#'rock and roll' has absolutely NOTHING on the lyrics in the show version

[sureuncertainty]

i’ve been desensitized to it bc i’ve listened to it on repeat, but it’s really hitting me how some of the lines in Regret Me are so fucking DEVASTATING. like i’m sorry but just opening with “you regret and i regret you except I don’t care what you feel and I totally already do” LIKE DAMN OKAY

also the line “you couldn’t handle your liquor and you can’t seem to handle the truth” went so fucking hard

[manofbeskar]

mild spoilers below for the last few chapters of 'bang the doldrums' under the cut (in case anyone here wants to read it but hasn't lol) just talking about scenes/ideas i had but didn't end up using, and extra details that didn't get included in the story

i didn't end up having time (or opportunity) to put this in 'bang the doldrums' but i had an idea for the story that at one point shanks would get a sore throat (from sucking a certain someone off 💀 ) but can't sing during a concert, so mihawk has to take over singing for a night. he ends up changing "i" to "you" (and vice versa) for some songs — essentially indirectly letting shanks know he has always known the songs are about him. one example is him singing 'hum hallelujah' as "you could write it better than i ever felt it (...) just off the key of reason you thought you loved me, it was just how i looked in the light"

didn't end up having time to put this in—mainly with how the last few chapters were paced and what i needed to get done during those, and where shanks and mihawk are emotionally, it just wasn't feasible to put this scene in... but i thought i could share the idea with you guys anyway.

another idea i had but couldn't use was one piece meeting the members of corazon at the award show—because shanks and mihawk confess their love to each other then, there just wasn't time to put it in. i felt it would ruin the pacing especially since it would have contributed absolutely nothing to the plot by that point and i try to make sure everything plays a part in a story

i ultimately didn't get to one piece's third album. the tracklist would have been as follows:

the (after) life of the party

g.i.n.a.s.f.s.

the kids aren't alright

fake out

favorite record

7 minutes in heaven (atavan heaven)

miss missing you

pavlove

hold me like a grudge

flu game

jet pack blues — would have been written by mihawk

save rock and roll (ft. roger)

i've got a dark alley and a bad idea

most of these managed to appear anyway as loose lyrics, works in progress or unreleased songs. the story just didn't go long enough to fully use the album... and some of the songs probably would be swapped out for others

another idea that didn't get to see the light of day was shanks would've made mihawk record his own version of iconic songs like 'hum hallelujah'. just couldn't find the right place to put this in

another abandoned idea for the last chapter was that mihawk would have written 'the (shipped) gold standard' to tell shanks that one line "i want to scream 'i love you' from the top of my lungs but i'm afraid that someone else will hear me". he would have surprised shanks with it at a show (the same way shanks surprised him with 'the (after) life of the party' at vivi's party), and then shanks would have confessed his feelings after the show. ultimately didn't work out

i wanted a flashback of rayleigh asking mihawk to "take care of shanks's heart, he often chooses to ignore what he wants" right before one piece left for their first two-week tour. couldn't find a good place to put it in, so roger just brings it up in conversation when he and ray see the mihawk x hancock article

mihawk's absence was going to be longer, and last 6 months. didn't think he needed to be away that long, and that shanks can't wait half a year before telling mihawk he hopes he'll come home

originally, there would be no replacement drummer after buggy leaves the band (beck would help record drums, but drums would be played as part of electronic instrumentals during live shows). didn't think this was feasible long-term, and put yasopp in to replace him. i felt like shanks letting buggy go off on his own and finding a replacement so the band can move forward was a step in the right direction for shanks to accept some things don't work out the way he wants

some small details i had but didn't end up using as they had 0 significance to the plot:

uta, when she's older, would have signed with elegia, a record label

uta's touring band consisting of the east blue roster of the straw hats were just called UTA

hancock's band amazon lily is managed by shakky

but mihawk continues attending kendo classes once a week during college, while shanks ended up quitting to focus on school. this one was vaguely implied in one line when shanks remembers how mihawk still attended kendo when they were in college, but doesn't say "we" to hint he quit

the original birthday road trip mihawk was attempting to recreate in their big talk chapter was their 20th. a few months after it, shanks finished 'hum hallelujah', and then started writing 'immortals'

luffy is still garp's grandson. because garp works in the music industry, luffy meets many musicians and learns how to play the drums so he could tour with uta. luffy got obsessed with one piece and told garp about the band, so garp was very open to meeting and accommodating one piece. i didn't think this connection was very important in the end, so didn't bother including it

implied, but shanks and mihawk's only rules for stage gay was no actual crotch touching (grinding did not count) and no moves that would interfere with their guitar-playing

the band's social media handles are RedHairedShanks, OPMihawk, and BuggyDrums

here are all the songs shanks wrote when mihawk came home:

grand theft autumn / where is your boy

fourth of july

(coffee's for closers)

g.i.n.a.s.f.s.

the kids aren't alright

miss missing you

all appearing musicians and real-life musicians's discographies they used:

one piece: fall out boy (duh)

amazon lily: marina / marina and the diamonds

corazon: surf curse

buggy's delivery: crawlers

uta: ado (of course)

perona: tying tiffany

oro jackson: rolling stones

franky was undecided

anyway that's about all of it! thought it could be fun to put them all down somewhere

[photolover82]

The Masked Singer Season 6 Episode 1 Recap: Group A Premiere Baby!! (Commentary & Guesses)

Hello everybody and welcome or welcome back to Ana's Masked Singer recap, where I, Ana, recap every single episode of The Masked Singer. The time we have been waiting for is here, the season 6 premiere (ooh that rhymes)! If you don't know how these recaps work, pretty much I talk about the reveals first (major spoiler alert by the way ⚠️) and then get into the remaining contestants, what I thought about their performances, guesses to who I think it could be with the clues to back it up the best I can. Anyways, having said that, let's get started with the 1st recap of season 6 (which is covering the Wednesday episode, Thursday's will be covered separately):

In this episode, Group A performed which consisted of Bull 🐂, Skunk 🦨, Octopus 🐙, Pufferfish 🐡, and Mother Nature 🌬 and 2 of them were eliminated, but only one was revealed this episode, damn cliffhangers, and that mask was:

Octopus 🐙

Performance Commentary: I was honestly so sad to see him go this early in the season, because I really enjoyed his performance of Tutti Frutti by Little Richard. He probably wasn't the most technical singer but for (spoiler) a non singer he did pretty great! I would buy his album.

Having said that, he was revealed to be:

*FIRST DRUMROLL OF THE SEASON PLEASE*

🏀Dwight Howard 🏀

Ok I kinda figured it out even though I don't know anything about the sports world... But he is one of the few names I do know in the NBA (my dad's a huge sports guy and I might have seen a meme of him falling so that too). Anyways, can I for one second, point out how tall this guy is?! He makes Nick Cannon look tiny…and Nick is 6 feet! It was so funny… I also was surprised at how funny he was… but yeah Clues, here are some you might have missed or gotten idk:

Survived a hard core fall= yup like he legit fell and hurt himself, which really hurt his game & probably his career

Gold phone= won the 2019-2020 championship with the Lakers

Magic playing card= eight seasons he played for Orlando Magic

Also, I gotta note that Ken got it right and is in the lead for the Golden Ear and that shocked me more.

Next, this mask was also eliminated, but wasn't revealed until episode 2, so I'm just gonna talk about the performance and that was:

Mother Nature 🌬

Performance Commentary: I'm not going to say I didn't see this coming, because her performance of I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross was the weakest one vocally of the night. However I still enjoyed her as a performer/entertainer and that costume is unreal like wow it reminds me of Te Fiti from Moana (look it up if you don’t know what I am talking about)

Anyways, let's get into the remaining 3 and my guesses for them *

*I just want to preface that I knew I wasn't going to have time to do this recap in between the 2 episodes, so I wrote my guess for this one mask down before they were revealed

1. Skunk 🦨

Performance Commentary: The beginning was super cool and so well staged, kudos to the producers on that one, but I was pretty underwhelmed with her performance of Diamonds by Sam Smith. Like, that's a great song, but I don't feel it suits her voice & range of what she's capable of doing. All in all, it was ok, nothing wowing about it, even though I do think her voice is very strong.

As for my guess, I think Shunk is:

Faith Evans

Ok, so this was a guess I got thanks to Twitter, voice matched it, and I am sold honestly… idk who Faith was until now, she was married to Notorious B.I.G, but that’s all I know. Anyways, let’s dive into those clues, shall we:

She was on a train to Seoul, South Korea= Soul Train! = she was honored with a lifetime achievement award in 2018 by Soul Train

Duality/yin and yang of the Skunk= she has a song that references Ying Yang in the lyrics called Goin’ Out

Her connection to Elvis= she devoted a song to her late husband Biggie called “The King & I” and Elvis is the king of rock and roll

2. Pufferfish 🐡

Performance Commentary: She sang Say So by Doja Cat, which I mostly know the entire song due to Tik Tok, so I hope people also use her version because it’s super solid. When I was watching at first, I was thrown off by the rapping, but now watching it back, I embraced it. It wasn’t the best rapping ever but it was dope ngl seeing a woman like that also kill a rap. I really enjoyed tbh more than I did the first time when I thought her voice wasn’t really at its full potential.

My guess for the Pufferfish is:

Toni Braxton

After voice matching Pufferfish with Toni, the voice is uncanny! But you need some clues baby boos so here we go:

Voice stands out, she was different, tried to blend in= no like seriously, because everyone knew it was her because Toni has a super distinct voice no one else has

Disco ball= home girl performed on season 7 of Dancing with the Stars, get it disco ball, mirror ball like the trophy they win

Guitarra= she has a hit song called Spanish Guitar, and guitar in Spanish is you guessed it Guitarra

3. Bull 🐂

Performance Commentary: He sang Drops of Jupiter by Train, and wow HE GOT VOCALS FOR DAYSSS (what he ain’t is shy so stop lying my guy). He is absolutely my favorite of the night, his voice is absolute butter, raspy butter… yes I did just say that but you know what I mean (if you don’t, it’s those nice raspy voices that are so smooth like butter). You could tell he is used to performing and singing, because wow that performance was absolutely fantastic.

Even though he was amazing, he was also super easy to guess because from the first damn note (actually from the first damn sneak peak preview they gave us of him singing), I knew who this was:

Todrick Hall (finally those hours watching YouTube as a teen are paying off lol)

Before I even get to the clues, just so you guys know, I have been watching Todrick since like 2014 on YouTube and I know his voice and his mannerisms and how he performs and that Bull ticks all the boxes… I don’t even need clues but to show you my point in the form of evidence, lemme back myself up with these sweet, sweet clues (side note: I could even hear his voice through the modulation, which was crazy):

Grew up in a small town filled with cows= yes sir, he grew up in Plainview, Texas which is a small farming town with less than 25,000 people living there (and I am sure when he lived there it was smaller than that) and filled with cows which at first I thought was a metaphor but looking into it I find out Plainview has the largest beef processing plant in the country… hence cows lol

Heard no again and again and again= reference to how he was on American Idol and then lost the show

Didn’t give up, became his own boss= that American Idol loss got him to start YouTube hence being his own boss

Hollywood and Forbes took notice= he has appeared in the 30 under 30 successful people list by Forbes in 2014

Astronaut aka Hunter Hayes= he covered Invisible by Hunter Hayes on his YouTube channel (which is my absolute favorite Hunter Hayes song so you go Todrick… but that video was actually recently sent to private so you kinda can’t see it… also that was a bit sus)

Anyways, that’s it my friends! Sorry it took so long, have had a lot on my plate with school, work, and just life you know? Anyways, I will try to get episode 2 up tomorrow, but expect it before Wednesday for sure 🤞🏼… Anyways, bye guys! Follow me for more Masked Singer goodness, give this beautiful blog a like if you enjoyed reading it, and comment below your guesses, do you agree with me? Did I convince you? Bye y’all!! 👋🏼

[newmusickarl]

Album & EP Recommendations

As there is a HUGE amount to cover this week, I’m trying something a bit different with some slightly snappier reviews and a genre inclusion so you can head straight for the recommendation that matches your musical preference. There’s at least one album from all the key genres this week too, so hopefully a little something for everyone. Without any further ado then, here’s what’s good:

Album of the Week: Comfort To Me by Amyl & The Sniffers (Punk/Rock)

My personal preference from this week is the rip-roaring sophomore album from Australia’s own Amyl & The Sniffers. Although I was already vaguely familiar with the band’s previous work, I was still not prepared for the full throttle, smashmouth, rifftastic contents of this utterly brilliant record. As a result, this one hit me like a lightning bolt, thanks to the furious energy of frontwoman Amy Taylor and the mind-melting guitar work throughout.

From the off, absolutely nothing is held back here, as Taylor’s punk vocals and razor-sharp lyrics hit you in the ear like haymakers. What’s most surprising though is how the shredding guitar riffs that are littered across this record manage to sound so astonishing and impressive, yet at the same time as if the band are not even trying at all. It’s completely hypnotising yet everything is made to sound so easy and natural thanks to the sheer rawness of the music.

This one also already plays out like a greatest hits record too, with Guided By Angels, Security, Hertz, Maggot and Capital five of the best pure punk rock tracks to emerge in the last five years. Concise, in-your-face and no moment spared, this is a rock record the kind of which rarely gets made anymore. Without a doubt, one of the best of the year for its genre.

Listen here

Hey What by Low (Experimental/Alternative)

They may be 13 albums and nearly 30 years into their career at this point, but American experimental rockers Low show no sign of slowing down at this point. Still relatively fresh off the back of their hugely acclaimed album Double Negative, which was widely seen as the Album of the Year in 2018, Low are back yet again with another sonic trip into the weird and wonderful.

Now I must admit although a lot of people adored Double Negative, I personally was always a bit indifferent towards it. I appreciated the sonic textures and the heartfelt moments, but it never completely resonated with me like I know it did for others – one that fell into the “easy to admire, hard to love” category. That is not the case with this new album however, as with Hey What they seem to have further refined what they started on that record, creating an album that’s just as impressive but possibly more accessible than its predecessor.

Opener White Horses picks up pretty much where they left off under a tidal wave of soaring vocals and stunning yet unsettling distortion. From there you’ll once again be checking your audio equipment hasn’t broken, as Low playfully mess around with musical conventions and gargantuan glitchy soundscapes to great effect. This also allows the slightly sparser tracks like All Night, Don’t Walk Away and particularly Days Like These, to emerge out of this masterfully produced cacophony as some of the most haunting and stirring moments.

They may not have won me over with the last one, but they certainly have now – an outstanding album that leaves a lasting impression.

Listen here

Star-crossed by Kacey Musgraves (Country/Pop)

Golden Hour was another hit with the critics in 2018 that, much like the Low album, didn’t quite capture me. But again, just like Low, I prefer this latest work from country-turned-pop singer, Kacey Musgraves. With Star-crossed, Musgraves aims to craft her own Shakespearean tragedy, with all the theatre and the drama that goes with it.

The title track opener perfectly sets the stage as the gentle plucking of the acoustic guitar is suddenly surrounded by soaring, multi-layered instrumentation. It is all hugely cinematic and from there on in, Musgraves weaves her tale of heartbreak with plenty of catchy hooks, polished production and solid, heartfelt songwriting. However, the best moments are arguably when Musgraves keeps it raw, such as on camera roll where she takes something as simple as finding old photos of a lost lover on a phone and relaying back to the listener the pain that moment can bring.

In a year that’s already seen some brilliant pop albums, Musgraves stakes her claim with a well-crafted record built on a tried and tested concept. It’s a successful outing with more than enough great tunes and interesting instrumentation (see the jazz flute on there is a light in particular) to keep you interested from beginning to end.

Listen here

Enjoy The View by We Were Promised Jetpacks (Alternative)

Scottish indie rockers We Were Promised Jetpacks also released their stunning fifth album this week. This one pulls at the heartstrings from the get-go as the gentle waltz of reflective opener that’s Not Me Anymore immediately locks you into the record and refuses to loosen its grip until the very last note. There’s plenty of spine-tingling moments throughout too, such as the melancholic riffs of All That Glittered, the haunting sparseness of What I Know Now and the uplifting melody of I Wish You Well.

Listen here

Back In Love City by The Vaccines (Indie)

A band well adept at writing killer hooks at this point, indie rockers The Vaccines have also returned with their fun fifth album this week. Not too much to say about this one other than if you are a fan of their previous efforts the chances are you’ll adore this one too, as their music continues to deliver big riffs and anthemic choruses aplenty, but with more refinement and polished craftmanship at this veteran stage in their career. Highlights include the ultra-catchy title-track and the galloping, Western-stylings of Paranormal Romance, which comes across a bit like their own version of Muse’s Knights of Cydonia.

Listen here

Mother by Cleo Sol (R&B/Soul)

Fresh off her high-profile collaborations with Little Simz and Sault, singer-songwriter Cleo Sol has once again stepped out on her own, this time exploring themes of motherhood. Gracious, compassionate and quite moving, it’s a stirring soul record where Cleo’s soft yet powerful vocals take centre stage against a backdrop of minimal instrumentation. If you need something peaceful and easy listening, you won’t go wrong with this one as Don’t Let Me Fall, Promises and We Need You offer up the most beautiful moments here.

Listen here

The Melodic Blue by Baby Keem (Hip Hop/Rap)

There is a lot of pressure that comes with being Kendrick Lamar’s cousin, however you wouldn’t know it listening to Baby Keem’s assured debut album. Although it is admittedly quite hit and miss (first two tracks trademark usa and pink panties ironically leave a lot to be desired), there are enough high points here to make this record worth your time. The collaborations with Kendrick (range brothers and family ties) both strike a chord while the Don Toliver (cocoa) and Travis Scott (durag activity) featuring tracks also dazzle. That said Keem is arguably at his best when he’s riding solo, such as on the heartfelt issues and the Kanye West Love Lockdown sampling, scars.

Listen here

I’ve Been Trying To Tell You by Saint Etienne (Ambient/Electronic)

Crafted over lockdown, this tenth studio album from the London trio is a gloriously understated dive into modern British history, 1997-2001 to be precise. By using evocative imagery and samples from the turn of the millennium, where R&B and bubblegum pop dominated the musical landscape, they have forged quite a dreamy ambient record. Wonderfully creative and a fairly chill listen, it’s a fascinating reflection on a time when the world seemed a lot less complex than it does today.

Listen here

The Blacklist by Metallica (Metal/Various)

And lastly on the albums front this week, I have been promoting the various Metallica covers released as part of the The Blacklist project for several weeks now, but now finally the full album has been revealed along with all the covers yet to be shared as individual releases.

At 53 songs long, the tribute to Metallica’s classic Black Album is certainly not one to run through in a single sitting, however there is plenty of fun covers here to dip into and explore. In case you haven’t seen, amongst those offering their own versions of these classic tracks are: Miley Cyrus & Elton John, Phoebe Bridgers, Dermot Kennedy, Weezer, Biffy Clyro, St. Vincent, Rina Sawayama, Sam Fender, Flatbush Zombies, Portugal The Man, IDLES, Cherry Glazerr and many, many more.

Listen here

Tracks of the Week

Beautiful James by Placebo

I’m also over the moon to say Placebo finally released their new single this week, their first since 2016’s Jesus’ Son. Beautiful James shows that Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal haven’t missed a step in their five-year hiatus, with this one centred on a typically instant chorus and some neon-soaked synths. A big welcome back to one of my all-time favourites!

Listen here

I Don’t Live Here Anymore by The War On Drugs

Although the first single from their forthcoming new album may have been more understated than normal, on this title track Adam Granduciel & Co. return to the soaring stadium-sized rock for which they are known. Undoubtedly one of their finest tracks to date, you’ll want to stick this one on repeat just so you can keep getting lost in those wonderfully atmospheric guitar riffs.

Listen here

Arcadia by Lana Del Rey

And finally, Lana continues the build towards her second album of 2021, Blue Banisters, with this latest single seeing her on typically vintage form as the song sounds as if it was pulled from another time. With distant horns and a gentle piano, it’s as stunning as any of her best recent work.

Listen here

[mr-face-both-ways]

Stex Appreciation Month: CB!

Can’t trust anyone these days, remember I can face both ways!

