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thats-the-teen-spirit · 1 year

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Fall Out Boy - So Much For Stardust song-by-song review

I'm just gonna start this by being completely honest: since MANIA was released, I haven't been interested in any Fall Out Boy songs because I was that disappointed by that album. To my surprise when they released the first singles of SMFS they sounded pretty good, but they still weren't enough to get me hyped, I even forgot that the album was to come out today until I got the notification

Well, this opinion changed instantly when I listened through the whole record. This might even be one of the best albums of the year for me already. But let's not get that ahead this early. Here's what I think song by song.

01. Love From The Other Side

The first single the band released off the album and conveniently the opening track starts with a dreamy piano+string intro which then explodes into a surprising rock riff that is very reminiscent of the earlier FOB records. So much so that when I first heard it I thought it was a B-Side from Folie A Deux or something. But no, it was a well-written pop punk banger with a great hook in the chorus that was a 2022 release (as a single). The music video is also hilarious with old man Pete telling a tale and the band wearing dumb costumes and having countless references to older FOB videos. Nostalgia factor 10/10.

02. Heartbreak Feels So Good

The second single and the second song starts with an intro that scared me a little when I first heard it. Not because it was spooky but because it had a little late 2010's dancehall feeling to it that I really hoped the music industry had grown out of already. But as soon as the drums and later the guitars arrive everything suddenly made sense. The post-chorus ooh-s reminded me a little to the MANIA era but they weren't as jarring as I expected. Sounded very poppunk again, similarly to the older FOB albums. The line: "I’d never go, I just want to be invited" is one that I think every introvert like me can relate to which is a nice touch in the song. The music video has Rivers Cuomo in it which made the song even better for me as a huge Weezer fan.

03. Hold Me Like a Grudge

Now this was what I expected from a newer Fall Out Boy single. Despite being only the first single that was released today, same day as the album itself, if I heard the full album for the first time, I would've guessed this was the first single. It's really dance-y, borderline annoyingly. The yeah-yeahs reminded me a little of Michael Jackson's highs that brought a little soul vibe to the whole song. Also although the song has distorted guitars in it, I wouldn't call this one a rock song, more like a funky, dance-y, disco pop banger which happens to be played by a whole rock band. The lyrics are really good in this one, seems like the boys found the right pen again because lines such as: "And I guess I'm getting older cause I'm less pissed When I can't get onto the guest list" or "Part time soulmate, full time problem" seem way less cringy than "I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color" for example. Overall this one is a great song but if you want the emo version of FOB, you might not like it.

04. Fake Out

The fourth track starts off really reminiscent of the 00's, this one is a calmer, "sad but i'm dancing anyway" type of song. The verse riff to me sounds like a blink-182 song, similar to Bored to Death or What's My Age Again with the clean guitars, it really seems like this one was written to pay respects to the band's roots. The lyrics in this are on point again, the opening line of the chorus: "Love is in the air, I just gotta figure out a window to break" is again really quotable, and Patrick's vocal performance singing the high notes is perfect as usual. The elder emos who liked FOB from Infinity On High might enjoy this song a lot.

05. Heaven, Iowa

The first more of a power ballad on the album starts very pop-ish, so the listener doesn't know what to expect until the second chorus hits. Patrick again shows his incredible range, and in the second chorus the guitars and the drums follow him on his journey to the highest of highs. It's honestly one of the more annoyingly catchy songs for me on the album, by the time the last chorus hit I was ready to scream: SCAR... CROSSED... LOVERS... FOREVER. There's even a spicy guitar solo/lick at the end that adds to the whole power ballad feeling.

06. So Good Right Now

If you want a really retro sounding, almost rockabilly song to dance to then look no further. This song also screams both Infinity On High and Folie A Deux to me. The chorus is a little repetitive, it's like it's purposely trying to convince you that the singer is feeling soooo good right now. Maybe this is an obvious contradiction that just flew over my head. There's also a lot of woah-s and yeah-s which add to this feeling of repetitiveness. Overall I think this one, despite sounding really retro, a forgettable song for me.

07. The Pink Seashell (feat. Ethan Hawke)

This one is an interesting spoken word interlude between the (seemingly) happiest and the biggest sounding songs on the record: Ethan Hawke's guest appearence from the movie Reality Bites where his character speaks about enjoying life despite its hardships. Honestly this interlude hit me way harder than it should've. There's not much to say, if you're a 90's movie fan, you probably know this whole monologue, if not then prepare the tissues 'cause you're about to be sad.

08. I Am My Own Muse

As previously mentioned, this one is easily the biggest sounding song on the whole record. The first intrumental section really shows how good songwriters the boys in the band are. There's a sting section, a brass secion, accompanied by the heavy sounding muted guitars are just amazingly well put together. I recommend listening to this one with good sounding headphones. The melody in the verses also similar to 40's and 50's love songs with the melody ending on a lower note. I feel like this song pays homage to these huge movie soundtracks and scores that were in the classic movies back then.

09. Flu Game

Surprise, surprise, another dance-y sounding piece. This one just blatantly tells you that there was a heartbreak and the singer of the song doesn't need to count on them or anyone anymore. I don't know if just because of the danciness or because of the production but Flu Game has major Folie A Deux vibes for me. I also like the ear allegory between Mike Tyson and Van Gogh. Sometimes I love FOB because of these clever lyrical comparisons and not because of the melodies, and this one belongs to that category.

10. Baby Annihilation

Despite the title sounding like a deathcore album, this one is just a short spoken word interlude by Pete Wentz himself, the first one since 20 Dollar Nose Bleed apparently. It doesn't hit as hard for me as the Ethan Hawke one but if you like Wentz' lyricism you might even enjoy this little break between songs. It's a disappointed yearning for something better and that's pretty much all it wants to say.

11. The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)

If you liked Save Rock And Roll, this song might be for you. The Na-Na-Na's bring that feeling to this song, the instrumental is not as pop rock-ishly heavy as in the other songs. I also like the melody before the bridge a lot, it's very pop punk. I don't think this one will become a hit but the diehard fans of the band will still enjoy this song a lot.

12. What a Time To Be Alive

We pretty much paid homage to every decade now, of course the 80's won't be an exception. The drums in the beginning sounded a little like Mary On A Cross by Ghost to me and the riff is also reminiscent of that kind of music. But again, the melody and the production also reminded me to Papa Don't Preach by Madonna so I don't know what to think anymore. The song's groove is similar to the Madonna song as well. The lyrics are clearly written about the lockdown era and how we were waiting for the apocalypse to happen. The song is vibey and happy but the lyrics are probably the darkest so far. To add to the 80's feeling there's even a harmonized guitar solo in the end. Great piece, I really enjoyed this one.

13. So Much (for) Stardust

And the cherry on top, as mentioned in the previous song, the title track of the album. The piano intro sounds very soul-ish to me which compliments Patrick's voice. Then we get a Save Rock'n Roll type of ballad chorus which is completely expected for a Fall Out Boy closing track but the real cherry on top is something else. Around 3 minutes there's a reprise of the first song of the album which hasn't happened in Fall Out Boy songs since What A Catch, Donnie on Folie A Deux. When I heard the callback for the first time I gasped "No Shit" to myself because that was such a cheap but great solution by the band that I didn't know was still in them. Pretty much the best closure since What A Catch, Donnie. Absolute perfection

So here it is, I didn't think I would enjoy a FOB record in 2023, but here we are. This album is perfect for elder emos' nostalgia boner but also a fresh take on how pop rock/mainstream pop punk should sound in the current year, embracing the nostalgia. The record is amazing for the early spring weather, I listened to it during a long walk by myself, I'd recommend you to do the same. Easily will be among the albums of the year for me personally.

#fall out boy #so much (for) stardust #so much for stardust #emo #pop punk #elder emos rejoice #fob #album review #review #long post #new album

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hatchetfieldtheories · 2 years

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Little run down on my thoughts on episode 3's songs:

1 - Nightmare Time Theme

I mean this is as normal except for when MIAH turns up and its so funny.

2 - Young at Heart

Jeff has the voice for rock ballads and I may end up obsessed with the song like I am with Tied Up My Heart.

Notable lyric "your eyes still blink" which in context seems to be just like a love lyric to another person but... you know... this is starkid.

Out of all starkid songs, this could be a genuinely released song.

3 - Killer Track

WHIPLASH HOLY HECK - DEATH METAL and NOISE. It's A LOT. But also, I am obsessed. I'll be honest I can't really understand what is being said with my crappy headphones and will need to relisten when I've got my good headphones.

Kinda I Prevail vibes in some moments, kinda Prodigy vibes in other moments.

