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horizonwitch · 4 years

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The Archangel Theory - A Possible Explanation to MCR's new symbolism

Hello! This is a very long post, but I hope it’s worth the reading. Sorry.

I am Nana, and today I bring you a fan-theory on the meaning behind MyChem's symbols presented to us in the occasion of the band's return announcement and later on, at the actual reunion concert day.

First Considerations:

1. being it, as the title implies, a fan-theory, I do not claim any of the exposed to be factual when associated to MCR. I bring this thread to you guys in hopes that we can discuss, expand, teach and learn with each other, and maybe come to some sort of conclusion. Riddles are fun to play, especially together. I love riddles in fandom experience. :)

2. I highly apologize for my limited vocabulary and weird phrasing. I am not a native english speaker, but I'll try my best to make this understandable to everyone;

3. Despite my personal beliefs and stupid jokes, I mean no disrespect to any religion or symbol mentioned in here. (just as much as I believe MyChem also doesn't, on the wild possibility of this thread being on point with what they planned, lol).

That being said, before we start, I have some thanks to give:

this theory was only put together thanks to my lovely mychem group chat, composed by Raffs, Clara, Caroline and Hana. thanks for all the time and effort we shared, and for holding my brain with your bare hands when it was about to melt, friends.

Also thanks to Frank Iero himself, for laughing at me on twitter for me not being able to understand the reunion clues, despite "wearing a California 2019 shirt for 6 years". I humbly accept the possibility of this theory having nothing to do with the truth, but I sure hope I can laugh back at you in the end, rat. I love you.

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Now, let's finally head to The Archangel Theory, or, as I like to call it, The “If We're Not Careful We'll Turn Into Catholics” Theory, and how it all started.

It was Halloween. Everyone here was minding their own damn business (I was being a clown on twitter, Hana was putting on her badass revenge-themed makeup. You know, the usual). And we all know what happened: MCR raised gracefully from the dead, dropping brand new symbolism and a stunning angel image to our poor panicked hearts. A few days later, when Hana’s crying ruined makeup was long gone and everyone calmed the F down a little bit, people started to ask themselves: okay, cool, but what does it mean?

Like many of you, the first thought that crossed my mind was tarot. Because, well, how f-ing cool would it be, right? I draw tarot everyday. I just loved the idea. Mychem posting a latin countdown with some eerie photo was just… yea, I was very excited with this.

Many of us also associated the symbols with past albums and even with the members themselves. All of these theories are very valid to me, and I loved reading them. I agree with many points raised.

Well, everything was fine (as fine as it could be, because I am so damn curious). The Return concert happened at the faithful date of December 20, California. We all freaked out and enjoyed the noble services’ of days_fate and diet_shampoo’s streaming. All that jazz.

But then: well… another angel. I started to think to myself: is this a pattern? The show ends, we get very emotional, everything is okay (i hate this pun) with the world. Frank Iero makes a post-concert post on instagram, talking about how everything was pure Magick. With a K.

For those unfamiliar, this is an occultist term related to Aleister Crowley’s Thelema, to differentiate the religious concept from the “stage magic” that we are used to. A very carefully picked name that I highly doubt someone would drop around without knowing what it implies.... Don’t even start me with the K and C keys being so damn far away from each other on a keyboard.

At this point me and my groupchat were starting to be very done with Frank’s clownery (we indeed love him very much for that), and so we started to hurt our minds every single day since then. that’s the result:

THE ARCHANGEL THEORY

Let’s Return™ to the basics: angels and, probably, tarot.

Funny enough, there are actually angels in tarot cards. There are many types of decks, but for this we are using the most famous one, which most people believe holds ancient symbolism, The Rider-Waite Tarot.

There are many angels and archangels mentioned in the Bible (only a few by name, tho), but only four of them made it into being represented in tarot cards: Uriel, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Let’s get the gang together and meet the holy crew (please, forgive me for the puns).

Uriel:

whose name means “the light of god”, “the flame of god”. It’s the Wise Angel, often pictured as the one who holds books and scrolls and bears holy knowledge and understanding. or Clarity, if you will. They’re sort of the goth one™, associated with the Tartarus and being pictured as pitiless as any demon would; even holding the key to Hell during the end of times, Uriel is described as the angel who watches “over thunder and terror”. Uriel is sometimes even mistaken for a demon (apparently, the eastern catholicism accepts Uriel identity as an archangel, while the western catholicism gives more credit to its dark side, and does not encourage worshiping); this duality comes from the notion that very often, enlightenment may be the end result of dark times. Every archangel has many, I said MANY symbols attached to them, so other elements associated with this angel can be found on the image attached to this post.

About Uriel’s Tarot Card: if you were raised in a catholic family and slept through as much catechism as I did as a kid, maybe you’ll be surprised to know that Lucifer, Satan and Uriel are all different beings. Let it be a lesson: no matter how edgy of a teen you are, please accept knowledge from any possible source. Putting this thread together would’ve been so easier to me now if I did, haha... That being said, our angel Uriel is actually the Devil in the Devil Tarot card, which meaning touches on addiction, obsession, feeling imprisoned or restrained, but it being only an illusion of powerlessness. This card is an invitation to free yourself, fight distractions and temptation, and finally fulfill your destiny. Please, consider that tarot readings are very deep and variable; there’s extensive books only on tarot meaning, so I won’t explore much on each card. that’s just a very general notion.

Some sources also consider Uriel to be the responsible for the change represented in the Death card, despite not being directly pictured in such card. As stated before, Uriel is associated with the concept Death brings, being a turning point, and ending route.

The symbolism presented in the Devil card (as for the Rider-Waiter deck):

“At the foot of the Devil stand a man and a woman, both naked and chained to the podium on which the Devil sits. They appear to be held here against their will – but look closer, and you will notice that the chains around their necks are loose and could be easily removed. Each has small horns on their head, like the devil’s, a sign that they are becoming increasingly like him the longer they stay here. Both have tails, a further symbol of their animalistic tendencies and raw instincts, and the grapes and the fire on their respective tails signify pleasure and lust.”

Poor people. If only they knew better. A lil bit of Clarity, huh?

That’s it for MCR’s clarity symbol, conveniently shaped as a candle.

Michael:

whose name means “who is like god” (being it a rhetorical question, to mean that no one equals to God). It’s the Protector Angel. They’re the leader of angels in the battle against demons, Defender of God’s realm against Satan in the Book of Revelation. Michael is a warrior, and is often seem with the sword in hand, to allure to the idea of bravery. They’re described as the angel of strength, protection and Courage.

About Michael’s Tarot Card: Michael appears on the major arcana Temperance. In fact, even the name “Temperance” comes from the process of refining and strengthening materials in metallurgy. this one likes swords a lot, huh. That’s a card which meaning touches on patience and prudence. It means already having a clear vision and knowing what you want to achieve. Now It’s all about thinking before action, and accepting the balance of things, blending the opposites to achieve an ideal solution. Apparently a very suited card for a warrior of faith. Prepare yourself: in my research, I’ve found a source that associates this card with the color blue (the very same of the archangel) and the musical note G. Yes, the universe has a strange sense of humor.

The symbolism presented in the Temperance card: “The vessels in the angel’s hands represent the vessel that contains eternal life. The flowers are Irises symbolising the goddess Iris who links God to humanity. Iris travels from one end of the world to another, into the depth of the sea and the underworld. The angel’s feet, one on land and one in water, symbolise the unification of the external and internal, conscious and subconscious. It also represents testing the waters before jumping into the unknown. The red wings on the angel represent blood which symbolizes life. The sun conceals a crown which represents a connection to higher power. The triangle on the angel’s dress is an equilateral triangle and symbolise spirit, divinity, fire, life, prosperity, and harmony. It can also symbolise God and the holy trinity. The square outside the triangle represents protection and stability.”

The MCR symbol for Courage is a drop. is it a drop of blood? for an warrior angel and their endless battles on God’s behalf? Of water, the waters of unknown? The water of balance of life? I don’t know.

When Michael / was a young genderless being,/ their father…

Gabriel:

whose name means “strength of god”. It’s the Messenger Angel; Gabriel is often portrayed playing the trumpet, to make announcements of God’s will. (many angels play the trumpets on Revelations book,, but Gabriel seems to be the most intimately attached to this concept). In the hierarchy of angels, Gabriel seems to occupy a very high position, being knows as the “Left Hand of God” (our Michael aforementioned being the Right-hand angel).

Their famous appearances on the Bible includes appearing to Zechariah and the Virgin Mary, foretelling the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. Islam also has Gabriel appearing for many prophets, telling them the divine plans. In a way, all those messages are basically callings to a higher purpose, a proof of faith, a personal Sacrifice. This idea is reiterated by the symbolism of Gabriel’s tarot card.

Gabriel is also one of the Angels of Death (depending on the religious we are speaking about, there are over 14 different angels with this role). Not in a dark way, their role is to comfort and bring peace to the deceased, guiding them into the light. Gabriel is therefore an angel of mercy, redemption achieved through a proof of faith (often a self-sacrifice, of any nature), after a fair judgement. speaking of which…

About Gabriel’s tarot card: Gabriel appears on the major arcana Judgement, which meaning touches on taking responsibility for your actions, speaking the truth. It’s a beginning/ending type of card, but a different kind of change than the one represented on one of Uriel’s card, Death. While Death brings something unstoppable, more powerful than anyone’s options, Judgement usually portraits something you can actually choose to take part in. But it also your responsibility any consequences of not taking this step. A fair judgement, indeed.

The Symbolism presented in the Judgement card: “The angel with the Trumpet could be a reference to the angels and the seven trumpets in Revelation, bringing apocalypse and resurrection. The white banner with the red cross can be St. George Flag, and a reference to Saint George gives Judgement the symbolism of sacrifice done in the name of our faith. Both the flag and the trumpet are military symbols of authority. A man, a woman and a child are being called from the tomb of ego consciousness. The three people are reflected on the other side of the river, another symbol of the soul’s victory over death. The three people are also a symbol of the three pillars of the tree of life. The man and the woman has changed side from the familiar feminine on the left and masculine on the right. In Judgement it is the other way around. Perhaps it is to unify us and to tell us to look at a situation from a different perspective, from within. You are seeing the pillars from the Angel’s perspective. This symbolises to raise your thinking and ask for Divine Perspective. The mountains represent the structure that surrounds us all.”

Calling all units! Time for the ultimate vibe check.

I guess that’s it for our third MCR symbol, Sacrifice, shaped as hand. Is it a left hand, just like one of Gabriel’s titles? that would be interesting.

But not so fast.

Now we come to an interesting point. Gabriel is the first of our angels to have a sculpture used by My Chem. :) It’s actually endearing how, if this assumption is correct, they chose the messenger archangel to bring the good news: mcr is alive!

About Gabriel’s sculpture: our Return angel, as some of us already know by this point, is actually a piece called “Angelo e Alma”, by italian artist Pasquale Rizzoli. It is located on Cella Magnani, a memorial chapel of the Magnani family, inside Certosa di Bologna, which is a very antique monastery, later transformed on a monumental cemetery for many italian families. You can take a look here, it’s stunningly beautiful.

Finished in 1906, this piece was a commission by the widow of a war veteran called Natale Magnani, who apparently died young. As far as I understand written italian, since I speak portuguese (latin languages perks, yey!), it’s still difficult to me to do further research on this family. Being it an old, traditional italian family, there’s tons of Magnanis, but there’s little to no info on Natale or his wife’s lives on the internet, it seems. If you’re italian and have any info about this, please comment. It can actually be relevant to this thread.

