#2024 album of the week

[aoifereal]

Covering quite a few albums since I last did a round up:

Bleed Out by The Mountain Goats - 4/5

Hit me hard and soft by Billie Eilish - 2.5/5

The Great Depression by Defiance, Ohio - 4/5

Singing for Strangers by Hudson Taylor - 3/5

The Sunset Tree by The Mountain Goats - 4.5/5

Who are the girls? by The Nova Twins - 2.5/5

Disposable everything else by AJJ - 2/5

iii by Miike Snow - 2/5

Beat The Champ by The Mountain goats - 4/5

brat by charliexcx - 3.5/5

Rise and fall of a Midwest princess by Chappell Roan - 4/5

[saintravioli]

I planned on doing this sooner, but better late than never so! I’ve been inspired by @aoifereal’s New Year’s resolution to listen to a new album every week, and I saw them doing reviews of the albums they’ve listened to. I was also inspired, so I’m gonna give it a go too 🌟

I’ll start with my favourite album I listened to from the start of January, which was Albion by Harp, and then try and do one weekly from now on. I know basically nobody is gonna see this but I think it’s good for my own memory if nothing else!

This album is the solo project of Tim Smith from Midlake, a band I’ve really liked since I was a kid. Midlake split up fairly recently, and this album (as far as I know) was recorded post-breakup.

The album has an extremely cohesive prog-esque sound, and runs together very well. I was really fond of the heavily chorused, mostly clean guitars that recur in essentially every song, and I thought it was a really nice stylistic choice to have them be so present throughout. I’ve always loved Tim’s super close, interweaving harmony lines in Midlake’s work, and they’re still very obvious here - it seems like this is part of his own musical signature, and I really enjoy it. Listening to this album actually inspired me to try writing more vocal harmonies in a similar way.

Favourite moments in the album were Silver Wings’ gorgeous guitar line at the end of the chorus, the spacey ambiance of Cathedral Country Drive, and how beautifully Herstmonceux closes out the album with a reference to the first song and another guitar line that feels like it was designed to make me personally very happy.

8/10

[buglaur]

fireworks show 🎆

material preview version is very cute also :)

i struggled with the lighting on this one so badly, but it turned out alright in the end.

i actually started it last year for new years 2023 but never got around to finishing it, hence no progress pictures this time sadly lol. i do have a very low-res, first draft, test gif though

stills 🥳

[theminecraftgay]

Day two; music. I’ve been listening to my favorite Metallica album a lot recently and I think they’d both like it!!

[w1f1n1ghtm4r3]

anhane week day 2 (seasons) - filling in a photo album of memories

[nicoscheer]

SIIIIIIRRRRRR ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

especially cause he ain’t linked nowhere in the post

Always great fun when official sites use edited Milex pics for their posts 🤣🫠

[gothicswiftv]

Do you think they're listening to Taylor Swift's new album?

. . .ok ok they’re listening to Ricky Montgomery 😄 or perhaps Brandon McInnis

Edit I made for @renga-week Day 3: Music, inspired by this tweet that I thought was funny

[gameyface46]

Hey, they look pretty good together!

So yeah. Good Together by Lake Street Dive released a few weeks ago, and this was supposed to come out in June for the June project, but I’m counting it for June so I don’t have an excuse to not do a July project.

The roles were picked based on the 30th Anniversary Music Festival art, so Dedede represents drummer Mike Calabrese, Bandee represents pianist Akie Bermiss, etc. Marx is actually really cute! I should draw him more. He’s representing bassist Bridget Kearney here.

I actually really like how this turned out. This was supposed to be finished in a day, but… I couldn’t.

Signed and color versions below the read more!

Yes it is read Cake Street Dive.

Now, thoughts on Good Together? I love it.

They really know how to start a song off. Most opening instrumental is so funky! I really like it! Favorite song is hard to pick… Dance with a Stranger, Seats at the Bar, Far Gone, Good Together… they all are great! Set Sail is so… wistful… I love it so much! It was the PERFECT album closer. Help Is On The Way is so groovy… ach! I love this album. The only song I kinda disregard is Twenty Five. Wistful like Set Sail, but personally not my cup of tea. I don’t prefer overly sad songs. But it’s still good, don’t get me wrong. But I won’t have it on loop like every other song. Please listen to Lake Street Dive if you have the chance! New favorite band besides Sammy Rae and the Friends. Hey, if you like them, I think you’ll like this group too!