4 - Run Away With Me

Kim, my beloved. 80s female rock ballad vibes. Think Heart, T'Pau etc. Notable lyrics, "Lost in the dark", "when no-one is helping you", "even a hero needs some hope"

It even fades out instead of ending, the 80s rock vibes are strong with this one.

5 - Nightmare Time Theme (Needy Beast Cover)

Blink 182, Sum 41, Simple Plan. Basically late 90s to mid 00s pop punk band style. I'm guessing we're getting a battle of the bands or something and Needy Beast are performing. Its excellent and makes me feel like I'm back in school so I am a very happy person today.

Bonus:

"Becky Barnes, come down from that tree."

"But I don't want to."

"Ok then"

What???

#starkid #nmt2 #nightmare time #team starkid #hatchetfield #nmt2 daddy #killer track

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himitsu-luna · 4 years

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🎶 Idol life ship - @serii-s 🎶

Hi hi!! Omg, you are calling me beautiful when you look this gorgeous!! I'm honoured! Thank you so much for your sweet words! I just loved your personality! So, here is your ship! I Hope you like it! ❤️

*idol life ships are CLOSED

✧*♬∘˚˳°♪｡☆✧*♬∘˚˳°♪｡☆✧*♬∘˚˳°♪｡☆✧*♬∘˚˳°♪｡☆✧*♬

✨ Your company

You were cast by a KQ scout when you were at an Ateez concert

The scout invited you to take part in an audition

You showed a little of your abilities, and the judges considered that you had enough skills and potential to become an idol

Two months later you started your life as a trainee

There were still not many girls trainees at the company

You made friends with everyone. I mean, everyone! Your friendly and hard working nature just attracted people to you, and you were always receptive to everybody

You had some hard times as a trainee, but you didn't give up.

After three years of training, you finally debuted

✨ Your group

The concept of your group is "free spirited girls". You have this fun, vintage 00' style, and nice vibes, really charming and cool. You can be sexy and cute at the same time

The representative color of the group is baby blue

Your songs have this retro feeling to them. You are pretty experimental, and can do pop, punk rock, hip Hop, funky, all at once.

It's a 5 members group

There are 2 koreans (one is the leader and main vocal, and the other one is the main rapper and lead dancer), 1 australian (main vocal and lead rapper), 1 chinese (main dancer and lead vocal) and you (visual, main dancer and lead vocal)

The leader is the oldest one, and you are the maknae

Your group is known for your free yet hard working nature. You are the queens of variety shows, and you have this fun and nice vibes , but you are extremely diligent and always give your best

You and your members are really really close since pre debut, and you got happy to be able to debut together

You all live at the same dorm, and you share a room with the leader.

You are super understanding and supportive towards each other

Little by little, you really felt comfortable with your members, to the point you considered them as your second family, and trusted them enough to open up and share a bit of your feelings

Your members are either smiling or laughing when they are with you

Even though you are the maknae, you have the most insightful thoughts and sometimes can act like the mom of the group

You take care of the members, but they really like to take care of you too. You are their precious little sister

You are the moodmaker and the nerd of the group too

The only thing the members don't let you do is cooking, I'm sorry

You write a lot of lyrics for your songs too

You are the member with the best fan service too. At fan meetings, everyone can see how much you love your fans!

✨Your debut

Your group was the first girl group ever launched by KQ. So, the expectations for your debut were high

You were trending on twitter for an entire week before the actual debut

The boys from Ateez were giving little spoilers about their sister group

Your debut song was really classy, with a more melodic rock vibes, a nice and strong beat, really catch and interesting

The MV was gorgeous. The storyline had this spy concept, in a really elegant and chic style

The debut was a complete success

You were all over the place, being considered the best group of your generation

✨ Your female idol best friend

Chaeyoung, from Twice

You met Chaeyoung your group and Twice collaborated in a performance

While you were practicing, you and Chaeyoung got along really well

Your personalities are a perfect match! You have so much in commom, and that makes you relate to each other and understand each other even without words

Chaeyoung and you have the most random hangouts

You go to the beach, then to the museum, then to the arcade, then to a nice place to Stargaze

She is the kind of friend who stand up for you, and is always there for you

She is always making you little things, like sketches, or friendship bracelets

✨ Your male idol best friend

Yunho, from Ateez

Yunho and you became friends while you were still a trainee

You two were at the company's cafeteria, when he tripped and almost fell over you

He apologized a million of times, and you took everything in a really humorous way. He liked it and you started talking

You liked the vibes of each other, and became good friends

Yunho and you are the chaos duo of KQ.

Hongjoong is always lowkey worried when he sees you two together

Yunho helped you a lot during trainee days. You were always practicing together

He is supportive and you have him like a real brother

He can be a tease master, or a baby puppy

He is always there for you, and you know you can count on him

✨ Your boyfriend

Bang Chan, from Stray Kids

Bang Chan and you met at an award show

Stray Kids were sitting next to your group

It was your first Award show ever, and you were really nervous

Bang Chan realized it, and discretly called you and gave you a warm smile and a cute "Fighting!"

You smile back, and he could feel his heart skipping a beat

Then he could not take his eyes out of you throughout the entire night

You won the Rookie of the year Award, and as soon as he could, Bang Chan congratulated you

You ended up chatting a bit and you exchanged numbers

After some time, you started dating

Your relationship was discovered when you were caught in a late night date

Surprisingly, the public accepted well your romance. You two were so loved by everyone, that people coudn't help but wish you happiness

Bang Chan is THE man

He is sweet, funny, a gentleman, understanding and caring

He just loves your personality. Every single trait of you is perfect in his eyes

He is pretty sensitive and would never hurt you

He wanted you to meet his entire group, and now you are friends with everyone

He is extremely supportive. He watches every single thing related to you and always gives you a feedback

You have the most fun afternoons, and you have the most deep conversations at night, while he hugs you

You have a lot of couple itens: caps, rings, bracelets, jackets, stuffed animals, a lot!

He loves you so much!💖

✨ Other random things

You were really good at acting, and you soon started you acting carreer too. You first drama as the lead role broke records of views

You became a popular MC of a famous tv programm. You have this wit and fast mind, and amazing debating skills that just make everything more interesting.

✧*♬∘˚˳°♪｡☆✧*♬∘˚˳°♪｡☆✧*♬∘˚˳°♪｡☆✧*♬∘˚˳°♪｡☆✧*♬

#kpop ships #idol life ships #submission

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kevursuchadisease · 3 years

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Top 10 Albums of 2020

Hey! I wanted to compile my top 10 albums this year. Check them out.

10. Higher Power - “27 Feet Underwater”

This album is just so fun. It’s everything good and bad from the late 90′s and early 00′s alternative grunge and post grunge and not corny at all. Makes me want to mosh ASAP. One of the two or three shows I saw this year. Fingers crossed it will not be the last.

9. The 1975 - “Notes on a Conditional Form”

So probably not the best from these guys but some of my favorite tracks from them. “Me and You Together Song” was my most played song of 2020 and “Fragile State of Mind” really helped me out this year. It’s a bit long but if you keep listening to this album you will find a lot of great things. There’s tons of sounds on hear: garage, emo, folk, Britpop, screamo, and probably more.

8. Hum - “Inlet”

I don’t have to much to say about this one. If you like Hum, you’ll like this album. Comeback albums are really hard and Hum achieved the impossible. For fans of 90′s rock and shoegaze.

7. Charli XCX - “how i’m feeling now”

I have never listened to Charli before and this was a crazy introduction. I had no idea what I was getting myself into and the first track through me off but this is some of the pop of this era. Need to do a deep dive still.

6. Hot Mulligan - “you’ll be fine”

This band was a delightful surprise this year. Only hearing them in passing and never really dug that much. Just seemed like generic pop punk that I heard before but this album is amazing and got A LOT of spins this year. I would say for fans of The Hotelier. Poppy punk mixed with mid western emo and hilarious song titles. Gave me some nostalgia I needed to stay sane this year.

5. fish narc - “WiLDFiRE”

So ready here’s controversial opinion: this is better than that MGK record. If you like that record (I enjoyed it as well) you may like this but there’s better songwriting, more diverse tracks, and a better vibe overall on WiLDFiRE. Narc has been doing production for all of GBC (Wicca Phase, Cold Hart, Lil Peep) and finally has this stand out record of the genre.

4. The Lawrence Arms - “Skeleton Coast”

The Lawrence Arms are one of most underrated bands of the style of punk they pump out. I really don’t know why the fans of the Menzingers, Gaslight Anthem, Against Me, etc. doesn’t eat this band up as they should. So yeah, they wrote an album about being alone at the end of world and what’s more 2020 than that.

