#ian really likes it when i send videos of me singing

[thesinglesjukebox]

TATE MCRAE - "GREEDY"

Not an Ariana Grande cover, but the enunciation isn't much better...

[5.00]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Largely indistinguishable from the fake pop songs on The Idol. [3]

Leah Isobel: Tate McRae is 20 - old enough to embrace sexuality, young enough that she's still exploring its effects. "greedy" indicates both, its chorus driven by the novelty of being able to see yourself as a desirable object and by the fractured emotions attendant to that realization. She might embody the latter a little too well; her mushmouthed, cotton-candy voice throws off sparks on the chorus but dissolves into nothing when the verses send her into her lower register. What lingers isn't bravado or pleasure, but anxiety: when she hums "baby, please believe me," it's like it's directed inward. Please, say it right. Please, deliver what's desired in this moment. Please, let me get what I'm not sure that I want. I am very, very happy that I'm no longer 20. [5]

Ian Mathers: I was the only blurber here to love McRae and Khalid's "Working" (a song that has only grown in my estimation since), and that was entirely down to the subtlety, generosity, and maturity of its message and emotional range. I haaaaated the next time we covered McRae and my entire blurb was about disliking her singing style. Doing an A/B comparison between that song and this one I do think whatever was bugging me (which I still don't like!) is either less pronounced here or works better in "Greedy." But as opposed to something like "Working" there's nothing particularly distinctive or compelling to this one for me, indicating that at least right now she's more than capable of excelling on good material but maybe not so much of elevating average material. Wouldn't touch that dial though. [6]

Katherine St Asaph: The most memorable thing about "Greedy" is how hilariously mismatched the Darrin's Dance Grooves choreo is to the vibe of the song. (2023 songs the choreography would actually fit: "Padam Padam"; "Padam Padam"; maybe others.) [5]

Michael Hong: Sometimes, "you broke me first" comes on the radio and I just feel so bad for her -- she sounds so small, so miniscule, I just want to hold her. I like the zamboni of its music video, a really fun "I'm Canadian" statement, but the nasal quality of her voice does nothing for me here. [4]

Aaron Bergstrom: Real commitment to the hockey theme here, singing the whole song with her mouthguard still in like that. [2]

Nortey Dowuona: Stop being greedy/give to the needy. Tate sounds so confident on this record she can't be bothered to give the Gus Johnson lookalike in this song an actual name. Her voice is still cutesy and pinched, constantly pushed into the upper range of her nasally soprano, but once it's layered and compressed to stamp the hook into the brain, it becomes lighter and seethes, disgusted by the unappealing attention he tries to ensnare her. It's probably the embarrassing experience of Jasper Harris or Ryan Tedder, or the lived experience of Tate or Amy Allen, who has written "Graveyard", "Adore You" and "Without Me", all vivid songs with tight hooks which stamp on your brain just as this does. But I can't tell if I love or just like this song, it really depends on the day. So now it's a - [6]

Brad Shoup: We have Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland at home! [4]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Tate McRae's garbled singing is gerbil-coded. It's partly the AutoTune, partly because it's squeaky and small. Like, whenever the chorus comes in, I get the overwhelming sense that the songwriters tried to mask her limited vocal range. At least it's pitiable. [2]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Looks like Tate McRae inherited the Ariana-Grande mumble-mouth gene for making a chorus sound pretty and unintelligible in one breathe. The lyrical conceit of "Greedy" makes little sense, but that matters little when the song is mostly a vehicle for Tate McRae to show off her dance skills and theater kid emotions. [6]

Taylor Alatorre: The basic structure of "greedy," with its neatly divided "he said" verses and "she said" chorus, makes it hard for me to see it as something other than the "Jerk Store" of pop songs. Unless we're really meant to believe that Tate McRae is saying things like "I'll put you through hell" in a public setting, a scene that would be laughed out of the writers' room of even the corniest teen drama. I do admire, though, the kind of obstinate creative logic that leads a singer to emulate Timbaland not merely or even primarily in his production style, but also in his underratedly weird stop-start way of delivering lyrics. Shock Value III when? [4]

Hannah Jocelyn: I've been rooting for Tate McRae despite all the reasons I shouldn't - she sounds like one of the mice from Cinderella, she brings little new to pop music, and yet she has her place as Olivia Rodrigo's bratty younger sister the way Rodrigo was initially pitched as one to Taylor Swift. I actually love how whiny she is - I find that more relatable than people who actually strive for relatability, and I don't even mean that condescendingly. She's kooky enough to have an entire alter ego named Tatiana, where she moves from Eilish and Rodrigo to Spears and Furtado. She's not as distinctive as any of them, but muscular production from Ryan Tedder (!) gives the illusion she holds her own. I've heard people say she sounds scared instead of assertive, and while I hear that, it adds palpable stakes to the song, however intentionally. But I also liked the last darker-and-edgier artist reboot no one else did, so what do I know? [7]

Scott Mildenhall: The vocal distortion is elevated by its sparkle, but compounded by McRae's mumbles, which obscure any attitude she intends to project. "In your face" is a stance to take; not a place to hide your syllables. [6]

Will Adams: Such an interesting approach to vowels. I await our next pop star who fully sounds like Homestar Runner. [4]

Harlan Talib Ockey: Tate McRae has somehow had a drastically different personality on every single of hers I have heard. Part of this may be down to her voice, which is pretty texturally unusual (underneath the bananies and avocadies) and possibly too oily to have a full-belt setting. "Greedy" is where she seems to have found the formula that works; McRae really suits this "Promiscuous" update where she can use a little more of her head voice. [7]

Oliver Maier: Greedy for what, bananies and avocadies? Lol. Apologies to miss McRae. The song is quite good. [6]

Kayla Beardslee: I'm a little surprised this song blew up, because I've listened to it several times and still cannot make out half the lyrics in the chorus ("I would want myself, the reason bleeblee"??). But we're starved for new pop stars right now, so any fresh hit that gets people talking about pop girl potential is a net positive. [5]

Jackie Powell: It takes around 5 seconds for "Greedy" to send me back in time. The beat drops after the steel drum-sounding intro and the unknown voice shouting "Whoop," a classic ad-lib in the pop/ R&B crossover space. Nelly Furtado or rather her influence has somehow returned around 17 years later in 2023. That "Promiscuous" sounding beat sticks out immediately and Ryan Tedder knew that it would. It was amusing to see in the liner notes that "Promiscuous" was given a sample credit, almost a preventative measure. Gasp, there can't be another Gen Zer taking rhythmic elements from the 2000s without giving proper credit. "Greedy" is a smash and has the potential to launch McRae to greater heights. (I'll still remember "She's All I Wanna Be", which was far superior.) An underrated part of the production is that rhythmic steel drum-sounding intro which finds its way throughout the entire song. McRae imitates the part's rhythm when she confidently vocalizes the different vowels in "Uh-uh, uh-uh-uh, uh-uh". While McRae's vocal tone is reminiscent of Camilla Cabello or Melanie Martinez, she's a much more expressive performer. There's an assurance that's way beyond her years in how she's able to communicate the story she's trying to tell. There's something empowering about a song with a killer beat all about how men can be creepy and aren't entitled to the allure of the women around them. She's 20 years old and singing about this! Speaking of her age and maturity, McRae has been deemed Gen Z's Brittney Spears, or the heir apparent to Spears. There's something incredibly unsettling about that. The similarities are apparent: both are trained dancers, both appeared on children's television (McRae voiced a LaLaLoopsy doll) both have huskiness attached to their vocal ranges and both have a command of their sexuality, which makes them both such captivating live performers. So what's unsettling about that? McRae is making her climb to the top with tools that Spears didn't have. Spears didn't have the prior credibility that McRae has. Placing third on So You Think You Can Dance and her self written and performed song "One Day" add much more to the McRae story than we ever had about Spears during the days of "Oops, I did it again." McRae won't have to deal with critics claiming she doesn't have talent. The evidence of her talent is all over the internet. During her live performances, she finds a way to maintain that credibility as well. She doesn't lip-sync but rather picks her spots with a backing track. She makes sure she has a moment to really dance full force to the music she just sang by adding an outro. These are tactics that Brittney Spears and her team either didn't think of or weren't really possible in the early 2000s. If we are transporting back to 2000s pop, I hope we also don't transport back to 2000s celebrity culture, a truly *dark* time in music. [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

#tate mcrae #music #pop music #music writing #music reviews #music criticism #the singles jukebox #Youtube

[woodsybabe]

i be on my 🥺 shit

#ian really likes it when i send videos of me singing #he told me i have ‘the voice of an angel’ 🥺 #and that he listened to all of the ones i sent so far like 4 times each #and that he was all smiles 🥺🥺🥺 #and he actually checks out the things i recommend which i’m so not used to at all 🥺 #i told him about monster factory and last podcast on the left #and not only did he QUEUE UP THE VIDEOS OF MONSTER FACTORY I SAID WERE MY FAVOURITES #he also snapped me a pic of that podcast open on spotify a few days after i told him about it and he said it was hilarious #so i know we have a similar sense of humour bc he likes both those things #we snap most of the day and into the night #and before he goes to sleep i’ll get a few snap with his shirt off and i just be like 👁👄👁 #i am looking 👁👄👁 #i also cant stop listening to one of his spotify playlists that he sent me 🥺 #not only does it make me think about him which is nice #but its also a bunch of songs from the genre of music i’ve REALLY gotten into since march #he loves finding new music #and i’m usually REALLY stubborn about new music #but everything he’s recommended so far is really really good #hes literally the sweetest and he’s NEVER dry and hes really cute and hot and he makes being on tinder & talking to the other guys #i have on snap (besides michael) boring af #he also lives pretty close but also in another town so i cant like take transit or anything #i live on the northeastern edge of toronto (close to the zoo) and he lives in like one of the bordering towns #he makes me go 🥺🥰🥺🥰🥺🥰🥰🥺🥰🥺🥺🥰🥺🥰🥺🥰🥰🥺🥺🥰🥰🥰🥺🥺🥺🥰🥺🥰🥺🥰🥺🥰🥺 #personal

[iwillfuckingdoitdarling]

Wholesome Joe Elliott things for his birthday:

Putting Only After Dark on the b-side of Let’s Get Rocked to raise money for Mick Ronson’s cancer treatments

Using all of his fame and effort to make Mott the Hoople popular and give Ian Hunter recognition

Describing being a father as “challenging” but “fantastic” and saying he loves his kids to death

Sitting down for several hours after Rick’s accident and crying his eyes out like the sensitive soul he is

Fully being prepared to cancel the 2011 tour to be by his dad’s side after his heart attack, yet respecting his father’s wishes and keeping the dates

Crying after performing Love Bites the night before his dad died, as it was his favourite song

Wearing matching necklaces (and in one case matching tattoos) with his SOs

Calling Kristine his “missus”, “lady-wife”, and “wifey” (🥺)

Being a huge Jobriath fan and saying that if he threw out all of his LGBTQ+ records, he wouldn’t have a record collection (Joe said gay rights)

Speaking recently about getting his knees replaced and hoping to be in good shape for the Stadium Tour

Being totally enamoured with British comedy (The Young Ones, Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, Monty Python)

Being physically affectionate with everybody (Morgan Fisher from Mott says that Joe is a big cuddly bear who gives great hugs) and giving out kisses to basically anyone

Supporting Ricky Warwick’s battle with addiction, helping him get on the right track, and producing his solo records

Describing the progress of his relationship with Kristine: they were best friends for at least 6 months, decided to go to the movies one night, and sparks flew from that point forward

Directing his philanthropy towards the mistreatment of children, homelessness, and autism

Having total and utter respect for his parents and continuing to care for his mom as she gets older

Being a total nut for Sheffield United and supporting them regardless of Sav’s teasing

His amazing smile, laugh, and sense of humour (I can’t stop smiling when I find funny videos of him)

Never wanting to give up on Def Leppard and never considering kicking Rick out after the accident

Being Steve’s sponsor and visiting him in rehab (despite pleading with him and telling Steve that he loved him, nothing changed the outcome)

He and Brian May being two peas in a pod and enjoying tons of love and mutual respect

His generally goofy and positive demeanour

Never losing his Yorkshire accent despite having lived away from Sheffield for years

Sleeping in the spoon factory basement under the dirty overalls to get away from work and recover from a night of gigs

Describing Marilyn Monroe as a goddess and staring at her poster in his London apartment (she really is the inspiration for Photograph)

He and Jon Bon Jovi being good friends and totally hot foxes together

Getting called a “poof” at school for listening to glam rock but not giving a damn what everyone thought

His favourite snack to enjoy while watching soccer: cold Heinz baked bean sandwich

At the last Vegas residency, he would wave and smile at the kids in the crowd during the acoustic set (check out fan vids)

Writing some of the most emotional songs ever (Two Steps Behind, Where Does Love Go When It Dies, We Belong, Last Man Standing etc.)

Being a total encyclopedia for all things rock and roll, basically a rock history savant

Being super proud of covering at least 33 Bowie songs over the span of his career

Personal fave: “Canada we love ya, always have, always will. It’s been an absolute gas.” ☺️

Supporting his friend Claire Vranian by wearing her ICJUK designs on stage all the time

His totally dirty friendship with David Coverdale, from David helping him achieve the confidence to sing Bringin’ On the Heartbreak to sending each other sexual memes

Not letting people’s mean comments about his body get to him as he’s aged, and being totally gorgeous for a man over 60

His beautiful speech at the RRHOF (the catalyst for me being a fan)

Stories of him answering fanmail and developing pen pal relationships with folks throughout the fandom

Having a sign in his party room at his house that says: “Beware the Dad dancing”

Totally being the kid at school that drew penises in his textbooks

Lastly, remaining a totally humble and lovely human being despite all the trappings of fame

All of this just to say that, while he isn’t perfect, he is a quality individual at heart. I wish the happiest of birthdays to you Joe, and I cannot wait until Captain Slog returns!

Much love,

Allie xoxo

#def leppard #joe elliott #happy birthday my love #I love him to death #whether he knows it or not he has made this world such a happier place for me #still refuse to believe that he’s 62…unreal

[helthehatter]

So I watched a bootleg of Cats (2019).

And I wrote down my thoughts as I watched it. I will share them with you now:

•the blurry quality is both a blessing and a curse: the characters are blurry but you don’t see back ground characters until it’s too late

• the Rebel Wilson song consisted of me going NO NO STOP STOOOOP

• Jason Derulo closes his eyes and opens his mouth as his face gets near Victoria’s foot and then it cuts and it’s a horrifying edit.

• Why do I feel so fucking bad for Grizzabella stop acting Jennifer Hudson

• Jennifer Hudson sadly walking away on all fours was a level of comedy I didn’t know existed

• WHY is Munkustrap (my favorite character from the original) taking this so seriously oh my gawd he thinks this is fucking Shakespeare

• James Corden drank champagne in a way that made me look away from the screen.

• Also side note I fucking HATE how small they are! It just proves what we already know, no one on this production has even seen a cat

• WHY do I like Mr. Mistoflees and Victoria??? I’m not suppose to feel EMOTIONS when I’m watching this

• They really thought showing whatever hell spawn a dog would look like was too far. Take a note from your characters and go all the way you cowards.

• Before Idris Elba gets naked I want to say this movie did more with Macavity than the original musical did

• Rebel Wilson being thanosed SENT me

• Ian McKellen fucking meowed for no reason. I never felt so out of body in my life.

• Before they dance at one point they shake sporadically and I thought we were all having a group seizure.

• STOP MAKING ME FEEL SO BAD FOR GRIZZABELLA! Yeah I know STORY wise that’s the point but production wise you clearly are only suppose to know fear, shame, and lust.

• Musical remakes have this thing where they make a brand new decent song and...yeah I can’t complain I like Beautiful Ghosts

• It was bad enough that the Gus song was already the worst song in the original musical but Ian McKellen as a cat is a weirdly depressing sight.

• Old Deutromy or whatever the fuck the cat’s name is: *lifts her leg up* me: aaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

• Why is Skimbleshanks dressed as a conductor inspired stripper? If he drops his pants I’m jumping out this window. And why does he have a mOUSTAAAAAAACHE?!?

