#BUT there will be a special feature that delves into the other lyrics that fit byler and ST terrifyingly to a t

[chirpsythismorning]

☎️🎲 🤼‍♂️ ✈️🚪 ➡️ 🫀🎮⌛️

If You Leave by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

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Special Features (coming soon)

Byler over the seasons with the lyrics of If You Leave

[stcpidcupid]

⩩♡⃗ ⠀⠀⠀ DEAR CHERUBS ⠀:⠀ A SPECIAL FIVE-PART ALBUM ! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ — layout ib. /hearthr0b + temps from /tinytowns

DEAR CHERUBS is a five-part project released between 2021 and 2023 by the girl group STUPID CUPID. each member released two songs wrapped in an ep album, with each ep being promoted for a specific number of weeks. the project showcases each member's individual talents and unique styles, highlighting their versatility and creativity. through this project, STUPID CUPID aimed to give fans a deeper insight into their personal artistry and musical influences, offering a diverse range of genres and concepts.

EVERY  ROSE  marks  the  beginning  of  the  DEAR  CHERUBS  project,  with  CHESKA  as  the  first  member  to  debut  her  solo  ep.  the  album  features  two  tracks  that  delve  into  love,  loss,  and  personal  growth  themes.  CHESKA's  soulful  vocals  and  heartfelt  lyrics  set  the  tone  for  a  reflective  and  emotional  journey.  the  album  tells  the  story  of  an  all-consuming  love  affair  that  turns  into  a  heartbreaking  and  obsessive  experience.  CHESKA,  deeply  in  love,  finds  herself  in  an  increasingly  dangerous  and  unstable  relationship.  her  passion  is  intense  and  unwavering,  but  it  is  met  with  uncertainty  and  fear  of  abandonment.

title track name : THORNS AND PETALS

promotions : six weeks

wins : three

promoted b-side : I DESERVE IT

the  album,  READY?  PLAYER.  tells  a  story  of  a  confident,  assertive  individual  who  is  unafraid  to  express  their  desires  and  attraction.  JEANNE,  as  the  protagonist,  is  keenly  aware  of  the  mutual  feelings  between  herself  and  the  person  she  is  interested  in,  acknowledging  their  magnetic  pull  towards  each  other.  this  sets  the  tone  for  flirtatious  and  bold  interactions,  emphasizing  a  playful  and  seductive  dynamic.  the  songs  were  a  shock  to  CHERUBS  due  to  how  explicit  the  lyrics  were,  and  JEANNE  had  to  cut  the  promotions  short  despite  changing  the  words  to  fit  the  music  show  criteria.

title track name : GOT THAT, PLAYER

promotions : three weeks

wins : n/a

promoted b-side : GAME ON ( ft. KRUSH's KALEINA )

THE  MURDER  OF  THE  WHITE  SWAN  narrates  the  intense,  unspoken  attraction  between  two  individuals.  VIVA  is  tormented  by  the  thought  of  her  love  interest  being  with  someone  else,  and  her  feelings  are  further  heightened  by  this  person's  physical  presence  and  allure.  the  lyrics  convey  longing  and  frustration,  as  both  parties  are  aware  of  their  mutual  desire  but  have  yet  to  act  on  it.  the  lyrics  highlight  the  internal  conflict  between  maintaining  the  fantasy  of  this  perfect  connection  and  the  desire  to  turn  it  into  reality.  VIVA  dreams  of  being  with  the  love  interest  but  is  tired  of  the  unfulfilled  fantasies  and  wants  to  make  them  real.  this  tension  between  dreaming  and  actualising  her  desires  is  a  central  theme  throughout  the  album.  just  like  JEANNE,  VIVA  shocked  everyone  by  releasing  such  a  mature  ep,  but  the  fandom  praised  the  company  for  waiting  until  VIVA  was of  legal  age  before  letting  her  release  this.

title track name : DREAM OF YOU

promotions : seven weeks

wins : three

promoted b-side : BLOOD RED MOON

the  main  story  of  CALLBACK?  is about an  emotional  struggle  and  the  desire  for  clarity  in  a  relationship  filled  with  mixed  signals.  the  album  explores  yearning,  frustration,  and  vulnerability  as  AIMEE  navigates  the  complexities  of  dealing  with  an  indecisive  love  interest.  the  narrative  captures  the  tension  of  wanting  someone  deeply  while  grappling  with  the  uncertainty  and  confusion  of  their  inconsistent  behaviour.  the  ep  was  released  after  the  group’s  second  english  track,  B.O.Y.,  and  it  seemed  like  it  came  at  the  right  time  due  to  the  CHERUBS’  strike  against  the  english  single.  many  came  to  support  AIMEE’s  solo,  yet  no  matter  what,  they  still  called  it  THE  WORST  SOLO  DEBUT  because  of  their  dislike  towards  the  song's  repetitiveness.  during  a  live  session,  AIMEE  revealed  that  she  was  heartbroken  after  finding  out  the  fans  disliked  the  music  because  it  was  the  first  time  she  had  no  help  producing  it.