3. Bartees Strange - “Live Forever”

This album is some next level shit. I can’t even describe it really. It’s like Bloc Party/Title Fight alt rock with swagger vocal delivery of some hip hop. A lot of comparisons to TV on Radio in what I’ve read. The latter half has some great acoustic folk songs and it’s just fucking sick. And this thing is a vibe.

2. Phoebe Bridgers - “Punisher”

New Phoebe. Not sure what to say other than it rules. For fans of Elliot Smith.

1. Touché Amore - “Lament”

Not my favorite album from the band but I think it’s there most accessible. I say accessible in the best way. Biggest bummer of 2020 is not seeing this band again and yelling the lyrics with a PBR in hand.

0. Goings - “It’s For You”

Okay I separated this LP from the list because it’s my brother’s and cousin’s band. Incredible album and on Know Hope Records. Check it out. For fans of Minus the Bear and Motion City Soundtrack.

Honorable Mentions:

Coriky - S/T

Ian Mackaye has a new project and album? Sign me up. Best mix of Fugazi and the Evens.

The Beths - “Jump Rope Gazers”

This album should be my AOTY and could definitely replace a lot of albums in my top ten. This shit rocks and if I were hanging out with people more, hanging around at bars, and/or being able to see this band live would have bumped this LP up for sure. Side note they were supposed to open up for Green Day/Fall Out Boy/Weezer tour in Australia and New Zealand and hope they’re still able to if that tour happens. So cool for them.

Narrow Head - “12th House Rock”

Not a lot I have to say about this album. 90′s flashback rock and done super well and I eat shit up that’s like that. For fans of Smashing Pumpkins but sang by snotty punker.

Code Orange - “Underneath”

The heaviest band there is. I think I negleted this record a bit due to how this year has been. This LP rocks and I love the more industrial elements.

Disq - “Collector”

Definitely one of the best new young bands out there. This is another album that could replace a bunch in my top 10. Pavement meets Weezer in the best way.

#top ten #sorry if this was annoying

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hermitologist · 5 years

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My 20 Favorite Records Of 2018

Hi. I made a list of my favorite records of the year again. People seem to enjoy these things, and I definitely enjoy tearing my hair out trying to figure out what I liked best, so here we are again.

This years list is chock full of heavy/sludgy bummer jams, post-rock epics, and super aggressive metal and hardcore, with a few poppier and more adventurous indie records scattered about. The honorable mentions list gets a bit more eclectic if you’re looking for stuff that sounds a little less like it was birthed from the loins of the late-90s/early-00s Hydrahead and Relapse discography.

As always, I welcome your suggestions for records and podcasts I might’ve missed the boat on, no matter the genre. There’s way too much good stuff out there to keep up with, so help me out.

Also: When my aging corpse is not being pissy about being used for something other than child-wrangling, eating, or sleeping, I try to run a few days a week and will listen to/briefly review a record on each run. Almost every record on this list has been a part of one of those posts, so if you’re interested in such a thing, please check out my Instagram.

BONUS: I put together playlists of my favorite song from each of my top 20 records, so if you’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, just throw it on and see if anything grabs you.

Hermitology’s Favorite 20 Records of 2018 - Spotify Playlist

Hermitology’s Favorite 20 Records of 2018 - Apple Music Playlist

20) Slugdge - Esoteric Malacology

This record is ridiculous in the best ways possible -- insane amounts of shredding, light-speed double bass and blast beats, and lyrics about slugs and other assorted beasts. It’s been ages since I went through my Swedish & Norwegian Metal phase, but this awakened those long-dormant receptors that used to hum when I listened to At The Gates, Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Soilwork, et al.

Listen here.

19) Ingrina - Etter Lys

Excellent French doomgaze/post-rock that sounds like it could very easily be the soundtrack to the apocalypse. Etter Lys has a familiar sound/vibe, but a refreshing energy and captivating sense of dark melody that really makes them stand out to me. Highly recommended for fans of This Will Destroy You, Rosetta, God Is An Astronaut, et al.

Listen here.

18) Beach House - 7

This record was the perfect foil to all heavy stuff I listened to this year, and my go-to in-flight record of 2018. It’s a damn near perfect collection hazy, airy, dreamy, downtempo indie pop. I’d never been a huge Beach House fan, but 7 hooked me and pulled me in. Throw this your headphones on, press play, and melt into your chair or couch.

Listen here.

17) Culture Abuse - Bay Dream

This record was not what I was expecting, but it ended up being exactly what I needed. (If that makes any sense.) Instead of a grimy, high-energy punk record, I got a fuzzy, bouncy, catchy-as-hell soundtrack to my entire summer. A perfect blend of The Ramones and peak-Weezer, with a vibe all its own.

Listen here.

16) Deads - LLNN

Roughly forty minutes of insanely heavy and furious drop-tuned, down-tempo, doom-inspired crushers offset by eerie, cinematic synth parts. If you’re a fan of early-Cult of Luna and/or Isis, this record should be a new staple in your diet. There’s also enough atmosphere here to appeal to post-rock fans who might desire a little aggression boost.

Listen here.

15) Heads. - Collider

Beautifully written sludgy rock that falls somewhere between the heaviness and spookiness of Young Widows and the heroin-soaked atmosphere and melody of Failure. For what it’s worth, I dig Collider more than either of the aforementioned bands’ most recent output. It’s a perfect marriage of influences, killer songwriting, an excellent recording, and a flat out fantastic record from front to back.

Listen here.

14) mewithoutYou - [untitled]

I’ve been a mewithoutYou fan for ages and love everything they’ve done (so I’m a little biased), but this record is just on a completely different level as far as I’m concerned. It’s the peak of their creativity, songwriting, mood, dynamics, lyrics, production, etc. It’s got the atmosphere and moodiness of post-rock, the angular quirkiness of Fugazi, the energy of Refused (at times), and the all the character of a classic mwY record. It’s phenomenal, and doubly impressive because they made it 18 years deep into an already impressive career.

Listen here.

13) Foxing - Nearer My God

I was familiar with Foxing before this record came out because they’d toured with many former tourmates, and while I appreciated what I’d heard from them, they never really clicked with me. And then I heard this record and it totally floored me. It’s incredibly ambitious without coming across as super scatterbrained or pretentious and it’s executed flawlessly (production included). This band should be massive, and I’m stunned that I’m not seeing this record on more year-end lists

Listen here.

12) This Will Destroy You - New Others Part 1 & 2

Somehow TDWY managed drop two incredible full lengths a month apart, and I honestly cannot choose between the two (so I’m combining them into one). These LPs are arguably their best work as a band, the addition of Robi Gonzalez on drums has given their sound new energy, dynamics, and pocket, and there aren’t many bands in post-rock doing it as well as these dudes do. Incredibly impressive to be able to put out this much music all at once and have it be this consistent.

Listen here.

11) The Armed - Only Love

Somehow this record manages to be chaotic, energetic, beautiful, delicate, catchy-as-hell, abrasive, and atmospheric all at once. Sometimes it sounds like you accidentally have five different songs playing at the same time. Somehow modular synth-soaked punk/metal works. Clearly I cannot explain exactly what in the everliving hell is happening here, but I can tell you that it’s a wholly arresting record that blew my mind on first listen, and has gotten better with every listen since.

Listen here.

10) Hemwick - Junkie (EP)

Normally, I wouldn’t include an EP on this list, but this is one just too good to ignore. It’s 30 minutes of insane riffage and heaviness that sounds like it spawned from the same gene pool that produced Converge, Cult Leader, and Intronaut. It’s got the spazziness and brutality of the former, blended perfectly with the occasional post-rock/metal shift into the epic melody of the latter. Super excited to hear what comes next for these guys (hopefully an LP recorded with Scott Evans or Kurt Ballou?), because this is an incredibly promising “debut”.

Listen here.

9) Architects - Holy Hell

As a standalone record, Holy Hell slays. As a follow-up to losing a family/band member to cancer (guitarist, Tom Searle), it’s a fucking triumph. Somehow Architects managed to push through the grief and heartache, and pushed the boundaries of their musical creativity and emotive lyrics to create what is arguably their best record. Holy Hell is packed to the gills with with massive, arena-sized riffs and moshworthy breakdowns, sprinkled with just enough melody and dynamic to keep things fresh without losing its edge. An amazing accomplishment in the face of such adversity.

Listen here.

8) Slow Mass - On Watch

An outstanding fusion of mellow(er) post-hardcore, bummer jams, Unwound-inspired post-punk, and shimmery shoegazey goodness. “Suburban Yellow” (see playlist) is one of my favorite songs of the year, falling somewhere between the crushing gloominess of a Kowloon Walled City song, and the somber plod of a classic Pedro The Lion track. I tend to shy away from music with dual lead vocals (because I often prefer one of the voices to the point that I’d rather just hear it all the time), but Dave Collis and Mercedes Webb’s voices are so complimentary and perfectly balanced that they take these songs to another level. Bonus: I’d highly recommend watching their frigid Audiotree session.