• THATS NOT HOW SMALL CATS ARE I FUCKING HATE YOU

• SKIMBLE SPUN SEVERAL FEET INTO THE AIR AND THEN DISSAPPEARED IN A CLOUD OF RED DUST IM SCREAMING

• This is gonna sound weird but stay with me: Taylor Swift as a cat actually...kinda works? There’s something about her face that makes it look less uncanny than the others. And of course Macavity the BEST song in the musical is full of writhing twitching horny high cats who throw their crotches in the air. The only reason I wasn’t scared of cat boners was because the internet would have caught fire by now if it happened. (Also I’m pretty sure this was rated PG)

• WHY IS HE NAKED WHY IS HE NAKED WHY IS HE NAKED WHY IS HE NAKED WHY IS HE NAKED WHY IS HE NAKEF WHY IS IDRIS ELBA NAKED?!?!?!?!?

• What does a boat have anything to do with anything?

• Damnit I was happy that mistofolees saved Old Deut. Don’t make me feel GOOD things movie!

• Stop unzipping your fucking skin Rebel got DAMNIT

• What does it mean when you’ve gotten used to the faces?

• MEMORIES👏STILL👏FUCKS👏HARD👏

• WHY AM I HAPPY FOR JENNIFER HUDSON?!?!

• They really kept that stupid fucking thingy that sends Grizabella to Heaven. Is it a chandelier? A hot air ballon? We’ll never know

• I knew Old Deut was gonna look at me but FUCK I still nearly fell outta my chair! This is so upsetting I can’t meet her eye.

• So yeah I liked it. Can’t wait to watch it in HD Quality. Hell I might even buy it. It is my The Room, and ten years from now there’s going to be a Cats version of The Disaster Artist. Or a horror remake.

• Now I want to make videos with cute CARTOON cats singing these songs.

#cats the movie #cats spoilers #cats 2019

[bananaofswifts]

At the beginning of March, the National’s Aaron Dessner traveled back to the United States from Paris, where he’d been living with his family, to shack up at Sonic Ranch Studio in Tornillo, Texas to work on the next Big Red Machine album with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. Those plans — obviously — soon shifted, as the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic set in. Dessner and his family were able to relocate to their home in upstate New York as lockdown orders went into effect, and the musician soon settled into a groove of homeschooling his kids and focusing fully on music in a way he hadn’t in a while, due to the National’s regularly rigorous touring schedule. 

In the middle of what Dessner describes as one of the most productive moments of his career, Taylor Swift called. 

A longtime and avowed fan of the National, Swift asked if Dessner wanted to try collaborating on a few songs remotely. He said of course, and asked if she was looking for anything in particular. He noted that he had plenty of material at the ready, but acknowledged he’d been in a more experimental mood, due to the Big Red Machine sessions; not to mention, Dessner added, he’d never really ventured into the pop world Swift has dominated for well over a decade. She told him to send everything he had. 

“I think she was interested in the emotions that she feels in some of the music that I’ve made,” Dessner tells Rolling Stone.” So I just sent her a folder of things I’d done recently and was excited about. Hours after, she sent back a fully written version of ‘Cardigan.’ It was like a lightning bolt struck the house.” 

Over the next few months, Dessner and Swift crafted the bulk of Swift’s eighth studio album, Folklore, which was released today, July 24th, after being announced the day before. Folklore is yet another mesmerizing musical move from Swift — a shift in sound, style and palette towards a vaster indie sound (à la, of course, the National) that still feels distinctly Swift-ian, as if she’s been making music like this her whole career. Lyrically, too, the record finds Swift playing with character and myth in new ways that — befitting the album’s title — recall the great American folk tradition. 

Dessner wasn’t the album’s only collaborator; Swift wrote several songs with regular producer Jack Antonoff, as well as songwriter named William Bowery, who doesn’t seem to have much of an internet footprint. Vernon also contributed to two songs, singing on one of the album’s many stunners, “Exile,” while Dessner’s brother and National bandmate, Bryce Dessner, helped orchestrate it with a mix of musicians scattered around the globe (none of whom even knew what they were playing on when they recorded their parts).

Dessner spoke with Rolling Stone about working with Swift, their instant chemistry, how the album developed under a thick cloud of secrecy and more.

When Taylor first reached out, did she have a specific vision in mind for the album? 
She was a bit cryptic. I didn’t know that we were actually working on a record for quite a while. It just seemed that she was seeking me out to collaborate. And then we were both feeling very inspired by it. Once there were six or seven songs that we had written over a couple of weeks, she said, “Hey can we talk?” Then she said, ‘This is what I’m imagining,’ and started to tell me about the concept of Folklore. Then she mentioned that she’d written some songs at an earlier stage with Jack [Antonoff], and they felt like they really fit together with what we were doing. It was a very inspiring, exhilarating collaborative process that was almost entirely remote. Very sort of warp speed, but also something about it felt like we were going toe-to-toe and in a good pocket. 

After “Cardigan,” how did these songs develop and do you think she pushed you in any new directions as a songwriter? 
When you’re working with someone new, it takes a second to understand their instincts and range. It’s not really conscious. She wrote “Cardigan,” and then “Seven,” then “Peace.” They kind of set a road map, because “Cardigan” was this kind of experimental ballad, the closest thing to a pop song on the record, but it’s not really. It’s this emotional thing, but it has some strange sounds in it. “Seven” is this kind of nostalgic, emotional folk song. Even before she sang to it, I felt this nostalgia, wistful feeling in it, and I think that’s what she gravitated towards. And “Peace,” that just showed me the incredible versatility that she had. That song is just three harmonized bass lines and a pulse. I love to play bass like that — play one line then harmonize another, and another, which is a behavior I stole from Justin Vernon, because he’s done that on other things we’ve done together. And actually, that’s his pulse, he sent me that pulse and said, “Do something with this.” But when she wrote that song, which kind of reminds me of a Joni Mitchell song over a harmonized bassline and a pulse, that was kind of like, “Woah, anything can happen here.” That’s not easy to do.

So, in the morning I would wake up and try to be productive. “Mad Woman” is one I wrote shortly after that, in terms of sound world, felt very related to “Cardigan” and “Seven.” I do have a way of playing piano where it’s very melodic and emotional, but then often it’s great if whoever’s singing doesn’t sing exactly what’s in the piano melody, but maybe it’s connected in some way. There was just some chemistry happening with her and how she was relating to those ideas.

“Epiphany” was something she had an idea for, and then I imagined these glacial, Icelandic sounds with distended chords and this almost classical feeling. That was another one where we wrote it and conceived it together. She just has a very instinctive and sharp musical mind, and she was able to compose so closely to what I was presenting. What I was doing was clicking for her. It was exhilarating for us, and it was surreal — we were shocked by it, to be honest [Laughs]. I think the warmth, humanity and raw energy of her vocals, and her writing on this record, from the very first voice memos — it was all there. 

Do you think that chemistry might’ve had something to do with her being a National fan, and you being a fan of her music? 
We met Taylor at Saturday Night Live in 2014, or whenever that was that we played and Lena Dunham was hosting. We got to meet her, and that was our first brush with a bona fide pop star. But then she came to see us play in Brooklyn last summer and was there in a crazy rainstorm, like torrential downpour, and watched the whole show and stayed for a long time afterwards, talking to me and my brother. She was incredibly charming and humble. That’s the nice thing about her, and a lot of people I’ve met that have that kind of celebrity. It’s great when you can just tune it out and be normal people and chat, and that’s how that felt. So, we knew that she was a big fan, and we really got into the 1989 album. Our Icelandic collaborator, Ragnar Kjartansson, is a crazy Swiftie. So we’ve kind of lived vicariously through him. I’ve always been astonished by how masterful she is in her craft. I’ve always listened to her albums and put them in this rarefied category, like, “How did she do that? How does anybody do that? How do you make ‘Blank Space?’” There was an element that was intimidating at first, where it just took me a second to be like… Not because I think her music is better than what we’ve done, but it’s just a different world. 

Were there particular songs, albums or artists the two of you discussed as reference points for this album?
“Betty,” which is a song she wrote with William Bowery, she was interested in sort of early Bob Dylan, like Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, I think. “Epiphany,” early on, felt like some weird Kate Bush-meets-Peter Gabriel thing. I think we talked a little about those things, but not a lot. Actually, I think she really trusted me as far as my instincts to where the music would ultimately go, and also the mixing process.  We really wanted to keep her voice as human, and kind of the opposite of plastic, as possible. That was a bit of a battle. Because everything in pop music tends to be very carved out, a smiley face, and as pushed as possible so that it translates to the radio or wherever you hear it. That can also happen with a National song — like if you changed how these things are mixed, they wouldn’t feel like the same song. And she was really trusting and heard it herself. She would make those calls herself, also. 

You mentioned William Bowery — who is he?
He’s a songwriter, and actually because of social distancing, I’ve never met him. He actually wrote the original idea for “Exile,” and then Taylor took it and ran with it. I don’t actually know to be totally honest. 

We’ve been trying to track him down, he doesn’t have much of an internet presence.
Yeah, I don’t fully know him, other than he wrote “Betty” and “Exile” with her. But you know she’s a very collaborative person, so it was probably some songwriter. 

So it’s not an alias for anyone?
No, no, no. I mean, I don’t know — she didn’t tell me there was a “Cardigan” video until literally it came out, and I wrote the song with her [laughs]. So I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure he’s an actual songwriter. She enjoys little mysteries. 

“These are kind of these folkloric, almost mythical tales that are woven in of childhood, lost love, and different sentiments across the record.”

With the National, you and your brother write the music, Matt Berninger adds the lyrics, and then you fuse it — was it a similar process on Folklore?
Taylor is very collaborative in that sense that, whenever she sent a voice memo, she would send all the lyrics and then ask me what I thought. And sometimes we would debate certain lines, although generally she’s obviously a strong writer. So she would ask me if I liked one line, and she would give me alternate lines and I would give her my opinion. And then when she was actually tracking vocals, I would sometimes suggest things or miss things, but she definitely has a lot of respect for the collaborative process and wants whoever she’s writing with to feel deeply included in that process. It was nice, and was a back and forth, for sure. And she would sometimes have ideas about the production if she didn’t like something, especially. She would, in a tactful way, bring that up. I appreciated that, too, since I wanted to try to turn over every leaf, take risks and sometimes get it wrong. That always takes a second, to get over and then you start again. 

You mentioned earlier that once you had six, seven songs, she was able to describe a concept behind the album. I’m curious what that conversation was like. 
She would always explain what each song was about to me, even before she articulated the Folklore concept. And I could tell early on that they were these narrative songs, often told from a different… not in the first person. So there are different characters in the songs that appear in others. You may have a character in “Betty” that’s also related to one in “Cardigan,” for example. And I think that was, in her mind, very, very important. It doesn’t seem like, for this record at least, that she was inspired to write something until she really knew what it was about. And I think I’m used to a more — at least lately — impressionistic and experimental world of making stuff without really knowing what it is. But this was more direct, in that sense. That was really helpful, to know what it was about and it would guide some of the choices we were making. 

Every time she would send something, she would narrate a little bit, like how it fit, or what it was about. And then when she told me about Folklore as a concept, it made so much sense. Like “The Last Great American Dynasty,” for example, this kind of narrative song that then becomes personal at the end — it flips and she enters the song. These are kind of these folkloric, almost mythical tales that are woven in of childhood, lost love, and different sentiments across the record. It was binding it all together and I think it’s personal, but also through the guise of other people, friends and loved ones.

You were working in secret — how did that affect the process? Was that a difficult burden?
It was. I was humbled and honored and grateful for the opportunity and for the crazy sort of alchemy we were having. But it was hard not to be able to talk openly with my usual collaborators, even my brother at first. I didn’t know if I could really tell him, because we normally… Ultimately, he helped me quite a bit, he orchestrated songs. But we always help each other. But eventually, we figured out how to do it. Towards the end of the process, I said to Taylor, ‘I really feel that I need to try a few experiment and try to elevate a few moments on the record because we have time, and we’ve really done a ton of work here, and it all sounds great, but I think we can go even further.’ And then she said, ‘Well what does that mean?’ And I explained how that would work, and the way that we work. Our process is very community-oriented, and we have long-time collaborators that we have a good understanding with. So I was able to say, to my friends, ‘This is a song I’m working on, I can’t send it to you with the vocals, and I can’t tell you what it is, but I can explain what I’m imagining.’ And the same with my brother, he knows my music so well that that was very easy for him to just take things that we were working on, add to that, and do his kind of work. So it was all remote and everyone was in their corner and we were shipping things around. It was incredibly fast because of that, because you didn’t have eight people needing to come to the studio. You had eight people working simultaneously — one in France and one in L.A. and one in Brooklyn. This is how it went, and it was fun. We got there. 

When were you able to tell everyone who contributed that this was the Taylor Swift record, what was their reaction?
You can imagine. I think they realized it was something big because [of] the confidentiality, and they were like, ‘It could only be a few things.’ I couldn’t tell them until, basically, when she announced it. Just in the moments after she announced it, I basically told everyone. I was like, ‘By the way…’ And they were thrilled. Everyone’s thrilled. Nobody seemed mad, everyone was thrilled and honored. Even Justin Vernon had not heard anything else except “Exile,” even though the pulse of that song “Peace,” he gave that song to me. It was important to have it be a surprise, and you know how it can be with someone in her position, with all the speculation, and she’s always under a lot of pressure like that. So it was really important to the creative freedom she was feeling that this remained a secret, so she could just do what we were doing. 

Being such longtime friends and collaborators with Justin, what was it like hearing “Exile” for the first time? His voice and Taylor’s together? 
He’s so versatile and has such a crazy range, and puts so much emotion��� Every time he sings when I’m in his presence, my head just kind of hits the back of the wall. That’s the same on this song. William Bowery and Taylor wrote that song together, got it to a certain point, then I sort of interpreted it and developed a recording of it, and then Taylor tracked both the male and female parts. And then we sent it to Justin and he re-did obviously the male parts and changed a few things and also added his own: He wrote the “step right out” part of the bridge, and Taylor re-sang to that. You feel like, in a weird way, you’re watching two of the greatest songwriters and vocalists of our generation collaborating. I was facilitating it and making it happen, and playing all the music. But it was definitely a “Wow.” I was just a fan at that point, seeing it happen. 

Are there any moments that really stick out to you as particularly pivotal in shaping the sound of this record? 
The initial response. When we first connected, and I sent a folder of music and Taylor wrote “Cardigan,” and she said, “This is abnormal. Why do you have all these songs that are so emotional and so moving to me? This feels fated.” And then she just dove into it and embraced this emotional current. And I hope that’s what people take out of it: The humanity in her writing and melodies. It’s a different side to her. She could have been every bit as successful just making these kinds of songs, but it’s so great that she’s also made everything that she’s ever made, and this is a really interesting shift, and an emotional one. It also opens other doors, because now it’s kind of like she can go wherever she wants, creatively. The pressure to make a certain kind of… bop — or whatever you want to call it — is not there really anymore. And I think that’s really liberating, and I hope her fans and the world are excited by that because I am. It’s really special. 

#taylor swift #folklore

[scotianostra]

Happy 58th birthday to The Proclaimers Charlie And Craig Reid born on 5th March 1962 in Leith.

Growing up in Edinburgh, Cornwall, and the Fife town Auchtermuchty, they listened to early rock & roll and country, gravitating toward artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams. After playing in various punk bands during their school years, they formed The Proclaimers in 1983 and quickly developed a regional fan base with a particularly devoted following in Inverness. As an acoustic duo singing -style harmonies in the mid-'80s.

After touring with the Housemartins the Scottish duo were signed by Chrysalis records, they were immediately compared to the Everly Brothers. Considering their energetic, melodic folk-rock, the comparison made some sense, even though the Proclaimers didn't really sound like the Everlys. Instead, the band was a post-punk pop band, aggressively displaying their thick accents on sweet, infectiously melodic songs about love, politics, and life in Scotland. After two albums in the late '80s,This Is the Story and Sunshine on Leith, the second featured one of my fave songs by the twins, My Old Friend The Blues, a Steve Earle song about depression. 

The band disappeared for several years, suffering from personal problems and severe writer's block. When their 1988 song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" was used in the 1993 film Benny & Joon, the duo began to receive massive radio airplay in America, sending them into the Top Ten in the U.S., as well as the rest of the world; it was their first taste of worldwide success. 

