#such is Experimentation. I guess this is a warm up for The White Album...

[shinygoku]

Revolver (1966)

So, you know from my previous write-up that I think Rubber Soul is a little bit underrated. I think there may be a similar thing occurring here, as while it's more likely to be picked as The Greatest Beatles Album, it's still in the shadow of what comes right after and a couple of the later ones. Still, this is home to a couple of absolutely iconic staples as well as a few hidden gems. Deciding to scrap live concerts entirely, they could now dabble with The Studio itself to bring out new and exciting sounds. Load up yer bullets and ready the needle arm, we're on something Revolutionary.

The famous line art and collage made by Friend of the Band since Hamburg days, Klaus Voormann! Ya can't deny he gets their likeness, though George's direct look at the viewer with those lips is a bit unsettling for me personally. Still, it's what they call Art and the first cover that isn't a single photograph, we have iconic illustration and an eclectic montage here! Very cool ...if not something I'd want on my wall lol

SIDE ONE

Taxman: Remember how in the previous write-up for Run For Your Life, I complained about how dope instrumentals were bogged down by lyrics that sucked? Well it's a similar situation here! I'm Pro-Public Sector being funded by the Ultra Rich being shaken down for change!! I know the Marginal Rate was huge, but it was for those who could, like, actually afford it. Unfortunately that may include Daft Rock Stars, innit? .....Anyway yeah, the guitar shredding is really good but the cleverness of the lyrics is wasted by picking the wrong stance, so this ain't one I listen to that often. The music video on the official youtube is pretty visually interesting though.

Eleanor Rigby: A sad tale of an older lady dying alone, ya wouldn't expect it to be one of the most iconic songs by a band that's already made countless bangers about love and sex and rocking out, wouldja? And maybe it's because of that stark difference, and the song itself being so beautiful, that it stands out and even wins over Beatle Haters! The sound is best in the 2022 remix, obviously, but I like to watch the music video that was in Yellow Submarine for this song, where a multitude of different Lonely People are shown. But the fairly detailed story described without visuals really does tug at the heartstrings (apt that this tune has such a prominent String Octet, haha).

I think part of what makes this work so well is, not just the Tragic Narrative, but also the mundane nature. The allusion to wearing a mask of a false self in public, the bluntness of the apathy shown to strangers. Dreams that go unfulfilled, words that go unheard, your entire life being known only as you have a headstone, if that. It applies to countless people we walk by every day. And the irony of how Eleanor and the Father McKenzie might have been able to connect, but only actually have contact when he's performing her lonely funeral. Owch.... a great song but Not a fun one!

I'm Only Sleeping: First of all, I MUST endorse the painting music video that's also on the Official Youtube. Even if ya've heard this song countless times, you have gotta See it too!!

Anyway, gorgeous strumming and a steady drum balance the slower pace of this number. John's vocals are serene and drowsy, matching the feeling of having a lazy morning in a comfy, comfy bed. The way the music pauses and starts back up with increased tempo, the backward guitar (!!) and how the song starts to repeat itself from the beginning again all give it such a beautiful, distinct vibe, and again it's pretty faithful to that feeling when you doze off and lose track of time.

Love You To: After George's previous song being blazing electrical guitar set to complaining, this one is quite different! Very sitar heavy and introspective, with a very slow start for a while before kicking off with the vocals. It's not really my bag, but I can appreciate the artistry in it, at least. After such a long intro the outro feels pretty abrupt, too.

Here, There and Everywhere: This also has an animated video on the Youtube! It's nice but oddly rotoscopes Help! (Movie) footage among other things, it doesn't feel as Bespoke so it's optional as far as I'm concerned lol. Anyway! Paul does a Beach Boys! It's a pleasant, serene ode to a nebulous woman but, while I like it, it doesn't have quite the memorable staying power other than that it sounds like another band did it. Sorry for being so mild, Paul! I just like others ya did more!

Yellow Submarine: YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

A real Marmite of a song, innit? I adore it, myself~ It's deceptively complex, hidden behind what could be seen as a monotonous, repetitive lyrics sheet, but for those who listen not only with yer ears but your heart and soul as well, you'll enjoy it :3

Even without reading Pro-Community or Escapism subtext within, the base level of a children's song with pretty described visuals and creative, clever sound effects over a catchy base tune with Ringo's vocals really make a song that's more than the sum of its parts. No wonder it did so well as the Title Track and Main Vehicle of the animated movie! XD (Also, as a Supermarionation Fan, I sure suspect Thunderbird 4 was inspired by this number as well as the practical truth that yellow is the most visible colour under water~)

She Said She Said: The LSD in this one is very apparent lol. A bit of mystery lurks in no one knowing if Paul actually played on the final version due to some undisclosed drama. The ......metre? changes partway in and (as always) the instruments are groovy, but again I'm not wild about it and wouldn't notice if it were cut lmao

SIDE TWO

Good Day Sunshine: This hits a little different when hot days are very annoying... but I can't fault this song for the massive shift in climate! I do like how upbeat and jolly this is, the piano offers an interesting flourish and some good harmonies and cymbal crashing.

And Your Bird Can Sing: This is the song I always think of when mulling over Hidden Gems by the Beatles. It's 2 minutes of Rock Perfection and yet it's chronically overshadowed by so many others! While there's much debate over who or what "your Bird" may be, the actual thesis of the song is about deflating materialism and pride, which is cool. The guitar shredding, rhythmic percussion and that triple harmony with "you tell me that you've heard every sound there is" make this such a delight! I think that particular vocal sync may even be the best I've ever heard, it's sooooo great~

For No One: Paul's at it again with 'Maaaan dating Jane Asher isn't doing it for me' songs! However I think this is the best of them lol. Very engaging piano and clever lyrics about two former lovers who now feel mere indifference for the other. Somehow they've drifted apart and it's only a matter of time until they admit defeat and make it formal, but we're not there just yet.

Doctor Robert: This is weird cause it's based on the real dentist the lads used, who spiked John and George with acid and in general seems like the most cartoonishly suspicious kind of nightmare who you really don't want to be left in charge of your numbed body, what the fuck?! I mean the song itself is pretty rockin' but dear GOD do I hope they cut that dude out once the drugging came to light. I'd be hiring some fucking Goons to scare him rather than writing a ditty about the situation, but I guess their ways of coping differ to modern times... oh right, the music? It's good, duh! I'll highlight Paul's Bass as being a very Groovy fixture~

I Want To Tell You: This one I tend to forget about entirely lmao. George at it again, good piano and drum work... I think the Bridge is good but the main song doesn't do much for me. Another "well it's not Bad, but..." number. Huh, sorry George, I know songs ya made that I adore but they ain't here...!

Got To Get You Into My Life: Ska?! In The Beatles? It's more likely than you think! But I actually prefer the "Second Version" that one may find on the YT or Super Deluxe edition. This main one sounds a little overpowering with really loud brass and Paul's voice seems to be filtered. I loooooove that it's a declaration of devotion to Weed instead of a person this time though, while cunningly woven to fly under the Morality Police radar.

Tomorrow Never Knows: This is more Art than a song, and I mean that in a good way! The completely unique Sounds and the experimental Techniques, Ringo's beating on them drums..... it's just really fun to listen to~ Mere words don't work so well for this one XD;;;

CONCLUSION

Best 3: Eleanor Rigby, I'm Only Sleeping, Yellow Submarine

Blurst 3: Love You To, She Said She Said, I Want To Tell You

Hmm, picking the Blurst was really hard this time and now it looks like I have Anti-George sentiments, which I don't! But it's less the choices there are Bad and more Not For Me. That's part'a why I've been saying Blurst this whole time instead of Worst, the subjective aspect can't be ignored...! And maybe I'm showing a little Bias in the Best category, but again it's painful to hafta discard bangers like And Your Bird Can Sing for anything, but I love me some Yellow Submarine just that much more ^^;;

I already used the line, but fuck it; Revolver is indeed Revolutionary. (Read that in the Devious Diesel voice Ringo does, please~). The studio tweaks done to increasingly Sophisticated music really marks a change in the landscape, not just for these Bugs, but the medium as a whole. That kinda sentiment persists with a lot of Beatle Moments, of course, but I think Revolver represents a real point of no return.

🪲🪲🪲🪲

Next month, we'll be (checks notes) ah, instead of The Beatles, there'll be a new group 『サージェント・ペパーズ・ロンリー・ハーツ・クラブ・バンド』. I hope you tune in anyway, as they're very well regarded! A splendid time is guaranteed for all~

[reject-reviewz]

"Red Becomes You" - In Tears ALBUM REVIEW

This is the new album from French one person DSBM/blackgaze artist Entité, better known by their project title In Tears. When we last heard a full length LP from them was early in 2024, with “Pale Under My Crown of Flowers”, a fantastic piece of DSBM, it was an absolutely haunting, chilling project, that was simultaneously glittery in nature, an album that unfortunately didn’t appear on my radar until much later in the year, long after the golden opportunity for a review passed. By happy chance though, I hope I can somewhat amend my lack of coverage for that album with this review, because almighty Lord in heaven, they have once again knocked it out of the ballpark with one of the best albums I’ve heard so far in 2025.

Beginning with track one, “oval sad”, a song that slowly fades in over the course of its earliest seconds, bringing forth bright, neon lead guitars with hefty amounts of distortion and feedback. The drum beat is simple, it helps maintain slow pacing, it does it’s job (in general, I wouldn’t say to expect the most technically proficient sounding drums on this LP, which is fine, they’re still effective and do their job). Every song on this LP is long, with multiple sections and progressions, with this piece in particular, there are segments where the full band breaks out, leaving only the lead guitar, and then in the middle of the song, there's this chime-y space synth that plays this beautiful neon melody. It closes out with these sprinkley, glitter synths, that if you’re a fan of the project like me, will recognize these synths as an instrumental element that defines Entité’s sound. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the lyrics for this album online, so there won’t be much in terms of deep lyrical analysis for this review, however for this song, from what I was able to scantily hear through all of the distortion and effects on Entité’s vocals, I’m gonna make a bold gander and say this song is maybe about how they are longing to find some sort of hope world, even it’s difficult to do so. That’s my best guess.

Going straight down the track list, “fear in my heart” is a bit heavier, and has slightly more of an emphasis on rhythm guitars, the drum pattern has more of a groove, the clean vocals take a faster pace… The repeated “Feel your heart” vocal sample gives this track an interestingly unique pop quality (something that’ll be heard on other places across the record). And again, we get that glittery, pulsating space synth. Halfway through the track is a section entirely made up of synths that I found incredibly dreamy, and it’s backed by a club-esc drum machine beat, before we finish out with something a bit more standard for the genre, ascending vacuum fuzz.

“white rose”, resulting of a slower, steady tempo, is a head-bopper in its heavier moments

but in its softer areas, it maintains this cloudy atmosphere/ambience, with the main synth melody slowly pulsating underneath. Another point contrast here is the vocals, the harsh vocals have more of an aggressive edge to the performance (might seem like a blatant point, but up till now, I’ve yet to hear Entité sound so in-your-face), while the clean vocals are the softest they’ve ever sounded up to this point. There’s a section on this song where Entité utilizes multi-tracked vocals heavily layered with effects to briefly substitute the synths, and it creates this massively distorted echoing atmosphere that’s cosmic in scope. I like to imagine it’s what the combined voices in choirs of angels sound like. Generally, it’s a trippy and experimental piece, one that oddly made me feel hopeful.

Much of the same can be said for “circle line”, it’s another steady head bopper, with a slight more focus on distorted sustained guitar melodies. After the first segment, it fades out, leaving only this haunting whistle synth, while the very warm atmosphere slowly fades back in. Once the full band comes back in, it’s accompanied by epic sci-fi synths, another area on the LP I’d call breathtakingly cosmic in terms of emotional impact. And lastly, as the song closes, it’s hard to words, but it almost feels like the music itself is waving goodbye to me, it makes me feel a sort of happy-sad.

Something about the song “bad dream” felt “natural” to me, according to my notes, it felt “like my ears are aimed out in space, and I'm listening in for the heartbeat of the universe”. The early section of the song is more attentive to setting the mood, creating the ambiance, especially with that lo-fi piano key melody, before the full band comes in. Halfway through, there’s this break where the clean vocals are so soft and soothing, like I gotta give props to Entité because I feel like they’ve really improved their cleans over the past year since their last release. You know, for a song titled  "bad dream" it's actually quite pleasant to listen to. Again, it’s hard to gather the lyrics, but I was able to listen a bit more closely to this one, and I want to say it might be related to how maybe Entité wants to keep going despite everything, hence the repeated line "I want to dream again".

I can safely say “your angel underground” will go down as one of the best songs of the year. It features Meredith Salvatori of abriction fame, and she brings so much to this song, and though her only credits are for her vocals and spoken word section, I feel like she also had a bit of a hand in the instrumental and composition work, because many aspects of this piece feel like a masterful meshing of her and Entité’s styles. It opens with magical running key arpeggios, twinkly synths, and a drowned out drum beat. There’s this one part with blast beats and extremely distorted guitars and synths, it’s like the most “standard metal” part of the LP, yet it’s densely cathartic, it floats hard. Vocally, this is such a wonderful duet between Meredith and Entité, their performances and harmonies go so well hand-in-hand, they have excellent chemistry, and together they craft some of the best vocal melodies I’ve heard over the past couple of months. This shit is magical, multiple times throughout my notation period with this album, it nearly brought me to tears.

Closing the album out is “city lights”, the longest song on the record, coming in at a total of twenty-minutes and five seconds, I think it's like the second longest track In Tears has put out thus far. The intro has an emphasis on lo-fi keys, accompanied by very cloudy, but warm atmospheric synths buried deep in the mix, and you already know there's more of those pulsating glittering synths that Entité loves to employ, it wouldn’t be a quintessential In Tears song without them. Of course with this piece so long, there’s definitely a greater prominence to ascension and buildup. About halfway through is when the song gets especially enchanting, with dissonant distorted guitar, the synths, and the wailing lead melody, another spot that makes me a tad teary eyed. Then we get into a faster paced section, with blast beats on the drums, and underneath it all are warm atmosphere synths. Within the last few minutes is like this more I guess pop influenced part, with a drum machine beat, and a very repetitive vocal sample, and if I must be honest, this is the only part on the whole record that I don’t like. That repetitive sample is awful, it goes on for way too long, and it gets to a point where I’d call it grating, it even gave me a headache on some listens. Ultimately, I don’t think it bogs down the song or the record all that much, plus the last two minutes of this song after this section are something else, it’s astoundingly breathtaking, so it sort of gets made up for, but I do think it’s something to be noted and wary of.