Listen here.

7) Hot Snakes - Jericho Sirens

One of my favorite bands of all-time put out its first record in 14 years, and it was well worth the wait. It’s Hot Snakes doing what they do best -- ripping 30 minutes of high-energy post-punk jams fueled by the brilliantly weird guitar wizardry of John Reis, and propelled by the dual drummer attack of Mario Rubalcaba and Jason Kourkounis. I’m not entirely sure where I’d rank it in their discography, but having fresh Hot Snakes tracks makes the world a better place.

Listen here.

6) Cloud Nothings - Last Building Burning

What did we do to deserve two Cloud Nothings LPs in two years? I was a little worried about whether the band could churn out a record as fantastic as Life Without Sound (which landed at #7 on last year’s list), but they absolutely did. Last Building Burning builds on the catchiness and energy of LWS’s bummer jams, but adds a little extra grit, fury, and urgency. The result is a record that’s damn near peak Cloud Nothings. It’s got hooks for days, an energy that’ll make you want to bounce off the walls, and a nasty edge that brings to mind 80′s Wipers or early Hot Snakes jams.

Listen here.

5) Cult Leader - A Patient Man

Cult Leader’s Lightless Walk was a Top 5 record for me in 2015, Gaza’s No Absolutes In Human Suffering was in my Top 5 in 2012, so it should be no surprise that they’ve cracked the Top 5 again. I’d be hard pressed to name another HEAVY band who has done it for me the way these guys have over the past six years. A Patient Man hits all the notes -- pure chaos, expansive and melancholic post-rock sections, and the most headbang-worthy breakdowns on the planet. It’d take a miracle to get this 43-year-old geriatric with a bad back to come out of mosh retirement, but the breakdown in “Aurum Reclusa” is seriously making me think about a comeback.

Listen here.

4) Low - Double Negative

I don’t think I’ve had a record screw with my brain as hard as Double Negative did since I heard Kid A for the first time. It’s a spooky, brain-liquifying journey through sonic textures and ambience, arranged and mixed in a manner that is absolutely enthralling (and a bit unnerving and “wtf are my headphones broken?”at times). If you’re gearing up for a first listen, I’d highly recommend clearing an hour on your schedule, throwing on a good pair of headphones, and letting this have its way with you. If you’ve already heard it, you should listen to it again. It gets better and weirder and more captivating every time. It’s a trip, and a great one at that.

Listen here.

3) Daughters - You Won’t Get What You Want

As a standalone record, this is groundbreaking. As a “comeback record” it’s a fucking triumph. Their S/T record (2010) is one of my favorite heavy/noise rock records of all-time, and somehow YWGWYW surpassed my lofty expectations for a follow-up. It’s a dizzying journey for sure. It’s moody as hell. It’s coherent. It’s adventurous without being overly weird. And it’s all of the best things about their previous work distilled into a perfect chunk of musical madness. The best records are the ones that make your brain matter spill out of your ears upon first listen, but it’s the all-time classics that do that and get better with every subsequent listen. Sure, it’s a record for “when the mood is right”, but when I’m in the mood, this hits all the notes for me. It’s a masterpiece.

Listen here.

2) Holy Fawn - Death Spells

This record came out of nowhere and absolutely knocked me on my ass. I’m not sure I’ve had a record do that to me since I first heard Cloudkicker in 2009 -- knew nothing of it, had zero idea what to expect and literally had goosebumps for a majority of my first listen. Tempe’s Holy Fawn have created a unique blend of dense, dynamic, and cathartic post-rock, doom, and shoegaze with airy vocals that remind me a bit of Jonsi from Sigur Ros. It’ll be a daunting task to follow up this masterpiece, but I’m incredibly excited to see and hear what the future holds for these guys.

Listen here.

1) Pianos Become The Teeth - Wait For Love

This was one of my most anticipated records of the year, and it not only lived up to my lofty expectations, but exceeded them. “Bitter Red” was far and away my most played song of the year, and I must’ve listened to Wait For Love 50 times during the month of February alone. It’s no surprise that I found myself going back to it throughout the year, and in revisiting for this list, it gave me chills just like it did 10 months ago. These dudes are doing melancholic and cathartic post-hardcore better than just about anyone these days, and I cannot wait to hear what’s next for them.

Listen here.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Roughly 80% of these records could/should have very easily landed on the Top 20 list (and probably would if I obsessed over this list any further and gave everything a super dedicated re-listen). They’re all absolutely worth checking out.

I know this list might be a little daunting, so I put together a Spotify Playlist of my favorite songs from each record, so you can just throw it on and see if anything grabs you.

Thanks to my man Zack Hite for helping me out and putting together an Apple Music version of the playlist.

Hermitology’s 2018 Honorable Mentions Spotify Playlist

Hermitology’s 2018 Honorable Mentions Apple Music Playlist

Baptists - Beacon of Faith

Birds In Row - We Already Lost The World

Boygenius - S/T EP

Candy - Good to Feel

Coastlands - The Further Still

Conjurer - Mire

Death Engine - Place Noire

Drug Church - Cheer

Emma Ruth Rundle - Dark Horses

Failure - In the Future Your Body Will Be ...

Fiddlehead - Springtime and Blind

Hammock - Universalis

IDLES - Joy As An Act Of Resistance

Jay Jayle - No Trail & Other Unholy Paths

Jesus Piece - Only Self

KEN Mode - Loved

Man Mountain - Infinity Mirror

Mogwai - KIN

Nate Smith - Pocket Change

OHHMS - Exist

Ólafur Aarnalds - re:member

Polyphia - New Levels, New Devils

Portrayal of Guilt - Let Pain Be Your Guide

Prefuse 73 - Sacrifices

Rolo Tomassi - Time Will Die …

Sectioned - Annihilated

Slow Crush - Aurora

Snail Mail - Lush

SUMAC - Love In Shadow

Svalbard - It’s Hard To Have Hope

Taken - With Regards To (EP)

The Story So Far - Proper Dose

Tides of Man - Every Nothing

Vein - Errorzone

Yashira - Shrine

PODCAST QUEUE

The Deadcast (humor, sports, politics)

Chapo Trap House (politics, humor)

Hang Up & Listen (sports, culture, nerdy)

Effectively Wild (baseball)

The Frotcast (movies, humor)

The Trap Set (drums, psychology)

The Gist (current events, politics)

Song Exploder (songwriting, production)

The Modern Drummer Podcast (drums)

#music #year end lists #AOTY #hermitology #podcasts

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skold · 7 years

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this post is Marina’s List Of Favorite and/or Iconic Music Videos

this could also be subtitled as: if you truly want to understand me as a person, watch these videos because it’ll answer a lot of questions

it’s gonna be a long one so i’ll pop it under a cut

alright we goin by artist then chronological

AIDEN

knife blood nightmare - this is iconic for me simply bc i rly wanted to look like wil in this video so bad in 6th grade.

die romantic - WHAT A BOP. i used to do my black eyeshadow like wil in this video too lmao

ALL TIME LOW

poppin champagne - because blonde alex and also?? honestly?? what a wild video. this is truly late 00s oversaturated pop punk at its finest

i feel like dancin - i’m not the biggest fan of this record or even this song in general but this is like, quintessential all time low to me video-wise. like. it’s everything i want from an all time low video.

ARCHITECTS

follow the water - or as sam carter says, follow the wah-uh. first of all i love that this is in a church. second of all when will i get to go to an architects show this lit here in the states

heartburn - bc they all look pretty. ok. aesthetically on point as well.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD

beast and the harlot - i don’t always bop this song but when i do, the whole cul de sac does too. no but really this was so influential to middle school me i wanted nothing more than a boyfriend who looked like zacky or jimmy and whatever eyeshadows zacky was wearing in this clip

BLINK 182

i miss you - the video that inspired this post. THE AESTHETIQUE. 20′s inspired romantigoth film noir. i don’t yell about this music video enough.

BRING ME THE HORIZON

chelsea smile - it’s literally just a house part video but the song literally defines the year 2009 for me. emetophobia warning at 1:08

it never ends - this video got mad shit but i love it. pretty heavy gore throughout this video

alligator blood - CREEPY ASS AESTHETIC SHIT!!!! i live for it. 16 y/o me had it so bad for matt nicholls and him getting tied up and violated was like, god tier for me

visions - more creepy aesthetic shit. the videos on there is a hell were underrated

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

hey john what’s your name again? - i gotta throw this one in just bc this hurls my ass right back to the year 2008. that bible imagery. those haircuts. it was a better time for music

html rules d00d - THIS SONG STILL SLAPS LMAO DON’T READ ME

ELISSA FRANCESCHI

salt - i’m not crying you’re crying!!! how did anne and christian franceschi manage to spawn two flawless and talented siblings!!!!!!