Luckily, the band was close to completing their third album at the time, Hit the Highway, leaving them in a position to capitalise on their success. The single Let's Get Married received little attention, and the band pretty much disappeared in the eyes of the general public, but diehard fans like myself knew they were special and still had loads to offer. 

They made various contributions to several movie soundtracks -- Dumb & Dumber and Bottle Rocket -- during the latter part of the decade, but family priorities took full scale. 

The new millennium gave us a much more fresh sounding Proclaimers. They inked a new U.S. deal with Nettwerk, and Persevere marked Craig and Charlie Reid's fourth album, and my favourite. It was a return to form; singing about the grim and glory of their native Scotland, but also a sign of the prime of life, my pick of the album being Scotland's Story which drew parallels between historical migrations to Scotland and arrivals of more recent immigrants. The song list included the beautifully crafted My Act of Remembrance, which paid tribute to their late father, if you haven't listened to it please do on the YouTube video I have posted. 

Arms of steel, hair of gold Royal blue eyes, with a rebel soul You scared me, you still do But I loved you More than you ever knew.... The band's fifth effort, Born Innocent, appeared on their own imprint Persevere in February 2004, produced by fellow Scot Edwyn Collins, Restless Soul followed a year later, the song When Love Struck You Down is another strong song by the brothers. Life with You in 2007 gave us the song of the same name which is a karaoke favourite in Scotland. I sing the older songs from the 80's myself. 

The Proclaimers have given us 11 studio albums and they tour worldwide, my favourite wee anecdote from the Reids is regards their song Throw the R away. The record companies who were keen to sign them told them unless they ditched the Scottish accents they would not be successful, the song tells us 

You say that if I want to get ahead The language I use should he left for dead It doesn't please your ears.

In an interview a couple of years ago Charlei commented "it was a conscious thing, because we were singing about where we live, our experiences and it just felt stupid to sing in an English or American accent." Quite right too. 

No sign of a new album since the top 20 Angry Cyclist in 2018, but lately Craig and Charlie are amongst fellow Scots Bill Paterson, Rebus writer Ian Rankin, and bizarrely Irish-American actress Saoirse Ronan, who have lent their voices to a new audio guide for Edinburgh Castle. I have never used the guides myself, but may do so on my next visit to see how they sound.

#scotland #scottish #singersongwriters #musicians

[theasstour]

0107. Lento assai.

Friday, 6 February 2015

FIC PAGE | CHAPTER SYMPHONY | WORD COUNT: 8k

NB: explicit language, alcohol

Storming out of the building, Y/N tried to calm herself down so she wouldn’t cry in public, as she was humiliated enough as it was. So humiliated in fact, that she wasn’t sure she could ever show her face to anyone ever again. That job interview had been so bad that she felt like throwing up, and she had no doubt that would be exactly what she would do when she got back to the flat. With all the jobs she had applied for she’d only hear back from a small handful, where one of those had been at Primark. And that was where she was sprinting out now. She zig-zagged her way through the horde of people, hoping all of them were having a better day than she was having. All Y/N wanted now was to get back to the flat, lay down in her bed, and forget this day ever happened.

On the tube on the way home, Y/N did what she was best at: thought about all the different ways she could have better her job interview. This always happened. She would make a complete twit of herself because she was so nervous, so the right words never entered her mind, and when she couldn’t speak properly it was kind of hard to answer someone as words were essential when you were being interviewed. All the four job interviews she had been to this last month had gone to complete poo, and she hated that she wasn’t able to control her emotions, her anxiety.

Walking into the flat, she could hear Tiana, Spencer and Finn in the kitchen. As much as she wanted to be in her room and cry to herself, she knew Tiana would sense something was wrong and would do anything in her power to make Y/N smile again. So, changing out of her interview clothes and into comfortable lounge wear, Y/N put her slippers on and walked into the kitchen.

“Hello, babes.” Tiana said, grinning. “You alright?”

Y/N only smiled and sat down beside Tiana who threw an arm around her shoulders, kissing her temple.

“Want to talk about the interview?” Finn asked, eyebrows raised in question.

Y/N shook her head.

“Okay,” Finn clapped his hands together. “Hope you girls are going to wear something slutty tonight, because I want nothing but the best for my best mate on his birthday.”

“Wasn’t his birthday on the 1st? Last Sunday?” Spencer asked.

“So?” Finn shrugged. “The geezer needs a distraction. He’s so stressed about uni.”

“Isn’t everyone, though?” Tiana chirped in, still rubbing Y/N’s upper arm and holding her close.

“Yea, but Harry is Harry.” Finn said. “If I was a girl, I’d dress so slutty for him I would’ve ended up standing on a street corner in-“

“-Piss off, Finn!” Tiana said, making both Spencer and Y/N chuckle. “I’m sure Y/N will wear something nice for him, won’t you, doll?”

“Sure, she will.” Finn nodded. “And what about you, Ti?”

“I’m not going.”

“Because of Danny?”

Tiana nodded.

“Don’t let that toss ruin everything. We want you there tonight.” Finn reasoned, sounding genuinely sad that Tiana might not come along tonight.

“Yea, I know, but at the same time I really don’t want to see him, you know what I mean? Like, I want to go, but I don’t.” Tiana removed her arm from around Y/N’s shoulders, and now it was Y/N’s turn to comfort her friend. Placing a hand on her thigh, she took Tiana’s hand in hers, reassuring her that whether she wanted to come tonight or not, it was fine.

“What happened between you two anyway?” Spencer seemed oblivious to the way Tiana tensed up, and Y/N squeezed her friend’s hand. “You never said.”

“She didn’t want to, Spenc.” Y/N answered, making Spencer look up from his phone where he was texting someone.

“We won’t talk about that. Sorry, Ti.” Finn said, looking at Spencer and then Tiana again. “How about I stay by your side all night, yea? Won’t let him get anywhere near you.”

“It’s not that I don’t want him anywhere near me, it’s just that-“ Tiana stopped herself, biting her lips together as she tried to form coherent sentences in her head. “Seeing him will make me cry.”

Y/N leaned into Tiana who leaned back, needing someone to carry her weight for her a little bit. Y/N would never make Tiana speak about anything she wasn’t ready to, and though she adored Spencer and everything about him, she found herself a little annoyed at how unobservant he had been asking Tiana that question. But by the way he was looking at Tiana now, like he knew he had been wrong bringing it up, she knew he wouldn’t ever speak about it again. It was no one’s place, and Tiana was clearly not happy talking about any of it.

“We won’t force you into anything, okay?” Y/N assured her. “If you feel like tagging along, you’re free to. And if you don’t want to, then that’s fine, too. Whatever you feel comfortable with, just know that no matter what, the whole flat will gladly scissor Danny’s balls off if he even glanced in your direction.”

Finn gasped, and Y/N looked over. “Y/N,” he said, hand on his heart. “I have never heard you talk like that before, mate.”

She laughed.

“Never heard you talk about balls before, didn’t know if you knew what they were.”

She laughed again, and so did Tiana and Spencer. Finn got up, walking over to the fridge to get the pizza he’d have for dinner, putting the oven on as he read on the back of the package.

“You guys reckon I could be blessed enough to shag tonight?” Finn asked, getting the baking paper out.

“You’re going on the pull?” Spencer grinned, putting his phone away. “Interesting.”

“What’s interesting about that? I’m a peng geez, ain’t I?” Finn pointed at himself, rolling his hips. “I’m big with the ladies.”

“Oh God.” Tiana covered her eyes. “How I wish I had bad eyesight so I wouldn’t have witnessed that.”

“It turned you on, queen Ti, admit it.” Finn giggled, opening the pizza and putting it on the trey.

“So you’re going to go for it tonight?” Y/N smiled at her flatmate how smiled back, giving her a wink.

“I will try not to be loud if I bring the bird back here, lads. But no promises.” He said. “They agree with me a lot.”

“Jesus Christ!” Tiana made a grimace. “Can you not be a dog?”

“Not being a dog, just being truthful!” Finn defended himself, not being able to help his smile. “Who doesn’t like an honest man?”

“You’re being too open and too honest.” Tiana giggled, and so did Y/N. “But, mate, if you’re not taking the piss and you actually will go on the pull, then I might just come along just to watch that.”

Finn looked up from where he was hunched before the oven, a beam on his face. “Are you being for real? You’ll come?”

“Only if you make a complete ass of yourself trying to pull.”

Finn ran over to Tiana, picking her up and out of her chair. With his arms wrapped around her torso, and a screaming Tiana against him, he ran around the kitchen singing along to a Chainsmokers song Y/N didn’t know the name of. Spencer got his phone out, laughing at the two, and took a video, saving the happy moment on his phone so they could remember it forever.

“You always look so fit, Y/N.” Tiana said, putting on lipstick before she thought herself ready to go out.

Y/N looked at herself in the mirror of Tiana’s room to check if her blue, vanilla and yellow checked mini shirt wasn’t too short. She wasn’t wearing tights underneath, so if her bum showed, so would her knickers, and she wasn’t too keen on that happening. Tucked into the skirt was a black turtleneck, on her feet a pair of Tiana’s black Dr Martens, and just at the top, some of her long white socks were showing. Along with her black leather Y/Net and a purse to match, Y/N was set to go.

“You sure the skirt won’t ride up and my bullocks will show?”

“Just make sure Harry’s around when that happens, babes, and you’re golden.” Tiana said, making Y/N blush.

When they were both done, they walked out into the kitchen where all their other flatmates were waiting, and then flat 34 was on their way again. Tiana and Y/N holding hands while in Tiana’s other was a Sainsbury’s bag with two bottles of wine; one for her and one for Y/N. In the front walked Finn and Ian, joking around, and Becky walked alone, texting on her phone with El and Blessing, Y/N guessed. Spencer and Annie walked in the back, talking about something Y/N couldn’t hear, and beside her Tiana was humming. It took them about 15 minutes to walk to Cotton Row Halls, the most expensive of the four student accommodations at Battersea Uni. Y/N had never been there before, but as she stood outside the all-white building, she knew it would she would be very overwhelmed when she walked inside.

Sending Wade a message, Finn put his phone back in his pocket and waited until his friend opened the front door, grinning at all of them. Instead of taking the lift, they all walked up to flat 8, Finn and Wade talking excitedly in the front. The rest of flat 34 had been here for predrinks during Freshers Week, but this was Y/N’s first time in flat 8, and for some reason this had her very nervous. She shimmied her skirt down as they reached the flat, making sure it wasn’t too far up, and tried to ignore Tiana giggling at her.

“Flat 34, boys!” Finn shouted as they strolled through the door, walking straight into a white communal area. “Let’s get drinking!”

Y/N let Tiana walk in front of her, though they were still holding tightly onto one another as Danny came into view, sitting beside El and Blessing. Becky instantly walked over to them, sitting down and gossiped right away, clearly having a lot on her heart. Ian placed a hand on Tiana’s shoulder as they found a place around the dining table. Everything was white, Y/N noticed, and everything looked so incredibly clean compared to Westbridge. The kitchen counters weren’t filled with dirty dishes, packs of mouldy bread, and crumbs. Their walls were smeared with questionable substances, bumps and ants. The floor wasn’t carpeted, but it wasn’t dirty either, it was literally shining straight up at Y/N when she examined it. Cotton Row was everything Westbridge wasn’t, and somehow Y/N didn’t mind that. Westbridge had grown on her. And no matter how much she hated it at times, she had also had the time of her life there so far.

After looking at the flat, Y/N hated herself for searching the room. Hated herself for letting her heart race a little. Hating herself for feeling disappointed when she couldn’t find him.

“How much have you lot had to drink?” Finn asked from Y/N’s left, sitting beside Danny so neither Y/N nor Tiana had to.

“None, bruv.” Wade said. “Waiting for Harry. Takes fucking ages to get ready, so far up his own arse when it comes to clothes.”

“I think that’s hot.” Becky said, opening her Malibu and pouting some into a plastic cup. “Not enough blokes care how they dress.”

“Oh, hold on, Becky, that’s not true!” Ian said, face in an offended furrow. “I care how I dress!”

“But you don’t dress like Harry, do ya?” She cocked her head, making El and Blessing giggle, and Tiana roll her eyes a little.

“Birthday boy’s gotta look lush, yea?” Harry walked out of one of the two corridors, smiling like he always did. Y/N almost gasped as he walked out, looking so good something inside her brain shifted. The green jumper he was wearing brought out the green in his eyes, and the white collar by his neck emphasised just how sharp his jawline was. With a pair of dark grey trousers, a black belt holding them up and a silver chain hanging down from the right side of his hips, Harry looked absolutely stunning. He strode over to the table, sitting down between Becky and Wade, leaning across the table to shake Finn’s hand, only for a single second locking eyes with Y/N before he looked away, smile widening.

“Can we start drinking now?” El asked, putting some of her blonde hair behind her ears. “I want to get hammered.”

“Haven’t shown Y/N around the flat yet.” Harry said, making Y/N blink and look right across the table at him. “Doesn’t know where the loo is-“

“-It’s that way.” El said, pointing to the corridor behind her and Y/N looked, a little confused as to which door it was but she didn’t voice her concern. “Now let’s get drinking.”

Y/N glanced back at Harry who seemed to be biting the inside of his cheek while looking at El, not a very fond expression on his face before he looked back at Y/N. She knew Harry had a small – or a very big – difficulty living with El and Blessing, something that had started the second they moved in together, and that had only grown since then, especially when they had a party and completely trashed his room. And to be quite honest, because of this Y/N wasn’t too big of a fan of them either. They had never done anything to her, but they had hurt Harry’s feelings and that was enough for her to not feel good about them. She bit her lip as Harry’s eyes really settled on her, doing the thing where he looked between them a few times before he focused on one of them. The pair stared at each other for a bit, and the hard look on Harry’s face slowly faded away, turning into the smallest of smiles. When his dimples started to show, a curl falling into his forehead, Y/N could feel absolutely everything about her melt. She wasn’t usually a melt, didn’t know how to properly act around someone she was infatuated with, but with Harry it seemed she didn’t know how to control herself. Didn’t know the right answers, or how to breathe without feeling like oxygen somehow wasn’t enough to keep her alive. She looked away, feeling a blush creep on. Harry chuckled from across the table.

“Alright, boys,” Finn said, getting his phone out. “Someone put on some music and I’ll find Shots.”

“On it.” Danny said, reaching for the speaker, putting on some The Weeknd.

“Shots?” Y/N whispered to Finn, and he tilted the phone in her direction to show her the drinking game app on his phone. She nodded, smiling at Tiana as she gave her the wine bottle and a plastic cup.

“Most Likely To anyone?” Finn asked, and grinned at the hoots around the table. “Okay, first one: Most likely to win a Theresa May lookalike competition.”

Y/N laughed along with everyone else, pouring some wine into her cup just as Tiana did the same beside her. Giving her a quick look to make sure she was okay, that she wasn’t too uncomfortable and sad being in the same room as Danny, Y/N looked back at her wine as she saw the coast to be clear.

“Everyone point in three, yea?” Finn said, getting ready to do just that. “Three, two, one-“

Fingers were pointed all over the table, but most were in Ian’s direction, who seemed so incredibly shocked and offended that everyone had to laugh once again.

“What?!” He shouted. “Are you all completely mad?! Fucking twats!” Taking a grip of his cup he sipped his vodka lemonade, shaking his head as it undoubtably was a bit strong.

Finn slapped his hand against the table, grinning madly. “Most likely to give the best oral sex.”

Everyone around the table whistled under their breaths, looking at all the faces to make up their minds. Always incredibly unsure and a little uncomfortable when anything sexual was brought up, Y/N bit her lip and held onto her own hands tightly, not having a single idea as to who she should point to. She could go for a safe option and just point to Tiana who would most likely laugh, or joke around and point to Finn or Ian who would both flirt, but then be over it.

“Three!” Finn said, hand read for pointing. Y/N felt her heart racing. She hadn’t made a decision yet.

“Two!” Who would be best? Who would make most sense?

“One!”

Fingers were pointed and loud laughter and hoots sounded again. Y/N looked at Tiana who was pointing across the table, and when she followed her finger in the direction it was pointed at, Y/N’s mouth fell a bit open when she saw Harry. Multiple people seemed to be pointing at him, and he was grinning hugely, clearly satisfied.