On the production/instrumental end of the spectrum, a lot of mids to be found here, I noticed that there’s a lot of warmth in the mixes, despite this LP lacking a lot on the bass department. A key difference between this record and past In Tears projects is a much greater emphasis on synthesizers rather than heavily distorted guitars, and I think it actually works out pretty perfectly for the most part, the synth work across board is goddamn majestic. Entité experimented with the processing and effects on their vocals a bit more, as can most evidently be heard on “white rose”, generally it’s good to hear them taking strides like that to experiment and push their musical prowess like that. While primarily, the audio quality is very well put together and glitzy, there’s still a definite raw emotional aptitude and vulnerability to be found here, it’s something I greatly appreciate about Entité’s music.

Overall, this is another excellent entry into the In Tears discography, dare I say it might be Entité’s best yet. After listening to this LP, I feel like this project is more hopeful than its predecessors? Again, I unfortunately was not able to procure the lyrics for this album, but just going off the sonic vibes, like while there are still heart-wrenching moments, I wouldn’t say it’s as soul-crushing as “Pale Under My Crown of Flowers”. In some part this is due to the extremely minor influences of pop and electronic music they brought to the table this time around. One potential issue that a more casual listener is gonna have is the length, it clocks in at almost an hour and a half, with an average song length of over ten minutes. Unless you have an appreciation for the genres they work in, you’re probably gonna find this project to be boring, but if you have that cognizance, then I think you'll see that the slower pacing here is designed for more emotionally resonant moments and heavy atmosphere. But personally, I think it is absolutely majestic, and if what I have described makes anyone curious, then I highly recommend it.

[void-tiger]

Tagged by @curiosity-killed (thanks for the tag!!)

roses or daisies:

DAISIES!!! They’re so simple and cheery have just as many colors and look delicate but are actually really tenacious? Also, how charming is Day’s Eye (and asters in general having the habit of facing eachother if they’re not turned towards the light--I think I have a picture of dahlias doing this from last autumn--and like. Star Flower. Okay, I’ll shut up now xD )

classical or lofi:

...okay so I admit I had to look this one up. But easily some of my favorite tracks are those Hidden Ones that bands plop onto their albums to fill up leftover space, but are often basically just scrapped recording or practice sessions? The bloopers and their creative process, basically. Cut to me googling and youtubing it and finding hiphop lofi and...yeah! Definitely Lofi.

(Classical vs OST and Modern Classical (that’s composed to be a lot more cinematic) just...really puts me on edge. It’s too mathematical...to put it nicely.)

So...yeah. Slow beats and something that sounds experimental or like a jamming session? It’s soothing and kinda ideal for background noise.

sunrises or sunsets:

Sunset. One, never ever gonna be a “morning person”. Forget it. Two, sunsets often have more dramatic colors and still make the landscape glow and you get to see stars peeping out vs fading. Also, y’know. I’m actually awake to appreciate it vs groggy and legit physically ill.

honey or lemon:

Honey as a condiment. Lemon for sweets flavor. (Baklava’s probably the exception...then again I haven’t had that many honey-flavored sweets, I guess? But Lemon-Poppyseed?? Definitely one of my favorites,)

coffee or tea:

Coffee. I adore tea service aesthetics and will someday probably collect them (especially the really quirky or earthen or blownglass ones vs the froufrou european ones)...buuuut, I just haven’t really had A Good Cuppa Tea much at all. There was this spiced tea I’ve had in Jordan that was AMAZING and I do like greentea (with...A LOT of sugar or honey...) but. I’ve just never really had tea. My family’s coffee drinkers, so the smell of coffee is nostalgic. (And yes, I’m basic enough that I prefer flavored, sweetened creamers; and my coffee brewed or spiced with, like, cinnamon and nutmeg, too. Or as a mocha.)

...I also have a Bad Habit of abandoning my Herbal “Teas” with the bags either left steeping too long (I have gotten better at using a timer) or while waiting for them to cool. And while I’d just really love it for Uncle Iroh to make me tea (provided he doesn’t get on my case about wanting sugar and maybe cream), the Times and Temperatures are just so dang fussy!! I...don’t think I have the patience for that.

enemies to lovers or friends to lovers:

Friends to Lovers. I just...don’t Get It with the sexual tension~ that seems to be the driving force behind enemies to lovers...I guess?? (That, and unless it’s literally on a battlefield, HARD PASS. I’ve had people try to blow off my complaints about getting repeatedly tormented as “he liiiiiikes you~” bullshit to ever be comfortable with it as anything but Legit Two Sides Of A Battle/Political Conflict. Sorry.)

But, Friends to Lovers? That Bond. And then the ...Oh. The domesticity and trust and safety. Also it is RIPE for Idiots to Lovers mutual pining xD

(bonus points if both parties decide ahead of time, “hey. even if dating doesn’t work out I still value your friendship in my life, so no pressure about ‘ruining things,’“ And then, of course, it does work out and there was nothing to be anxious about, after all.)

rainy days or sunny days:

...cop out but, overcast days with Soft Sunlight and Cloudbreaks?? I do like a clear skies sunny day, but, my eyes are also so sensitive to light that it can be painful. Rainy days can be soothing...but the rain has to be A Certain Way. Too heavy and with too much wind behind it and it can get me anxious. (My childhood home had Every Rain is Severe Weather...with no place to shelter. It’s gonna take awhile before i can appreciate it like i’d want.)

jupiter or mars:

Jupiter. GIANT. DEADLY. MARBLE (that wants to eeeaaat meeeee...) Also Pluto, and the jovian moons.

aphrodite or athena:

Athena!! She’s an ace icon, aight?? And also strikes me as...very, very Tired with everyone’s bullshit. Also...all the greek gods are kinda assholes. So. Yeah. She ain’t perfect and her characterization’s at the mercy of whatever myth in question, but generally she strikes me as practical and sensible and having Mercy...sometimes. As much as that group is capable of it, anyway...

rome or greece:

...probably Ancient Rome as a “ancient culture to explore but a YIKES (but. so is ancient greece.)” But visiting IRL in the present? Greece.

sun or moon:

Moon. I appreciate what the sun does and I do like feeling sunlight and all that...but, I’m also a night person. And I can look at the moon without risk of blindness and admire its corona and that rainbow corona you can see just a bit further out if you know where and how to look. BUT. The moon easily loses out to a starfield, especially if the light pollution and humidity are both low enough that ya get to actually see the milky way’s galaxy arm. (The irony that the sun IS our local star does not elude me.)

1920s or 1990s:

...neither?? 90s only slightly win out ‘cause I’m a ‘93 Kid and the 90s and 00s had some incredible toys and cartoons. And, idk. I still like overall pants and shorts. Always have. While a flapper dress would be “oooh pretty! starlight beading! Now OFF. Back to regular clothes for ‘Sporing or Comfy Lounging.”

blizzard or thunderstorm:

Blizzard. Also. Have you considered...thundersnow??

(Admittedly? I’ve also never been through a snowstorm that threatened by health&safety. The same cannot be said about thunderstorms when nearly every one could or would spawn tornados and severe straightline winds that could knock down trees and powerlines and sometimes even damage homes. While living in a home with NO safe place to shelter. Not even an interior closet or bathroom. NOT. FUN.)

midnight memories or made in the am:

...what?? [googles] ...OH...they’re...albums. UH. Neither?? (I don’t listen to them...?)

sage green or vanilla white:

Sage green. It’s kinda a nostalgic color somehow? Also. Just not a fan of monochrome...at all. I see it? I instantly want it to be a backdrop. Negative space. For COLOR. (jewel tones for whites/light neutrals and browns; NEONS for blacks and dark greys. Preference for Jewel Tones over Neons...wait. What was the question again??? OH YEAH..uh... I do like vanilla icecream? With rainbow sprinkles. Or...paired with hot fruit pie or cobbler. Or cookies. Um...yeah I should prolly shutup now. xD )

folklore or lover:

...I don’t...understand??? But...I like Folkslore as in...folklore??? Fairytales, Legends, Myths... (also, so frikkin ace I’m just. not ever gonna pick “lover”)

croissant or macaroon:

...why would you do this to me. I make a beeline for croissants because...Soft Flaky Buttery Bread. And they are So Good as a savory sandwich sorta thing. Easily better than english muffins or crumpets, tho biscuits have a fighting chance. But LIKE. Soft breads. My weakness as a kid.

...but a good macaroon?? It is so light and crisp and TINY and like?? how does it taste like coffee??? and berries????? (Too bad they are So EXPENSIVE. While even cheap croissants are almost always Good.)

ballgowns or pantsuits:

I like the aesthetics of a ballgown. But never the pricetag, I wouldn’t wanna live in that thing for more than an hour, tops (and. so much damn work!!) and I’m stuck looking at them Defying (boob) Physics and just...dying a little inside. With my rare It Pretty Want Pretty wilting with it. But...it’s rare that pantsuits really...look like anything. (They also look uncomfortable and yet another Wardrobe Disaster and Do I HAVE To??? if I think about...actually wearing them. But, Legs Free No Tripping...I guess??)

hades or zeus:

I only wanna EVER meet Zeus if I get to castrate the bastard and lock ‘im up where he’ll NEVER get back out. Hades, tho...I’m WATCHING you, Bub. (Why yes, I agree with Demeter on this one.)

platonic love or sensual love:

Platonic. Cuddling and Kissing are technically Sensual but, y’know what? They ain’t exclusive to sexual or romantic loves (and I just. really do not want kissing at all. MAYBE a quick kiss on the forehead or fingertips but LIKE. That’s it. And it’s cute af for...literally ANY Love Type.)

light academia or cottagecore:

Honestly? A mix between the two. Cottagecore with my charming little home with its overgrown flowerbed of wildflowers (and asters! All the asters) and produce grown in large pots or hanging baskets...and inside the walls are covered with overflowing shelves of books and knicknacks and other Neat Things. Oh, and naturally a tea service (might not actually have tea in it...) and tons of pillows and blankets, and lamps and lanterns Everywhere for warm and soft (and colorful) light to read by while music plays softly in the background. And the home smells like something I just made for Supper or Snacks, or like a food-scented candle.

-

Aaaaaand tagging @mckinlily @headspacedad @aairachnid @synergetic-prose and whoever else wants to play! No obligation to play if tagged.

[taste-in-music]

Reacting to Charli, baby!

If you were wondering why I hadn’t mentioned her in my last Music Monday post, this is why! I haven’t done one of these long album reaction posts in a long, long while, (not since Love + Fear, I believe,) and this is an album I’ve been hyped for, so I figured why not? I’ve heard a lot of the singles, but there are still many surprises to by had. Listen along to the album with me if you want, and without further ado, let’s ride.

Next Level Charli

I’m getting big “Vroom Vroom” vibes from this? 

I’ve got it. This song is like the inverse to “Vroom Vroom.” It’s got the same anthemic bombast to it from the vocal delivery and lyrics, but with a brighter sound. The synths are high and glistening rather than low and abrasive.

The lyrics are super sweet. Maybe a dedication to the fans?

All right Charli, I’m ready to go to the next level. 

Gone ft. Christine and the Queens

God this song still slams into the exosphere. The verses have so much taut tension to them with the bubbling synths and snappy drums, and then the chorus comes and hits you like a ton of bricks. 

Also can we talk about how relatable the lyrics are? This is one giant shoutout to everyone that’s an insecure and antisocial mess at any party or gathering. Thank you for making a song for our kind Charli.

Christine and the Queens’s voice has this amazing fluidity to it, it must be the French in her. (Also, when she sings in French during the bridge? DEAD.)

Still meh on the outro though.

Cross You Out ft. Sky Ferreira

We’ve got some more aggressive production on this song, which is cool. It contrasts nicely with the more lilting vocals. 

GIMME THOSE SKY FERREIRA CRUMBS. WHEN ARE WE GETTING MASOCHISM???!?! 

If you listen to the bridge with good headphones you can hear these really low backing vocals from Sky that rattle the nape of your neck, they’re amazing.

I do wish it was a bit more experimental though, it does stay fairly constant through the entirety of the song and makes it a bit of a bland listen. Doesn’t mean I don’t like it, though.     

1999 ft. Troye Sivan

Bop. Next.

Okay, I should actually say something about this, shouldn’t I?

I think it’s pretty cool that a song about 90s throwbacks actually does all it can to sound like it was plucked right out of the 90s. The production is bouncy, sparkly, and seamless, filled with glitching synths, sharp drums, and cute little ad-libs that make it a ton of fun. (That little “hee-hee” that Troye does after mentioning Michael Jackson? Art.)

I’m not usually into stuff that cashes into cheap nostalgia with little commentary as to why that nostalgia is wanted, (the main difference between me liking a song like “Ribs” by Lorde vs. “2002″ by Anne-Marie for example,) but whatever. This is catchy as heck. I love it.

Click ft. Kim Petras and Tommy Cash

Ooh, looks like we’re getting spooky here. This sounds very Turn Off The Lights and Pop 2.

We got a “woo-ah!” Kim Petras is here! 

I’ve never heard of Tommy Cash or listened to any of his music. I don’t know if his sound is quite for me, but maybe I’ll look into his solo work later. 

This isn’t a favorite of mine so far, (it’s far more avant garde than the other songs,) but I don’t know. I see it having its time and place, specifically when I want to feel like a bad bitch. 

Warm ft. HAIM

Those keys! Those gentle synths! Hearing this production with headphones on is heavenly. 

