maybe not. Whatever. There are more pressing matters right now." "Let's talk about it," Harry decides. "Oh, really?" Harry nods. "Yeah, okay. Uh, why did you break up with me?" "Because I just don't feel about you that way anymore." Louis nods with raised eyebrows. "Sure. Fair enough." "Is that all you needed?" "Yeah. I think so." "Good," Harry says with a sheepish smile. "Closure." "I don't think I'm going to listen to The Beatles," Death decides. "Too much emotions." "Plus you killed two of them," Louis points out. "The third one's coming up soon." "Oh my god," Louis gasps. "Oh my god, which one? Can you say it? Oh, please say it's Ringo. Obviously it's good if neither did die but please tell me Paul lives. You won't tell me, will you? Fine, I don't care. No, wait, I really do, please tell me." "Take a breath, Lou," Harry giggles. And just like that. The heavy weight is gone.

#larry fanfic #Harry Styles #Louis Tomlinson #larry #larry stylinson #one direction

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thesinglesjukebox · 7 years

Video

youtube

MIGOS FT. LIL UZI VERT - BAD AND BOUJEE [7.67] No. 1 in the country. Nonexistent at Top 40 radio. Welcome to the music industry...

Thomas Inskeep: Between "Black Beatles" and "Bad and Boujee" -- the latter of which succeeded the former at #1 in the U.S. this week -- this is the new sound of young America, aspirational hip-hop but different than what's come before it. Metro Boomin and G Koop take their production inspiration from Mike WiLL Made-It, too, with a brilliantly stripped-down track that's the essence of a head-nodder. [9]

Jonathan Bradley: Rain drop... drop top... can a song without a meme still hit the number one spot? Migos' snowclone-ready "Bad and Boujee" displaces Rae Sremmurd's Mannequin Challenge-assisted "Black Beatles" on the Billboard Hot 100 chart top, and I imagine a pop future of endless shares and retweets. Or perhaps memes are how we now appreciate a catchy couplet or well-timed beat drop? It helps that both "Black Beatles" and "Bad and Boujee" are not just well-crafted and replayable pop tunes, they're culturally distinct evocations of a sound that has retained its geographic roots even as it has come to dominate the industry: Migos bring the pop charts to the black South in a way that still feels scrappy long after mainstream hip-hop's focus has shifted beyond the corporate-scale opulence of the superstar Rick Ross/Jay Z/Kanye/Drake era. (It reminds me of when Juvenile's bayou-steady "Slow Motion" topped the chart in 2004, which still feels like somebody made a welcome mistake.) "Bad and Boujee" isn't as immediate as the best Migos singles like "Versace" or "Fight Night," but it rolls along entrancingly on a late-night Metro Boomin' beat that unspools like a suburban Atlanta interstate. Quavo and Offset wander loosely away from its path as they take in "voodoo" and "ratatouille" and "Macy Gray," then reorienting themselves with the recurrence of their son's alliterative title and its internet-famous opening couplet. Creeping up on six minutes, "Bad and Boujee" might be too long, but the logical edit would be of Lil Uzi Vert's unkempt final verse, and for all the concision such a cut would create, sacrificing that moment of structural unsoundness seems as foolhardy as permitting it to stand. [8]

Crystal Leww: "Bad and Boujee" is the last great song of 2016 and the first great song of 2017. Migos have put together a string of strong rap radio hits over the last four years, catapulting to success using the memeable moments (here it's "raindrop...droptop") but really putting together just some great rap songs with solid verses, catchy hooks, and brutally effective production. Minus one point for Lil Uzi Vert's verse, which is as terrible as he's been roasted on Twitter for. [8]

Will Adams: Metro Boomin's beat reminds me of a simplified version of "Move That Dope," all dusky and creeping, and it's about as effective. Migos more than make up for the subtracted details with their brio alone; sadly, there's not much to make up for Lil Uzi Vert's verse. [6]

Alfred Soto: Listening to Rae Sremmurd's "Real Chill" is good preparation, for Metro Boomin's sparing use of piano is almost generic. But in verse after verse, perfectly syncopated, the Migos crew delineate a scenario without sacrificing the grunts and wheezes that have become their calling card. These guys are goofballs, rhyming for their own sakes, coming up with dumb images because they can ("cookin' up dope in the crock pot"). That it's become a hit in a manner similar to "Black Beatles" astonishes me -- and depresses me too. Will hip hop stay off top 40 radio unless it's a goof? [8]

Maxwell Cavaseno: The end of 2015 had Migos in a relative downward spiral, following a stale debut album and the feeling that their moment had passed them by thanks to a sea of imitators taking a style they cribbed from Gucci Mane and Future (Quavo fans: your hero's supposed unheralded genius is literally "Karate Chop" divided by the square root of "Bird Flu," relax!) and running it into the ground. After briefly popularizing the "dab" dance that associates Skippa da Flippa & Jose Guapo made popular in the ATL, our protagonists have been working double-time in revamping their image and re-establishing their sense of cool with underground bangers like "Cocoon" and the individual members going on a rampage of show-stealing guest verses to remind you "Hey! Migos are good!" "Bad and Boujee" is the culmination of all this, and in the opulent glow of Metro Boomin's production, you can feel the sense of accomplishment. Quavo lazily basks in his glory sounding smug and secure, while Offset snarls and dashes in and out of more possible pockets than you'd expect the youngest of the trio to find. The possible highlight for me, though, has got to be Lil Uzi Vert's breathless guest verse, which depending to the listener is either fun and hilarious or the most wretched feature of 2016. I don't know about you, but hearing this hobbit gasp "MET!HER!TO-DAY!" with utter captivation might be the closest thing I come to "getting" ASMR. [8]

Ramzi Awn: The beat keeps it simple on "Bad and Boujee," and there's nothing auto about the tune. Clean as a whistle, the catchy single delivers synth stabs like icicles in a cave. This is where the real party's at. [7]

Ryo Miyauchi: Migos creeping like a caterpillar -- such a song sounds unlikely to yield a hit from the group a couple years ago. They hit fast back then, their personalities colorful and snappy as Zaytoven's beats, while this one by Metro Boomin' turns their sound menacingly slow. But no matter, it only lets Offset and Quavo make you admire their every word, not just the what but the how, too. They carries themselves as if you have no choice but listen, and with this recent success topping the charts, that attitude only speaks the truth. [6]

