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yesterdaysanswers · 1 year

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Mauro Pagani has his say (Gong, April 1975)

It is another world. We have been there three times since last June and have had an amazing ride, all over the North, Detroit, Chicago, New York three times, then Ohio with Columbus, Cleveland, which is already a pretty strange downtown area (Country Music reigns supreme), then we will go South, to New Orleans, Miami in Florida, Texas to S. Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Portland, and we have been all over Canada. We immediately realized that we had landed on the moon.

There is still the conception that having become rich is a sign of personal ability. You still find people who, accompanying them home, say phrases like: "everything you see around is my stuff”. And musicians among others are not saved: They are people who have done this job all their lives, one cannot speak of victims of the system as is often done (in Italy, for example, we tend to blame all the organizers of concerts or the record companies, without thinking that even the artist who asks for fees of millions to play two pieces is rotten). After all, there is nothing crazier than an enriched rock singer, guitar, bass, drums, Texan hat, spurs and music at 12,000 volts. The J. Geils Band, for example, are horrible people. We played with them on the last tour and found out that they are foulness itself, unspeakable, I don't even want to talk about it. (Carlos Santana, on the other hand, even if I don't share his mysticism, is one of the few musicians I've met who I liked on a human level, a clean one who believes in what he does). Yet it has been seen that people like Bob Dylan and today like Frank Zappa, why not? They had a huge following making music of a certain type. I'm sorry if Zappa makes a lot of money and doesn't spread it around, as would be coherent from his point of view, and I'm sorry Dylan broke out and sold out. But their message remains, and I don't dispute their beginnings, when they were pure and honest musical heroes.

The discussion on the cost of music is completely different in the USA. The records, first of all, sell for much less, from 4 to 5 dollars, that is to say between 2,500 and 3,000 lire which for them, with what they earn, then becomes more or less 1,500 lire. So they can afford to buy even 5 albums a week. About 1000 new ones come out every month, and for us Italian groups, it is terrible competition (in Canada it is differs because they also have a cultural background closer to the European one, and they understand PFM music better: we have sold 20,000 records out of 18 million people, while in the USA, where almost 250 million people live, we have passed 100,000 LPs). The concerts cost much more than here. No American organizer would dream of bringing musicians into the theater working to the bone as almost all of us do (except two or three). And then there's the manipulation of ratings and the mafiette to get on TV. We have had the good fortune to meet people who love music, for once not being overly schemed, who made us do television shows with very high approval ratings, something like 25, 30 million viewers per evening. There are 3 rock programs a week, almost two hours each, which are broadcast in a row on Friday evening. That day you sit in front of the TV at 5 pm and finish listening to music and it's already night. But they almost always screw up the choice of appearances. For example, PFM was put with Steppenwolf and Herbie Hancock (by the way, he broke out too, with the upholstery-style jacket, the puffed sleeves like a page. He’s also a clown and plays absolutely useless funk). Dave Mason is perhaps one of the few musicians met on these trips who doesn't sell himself like a whore. He goes on stage, plays, sings, doesn't fuss, doesn't bang. He stands out completely as an American-style type of entertainer. In fact, in my opinion, the audience that follows him is wonderful, finally a credible, fair audience that doesn't need the buffoon on stage. In general, the artist in the USA is forced to undertake tremendous scenes. They must amaze, nail to the chair. It's one of the most passive artist-to-audience relationships I've ever seen. At concerts people want to get high, blitzed, stoned, wasted. There is a lot of beer and alcohol (and drugs of course): they consume everything, just to get drunk. In Italy, all of this is inconceivable, the kids still come to listen to music, with a very different cultural and political background. They may not know exactly what they want, but what is certain is that they do not want to lose touch with reality. Made in USA fans want to be physically involved, so they don't abandon the most indecent hard rock. Rock just hits; progressive music also involves you from a mental point of view, it stimulates creativity and imagination. Even the European progressives who made it big in those parts must have had scenic "skills": Emerson Lake & Palmer, or Yes arriving at the concert in a hot air balloon. Another proof is that jazz in America is not as popular as it is here: the artist sits there and plays almost exclusively for himself. You're the one who has to move your head and make images come to you.

Not for nothing is the current American artistic production dying of gigantism, it impresses, it leaves nothing to the imagination.

Have you seen "C'era una volta Hollywood” [the 1974 film “That’s Entertainment”]? Billions of extras, the public is doing well, without thinking, without producing. An indelible trace of psychedelic culture has remained in the US, but sucked into the system. There has been no development. It was an identity crisis, that of the sixties that led the American youth to look within. But when people found out who the fuck they really were, they said, "well, now I know,” and went back to doing things exactly like before. In the end, the American way of life hasn't changed much.

The Americans liked PFM after all. The reviews have always treated us well, sometimes they spoke enthusiastically about us and badly about Poco, for example, to whom we "supported" (they never got angry, they were the first to come and congratulate, to say that the we were nice and they respected us. Well, I have a happy memory of them). In three tours we've only had two concerts where we didn't really connect with the audience until they asked for an encore. The fact is that we are, together with some new German groups on the rise, a bridge between European and American culture. We don't make a scene and we never will, but we play happy, popular music. Celebration, without killing anyone, involves entirely. Live, they notice our vitality, they appreciate us as individual musicians, which is very important (we always improvise when we can). The elite in the US feel the need for a breakthrough and so does the general public, even if they don't ask you directly and they are satisfied with what they have. They have exported blues, rock, and jazz to Europe and we have assimilated them there, mixing them with the music of our home. In turn, however, the US, with the Beatles and English music, had an injection of novelty years ago (Eleanor Rigby would never have been created in the USA, even if the Beatlesian matrix then comes from Little Richard and the Everly Brothers). Now in America they are waiting for the second European return and they are not waiting for it from England, which is now dead, killed by business. Perhaps they expect it from us. One amazing thing: avid collectors have all the records by the New Trolls, Le Orme, Osanna, for them they are relics.

The meeting with the Italian emigrants was contradictory. In Toronto, Canada, they welcomed us like a true home away from home, but it's only natural because their culture doesn't clash so strongly with the local one as it does in the US. At the Academy of Music in New York there were almost 200 Italians that had made a tremendous fuss, unfurling a 15 meter tricolor banner on the balcony. It felt more like a football game than a concert. Among them there were certainly those who had known us in Italy in 1971 (they asked us for Impressioni di Settembre) and who, now seeing each other again, it felt like home.

But in a radio station where they were broadcasting our records together with an interview in the Italian language, the transmission was interrupted by a compatriot who shouted angrily, "it's not our music, it's not genuine, they sing in English”. Once, Maurizio Vandelli of Equipe 84 had gone to Brooklyn to play and he was surrounded by a Rudolph Valentino-like group, with pomaded hair, who attacked him because he had long hair and a face that "brings dishonor to the country”. There are real fascist overlays carrying weight down there. That's why I don't believe it when record companies make speeches about the fact that your records abroad can be based on an Italian audience.

As far as the political matter is concerned, there are precise responsibilities on the part of the artist, as I have already said, but there are very few worldwide who really intend to carry this discussion forward. In Italy there will be at most 4 or 5, even if something is moving, but unlike overseas, we have better prospects, something behind that moves us faster than elsewhere. I'm not a revolutionary barricade, I don't have the preparation for it, but I'm a comrade and whatever doubts and impressions I can express, I try to do so as a comrade. In short, I'll be in the square with the others. Banchetto and l’isola di Niente do not have revolutionary lyrics, but they show which side we are on, what our problems are, and also our limits.

PFM is made up of different people that are not all comrades, in the strict sense of the word, there a few who perhaps feel like simply being a musician, but there is an average of common approach from which no one fails. In short, we know what things we want or what not to do. Pay attention to a pricing policy, help this organization rather than that one. But it is a type of our image that has not yet come out well. On a musical level we have made a certain type of experiments, just for our evolution in the early days. Storia di un minuto, when it came out it was an avant-garde album. But there comes a certain point that the head is ahead of the hands that hit the keys or tend the strings, and then it's time to stop and study. We intend to intelligently exploit the classical culture that we have more or less left behind us (I did 4 years of violin, Flavio 5 years of classical guitar, etc.), especially in the arrangements (there is a symphonic way of developing a theme that can be used on any kind of music). But that's not enough.

The actual direction is about valuing popular culture (this is a creative period for us, we're tired of our usual language). Since the days of Celebration we were convinced that it was necessary to do this: that song was edited in a very short time, we were all full of energy. On stage it was truly a party, a bravado (but sincere), almost from the Commedia dell’Arte.

And I don't agree with those who argue that our way of filtering popular materials is too external and spectacular. What must be avoided in these operations is cultural complacency, but it is not right to give up on oneself, on the vitality of one's roots. Our way of using popular music is not pandering or shameless: in this sense, Harlequin is also a sycophant, that is, a street theatre, but a true, authentically popular one…

About the future. Back from America, we perhaps have some big news in store for the album we'll be making (with an almost live album feeling): a sixth element will enter PFM, probably definitively, whose name I still can't reveal.

We have increasingly felt the lack of a natural singer, we were all a bit tired of our vocal performances and above all of the fact that none of us was a natural singer and it cost us a lot in concerts to approach the microphone, giving up the maximum concentration on our instruments. The singer we've set our sights on is full of grit, and not only has a beautiful voice, but also composes and is a profound student of popular music culture. I hope that the adjustment to the lineup goes through soon and immediately gives positive results.

Mauro Pagani

#please enjoy some hot takes from mauro #mauro pagani #pfm #premiata forneria marconi #gong magazine #gong rivista #translation #my translation

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kcuf-ad · 10 months

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Shepherd VS Lightning (My Favourite Duel - Ramble.)

So for a few years now, my favourite duel was always Zane vs Jaden Round 2, and it is still in my Top 3 Favourite duels, but when thinking about it, my newest favourite duel is this one:

Lightning vs The Shepherd.

Why?

Well for me it is quite interesting.

For the first reason is that this is the only duel in which the entire cast of characters apppear, and not one of them is dueling, like Playmaker, Soulburner, Spectre, Blue Maiden, Ghost Gal and Varis, but rather a new character that was introduced in Season 2, who is dueling the main reason why Yugioh VRAINS is even a thing, and to see them watch this duel is so interesting to me, and I like all of their reactions to it.

Second, it is in one really good mini arc packed in my favourite season of all of Yugioh, Season 2. Which talked why Shepherd hates Ais with a passion, why he betrays everyone and doesn't trust them, why he hates Emma and why he knows her, but we slowly follow his mini redemption arc, which might be small, is interesting to see.

Third, it was after his duel against Varis when he finally gets to see the real danger of the Ignis and how powerful it is, and the fact he STILL went alone to do it shows that he is ready to sacrifice himself for his loved ones, aka Emma.

Now for the duel, and for the fourth reason, we see them talk to each other about how dangerous this war is, and that even though there is a number advantage for the humans, the Ignis will shortly become the dominant species. And when he calls Shepherd nothing more than a weed, one of my personal favourite animation clips which is him closing his fist as we see sparks coming out it and him saying this raw line, "Then it will be humilating for you when the weakest duelist is going to crush you into oblivion!"

Then, finally and the most important part, the action and HOT DIGGITY DAWG, it was GREAT! It is so damn cool to see so many combos flying around and seeing Battledrone General summoned out in such a short turn is great as I love the Drone archetype, as we then see Lightning's interesting deck Armatos Legio, which is a fun deck to try and duel with, as the first turn almost lead to Shepherd's defeat, but thanks to Varis' warning, he managed to destroy it on Lightning's very own turn.

Then we see Shepherd's turn into dealing him massive amount of damage with only weak ass monsters which almost all of them talk about, and then Lightning summons out his Link-3 monster, Armatos Legio Legatus Legione, and with his new Spell card, he stopped him from attacking directly, but do you think that will stop Shepherd? FUCK NO, because he managed to use his Synchro monster to his full potential and absolutely styled on Lightning and even showed how to Fusion Summon with his mighty beast, but sadly all good things must come to an end, as Lightning managed to destroy all of his monsters and spells, leaving him defenseless as he loses all of his LP

Still, though, this duel is amazing and is one of my favourite duels of all time.

#yugioh vrains #kengo dojun #kenneth drayden #blood shepherd #the shepherd #lightning vrains

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anosci · 11 months

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(196-211 albums etc that I’ve listened to this year, copied from twitter) (now with art. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15])

names and thoughts below cut

196/ ramone - Unreleased Works Part 1 (2001) The Fistful Of Dojo is some tight of-the-era dnb. dark and gloomy and kung fuey. SuperSIDekick is a mixed bag of style and timbre. standout: "Doj'omatic red". hip hop breaks with a touch of chip! "ScrewDriver" really neat spooky vibe!