Ah yes, my url’s namesake, i finally had time to finish and post something lol i’ll post the others soon

Questions answered under the cut! This is extra long because he is my Fave and im Biased 

Fave song: There’s Me hands down, the whole scene including That Was Unfair is just so good in establishing CB’s, Greaseball and Dinah’s characters so well, plus the melody is just*chef’s kiss* and the fact that its technically a villain song?? Love that, plus the parallels of him finding Dinah alone and upset and comforting and supporting her and lending her a hand up and sending her on her way after she’s cheered up, with post race 3 where he’s the reason Rusty’s alone and hurt on the floor, kicking him when he tries to get up (looking at you 1991 boot) and mocks and insults him, leaving him alone with his confidence broken as he leaves laughing. What an absolute bastard!! But when There’s Me is taken out, you don’t properly see his two sides, both the bad and good sides are important to his character! He’s a contrary dude but that’s just him! Plus the actual song has one of my fave melodies of the show, I can and do listen to the intro from the ost on repeat, plus that lil bit in the japan vid?? So cute?? And the contrasting styles to that and Wide Smile?? Amazing, love it

Fave actor: Once again my fave actor list is gonna be like 5 people lol, the great thing about C.B’s material is that his attitude and demeanour can change based on his inflection, movement etc so! Michael Staniforth is a given, his Wide Smile really demonstrates his range which imo not many others have been quite as good, plus what extremely little footage and photos there are of him he was extremely expressive and just fun to watch! I’ll also go with Peter Rees, Andrew Prosser, Hans Johansson, Oliver Rhoe Thornton (and what the heck let’s also go for early Kapa Kitchen and Daniel Ellison)

Fave ship: Ohh boy this is super self indulgent but CBGB honestly (has the fandom given it a nickname? Greaseboose?? idk) I love that in the older scripts him and GB high five (that us boot where cb does a lil jump to hit GB’s high five?? Adorable) and actually talk like friends?? Like Greaseball is a jerk to pretty much everyone and for him to be friendly with him is just sweet. Not to mention its Greaseball who tells his gang that CB’s a “mean machine”, is always calling out to CB in the races and a recent thing that clicked in my brain is that when CB says “what a race, what a team!” and GB’s like “shhh! ohhh you mean me and dinah?” like did he just think that CB was about to out that they were working together during the race to crash the other engines in front of Dinah so he shushed him, then realised he was talking about GB and Dinah?? then just the whole exchange after sabotaging Rusty?? Duet One Rock and Roll? That GB just lifts him up like its nothing then they just kinda sit on eachother?? Those two are in cahoots I tell you!! Plus to me i get the vibe that they’ve been working together for years?? I just love their dynamic haha (and CB’s the only one i think who calls him GB that’s so cute) oh and platonic CB/Dinah is top tier, I feel like Dinah’s a very emotionally honest person so CB would feel like he could actually trust her?? And thanks to the new megamix Canoose/Elektra can have one right, as a treat

Fave thing about him: His independence! All the other characters are very much driven by either winning the races or finding love (or both), and C.B. just...doesn’t care. What you “are” is a big deal in Stex, like the engines, coaches and freight all have their identities shaped by their titles, and that can influence how they feel about the above two subjects “nobody can do it like a steam train”, etc and looking at when C.B. does participate in the races him and his partner tend to take the lead so he is good at racing!! But he chooses not to in order to make his own fun (at the expense of pretty much everyone else). He also seems to have a level of self-awareness, take his verse in Freight for example, he knows that as a brakevan he has to essentially serve the freight train, perceptually at the back of the train. But instead he uses his “purpose” aka his brakes to not do what he’s been told and to disrupt the train, and gets away with it by presenting himself as the innocent helpful brakevan! He’s just doing his own thing, (poor Rusty but,,) good for him!! And of course I have to say again, his two sides, and the ambiguity of it?? Like is he good, bad?? He’s both and neither?? An absolute force of chaos, but it only really works when both sides are present. Plus he a cutie tehe

Random headcanon: I think he’s unnervingly observant, even moreso than Pearl, and has amazing peripheral vision. That and taking notice of things like vibrations on the rails he’s very good at telling whose around before they’ve fully come into vision. He’s always watching everything around him, and isn’t necessarily being creepy, he’s just trying to get as much info on the current situation as possible. I think he likes to have some control and be on top of things?? I also really like the ex-boxcar theory (I first saw this theory on the old bellesdomain forums, rip) and I think that maybe when he was converted it was very difficult for him, having to deal with people, and having the CB radio to control what he hears helps ground him and keep his thoughts less cluttered?? He might’ve also forgotten a lot of his boxcar days, so when he says “you know I’m to blame but you don’t know my name” maybe he doesn’t even remember his original name?? And never got a new one as just the Red Caboose, so he clung onto the CB radio to give himself a sense of identity when his previous identity was stripped from him?? IDK

Unpopular opinion: This wagon can hold so many spicy takes he’s not a murderer lol but at the same time i can see where people can think that considering the lyrics reference several real-life train crashes even if they don’t make sense for CB to be there which tbh I put down to Stilgoe going tehe railway incident reference! I think he’s travelled around a lot and done a lot of questionable things, and maybe he was responsible for those crashes in the stex universe?? or maybe he’s just lying?? he’s definitely responsible for some shit, but considering he crashes 5 (!!!) engines during that one race night and being publicly humiliated after race 4 he doesn’t get in trouble and besides, all those engines are back for light at the end of the tunnel, they’re fine lol. Another thing is that I haaaate how CB has like no agency anymore in the current version like everything he does is for money, he’s basically a henchman for the engines (and everyone knows what his deal is and he isn’t in train jail?? what??) and they got rid of the pre-race 4 bit “just for me, I’m in this just for me” (in that slightly twisted there’s me melody) and Electra desperately pleading “help me caboose, help me caboose” to just the generic “I’ll help you win” at the end and not really its own little bit anymore like he barely has his own motivations anymore, it actually makes me really sad :( it really just doesn’t feel like CB anymore, though his character has been really disjointed since like 2007 when they got rid of there’s me. He’s just kinda bland now, like before he instigated a lot of the conflict, now others tell him to do something and he does it. I could like him more if he had an ounce more depth, like why is he so motivated by money? Maybe go into that old vs new tech theme and bring up that now that there’s new tech that can do the job of a brakevan he’s now antiquated and has to go into crime to get by?? Idk just please give me something, I think CB’s always been a bit of a fan favourite because he had multiple layers to his personality but new boose just has a whole lotta nothing :/ 

Anyway let’s end on a positive note at least we got pride lighting and a solo in the megamix so that’s something I guess XD 

[i-dont-want-your-hysteria]

The Leppard Albums: A Summary

(inspired by Every Beatles Album)

Happy Saturday night everyone

The Def Leppard EP

Joe is 19 and just wants to ride a motorcycle okay

Groupie fantasy

Zeppelin lyrics meet Rush with an underappreciated bass line

On Though the Night

IT'S!!! ROCK!!! N ROLL!!! BABEY!!!

Joe is 20 and just really doesn't wanna work in a factory anymore okay

pls D; girl D; stop D; hiding D; your D; pain!!

another... groupie fantasy... I think? ...???

Leppard in Space

Joe is 20 and just wants to write something edgy okay leave him alone

STEVE 👏👏👏 FUCKING 👏👏👏 CLARK!!!! 👏👏🔥👏🔥👏👌👌

the original groupie fantasy but it's been re-recorded

girl?? make up?? your mind???

let's be mysteriously edgy ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Zeppelin lyrics meets Rush but it's been re-recorded (but don't worry they still kept the underappreciated bass line)

High N Dry

everyone in this band is a slutty bottom and this is the song that proves it

we have Mutt Lange now and this is the song that proves it

drONK TIEM

betcha didn't think we could write a ballad, did ya ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

STÊVË!!!!! 👏👏👏👏 FÜCKÎÑ!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏 C L Ã R K!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥👏👌👌🤙👏👌🔥👌🎉🎉

underappreciated and that's all there is to it

noooo don't go you're too mysterious and sexy hahhaha

oh god Dx oh god no Dx we don't sound like this anymore we swear Dx

betcha thought we stopped writing Beowulf-esque pop songs didn't ya ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

🚫🚫⛔👎🚫🙅‍♂️👎🚫⛔🙅‍♂️⛔ *Joe tearing his throat up for 2 solid minutes*

Pyromania

IT'S ROCK!!!!!! N ROLL!!!! BABEY!!!!!!!1!!!!1!!1!! AGAIN!!!!! 😆😆😆

the Classic Rock Fandom™ in a nutshell 😓

INTRODUCING PHIL 👌👌👌 FUCKING👏👏 COLLEN 🔥🔥🔥

betcha thought we abandoned the idea of doing a ballad didn't ya ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Joe's back at it again with the edgy songs and is getting a lot better at it too

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ∆ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Gunter 🙃 Glieben 🙃 Glauchen 🙃 Globen

the most underappreciated song on this whole entire fucking list sorry I don't make the rules

Alright, WHO in this band wants to be in a porno >:C

Joe's back at it yet again with the edgy songs but it's even BETTER this time

Hysteria

Girls Girls Girls ALL WOMEN ARE QUEENS ANAKIN

🎸we!!! fucking!!! love!!!! glam rock!!!!!! and african drum rhythms!!!!!!!!!🥁

we're not furries we swear we're just kinky D: also fuck you DJs here's some false endings

we haven't made a ballad that HURTS yet so here we go (with an underappreciated bass line)

the song that invented "( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)" (AKA when you cram for a test the minute before and end up getting 100%)

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)😏( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)😏( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

S T E V E 😭👏👏 F U C K I N 😭😭😭 C L A R K 👏👏👏😭👏😭

nooo don't shoot me you're too kinky hahaha

a song about rioting and being #punk, but the only crime the man singing it has ever committed was getting a speeding ticket when he was 19/20

oh. oh shit. oh god. holy shi- I can't believe... ...we just accidentally made the most perfect song to ever exist :o like seriously- people are achieving nirvana as we speak I'm not joking I think we went too far with the perfection this time guys

THIS SONG IS ABOUT S E X AND WE AIN'T BEING SHY ABOUT IT EITHER LET'S FUCKIN GO BABE-

Don't 👏 give 👏 me 👏 love 👏

Adrenalize

gkKLglldlflhlADKSLALLFLSS 😆😆😆

I fucking love my wife uWu

fkKMglgllsLLslgflephpGLDLPT 😆(͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)😆

We're just gonna get extremely romantic and passionate for 4 minutes and 3 seconds if that's alright with you (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)

this album was the most painful thing any of us have ever had to do, so here's the most serious song we've ever done to date. Steve ✊ Fucking ✊ Clark ✊ -n-

now that our mental breakdown is over, we're gonna get extremely passionate and romantic again but for a lil longer this time aiight 🤙

one of us has a protection/ownership kink but we're not gonna tell you who

you know what this album needs? a little bit more pain

we're layin down the line (and by that we mean we want sex)

we're layin down the line pt.2 (we still want sex btw)

Retro Active

Beowulf songs are back babey 🤙

I'll say that again if I have to^

we!!! still!!! fucking!!! love!!!! glam rock!!!!! we even covered something to prove it!!!!!!

Joe has now officially mastered ballads

I fucking love my wife part 2: she's a badass top

While Joe was off mastering ballads, Phil studied the blade

We covered something else bc again!!! we fucking!!! love!!! glam!!!

We rewrote Joe's motorcycle song bc we now realize it was cringe af (and it was an excuse for Joe to talk to Ian Hunter so that made him happy)

Joe has now officially mastered edgy/serious songs

it's a total bop but oh god. No. Please. No. Oh God. No. Don't. Please. No. Pls. No. Oh god. Don't.

This should've been on Adrenalize and you can Fight Me On That

Phil studies the blade (electric version)

Joe masters ballads (electric version)

Vault (there's only one new song on here so that's all I'm doing)

babe nooooo D';

Slang

Epic edgelords part 1

Epic edgelords part 2: Phil wrote it this time

everyone in this band is a slutty bottom and this is the song that proves it Volume 2: Electric Bugaloo

soft breakdown :'c

hOT DOGGITY DAMN JOE'S VOICE HOLY HELL TAKE ME N- *clears throat* I mean introducing Vivian Campbell :3 aND THERE'S A BASS SOLO MMMM 🤤🤤👌 THIS SONG IS JUST SEXY FUCKIN LIFT ME UP AND-

Phil's marriage isn't going too well

in fact, no one's marriages are going too well

severely underrated bop

We're still not over Steve's death and we never will be :c

Joe makes edgy ballads his bitch yet again 👏👏

severely underrated banger 🔥🔥🔥

Euphoria

wE STILL MAKE FAST BOPS IN CASE YOU FORGOT 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

Holy shit I didn't know Joe could hit a note that high

The 90s sucked for us but we'rE STILL HERE BICH 🖕

Can we pls give Sav more songwriting space on albums thx 😭💗

everyone in this band is a slutty bottom and this is the song that proves it Volume 3: Even Sluttier This Time 😏

totally different from everything we've ever done and WE 👏 MADE IT 👏 OUR 👏 EDGY 👏 BITCH

uwu but it's sad so it's actually umu

partying like it's 1999- oh wait, it actually is 1999

*hugs Viv and scREEEEEEEEAAAMMS*

Phil studied the blade and attacks you with it

*gets escorted into the back of a police car* IM GUILTY!! I'M GUILTY!!! I'M NOT INNOCENT!!! 😫😫😫

whatever edginess we couldn't fit into Paper Sun we put into this song instead

we're entering the new millennium as Kings and there's nothing you can do about it 👑🖕

X (Ten)

Stand on a balcony at sunset when you listen to this one

(insert Vizzini saying "INCONCEIVABLE" here)

the big UwU

I got ghosted and it’s actually a lot more dark and depressing than I thought also I wish I was never awake

soft and edgy and sad acoustic dads

F-U-C-K SPELLS F- I mean L-O-V-E spells love uWu

babe nOOOooO I'm sorry I suck so much DD;

this sounds like out if Work It Out and Day After Day had a kid

we're gonna have a Funky Good Time whether you like it or not 😎

E D G E L O R D S 2 0 0 2

we can't decide if we want this album to be edgy or uwu so we're gonna make it both

the same passion as Tonight but less sexy and more (you guessed it) uwu

E D G E L O R D S 2 0 0 2 P A R T 2

Betcha thought our emo phase was over didn't ya ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Yeah!

bops have been and will ALWAYS be something we have mastered- even if the song we're playing isn't ours

SAV'S TIME TO SHINE

betcha thought we couldn't cover a Blondie song, did ya ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Phil's just getting nostalgic about London it's fine 👍

don't worry joe's still sCREAMIN

in which we make this song a million times better than the original

WE LOVE ROXY MUSIC SO MUCH WE CANTEXPLAINWEJUSTLOVEHEMRMFLGPHPH

we're letting Joe have his moment ok just let him have this 👨‍🎤

yeah we like Free- so whAT??

okay NOW we're letting Joe have his real moment- he's been waiting for this moment ever since he was like 12 okay just. let him. have this just. this one time. pls.

in which we confuse literally everyone by making them think this is a song that we wrote

we just need ONE more bop, okay? Just ONE more we swear then we'll stop being fanboys (for now...)

we'll be right back, it's Bow Down To Thin Lizzy Hour

*Phil tearing up his throat for 4 and a half solid minutes*

Songs From The Sparkle Lounge

this one's actually kinda dark and heavy? :o

honky tonk time 🤠🤙

FINALLY ONE OF SAV'S SONGS IS THE MOST POPULAR SONG OFF AN ALBUM 🙏🙏🙏🙏😩

FINALLY WE HAVE MORE SAV MATERIAL I LOVE IT SM ;∆; !!!!

Phil's songs are severely underrated tho pls give them more attention

it's time for one (1) badass religious song and if you don't like it then you can Fuck Off kindly 🙃

This whole album is "Songs That Were Written By Phil and Viv and Sav" heaven

I think sometimes people forget that we, even as a band, are fans of the Classic Rock Fandom™ too, and we feel the same pain as the other fans :'^)🤙

Joe's three minutes of fame on this album

Joe's three minutes of fame on this album part 2

Viv's songs are severely underrated tho pls give them more attention

Mirror Ball (bonus tracks)

we grabbed fate by the balls and screamed fUCK YOU 🖕🖕

We are still Kings™ in case anyone was wondering 👑🖕

✨PHIL BELIEVES!!!! IN!!!!! LOVE!!!!!!!! AND!!!!!!!!!! BELIEVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!✨

Def Leppard (Self Titled 2015)

Is this song about playing a live show? Probably. Is it also about having a fight? Is it also about angry sex? The world may never know.

Okay this one just absolutely SLAPS, periodt.

bootleg Another One Bites The Dust

*SOBBING* THEY'RE ALL SINGING LEAD I'M-

being badass, That's The Power Of Love

don't worry, we still know how to be Poetically Edgy

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm *bump bump* hooked on a feeeeling

I've Got a Spiritual Romantic Boner

Can't Keep Away From The Flame edginess gets crossed with some Zeppelin charm and badassery

someone in this band is fucking piSSED 😠😠😠😠

we're gonna @ someone tonight fellas

sAV OH MY GOD BABYYYYY 😰😰😭😭😭😭 DO YOU NEED A HUG

what if we tried to cross newer Metallica with Nickelback 🤔

what if we turned this into We All Need Christmas three years from now... 🤔

Bonus: Personal Jesus/We All Need Christmas

Viv really wanted to cover ABBA but everyone said no so he settled for cowboy goth™ instead

What better man to write a warm and fuzzy Christmas song than the warm and fuzziest man alive (Sav)

[bobdylanrevisited]

Blonde On Blonde

Released: 20 June 1966

Rating: 10/10

The finale of the electric trilogy, another masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of Dylan’s singing and penmanship. He described this album as the closest he’s ever gotten to the noises in his head, a thin mercury sound, metallic and bright gold. It was also the first double sided rock album, and his first without an acoustic track, with Dylan continuing to blaze a trail in popular music. Although this album may not be as ‘deep’ as its predecessors, it’s still a thrilling musical adventure that again makes you forget his folk origins, and embrace his role as the leader of a new style of ‘pop’ song. 

1) Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35 - The look on people’s faces when the album opened with this must have been one to behold, it sounds nothing like the Bob we know and love. It’s more like a Mardi Gras parade, with trumpets blaring and the band’s joyous screams, all revolving around a pun on the word ‘stoned’. It’s a brilliant opener, both upbeat, funny, and unlike anything that came before it. Whether the song refers to weed, hedonism, his pious status, or the ancient punishment, it’s hard to argue that ‘everybody must get stoned’. 

2) Pledging My Time - A severe change of gear for this track, a much slower blues number, which reworks a number of older blues lyrics, to describe the promise to a lover in the hopes that they will reciprocate the feeling. It’s a fine song, though it does get somewhat lost on the album due to the longevity many of the other tracks have endured. 

3) Visions Of Johanna - Generally agreed to be one of the finest songs ever written, it’s no wonder this has remained one of Dylan’s favourites ever since. It’s a colossal piece, proving that no matter what instruments are on the track, the writing is still the soul of what Dylan is doing. Not only are the vocals among the best he’s ever recorded, the song weaves a vivid picture of his strive for perfection. Much like the previous two albums, Bob uses metaphor and surreal imagery to express personal emotion and you can’t help but hang on his every word. You are transported into a dreamlike state, also searching for Johanna and your own personal idea of flawlessness, though for me that may very well just be this song. 

4) One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later) - A song about the ending of a relationship, which should be a bleak affair, but I can’t help but singalong and grin as I listen to this brilliant tune. Although it dissects and defends bad behaviours that caused the couple to sour, the instrumentation and the rousing chorus are a joy to hear, and it’s easily one of my favourite tracks on the album. 

5) I Want You - At odds with the previous track, this a sweet love song, once again populated my characters and imagery that only Dylan could conjure up. Much like the rest of the album, the tune and melody of this song are remarkably beautiful, and this is certainly Dylan’s most musically ambitious, yet accessible album so far, with this track being another highlight. The song has also been reworked a lot live, and sounds just as beautiful as a ballad, which Dylan played a lot in the late 80s/early 90s. 

6) Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again - I think this may be my favourite song on the album, with apologies to Johanna. Whilst it’s simply just another surreal story with a mad cast of people, I absolutely adore it. Again, the tune is catchy and fun, the singing is perfect, and the whole thing comes together to be a track that fills me with indescribable happiness. The live Hard Rain 1976 version is also phenomenal, it’s impossible for this song to sound anything other than amazing. 

7) Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat - A satire on fashion, and a lover continuing to wear her new hat in increasingly compromising situations, this is another blues song with a great guitar arrangement and sounded brilliant on the 1966 Live tour. It’s not one of my favourites on the album, but it’s a good song that talks of jealousy and materialism, with the bluesy sound being the main attraction. 

8) Just Like A Woman - Potentially written about Edie Sedgwick, this sounds like one of Dylan’s tenderest songs, but the lyrics are actually full of vulnerability and regret. One of Bob’s most popular songs, possibly due to the gentle tune and the grounded imagery, I’ve personally always found it a tiny bit overrated in comparison with the rest of the album, though I understand it is an easy introduction to Dylan for the average listener. However, I will admit that the song is spellbinding when performed live, particularly on the 1966 tour. 

9) Most Likely You Go Your Way And I’ll Go Mine - A very literal tale of a breakup, this is again another song that feels joyous despite the content. The guitars and drums add a very fun layer to the tune, and it’s another track that hasn’t got a deep message, but is just a brilliantly sung rock song that helps make this album the most musically enjoyable yet. 

10) Temporary Like Achilles - Another blues number about a breakup and a new lover. There’s not much to write about this one, other than it’s again a fun tune, this time revolving around a double entendre: ‘honey, why are you so hard?’

11) Absolutely Sweet Marie - This is another catchy tune, and whilst it’s still influenced by the blues, it is more upbeat. Much like the previous track it’s full of innuendo, but it sounds like a ‘pop’ song that you may hear on the radio, with a more restrained style of singing from Bob. It’s another fine song which would be considered more a filler track, if not for the line ‘to live outside the law you must be honest’, which is one of his most quoted lyrics. It shows that even when he’s not telling a mad story or protesting injustice, he’s still the world’s best songwriter and can toss legendary lines into a largely throwaway song. 

12) Fourth Time Around - Written as a response to The Beatles ‘Norwegian Wood’, Dylan uses this dark tale of a lover’s fight to take aim at John Lennon’s ‘new’ style of writing, that sounded an awful lot like it had been stolen from Bob. Musically, it is the same as ‘Norwegian Wood’, with the last line warning ‘I never asked for your crutch, now don’t ask for mine’. Basically, Bob’s telling John not to take his style, whilst also perfectly showing the world that he’s still the best at storytelling and his brand of unique phrasing. This song would haunt John Lennon for some time, as he was paranoid about Dylan’s feelings towards him, but in the end Lennon went in a new direction and Bob remained friends with The Beatles, so any beef seem to be short lived.

13) Obviously Five Believers - Much like previous tracks, another bluesy tune with lyrics about a relationship and wild backing musicians, this is a good little song to dance and singalong with. Robbie Robertson’s guitar playing is particularly impressive on this track, and his playing throughout the whole album is one of the highlights. 

14) Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands - Bob had married Sara Lownds three months earlier, and this 11 minute poem of love, beauty, strength, and heavenly romance is an incredible tribute to her. Though much of the album is filled with sombre lyrics about relationships ending and striving for a perfect woman, the closing track is all about how Bob has found what he has been searching for. It’s a gorgeous song that is not only some of his most heartfelt writing, it’s a uncompromising wedding vow that is full of genuine emotion and is brimming with positivity, something Dylan doesn’t often write about. It’s an incredible conclusion to the album, and to this period of his career. 

Verdict: Once again, my hyperbolic words can’t do this album or career period justice, for a 25 year old to release three culture changing masterpieces in the space of 15 months is unfathomable. Whilst it could seem somewhat ‘sell out’ with the more radio friendly songs, the whole album is just a thrillingly perfect journey through Dylan’s emotions and experiences, relationships ending, searching for meaning, and finally finding happiness. This album once again includes some of the best songs and singing of his entire career, and the overall sound throughout the record is much more mature and composed. Even the tracks that seem a little more filler are still brilliantly written songs that eclipsed the popular music that was being released at the time. The album is my (joint) second favourite thing he’s ever released, and sadly it would be the last of this particular ‘Bob Dylan’, as he was once again about to cocoon and re-emerge a new man. Following a motorcycle accident in 1966, and his settling down with his new wife and children, the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle was about to be abandoned for a more mellow, more relaxed, and more ‘country’ sound. 

[nerianasims]

Billboard #1s 1978

Under the cut.

Player – “Baby Come Back” -- January 14, 1978

Apparently I'm positively disposed to what's called "yacht rock"? I'd have called it 30-something dinner party rock. Anyway, apparently this is an example. Like all of that genre, this doesn't feel deeply emotional even when the words are. "I was wrong, and I just can't live without you." It's basically calm, and I'd even call it kinda groovy. It's not slow though. It's not going to change the world, but it's good background music for a party among people who have to get home before the babysitter needs to leave.

The Bee Gees – “Stayin’ Alive” -- February 4, 1978

I don't like the movie Saturday Night Fever at all. And I don't like its biggest breakout song either. The lyrics -- who cares, the lyrics are an excuse for Barry Gibb's falsetto to pierce your brain. I was going to clubs during the short disco revival of the 90s and I don't remember this song being played much.

Andy Gibb – “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” -- March 4, 1978

This guy was a teen idol. I didn't understand the popularity of the teen idols when I was a teenager either. To me, they almost always have the sex appeal of a potato. As for this song, musically it sounds like a TV theme, and the lyric "love is thicker than water" gives me the giggles.

The Bee Gees -- "Night Fever" -- March 18, 1978

Barry Gibb's falsetto. Nope. The lyrics make this technically a love song, but they don't matter, this song exists to be danced to. Badly.

Yvonne Elliman -- "If I Can't Have You" -- May 13, 1978

This was written by Barry Gibb. Obviously I don't like it, though thankfully Yvonne Elliman's voice is fine. It's about how if she can't have you, she doesn't want anybody else. She sings in a kind of weird breathy way. And, as it's a Barry Gibb song, the second half of the song consists of the chorus repeating 50 times with some boring instrumental stuff.

Wings -- "With A Little Luck" -- May 20, 1978

That's quite the synth blast. Some of the lyrics are nice: "There's no end to what we can do together." But others are terrible: "The willow turns his back on inclement weather" and "with a little luck" repeated at least two dozen times. The message seems to be that you should pretend difficulties aren't there and just chant a bunch or something. But willows don't turn their "backs" on the wind. They bend with it, and that's how they avoid breaking. So this song's message makes no sense and it is musically boring except for the first couple bars.

Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams -- "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" -- June 3, 1978

Musically this sounds like a parody of the late 70s. It's weirdly peppy and sounds like a commercial jingle, but it's about breaking up. My brain keeps trying to mash these things together and returning a divide by zero error. These two paired up again later to sing the "Family Ties" theme, which is actually a better song, and I'm not saying the "Family Ties" theme is great.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John -- "You're the One That I Want" -- June 10, 1978

I confess: I like Grease. The musical, not the substance. Yes, it's nostalgia-bait, and it's goofy as hell in many ways. And yet I can't resist it. I also like this song. It's been picked over and analyzed to death, about how Sandy's changing for Danny how awful blah blah blah. Well, he was wandering around in a letter sweater before this song, planning to become a square for her. Then Sandy sings at him "You'd better shape up," and he ends up following her around in public on his knees. Sandy wouldn't have wanted Danny in the first place, and become friends with the Pink Ladies, if there weren't a "bad girl" in her screaming to get out. What can I say -- I identify. Also this song is catchy and fun, Olivia Newton-John is excellent at acting a song, John Travolta was excellent at cheese, and they had great chemistry.

Andy Gibb -- "Shadow Dancing" -- June 17, 1978

Andy Gibb died young because massive amounts of cocaine and alcohol wrecked his heart, so I feel bad about disliking all his songs. But feeling bad about his short life doesn't mean I feel good about his music. This was written by Barry Gibb, so of course I want nothing to do with it. Also Andy Gibb's voice is incredibly weak. The lyrics are about sex, whatever, I don't care because musically this song is pretty appalling to me.

The Rolling Stones -- "Miss You" -- August 5, 1978

It's interesting hearing Mick Jagger try to weaken his voice to sound like other male singers of the time. This is disco. With a rock edge, because it's the Stones, but still... disco. Specifically, Bee Gees-inspired disco. Including the falsetto interludes. Nope nope nope, I do not accept this from The Rolling Stones.

The Commodores -- "Three Times A Lady" -- August 12, 1978

I can't hear this song without hearing Buckwheat. So um. Lionel Richie is the lead singer here, and I don't like any Lionel Richie song I have ever heard, and this is a Lionel Richie song. Eddie Murphy's version as Buckwheat is better.

Franki Valli -- "Grease" -- August 26, 1978

Grease, the musical, is a not-really-guilty pleasure of mine. "Grease", the song, isn't. It's the worst song on the track. It's about nothing, it sounds 70s and not even 70s pretending to be 50s, and it's Franki Valli. Thankfully he doesn't do falsetto, but I still find his voice unpleasant. Also the song has almost nothing to do with the musical.

A Taste of Honey -- "Boogie Oogie Oogie" -- September 9, 1978

Disco, but disco with actual oomph, unlike anything that came anywhere near Barry Gibb. It's one of those dance songs commanding you to dance, and it works. It's got an interesting, and existent, bassline. Hazel Payne's voice is good. The song changes up a bit musically throughout. It's excellent, even if "boogie" sounds a little silly these days.

The Exiles -- "Kiss You All Over" -- September 30, 1978

I said "ew" when I saw this song on the list and I stand by that. There's a lot worse, certainly. I can't even pinpoint exactly why I feel "ew" about this song. The sentiment is fine. The music is fine. It's not a song where the guy demands something of the woman he's singing to without thinking of her feelings. I dunno. It's probably fine. Maybe it's the whole "fine" thing that makes me feel somewhat creeped out. It should be a sexy song and it's just not.

Nick Gilder -- "Hot Child in the City" -- October 28, 1978

This guy looks like Tom Petty. But he's no Tom Petty. The song's about a teenage sex worker, so uh, there's that. The singer doesn't sound too upset about it, but he doesn't sound too anything about it. This song should have some kind of grit one way or another, but it doesn't. It's nothing. And that's particularly bad when it's such a heavy topic.

Anne Murray -- "You Needed Me" -- November 4, 1978

Anne Murray has a beautiful voice. This song is about having been at the absolute bottom, then someone comes along and loves you, which is a great sentiment. But it should soar and never does. It lacks a chorus, and it needs a big blowout of a chorus. As-is, it feels unfinished and unsatisfying.

Donna Summer -- "MacArthur Park" -- November 11, 1978

Donna Summer is an amazing singer. But wtf is this. "Someone left the cake out in the rain" sung with incredible sorrow is just odd. And then it goes disco, because of course, but -- what? Show me someone's master's thesis on this and maybe I'll understand the song. As it is I am simply confused.

Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond -- "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" -- December 2, 1978

One singer whose singing I despise, and another singer whom I forget exists when I'm not reminded of him. Looking up the lyrics after trying to listen to the song for about 20 seconds, they're lamenting about a failing relationship. With the reasons apparently being "you don't bring me flowers/ you don't sing me love songs." Yeah, uh, if you want the same exact kind of romantic effort put into a long-term relationship as was there in the beginning, you will be disappointed. She doesn't bring you flowers, but what about that dinner she cooked? He doesn't sing you love songs, but how about the fact that he does the dishes and puts the kids to bed? No wonder divorce rates were so high in the 70s. Yep, I hate it.

Chic -- "Le Freak" -- December 9, 1978

This one was played a lot at the clubs I went to in the 90s. It's a good funky dance song with a memorable bassline.

BEST OF 1978: "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey. WORST OF 1978: "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond, but also anything with Barry Gibb's fingerprints on it.

[willmelon]

i don’t usually do this but i feel Compelled to do a liveblog/review of Mouth Dreams so here goes

Please don’t read this if you haven’t heard the album yet as it’ll spoil Everything

(i’ll admit the idea came to me After i listened to Just a Baby so these first ones are gonna be relistened reviews)

first we got Yahoo. what can i say about this song? neil starts off Strong with incredibly sustained notes and just one phrase, in typical neil style. and he makes it work in so many different ways! honestly didn’t expect myself to get so attached so fast but that’s just the way his magic works ig. when the hoooooooos harmonise it almost brings tears to the eyes. i would love to see a group of choristers singing this with another guy on an electric keyboard. what a cold open. 9/10

of course then we go on to the titular track, the dimension of sound, the dimension of imagination, the dimension of doors. rod serling narrates the intro in his traditional monotone as the warbling twilight zone theme plays in the background. i tell ya i was actually Screaming when the track finished and he dropped the title! it may not be a song per se, sort of like Blockbuster from Mouth Moods, a ‘filler track’ if you will, but the effort in those fifty seconds cannot be ignored. it just goes to show once again how Good he is at what he does. 6.5/10

oh lawd, my favourite so far, Spongerock. reading the title i had absolutely No idea what to expect. the goofy goober song from the movie? winner takes all from band geeks? i was pleasantly surprised to find myself tapping out queen’s distinctive boom boom CLAP as the song progressed, and i was in complete Hysterics the whole way through, chanting along with the kids as the pirate encouraged me to sing louder. it’s such a beautiful fit the way they mesh together, and it’s one of those mashups that you listen to and think ‘why has nobody done this before?’ but neil is on a higher plane of existence than us and Knows where it’s at. you’re never the same after you’ve listened to Spongerock. 7.5/10

Just a Baby, where i stopped to begin this thing, is a melancholy song, which i’m not usually a fan of. i admit i don’t know the original song so i kept quiet until the last chorus or two. it’s the yang to the yin of Wow Wow from Moods, another sentence-mixer that was like a full Bop and barely gave you time to catch your breath. in Just a Baby you begin to empathise with the singer as he regales confusing times of his constant youth, including the time his mother (a train) shot a man in cold blood. it’s a powerful ballad, and it’s got a tasteful amount of justin bieber adding backing vocals to the chorus. i may have to deduct a few points cos the lyrics are gonna be hard af to remember. 7/10

ok next up we got Superkiller. this one’s totally blind! i’m. ehhhhh okay not diggin this one very much. ok that say something once line being repeated was comedy gold but talking heads are just like. kinda tuneless tbh. i’m glad he’s trying to lassoo it together with u can’t touch this but it’s kinda falling short tbh. i wouldn’t skip it but it’s not as memorable as the previous ones. 5/10

starting Get Happy. i’m not gonna lie i think i Know what this is, there are only so many options after all. i predict it’s a mix of “get dancin’” by disco-tex and the sex-o-lettes and “happy” by bahrrel williams, and i really hope that ain’t the case cos i Love the first one but despise the latter. oh well let’s see if he can pull it off. sounds like village green by the kinks so far lol uhhhh i have no idea what to make of this. okay i feel like i’m gonna like this after all. hey it’s got memorable lyrics at least! is it gonna get faster? or just more bassy? yknow maybe i was too critical at the start, but i had no idea what to expect. this is a feel-good pop song and it’s definitely making me feel happier than i was when i was listening to Superkiller. 7/10

Ribs? wtf do i expect from a song called Ribs lmao another song i’ve never heard of IH IT’S EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE TH WORLD OH YEEEEEEEEES omg i Love this song i sing it to myself when i’m walkin my dog cos his little paws click-clack on the pavement to the exact rhythm of the song omg i’m in Love! another one with odd lyrics but i think after a Lot of repeat listening i’ll be able to properly croon along to this one omg! it reminds me of Best from Mouth Silence in that they’re both about products, only instead of folgers in your cup it’s about chili’s baby back ribs omg neil you’re Perfect! how come more advertisers haven’t contacted you for a product placement deal?? 7.5/10

next we got My Mouth. welcome to? who knows let’s hit play. ooooh minor key. is this a real song? it sounds like oney singing a cover of something. oh That’s the gimmick? 2:30 long i hope there’s something else tbh cos otherwise it’s gonna get pretty thin pretty fast. mm not a fan. the weakest so far imo especially after Ribs blew me away. definitely a bad dream. 3.5/10

Aerolong don’t fail me now! okay see This is how you do a mashup. I DON’T MISS YOU BABAY AND I DO WANNA MISS A THING THAT’S GOLD!! this is just a song about saying bye to your ex lmao i love it. wish it was longer though. 6/10

Sleepin’ here we go! ok in the youtube version the first half of this song is just silence so that wasn’t fun. gee this one’s only moderately better than My Mouth i’m feeling very shortchanged. 4/10

what to expect from Aamoorree? hopefully this one’s another jam but...okay i’m likin this one. it’s Fun and isn’t trying too hard! it’s just a drunk dean martin singing about pizza pie on karaoke night, what more could you ask for lol. 6/10

Where Is My Mom? by the p-p-p-pooo-oo-ooo-oooool of course. i don’t recognise the other song but it’s decent. i’ve listened to slowed-down songs before (the sludgefest chipmunks albums lately) and this one’s kinda ok. not a fan of the ending but points for effort ig. 5.5/10

Fredhammer ay? might there be some peter gabriel in there? undoubtedly. yup there it is lol ok now bring in the flintstones? oh ig that’s fred durst? mm not totally feeling it so far but censoring he** was funny lmao HEY THERE’S SEINFELD i’m wheezin that was a good way to end a song, well done neil. 6.5/10

here goes Limp Wicket. i’m on the edge of my seat. and Again i’m disappointed. is this a bunch of ewoks singing some kind of star wars song? or is it jarjar? either way this is Not a good song. it probably wasn’t before he mashed it up but this wasn’t an improvement. bringing in Fredhammer didn’t help this song much at all, in fact i think it brought both songs down actually. last one was a 7/10 but i Have to dock it points now that it’s a two-parter. as for this one? i’m being generous cos the limp bizkit song was good. 1/10

Cannibals runs for 4 minutes. PLEASE don’t let this be a repeat of the last one. i get that miners can’t dig up gold every time but don’t just show up with a bunch of rocks and iron pyrites yknow i’m just gonna start. i don’t want to be angry at this album. i recognise that sound in the bg! from a cyriak vid i think. thx comin in. loooooooong drone. ugh UGH there are Too many lucid dreams on this album. starting to regret liveblogging this cos i Loved the other three mouth albums. this one’s just falling flat again and again. 3/10

here comes The Outsiders. there is NOTHING to say about this. 1.5/10

come on Johnny. okay that got a laugh out of me, not many songs start with a booing crowd like that, is that meta? wouldn’t put it past him tbh. ah i’ll give it a 5/10, for a kinda filler song it wasn’t too bad.

Closerflies, this has gotta be gold. PLEASE. intro’s goin on for a little too long...mm having never heard the original version of closer i gotta admit i thought it’d be faster, like the one used in Rollercloser in Silence. this version seems very sloppy and sluggish, especially the bassline. 3/10

Nightmovin’ i’m not expecting much OH good intro oh YES now here we go. this is a good one, it’s got clear lyrics and a catchy tune, i’m liking this one more and more by the second. cuts off weird but it’s going into the next one. so i’m gonna leave the rating out of this one and see how it is after the next one.

Whitehouse i’m holding my breath. mm it’s Good but not great tbh. criminal that the last one was half as long as this one. think i’m gonna give both of these songs a 5/10 i doubt they’ll be anyone’s favourites. the title is a nice little joke too i respect that.

Wah! what’s neil’s obsession with using wannabe as a source lmao! it’s another decent one but nothing memorable again. 5/10

Pee Wee Inc i’m expecting big things. good intro I’M IN LOVE okay this is Much better than i imagined it’d be. did he use the radio edit of feel good inc? this is a heck of a way to bring it back to the gold stuff and i wouldn’t be surprised if this is what neil’s head sounds like all the time. 7/10

on to 10,000 Spoons. not sure what to expect from the title. okay this is a Nice one i think. throwback to the likes of Just a Baby with the two songs and the sentence mixing and it’s Good. and really 10,000 spoons is So ironic anyway, don’t you think? 7/10

oh another song called Mouth Dreams? an extro? that was Weird lol ok the intro i wasn’t too keen on, def not as much as the intro, but i got to appreciate it as it went on. like Rlly appreciate it i was beginning to reflect on what a journey i’d been through tonight, especially writing it all down. felt very poetic. and then WHAM, out of nowhere, after being gone for 23 songs, all-star came Back and How! gotta give this one a 7.5/10

keep the train rolling Brithoven! i can hear faint bits of instruments in britney’s song in the back of her audio which sound like a mistake but knowing neil.......yah lmao. this song’s kinda like Promenade (Satellite Pictures at an Exhibition) from Mouth Sounds, i liked what i heard. very nice. 6.5/10

the final song. we’re gonna be hit one more time for Ain’t! and i have NO idea what i’m in for! in the hall of the mountain king eh? is this like a way of looping around to the first song of the first album with classical music? ok the snoring’s a nod to Bustin i’m sure lmao funny anyway. i thought i heard a hey now in there but i must be going nuts. wouldn’t call it a grand finale but it is what it is. 5/10

now the question that must be asked - was Mouth Dreams trying to make a point? was there a reasons so many songs were of lower-quality than previous albums? perhaps it’s just a matter of taste, or perhaps it’s as rod said back on track two, that this album is a doorway into another dimension, and the further you progress, the more mind-rattling, brain-melting concepts you come across. the album gets an average of 5.5 which is kinda disappointing. don’t think i’ll be listening to the whole thing again. thanks for reading!