Josh Langhoff: There's an astounding amount of information packed into this five minute mini-epic. With all those flow patterns and guttural interjections, it's a complex and unpredictable vocal collage. It ranks with Magic Mike as an intimately felt economic treatise, and with Elton John as a repository of mondegreens -- for the longest time I wondered, "Who's Rufus and why's he sad?" But for all that, "Bad and Boujee" is a hypnotic and irreducible song, the kind whose aura comes to define a chapter in your life, before inviting you to lose yourself in its details all over again. [9]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

#Migos #Lil Uzi Vert #Bad and Boujee #TSJ Best of 2017

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avaliveradio · 5 years

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1.21 New Music Monday with Jacqueline Jax

TODAY'S LIST OF WHAT'S FRESH COMING INTO A.V.A LIVE RADIO. THIS IS A MIX OF INDIE POP, SONGWRITER AND ROCK SONGWRITERS THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU AND SEND YOU SEARCHING THE ARTISTS PAGES FOR MORE. EPISODE HOSTED BY JACQUELINE JAX.

Listen to the show : starts Monday at 12 pm et on all broadcasting outlets including:

The Anchor Fm page: https://anchor.fm/ava-live-radio

iHeartRadio station page : https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-AVA-Live-Radio-Musi-29336730/

The Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2toX0f3dPmI8gmUSOKZicx

Featuring:

Artist: Alicia Michilli New Release: Back Down Genre: Soul/Pop

Located in: Nashville, TN

This song is... I am a Soul/R&B artist from Detroit, my music is heavily influenced by Motown and Soul. My song, "Back Down" was tracked live, except for horn and vocal overdubs, which gives it a very authentic, raw vibe. This compliments the lyrics perfectly since they are very honest and uplifting. It’s a reminder to myself (and others) that even when life gets crazy and hard, we just need to lean on each other and keep moving forward. It’s about being resilient and remembering where you come from. The only thing that can stop you from getting where you want to be is yourself.

The music we are creating is... This release, "Letters From the Edge", is important to the direction of my music because it is the stepping stone to the next phase of my career. This is the first project that I feel really captures who I am as a person and as an artist. I believe it will open the door to a lot more opportunities to share my music with beautiful humans around the world. I believe a lot of people can connect and relate to the stories being told in these songs.

Right now we are.. I am most excited about my, “Letters From the Edge” EP release show. It will be on March 5th, at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville, TN. I am also really excited to be hitting the road from April-June in support of the EP release. I will be traveling through the mid west, Europe, and the West coast. I’ve also got a music video in the works as well which should be a great time!

LINKS: https://fanlink.to/Letters https://soundcloud.com/alicia-michilli-1/sets/letters-from-the-edge/s-in7u4 facebook.com/aliciamichillimusic instagram.com @aliciamichilli twitter.com @aliciamichilli aliciamichilli.com

Artist: Chris Driver

New Release: 'Lightning'

Genre: Folk-Country-Pop / Singer-songwriter

Located in: Brighton and Hove, UK

This song is... With his emotive and captivating vocals and heartfelt lyrics, Chris Driver is a singer-songwriter based in Brighton. His debut single ‘Lightning’ was released in October 2018 and conveys his love of harmonies and a stripped back raw acoustic sound. Chris’s influences include Neil Young, The Beatles, Radiohead, Band of Horses and First Aid Kit to name a few. Expect an eclectic mix of folk-country-pop.

The music we are creating is... As my debut single, 'Lightning' is very important to me and a song i'm so pleased to be able to share as I start the journey of releasing my music as an artist.

Right now we are... I have 3 more single releases planned over the next 5 months, and have just finished mixing the follow up to 'Lightning' and filming the music video.

LINKS: https://open.spotify.com/album/3iasj3uqLWUuCNXl5yIG9i https://www.facebook.com/chrisdrivermusik https://www.instagram.com/chrisdrivermusic https://twitter.com/ChrisDriverMus1

Artist: The Hesh Inc. (band) / Hesh Meister (solo)

New Release: Convention Hall

Genre: Rock, classic rock, singer-songwriter

Located in: Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA.

This song is... This song is the opening track to my album, "Soul In Exile 3: Love Runs Aground," and it is a frank exploration of how a relationship or marriage disintegrates from the inside out, couched in the imagery of a legendary old building on the Asbury Park boardwalk crumbling by itself. It starts off sounding like a piano-and-voice ballad but the lyrics soon turn pointed and are underpinned by organ, drums, bass, and especially guitar. Anyone who has been through the demise of an intense, sustained relationship will be able to relate. Be forewarned, though - this is NOT a simple three-minute pop gem - it is pure album rock, the way it was once made in the golden era.

The music we are creating is... This song keeps the album in the public consciousness, for those who seek this type of music. THE HESH INC.'s musical mission is to keep the album-rock epic alive during a time when trends have gone elsewhere.

Right now we are... Right now I am in the writing phase, making early plans for the recording of the next album, which will be a continuation of this one.

LINKS: ReverbNation: https://www.reverbnation.com/theheshinc/song/30406248-convention-hall Spotify (full version): https://open.spotify.com/track/2Pqd6Rkb6lU11krfLRDB9B?si=xFTU5KxAS1O6GmL751n9Kg Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHeshInc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHeshInc.music Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theheshinc

Artist: Cwiredband

New Release: Climb the Mountain

Genre: Resurrection Rock

Located in: Berkeley Springs, WV - Nashville, TN

This song is... about Spiritual Growth and Ascension. Where are all here to transform from our egoic me centered self (our Dragon) into an awareness of Unity and Relationship. It’s a journey. The song is somewhat epic in nature. Sonically we feel the writing, lyrics, and arrangements fits the life long process of always becoming more aware of our true selves and our true identities. It’s a trek that leads us to an understanding of just how magnificent we all are.

Right now we are... Working on our next EP. C Wired has more than enough material to record a full-length album, but both he and producer Addison Smith are really comfortable with more frequent releasees every 3-6 months utilizing the 6 song EP format. It’s more in tune with the way we consume and listen to music today anyways. Most people are not taking the time to listen to an entire album. They select the one or two songs they like and add them to their playlist. Working on getting booked for European and US based tours, festivals, etc.