This sculpture portraits an angel ascending to heavens, guiding a soul (represented as a woman in a long dress). There’s rose branches and lilies at the feet of both the angel and the soul, as they fly together. These flowers pay homage to Magnani’s family blazon, as stated by the Storia i Memoria di Bologna Project website, that also offers on their site a brief explanation on the meaning behind the many other plants on this piece. they all basically allure to death, sleep, and resurrection. you can check it out here.

The presented symbolism, being an angel appearing to a soul in their travel to the spiritual realm, and even the flowers used, lead me to conclude that this sculpture very likely pictures our Archangel Gabriel, in their judgement roles again.

Now, our holy rpg party already has a mage, a paladin and a bard. It’s time to introduce the most underappreciated (and my personal favorite) class:

Raphael:

whose name means “God heals”. Raphael is the angel for healing, thus making ‘whole’ everything that has been broken. They’re also a patron for lovers, role that he plays by using his healing powers in a non-literal way. Pay attention to the “fixing the broken and making it a whole again” part, that’s the connotation.

Both of these titles come from the roles Raphael played, depicted on the scriptures: the most famous ones being when Raphael was sent by the Lord to heal Tobit of his blindness and to deliver Sarah, his future daughter-in-law, from the demon Asmodeus, who killed every man she married on their wedding night before the marriage could be consummated.

Another famous role commonly related to Raphael is about the Pool of Bethesda. Despite not being mentioned by name, manuscripts of John 5:1–4 describe an angel that blessed this pool, healing the illness of those who touched its waters:

"an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under". It’s usually given credit to Raphael for this action, since they’re seem using healing power to fulfill God’s will in many occasions through the Bible.

About Raphael’s Tarot card: Raphael appears on the major arcana The Lovers, as the angel blessing the couple depicted. This is a card about romantic, even sexual, attraction, but not purely that. It’s about finding peace within yourself, and in someone else, about the journey to pick “the one” for you. Making a whole out of two halves is a common concept associated with this card.

Symbolism presented on The Lovers card: “the man and the woman in the image are being protected and blessed by an angel above. The couple seems secure and happy in their home, which appears to be the Garden of Eden. The fruit tree with the snake behind the woman is a reference to that story, which tells of humanity's fall into temptation and into the realm of flesh and sensuality. The angel depicted here is Raphael, the angel of air - who is of the same element of the zodiac sign that governs this card: Gemini. Air is associated with mental activity, and communication in particular, which is the foundation for healthy relationships. His blessing seems to give this card a sense of balance and harmony, the symbolization of union in a grand and cosmic sense between two opposing forces.”

Another source adds: “The couple stands in a beautiful, fertile landscape, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. Behind the woman stands a tall apple tree, with a snake winding its way up the trunk. The serpent and apple tree represent the temptation of sensual pleasures that may take one’s focus away from the Divine. Behind the man is a tree of flames, which represent passion, the primary concern of the man. The twelve flames suggest the twelve zodiac signs, the symbol of time and eternity. The man looks to the woman, who watches the angel, showing the path of the conscious to the subconscious to the super-conscious, or from physical desire to emotional needs to spiritual concerns. The volcanic mountain in the background is rather phallic and represents the eruption of passion that happens when man and woman meet in full frontal nudity.”

Despite the latter being a bit too horny for my tastes, lol, both descriptions reiterate Raphael’s influence on the role of patronizing health and union, a journey of Devotion.

Oh, about the MCR symbol, shaped as a half-sun. at first I couldn’t find a correlation to Raphael and this sun shape, as for the first three angels it was very clear to me since just as I started reading about them. Then I realized the huge sun portrayed on The Lovers card, behind Raphael.

Despite holding its individual meanings, Tarot cards are not meant to me taken isolatedly. (that’s one of the reasons many people are not found of the single card yes-or-no type of drawing). That being said, it is not a surprised to find traces of one card on another, and many shared symbolism. As for the sun, it appears multiple times on the Rider-Waite deck, but only one card holds the same exact half shaped, upside down, centered sun as the MCR symbol. and that’s The Lovers. :)

Now, our romantic archangel lead us to a very lovely part:

About Raphael’s Sculpture: as we waited for MCR to dramatically drop the curtain at the reunion show, we were being watched over by a piece nicknamed “Angel of the Waters,” from the Bethesda Fountain (have you heard this name before?), located in the Bethesda Terrace, Central Park, in NYC. sculpted by Emma Stebbins in 1864, this piece’s history, together with Central Park’s history can be fully read in this awesome article that my friend Clara found: here.

But since we’re already here, let’s try to make a shorter version, focusing on what’s relevant to this thread.

Upon release, the angel, which stands and above and blesses a water fountain, was directly associated with the Bethesda Pool mentioned in the Bible, and the healing acts of Raphael. On the dedication pamphlet it was quoted the very same passage from the Gospel of John, chapter 5, verses 2-4 I’ve mentioned before. It’s a shame I couldn’t find any pictures of this pamphlet on the internet. Old documents, huh. NY people, if you have access to this, I’d love to see it.

If we stopped there, it would be enough evidence to assume the connection to Raphael, but there’s more! There’s some particularities about this statue.

Its conception was a huge deal: Emma was the first woman to receive a major sculptural commission in New York City. Also, she had a female lover, the world-famous American actress Charlotte Cushman, who, for Cedar Miller, historian that wrote about Central Park and Emma’s statue, holds a huge impact on the Angel of Waters actually making into existence. In 1869, Cushman was diagnosed with breast cancer. In addition to having two mastectomies, Cushman tried water cures in England. (Water cures were a big craze from the 1830s through the 1860s). The historian who wrote about them finds it another connection to the statue itself. Unfortunately, Cushman's treatments were ultimately unsuccessful, she passed away in 1875. Emma followed her not long after, in 1882. To this day, the statue remains, and to NY is a gathering place to find tranquility, peace of mind, even in the darkest times through the its 141 years of existence. It’s a place to heal yourself.

It’s not your average Raphael statue.

We have the archangel connection, a devoted couple's backstory, and lesbian/sapphics rights. I don’t know about you, but I can even picture Gerard Way carefully picking this himself, haha.

Oh, a spicy fact I’ve learned while writing this: This angel sculpture is actually even older in MCR’s history, tracing back to revenge era merch. (I didn’t have much access to mcr merch back in the day so I didn’t know about this, I apologize!)

I guess someone got nostalgic for some catholic aesthetics, huh. Bless!

Angels in tarot, bonus addition:

It is valid to mention that not only all of the 4 mentioned archangels have their individual cards, they also appear together in a single card, The Wheel of Fortune. In this card, each angel can be seen in a corner: Raphael (Aquarius) is upper left, Gabriel (Scorpio) is the eagle, Michael (Leo) is the lion, and Uriel (Taurus) is the bull, appearing in disguise, a common thing for angels though the scriptures, it seems.

If you draw tarot, you understand how big of a deal it is. If you’re not familiar, here’s the basic notion: “The wheel of fortune is a card about cyclical change. The wheel keeps on rolling, churning events in a ceaseless progression of ups and downs, either way freeing us from the past. No one can escape its cyclical action, which can feel somewhat terrifying -- no matter whether we are rising or falling. When one is balanced on top of the wheel, there is a moment of crystal clarity. However, the only part of the wheel that's actually not going up and down is the hub, which represents your eternal self. Every one of us will occupy all the points on the wheel at one point or another. The cycle of the wheel is its lesson -- and we can learn to take comfort in it. If you don't like the look of things right now, just wait -- things will change. Of course, if you do like the look of things right now, enjoy it while it lasts, because that will change too!”

It is quite a powerful card that holds all of the aforementioned symbolism. Woa.

More symbolism seem on this card includes:

“The Wheel of Fortune card shows a giant wheel, with three figures on the outer edges. Four Hebrew letters – YHVH (Yod Heh Vau Heh), the unpronounceable name of God – are inscribed on the wheel’s face. There are also the letters TORA, thought to be a version of the word Torah, meaning ‘law’, or TAROT, or even ROTA (Latin for ‘wheel’). The middle wheel has the alchemical symbols for mercury, sulphur, water and salt – the building blocks of life and the four elements – and represents formative power. On the outer circle is a snake, the Egyptian god Typhon (the god of evil), descending on the left side. The snake also represents the life force plunging into the material world. On the right side rises the Anubis, the Egyptian God of the dead who welcomes souls to the underworld. And on top of the wheel sits the Sphinx, representing knowledge and strength.”

THE SECOND SET OF SYMBOLS - STILL A MYSTERY

So, after all this, if any of this is correct at all, we just learned the meaning behind the first four MCR symbols, released on halloween: Clarity, Courage, Sacrifice and Devotion.

Now, what about the ones released at the reunion show, on the merch truck? Well, my friends, we still have a lot to think about.

I am a doctor, and in my profession there’s a saying which instruct us to always think of what seems like a complicated situation, with many possibilities, as a single disease causing many effects. That was my train of thought as I tried to associate these new symbols with the Archangels that we already have. It may have nothing to do with that at all, but it’s worth trying.

Differently from the first set, the second set didn’t get an official release, and does not hold text captions to guide us on it’s meaning. the symbol shapes, however, are easier to associate with tarot cards than the first ones, in my opinion. I’ve seen people online trying to guess it too.

Having the angels and their aforementioned traits as a guiding line, I used some symbolism associated to each one to connect them to a new symbol, as you can see on the picture attached to this post.

I have some major problems with this, tho, the biggest one being the order of the symbols not matching the first set sequence. We had Uriel (Clarity) / Michael (Courage) / Gabriel (Sacrifice) and Raphael (Devotion). The second set order was Sword / Moon / Tower / Wand, so the sequence goes like Michael / Gabriel / Uriel / Raphael. It doesn’t match. Please, help me.

THINGS THAT KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT: ABOUT WITCHCRAFT AND… SOLDIERS?

During the past weeks of my life I’ve been researching all types of things to break this down, so I came across some very unsettling things that may be just wild coincidences or... something else? Just in case, I am putting them here in case anyone finds some connection that I couldn’t.

Sigils and Pagan influences, maybe?

As some people on twitter and reddit noticed, Gerard was using a sigil on his arm that reads “My Chemical Romance”. Every Archangel mentioned here also holds its own sigil, which is shown on the picture attached to this post. While I was excited about the dates for new concerts, I started to think, is there anything special about these dates? I tried to not overthink it because we probably have major influences of disponibilities and,,, Label issues...I don’t know? some very practical stuff going on. But still, I came across an interesting match.

There’s 8 sabbaths, composing the Wheel of the Year, “an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern pagans, consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them.”

eight sabbaths, eight symbols, huh. Initially, I tried to connect each symbol to a sabbath, but it was very… not satisfying enough to me, so I’m leaving that out; nonetheless, I still believe they hold some meaning similarities.

And it doesn’t stop there.

That our lovely wheel of the year: here. We’re using a northern hemisphere version, since MCR is based in the USA.

The band returned on Halloween, which is the Samhain that occurs between Oct 31 / Nov 1. There’s some minor variation on dates because the Celtic day begins and ends at sunset.

Return Show took place in California, Dec 20: which marks the start of Yule. (Yule dates range from Dec 19 to Dec 22, for the Celtic calendar reasons)

The next sabbath is Imbolt, that takes place on Feb 1 / Feb 2. MCR has nothing announced for this date until now.