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197/ (all mono211 singles, 2001) "starshipoetry" really capturing a cool crunchy sound "DDD" oh holy shit "connect" i HAVE TO YELL about how much i resonate with this sound "autumn week" this song is exactly 5 years ahead of its time "8-bitten break smitten" amiga squarepusher pastiche. slappy "this is over by inches" :') "my human side" md smps spotted. well used. "console-related depression ep" giving surprisingly warm sunshine vibes! "Where's My Parka? EP" absolutely VIBING with that melodica or w/e it is kinda surprised how many ppl are outshining basehead! he's been a longtime fav artist for me damnit!

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198/ (every mod from milk, 1998) liking the idm, skipping the dnb. "D.Exiguus was wrong" proper early-mid afx cutevibes! "Clouds II: Cumulus" cool flangedrum chillout :) "agrimilkture" squishy and harsh but not too much! "aggregate" insanely cool "non-sound file" sound design!

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199/ (every mod from milk, 1999) rly zooming into that idm! "Ameepa" i daresay…….. cute. "Childhood friend" rly neat djeridoo thing "kalx_" good shit! "la noche verde" decent hiphop plus some delightful bass textures "ilooklikeesasowhat?" the childlike dist synths win me over

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200/ (milk singles, 2000) the styles branch, merck vs tigerbeat. sadly i didnt dig the singles as much this year. hoping the gamut of albums is hiding the goods. "face on/take one" compared to squarepusher, and… yeah a little! it's really fun! "fingers" synths hit just right

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201/ salice - Purple/green+blue EP (1999) absolutely delightful synth soundscapes! the glistening on "adv track"! fascinated by the autechre comparison for "denatured". it does sound like an early take at the LP5 era ae! "sun track"……. yeah this is all around good.

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202/ ylikulju & kyllönen - yllinkyllin EP (1999) is this the "be ae" era of milk? im digging it! "lehtone" feels more comfortably 90s, idmustrial. "metsaserla" rly rly cool sinking sounds but THE STANDOUT BY A MILE is "twotwo". hella beats!!! holy shit!

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203/ H.Kyllönen - ciproxin ep (1999) i have never heard a song that nostalgically evokes the ambiance of chilling at a lake dock more than "waterworks". "iteca liqer" being compared to EARLY afx feels apt. kinda neat! this entire release is ace! super good!

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204/ K.Ylikulju - Clayderman LP (1999) "tak-ap" with a very specific indescribable feeling. personal highlight imo. laid back summer afternoon vibes in "fat paavo" are nice if a bit weirdly mixed. as a whole, this is kinda all over the place. im not vibing with it much…

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205/ Tiger - Sirius ep (1999) astoundingly lush IT modules. each track feels like it could score something beautifully. sadly i dont care too much for it. that said, "arkaja" captured a nice floaty feeling that i enjoyed. highlight imo.

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206/ ceniq - Gaylab (1999) a small feast of idm flavors! the original and the lackluster reconstruction are fighting for my fav spot and the "backmix" ver is just some good y2k lush ambiance. also: "tilt goddess" rmx is wild! sadly its also painful (thx for the 12khz tone…)

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207/ 8bit Rockers - Arcade Hits (2000) kinda… moog attitude but a bit more modern? all over the place in quality, to my taste. "estee lauder" is just good idm? "monsters cave" is a nice low stakes beat. "underwater sequence" personal highlight honestly not dissimilar to joseph nothing

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208/ DJ Fish Finger - Gone Fishin' (2001) honestly great beats but damnit those endings bug me. be a little more serious pls :( it kinda sounds like something from omelette records actually. proto omelette?

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209/ Eprom - Syntheism (2023) instantly lush absolutely wild textures and soundscapes all around but also rhythms! specific standouts: "Motion Blur" has a wild ebb-and-flow feel! the stuttering in "X-Fade Strategy" holy shit

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210/ Howie B - Down With The Dawn (2014) mostly this only has a few keepers for me: "Run Always" has a delightful chemical breaks feel. the title track is nice and zen. a standout. "Night Nice" hits the spot for me in a very specific retro way.

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#media thread

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thisaintascenereviews · 3 months

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The Home Team - Slow Bloom

I talked about this recently in my piece about Issues, and the legacy that they’ve left in the wake of their breakup, but a lot of other bands have come to claim the throne and possibly take their place as the most ambitious alternative band, as a lot of bands are combining pop, R&B, funk, and other outside styles with metalcore, hard rock, and alternative. Issues, despite what happened, was a powerhouse of a band that took ideas and sounds that you think wouldn’t work, but they weirdly do. Their last LP, 2019’s Beautiful Oblivion, is not only one of my favorite albums of that year, it’s one of the best of the decade. I can’t stress enough how good this record is, especially if you want something new out of metalcore. These guys really were ambitious, and they broke the ground for how bands can approach their sound, at least in the metalcore scene. I’ve often found myself wondering what bands are going to take Issues’ place, and I can immediately name one — The Home Team.

These guys aren’t a household name, at least not yet, but they’ve got the potential to be huge. Armed with one of the best vocalists in the scene, and a sound that combines really slick and catchy pop with some heavy and progressive-leaning metalcore. Throw in some pop-punk, and you got this band’s sound down pat. I’ve heard of these guys for the last couple of years, but I haven’t spent much time with them, especially their sophomore album, 2021’s Slow Bloom. The band put out a deluxe edition with two new songs, so I’m going to be talking about that version of the album, especially where the album is only 39 minutes with the two bonus tracks. I got the idea, though, thanks to my buddy Jake recommending the album to me (we also talked about this album, as well as the metalcore scene, in more depth, and I plan on posting this when we get that up, so you should be able to see that, along with this). He said I’d like this album, and sure enough, I love this, but I didn’t spend a lot of time with it.

Sort of like with the latest Bring Me The Horizon album, 2020’s Post Human: Survival Horror, I remembered this album quite well, and that’s a testament to how catchy and memorable this record is. Slow Bloom is one of the most fun and energetic albums I’ve had the pleasure of listening to in a long time. That’s due to a couple of key things — vocalist Brian Butcher, and the musicianship. Butcher has such a fantastic voice, he uses it quite well throughout this album, and a lot of the hooks here are impeccable. He has the perfect voice for a pop and R&B, and it shows throughout this album, but the musicianship is great, too. The rest of the band gets to shine throughout the album, and the way they can combine different genres and sounds seamlessly is so great. This record has its fair share of pop-punk, pop, R&B, and even metalcore / alt-metal cuts. Some of the riffs on this thing are heavier than I ever would expected, but I love it.

This band is going places, that’s for sure. They’ve got loads of talent and potential to be huge in the alternative scene. They may be gearing up to release a new album this year, and if that’s the case, I can’t wait. It’s surely going to be one of the best of the year, especially if it sounds anythjng like their newest single, “Loud.” That song has such a great groove to it, and it really showcases the best qualities of the band. I can’t get enough of Slow Bloom, and I gotta shoutout my buddy Jake for recommending this to me, so I could finally sink my teeth into it. Like I said, he and I wrote about this album in more detail, as well as talking about the state of metalcore and alternative music, so give that a read, but I wanted to write this as a companion piece, per se, basically just as another way to say, “Hey, check this out, it rules.” I won’t say I didn’t tell you so.

#the home team #slow bloom #rock #metal #djent #pop punk #issues #metalcore

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imbellarosa · 4 years

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Let’s Talk Calm-ly about Two Loves

OR: When you’re a grown man who writes stories for a living, you definitely wrote your own weird bedtime story, too.

The TLDR here is that H has taken one specific listener around the globe, notably to Tokyo and Jamaica. He quotes an old Victorian Poet who was an awful human but who’s lasting legacy is the phrase “a love that dare not speak its name” which is - you guessed it - a reference to queer love. He also is super excited to spend what seems like the foreseeable future with this listener and has bought a little house with a garden of daisies with them and it’s very sweet and domestic. Anyways this is a wild time and it’s all under a cut because it’s...really a lot.

Anyways I think the people I owe thank yous this times around to are @queenlokibeth who had to listen to me scream about this for a while, Astrid, who screamed with me when this came out, and “M” who convinced me to finally get to work in this fandom. And, of course, all of the lovely people tagged below who’s work I used to build my argument.

1.) Who Wrote “Dream With Me”?

Well, not H, or so the story goes. Two other people (Steve Cleverly and Sanj Sen) did! I mean, right, okay, for a while I was like...that seems like an odd choice for a man who didn’t want to hand Two Ghosts over to his own band because it seemed too personal. He wrote on every song in both albums’ he’s released thus far, because he seems to be passionate about telling the stories he wants to tell (even if he won’t tell you explicitly what they’re about). But for a while, I was totally going with the flow there, and the rest of this analysis would still stand: the writer of this story definitely referenced a poem by Lord Alfred Douglas and Harry’s own songs.

However, I then read this fun quote from the Co-founder and CEO of Calm:

“Well,” he said, “The the Harry Styles one is interesting because that came purely from Harry Styles himself...we took the approach of creating a sort of musical epic poem – he doesn’t sing, it’s spoken with poetry, but there’s a sort of musical sound bed to it and it’s pulling on things and themes that Harry’s fans really adore about him and associate with him. So his story was driven really by him – we really created a concept around him.”

- Chris Advansun, July 7th, 2020 via @hlupdate

And I thought, hmmm. This does not sound like a project that he was not involved in creating. From this point on (July, 7th 2020), I began to think of it as a three way co-collaboration between him and the other two authors. But this confused me a bit, because there was largely a nonreaction from the fandom. I was waiting for an actual transcript, because I always fall asleep to these meditation stories, but it was being referenced to as some sort of Y/N fic, which was...honestly not what I expected, but also not implausible, thanks to the ~lovely~ image this man has had since the age of sixteen. But also, twitter seemed to be concerned by other things at the moment, and no one was analyzing the story. .

In fact, I messaged a friend the day that this story dropped, because it had been kind of a shit show day on Twitter. Rumors were sort of flying about everyone and everything: had Liam shaved his head? Was he engaged? Had he and Maya broken up? Were Zayn and Gigi engaged? Had they broken up? Did Niall have a girlfriend? (this one was true lol). Were Elounor engaged? Were they pregnant? Had they broken up??? My personal fav was the bald Liam rumor, which he promptly put to rest in LP Act 1 by...having a huge mane of hair.

So then I thought - huh. Why has today looked like this? I’m not saying that there aren’t days that twitter goes wild because of boredom, because there definitely is - the articles about secret meetings in Italy that are coming out this week (8/12/2020) are proof positive. So that definitely does happen, but it doesn’t usually happen on the days that there’s a lot of content. And maybe I’ve just been starved for content in this fandom, but I would consider a 40 minute video quite a bit of content.

Then the transcript dropped. I’m using two as references - this one on Wattpad and also @carl-and-pearl ‘s version here (thank you so much for the transcript!!). We’re going to get into a more detailed description of what’s going on in the story, but the first thing I recognized immediately is that it was first person POV. I knew that going in, based on the number of Y/N jokes going around on twitter. Then I read it aloud, and I realized that it read like a letter. Like an experience specific to the writer and the reader. And while that’s not super uncommon to write about an experience from the author’s POV - I listen to a podcast called Nothing Much Happens: bedtime stories for adults which has a similar concept - I thought it was odd that they were trying to include both the author and the listener. I completely understood why the y/n jokes were pertinent. But at the same time, it felt like something had snagged in my mind - like a particularly annoying splinter.

The conversations I was having around this story - completely based on the content, concept, and my own instinct - was that this story contained specific references to one person. I thought that it did read like a love letter, and that most identifying features would have been taken out, but the essence remained. Which, once I thought about it, was something that H excelled at doing. Think about Sunflower Vol 6 and Adore You and Canyon Moon and even Watermelon Sugar and Golden. Ask yourself, What do I know about the person they are about? They have skin that browns, they have a secret, they have mesmerizing eyes, they’re willing to dance in the kitchen with him (to dancehall), they have a belly, they’ve been through hard times, they’re witty, they have an accent, and they have lips. I know - super specific right?

So the splinter grew into a thorn - what was I missing? And then - when I was looking for something completely different - I stumbled upon this old interview Harry did with Zach Sang and the Gang Show back in 2017. For context, he was being asked about Sweet Creature. As you can imagine, it’s hard for people to believe he wrote such a beautiful love song when he hadn’t ever really had a long term relationship (two hearts in one home?? Who did you move in with, you can imagine them asking. When did you have time?). So what did he have to say about this?

"In my opinion,” he explained, “I think most songs are written for one listener. Maybe there's one thing in there that only they'll notice about them.... It's so much easier to say something in a song than it is to say it to someone and I think it's really amazing to be able to communicate through that and be able to wrap up everything that you want to say in three and a half minutes and say it in a song."