LINKS: https://open.spotify.com/track/6Bnw1WTJthvvGoCyNjxGRj?si=geDOHL3_R9ywOpi1OkxB2A https://www.instagram.com/c_wired https://www.facebook.com/cwiredband

Artist: Mack H.D

New Release: FotoLove

Genre: Pop, Electro pop

Located in: White Plains,NY

This song is... Daft Punk inspired; I made the beat and recorded this song with LS at our studio 5 years ago. Unfortunately, I never released the song due to fear. I am mostly a Hip Hop Producer I helped dozens create their own sound but yet I never really created my own, so I was afraid that people would simply hate the song because it is so different. The song was inspired by a long distance relationship I had with my girlfriend which is now my fiancé. The song is about a guy that is in love with a woman and he becomes this super fan that has many pictures of her. The whole song is about this delusional guy talking to a photograph.

The music we are creating is... This release is important to me because it's unique and it's different than what I usually do. It brings out my skills as a music producer. It shows that I can step out my comfort zone which is hip hop and still create a banger that I cater to every generation.

Right now we are... Right I'm working on the video for the song FotoLove. I'm also recording for my upcoming album which will be a compilation album that will Produce.

LINKS: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/42MTRsCl7JI2TMUdMMYrBd?si=x0SRR5mNSFmnxhFmms1tnw Twitter: https://twitter.com/realmackhd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realmackhd/?hl=en Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc-_0sfiAhPFKN535Fi54QQ

Artist: Houndwolf

New Release: Tempted to Abuse

Genre: Heavy Metal

Located in: Witten, NRW, Germany

This song is... "Tempted to Abuse" is Heavy Metal song with a strong blend of Hard Rock. Tempted to Abused stands out due its organic sound, the straight songwriting and the unadorned and open-minded lyrics. The song comes along with a genuine and driving Heavy Metal sound, easy recognizable roots in Hard Rock and an in-your-face attitude.

The music we are creating is... "Tempted to Abuse" is the title track of the last released EP. The EP Tempted to Abuse (Label: M71) features four brand new kickass songs and was released on 27th April 2018.

Right now we are.. The band actually works on new material and plans several concerts. Houndwolf just started to work together with the All Metal Agency.

LINKS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houndwolfofficial Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/houndwolf_metal Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtUJMPOjbithPj5wWUZXoRg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houndwolf_metal Spotify-Profil: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Al0pyqTX99nMXM6fE5oFl iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/de/artist/houndwolf/1156166188 Amazon: https://www.amazon.de/Beware-Dog-Explicit-Houndwolf/dp/B07BTY8HYK/ref=sr_1_3? Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/de/artist/11048430 Qobuz: https://www.qobuz.com/fr-fr/interpreter/houndwolf/download-streaming-albums Bandcamp: https://houndwolf.bandcamp.co

#Germany #Houndwolf #metal music #Nashville #Tennessee #United Kingdom #Chris Driver

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13thfloornz · 6 years

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Last night’s concert at Spark Arena found Harry Styles caught between two paths; that of the tween-pop that made his name in One Direction and the more classic-soft-rock-inspired path of his first solo outing, with the performer himself seemingly uncertain as to where between these two he wanted to be.

The result was an intriguing performance that left a picture of an artist finding his footing, not quite delivering fully on either path, but still effortlessly bringing joy to a sold-out arena on the biggest night of his Australia/New Zealand tour just by showing up and opening his mouth.

The opening act was Tasmanian singer-songwriter Maddy Jane, joined by a three-piece band. I thoroughly enjoyed her brand of bouncy garage rock, which borrows more than a little from fellow Australian Courtney Barnett, both in musical style and her openly accented vocal delivery. She was a surprising choice of opener for the tour, though her set was met with incredible enthusiasm and even some early phones-in-the-air moments from the audience.

Speaking of the audience, I have never seen a concert crowd so dominated by one gender and age group before (female, 12-25, in case you needed telling.) Looking out over the entire floor of Spark Arena was almost a surreal view. While it may not have been much different from the view at One Direction’s 2013 show in the same venue, signs pointed to a different approach on the performer’s part. Following the rocking opening act, the songs played over the speakers in the long wait included cuts by The Kinks, The Beatles, and several other “classic” artists. The stage setup was minimal by superstar standards, and undecorated beyond the musical equipment.

For the first few songs Styles appeared to be purposefully restraining the gimmicky boy-band charm, standing still at the microphone in his plain black outfit, an electric guitar around his neck, singing with an expression of furrowed seriousness. His initial greetings were even fairly calm, playing it cool to an audience who repaid him with unconditional hype anyway. This disconnect vanished when he shed the hollow-body guitar, which he seemed almost uncomfortable holding, and stepped into full boy-band-star mode, working the crowd with rehearsed showmanship (complete with blown kisses and “is there anybody out theres).

He certainly has a strong live voice, though interestingly it was noticeably weaker on the two One Direction cuts he played, Stockholm Syndrome and What Makes You Beautiful. It was nice to hear some roughness however, particularly in the sickly-sweet latter hit, where he didn’t even try to hit the high-reaching melody. Musically the set bounced along on chugging electric guitars, picked acoustics, and some great rock-solid drumming, courtesy of drummer Sarah Jones.

With relatively concise pop songs, Styles spent as much time talking to the audience as he did singing, repeating over and over his gratefulness and his desire for all of us to “have fun” to never-diminishing squeals. Despite this, the set still ran well short of an hour and a half – as he reminded everyone in another bout of nice-guy thankfulness, “I’ve only got ten songs”. These were fleshed out with two One Direction tunes, an Ariana Grande song he co-wrote, and a surprisingly fitting cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain. Set closer Sign Of The Times was the inevitable highlight, for its deeply satisfying melodic grandiosity.

This is the singer’s first solo tour, so it is certainly interesting to see him find his footing and struggle with carving out a more mature musical identity, while still remaining firmly anchored to the twee pop tropes that have earned him his fans. Personally I wasn’t entirely convinced by the mid-ground result this time around. The more obvious of the 70’s-rock-inspired pieces were delivered slightly too poppy to sound genuine, while the straight-up bubblegum pop bangers lost much of their impact from their ‘mature’ reworkings.