Now for other matters.

Playing OneShot. Pretty good game so far. Niko is SO CUTE. Cold take, I know, but it’s the truth. The character designer designed so hard when creating them. Also I’m going in blind, which is a treat. I hear the story is VERY important, so yeah. I watched the Ace Attorney anime before playing the game, ruined it for me. Playing the Apollo Justice trilogy was a treat.

AAI2 released in the West, very glad about that. You KNOW I’m getting it.

That’s basically June, so see ya, and GOOD LUCK MY EARTHLY COMRADES! THE SUN IS COMING.

♪ We could be good together! ♪

also wtf there’s a tag limit.

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[linknes]

Graaah! new porter robinson song

[aoifereal]

Okay album number two this year will be twin fantasy by Car Seat Headrest I think. People keep telling me I need to listen to it and I keep not giving it a proper shot. This is a good opportunity to make me listen and have an opinion on it, hooray!

[saintravioli]

This week’s album is gonna be Ten Love Songs by Susanne Sundfør.

I’ve listened to some songs already and I love several of her other albums, I’ve just never listened properly to this one all the way through but I can already predict what the response to this album is gonna be:

[endofbeginings]

9/24.

[irisopranta]

XIVRarepairWeek2024 Day 3 - Lost & found

[start of ShB] "Steph!" Iris gave him a hug. it was maybe a day since he fell like the other scions. For him it was more like a month. Glad that he was able to see her there.

[oswlld]

oswlld's monthly wrap up: april

note: i am trying something a bit different this year, so bear with me as i figure out how i want to format this. i wanted to spend more time sharing what i consume, beyond what i rb, and put my thoughts in one place. these posts are okay to rb

--

This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone [started 04/04, finished 04/09] *drags my hands down my face until the end of time* I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. I want to meet you in every place I ever loved. I WANT TO MEET YOU!!!! IN EVERY PLACE I EVER LOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4.75⭐️ in storygraph. — Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell [started 04/12, in prog] I am about 100 pages in and still not sure if I want to keep going or DNF it. idk what isn’t sticking because the writing is beautiful and the pacing is great. And I do care about the characters, I really do. I love the way the author borrows from future grief, it’s what I am enjoying most about this read so far. Maybe I’ll give it 50 more pages and see if it finally sticks.

23.5 Degrees, GMMTV [started: 03/08, ongoing] As mentioned, I am caught up on eps 3-8. I’ll likely not be able to watch it live in may but I will be keeping up with the series til the end. It’s so lighthearted and charming! Not sure how they managed this, but I am constantly surprised by the character group dynamics. It’s def due to the great chemistry everyone has with literally everyone. I need NEED to discuss the score of this show because it’s IMMACULATE. The celestial themes, from the props all the way down to the music, is so rich. I’m so excited to see how this story unravels. — Devil’s Plan [started: 04/23, ongoing] This is a bestie pick, a show my best friend chose to have us watch on our facetime calls. We are 1.5 eps in and it’s a grower. The first game is hella complex and we’re slowly picking up on what’s happening. The people on this show are incredibly intelligent, so I feel like I have to work extra hard to keep up. It does feel rewarding, I’m hooked.

Oppenheimer, Peacock [watched on 04/05] I am a self-proclaimed Nolan girlie, I’ll admit it. I do enjoy his work and the many ways he translates time into film. When I wrote this, it had been a few days since I watched it and I still think abt the little moments that blew me away. Moments like the accentuated dust particles, how the coloring of the movie can be an unreliable narrator, and the utilization of a crowded hall stomping their feet to create tension. The last eight minutes still haunts me. I find more value in the technical side of film, but I will give credit when credit is due: every award Cillian Murphy got this season was so well earned. He carried all three hours of that film with such powerful quietude. And lastly, my heart now belongs to Jennifer Lame. Upon seeing her accept the award for Best Film Editing for Oppenheimer, I have come to learn that she also edited Tenet. HER MIND!!! She has such a bright future ahead of her, to be up there with the minds of Thelma Schoonmaker and Anne V Coates. — Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-Fi Film Club [watched on 04/14] This film needs to be studied in film school. It’s incredibly meta in some ways, having renown directors be the subjects, talking about their passion for film. The production being so stylized and the editing feels very reminiscent of Our Beloved Summer, with the way the found footage and the aspect ratios are intertwined with current day quality shots. This film will hit everyone right in the millennial. A true surprise for me is discovering that Bong Joon Ho and I are more alike that I had originally thought. The way he speaks in casual conversation and his story of setting strict rules for their film collection had me hollering because SAME. The most jessi thing he recounted was how all the VHS tapes were labelled. Yellow Door is somehow the opposite of the "doesn’t take itself too seriously" mentality; it’s actually so great that they made the film like that. By fully immersing us with gorgeous cinematography, cheeky editing sequences, and lush music to tug at your heartstrings, it bewitches you into loving film as much as they did. And still do.

Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé [relisten] I’ve given this several good cycles to confirm my first impressions: it’s def one of her most cohesive albums to date and still stands as a spectacular album. This passion project of hers takes such great care and attention to the voices she amplifies. I can feel the hunger, the innate need for her to make this album. If you haven’t heard how this album came to be, I insist you take the time to educate yourselves. It makes the listening experience so much more empowering. Good for her… GOOD. FOR. HER!! Current favs: Ameriican Requiem, 16 Carriages, Bodyguard, Jolene, Spaghettii, Ya Ya, Desert Eagle, II Hands II Heaven, and Sweet/Honey/Buckin’. — Older, Lizzy McAlpine [first time listening] Coming off the heels of my Five Seconds Flat hyperfixation last year, I haphazardly went into Older hoping its a natural progression in production value. I was shocked that it turned out to be a completely different sound. I soon learned that she actually didn’t really like how Five Seconds Flat was produced because it didn’t feel true to her as an artist. Tbh I was feeling a little lost after the first listen but after digesting this new info, I went back into it and appreciated it a lot more. In fact, the third listen was when I realized that it gave off the same energy as Laufey. I’m excited to listen to it again soon. — Stick Season: Forever, Noah Kahan [first time listening] Having stumbled on all the collabs on Alexa earlier this year, Forever was the only new song for me from his latest release. I’m OBSESSED with this song!!!! The way his voice carries the entire weight of every hurt inside me and just takes it away. Something healed in me. I play it in the car every time I leave the house. I cry in the car every time I leave the house. — The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift [first time listening, standard vinyl ed.] I am going to get this out of the way and say that this album is great. Just great. I understand more than ever why she felt the need to make this album. Having only listened to the standard version a couple times and the anthology twice through, I sit here in this kind of… discomfort. And I’m kind of okay with that feeling. But… it pains me that I can’t share this album with some people in my life and it’s largely due to how she depicts her struggles with people with mental illness/addiction. It’s one, if not the biggest, strike I have against this album and by extension, her. Songs cycling in my head: Down Bad, So Long London, Guilty as Sin?, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?, loml, imgonnagetyouback, Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus, How Did It End?, I Look in People’s Windows, The Prophecy, Peter, and The Manuscript.

EXPO Chicago [attended 04/13] Yes, I am doxxing myself a bit if you didn’t already know. During college, I used to attend EXPO yearly and occasionally went back long after I finished school. I haven’t attended in a long time, so I made it my goal to attend this year. And I had a blast! My mother tagged along and she’s not one to attend shows like this or art museums in general. It was a beautiful day trip to the city and it was nice to have her company. She mostly trailed behind and took pics of me as I floated around the exhibition hall. I have 50+ artists I tracked on my phone to actively research in my spare time. I sat in on one of the panel talks (ON COLOR), discussing color theory in today’s bipoc landscape. I took so much away from that conversation, it was very charged. I'm kinda obsessed with Alteronce Gumby, I need to do an artist deepdive on his work. — Coachella [watched from 04/12 to 04/14] I work for a big tech company and one of the biggest events to be on standby for is Coachella. I had to be on call for Friday and was backup support for Sunday lineups. Thus, Saturday was the only day I could sit back and relax while watching. My first time lineups included: Hatsune Miku, Peso Pluma, Late Night Drive Home, Jon Batiste, Ateez, le Sserafim, Purple Disco Machine, Bleachers, No Doubt, 88rising Futures, and Latin Mafia. Of all of the performances, I want to take a full deep dive into Ateez and Peso Pluma’s discography in the near future.

[kittycatcat0]

I don’t even know what to say the new JPEGMAFIA album is fucking incredible. 10/10 and maybe album of the year????

Peggy you own my liked songs playlist.

It’s such an atmospheric and like, powerful album. Almost scary at points? He’s really going through like a therapy arc with this one. But it’s still so deeply petrifying I’m at a loss for words.