- HS, May 3 2017

By this time, please believe that I was screeching. Seeing this felt like he put into words the exact feeling I had about “Dream With Me”. It felt like a nod to someone that I didn’t know, which made the story hard to listen to, tbh. Although, I will say that when I did finally listen to it, it knocked me out and gave me odd dreams so. Once was enough for me haha!

So my new operating theory is exactly what Advansun said: I think that H was the primary writer/the driving force behind the story. Because of the references I’m about to run through, because it feels like the way he tells stories, and because they admitted to him being more involved than they originally claimed. That’s going to be how I write the rest of the analysis - under the impression that H had a direct hand in the story that was being put forth. However, I think that the analysis itself would stand whether or not he wrote any of it. It would just be a more tenuous reflection of him than I believe it to be.

2.) How Do I Love Thee? In Two Ways.

Before I jump into the story, let’s talk a little about the poem that I want to compare it to: Two Loves, by Lord Alfred Douglas. Let’s be clear this is not at all a defense of who Bosie was - he was a terrible person, particularly in his later years, when he’d converted to Catholicism and turned his back on his younger self, and his partner, Oscar Wilde. He was violently anti-Semitic, and turned his back on his own community. I want to get this out of the way because I very much believe that we should examine artists for who they are. That is, after all, what I am trying to do here.

But his poem Two Loves has often been used - much to his disappointment, I’m sure - as an exploration of queer love in Victorian times. A line that I will be exploring more deeply in a second was in fact used against Oscar Wilde in his trail for indecency . He attempted - unsuccessfully - to explain it away, but it was too blatantly about their relationship for even the British Victorian society to ignore. I really, really recommend a read of this poem, because it is - despite it’s author - a good piece of work, which explores the themes of shame and love and longing between two men in that time.

I’m going to start with my own background, as someone who’s analyzed fandoms before. I first came across this poem in the Sherlock fandom, with this analysis by @the-7-percent-solution, when I was running in that fandom, and she explains the poem brilliantly in just a few lines. I’m going to take a little longer to run through it, but if you want a concise explanation and a brilliant meta, I encourage you to run to their blog and check it out. That fandom taught me most everything I know about catching symbols and recurring themes and “clueing for looks” and I love it desperately, still.

But we’re here to talk about this fandom, so on with the poem! Essentially, the poem outlines a dream the speaker had: In his dream, he’s standing in a field with flowers - beautiful ones of all kind - and he meets this young man with clear blue eyes and bright red lips and they kiss a bit and have a picnic, and it’s all lovely. If you think I’m kidding, I’m really not. Please, read it for yourself.

Anyways, after they did they did the whole picnic thing, the speaker and his date go on a walk in this field, where they come across two figures. The first is described as,

“...fair and blooming, and a sweet refrain Came from his lips; he sang of pretty maids And joyous love of comely girl and boy, His eyes were bright, and 'mid the dancing blades Of golden grass his feet did trip for joy; And in his hand he held an ivory lute With strings of gold that were as maidens' hair, And sang with voice as tuneful as a flute, And round his neck three chains of roses were.”

- Two Loves, 1894

The speaker, however, was drawn to the second figure:

“He was full sad and sweet, and his large eyes Were strange with wondrous brightness, staring wide With gazing; and he sighed with many sighs That moved me, and his cheeks were wan and white Like pallid lilies, and his lips were red Like poppies, and his hands he clenched tight, And yet again unclenched, and his head Was wreathed with moon-flowers pale as lips of death. A purple robe he wore, o'erwrought in gold With the device of a great snake, whose breath Was fiery flame..”

- Two Loves, 1984

Of course, the speaker immediately asks the second man who he is. The second man says, “My name is Love”. The first man corrects him quickly:

“ He lieth, for his name is Shame, But I am Love, and I was wont to be Alone in this fair garden, till he came Unasked by night; I am true Love, I fill The hearts of boy and girl with mutual flame.”

-Two Loves, 1984

The second man sighs and acquiesces, “Have thy will. I am the love that dare not speak its name.”

It was, of course, this last line that really gave the meaning of the poem away. It was the line that was put to Oscar Wilde as proof of a romantic relationship, it was the line that went down in history as a way to refer to queer love, and it was the line that first stuck out to me when I was reading “Dream With Me”.

The reading here is clearly that “Love” is the love that is acceptable to society - easy, sweet, and cherished. “Shame” is the love that happens in secret - beautiful, alluring to the speaker, passionate, anxious ( as can be seen in the clenching and unclenching of his hands), and proud. He refuses to call himself as anything but what he is. The first man may call him Shame, but he refuses the name, and instead, offers a qualifier to his own descriptor. He is still love, he is just the love that can’t be spoken about.

3.) Walking in Golden Fields of Sunflowers

Now let’s talk about “Dream With Me”. I’m ignoring the first few stanzas (from the line “Have you ever wondered” to “What the two of us can find”.) because those are pretty standard introductory paragraphs to a guided meditation. So we start with the line “Let’s travel now to moonlit valleys...”.

I’m going to do the same thing I did with “Two Loves” first. I am going to describe literally, in general terms, what happens in the story. Warning, I change pronouns from “they” to “you” because the whole thing confuses me, but note that I’m always talking about the speaker and the listener:

So after doing the standard intro, the speaker and the listener take a walk through the woods enjoying nature, particularly the grass, the trees, and the blue sky above. You’re already clearly in love. Then you’re magically on a raft, with cherry blossoms all around you. If you want a good visual for that, here’s a site that has pictures from a boat rental in Tokyo where you can snuggle on a raft in the Chidorigafuchi moat. And then suddenly it starts raining, and they (you) watch the rain for a hot second, and then the scene magically shifts again, and you’re under a porch (although I guess it could be the boat rental’s porch. They do usually have covered areas).

Kind of furthering that theory, they then lounge by the shoreline, skipping stones and hanging out, looking at the snow capped mountains. In case you’re curious, because at this point I sure was, you can see mountains from certain areas in the city of Tokyo.

Anyways, then it’s snowing, and you’re magically in a cabin, just chilling by the fire, and you fall asleep again. You wake up somewhere else.

Where are you now? Well, you’re on a tropical island filled with palm trees. As an American, my mind immediately jumps to the Caribbean, but I suppose it could absolutely be in the Mediterranean as well. The island has white beaches, mangroves, a turquoise ocean, and a gorgeous, peaceful atmosphere.

If you’re curious as to what a mangrove looks like - and I certainly was - they are a group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone and Jamaica is doing a massive restoration project involving primary school children to regrow this vital part of their ecosystem. More interestingly, there currently exist no mangrove forests in the Mediterranean, so my initial feeling that this scene would take place in the Caribbean was correct. On that note - again, because I was curious - Jamaica has gorgeous white sand beaches with turquoise oceans.

But I’ve gone off topic again! After you’re minds are “in tune” once more (trying to find a heartbeat, anyone?), you reappear in a meadow, with beautiful flowers of all kind, where you are now walking hand in hand through a field of sunflowers, which give the feeling a “warm and golden hue”. Then you come across a little farmhouse with daisies poking out (clearly I have no way of locating this anywhere in the world, but I assume that the UK has both sunflowers and daisies). It’s an empty house which was loved and left because of the passage of time, which inspires my favorite line in the poem: “ The thought of passing time inspires/A feeling that grows stronger”. It’s just...really sweet to me.

So, of course, they do what anyone would do when they come across an empty farmhouse, they go inside. And there, they begin to fall asleep, reflecting on all they have just seen, referencing other scenes of the poem: “ Moonlit valleys, Burdened forests, Gazing at the ocean. Summer meadows, Tranquil sunsets steeped in emotion”.

The next few stanzas are just going to be copy-pasted, and then I’ll go into them a bit, but this is the end of the poem, so they’re the final reflections;

“The tenderness we feel When we are close Two minds as one Surrounds us and connects us But we’ve only just begun.

For now we dream together Of all there is to follow. And know that sleep will keep us safe From now until tomorrow.

Maybe all the memories That we’ve gathered here tonight Are all dreams now remembered Or wishes in plain sight.

No matter what They’re with us now. For this night and forever. And every time we close our eyes They’re yours and mine to treasure.”

- HS, Dream With Me, via @carl-and-pearl

And that’s it! The literal story, in short, is that you started in a forest, then went to Tokyo (maybe) and then Jamaica (perhaps) and then back to a field of sunflowers and daisies in the UK (which is also a guess, it could be Italy or France or Idaho for all I know, but let’s call it an educated guess).

4.) My Dream Journal

So now that we know what happens in the story, how do we interpret this? Well, There are a few lines in the poem that I want to draw your attention to: the first takes place in the first part of this story, when you’re still in the forest. This is, I must say, the most direct reference to Two Loves in the whole poem/song/story. Both works are describing a walk in the woods with your loved one, and, in a fun reference in the middle of the story, Dream With Me says

The shimmering reflection Shows us smiling from above. But what we think But dare not speak is L-O-V-E love.

-Dream With Me, 2020

Remember that line I mentioned before? I am the love that dare not speak its name. Right, so that’s almost a direct quote. It also has a really fun nod to “I Would” (Would he say he’s in L-O-V-E?/Well if it was me then I would), but I digress.

This first part of the narrative, I feel, really sets up what the rest of it will look and feel like, in the same way that “Golden” sets the tone for Fine Line. (You didn’t think I was going to make a post about Harry and NOT mention Golden, did you?? If you did, I’m disappointed!!). So let’s take a look at what’s happening, and the language he’s using to describe it.

One of the best things about this poem is how vivid it feels. Of course, I’m about to argue that it’s vivid because it was based in reality, but let’s talk about the sheer amount of detail he uses to describe the place he’s walking through. The valley (canyon lmao) is moonlit, the grass and the leaves make mosaics of green, you’re walking by the heather (the symbolism of heather is good luck, admiration, and protection), the sepia sunlight breaks through the trees.

You know what it kind of sounds like? Sweet Creature. You’re about to roll your eyes at me! I can feel it! But listen, okay?

“Sweet creature Running through the garden Oh, where nothing bothered us But we're still young I always think about you and how we don't speak enough”

Which, to be honest, sounds like what they’re doing. They’re walking through the garden in the sun, not daring to speak about the Love that he (they both) feel, and instead refering to it in veiled Victorian terms.

And then we head to Tokyo! I know that you’re about to ask me why I think it’s Tokyo versus...idk, anywhere else? Well, for one, he went to Tokyo (to let it go) publicly in 2019. He was there for a few months, and there are some great pictures of that time:

Look! Here he is with his club owner friend and his dog, and a fun red bandanna! But let’s be honest, the dog really steals the show here. But wait! there’s more! More dog content, too!

This was on Jan 31st, 2019, and he’s taking the dog for a walk! Very cute! If nothing else, he spent a lot of time with dogs in Tokyo! And the city fits the description of the story. So I feel rather comfortable with my interpretation that this first date is a memory of this trip - or another - to Tokyo.

So what did “you both”do in Tokyo? Well, chill on a raft while the cherry blossoms flutter around you, clearly. You also refocused your purpose. What did he do in Tokyo in 2019? Well, he took time to think about and write songs for the album he was about to go record. Kind of like refocusing on what’s next, right? And then, in the story when “you both” had time to think amongst the lake and the water and the rain and the moon, and you’d come to the conclusions you needed to, you left. What did he do when he did the things he needed to? Well, he left, too.

And where did he go? Well, in real life, I suppose he went to do his job. But, in the story, you’re meant to be falling deeper and deeper into sleep, so it’s sort of like traveling backwards, you see? Like counting down to one. So you end up on this island with turquoise ocean and mangrove forests. I’m calling this Jamaica. Why? Well, the description fits, for one, down to the four types of mangroves that exists within its ecosystem.

And - probably the biggest reason - I can place him there, too. Here’s him in 2017:

I added this picture because the water around him....looks rather turquoise, doesn’t it? Kind of like he’s enjoying his time on a tropical island by the beach?? Oh, and here’s another one!:

The red bandanna makes a comeback!

So what are you doing in Jamaica, according to the story? Well, you’re hanging out, basically. Enjoying the beach and each other, of course! What else? To be exact, “[Your] thoughts dovetail and unify/ In tune two minds together”. I’m so glad that you’re tuned like an old guitar now! Congrats! Really happy for you!

What was he doing in Jamaica three years ago? Why, he was recording his first album, or so the story goes. I’ll tell you something: finding press for that album was literally the most difficult part of this whole analysis. I got a fair bit of the tattoo roulette with Kendall Jenner, and some things about Carolina, but the interview with Zach Sang took me like an hour and a half to find again to link. The fact that a lot of it has been buried is...not great, for posterity purposes. He’s going to want that one day.