EVERY TIME I DIE

ebolarama - it’s a performance video in a roller rink what more could you want

wanderlust - you’ve probably caught on to the fact that i love creepy aesthetic shit.

decayin with the boys - THIS VIDEO HAS ME HOWLING. there are too many good moments to list here but the personal highlight is the dude admiring the lesbians making out, then he turns and admires they gays making out at about the 1:30 mark. also the jenga dream sequence. there’s a dick in this video, just a heads up. and a whole bootyass. i love andy williams. mild emetophobia tw at 2:30

FOXY SHAZAM

a dangerous man - eric nally’s screeching was the soundtrack of 2008

i like it - the chorus of this song is literally just ��that’s the biggest black ass i’ve ever seen and i like it” and i have nothing more to say

holy touch - it’s a performance video but it’s. different. i really don’t wanna ruin this by saying too much about it. that’s just kinda how foxy shazam were. this song is a fucking banger. yes, they did have a trumpet player in the official lineup.

FRNKIERO ANDTHE CELLABRATION

joyriding - another performance video that’s. different. lmao. aesthetically perfect

GOOD CHARLOTTE

lifestyles of the rich and famous - the proletariat banger we weren’t ready for in 2002, but we’re ready now.

girls and boys - old people being punk rock. that’s all.

predictable - i SPECIFICALLY remember watching this on the good charlotte website the day this dropped. THE EARLY 2000S BAD CG IS REAL. i was literally ten years old but i somehow Felt every word of that spoken bridge, man. WHEN THE LITTLE GIRL GIVES JOEL THE ROSE AND IT TURNS BLACK i deadass thought that was so fucking dope y’all

i just wanna live - ignoring the irony of joel whining about being famous, this video had THE MEMES.

GREEN DAY

longview - iconic simply by virtue of being their first video.

when i come around - ask me about my favorite songs of All Time and i’ll probably mention this one. it’s still great nowadays. i love all the shots of berkeley.

brain stew/jaded - this is such a great piece of art lmao the fucking. sludgy feeling of brain stew going into the chaos of jaded is great on the record, but even better in video form going from being stoned in sepia to tripping acid in an oversaturated cluttered space

walking contradiction - comedy gold

hitchin a ride - creepy weirdness and an iconic bassline. also mike dirnt looks fine as hell in this video

minority - i’m running out of ways to explain that a video is iconic to me purely bc of how important the song was to me at a given time lmao.

american idiot - is there anything i can truly say about this video? it was perfect in 2004, it’s perfect in 2017. uncomfortably relevant. epilepsy warning for strobe lighting effects in the second half

holiday - technically this was released before blvd, but since it chronologically precedes blvd in the story, i’m putting it first. this is like 90% here for the bridge section y’all. fucking iconic. i wore a fedora on the first day of sixth grade bc tre cool wore one in this video. not my proudest fashion moment. emetophobia warning at 1:56 but them playing EVERY character in the bar scene is perfection

boulevard of broken dreams - ah yes, 2005′s most overplayed song. i could not escape this song. every time the intro started everyone would just look at me bc i was The Green Day Chick. this video is aesthetically perfect though. shout out to mike dirnt’s jawline in profile

HOZIER

work song - first of all, this song makes me cry. second of all, the video is dreamy as fuck. it gives me irl chills. i love the choreography so much. the whole vibe is very modern southern gothic. and it’s incredibly intimate feeling without being... sexual or vulgar, i guess.

IN THIS MOMENT

adrenalize - first of all i’m gay. second of all i’m gay. this video is decidedly nsfw

whore - aesthetically pleasing. chris motionless being subby is the real highlight here

sick like me - again, it’s here for the aesthetic.

big bad wolf - also aesthetic but THIS MAKEUP LOOK. maria’s makeup look in this video is actually literally my aesthetic goal. epilepsy warning for strobe light effects

sex metal barbie - say it with me: aesthetic. i also love this one bc the lyrics are largely lifted from people talking shit about maria on the internet, shaming her for being a woman with sexuality and agency, so fuck yes i support it. mild body horror warning for this one

JOHN 5

making monsters - john’s videos are mostly performance based but this one is so cute lmao. where do i cop a j5 action figure

LADY GAGA

paparazzi - i’m only including the RLY vital gaga videos here and the full version of paparazzi is her best work imo......

bad romance - .......but bad romance is a close second.

telephone - i can’t not include this one though. the collab of the decade.

LINKIN PARK

one step closer - i think this was the first linkin park video i saw Back In The Day......... it was 2 heavy 4 baby me at the time lmao but nowadays it’s one of my fave lp songs. the video is super corny let’s be real but it was 2000

numb - this song is so fucking emo but i love it. the video is like peak emo too. i swear the main girl in this video was like my fashion icon at the time. layered tank tops, ripped loose jeans, oversized hoodies and jackets. i wanted her hair so bad lmao

what i’ve done - this video is really visually solid. i thought this was like the Deepest Shit in middle school lmao

MARILYN MANSON

sweet dreams (are made of this) - THE CINNAMON TOPOGRAPHY!!! god i have no complaints about this video except that twiggy is in it. visual fx?? dope. wardrobe?? dope. location?? dope. manson in the wedding dress?? dope. unsanitary warning for the later half of the video bc manson gets pooped on by birds lmao

tourniquet - one of my fave vocal performances by manson tbh. i prefer this one of the two videos floria did w/ manson.

long hard road out of hell - femme manson and religious imagery need i elaborate

the dope show - the first manson video i ever saw. i was... so creeped out lmao. LOOKS ON LOOKS ON LOOKS. john 5 lookin like a snack in this one

i don’t like the drugs (but the drugs like me) - this is probably the most heavy-handed manson has ever been with the christ allegory lmao and yet......... i love it. also shout out to manson and rose’s dogs bug and uncle fester for guest starring. body horror tw here

coma white - basically a flawless music video i have nothing to say here that isn’t already said by the video itself

disposable teens - everybody looks great in this one except twiggy fuck twiggy. i actually love the mtv version of this video too, which is all performance, but i can’t seem to find it rn??

the fight song - one of my fave manson looks. those boooooots tho. the gloooovessssss. i’m gross let me live

tainted love - sorry to send y’all to vimeo for this one but i couldn’t find one on youtube that didn’t look like it was filmed with a potato or watermarked. y’all slept on the genius of this video tbh

mobscene - hello it is me gaogfucker666.

this is the new shit - still me, gaogfucker666. this video feels misinterpreted too honestly

(s)AINT (director’s cut) - specifically the director’s cut bc more tim skold in a dress and boots smoking a cigarette. this video is seriously fucking nsfw. needles, drugs, sexual content, vomit etc watch with caution pls

personal jesus - i love this glam rock look so much. tim looks so good in this he never wore the look again bc he knew he looked so good we could never handle it a second time.

putting holes in happiness - I CAN’T FIND the extended version with tim’s full solo and i wanna scream. but. here’s the official version

say10 (short) - i really fucking wish he’d compounded off this for the official say10 video, beheaded orange man or not. just the verse. it’s so good. moody and creepy and AHHH.

we know where you fucking live - heed the warning at the beginning lmao. i honestly loved this video. i know some people thought it was edgy but i rly rly don’t see that. it’s offensive and obscene yeah but it doesn’t have that edgelord feel, as much as i love to call him an edgelord.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE

reincarnate - old school horror vibes!!! as a Humble Fetishist of Boots and Gloves, this is a great video. also this is one of those songs where i Feel the lyrics for real

eternally yours - THE COLORS!!! THE FUCKIN IN A COFFIN!!!! i have nothing more to say

MOTLEY CRUE

looks that kill - please watch this corny ass fuckin 1983 ass hair metal ass music video. please. i’m tryna add more shout at the devil era nikki sixx vibes to my wardrobe tbh

wild side - i love a late 80s arena performance video ok also where do i cop nikki’s shirt

dr. feelgood - i will always credit this as one of the songs that made me want to play bass tbh

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

vampires will never hurt you - too emo to view with the naked eye.

i’m not okay (i promise) - the video that spawned a million high school AUs. god i love this one. even watching without the nostalgia goggles it’s great.

helena - perhaps my favorite music video of all time? if not then top 3. this video still remains my ideal aesthetic 12 years later. HOW I’M TRYNA BE. i just wanna look like an extra in this video, okay.

the ghost of you - time to cry!!!!! emetophobia warning at 0:47

welcome to the black parade - it’s hard for me to talk about these videos bc they’re so universally iconic that to explain why i love them so much would be mostly redundant.

famous last words - see above. this song means the world to me

desolation row - if i had to pick a video other than helena to look like an extra in i’d pick this one. has gerard ever looked this good, before or after this video?? peak.