[canumoveurseatup-no]

Call of the Void

Summary: you’re the rock star heartbreaker but Clint wants to change that and it took him a long time to do so, he finally introduces you to the team and come to find a certain speedster can’t help but be head over heels for you.

WC: 10.7k (this was 30 pages omg)

Pairing: Husband!Clint x Black!HexGirl!Reader x Sub!Boyfriend!Pietro

Warnings: This is based off EG Clint but everyone is alive. There’s smut so this is of course 18+, spirituality, finger in the bum, squirting, listening to people have sex, like one mention of suicide

A/N: i dunno if the hex girl au has been done and if it has i doubt there’s a black version so i’m glad i came up with this idea and ran with it. please comment and reblog!! SHOUT OUT TO @noire-griot FOR MAKING MY LOVELY MOOD BOARD!!

————

“Who’s the babe over there with all the tats?,” Clint looked over to one of his buds as he drank a beer and scanned the room, eyes stopping on you.

“Oh that’s Y/N... they call her Thorn. She’s the lead singer and bad ass guitarist of that new band, used to be called Hex Girls but changed it to ‘Call of the Void’” his friend took a swig if his beer and shrugged his shoulders, “I’d stay away from her though, she’s trouble, man. Absolute heartbreaker,”

Clint watched the chains on our pants swing back and forth as you danced with your band mates. He watched the way your faux locs swished like an ocean as you threw your head back in laughter. You were right up his alley, music artist with wonderful taste, bad ass tattoos and killer style. He wanted you.

“Mm,” Clint shrugged as well, “I can change that,”

“Clint, they don’t call her Thorn for nothing. She’ll stick her thorns on ya and leave ya bleeding out while she watches in enjoyment,”

“Maybe you should have been a fuckin’ poet rather than a drummer,”

“Eh, I do slam poetry on Wednesday’s,”

“Whatever, man. I’m gonna go talk to her,”

Clint’s friend said something that he couldn’t quite catch because he was already more than ten feet away in no time, the music was screaming through the dark room and you were screaming right along with your bandmates in each other’s faces.

“‘Scuse me,” Clint said into your ear. Usually you ignore guys who come up to you but someone about his voice intrigued you. You turned your head and your brows raise in interest as your eyes scan him up and down.

“Excuse you is right considering you were interrupting some fun,” Your voice was like velvet and it wrapped him in a tight embrace, “But I’ll allow it this once for a fan,”

He didn’t want to correct you, he’d actually never heard a single song, but he’d make sure to after tonight.

“Just wanted to let a little lady like you know you look good,”

You kinda just chuckled at him, “Not that little. Don’t get too much dip on ya chip, might break,” you tum back to your friends to continue your night of fun

“Guess I’ll just have to get another chip then,”

His voice made you freeze and slowly turn back to him, arms crossed and tattoos bold against your skin, “Persistent fella,”

“A woman like you only shows up once in every blue moon, gotta cease my chance,”

Your Tripp pants fell on your hips nicely and just under your cropped band tee, he could see the outline of a snake come up the side of your ribcage to under your boob.

“And men like you come and go just as the tide does, what makes you think I’m not gonna ride this wave out and throw you out like an old surfboard when I’m done like the rest?,”

Clint loves your attitude. He could tell you didn’t take any shit and that only made him want you more, “Not a regular ‘ole ripple like you’re used to, Thorn,”

You could smell his cologne as he stepped closer, it took everything you had in you to not close your eyes and bask in his scent. You watched him lick his lips and raise a brow at you. You liked this one, you could keep him around for a bit.

“Then what are ya?,”

“More like record breaking tsunami. Lasting effects, hard to forget something like me,”

With your Demonia Trinity’s, you stood at perfect eye level with him, he wasn’t giving up and while most of them usually don’t, this one was different. He had spunk to him.

“Hey, Tove,” you call over your shoulder to your bandmate. Sweet girl with fast fingers when it came to the keyboard and synth.

“Yeah?,”

“Lock up when you guys get home, don’t think I’ll be back tonight,”

———

A few foiled packets hit Clint in the chest and he looked down at them, shrugged before tearing one open and rolling it down on himself. He’s probably the first to not complain about having to wrap it up before he tapped it up.

You heard him let out a slow deep breath as he pushed into you slowly. He was boning a rockstar, someone of his caliber, he definitely made sure to show out so you’d be the one coming back for more.

You ran your hand up his tattooed sleeve until he pinned your hands above your head with one of his, “Can I choke you? Wanna feel your pulse pounding against my fingertips,”

“Holy shit, please,”

Usually it was you who did the turning out but now you were the one being turned out, you hated being out of control but here you were, legs busted wide open with a hand right around your throat. This man was something else.

Hard staccatoed thrusts are fucked into you and your body can’t help but fall subject to him. Seeing you now, under him, you were a completely different person. Out in the open you’re a badass sadist but here you are a submissive good girl.

“Not so tough are you now, huh?,” Clint was practically hate fucking you and that’s all you needed. You didn’t know you needed it until it was happening, “Wanted to be a bitch at the party but look at you now. You’re my bitch,”

“Oh fuck, yes,” normally you did the bitch calling, but dammit was Clint putting it down. You couldn’t help but be putty in his hands, “Harder. Need it harder,”

He fucked you until you broke free of his thigh grip and tapped out. He pulled out of your throbbing pussy as you wiped your tears trying to catch your breath.

“What are you doing to me?,” you cover your face and laugh.

“I told you I’m not those little ripples you fucked with before and I meant that. You wanted to ride the tsunami so now you get to drown,”

His finger pushed into your soaking pussy and your wetness was absolutely obscene. Your eyes rolled into your head and he hadn’t even started moving yet. He might as well had been drowning you, it was getting hard to breathe as another wave crashed down you, bringing you to yet another orgasm.

“I need you. I need you so fucking bad,”

His hands gripped your hips fighting before he sunk back deep into you, your back arching off the bed and toes curling into the covers. His lips never left your body. Lips wrapped around your brown nipples and sucked until he decided to move to your neck, biting and making sure you would feel him for a few days after.

“You know what I’m gonna do?,” he whispered in your ear

“Cum for me?,”

“Gonna cum hard for you and leave you to stew with your thoughts for days to come. Leave you wanting more,” he moved his hips harder, knocking the air out of you in moans and whimpers, “Gonna have you thinking about how I felt inside you like this. Not even your own hand can make you feel good like I can, you’re gonna have no choice but to come back for more,”

You knew he was right. He already exceeded your expectations at the underground party. Now he was really showing out.

“So you’re gonna cum for me like I want you to and not say a damn thing,” he lifted your legs on his shoulders and went harder, grunting loudly to chase his own orgasm.

“F-fuck fuck fuck!,” your nails dig into his forearms as you came another time, your body entirely spent.

His hips stilled as he came into the condom, panting with a slack jaw, hair sticking to his forehead, tattoos glistening in the glowing red room.

“I’ll call you a cab in the morning,” he simply pulled out of you and went in the bathroom to take a shower. You laid there shocked, usually you’d be the one calling the cab and leaving them to lie there in filth.

He was really something else

———

“Get your head in the game, Thorn!” Amity scolded. You kept forgetting the lyrics with Clint running through your mind, “We have a big show this weekend and there’s a huge prize at stake here,”

“Alright alright, Dusk. Just.. just shut it for a minute!,” sighing, you pinched the bridge of your nose before taking a sip of your water.

“Blood, blood, blood

Pour more through my veins

I'm a dirty, dirty girl

I want it filthy”

Muttering the lyrics to yourself you took a deep breath and stood back at the mic. It was a new song and granted, you wrote it, but something else was flooding your mind.

“She’s dickmatized,” Tove snickers and you throw your guitar pick at her

“At least I get some, Luna”

“We all can’t have ethereal pussy like you, Thorn,”

You three barely called each other by your real names now. The stage names stuck and worked as nicknames.

She handed you your guitar pick back and started on the synth again, ready for you to come in.

“I hate you for the sacrifices you made for me

I hate you for every time you ever bled for me

I hate you for the way you smile when you look at me

I hate you for never taking control of me

I hate you for always saving me from myself

I hate you for always choosing me and not someone else

I hate you for always pulling me back from the edge

I hate you for every kind word you ever said

I'll bleed you dry now,”

Your body swayed to the verse before you put your all into the chorus, screaming the lyrics and moving around like you had an audience. You imagined Clint there and that’s when you really started to feel the song. You imagine him in the front row, sweating and smiling at you, jumping up and down, headbanging. God, that would be a sight to see.

The intensity of the song had you thinking about that night and how he ruined you for any other man

“I love you for everything you ever took from me

I love the way you dominate and you violate me

I love you for every time you gave up on me

I love you for the way you look when you lie to me

I love you for never believing in what I say

I love you for never once giving me my way

I love you for never delivering me from pain

I love you for always driving me insane

I'll bleed you dry now”

You felt chills run down your body as you strummed the strings faster and faster, feeling your face heat up. You couldn’t wait to get there out front of a crowd where you’d have a whole crowd screaming out and moshing, fists pumping and eyes glazed over from the drunkenness and inebriation from all the pot.

You end the song with huff and a big smile

“See, all you had to was get your mind in the right place. We’re gonna kill it!,”

“So- was the dick that good? or should I say cock?,” Luna smiled mischievously and made sure to put extra and weird emphasis on the word.

“Coming out of your mouth? Hell no,”

You all sit on the couch and take a break. Creating music was not easy, creating good music wasn’t easy! So giving yourselves breaks was needed, especially with recording and working with modulations and screaming and the instruments, it was all a clusterfuck until it all came together.

“Come oooon, Thorn. Tell uuus, spill the potion,” She pleaded. She always liked to live vicariously through your stories lately, something about a sex fast to keep her energies in check.

“It was different. You know how I am. I barely let anyone touch me but goodness, girls. His hands were just- unreal. They were so rough and experienced. You know I like to be the dominant one but him? He took the wheel. He choked the hell outta me. Dirty talk is A1.. stroke game- it’s like a game of archery and he hits the bullseye every tiiiiime,” you clenched your legs together just thinking about it. You wondered when you’d get to see him again.

“He got a brother? Cousin? Best friend?,” Dusk looks over her glasses at you and sets her cup down.

“I don’t know all of that!,”

“Fuck me sidewaaaays I need some,” Luna screams out into the studio room.

“How far are you in your 100 day sex fast?,” you nudge her.

“Bitch, only day 30,” she sighs, “but it’s for a good cause. My body rejects dick that’s not for me, so I’m protecting her for the time being,”

It made sense- you never really had to worry about that- condoms were always a must- and you never really had a person come into your life that made you not want to use them.

“Your vagina is gonna become depressed,” Dusk adds nonchalantly.

“That’s not possible!”

“Oh but it is,”

They always went back and forth like that. Dusk was like the instigative sibling that was monotone about everything to sound more serious and Luna was like the younger sibling that believed everything and whined while you were like that single parent that had to break them apart.

“Thooooorn, tell her that’s not truuue,” she flung herself back in the chair.

“Sorry, buttercup, read up on it. The vagina can become depressed from lack of sex”

“Listen, I already gotta deal with regular depression now my vagina gotta go through it?!,”

“Just masturbate,”

“Okay okay- enough,” you stand up and laugh at the two, “Let’s get back to work. We still have three other songs to work on for the set list this weekend,”

—————

The crowd was rowdy. You were peeking from behind the curtain and saw the other bands getting them excited for you. Being an all black girl alternative band was already intimidating but headlining a music festival? Yeah that was different.

You stood on side and held your crystal, giving it purpose before you went out on stage and gave it your all.

“Now for the act you’ve all been waiting for” the announcer gets the crowd going and their screams put a smile on your face. You’ve still got a long way to go but you’re proud of how far you’ve come with your band and music. Starting out as a little garageband known as the Hex Girls now you’re here, performing at music festivals.

“Oh no-,” Luna turns to you, “I got the nervous poops again,”

“Well I hope you wore ya diaper because we don’t have time for a potty break,” Dusk tightens her guitar strap and gets ready to walk on stages

“I don’t need a diaper! It’ll pass once we get on stage!,”

“Call of the Vooiiidd!!,”

You adjust your ear piece and pat Luna on her butt, “It’s shooow tiiiime”

The lights were hot as hell, but it helped distract you from the large crowd. They were so excited to see you guys perform though. You used the adrenaline of you being nervous as a charge to get you going. You’ve all put in long hours of hard work and lyrical artistry to be here. The breakdowns, the arguments, broken instruments and wanting to give up on multiple occasions is what got you here. 

You got this.

“We’re Call of the Void,” the screams were like a welcoming hug, comforting in a way and took any fear you had away, “And we’re here to fuck shit up,” 

Dusk came in with the drums and there was no turning back now.

What you didn’t know was that Clint was there. At the first mention of your band being there he had to come and support, he spent days listening to your songs and learning the lyrics just so he could be here today and support you. He spent nights pleasing himself to the sound of your voice growling invigorating lyrics through his headphones. He’d be lying if he said you didn’t run laps in his mind, just like he did in yours. 

He watched you run all around and jump around the stage, getting the crowd going. A mosh pit opened up right behind him and while any other time he’d join in the exhilarating moments of fighting strangers to music, he stayed right where he was to watch you. The way you moved your body was so languid and fluid, the way your lips moved to sing, scream, growl every lyric and modulation had chills running down his body. 

Sure your music was great through headphones, but live was such a better experience, this made him realize why you all got big so fast.

He watched Dusk get wild in the drums, his eyes glistened at the way Luna’s fingers moved on the keyboard and synth. He admired you all, this was a band, he thought. 

You on the other hand, you are having the time of your life and you know this is just the beginning. You stepped to the front of the stage and got low, that’s when you saw him... mouthing your lyrics and smirking at you. 

You got on your hands and knees and crawl to the edge, getting as close to him as possible as he was a couple rows away.

“I know you want me I know you need me But I just wanna fuck”

You wink at him and the crowd only screams louder and Clint can feel himself getting hotter. Not because of the propinquity of the pit, but because you just did that to him. It was like  you could set him on fire but extinguish it at the same time. 

You could give him life yet take it away. 

That was the kind of power you had. 

You ran an entire set, 45 minutes worth of pure adrenaline and sweat. Some people in the crowd suffering from nosebleeds and busted lips and bruising just because your music made everyone that wild. They loved it though because at the end, everyone was left grinning and screaming for an encore. Everyone knew they’d be getting a good sleep tonight.

“Thank you all for the ride,” you were catching your breath as you paced the stage, “You definitely will be seeing and hearing more from us. This is just the beginning,”

You were thankful to have such a diverse fan base, even more blessed to see more alternative people of color like yourself. This is what you wanted. This was a dream come true and it only came true because you had people who believed in you and people who never told you to give up.

“Be safe getting home,” You, Luna and Dusk run off the stage and hug each other, still full of energy.

“That was the beesst show we have ever had!,” Dusk was wiping her forehead and smiling back at you both as if what just happened wasn’t real. But it was real alright. 

“The energy tonight was amaziiiing!,” Luna squealed as she skipped to the trailer, the crystals around her neck creating a small clinking sound every time she landed on the balls of her feet. 

The breeze felt good against your skin as your body finally started to cool down. 

“Thorn,”

You stop in your tracks and the girls turn around at the voice as well. They were almost in the trailer when they saw him walking behind you. 

“Ouuu he’s baaaack,” Luna teases.

“Get ya dumbass inside!,” 

“But I wanna seeee,” 

Dusk pushes her inside the trailer and shuts the door behind the two of them, leaving you and Clint at the steps.

“You killed it out there,” 

“Of course I did,” you sat on the steps and glared up at him. You couldn’t let him onto you, couldn’t let him know that you’d been thinking about him ruining you all over again just like he did only a week ago.

“Let’s not play games or beat around the bush and drop hints hoping the other will catch on,” He stands tall, crossing his arms and looking smug. Damn him, all the other men were just play toys but him? He wasn’t with the shits. He wanted to lay down the law which was completely opposite of what you were used to.

“Not sure what you mean,” you were sure he could read you like a book. You enjoyed remaining an indecipherable code to everyone else but Clint just had this ability to crack the code and everything he found inside was for the taking.

“I’m think you do,” He leaned down and got in your face, noses touching and his eyes boring into yours, “So let’s just be adults and admit we can’t get each other off the other’s mind, yeah?,”:

You really did a number on yourself with this one.

----------

“Try not to need me,” Clint sat down with the team at dinner and explained that he’d be going away for a bit. For what exactly, they didn’t need to know all of that, they just needed to know that they’d have to make due with the resources they have now.

You two had been together for two years and married for about six months now and your band had made it big. He was going on tour with you, after you had done enough begging. In and out the bedroom.

“Why do you always disappear like this?,” Steve couldn’t help but ask. They always ask, it was a game of cat and mouse and he always got away.

“I have other obligations,” Clint always kept his answers short and vague.

“Like?,”

“Like minding my business, Tony,” 

This was the norm. They had no idea what Clint was up to and he made sure Fury kept it that way. Sure you were already big, but the world didn’t need to know you were his wife. You knew about what he did, the avenging by day, rock star husband by day and night. 

“I can’t see anything, guys,” Wanda’s voice gave off a defeated tone, as if she was supposed to succeed in some top secret mission and failed. 

“Really guys? Trying to take a look into my head?,” he eats a piece of pepperoni that fell on his short and shook his head, “That’s a new low,” 

“We just wanna know what you’re hiding from us,” Nat nudges him with her foot.

“Clearly if I’m hiding anything it’s for good reason,” Clint snatches the remote from Sam to turn up the TV to avoid any more conversation, “Now shut up, this episode is great,” 

-

You were at home packing everything into the tour bus. This would be your home again for the next few months. This was your first tor since you’ve all made it big and while it was nerve racking, you wouldn’t give it up and the fact you have a husband now? and he gets to experience this with you? yeah you definitely wouldn’t trade this. 

You have two days left at home before you all hit the road cross country. You told Clint to spend time with his avenging friends. You made a list of everything that you needed and made sure to check it like ten times before setting it to the side. 

You knew Dusk and Luna would wait till the last minute to pack just to whine that they forgot something and have to make a pit stop at the nearest store to get what they need. It was classic them to do so, it’s happened on past trips.

You hear the jingle of Clint’s keys and the heavy patter of his boots coming down the hall just as you set his duffel bag and suitcase by the closet door.

“I love it when you wear my shirts, love the side boob,” 

He always adored you in all your glory, even when your hair was all over the place because you were in between styles. Even when your nail polish was chipped, even when you didn’t feel like shaving any body hair and it was grown out. 

“I thought I told you to spend time with your hero friends,” You stand on his boots to lean up and get a kiss. He tasted like his favorite beer, “You taste like beer, what did I tell you about driving home after drinking?,”

“It was a couple sips before I threw it out and came home because they started badgering me again. So I came home to my wife,” He throws himself back on the bed and kicks off his boots before pulling you into his lap to straddle him.

You love the feeling of his hands on your thighs, just rubbing them so his hands didn’t remain idle. You couldn’t help but kiss him, you’ve missed him lately. All the board meetings and planning and extra time in the studio had separated you two more than you’d like to admit. While you did tell him to spend time with his friends, you were glad he returned home early. 

“Ou, this is new, which one is this?,” his hand reached for your necklace but he drew it back when you slapped it away.

“Hey! Didn’t anyone ever tell you to not touch another person’s crystals?” You smooth your hands along his chest and give him a look that lacked amusement.