I never thought that Charli XCX and HAIM could work on a track together. HAIM is a very acoustic-driven band that takes inspiration from the past, and Charli always leans into more futuristic, synthetic ideas, but HAIM slip into Charli’s sound pretty well here. 

Overall, it’s not a standout, but I don’t dislike it. My consensus isn’t especially hot or cold, it’s WARM. 

I’m so sorry.

Thoughts

Well that intro brought me to attention very quickly. Am I in a Windows startup? 

Those high notes are the best part of the song. Charli’s got range! Her vocals sound really full and rich here, especially on the verses.  

Ironically, I don’t have many thoughts on this song overall.  

I’m so sorry.

Blame It On Your Love ft. Lizzo

I already know that I love this song. Let’s get to bopping!

Small detail but the snare drums on this song are great. 

This song has a drop that doesn’t suck, and I can’t stress how rare and refreshing that is. It sounds like a shot of caffeine, buzzy and colorful and not long enough. 

Can we all agree that Lizzo is a blessing unto this Earth? Charisma rolls off her in waves. I don’t think I’ve ever been so sad for a rap verse to end in a pop song. 

What an amazing song. 

White Mercedes

The vulnerability in the lyrics on this song matched the subtler production sounds great. 

Charli’s vocals sounds??? So good??? I don’t want this to come across the wrong way, but I never really listened to her music for her vocal prowess. Her strong suit always laid in delivering energy and an assertive presence, (like on “I Love It” or “Break The Rules.”) But this song shows just how downright lovely she can sound. 

This is stacking up to be one of my favorite non-singles on this album. What a wonderful surprise this turned out to be.  

Silver Cross

This is all right. I don’t have much to say on it. It’s got some interesting production elements and a solid vocal performance. It’s middle of the road.

In hindsight this maybe could’ve been cut. 

I Don’t Wanna Know

We’ve got a more moody, atmospheric sound for this song. The drums and synths have lots of echo to them, giving the mix a sense of space. It’s like Charli’s the singer in a smoky room from “Don’t Stop Believin.’”

While it’s nice that the album takes a break from the glittery pop hooks and bombastic party jams, I do think this is a tad dull. 

Official

I like those little punches of synth that make up the rhythm in the first verse.

OH MY GOD, the sparkling synths and tinkling keys on this track, they sound like flowers blooming and glimmering gemstones, that is GORGEOUS. 

The way that the production builds on this song by laying in the sounds one by one is really interesting. Some of the effect is lost by the way the backing track is frequently paused throughout the song, which is kind of annoying, but the idea is there, and it’s cool. I like it in theory. 

Shake It ft. Big Freedia, cupcakKe, and Pablo Vittar

I’ve heard a lot of good things about cupcakKe’s solo work and I know that she’s worked with Charli in the past, and I also know that Pablo Vittar and Charli made “Flash Pose” recently,” but  I haven’t heard any of the solo work from these guest features, so I have no clue what to expect.

Those water sounds and how they meld into glitchy techno noises and then breaths? The dual tracking that moves from ear to ear and the whispered vocals? Her mind? 

This is a wild ride with headphones on. 

Febrary 2017 ft. Clairo and Yaeji

I didn’t listen to this despite it being released as a single. I wanted to be a surprise for the album. 

Clairo’s low key voice works pretty well with the slithery vocal production that Charli often uses. I guess the glitchiness of Charli’s sound would compliment a bedroom pop artist. 

The way the production explodes! This sounds fantastic! Holy moly! It’s like diving into a cotton candy wonderland!

That switch up into Yaeji’s part is pretty jarring though. While I like the cooing, gentle vocals and minimal production, it upright clashes with the first half of the track. If it had been worked into the previous production rather than cutting away from it I think it might’ve worked better. 

This song comes across more as a mish-mash of ideas rather than a polished final product. I think maybe another draft could’ve improved it. Still, I do love the ideas it presents. 

2099 ft. Troye Sivan

That last song! My my my how 50 minutes have flown by.

That heartbeat at the start of the song! 

Okay this song is kind of all over the place. I don’t know if I have any definite thoughts on it. 

Still, if this is what music sounds like in 2099 I won’t necessarily be complaining. 

My Thoughts Summarized: This album feels like Charli half wanted to go avant-garde, half wanted to go mainstreen-friendly. This leads to a couple of confused moments, but also to some songs that meet those two options in the middle. While I feel like a few tracks could’ve been reworked or cut, I do like this project a lot. Charli really brought the bops and stepped it up with the vocals and lyrics. My favorite songs at the moment are probably “Gone,” “Blame It One Your Love,” and “White Mercedes.”

Can we talk about how gorgeous the visuals for this album have been, not only with the album art but with the music videos too? We had the badass prosthetics for “Blame It On Your Love,” the 90s throwback with “1999,” and Charli and Chris dancing on a car in the rain. I love it.

What did you think of Charli?  Agree or disagree? Comment or reblog with your thoughts, I’m excited to hear what you think.

[wewillwriteyou]

Friends Will Be Friends || Chapter 12

A few elements from the main plot: A very special group of friends: early days, drama, laughter, booze, success, rock stars life, girl power, friendship, love, sex, music, misunderstandings, some more drama, family. Pairings in the tags

Summary Chapter 12: Some time’s passed. The concert in Taunton,�� December 1973. A new character may or may not appear

Word count: 3K

Warnings: Okay it’s mainly fluff and softness, BUT, you have to watch out the usual curse word or some bad language. Also, some little reference to sex and/or sexy times. It’s really small. You won’t even notice it.

A/N: Hi folks. Sooooo with this chapter, a new segment of our story opens up and it will take… a few chapters to complete. We really hope you’re enjoying this so far and we’d like to hear your honest opinion on it, lovesies 💖😏 So, please, as usual, if you like what you read, comment, like, reblog and share this with others! For everyone who follows and supports this story, thank you guys (you know who you are)! You are real stars! ⭐💗

“Thank you, Taunton!” Freddie’s voice cracked in the mic, as he shouted from the top of his lungs. The stage’s lights were illuminating his skinny silhouette, as he was bowed and nodded like a real diva. Brian approached him and goofily waved at the cheering crowd with a simple nod. On Freddie’s right side, John was bowing too, with a hand on his heart, still astonished by the number of people that were screaming and applauding them. Roger left his drum set, all sweaty and half-naked, and put his arms in the air, before throwing his drumsticks in the crowd.

In a matter of two years, the boys had come a long way; everything had changed after that concert at the Imperial College. A prestigious record producer had seen them perform and had decided to give them a chance. They had already recorded an album and travelled all around England. Every night a different place, the boys were tireless and had become real rock stars.

The four of them were now bowing all together, at the edge of the stage, while the people in the front row were trying to reach them, screaming and stretching their arms towards them.

In the backstage, far away from the spotlight of fame, the girls were applauding too, with their hearts full of love and proudness. Chelsea, Mel and Mary had been by their sides since the start and seeing them gaining the fame they deserved was always something touching and extremely beautiful.

During those two years, they had followed them on tour as much as possible and spent hours listening to their quarrels in the recording studio, on which song should have been put in the album. But everything, every sacrifice, every fight or argument and every sleepless night had been absolutely worth it because now all four of them had finally made their dreams come true.

The boys walked towards the backstage, still waving at the crowd.

“You did amazing, love!” Chelsea said, caressing Freddie’s arm as he was hugging and kissing Mary on the cheek. He didn’t have the time to thank her, because a pair of arms took her hips and lifted her from the ground. Chelsea screamed in amusement and, when her feet touched again the ground, she turned around to find John’s smiley face just a few inches away from her.

“And what about me?” he asked her, pulling her closer to hug her.

“You did amazing too, sweetheart” she chuckled in his arms and then pulled away to admire his outfit.

“What did I tell you, Mel? He looks great in this black and white suit” Chelsea gloated, smiling to her friend, that was now massaging John’s arm.

“I didn’t have doubts” she answered, tilting her head to her boyfriend and lifting an eyebrow in an accusatory way.  John rolled his eyes, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by a squeaking, raspy voice, that was coming from Chelsea’s back.

“You have to thank me, for that. It was me that convinced the crew to hire the best stylist I’ve ever met” Roger was approaching them, with a towel behind his neck and his arms open to welcome his girlfriend in his chest.

Chelsea slightly blushed and ran to him, to hug him tight. Roger spun her around, while his arms were settled around her waist. Chelsea cupped his face with her hands and pulled him closer to kiss him softly.

“Actually, darling, I insisted on having this amazing lady as my personal stylist” Freddie stated, approaching the couple with Mary by his side. Roger completely ignored him, slowly pulling away from Chelsea’s lips. He then put his arms behind her shoulders to pull her closer to him.

“Before I got interrupted” John added, walking towards them, while holding hands with Mel “I was trying to say that I had never had doubts on your talent, Chel. I just had doubts about the choice of the clothes, because you know, they are a little bit–”

“They’re perfect my dear!” Freddie cut him off and John shook his head, an entertained smile forming on his face.    

“Well look at you, all cute and sweet. Can someone please help me with all these cables and stuff?” Brian’s voice recalled the attention of the group and they all turned around to see his curly brown hair bouncing, as he was trying to hold a lot of things in his arms.

Chelsea immediately reached him, when she saw he was about to make everything fall on the ground. She stretched her arms towards him and helped him, taking away from his hands a tangle of cables. Brian’s warm smile thanked Chelsea, who smiled back.

“You don’t have to be jealous, mate. I’m sure out there there’s a girl that’s waiting for you to come and tell her all about the physics stuff you so very much adore” Roger joked, giving Brian a pat on his shoulder. He rolled his eyes as an answer, used to Roger’s sense of humour.  

“I’ll help him with this. You can wait for me in the tour bus, baby” Chelsea said, turning to Roger. He smirked and leaned down to kiss her again. Brian looked away and Chelsea could tell he was visibly embarrassed by that moment, so she pulled away and winked at Roger.

“Okay, see you later, honey” he replied, giving her a soft slap on her butt as she turned around. Chelsea let out a tiny squeak and heard Roger’s giggle as he walked away with the rest of the band and the girls.

She followed Brian through some doors and corridors, elbowing between the people of the crew and she thanked the enormous mass of curly hair he had, because, if it wasn’t for that, she could have easily got lost in the confusion. They finally entered a little room and Brian pointed a dusty shelf; Chelsea put down the cables and helped him tiding up some pedals and other strings he still had in his hands.

“You know, letting grow your hair free and natural was the best decision of your life! I would’ve lost myself in this labyrinth if it hadn’t been for them” Chelsea stated, turning around to look at Brian while they left the room.

“Yeah, it doesn’t matter if I look like a poodle” he replied, making her laugh and shake her head.

“He’s treating you well, right?” Brian asked, as they stepped out of the little room and started to walk down the hallway. Chelsea looked up to him, as the height difference between them was more than evident, smiling for the cute question.

Brian had never been really talkative - not as much as Freddie or Roger anyway - but Chelsea had the chance to get to know him well during the last two years and she indeed enjoyed his company. They liked to walk together, going anywhere, sometimes without saying a word, just appreciating the comfortable silence that was always surrounding them.

Chelsea was usually the first to hear Brian’s new songs or riffs because he was convinced that she had a great ear with these things, as he used to say. And Chelsea never complained about that, on the contrary, she loved seeing him getting experimental in front of her, with his concentrated face as he made his guitar sing.

“Yes, you’d be impressed to see the gentleman he has become” Chelsea replied, always with a smile on her face. Brian noticed her dreamy expression and chuckled softly.

“Roger Taylor a gentleman? Are you sure we’re talking about the same Roger Taylor?” he teased to see her reaction. She raised an eyebrow and let out a sigh between the laughter.

“Yes, we are. He’s always so caring and sweet and…” Brian cut her off.

“And he’s always ready for a good sex-session I guess, am I wrong? You two are like bunnies” he joked, but Chelsea wasn’t expecting such a comment coming from Brian’s mouth, so she gasped in surprise.

“Mr May, I find this comment very inappropriate!” she joked back “and it’s none of your business. Although, I can’t say you’re wrong. But he’s a great boyfriend, I swear” Brian chuckled, seeing how her eyes always shined when she talked about him.  

“I can tell this. You look so in love” Chelsea flushed at those words.

“Is that so evident?” she asked him and Brian raised an eyebrow. Then nodded, closing his eyes to give more pathos to his non-verbal answer. Chelsea friendly pushed him, putting her hand on his shoulder and making him laugh a little.

“But hey, I’m sure it’s mutual because I’ve never seen Roger like that. With any girl” Brian widely smiled and looked down at Chelsea, who was still blushing. He noticed her pleased face and he put his long skinny arm behind her shoulder and Chelsea leaned her head on him, putting her arm behind his waist, as they kept walking.

They were about to leave the arena and reach the others in the tour bus when a female voice called them. They turned around and saw a girl running after them.

“Excuse me” she was breathless when she reached them, so she tried to recompose herself, putting a string of her hair behind her ear “I don’t want to be or sound obtrusive, but you are the guitarist of Queen, right?” she shyly asked, as a soft red colour started to expand on her cheeks.

When Chelsea didn’t hear any response from Brian, she looked up at his face to find him with his mouth slightly open and his eyes locked with the girl’s.

Brian was sure she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen; she had wavy hair, that had a strange and rare colour between brown and red. Her light blue eyes were staring at Brian and he felt his knees trembling. He knew he was being obvious, but he couldn’t help himself: she was gorgeous. The girl noticed the gaze he was giving her and she looked at the ground, clearly happy to receive his attention.

Chelsea felt like the third wheel of the situation, so seeing that Brian was still admiring her without saying a word, she gave him a little push and then replied.

“Yes, he’s the guitarist. The big Brian May” she smiled as she said this, receiving a deadly gaze from the tall boy.

“You were great before!” the girl complimented him “I’m Chrissie by the way” Chelsea tried to reach for her hand, but Brian pushed her away. He shook her hand, without breaking eye-contact. The girl understood that the entire situation was starting to get a little bit awkward, so she cleared her throat, before speaking again.

“I would like to know if it’s possible to meet the rest of the band”

“I’m so sorry, they’re already on the tour bus now” Brian finally spoke, but Chrissie seemed disappointed.