But I’ve gotten off track again! We gotta go back and finish our story, right? What happens now? Well, this does:

hahahaha okay, I’m really sorry, but I had to. I’m not, actually, making it up though! According to the story:

“ As minutes turn to hours We drift off somewhere new. And visualize a stairway To a door we now walk through”

- Dream With Me, 2020

So maybe Louis was just...demonstrating for you.

Anyways! Where do you walk out to? A golden field full of sunflowers. You walk for a minute, then come across an old house with daisies popping up out of the garden. And that’s where the story ends. I guess you’ve made that farmhouse feel like home.

Now to the little reflection he does on the outro. The lines I want to bring your attention are: “The tenderness we feel when we are close two minds as one surrounds us and connects us but we’ve only just begun” and “Maybe all the memories that we’ve gathered here tonight are all dreams now remembered or wishes in plain sight.”

Let’s talk about the first sentence first. In the context of finding a home that could be a shared home, and a future, this is very much an “end of the story, beginning of our lives” sort of thing. You’re back from all over, and it’s time to settle down, and see what’s next.

And now the second sentence. I think this is the one that really drives my point about this story being a collection of memories he has - that’s what he calls it. The story is “gathered memories” that might also be called “remembered dreams” (think of how people say of vacations, “oh it was a dream!”) or you might call it “wishes in plain sight”. This feels in line with the rest of the story. In this stanza, he’s sort of letting you in a bit. If I’ve read this right - and I really think that I have - he’s giving the larger context for the story. It’s a collection of memories he’s had with someone he loves.

5.) Cool! Can you prove it?

I mean, I’d argue that if you read this far, I have proved it, but let’s make some more links, shall we? This was called a “muscial epic” that was “driven by him”. I’d argue that if I know my Victorian literature (thank you, Sherlock!), then he definitely does. Then there’s the fact that he quoted it, so. That did happen. And he knows what it means. And even if he didn’t, there were two other people on the story. Someone was more than capable of catching that one, and the fact that they didn’t speaks to intent. They want you to think of that phrase when you read this poem. They want you to think of that walk in the woods while you’re going on this one.

And, as for my assumption that this is for and about one person, well. Think about it. He said that he writes his songs for a single listener. I’m not saying it’s the same listener each time, let’s get that right, but it is always just for one person. With that, and with the assumption that he’s been involved in the writing of this story, I’d say that the same rule applies. He went with someone to Japan and Jamaica (J^2 haha). And, if I had to guess, it was the same person.

Why, you ask? Well, for one, if that weren’t the case, then this poem would no longer be for one listener, it would be for multiple. And, for another, imagine how awkward it would be to listen to it with his current partner and have to explain “oh, yeah that was the super romantic vacation I took with someone else” . And, I suppose that because I think that attitude of “refocusing” and “dovetailing” and “tuning” and getting excited about imagining all of the tomorrows with your partner speaks to a long term relationship breathing easily, you know?

I’m also going to argue that describing the aura around the house as “golden” was intentional, especially when paired with the location - in the middle of a field of sunflowers. Those are both direct references to his songs. And those two songs are particularly linked by the number 28. The third song that features 28 is Fine Line the song, but that’s a different story. Anywho! “Golden”’s bridge just repeats the word ‘golden’ twenty eight times (if you go here , you can count the bridge) and “Sunflower Vol. 6″ ends the song with 28 “boops” (believe me, I wish I was making this up. I’m not.). So then, once again, you’ve linked a story to two already linked songs.

And, even if you don’t buy the intentional repetition, they’re linked another way, aren’t they? The color scheme and the sun symbol. Sunflowers were named because of their sun-like appearance. They turn to face it. They symbolize loyalty and adoration. And then, of course, the sun is - say it with me - golden. And it - like the person in golden - waits in the sky, beautiful and dangerous and constant. And here that symbol is, in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. At home.

This whole story feels like you’re taking the time to find that heartbeat that you think you might have lost, and sort of coming back to a space where you understand that this is what you want, now and forever. It feels like finding a home that could be yours forever, and it feels like walking through some of the moments that remind him of that.

It really is rather lovely, if you think about it, especially since he has a tendency to attribute “home” to people rather than place, in his songs. So it’s like. Going all around the world and always being at home.

#harry styles #calm #dream with me #two loves #honestly man #im happy for you #but ewww #be less sappy please #i mean #SOME OF US DONT HAVE THAT YET HAROLD #hahahaha i think im funny #long post ts #idk how else to tag this but im really proud of it #okay now i'll do the penguin song #promise hahaha

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bostarsky · 3 years

Text

First Lines Meme

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

I was tagged by @tc-lp and since I don’t really interact that much on tumblr consider yourself tagged if you’re a writer, I don’t know y’all’s blog names😂

1. Werewolf 2: Electric Bogaloo (Kylux, 5k)

“To Hux there’s nothing quite like the rush he gets from walking Kylo down the street.”

2. Should Have Locked the Door (Clydeland, 377 words)

“Usually Clyde would never consider doing something as risky as having sex on the living room couch, but by the time that thought ocurs to him Stensland is already balls deep and the only thought on his mind is how danged good it feels.”

3. Fuck You and Your Poodle (Kylux, 3600 words)

“Hux considers himself a man of particular tastes, his family line holds prestige and his bank is impressive to say the least.”

4. At This Point I’m Praying FOR That Dick (Kylux, 3600 words)

“Ben never meant for it to go this far, whatever this thing he has with Hux is, it should have ended the day he was excommunicated.”

5. God Did NOT Save Me From That Dick (Kylux, 3400 words)

“As dreadful and humiliating an experience as it was, Ben felt no surprise at being put under a magnifying glass by his peers.”

6. The Little Dumbass (Kylux, 22800 words)

“His mother always tells him not to stray too close to where the land dwellers are, but Kylo is curious and confident in his ability to defend himself should he need it.”

7. Who Says Petty Crime Doesn’t Pay? (Kylux, 1200 words)

“A wet nose bumps into Kylo’s shin, a few sniffs following in quick succession, then a reedy little meow.”

8. God Save Me From This Dick (Kylux, 2200 words)

“After that sweltering afternoon in Hux’s house, Ben has been praying for forgiveness.”

9. Charity Work (Kylux, 1900 words)

“It can be discouraging to have countless doors slammed in his face, but Ben is sure in his faith and knows eventually there will be a door that remains open.”

10. Fido, Fishnets, and Body Parts (Kylux, 500 words)

“It didn’t take Hux long to find out that Kylo’s sense of style and his career affects every aspect of his life.”

11. Between a Cock and a Hard Place (Kylux, 3500 words)

““Do you EVER think anything through!” Hux screams at him from about two inches away, spittle spraying Kylo’s face.”

12. Fill me Like a Creampuff (Kylux, 1900 words)

“There are many pros to having a roommate, pros that enable Kylo to live somewhere decent at all.”

13. Oh, To be a Flower in Clyde Logan’s Hair (Clydeland, 500 words)

“Clyde knows about the ongoing challenge amongst his patrons, it’s hard not to when every night he’s bombarded with any number of bad jokes and dumb things from the internet that he doesn’t understand.”

14. The Sound of Rain (Kylux, 1200 words)

“This isn’t exactly what he had in mind when Hux asked him if he wanted to come over so they could get rid of their sexual tension once and for all.”

15. Pink Cadillac (Clydeland, 5600 words)

“Ever since puberty hit and Clyde grew a whole foot in a couple of years, he’s been very aware of his size.”

16. It’s Raining Men (Kylux, 3400 words)

““Hey, Kylo! We’ve got a call for a cat stuck up a tree.””

17. Hook, Line, and Sinker (Clydeland, 850 words)

“When he’d met Stensland Clyde had thought he was odd for a human.”

18. Idiots, Idiots Everywhere (Kylux, 570 words)

““You should kiss Hux.””

19. When Nature Calls (Kylux, 700 words)

“It had started out well enough but Hux should have know that stubbing his toe this morning had been a foreshadowing of more bad luck to come.”

20. Butt I Wanted a Pillow (Kylux, 1670 words)

“The room is immaculate, Hux will give them that much, being that he’s in Las Vegas he almost expected there to be a little ziplock bag of cocaine on the pillow instead of the neatly wrapped chocolate.”

And there we go, all of these, and many more, can be found on my ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoStarsky/pseuds/BoStarsky/works I chose to stick to my last 20 Kylux and adjacent stories that I wrote on my own just for the sake of consistency. Honestly I still love all of these cause I did write most of them for myself more than anyone else, I just like sharing with the fandom.

As for a favourite opening line I’m not really sure, mostly cause my memory is shit more than anything else. I’ve read so many good fics in this fandom over the years that I’m not sure if I could choose just one anyway.

#my writing #Kylux #fic

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passionate-reply · 3 years

Video

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This week on Great Albums, we look at a surprisingly experimental album from a band who got royally screwed by their record label: Propaganda, with their arguable only LP, A Secret Wish. Oh, and did I mention that that record label was none other than Zang Tuum Tumb, run by none other than Trevor Horn? Find out the whole story in the video, or in the transcript below the break.

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! In this installment, I’ll be looking at a relative sleeper of its era, with a unique sound that’s set it apart and won it a contingent of cult followers over the years: A Secret Wish, the first, and only, studio album from the classic lineup of Propaganda, first released in 1985.

First formed in Duesseldorf, West Germany by Ralf Doerper of Die Krupps, Propaganda soon relocated to Great Britain in the hopes of finding a wider audience for their music. Their lucky break came in the form of being signed to the record label Zang Tumb Tuum, headed by then-rising star, Trevor Horn. Fresh off his first major success as a producer, ABC’s The Lexicon of Love, Horn then lent his famous production chops to Propaganda’s first single, “Dr. Mabuse.”

Music: “Dr. Mabuse”

The first time I heard “Dr. Mabuse,” I wasn’t familiar with the titular character, and that might be true for you, too, if you’re from the Anglosphere like me. Dr. Mabuse was a literary villain invented by Norbert Jacques, and later made much more famous in a film adaptation of his tale directed by Fritz Lang, the mastermind behind Metropolis. A manipulative criminal kingpin, Mabuse wields strange powers like psychic possession and astral projection, which, despite their seemingly occult origins, often exploit modern technologies, like cinema screens that can hypnotize people. While he may sound like the perfect subject for a chilling, brooding synth-pop anthem, I can’t help but wonder if the character’s relative lack of recognition in the English-speaking world may have hampered this single’s success. While its ominous, gothic energy sets it apart from much of Horn’s other work, it still has some of his characteristic bombast behind its sinister hook, and has an evident “hit single” feel. Still, it performed significantly better in Continental Europe than elsewhere.

Much like ABC’s famous hit, “The Look of Love,” was expanded into a four-part suite that included an instrumental reprise on its LP, this version of “Dr. Mabuse” is listed on the album with the subtitle “First Life,” and assorted variants of it were available in different formats. It also received an arguable reprise with the album’s final track, titled “Strength to Dream / The Last Word.” The title is a bit more opaque than that of “The Look of Love (Part Four),” which made the relationship more obvious, but the synth sequences do bear a rather strong resemblance.

Music: “Strength to Dream / The Last Word”

Unfortunately for Propaganda, Trevor Horn quickly became a little too successful for his own good. Labelmates Frankie Goes to Hollywood achieved unprecedented success with Welcome to the Pleasuredome, and their famous singles “Relax” and “Two Tribes,” which led Zang Tumb Tuum to throw almost all of their promotional support behind their newfound golden child. The release of A Secret Wish was postponed, and Horn was no longer able to produce the rest of the album, besides “Dr. Mabuse.” But despite the fact that Horn isn’t actually here, there’s still a noticeable attempt to finish the album in an aesthetically similar, “in-the-style-of” fashion, and the end result is an LP that's surprisingly quite sonically cohesive!

Music: “Jewel”

With its abrasive textures, aggressive energy, and heavy emphasis on percussion, “Jewel” feels more like a track from the Art of Noise than it does Horn’s triumphant pop productions like “Relax.” “Jewel” also has an alter ego on the same album, and serves as a sort of evil doppelgaenger for the similarly-titled track, “Duel.” The two tracks feature the same lyrics, but vastly different treatments and moods.

Music: “Duel”

I like to think “Jewel” displays how a tumultuous relationship looks from outside, painful and unpredictable, whereas “Duel” is a bit like experiencing it yourself, and being so enraptured by the blissful pain that you don’t realize how frightening the lyrics actually are. Besides the much softer instrumentals, the lead vocal performance by Claudia Bruecken is also markedly different, and I think the contrast between the two is a testament to her vocal chops. Throughout the album, Bruecken’s voice is rich and full of character, setting her apart as one of the more distinctive vocalists in 80s synth-pop.