“Well excuuuse me,” his arms wrapped around your thighs so that he could flip you over, “I wanna have coitus with my wife now though and I’d like to choke you out so I’d recommend removing it,”

“Oh.. oh okay,” you raised yourself off the black sheets for a second to remove you necklace and set it on the bedside table, “I’m all yours,”

“Glad we had that talk,” 

You loved to see him smile, especially when his eyes became tiny slits because that indicated how genuine his smile was and hey, it’s you he’s smiling at, of course it’d be genuine.

His hands slipped into the sides of his homemade muscle shirt that you were wearing and his cool rings clashed with the warmth of your pierced nipples as he groped them and rolled them in his hands. You opened your legs wider for him to get closer while his mouth was working on your neck and lips.

Tonight was about to be full of rounds as this was the last time you both would be able to have all types of sex in the comfort and privacy of your own home. You could be as loud as you want. He would be as rough as he wanted without people thinking you were being hurt.

“Take the shirt off, Y/N,” the way his voice rasped always got you going, always ready to let him have his way with you, you loved feeling vulnerable under him because outside of this you were that independent woman who didn’t need a man despite her having a husband and Clint was there to support you independence, but you still appreciated his support and efforts no matter what because sometimes you did need to be brought back down to Earth and he was there.

“Fuck I missed you,” you gasp as his teeth tug on your hardened nipples, barely giving you time to throw the shirt to the side. 

He showed you how much he missed you by burying his face in between your thighs. Feasting on everything you had to offer. You’ve thanked the cosmos over and over for giving you a man who treated you right, stayed in his lane yet supported you and put his foot down when needed aaand delivered a good sex game. He was the perfect package, including all the bits and pieces that made up his own personality. 

“Yes, baby” you spread your legs wider and hold the back of your thighs to watch his tongue move fast against your swollen clit. 

“I will never get sick of the way you taste,” he groaned, staring at your pussy like it was the best meal he’d ever have in his life. He got into it every time, closing his eyes and shaking his head, moaning against you at the juices that flowed for him. 

Those fingers, absolute gifts. Something about getting fingered always had you ready to explode. He moved them fast, made sure to stimulate all parts of you. He never failed to make you whine and your toes curl in the air.

“I want you to cum for me,” 

And what he wants, he gets. You’re moving your hips up against his fingers in a needy little motion with wanton cries and chills running down your body. 

“That’s it,” 

He was so encouraging and it never failed to make your face heat up. You damned him for it from the moment you met him. Clint knew what he was doing, pushing every button, threading the eye of every needle, hitting every target dead set in the center. He just knew.

“C’mon, no more games. I need you,” you pulled on his hair to get him back up to you, “I want it, all night,”

------

Today would be the last day everyone got to see Clint before he went on another hiatus without a word of what he would be doing or so much as a hint to where. For months, again, the team wouldn’t know if he was dead or alive until he popped back up.

Pietro was alone in his room, spending his free time watching your music and behind the scenes videos. 

He was obsessed with your band, but for the most part, just you. The way you’d look into the camera made him feel like you were looking at him. Your hair always sat atop your head like a crown no matter the style. Whether it was your natural big puffs, your individual braids, wigs, locs, anything, he was mesmerized. He was a hardcore fanboy and was not afraid to admit it. 

“I think... I think being spiritual is much more than just trying to stay positive all the time,” 

God, he loved your voice. He loved how low in register it was to others. You sounded so dignified and established, just by talking.

“Honestly, fuck the whole notion that you have to be nice to be seen as spiritual. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is put a bitch in her place, I’m not saying be an unwarranted asshole but don’t let people walk over you just because they think you can’t help but be nice” He laughed at the genuine answer, he didn’t know you personal but he felt so close to you, granted you are human, but you just didn’t let the fame get to your head and sometimes he had to remember you were a real life human, 

“Respecting your boundaries is spiritual, not being taken advantage of is spiritual, allowing yourself to feel anger is spiritual. It’s so much more than crystal wearing and sage burning and trying to be happy go lucky. No one can be like that all the time... no matter how hard you want to be, because there’s always that someone that wants to get you out of character,” 

Pietro felt connected to you, he’s never felt like this before. He was never the type to rush to a computer to buy the early bird tickets or the latest merch but here he was, being that person and he didn’t give a damn.

“Piet, time for dinner. Clint’s here and he brought a guest, so clean yourself up,” Wanda threw something at him to get his attention away from the phone but he just grunted while getting out of bed.

“I’ll be out in a biiit,” He shooed her away and fixed his hair and hung up his room shorts for a nice pair of dark jeans. He decided to keep your band’s tee crew neck on, that should be good enough for Clint’s guest. How ‘cleaned up’ did Wanda want him to get? 

Pietro slipped on some shoes and trudged his way into the dining room. He still had his phone in hand watching your videos when he heard the melodic, sultry vibrations of your voice, and not just from his phone, no. You were actually here, sitting down, eating dinner in his home.

He dropped his phone and stood there with his mouth hung open. He was in such a shock he was surprised he didn’t piss his pants in excitement.

“Is he okay?,” you noticed him staring at you and found it weird until you noticed your band name on his crew neck. A fan, interesting. 

“Yeah he’s just obsessed over you,” His sister shrugs and places mash potatoes on her plate, “Piet, sit down and close your mouth. You look silly,” 

“How cute,” 

He turned red at the sound of you calling him cute. You found him cute... you’re seated right in front of him and you called him cute!

Pietro slowly slid into his chair and tried not to stare but he couldn’t help it. You’re real.

“Anyway,” Clint cleared his throat and looked around the table to make sure he had everyone’s attention, “Now that everyone is here. This is my wife, Y/N and she’s an artist,”

“You owe me 50 bucks,” Sam points to Natasha and Bucky.

The two groan in in defeat and slap the money in his hands. You found it amusing, they all had a cute little team going here. 

“Babe, this is everyone,” 

Your eyes pan around the room to get a good look everyone, putting a face to a name, you knew who was who just by his vague descriptions from before.

Your eyes stop on Pietro and he’s still looking at you as if he’s seen a ghost. He was honestly adorable and he reminded you of your early days when you’d make men like him your toys. You send him a wink and his yes only get wider.

“Piet stop ogling her!,” Wanda slapped him upside his head and he hissed, sending a glare her way for embarrassing him.

“It’s quite alright,” you smile at the twins and turn to look at Clint who had a brow raised at you. He knew exactly what you were thinking. Before you two even got married, you explained to him that you were in polygamy and he was fine with that. He never really had eyes for another woman and he knew how other times you liked to feel dominant and while that wasn’t his thing, he was willing to let you have that with someone else, but the moment never presented itself, until  maybe... now?

“What?,” you knew he was onto you but you loved playing bashful with him. 

“We’ll talk when we get home,” he tried to hide his smile but it was you he was talking to, hiding his smile was useless. 

“So, Y/N,” Tony cuts in, “What kind of art is it exactly that you do?,” 

You notice the way he’s eyeing you and Tony himself wasn’t sure if he found you odd or if he was fucking with it, either way, he liked it. 

“I make music,” plain and simple, “My childhood best friends and I made a band when we graduated high school, at first we didn’t think we’d honestly get anywhere but we’re about to go on our first tour,” 

Taking a sip of your wine you await a response

“Is that why Clint always disappears? You know to be with your band when you do stuff?,” the one that you believed to be Natasha asked before forking a piece of chicken in her mouth.

“Well I sure hope so or else we have something to talk about,” you nudge Clint and he nudges right back. On the outside, it seemed like you two were that evil, vampire couple that lived in an all black, old fashioned, tall, Victorian style home with a sphynx cat. While the house and cat part was accurate, you were just a normal married couple that lived life with a little stardom.

Pietro would never get tired of your voice, he always repeated that to himself but hearing your voice in person, he never thought it would be possible. You were radiant, aura calming and bright. The tattoos that decorated your skin looked even cooler in person, eyes twinkling even brighter, you were so tall and he loved it. 

You could stomp him out and he’d still say thank you-

“Pietro!,” Wanda slapped him upside his head harder this time, “Stop being weird,”

He cursed himself for saying that out loud. Your presence was just so intoxicating and hypnotizing in the best way possible. He always got nervous around attractive women. 

“You’re just so cute,” you lean forward on the table and just shake your head at him and point to your band’s crew neck that he was wearing, “What’s your favorite song?,”

Pietro felt his mouth go dry. You were talking to him, he had to play it cool, he couldn’t embarrass himself in front of you anymore. He felt his hands get clammy and he felt his eyes burning, he was really about to cry happy tears because you were talking to him.

“All of them,” he croaks

You give a gentle giggle and nod, “If you had to choose one.. what would it be?,”

You found it adorable how still he sat with his eyes wide like a deer in headlights. He licked his lips and moved his jaw up and down as his words got lost.

“I uh... uhm.. i..,”

“It’s okay, take your time,” you encouraged.

Pietro took a deep breath and calmed himself down, “I’d probably choose.. Natural Born Sinner... c-ca- because it’s raw and I like the statement. It’s always the first on my playlist. I just love your voice,” 

You grinned at how he talked as if you were a dream come true. You’ve met plenty of fans over the years but he was the cutest. So pure, so... ruinable. 

“Good choice,” 

Clint chuckled and shook his head at you, you were really something else. You couldn’t be tamed so like the lioness you were, he let you roam and trample what your willing prey.

Dinner went on and much of the conversation consisted of where you’d be performing, who your bandmates were, what your favorite clothing brand was because you definitely inspired Wanda to change her wardrobe. Tony made a mental note to listen to your band. Peter and Bucky wanted to meet your other mate, Sam and Natasha made sure they’d have to look up the price of your tickets because you just seemed so cool and genuine they had to support you. 

All while Pietro had an erection and was thinking of many things to make it go away.

Those sad puppy commercials, washing dishes with wet food, stubbing your pinky toe, ripping a hangnail, a cat hacking up a furball... Y/N has a cat... her name is Obsidian.. Y/N’s eyes are like black obsidian, Y/N is here right now.. .I bet she’d look so good above me... Just look at the way she’s looking at me now.. oh shit she’s looking at me!!

Pietro snapped back into reality and realized his erection had gone away just to come back when you winked at him. He shouldn’t like that- your husband is sitting right there...

“If you guys would like to come see us live one day, I can definitely make that happen,” you lean into Clint and he rubs your arm while everyone looks at you as if you were Oprah saying  “You get a ticket! you get a ticket! everyone gets a ticket!!,”

“Please?!,”

---------

“You made him so nervous,” Clint leaned back in his seat while driving.

“That wasn’t a look of nervousness, babe. I definitely made him horny. I know that look,” 

You’ve seen many give you that look in your life. You made them so nervous they couldn’t help but be turned on and they always begged for you to give it to them.

You heard Pietro’s pleas for sure. 

“I want that one... for sure,” 

The drive back to your house consisted of talks about how you both would work around this arrangement. Clint was totally fine with it, he wasn’t the jealous type plus he knew at the end of the day you were his wife. He knew you loved it when he took control and while he changed your life, your dominant side itched to come out and now it finally does, as long as Pietro is 1000% sure. You were presented with the best of both worlds as a switch and now you were so close to holding the two in your grasp.

“You’re acting like he’s a puppy or a new toy,”

He might as well be... please daddy I promise I’ll be nice,” you tease and beg like a child.

“I’ll see what I can do, sweet pea,”

---------

Today was the day, you were all packed and ready to go, but you and Clint had to make one pit stop before heading to Dusk and Luna’s house where the tour bus would meet you.

You had your braid up in a knot and sunglasses on, leather jacket spiked, skirt short and boots tall. You looked irresistible.

“Clint.. Y/N- waddaya doing here?,” Steve asked when he sees you two get off the elevator. 

“Where’s the nervous one?,” you question, wanting to get straight to the point. 

“Pietrooo!,” Clint called out and Pietro zoomed into the foyer and almost ripped when he saw you looking down at him.

“Y-you’re back,” already a stuttering mess he was.

“Yeah, got any plans over the next few months besides fanboying over me?,” you pop your gum and Piet could have busted a nut right then and there with the way your eyebrow coked up over the rim of your glasses. 

“J-just missions,”

“Great. I pardon you. So waddaya say you come with tour with me?,”

Pietro’s ears began ringing. There’s no way he just heard you correctly, right? Oh but he did hear you right. 

“You’re joking?,” 

“Do I look like I’m joking?,”

No, not you do not look like you’re joking and he doesn’t know how to handle it. Clint is just standing there, smug as ever.

“I’d... hell yeah I’d love to,”

You smile how how much thicker his accent had gotten from the excitement but you just nod and turn on your heels, 

“You have fifteen minutes to be in the lobby before we head out,”

God you looked so good walking away. Clint pushed him in the direction of his room, “Get a move on. We’re on a time schedule,”

--------

Even two months into traveling with you and Clint it still doesn’t seen real that he’s here. Experiencing you perform live was so surreal he couldn’t help but go into his hotel room or bunk and blow one after every show you all had. 

Luna knew he had a crush on you and she always teased him for it

“You better hold Clint doesn’t find out. He’s gonna kill you,” 

She didn’t mean it seriously. She just liked to see him flustered. It was adorable to hear him stutter and try to lie saying he doesn’t see you that way, he’s just a friend of Clint’s who admires the band. 

“Luna leave him alone. If Clint definitely knows... that’s why he’s here,” Dusk adjusts her ear piece backstage before it’s show time. The team would be here to see this one so he’d have to go out soon to meet them and take them to the front to the VIP rows.

“What’s that supposed to mean?,” He was always confused and could never read between the lines. You have given subliminal hints the entire starting from the night you met him but he still hasn’t gotten it. 

Tonight would change that.

“Piet, they’re here. Head out front now,” Clint peeked his head out from your dressing room and noticed the way his pants were unbutton and his hair was a mess. God, he wishes that was him. 

It was no secret that before performance sex was a common ritual with you two, one time he heard it and had to go to the bathroom to situate himself.

“Pietro! you hear me?,”

“Uh,” he snaps back to the present and nods his head feverishly, “Yeah, yeah,”

He rushed to meet everyone. Wanda clearly took a page from your book and used you as inspiration for her outfit. Everyone else looked kind of normal, save for Bucky who hard dark liner around his eyes and was wearing one of your band tees with the sleeves cut off, black pants and boots. He fit in with the crowd perfectly and didn’t give a damn if Sam made fun of him for it, he knew he looked good and Pietro had to admit such a truth.

“I’m so excited!,” Wanda spray dyed her hair black and had it in cute pigtails so as she jumped up and down the pigtails moved back and forth. She wore a cropped band tee with a skirt that was decorated with chains and a pair of ripped tights and a pair of tall platform boots, much like yours.

“You think if I crowd surf people are gonna keep me afloat?,”

“Tony, I think it’d be in everyone’s best interest if you don’t crowd surf,” Natasha shook her head and laughed as they followed Pietro into the arena.

“Well why not?,”

“Because I want to crowd surf. This crowd isn’t big enough for the both of us,”

“Oh but it is,” 

They went back and forth about who should be the one to get to crowd surf as if the arena wasn’t big enough for the both of them.

“I’m gonna head back, I’ll be back before the show starts,” 

Pietro books it backstage and sits in Luna’s dressing room knowing he would hear you and Clint perfectly. 

He could hear the slapping of your skin and the little whimpers you tried to hold back. God you sounded delicious. If only that were him making you feel good, or at least if only he got to sit in there and watch you get fucked before you went out on stage ans used all that good energy and put your all into your show like you always do.

“Right there, right there,”

He loved to hear you beg but he really just want you to make him beg. He wants to be the one making you feel good. He wants you to use him for your own pleasure. His wants were insatiable when it came to you. He you to want him, wanted you to make him your little play toy. But he was too nervous to do admit that.

He had confidence with the girls his age, but those girls are not you. You’re a woman, a goddess, so it made sense that you made him feel so small and he loved it.

“That’s my girl, cum for me,”

If only Pietro could jerk off right now, so he sufficed with palming himself through his jeans. He couldn’t make noise or else the jig would be up. 

“Yes, yes, yes!,”

You sounded so breathless. He imagined how good you looked with your legs spread open on the table, breasts bouncing, mouth hung open because every sensitive spot his being hit. 

On the other side of the wall, Clint’s mouth was suckling on your nipples hungrily, growling every time you clenched around him. Your hands ran through his hair and you felt yourself about to cum all over again. 

“You feel so good, baby,” you kissed his cheek as you cum around him. He fills you to the hilt before cumming deep inside of you. 

While the act of fucking before a show would tire anyone else out, it always gave you more energy and made you feel like you could run a marathon.

Pietro on the other hand was pleading to himself for you guys to not be done already. He needed to hear more, he needed more. 

“No, no. nooo,” he whispered to himself.

“10 minutes til show time!,”

Pietro heard your manager yell down the hall. 

“Fuck” he sighed. He was so defeated and knew he wouldn’t be able to get there right now. So he thought horrible things to make his dick go down before heading out to the team to wait for you guys to come out on the stage and get everyone riled up.

“You look flushed,” Sam points at his face, “You okay,”

“Dandy,”

They all talked and waited around while time dwindled down before the show began. His nerves were getting the best of him and he wasn’t sure why. All he had to do was stand here and enjoy your music. Which he always did but tonight just felt different.

*Listen to Sexual Hallucination by In this Moment*

The smoke started to fill the stage and the Luna began playing on the keyboard and synth. Everyone immediately got quiet and payed attention,”

“Red lips, a sinister toongue,” 

The way you breathe, the way you whispered into the mic had Pietro whining. He just wanted one taste of you, just one taste and he would be fine. 

“(I'll taste you until I can't),”

No one expected Clint to come out on stage, so just imagined how their jaws dropped when his voice flooded through the speakers and and he slowly walked onto the stage.

“Our trip has just begun (I'll fly with you til the end) Psychotic voice (You are in my veins now) And there's no denying (There's no denying) As we both burst into flames”

It didn’t take long for everyone to begin singing along.

The way you had your back up against Clint’s chest and moved your hips to the flow of the song had Pietro’s mouth watering and this was only the first song of the damn set. How was he gonna make it through the set? How was he gonna make it through another four months?

“You watch me come undone (It makes me want you more) I'm crawling into the unknown (I'll follow you to the core) I feel like I'm dying (I'm right beside you) You whisper, "we're flying" (There's no denying) We both converge as one”

Pietro couldn’t even sing along, he could only stand there and enjoy the sight of you. You noticed him though. Often times throughout the song you’d make eye contact with him and you could see his eyes flutter. 

Tonight he made the decision that he couldn’t keep these yearnings to himself anymore, he had to say something. 

Tonight you made the decision to turn him out. You couldn’t take him being oblivious anymore.

You wanted him and he needed you.

--------

Bucky found himself in a mosh pit and got a bloody nose, Steve and Bruce took their shirts off and threw it on stage, Natasha and Tony both got their turns to crowd surf. Sam met a pretty little lady and went somewhere with her, Wanda lost her voice from screaming along with you and her eyeliner smudged. But Pietro was just standing there thinking about how he could tell you he wants to sleep with you without Clint beating his ass.

“We can’t thank you all enough for coming out tonight and supporting us and having fun,”

It was the end and you were sweating bullets, pacing the stage and talking to the crowd before it was time to leave.

“We can’t thank you all enough for making the dreams of three black women come true. Especially in a white male dominated genre. Had you told us when we were four. five years old that we’d be famous, we probably wouldn’t believe you because it seemed so impossible but here we are.. and it seems so surreal,”

You smiled at the screams from the crowd while Dusk and Luna said their piece and you all waved to the crowd before heading backstage where your crew and manager all congratulated you on another smooth show.

“Babe, that was amaziing!!,” Clint lifted you into the air and twirled you around before you wrapped your legs around his waist and kisses him. He hugged you tight despite you being sweaty and gross.

“Thank you! You did great out there. I bet they’re gonna ask for more collaborations with us,”

“And that’s something I’d be willing to do,” 

Striking the stage took forever and packing up took even longer. The ride back to the hotel wasn’t that bad though and his team members met you all there where you all cleaned up and relaxed.

“They didn’t have music like that when I was growing up. It was so invigorating!,” Steve talked like a kid who just met their favorite superhero. 

“I gotta ask-,’ Tony pipes up

“Uh oh”, “Oh no”, “Maybe you shouldn’t” was heard all around the room and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Shoot,”

“It’s not that bad,” He rolled his eyes, “What’s the significance behind your band name? and why the change?,”

The question was valid, you’re surprised no one asked you the question sooner. 