2020 concerts will happen during the week of March 20, 21, 25, 28 and 29, In Australia, New Zealand and Japan, as for now. That marks the start of the Ostara sabbath, which start range is March 20/21.

so… can we expect something (anything?) being announced at Feb 1 or 2, or near that? What about all the remaining sabbaths? Is that a reach? is it related at all? oof.

Who said Danger Days isn’t goth enough?

Another VERY interesting thing my group chat found on the internet during our MCR tarot obsession. If this theory is correct, this is not the first time they would be alluring to it. Please look at this pic of Grace Jeanette, The Girl in DD universe, posing with the mailbox on the set of the “Art Is The Weapon”/“Na Na Na” video shoot (2010). (Exact source and photographer unknown; likely taken by Jeanette’s mother). (big thanks to tumblr user killjoyhistory).

Bellow the big “OH HELL” we have four tarot cards, on the very same deck we used for this thread, the Rider-Waite deck. The cards are The Tower, The Devil, Death and Three of Wands.

Please note that it may have no correlation to future works, since DD itself had religious symbolism with the Phoenix Witch and this mailbox (go read the comics if you didn’t already. DD rights!), it may be a DD-only thing. Also, please note that 3 out 4 of theses cards were already mentioned in this thread, all possibly related to archangel Uriel.

To wage this war against your faith in me, MCRMY.

So. This one will sound weird and maybe a reach too, but, hey, mychem is alive and breathing, I guess there’s nothing really impossible, haha….?

Are we all familiar with Gerard liking a lot that green coat? After all those years, I guess so.

Indeed, our lovely frontman used yet another green jacket as his return outfit. This time, it was a military one. As a foreigner, and being very ignorant on how the US Army works, I got curious about the badge on his jacket. Maybe that’s common sense to you guys and I’m just embarrassing myself, but hey! be kind to someone who’s sort of dying inside after all this thinking process, would you?

The badge on Gerard’s jacket happens to be from the 1st Armored Division, a.k.a the Old Ironsides, named after an old ship (and the world's oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat).

Actually, the nickname “Old Ironsides” trace back to England in 17th century, during their Civil War, but I didn’t find many relevant content / possible connections, besides them being mostly Protestant, in terms of religion… referring to them after all this catholic-conception angel talk is some sort of metaphorical war going on, MCR? Who knows. History-loving english folks, I’m counting on you too now to confirm this, lmao!

The American side of the “Old Ironsides” term, after being passed down from England during their Independence Wars (please be kind with me, my knowledge about american independence is almost 100% from Hamilton the musical lmao, help me) apparently resides, mostly on the US Army/Navy.

Interesting coincidences (?) about this: the Old Ironside ship, aka USS Constitution, has a familiar date on its history: November 1. I’m quoting its construction period info: “Her keel was laid down on 1 November 1794 at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Captain Samuel Nicholson and master shipwright Colonel George Claghorn.”

I didn’t read much about it since I’m already at edge with everything I’ve been researching but, it seems it was a very adored ship. In fact, one of the reasons it’s still in active service it’s because a poet even made it a famous poem about this ship, that you can read here. It’s symbolic and adored, it seems.

About the homonymous 1st Armored Division of the US Army, which badge Gerard used during the return show: being the first armored division of the U.S. Army to see battle in World War II, it also holds a huge historical meaning.

Again, I don’t have much info to share about this and I think some of you will find possible connections on this better than I would.

But wtf does it have to do with all the angels, Nana?

Well, as mentioned before, angels fight battles in the name of God. They’re heaven’s military. Michael, especially, is a warrior angel and leads God’s troupes against the demons.

Something interesting I’ve found relating Gabriel (which statue, let’s not forget, was commissioned by a war widow) to the war concept was the hebrew poem "Elifelet" (אליפלט) written by Nathan Alterman in 1958, often turned into music and played on the israeli radio. it tells of a heroic, self-sacrificing (hm…) israeli soldier being killed in battle. Upon the protagonist's death, the angel Gabriel descends to Earth, in order to comfort the spirit of the fallen hero and take him up to Heaven. It’s very touching, and you can read it here.

I’m not saying any particular work like this poem is relevant to MCR’s possible new concept. (let’s not be political here, but also be honest: Israel wars are a delicate matter to bring up). We’re solely working with symbolism and history. Please keep that in mind.

MCR has touched on war thematics before in many occasions (I will not mention all of them, as I believe that as a fandom, we’re aware of that, and we can help new fans to understand it if needed. This text is already TOO LONG). Maybe it’s time for them to talk about some conflicts again, literal or metaphorical? Let’s wait and see.

Oh, one last thing. There’s actually a whole another navy air test and evaluation squadron, the Antarctic Development Squadron Six (VXE-6 or ANTARCTIC DEVRON SIX, commonly referred to by its nickname, The Puckered Penguins). They’re based on California (lmao) and their motto is… Well, “Courage, Sacrifice, Devotion”. Uriel kinda left behind again, huh. I’m sorry sweetie.

Again, I apologize if this last section (or even the whole thing..haha…) looks far-fetched, but I just… had to take it out of my chest, sorta? Sorry.

That concludes our Archangel Theory. Thank you if you took your time to read through it all.

List of things to maybe expect in the future:

Something on Feb 1 / Feb 2

Two more angel statues, being them related to Uriel and Michael in some sort of way. I’ve tried to find any suitable matches but… there’s just too many, and as we’ve seen it may even not be officially claimed which angel is portrayed. So let’s wait and see.

More pagan symbolism?

Something about War??

Cryptid posts related to UK and paganism, January 17th and January 24th.

## EDIT (01/12): about new mcr cryptid posts...

If you’re following MCR new updates, as for now you’re aware of the United Kingdom Stuff going on... Interesting coincidences (or is it?) about those:

Both posts were made on the same day the lunar cicle changes. This month, the moon shows up a different form every friday, so maybe prepare you heart for January 17th and 24th. Also, I believe they’re using London time for the updates. in fact, the most recent post (the video with theban alphabet) was posted only 30 minutes after midnight in London. So I’m adding that to our list of things to expect in the future.

Also, someone at warner might be in trouble right now. the ig account for Warner Music Artistic Services (@wmas) posted a variation of the video posted by MCR, only a day later, featuring another order for the theban caracters, a slightly different UK flag (it was somehow merged with a picture? it’s difficult to tell), and a new frame that consists of a forest, similar to the one Gerard posted on his own instagram, and the one featured as background for the skeleton holding a witchcraft-related dagger photo from 2 weeks ago. Differently from the previous mcr video, which was silent, this one featured a sound, if my ears are not mistaken, a very dramatic C# note played on piano or organ (church instruments, huh. funny. but it could be worse, at least is not a G note...)

The video was labeled as LFG, that could mean a million of things. the most relevant ones, I believe, could be “Looking For A Group”, a classic D&D/RPG term (If I close my eyes long enough I can hear distant circus music playing in my head, for I have compared the four archangels to a holy RPG party weeks ago...)or “London Forest Gate”, a neighbourhood in London. please tell me if you have any ideas about what else it could mean, haha....

This video was deleted, but you can still find it around on twitter.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll keep updating this post as more content is released. Keep running!

#my chemical romance #mcr #mcr theory #mcr 5 #california 2019 #mcr reunion

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erikahenningsen · 4 years

Text

Underrated musicals and plays you should check out

Happy quarantine everyone! I’ve been thinking about making a post like this for a long time now and what better time to do it then when we’re all stuck inside.

INDECENT

Play or musical? Play.

What’s it about? Indecent is a play by Paula Vogel. It recounts the controversy surrounding the Yiddish play God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch, which was produced on Broadway in 1923, for which the cast of the original production was arrested on the grounds of obscenity. God of Vengeance was the first kiss between two women on Broadway.

Why should I check this out? The writing is beautiful and the structure is seamless, balancing emotion, comedy, music, and drama effortlessly. It’s one of the best-directed shows I’ve ever seen (the direction rightfully won a Tony Award). Each actor plays several characters (and several play their own instruments) brilliantly and distinctly. Jewish culture is front and center, and there there is a canon WLW couple in both Indecent and God of Vengeance. Indecent is hilarious one moment and devastating the next. You will not be able to stop thinking about this play after watching it.

How can I watch this show? Indecent has a proshot available on the PBS website, or you can ask me for a link to my copy of it.

Can I buy the text? Yes.

Is there a cast recording? Yes.

COME FROM AWAY

Play or musical? Musical.

What’s it about? Come From Away is a musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is set in the week following the September 11 attacks and tells the true story of what transpired when 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the small town of Gander in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon. The characters in the musical are based on (and in most cases share the names of) real Gander residents as well as some of the 7,000 stranded travelers they housed and fed.

Why should I check this out? Come From Away is one of the best-written musicals I’ve ever seen. The pacing is perfect and every person in the cast plays at least three different characters seamlessly. The music is incredibly unique, as it is heavily influenced by Newfoundland folk music. You will laugh. You will cry. You will have the music stuck in your head for two weeks. The only problem with watching Come From Away during quarantine is it will make you want to give the special people in your life a hug.

How can I watch this show? Come From Away is currently playing on Broadway, in the West End, on tour across the US, and in Toronto, Melbourne, and Sydney. There are several video bootlegs that aren’t hard to find.

Can I buy the text? I don’t think so. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Is there a cast recording? Yes.

CHOIR BOY

Play or musical? Play.

What’s it about? Choir Boy is a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney, who is best known for co-writing the Oscar-winning screenplay of Moonlight, the movie based on his play, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. Choir Boy follows Pharus, a gay teenager at an all-black, all-boys boarding school. Pharus has just been elected the lead of his school choir, a very high honor. Though Pharus is lauded for his vocal talent, his classmates do not all respond well to his flamboyance and confidence. Choir Boy is a story centered on relationships that asks what it means to be a young, gay, black man in America.

Why should I check this out? One of the most devastatingly beautiful pieces of theatre I have ever seen, Choir Boy is overflowing with fantastic monologues, hilarious one-liners, and gorgeous a cappella songs with some really dope step choreography. Tarell McCraney is the master of writing heartfelt, realistic romantic and platonic love between men of color.

How can I watch this show? Choir Boy is gaining popularity as a regional show. Unfortunately there is no video bootleg in circulation, and although I am absolutely positive MTC has one, there is no proshot. There are a lot of official clips on YouTube and if you message me privately I can give you an audio recording of the show.

Can I buy the text? You can buy the pre-Broadway version of the play. We have not been successful in finding a Broadway copy of the text, although I do have one I got at flea that was part of a Tony voters package.

Is there a cast recording? No, and I’m mad about it.

THE WRONG MAN

Play or musical? Musical.

What’s it about? The Wrong Man started as a concept album by Ross Golan, and he expanded on it to create a 90-minute musical. Duran, a man down on his luck in Reno, Nevada, meets Mariana at a bar one night. They become romantically involved and make plans to leave Reno together. However, Mariana's violent ex-husband has just been released from prison, and when he finds out about their relationship, he frames Duran for murder.

Why should I check this out? The Wrong Man is completely sung-through and it is bops on bops on bops. There is not a dull song in this show and the orchestrations (by Alex Lacamoire of Hamilton fame) are gorgeous. The choreography (by Travis Wall) is my favorite I have ever seen. Joshua Henry, Ciara Renée, and Ryan Vasquez can sing literally anything. This show also did something really unique where they had Ryan Vasquez play the role of Duran once or twice a week.