NINE INCH NAILS

down in it - these are getting linked to vimeo since the official nin account has them all uploaded there in better quality. anyway i love so many of the shots in this video and i love the colors and i love bab trent

head like a hole - SO dated y’all but bab trent leveled up and became baby dread trent.

happiness in slavery - this is seriously graphic. but it’s great. also where’s the extended version that shows trent getting eaten by the weird carnivorous robot

gave up - bABY BRIAN!! infants, y’all. INFANTS.

march of the pigs - it’s a one-take performance video but it’s...... so much more than that. this video hurts me in my hand/glove kink.

closer - this is in the top 3 with helena honestly. it is... a piece of art film before all else. a Must Watch.

burn - another case of a video being important to me because of the song it’s for tbh.

the perfect drug - marc romanek is a GOD. also a piece of art film honestly. just y’all wait till i make my dnd character based on trent in this video lmao

starfuckers, inc - hm, another nin video that trent invited manson to be in. interesting. all memes aside it’s a great video even as much as i hate the use of the “fat = ugly” trope. epilepsy warning for flashing effects in the last part of the video

deep - why. are. y’all. SLEEPING ON THIS!!!!

only - this may have been the first nin video i willingly saw and recognized as nin. this video still holds up, especially with it being 95% cgi and still looking as good as it does.

ROB ZOMBIE

living dead girl - the theme song of my life??? iconic couple costume idea????

meet the creeper - i have to include this video because it’s BAD. it’s terrible and i fucking love it

american witch (live version) - WHEN ROB PICKS UP JOHN AND STARTS SPINNING HIM AROUND!!!! this is here specifically for all the long hair john content

dead city radio and the new gods of supertown - the aesthetic. everybody looks great. matt is in a gorilla suit

well everybody’s fucking in a ufo - highly nsfw. where do i begin with this fucking hot mess...... sheri’s huge fake boobs. john and matt and ginger as astronauts. john jerkin off. the aliens with dicks. the fact that the whole story is about getting gang banged by aliens???? nothing will ever reach this level

SKOLD

self titled promotional clip - epilepsy warning for a lot of flashing and smash cuts. sort of a few partial music videos in one, but there are only two official skold videos, so i gotta include both of them. the quality is garbage. it’s so incredibly 1996. yet i love it. the last song, anything, is pretty nsfw as in there’s actual femdom porn clips but this is why i love it.

better the devil - if there were more skold videos i’d put them here. but as i said there are only two. tim out there lookin like not just a snack but a full course meal in 4k quality. goddamn. the only man i can ever truly call d*ddy. tiffany and eli lookin like delicious side dishes as well.

TAKING BACK SUNDAY

you’re so last summer - flava flave is in it

this photograph is proof - this song makes me so fucking nostalgic............. it transports me right back to eighth grade lmao. tbs were one of my fave bands in middle school.

makedamnsure - the most emo song of all time?? side note regarding tbs: real talk, being fat in middle school, seeing another fat person in a band was so fucking reassuring and great. i love eddie.

liar (it takes one to know one) - these visual effects are SO cool, even now.

YOU ME AT SIX

jealous minds think alike - ART... no but actually look at these literal fetuses. i fucking love this song. it’s probably my fave track on take off your colours.

kiss and tell - you right it’s another house party video BUT. baby josh with an undercut. he must be 18 or barely 19 here??

liquid confidence - WHEN YOU GOT NOTHING TO LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE

stay with me - jkfljkghdfskljgs okay serious time: this song got me through a seriously rough part of my life and i have the title tattooed on me partially because of the video.

loverboy - i have never seen a fandom in such utter chaos as the ymas fandom was on the day this video dropped. holy fucking shit. the THIRST was REAL.

bite my tongue - peak ymas captured in one music video. that’s truly the most important part. that peak sns era ymas was preserved forever in this video.

lived a lie - is it bad if i still kinda want a “we are believers” tattoo lmao. i really....... love this song a lot. is it obvious by now that ymas love a big chorus lmao

give - this song gives me The Feels. it deserved better than a performance video in an empty arena but it’s all we got, so here it is.

#well this took for fucking ever #and will probably get no notes bc it's a personal post #which is fine but #i hope y'all appreciated my commentary anyway lmao #do not lose #i will likely update this as my faves continue to release gr8 videos

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1-dollar-cd-sale-reviews · 7 years

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Zebrahead - Waste of Mind (1998)

Zebrahead is a band I’m very vaguely familiar with. I only know them from two things - the song “His World” from Sonic 06, and a full-length music video of theirs that got picked up as a Youtube ad a couple years ago. I’m not a big fan of rap rock, or punk rap in this case, and I kind of expected some decent bro music at best. I picked it up as a joke, and I was ready to cringe - I tend not to take song titles like Bootylicious Vinyl seriously.

But I ended up enjoying this album more than I thought I would. For one, while the band’s style is “punk rap”, this album also has a bit of dub influence - as far as punk goes, I think there’s a healthy dollop of ska and dub influence in there, as is characteristic of third-wave punk music. Because of that, there are some tracks on this album that took me completely by surprise.

My expectations, as I so eloquently wrote in my review notes, were as follows: “I think this is going to be an album of righeous punk-rap jams, and I'm probably going to cringe a whole lot”. The first half of this statement held up - the first track, Check, instantly confirmed my suspicions. This song and Get Back are pretty standard pop-punk numbers, with Check utilizing faster rapping and Get Back balancing the late-90′s bro jams with the lyrics.

The Real Me was the first track to really stand out to me. It has a more chill, bouncy vibe to it - the chorus features the same guitar style as the first two songs, but the vocals are harmonised. It’s a much softer jam, and it reminds me a lot of the sort of music my friend really likes to listen to. The song only does one thing wrong, and that’s the repetition of the words “and I get mine, and I get mine, and I get mine” etc. that leads into the chorus.

The tracks I didn’t like reminded me of knock-off Blink-182 songs - this label applies wholeheartedly to the song “Someday”. It’s about being in school and hating it, and liking an attractive girl that’s way out of your league. There’s a select handful of songs I’m down with that utilises this trope, but I can count them on one hand - I hate when premises like this crop up in music. It’s been done. And the fact that it’s all being rapped just sours the song further for me.

Someday is my least favorite song for that reason. There are a few tracks I didn’t like so much, or just sort of sat through - Walk Away would be completely forgettable if there wasn’t a dub part that comes out of nowhere, and Swing is just completely forgettable. There’s also a song called Feel This Way that has a really annoying call-and-response sort of gimmick to the lyrics, though the chorus was pretty good - the band is really good at harmonising on the handful of occasions they add harmonised vocals. Someday is the only song I can really say I disliked - otherwise, the worst thing I can say is that a lot of the choruses sound like completely standard pop-punk from the late 90′s/early 00′s.

The titular track, Waste of Mind, gave me a bit of a Red Hot Chilli Peppers vibe. Not too much, the weird discordant guitar notes playing on the right audio channel aren’t very good and the chorus is fairly bog-standard punk-pop, but the feeling lingers during the verses. It’s more of the bassline, I think - the song has a total stylistic change to more of a chill, Caribbean beach tune, and that leads into a refrain of the chorus that took me by surprise and made me appreciate it just a little bit more. The hints of RHCP are there for me, but they don’t rule the song.

Big Shot, much like The Real Me, hint at the band’s ska/dub influence, and foreshadow the album’s change of direction in the last quarter. Fairly generic chorus, but it has a really fun, bouncy rhythm to it. I feel similarly about the song Jag Off, which has more of a swingy tempo to it - it has a similar concept to Feel This Way, with a singer and rapper sharing the verses and responding to each other, but both of them get some time to shine and play off each other. The chorus is also one of the better ones of the album.

I don’t have much to say about Time, except the rapping is pretty fucking fast. Blisteringly so, at least in comparison to the rest of the album. Fairly generic pop-punk, with the real highlight being the rapping.

The last three songs of the album - Move On, Fly Daze and Bootylicious Vinyl - take a complete swerve into more laid back, groovy jams. Move On features the singer more than the rapper, and it’s a really pleasant surprise of a song. The singer sounds like a bro, and his notes are a little flat, but it’s really good for what I initially wrote off as late-90′s bro jams. This is one of the longest songs on the album, and I didn’t want it to end.