But let’s be honest, Harry Styles didn’t really have to do much, did he? Maybe in ten years he’ll have to work hard musically to retain the sort of reaction he received last night. But in 2017, 90% of the audience who had actually dished out the money for tickets were convinced before a note of music was played, simply by his presence. When the lights dimmed, the audience gave the loudest collective scream I’ve ever heard. There was little he could have done, besides totally sucking (which he certainly did not), to lessen their adoration. So, regardless of the thoughts of one of the few non-fans in attendance, isn’t that a success?

Ruben Mita.

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Michael Flynn:

Michael Flynn Photography

Setlist:

Ever Since New York

Two Ghosts

Carolina

Sweet Creature

Only Angel

Woman

Meet Me In The Hallway

Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart (Ariana Grande cover)

Stockholm Syndrome (One Direction song)

What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction song)

Kiwi

encore:

From The Dining Table

The Chain (Fleetwood Mac cover)

Sign Of The Times

Harry Styles – Spark Arena December 2, 2017 Last night’s concert at Spark Arena found Harry Styles caught between two paths; that of the tween-pop that made his name in One Direction and the more classic-soft-rock-inspired path of his first solo outing, with the performer himself seemingly uncertain as to where between these two he wanted to be.

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grapsandclaps · 7 years

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PCW SIXTH ANNIVERSARY PART 2

Food done at Yates's it waa time to take in a couple of the usual haunts in Preston, first of all - The Guild Ale House which is a real ale haven for the hardened craft ale drinker, generally every drink is under £3.50 and of the highest quality. I would liken this pub as well to someones fromt living room with the white carpet which i am surprised no one has ruined yet spilling their stout, we decamped to the small yard area to think up of niche songs for one of the night's combatants - Su Yung. A mixture of stuff from The Beatles, Genesis and The Corrs were batted about but as we would find out later would go down as well as a wet fart in Church. The drink i had in here was 2/3rds of a Saison like drink "Never Known Fog Like It" for £3.50 and it was a nice drink that i would try a second helping of if i saw it again. Next stop was Hogarths to see the latter end of our football coupons going down and also a lovely pint of £2.05 Hogarths own ale. This pub looks like it has been a success since it has opened rivalling Wetherspoons on price and it also caters for people who like their sport with Racing UK and Sky Sports being prominent on all screens. Drinks done it was time to get into Evoque for the show, thankfully this time their was a high stool in my usual spot so i took advantage to rest my feet and sit in my perch to watch the graps. A bigger crowd than expected crowd was in attendance and it was nice to see people give PCW another try having probably being put off by the below par shows that were provided in 2016, but in fairness since the change in booker this year to Greg Lambert holding the pencil shows have improved by far so the ball was in PCWs court to make it worth it - lets see if they pulled it off. First off was a 3 way match to be no.1 contender for the Cruiserweight Title with Ricky Knight Jr vs Chris Ridgeway vs Chris Brookes - the latter making his return to PCW after just 1 solitary appearance in one of the Who Dares Wins rumbles a few years ago. Brookes received a great reception once his banger of a tune hit (Human Fly by The Cramps), Brookes has become a darling of the scene in the last year or so and could be on the cusp of joining his Midlands cohorts in the States sometime. This was a great opener to set the tone for the evening with all 3 guys working well together, Ricky Knight Jr impressed and didnt look out of place with his more experienced adversaries. Ridgeway eventually got the win in around 12 minutes catching Knight Jr with a choke in midair causing RKJ to tap immediately. Next up was Sheikh and Shake and Dave Birch vs 3 Mates Pissing About (Kirby/Hope/Joey Hayes). Seymour Gains gave an opening spiel trying to get over his S.H.I.T.S Protein Shake to a chorus of boos with his mate Sheikh El-Sham eyeing me up again - naturally i booed him again. These two have become a good team in their short time together getting the right reaction from the audience - good work lads. This was a really fun match as you can expect with the 3 mates who are fantastic at these comedy matches and are filling the void left by Dave Rayne and Mad Man Manson. The 3 mates got the win with the Shield Powerbomb to Seymour for the 1-2-3 and to rub it in Seymours face even more they poured his S.H.I.T.S Protein Shakes all over him. Soner Durson vs CJ Banks Part 3 was next with it being 1-1 in the series from their 2 good scraps in Tidal and PCW. Even though it took time for the crowd to warm to the match, they eventually got the crowd onside and provided a good match with Soner looking impressive again but sadly coming up short trying to hit the frog splash but CJ caught him with a pair of knees and Cheeky Rolled him up for the win. Good Stuff!! Half Time Main Event was Aussie Open challenging the PCW Tag Champions The UK Hooligans. As expected this was a really good match but it was more suited to The Hooligans style of working fighting around the ringside area smacking especially Fletcher with suicide dives and school chair shots to the head. The Aussies did eventually get some offence in, using their raised cutter for a close 2 count but after 15 minutes they fell to The Hooligans but they shouldnt be too disheartened and i for ine would like to see them in PCW again. But if you do see Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis elsewhere in the country I urge you to see them. After the match the UK Hooligans found out that they would be facing The NAK (Chris Renfrew and BT Gunn) in September, should be a good scrap. My mate Ben made quite the hot take after the match saying even though he likes The Hooligans, he is a bit fed up with their style of match and would like to see something different from them, but did point to the fact only Team Single went toe to toe with them all the way through their matches and wouldnt lie down and take a pasting. 1st half done and a mark photo with British Wrong Style accosting Aussie Open for a picture near the bar, decent enough gentleman to meet. Now the 2nd half and what do we start off with - Lionheart vs Philip Michael. The opening of this contest started off with a 3 minute singing of Philip Michaels name the like we havent seen since the days of Noam Dar, Philip was over like rover. Good action here for around 7 minutes with Phil matching Lionheart hold for hold and looking his equal but a spot where Lionheart pulled Phil off the ropes causing Phil to land awkwardly caused a long stoppage to the match and bringing a number of the roster to ringside to check on Phils wellbeing. Now with what happened to Lionheart previously when he broke his neck at PCW which left the audience in stunned silence and tears that night, visions of seeing a serious injury is still fresh in peoples minds but as ever with wrestling companies nowadays - many a fake injury angle happens and you dont know when to know if its real or not. In this case Lionheart picked up Phil to applause but then proceeded to use a Uranage Slam to drop Phil to a chorus of boos and a 1-2-3. Personal opinion i think Fake Injury Angles are shit and the dog worst thing to get a baddie over in this sense. They could have easily had Philip Michael catch a win from nowhere on Lionheart and then have Lionheart give him a beating after the match - it still has the same effect. This left a bad taste in a few peoples mouths and I for one was one of them. Su Yung vs Lauren (replacement for an injured Saraya) was next in a short match with Su Yung dominating early and looking good in the process. But despite all the songs in the world to rally Su she fell to a roll up from Lauren for the shock victory. I do think Lauren will probably end up winning the PCW Womens title in 2 weeks in the tourney but i cant say i am totally sold on her as a champion but just my opinion. Dean Allmark took on Jody Fleisch next for the Cruiserweight title in a fantastic match as you would expect from these 2 wrestlers. Jody hasnt missed a beat since the early 2000s and looks better bodywise since then, Deano has been a constant highlight in the past year with the rest of the cruisers pulling some of the shows over the line with some top matches. Jody hit the 720 DDT but only got a 2 for a near fall, Deano hit Jody with the Smiles Clash before finishing a valiant Jody off with the top rope Spanish Fly. Great stuff and a great pick me up after what was on previously to it. The Big Grudge Match with Tel Banham vs BIG T was next but sadly after much talking from Banham and tomfoolery from his cronies, it never got started with BIG T booting referee Des and joining up with Banham to be his bodyguard muscle i guess to the Chicken Shit Heel Banham. In one way a poor payoff to an angle that has been going for 3 months but in one sense Banham can use BIG T to fight his battles. Live i think the angle didnt go down well in the end and left a flat feeling due to people wanting Banham to get his comeuppance. Main Event time with the 3 way being turned into a 4 way with Champion Iestyn Rees vs T-Bone vs Bubblegum vs Ashton Smith. This went around 20 minutes with plenty of action and nearfalls happening, Iestyn did a majestic dive over the ropes which for a big fella is impressive. With the clock ticking to me getting the train, i took a position at the back of the room to see just in time Iestyn Rees using the Cheeky Roll Up to beat a defiant Bubblegum and continuing his near year long reign as champion. This made the show finish on a flat note, with the crowd wanting to see Bubblegum pick up the win and finally get a small run with the PCW Title. I found out when i left that Bubblegum is putting his PCW Career on the line at the next show vs T-Bone in a street fight which i guess there is a reason behind but i didnt see much skullduggery costing Bubblegum from a T-Bone prespective but hey ho - Wrestling!! Iestyns next opponent i am not too sure where they are going next, maybe Ashton gets another chance but for me that was 3 contenders finished off in one night. So i guess we get Iestyn being the not so brilliant paper champion again for another 6 months 😕. Overall a great first half followed up by an indifferent second half with as i have explained - the result of the main and the injury angle being topics of complaint from myself. But still this is worth a watch when it comes on demand. Delayed train to Manchester meant getting back at around half midnight into Rochdale, as ever Geoff was doing his best sleeping pose for #grapsandnaps - Standard part of a trip to the wrestling. Evoque beer prices - £4.50 for Tyskie (500ml) they ran out of these bottles halfway through. £7 for 2 bottles of either Samuel Adams, Brewdog Punk IPA or Brooklyn Lager. So in effect it was £7 for a pint and a smidgen if you look at it that way. Next time in #grapsandclaps will be my first trip to Attack Wrestling in Cardiff which by going off what people are going and the general fun of that promotion - could be a fantastic which i am looking forward to.