“Oh, okay. I just made everything that I could to be here tonight to meet the band, but hey, it seems like I’m always late. Thank you anyway, it was a pleasure meeting you two” she turned on her heels and started to walk away.

“Invite her to the after party!” Chelsea said between her teeth.

“What? I don’t even know her!” Brian replied, with his whole face red and blushed. Chelsea rolled her eyes.

“Listen to me, do you want to lose the chance to get to know this girl? I don’t think so! So tell her that tomorrow you have a concert in Peterborough and that after it there’s an amazing Christmas party! Be the man Brian!”

“I’m a man!” Brian shouted back.

“Then prove it!” Chelsea replied, crossing her arms on her chest. Brian looked over her shoulder and, after giving her one last gaze, he started to ran to reach Chrissie. Chelsea looked at him with a proud expression on her face, as he stopped her by the arm and started to talk with her. She nodded and left the arena, to give them a little bit of privacy.

She quickly walked in the parking lot, covering her face with the collar of her jacket. When she reached the tour bus she ran inside, feeling her nose already cold and surely red. Everything was dark and quiet, just a couple of peaceful, sleepy breaths was filling the air.

When her eyes got used to the dim light that surrounded her, Chelsea noticed that Freddie and Mary were sleeping, hugged into each other’s arms, on the not so comfy kind of sofa, how Fred himself used to call it, that was on her left. On the opposite side, there was the same kind of seats, arranged in a kind of semicircle, with a little table on the middle, where the guys used to play scrabble. And there she saw John, with his feet stretched over the end of the seat because he was too tall to properly lay there; on the top of him, with her head on his chest, Mel was sleeping peacefully.

Chelsea smiled when she walked over the little (and empty) cot that was near the tiny bathroom, because she already knew that Roger had probably argued with everyone to have the double sized bed that was situated in the back of the bus. When she slowly pushed aside the see-through curtains that gave a little privacy to the only “bedroom” of that mini house on four wheels, Chelsea saw her boyfriend already asleep.

She stopped there to look at him for a minute. He was sleeping shirtless, as usual, with his mouth open. He was laying on his tummy and Chelsea could see his back muscles relaxing under the blanket. She fondly smiled when she noticed that he had left on her pillow one of the shirts, knowing how she loved to sleep snuggling in his clothes. She was about to join him when she heard the door of the bus opening, followed by Brian’s voice, who was talking with the driver.

Chelsea turned around and, while she was approaching the curly boy curious as hell, the bus started to move and she almost fell on the ground. Brian heard her cuss and let out a soft laugh. When she looked up to him, he pointed at the cot and Chelsea nodded, already knowing what he was about to ask.

“Will it ever be my turn to sleep in that bed or…?” he asked, while he leaned down to take a beer from the little fridge in front of his crib. He offered one to Chelsea too and she accepted it, sitting beside him on the little cot.

“So? Are you going to tell me what happened with the girl of your dreams or do I have to beg you?” Chelsea questioned, lifting her bottle in the air. Brian shook his head and raised his beer to meet hers.

“Cheers,” he said after the toast and then they both took a long sip from the green glass bottle.

“I invited her to come to our concert tomorrow and then to the party in the hotel” Brian finally said, turning around to look at Chelsea in the eyes. She noticed that he still had flushed cheeks and a stupid smile on his face.

“…and?” she asked, but he scrolled his shoulders, making her pout “Oh c’mon Bri, not even a little kiss?”

“No. I like taking things slow” he replied with a touchy tone. Chelsea rolled her eyes and left her head fall against the window behind her. She sighed and took another sip of beer.

“At least did you discover something about her?”

“Just that she works as a hairdresser because she told me that she doesn’t know if she can come tomorrow because Peterborough is far from where she lives and she has to work. But nothing else” Chelsea looked him with a disappointed face.

“What?” he asked, wrapping his lips against the neck of the bottle, finishing the beer.

“You should have told her something! Flirt a little bit!” she replied. He rolled his eyes and shut her up with a movement of his hand. Chelsea chuckled noticing how pissed he looked, so she stretched her arm to put it behind his back.

“Hey, I’m sorry okay. The world would be a better place if there were more gentle and kind men like you around” she sincerely smiled to him and Brian returned the gesture, fondly grateful for her words. He was about to reply when a voice in the dark recalled their attention.

“After this philosophic statement, can you come to sleep and cuddle with your gentle and kind man? I didn’t almost throw hands with Freddie for that fucking bed for nothing” Roger was keeping the curtains open, standing in between with only his boxers on.

“You could have put on something” Brian commented, pointing at his half-naked body, while Chelsea was approaching him.

“I’m sure that someone here thinks differently from you” Roger replied, looking to Chelsea in a flirty way. She smirked in response and kissed him. She teasingly pulled away and walked past him, already taking off her clothes. Roger bit his lip and turned around to look at Brian with a proud expression on his face.

“You see. She’s such a bad girl” he said, pointing at her. Brian rolled his eyes and when he opened his mouth to say something, Chelsea’s bra flew in the air, hitting Roger’s face. Soon the panties appeared on the ground at his feet.

“You two are disgusting!” Brian almost shouted while he was laying on the cot when Roger quickly disappeared behind the curtains and the sound of Chelsea’s giggles filled the air.

“We know that” they replied in unison. Brian shook his head and hide it under the pillow when he started to hear more chuckles and not so subtle sounds coming from the ‘bedroom’. He sighed knowing it would have been a long journey.    

Chapters: ⤎ previous | next ⤏

A/N: Hello again! Hope you enjoyed this one 💗 we’re gonna tag the lovely people who read, liked and commented the previous chapters. If you want to be tagged in the next one, comment under this one or leave us a message. Our inboxes are always open for you beautiful people

Tag list: @littledarlingwellaway @its-a-metephor-brian@bohemiandelilah @onevisionliz@misshystericalqueen @loki-lover095@deakysgurl @inthelapofthe39 @starsoflovingness-wq@minetticatinwonderland @cairdes20 @friendswillbefriendsblog@o-holynight @trash-record-collection @please-stop-me-now@theappleofmybri @marvelsbunch

Cheers, folks! ✌

[emmaruthrundlesh]

Emma Ruth Rundle Interview // Rock’n’Roll Journalist

(via Rock’n’Roll Journalist) “Dark” singer-songwriter is a term which deserves an official registration based on the modern wave of talented female artists. Next to Chelsea Wolfe, there is also Emma Ruth Rundle rapidly building her space on the market. Her captivating voice and an amazing taste for cold melodies are more than addictive. If you look at her list of favorite albums, the magic of her sound suddenly makes more sense. In addition we also spoke about her gear, challenges on a tour and beauties of Prague, which is also on her current European tour schedule on 18th of October.

Would like to give some introduction to your list?

This is not so much a list of my favorite albums of all time. Much of these are rather pieces I return to over and over as they are especially significant for me.

40 Watt Sun – The Inside Room (2011)

One of my all time favorite albums, English 3 piece, 40 Watt Sun, combine a slower, heavy guitar driven washes over which Patrick Walker literally pours his heart out. HIs lyrics and voice are incredibly eloquent and beautiful. The songs are, at times, in the 8 plus minute category so there is plenty of time to be reeled into their world and taken through Walker’s emotional landscapes. One of my biggest influences in the last few years.

Kate Bush – The Sensual World (1989)

A longstanding favorite and go to listen for me. Kate Bush has a few phases and different sounding albums but there is always her at the core. I think The Sensual World has become the diamond album in her discography, for me, because of the song Love and the Anger. It’s one of the catchiest and uplifting songs I’ve ever heard. Just watch the video and see Kate dancing at the end…How can you not fall in love? Also some really tasteful world influence and killer guitar by David Gilmour on Rocket’s Tale. Love it all the way through.

Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream (1993)

It’s very frustrating to wake up and look at the internet these days only to be greeted by any number of people and music blogs STILL making fun of Billy Corgan – not going to lie, it bums me out and makes me feel sad for a world of critics who can’t take it the simple fact that Billy has recorded THE BEST guitar tone of all time and he did so on Siamese Dream. The songwriting is brilliant and this is really an album that takes you to a place, especially by the time you reach Silverfuck. Sure, I jump over the hits – I don’t need to hear Today every time I want to enjoy this masterpiece but if you’re somehow not familiar take the whole trip and revel in what I think is some of the most important guitar playing of the 90’s.

James Blake – Self Titled (2011)

A groundbreaking beauty of an album. James Blake managed to write and produce this minimal pop R and B (with strong classical influences) that won him the Mercury Prize. There is nothing but pure perfection and genius on this record. Even the cover art is elegant and humble in a way. I guess there is some sense of humility in Blake’s writing that takes me in even further and I become invested in all his repetitive and disintegrated lines, waiting for them to break or modulate in any number of ways as they do on this album.

Cloakroom – Time Well (2018)

I came to know Cloakroom just by association. They had done a lot of touring with label mates Russian Circles as well as some other folks I know. I sort of disregarded this band for a time – not sure why – but when Time Well came out on Relapse earlier this year, I was completely head over heals in love with these Midwestern boys. The guitar playing and textures as well as the cleverly timed riffs (for lack of a better word, this band isn’t metal at all but heavy in a deferent way) and the bonus of Doyle’s of introspective vocal has won them a very special place in my heart and headphones.

Brian Eno – Thursday Afternoon (1985)

In his 11th studio album, Eno has fully mastered the very new world he himself pioneered and invented: Ambient music. Thursday Afternoon is just one long daydream of a song with nothing but the babbling of the synthesized (or whatever he’s employed on this) brook. Nothing “happens” on this album. There is no break or moment of great change or rhythm even… it’s just the most relaxing music on Earth which is why I find my way back to it so often. Pure peace streamed right from the source of new sound.

I’m not an ethnomusicologist

Tori Amos – Boys for Pele (1996)

Tori Amos peaked, for me, on this 18 track album. It was her first time self producing as well and there is something so fierce and desperate in her lyrics and voice. While generally regarded as a singer songwriter, which I think conjures up a picture of a subdued character sitting in a coffee shop somewhere, Tori is really more of a badass and this album rocks it ways though piano and harpsichord driven tunes. I love everything about how the record was recorded and sounds as well. Even the music videos that came from this album are great. If you don’t know, you should.

Earth – Hex; Or Printing the Infernal Method (2005)

I am not sure when I first became aware of the legendary instrumental band Earth but I am sure it was later on in life than for some other more tuned in people. Hex is an album that I listened to a lot while on tour and desperately in need of refuge from the chaos of being trapped with so many other people traveling across the globe. Hex is like a soundtrack and works incredibly well for someone who’s trapped staring out a window, avoiding conversations for most of the day. If there was ever a time to describe something as dusty sounding, this is it. Having really loved the Neil Young soundtrack to Dead Man – Hex felt like a sister album to me or in that world. It has a special ability to take you into a barren landscape and push out all your youngness which is so needed!

The Body – No One Deserves Happiness (2016)

This record came into my life at a time of physiologically shattering life change and a very hot summer in LA. Most would describe The Body and an “experimental” or harsh noise (at times) project. No One Deserves Happiness introduces female forward singing over the backdrop of the bands soul reaping sounds. Chip’s hollow screams have manifested a truly horrific creature in my mind. There is a blend of classical reverence and choral singing within The Body’s noise land and it turns on a part of my brain while listening. I feel comforted by this album somehow.

Stars Of The Lid – And Their Refinement Of The Decline (2007)

Another instrumental masterpiece – SOTL also have classical inclinations or leanings or is this contemporary classical music? I’m not an ethnomusicologist. Washes of treated instruments grip your xanaxed out sandbag body and drag you slowly and mournfully in waves under a pink ocean of wonder and obliteration of the self. I have fallen asleep in my most anxiety ridden times to this album as it swallows you like no other can.

In the heart of Europe

In late October you will be coming to Prague to very intimate club called 007. Did you ever have a chance to properly walk around Prague?

I never played a solo show in Prague, but I performed here with my previous bands already. Every time I made sure, me and my band mates have enough time to check the city. It was amazing every time and I just can’t wait to come again. I visited Prague the last time in 2010 and our tour manager was Tomáš Zakopal, who was local, so he prepared a beautiful commented tour for us.

Could you please present to us your collection of guitars? From the most recent live footages I see you are a big fan of Fender guitars and especially a model called Coronado II.

This piece actually belongs to Evan Patterson, who plays guitar in my band as well in my support band Jaye Jayle. Guitar #1 in my collection is a classic mahogany piece from Cordoba. There is also one from Chinese brand Blueridge, inspired by OM model OM from Martin…(I’m sorry, I am little bit sick)… Within electric guitars my most favorite is standard Gibson SG. It was quite cheap second hand acquisition in one music store. Another piece is Fender Baritone Jaguar special HH. Then there is Fender Stratocaster. I can’t remember the exact model, but it’s quite unique as it has two humbuckers. Next to that I also have one white model from Guild. Longer I play I realize it is very important for me to have two humbuckers within electric guitars. And finally there is one really crappy SG, which I would really like to get rid of, as it is badly made. (Laugh)

Some preferences within microphones?

I use BLUE enCORE 200 the most. Probably as it was a gift. I like its sound, as it can work very well with mids and highs. Another reason is very practical. I realized I get sick more often if I use in-house microphones. If I use my own microphone, I have bigger chances to stay well.

Life on a tour

I am sorry, you don’t feel well. Do you think it’s also because of air conditioners during this years’ crazy summer season?

Not sure to be honest. I was just getting back from a European tour and I must have caught something on a plain.

Longer I play I realize it is very important for me to have two humbuckers within electric guitars

How are you trying to stay in a good shape on a tour? There is a European tour coming up during fall and that’s quite challenging season for immunity.

One can just do maximum and hope. If I can, I try to stay warm and eat plenty of hot meals. I try to rest, as much as I can and get plenty of sleep. But it’s not always that easy, where there is so much drinking and everything else which belongs to a tour life. It is practically a miracle if you survive a tour without any harm.