“Harryyyy!” Wade sang, cackling afterwards. “It’s you, mate!”

Harry shrugged, letting his hand who was pointing at Wade fall to the table.

“I mean,” Harry leaned his elbows on the table, shrugging his shoulders again. “You’re not wrong.”

Finn clapped his hands while the rest of the room either shouted in surprise or laughed. As Harry chuckled, Y/N looked around the table at who else had pointed at Harry, and found that all the girls had, as well as Wade and Finn, though Y/N was 100% sure they were taking the piss. Harry gripped his cup, about to say something when Becky interrupted him.

“Of course, it’s him.” She said. “Just look at those lips.”

Harry laughed and everyone else howled low ‘oooh’s that made Becky grin at him, happy with the reaction. She watched him as he took his sip, eyes falling to his very pink and full lips. Y/N felt a pang of something inside her then; something she wasn’t sure she liked. Seeing Becky so unapologetically flirt and stare at him made something possessive take over inside Y/N. Harry wasn’t by any means her boyfriend, so she didn’t have any right feeling the way she was feeling, but at the same time she didn’t want anyone to flirt with him. It was weird, Y/N thought, because she had no right or reason for feeling this way, and yet she did.

“Y/N,” Finn said. “You didn’t point at anyone.”

Y/N froze, looking at him with wide eyes. “I, uhm…” She swallowed. “I couldn’t make up my mind.”

“Just-“

“-It’s obviously me.” Tiana said, taking one of Y/N’s hands and pointing it at herself.

Finn grinned and looked down at his phone before speaking the next assumption to point for. When she looked away from Tiana, Y/N caught Harry’s eyes from across the table. He mouthed a quick ‘you okay’, to which Y/N nodded. That alone made her feel better than anything had done all night. But then she locked eyes with Becky, and the single second they were looking at each other, her stomach turned to ice and everything she had felt only moments earlier vanished.

They continued to play Most Likely To until everyone was piss drunk, the laughter was loud, and the temperature inside the flat was a little too high. Wade opened the windows to let some fresh air in, and almost fell to the floor when Finn pretended to yank his chair out from under him when he was on the way to the loo. Sai and some other of Harry’s course mates showed up as a surprise, though Wade and Finn had clearly set it up. Putting a Tesco carrot cake down in front of Harry with 20 lit and crammed candles on top, everyone sang the birthday song for him. The claps were loud as Harry blew out all the candles on his first try. Everyone got a piece and Y/N tried not to look too much across the table now that the alcohol started to kick in and her ability to fight her initial instincts were failing her. So, instead she chatted to Annie and Tiana about nothing in particular, feeling a little dizzy as she ate up her piece of the carrot cake.

“Harry,” Becky said. “Mind showing me around the flat? Haven’t really been here before. Or not really that I can remember anyway.”

The chatter was loud, and Y/N didn’t know why she had heard this exact conversation out of the many going on, but she had. And she felt incredibly shitty for it. It took everything in her power not to scream at the top of her lungs as Harry said his yes; to look away from Tiana as Harry walked down the corridor towards his bedroom with Becky following; and to not feel incredibly sad because she didn’t know how to properly handle the situation. However, Y/N managed to control herself and not cry. Focusing on the conversation she was having with Tiana and Annie, she somehow forgot about Harry and Becky altogether. Her attention span was very short when she was drunk, she started to realise, and tonight that was a very good thing. Y/N didn’t really want to think about Harry. Didn’t want to admit to herself or anyone else that she really, really liked him. Didn’t want to open up about the fact that she was very sure he would most likely break her heart, but she was still talking to him and hanging out with him because she wanted to. It was just a crush after all, nothing serious could come of it.

This all reassured Y/N, because she knew getting involved with someone while at university would only complicate things. She would lose focus, find new priorities she did not need to be finding, start thinking differently, and so on. The only thing Y/N needed was to focus on her degree and nothing but. She knew her and Harry would never happen, but it was fun to imagine it to; it was fun having a crush because it made every day, every interaction with them a little more special. It was something innocent to look forward to.

As Harry and Becky came walking back into the kitchen, talking to each other, Y/N had to pinch herself so she wouldn’t look at them. She had no idea it would ever be this hard to be ignoring someone in the same room as her, especially when all she wanted to do was look at him, study him and watch as he moved, smiled, and breathed. Y/N, Tiana and Annie all finished their bottles of wine, all pretty pissed once the time came to leave for the club. It took them some time to get down the stairs as they were adamant on walking down and not taking the lift, even though Finn tried to drag them in with him. He waited for them downstairs, though.

It took them around 20 minutes to walk to The Grand, a nightclub in Clapham. Y/N had never been to a nightclub before, and she was both very eager and very anxious to go to one. But with Tiana, Annie, and Finn joining her, she knew she would be fine. They would never leave her as all of them knew just how much she dreaded being alone in huge crowds of people.

In the queue outside The Grand, Sai slung his arm around Harry’s shoulders and started singing, at the top of his lungs, Bromance by Chester See and Ryan Higa. Wade quickly joined in, singing it to Harry whose cheeks were reddening. Y/N looked away when she realised she was staring a little too intently. Harry was just so insanely cute when he was flustered or blushing, which didn’t usually happen, and Y/N found herself thinking and hoping to one day be able to do it. Once they got inside the club, it was very hard for the whole group to stick together. Tiana, Annie and Y/N all managed to, but everyone else kind of fell away from them.

For some reason, Y/N was thankful for that. She had no idea why, but she was a little mad at Harry. She knew she had no right to be, but she was angry at him for giving in to Becky and giving her what she wanted. Never had he voiced his dislike for Becky, but Y/N knew he didn’t like Blessing and El, though he never talked about Becky. Never. Whenever Becky talked to him or wanted his attention, he seemed to give her what she wanted. This made Y/N doubt everything she had ever thought about her and Harry, because maybe, at the end of the day, all he wanted was to spend time with her so he could sneakily make a move on Becky. Y/N didn’t know how boys worked. How their thought process worked or if they even felt the same way she did. But she could not help feeling a little hopeless as Harry disappeared from view, Becky beside him and the loud music and crowd of the club completely devouring her and her two friends.

Y/N soon lost herself in the madness of the club. Dancing the night away with Tiana and Annie, there was nothing on her mind but the song playing loudly over the speakers, the bass moving the rhythm of her heart, and the droplets of sweat running down her back. Only a handful of times did Y/N see Harry. He was with Sai, Wade and Finn, dancing along to the music as well. Every time their eyes met they would both kind of stop moving for a bit, losing themselves in the sight of the other; entranced. And after a few second of that, Harry would push through his little circle of friends to get to her. And each time, Y/N would pull Tiana and Annie away to dance somewhere else out of sight of Harry. Harry would look over again only to find the spot taken by someone else, and when searching the room for her, would wind up not finding Y/N or any of her mates.

After three times of this happening, Y/N knew Harry would question her about it later. It wasn’t normal behaviour for her to avoid someone, but she for some reason did not want to talk to Harry. Talking to him would remind her of him and Becky in the flat earlier, and that would only make her very sad. So, instead of confronting Harry about this she opted for keeping quiet and pushing him away. Tiana was starting to catch on after a while but didn’t say anything. She knew Y/N well enough to know when to push for information and when to not. So, the three girls just danced together and had fun like they always did when they hung out together, making the most of the night.

“I need a wee!” Y/N shouted between Tiana and Annie, who both nodded and motioned they would stay where they were until she came back. Making her way through the crowd, Y/N got to one of the girl loos. The queue was horrendous, so she decided to try the other one by the bar. Walking there it was impossible not to notice Harry where he stood leaning against the counter with his mates. Their eyes met, and Y/N sped up past him and in the direction of the toilets.

“Later, lads.” Harry said before following Y/N. “Y/N!”

She ignored him, walking up the stairs to the toilets.

“Y/N!”

There were next to no one here. Y/N thanked herself for being observant when they walked in and seeing this hidden loo. Opening the door into the women’s toilet, she was happy to see no one else in there. Thinking herself safe from Harry following her now, she just about screamed when the door into the toilet opened and Harry stepped inside. With a hand to her heart, she watched Harry run a hand through his hair before pointing at her, panting slightly.

“What’s going on?”

Y/N’s mouth fell open, no words forming.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I have not!”

“Oh, yea sure!” Harry seemed very annoyed, the frown in his forehead deeper than Y/N had ever seen it before. “Every time I’ve talked toward you tonight on the dancefloor to dance with you, you’ve walked right off!”

“Well…!” Y/N gestured wildly with her hands. “Maybe I didn’t want you to dance with me!”

Harry blinked, taking a step back. “What?”

Y/N nodded.

“Why?”

Y/N shrugged.

“Y/N, talk to me. Why didn’t you want me close to you? Have I done something to upset you?” He seemed so desperate Y/N almost felt sorry for him. “Please tell me. I don’t want…” He sighed. “I don’t want you to be mad at me.”

Y/N crossed her arms. “You never said anything about her.”

Harry frowned again. “About who?”

“Becky.”

Harry inhaled sharply. “You’re… You’re mad at me because of Becky?”

“Well…” Y/N tightened her grip on her arms. “Yes!”

“Why?”

“Because you… you gave up straight away on showing me around your flat, but jumped at the opportunity to show Becky!” Y/N felt her heart racing, realising Harry might like Becky better than her and not crying at the thought of that was very hard. “You always talk about how much you dislike Blessing and El, but never Becky!”

“Don’t know her well enough to have an opinion on her!”

“I feel so stupid bringing it up, but I-“

Y/N stopped talking as she heard someone talking loudly on their way up the stairs to the girl’s toilet.

“But you what, Y/N?!”

Harry heard them too then, the girls outside laughing loudly at something, and he looked over his shoulder at the door that would soon open up. Quickly, he took a grip of Y/N’s wrist and walked into a random stall, locking it just as the girls entered, talking at an inhuman volume and howling with laughter at the same time.

“But you what?” Harry repeated.

It was only then Y/N noticed how close they were standing. Harry’s breath hit her nose as she looked up at him, his eyes looking into hers like they would give him the answer if her lips didn’t. They had never been standing this close to one another. Y/N had never seen Harry on the brink of blurriness; never needed for him to move closer and get blurrier as much as right now. She was desperate for him. Desperate for everything about him; for his hands, his eyes, his breath, his lips, his words, his time, his body. Desperation was a taste that would linger; like a sweet you wish you’d never have eaten but you were stuck with the taste of it in your mouth now after a little taste. Y/N knew that the minute Harry kissed her, he would only make that desperation worse, but she craved for him to. It was like nothing could ever be enough. Y/N could never get enough of him.

“Y/N?” Harry whispered, the girls outside and inside some of the stalls talking over their hushed voices. “Talk to me.”

Her eyes fell to his lips, trying to hide her swallowing at the sight of them. When she looked up at him, she could tell by the way his eyelids had lowered over his eyes that he had noticed her staring. It was impossible for him not to have caught her looking, but she still felt a little embarrassed about him maybe knowing she wanted him to kiss her.

“Why are you talking about Becky?” He asked again, this time a little louder.

“I just…” Y/N shrugged. “I…”

Harry shifted, somehow getting closer to her. “You what?”

“I don’t like her.”

Harry put the toilet seat down and sat on it, looking up at her as she leaned against the wall of the stall. “Why?”

Y/N shrugged, listening as the girls outside started making their way out into the club again.

“Y/N, please talk to me.”

She looked way.

“Y/N-“

“-She’s not afraid to ask for your attention.”

Harry blinked.

“Whenever I want you to pay attention to me, she gets it because she makes you pay attention to her.” She shook her head. “I don’t have the guts to do that.”

Harry just looked at Y/N, a little shocked because she was never upfront about anything. Y/N never spoke freely like this about anything, so hearing her actually voice her concern was new to him. Hadn’t she been drunk, she probably would not have said anything, they both knew that. The terror of having Harry know exactly how she felt made everything inside Y/N turn with mortification. She turned for the door, about to unlock it when Harry took a grip of her hand. Yanking her toward him, he noticed he put a little too much force into it, because she lost her balance and fell on top of him. Both of her legs were on either side of his left thigh, her torso flat against his chest, and her hands pushing her back so she could look at him.

Neither of them laughed. Y/N was shocked, mouth open as she stared down at Harry who was looking quite seriously right up at her. That teasing smile he usually had lingering on his lips wasn’t there anymore. As both of his hands rested on her hip, holding her loosely in place, Y/N felt everything inside her scream. Harry’s hands were on her hips. And it felt like they were burning holes through her skirt. They felt so warm.

“You have my attention now.” Harry said, voice low as his fell to her lips and then to her eyes again. “You always have it, Y/N. No one else. Always you.”

Harry drew her closer to him. Y/N gasped as her centre rubbed against Harry’s thigh. Harry’s grip tightened a bit as he realised what he had done. How he had made her feel. Their eyes met, understanding dawning on both of them. Again, Y/N felt ashamed of showing just how much everything about Harry got to her. It was impossible for her to hide when all her guards were down it seemed, as everything she felt was doubled when she was drunk. She tried to push away from him again, knowing that if she was close to him like this for any longer, she would undoubtably lean in herself.

“Y/N.”

Harry whispered as he drew her to him again, and Y/N couldn’t help the small whimper leaving her lips, her sensitive bud rubbing against him again.

“You have me.” He said. “With everything I am and ever will be; you have me.”

She placed her hands on either of his shoulders, looking down at him.

“I am at your complete disposal.” He leaned forward, moving his chest so Y/N moved her body, more specifically her hips. “Always have been.”

He sat back and Y/N moved her hips on her own this time, the grasp she had on his shoulders tightening.

“Becky might have asked for my attention,” he continued, green eyes turning a shade darker as Y/N rocked her hips back and forth once again, very slowly. “But you never have to.”

Y/N let out a breathy moan, the feeling of Harry’s strong leg against her sensitive bud better than she ever would have thought it to. Knowing he felt the same way she did, that he was only ever giving Becky the time of day because she made him, made her feel so incredibly happy that the butterflies in her tummy went crazy. They flew into her core, flying in a circle so fast and creating a low hum of pleasure. She closed her eyes, feeling out Harry’s muscled leg. When she opened her eyes, looking straight into his, she could tell he hadn’t taken his eyes off her for a single second. He had watched her get acquainted with him; gotten familiar with the places to press down to get that spark of pleasure and where his muscles were defined.

As his mouth fell open at the sight of her, Y/N suddenly became very aware of how wet she actually was. Her cunt was slick and very hot as she drove it across Harry. He no doubt felt her. Staring at her the way he did, Y/N was somehow sure he didn’t mind wet marks up and down his thigh for later. Being wet like this, every little sensation she felt was heightened, especially her clit. The first audible moan left her lips, small like a loud whimper.

“Yea?” He whispered, voice coated in lust. “Does that feel good?”

Y/N closed her eyes, Harry’s hands roaming higher up her sides. The more pressure she was putting on her clit, the more pleasure she felt. Y/N didn’t masturbate often, so when she did, she usually came pretty fast. However, she was suddenly very scared Harry would think she was weird for coming too fast. She didn’t want him to think she’d never done anything before. She didn’t want him to think she was as pure as everyone thought her to be. Not him. But as she felt his thumbs skim the underside of her breasts, his hands moving to caress down her back, she suddenly lost all sense of anything but the feeling of her building orgasm. Another moan; this one louder and breathy.

“Fuck, Y/N.”

She opened her eyes, taking a bit more effort now that she was so close. She started moving her hips harder and faster. Harry’s hands on her hips, squeezed her a little as he noticed how close she was.

“Go on.” Harry said. “Come on me.”

Just then, another gang of girls walked in, talking amongst themselves. Y/N stopped for a bit, but Harry squeezed her hip. Their eyes met once again, and she started rocking. Looking into his eyes alone, when he was below her like this, not even caring about himself but only her, his green eyes were enough to make her come alone. Harry placed a hand in her hair, gently pushing her ear close to his mouth.

“Come on me, baby.” He whispered again, voice rasping.

Y/N’s grip on Harry’s shoulders tightened once again as the tension in her core did the same. Her movements were frantic, needing the friction to increase and the fire in her lower stomach to build up into a bonfire of pleasure. Y/N bit down hard on her lip so she wouldn’t moan now that other people were in the room with them. All her nerves perked up, a climax not far away.