How can I watch this show? There is a video bootleg that is NFT until July 15th, but I can give you the master’s information if you’d like to purchase it now. Message me privately for audio.

Can I buy the text? No.

Is there a cast recording? Not yet. We’ve gotten some hints that there may be one coming soon. You can listen to the concept album, but it’s quite different from the show and I’d recommend listening to the audio first.

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

Play or musical? Musical.

What’s it about? The Scottsboro Boys is a musical with a book by David Thompson, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, based on the Scottsboro Boys trial.

Why should I check this out? The Scottsboro Boys is one of those shows that sounds like it wouldn’t work at all (and I think that unfortunately is most of the reason why it did so poorly on Broadway) but is actually brilliant. It is one of the sharpest, most poignant pieces of satire I’ve ever seen. The balance of comedy and the heartbreaking subject matter creates an incredibly powerful pieces of art. I saw a small regional production in a black box theater and it’s still one of my favorite things I’ve ever seen.

How can I watch this show? You may be able to catch this show at a regional theater. I think there may possibly be a bootleg, but I’m not sure if this is in circulation in any digital form. I don’t personally have audio of the show, but I’m sure it’s out there. There are some official clips on YouTube.

Can I buy the text? I don’t think so.

Is there a cast recording? There is an Off-Broadway cast recording and a London cast recording

ANGELS IN AMERICA: A GAY FANTASIA ON NATIONAL THEMES

Play or musical? Play.

What’s it about? I know it is a bit crazy to be calling Angels in America underrated as it has been around forever and literally won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Pulitzer and the revival won the Tony, but I feel that it’s underrated on tumblr and among young people. Angels in America is a two-part play (individually titled Millennium Approaches and Perestroika) by Tony Kushner. It a complex, often metaphorical, and at times symbolic examination of AIDS and homosexuality in America in the 1980s. Certain major and minor characters are supernatural beings (angels) or deceased persons (ghosts). The play contains multiple roles for several of the actors. Initially and primarily focusing on a gay couple in Manhattan, the play also has several other storylines, some of which occasionally intersect.

Why should I check this out? The camp! The drama! The comedy! The devastation! The OG comedy featuring Mormons. Iconic monologues and dialogue. The entire play is about eight hours long, and I would have happily sat through it with no breaks. Nobody will ever write a more epic play.

How can I watch this show? The most recent revival was filmed by the National Theatre when it was in London. I’m not sure if there’s a way to stream it online but I have a copy I can link you to. There’s also a Broadway revival bootleg.

Can I buy the text? Yes.

Is there a cast recording? N/A

A STRANGE LOOP

Play or musical? Musical.

What’s it about? A Strange Loop is about an usher at The Lion King on Broadway who is also named Usher, who is writing a self-referential musical called A Strange Loop. Usher is an overweight, overwhelmed “ball of black confusion” trying to navigate without a compass the hierarchical white, black and gay worlds; his family’s religion, which condemns him for his sexuality; and an entertainment industry that isn’t interested in what he has to say. He’s also having an existential crisis as he deals with questions of reality, illusions, perceptions and identity. His biggest fear is that he’s stuck in an endless cycle of hopelessness where change is not possible.

Why should I check this out? It’s hard to talk about A Strange Loop with people who haven’t seen it because it is truly unlike any other show I have ever seen. It starts out seeming like a musical comedy about identity, but it gets more intense as the show goes on until you’re crying next to a stranger and wondering how the hell you even got there. It’s brilliant.

How can I watch this show? Unfortunately there is no video bootleg, but you can ask me for an audio. Some clips are available on YouTube.

Can I buy the text? No.

Is there a cast recording? Yes. I recommend reading this as you go along so the songs make more sense because they’re pretty wild out of context (they’re pretty equally as wild in context).

SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY

Play or musical? Play.

What’s it about? Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Global Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter—and Paulina’s hive-minded friends.

Why should I check this out? School Girls is one of the funniest plays I have ever seen. The writing is so smart, and the show deals with racism (both on an interpersonal and worldwide level), colorism, body image, sex and gender, class, and inequality.

How can I watch this show? PBS recently released the proshot on their website. I don’t have a ripped copy yet, so if anyone does have one please send it my way. Regional theaters have been doing this show as well.

Can I buy the text? Yes.

Is there a cast recording? N/A

Play or musical? Musical.

What’s it about? Following a move from New York City to small-town Indiana, young Evan Goldman grapples with his parents' divorce, prepares for his impending Bar Mitzvah, and navigates the complicated social circles of a new school.

Why should I check this out? It’s Jason Robert Brown, so the music slaps. It’s the only Broadway musical ever with a cast and band entirely made of teenagers. Plus it has baby Ariana Grande and Liz Gillies in their Broadway debuts. 13 walked so so many other musicals about teens could run.

How can I watch this show? There is a video bootleg that’s not hard to find. I’m sure there’s audio in circulation as well.

Can I buy the text? Yes.

Is there a cast recording? There is an Broadway cast recording and a West End cast recording

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES

Play or musical? Musical.

What’s it about? Secret Life of Bees is a musical by Duncan Sheik and Lynn Nottage based on the novel of the same name. Haunted by memories of her late mother and abused by her father, 14-year-old Lily Owens runs away with her friend and caregiver Rosaleen to the South Carolina town that holds the key to her mother's past. There, Lily meets the Boatwright sisters, who take her in and teach her about beekeeping, honey, and the Black Madonna. Lily also discovers that the truth about her mother is closer than she thinks.

Why should I check this out? The music is so gorgeous. It’s one of my favorite Duncan Sheik scores. LaChanze is amazing at everything she does, and Elizabeth Teeter and Brett Gray are stars you need to be looking out for.

How can I watch this show? There is no video bootleg. You can message me privately for an audio.

Can I buy the text? No.

Is there a cast recording? No, but I really wish there was.

AMERICAN PSYCHO

Play or musical? Musical.

What’s it about? American Psycho is based on the 1991 novel of the same name and written by Duncan Sheik and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. In New York City in 1987, a handsome, young urban professional, Patrick Bateman, lives a second life as a gruesome serial killer by night. The cast is filled by the detective, the fiancée, the mistress, the coworker (Jared Leto), and the secretary. This is a biting, wry comedy examining the elements that make a man a monster.

Why should I check this out? Listen, I won’t lie to you. There is a reason this musical is underrated, and that reason is because it is not good. But I love it. The fun comes from the knowledge that this campy, ridiculous, obscenely bloody show was on Broadway (briefly). Duncan Sheik went off the rails and wrote a techno musical! How can you not love that! Benjamin Walker gives the performance of his career and he did it mostly in his underwear! Heléne Yorke creates a character so grating you find yourself begging Patrick to kill her! They somehow got Alice Ripley AND Jenn Damiano to do this shitshow! I will maintain until the day I die that nobody can top American Psycho’s act one closer.

How can I watch this show? There are a couple of video bootlegs of the Broadway production, as well as some official clips on YouTube. I have an audio of the West End production that I can share.

Can I buy the text? No.

Is there a cast recording? There is tragically no Broadway cast recording, but there is a London cast recording.

#why did this take me two hours to write #i'm gwen and i approve this message

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crisisengine · 4 years

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review: TEENS OF STYLE

Teens of Style was Will Toledo (aka Car Seat Headrest)’s 2015 major label debut. However, rather than being a paradigm shift into new, polished studio-recorded material (which would come on the next record, Teens of Denial), it was instead a laptop-recorded look back at the Will’s lo-fi Bandcamp days, compiling together older songs from different projects (mainly his first non-numbered album My Back is Killing Me Baby and the relentless but captivating breakup record Monomania). Now that Will has a firmly established musical reputation outside of the world of Bandcamp and people are enjoying all his work, both new and old, I thought it would be a good time to explore whether this record holds up in its own right. It is more than just a greatest hits compilation? (short answer: ABSOLUTELY YES!)

I like how the refrain from SUNBURNED SHIRTS closes and opens Car Seat Headrest’s first trilogy of major label albums. It’s cool to see how, on this song and on ‘Twin Fantasy (Those Boys)’, the same words and melodies are used in totally different contexts (though, here, we also get the eargasmic “People here bang on the walls late at night…” part). This one oozes dreamlike, summery vibes. I love the psychedelic sound collage at the start and, from there, it’s a pleasure to watch the song build up into the final rock-out ending.

The opening riff of THE DRUM is perfectly produced. Whenever it appears, sometimes without warning, I get total chills. The guitar tone cuts through like an ice pick. The verses build on this in a muddier fashion but, by the time the vocals come to a head (“The Drum’s in debt!!) I am absolutely won over. Andrew Katz’s spritely drum fills add a fitting contrast to the breakdown and final verse really does give off a bizarre sense of triumph (“he’s got his flag unfurled or something”). I enjoy how, after the opener has gradually drawn us in, this song feels like a decisive overture, a setting of the scene for the album.

SOMETHING SOON is a brilliantly put-together pop song. The verses’ lyrical vignettes of cabin-fever turn into outright desperation in the chorus. It pinpoints these feelings really accurately. The skittering breaks in the verses release themselves into the crashing choruses and outro. Each section is bookended by the same repeating electric piano chord. The explosion from this pared down moment into the final burst of energy just seems so right.

Like ‘The Drum,’ NO PASSION also rests on an exquisite moment of production. In the final chorus when Will sings “I” in his high register, it’s like a shot through the heart. The sarcastic image of failure in the verses compliments this so well – a succession of half-formed images that seem to suck away all feeling. The comparative earnestness of “I just needed more money, more time, more love” hits home. Our generation often try to rationalise things through sarcasm when really there is something more deeply lacking in our lives. The line “All my desires are so poorly drawn” also really resonates with me.

TIMES TO DIE adds to this album’s incredibly strong selection of opening moments of tracks. The wandering bassline interlocks with the chug of a delayed guitar followed by a single note. There’s something incredibly satisfying about it, especially when you are aware of the sound bath you are about to enter. The psychedelic vocal and guitar interplay in the verses is a highlight – in the first, they mirror each other but, in the second, the guitar skirts around the vocals, carving out new crevices. Their two melodies collide at the end of said verse, in a really affecting way (“but he just keeps singing this song”). The use of horns and cut-up vocals enlivens the sound palette. It feels like a series of ancient rooms with each section or lyrics (“and when they took him to the temple…”) leading somewhere new. A light seems to shine through as the melodies cascade upwards. The “most of the time” section provides nice segue into the “divine council” part which feels like an explosion, with the “is it harder to speak?” section as its fallout. The intermingling of imagery or religion and the music business (“got to believe in the one above me, got to believe that [Vince]Lombardi [head of Matador records] loves me”) is playful and dreamlike.

PSST TEENAGERS is a fun interlude that adds some more immediate energy into a generally fairly meditative album.

The opening verses of STRANGERS leave you inquisitive as to where the song is heading. All becomes clear when the tension of the exclamatory chorus is released in the lovely, picked instrumental break that follows (again enhanced by some inventive drum rhythms). The second section is the real stunner though, starting off cocoon-like and vulnerable but leading into a volatile crescendo. The line “I won’t last too much longer” and its raw delivery convey a sense of enigmatic fragility that I find very affecting.

The keyboard riff in MAUD GONE swamps the mix in the best way possible. I love its distorted, wet tones. The sax solo at the song’s crescendo provides the perfect counterpoint to it, too. Its muscular, sinewy texture cuts through emphatically in the context of the album’s drenched sound palette. As the notes reach up, the instrument seems to become an incredible, cathartic pressure valve, leeching out a lot of confused unspoken feelings as the notes reach up. The metaphor of “a full moon every night” is enticingly simple but also utterly apt for the feelings it describes.