title track name : I WANT U!

promotions : six weeks

wins : n/a

promoted b-side : ENCORE

90S  BABY  is  TOMIE's  story  of  someone  who  has  been  confined  by  societal  norms  and  expectations,  always  trying  to  fit  into  a  certain  mold.  the  lyrics  "always  the  same  old  recipe,  like  a  good  kid"  and  "the  image  of  me  that  you  judged  arbitrarily"  highlight  the  pressure  to  conform  and  the  struggle  to  meet  others'  expectations.  TOMIE  decided  to  cast  off  these  expectations  and  embrace  her  true  self.  lines  like  "sugarcoat,  i  cast  off"  and  "just  move,  as  i  want,  dancing  for  myself"  signify  a  bold  decision  to  live  authentically  and  pursue  personal  happiness,  regardless  of  others'  opinions.  this  marks  a  significant  shift  from  seeking  external  validation  to  finding  self-worth  within.  after  releasing  this  ep  at  the  end  of  2023,  the  group's  fandom  decided  to  make  a  poll,  and  vote  for  their  favourite  DEAR  CHERUBS  ep.  TOMIE's  ep  won  by  a  landslide,  and  VIVA  received  second  place  in  the  votes.

title track name : DON'T SUGARCOAT ME

promotions : five weeks

wins : four

promoted b-side : THE GIRL I AM

after  all  five  ep  albums  had  been  released,  fans  conducted  a  poll  to  determine  their  favourite  DEAR  CHERUBS.  the  results,  ranked  from  highest  to  lowest  in  terms  of  popularity,  are  as  follows:  TOMIE,  VIVA,  CHESKA,  JEANNE,  and  AIMEE.  given  the  group's  global  popularity,  the  percentage  of  fans  who  favoured  each  album  is:

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ — note : kaleina can be found at @urmykrushhh <3 tysm for letting me "borrow" kalenia for a quick second, i appreciate it!

[passionate-reply]

Are you tired of Great Albums being about music people have actually heard of? Do you want me to just go ape shit, and review obscure minimal wave cassettes from the 80s? Admittedly, Oppenheimer Analysis’s New Mexico is one of the most famous weird minimal wave cassettes, and for good reason: it actually holds up quite well as an album! Come check out what all the fuss is about. Transcript below the break.

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! Today, I’ll be talking about a very cultish cult classic, and an album that’s one of the definitive works in the very underground scene of so-called “minimal wave”: New Mexico, the only full album released by the duo “Oppenheimer Analysis.” The band’s namesake was actually lead vocalist Andy Oppenheimer, who became acquainted with instrumentalist Martin Lloyd at the 1979 World Science Fiction Convention, where the pair bonded over speculative fiction, Midcentury graphic design and propaganda, and the work of early British electronic pioneers like the Human League. 1982’s New Mexico was these two’s first recording as a group, but Lloyd did go into it with one credit--the year prior, he and David Rome of Drinking Electricity released a double A-side, featuring the jumpy, playful instrumentals “Surface Tension'' and “Connections.” They referred to their act as “Analysis,” making it feel very much a part of the Oppenheimer Analysis story.

Music: “Surface Tension”

Oppenheimer, meanwhile, was a true outsider artist, making a living as a nuclear science writer without any substantive musical background. While not all minimal wave is “outsider music,” and not all electronic outsider music is minimal wave, there’s certainly a correlation there. Oppenheimer’s reedy, somewhat strained voice lends New Mexico the punkish charm that only utterly untrained vocalists can offer: a vessel that cracks and buckles as it fails to contain the raw emotion within.

Music: “Martyr”

The addition of a singer is one major distinction between New Mexico and Lloyd’s earlier compositions, but they’re also very different in tone. As I said earlier, the “Analysis” instrumentals are sort of light-hearted and sprightly, a bit reminiscent of the jazzy synth experiments of artists like Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley. New Mexico is substantially darker and more gothic, as befitting an LP that’s at least partially a concept album about the nuclear age.