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thisaintascenereviews · 7 years

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Rock Is Dead & Rock Fans Killed It

An Editorial by Bradley Christensen

“Rock is dead, and hip-hop is what killed it,” said a video from a “YouTube” reviewer that I utterly cannot stand that I watched the other day. I won’t name him, because he doesn’t deserve any kind of promotion whatsoever, but I did want to “respond” to a video that he made the other day. He made a video based on an article from Genius, the music news / lyric annotation site, that was titled, “Why Rock Can’t Compete With Hip-Hop In 2017.” Without even reading the article, I watched the video, because I knew he was going to defend rock music, as he’s one of those “tr00 rawk” douchebags that think “guitars” are the most important instruments of all time. I did read the article right afterwards, however, because that video was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in my life, both as a music fan and critic. This guy is one of the biggest music “critics” on YouTube, and he’s making videos like that? This is why no one takes critics seriously anymore, because they’re whiny little bitches that get mad when someone disagrees with them. Not to mention, I already hate this guy, because about two years ago, I called him out on downloading leaks of albums that weren’t out yet, and he called me an “idiot” for it, because he already pre-ordered the album, so it was cool that he essentially stole the album before it was officially released. I digress, though, but I thought it was worth bringing up, because ever since, I’ve hated this guy with everything I have.

What was this video about, anyway? Well, the first sentence pretty much explains it. To sum things up, because the video is about 11 minutes of him rambling about the same two topics, he talks about this article that talks about why hip-hop can’t compete with rock in 2017. He doesn’t say it that way, though – he says that the article states that hip-hop is better than rock music, and that rock is dead, because people listen to hip-hop more nowadays. He tries to talk about how mainstream hip-hop sucks, and how it’s only popular, because it’s stupid, generic, and catchy. There was a bit about how “not all hip-hop is bad,” and I liken that to “all lives matter” vs. “black lives matter.” White people typically shout “all lives matter” in response to the latter phrase, but they also say things like that, “Well, not all black people are bad,” or something to that effect, because they don’t want to appear racist (even though most racist people use that). I also would equate that to this video, because he goes on to talk about how rock music isn’t dead (which I knew he would bring up), and how music is an “equal playing field,” or some bullshit, despite how the article was not about how rock is inferior to hip-hop. The article was stating that rock music is great, and it’s been incredibly influential, but there are limits as to what you can do with “guitars and stuff.” The article was trying to say that other genres are interesting, and influential, too, so it’s good that hip-hop and R&B are really making waves in the mainstream. Of course, though, this guy talks about how “rock matters, too,” almost like how racist white people will shout “all lives matter, though,” when people say that “black lives matter.” Yes, all lives (and genres) matter, but some are treated better than others, and we’re trying to bring light to lives (and genres) that aren’t respected as much.