LOS BARRACHOS has an infectious opening synth lick. As it bubbles under the verses, I’m just waiting for it to return with its full force. The wry but combative tone of the song’s opening (“let’s […] crush the grapes beneath our feet/ like some heartbroken Bacchus”) reflects Will’s desperate attempt to rekindle this relationship, to change his situation, to turn sadness into hedonism. These illusions can’t last, however. The riff does not return. Instead the song melts into a kind of broken, abject despair. “I miss you.” The disintegration of the song’s subtitle to just “Don’t have any hope left” is heart-breaking. It’s the most visceral portrait of a breakdown I’ve ever heard.

BAD ROLE MODELS, OLD IDOLS EXHUMED is my favourite song title ever. The track (the only new song written for Teens of Style) feels like a self-aware reflection on the nature of this album. The images of a figure from the past who once meant a lot but is now insignificant in the life of the narrator seem to tally somewhat with the way in which the album is made up of songs taken from previous projects. Past relationships, and the hurt they have caused, are dismissed and rationalised into triviality and insignificance. The horns and the final refrain make for a strangely celebratory ending, like a forced annulment of regrets (“You probably looked like an idiot in that hat!”) in the face of a resolve to move forward. This forced, performative break with the past, however, seems only to emphasise how the wounds are still very much open, just as the songs here, despite their pre-dating of the album itself, lose none of their emotional potency.

The chorus of OH, STARVING! is deliberately contradictory but also feels very comprehensible. The boredom of a life that seems superficially better as, opposed to a past delineated by clear highs and lows, is a recognisable feeling. Sometimes things being superficially ‘ok’ just makes you painfully aware of how far away you are from the things you really want in life, while impending pressures can obscure this, making any brief moments of solace much sweeter. In the context of the album, this also seems to imply a sense of nostalgia with regard to the events and feelings laid out in these songs. Even though this album deals with confusion, depression and heartbreak, in hindsight, the potency and simplicity of these feelings (given the separation of time between the writing and re-recording of these tracks) could almost seem preferable to the confused present. Yet, by the end of the song, Will seems to finally be able to let go. Saying “goodbye” to all his “secret files” seems almost ritualistic, like he is purging himself of the confusions of the past and moving on. I like this version of the song best because of the moment, at the very end, when the delicate piano chords and doo-wop harmonies are replaced by raw, shredding guitars and a single voice singing “goodbye” so distortedly the word is almost incomprehensible. The raw power of this moment seems to work up a head of steam, like an exorcism of the kinks and bruises of the past, in favour of something.

There isn’t Car Seat Headrest album I’ve heard that I don’t love. However, I think Teens of Style undoubtedly ranks among the best of them. It might just be one of my favourite albums of all time. It does lack the conceptual charge that powers Twin Fantasy, Monomania, Teens of Denial and even, to some extent, How to Leave Town. However, despite their lack of a heavy overarching theme, these songs flow together really well. The album feels cohesive thanks to its spring-reverbed production aesthetic (which reminds me of being indoors on a hot summer day) and the smaller themes that recur throughout (resentment of the past, confusion in the present, getting signed to a major indie label). The tweaks to the lyrics of many of these songs make the creative intent yet more apparent.

I also think this album definitely does not negate the albums from which these songs are taken. I love Monomania and My Back is Killing Me Baby and, if you haven’t listened to them you should definitely do so right now! There are bunch of essential songs on both albums that are not on this one (‘father, flesh in rags,’ ‘Souls,’ ‘happy news for sadness,’ ‘Sleeping with Strangers,’ I could go on…). However, for me, the songs on this album benefit from being recontextualised and, in certain cases, from being rerecorded. It’s great to be able to experience the stronger standalone songs from these previous records in the context of album that lets them breathe a little more, outside of context.

The most obvious example is ‘Los Barrachos’ which I think works amazingly well as the climactic track for this album. On Monomania, placed somewhere in the middle, it felt more like a just another rung in the downward spiral of heartbreak. On Teens of Style, it has room to breathe and can finally reach its full potential. Similarly, ‘Maud Gone’ benefits hugely from its re-recording. The crisp yet bedraggled sound palette of the new version feels much more fitting than the original and, in the context of a more emotionally diverse album, the catharsis it brings is more powerful (especially coming after ‘Strangers’).

Teens of Style might be made up moments from the past, but it more than proves its worth as a cohesive album that is great in its own right.

#car seat headrest #teens of style #review #will toledo #Andrew katz #1 trait danger #sunburned shirts #the drum #something soon #no passion #times to die #strangers #Maud gone #los barrachos #oh starving!#Jacob bloom #monomania #my back is killing me baby #starving while living

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xmagicxpenguinx · 6 years

Note

Hey hey hey can you give me some music recommendations? I like most music so don’t worry about like what genres and such to focus on just recommend some favorites

Hey hey hey anon! I can give you some music recommendations! I like a lot of music, 187 different artists according to my Spotify. You requested some of my favourites, and quite frankly I have a lot of favourites. These are my go to songs, the ones that can make a shit day better. Also I’m sorry that I took so long to reply to you, I hope you like the songs I have listed and it isn’t too disappointing.

🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

One Direction: 18, Ready to Run, Fools Gold, Night Changes, Illusion (that song is so underrated its sad), Infinity, Love You Goodbye, Wolves, End Of The Day, Diana, Story of My Life, Don’t Forget Where You Belong, Through the Dark, Half A Heart, Why Don’t We Go There, Home, Perfect (Stripped), Last First Kiss, Rock Me, They Don’t Know About Us, Nobody Compares, Moments, I Should Have Kissed You, their version of Torn and Teenage Dirtbag and the song they sold to a 14 year old Just Can’t Let Her Go. (who am I kidding every song they released.)

Shawn Mendes: Life Of The Party, Kid In Love, Imagination, This Is What It Takes, Lost, Three Empty Words, Lights On, Honest, Patience, Bad Reputation, Roses and Show You.

Troye Sivan: TALK ME DOWN, HEAVEN, YOUTH, LOST BOY, for him, SUBURBIA, BLUE, The Fault in Our Stars, Fun and Happy Little Pill.

BTS: Spring Day, Pied Piper, Dimple, DNA, Best Of Me, Butterfly, Autumn Leaves and Run

5 Seconds of Summer: Daylight, their version of American Idiot, Amnesia, Rejects, Wrapped Around Your Finger, Just Saying, Disconnected, Story Of Another Us, Broken Home, The Space Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Safety Pin, San Francisco, 18, Long Way Home, Heartbreak Girl, Beside You and Out of my Limit.Andy Black: his whole solo album is amazing and it features Ashton Irwin, Gerard and Mikey Way, and was produced by John Feldman. If that doesn’t make you want to listen to it, I fear that nothing will.

Black Veil Brides: Mortician’s Daughter, Love Isnt Always Fair, Ritual, Rebel Love Song and Fallen Angels.

Panic! At the Disco: Northern Downpour, Nine In The Afternoon, Miss Jackson, This Is Gospel, Girls/Girls/Boys, Casual Affair, Collar Full, Memories, Emperor’s New Clothes, Let’s Kill Tonight, Turn Off The Lights, New Perspective, LA Devotee, Golden Days, and Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time.

My Chemical Romance: The Sharpest Lives, I Don’t Love You, Disenchanted, Famous Last Words, Na Na Na, Bulletproof Heart, Sing, Planetary (GO!), The Only Hope For Me Is You, Helena, I’m Not Ok, The Ghost Of You, It’s Not A Fashion Statement It’s a Deathwish, Cemetery Drive, Fake Your Death and Teenagers.

Avril Lavigne: Rock N Roll, 17, Bitchin’ Summer, Hello Heartache, Here’s To Never Gowing Up, When You’re Gone, Innocence, Contagious and You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet

Halsey: New Americana, Hurricane, Roman Holiday, Ghost, Strange Love, Castle, Is There Somewhere, Empty Gold, 100 Letters, Now Or Never, Bad At Love, Srangers, Don’t Play and Angel On Fire.

Charlie Puth: Losing My Mind, Up All Night, Left Right Left, Then There’s You, Some Type Of Love, River, Does It Feel, Dangerously, How Long, Attention and We Don’t Talk Anymore.

Fall Out Boy: American Beauty/American Psycho, The Kids Aren’t Alright, Jet Pack Blues, Fourth Of July, Immortals, Sugar We’re Goin Down, Thnks Fr Th Mmrs, I Don’t Care, 20 Dollar Nose Bleed, Rat a Tat, Save Rock And Roll, HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T and The Last Of The Real Ones.

Ed Sheeran: Holy crap anything that he has released I love. To list everything would just be the tracklist to every album and ep.Little Mix: Little Me, About The Boy, Love Me Like You, Black Magic, I Love You, Love Me Or Leave Me, I Won’t, DNA, Change Your Life, Wings, How Ya Doin’?, Reggaeton Lento, No More Sad Songs, Oops, You Gotta Not, Your Love, If I Get My Way and Nobody But You.

Olly Murs: Dance With Me Tonight, Beautiful To Me (the music video is my religion) Love Shouldn’t Be This Hard, Kiss Me, I Blame Hollywood, A Million More Years, Right Place Right Time, Dear Darlin’, One Of These Days, You Don’t Know Love, Grow Up, Love You More, Back Around, Unpredictable, Flaws and Heart Skips A Beat.

The Vamps: Wild Heart, Somebody To You (both versions) Oh Cecilia, On The Floor, Can We Dance, Middle Of The Night, Paper Hearts, Same To You, Cheater, I Found A Girl, Volcano and All Night. (also I was reading a book on Wattpad and I listened to The Vamps every time I read the book and it was so fitting…? Like all the lyrics made sense at the right time. And for the whole book I imagined the male character as Brad. Now when I hear The Vamps I am reminded about of book. Idk why I am sharing that.)

Taylor Swift: YES OK I LIKE TAYLOR SWIFT AND HARRY STYLES DON’T HATE ME PLEASE!! (I don’t think haylor was a good thing for either of them though) Jump Then Fall, Fearless, Fifteen, Love Story, Tell Me Why, You’re Not Sorry, Red, 22, Everything Has Changed, Girl At Home, All Too Well, The Last Time, Getaway Car, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, Today Was A Fairytale, Style, This Love, Wonderland, You Are In Love, New Romantics, Mine, Sparks Fly, Back To December :’(, Long Live, Ours, Mary’s Song, Our Song and Teardrops On My Guitar. (Also Taylor Swift by Taylor Swift was my first cd, I was so obsessed with her and its because of her I got emotionally invested in music, so thanks Taylor for ruining my life and also improving it.

#asks #anon #music #i need help i think #lemme know if you want more #idk i have listed enough

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machinehead · 7 years

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THE BLACKENING TURNS 10 YEARS OLD!