Music: “The Devil’s Dancers”

While nuclear anxiety is an indispensable theme of the album, it’s never a suffocating one that makes it feel horribly antiquated to modern ears. It’s a very aestheticized rumination on nuclear themes, that never jumps up and hollers, “bombs are bad!” Take, for example, the track “Radiance,” probably the best-known track on New Mexico...to the extent that any of them are that well-known. It’s one of the album’s most languorous, atmospheric moments, and paints a vividly desolate picture of ground zero after a detonation, with its fluttering, delicate, but ultimately frigid synth flourishes.

Music: “Radiance”

I think my favourite part of “Radiance” is actually its lyrical turn: an atomic blast isn’t like the radiance of a thousand suns, but rather, vice versa. The latter is the one that’s merely theoretical and dwells in the realm of poetic license, whereas the former is a historical fact that we all have to contend with. “Radiance” is quite solid, but in many ways it’s a pale imitation of the title track, a seven-minute sprawl that works exquisitely as a kind of musical landscape painting:

Music: “New Mexico”

Painfully evocative, with an eerie, almost yearning undercurrent, “New Mexico” is easily the track that feels the most grand and epic. I would really have loved for it to be given more of a place of honour in the tracklisting, possibly as the closing track, but it’s wedged somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the second side. I suppose we can’t expect quite as much from a gonzo underground mail-order cassette release, though. At any rate, while “Radiance” and “New Mexico” are absolutely about atom bombs, they remain very emotionally intimate--almost torturously so. A lot of the other tracks are less about the bomb itself, and more about the rise of “Big Science” in the Midcentury consciousness in the wake of the Second World War--chiefly, “Men In White Coats.”

Music: “Men In White Coats”

As in “The Devil’s Dancers,” Oppenheimer happily accepts the role of an evil or insidious narrator here, and sells us this megalomaniacal perspective with aplomb. A lot of early 80s synth, minimal wave and otherwise, is characterized by more deadpan vocalists, but I can’t stress enough how much Oppenheimer’s piercing lead vocals bring to this album. It’s perhaps the most critical on the tracks that delve into more traditionally emotional topics--chiefly, the standard romantic love numbers. Take, for instance, the harrowing, neurotic “Scorpions”:

Music: “Scorpions”

I’m certainly a fan of the title “New Mexico,” which just ties together all the right connotations. First and foremost, New Mexico is a place--a place you can visit. And this is one of those albums that really wants to ground you in a narrow and specific sense of place, a sonic landscape. New Mexico is mostly empty desert, large tracts of which have been government land even before it started being used more intensively for military research in the 20th Century...most famously, of course, on nuclear weapons. I like to think that the name also suggests novelty and recency of place. We are, after all, entering a “new” world, defined by the advances of science, and the upending of earlier ideas about the world.

The representation of the album art for New Mexico that I’ve been showing you is actually the imagery of the 2010 reissue of the album, which I’ve chosen because I think it’s a bit better known, and I simply prefer it, personally. The most striking thing about it is this colour--a ghostly green, that instantly evokes the common imagery of atomic phenomena. Radiation doesn’t really glow green, of course, but, like everything else about the album, it’s clear that this choice is meant to be a reflection upon the greater cultural imaginings and social impact of the Atomic Age, so I think it’s a perfect fit. At the center of the composition, we see a figure, head bowed and face shaded to provide some sense of anonymity, reaching a hand towards the side of his face in a gesture that’s almost reminiscent of using a cell phone at first glance. What exactly he’s up to is as unclear as his identity. Between the modernist styling of the architecture to his left, and his antiquated attire, the image is quite suggestive of a Midcentury setting. But the real narrative angle here comes from the right side--several figures are approaching that central character, possibly in hostile pursuit. Espionage gone wrong? A desperate attempt to silence a whistle-blower? Much like the music, there’s an ambiguous, mysterious, but also menacing ambiance to this cover.

For historicity’s sake, I’ll also discuss the original cover of the homemade cassettes of New Mexico. As we might expect from the nature of this release, it’s a fairly simple graphic, featuring a nude woman whose full-figured body type, popular on pin-up models, and short hairstyle convey that Midcentury aesthetic almost as well as her clothed counterpart on the reissue. Our eyes are naturally drawn to her exposed breasts, where they meet a pair of radiation warning signs censoring her nipples. A simple image, but a deeply perverse or twisted one. Is it a kind of union between the vulgar, crass profanity of pornography, and the depravity of atomic weapons? Is it a visual representation of the way Oppenheimer Analysis have beautified the nuclear landscape, conflating man’s inhumanity to man with something voluptuous or pleasurable? This cover is at least as complex a symbol for the album as the reissue one is. And while it’s easy to dismiss it as lowbrow, I think it’s worth noting how the salacious or saucy aspect of it would have helped it fit in with other underground cassettes of its era, many of which had lurid or provocative imagery.