For the song Fly Daze, they got Ron Jeremy to record a skit for them - he’s a radio DJ who asks all the ladies listening to “give them the clap”. It’s really dumb, but I’m kind of impressed they reached out and got him to do it.

This song is more of a throwback groove number. There’s this really great spacy feel to the chorus, and the song utilises cowbell and sports-whistle sound effects to great effect. The bass rules this song, and there’s this really great guitar solo right near the end too. It’s this song that solidified my opinion of the album - it’s a good record, and I’m glad I listened to it.

Of course, there’s one more song to go - Bootylicious Vinyl. Honestly? Meh. It’s not great. But it isn’t particularly bad, and even if I didn’t like it so much, it doesn’t tarnish the rest of the album.

Waste of Mind was a very pleasant surprise. I was expecting some pretty standard punky trash - my expectations weren’t completely off-base, because a lot of the choruses for these songs were forgettable faff. The best quality to those choruses was the occasional presence of layered vocals. Of course, not every chorus was forgettable, and the album had more range to it than I was expecting. I really liked the album’s late swerve into more laid-back jams, and I had a good time for a great deal of the album. I recommend this album wholeheartedly, even if it’s just to give it a try.

For the more hard, “punk rap” style of songs, I recommend The Real Me and Big Shot, though both are more funky, swingy types of songs that feature rapping and punk-sounding choruses. If you’re interested in the more laid back tunes at the end of the album, I recommend Move On and Fly Daze - in that order, preferably, but they’re both good songs either way.

You can grab the album for anywhere between $6 and $9, and the album has been uploaded to Youtube.

#zebrahead #waste of mind #punk rap

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channelnewswire-blog · 5 years

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The conclusive, best New Zealand music of 2018

For the very first and last time, Henry Oliver offers his conclusive account of The Spinoff's finest New Zealand music of 2018. Read it and get mad.

Here it is, my 10 best albums and ten best songs, all from Aoteroa, all launched in 2018. The one rule: appearance on one list disqualifies that artist from appearing on the other list. Okay? Okay.ALBUMS 1.

Chelsea Jade-- Personal BestChelsea Jade has constantly cultivated an

air of secret-- a mix of art school obfuscation, an inconsistent release schedule, and her fierce self-reliance in a category that usually counts on deep-pocketed labels to pay for the revolving churchgoers of authors and manufacturers we have actually all pertained to consider required. However this year, her stream of consistently impressive singles and EPs finally coalesced into a launching album and it cleared the high bar of expectation she had actually generated. Personal Best is whatever a listener might want out of this brand-new type of pop music that is

n't that popular(someone I was speaking with recently called it 'unpop '). It's catchy but weird, integrating nods to the category's leading lights(Robyn, Carly Rae Jepsen, and so on)with production flourishes of ASMResque coughs, clicks and gasps. Just as the music is made with an eager ear for detail, the lyrics are alive with social nuance and microscopic minutes. They check out more like little essays than poems.(Personal Best makes me want to write all the words I hate to be used to explain music like'clever'and 'literate '.)And all of it is covered in this look and vibe that differs from anything else in 2018. It's simple to ignorethe degree of trouble Chelsea Jade has actually set for herself. The images, the videos, the dances, the live show, the Instagramming, the'individual brand name

'-- it's such a small target she's been able to strike. A few degrees off and it all looks fucking ludicrous. However Personal Best-- and everything surrounding it-- struck the bullseye.2. Avantdale Bowling Club-- Avantdale Bowling Club The day'Years Gone By'came out, I was connected immediately. It's my most-played New Zealand tune of the year on Spotify and it's 7 minutes long! Its accomplishment is type of extensive-- a single personrecounting their life, practically year-by-year in seven minutes while still holding to a

rhyme scheme and something near to a song-structure. Those in-depth moments of childhood, the discomforts of growing up, his moms and dads fucking up, him getting screwed up, him getting semi-famous and after that getting reduced, him growing up, getting married, having a child. Numerous months and lots of plays later, I still get goosebumps when I hear the lines"And now I watch his eyes viewing mine/ Viewing life on rewind, too magnificent to define in one line." If you know, you know.Like Personal Best, among the things that stay so outstanding about Avantdale Bowling Club is how tough it is to do this well. Envision being a rap artist and telling your partners something like, "You understand A Love Supreme!.?.!? I wish to make a record kinda like that but a rap record."It's preposterous. It

's like saying,"Yeah, I wish to make a film like Citizen Kane, however a superhero movie." Yet, in some way he

pulls it off once again andagain.' Pocket Lint ','F (r)iends ','Water Medley','Home'-- all are filled with elaborate rhymes that so empathetically explain a particular New Zealand life, covering inequality, imagination , property, relationship, fatherhood, hope, hopelessness.3. The Beths-- Future Me Dislikes Me Emo lyrics, pop-punk guitar sounds, 60s harmonies, power pop hooks-- this is the recordI didn't understandI needed (and even desired)in my life in 2018. Future Me Dislikes Me is guitar pop songwriting at it's best. There is no guitar-based album in 2018, anywhere, as catchy as this one. You may prefer the Mitski record or the 1975 record or the Courtney Barnett record or the Snail Mail record, however none is as catchy as this. Because it's not empty catchiness

-- the lyrics are truthful(in some cases a little cringy even) and amusing

."Our category is hooks," guitar player Jonathan Pearce informed us a month or so earlier. And sure, hooks aren't whatever, however they make you wish to press play and after that press it once again and once again and again.4. Marlon Williams-- Give Way for Love There's no voice like Marlon Williams'. Not here, not anywhere. I can listen to it for hours. His voice might soothe the world. It must soothe the world. I like a record so specifically about a break-up, although it's been a long time since I might connect to any of it in the smallest. I like'Love Is A Horrible Thing'. I love 'Nobody Gets What They Want Any longer'. I like'The Fire of Love'.5. Fanau Medical Spa-- Fanau Day Spa If you want an album that might just have actually been made here, could only have actually been made in 2018, Fanau Health club is it. Building on the partnership behind Coco Solid's COKES mixtape, Fanau Health spa is a

fluid combination of Coco

Solid, Queen Kapussi, Joe Kori, Big Fat Raro, Xamiishi, Manu, Brown Boy Magik, TH1R § T3EN and Yumgod. There's literally nothing else like it.6. Unknown Mortal Orchestra-- Sex and Food Unusual how just months after its release individuals seem to be sleeping on this album. I suggest, to be fair, I hadn't listened to it that much after seeing them play Whammy Bar in the middle of the year, however going through it now, there are a lot of tunes on this

album. I was going to consist of'A

God Called Hubris 'on my songs list because A. I like it; B. it seems like what The Mint Chicks might now if they were still a band, and C. I believed it 'd be funny to include a 41-second song on my songs list. That would not be reasonable to'Not in Love','Break Yourself ','Everybody Acts Crazy Nowadays'. Not to point out'Hunnybee 'which isn't my favourite song on the album but is an undeniable feel-good disco banger.7. Julien Dyne-- Teal This is a mind-bending, toe-tapping, knee-drumming bursting-through-the-speakers rhythm bomb of an

album. You simply give yourself to it and not your head a little out of time.( Likewise, includes among my favourite tunes of 2017,' Hours'with Ladi6.)8. October-- Ultra Red Take bombastic commercial beats, sugary pop production, Jesus and Mary Chain fuzz guitars, grind it up, put it out and you have October's Ultra Red. I've stated it elsewhere but goth is having a moment in a bunch of different locations(anybody else psyched about those This Mortal Coil reissues? )and it's just a matter of time up until somebody determine how to combine it with forward-thinking pop and find their way into teenager's minds worldwide. There's no reason why it could not be October in a year or so.9. P.H.F.-- I Hate Myself P.H.F.'s I Hate Myself resembles the degenerate twin of The Beth's Future Me Hates Me.