Overall, “Duel” is perhaps the most accessible and easy to like track on A Secret Wish, and it accordingly became the album’s biggest hit. But unlike most obvious singles, it arrives at the tail end of the album’s first side, after a slew of much more experimental tracks. Not only does “Jewel” arrive before “Duel” does, but the album’s opening track, “Dream Within a Dream,” is an eight-minute psychedelic opus based around a text by Edgar Allen Poe! “Duel” feels a bit like a break for refreshments after listening to the earlier parts of the album. It really is a surprisingly experimental work given its relative commercial success, reaching #16 on the UK albums chart. Still, despite that success, *A Secret Wish* doesn’t seem too strongly remembered today, which is something I’d certainly like to see change. Counterbalanced between pop and the avant-garde, this album sounds like a cross between the Eurythmics and Einstuerzende Neubauten--something I say with as much affection as possible!

At first glance, the cover of A Secret Wish almost appears abstract, an inky web of squiggles. But upon closer inspection, one can see that the object depicted on the cover is actually a dress form, a wireframe in the shape of a human torso, which might be used to display clothing in a retail setting, or in the design of clothing.

While this emblem may not sound particularly sinister, I’m tempted to compare it to Harry Harlow’s famous experiments on rhesus monkeys. Harlow took orphaned baby monkeys and offered them a “cloth mother” and a “wire mother.” Artificial effigies of monkey mothers dispensed food for the test subjects--one with a soft and cuddly body of cloth, and one with a cold and barren armature of wire. When distressed, Harlow’s monkeys sought shelter and comfort from the cloth mothers, regardless of which mother had dispensed food to them, suggesting that the comfort of their soft touch had a value of its own to the monkeys. The results of this research have often been used to suggest the importance of physical contact between children and their caregivers. Propaganda’s use of the cold, bare, female-coded wire frame, enshrined, alone, in the center of a drab-coloured composition, centers the idea of the inhospitable and the unloving. Perhaps it is a symbol of the inhumanity and alienation of modern life?

As I hinted at earlier, A Secret Wish ended up being the only album this version of Propaganda managed to put together, despite the tremendous promise that it shows. Feeling flagrantly under-compensated per the terms of their contract with Zang Tumb Tuum, the members of the band went to court, and eventually jumped ship to Virgin Records instead. That is, except for Claudia Bruecken, who decided to stick with Zang Tumb Tuum for several more years. Later in the 80s, she would team up with Thomas Leer to form the synth-pop duo Act, whose lone LP, Laughter, Tears, & Rage, is a worthwhile listen that I would consider the ideal follow-up to A Secret Wish--though it’s markedly less experimental and percussion-driven, sounding more like late 80s, post-Pet Shop Boys, baroque synth-pop.

Music: “Absolutely Immune”

My personal favourite track on A Secret Wish is the album’s final single, “p:Machinery.” With pounding percussion and buzzing synths, not to mention some dramatic and dystopian lyrics, this is definitely the track on the album that reminds me of Ralf Doerper’s industrial music roots! Apparently, parts of this track’s melody were composed by none other than Japan’s David Sylvian, who receives a minor thank-you in its liner notes. While I don’t think the finished track sounds terribly similar to anything of Sylvian’s, I can’t say I don’t find that pretty interesting. That’s everything for today--thanks for listening!

Music: “p:Machinery”

#music #album review #album reviews #great albums #propaganda #trevor horn #ztt records #claudia brucken #claudia bruecken #synth pop #synthpop #synth-pop

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born-to-lose · 3 years

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Destruction - Interview

Translation for @heavy-metal-himbo-king under the cut

Destruction, the forefathers of the German speed metal scene have struck again, namely with a new very strong LP. On top of this, we'll see absolutely awesome concerts in September, with them Kreator and Rage.

Reasons enough for us to provide you with the latest news from them. For this reason, I conducted the following phone interview with Schmier, the singer / bassist of the group.

Live Wire: If you look back at the Slayer tour last year, would you say it gave you your breakthrough in Germany?

Schmier: No, I wouldn't say that, it wasn't that much of advantage. We played in front of more than 1000 people for the first time, in this way we learned a lot concert-wise, we gained more experience. We didn't sell much more records as a result, more than before the mini LP, but we had promised ourselves more.

L.W.: When you compare the mini LP to the first LP, what do you think of it - in my opinion the mini LP is harder, faster.

S.: Yes, okay, the mini LP is maybe faster, but not harder because the sound is absolutely unheavy, the guitar sound is way too undistorted. The tracks themselves are way better on the LP, way more pretentious. Our new record lies between the two, it's just way more technical and has a better sound.

L.W.: What is the title "Eternal Devastation" supposed to mean?

S.: "Eternal Devastation" means something like a devastation after a natural disaster. We initially wanted to name the record "Eternal Storm", but that didn't work with the cover. The cover shows our heads in a hurricane; it should in no way look violent, but it should express our power.

L.W.: Can you describe the lyrics and stylistic direction of the songs?

The second, "Confound Games", shows guys who are discriminated by the outside world because they're different from normal people. They take revenge on humanity and they end up in jail, where they kill themselves.

S.: So the first song is called "Curse The Gods" and it's about religion, our opinion on that. All religions preach you shall not kill, but then they persecute and kill each other. We mock that. The title says, do your own thing and don't let shit like that influence you. This song is pretty much the fastest and most varied of the LP.

The third track on the first side, "Life Without Sense", is a pretty slow song, but very heavy and varied. The subject matter of this track describes the situation and problems of disabled people.

The first track on the second side, "United By Hatred", is pretty fast as well, we tell about the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest between Romans and Germanic people.

"Eternal Dense" is the fastest track of the record, it demonstrates the problem of heavy metal fans and their discrimination, which we get to feel at our place of residence too.

Next up is an instrumental track, "Upcoming Devastation". It's very imaginative and considerably better than on the first LP.

L.W.: I heard you have a new guitarist. Can you introduce him to us?

Last song is "Confused Minds", lyrically it's a continuation of "Mad Butcher", it's about someone who has committed murders and how he feels afterwards.

I also don't think most fans take that so seriously like they're always writing. You can watch a crime thriller that's more brutal than most black metal lyrics on TV every night. To the contrary, they'd better forbid all those brutal videos and television films.

S.: We've been looking for a second guitarist for a long time, it was just difficult to find one. There was a heavy metal band named "Rased Age" who played some Priest-Saxon style and they had an incredibly good guitarist called Harry. He left that band because he wanted to play more in the Metallica style. He then reached out to us if we could need a second guitarist. Of course we were skeptical because he had only played slower things before.

#my translation #destruction #destruction band

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neocatharsis · 3 years

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The Brilliant Members of World Renowned NCT 127 Share Their Thoughts Fashion, Music, Lifestyle, Favorite Things… What Their Individual Styles Are #007 HAECHAN

Some Excerpts

What are the different faces that make up who NCT 127’s HAECHAN is?

MN: You introduced yourself as “the youngest member”. From your eyes, what kind of big brothers are the other members of NCT 127?

H: Let’s see… Mmm, they are more important to me than anything else. I joined the agency when I was much younger than I am now, and everybody I worked with was at the center of my life. In all aspects, I learned a lot through them. I guess you could say I grew up looking over their shoulders. We have spent so much time together, learning from and playing with, crying and laughing together as family. I truly want to be members with them forever. They really are like big brothers to me.

MN: To the question, “Please list three things that make up who you are, HAECHAN”, you wrote,“Me on stage, me with the other members, and me face-to-face with the fans”. It really does appear that the other members mean a lot to you. You also mention the “stage” and “fans”. Could you kindly tell us the reason behind their importance?

H: First, I think that “me on stage” is the most important part of the way the fans see me. That’s why I’m always passionate on stage and strive to be more perfect. I always want to present the best I have to offer in order to satisfy the audience to the fullest! Then, “me with the other members” is because, as I mentioned in my self-intro, I am the youngest member… and so I’m nowhere near perfect as a person. When I’m with the other members, I can spend time with them as I am, my immature parts and all. I think that is very important for me.

MN: So, “Me on stage” means to always enjoy yourself and strive to face your performances with a positive attitude. “Me with the other members” means the time to charge up on your energy for the stage.

H: Exactly! And the third, “Me face-to-face with the fans” comes from how grateful I am and how to never forget to work hard. I’m always grateful to all the fans because they really like me and support me. And it makes me feel that I really have to work harder because of all their love.

MN: It’s rather difficult to do anything offline these days. Please tell us if there is anything you place value on when interacting with your fans.

H: It would be nice to have the opportunity to meet our fans in person, but these are not the times for that right now and it’s difficult as well, so whenever possible, I’ve been trying to do whatever I can online. I try my best to figure out and capture what the fans want. For example, live broadcasting on the Internet, frequent live streaming in real time. I’m also hoping to share with everyone as much as I can about what I’m up to and the little things I’m working on. I try to talk about things that the fans want to know and are curious about.

MN: The various faces of HAECHAN you spoke of are quite fascinating in their own ways.

H: If I were to consider the difference in more depth, although it may sound a little strange, I feel like the person on stage is “another me”. For the person with the other members and the person face-to-face with the fans, I think they show a more human side to me.

MN: That explains it. It feels like your work as an artist is always at the core of who you are.

H: Yes, that’s who I am. HAECHAN=NCT 127!

What’s the source of your energetic performances?

MN: You said that as the youngest member of the group, you are confident about your smile. Could you please tell us what you are confident about when it comes to your performances and where you put a lot of your effort into?

H: I think it’s safe to say here that “energetic and positive”, which have always been keywords for me, come to life, and that’s because that’s my personality to begin with. That’s why I think that if the strengths and styles that I have within are fully demonstrated on the stage, I can shine even more. Speaking of an actual performance, there’s a song called “TOUCH”. It is a bright and cheerful song. Whether we are at a shoot or a concert, it is the song that I can express to by laughing and playing. I think one of my strengths right now is that my good qualities shine through in this kind of piece!

MN: As “somebody who had an impact on your style”, HAECHAN-san, you gave a photo of “Michael Jackson”. In the questionnaire, you also wrote,“He’s the artist I most admire”. Can you share with us what made you like him and what about him you are fascinated by?

H: I was in the fifth grade of elementary school when I discovered Michael Jackson. Ever since I heard the song “Billie Jean”, which I love, I’ve really liked him. From there, I listened to and researched his various pieces. Then, I learned that he writes his own music, and I saw him perform a lot. It made me think, “Yeah, I want to become an artist like that”. Listening to his songs really gives me energy!”

MN: You sent us a picture you took of the record “Thriller”.

H: Yes, It’s my favorite Michael Jackson album, and it’s the first LP I bought on my own, so I’m really attached to it. It’s a memorable album for me!

MN: Later on, we’ll have you list up some song recommendations for our popular playlist corner. So, please think about the songs you particularly like.

H: OK, will do~!

What’s the perfect balance of strength and weakness for you?

MN: We’d like to know a little more about you personally, HAECHAN-san. To the question, “What is the one thing that makes you proud?”, you responded, “To act fast. To have the sense to do so!”. Please elaborate.

H: For this, well, like when the other members need help, I have the ability to catch on to that. By noticing quickly and then figuring it out, I am able to be there to help out. And I think my strength is that I have the ability to absorb everything quickly, so that’s why I answered in that way!

MN: You’re quite dependable for being the youngest member. The same as when we were talking about the staff members, you certainly are aware of your surroundings.

H: Yes, I am. And I’ve always liked to get things done quickly and efficiently”

MN: In contrary, to the question, “What do you want to conquer?”, you wrote, “Getting over troublesome things”. Does that mean that you tend to find things troublesome, but you try your best to do many things quickly while paying attention to your surroundings? (LOL)

H: Finding things that are troublesome really does fall on me, doesn’t it (LOL). It’s true, there is a part of me that is dominated by this “troublesome” feeling (LOL). I do, but I think there are right and wrong times to feel that way.

MN: Completely agreed. That makes sense.

H: But I think I’m good at distinguishing those times with my good sense! (Chuckle)

MN: Ahh, I see (laughter). So that’s why you wrote “sense”. Ahh, understood. So, you appear at exactly the right moment.

H: That’s right! (laughter)

How would you like us to enjoy “LOVEHOLIC”?

MN: Please tell us about the new mini album for Japan. It’s titled “LOVEHOLIC” and will be released on February 17th. When working on this one, what did you pay particular attention to, HAECHAN-san?

H: Whenever recording, regardless of what kind of album it may be, I always make sure to pay particular attention according to each situation. However, this time I had to put in special effort into singing in Japanese with the most natural pronunciation as possible.