Honestly, I wasn’t going to make a response to this, because that’s just the same bullshit rhetoric that he spits constantly, but then I read the article. I decided to read it for myself, because I’ve used Genius a lot in the past, and there’s no way they would write something that stupid. He basically claimed that the article was about how awful rock was, and how it’s dead, but hip-hop is better. That’s not what the article is about whatsoever. I mentioned a little bit of it, at least how the article is basically trying to make a point about how rock music has reached its limit of what it can do, despite how great and alive it is, and how genres like hip-hop, R&B, country, and other stuff can do more, experiment more, and get weirder. The article does mention tons of rock / metal subgenres, but it says that they’ll never make an impact like certain rock bands did in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, because those genres don’t have the mass appeal or influence that other genres did. Not once does the article talk about how bad rock music is, or how hip-hop is better. Hell, it doesn’t even mention the mainstream once, minus using Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles” as a talking point to lead into the whole topic. What’s funny is that it does bring up the idea that people have been saying that “rock is dead” for a long time, thanks to songs like that, but it doesn’t make any kind of statement on that. It doesn’t say that rock is dead, or that hip-hop killed it, it just says that these types of songs and acts can make people believe that. Just because it mentioned the very idea, he wanted to cherrypick his arguments / agenda, ultimately twisting the article’s content into believing that it said something it never did.

I could spend a novel tearing this guy a new one, because of his idiocy, but I wanted to respond and “debunk” the two main points that he made – mainstream hip-hop is full of nothing but “trap bangers,” as he calls it, and that rock isn’t actually dead. I don’t need to spend much time on the first point, because of course it’s not all bad. You can’t generalize an entire genre of music like that, man; mainstream hip-hop has some good stuff, but I’ll agree in the sense that a lot of it does sound the same. What I will say, however, is that if you don’t like Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, and all of these new guys, don’t listen to them. Stay in your own scene. No one’s forcing to listen to music you don’t like. Not all music is tailor-made for you, and if something isn’t your thing, that’s fine, but you don’t have to listen to it, or shit on it every chance you get, because people enjoy it, that’s why it’s popular. It’s not what I would want to be popular, but mainstream music isn’t made for me, so I don’t listen to it. I will say, though, Big Sean’s got a new album dropping next week, and I’m kind of excited about that, so I hope that’s good.

The second point is the one that I really wanted to talk about, though, because he spends a lot in the video talking about how rock isn’t dead. There are two things wrong with this – he never actually explains why it isn’t dead, minus some bullshit vague stuff about how bands are really unique (he doesn’t give any examples for bands that are unique, though, so I guess we have to do his research for him), and his taste in rock music is frankly a dumpster fire bathed in garbage. Okay, I don’t usually use peoples’ tastes against them, because people can listen to whatever they want, but I can’t resist roasting this guy right now. This guy’s favorite band is Green Day, a band that no one’s cared about since 2004, so why the fuck is this guy talking about how rock isn’t dead? He listens to one of the most lifeless rocks band I’ve ever heard. Revolution Radio, their last album, was borderline trash. Not horrible, and I’ve heard worse, but it was so lame. The artwork of a radio on fire is not a metaphor for the album being “fire,” it’s the reaction of anyone who listens to it on a boombox. If your favorite band is Green-freaking-Day, why are you talking about rock music not being dead? Your taste in rock music is lifeless to begin with, so how do you know what unique rock music is? Someone’s going to tell me how harsh that sounds, but come on, this guy just shat all over hip-hop for being nothing but “trap bangers.” Rock music isn’t dead, I’ll agree with that, but it’s dying. Not only is it dying because of what the Genius article talked about (how rock music is very limited with what it can do, especially in a mainstream setting), but it’s rock fans like this that are killing the genre. Let me reiterate a point I just made: he said that rock isn’t dead, but he didn’t give a single example as to why. Hell, I would have given him points if he brought up Revolution Radio, because at least it was an example. He doesn’t explain anything at all, nor give any kind of example, so his arguments bear no merits. I can’t imagine anyone taking him seriously, just for that reason.

There are more reasons, though, and one thing that I really wanted to point out is that this guy doesn’t like covering “underground” bands and albums. He’s talked about this before, but he won’t cover bands with a decent sized-following, because those videos won’t get any views, and his fans won’t dare to care about those bands. I call bullshit on this for two reasons: if you love something enough, you shouldn’t be ashamed to talk about it, especially because you’re afraid it won’t get any views, but you’d think that his fans would care, right? If he has a dedicated audience that watches his stuff, no matter his views or content, his fans will watch it. That’s the problem. He doesn’t have a dedicated audience. They only care about certain bands, and I’ve noticed lately that he gets pissy about talking about those bands, such as Green Day, Brand New, My Chemical Romance, and stuff like that, but it’s all his wants to see. No one really cares about this guy for his personality. They care, because he talks about bands that not many other “big” reviewers do, and because he can validate their opinions. He’s lucky, because his username, which I won’t give away, is so generic, boring, and uninteresting, it’s the first thing that pops up on YouTube. Not to mention, he made his channel before the whole “reviewing” scene was even a thing, and he just got a head start on it. Rock music isn’t dead, it’s rock fans that are the problem. Rock fans are killing the genre, mainly for how entitled they act when their favorite bands don’t sound the way they want them to, when someone says something they disagree with, or when articles like this come out that actually make you think about, and say that rock music isn’t the only genre worth caring about.

To be honest, I don’t listen to a lot of rock music, at least very straightforward rock music. Hell, even the rock music I like is the influential “classic rock,” because bands today just don’t have any kind of identity to them. Some definitely do, but most are hollow, boring, and uninteresting. The Genius article basically makes a point of saying that people don’t want to hear four or five white guys in a band talk about the same old stuff with “guitars and stuff.” Because there are tons of different kinds of people, whether it’s their skin color, gender, sexuality, or background, people want to hear different perspectives and ideas. What really rubbed me the wrong way with the video was that he was on about how “rock matters, too,” while ignoring that minorities and women aren’t fairly represented in that genre. No matter how you feel about the biggest songs in the country right now, there’s something to be said about how they feature minorities. Those are the most important songs right now, at least to the mainstream, and there’s something worth discussing there. Does he do that? No, he just whines about rock music is good, too, and it shouldn’t be treated unfairly. What I’ve been trying to get at is that rock music is dying, because of rock fans like this. He says that rock music isn’t dead, sure, but he doesn’t give any examples for why it’s not dead, and he ignores the article’s main points completely, just focusing on the most inconsequential things to base his argument off of. He’s trying to make it seem like that article was attacking rock, and it sure as hell wasn’t, it was just offering a different perspective, one that he didn’t bother to look at, because he’s straight white guy that thinks that music is only made for him. Fuck this guy, fuck his music taste, fuck his channel, and fuck everything he stands for.