Is there some European location, which you really look forward to visit during upcoming European tour? It doesn’t necessarily have to be Prague…

It’s funny, as everybody in the team looks forward for the Prague the most. Evan is practically obsessed with Prague and I just can’t wait to meet friends, which I haven’t seen for years. I am also looking forward to see Porto, Lisbon and also Madrid, as I’ve never been to Spain. In general I love to visit well known places as well as completely new locations.

[chibalein]

Kalafina Live Report @Osaka - Christmas Premium Live 2017 (Part 2 of 2)

Click here for Part 1. Click here for my Live Report of the Acoustic Live in Zama.

Amidst all the negative speculations, here is something real for you xD Again, this will be a long post, but please read it until the very end. Thank you :) Feel free to comment or ask anything you like!

The musicians entered the stage and tested their instruments shortly, when Sakurada started to play a short solo and Kalafina entered the stage as well.

Let’s talk about their dresses first. You can see them here. (I wrote the following part before those were released, so feel free to skip it). Hikaru’s dress was more of a crimson red, tight at the torso and going straight and wider downwards. All of the dresses had the image of wedding dresses, although different types. Her dress was certainly the most modest of all, so to say, but I was too far away to see any details. Also, I absolutely loved Hikaru’s hair style. It’s simple, the way she has her hair most of the time I guess, but I think it looks the best on her, without any special/big ornaments or tightly braided parts. I liked her outfit the most too. Keiko’s dress was the most impressive. Being pink/magenta/white, her dress stood out the most, mainly because it was HUGE. It was almost double the size compared to Hikaru and she looked so much bigger and taller than she actually is, but she was absolutely gorgeous, especially with the flower adornments in her hair. On her left side of the dress, there was a huge rose-shaped part. Wakana’s dress was of a bright red, with many layered parts and she was the closest to being a princess bride. Totally stunning as these kinds of dresses suit her very well, in my opinion.

Kalafina started with “dolce”, not that big of a surprise I thought. While the roof was lighted up in blue, the stage was brightly illuminated. Keiko sang extremely deep, deeper than usual when she is “just” support. She sounded a lot like a bass in the background with turned up volume. But it created a great mood and along with Wakana they all created an emotional beginning for us.

After that, the stage became dark, with big spotlights from above on the girls. The spotlights also had the be much bigger than normal, so their big dresses fit into the circles xD The neon tubes inside the diamonds in the background shone green, the stage was then illuminated partly in red – Christmas colors!

“We wish you a merry Christmas” on this festive stage, simply great. The “trees” on the stage also began to shine. Hikaru was absolutely cool here, her English is great (in contrast to the other two *cough*) and she had fun on stage as far as I could see. In the middle part, where Wakana starts to sing very high, she simply killed it and Keiko made of lot of gestures with arms and torso – they didn’t move a lot during the concert… you know, the dresses. It was a pretty performance and another great introduction for a Christmas concert.

During MC #1, they bowed before the audience, but in these dresses they couldn’t do it normally, so they had to make a curtsey like the beautiful princesses that they are. Wakana said that they have been doing the Acoustic Tour since November and wanted to convey Christmas emotions to us, although it wasn’t Christmas yet. Keiko mentioned that this was their first Christmas Live this year and Hikaru asked for the stage to be lightened up, so she could see the audience. She was impressed that so many people managed to come on a weekday, she thanked us for that and they wanted to “show us many landscapes”.

Let’s stop here for a second and talk about the setlist. Despite this concert being awesome and absolutely stunning, I was a bit disappointed by the setlist. Take out the Christmas songs and “snow falling” and it was totally the same as Zama/the Acoustic tour. Even in the same order. And if I take the Nikko Live into consideration as well, then there were many songs I would hear for the third time in a row now. I fully understand that the girls are super busy and can’t come up with a whole new setlist in such a short time. Since they also probably in the middle of preparations for the 10th Anniversary Live, of course, they go with the songs they have rehearsed already. I am not saying that this is bad or that these songs are bad – but still I had hoped for a bit more than just one different song of their normal repertoire, like “Door”, “Haru ha kogane no yume no naka”, “Kotonoha”, “Kichigo no shigemi ni”, “Hokage”, “Sorairo no isu” or, especially in that “light” block, “Kimi ga hikari ni kaeteyuku” (come on, that would have been so awesome). ALLELUIA! They have their own song called “Alleluia”, for gods sake XD These are all songs that are already in acoustic more or less, but are rarely performed… it’s just a pity, in my opinion, particularly for those who attended (more than one) Acoustic Live. However, before the hate starts that I don’t appreciate this enough bla bla, that does not mean AT ALL that I did not enjoy this. Very much the opposite. Yes, a little disappointment was there, but that gave me also the great chance to listen to those masterpieces again and to find details that I didn’t notice the first time. Also, many performances differed from before, so there was plenty new stuff to discover and luckily, since no “Storia” or “Ring your bell”, there was not a single song that I dislike! I loved every performance - only for the second or third time already xD Feel free to compare this report with my Zama report to see what could have been different, see link at the top of this post (I am way too lazy to do it myself). Here is my biggest criticism of Kalafina so far: THEY DON’T HAVE A PROPER ACOUSTIC ALBUM YET! So many acoustic concerts, so many non-acoustic songs re-arranged and no album dedicated for that! Come on, girls, throw out those Christmas songs and blow us away with an acoustic version of “Ongaku” XDD

Ok, anyway, the next song was “Sapphire”. I didn’t mind at all to listen to this beautiful song again. The stage was in a deep blue and green, with some sort of green lines as a pattern in the background. It gave a rather painful impression and contributed greatly to the song’s mood instead of a plain blue stage. Especially the red dresses were a big contrast to that. Keiko and Wakana sang very emotionally and Wakana’s tender voice (I actually wrote “butter soft” in my notes, as we can say in German XD) was perfect. The Strings as well as Sakurada did an awesome job for the whole night and I really came to appreciate the Strings boys. They are often drowned out by the other band members in non-acoustic songs, but here they could go full power and be properly heard. Hikaru had put on her sad face, but struggled with the high notes. Her “koborete yuku“ was pretty much drowned out by Keiko because she wasn’t loud enough. I felt so sorry for her, because you could really see her giving all her best but it just wouldn’t come out right :/ Still, great performance by all of them.

Next was “Sandpiper”, horray! The stage was of a warm orange and Hikaru again very emotional. The Cello again killed it. Other than that, this one did not really differ from Zama or Nikko. During the long instrumental part Kalafina looked first to the left, then to the right side, while they were also illuminated from each side. A bit boring I have to admit, but the dresses looked so cool in that light. Hikaru again, the prettiest! At the end, they changed positions with Hikaru in the middle, but she showed as her back while the other two their sides.

“Magia” started with a deep red/pink stage, so not very Christmas-y. During the chorus it became blue/green and had a rather mystical touch, but I liked it very much. I feel like “Magia” is one of those songs where Kalafina always tries to be more experimental, as they also had a lot of light changes. Hikaru’s “negai” were very dramatic and the performance was so much stronger than any “Magia” performance I’ve ever heard/seen before. As the song continued, Hikaru gained more and more speed and power. She sang the words very emphasized and clipped, she got louder during the second chorus. All of three sang so much more powerful, they all got louder and more vigorous too. The instrumental part was skipped and Keiko continued with her part in a green background, while it became red again for the last chorus. With the end of Hikaru’s final “negai”, the song also ended immediately, with a single spotlight focussing on Hikaru. This was probably my favorite performance of the night. I have heard and seen this song so many many times by now, as it comes up in pretty much every bigger concert, and I was simply surprised that they still can surpass themselves by just changing a few little things. In acoustic, the focus lies almost exclusively on their voices and people get not distracted by the band or the show itself so easily.

From one strong song to another, next was “Blaze”, another song I really enjoyed. We had dark blue/white illuminations and with Keiko being in the middle again, the whole song became again a lot more sadder. Then during chorus a pink/red/orange stage and Hikaru sang with a lot of gestures. Like in Zama, they sang certain words and syllables during the chorus extremely emphasized, like “sekasaRETE”, “SAkende” etc. For the Kajiurago bridge they came close together. Have I ever mentioned that I love love love Keiko in that part? That short moment where she sings very very high is awesome every single time. I also noticed that Hikaru had a single flick of hair in her face that wouldn’t go away, no matter how often she put in back to place XD

MC #2 was about Wakana talking about how many people came to see them for the first time and others who have come many many times. For them it is difficult to re-arrange non-acoustic songs, even after so many years. When December comes, they feel that certain feeling “Ah, it’s winter and time for the acoustic concerts” (something like this). This feeling is very special to them and the next song would be a song that they have performed countless times by now, namely their debut single.

“Oblivious”, yay! The stage was illuminated in blue and green, with stripes and other patterns. Wakana started right into the stanza, again a lot slower and more emotionaö than normal. The middle part gained more speed, while Keiko and her small kajiurago part were cool as usual (and you could hear her singing the lines properly), but she skipped the last line of it. Keiko’s and Wakana’s duet was slow and frail, almost yearning, as they sang facing each other, while Hikaru again was doing almost nothing until she was finally allowed to sing the aaaah part once in an orange stage. It was quiet but pretty and later the stage changed to purple. The final chorus became faster and more powerful again and Wakana sang the final “utatte” without any instruments.

After that, the neon tubes in the background shone white in a blue stage. Sakurada introduced “Seventh Heaven” with a short solo. Keiko was sideways and had a big spotlight on her while singing the first part, so that the huge dress would fit. It was again a beautiful, almost flawless performance. Hikaru struggled again with the high notes, but Wakana was wonderful, especially her “anata to watashi”. At the end we had a bright stage.

It continued with “Kantankatan” on a bright, white stage with the neon tubes in blue. Wakana was tremendously beautiful, but totally not feeling the christmas spirit XD The “toki wo hashiru kisha” is my favorite part in the normal version, but I came to like it even more in the acoustic version. From this part on the song gained more speed, the Strings were simply awesome, they also played with a lot of gestures. During Keiko’s part the stage became deep red und she sang so much more fragile. At the end the stage was deep blue. I felt sorry for Hikaru, because neither Wakana nor Keiko looked at her, it was always a duet-like thing between only them XD

Next was “Lacrimosa”. The neon tubes shone red on a red/white stage and later in deep green, in the middle part deep red and then blue/purple/turquoise, at the LA-CRI-MO-SA part red (at which Kalafina stretched out their hands towards the audience, just like at the 9+ONE performance) and at the end the whole hall was covered in light blue light. The Strings played extremely fast here and I enjoyed watching them a lot. Hikaru sang the Kajiurago parts after the chorus more or less alone. I felt that the stanzas were more dramatic and faster than usual. Other than that, same as Zama.

We‘re halfway through, guys. Congratulations, you’ve made it this far. Go get a drink or stretch your arms and legs a bit, you deserved it. 

We entered MC #3. Keiko did a small recap of this rather dramatic block. I admit, I did not really understand what she was saying, as there was too many words I didn’t know and I couldn’t get out my cellphone to look up the words, you know xD She talked how she wanted to show us different landscapes/sceneries and whether we were able to see them or not. It was very beautiful for her too to see the colors on stage changing and she enjoyed their own harmony too, but that harmony is very difficult to control. The topic changed to the christmas-like decorated stage and how it brings them into christmas mood. Especially the fir branches contributed to a lot of green on the stage, where Keiko said that especially Wakana liked it, as she loves plants and green. Wakana mentioned that these fir branches were actually real and Keiko was like “…ah, ok”. Coming from this, it was said that the next block, since this is a Christmas concert, would be therefore Christmas songs.

They then continued with “From heaven above”, which I wouldn’t even have recognized if they hadn’t announced it. I admit, I have never listened to that song even once, only the preview on ITunes (not proud of it though… I should get the Winter Acoustic Album…). The stage became dark blue and the weirdest thing about that performance was again their English. I didn’t know the lyrics, but they certainly didn’t help me to understand them either (I’m being mean I know :p). So this was the first time for me listening to the full version of this song and I admit I liked it. Can someone help me, is this an actual original Kalafina song or a cover from some traditional christian church song? I’m not sure xD Anyway, their harmony was great and they appeared to enjoy singing this song, as they swang along and moved a lot, short but very nice performance.

Then, huge spotlights focussed on the girls and the background became green again, as the next song was one of the more famous Christmas carols, “Deck the Halls” (it’s this song). I knew the song but not the title (I just googled it lol). This one was really fun to listen to. Kalafina smiled a lot and had a lot of fun too. Great harmony and singing, the stage was bright and warm. Again, weird English.

The stage was green again for “Jingle Bells”. Haha, I knew this would come up. It started out rather slow, but later was so joyful and fun. The neon tubes shone red and again, this whole Christmas atmosphere warmed the entire hall. At the chorus, everyone started clapping along. I enjoyed it very much, along with everyone else.

MC #4 started with Hikaru saying that Christmas songs always warm her heart, but continued to ask whether she can talk freely for a bit and everyone was laughing and cheering her on, as we all love when she does some conversation with us. She told us that they arrived in Osaka the day before the concert and that she went to explore Umeda and Hep 5 (see her blog post here), a huge mall with a big red ferris wheel on its roof. She rode the ferris wheel all by herself and felt quite lonely, because there were only groups or couples around her. At some time a photo is taken which you can purchase afterwards. So, when she was asked if she wants it she answered with a resolute “No, thank you! (いいえ、結構です!)”, because it was too awkward to have this kind of photo (I really laughed hard at this, because she said in such a funny way). Keiko and Wakana also laughed in the background. After all this time, even Hikari gets excited when she sees all our smiles and eyes on her.

She then introduced “Hanataba” for us. This song is about leaving things behind and the choice which things to leave behind. You need a strong determination and heart for that, and she wants this feeling to reach our hearts. The stage was illuminated in blue/pink, with flower patterns in the background. Hikaru was very emotional, while the Chorus became somewhat speedy. Keiko was amazing and better than in Zama. At the end we had a deep yellow/red/orange light and the background diamonds were illuminated with a pattern that looked a lot like those colorful windows of churches. The final kajiurago part was strong and great, on a purple stage.