The Album Of The Decade turns a decade today, and while it’s not quite ready to move out of the house like TMTC, at 10 years old, it’s ready to start doing chores! Released on an unsuspecting world back in 2007, it contains such live staples as “Aesthetics Of Hate”, “Beautiful Mourning”, Now I Lay Thee Down”, and the almighty “Halo” The Blackening Fun Facts: - Writing for the album began in August 2005. - The Blackening was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, CA, by Robb and engineer Mark Keaton. - The absolutely crushing mix was done by long-time MH producer Colin Richardson at Strongroom Studios and Metropolis Studios in London England. - The intro to “Clenching” was musically assembled at VIP studios with BME engineer Vincent Wojno and became it’s own song due to the fact that it had 90 tracks! Quad-guitars of 3 part harmonies, 20 tracks of snare, and many other things made it one of the most challenging pieces on the album. - The middle eastern-sounding vocal line that opens the album was recored during mixing with Colin in London while Robb was on a quick press tour of England. - While The Blackening is now-known for epic 10-minute-long metal anthems, bizarrely the first 4 songs written for the record were the 4 shortest songs on the album. In order: “Slanderous”, “Beautiful Mourning”, Aesthetic Of Hate”, and "Now I Lay Thee Down”. For the first half of the writing process there was no indication that there would be any songs over 5 minutes. - Fans from the bands “message board” (The Frontliner’s) were invited to sing the “fight’s” on Clenching The Fists Of Dissent. Machine Head through a party at Sharkbite and recorded many drunken folks losing their voice screaming “FIGHT”. The German metalcore band Caliban also sang some “fights” when they rolled through town. - The first 2 shows for The Blackening were warm-up/headline dates in Salt Lake City, Utah and Denver, Colorado on the way to a tour with Lamb Of God, Trivium tour where MH were 2nd of 4, and a then-unknown band called Gojira opening . - “Halo”, often viewed as the album masterpiece, took nearly 6 months to finish and went through so many lyrical, musical, and arrangement changes that by the time the band was done, they were essentially burnt-out on it. Upon finishing recording, Phil Demmel infamously exclaimed “we will never play this song live!!!" - “Halo” debuted live in both Utah and Denver, but amazingly, was retired for the next 5 months and 2 tours. A decision almost unimaginable now! - Reviews at the time were insanely positive with most music press unanimously giving it the highest marks possible. Only Revolver magazine (4 out of 5 stars) and the comical Rolling Stone magazine (who gave it 2 out of 5 stars) were the standouts. - The first video and single for The Blackening was supposed to be “Now I Lay Thee Down” but at the last minute, the boys decided to switch it to “Aesthetic Of Hate”. It was quickly assembled and filmed while on tour over 2 days in Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia. Tour mate John Campbell from Lamb Of God brought the boys to various dilapidated buildings in the Richmond, VA area and arranged a warehouse to shoot in. The outside crowd shots were filmed in the parking lot next door to The NorVa and featured Wille Adler’s then-13 year old son Tres. - On this day 10 years ago, the boys were playing at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. - Nearly 3 1/2 years of touring included: Opening slot for Heaven & Hell (Black Sabbath w/ Dio) and Megadeth, a co-headline tour with Arch Enemy, Throwdown and Sanctity. The Black Crusade: a massive Europe /UK arena tour with Trivium, Dragonforce, Arch Enemy and Shadows Fall. Main support to Hell Yeah in the US, Mayhem Festival, various european headline slots atop Wacken, Hellfest, and Rock In Rio. . Another round the world jaunt with Hatebreed and Bleeding Through that led through Japan, Australia, and Europe and is where Phil met future wife Marta. - Interestingly, there was only 1 headline tour of the US: The Black Tyranny co-headline with Arch Enemy, MH would play no more than 1 hour a night. - The opening band of Machine Head’s U.S. headline tour for the album was Sanctity, fronted by Jared MacEachern. Due to an ankle injury that had side-lined there bassist-at-the-time, they hired local Hostility bassist Brandon Sigmund for the tour and Jared sang all of the harmony vocals. In a strange twist, 6 years later Jared would join Machine Head. - James Hetfield heard “Aesthetics Of Hate” on Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal, and, being so inspired by the album, Metallica invited MH to support them in eastern Europe and Wembley Arena in London. The friendship that ensued led to Machine Head becoming main support to Metallica through the U.S. and Europe for the next 6 months for the Death Magnetic tour cycle. - The cover art was an old woodcarving Robb found available in the public domain. The album design team of Paul Brown and Deanna Alcorn changed and altered various aspects of it to make it Machine Heads own creation. The words "The Mirror Which Flatters Not” were reversed at the last minute so not to confuse people about the album title. - The first 30,000 copies of the US edition contained a flaw in the album art and was later corrected. The "squiggle" on one side of the title was blown out by a piece of lint on the printing press - The album debuted at #16 in the UK, #14 in Australia, and #54 in the USA selling 16,000 copies it’s first week. It would go on to sell 350,000 worldwide. - While certainly the best selling album of latter-day Machine Head, The Blackening sits as Machine Head’s 4th best selling album, with 1999’s "The Burning Red", "The More Things Change", and "Burn My Eyes" still outselling it worldwide. Stranger still, in many Scandinavian countries “Supercharger" has still outsold The Blackening. - After finishing the Mayhem festival in the US with Slipknot, the boys embarked on a massive 9 week tour around the globe in support of Slipknot, with dates in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and Europe. - The tour cycle was not without it’s low points. Phil Demmel lost his father, and Dave McClain lost his mother within a 3 month period… both while on tour. - Following the passing of Phil’s dad, Machine Head’s Black Crusade tour-mates volunteered to play the shows while Phil went home from Switzerland. Matt and Corey from Trivium played, Fredrique from Dragonforce, and Christopher Amott from Arch Enemy all contributed guitar. - Following the passing of Dave’s mom, Machine Head’s tour mates volunteered to play the show while Dave went home from Green Bay, WI. Robb Rivera of Nonpoint, Mark Castillo of Bury Your Dead and Vinnie Paul all played songs. Vinnie played the slowest version of “Halo” ever performed to date! - The band received their first Grammy nomination for the track “Aesthetics Of Hate”, ultimately losing out to a b-side on the special edition re-release of Slayer's - Christ Illusion. A bizarre snub from the Grammy academy, as it was the same album Slayer had one a Grammy for the previous year. - The Blackening was certified Silver in the UK in 2010, their 4th album to achieve that status. - Upon hearing the lyrics to many of the album strong anti-war, anti-religion themes, The Disney Corp. appallingly banned Machine Head from performing at the House Of Blues (located on Disney property) 2 days before the tours opening night in Anaheim. After being threatened to "not to go public", the band went public, and Disney banned them from the 2nd HOB date on the tour in Orlando (also on Disney property). 10 years later the ban still remains... - 3 video were filmed for the album, “Aesthetics”, “Now I Lay Thee Down”, and “Halo”. The water scene at the end of “Halo” was filmed in Debbie Abono’s backyard pool in Concord, CA. and Dave’s then-wife Shelly was the lead heroine in the Romeo and Juliet-inspired video for “Now I Lay Thee Down”. - A 4th video was filmed for a Kerrang! magazine sponsored tribute to Iron Maiden, with the boys filming an absolutely insane crowd at the Rock In Rio in Portugal for their cover of “Hallowed Be Thy Name”. - When the tour cycle was over, Machine Head had toured for 3 years and 3 months, performing over 372 shows. - In 2010 Metal Hammer declared The Blackening “Album Of The Decade”. How does The Blackening hold up for you? Does it deserve the accolades it achieved? Many fans at the time complained of the overly-long songs and increased melody, how does it stand the test of time for you? Did you see Machine Head on this tour cycle? Share your stories with us!!

#TheGeneralJournals

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tortuga-aak · 6 years

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Meet Poppy, the 22-year-old YouTube star who has already inspired her own religion

Titanic Sinclair

Poppy is a YouTube star whose strange videos have become an online phenomenon.

The artist is the subject of several rumors, including that she might be a robot, a member of the Illuminati, or a pawn subjected to mind control.

This is Poppy. A 22-year-old YouTube prima donna and pop princess, Poppy currently occupies one of the weirdest corners of the web — and, in her two-year existence online, she has already inspired her own religion.

Her YouTube channel, "Poppy," is a hallucinatory digital wormhole with hundreds of videos, many of which have garnered millions of views.

And it seems that Poppy's hold on pop culture has only just begun. This year, Poppy released her first studio album, embarked on a nationwide tour, was featured in a Sanrio ad campaign, and teamed up with Comedy Central for a Snapchat show.

Poppy makes music, but given the scope of her output on YouTube (she produces a new video nearly every day) that's only a marginal part of what she does. She also brushes her hair, eats cotton candy, talks with plants and sinister mannequins, applies makeup, paints, crawls, jumps, and lays on the floor. Her videos depict a chilly, robot-inflected reality that's rendered in candied pastel hues. Tell Poppy that you find her videos to be creepy, and she'll answer, sweetly, "Thank you."

Poppy's personality is a cross between a chatbot and a child. If you ask Poppy a question, she's sure to answer with demure, algorithmic precision. Where is she from? The internet. What does she like to do for fun? Listen to "the sound of rain falling" in "videos on YouTube.com." How old is she? She doesn't identify with age. "Age is just too 2016," she says.

The phenomenon known as Poppy has been the subject of protracted profiles and ponderous think-pieces. Among her ardent fan base — "Poppy Seeds," as they're called — she's a figure worthy of worship. Commenters on Reddit and YouTube profess to their undying love for Poppy and call her "the queen" and "goddess." One fan has even gone so far as to establish a religion dedicated to Poppy, called "Poppyism."

But Poppy's pre-packaged persona isn't entirely of her own making. The character known as "Poppy" can largely be attributed to Titanic Sinclair, Poppy's director, whose bleached platinum hair makes him look as though he could be Poppy's older sibling. According to Sinclair, he met Poppy at a party in Hollywood two years earlier.

YouTube

Sinclair says he was immediately struck by Poppy's originality. "I'd never met someone who is as creative as her," he says, "Her workflow and the way her brain works is similar to mine. It just made sense that we would work together."

According to both Poppy and Sinclair, there is no Poppy that exists prior to the internet version of Poppy. Like the Poppy video in which she repeats the words "I'm Poppy" for 10 minutes straight, we're reminded that Poppy is Poppy is Poppy: She exists in a continuously self-justifying loop, a character unfettered by the constructs of time and boundaries of logic.

Of course, in the internet age, it's not difficult to find the identities of Poppy and Sinclair online. A quick search reveals that Poppy and Sinclair's real names are Moriah Pereira and Corey Mixter, respectively. She's from Nashville and he's from Michigan, and they have a shared interest in video-making and pop music.

But attempting to piece together the historical realities of the people, or characters, now known as Sinclair and Poppy, isn't really all that fun, nor is it very interesting. It's more fun, for instance, to be in on the illusion, or at the very least, to suspend disbelief and believe along with the rest of the internet, that Poppy might be the first real iteration of a flesh-and-blood AI manifestation.

Rumors swirl among Poppy's fans. Is Poppy real? Is she a pawn subjected to mind control? Is she a member of the Illuminati? Is she even human?

Titanic Sinclair

On the surface, Poppy and Sinclair have done their best to quash these stories. In their videos, they've both openly stated that Poppy isn't involved in a cult and even gone to such impish measures as to emblazon the message "I am not in a cult led by Poppy," on a T-shirt, available for purchase on Poppy's website.

But at the same time, the duo obliquely fuels the occult fantasies within their work: In one video, Poppy softly repeats, "I am not in a cult" as masked figures in white body suits leverage Illuminati iconography above her head. At a recent concert, Poppy passed out cups of Kool-Aid right after announcing that "Poppy is not responsible for any fatalities."