“Y/N?!”

Y/N sat upright faster than she thought possible, stopping as she was pressed flush against Harry’s torso.

“Y/N, you in here?!”

Tiana.

Y/N looked back at Harry who was just as shocked as she was. She had been gone for a while now so it made sense for Tiana to come looking for her. Didn’t mean she wanted her to right now. As Tiana started asking everyone by the sinks if they had seen her, Harry had thought of a solution.

“Your feet,” he whispered. “Put them around my waist.”

Y/N frowned, but Harry completely ignored her. He got her into a standing position, and gestured for her to straddle his lap. Once she had done that, lowered herself till her thighs were around him, Harry sat a little further out on the seat so she could put her legs behind him. To the outside world, it now only seemed like one person was using that stall as only Harry’s feet were showing. Like this, however, both of them knew Y/N couldn’t get off. The disappointment must have been transparent on Y/N’s face, because Harry moved his hand from where it rested at her lower back and onto her exposed thigh.

“I could…” Harry whispered, voice trailing off.

Once again it dawned on Y/N that they had never been closer than this. Harry’s breath met her lips now, heat from his body mingling with hers. She could smell the beer he’d had earlier and see that spec of brown in his left iris. Harry’s hand trailed upward, the tips of his fingers under Y/N’s skirt that was resting very far up on her thighs.

“Y/N, you have to tell me if you want me to or not.” He whispered, he rested his forehead against hers, and her heart picked up speed. “I won’t touch you unless you want me to.”

“I do.” She whispered back. “I do.”

“Y/N?!” Tiana shouted again, making both of them jump a bit and giggle. Y/N felt bad for not telling Tiana where she was, but she was sure her best friend would be okay once she told her what had happened with Harry.

Harry’s hand trailed up Y/N’s thigh, skimming the inside of it. His middle finger stroked up and down her knickers, feeling the wetness of them and driving Y/N completely mad. She bit her lip, watching as he sat back to admire her. Putting a little more pressure on her, Harry watched as Y/N let go of her lip, mouth falling open as he rubbed her bud. It was like it was impossible to take her eyes off him when he touched her like this, like every single movement started from somewhere deep in his eyes and then he touched her. He pulled her knickers aside, index and middle finger stroking between her folds, feeling very little inch of her exposed cunt. They rested at her hole, and Y/N swallowed, gasping a little for breath.

“This okay?” Harry whispered. “You okay with me doing this?”

Y/N nodded. And Harry pushed his fingers inside her. Y/N’s head fell back, mouth open as Harry drove them in and out of her. She hadn’t been far from an orgasm when she rode his thigh, but she knew without a doubt she would come quicker and harder with Harry fingering her like this. Curling his fingers, he pounded them harder and faster as he felt her hands on his shoulders grip so hard her nails almost pierced through his jumper and shirt. He was hitting that exact spot that was like throwing fuel into a flame, because Y/N felt nothing but her climax just then. A bubble that was about to burst, the pleasure inside of her was like white noise in her ears. Nothing but the feeling of Harry’s fingers, his hot body between her thighs, and his other hand on her lower back; nothing but that meant anything.

She looked at him again, frantic because the orgasm she was about to have would undoubtably make her legs shake. She leaned her forehead against his, the left side of her nose resting against his, and her eyes shut.

“That’s it.” Harry said, lips just barely moving.

Someone was blowing their hands dry. Someone else laughed. The bass from downstairs was shaking up the entire bathroom. But Y/N only cared about Harry’s fingers as they pounded her faster. She breathed harshly and maybe a bit too loudly, but she could not control herself. Harry’s eyes were open as he watched the bubble of Y/N’s orgasm burst. She gasped. It ran up her spine, her torso, down her thighs, and to her fingertips. She felt it everywhere, like it radiated off her entire body. It was like magic had found a place to hide inside of her, running through her like every incredible sensation the world had to offer. The orgasm toned down in waves and Y/N only realised once she opened her eyes again that her legs had been shaking. Harry smiled up at her, putting her knickers back in place and sitting back.

They stared at each other for a while, like nether could believe what had just happened. It wasn’t meant to happen. Neither had planned for it to. But it had. And Y/N didn’t feel ashamed, didn’t regret it, didn’t feel like apologising in the slightest. She was glad it had happened, in fact. Now she knew how Harry felt.

“Best fucking birthday gift I’ve ever gotten.” He said, voice still as husky as it had been when she had talked to her during.

Y/N rolled her eyes, smiling back at him. She could feel herself blushing. “This wasn’t your birthday gift.”

“No?”

She shook her head.

“But you didn’t give me one.”

Y/N put her feet on the floor again, getting up. “I won’t give you my… my… my below for your birthday.”

“Not what I meant, darling.” Harry said. “Watching you come was a cinematic masterpiece. And something I’ve wanted to see for a while now.”

Y/N bit her lip, and the two of them laughed. They agreed on Harry leaving the stall and the loo first, then Y/N would follow after she cleaned herself up. Once everyone who had been in there with them went out into the club again, Harry did the same, making Y/N promise not to avoid him down there later. She promised. After cleaning herself up and looking herself in the mirror afterward, making sure she didn’t look like a complete knob, she walked out of the toilet only to run straight into someone.

“Y/N!”

Tiana hugged her tight, but quickly pushed away, slapping her shoulder.

“You got me worried mad!”

“Sorry.”

Tiana looked at her for a while, then over her shoulder, then back again. “Just met Harry on the way up here.”

“Oh?” Y/N raised her eyebrows.

“Yea.”

“He must’ve been to the loo then.”

“Just like you.”

Y/N nodded. “Just like me, yea.”

Tiana smiled a little, cocking her head to the side. For some reason, she had always been good at reading situations, an ability that had always come in handy whenever the two of them wanted to be nosy together, but not now. Y/N sensed Tiana putting two and two together. So, raising her eyebrows, Y/N cocked her head back at her best friend.

“Have a bad stomach.” Y/N explained.

Tina raised her eyebrows. “Is that so?”

“Yea.”

“So, if I walk in that bathroom right now it’ll smell like shite?”

“Ti!”

“What?!” She grinned. “Just a question!”

“Can we leave, please? I’m tired.” Y/N sighed, knowing that the only way to make her story somewhat believable was for them to head back to Westbridge, even though her drunk self wanted to go downstairs and find Harry so they could dance together. Besides, she was wondering how he was… managing… after the episode they had just had. And she wanted to ask him how he had kept himself under control enough to go downstairs straight afterwards.

Tiana shrugged her shoulder, offering her hand to Y/N. “As you please, my lady.”

Y/N took Tiana’s hand, and the two went back downstairs to where Annie was waiting, relieved to see Y/N as well. All the girls got their coats, and then braved the coldness of the February night together. Arms linked and with Tiana singing a Rita Ora song they had played a remix of earlier while they were dancing, they strolled back to the flat together. But Y/N’s mind, and piece of her heart, was left somewhere by the bar in The Grand.

TAGLIST

@swayingnoodlelove @littlestyles @showk1ndness @sydneysuit @hallwayharry @emotionally-imbruised @fuckyeahimahobbit @beksjewels @harryisadogperson @harryrocksagoodsuit @ifiwereaboy2323 @tiostyles @maroonmolly @harrysroguecurl @awomanindeniall @justsaying20 @ot4narrie @miss-nxvxcaine @sunflowersandrockstars @hard-on-harry @emma070900 @shitibitmytonge @my--heroine @rainbowbutterflyboy @shegotthesalt @harrytreatspeoplewithkindnesss @mleestiles @bloodcastle30155 @harryskiwi2 @brielyse11 @for-fucks-sake-h @treat-harry-with-love @permanentllyharry @flooome @harryfeatcalum @mykissyharry @hydra-barnes @violets-parma @shadowsndaisies @messyherz 

Would you like to be notified when I update Symphonies of You? Tell me here and I’ll add you to the taglist!

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles x reader #harry styles fic #harry styles smut #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles fanfic #het fic #1dff #:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD #COME FREAK BROTHERS

[ofgeneration]

━ ✧ ( nico mirallegro, 26, he/him ) did you hear about generation’s new record ? it’s totally bitchin’ ! isaac carberry was killing it as lead vocalist. people who have interviewed him say they’re really quixotic & convivial, but they can be sort of impish & ungovernable if you catch him at a bad time. a mischievous grin, northern grit, your ex-record label’s offices looking like a jackson pollock after getting your revenge in the form of vandalism.

hello, my loves! — i’m jess, i’m 22 and over in rainy england. i’m recently done with university which gives me a lot of downtime until i find a job so hopefully i can dedicate a lot of that downtime to this fuckin’ rp because it’s gonna be lit i just know it. i’m a huge stone roses fan and 80s/90s-music-obsessed in general so getting to play this character is super exciting for me, so without further ado, meet my trash son: mr isaac carberry. PLEASE HMU FOR PLOTS!

BACKGROUND

born 14th april 1960 in manchester, england to a normal working-class family, isaac was the first born child of james & rose carberry, with a younger sister coming along a few years later. the little family of four lived fairly happily, but struggled financially just as many people did in northern england at the time. 

when isaac was five, his father lost his job as a result of coalmine closures, and times were tough. however, the family kept their spirits high by keeping close-knit, as well as listening to a whole lotta’ music. music was key in the carberry household. it was all around you at all times.

when times would get particularly bleak, his dad would pick up an guitar and play to the kids. he wasn’t very good but watching someone play an instrument and have fun with it sparked something in the eyes of isaac carberry.

tw violence, corporal punishment — during his teenage years, he was a problem child. he was the kid that always got pulled out of class by the headmaster to receive the cane in his office. he could never sit still, was always cracking jokes when he should’ve been doing his schoolwork, etc. it wasn’t talked about at the time, so it went unnoticed, but what isaac was probably dealing with was undiagnosed ADHD. despite this, though, he was a clever child. he had a way with words and looked forward to english class every week, where he would take great pleasure in writing exercises, especially poetry. 

writing was a dreamy, escapist haven for isaac, and this extended to his life outside of school, too. the works he was producing were mostly tongue-in-cheek, light-hearted stories and poems with a recurring “stop taking life so seriously” theme. when he turned 16, however, these poems began to turn into songs. this started to take up a lot of his time especially when he finished secondary school at 16 and went onto sixth form college, where he took music alongside english.

isaac desperately wanted to learn to play guitar, so that he could form some structural melodies to these songs, but struggled with honing the skill of learning an instrument. luckily, when he was 18, he made three friends who could do just that. the four kids would bounce ideas off of each other and hold jam sessions in the tiny little basement of isaac’s family home, but things never went much further than that (at least not yet, anyway.)

isaac decided against going to university, mostly since his family lacked the funds, and instead picked up a full-time job in a grocery store to help out his household’s shared income. 

in 1979, margaret thatcher came into power as the UK’s prime minister, and times got even bleaker. money was even tighter and the working-class situation became an even harder one to be in. the carberry family started sending isaac out on the street after work to sing some of his songs for tips. 

in 1983, aged 23, isaac was in a dark place. no opportunity, no degree, no wealth in the family to fall back on. he ‘rallied up the troops’ so to speak and practically begged his friends to start a band with him. he had plenty of material, after all.

to his relief, they said yes, and were determined to make it work. they were hungry for attention and throwing themselves at any gig opportunities they could get, to get them a bit of money into their pockets. that was it, GENERATION was truly alive and kicking.

at a show supporting another band, generation were noticed by a fellow musician, who took a shine to the band and booked them to support his upcoming uk tour. thus, the band were rising to prominence. fast forward a year and before isaac even had the chance to process it, generation were shaping up to be the biggest band in the uk. isaac could finally give his family everything they needed to better their situation and was having the most amazing time ever doing what he loved.

after independently releasing their own singles, the band got themselves a record deal in early 1985 and released their first full record, a self-titled album. their management wanted to introduce them to US audiences, and thus — that’s how we find ourselves here. 

PERSONALITY

ok sorry for that LONG ass background here’s the nice lil fun part where we can just dick around lmao hey meet my baby boy chaotic aries who is a lovable mess and i will protect him at all costs

literally so much of his personality is inspired by myself lmao we love an aries legend with ADHD but also i owe some of his characterization to the stone roses’ ian brown so if you ever want a look into isaac, watch some interviews or smth because Big Isaac Mood. the last aesthetic in his app references this video

nice, but a fuckin firecracker of a man. intense boi!! he’s a Lot

on first impressions he’s cool and collected and laidback but when you get to know him he can be very exhausting to be around, talks a lot, never tires of energy, etc

has that lopsided, wonky grin that you can’t help but love

lowkey isn’t really overwhelmed by the fame at all, he’s kind of narcissistic in the fact that he??? just feels like it’s really deserved? he knows hes talented jfjhgfjkghf

lowkey maybe highkey a sweetheart

a favourite with the ladies but not good w commitment

has slept around a lot. ladies, fellas, you name it. probably has it in him to settle down someday since he likes the idea of falling in love, but just hasn’t found it as of yet 

charisma literally oozes from him

tw drugs & alcohol / dOeSnT LiKe To sHoW eMoTioNs but then will literally cry w u and pour his heart out if you’re close enough to him or if he’s hella drunk or high on ecstasy 

Reyt fokin’ northern accent, yeh get meh?

man i dont even know can i just post this dumb shit already because this is getting LONG

WANTED CONNECTIONS

ex-girlfriend / groupie — i have this as a wc on the main

best friends will prob be taken by his bandmates but at the time of writing this only one other spot is taken so maybe ill branch out

give me some ppl who just DONT fucking like him

hookups / ex-hookups

someone he can be a bad influence on

someone who is a bad influence on him

someone he’s had beef w in the industry, maybe they said some shit about his band in an interview or something

a slow burn love interest plot................. listen.... gimme the one person he’s falling for and would consider being tied down for. i’d be so soft for that

gimme anything and everything my babies

#1986.intro #FINALLY #i'm so sorry #me: wants interactions earlier bc im in the uk #also me: isnt ready to post my intro til 40 mins before it was originally supposed to open for ints #im a mess #also this is long sorry #forgive the graphics #they look low qual on the dash but i had to make them 350px bc of my theme! #HMU FOR THOSE PLOTS

[grimelords]

My September playlist is here, 37 songs from opera to bossa nova to a song about marrying Tom Collins to thank him for the sips. I’m hopeful there’ll be at least one thing in here you’ll enjoy

Been Drinkin’ Water Out Of Hollow Log - Mississippi Fred McDowell: I love this song because every other version I’ve ever heard sings it as ‘I’ve been drinking muddy water, sleeping in a hollow log’, but straight up drinking out of the log sounds so much better. Also I just found out that this version I’ve loved for years was the original Alan Lomax recording and not a later one like I’d assumed, which is nice!

Tom Collins - The Sloppy Boys: I have not been able to get this song out of my head since I heard it. “I sent an edible arrangement to my travel agent because they had free booze on the carnival cruise” is a masterpiece of rhyme and the way he screams “hold him in my grips!” is just perfect.

What Means Of Witchery - Gospel: This is a perfect song. I think it’s criminal that Gospel aren’t more widely known and I think I’ve decided to make it my life mission to spread the word. The gospel of Gospel if you will. You don’t have to. I had a long daydream a little while ago about transcribing the drums in this song, which feels like an unresolved brain problem but exemplifies just how much I love it.

A Saint Among Madmen - Helen Of Troy: This is the band the drummer from Gospel was in before Gospel and they’re really really good. This sort of spoken word song is hard to pull off without sounding totally corny and I think him being so low in the mix really helps. It reminds me of some early At The Drive-In instrumental wise. The way it finally kicks off, and the sort of yelping desperate tone to the screams in the second half is just so satisfying.

shimripl casual - Autechre: Another cut I enjoyed from Autechre’s immense new album as I work on comprehending it. I like this song because it sounds like a field recording of a prototype mechanical swamp.

New Rules - Dua Lipa: This song feels like it deserves a marching band. There's just so much going on rhythmically, the dancehall rhythm at the centre of it is constantly augmented by all sorts of other percussion, the great snare work throughout, the perfectly formed tiny fill that introduces the chorus, it's just an absolute feast. I only found out the other day that the guy who produced this, Ian Kirkpatrick, also did Bad Liar - what a year for Ian!