“Manten” started with a deep blue stage and bright spotlights on the girls. During the stanza they were only accompanied by the piano, but it somehow drowned Hikaru out, as she suddenly became quieter. During the instrumental part Keiko turned her back to the audience and spread her arms and when her turn came, the Strings played much faster. She was very cool and made a lot of gestures the whole performance.

Again, “Hyakka Ryouran” was introduced with an deeply red illuminated stage. Keiko’s first stanza was accompanied only by the piano and she sang very soulful, while Wakana on the other hand was very loud, she almost drowned out Keiko. From an blue/green stage we got again red for the chorus with turquoise spotlights from above. Hikaru’s “atte” was longer than usual. And here came my favorite part: after the chorus ended we got a moment of silence while the whole hall became dark blue and a single spotlight focussed on Wakana. She sang her kajiurago lines very slowly and super sad, just like in Nikko and Zama. I love it. Then there was another pause of complete silence, and then BOOM again, Hikaru delivered her lines powerfully and loud, the musicians gave their best. Keiko’s next stanza was accompanied by a red/blue stage and took out all the previous speed but she herself sang very strongly. Her “yaiba” was longer than normal. It was an amazing performance, Keiko gestured a lot with her arms and ended the song on a deep red stage.

In MC #5 they told us that all the songs they had just performed are already very dramatic in the original version, particularly “Hyakka Ryouran”. Wakana was back in the middle and Keiko told us that the songs from this concert contain the word “hikari” a lot. When they travelled to Osaka with the Shinkansen, she saw a big rainbow (see here) and while taking photos of it, the light around the rainbow and the landscape were astonishing. Having these landscapes in mind she sings and while singing she is seeing the landscapes that she wants to see.

Her words were followed by “Hikari furu”. The girls were being illuminated from all sides and Wakana started out somewhat slower, but that just might have been my imagination. First only the piano played and the Strings joined him later. Keiko sang her part very quiet and Hikaru was barely audible, she struggled extremely with her “to omotta” (poor thing :/). Wakana’s “hitomi wo tozashite” was AMAZING as always, it’s my favorite part. All in all and despite Hikaru’s mistakes, I liked this performance a lot more than Zama. Keiko’s final “mabushii asa” was longer too (they somehow discovered holding the tone longer for them). Beautiful song - the girl next to me started crying XD

With Keiko in the middle again, it continued with “Hikari no senritsu”, with the first part of the first chorus in acapella. Then the song went on as usual in a white, light green stage. Kalafina had a lot of fun singing, they were smiling and moving around a bit, but the melody was so sad, such a contradiction. The instrumental had a solo from Sakurada, then a solo from the Strings, it was a nice change of focus on the instruments in an orange stage. The part that starts with “taiko no oto kara” they sang very very strongly, not as smooth as they usually do. This made the whole thing a lot more dramatic than the song actually intends to be. Hikaru’s next lines were sad and the Strings only plucked the strings of their instruments. Good performance overall!

“Into the world” started with blue illuminations. They all sang very beautifully, I liked Keiko a lot here, but this was the fifth time in a row to hear this song, so I was kinda… you know, not really impressed by it anymore. Still great performance, but nothing special happened here.

Just a bit more guys, you can do it!

In MC #6, Kalafina made a curtsey again and people clapped a while for them. Keiko emphasized the beauty of Symphony Hall and it makes her very happy that they can make us happy with their harmony, she thanked us for that. She then continued to introduce the band members. “Are we all having fun?” she asked and we were like “hell yeah”. She said that the final song would be a Christmas song. But SHE FORGOT WHICH SONG! XD I laughed so hard at this, she had to look it up somewhere or someone told her, but she apologized to Wakana and Hikaru and then to us.

So it went on with “Winter Wonderland”. The stage was blue/pink and Wakana sang very nicely (in her strange English… I only understood half of it lol). The whole arrangement of the song was very charming, in the middle part we had a bright white stage. The girls appeared to have fun and we had fun too.

After that, they fake-ended the concert and left the stage, but veeery slowly due to the dresses. Everyone kept clapping until Kalafina returned veeery slowly. Hikaru waved at the audience while Keiko and Wakana proceeded to take a bow again, but Hikaru was so distracted that she didn’t notice in time, so she just smiled. Wakana said in MC #7 that she is always surprised how time flies so fast during a concert. She thanked us for the encore and that they have been to this beautiful hall last year the last time. As most of the songs are rather slow, she wondered whether some of us fell asleep. Out of the musicians, only Sakurada and the Cello guy returned and the next song would only be accompanied by them. Even though it’s already cold winter, Kalafina wanted to send warm feelings to us, so the next song would be gentle and warm. She used the word “yasashii”, so I was getting very nervous. I expected “Yasashii Uta” and although this is pretty song, I just didn’t want to hear it again at all.

But luckily, they performed “Snow falling” and I couldn’t have been happier about it. Not only this was a song I haven’t seen live for myself yet, I really adore it. Along with “Magia” this was my favorite song from this concert. The song started with a grey/white light. Wakana was absolutely stunning during this whole performance, emotional, frail and yet warm. Hikaru didn’t cover herself with glory here, to be honest. She struggled with her parts a bit and the “ritardando” and “falling snow” were quite off-key, but don’t worry, she’s still the bestest. I loved loved loved the middle part, where they all sing alternately. Wakana killed it and it was just perfect, despite Hikaru’s small mistakes. It was a great final song.

But NO, it wasn’t the final song yet! The other Strings came back and Hikaru took over again to talk freely in MC #8. Sales corner time! She introduced the new Christmas Live exclusive goods and began with the stola. Men might not know what a stola is, it’s a bigger, warm scarf basically, that comes in navy blue. In silver there is “Kalafina” embroidered on the bottom side and the tour logo in the upper middle in black, although it is not that visible on the first look. So how is this supposed to be worn? In order to see the logo you can do like this (she demonstrated it on herself, so I can’t really describe what she did), or you can do it like that so you can’t see the letters and logo. You can give it to someone as a present, as Christmas is almost there, so please check it out, she said, while Wakana and Keiko had their own little conversation in the background, but they were laughing and talking about Hikaru’s hilarious way of folding the stola. Hikaru then explained some stuff about the collaboration with Sony Walkman. She said something like it would come out in January, but I’m not sure whether this referred to the release of the products or to more information on it. But more information will follow soon, she said further. Wakana herself apparently uses a (Sony?) Walkman and that they actually had some sort of saying in the design of the products (not sure about this either).

This time we finally (or sadly) reached the final song and this would be of course another Christmas song, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas”. The stage was illuminated in purple and the neon tubes shone white. Hikaru sounded a lot different than her usual voice, but she sang with a lot of power. Maybe it was due to the English lyrics, but I liked it a lot, I love to see new sides of her. I also heard this song for the first time there, but I enjoyed it and the girls also had fun on stage again.

After the song ended, many people stood up and clapped. Kalafina quickly introduced the band again and joined hands to take a bow. For that they went to the edge of the stage, but suddenly burst out into laughter, because they were so close to the first row. Like really close xD I think Keiko’s dress even reached the faces of the poor/lucky dudes. The musicians left and Kalafina’s version of “Morobito kozorite” started to play, a song Wakana seems to like a lot as she said that she wanted to sing this, giving the impression that they would perform this song right now. It got everyone’s hopes high for a second, but she immediately realized the misunderstanding, causing Keiko to kneel down and laugh, because she totally did not want to sing another song anymore. Wakana said that this song always gave her special winter feelings and thanked us for coming. Then “Jingle Bells” was played and Hikaru thanked us for coming so numerously, despite the concert being on a weekday. She also talked in Osaka dialect for a bit, very funny xD Keiko thanked us too and said that she was excited about this start of their Christmas Lives and even though it was too early, she wished us all a merry christmas. So they left the stage for good, but again veeery slowly, ending the concert.

Here are my final thoughts:

It was a wonderful wonderful concert. Although almost all of the songs did not really surprise me, which I still kinda regret, I enjoyed listening to those songs very much. It was in many terms different and even better than Zama, the amazing dresses, a slightly changed way of singing, different illuminations and the prettier hall made it all a special experience. I am really not the type of person who gets into Christmas mood and it’s not really a special time to me (and since I can’t celebrate it with my family this year, it’s even less special) but damn, Kalafina’s great performances, their own outstanding versions of Christmas song classics and the fun they had on stage, these things really made me feel it a bit xD

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of this very long report (this became much longer than I intended to be, I’m sorry v_v). Thank you so much for reading!

Unless Kalafina throws in some special premium stuff into January or February, then is my final concert report (I sure won’t be sitting in Budokan with my notebook when half of us are coming there anyway xD). In just half a year, I wrote 6 of them! When I entered this sweet community and realized that I was one of the very few that are able to attend these wonderful concerts, I wanted to share this experience with you, talk about it with you, as you are the only persons around me that are as obsessed with Kalafina as much as I am and the only persons that would really appreciate and understand this. No one asked me to do this, so I hope that you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. I want to apologize for any grammar/vocabulary mistakes and sometimes insufficient way of describing things (I feel like I used the same 5 adjectives over and over again). These reports are quite biased and one-sided, I focussed on details you guys might not have minded and vice-versa.

Having said that, thank you very much again for keeping up reading! I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, safe new year with countless new Kalafina stuff (*fingers crossed for a new album*)!

Here is for you the limited bookmark of the concert: a Christmas rose :)

[bthenoise]

Q&A: Gavin Rossdale Opens Up On Bush’s New Album, 2020 Hard Rock, Post Malone & More

What is there to say about hard rock heroes Bush that hasn’t already been said? For nearly 30 years now, the English rock act -- lead by outgoing frontman Gavin Rossdale -- has been a constant staple in the rock n roll hierarchy. 

Producing hits after hits like “Glycerine,” “Machinehead,” “The Chemicals Between Us,” “The Sound Of Winter” and so much more, Rossdale and Co. really don’t have much left to prove at this point. 

Nevertheless, gearing up to release their eighth studio album The Kingdom on July 17th, the beloved band is still striving to share their best material yet.

“I think it just comes down to a real love of what we do,” explains Rossdale. “I mean, it sounds glib but it's that simple. You put in the effort that you want.”

Rossdale adds, “It seems weird just because I've been around for so long that we should take the foot off the gas. [If you've] been around for long, you should keep your foot on the gas to make sure you justify staying around and you're not just like some kind of nostalgia machine.”

To read more of our in-depth interview with Rossadale covering everything from Post Malone to Tom Waits, be sure to see below. Afterward, make sure to pre-order The Kingdom here. 

At this point, we feel like talking about quarantine is almost like talking about the weather but we'd be remiss not to ask how you've been keeping busy lately.

GAVIN ROSSDALE: [Laughs] Yeah, I'm always busy but don't really know how. I'm just puttering around doing my thing and just tending to various things in my house. To me, it's like doing the same thing as everyone else, like, everything and nothing [at the same time].

Did you check out Post Malone's Nirvana tribute?

Yes! Yeah, that was great.

It's crazy how good it sounded. They really pulled it off.

It was fantastic. It's a really, really good band, really good players and great songs and they did a wonderful job.

Speaking of Post Malone, do you pay much attention to what's going on with Top 40 radio and pop music?

I mean, I happen to like Post Malone. I went to go see him. Thought it was a really great show. I remember when “White Iverson” first came out I was like “What is this?” and I remember saying to all my friends like, “With someone this brilliant, where's the rest of it? I don't understand. You're that good, where's the rest of it?” And then suddenly, it was all about The Weeknd. He was doing massive and [Post Malone] had “White Iverson” as sort of like the loan track out there. And then boom, [Post Malone] just came in and frickin’ took over. He's phenomenal, you know, because he covers so many bases and it's just interesting, intriguing and irreverent and that's just wonderful.

Do you think Post Malone is pretty much the prototype rock star for the music scene nowadays?

He totally is. I mean, absolutely. And deservedly so. He's a complicated character [but] you know, everyone loves a bit of Posty [laughs].

With rock music having such an up and down place in popular music lately, we're curious where you feel it fits in the musical landscape next to artists like Post Malone.

Um, you know, it's so weird because on one hand it's like this art form that no one knows about that's dead in the water and nothing's happening. And then [on the other hand] you can go play to three or four hundred thousand people in the summer. So it's weird. It's definitely not part of [pop] culture or the zeitgeist of the day the way Post Malone is. But having said that, you get someone like Fall Out Boy going on a stadium tour with Green Day. So it's weird, I can't really work it out. Some things are done with high visibility for everyone to know about and some things are more counterculture and rock is just like super counterculture, I guess, for a lot of people.

Is that frustrating for someone like you who has new music coming out and obviously wants Bush to be in the forefront and grab people’s attention? 

I mean, when I first began doing this -- especially in England -- rock music was complete counterculture. Like, very, very small and there were just a chosen few that were into it despite the large numbers at Glastonbury and Reading or wherever. But it just felt like [Rock] wasn't at every kind of hair dresser or pharmacy and supermarket. You know, what I mean? It wasn't like the soundtrack to everyday life and things have gone back to that really, that's all. I mean, to me, I still love all the great rock bands. You know, I saw Post Malone and thought he had a great show but I still don't know if I wouldn't rather go see Slipknot or System Of A Down.

How closely do you pay attention to emerging bands in the hard rock scene? Do you still have your finger on the pulse when it comes to that?

I mean, you know, to an extent. I mean, in the sense that I don't claim to know everything that's going on by any stretch. I never did and never will. But yeah, when things are happening and bands are emerging of course I hear about them and get to check them out and it's exciting to me. You know, I've always been of the mindset that there's room for everyone to be great. You know, the battle is with yourself because everybody wants more than one song to fall in love with. So someone else's great song is not a barrier or anything competitive to me. Because it's like, my job is just to make music that people want to listen to. So I want people to listen to “Flowers On A Grave” and listen to something else that turns them on.

That's a good transition into Bush's new record, The Kingdom. Being in a new era of hard rock music, was there any part of you that wanted to experiment a little? Or did you just want to keep the same Bush mindset?