Poppy's intrigue is only heightened by the conspiracy theories, which orbit her persona like satellites. These rumors, in part, are one of the key reasons Poppy is entirely unique, and why she's so successful. In an age of immediate internet access, Poppy has achieved the impossible: She's managed to maintain an aura of mystery. As more and more pop stars provide their fans with intimate access to their personal lives through documentaries and social media, Poppy is a refreshing counterpoint.

Poppy won't ever dish up the drama of her love life. Poppy doesn't want you to wonder about her past, and she certainly isn't going to tell you about the turmoils of being an artist. She's an otherworldly, semi-Warholian product, and she's here to entertain you.

"People are going to dig into whatever they want to," says Titanic, but this line of rhetoric "isn't interesting." He likens people who attempt to pin down Poppy's real identity to an audience attempting to deconstruct the method in a magic trick.

And Sinclair maintains that Poppy isn't an illusion at all. She's the real deal. A bonafide kawaii child Barbie doll who only wants "to fill the world with love."

"The world is a lot more exciting when you don’t have the curtain pulled to reveal all of the wires," says Sinclair. "It’s always a huge let down when a magic trick is revealed and you realize it’s just sleight of hand or some sort of simple illusion." If you pull aside the curtain, and attempt to crack Poppy's hyper-curated persona, in the end, the only person you've cheated is yourself.

NOW WATCH: I've been an iPhone user for 10 years — here's what happened when I switched to the Google Pixel 2 for a week

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#Feedburner

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ramialkarmi · 6 years

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Meet Poppy, the 22-year-old YouTube star who has already inspired her own religion

Poppy is a YouTube star whose strange videos have become an online phenomenon.

The artist is the subject of several rumors, including that she might be a robot, a member of the Illuminati, or a pawn subjected to mind control.

Her YouTube channel, "Poppy," is a hallucinatory digital wormhole with hundreds of videos, many of which have garnered millions of views.

Rumors swirl among Poppy's fans. Is Poppy real? Is she a pawn subjected to mind control? Is she a member of the Illuminati? Is she even human?

And Sinclair maintains that Poppy isn't an illusion at all. She's the real deal. A bonafide kawaii child Barbie doll who only wants "to fill the world with love."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I've been an iPhone user for 10 years — here's what happened when I switched to the Google Pixel 2 for a week

#Tech Insider #Arab #Entrepreneurship #sillicon alley insider

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brandentishler4-blog · 7 years

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Ideas Paint & Spot Shade Suggestions Sherwin.

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ricardosousalemos · 7 years

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Logic: Everybody

The Martian author Andy Weir’s 2009 short story The Egg, originally published online, is a sci-fi tale about rebirth, reciprocity, and evolution. When a man is killed in a car accident, he meets a god-like figure in limbo who tells him of his fate and that he is to be reincarnated. The man subsequently learns that not only is time an illusion, but he is the entire universe, and a continuous sequence of deaths and rebirths is all part of a maturation process: The whole universe is an egg, and when it’s fully grown it’ll ascend to the next level of consciousness.

Maryland rapper Logic’s new album, Everybody, is a strangely faithful adaptation of the short story with an emphasis on the endless cycle of reincarnations that’d eventually—hypothetically—cause everyone to be different incarnations of the same person. He weaves his own struggles with race and religion into a complex, panoramic view of humanity, seeking a unified theory of equality, not just for his mortal coil but for the cosmos. If this seems convoluted that’s because it is: Weir’s story was meant as a fanciful (albeit thoughtful) work of fiction, not an intersectional parable. “Every time you victimized someone you were victimizing yourself,” the short story goes. “Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself.” This is Everybody’s central conceit: We are all the same, and every misdeed hurts the human race equally. Logic gets even more literal in the subtext, drawing parallels between this life force balance and his mixed-race heritage. Herein, an existential crisis unfolds.

Never mind the fact that the concept is completely unoriginal, even on a superficial level; Everybody unravels Weir’s tightly coiled micro universe into a nonsensical sprawl. Give an extremely verbose rapper a heady short story and watch it come undone. It operates on a colossal scale, and yet somehow still ends up being myopic.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, whose last major foray into rap was to wage war with flat Earth truther B.o.B, plays God on Everybody. Logic chooses to name the man in his musical adaptation “Atom,” and when he’s not rapping as Logic, he’s rapping from the perspective of a past life. These winking gestures mixing science and religion are insufferable when paired with meditations on racial inequity and social anxiety, constantly raising the stakes until they mean nothing. Not only is it easy to see the seams in this tangled ideological tapestry, they’re constantly fraying.

Logic��s Everybody is the latest in a string of recent rap releases that consider race and perception—Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN., J. Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only, and Joey Bada$$’s All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ among them. But unlike those records, which are self-aware and mindful of their surroundings, this is nearly clueless and without subtlety. His raps, even at their most technical, are all empty loops regurgitating predictable talking points, at times mixing messages. Fake deep aphorisms (“Everybody looking for the meaning of life through a cell phone screen!”) share space with half-witted indictments of student loan policies and flex culture. He addresses mental health and wellness on “1-800-273-8255” and “Anziety,” which is admirable, but there are no real revelations or comforts to be found in either. A song like Kendrick Lamar’s “u,” for example, which really bears out the weight of depression and self-doubt, reveals Logic's takes to be entirely without substance.

For a significant portion of the album, Logic stakes a claim to his blackness with receipts, citing his great-grandfather the slave, his cousin Keisha, and saying “nigga” a few times. None of these race raps do anything meaningful. They say very little about the mechanics of racism and they say next to nothing insightful about being black in America. He spends more time denouncing rioters than killer cops on “America.” Trump gets a single bar of disapproval but Kanye gets several for meeting with him. Logic’s calls for civic action seem woefully ignorant to how oppression and white supremacy work—from the role of private prisons and redistricting to stop and frisks. To that end, not once does he consider how being white-passing could skew his perception of what it means to be black. He never even probes what it might mean when people assume that he’s white; either he refuses to engage thoughtfully here or he’s simply irresponsible. This isn’t just lazy, it’s messy. It's the #AllLivesMatter of rap albums.

Aside from its more sociopolitical shortcomings, Everybody refuses to stop and evaluate why it exists in the first place. A lot has been made of Logic’s technical skill, but it can’t really be considered proficiency if it isn’t efficient. Seconds after Killer Mike delivers an impassioned speech on anti-black tyranny (“Confess”), Logic is criticizing web activists and the social media gratification matrix with the nuance of a 4chan thread (“Killing Spree”). “Take It Back” is a six-minute song with only two minutes of raps. Several tracks have long, preachy monologues appended to them. The same verse fragments are continuously rearranged on “AfricAryaN” for no reason, and with winding effect. The song is 12-minutes long.

If you manage to get to the end “AfricAryaN,” it pans outward to reveal a shared universe where—oh shit—the album’s contents turns out to be merely walking music for the space travelers who dictated the narrative flow on Logic’s last album, The Incredible True Story. The extra layer feels like an even greater slight to the heavy topics discussed within; the further out we venture, the further the issues get pushed into the margins. A final uncredited verse from J. Cole, who is also biracial, unravels the album’s entire cyclical concept: “I’ve been through it before/Can only share with you what I know/To be true, but at the same time, I’ll never be you/And you’ll never be me,” he raps. He seems to know what Logic doesn’t: Equality without identity is merely inactivity. The weight of our experiences shapes us. It is only once we understand why it’s okay to be different that there can be empathy—and change.

#reviews-albums

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tune-collective · 7 years

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8 Times Bill O'Reilly Clashed With Hip-Hop

Bill O’Reilly got the boot from Fox News on Wednesday (April 19), after several accusations of sexual harassment from colleagues and former co-workers surfaced against him. The longtime Fox News anchor of The O’Reilly Factor — known for his controversial statements about Beyoncé and, basically, everything else — has also had a history of targeting hip-hop on-air.

Below, we revisit the 67-year-old pundit’s hot takes on hip-hop and most heated moments with both rappers and R&B acts.

John Legend

In March, O’Reilly called veteran MSNBC reporter Andrea Mitchell “unruly” on Twitter after being escorted from a press conference for asking Secretary of State Rex Tillerson a question about Chinese threats of retaliation for U.S. anti-missile defenses in South Korea during a photo opp with Ukranian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkinon.

“She’s not your granddaughter, Billy. She’s a seasoned journalist asking important questions. You should take notes,” John Legend tweeted to O’Reilly.

She’s not your granddaughter, Billy. She’s a seasoned journalist asking important questions. You should take notes. https://t.co/6RrISQgsEo

— John Legend (@johnlegend) March 9, 2017

Killer Mike

During a May 2015 appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher, Killer Mike had some choice words about O’Reilly. Responding to O’Reilly’s claims about hip-hop affecting Christianity (more on this in a moment), the Run the Jewels MC said, “I like Bill O’Reilly the character, but I hate how white people take him so seriously. He’s more full of s— than an outhouse. I’m gonna go in a black club and see Bill O’Reilly with a stripper on his lap, I guarantee you that. He’s as fictional as those books he writes.”

Ludacris

O’Reilly disturbed the peace when he ripped through Ludacris and successfully had his Pepsi ad campaign pulled in 2002. “I’m calling for all responsible Americans to fight back and punish Pepsi for using a man who degrades women, who encourages substance abuse and does all the things that hurt particularly the poor in our society,” the anchor said at the time.

Ludacris — who dedicated a line to O’Reilly on his song “Number One Spot” — addressed the fall of O’Reilly (as well as the recent Pepsi backlash) in an interview with Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club.

“The irony of it is crazy,” the Fate of the Furious star said. “It’s not my place to judge Bill O’Reilly the same way that he judged me. That’s how I feel about it. It’s a lot of maturity and a lot of growth. I’ve moved on past it. I’m thriving in life right now and all I can do is hope that Bill O’Reilly settles these issues and learns from whatever mistakes he may have made and also thrives. But it is definitely ironic that both Pepsi and Bill O’Reilly are both under fire right now.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKsAVMTp47Q

Jay Z and Jeezy

After Jay Z and Jeezy targeted George W. Bush at Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2008 and performed their “My President” collaboration that triumphantly states “My president is black” on the hook, O’Reilly and radio talk show host Dennis Miller called the display “low-class.” The Snowman then slammed O’Reilly and Miller on the remix: “Bill O’Reilly, eat a d—, nice try/ You’re really being a racist a–hole in a nice tie/ And tell Dennis Miller his show suck anyway/ And I’d rather watch Jimmy Kimmel any day.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZS88qRu4eA

Beyoncé

There is no place reserved for O’Reilly in the BeyHive. Following the release of her self-titled album in 2014, O’Reilly targeted Beyoncé for promoting sex before marriage to young women within the black community, specifically with the steamy “Partition” video. He said that entertainers like Bey had an obligation to “protect children, not put out exploitive garbage that harms impressionable children.” Luckily, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons was on-hand and defended the singer by calling her material “art” and calling her “a brilliant artist.” Of course, O’Reilly wasn’t having it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kKZ2WBpEsM

Questlove

Last July, former first lady Michelle Obama delivered a poignant speech at the DNC about how slaves built the White House. O’Reilly’s reaction? Saying “slaves that worked there were well-fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government.” Cue Questlove, who fired back at the Fox News host (without saying his name) in a lengthy post on Instagram.

“Slavery was inhumane. Slavery was sadistic. Slavery was uncomfortable. Slavery was unjust. Slavery was a nightmare. Slavery was a despicable act,” he began. “I dunno if that man’s (never say his name) point is to troll at any cost whatsoever but his entire existence is 5 steps backwards for any progress made in humanity. My dismay is the percentage of people who get their news from memes/headlines/& sources to whom they have 0 clue is feeding them false information.”