My Girls - Tears For Fears: Hey Tears For Fears did a cover of My Girls by Animal Collective and this might be controversial but I think it's better than the original. It tightens up the structure and differentiates the sections a bit, so that it changes from a slow building jam into an odd pop song. They also draw out the harmonies more so that you really notice how funny it is to sing 'my father's graaave' over and over in a big bass under everything.

Crosses - Zero 7 and Jose Gonzales: Sia's career from before she was world-famous Sia is so interesting because she had like a full 15 years of being notable around the world in a bunch of different ways before it all coalesced into Big Sia. She was a backing vocalist in Jamiraquai's band for god's sake. She also was the de facto vocalist of this downtempo band Zero 7 for three albums, but she's not on this song but Jose Gonzales also sang on about half the songs on this album is! This is a remix/cover of his solo song Crosses but this version really shows the song in a whole different light to the original.

Napoleon Solo - At The Drive-In: Years ago in high school one of about 5 videos I had on my iPod was this version of Napoleon Solo from 2001 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nlfmqsx1r0 and I would watch it over and over and over. It's also a good example of why Cedric's lyrics are like they are. He just talks like that. He says things like 'they had the acme weight dropped on them' to describe his friends who died in a car crash and you just have to go along with it.

Act Three: No. 27 - A Real Slow Drag - Scott Joplin: Did you know Scott Joplin, the man behind everyone's favourite song The Entertainer, wrote TWO operas?? Because I didn't. One of them is unfairly lost to history but the other, Treemonisha, was written in 1911 but not properly performed until the Joplin renaissance in 1972. This is the big finale and it's partly because of the performance but partly because of the way he wrote it but it feels a lot more modern than any other operas I've heard from the era. Even though it is mostly a march, it feels like melodically and structurally he's drawing on pre-blues and gospel music in a way that presages rock and roll and the influence it's had on all music since - it feels more like a musical than an opera.

Celia - Cults: Cults have a new EP and it's an entirely different sound for them. Pounding, dark, Ochestral Manouveurs In The Dark type synths under their best lyrics in a long time.

Sharp Dressed Man - Xiu Xiu: Xiu Xiu did this ZZ Top cover for The AV club and I absolutely love it. It sounds like Queens Of The Stone Age if Josh Homme’s charisma stat overflowed and reset back to 0. This recording they did later is is great but the original video is even better https://youtu.be/0SG6yDSbtxULazy 

Nina - Greg Phillinganes: This was a recommendation from my friend and yours @megapope and thank god he did because I've had it stuck in my head all month. Written by Donald Fagen from Steely Dan for Michael Jackson's keyboard player's solo album, a true behind-the-scenes hit.

Gobbledigook - Sigur Ros: I was thinking about how after Takk Sigur Ros got so big and famous and rich off advertising money for their beautiful music and then made the best move possible and pivoted abruptly away from ethereal graceful floating melodies hung from the moon by a gossamer string to good old fashioned stompers made of wood. This is another in my very short playlist of songs like this and The Dodos first album where the driving rhythm plus acoustic guitars are the centre of it all. A little genre that I think has a lot left in it to explore.

Betty Dreams Of Green Men - Guerilla Toss: This feels like the energy drink version of Aqua by Eurythmics from last month's playlist. This sounds like BATS to me and I'm excited because there's not enough music like this around. Extremely energetic power music about some kind of 1950s alien invasion.

#NeverUseTheInternetAgain - Homeboy Sandman and Edan: I love this song. It starts out with a sentiment everyone can agree on (facebook sucks, the internet is bad) and quickly veers into 50 year old man gripes (GPS has ruined everyone's sense of direction? you should order pizza over the phone? match.com??) but it's got such conviction in the hook that I'm sold anyway and have pledged to #neverusetheinternetagain.

Vanishing Hour - Helen Of Troy: This is another Helen Of Troy song but it basically sounds like an unheard Gospel song, which is incredible new for me; the guy who will never stop tracking down every cassette and live recording they ever did. I don't know how the membership of Helen Of Troy went beyond sharing a drummer but the vocalist of Gospel is unmistakably in the mix here and it sounds fantastic.

Canon x Love S.O.S. - Justice: Another great cut from Justice's new sort of live album. This whole album has really made me appreciate Love S.O.S. a lot more. It comes back two or three times and I'm grateful every time. It's a perfect glam rock sentiment. Sending a love ambulance because there's a love emergency happening.

Mariners Apartment Complex - Lana Del Rey: I feel like we don't deserve new Lana yet. I'm so grateful but I'm still getting over Lust For Life and she's going to do this to me? Amazing.

I Got Cash - Brooklyn Funk Essentials: Another @megapope find. Perhaps the most powerful song I've ever heard, in the sense that I feel like I'm being personally admonished throughout. The power structures at play here are towering and the beat.. it's funky.

Pray - Jungle: Jungle flat out released five (5) singles before their album came out and they were all so amazing that I was worried they wouldn't have anything left for the actual album but guess what: the whole thing is absolutely gold, and especially this last song Pray. The feeling I get from the hook into the big drop feels like being dropped bodily into a big tub of honey, if there was a way that that could feel good instead of terrifying. It’s just luscious.

Sad Rude Future Dude - Ball Park Music: I googled “haven’t had a friend in years” trying to remember what this song was called and became instantly suicidal at the sheer amount of reddit threads that phrase returned. Which is I suppose exactly what this song’s about: posting on reddit about how the internet has ruined my relationships and brain, but in a very upbeat, singalong way. This song is a good example of how a dynamic drummer can completely elevate a song to another level.

Knuck If You Buck - Crime Mobb: Knuckle up if you're buck wild it's Crime Mobb. The best named crew since Ruff Sqwad. The two women in this (Princess and Diamond) absolutely carry the whole song. Everyone else has got such a mopey boring flow but they both come in so lively and so aggressive you cannot get away from it. Is there a more powerful opener than "I come in the club, shaking my dreads, throwing these bows and busting these heads"? Is there a better line in general than "Crime Mob, it ain't no stopping, it be like Saddam Hussein, Hitler and Osama Bin Laden"?

Deixa - Toquinho: I'm quickly becoming one of these 'the end is near' sandwich board guys grabbing people on the street and yelling at them except about bossa nova. It is criminal how much this whole genre has been reduced to funny elevator music or The Girl From Ipanema as ironic intermission music when it has stuff like this to offer us. I really recommend this whole album, I've been obsessed with it over the last couple weeks and it's just breathtaking start to finish.

The Way - Friends: This band's spotify page is good because it's full of absolutely no-name recordings of Blank And Friends that have fucked up their tagging. Anyway I have never heard a song like this, and I didn't think it was possible to use big 80s pinch harmonic guitars like this but they pulled it off in an absolutely beautiful way.

Mass Grave - Health and Soccer Mommy: Corrin Roddick of Purity Ring produced this new Health song which brings the degrees of separation between Health and Katy Perry down to a thrilling 1 since Purity Ring did two songs on her new album. This really does sound like Health covering a Purity Ring song and that's excellent news in my book. I don't know much about Soccer Mommy but this song has definitely inspired me to check her out so I'll undoubtedly report back on that next month.

(two circles) - Boredoms: I only just made the connection that Yamantaka Eye from Boredoms is the same Eye from from Hanatarash who famously drove a bulldozer through the back wall of a venue as part of a performance. Which I mention only because it really exemplifies just how much of a change of direction Vision Creation Newsun is from all that, just ten years later he's in a totally different direction of building something beautiful instead of tearing music (and buildings) apart at the seams. Nobody knows how to describe this album, it's space rock it's post rock it's experimental but it has something that a lot of that music doesn't - positivity. This whole album is a sun-worshipping positive fever without ever feeling lost or meandering.

Centreline - Ava Luna: I'm mad at this song. At about 1:15 they do an extremely satisfying thing sing the 'line' in 'centre line' in a deep bass and it sounds great. Then every other time that section comes around they either don't sing it or there's something else going on that obscures it and it blueballs you for the whole rest of the song. Other than that it's good, but i'm at war with this song.

Venice Bitch - Lana Del Rey: I am so excited that Lana Del Rey is finally embracing the most often ignored part of americana and facilitating a jam band. This is the last thing I would expect from Jack Antonoff but he did amazingly. It sounds closer to Ultraviolence era than anything else she's done and I'm just plain excited to see what the album is going to be like if this is any indication.

Act 1 Scene 4: This Is Monstrous, Wozzeck! - Alban Berg: I found an english version of Wozzeck and it's one of the best opera recordings I've ever heard. It's just plain mixed and recorded well, which is a rarity when a lot of opera recordings seem like they just hung a single mic somewhere at the back of the theatre and pressed the button. Anyway here's the good bit from Wozzeck where Wozzeck goes to the doctor and the doctor yells at him for "Pissing! Pissing there on the pavement!" See, opera’s fun!

Pop Roll Flow - Clypso: I heard this song on Unearthed when they had Nick Littlemore from Pnau guest programming and I love it. It feels brand new and very familiar at the same time, every sound in it is in absolute hypercolour, and the verse vocal sounds like a cool insect is singing at me. What's not to love!

I Might Survive - Architecture In Helsinki: I always feel like Arcitechture In Helsinki are poised to make like Portugal The Man and have an international superhit off their seventh album. They have been consistently reinventing their brain of weirdo-pop every single album for 15 years now and it feels like they've still got so much more to give. This song especially deserved to be a hit in my opinion, it's pop perfection and I've come around from hating to completely loving the little 'than alive baby!' adlib near the end.

Angels - The xx: My two best friends got married to each other this month and it was beautiful. What's more, she picked the perfect song to walk down the aisle to. I'm so happy to see two of the people I love the most in love with each other, and also when I drove them to their suite after the reception my phone accidentally started playing Merzbow's new album which was good.

Jesus Was A Cross Maker - Judee Sill: I'm so glad I found out about this album. Judee Sill had a crazy life, and her wiki page is a ride but unlike a lot of musicians with a back story her music stand alone - unique, rich and beautiful. Tightly structured and thoughtfully composed for such hippy-dippy christian mythology themes, and melodically beautiful even when her voice isn't quite up to the task. It really does feel like the spirit was moving through her. This song in particular is amazing I have been straight up listening to it on repeat. The phrasing is insane, the self-harmonised vocals sound like they're phasing in a very cool way, the violins break into a Bach figure halfway through - it's just amazing. I cannot stop listening. I've also started a playlist of this, Jesus Is A Dying Bedmaker by John Fahey and Jesus Came To My Brithday Party by The Middle East so I'm absolutely 'on one' as the kids say.

Rappers Convention - Harlem World Crew: another thanks to @megapope for bringing this incredible moment to my attention. A very early rap song that was recorded in the middle of the Iranian hostage crisis and helpfully gives a complete breakdown of the situation in the opening verse before getting back to basics and detailing how much they love partying for the remaining 5 minutes. Music is truly incredible. 

I Need A Lover - John Mellencamp: I'm learning a lot about John Mellencamp this week. Apparently this song was originally on the album 'A Biography' in 78 that didn't get a release in the US because his first album did so badly, but I Need A Lover was a top ten hit here in Australia and was thusly included on his next album a year later and blew up in the US. The other surprising thing is the album version, this version, has a fully two minute long intro before it gets to the song.

High (feat. Elton John) - Young Thug: The Lil' Nutsack song that makes Dewey Cox famous again in Walk Hard is real now and it's good as fuck.​

listen here

#playlists

[notesonnotes]

Notes On: Rose Pools

Hey all! Today, we’re checking out Rose Pools! Shout out to Mike Liorti for sending me their way! 

Rose Pools is a band based out of Minneapolis, MN. They are a 3 man band that met in high school at the Main Street School of Performing arts in Hopkins, MN. The members include Bob Korkowski (lead vocals and guitars, and producer of all their new content), Pauls Svelbe (keyboard) and Ian Eberlein (drums). Initially they are all from different cities/suburbs, but the school is what brought them together.

When asked what they would describe their style as, they said they were influenced by many different kinds of music. They describe their style as alternative rock, or indie rock, with a little bit of emo. People have stuck them with the 80′s tag, because of their use of synthesizers. Someone has also called them “post new wave,” and Bob says it makes sense to a degree. (A video is posted below of their song, High Hopes).

After getting to know a little bit more about the band, Bob took some time to answer some more questions via the bands Instagram, while also getting some input from Ian and Pauls.

————————————————

What;s the story behind your band name?

Bob: We were to music one day, already thinking of changing our original name, and the song “Pools” by Glass Animals came on. We thought the word was cool and we were like “there’s probably someone with that name already,” and I think it was me that said “Rose” because it’s just like a default word that comes to mind, I love roses and grew up near a street called Rose Street. I originally hated it after I said it, but the others liked it, and it stuck. I don’t hate it now!

What has been your favorite show (that you have played) to date?

Bob: It was probably the last one we played on the 29th of December (2018). It was one year to the day after our very first show. It was absolutely packed. It was one of the first shows we’ve played where we would start a song and everyone would like, cheer and sing along. It was an amazing feeling. We also played a bunch of new material we we’re working on, including a new song we wrote the night before. We meant it to be an intro to the show but it evolved overnight and became one of our favorite things we’ve made. It will be out soon hopefully, really different from everything else we’ve done. The show we played with Mike was a very close second too! He’s a great guy and we had a lot of fun at that show.

Who are some of your inspirations?

Bob: For me, as a write, Matthew Healy of The 1975, Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack, Ben Folds, and Tom Petty are some of the big ones. Petty was big for me. It might not sound like it, but I adore his songwriting and performances. A genius. The 1975 are my favorite band overall, they’re amazing at making beautiful music, and Matty is a such a great lyricist. Ian is big on punk and metal stuff; we became friends through a mutual interest in Green Day. Pauls is really into electronic music and jazzy stuff. Some crazy experimental stuff and some more mainstream stuff: Deadmau5, etc. (Pauls also added in that  Prāta Vētra should be mentioned). We were actually just talking about Enigma last night. We wanna make a song like “Return to Innocence,” who knows if it’ll happen. We all are into really different stuff, that’s what makes this so cool. We’re able to all influence each other.

Ian: Well, my inspiration as a drummer I guess when it comes to Rose Pools more of the punk kings like Travis Barker,  Tré Cool, the dude from Rise Against. Of course Danny Carey from Tool, I can’t play like him but I try. Oh, especially the Rev from Avenged Sevenfold.

How do you handle nerves before a performance?

Bob: We really don’t. Most of the show is the nerves coming out. Especially for me, a lot of my writing is super personal. We’re stopped performing “Just Like You” because it’s too personal and I’ve broken down on stage before playing it. It makes the show interesting though. We’re all pretty erratic; it’s like a brotherhood. I love performing with them.

Where is your dream venue?

Bob: I think the obvious one for us as we are from Minnesota would be First Avenue. Going bigger, Armory in Minneapolis is also an amazing venue. Ian really wants to play the O2 or Brixton Academy, and Pauls says  Mežaparks in Latvia (he’s from there!)

Where do you see yourself/selves in 5 years?

Bob: And existential one for sure. Hopefully doing this full time, touring and making music that lots of people resonate with and love. We love doing it now, don’t see how that’ll change in the future.

————————

Shout outs: “The Jonas Brother’s. We’re glad your back!” 

 Ian said “Shout out to Denmark for surpassing our US listeners for a second.”

                       Remo Drive: https://www.facebook.com/RemoDrive/

Links to check out Rose Pools:  https://www.facebook.com/rosepools/

                                                       https://www.instagram.com/rosepools/

High Hopes- Rose Pools

Remo Drive- Yer Killin’ Me

#Music #Rose Pools #Rose #Pools #minnesota #minneapolis

[onestowatch]

ANATOMY OF A SONG: Deconstruct Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” with Songwriter Emily Warren

Songwriters are unsung heroes in a literal sense; they create the songs we know and love and then sit back in anonymity as someone else takes the spotlight. Our focus here at Ones to Watch is shining the spotlight on deserving up and coming artists, but at times the creation of the music gets overshadowed by the end result. This thought lead us to create “Anatomy of a Song,” a new section on the site that focuses on the backend of the creative process--songwriting and production.