“Hex Girls was like the baby and babies grow,” Luna smiled as she scooted closer to Bucky. She’d had her eyes on him for a while now and he seemed to be feeding into it, “It’s like Pokemon evolution. You start off small and cute until you evolve into something bigger and more badass with a larger impact,”

Tony nods in understand but looks as if he has more to ask, “What does Call of the Void mean though?

You take a sip of your wine and think of a way to explain it to him. 

“You know how when you’re on top of a building and just feel like jumping but without any protective gear? You know how sometimes you’re driving and just feeling swerving into the other lane? or when you’re blending something and feel like putting your hand in the blender to see what would happen even though you already know how it would end?,”

“Yeah.. but I don’t do that,” 

“Exactly,” you nod, “It comes from the french phrase ‘l’appel du vide’ which translates to call of the void,” 

Everyone else is still looking as if they don’t understand so Dusk takes it upon herself to explain further.

“Call of the Void is where you have self-destructive thoughts even though you’d never actually do them. It’s a sort of miscommunication in the brain. It’s really your brain kind of sending a warning signal like ‘be careful’ and it makes you take a step back or snap back into reality so you take notice of your surroundings,”

You point at her as a way to confirm her statement, “Now call of the void can be classified as suicidal thoughts but it’s honestly a phenomenon. People who experience this phenomenon aren’t necessarily suicidal rather, the experience of high place phenomenon may reflect their sensitivity to internal cues and actually affirm their will to live,”

You hear ouuu’s and aaahhh’s around the room before a clap of hands. 

“Okay well we got an early flight to catch so I say it’s about time we turn in for the night,” Steve says to everyone.

They all agree and say goodnight while leaving and you notice Luna and Bucky leaving together and going to her room. You shake your head at the two until you see Pietro get up

“Where do you think you’re going?,” you ask.

He turned around and noticed how beautiful you look with a bare face and your hair tied up in a wild bundle of colorful braids.

“I- I was..”

“Sit down and stay a while. We have a lot to talk about,” you pat the spot beside you and laugh at the way he takes slow steps towards you and sits down.

“Is everything okay?,” 

“You seemed really tense tonight,” 

Clint sat back and rubbed your legs that stretched across his lap.

“Did you not enjoy the show?,”

“N-no I did-,”

“I mean the other show, Piet,”

His breath hitches and his eyes get buggy. He knew exactly what you were talking about and he wondered how the hell you knew!

“I didn’t mean to-,”

You skin felt so good on his when your fingers ran down his cheek while shushing him.

“We wanted you to hear. Don’t be shy. I know you’ve been getting frustrated,” You sat up straight and scooted closer, “You had to have known why I invited you on tour with us... or are you just that oblivious?,”

“I’m just that oblivious,” he whispered.

Your hands ran through his hair and and tugged at the roots causing him to let out a breathy moan. He sounded beautiful.

“Clint, baby. Give us some space, will ya?,”

He grunted as a yes and kissed you before leaving for the bedroom, “Don’t worry, man. You have my blessing,”

That made Pietro calm down instantly. Once you heard the bedroom door shut, you straddled Pietro’s lap and ran your hands all over his body. 

“I like it when you look at me like you need me,” you nip on his earlobe and he lets out an unintentional whine which went straight to your core. You loved it when they sounded helpless.

“Because I do?,”

You pouted a small smile and gripped his cheeks in your hand, “You think you can take it?,” 

His breath shuttered and he blinked really fast, trying to comprehend that you were really sitting in his lap

“No but... I need you. I’ve been wanting you for so long I just-,”

He was taken aback when you kissed him with such force it knocked the wind out of him. Your tongue pushed its way into his mouth and he was kissing you as if it was his last and only chance to do so. His hands landed on your thick thighs and he rutted up into you.

“I want you to lie back on this couch and eat my pussy while I sit on the pretty face. You hear me?,”

“Yes ma’am,” 

You stood up and pushed him down on the couch. You undressed yourself in a rush and climbed over top of his face. He was ready, mouth already open, tongue resting on his lip.

“Be a good toy and eat it,” You pulled him by his hair and he buried his tongue deep inside you, working you, handing kneading your ass while he made sure not to disappoint you.

“Fuck, that’s good. Yeah, give me more,”

Damn you tasted so good. He basked in your flavor. This is what he wanted, you smothering him in your pussy, chasing your high.

His slurping could be heard through the living room but he didn’t care. The sight of you above him, tugging at the metal bars that pierced your pretty brown nipples had his dick leaking precum. 

“That’s iiit. Make me cum,” you directed.

You thrust yourself into his mouth and hold his head there as you finally cum, “Take my sum like a good boy,” 

He happily slurped up every drop, he’d never been with anyone who got this wet. Strings of your cum on your pussy connected to his lips and he greedily licked them up.

“Take your dick out,” 

You stood up and got on your knees in front of the couch and made him sit up. Your mouth felt perfect on his mouth. You were like a sex goddess and he was having a hard time containing himself. You got so sloppy your spit was dripping down his balls. You gagged unapologetically and rolled his sac in your hand. 

“Fuck, fuck, you’re so good. That feels so good!,”

He braced himself against the couch and tried not to buck his hips up but his legs were shaking like crazy. 

You used your dripping spit as lubrication and swirled it around his pink puckered hole. This had him shook, but he didn’t know shook until  you pushed your finger in and his a spot in him that he didn’t even know he had.

“Oh.. God!,”

Your mouth didn’t let up and your finger was thrusting in him at a pace he couldn’t comprehend. His legs were hiked up he felt like a little bitch but that was fine because it was you making him the little bitch, this is what he wanted.

“I’m gonna cum,” His eyes were in the back of his head and his body trembled when you pulled away from him. You pulled your finger out of him and removed your mouth.

“You’re gonna fuck me until you can’t think straight, now. You hear me?,”

“Please. That’s all I want,”

He was so needy and responsive, you made a good choice picking this one.

You lied back on the couch with your legs wide open,rubbing your clit. He admired your pussy. You weren’t completely shaven but it wasn’t wild either, your pink clit stuck out from under it’s good, and your brown lips called out for him. 

“Get moving, Piet,”

“Yes, Ma’am,”

He aligned himself at your entrance and prayed he would prematurely bust. When he pushed in he whimpered to the point tears came to his eyes. 

You felt so good it was unreal. You loved with way his slim cock felt inside of you, was a different sensation from Clint’s thick uncut cock. 

“Make me cum then you can get yours, baby,”

He braced himself on the arm of the couch and went wild. Your legs up on his shoulders and encouraging and praising him. He felt invincible. He was fucking a rock star, better yet, the rock star he’d been fanboying over for so long. 

He made sure to hit deep, knowing that’s how you like it from hearing you with Clint.

You pulled him down for a kiss and bit his bottom lip, making him groan in your mouth, “You’re doing so good fucking me like this, I’m so close,” 

He loved being at your disposal. He lost it when you started fucking him back and clawing at his shoulders. His momentum picked up because he was so close. His hips became a blur as the skin slapping filled the room.

“Yes, yes, yeeess! Make me cum,” you pushed him back and rode him into the sunset. He could barely catch his breath as he felt your pussy hug him in tighter while you began cumming. He’d never been with a women who could squirt, so you could imagine the hungry look on his face when it started happening, all because of him. He bucked his hips up harder to make you squirt harder and he felt his balls twitch with an impending orgasm.

“I’m gonna cum, can I cum? Please let me cum,”

You sat up off of him and used your hand to get him there. He was a squirming, mewling mess, and turned red when white ropes of cum shot up into the air and landed on his stomach. He covered his face and you giggled, knowing he just blew the biggest load he’s ever blown.

“Good boy,” You trail kisses on his chest and lick up the mess he made of himself. You shush him and massage his body until he’s calm and breathing evenly. He kept thanking you over and over.

“I reckon it went well?,”

Clint comes back with snacks and smiles a the post sex mess you two are. 