Slavery was inhumane. Slavery was sadistic. Slavery was uncomfortable. Slavery was unjust. Slavery was a nightmare. Slavery was a despicable act. Slavery is the pebble whose ripple in the river still resonates on and on and on and on. I’d like to think most of you have common sense. But there is nothing more dangerous than a man in a suit pretending to be a journalist giving revisionist history on the ugliness that was slavery. What’s so fun and lighthearted about being shackled? being separated from your loved ones? Being molested and raped HOURLY, being branded with hot iron? being property? being castrated? being flogged? being malnourished? living in high stress conditions? forced to lay in your own feces? being sold in a heartbeat? suppressing ANY emotion (with the surprising exception of singing it was illegal —lashes or death–to read, write, “talk back” or “sass”, cry (how many of you heard “you better NOT cry before I give you something to cry about!”), get angry, or even more surprising LAUGHING (a plantation barrel of water was always in proximity to dunk ones head in so one could express emotions and suppress the sound as to not alert your overseer of your “sassing”—deep history I just learned about laughing and the slave period—the first recorded song “The Laughing Song” was the defiant “F%^k Tha Police” of its day (also where the term “Barrel Of Laughs” gets its origin)—I’m getting beside the point. I dunno if that man’s (never say his name) point is to troll at any cost whatsoever but his entire existence is a 5 steps backwards for any progress made in humanity. My dismay is the percentage of people who get their news from memes/headlines/& sources to whom they have 0 clue is feeding them false information. Human Trafficking in any form from today’s underage prostitution, to the private Prison System we exercise here in the US, to the Holocaust to 500 years of Slavery–and all other examples I’ve not mentioned is INHUMANE & Evil. —watch where you get your information from and the company you keep people.

A post shared by Questlove Gomez (@questlove) on Jul 27, 2016 at 10:26am PDT

Cam’ron and Damon Dash

Cam’ron and Damon Dash joined The O’Reilly Factor in 2003 to discuss the affects of hip-hop on America’s youth. While O’Reilly was supposed to be a moderator between the rap moguls and an elementary school teacher, who was claiming music like theirs was negatively influencing his students, the show’s host pretty much broke any illusion of impartiality as soon as he introduced Cam’ron as an artist who raps about “pimping and bitches, among other things.”

From there, it didn’t take long for things to fall apart during the nine minute segment. When O’Reilly consistently interrupts Cam’ron and Dash, the two eventually start to target him, with Cam’ron taunting him, “You mad… you mad… Where you get started Current Affair? I got dirt on you doggy!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oLGjhpY9jM

Hip-Hop in General

In 2015, O’Reilly blamed hip-hop for the decline of Christianity in the U.S. (yes, really). After a Pew Research study showed that the number of Americans who identify as Christian has dipped since 2007, the conservative talking head pointed the finger at hip-hop, saying, “There is no question that people of faith are being marginalized by a secular media and pernicious entertainment. The rap industry, for example, often glorifies depraved behavior. That sinks into the minds of some young people — the group that is most likely to reject religion.” Insert hashtag: #BoyBye.

This article originally appeared on Billboard.

https://tunecollective.com/2017/04/21/8-times-bill-oreilly-clashed-hip-hop/

#8 #bill #clashed #Hiphop #oreilly #Times

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axtogymnastics · 7 years

Text

Getting Over a Crush With B.A.P: B.A.P’s 1004 Music Video Analysis

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In early 2014, B.A.P released a charismatic and visually complex music video, 1004(Angel), so named because the number 1004 and Angel are both pronounced “cheonsa.” 1004 is the title (main, though not titular) track of B.A.P’s first album, “First Sensibility.” Like the album name implies, the song and music video are very emotional. B.A.P portrays the inner journey of a man grieving the loss of his childhood love, played by Sonamoo’s Nahyun, who is like an angel to him. After struggling to cope with this loss, he eventually finds peace and moves on from her, ending the video on a hopeful note. Each of the six members appears separately in scenes that are tied to a set of symbols: Daehyun is connected to a house; Himchan to a projector and the same house; Youngjae to mirrors; Jongup to a camera and a stone wall; Zelo to a merry-go-round, and Yongguk to a graveyard and a church.

Daehyun, the House, and the Sand Timer

The video is essentially contained in a large house in which Daehyun, portraying a man grieving the loss of his love, explores old artifacts that remind him of his relationship with her. The house is large, warmly lit, and old-fashioned, suggesting lots of good memories contained in it. The living room contains a projector, a model church, a mirror, and other symbols associated with scenes in which isolation, denial, desperation and anger are portrayed. Daehyun’s girlfriend, or angel, is seen observing the house, establishing her greater presence, while a sand timer flows nearby. Time continues in the big picture, but Daehyun is still stuck in the past, unable to move on from her.

Some not-so-subtle advertisement for the Melon app (similar to Spotify) is included as well.

Yongguk and the Church

The video opens with Yongguk, stranded in a landscape reminiscent of the elephant graveyard from The Lion King. In contrast to the warm and cozy house, Yongguk’s scenes are cold, lonely, and sad. He runs through the frozen tundra towards a set of large, half-buried bones, his expression pained and lost. He murmurs “I need you,” and at 2:16 appears to dig frantically to unearth something buried in his past. When he finds the model church, which appears in Daehyun’s house as well, he collapses to the ground, clutching it to his chest as if he has found something to relieve his pain. He lies down besides the bones, clearly a symbol of death, after a long struggle digging up a bunch of holes in frozen dirt. He seems resigned to the angel’s death, and is able to find peace through the church that connects him to her memory and religion that gives him purpose.

Youngjae and Mirrors

Youngjae’s scenes illustrate delusion and confusion, as he chases Nahyun through a hall of mirrors (some of which appear to windows...). Youngjae represents denial, lost in reflections of himself while searching for a girl who isn’t actually there. At 2:34, he looks into a mirror showing Nahyun’s reflection, and at 3:20 the song switches to “Save Me.” Both times, Youngjae pictures Nahyun with him, inside him, before she disappears with the lights, leaving Youngjae staring at himself in the dark. Like the images of her in his mind, her reflections in the mirrors tantalize him and makes him feel that she is just within reach, but when he looks closely, they are only reflections of him.

When Youngjae finally breaks the mirror with his hand, it signals that he is ready to stop living with illusions and finally confront reality. Nonetheless, he does so with much pain and anguish because reality (and breaking glass with your bare fist) hurts.

Zelo and the Merry-Go-Round

In contrast to the sad and dark previous scenes, Zelo’s scenes depict idyllic young love between the man and the angel, a concept is particularly well-suited for the maknae of the group. The two of them are seen on a merry-go-round, representing youth and innocence, along with other objects of childhood such as the teddy bear, the white dress and even his fluffy hairstyle. When Zelo tries to restart the merry-go-round, it explodes, showing that things cannot be the way they were before. Like Youngjae, he longs to meet the angel again and futilely searches for her on the merry-go-round. Also like Youngjae, he never meets her because she isn’t there. Back in the living room, Daehyun breaks the toy merry-go-round before Zelo and Nahyun kiss, cutting himself off from the past instead of living in it.

Jongup, the Wall, and the Camera

From the warm and innocent scene of the merry-go-round in the lover’s past, we transition to another scene depicting the grief and isolation of the present. A camera in Daehyun’s relic room leads into Jongup in front of a stone wall, which is a physical representation of his heavy grief. However, the wall is not solid; the deep cracks in it are in the pattern of a pair of wings, which represent his freedom and happiness weighed down by sorrow.

Cameras capture memories with a bright flash, and when Jongup starts to pound on the wall, ultimately breaking it, white light streams through. He reaches through the hole, believing the angel to be on the other side, when in fact there is nothing. The angel is ultimately gone, but the wall representing his despair breaks. As feathers rain down on Jongup and light reemerges, hope and freedom return to him.

Himchan and the Projector

Himchan’s struggle takes place in the living room, where the vintage filter and color scheme indicate that he is in the past, and not the present like Daehyun.(Actually, Daehyun isn’t _fully _in the present but anyway) Himchan turns on a projector, which shows him scenes of happy times with his childhood love. However, it soon becomes too painful to watch their happiness; this is seen at 2:24 when he cries and bites his lip anxiously. He pulls out a gun to shoot his old smiley self, but reconsiders and points at his reflection instead, a suicidal grief-stricken man. Even as he gets ready to pull the trigger, he trembles and seems to have a difficult time, perhaps because he is attached to his grief and doesn’t want to let go of it, just as he is attached to the past and to the angel. Himchan lowers the gun, giving the viewer a momentary sense of relief.

The Song Switch and Moving On

The music video actually contains two songs, “1004” and another track from First Sensibility, “Save Me,” which is played for the first 20 seconds, and also from 3:18 to 4:02. The switch between the songs at the climax of the video highlights the transition from grief to hope as B.A.P moves on from Nahyun, although Youngjae, Daehyun and Himchan appear to have some difficulty doing so. Yongguk, Jongup, and Zelo, on the other hand, are at peace, if not happy.

Yongguk lies resigned and at peace in the elephant graveyard.

Zelo looks a bit sad, but ready to move on.

Jongup shows acceptance. (And a cool jacket.)

Youngjae ends his delusion by breaking the mirror, but it clearly hurts him to do so. Daehyun finally turns over the sand timer at 3:40, signaling that he is ready to move on from the past. This is hard for him, as seen in his expression at 3:58 as he watches the timer flow, and at 4:10 when he kneels on the floor, crying out the words “I’m really dying.” The angel is also seen crying, which shows that she is still emotionally with B.A.P, even if she is gone.

Himchan, too, only shoots his reflection with much difficulty.

In the video’s final scene, Himchan stands poised to shoot his reflection in the mirror. He pulls the trigger, there is a flash of red (I’ve enhanced it in the gif) before everything goes black. However, neither the mirror nor the real Himchan are physically hurt. The way I see it, this represents the death of the man’s grief. Red is the color of love and blood, which can represent either life or death, or both as in this case. Part of the man dies with the angel, but he is no longer crippled with grief, and can start a new life.

The contrasting imagery of this video show grief to be a big complicated jumble of emotions. The heavy wall and light feathers show the weight of grief and the fragility of hope; the warm house and cold graveyard contrast the warmth of memories with the coldness of the painful present, the innocence of childhood and disillusion of growing up. While distinct, the scenes are connected to each other in that images from one reappear in another. The cracks in the wall are reminiscent of the cold dirt in the graveyard, mirrors and reflections are in both the glass maze (Youngjae) and projector/gun scenes (Himchan). Himchan and Daehyun are in the same location, and of course, the scenes are all contained within the house. B.A.P shows that while grief may be somber and overwhelming, we can move on and find hope in new beginnings.

Additional Thoughts

Aside from the main symbolism, there is much more to this music video than would fit in this analysis. One thing that I haven’t really touched on in this analysis is the dancing. Undoubtedly, my favorite part of 1004 (and most kpop songs) is its choreography. Jongup and Zelo’s dance break at the beginning is absolutely sick, (although the aggressive hip-thrusting is a bit distracting) and the choreography as a whole exudes charisma. Granted, it doesn’t contribute much to the story of the music video, but it expresses the lyrics and gives the impression of a performance, rather than just a music video.

Peace out.

#mv analysis #bap #bap 1004(angel)#1004 was a pretty sad era #they were so overworked #but the end result was pretty good #i guess it was worth it #julia

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