We thought we’d kick things off with a bang and dive into the writing of one of the biggest songs of the past decade, Dua Lipa’s “New Rules.” Written by Ian Kirkpatrick, Caroline Ailin and Emily Warren, the song is currently closing in on a billion listens on Spotify alone, and 1.4 billion views on the accompanying music video. Nothing short of the ultimate breakup anthem, a listen to “New Rules” means hitting power poses, singing into a hairbrush and possibly even strutting around your bedroom in a towel. Emily Warren is a Grammy-winning multi-platinum songwriter with an impressive discography performed by the likes of Shawn Mendez, The Chainsmokers, Sean Paul and Frenship -- in addition to an impressive artist with a growing solo discography as well.

We sat down with Warren to deconstruct the anatomy of the song that sent Ones to Watch alum Dua Lipa into international superstardom.

BRAIN: The Thought Process

OTW: So as you were writing lyrics, did you have live instruments out or was Ian producing?

Yeah Ian started producing, lyrics definitely were coming first. I think the chorus came together before anything else did. And actually the production that Ian did in the room ended up being really close to what the actual song came out as. There was no bridge at the time, and that actually came much later as Dua was jumping on it. Caroline and I wrote the bridge over text. I literally have voice notes that we were sending back and forth to each other trying melodies and trying lyrics and stuff.

OTW: How long did the initial session last for New Rules?

Emily Warren: I don’t remember exactly, probably six or seven hours though.

OTW: How is the final version different? Are there major changes or just small wording edits?

Emily Warren: No, if I remember correctly they wanted the opening lines to be stronger, so we just went back in and rewrote those. But same melody and same idea, just slightly reworked. Actually the chorus started fully as a rap, and there was no melody to it, so that came a little bit later. I think having it be a fully female song and not having a dude on it really helped with the video and the concept when the song came out.

HEART: The Core Emotion

OTW: What about this song made it so relatable and empowering to other women?

I was told when I first started writing to never make the lyric sound like the guy wasn’t going to get it, to always leave the possibility. That was four of five years ago, but this song did not do that. There’s things that I’ve heard on the radio in the past few years that I’m surprised at, because the lyrics are offensive or demeaning or you can tell it’s five dudes in a room writing for a female artist. And I think I’m now seeing so many more powerful female artists saying powerful things. Being involved in that movement in any way is more than you could hope for as a writer.

LEGS: The Means to Take Off

OTW: How did the song get in the hands of Dua Lipa?

Emily Warren: It’s funny because the day we wrote it, we played it for a couple people, and people weren’t really reacting to it. I mean we write songs almost every day, so when that happens you kind of just have to let it go. And it was one of those songs where I really hadn’t listened to it much since the day we wrote it. I remember when Dua was closing her album, Ian’s manager sent it over to her, and they all flipped out and wanted to make it the single.

OTW: Have you met Dua Lipa?

Emily Warren: Yeah! I’d worked with Dua a bunch before that song came together. I wrote “No Lie,” which she’s on with Sean Paul and we’d done a bunch of sessions leading up to that. So when I heard she was on the song I was like, “Oh hell yes!” I think I always believed Dua was gunna blow up and it was just the matter of the right song and the right time.

OTW: You’ve written popular songs for so many different artists, what do you think made “New Rules” such a massive hit?

Emily Warren: I wish I knew because then we could recreate it. I do think with that one it was just the perfect storm. It’s just so rare. I mean with the timing, there were all these think pieces coming out about how it was the anthem of the Me Too movement, which was so amazing--to have a song that had a message at that time, especially a female empowerment message. Dua absolutely killed it as well; I really don’t think that song would be what it is with anyone else on it. And the video was like the best video of the year, everything just worked out. I feel really lucky, I think we all do, to have had something like that happen because it was just like pure luck.

HANDS: Advice For Songwriters Who Need A Lift

OTW: The success you’ve had is amazing but unfortunately a lot of young songwriters struggle to keep their spirits up. What advice would you give?

Emily Warren: I think what’s really helped me the whole way is trusting my instincts. It’s hard to do that, especially when you’re willing to give things up or succumb to pressure when you don’t have much going on. That’s a mistake I got really close to making a number of times and got good enough advice not to sign the wrong contracts or work with the wrong people or give songs away to people I didn’t think suited the song. It’s either quick cash or the long game. I really feel like if you have any ability to wait on things, wait to sign a publishing deal, wait to work with a manager until it’s someone you really trust. It always rewards you in the long run. Especially as a female, it’s especially hard not to listen to a label head who’s a powerful dude who is telling you to do this, that and the other thing, but if it doesn’t feel right then it’s probably not right.

OTW: Who are your Ones to Watch?

She’s not really a baby anymore, but Sigrid I think is really just beginning. I’ve worked with her a bunch and she’s a dream to work with. Bülow also, I’ve never worked with her but I just love her music. Lennon also, Lennon Stella.

OTW: Any final thoughts about “New Rules?”

I guess thank you to everyone who listened and supported that song. It’s changed my life for real.

Listen to Emily Warren’s debut album, Quiet Your Mind, below:

#anatomy of a song #emily warren #new rules #dua lipa #pop

[miasswier]

miasswier’s ultimate glee ranking: no 72

Written by: Ryan Murphy Directed by: Ian Brennan

Overall Thoughts: This is one of those rare Sam-centric episodes, which is funny to think about since Sam was such a huge presence on the show, and such a fan favourite. I don’t know if the story was handled 100% right, but it’s still nice to see Sam take the center stage for basically the first time since Bieber week. Rachel’s story was one I remember being really intrigued by (something that has always been hard for me when it comes to Rachel stories) when it was first released, but I don’t think they handled it right either. Jake and Marley’s is the only decent storyline in this episode, mainly because it’s the only part of the episode that is mainly angst-free; but, you know, it’s Jake and Marley, so I was yawning the whole way through and forcing myself to care about how cute these two are.

What I Like:

Sam is the A storyline in this episode. Sam is my son. I always love seeing my son shine.

There’s a few cute Blaine/Sam/Tina moments, and you know, those are my favourites.

Blaine and Sam especially make me so happy in this episode. You can tell that Blaine really cares for Sam; that video he puts together, that’s not just something you do for a crush; that’s something you do for a close friend you really love. I feel like this episode, even more than “Sadie Hawkins” and “Dynamic Duets”, really cements the Blam friendship.

Artie’s storyline about his insecurity with his body. It’s especially interesting watching this and knowing that in one season’s time, Artie will be courting three different girls in New York. The way that boy gains confidence is astounding.

I’ve always found Finn and Sue’s exchanges far more interesting than Will and Sue’s. Probably because I hate Will and don’t mind Finn (especially this season).

Tina once again taking charge and being allowed to do so and not seen like a diva. Like Blaine says in “Sadie Hawkins”, I actually really liked Tina’s empowered attitude this season. I know I’m literally the only one, but I still liked it.

That super gay scene where Ryder and Jake take their shirts off to compare biceps. I literally can’t believe that they weren’t ever in a poly relationship with Marley, like oh my god.

“This is the New Year” is one of my all time favourite songs that Glee ever did.

Although I hate that Kurt was barely in this episode, I do like that Santana and Quinn were the ones to talk to Rachel instead of him. Especially considering all he seemed to know how to do was slut-shame her into not doing the scene.

Sam deciding to wear clothes for the calendar with Artie is super sweet. Plus, he looks so cute in that school-boy outfit.

That part in “Hot in Here” when the girl is spray tanning Jake and he’s looking at her like what the literal fuck.

What I Don’t Like:

I think my biggest disappointment about how the Rachel story panned out is that they didn’t seem to know how to say “you are not mature enough – emotionally, sexually, and artistically – to be doing a nude scene at this point in your life, but that doesn’t mean you should never do one” without adding in some good old fashioned slut shaming. The internalized part was rough, especially since Rachel has only slut shamed somebody once and it felt really out of character, but Kurt calling Rachel a slut? And then having the gall to call Brody a misogynist literally two seconds later? I don’t know. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I like the message they were trying to send – the idea of maybe someday, but not right now – but I just don’t think they went about it the best way.

This episode is basically the biggest reason I will never and have never supported Bram as a couple. Brittany is told she’s a genius and that Sam is the opposite, and then disappears for literally THE WHOLE EPISODE while Sam has a total meltdown based on something that Brittany says that his best friend ends up helping him out of. Then she returns at the end of the episode to remind everyone that she’s a genius. Brittany and Sam brought out the worst in each other as a couple, and this episode is a major example of that. I can’t imagine Brittany ever making Santana, or even Artie when they were dating, feel so terrible about themselves that they would go into a week-long tailspin that only exacerbated the body issues they already had. And yet.

It has been shown consistently throughout this show that Sam has some very serious body issues. I really wish they had given it the attention it deserved, instead of the occasional one-off episodes like this one and “Rocky Horror”.

It’s kind of weird for me that Artie literally had to spell it out to Finn that he didn’t want to appear naked in the calendar because of insecurity when Finn didn’t want to appear naked on stage in “Rocky Horror” two seasons ago.

Brody’s whole “if you want to win an Oscar you have to show your boobs” thing. Like, I honestly think he was being a far more equal-rights enthusiast than Kurt (I mean, he got naked to support Rachel while Kurt called her a slut), but I still think it’s douchey as fuck to say that you can’t make it to the big leagues in acting without going nude as a woman. Cause, you know. Yikes.

Like I said before, Jake and Marley are cute but they’re so goddamn boring and I genuinely cannot make myself care for them, as hard as I try. Sorry not sorry.

Songs:

Torn: I actually really like this song and think they did a good job with the performance. It was something I thought I would hate when I first heard they were doing it, but it’s honestly one of my favourite Rachel solos of all time.

Centerfold/Hot in Herre: This is a fun, upbeat song, but that’s about all it is.

A Thousand Years: This is one of those stereotypical saccharine straight love songs that you love for two weeks and then can never hear again without rolling your eyes. Having Jake and Marley sing it just makes it boring.

Let Me Love Your (Until You Learn to Love Yourself): Okay, so. I wasn’t actually watching the screen when this song was playing, and I have to say: the vocals on this? Are amazing. Like, holy shit. I never noticed before. Maybe because I was always so busy rolling my eyes at Jake and Marley’s supposed love for the ages. But seriously. Jacob Artist can sing.

Love Song: I like this song, but like Centerfold/Hot in Herre, it’s basically just a nice upbeat song. While it’s cute seeing Rachel sing with Santana and Quinn, I do wish they’d done something more with the performance than literally just having them dance on stage in an auditorium as if they were back in high school. They can’t even be running down the halls of NYADA? Boring.

This is the New Year: Like I said before, this is one of my all time favourite Glee performances. It never fails to make me smile, and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way. Definitely one of my “Glee” songs.

Final Thoughts: It could have been more, but it tried it’s best. The slut-shaming still leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth, even to this day. Brittany and Sam being a couple was one of the stupidest things Glee ever did. Blaine and Sam are bros for life, and at this point the entire Glee fandom still hated Tina for daring to be a girl crushing on Blaine, even though 98% of us were girls crushing on either Kurt or Blaine, or both. It was fun times, and it’s an okay episode. The thing is, though, it always comes off a bit rough because it’s sandwiched between “Sadie Hawkins” and “Diva” ie two of my favourite Glee episodes of season four (and, really, of all time). So maybe I should give “Naked” the benefit of the doubt.

#ultimate glee ranking

[glumvillain]

GlumReviews #3

For today’s review we stay in familiar waters, the late 70′s. Yet another band that is heralded as a progenitor of the New Wave era.  the Talking Heads, formed in New York City with a very apparent mission. To bring the nation the sounds of anxiety and paranoia deep from the heart of a city that most people only experience through movies.

Now I am not a Talking Heads newbie, lets just get that part out of the way, I am at most a “singles” kinda guy in this matter. This series is meant to review albums I’ve never heard before in their entirety and give my review within the same day. Burning Down the House, Psycho Killer, that one David Byrne song with the music video-- that’s my extent of knowledge here. So without further ado:

1.Thank You for Sending Me Angel

For some context to what this album enters with, its worth taking a look at what was popular when this released, as per Billboard and Wiki

...yea. The country had Saturday Night Fever.  And in the Mad Max-ian hellscape of disco there were these emerging bands that didn’t sound like your typical punk band but were doing every damn thing they could to tell an industry to go fuck itself.  As synthesizers entered the picture at this point in music it’s interesting to hear all the ways they were being experimented with and I feel like the chaotic unknown of these sorta new instruments lends itself to Byrne’s erratic yelping and anxious singing. This intro to their 2nd album is a nice sampler of what Talking Heads are all about, what sounds like random noise is pulled together with eclectic percussive elements and Jerry Harrisons distictive guitar playing.

2.With Our Love

One thing the Talking Heads really have going for them are these plainly written lyrics that really leave no neuroses untouched.  At times you feel like you’re reading from a page from Byrnes’ diary circa ‘75.  Byrnes plays heavy on the theme of self reflection and the anxieties of boy/girl dynamics in this album. This track begins like a pseudo-disco jam, but as more elements are introduced into the mix we get into the familiar pacing of a Talking Heads song, that slow thumping, that guitar barely hanging onto the tuning. Byrnes’ erratic, broken vocal delivery adds to the feeling of chaos. The bass and guitar work really shine in portions here. Dare I call it emo disco?

3. The Good Thing

This album is admittedly a bit of a slow burn for me, this song feels like it could been left off to preserve the progression of the album. It’s light and airy, the lyrics are actually really good though.  Like a daily affirmation, something to meditate on, I advise if you’re not into the song at least look up the lyrics. Don’t feel bad if you skip this track.

4. Warning Sign

If there’s one thing I love is a good bass line, and we enter with this great great guitar lick from Jerry Harrison to accompany.  The jam intro gives way to an ominous tune that is the inner workings of self doubt and over-thinking. Is it paranoia if there are truly signs everywhere? Fans of Sonic Youth rejoice, this is the song that birthed several of theirs I’m sure. Definitely one of the better songs on this album and I’d say it has a home somewhere in a playlist of yours. 

5. The Girl Wants to be with the Girls

A very mindful song about the observations of male/female society.  Nothing cryptic to unravel here “Girls want things that make common sense/ The best for all concerned/ They don’t want to have to go out of their way”.  Which is some pretty sane shit if you ask me.  Lyrically a great song but musically unimpressive for what really impresses me later on in the album.

6. Found a Job

Another strong point for this album is the infectious bass grooves that are just non stop at points, once the energy is gained that momentum is never lost. (dont mind track 3). This song tells an interesting story that’s worth your time, a Talking Heads essential if I could be so bold.  A story about a couple who are television writers, inventing situations, putting them in their scripts, making stories about their friends and family.  “So think about this little scene, apply it to your life/ If your work isn’t what you love, then something isn’t right.” And what more is there to say but hell yea David Byrnes.

7. Artists Only

If one of their first singles, “Psycho Killer” was Scream, this would be Scream 2, (electric boogaloo, sorry.) In such that it conveys that same dark, manic feeling of that first person point-of-view. It’s dissonant and creepy, if you have a Halloween playlist, chuck it in there for some major artheux points. And I think any creatives out there would really appreciate the tone of this song as it conveys what we’ve probably all felt in our processes.

8. I’m Not in Love

The slow burn is over. I find myself liking the latter portion of the album alot more than the first portion.  Maybe it’s because I get major Queen vibes from this, there’s some disco in there. This is probably one of my favorite tracks off of the album purely for the structure and lyrics. “I can answer your questions if you won’t twist what I say/ Please respect my opinions, They will be respected someday/ But I don’t need love--”. And again-- hell yea David Byrnes. Despite any small changes in sound, each flavor is completely their own as that ever distinctive guitar owns so much real estate in these songs. Please please please, for the love of Freddie Mercury, do not skip this song.

9. Stay Hungry

This song in itself is a slow burn but there’s a beautiful payoff if you can just wait a minute. literally. This is a beautiful Talking Heads moment as you get the classic two for one song, one song leading into a completely different one. This is like a direct descendent of a Nine Inch Nails song. And as we all face our dietary woes in this pandemic, who can’t agree with the title of the song? This song has a bass line that just kills me. Don’t skip.

10. Take Me to the River

It’s nice to have a reference for a cover so if you got the time, check out the original here. It’s an interesting choice for a cover, but you hear the original and you think to yourself, well damn it’s like it was made to be covered by this exact band.  Tacking on an extra two minutes from the original, it’s a masterful cover that only builds on an already-legendary record. Don’t skip. Every performer in this recording is at the top of their game.