#rock is dead #hip-hop #rock #genius #rap genius #rock genius #rock isn't dead #music #youtube #review #reviewers #critics #critic

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kashforgold · 7 years

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My Top Tracks of 2016

So after months of struggle and conflict, I have conceded that I need to just settle on a list of tracks that I thought banged. This is it:

(visuals courtesy of my fly photoshopping skills)

Before I elaborate on this list, you need to know I have tried to limit this list. Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes talking to me will know that I am obsessed with Our Lord and Saviour, Yeezus. If you’ve managed to guide the convo away from Kanye, I probably will mention that I am an ardent follower of Lord West’s disciple, The Rapper of Chance. And if you’ve gotten to know me really very well… Frank Ocean will have definitely popped up on the playlist.

In this list, I have imposed rules:

1. No Kanye West

2. No Chance The Rapper

3. No Frank Ocean

4. Avoid the glaringly obvious…

This final rule means I have had to take out a few tracks that have defined 2016 (Work, Black Beatles…), but I have included a few big hits I feel aren’t given the critical acclaim they deserve. Now I’m cutting the crap and starting from the bottom…

Level 5

James Blake - Noise Above Our Heads

I will happily tell you that I don’t know what James is singing about. The lyrics confuse me and parts are distorted to the point of being indistinguishable from noise… but good lord it is a powerful noise. I don’t need to know what James is singing because I feel it in his voice, I feel it in his instruments, I feel it in the layers and the distortions. This track creates longing, a melancholy hope, an unsatisfying acceptance. James Blake creates environments around his songs that push you not just to listen, but to feel, and this track is loaded with them feels.

Disclosure - Boss

I’m thinking back to Electronic music before Disclosure and I don’t remember it being this clinical and precise. Disclosure are clinical and precise, but they got just enough Funky for this Beat Junky. Firstly, that bassline rolling over throughout the track has some direct link to my arse. My movements once it starts are involuntary. I can try my hardest, but there will always be a little grind in my waistline when this drops.

Kodak Black & French Montana - Lockjaw

So who knew that excessive MDMA usage can cause your jaw to lock? What if I told you that in various ‘hoods’ pants aren’t worn low for style, they simply sagging under the weight of weaponry… Kodak Black and French Montana are depicting these 2nd World Problems in relatable scenarios, and with one of the smoothest flows I’ve heard all year. Kodak has had a solid year with killer flows, and on this track he flows in and out, around, inside, outside and all through Montana’s bars. They blend together the way you wish your Stir-Fry Noodles and Vegetables would.

Katy B x Chris Lorenzo - I Wanna Be

Apparently, this beat has been floating about in Lorenzo’s sets for a while. I can understand why. It hovers in that period just before dawn. You don’t want the night to end, but this would be the perfect conclusion. You don’t want the comedown, but this is the soft pillow you want cushioning you as you float back: sleepy and uplifting. There aren’t many scenarios where this song would feel right to me, but when it does, I know it will be magical.

Mist - Karlas Back

I saw a tweet that summarised this dude’s situation perfectly. It was something along the lines of “The only person from Birmingham allowed to speak is Mist”. All Brummies struggle in life with their misfortune of an accent, but this guy BANGS. Grime is dominated by Roadmen from LDN, so its refreshing to hear an exotic accent (yes, I did just call the Brummie accent exotic).

Danny Brown - When It Rain

Danny Brown sounds over the top and completely bonkers, so it makes sense for him to rap “When it rain, it pours”. Brown’s showing how extreme the world he knows is. Bullets are not raining, they’re pouring… This isn’t another rapper glorifying the violence he grew up in, nor is he looking back at it having escaped. Danny Brown shows you how this life be straight from the hectic streets! He ain’t slowing or dumbing it down for you. Danny’s out of his mind, and this shit is real.

Level 4

MØ - Final Song

This ain't as funky as Kamikaze, or as cool a song as Kamikaze. But it still gives me an energetic joy. It’s gotta be MØ’s quirky voice, or the odd emphasis she puts in at unorthodox points in words. but whatever it is, this song is trash and awesome.

Kungs vs Some guy and some other Bollocks - This Girl

The more you analyse it, you find a number of elements plucked straight from the catchiest tracks of recent years: a guitar riff lifted out of Get Lucky, trumpets that wouldn’t sound out place with Omi, a chopped up and screwed vocal in the bridge/chorus. There are probably more, but this is too vibey to even care. If a track makes you feel too glorious to analyse, its doing something right.

PARTYNEXTDOOR - Come And See Me

A song about one-sided casual relationships. PND gets some sassy lines in (”talkin lot about ‘we’, Oh you speak French now”), but this light bravado depicts him more as the antagonist. This whole song makes us empathise with his ‘victim’. PND and Drake make weak arguments for their case, but their ‘cold’ front is made weak and brittle. This track is a soft light on the fragile facade of heterosexual masculinity.

Solange ft Lil Wayne - Mad

The Angry Black Woman is being asked why she always gotta be so mad. This song isn’t complex at all. It’s as though, not only is Solange explaining that there is a lot for her to be mad about, but she’s dumbing it down for us sheep. The double standards and discrimination are clear in society if you know where to look, and Lil Wayne offers some examples. But Solange keeps this track very maternal, and it gets more comforting with every listen. It’s a protest song that is aware that anger and proactivity achieve nada. The revolution is gonna be patient and will delicately empower us to pick apart the lies.

Giggs ft Donaeo - Lock Doh

Giggs is barely even rapping here. A few carefully selected words, couple tings name-checked, a raw minimal beat, and Donaeo on the hook: somebody make some mash cos this looks like the recipe for a Banger!