Liz Stokes may dislike herself in

the future, however Joe Locke is method ahead of her. Like Future Me, I Dislike Myself is a hook-laden power-pop-punk affair however shrouded in static. It's a bit Weezer, a bit Smashing Pumpkins, a bit all those late-00s"shitgaze"bands. So good!(Yells to twitter power user

@m_h_lumber who tweeted this to me a variety of times throughout the year.)10. Princess Chelsea-- The Loneliest Girl I never thought 2018 would be a huge year for the Lil'Chief visual. The scene that kinda reached its peak they year (s) when The Brunettes, The Ruby Suns, The Reduction Agents, but produced two high-quality albums this year(see listed below for the other). Princess Chelsea's The Loneliest Girl is full of wit and sincerity. TUNES 1. Church & AP-- 'Ready or Not'It may be recency bias, but fuck it. If not now, when? Live for today, amirite? I imply, I liked their Thorough Bread record a lot, however still wasn't prepared for this bona fide radio-friendly HIT. Song of the year? Why not? Provide me a reason not to!"Savignon blanc? I saw that shit and I provided it to ma. "2. Hans Pucket--'Fuck My Life'I composed what I need to

state about this song in our reader's study post. In short: this tune is a hit and in any other time, in any other media landscape, this would be on the charts. Still ... 3. Tiny Ruins--'Just How Much'"On a lilo reading your letter, "is probably my preferred opening line of a New Zealand song in 2018. What a scene! I like that this song subtly expands the Tiny Ruins sounds without taking too

far into the psych-lite territory it might have easily gotten to. I just desire to reside in this

world all the time. And I'm giving reward points for the bass solo of the year.4. JessB--'Set It Off 'Play this next time your phone is plugged in at a celebration. Play this to your kids. Play this all summertime with your vehicle windows down. One of the live highlights of the overly-polite music awards is one of the highlights of the whole damn year.5. Delaney

Davidson-- 'Shining Day'I love this plodding

dirge

of a tune. Co-written with SJD,'

Shining Day' is the favorable affirmation you have actually been waiting on. Whatever it is you desire to do-- do not wait. Today's the day. This day. This is your shining day. 6. Drax Task--'Got up Late'I used to hate Drax Task. Maybe I still do, I don't understand. One day, my pal and employer Duncan Greive asked,"have you heard the new Drax single?" Of course

I hadn't! Weren't they those Wellington music school

kids who did covers of radio hits? Why would I stay up to date with their output? Well, in some cases the stars simply align. And this is it. The very best business radio struck to come from these islands this year. By far. No question. This ought to beon the soundtrack of every Hollywood teen movie

for the next two years.7. SWIDT--'No Feelings In The Wild 'SWIDT goes dark! There've been some difficulties to the crown this year (see # 1 above)however up until somebody comes out with a full-length as excellent as Stoneyhunga, SWIDT is still the rap group to beat. And while this year's EP wasn't quite as excellent, it suffices to hold the area.8. Death and the Maiden--'Wisteria'Before the time of writing, the last time I

listened to this song was driving over the hillsnorth of Dunedin en route to Moeraki. It was raining, foggy as fuck, and there was nothing that sounded as perfect as this song. I can recommend the experience.9. Jonathan Bree--'You're So Cool'I mean, I don't understand exactly what to believe

about this. Is this extremely earnest or incredibly paradoxical? Too

earnest or too cold? Does it matter? It's just such a well-crafted tune-- financial yet expansive, rich production. And the look! The video! 10. Carb on Carbohydrate--' It's Been a Rough Year'It definitely has. (Seriously-- I didn't know I wished to ever hear second-wave emo once again up until I heard this record. It's so good though

. It goes to many places I, as a listener, am not constantly keen to go. I enjoy it for it. ) So much of the music mentioned above-- songs and/or albums by Chelsea Jade, Marlon Williams, The Beths, October and more-- was made with the assistance of NZ on Air. We thank them.

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soundofawesomeblog · 6 years

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This Fall, we are counting down the 100 best tracks of the 2000s with a new article every Monday. To learn more about the project and why the 2000s were amazing for music, click here.

We almost reached the top of the list as we reveal positions 20 to 11 this week As always, you will be able to listen to almost every single track of the countdown so far in a Spotify playlist at the end of the post.

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20. Phoenix - 1901

Indie rock got into an exciting new wave phase in the late 00s and it felt like the best of times, thanks in no small parts to France’s Phoenix. 1901 is a postcard from Paris at its peak, a peak the band estimates ended right as the 20th Century kicked in. The breezy single was on every cool kids’ iPod thanks to its avalanche of lighthearted guitars and the perfect amount of electronic flourishes.

19. Sigur Rós - Svefn-G-Englar

Nothing screams “hit” like a ten-minute experimental song with lyrics in Icelandic. Yet, Sigur Rós managed to make its way to listeners across the world with the sheer beauty of its very first single, Svefn-G-Englar. The slow-burning track emulates the feeling of a baby about to be born, bowed guitars included. The result is a cosmic piece of post-rock that could be the national anthem of such a country filled with auroras borealis and dreamlike landscapes.

18. Amerie - 1 Thing

Building a track around vocals, drums and a single guitar strum every few bars is a crazy idea. An idea so crazy in fact that executives at Columbia did everything they could to stop Amerie from releasing such a single. But with a vocal performance as big as hers on 1 Thing, there truly was no need to add many flourishes to such a hit. The mix of her cascading vocals and the waterfall of percussion provided by Rich Harrison - most of which sampled from funk drummer Ziggy Modeliste - was enough to catapult the track in the top 10 of the Billboard and to a well-deserved Grammy nomination.

17. The Avalanches - Since I Left You

The concept of sampling was no new thing in 2000, but The Avalanches took the idea many steps further with the plunderphonic single Since I Left You. Here, the various samples take the front seat, from Latin guitars to 60’s doo-wop vocal groups to funk, to create a completely new work outside of the barrier of genres.The homogeneous collage is unlike anything the sum of its parts could aim to; a rich, exotic and lighthearted journey to the warmest beaches of the Australian coast.

16. Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone

It’s easy to underestimate the importance of rock music in the 2000s. Sure, there were far fewer rock acts having chart success than in previous decades, but the fact remains that for a lot of pop stars, heavy guitars was the way to go. Kelly Clarkson’s career path - one which started on American Idol - wins her zero punk points, but on Since U Been Gone, she proves that she made her homework. While the opening verse borrows from the too-cool-for-school vibe of NYC bands like The Strokes, the chorus catapults her voice - and a few distortion pedals - to the stratosphere with passion and a few goosebumps.

15. The Walkmen - The Rat

The Rat is a real tour-de-force; here is a track that relies on a drum pattern so crazy, it sounds on the edge of falling apart at every turn. On top of this percussive performance, one will find guitars strummed with reckless urgency and Hamilton Leithauser trying his best to sound bored and over with his past flame, only to scream and cry for a second chance on every occasion. A painful breakup track if there’s ever been one, The Rat channels all the confusion and rage of a heartbreaking rupture and packs it tightly.

14. Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z - Crazy In Love

Beyoncé was already the biggest star in Destiny’s Child, but it was with Crazy In Love that she started her reign has one of the biggest stars on the planet. The track here samples 1970 funk track "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)" in exemplary fashion, helping to channel the sexy and unbreakable side of Ms Knowles with its incessant horns and energetic drum beat. It’s no wonder Jay-Z feels the need to ad-lib “History in the making!” in the song’s intro.

13. Bon Iver - Skinny Love

A singer-songwriter with a guitar isn’t the most original concept in sight, but when it’s done correctly, it’s one that never feels out of time. Inspired by a break-up and a mid-twenties crisis, Justin Vernon created his Bon Iver project in a North Wisconsin, and it’s easy to feel his voice on Skinny Love as the only source of heat in the cold cabin. Still, thanks to some hand claps and multiple overdubbed vocal takes, he manages to make the song feel bigger than just himself.

12. Daft Punk feat. Romanthony - One More Time

If their video for Around the World saw few astronauts dancing around goofily with skeletons and swimmers, Daft Punk truly reached outer space grace with One More Time. A dancefloor filler for the ages, the lead single from Discovery features the late Romanthony as some kind of partybot who dances until the long breakdown lets him showcase his soul. Even if the song bases itself of some cleverly chopped and unrecognizable retro disco samples, the track feels futuristic, even years removed from it.

11. Girls - Lust For Life

Girls’ second single, Lust For Life, steals its title from a famous song and album from the godfather of punk himself, Iggy Pop. Sure, the band doesn’t sound as visceral as Iggy and his friends back in the days, but at the same time, few things feel as punk as opening a track by slamming the D chord over and over again for 13 fucking seconds like there was no tomorrow. Christopher Owens then spends half of the song reflecting on his shitty past and how it made him the shitty person he is now before letting the instruments speak for themselves, with a sweet melodica solo foreshadowing that he might end up alright after all. In the end, Lust For Life became the manifesto for the short-lived indie band, one with an indie facade hiding a pure punk rock heart.

(Note that Jay-Z’s 99 Problems and Primal Scream’s Kill All Hippies are not available on Spotify)

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#sound of awesome #List #top tracks of the 2000s #Decade #Phoenix #sigur rós #Amerie #The Avalanches #Kelly Clarkson #The Walkmen #Beyoncé #Jay-Z #Bon Iver #Daft Punk #Girls #Estelle

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