“Yeah... I definitely plan on keeping him,”

~~~~~~~~~

THIS. IS. MY. LONGEST. FIC. YET?! HOLY COW!!

It feels nice to finally get a fic out after not being able to for the past month. So here’s my treat to y’all. Thank you for being so understanding, lovely and patient. I love you all so much!

PLEASE COMMENT AND REBLOG!

Tags- @blackreaders-assemble @vozit @yournonlocalpoc @babybubastis @mbaku-babygirl @dumbchick @marvclheaux @noire-griot @warmchick @m00nlightdelights @retroxvailles @spideys-wife @xye-weirdo @micki-smiles @veryhellshdia @never-enough-time-for-sleep @here-for-your-bullshit @valynsia @valkyriesnymph @honeynmlk @chonisberonica @valentinevirgo @mokacoconut @crawlingnightmares

[citialiin]

FIVE SONGS

list five songs associated with your muse and its meaning to them as a character, or to you as the writer. this can be applied in-character or out-of-character. it can go as deep as looking at the song’s real-world origins or meaning along with the themes it carries to the muses’ story, values, or experiences, or as simple as if your muse would listen to this kind of music, or even if you just listen to these pieces for inspiration.

TAGGED BY: @dansiere​​, who did such a good detailed job they even included an “honorable mentions list” ? i am embarrassed to type mine out now TAGGING: @blossomingbeelzebug​​ @zhrets​​ @dirtyfilthysunshine​​ @prcphesise​​ @hyakiru​ @foxcharmed​

01. kaun komsott - ros sereysothea

this song actually lyrically has absolutely nothing to do with ziggy !!!!  kaun komsott /  កូនកំសត់ actually just means “poor/pitiful child” it’s just a khmer dub of a song from a taiwanese movie lol but i feel like this is the kind of music he would listen to that made him fall in love with, like ... humanity, as dumb as that sounds. it’s time period appropriate (late 60s/early to mid 70s), the song is really good and it’s SO emotional.  i could see him sitting in the apartment of his bandmates after being “found” and they teach him how to use the record player and he sits there going through each and every record they have and listening to this and its like the fucking scene in ratatootie where the goddamn rat can visualize tastes as colors but he would be so enamored with the song he would see it in colors or something i dunno.  something has definitely fucking happened to my brain because ever since nat and alex and i rewatched ratatootie we keep referencing it for our characters. anyways i ended up using an instrumental of kaun komsott in the final film i made as the song that plays during the end.  so this song just also means a lot to me because it’s part of how i made this character and the film/story i animated to go along with him, i am sure you are all absolutely sick of hearing me talk about it <3  

02. who can i be now - daveed booweyywywy now you found me, now can I be real?  can I be real? if it’s all a vast creation / putting on a face that’s new someone has to see / a role for him and me someone might as well be you

one of z’s most obvious character motifs is figuring out self identity through adopting different guises.  he markets himself as being so overly confident and almost arrogantly certain of himself -- rock god space idol whatever -- as his own way of learning who he thinks he might be underneath it all.  i think at first it started off a little innocuous, a ‘ fake it till u make it ’ thing at the least and maybe more obviously a ‘ im not a human so i have to pretend to be someone else ’ deal, but over time it became almost all consuming and just obliterated all his previously held sense of self in favor of some weirdly demented version of who he wanted to be.  683 starts off with the same core personality traits as ziggy: maybe he’s a little vain, a little selfish, but he’s very interested in creativity/self-expression and he wants to be thought of as a unique individual and appreciated for his differences.  but the difference is that 683 isnt an arrogant asshole who has no regard for other people in the slightest.  so yeah ... who can u be now ... is it worth it to adopt a different guise or should he go through the effort of figuring out what parts of his personality were corroded by human influence and what parts are genuinely him?  my big endgame thoughts for his story would be that he eventually just decides to retire from the public eye and fucks off entirely.  this would be over the course of a long long long time -- maybe he has a good 20 yr run in the industry -- but there are some things about him he has to deal with (mental health issues, drug addiction, also the fact that you’re a freaky alien creature who doesnt age like a human so you’re physically like 46 and you still look like you’re 25?) so he inevitably decides he doesnt need the horrible pressure of fame and he ought to just live his life for himself.  i think this would be a nice final song for him to sing/perform -- then he goes into the dressing room and cuts his hair and just vanishes. bye.

03. sunny afternoon - the kinks Help me, help me, help me sail away Well give me two good reasons why I oughta stay 'Cause I love to live so pleasantly Live this life of luxury Lazing on a sunny afternoon

1. i think this would sound A LITTLE like the kind of music he would write/play albeit i feel like his would be more exciting and have more samplings of like laser noises or pewpewpew or weird spaceship sounds BUT.  its also pretty time period appropriate.  even in “modern” verses ziggy is inexplicably obsessed with the 1970s, he likes bell bottoms and thinks groovy patterns are neat and he owns too many lava lamps.  anywayz. 2. just the general idea of feeling unfulfilled with luxury -- even if ziggy enjoys his fame and wealth and the absolutely insane amount of pussy/dick he gets at some level he is still cognizantly aware of how weirdly empty he feels.  he ditched atomina and came here because he felt unfulfilled and bored and unwanted.  now he feels wanted (clearly, everyone loves him) and he feels entertained (earth is So Good at fun distractions) but his fulfillment still isnt quite there.  he’s getting there -- but in exchange of being able to live this life of fame, he’s had to kind of change everything about himself and live this almost caricature version of himself, and he knows he cant keep it up forever.  the luxury will run out one day and he’ll be a washup and no one cares about celebrities once they stop being hip.  it is literally only a matter of time before ziggy has to find out who he is because no one can be a “rockstar” forever.

04. i hate jimmy page - mindless self indulgence SUCKAS CAN REACH OUT TOUCH ME EAT ME BITE DA FUTURE & FUCK DA PAST  I'm lower than most animals and fear what might be weird and all those voices in my head have every right to be there i ain't a girl just cause i rock the boat i ain't a boy just cause i rock your world

i mean he does hate jimmy page but that’s beside the point. its just a good song about being a crazy rockstar and has the same Craziness that i feel like accompanies his character ... just go listen to it you will understand. there is nothing to explain here.  even the lyric “ill show u how official midgets jack me off” like just accept it. it’s whatever  but yeah i aint a girl i aint a boy ... i guess his gender (or lack thereof) never really comes up in rp but its still an important part of his character.  if any of u guys ever call him a man in prose again ill kick ur ass.  gender is like an accessory to him and he just takes whatever aspects of masculinity/femininity he prefers and discards everything else.  to him he’s just as much a “man” or a “woman” as he is a “human” which is to say he isnt, at all, and he just pretends to be because he feels obligated to.  also ziggy’s brain kind of sounds like this...just Noises.  his brain sounds like a microwave that’s been going off for 26 years.  i think his brain is a single uncooked pinto bean rolled in glitter that’s been left in a box with a cobweb

05. ghostride - crumb daydreaming I stay in the backseat / the slow beat rocks me back to sleep keeps me on automatic  press my face up close against the glass i see the people when they pass they move so automatic you wake up when I go down / the radio reminds me I'm alive we've been hearing it all night

i care more about 683 on atomina than i do about ziggy on earth sometimes (BUT I CARE THEM BOTH. DO U?) so ... 683 feeling aimless and drifting but trying to find purpose through passion, a person, some sort of concrete meaning -- going through the motions of life makes him feel empty he spends almost every day going through the same toil while feeling guilty or like a burden and also feeling like he’s ultimately nothing more than a replaceable cog in a machine. his species had a near extinction = bottleneck which made them so genetically similar they’re almost clones of each other.  no one ever seems to do anything wrong except him, he finds no joy or fulfillment in anything at all.  all he ever wanted (which isnt a selfish desire at all) was to feel purpose, or feel wanted, or appreciated. inevitably he leaves because of his own imagination -- he yearns for something More, and he doesn’t know What, so he figured he ought to at least Try instead of waste his life away. also atomina is supposed to sound like “automatic.”  do NOT make fun of my bad scifi.  i am trying to mimic the way 1970s scifi is endearingly cheesy.  come here.  i just want to touch you with this knife.  gently tho it wont go inside of you. bro you are bleeding. bro we are bleeding and i keep putting the knife in your soft parts.

[sailor-freak]

Halestorm: The Strange Case Of... - Album Review

(image source)

As I have uploaded a ranking of this album to my YouTube channel I think it’s finally time for me to review it! This is my first time reviewing an album that’s not new haha also btw for anyone expecting poetic brilliance that’s not here it’s legit just me giving my opinions of the songs 😂. But this is my favourite Halestorm album (so far) and the only one I own (again, so far, I ordered self-titled with a gift card my uncle got me for my birthday haha) so why not review it 😂.

Love Bites (So Do I) - BOP. That’s it 😂. My full post on this song is linked in the song titles (as will all songs on here I’ve already posted about) but for an opener to the record man it’s SOLID. I love how it was inspired by their Slave to the Grind cover, and the tempo is so similar but it’s also really different sounding? Like, they didn’t just copy that song they took the tempo and made something of their own. Love it 😂.

Mz. Hyde - Ahh this song is so dark and creepy and HEAVY I love it 😂. The way it starts off so dark, then the verses are lighter as she sings about the nice side of herself, then the chorus gets dark again, ICONIC. I think I’ve also said this before but the “it’s me Lzzy I swear” is the most iconic line in Halestorm history and you can fight me on that. I also love the way it transitions SO neatly into the next banger...

I Miss The Misery - THIS TRANSITION KILLED ME ON FIRST LISTEN a lot of albums do neat transitions like this but I don’t think I’ve heard one more beautiful than this 😂. I think you should know by now this is not only my favourite Halestorm song but my favourite song just... ever? Like my post gives a proper discussion of the song (although it was one of my earlier posts so maybe I need to amend that lol) but this was the first Halestorm song I listened to, and I was HOOKED immediately. It’s so rock and roll but it has its own elements that just make it stand out, and no Halestorm song since has topped that. AND I’VE LISTENED TO A LOT OF HALESTORM 😂. So yeah, best song on the album, there you go.

Freak Like Me - Ahh my first post on here 😂. So I didn’t talk about the song like at all in this post so I best do that oops 😂. What I love about the song is the anthem quality it has, not just in the lyrics but musically the chorus really makes it stand out just among the freak community, possibly due to the guys’ backing vocals on the “freak like me” line itself, it just makes it a group effort and celebrates the unity of Halestorm and their fans. Another thing I LOVED was Lzzy’s scream before the riff, you know, the one that goes on for longer than the last note of So Much Better? The first time I heard that I was SHOOK, it just demonstrates Lzzy’s vocals so well 😂.

Beautiful With You - Oo, the start of the “ballad section” of the album. I think it’s pretty solid 😂. I’ll admit, when I first listened to this album I came looking for bops, so this section was kinda disappointing on first listen. Not because they were bad at all, I just was looking for songs similar to I Miss The Misery and Love Bites, so they sort of didn’t sit well with my brain? Too many ballads 😂. But having listened to the album and these songs more, and sort of understanding that this section is important to the record, I’ve grown to love them? And this one I did like on first listen, maybe it was the guitar but there was parts of the lyrics that really stood out to me, maybe not on a personal level but they were just nice, so I thought why not and I added it to my playlist 😂. I definitely prefer the heavier songs both on this album and in general usually, but this one has some really strong parts.

In Your Room - I think this was the first song I was really disappointed with on first listen? And it’s still not one of my favourites. The meaning behind this is really great, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong musically. I actually like the subtlety of the first chorus, it blends in nicely with the verses, then when the second one comes round it’s like a pleasant surprise 😂. I think it was the lyrics that bugged me, however, I don’t know if this is just my sadistic mind but I thought an interesting take on it would be a sort of creepy turn? Saying stuff like “I’m right outside your door” and stuff, if you take away the sentiment of the song it has the potential to be like a stalker song 😂. Maybe if it was on their first album it would have taken that direction? I just think that would have been interesting 😂.

Break In - (let’s just ignore the fact I’m buzzing about the studio version with Amy Lee that’s coming out this summer) This one I really have grown to love, again with stepping away from my need for heavy bangers I really appreciate this for what it is. There’s nothing complicated about it, it’s a simple piano ballad with some harmonies thrown in. I don’t think there’s been a song like this since? I mean, Dear Daughter was piano till the band came in, and Heart of Novocaine was acoustic guitar, but this being purely piano really makes it stand out, not just in this record but out of their discography. Idk, it’s simple, it’s heartfelt, I love it 😂.

Rock Show - Oooo... surprisingly this is my least favourite song off the album. I thought I’d love it, the concept and meaning behind it is amazing. I think it’s just something with me personally? Lyrically there’s not a lot to dislike, I love the descriptions of the experience at a rock gig as an audience member, it taps into that deeper feeling than just going to enjoy music, it is an experience on a higher level. However, because of the inspiration behind this song it uses “little girl” to address it... I don’t like that shit 😂. Idk if you know me but I hate being patronised, don’t call me little I’ll step on you 😂. So, I think this is a great song for that girl it was written for, but as an older person listening to this song it just doesn’t get to me.

Daughters of Darkness - Okay, this is where I feel addressed 😂. While Rock Show was dedicated to one young girl who enjoys rock gigs, this one is for ALL the ladies who love them. Similar to Freak Like Me it has an anthem feel to it, with the “na na na na na” bit (felt like I was quoting MCR there lol), but it’s like... specifically for the girls 😂. I think I mentioned this but I love the symphonic / orchestral additions to it? Reminds me of Nightwish (who are actually the only band I’ve seen live so far in my 19 years of existence), so that really adds a whole element of enjoyment for me personally. It’s one of the darker and heavier songs on the record (I mean the title does suggest that), and is one of my absolute favourites, was from the start. When I came to this album looking for bangers THIS ONE REALLY PROVIDED 😂.

You Call Me A Bitch Like It’s A Bad Thing - I relate to this one too much omg 😂. Lyrically, this is absolutely SCANDALOUS, but we love that and that’s the point of the song 😂. Little thing, I love the little chord progression in the intro and instrumentals of the song, just really cool idk what it adds I just love how it sounds 😂. Although I love that I think the lyrics is what makes me love this song, “see you next Tuesday” absolutely iconic 😂. I also love when she says “you call me a freak” and I’m like... WE ARE 😂. Just a little bit I noticed haha, but the concept of let’s sing the most outrageous shit and revel in being called a bitch is absolute class we love 😂.

American Boys - This one is also lower down on my list but it’s not bad at all 😂. It has a real classic rock and roll feel to it, and it is very American sounding which links nicely with the lyrics 😂. I think for most people this song wouldn’t really have a deeper meaning (idk if it does for you then let me know haha), but it’s more of just a casual celebration of the male species in the United States 😂. As I said in that post it does stand out in this album, as it’s not a strong anthem song, a deep personal ballad or embracing being sadistic and scandalous, but that sort of makes it stand out 😂.

Here’s To Us - Oh this song is so wholesome I love it 😂. Aside from this song probably being the only reason I can get through life at the moment (I legit listen to it whenever I get anxiety about anything, my parents, work, general shit I can’t deal with lol), the meaning behind this song is so simple yet so powerful? Just... celebrating Halestorm for who they are, what they’ve achieved, and embracing the bad times and recognising what they are capable of... you really have to know Halestorm to fully appreciate this song. When I first listened to it I had NO IDEA what it was about, I think I legit knew Lzzy’s name and that was it... so hearing this for the first time had no power behind it and I feel so bad, cos your first experience with this song should be the absolute power behind the meaning. Anyway when all the guys sing with Lzzy at the end my weave was snatched and it’s so adorable I love it this song just displays the absolute unit they are, and it really shows how unique of a band they are. Stan 😂.

Don’t Know How To Stop - Bonus tracks time! Honestly... this song is too perfect for the start of the bonus tracks I like... it’s iconic 😂. Since The Pretty Reckless’ Death by Rock and Roll came out today I’ve been listening to a lot of them and I see similarities lyrically between their stuff and this song, like the whole embracing going full force and going too far, like enjoying the rush of it? This song uses a lot of car and road imagery actually (imagery, oo, haven’t used that word since my exams), with “red lights” and “brakes are shot” (I should probably look in my booklet to see if that’s the correct lyric but I can’t be arsed so if it’s wrong soz), as if she’s saying living this extreme crazy rock and roll life is like a car speeding carelessly, and not having the brakes comes into not being able to stop this lifestyle? Idk there’s probably something else there but I’m not getting marked for this am I 😂.

Private Parts (ft. James Michael of Sixx:A.M.) - Okay... can I just start by saying this is a good song. It’s great 😂. Musically there’s nothing wrong with it, the chorus actually bops quite hard considering it’s a deeper song, so there’s nothing wrong there. Lyrically it’s good, I love how the verses are like the argument between these two people, but the first verse is almost like their thoughts aloud? Cos they’re not responding directly to each other, it’s like their own thoughts and feelings coming out, it works really well. But... I cannot listen to this song... I just laugh 😂. I’M SORRY I KNOW IT’S A BOP BUT WHEN SHE KEEPS GOING “SHOW ME YOUR PRIVATE PARTS” I FUCKING PISS MYSELF OKAY IT’S HILARIOUS I’M SORRY I'M SO IMMATURE BUT ALL SENTIMENT IS LOST IN IT 😂.

Hate It When You See Me Cry - Oof I feel this one too much, ngl I’m a little pissed it’s only a bonus track cos it’s the best deep ballad sort of song on the whole album just saying 😂. When they said Lzzy gave into the cheese for this record PRIME EXAMPLE RIGHT HERE PEOPLE fuck I love it 😂. I love how it starts soft, then the band just KICKS IN and while it remains soulful and softer it still SHREDS 😂. But man it was the lyrics that got me, and you know me, I’m not cheesy. I hate cheese both the food and the concept 😂. But for some reason here it doesn’t bother me at all?? Like in fact I LOVE it, the chorus is where it’s most cheesy but I think it fucking works 😂. I’ll inevitably do an individual post on this so I won’t analyse loads but fuck I feel this one 😂.

Overall man this album is a journey 😂. It starts off with the solid bangers, whiplashes into the deep ballads, then brings itself back up before slowing down a little and bringing it to a neat end 😂. I find it weird though that although on first listen I was disappointed with the amount of ballads and how not many songs slapped as hard as Love Bites and I Miss The Misery (fuck those two are the best 😂), but it was still what got me obsessed with Halestorm? Like how could I be “so disappointed” with it yet constantly listen to it and actually fucking BUY the album 😂. I think I was salty cos I came looking for bangers but now I just embrace it all 😂.

[grimelords]

My April playlist is finished! Please allow me to take you on a journey from the heaven of THP Orchestra to the hell of Inter Arma over three action packed hours. Specially sequenced for maximum enjoyment, there’ll be at least one thing in here you’ll love - I guarantee it. Listen here.

Good To Me - THP Orchestra: I've said it before and I'll say it again, the number one way to find good songs is to go through the whosampled page for Duck Sauce's 2013 album Quack because every single thing they put into that album is a bonafide classic.

I'm Your Boogie Man - KC & The Sunshine Band: I saw Jungle last week and they were absolutely amazing, and the venue started playing this song as soon as the house lights went up after the show which is an extremely good way to get people to not leave your venue and boogie instead. My favourite part of this is near the end of the second verse where he gets even lazier than normal with the lyrics and just says "I want to love you.. ah.. from sundown.. sunup".

Work It Out - A-Trak: I love this new A-Trak song that sounds like a secret lost bonus track from Discovery right down to that specific wah sound on the guitar.

Starlight - The Supermen Lovers: There was all this news last year that Music Sounds Better With You by Stardust was getting remastered and rereleased for its 20th anniversary and was going to finally be on streaming services that seems to have just.. not happened. It never materialized so now I'm stuck listening to the 2nd rate but still extremely good Music Sounds Better With You knockoff, Starlight by the worst named band ever The Supermen Lovers. The songs aren't even that similar particularly but that's just my personal feelings.

Girlsrock - Siriusmo: A friend of mine is a sort of expert on the whole Ed Banger mid-late 2000s electro scene and it's extremely good because he'll just send me songs like this every now and then that are totally sick and make it feel like there was somehow thousands of hours of this kind of music produced at that time and only the tip of the iceberg made it to public consumption.

11:17 - Danger: Somehow I didn't even notice that Danger had a new album in January but I'm finally listening now and it's a proper return to form and really, really good. This song sounds like if the haunted VHS tape from the The Ring was taped over an 80s workout video.

Ultrasonic Sound - Hive: I went to a 20th anniversary screening of The Matrix at The Astor and great news: that movie still kicks ass and rocks completely and has possibly gotten better in the two decades since its release. Someone had curated a really good mix that they were playing in the foyer after the movie and this song was in it. A heady mix of drum and bass and nu-metal guitar crunch that feels like a 1999 calendar picked up by a strong wind and slapping you in the face.

Homo Deus VII - Deantoni Parks: STILL loving and finding new things to love about this Deantoni Parks album for the third month in a row. I'm repeating myself but this music is just so good and feels so completely original to me. It's a great mix of complete technical mastery and the self imposed limitations of a restricted sample palette. Forcing himself to do absolutely everything he can with the sound and fairly well exhausting it over the course of 9 minutes.

Catacomb Kids - Aesop Rock: There's a good line to trace between this and Acid King by Malibu Ken where Aesop Rock's been thinking about Ricky Kasso for like ten years now which is interesting. There's lots of just very nice sounding lines in this like "Crispy the godsender who thunk over a quarter plunk to local Mortal Kom vendor". Just good weird word combos painting a very impressionistic picture of growing up. "deplanting cadavers" "zoo-keeper facelift". Very nice.

Mask Off - Future: I've never listened to Future much which is weird because he's very good but this is a song that just comes into my head pretty often. Metro Boomin's brain is huge and the vibe he created on this is just amazing. Wringing this sort of atmosphere out of the sample without sacrificing any of the trap beat at the center of it is such an achievement.

Old Town Road (Remix) - Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus: Everything that could ever be said about Old Town Road has probably already been written by now but my favourite part is finding out that the sample is from Ghosts by Nine Inch Nails which means it's also Trent Reznor's first writing credit on a #1 song. Absolutely praying for Trent and Atticus to join Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus on stage at the Grammys to perform this.

Claudia Lewis - M83: Every so often I remember just how good Hurry Up We're Dreaming is and listen to it on repeat for a while. It's absolutely amazing. Start to finish (except for Raconte-Moi Une Historie which SUCKS) it's just fantastic. I looked up why this song is called Claudia Lewis and it turns out that has an extremely good answer "I was surfing the web & found this website with space poems – Claudia Lewis had 3-4 space poems on this site. They were pretty bad space poems but I found it super moving, there was something very innocent about it. She’s probably super young like 12 or 14 but I don’t know her or how she looks or anything about her. I just know that she writes cheesy space poems."

OK Pal - M83: Every single musical element of this song is just perfect. I love the huge broad chords, the synth bends, the massive drums, the inverted Dead Flag Blues monologue. It's just beautiful.Little Secrets - Passion Pit: Passion Pit is currently on a 10th anniversary tour for Manners and I feel age 100 which is no good. But this song is good and it contains in my opinion one of the all time greatest drum fills after the first chorus. Huge, super air-drummable, and very functional: perfect.

Blood - City Calm Down: I think "I'm the one who wants your blood" is just such a great an evocative refrain and I wish he said it one million times more in this song.

Television - City Calm Down: Absolutely love the idea of writing a song about how bloody TV is the bloody opiate of the masses that sounds like a Clash cover in 2019 and sounding so deliberately out of the zeitgeist and doing it so well and with such conviction that it’s absolutely great.

I Am The Resurrection - The Stone Roses: We went to Andrew McLelland's Finishing School and he played this as his last song in honour of Easter Sunday and described it as the greatest piece of acoustic dance music he's ever heard which is honestly not a bad description - it's an absolute jam.

Daisy - Pond: It's very cool that there's like an evil, mirror version of Tame Impala that exists in Pond. I think every band should have that.

Crying Lighting - Arctic Monkeys: Basically the reason this song is on this list is because I got stuck in a loop of saying "your pastimes, consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged and I hate that little game you had called "crying lightning" in a Werner Herzog voice to myself and I thought it was funny.

Keeping Time - Angie McMahon: Angie McMahon is so damn good at songs and I cannot believe it! She's only got like 5 and they're all incredible. She’s gonna be huge!

The House That Heaven Built - Japandroids: Sterogum had a really good writeup the other day about Post-Nothing turning 10 years old that turned into a wrap up of why Japandroids are such a good band and why Celebration Rock is a perfect album and it really crystallized a lot of my feelings about them. They're number one on my list of Bands That Make You Want To Start A Band for a good reason and this article really nails the whole young men figuring it all out feeling of Japandroids' music. I really think both Japandroids albums should be called Youth And Young Manhood but Kings Of Leon already took that name. I remember when my friend first turned me on to Post-Nothing he said he didn't want to tell anyone else except me because it was so good and it was Best Friends Music and I really believe that. It’s best friends music through and through. When I saw them a couple of years ago it was as part of a sort of impromptu road trip with my best friend and I think that was the best context I could have given it. It's absolutely one of the best shows I've been to in my life and also Osher Gunsberg was in the crowd behind me but that's not part of the story. https://www.stereogum.com/2041439/japandroids-post-nothing-turns-10/franchises/the-anniversary/

Motor Runnin - Pist Idiots: The pub rock revival just keeps getting better and better. At the minute it's basically just Bad//Dreems, West Thebarton and these guys but I'm sure there's a million other bands bubbling under that are just about to break as well. I love this song, it's just straight up old fashioned pissed off rock and roll that somehow doesn't feel old fashioned at all.

Chains - As Cities Burn: As Cities Burn have reunited and have a new album coming out and I'm extremely wary of it because they're potentially ruining their previously discussed perfect streak. This is the first single and it's.. good I guess. It's kind of just normal and sort of outdated, a little bit of a step backward into safety for a band that was always changing and moving forward. I think I have a worm living in my brain though because I keep listening to it just because I really love the drum sound. They're very nicely mixed. Some very nice sounding drums.

Whacko Jacko Steals The Elephant Man's Bones - The Fall Of Troy: I was talking with some friends about young musicians because of Billie Eilish, and so we were talking about how Alanis Morrisette won a grammy when she was 21 and Taylor Swift won a grammy when she was 20 and Lorde made Royals when she was 17 and all that but what people don't realise is Thomas Erak wrote Doppelganger when he was 20 and it was his second album. He's 34 now and his music sucks badly. That's insane. What will happen to me when I'm 34? Chilling to think about. 

A New Uniform / Patagonia - Tera Melos: I think Patagonian Rats is still my favourite Tera Melos album. Toss up between that and Untitled actually. But I love this one for how cohesive it feels. For a band whose whole ethos is chaos it's amazing how well it all comes together as a complete work tied up with a bow by the Skin Surf reprise near the end. I love this song because it's two sketches of songs tied together into one little chaotic lump and the big Primary! Secondary! finale is just so satisfying.