MN: Did you, for example, receive advice from YUTA-san, who is a Japanese member of your group?

H: Yes, I did. YUTA-san helped me again this time! Also, there were many staff members nearby who were intuitive enough to catch on to my needs during recording. They were very supportive.

MN: Here again is the relationship of trust you have with the staff members. We are told the lead track is a love song. Was there something that you felt you needed to work hard at when you found out it was a love song?

H: When I found out the lead track was a love song and listened to it, I thought, “What an intense love song.” When you read the lyrics, you know for certain that it’s a love song, but the atmosphere it presents is very powerful. So, I strived to maintain the strength and vibe of the song.

MN: When creating an album, do you and the other members share advice with one another?

H: When I receive a song and listen to it, I immediately discuss the song with the other members. We listen to each song together and talk about how each of us interpret the songs and how each song comes across to us, which is very helpful.

MN: Aside from the lead track being a love song, is there anything else about this album that you feel is different from the other albums?

H: Above all, we are releasing a mini album in Japan for the first time in a long time, but even when it’s released, we won’t be able to meet the fans in person… since the album is being released under these circumstances, we thought about things like, “how will the songs touch the fans” and “how will the fans listen to the album”. We thought about these things more than ever.

MN: That’s true. The album itself, or rather, the circumstances under which it will be released is different from before. Undoubtedly, the fans are anxiously waiting for the release.

H: We’ve already recorded a bunch of songs [editorial staff note: at the time of the interview], and there really are a lot of wonderful songs. In contrary to the intensity of the lead track, some songs are bright and cheerful. The album is chock full of memorable songs and I promise it will be worth the wait”

MN: You mentioned earlier how difficult it is to perform directly in front of the fans. Please tell us what we can expect and look forward to at your next concert performance in Japan.

H: Since we finished our Japan tour at the beginning of this year, we have not been able to return to Japan. And yet, we’ve released a lot of songs since then. I’m really looking forward the most to performing the songs that we have yet to.

MN: Until then, let’s have the fans listen to “LOVEHOLIC” in anticipation. In what kind of a situation would you like the fans to enjoy this album?

H: I think there are many people who are frustrated and feel suffocated, because they are not able to go outside and enjoy it as much as they want. I would like them to listen to the album during those situations, when they are “frustrated or feeling suffocated”. I hope that they will push through the frustration of not being able to see each other and the desire for each other while listening to the songs, especially with the powerful and substantial lead track. I also think this album has the power to refresh the heart and that it is packed with different types of love”l

MN: Expectations are rising!

H: (In Japanese) Thank you so much~!

What words describe you right now?

MN: Thank you for what you have told us thus far. Finally, could you kindly share with us, HAECHAN-san, what you think is “My own style” at this point in life?

H: I believe that I am currently “HAECHAN at 20 years old, still in the process of learning much and yet to grow”

MN: Ohhhh, wow! That’s almost like a slogan for yourself! This ends the interview portion, so please kindly provide some words for the readers. If there’s anything you’ve left out about the album or activities in the future, please take over.

H: First, I would like to express my gratitude towards this wonderful opportunity you have given us members of NCT 127 to introduce ourselves. Our team is really hard at work right now, and we are the type of group that will continue to grow. So, it would be wonderful if you could continue to watch over us and support us with all your warmth. Keep an eye out for our album as well. Please take care of yourselves and be happy.

MN: Thank you for that. We really look forward to the release of your album!

H: (In Japanese) Can’t wait to see you all again! Stay well~!

#nct #nct 127 #Haechan

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sxfterhearts · 4 years

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18. [9:15 am]

The intimidating growl of thunder caused a shiver to run up your spine, just as a blinding streak of white flashed through the grey sky. You watched helplessly as tiny droplets of rain propelled towards the ground, pulling your hood over your head to shelter you from Mother Nature’s gift, or in your case, curse, to the earth.

It was early on a particularly cloudy Saturday morning. You managed to get yourself out of the comforts of your bed and onto the streets of the nearby shopping district, all in the hopes of getting your hands on a tray of cream puffs.

The bakery that you were currently standing outside of was well-known for their delectable pastries, which explained the long queue that extended far beyond the bakery’s glass doors. Your boss treated you and your colleagues to their signature cream puffs and egg tarts last month after signing on a new client, and you were hooked on them ever since. You began your quest to taste these delicacies again but alas, to no avail, as you often worked long hours and loved sleeping in on the weekends. Every time you entered the bakery, their cream puffs were sold out.

This Saturday was an exception. A few nights ago at Jackson’s house party, your tipsy self made a commitment to meet up with a certain mutual friend of yours over breakfast. You had little to no recollection of the nights’ events as your memory always got a little hazy after one too many drinks, but Jackson reassured you that this Jaebeom guy was quite a catch, and exactly your type too.

You laughed internally at that while shuffling forwards towards the entrance as another customer was served. Jackson had been trying to set you up with his friends for the longest time, but things never really worked out well. Either Jackson was really bad at playing the role of cupid, or his friends were just completely incompatible with you.

As your feet brought you closer and closer to your own personal heaven, the sweet, delightful scent of baked goods and pastries drifted into your nostrils. Your mouth watered, and you decided that it was definitely worth waiting in the rain for these goodies. Speaking of the rain, it seemed as though Mother Nature was determined to unleash her grievances upon the helpless humans of the city. The rain, aided by strong winds, battered down onto your already-soaked body with more ferocity, rendering the little shelter you found from the bakery’s canopy useless.

Just as you were blaming yourself for forgetting to check the weather app before leaving the house, you felt the rain stop. This was odd because all around you, rainwater splashed against the wet surfaces of pavement and roads. Looking up, you spotted an umbrella over your head.

“Are you okay?” Came an unfamiliar, deep voice from behind you. You turned around to face its owner and was met with a bright, charming smile. “It’s Y/N, right? I’m Jaebeom. I saw you across the road from my store.”

You were stunned, to say the least. When Jackson tried to convince you about Jaebeom, you had never in your wildest dreams imagined him to look like this. His hair was swept off his forehead and styled up effortlessly, seemingly unaffected by the weather, and his entire outfit was black – black t-shirt under a black leather jacket and black ripped jeans. He exuded an air of masculinity.

To top it all off, he was sporting multiple piercings on the entire expanse of his two ears, and a piercing on his lower lip. His piercings brought back memories of that night – you remembered how the boy you were trying to hold an intelligent conversation about music with was constantly distracting you with the shiny jewels on his ears and the metallic sparkle of the silver ring around his lower lip. You remembered now, he practically glowed.

Jaebeom cleared his throat, trying his best to disperse the air of awkwardness brought about by your long silence as your mind raced to process the situation at hand. “Here, drink this. You’ll feel better, you must be cold.” He placed a takeaway cup in your hands, giving you an encouraging smile. From the close proximity of your bodies, you managed to discover twin moles right under his left eyebrow. How cute.

“Jaebeom, hi!” You tried your best to sound normal and not humiliate yourself any further in front of this good-looking man. “What’s this?” You asked, indicating to the cup warming you wet and cold hands.

A hand came up to rub the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. “Jackson told me you’re a coffee addict. Cappuccino, two sugars, and extra chocolate powder, am I right?”

You were impressed. Taking a sip, you pretended to mull over the coffee he ordered for you. “That is my usual order, but it seems like they forgot to add more chocolate to it.”

“Really? We could go back to the café and ask for another-”

Your lips tugged into a mischievous smile at his flustered response. “I’m just messing with you, Jaebeom. It’s the best coffee I’ve tasted since the machine in our office broke down. Thank you, honestly.” You told him, voice laced in sincerity. “How did you find me here? We weren’t supposed to meet for another half an hour or so.”

“Well, I couldn’t let you stand in the rain alone, without an umbrella. You’ll catch a cold soon if you don’t change out of your wet clothes.” Jaebeom nagged, giving your wet hoodie a distasteful look. “I actually work at the tattoo and piercing store across the road, and I recognised your pink Adidas superstars when I was opening up. I went to buy your coffee before heading over here with the umbrella, I hope you didn’t mind waiting for so long.”

At this point you were literally swooning at the guy standing before you. He had excellent taste in fashion, cool piercings and great manners. Jackson really wasn’t lying this time. “No, not at all! It’s a miracle that you appeared at all; I was about to get completely soaked by the rain. Thank you, again, really.”

Jaebeom placed a hand on your shoulder instead of replying and urged you gently forwards as the line shortened. You found yourself enjoying the warm comfort of his skin on yours. “Why don’t we get the pastries and head over to my store? I’ve got a heater in the back office and a record player. I know we initially planned on eating breakfast by the pond at the city park, but I think it’s best if we stay indoors.”

You nodded eagerly, excited by the prospect of visiting his workplace and listening to records. From the bits and pieces of your memory, you recollected that Jaebeom was a music major and had experience being a radio DJ. You were elated at this common interest, being an avid music lover yourself. Your dad owned a record player and you hadn’t seen or touched one since moving away. “Sounds like a great idea.”

Later that morning, as the two of you were in Jaebeom’s back office, safe from the rain, you couldn’t help but to think that the cream puff you were savouring tasted sweeter and more delicious than before. Perhaps this was because of Jaebeom, who was flipping through his extensive LP collection to choose which cheesy love song to play next, while munching on a bite of egg tart you fed him. You tugged at the ends of the long sleeves of Jaebeom’s hoodie, which he insisted you changed into, to cover your hands, giving yourself an adorable case of sweater paws. Your insides felt warm and cosy. Something told you that today was the start of something special with this boy.

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livewireprojects · 3 years

Photo

I feel bad for @naegamimonth right now because I’ve been doing nothing but a shit ton of Naegami Month posts on my art blog. At least this is the last post for day 16... jfc I made so much for this day...

This is just fashion AU, it was inspired by that non-despair AU were the DR2 cast are scene kids(along with maybe Junko & Mukuro), Izuru is punk goth & DR1 cast are pastel goths in the early 2000s. Like I said(because I don’t know how to say shit) this is inspired by it but instead of the 2 casts being scene kids & pastel goths they have their own styles.

Byakuya is a hipster that loves to take selfies with his boyfriend & later their babies when the twins eventually come in. Makoto is a pastel goth still but looks kind of different from the version from the scenekids/pastel goths AU. Because this isn’t in color I couldn’t show that he has a galaxy textured hoodie jacket on.(Then again I can’t make galaxy textures very well anyway) He also has a bunny on his choker because for some reason I keep giving him Usami imagery sometimes. His sneakers are pastel green with eye balls on them... I use this to much on character designs that are pastel goths.

Honestly wasn’t sure how to dress Byakuya & this probably wasn’t what I was thinking of when I did fashion AU RPs. I dunno how to make hipster designs so I was Googling shit & searching on DA. Why did I give him a hat?

Finally at the end! I am sorry!

This comes from my favorite game series Harvest Moon(the official games are now Story of Seasons since the creators left the people with the rights to call it Harvest Moon), Makoto is dressed in the default clothes for the girl in my favorite game of the HM series Animal Parade. It’s a really nice game & I’m also a little obsessed with the wizard in this game... The only thing missing is a port/remake for the Switch... But enough with my rambling that I had to delete because it’s off topic.(It’s just rambling about my love for HMAP & why the remake of Friends of Mineral Town while good scares me on if AP got a remake because I worry they’ll edit things they shouldn’t in that game too)

So anyway Makoto is doing farm work when Usami comes over with a letter from Makoto’s boyfriend. Usami is taking Finn’s(the Harvest Sprite meant to be your guide in the game) role in this which given she’s meant to be both a magic girl bunny & a teacher is adorably perfect.as she can give advice to Makoto & enjoy their adventures around Harmonica Town & so on.

Interestingly Gill reminds me some of Byakuya but he technically is more friendly than Byakuya. Both kind of had to grow up earl as kids but for Gill it’s because the death of his mom hit his family pretty bad while Byakuya’s is from whatever shit his terrible dad did to his family. Both are also blond with blue eyes, weirdly enough Gill when he’s dressed in his sweater vest instead of his white suit vest looks a little like how I use to dress Len.

Another random thing is that this is the only HM/SoS game I know of were once you get married(to the main candidates not the special ones sadly) you get a free ticket to the island you unlock at some point. Using the ticket while with your now spouse will lead to getting a Honey Moon cutscene.(I haven’t gotten to the marriage yet & the only LP I’ve seen of this game had the guy marry Witch so I dunno how the cutscene for the honeymoon looks.(I saw the cutscene once but due to my weird memory I remember very little)

What I’m failing to get at is Byakuya & Makoto enjoying their honeymoon on the island. Cuddling together as the sea comes up the sand & touches their feet as they sit near the water. Makoto likely has a seashell from the trip on a shelf.