11. The Big Country

The album closer takes a hard turn down south into a country-western type beat.  A stark contrast of what the usual representation of what life on the road as a rockstar would be. It’s a hard wind-down from all of the energy and chaos of the past 10 tracks, the lyrical content and clarity of the track comes off as the clearest parts of his mind have purged all of the quirky mannerisms and humor to shirk off the dark feelings of depression and/or anxiety.  This is a beautiful song, in complete opposition from what the rest of the album presented.  Another point on this album is that it always leaves you wondering what the next song is gonna sound like.  From this album alone no two songs sound alike, no experience feels duplicated, but at least one track could have been left off just to make that slow burn a little faster

This album was a bit harder to digest than the previous two and I needed to listen to it a few times before it really grew on me.  I stand by my statement that this album definitely gets better in the latter half and it has some amazing songs worth checking out.

⭐⭐⭐/5

The more I listened to it, the more it grew on me, but I can’t help but feel like I wasn’t listening to their best. While their best songs on this album were really good, I think Talking Heads has yet to be fully realized in their sophomore album.

[msinha-galaxy]

Motherhood of 16 years.

Amazing years-They just went by swiftly. When I look back to her turning 16; each moment of her being is just divine; A God’s angel gifted to me. She gave a meaning to my life; living my life and my childhood once again through her eyes. Her first cry; her first word; to her first test; to her first sadness; to her first friend all are truly special moments. I wish I could again live them each day.

0 years in the tummy: Kicking mummy dearest with all her might.. for every month making her mumma cry in pain almost bed ridden- Mamma feeding herself Rasgullas and pomegranates and all nutritious food for healthy good looking baby.

I will be helluva of a girl Mamma ! Watch out for me...Navratre comes; full blown pregnant mumma dreams of Durga and Laxmi. Is there a cute little Meri Durga in my tummy?.. mumma is dreaming of little princesses clad in white lehngas running around laughing and giggling around the house with sounds of lil girls wearing Payals. Yes it is the sign of my princess arriving my Durga my Laxmi my Sarswati arriving..

Two days post Dusshera she is Born Eshita Vani !! aka Laxmi Sarswati...

0-1 year : was the most quietest time; beautiful angel always looking towards her mummy with blue eyes. Lil angel beautiful; pink as a rose; doe eyed - mumma’s heart out of her body..

1-2 years: Loathed the Crèche. Howled her lungs out as she had to leave Mumma’s arms. Always looking for mummy’s bosom for breastfeed - the moment mummy is in sight. She knows no one except mummy and mummy’s arms. She cried and cried when she went through a mundan. Mummy’s heart wept to see her that sad.

Calls her father Daadda; doting father; who just lets her do everything- right to Painting the Ghar ka wall with Crayons to not wearing anything only undies...

Comes Mausi the villain - gets the little Esha wean off breast milk - mummy’s heart bled watching Lil Esha lick salt and mirchi. Cried all night missing her comfort - mumma’s Duddhoo. Mausi is practical and loving will sleep with Esha for next 7 days...

2-4 years: Now found new love in grandparents; Aaka; and Mausi. She is fast; supermodel always infront of mirror; changing clothes every 30 mins. Cat walked her way every where.

Mummy made a really bad hairlook to school yet told her teacher my mummy says I am beautiful and look like a princess.

Pride of a lioness cub; lovely as a doe; yet feisty in 2 feet of her being.

Her Aaka is the greatest; her first friend; she ruled him with her demands and he reciprocated with all his love to his Eshu.

Meri laado ki mehndi every weekend courtesy Naana!!

4-6 years: Blackmailed her mummy to buy clothes with her little tantrums in the mall. You should now know her as my little Paris Hilton - color coded top to bottom with mini satchel; sunglasses; shoes and dress. She is my Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell walking out of Lilliput Kid’s Store.

Enrique Iglesias croaking for her always since kid...A 5 years old Esha singing along I'm not in love it's just a fase that I'm going through i 'm always looking for something new 🎶🎵🎶🎵

Her Daadda disappears... Esha is a l’il sad each day as it goes yet each day a lot more happier with her new life with Naana; Naani and Mummy enfolds with new adventure infront of her... Her Naana becomes her strong fort around her. Her Aaka becomes her bro her friend her mausa No he is only Aaka....

Naani’s little brat was scolded- Little Esha packed her Barbie stroller and said I am leaving the house... couldnot help but turned back from the front door oh she doesn’t know where to go!

Homework with mummy never ! Mummy and home are supposed to be fun... PTM teacher pointed out she doesn’t do homework... Hello aren’t you supposed to teach her... she is supposed to spend time with Mumma and simply have fun.. school changed their rules...

Esha watches her Mausi’s tummy grow with doted eyes who is in there; will be taking her space.

Esha is 5 years and her sister arrives Anika.... She see her come to this world...her mausi shouting to top of her voice.. Amazed to witness the birth of her baby sister

They grow...4 and 9 uff.. what rivalry they share... right from Dresses to Doremon toys-Nothing to share with each other - every minute of love and play broken by a bout of fight and heartbreaks.

Esha growing with Naana and Naani and mummy.. Esha a little sad a little happy as new life stores lots of adventure and new world.

6-10 years: Comes Naani the SuperMom- life mein Twist... Naani brought Esha back to two T-shirts’ and two jeans. Finally hindi lessons and writing at age of 6..

Naani made Esha Raani excel in class. Every year Golden Star award! My Paris Hilton became Super achiever. Every year strived to do better than before...

My Golu molu angel had best of time with her Naana ... Naana loved his piece of heart... Her every wish is a command for him...

Yuvaan her lil brother comes to the world.., Lil Esha all overwhelmed looking at her small bro - dances in celebration in Mumbai along with Anika. She is taking care of her Mausi.. as she is happy for Yuvaan..

10 years-12 years Golu Molu Esha is a bunny toothed. Anjali Ekka is a soul sister; growing friendship see no bound.

My friends are her friends.. Her first pasta at Bristol with Abhishek uncle; Abhishek Uncle became the Pasta Uncle... every weekend she said innocently Aaj pasta uncle ke paas jaa rahe hai Kya ?

Sprite her favorite drink- Naana has smuggled Sprite at home come what may..

She is in love with her Maths teacher Richa Ma’am- she made her fall in love with maths for life...o Richa Maam married why O Richa Maam pregnant ohNo...

13 years - finally teenager Smita mausi - comes with a lot of teen wisdom n a lot of checklist for Lil Esha to accomplish. Her first kindle arrives with Smita mausi. Her love with books grows from here.

Arpita mausi nicknamed Eshita “Rockstar” - shares same interests - mimeing and singing. Hearing Arpita mausi sing- Esha finds her new interest of singing.

13 years : Watches Beti Bachao Andolan asks why it is important... and her existential question where is her dadda.. on talking with him for 3 days she says - mamma I am proud of you .you made the right decision.

Esha I am proud of you... you are my lil hero who inspires me to be the best version of me every day. To smile come what May ...

14-15 years - Mausi and Aaka are the guradian angels. Mausi keeping hawk eye on Esha’s progress.

Gets herself braces. the unbearable pain of braces for the entire year but the future to have better teeth than bunny teeth.

Anika’s Didi is growing; she is the big sister now.. Still sharing rivalry not for Doremon but for “she said- I said” “don’t disturb me”and wet eyes....wahi roothna wahi manaana... Esha Didi is teenager and Anika a small girl still... want to spend more time with Esha Didi. Esha Didi make pasta for me- says Anika

15 to 16 years: Anika’s Didi is motivating Anika to be focused and determined to excel.

Best gift for life embracing Nam myoho renge kyo.. she chants for great boards result and she aces it. Hurrah!

Not to forget Vampire Diaries Netflix Binge watching.. in love with Sherlock Holmes and Suits..My Lil Paris Hilton is now Hermione Jean Granger ( aka Harry Potter fame).

Her favorite actor is some... very difficult spelling ... Ian Somerhalder

Poor Esha - boards over yeah!! blends with lockdown - no respite...

Reading books and more books - her favorite book Becoming Michelle Obama.

My little Paris Hilton is growing taller to read taller books and quotes Michelle Obama on and off to her mummy...“I hope to be exactly like my own mother though not so at all like her at all...,

Hurraaahhh the dreaded Class 10th boards Lil Esha now competitive ; burning Night oil day and night Yesss she aced it she aced it... Aaka sends Gulab Jamun just as Results downloaded...

Nana panicking; Naani trying varied devices to download the result.. bingo SMS arrives the Ace result...Aaka Mausi joins in a dance jig in the evening...

Studying during the day and karoaking with her new mike in the night.. striving for perfection to every song she sings ... not sharing with anyone.. Nah ! It’s not perfect enough to be shared ...

Challenged by her mummy to dance like AlayaF- yeah she does accept the challenge and yet again had fun making her new video jig..

Hazel & Yashica besties forever ! Making new friends; deepening bonds of friendships.....all friends’ late night Zoom calls and socials - the joy; the laughter.. my lil Paris Hilton is now a debating Teenager - bubbling with loads of aspirations and dreams.

To many more trips to Zara, Mango and H&Ms with you...May you always dress the best and look like an angel from heaven as beautiful as my lil Eshu..

Your eyes sparkle with many dreams with focused goals - shhh don’t say it out...

Happy birthday My l’il Paris Hilton you deserve the best in life... look forward to you leaping ahead in life - I would keep looking from here... Cheers to many good days and also to some not so good days - All of universe will manifest to make you stronger and better human being each day as it goes.

Expect the best out of yourself; you deserve extraordinary hence first shape up to be extraordinary. Have a big heart for everyone. Be compassionate And courage to make your dreams come true.. live life to the fullest yet strive for excellence in everything you do..Dream big and live life like a Disney princess!

Your Proud Mother of 16 years

[doomonfilm]

Review : Cats (2019)

Many, many years ago, my friend Ian and his family took me to a performance of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Cats at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin.  The show was my first big-scale theatrical experience, and needless to say, it left a major impression.  Cut to recently, when I’m scrolling through Facebook, and I notice the buzz surrounding a trailer for Cats in the form of a movie.  The list of names attached had weight behind it, but the possibility of the film being pure cringe was a real thing.  Therefore, I couldn’t skip the chance to see Cats on the big screen, because one way or another, it was bound to leave a lasting impression.   

Victoria (Francesca Hayward) is a stray cat, abandoned by her owner after being tossed into a London alley while trapped in a bag.  A collection of curious cats free her, and she finds herself taken in by Munkustrap (Robbie Fairchild), who informs her of the upcoming Jellicle Ball.  With the help of Mr. Mistoffelees (Laurie Davidson), Demeter (Daniela Norman) and Cassandra (Mette Towley), Victoria learns of Old Deuteronomy (Judi Dench), the cat who oversees the Jellicle Ball, and is charged with making the Jellicle Choice that sends one lucky cat to the Heavyside Layer for a new life.  Victoria learns of the candidates for the choice, including housecat Jennyanydots (Rebel Wilson), the finicky Rum Tum Tugger (Jason Derulo), the former beauty Grizabella (Jennifer Hudson), Bustopher Jones (James Corden) the fat cat, the distinguished Gus the Theatre Cat (Ian McKellen), the nimble Skimbleshanks (Steven McRae), and the mysterious Macavity (Idris Elba).  After losing the group and being taken on a detour by Mungojerrie (Danny Collins) and Rumpleteazer (Naoimh Morgan), Victoria rejoins the group at the Jellicle Ball, were all in attendance await Old Deuteronomy’s Jellicle Choice.

As someone familiar with the material, I do have to admit that certain elements work very well.  The limitations of a stage set are done away with, allowing the trademark choreography and movement from that show to be broadened in scope.  A bit of your imagination is gated by the fact that, for example, you are shown Skimbleshanks tap-dancing on the rails rather than having it implied by his Jellicle Ball performance and use of space, but that chance to expand is taken and run away with in such a joyous manner, it’s hard to not buckle in for the ride.  London is also given the opportunity to present itself as a canvas for visual cat puns abound.  The visual effects were impressive in many ways, nearly avoiding the realm of the uncanny valley (which we will get to later).  Using Victoria as a film audience surrogate and allowing her slightly more agency was also a positive, as she originally served as more of a ballet element to contrast against the more modern dancing in the theatrical show.  The film made a slight attempt at modernity during the Jellicle Ball with the inclusion of the Les Twins... in an odd way, Cats felt like Climax with all of the edgy elements (except sexual tension) taken out. 

And now, the uncanny valley... I was suspending disbelief just fine, even through Ian McKellan’s glorious chewing of the scenery as Gus the Theater Cat, when I suddenly noticed his hands... his VERY human hands... fingernails and all.  It threw me completely out of sorts, and this was amplified when Macavity bursts out of nowhere having shed the costume he’d been wearing up to that point... the cats never felt naked until that very moment.  With the film being a translation of the stage show, I was wondering whether or not the inevitable would happen, and they would attempt to translate the moment that the cats leave the stage and go into the audience.  Much to my delight and simultaneous shock, Old Deuteronomy stared directly at us, while every other cat chose a random sight line, and she gave us her trademark rundown of how to treat cats.  The camera was locked in place, making it feel VERY direct, which in ways translates the shock of having stage performers directly in your face, but came off just a tad more aggressive than I’m sure was intended.

The choreography, songwriting and score all worked perfectly in the realm of film.  The story itself was never known for its gravitas, as it is the thinnest of narratives at best, but freedom that film allows really filled the experience out, like a Disney ride.  Other than the cat effect, which mostly worked for me, the use of special effects was more reserved than I imagined it would be, with only the fantastic elements given obvious visual flare (like Macavity’s disappearing acts).  The majority of the singing was good at best, and mostly passable, though moments of over-singing and under-singing peppered the performances, and were noticeable... luckily, our audience surrogate Victoria was spot on throughout.

Speaking of Victoria, Francesca Hayward did a good job of playing an everyman, mostly exuding a sense of wonder at the events, and letting her joy burst through in cultured, but not fully sharp, dance moves.  Laurie Davidson played opposite this energy well by putting up a brave front, using wit to cover for her mistakes, and attempting to be the hero without demanding the spotlight.  Idris Elba was perplexing in his choices, as he did not quite seem to be wholly dialed in, making some of his antics come off stilted at times, and hilarious at others.  In comparison, Ian McKellan was completely dialed in, fully embodying the essence of a cat as if to lean into the fandom perspective of his ability to master any role.  Judi Dench also allowed her real world stature to echo in her casting as Old Deuteronomy, but not at the expense of her occasional enjoyment of cat choreography antics.  Robbie Fairchild also had the cat movement down to a tee, especially with his shoulder placements and slinky movement, and his singing was some of the strongest in the film.  Jason Derulo was a bit forced, as opposed to Jennifer Hudson, who seemed to come on a bit strong at first, but allowed the revelation of her role and connection with Hayward to really shine at the perfect moments.  Taylor Swift’s appearance was brief, but the role was so tailored (no pun intended) to her skill set that it worked well, even if it did slightly come off as a music video.  Some of my previous feelings about Rebel Wilson and James Corden did come into play during my viewing of the film, and it turned out that these two were the only ones allowed to go off-script, occasionally breaking the rhythm of the film, but not in ways that derailed it.  The cast was massive, and I could go on, but these roles really stood out to me, though I was happy that my favorite two cats (Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer) had great performances courtesy of Danny Collins and Naoimh Morgan.

If you’re curious about Cats, be it as someone familiar with the material or someone completely new to it, don’t hesitate.  Go see it.  I don’t imagine myself purposely going to see it again, but I am very happy that my friends and I took the time to see this in a theater.  It was, in most ways, exactly what I expected it to be, and I will not be surprised if this becomes a cult classic in the next twenty years or so.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #TomHooper #AndrewLloydWebber #Cats #JamesCorden #JudiDench #JasonDerulo #IdrisElba #JenniferHudson #IanMcKellen #TaylorSwift #RebelWilson #FrancescaHayward #LaurieDavidson #RobbieFairchild #MetteTowley #StevenMcRae #DannyCollins #NaoimhMorgan #RayWinstone #LesTwins #JaihBetote #JonadetteCarpio #DanielaNorman #BlueyRobinson #FreyaRowley #IdaSaki #ZiziStrallen #EricUnderwood