Well the mindset is always to be as interesting or as good as possible, irrespective of the zeitgeist, you just want to be good. We've been doing some shows and the band has been getting better and better playing together so the record feels divine and large and wide. It's got a magical energy to it and I think it's a really interesting time because The Kingdom is based on this idea of a place where like-minded people could gather and it was sort of an anti-judgment, anti self-righteous, safe place for creative people. You know, we all love Charles Bukowski, so everyone loves Bukowski and that's The Kingdom -- that's kind of the mindset. So it's weird because I really thought about the differences of the people that I can't stand, that self-righteous judgment, and I've had a few people around me that really made me think like that. Then we went into this quarantine where we're supposed to come out and be sort of emotionally cleansed and replenished and intellectually replenished and sort of culturally enriched and when we come back we're going to be the best part of ourselves and boom, that's The Kingdom.

It's interesting how it ties in so well with everything going on right now considering you started writing this well before quarantine was even an idea. What initially sparked those concepts?

I'm just dealing with two separate individuals in my life where I just had enough of this self-righteous judgment I was experiencing from these two separate individuals. And so, in spite of their terribleness as people, they inspired me to think of how can I have a world where neither of these two people exist.

Looking back on 1999 when you guys put out "The Chemicals Between Us," that was sort of an experimental track for you guys that featured electronic elements very fitting of that time period. Was there any desire to do something like that on this record?

The experimental thing for me was to find a way to have warm aggressive riffs and putting melodies on them [or] finding melodies in a secret garden within heavy riffs. That's what it was about. Those are the strength in the defiance that I think is the central core to it. You know, you still have vulnerability in there. It's really wonderful to do it with concepts rather than programming. I mean, because it's just nothing -- it's not experimental in the sense that it's been experimented with before. You're just sort of using different tools. And just for me, I thought that writing the record basically on baritone guitars was an interesting approach.

In 2020, it's almost more experimental to just release a record with nothing but actual instruments and doing a real rock record.

Yeah it's funny, you know, you want to get into all that stuff then you spend a year recording and the right songs rise to the top and you just incorporate those on the record. So you're kind of down in the trenches more than having an overview [of what’s going on around you]. So only now, I realize “wow the record is powerful and wide” as opposed to being experimental -- I mean experimental in this sort of, you know, like Glenn Branca or Sun Ra Arkestra or, you know, experimental like Brian Eno. Those are the things that are probably like, you know, when I have a finite number of records left to make, it just feels like this is the right one to make right now. The irony is that, of course, there’s no touring for now and not for probably a year I imagine. So it's ironic and I hope that by the time we get to play the record that's it not a record that's been forgotten, it’s a record that's found its way deeper into people's playlists.

Talking about touring, there are talks of doing reduced capacity shows to keep with social distancing. Would you be interested in doing some sort of intimate show where everyone keeps their space but it's in a small, closed venue?

I'm not sure if “interested” is the right word. If it's small, would I do that because that's the best way to do something? Of course, you know, I'd do whatever is required and whatever keeps people safe. But I mean ultimately, my goal is to be back in the audience. For me specifically -- because as a performer I love to go in the crowd and I love the interaction of breaking the wall of the stage [and being in] the audience -- so for me, that's really like, “Wow, now I'm not meant to do that anymore?” I guess not for now.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gavin Rossdale (@gavinrossdale) on May 15, 2020 at 7:22am PDT

Hopefully we'll have some sort of end in sight and everything can go back to normal here pretty soon. But for now, looking at Bush's career: As you approach almost 30 years as a band, what are some of the things that still motivate you to put out some of the best music of your career? 

I think it just comes down to a real love of what we do. I mean, it sounds glib, but it's that simple. You put in the effort that you want, you know. I can't imagine writing a song that I don't try and make it a great song. I can't imagine writing an album that doesn't have a point. You know, for me, we could write 10 mid-tempo, nonsense or indiscriminate songs and that could be it. But, I don't know, quality is just everything. I mean, Tom Waits said the way you do anything is the way you do everything. So that's essentially how I feel about life. And that includes my career and it's my career. So it seems weird just because I've been around for so long that we should take the foot off the gas. [If you've] been around for long, you should keep your foot on the gas to make sure you justify staying around and you're not just like some kind of nostalgia machine. It's really essential for me to be able to have records now that stand on their own two speakers versus “Oh yeah, don't worry, that was a new one but we're going to play Razorblade Suitcase now.” So it'd be nonsense, you can't think like that. And I think that music is so beautiful, you’re always just trying to find ways to get better. I look at my favorite bands and I realize that the ceiling, for writing and stuff like that, I haven't even touched the scale of what's to be done musically.

[patternsintraffic]

My Favorite Albums of the Decade

I generally don’t like to stray from the topic of my music on this site, but I’m making an exception today. With the decade coming to a close I’ve seen a lot of folks sharing their personal top albums of the decade lists, and I thought it would be a fun exercise to try out myself. I ended up creating a top 20 list and turned it into somewhat of a long-form writing project, writing a few sentences about each album and my connection with it. Rather than throw it into the void of social media, I’d rather keep it here where I can better organize and present my thoughts. So if you ever wondered what kind of music inspires me or informs my musical output, give this a read!

I love writing about and sharing music in general, so this project was a lot of fun for me. I hope you find something to love in here, or just enjoy reading a little bit about someone else’s musical journey with some albums you may or may not be familiar with. As the title says, this is a list of my personal favorite albums of the past ten years. I would never attempt to present the most popular, or influential, or even best, albums in a list like this. I wouldn’t have much interest in that endeavor, and the albums on this list are almost certainly none of the above. These are simply the albums that I found the most enjoyment in, and that meant the most to me personally, in the 2010s. Without further ado:

01. Civil Twilight - Holy Weather (2012)

I would be hard-pressed to come up with an album that better encapsulates the kind of music that I was drawn to in this decade. The tracks on Holy Weather are dynamic, emotive, and draw a perfect balance between accessible and experimental. I was so enamored with this album upon release that I felt a genuine sense of pride watching the band command a large room while opening for Mutemath during 2012's Odd Soul tour. These songs deserved to be heard in arenas.

02. Lights - Skin & Earth (2017)

This one missed the top spot by the thinnest of margins. If I want to have fun listening to music, I know I can throw on Skin & Earth at any time and have an absolute blast. Nothing else I heard this decade made me want to move as much as this album does. Wall-to-wall standout tracks on here that range from delicate to acutely powerful. There are moments on this album that carry the kind of electricity that I’ve rarely felt from music since I was first forging a connection with it as a teen. Just the perfect pop album for my tastes.

03. Bear’s Den - So That You Might Hear Me (2019)

I really enjoyed Bear's Den's 2016 sophomore album Red Earth & Pouring Rain, and was disappointed in my initial listens of this year's follow-up. Further listens have revealed an album that has grown on me as much as any in my lifetime. The depth of beauty and poignant songwriting in these 10 tracks, some of which are anthemic rock tunes and some of which are acoustic confessionals, is astonishing. Of all the artists on this list, this is probably the one that has me most excited to hear what they do next.

04. Butch Walker - Afraid of Ghosts (2015)

Butch is my favorite songwriter of all time, and I could have just as easily put 2011's The Spade or 2016's Stay Gold in this spot. While those albums are primarily fun and lighthearted, I gave the edge to Afraid of Ghosts, which is built on melancholy atmosphere and heavy-hearted lyrics inspired by the death of Butch's father. The songwriting is beautiful and dripping with longing, even when it comes in the form of dirty, lusty rock tune and album standout "Bed On Fire."

05. Wild Party - Phantom Pop (2014)

If Skin & Earth is the perfect pure pop album for my tastes, Phantom Pop is the perfect pop-rock album. These songs are breezy, fun, infectious, and charmingly quirky. It's a shame that this album never found an audience in the indie rock scene, as I could have easily seen these guys taking the torch from a band like Motion City Soundtrack. Instead they went radio silent shortly after this album's release until resurfacing this year with a couple of singles.

06. Marianas Trench - Ever After (2011)

If it's not already evident at this point, I love a great pop song. It doesn't get much poppier than these tracks, which go right up to the line of being too sugary without quite going over. Josh Ramsay's soaring vocals carry this fantasy-inspired concept album that stacks hooks upon hooks upon hooks. I was making frequent four-hour drives at the time of Ever After's release, and it was usually the soundtrack, as it would reliably keep me upbeat and awake. The constant exposure ensured that these songs would be branded in my mind forever.

07. Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods (2012)

Silversun Pickups have become one of my favorite bands over the past decade, as they continue to pump out consistently great albums without, in my opinion, a misstep in their career to date. If 2009's Swoon had been released a year later, it would be here (or likely even higher), but Neck of the Woods somehow lives up to its predecessor's impossibly high bar. The driving bassline in "Dots and Dashes (Enough Already)" is a piece of music that I think about with impressive frequency even when I haven't heard the album in months.

08. Graham Colton - Pacific Coast Eyes (2011)

There was a period around the turn of the decade when Graham Colton was the 1B to Butch Walker's 1A on my list of favorite songwriters. He doesn't have the same sonic range as Butch, but there's something warm and welcoming about his southern singer-songwriter output that feels like home. Listening to Colton's records and watching him play live around this time was deeply inspirational to me. What he was doing was simple, sincere, and relatable in a way that made my dream of pursuing my own music seem attainable. Pacific Coast Eyes was also the first album that I crowdfunded, and I remember waiting with baited breath in the months before the album’s release for updates and insider info about the creative process of one of my favorite artists.

09. The Wombats - Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life (2018)

This is another charming, quirky, magnetic pop-rock album that is helplessly catchy. Besides the infectious single "Turn," Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life gives us "White Lies," "Out of My Head," and "Ice Cream," which are all just undeniable. The other tracks more than hold their own. These are the huge choruses I live for.

10. Thursday - No Devolución (2011)

The first time I heard this album was on one of those aforementioned four-hour drives, and it almost put me to sleep at the wheel. This wasn't the Thursday I'd fallen in love with on War All the Time and A City by the Light Divided. The vocals were buried in the mix and the songs just weren't connecting. But I returned to it after a few months and found a beautiful and layered piece of work that I never expected from this band. Nowadays it's hard not to call this my favorite Thursday album, despite how much some of their earlier work affected me during my formative years.

11. Paper Route - The Peace of Wild Things (2012)

Paper Route crafts a brand of experimental indie rock that doesn't sound quite like any other band I've heard. A lot of that individuality stems from frontman JT Daly's unique vocal performances, which drift effortlessly from falsetto to a more speak-singing delivery. This album is full of intricate drumming, electronic flourishes, and of course, big hooks. Their 2016 album Real Emotion is just as good. I could have flipped a coin to decide which one to put on this list.

12. The Maine - American Candy (2015)

I wouldn't argue with anyone who said that this band continued to improve with their subsequent records Lovely Little Lonely (2017) and You Are OK (2019), but this is the album that I personally enjoy listening to the most. This was the moment that I realized that The Maine had graduated from their neon-scene beginnings and become a band that I could really get invested in. I love the classic, breezy pop sound of this album and how it doesn't always take itself so seriously (see "My Hair," "English Girls," and "Diet Soda Society"). Another album that always feels good when I hit play.

13. Acceptance - Colliding by Design (2017)

Acceptance somehow returned 12 years after their debut album with a near-perfect version of what their band could sound like in 2017. They carried over the tunefulness and great songwriting from Phantoms and threw in some maturity and a few synths. The end result is an album full of impressive moments that is even better than I remember every time I put it on.

14. Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness - Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness (2015)

Andrew McMahon is one of my favorite songwriters, full stop. However, the final Jack's Mannequin album People and Things and his first solo endeavor, The Pop Underground EP, didn't excite me as much as his previous music had. Just when I was ready to accept that his newer output may never connect with me quite like his early records with Jack’s and Something Corporate, he dropped this first album under the Wilderness moniker and pulled me back in in a big way. Tracks like "Canyon Moon," "High Dive," and "Maps for the Getaway" retained the earnestness of his early songwriting while glossing it up with a new pop sheen. I guess I'll never grow out of McMahon's music.

15. The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It (2016)

The 1975 have become a buzz band during this decade, and for my money this is their strongest collection of songs to date. They took a big swing here, with 17 tracks clocking in at 74 minutes. It is remarkable that this album takes a spot on my list even though I don't care much for some of the more extended cuts, which are primarily the experimental and instrumental offerings. It speaks to the strength of the rest of the songs, which include "A Change of Heart" and "Somebody Else," two of the most simultaneously heart-wrenching and danceable songs I've ever had the pleasure of hearing.

16. Blindside - With Shivering Hearts We Wait (2011)

For most of the first decade of the 2000s, Blindside were my undisputed, all-caps FAVORITE BAND. I channeled all of my awkward, pubescent, high school teen angst into their 2002 album Silence, and it was such a close companion during those formative years that it might never be replaced as the most important album of my life. By 2011, my taste in music had become considerably less aggressive, and songwriters like Butch Walker and Graham Colton were assuming Blindside's former mantle. But the band returned for one last gasp, six years after the release of their previous full-length. With Shivering Hearts We Wait was easily Blindside's best output since 2004's About a Burning Fire, mixing some more experimental elements in with their brand of radio-ready (if the radio were to ever play rock music again) post-hardcore.

17. Small Talks - A Conversation Between Us (2019)

Myrtle Beach, SC native Cayley Spivey hit me out of nowhere with this album in 2019. I had never heard of Small Talks prior to this year, and decided to check out this album on a whim. What I got was a collection of pop and rock songs that are diverse, infectious, and, true to the album title, feature lyrics that sound like they were plucked from intimate conversations with a trusted friend. I saw the band perform this album in full in front of an audience of about 20 people this year. I won't be the least bit surprised to see them selling out exponentially larger venues in the near future.

18. Hellogoodbye - Would It Kill You? (2010)

I enjoyed a handful of early Hellogoodbye songs. "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn," "Call N' Return," and "Here (In Your Arms)" are catchy as hell, but the band's output as a whole was uneven. Since they had a number of tracks I would classify as joke songs, I wasn't inclined to take them entirely seriously. That all changed with the release of Would It Kill You?, which ditched the bombastic electronic noises for more natural instrumentation and featured songs about relationships and self-examination as we age into adulthood. I was a year out of college and beginning my career when this album was released, and it was the perfect pop album for the coming-of-age moment I was living.