Of course, this discussion of the differing incarnations of the album is a natural segue to addressing the release history of New Mexico. The story of Oppenheimer Analysis is deeply entwined with that of New York-based Minimal Wave Records, founded in 2005 by Veronica Vasicka, a radio DJ fascinated by underground electronic music. The label specializes in making obscure, self-published works like New Mexico widely available in digital form, so that more music enthusiasts can get a chance to hear them. Without her, I myself might never have heard this album, and certainly wouldn’t be in a position to make a review like this! Vasicka felt strongly about the artistry of Oppenheimer Analysis, and gave the honour of her label’s first-ever release, “MW001,” to a self-titled EP compiling several of the tracks from New Mexico. Later, in 2010, when she was able to rerelease New Mexico in its entirety, she gave it the honourary designation of “MW001D.”

Vasicka is the one responsible for coining the term “minimal wave” to describe the subgenre she was interested in, and, fifteen years later, I think it’s safe to say it’s had some staying power. While it may be a bit vague and subject to individual interpretation, that’s a problem all genre labels contend with, and I think fans of minimal wave ought to be proud that this term was at least coined by a passionate and dedicated fan, who made her favourite music more accessible to everyone, as a labour of love. It’s also not the only genre term to come about much, much later than the music it seeks to describe. At any rate, New Mexico will always have a place in the minimal wave hall of fame, and it’s a genre-defining work, if in hindsight. The stylistic hallmarks of New Mexico are, for better or for worse, now also those of a whole movement: harsh, tinny rhythm machines, strident synth lines, anxious, unmannered vocals, and technological themes.

But what actually happened to Andy Oppenheimer and Martin Lloyd? In light of the renewed interest in their work in the 00s, they actually got back together for a bit, releasing some archival material from the 1980s and laying down a handful of new tracks, very similar in style to those on New Mexico. Lloyd passed away suddenly in 2013, but Oppenheimer has remained interested in keeping their ideas alive. He’s been performing live as well as putting out new music, first as “Touching the Void,” alongside Mark Warner of Sudeten Creche, and more recently as “Oppenheimer Mk II,” with Mahk Rumbae of Konstruktivists.

Music: “You Won’t Disarm Me”

Something that I think really stands out about New Mexico, especially when compared to a lot of other small-time minimal wave releases, is that it’s a very consistent quality throughout. As you might expect with an underground genre, a lot of the music to choose from is varying degrees of amateurish and clunky, and it’s arguably better to listen to Minimal Wave compilations than the LPs that exist. New Mexico is an exception, though, and doesn’t have any particularly weak tracks. The favourite tracks cited by fans of the album tend to vary pretty widely. My top pick, though, is the album’s opener, “Don’t Be Seen With Me.” It’s a perfect marriage of dizzying, spiraling synth runs, and one of Oppenheimer’s most frenetic vocal performances, that creates a masterful portrayal of being swept up in infatuation with somebody you really shouldn’t be fooling with. That’s all I’ve got--thanks for listening!

Music: “Don’t Be Seen With Me”

[danielxrk]

           ✞ THINK YOU KNOW ME? *    KILL IT       { rap }

he's glad he ended the first half of the day's auditions on guitar; it leaves him in a better mood to face the others during the break, and all things considered, he's happy with how the day has gone so far. he thinks he did well enough at talking through his interview, and that he showed a good side of himself in the special skills portion, it's just the singing portion that he finds questionable. it's not even that he thinks he did poorly, it's just that he doesn't know, he detached so much from this plane of reality during it. he didn't think about his notes; he got lost in what the song meant to him, and thoughts he thought he subdued, clearly not finished with him yet. yet thanks to the guitar, he wasn't worried about it. he could hope it all came off as genuine emotion (which it really was) and that it sold the performance where his vocal talent couldn't.