I kind of made Usami a human/Harvest Sprite form for this. I gave her Chiaki’s haircut because often times Chiaki is shown with her.(Even shown holding her in the final(I think) episode of DR3 were Hinata is likely imagining her while on his way back to the island with everyone)

I’m not as interested in DR2 as I am in DR1 but Usami/Monomi is probably my favorite character. I also keep showing an edited(because her design’s details kill me, they’re to much to draw) version of her as a plushie my kind of OC Asumi has a security blanket.(I’ll explain Asumi one day)

#naegamimonth2020 #naegami #my art

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doomedandstoned · 3 years

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King Buffalo Provide Respite For Pandemic-Weary Listeners on ‘The Burden of Restlessness’

~By Billy Goate~

Artwork by Zdzisław Beksiński

I confess, I came a little late to the KING BUFFALO party. I mean, I’ve known about them from their very first record on and have even picked songs to play on The Doomed & Stoned Show that's I've found particularly enjoyable. Regulars to the program know I’ve always been more a doomer than a stoner, though obviously relishing music from both worlds. Only recently had I given myself the opportunity of really baking in their music. It probably has something to do with the summer psychedelic kick I’m on lately, that and I’ve been getting a lot more sunshine, walking more, learning how to enjoy being human again.

Not only did I give the band's latest LP, 'The Burden of Restlessness' (2021) a solid listen, I've been spinning it non-stop! The title grabbed me right away, because I could very much identify with the uncertainty and fear of 2020 lockdowns, which eventually gave way to boredom and stoic despair. Depending on who you ask, it's their third studio album and it's got its hooks in me for damn sure.

Sonically, the sound is fresh and vital, every note captured prestinely by frontman/guitarist at Rochester's Main Street Armory between December and January. I don't know if he's a sound engineer on the side or what, but I really am impressed by how present the instruments sound, without excessive reverberation. After Sean finished recording and mixing, the tapes were sent to Grammy-nominated producer Bernard Matthews for mastering on the other side of the continent in Portland, Oregon.

Let's go through King Buffalo's release track-by-track, because I think there's plenty to talk about here.

1. Burning

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I feel it falling apart Too many blisters and scars Are we the wick or the flame, are they just one in the same? Was it just doomed from the start?

The record opens with “Burning” and in those first dozen seconds of churning downtuned noise, we’re unsure what kind of song it’s going to be. An assertive riff-motif starts to dance to the accompaniment of a motor-like rhythm. The singing is as depressive as we’re bound to encounter from King Buffalo, with lyrics that express regret about “another year lost in the wasteland” and that feeling of falling apart while time stands still.

The members of King Buffalo have been on a steadily rising trajectory in recent years, so the sudden closures of concert halls and canceled tours wasn't just a bummer for a lot of professional musicians; it had immediate career implications, along with the obvious problem of no job = no money. It’s one thing to weather through a crisis when you know what the end game is, and at this time last year most of us still didn’t know what the hell was going to happen. We thought everything would open up and return to normal, then the summer of 2020 exploded all around us with social unrest. The album’s title speaks to the creative frustrations of being not only uncertain of when your band is next going to tour, but what to do in the meanwhile. For creative people, there’s a burden to create -- sometimes just to keep yourself from going mad with frustration.

2. Hebetation

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I don’t know which way to run One thousand different ways but I can’t seem to live with one So I’m stuck where I’ve begun Another languid day, can’t seem to break away

“Hebetation” was one of the singles that emerged before the album was independently released toward the start of summer. It is the song I relate to the most, too. Vibrant Helmetesque riffmaking sets the song a sail, with a bit of a nod to Sabbath as well. The math-like interplay between drums, bass, and guitar have a vaguely krautrock aura about it, though the volume and tone is pure metal. Like the opening track, the words are frank and honest, addressing the weight of unfulfilled dreams, the jadedness that comes with disappointment, and suicidal thoughts that come floating into mind when it seems nothing's working out as planned. “Nothing’s changed at 35. Still every night I dream a million different ways for me to die.”

3. Locusts

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

Stifling the sun with wicked hands Everything undone with vicious plans

“Locusts,” as the name implies, is replete with bouncing guitar rhythm, with picking that seems to dart about like that swarm of grasshoppers that used to sweep through my poor pitiful East Texas garden mid-summer and shred everything in sight. Around the 3:30 mark, we’re treated to an extended high-end grinder of a B-section, with sweeping psychedelic gestures ala Kim Thayil -- and hearkening back to the melodic motif of another great song: “Sun Shivers.” When the A section returns, the rhythm is more deliberate, less dashing about in math or progressive fashion. The song ends with what could well end up an extended drone jam on just the right night as King Buffalo continues to roll through the U.S.

4. Silverfish

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I stare at the cracks in the wall And melt into nothing A silverfish slithering away, from everything

“Silverfish” got a music video, which was a wise choice as the song is quite accessible and relatable, too (even if it did get a few people wondering if King Buffalo was having their own “The Sword Moment” stylistically). The main motif is a two-note broken interval from high note to low in an almost an ‘80s-style nod to the advent of computer generated music (to my ears it sounds like the guitar may either be taking on the action or playing in sync with the synthesizer).

Never fear, the heavy is soon here. When I heard those first crashing tripled-down chords, I let out an inner hellllll yeah to that shit. The quirky little melody from the start comes back, this time on guitar in a way that really works to convince you that it was a good artistic choice from the get-go.

Lyrically, it's another wistful line of expression: “I stare at the cracks in the wall, I think I’m unravelling...I think I’m losing my grip on everything, I’m drifting away.” This is also one of the few songs on the record with a strong melodic chorus. It comes towards the end, which works quite effectively in climaxing the song.

(BTW, anyone else freaked out by silverfish as much as me?)

5. Grifter

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I make my way over the dunes Desolate and dry The remnants of empires past Too stubborn to die

“Grifter” returns to the everyman accessibility of “Burning” and “Hebetation,” with a notably despondent tenor to each line of the song. The calm singing over rhythmic verses so characteristic of King Buffalo’s writing gives way to a brutal grind sans chorus. Sometimes you don’t have words and you just have to work it all out with your axe or piano or whatever's your jam. There didn’t need to be a big, bloated angry chorus on top of it all. We feel that most adequately from the riffmaking itself, which plays out like slow burning frustration that intensifies with every round of the dirge.

6. The Knocks

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

Everyday I wake up on the floor Another useless day like every other that’s come before I can feel it creeping more and more Don’t think I wanna wake no more, don’t think I wanna live no more

“The Knocks” features the same keyboard playing as before, so now I’m sure it's either Sean or bassist Dan Reynolds on synth -- though the playing here is much more ornamental, at times adding an exclamation point to the sentiment of the lyrics. It might be a little much if overplayed, but here it’s dispensed judiciously. We have a bass, drums, and synth break where a chorus would normally be, followed by another shred sesh that’s feeling like Helmet or Prong love. A beautiful mid-range guitar melody intervenes, then things start to feel a distinctively robotic pattern announces itself around the 3:20 mark, joined in short order by the rest of the instruments. This leads to a melodious guitar sequence, with the dexterous kind of finger work that the one dude at shows likes so much when he pretends to shred next to the stage.

7. Loam

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I’m shedding the burden of restlessness To rise from the loam of the nothingness

“Loam” hearkens back to my favorite King Buffalo album, ‘Longing To Be The Mountain’ (2018). A broken octave rhythmic pattern is plucked with drums and bass being all cool, saying just the right thing at the right time. Atop it, the jaded, sedated crooning of Sean McVay, which as both a musical and cultural Doomer I find appealing. A mean guitar lick lashes out like a whip atop bass and drums around 3 minutes, then tears into another voiceless psychedelic improvisation. It's a beautiful instrumental metal section with a hard rock appeal. The song returns to its opening vibe in an almost Toolesque fashion, then opts for more catharsis-giving mosh time and another plaintively sung extended note melody.

The verses give us a hint of hope, as Sean declares: "I’m shedding the burden of restlessness / To rise from the loam of the nothingness." I'm curious to hear the two other albums the band plans on releasing in 2021 (yes, you read that right!) and how they will pair or contrast with this one.

King Buffalo's The Burden of Restlessness holds a special place in my music library and its songs are a frequent highlight of my daily playlist. I suspect it will be a record you, too, will keep close at hand as the plague rages on. A balm for the weary soul.

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Aaron Dessner confirms: folklore is Taylor Swift’s goth record. Or, at least, it’s her most gothic record. It’s also a few other things, depending on your mood: an unofficial Big Red MachineDessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon started Big Red Machine in 2008 as a loose musical collaboration. They released their official self-titled debut LP in 2018, and this year released “No Time For Love Like Now” with Michael Stipe. collaboration (Big RED Machine); a spiritual companion to The National’s 2019 album I Am Easy To Find, specifically its accompanying Mike Mills film, also shot in black-and-white and emphasizing a more natural setting; or just Swift’s attempt at a headphone record, one that, even if you don’t buy into the Taylor Swift mythology, rewards multiple listens as you pick up on all the intricacies of each song and realize wow, this is where the In Rainbows influence comes in. Dessner is the one to thank for all these little details.

The National multi-instrumentalist spoke to Vulture over the phone from upstate New York a few hours after the surprise release of Swift’s eighth studio album. (“A pretty wild ride,” he admits, sounding tired yet happy.) He was clear that he can’t speak on behalf of Swift’s lyrics, much like he can’t for The National frontman Matt Berninger’s either, or the thinking behind Jack Antonoff’s songs. (Here’s a cheat sheet: Jack’s songs soar, Aaron’s glide.) But Dessner was game to speak to his specific contributions, influences, and own interpretations of each song on folklore, a record you can sum up by two words that came up often during our conversation: nostalgic and wry.

“the 1″

“the 1” and “hoax,” the first song and the last song, were the last songs we did. The album was sort of finished before that. We thought it was complete, but Taylor then went back into the folder of ideasMany of Dessner’s songs started from him sending files of sketches from a folder of ideas to Swift, who then replied with updated files of her ideas and additions. Swift also would start some songs by sending voice memos to Dessner, who would then flesh them out or write music to it. Dessner would also send files to his brother, Bryce, and other collaborators to flesh out the music; he sums up the process as “sending files around.” that I had shared. I think in a way, she didn’t realize she was writing for this album or a future something. She wrote “the 1,” and then she wrote “hoax” a couple of hours later and sent them in the middle of the night. When I woke up in the morning, I wrote her before she woke up in LA and said, “These have to be on the record.” She woke up and said, “I agree” [laughs] These are the bookends, you know?

It’s clear that “the 1” is not written from her perspective. It’s written from another friend’s perspective. There’s an emotional wryness and rawness, while also to this kind of wink in her eyes. There’s a little bit of her sense of humor in there, in addition to this kind of sadness that exists both underneath and on the surface. I enjoy that about her writing.

The song [began from] the voice memo she sent me, and then I worked on the music some and we tracked her vocals, and then my brotherOn bringing in fellow The National member, Bryce Dessner: “My brother lives in France and that’s where he and his family were in lockdown. I would send songs to Bryce for him to add orchestration, and then he would send them back. He would compose to them and then I would have people record them over here remotely.” added orchestration. There are a few other little bits, but basically that was one of the very last things we did.

THE MEANING OF FOLKLORE

We didn’t talk about it at first. It was only after writing six or seven songs, basically when I thought my writing was done, when we got on the phone and said, “OK, I think we’re making an album. I have these six other ideas that I love with Jack [Antonoff] that we’ve already done, and I think what we’ve done fits really well with them.” It’s sort of these narratives, these folkloric songs, with characters that interweave and are written from different perspectives. She had a vision, and it was connecting back in some way to the folk tradition, but obviously not entirely sonically. It’s more about the narrative aspect of it.

I think it’s this sort of nostalgia and wistfulness that is in a lot of the songs. A lot of them have this kind of longing for looking back on things that have happened in your life, in your friend’s life, or another loved one’s life, and the kind of storytelling around that. That was clear to her. But then we kept going, and more and more songs happened.

It was a very organic process where [meaning] wasn’t something that we really discussed. It just kind of would happen where she would dive back into the folder and find other things that were inspiring. Or she and William BoweryDessner explains of the one unknown name who pops up in the folklore credits: “William Bowery is who she wrote ‘exile’ with, and ‘betty.’ He’s a singer-songwriter.” would write “exile,” and then that happened. There were different stages of the process.

Okay, but is it A24-core? [Laughs.] Good comparison.