Level 3

D.R.A.M. & Lil Yachty - Broccoli

Back in 2015, D.R.A.M gained a cult following. Hotline Bling was one of the best tracks of 2015, but I feel Cha Cha set the tone that Drake polished off. Many other artists have fallen away having gained an initial boost with a Drizzy connection. D.R.A.M looked like he was to follow this path. He was too weird, his great musical ideas to few and far between, and just seemed a bit too off-centre… *In walks Lil Yachty*. The kids love him and I appreciate the boyish immaturity he raps with. The Broccoli beat perfectly complements this boyish immaturity. Lil Yachty stole this track and looks set to get bigger, but hopefully not better.

Lil Uzi Vert & Future - Too Much Sauce

Lil Uzi Vert is another artist riding this new wave in Hip Hop with Yachty, and the aforementioned Kodak. His voice is a little whinier (in a good way) than your average rapper, and this track again is the springboard shooting Lil Uzi and his style up the wave. Despite Lil Uzi’s efforts, Future is the star of the track. Future is the blueprint of contemporary Hip Hop! His sound is all over this. Every other big track this year can be classed ‘Inspired by Future’. Every other rapper in this new wave is Future’s child. And my favourite word of 2016, is #Sauce.

Mura Masa - What If I Go

I love Mura Mama’s production and on this track he smashes it. It’s twinkly and swirly in the verses and the instrumental after the drop has just enough weight of bass. There’s an enduring sweetness that carries through the whole track. It’s like a Vienesse Whirl.

Alicia Keys - In Common

In Common keeps the rasp and Polish I expect from Keys’ brand of polished R'n'B, but mixes the flavours a little. Some genius in a studio polished off some slightly tribal drum beats which have no right to sound this smooth. This isn’t a normal beat, and this Alicia isn’t singing a conventional song. She is embodying the wooing process of today. She’s breathlessly nervous during the flirtatious part, then she sounds strained and stuck between options when she tells me that we have way too much in common. And then she’s announcing with certainty that I’m messed up too. And still I have no idea whether I’m in or not…

Level 2

Skream - You Know Right

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I was on the M3 stuck in the 50mph zone when I caught this, mid-track, on Radio 1. It intrigued me, so I stayed. It was building up to something and it felt like forever. Still in the 50 zone, and still the track was building. The end of the limit was ahead, and the track switched up. It had to be turnt up. I was getting turnt up. I was at the end... I'd made it... but what do I do now? The song silenced to offer me a moment to think. Man, machine, and music were in a magical moment of synchronisation. BOOM!

This track is everything great in British Electronic music. Elements of house, trance, dnb, two-step, garage. To fully appreciate these, you need to listen to the full-length version. It's a prime example of escalation. It's a demonstration of how the same beat, with the right escalation can switch from hard, to melt your face gassy

Yuna ft Usher - Crush

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Instead of the awkward, terrifying, uncomfortable trainwreck I went through, I wish my first crush was more like this. Pure, innocent, untroubled. A little coy, with destiny guiding you where you needed to be. This track feels like its been touched by destiny. Every stage of the song seamlessly flows and blends. Usher and Yuna seem to be able to feel each other’s vocals and glide through this 4 mins making you wish it would never end.

Drake - Fake Love

Drake is the zeitgeist of 2016. He was on your radio, your phone, your fake news, your memes. But people still don’t understand that Views is probably his weakest album! The only track Drake dropped in 2016 that would make it onto his greatest hits (due 2018), is Fake Love. Some of Drizzy’s best work comes from his throwaways: Club Paradise, We Made It, Ransom, Draft Day, Hotline Bling, Dreams Money Can’t Buy, 9am in Dallas, 5am in Toronto... I could go on. IYRTITL was a mixtape of experiments that became one of his most critically acclaimed bodies of work.

Drake is at his best when he’s experimenting, switching things up, venting. Fake Love is just this. He sliced up the tropical dancehall vibe he popularised w/ Rihanna, switched his style to mimic young Tory Lanez, and sprinkled a little of Hotline Bling’s Cha Cha magic. It shouldn’t work as well as it does, but there’s no point complaining because Drizzy is gonna keep dropping the catchiest bangers.

Level 1

Flume - Never Be Like You

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I’ve not liked Flume for a while. It stemmed from an early disliking of some his remixes. Not my cup of tea. And I’ve swerved around this teacup since, but then I heard Never Be Like You. Turns out this Flume kid can create audio magic.

Contrary to all the OTT maximalist stuff I associate with Flume, this sounds like its being forcibly restrained. There's an angst being held back, with twinkly hope popping through in sweet bursts. It's disjointed with silent patches specifically placed to enhance the overarching rise and fall. This wave is coursing throughout the whole track, constantly gathering momentum until the end when your ears yearn for it to crash, that never comes. This is an exhilarating, breathtaking journey that exhausts you, but never truly ends, no matter how many times you try to find one.

Beyonce - Hold Up

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The reason I had to allow Beyonce in this list is because everyone else would have you believe Formation should be up here. They are mistaken.

Look at the origins of this track. Ezra Koenig tweeted “hold up... they dont love you like i love you”. This already sounds like it could’ve been Vampire Weekend’s most profound song ever. Then Diplo, the most influential producer this decade, gets Ezra into a studio and they create a demo converting this tweet into the shell of a masterpiece. *In walks Queen B*

Ezra probably repeated the ‘They don’t love you like I love you” for rhythmic purposes. Beyonce, with the torturous relationship of Lemonade, flipped the spine of the song. First, its ‘Hold Up, please don't hurt me like this’ and then its ‘Slow Down, you ain’t never gonna get better than me’. Each line has its own angle on the revelation of this infidelity. There’s a feminist strength in this song and Bey’s delivery adds an independent defiance. The beat carries a bumptious swagger to gloss over the delicious rage Bey is ready to ‘fuck her up a bitch’ with.

The reason this tops the list is unexplainable. The instrumental is on sitcom level of comical. On any other beat, this song would be nothing special. But they combine gloriously. Beyonce’s sweet, sharp Jam is so much more fulfilling with Diplo’s salty, gloopy Peanut Butter. It's another one of this universe’s mysteries as to why this piece combines so well together, but Diplo has a knack for this, and Bey’s gonna slay regardless.

#music #2016 #best music #top tracks of 2016

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