19. Steve Moakler - Wide Open (2014)

I had never heard of Steve Moakler when I saw him open for Graham Colton in 2011. Despite his youthful appearance, I was blown away by his songwriting and stage presence, and left the show with his first two full-length albums on CD (truly a sign of the times). His 2011 album Watching Time Run captivated me with its charming approach to pop singer-songwriter fare, but the 2014 follow-up Wide Open was where Moakler really found his voice. It retained some of the pop elements of his earlier output, while the overall sound and production started leaning into country territory. His albums after this one fully embraced the country sound and put him on the map as an up-and-coming star, but Wide Open still stands above the rest to me as the perfect blend of Moakler's former and current musical styles.

20. Arctic Monkeys - AM (2013)

Arctic Monkeys aren't a band that I would have ever expected to end up on this list. Their debut album, critical darling Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, doesn't really mean anything to me. I casually followed their career and kept up with their singles, but was never tempted to dive into their full albums until 2011's Suck It and See. I enjoyed that album a fair amount, but I was truly infatuated with AM in 2013. That was a tumultuous year in my life when I was enduring a lot of change and being pushed far out of my comfort zone. This is a straightforward rock record that is brash, groovy, sexy, and exactly what I needed at that time. I latched on tightly, and am still glad to rock out to AM at any opportunity.

There you have it, folks! My decade in 20 albums. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I wish everyone a relaxing holiday season and a happy New Year. My resolution is to release the next PiT full-length album in 2020! It won’t be easy, but I did treat myself to some new recording equipment this Christmas and I’m eager to get to work. When there’s news, you’ll see it here. Wish me luck!

[markolsonsongs]

BIO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARK OLSON & INGUNN RINGVOLD INVITE LISTENERS TO JOIN THEM FOR A FASCINATING MUSICAL JOURNEY ON

MAGDALEN ACCEPTS THE INVITATION

OUT JUNE 5 ON FIESTA RED RECORDS

The husband-and-wife duo’s third collaboration mines a “Death Valley isolation chamber folk/pop sound” that is awash with darkness and light

March 12, 2020 —A roller coaster in a long-closed Lake Minnetonka amusement park, walks through historic orthodox churches, a fossil-collecting canoe trip along the Niobrara River, and an isolated pizza place in South Africa. Old memories swirling in the warm Joshua Tree breezes provided Jayhawks founder Mark Olson and his wife, Norwegian singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ingunn Ringvold, with the inspiration for the set of intriguing, imagistic songs that lovingly fill their latest outing, Magdalen Accepts the Invitation, coming June 5 from Fiesta Red Records.

The album’s ten tracks draw upon the couple’s recent adventures together and their earlier adventures apart as well as tapping into, and stretching out, their own individual musical influences. While continuing along the Americana-cobbled roads they took on their first two albums, Olson and Ringvold explore lesser traveled musical territories on this release. Without exactly knowing where they were going, the two were emboldened by each other’s company and unafraid to push forward. As Olson describes it:

The recording sessions occurred during the heat of summer at Thermometer Shelter Studios, located not too far from Death Valley National Park. Olson admits that the experience was not so nice all the time. “You really begin to miss family and friends, community with one another, and college bookstores. The music begins to ask you something at this point: Am I strong? Can I do this all alone? Where am I going?”

“We wanted to go another way. We felt like we were being called to be a husband-and-wife songwriting team driving together at night, holding hands in the dark. Finding new ways of floating above the Armenian mountain streams of our memories when we played music. A language we only understood when nature spoke to us. We decidedly put melody first in a modal sense of the distance between notes and harmony … The writing, melodies, lyrics — then the recording and the takes — are very focused and clean. In the past I would get a start and go for the finish line as fast as possible. This time I doubled and tripled back including on the artwork to make sure everything was absolutely right.”

The Armenian Qanon, the Mellotron, the dulcimer, and djembe drums are among the world of instruments that the multi-talented Ringvold contributed to Magdalen’s sound. The variety of arrangements on the album act, she explains, “like a different color in an impressionistic painting.” Ringvold also is thrilled about being able to weave elements of her family’s musical heritage into her own songs and the interesting ways that her work blended in with Olson’s original material.

All of Magdalen’s original track recordings were done on a Nagra field recorder, which further enhanced the album’s unvarnished sonic textures. Additionally, Olson and Ringvold were perfectly in sync when it came to the recording process. He did all the analog engineering while she did the digital. Handling the mixing and mastering, as he had on Spokeswoman of the Bright Sun, was the award-winning producer John Schreiner, and Olson sings high praise for the warmth and spaciousness that Schreiner delivers in his work.

Olson’s track-by-track notes: Pipestone I Won’t Be Back – Pipestone Minnesota is a town made of Sioux Quartzite buildings from the Catlinite Pipestone quarry location nearby. We visited the Pipestone National Monument on our way home from a tour one year, and continued on a two-lane highway along the Niobrara River through north Nebraska where we canoed and collected fossils. Then You’ll Find the Morning – I wrote this on the porch we have in Joshua Tree that faces directly east. Starting in June the evenings here are super warm and livable because of the shadow. I like to play guitar out here. I keep reading about bee problems and imagined that bee poison reaching a person’s well water is pretty much the end. Excelsior Park – The old amusement park on Lake Minnetonka. It represents danger in some ways because of the scary high rollercoaster and the house of mirrors. My Dad was from a farm and this was not a place he was ever going to take us. If we wanted to go on rides it would be after a daylong excursion to the animal barns at the State Fair. Christina Hi! – We wrote this song in the summer after going to the art classes and specifically working on writing a Qanon song. I was thinking about how easy it is to get involved with the wrong friends that are into derelict ideas and how that can affect a person’s life. April in Your Cloud Garden – I think overwhelming stuff can put a person in a cloud garden, where you escape the reality and start to live in your imagination, and watering and tending a place that seems better. This is important and it can work, but then someday you have to come down from the cloud I guess. 31 Patience Games – I wrote this in South Africa where Ingunn and I were married. We were there two separate times for six months total. We ended up in the mountains in the only hop-growing region of the country. It was foggy with lots of wild animals and streams and amazing people. It was really nice and sometimes we went to the beach. I saw the biggest crane in Africa flying over our cabin way up high in the air. So many memories. If there is a time of a person’s life that is the best — this was it for me. Black Locust – I mail-ordered for a package of Black Locust tree seeds and planted them in the desert yard. Some of the trees have grown tall and they have nice white flowers. You need to place yourself in a place where your soul can grow and not be limited by gossip mongers and barbarian event manipulators. Starting your life over by planting trees by seed, with many of nature’s and technology’s ways against you and your babe, is where this song is coming from. Elmira’s Fountain – Here is a song Ingunn and I started in Vanadzor, Armenia about a real fountain where we would meet our host, Elmira. She would take us to Orthodox churches and cool parks. This song made the album because of the positive hopeful energy I feel about the lyrics and also the idea of drinking out of wild rivers. We would stop and drink from springs in the mountains, but drinking from rivers would require another step on our part. We swam in Lake Sevon, which is very deep, cold and somewhat dangerous, but sinking in the sand by the water’s edge worked for us. Silent Mary –This song started after listening to the classical music that made its way into early horror movies. I found some soundtracks where I pretty much scared myself into not watching the movies. I like the drama and lighting atmosphere though, so that worked well for the outline of my writing start. Children of the Street Car – We would stop at the most old-fashioned, well-stocked small town utility store on earth in Lucerne Valley, and wander around the aisles to escape the heat. I started working on many of these lyrical lines in that store like the “fog minus time,” which I meant to mean current day San Francisco minus time equals the heyday of experimental folk rock — which in a way, along with Death Valley isolation chamber folk/pop, is a good way to describe our musical stating points.

Mark Olson was born and raised in Minnesota by a family of mostly farmers and schoolteachers. Predominately a self-taught musician, Olson is well known for his use of alternate tunings and two-part unison singing that then breaks into harmony. He founded the Jayhawks in 1985 in Minneapolis. Olson was a principal songwriter, singer and guitarist for the band’s self-titled debut album, as well as later releases Blue Earth, Hollywood Town Hall, Tomorrow the Green Grass, and Mockingbird Time. Upon leaving the Jayhawks, he formed the Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers in 1997. That band, later called the Creekdippers, made seven albums.  

Ingunn Ringvold comes from Larvik, Norway (also the home of Thor Heyerdahl, the famed explorer and Kon Tiki author). Blessed with a naturally beautiful voice, she began singing in public at a very young age. Ringvold hears music in her heart and writes emotionally moving string arrangements. She studied the Armenian Qanon with Arax, a master musician in Vanadzor, Armenia, where she learned how to harness great strength in her performance style. She has released four solo albums in addition to her collaborations with Olson.

Olson and Ringvold live now in the California desert, and they tour off and on internationally almost every year.

FIESTA RED RECORDS

fiestaredrecords.com

[trendingnewsb]

Michelle Obama’s portrait doesn’t look just like her. It doesn’t have to.

Washington (CNN)The Obamas were back in Washington on Monday for the unveiling of their official portraits that will hang in the National Portrait Gallery. While Barack Obama’s portrait — the former president seated in a chair surrounded by flowers and leaves– was intriguing, it was the depiction of former first lady Michelle Obama that stole the show — primarily because some corners of the Internet (including me) didn’t think the portrait looked much like Mrs. Obama.

Cillizza: Tell me about the artist who created the Michelle Obama portrait. How was she chosen? What else do we know of her work?

Kennicott: Amy Sherald is a Baltimore-based artist who won the 2016 Outwin Boochever award, a national portraiture competition administered by the National Portrait Gallery. She was among a short list of possible artists submitted to the Obamas for their selection.

Her work focuses on African-American subjects, often painted against brilliantly colored backgrounds, and sometimes holding an object (an oversized coffee cup, or a bunch of balloons) that gives the image a sense of the surreal. She focuses on the dignity and inner life of the people she paints, and then gives her paintings evocative and sometimes cryptic titles, for example, a painting of a young man wearing an American flag shirt is called, “What’s precious inside of him does not care to be known by the mind in ways that diminish its presence (All American).” Since winning the portrait competition, her career has been on a rapid trajectory, with museums adding her work to their collections and collectors eager to commission new pieces.

Cillizza: My first reaction to the portrait was that it didn’t look like Michelle Obama. Do you share that view?

Kennicott: I think it does look like Mrs. Obama, though the rendering is not quite as photographically precise as Kehinde Wiley’s painting of the former President.

Sherald does a couple of things that may lessen the sense of verisimilitude. First, she paints skin tones in a gray scale more reminiscent of black-and-white photography than the colors that would strike us as “real” in a color photograph today. The idea is to underscore the fact that during the 19th century, African Americans were rarely the subject of formal portraits. To retain a likeness, they had to be photographed, which was cheaper and more accessible. So Michelle Obama’s face stares at us today as if looking out of an album of old family photographs. Sherald also painted the first lady sitting, and much of our impression of Mrs. Obama has to do with her stature and impeccable posture. Here we see her in a private moment, self-contained, and in some ways retreating into the expanse of the dress that she is wearing.

Cillizza: How important is it for a portrait to look like the person being portrayed? Is it fundamental or irrelevant?

Kennicott: This all depends on the purpose of the portrait. A formal portrait for the America’s Presidents exhibition is expected to be a compelling likeness, though there is still considerable freedom for experimentation. To represent John F. Kennedy, for example, the National Portrait Gallery uses an image by Elaine de Kooning which gives the strong sense of being provisional and improvisatory, with the paint seemingly smeared quickly and thinly on the canvas.

Formal portraits, however, are a small subset of portraiture, which is wide open for experimentation. An earlier winner of the same contest that Sherald won in 2016 made his portraits by digitally scanning his subjects as they lay on a table. These video portraits move slowly up the length of the body, only revealing the face at the end. Portraits can also be entirely conceptual, but the process whereby the National Portrait Gallery commissions presidential portraits is structured to prevent anything too radical emerging from the artist.

Cillizza: How much of a social statement is made by the Michelle Obama portrait? And, what is it?

Kennicott: It’s a powerful and important social statement. Mrs. Obama is the first African-American first lady, and the simple fact of her portrait hanging with those of other first ladies is a cultural and emotional milestone.

That she chose Sherald as an artist is also significant. Sherald has a significant career, but has only in her 40s emerged on the national stage. Established artists don’t need commissions; Mrs. Obama’s selection of Sherald, however, will have a major impact on her career right when she needs it.

And Sherald doesn’t make the kind of portraits you see hanging in boardrooms or above the fireplace mantle in the homes of the 1%. She focuses on African-Americans and renders them with great psychological intimacy. The colors she uses don’t have that warm, burnished glow you expect from classic portraiture, and the immediacy of her renderings isn’t filtered through the careful staging of power. Her subjects, including the first lady, are exposed, and open, and that in itself is fairly radical within the narrow limits of presidential portraiture.

Cillizza: Finish this sentence: “The reaction in the art world to the Michelle Obama portrait will be/is _____________.” Now, explain.

“Mixed.”

The art world never agrees on much of anything and there will be significant debate about this image. Portraiture is considered to be a bit of an old-fashioned backwater in the larger art world, so there will be people who sniff at the whole idea of making a traditional likeness of an important woman. Realistic renderings are also seen as a bit retardataire in some corners, so Sherald’s painting may be deemed out of step with contemporary art fixations.

But I think there will be considerable acclaim for this work, too, because Sherald managed to stay true to her own stylistic inclinations while producing a serviceable formal image. And my guess is that Mrs. Obama is a beloved figure throughout much of the art world, and Sherald’s painting will benefit from that sentiment. Sherald is a charismatic figure, and I expect that are many people who will be happy to discover her work.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2018/02/12/politics/michelle-obama-portrait/index.html

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2nVL4Wl via Viral News HQ