“cardigan’”

That’s the first song we wrote [in early May]. After Taylor asked if I would be interested in writing with her remotelyOn folklore being recorded somewhat on-the-fly: “I prefer records when they have an element where the paint is still wet. We’re allowing some paint to be human and raw, so [collaborations were] not hired out too much. That was important to me, and that was important to her, too. That is definitely different from her past records.” and working on songs, I said, “Are you interested in a certain kind of sound?” She said, “I’m just interested in what you do and what you’re up to. Just send anything, literally anything, it could be the weirdest thing you’ve ever done,” so I sent a folder of stuff I had done that I was really excited about recently. “cardigan” was one of those sketches; it was originally called “Maple.” It was basically exactly what it is on the record, except we added orchestration later that my brother wrote.

I sent [the file] at 9 p.m., and around 2 a.m. or something, there was “cardigan,” fully written. That’s when I realized something crazy was happening. She just dialed directly into the heart of the music and wrote an incredible song and fully conceived of it and then kept going. It harkens back to lessons learned, or experiences in your youth, in a really beautiful way and this sense of longing and sadness, but ultimately, it’s cathartic. I thought it was a perfect match for the music, and how her voice feels. It was kind of a guide. It had these lower register parts, and I think we both realized that this was a bit of a lightning rod for a lot of the rest of the record.

THE NATIONAL’S INFLUENCE ON SWIFT:

She said that she’s a fan of the emotion that’s conveyed in our music. She doesn’t often get to work with music that is so raw and emotional, or melodic and emotional, at the same time. When I sent her the folder, that was one of the main feelings. She said, “What the fuck? How do you just have that?” [laughs] I was humbled and honored because she just said, “It’s a gift, and I want to write to all of this.” She didn’t write to all of it, but a lot of it, and relatively quickly.

She is a fan of the band, and she’s a fan of Big Red Machine. She’s well aware of the sentiment of it and what I do, but she didn’t ask for a certain kind of thing. I know that the film [I Am Easy To Find] has really affected her, and she’s very much in love with that film and the record. Maybe it’s subconsciously been an influence.

“the last great american dynasty”

I wrote that after we’d been working for a while. It was an attempt to write something attractive, more uptempo and kind of pushing. I also was interested in this almost In Rainbows-style latticework of electric guitars. They come in and sort of pull you along, kind of reminiscent of Big Red Machine. It was very much in this sound world that I��ve been playing around with, and she immediately clicked with that. Initially I was imagining these dreamlike distant electric guitars and electronics but with an element of folk. There’s a lot going on in that sense. I sent it before I went on a run, and when I got back from the run, that song was thereJust how fast of a songwriter is Taylor? Dessner marvels, “It’s almost like a song would come out like a lightning bolt. It’s exhilarating. The shared focus, the clarity of her ideas, and the way she structures things, it’s all there. But I think she works really hard when she’s working, and then she tweaks. She keeps going, so sometimes things would evolve or change. By the time she actually sings it, she’s really inside of it. She doesn’t do very many vocal takes before she nails it.” [laughs].

She told me the story behind it, which sort of recounts the narrative of Rebekah Harkness, whom people actually called Betty. She was married to the heir of Standard Oil fortune, married into the Harkness family, and they bought this house in Rhode Island up on a cliff. It’s kind of the story of this woman and the outrageous parties she threw. She was infamous for not fitting in, entirely, in society; that story, at the end, becomes personal. Eventually, Taylor bought that house. I think that is symptomatic of folklore, this type of narrative song. We didn’t do very much to that either.

“exile” (ft. Bon Iver)

Taylor and William Bowery, the singer-songwriter, wrote that song initially together and sent it to me as a sort of a rough demo where Taylor was singing both the male and female parts. It’s supposed to be a dialogue between two lovers. I interpreted that and built the song, played the piano, and built around that template. We recorded Taylor’s vocals with her singing her parts but also the male parts.

We talked a lot about who she thought would be perfect to sing, and we kept coming back to Justin [Vernon]. Obviously, he’s a dear friend of mine and collaboratorSo, is folklore secretly a new Big Red Machine album? Dessner coyly offers, “I mean, you might not be far off the truth there, but I think I won’t say more.”. I said, “Well, if he’s inspired by the song, he’ll do it, and if not, he won’t.” I sent it to him and said, “No pressure at all, literally no pressure, but how do you feel about this?” He said, “Wow.” He wrote some parts into it also, and we went back and forth a little bit, but it felt like an incredibly natural and safe collaboration between friends. It didn’t feel like getting a guest star or whatever. It was just like, well, we’re working on something, and obviously he’s crazy talented, but it just felt right. I think they both put so much raw emotion into it. It’s like a surface bubbling. It’s believable, you know? You believe that they’re having this intense dialogue.

With other people I had to be secretive, but with Justin, because he was going to sing, I actually did send him a version of the song with her vocals and told him what I was up to. He was like, “Whoa! Awesome!” But he’s been involved in so many big collaborative things that he wasn’t interested in it from that point of view. It’s more because he loved the song and he thought he could do something with it that would add something.

“my tears ricochet”

This is one of my absolute favorite songs on the record. I think it’s a brilliant composition, and Taylor’s words, the way her voice sounds and how this song feels, are, to me, one of the critical pieces. It’s lodged in my brain. That’s also very important to Taylor and Jack. It’s like a beacon for this record.

“mirrorball”

“mirrorball” is, to me, a hazy sort of beautiful. It almost reminds me of ‘90s-era Cardigans, or something like Mazzy Star. It has this kind of glow and haze. It feels really good before “seven,” which becomes very wistful and nostalgic. There are just such iconic images in the lyrics [“Spinning in my highest heels”], which aren’t coming to me at the moment because my brain is not working [laughs].

HOW JACK ANTONOFF’S FOLKORE SONGS DIFFER FROM DESSNER’S

I think we have different styles, and we weren’t making them together or in the same room. We both could probably come closer together in a sense that weirdly works. It’s like an archipelago, and each song is an island, but it’s all related. Taylor obviously binds it all together. And I think Jack, if he was working with orchestrations, there’s an emotional quality to his songs that’s clearly in the same world as mine.

We actually didn’t have a moodboard for the album at all. I don’t think that way. I don’t really know if she does either. I don’t think Jack … well, Jack might, but when I say the Cardigans or Mazzy Star, those aren’t Jack’s words about “mirrorball,” it’s just what calls to mind for me. Mainly she talked about emotion and to lean into it, the nostalgia and wistfulness, and the kind of raw, meditative emotion that I often kind of inhabit that I think felt very much where her heart was. We didn’t shy away from that.

“seven”

This is the second song we wrote. It’s kind of looking back at childhood and those childhood feelings, recounting memories and memorializing them. It’s this beautiful folk song. It has one of the most important lines on the record: “And just like a folk song, our love will be passed on.” That’s what this album is doing. It’s passing down. It’s memorializing love, childhood, and memories. It’s a folkloric way of processing.

“august”

This is maybe the closest thing to a pop song. It gets loud. It has this shimmering summer haze to it. It’s kind of like coming out of “seven” where you have this image of her in the swing and she’s seven years old, and then in “august” I think it feels like fast-forwarding to now. That’s an interesting contrast. I think it’s just a breezy, sort of intoxicating feeling.

“this is me trying”

“this is me trying,” to me, relates to the entire album. Maybe I’m reading into it too much from my own perspective, but [I think of] the whole album as an exercise and working through these stories, whether personal or old through someone else’s perspective. It’s connecting a lot of things. But I love the feeling in it and the production that Jack did. It has this lazy swagger.

“illicit affairs”

This feels like one of the real folk songs on the record, a sharp-witted narrative folk song. It just shows her versatility and her power as a songwriter, the sharpness of her writing. It’s a great song.

“invisible string”

That was another one where it was music that I’d been playing for a couple of months and sort of humming along to her. It felt like one of the songs that pulls you along. Just playing it on one guitar, it has this emotional locomotion in it, a meditative finger-picking pattern that I really gravitate to. It’s played on this rubber bridge that my friend put on [the guitar] and it deadens the strings so that it sounds old. The core of it sounds like a folk song.

It’s also kind of a sneaky pop song, because of the beat that comes in. She knew that there was something coming because she said, “You know, I love this and I’m hearing something already.” And then she said, “This will change the story,” this beautiful and direct kind of recounting of a relationship in its origin.

“mad woman”

That might be the most scathing song on folklore. It has a darkness that I think is cathartic, sort of witch-hunting and gaslighting and maybe bullying. Sometimes you become the person people try to pin you into a corner to be, which is not really fair. But again, don’t quote me on that [laughs], I just have my own interpretation. It’s one of the biggest releases on the album to me. It has this very sharp tone to it, but sort of in gothic folklore. It’s this record’s goth song.

“epiphany”

For “epiphany,” she did have this idea of a beautiful drone, or a very cinematic sort of widescreen song, where it’s not a lot of accents but more like a sea to bathe in. A stillness, in a sense. I first made this crazy drone which starts the song, and it’s there the whole time. It’s lots of different instruments played and then slowed down and reversed. It created this giant stack of harmony, which is so giant that it was kind of hard to manage, sonically, but it was very beautiful to get lost in. And then I played the piano to it, and it almost felt classical or something, those suspended chords.

I think she just heard it, and instantly, this song came to her, which is really an important one. It’s partially the story of her grandfather, who was a soldier, and partially then a story about a nurse in modern times. I don’t know if this is how she did it, but to me, it’s like a nurse, doctor, or medical professional, where med school doesn’t fully prepare you for seeing someone pass away or just the difficult emotional things that you’ll encounter in your job. In the past, heroes were just soldiers. Now they’re also medical professionals. To me, that’s the underlying mission of the song. There are some things that you see that are hard to talk about. You can’t talk about it. You just bear witness to them. But there’s something else incredibly soothing and comforting about this song. To me, it’s this Icelandic kind of feel, almost classical. My brother did really beautiful orchestration of it.

“betty”

This one Taylor and William wrote, and then both Jack and I worked on it. We all kind of passed it around. This is the one where Taylor wanted a reference. She wanted it to have an early Bob Dylan, sort of a Freewheelin’ Bob DylanBob Dylan’s second LP, released in 1963, features some of his most stripped-down acoustic folk songs, with plenty of harmonica. To this day, its lyrics still cause debate. The album’s famous cover, shot in New York on Jones St., is one block away from Cornelia Street. feel. We pushed it a little more towards John Wesley Harding, since it has some drums. It’s this epic narrative folk song where it tells us a long story and connects back to “cardigan.” It starts to connect dots and I think it’s a beautifully written folk song.

Is ‘betty” queer canon?

I can’t speak to what it’s about. I have my own ideas. I also know where Taylor’s heart is, and I think that’s great anytime a song takes on greater meaning for anyone.

Is William Bowery secretly Joe Alwyn?

I don’t know. We’re close, but she won’t tell me that. I think it’s actually someone else, but it’s good to have some mysteries.

“peace”

I wrote this, and Justin provided the pulse. We trade ideas all the time and he made a folder, and there was a pulse in there that I wrote these basslines to. In the other parts of the composition, I did it to Justin’s pulse. Taylor heard this sketch and she wrote the song. It reminds me of Joni Mitchell, in a way — there’s this really powerful and emotional love song, even the impressionistic, almost jazz-like bridge, and she weaves it perfectly together. This is one of my favorites, for sure. But the truth is that the music, that way of playing with harmonized basslines, is something that probably comes a little bit from me being inspired by how Justin does that sometimes. There’s probably a connection there. We didn’t talk too much about it [laughs].

“hoax”

This is a big departure. I think she said to me, “Don’t try to give it any other space other than what feels natural to you.” If you leave me in a room with a piano, I might play something like this. I take a lot of comfort in this. I think I imagined her playing this and singing it. After writing all these songs, this one felt the most emotional and, in a way, the rawest. It is one of my favorites. There’s sadness, but it’s a kind of hopeful sadness. It’s a recognition that you take on the burden of your partners, your loved ones, and their ups and downs. That’s both “peace” and “hoax” to me. That’s part of how I feel about those songs because I think that’s life. There’s a reality, the gravity or an understanding of the human condition.

DOES TAYLOR EXPLAIN HER LYRICS?

She would always talk about it. The narrative is essential, and kind of what it’s all about. We’d always talk about that upfront and saying that would guide me with the music. But again, she is operating at many levels where there are connections between all of these songs, or many of them are interrelated in the characters that reappear. There are threads. I think that sometimes she would point it out entirely, but I would start to see these patterns. It’s cool when you see someone’s mind working.

“the lakes”

That’s a Jack song. It’s a beautiful kind of garden, or like you’re lost in a beautiful garden. There’s a kind of Greek poetry to it. Tragic poetry, I guess.

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#aaron dessner #the national #joe alwyn #article #folklore interview #folklore promo #folklore #quote #track by track

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