Talking Heads - Black Midi: Black Midi finally have actually proper recorded songs on spotify! The way Black Midi is getting talked about at the moment really feels like the days of blog buzz are back, it's crazy. If you haven't seen it yet here's the KEXP session that's rightfully getting them so much attention https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMn1UuEIVvA I've watched it so many times and it's really something. The best part is the comments are full of music dudes just naming every band ever. "this sounds like if slint, polvo and hella did crack and had a gangbang" yuck "imagine them opening for Swans and/or Daughters" yuck "they're like if Minute Men and Frank Zappa had a baby and that baby dated the child of Talking Heads and Can but then got dumped for their best friend who was adopted and raised by their single parent Voivod but they were cool and stayed friends and listened to Tortoise and Thelonious Monk and got stoned and started a band and conquered the world." yuck "Slint meets Sonic youth meets Pere Ubu meets drive like jehu meets Beefheart...these guys took all that is deranged and twisted in rock and made one big soup of it!" yuck. Anyway the point is they rock completely and here's my addition to the band names: the way he sings sounds like Sting lol.

Walking On The Moon - The Police: This song makes you dumb I think. It's like the dumbest song in the world and listening to it makes your brain mushier, which makes you dumb and stupid. It's very good.

Rubber Bullies - Tropical Fuck Storm: I saw Tropical Fuck Storm opening for Kurt Vile the other day and it was absolutely incredible. My first time seeing them properly, not counting the live soundtrack they did for No Country For Old Men which was was a whole different kind of amazing. It feels like Gaz has finally put together a band that can keep up with is ferocious energy and the result is scary - they basically tore the place apart which makes them a funny opener for Kurt Vile who was as chilled out, relaxed and fun as you'd expect. They played this song near the end of their set and somehow I hadn't really noticed it when I listened to the album but now I can't stop listening to it. It's so good. I love the increasing paranoia of the backing vocals, especially in the last verse as it builds and builds.

Taman Shud - The Drones: This might be the best Drones song. It's a list that's constantly being revised in my head but it's top 5 definitely. It's nice listening to Feeling Kinda Free now knowing what he was going to do with Tropical Fuck Storm because it's all here. Fighting against the constraints of his regular sound and regular songwriting and eventually finding the solution in forming a whole new band. I love this song for a million reasons but the escalation of the disregard is very good. “I don't care about Andrew Bolt or Ned Kelly or the southern cross or the union jack” and you're nodding and then he says ‘I don't really care if you're a pedophile’ and you're nodding but slower. I get what he means in terms of media hype and whatever but it's still a very funny line. Anyway "why'd I give a rats about your tribal tats? You came here on a boat you fucking cunt" is grade A.

Dawn Patrol - Megadeth: The best thing about Megadeth is the sort of half baked politics. Dave Mustaine is the best kind of moron, he engages with everything at a gut level but believes he's being very cerebral about it at the same time. This little intro song about a nuclear post-apocalypse is so good because it's a legitimate warning and a response to legitimate worries but it's also like.. wouldn't that be sick if we had to wear gas masks and carry assault rifles around because all the nukes exploded and everyone was dead. What if there was zombies.

Rust In Peace... Polaris - Megadeth: The story behind Holy Wars... The Punishment Due is so good. "Mustaine has said that at a show in Antrim, Northern Ireland, he discovered bootlegged Megadeth T-shirts were on sale. He was dissuaded from taking action to have them removed on the basis that they were part of fund raising activities for "The Cause", explained as something to bring equality to Catholics and Protestants in the region. Liking how "The Cause" sounded as was explained to him, Mustaine dedicated a performance of "Anarchy In The UK" to it, causing the audience to riot. The band were forced to travel in a bulletproof bus after the show" I just love him. I'd like to share a Dave Mustain quotes about this song also. "I was driving home from Lake Elsanon. I was tailgating somebody, racing down the freeway, and I saw this bumper sticker on their car and it said, you know, this tongue in cheek stuff like, ‘One nuclear bomb could ruin your whole day,’ and then I looked on the other side and it said, ‘May all your nuclear weapons rust in peace,’ and I’m going, ‘'Rust in Peace.’ Damn, that’s a good title.‘ And I’m thinking like, 'What do they mean, rust in peace?’ I could just see it now – all these warheads sitting there, stockpiled somewhere like seal beach, you know, all covered with rust and stuff with kids out there spray-painting the stuff, you know." Goes ahead and writes a kick ass song from the perspective of a nuclear warhead containing the line "rotten egg air of death wrestles your nostrils".

Planet B - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: King Gizz are Megadeth now and I love it! The cold war is global warming now and we desperately need new thrash metal about it to save us!

Primodial Wound - Inter Arma: If you can't tell by me including three of their songs on this playlist I'm still having an absolute time with Inter Arma. Something I really love about this band is their ability to sit in a vibe for so long and expand on it. They're not songs with narrative arcs and multiple contrasting sections, they're songs that just kind of dig deeper on themselves. This one starts deep and then by thinning out entirely at around 6 minutes in only gets darker.

Howling Lands - Inter Arma: This song made me dream of a Dark Souls game where Inter Arma does the soundtrack. It's a peabrained thought but it's one that really got me thinking. This is boss music of the highest order: a song seemingly about itself and the hellbound denizens cursed to perform it in the arena of hell.

Sulphur English - Inter Arma: It's extremely funny to listen to this song a bunch of times and be completely blown away by the total power and ethereal majesty of it and then look up the lyrics to find out that it's about Trump in that very good way of putting normal thoughts through a metal lyrics filter "The charlatan sets his eyes towards the throne / tongue adrip in revolting ecstasy" "Sever the corrupt tongue of the imperious fool / silence the gangrenous root of his abhorrent voice"

Peepin' Tom - Courtney Barnett: When I saw Kurt Vile he brought out Courtney Barnett to play Over Everything as an encore and it was so good to see just how much a hometown crowd loves her. Everyone lost their shit! We love our good friend Courtney! I think I've written about this before but Peeping Tom is one of my favourite Kurt Vile songs and I think Courtney's version is even better. Her voice is perfect for it and she really has to show off her range to do it which I love. The super deep 'peeping' to the high cascading 'tom' is a perfect musical moment to me.​

listen here

[artificialqueens]

What Happens At DragCon... (8/?) (Biadore) - Miss Alyssa Secret

Roy is waiting (impatiently) for Danny to arrive, and decides to re-watch a video message.  Features a vibrator, and Danny’s absolutely filthy dirty talk.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2-4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Read the full work and comment on AO3

A/N: I was supposed to be writing reunion sex as the last chapter after everything, but got sidetracked with their version of phone sex.  Not sorry about it. -MAS

********

The pillow beneath his hips was a poor substitute, but Roy wasn’t trying to come quickly.  He grabbed his phone, scrolling through his photos until he came to a folder simply marked “D”.  Thumbing it open, he smiled wickedly and picked a video at random.

”Miss you.”  Danny set the phone down on the bathroom counter in his hotel room.  The fluorescent lighting reflected off marble walls and the glitter decorating his face.  He was still wearing Adore’s eye makeup, paired with the stubble on his chin in a look that was uniquely Danny, both erotically feminine and sensually masculine.

There was a full length mirror behind him, and it revealed Danny in a jockstrap and nothing else.  He grinned at the phone, wiggling his ass and slapping it a couple of times.

”Fuck B, I know you’ll be asleep when I send this, but call me.  I’m so fucking horny, I just wanna hear your voice.”

Danny stepped back to show off the bulge filling out the front of the jockstrap, squeezing it and throwing his head back to moan loudly.

“Woke up wanting to get fucked, but you’re not here to plow me into the mattress.  It’s-“ he glanced to the side, “-11:30 and my ass has been empty all day.”

Setting his hands on the counter, he spread his legs and arched his back to present his ass.  The phone was angled just right to see the mirror, and he bounced his hips the same way as he would getting fucked.

“M’gonna wait till you call to get off, but I need something now.”

Leaning further forward, he braced his elbow on the counter and reached offscreen with the other hand.  It returned shiny with lube, and Danny licked his lips.  

“Fuck B, I wanna sit on your face and make you eat my ass.”

Danny reached behind himself, spreading his ass open and rubbing his fingers over his hole.  

“Yeah…like that,” he moaned.

His eyes fell half closed as he slid one finger in up to the knuckle.

”Feels so fucking good.  Your fingers are bigger than mine, love how they feel.”  Danny added a second finger, thrusting them in harder.

”Love it when you finger me open.  Sometimes I wish you were rougher with me.  Open me up and make me take it.”

Danny was breathing harshly through his mouth, lips swollen.  The barely-there squelch of lube accompanied a third finger a minute later.  He twisted his fingers, spreading them to stretch his hole, tugging on the rim every time they slipped out.

”It’s not enough.  I want your cock so bad.”  

He reached offscreen again, the click of a bottle cap closing echoing in the empty bathroom.  This time, his hand came back into frame clutching a dark purple vibrator.

”Not the same,” he groaned, “but this fits in my suitcase.”

Shifting for a better view of the mirror, he rubbed the tip of the vibrator against his hole.

“Love it when you tease me with your cock.  Fuck…” he gasped as it slipped in an inch or so, “you feel so good.”

Staring straight into the camera, Danny shoved the entire length into his ass.  His eyes rolled back, mouth dropping open on a whimper.

”…yeah…fuck me.”

He thrust it in and out a few times, picking up the phone and bringing it closer to the mirror to see his hole clenching around the toy.

”Gonna ride you,” he moaned, setting the phone back down and fucking himself faster.  “Ride your cock until you come for me, stuff my ass full.”

His face was flushed, pupils blown so wide there was only a thin ring of green visible.  He brought his other hand up and sucked on his fingers, cheeks hollowing, before pulling them free with a wet pop.

“Fuck, it’s not enough.  I need you, need you to fuck me…”

Danny flicked the dial at the base of the toy, a buzzing noise filling the air.  He whimpered, hand gripping the edge of the counter as he thrust the vibrator in as far as it could go.

The mirror showed off the way his legs were starting to shake, knuckles white around the end of the toy as he fucked it into himself.

”Give it to me, I want it, need it need you ohfuckme-“ Danny broke off with a mewl of pleasure, panting and rolling his hips.

” ‘M so close, B.  I wanna come so bad.  You’re fucking me so good…”

Gritting his teeth, Danny twisted the dial back down and pulled the toy out, tossing it into the sink with a clatter.  His hand was unsteady as he picked up the phone again, focusing in as he spread his ass open, slipping two fingers back inside.

”Fuck, I’m so ready for you.”

The phone moved up until only his face was in the frame.

“Call me when you wake up.  I’ll be waiting.”

Royvividly remembered waking up that morning, opening up a text from Danny with the message “watch this” and a video.  By the time he reached the end of the video, he’d been rock hard and speed dialed as soon as it stopped.

Danny had answered his FaceTime on the first ring.  Roy was so aroused he could barely think, let alone speak, just propped the phone on a pillow so he could lean back and stroke the erection bobbing against his stomach.

He remembered Danny flipping the camera to show that he was sitting on the floor leaning against the bathroom counter, mirror revealing his legs spread wide and the toy up his ass.  Roy jerked off to the sight of Danny fucking himself halfway around the world, moaning obscenities and hating the distance.

After they’d both come, Danny with the vibrator on high and Roy spilling over his fist, they’d sat in their respective hotel rooms coming down together.  

“I miss you so much,” Roy had said, voice husky with sex.  “Not just your ass.”

”I know.  Me too.”  Danny had sounded even more fucked out.  “Did you like that?”

”Fuck, do you even have to ask?”

****

Roy humped the pillow harder, remembering their reunion a couple weeks after that.  It had been a show with a few other queens, and they’d had to hold off, eye fucking the whole night.  Back in his hotel room, it had been Danny who threw him on the bed and fucked him until the people in the neighboring room banged on the wall.

Afterwards, they’d ordered room service and Danny showed him the lyrics he was writing.  Roy had begged him to sing, and they’d gone another round after that.

He remembered waking up the next morning sore and sticky, Danny curled at his side.  Tonight was shaping up to be just as explosive.  He checked the time again.

A few seconds later, there was the electronic click of a key card.

[flwrcrwnbncr]

Best Non-Studio Hanson Tracks

(In no particular order)

Troublemaker - Billboard’s Mashup Mondays Sessions // This is definitely a favorite. It sounds nothing like the original and I think that’s a good thing? I like the original, don’t get me wrong, but this is like a whole different song and I love that fact so much. Go in with an open mind, there are some... interesting, I think is a good word. Interesting lyric changes, but it’s not enough to ruin the song.

Kiss Me When You Come Home - Tay’s Music Exchange // This song was one of my favorites already, but this version is so much closer to the way I remember hearing the song at the Stand Up, Stand Up EP recording. It’s a little bit more calming than the studio version, but doesn’t sacrifice the wonderful piano solo in the process of stripping it down.

Hey - Underneath Acoustic // Why is this not on YouTube????? This is far superior to the album version, even if you only base it off that bit with the jump to a higher note near the end that ISN’T INCLUDED IN THE STUDIO VERSION, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING HANSON?????

Strong Enough To Break - Strong Enough To Break // This one took some thought, I almost equally love the Underneath Acoustic version. The deciding factor was that this version showcases their voices just that much more. There’s something about the more stripped down sound it has, as well as the abrupt ending, that resonates with me in a way other versions of this song don’t.

Runaway Run - Chicago, IL 10-13-2013 // I’m so bummed that I didn’t have the chance to experience this one in person, but thanks to some amazing fans, it’s available to listen to on YouTube. This is the best version of this song, in my opinion. It’s got all the beauty of the Underneath Acoustic Live version, but somehow it’s better? I’m a sucker for songs that showcase Tay’s piano playing and this is an amazing example of why.

Gimme Some Lovin’/Shake A Tail Feather - Live From Albertane // Hanson are the kings of good opening songs, and this is a top tier example. The way they manage to amp up the crowd, the adlibs, and the way they manage to make the two songs work so well together, get me every time. Also, I challenge any fan to listen and not say the “It is great to be here in Seattle” bit along with Taylor.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Razorblade - The Best Of Hanson: Live & Electric // I’m still bummed this song never made it onto one of their main studio albums but this version makes up for a lot. The piano breakdown is something I didn’t know I needed until I heard it, and Taylor whining his way through the adlibs gives me a very specific brand of life.

Something Going Round - Anthem: Live In New York // Okay I love every single live version of this song I’ve ever heard but this is a standout. Not only are the boys completely on point (Zac’s drumming makes me so hyped up I want to take on world hunger by myself), the audience gives 110% when it’s their turn to sing. I blast this song in the car and hope people hear it and wonder “Who is this band that has such a cool fanbase?”

Thinking Of You - 5 Of 5 // This song has stood the test of time, and this version just shows how their voices dropping was the exact opposite of the problem critics were predicting way back when. This one shows that you don’t need to change a song to make it just as good 13 years after release.

Me Myself And I - String Theory // This song was amazing to begin with (if you don’t believe me, @changecanbebittersweet has talked about it already), but this version is even better. First of all, the fact that they re-recorded the vocals so it’s split between all three brothers, adds depth I wasn’t expecting. Additionally, the song’s pacing is better. While I loved it originally, having the same vocalist sing so many verses made it feel longer; this version just *feels* like a perfect length. Secondly, this song feels like it was written to have the orchestra and somehow it was released as a demo by mistake on Shout It Out. The strings are just so flawlessly integrated it makes you wonder why you didn’t realize it needed strings in the first place.

On The Rocks - The Walk Acoustic Live // I had a discussion once about this song, and without my prompting, the other person made the comment of this being the superior version. I had been nagging people about that opinion for a long time prior to that conversation and I’m still thrilled someone else gets the perfection of this track. There’s just something about how Zac sings “We’re gonna fight” that gives me chills every single time I hear it.

Use Me Up - Stand Up, Stand Up EP // I’ve had so many conversations about why I only listen to this version and they all boil down to two things: 1) the simplicity makes the song and 2) there’s one tiny little lyric change that ended up happening in the Shout It Out version that changed how the song hits and I refuse to give up this version.

Dirrty - Underneath Acoustic 2003 Tour // I don’t have anything to say about this except that it’s fucking hot and I would pay so much money to hear a full version of it.

Thinking ‘bout Somethin’ - ABC Greatest Hits // This one is perfect ‘cause Echosmith brought something to the table that I didn’t even realize was needed until I heard it. Also the video is adorable, Sydney of Echosmith just seems so happy to be playing with Hanson and I love it.

Hold On I’m Coming - National Post Music // While I’m sad that Zac wasn’t able to sing as much for this performance, the other boys doing his parts ended up sounding amazing. Also, I’m a sucker for the little interaction between Zac and Tay when Tay hits that high note.

Summertime Blues - Japan // This is amazing but I think I’d rather use this space to talk about how funny I find it that they sang this (very American, omg the lyrics are about the struggle of American teenagers) song for something recorded in Japan????? Why, Hanson?????

Lost Without You - Anthem: Live In New York // This song puts me in a very indescribable mindset, and I think part of what I love about this version is that the ending pulls me back to reality in the best way possible. The “I could be the one that you’re holding on to” outro just makes this version for me.

Where’s The Love - String Theory // Holy harmonies, Batman. As @tragic---love said, this song got the best glow up of all the songs from this album. I also think this falls into the same category as Thinking Of You for “songs that have stood the test of time”; this version takes a song that’s still amazing, and somehow makes it BETTER.

Waiting For This - Stand Up, Stand Up EP // I’m not sure why I prefer this version to the Shout It Out version, but I do. Maybe it’s the energy? I think this one feels more positive than the studio version? I’m not sure but I listen to this one almost exclusively. I also say the “You can’t deny it until you try it” bit every time I hear any version of it, you can pry those lyrics from my cold, dead hands.

Cecilia - Albany, NY 10-16-2009 // Even with almost the entire tour being sick with the flu, this performance was amazing. I had the good fortune of being at this show (the linked video is my footage), and I still listen to this one a lot. I’m realizing as I read this back to edit it, I’m Team Hanson Singing Older Folk Songs.

Teach Your Children - Underneath Acoustic Live // There’s something about the harmonies in the second verse that gives me chills every single time I hear this song. There’s also the added personal bit where this is the song that turned my mother into a fan.

Underneath - Underneath Acoustic // WHY DID THEY DITCH THE HARMONICA ON THE STUDIO VERSION?????????????? I literally can’t stand the studio version, but this version is one of my favorite Hanson songs of all time. I also need to draw attention to how amazing they sound when they sing “something missing”, it’s like I’m in the horrible relationship, they sing it with so much emotion.

Rip It Up - Underneath Acoustic Live // I need more Ike singing old school rock ‘n’ roll more often, this song is a blessing and I’m grateful for it on the daily.

Breaktown - Leaked Demo // I have talked about this before, but I’ll forever be bitter that this wasn’t released with Underneath, Taylor’s voice was absolutely perfect for it at that point and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to this one over the years.

Madeline - Middle Of Nowhere Acoustic // There’s a place in my heart reserved only for the ending “woah”s of this song, and getting to hear them in the stripped down, more mature, version made me so happy. This song was so well written to begin with, and they make it even better when they play it acoustically, and this performance is the best example of that fact.

Save Me - Anthem: Live In New York // I love the piano driven sound of this track, and this performance just emphasized that part of it. I also love the “yeah” that Tay adds after the second “yes I’m wrong” for some reason, catch me singing it passionately alone in my room at 3 am.

Crazy Beautiful - Underneath Acoustic Live // #BringBackThisVersionOfCrazyBeautifulNextTour

Good Lovin’ - Jack Frost Soundtrack // I have heard other bands cover this song and every time it pales in comparison to this performance. It’s short but it never feels short? And I end up in such a good mood after listening to it.

Magic Carpet Ride - At The Fillmore // I remember coming across more recent performances of them doing this song and I’m forever disappointed ‘cause this recording just had something about it that they haven’t recaptured on recent tours. If you watch the video, there’s a girl in a white tank top, going balls-to-the-wall throughout the whole song, and I just relate so much.

With You In Your Dreams - 5 Of 5 // When Taylor talked about how they pictured this song with a choir, I was skeptical at first but holy crap the audience vocals just make it that much better. I also get chills when Zac yells “Like you mean it!” every damn time.

[bobdylanrevisited]

Highway 61 Revisited

Released: 30 August 1965

Rating: 10/10

My favourite album of all time. Released just five months after BIABH, this is another unforgettable record which defines the 1960s. Unlike the previous album, this one is almost entirely electric, minus the closing song, and it was clear that Bob couldn’t be further from his folk roots. This is, for me, the pinnacle of music and song writing, and whilst I consider many of his albums to be masterpieces, this is the one that truly makes him a god in my eyes. He would tour following this release, with so-called fans hatefully booing at the sight of a drum kit or an amplifier. This only confirmed to Dylan that he had to continue revolutionising his sound, and if these people didn’t like it then he must be doing something right. 

1) Like A Rolling Stone - Judas! How dare he open with one of the greatest songs ever recorded. A needling, accusatory, schadenfreude attack of ‘Miss Lonely’, which relishes in a fall from grace. There’s been much speculation as to her identity, but it’s the refrain of ‘How does it feel?’ that will get under your skin and stay with you. The angry snarling of Dylan is both exhilarating and intense and it never gets old, the song sounds fresh every single time you hear it. Alongside the perfect lyrics, the crashing guitars and Al Kooper’s irregular organ chords give the track a uniquely jarring sound, and it’s breathtaking. It’s no wonder it’s often voted the greatest song ever made, and Dylan has enjoyed playing it live ever since, in many different styles. But nothing will ever top the Free Trade Hall 1966 performance, which is the greatest moment in musical history. If you haven’t heard it, go and listen to it immediately and prepare for your jaw to hit the floor. Oh, and don’t forget, play it fucking loud. 

2) Tombstone Blues - Dylan parades historical and pop culture figures in this fast paced song, which has been analysed as being about the Vietnam War or the absurdity of the zeitgeist. Another track that has remained popular in live sets for decades, it’s a brilliantly worded piece that is both amusing and confusing. The screeching guitar solos from Mike Bloomfield are pure rock ‘n’ roll and elevate the song to another level, although the whole band are phenomenal throughout the album. It’s just another brilliant track that couldn’t be further from his earlier work, but cements Dylan as a rock star. 

3) It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry - Although many quick tempo versions were rehearsed, this final recording was reworked by Dylan over a lunch break, because he’s a fucking genius. To create this beautiful song in under an hour is ridiculous, and it’s a lovely, bluesy tune which is less angry and cynical than many other songs on the album. The Newport Folk Festival 1965 version, which is hard to hear over the screams of those feeling betrayed, is great, but the Rolling Thunder Revue 1975 version is truly magnificent 

4) From A Buick 6 - Whilst this is the weakest song on the album, it’s still an incredible blues track with some brilliant singing from Bob. The lyrics aren’t as deep as the other songs, it’s basically about a woman who gives Bob life and potentially will cause his death, but the instrumentation is fun and it sounds like everyone is having a blast playing it. It’s a great tune that is a fun couple of minutes and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

5) Ballad Of A Thin Man - Poor Mr. Jones, probably Dylan’s most fully formed and completely repugnant character. This is my favourite track on the album and probably my favourite Dylan song (I know I say that about a lot of songs). It’s a brutal, depressing, bleak assassination of someone who has wronged Bob, with haunting piano that echos around the menacing words that send shivers down your spine. It’s most likely aimed at the reporters and the media who misunderstood Bob, or pretend to be cool and up to date with the culture, and here Bob unmasks them and publicly annihilates their fraudulent disguises. As with much of this album, it has remained in his live sets since release, but again no performance ever topped the Free Trade Hall 1966 one, the booing made Dylan’s words and delivery even more sinister and shocking. 

6) Queen Jane Approximately - Another needling song in the same vein as ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, though this one is more sympathetic to the subject. However, it is once again a classic track which sounds absolutely beautiful. Potentially about Joan Baez, though Dylan claims it actually about a man, it’s a fantastic piece that is both mellow and devastating at the same time. 

7) Highway 61 Revisited - The whistle on this song is iconic, as is the screamed refrain which is basically impossible to not shout at the top of your lungs with each listen. Biblical lyrics and dark imagery are contrasted by the upbeat tune, and it’s interesting that in reality, Highway 61 leads back to Dylan’s birth place, potentially making himself the true subject of the song. Another example of his advances in storytelling through references and metaphor, this is a deep and vivid song that Dylan still belts out on tour to this day. 

8) Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues - Despite being a brilliant song, which creates an atmosphere of tiredness and surrender, the story Dylan tells here is both fascinating and, not surprisingly, fantastically written. Starting in Juarez and returning to New York City, the protagonist must fight off women, booze, drugs, and the police on his journey, and it’s a riveting tale. As there is no chorus or refrain, this could easily be a Kerouac short story, but it really works as a track you can lose yourself to. You’ll be wrapped up in your own imagination of the events, described in an incredibly personal way by Bob, as if he’s telling you this story directly. I know I’ve mentioned this a lot, but the Free Trade Hall 1966 version sounds like it’s not of this world and should be mandatory listening. 

9) Desolation Row - This is the true showcase of Bob’s skill with the english language, an 11 minute acoustic song, which is more like an epic poem of old. Again peppered with pop culture references, it was released during a period where 3 minute love songs were topping the charts, and shows how much Bob was challenging the notion of what music could be about, and really mastering it as a literary art form. It begins with infamous lynchings from Bob’s birthplace, before moving on to fairy tale characters, biblical figures, authors, poets, scientist, and the victims of the Titanic, to name but a few. The lyrics are so engrossing, and the delivery is almost hypnotic, that the 11 minutes feel like mere seconds, as he paints a tapestry in your mind that is exciting, vivid, and yet tinged with a bleakness as no one is happy in the song. It’s an incredible way to end the album, though you’d wish it went on forever. 

Verdict: Obviously, I consider this the definition of perfection. For an album that largely focuses on sadness, feeling lost, anger, and cynicism, no other record makes me feel as joyous as this one. It’s the culmination of everything that came before it, from the dense verses of ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’, to the audience rejection of ‘My Back Pages’, to the new sound on ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’, and it comes together to create this perfect album. It’s unfathomable that a human created this, it seems more like a gift from the universe made especially for me, and I implore you to listen to it on repeat. Each time you’ll discover something new and your favourite song will change numerous times. Bob’s next outing would be of a similarly astonishing quality, and whilst he was touring the world to a chorus of jeers, he was about to record another album that would continue to push the boundaries of popular music.