he practically tackles kenta in a half-hug once he spots him and woojin in the hallway, easily throwing an arm around kenta’s shoulders, and he grins at woojin, too. "you made it," he says, potentially interpreted as not believing it or knowing they would all along. "just a little bit left." he's sure they did better than he did last year, knowing them, and this much is a reminder to himself, too, but for now, he'll enjoy these 20 minutes before they're separated again. he doesn't talk much, in favor of letting kenta babble about whatever he sees fit, and he just listens; he's always been better at that than talking anyway, and the smile that lingers on his face the entire time is genuine. kenta seems excited, unless this is all just nerves. daniel isn't sure which, but he hopes it's the former, and accepts it as such. he also accepts any of the food kenta offers him, and surprisingly isn't hurt to find out sungwoon made a lunch box for kenta and not him. it seems a little petty, but that also seems very sungwoon, and he probably deserved that much up until yesterday; maybe he still does.

in between each of them respectively checking their phones (though does woojin ever really stop checking his phone?) kenta asks how it went for him, and it's funny, because daniel just read the message from sungwoon in the empty enigma group chat asking the same. "it was good!" he chirps, and it's not like that was a lie. "singing portion was..." how does he describe it? "weird?" he chuckles, almost nervous. "not bad, but i think i got too into it. i don't really remember it, like i blocked it all out or something." at least partially true. daniel remembers how he felt during it, though; it's just that he doesn't want to think about it. when he returns to his phone to message back the group chat, he’s met with the incredibly rare, once-in-a-blue-moon woojin message in the empty enigma chat daniel was pretty sure he permanently had on mute. still, he messages similar to what he said back to the group chat: i don't know, it was weird. the interview was fine but do you ever sing and feel like you get transported to another dimension? i finished and was like what 

the time passes too quickly, and he knows he'll miss the company of his friends as soon as he's back in that practice room alone. in the moments before then, he slips in another quick hug for kenta and pats woojin on the back, for once not fearing how he'll react. daniel can handle a little annoyance for how proud he is of them.

once he's corralled back into the room of vocalists, he sees kenta's messages in the empty enigma group chat and sends his own: sungwoon hyung, why didn't you make me lunch too? 😢

he follows it up with a quick addition of just kidding! you've done well, everyone. let's finish this

--

the air has changed since the last time he was in the room, like someone took a vacuum and sucked the energy right out of it. if these vocalists are anything like he was last year, they're not nearly as confident in their other skills, or they may not have prepared anything at all. if the camera were to pan over faces now, there would be some with color drained, some with anxiety in their eyes, and then daniel: peculiarly composed.

it's not that he's really confident in his rapping. his singing is still probably better, given his experience. daniel has only been rapping for no more than three months now, a new avenue of music opened up to him thanks to trc's triple threat challenge. he's been practicing ever since, venturing into hip hop music, and into bands that feature rapping, too, and picking up as much as he can. it's something he keeps mostly to himself, still not comfortable sharing it with anyone else; it's a little embarrassing, something like a guilty pleasure, but that was how empty enigma started out for him, too.

it's just that he feels like he might have an edge here. his rapping isn't so bad-- especially not as bad as it was last year when he stumbled through super bass as his improvised second skill, because at least he knew the words. now, he's well-practiced, and knows he can surpass the voices in this room that are solely vocals, even if it's only this time. well, maybe knows is too generous. he thinks he can. he believes it, and doesn't let his thoughts wander enough to doubt it.

his name seems to come more quickly now. maybe its just that his comfort level has shifted, or maybe the contestants ahead of him have much shorter performances this time around-- likely a mixture of both. either way, he only feels the familiar dip of dread in his stomach a pinch, but ultimately at peace. he might even be a little excited after not rapping for anyone else since his triple threat challenge performance.

the rap he's set to perform is one he found during his delve into the "art of rapping," a side project of a frontman in a band, so he thinks it's fitting for him. the lyrics feel relevant too, and that always helps. his rap is short, an optimistic attempt at quality over quantity, and he doesn't have a backtrack, figuring it's better to let his voice fend for itself than potentially fall out of rhythm with an instrumental. all of that aside, he's prepared something he's surprisingly actually confident in. they give him the signal, and he pulls his hood up over his head to give himself a little extra boost of the right attitude.

no one knows who i am to flip over this gameboard i spit and grind my teeth every day asleep or awake

maybe it isn't true. everyone he performs this in front of might know him from the mgas, and if this makes it to a tv screen, it may reach others that know him from the same, or from empty enigma. he's not a total unknown, but it feels like the truth, too. even with all of this, he still has some mystery-- now more than ever, like a card up his sleeve, still not entirely revealed even now. nobody here knows who he really is. (daniel himself is still figuring that one out. maybe they'll find the answer together.)

i squeeze my own neck, i’m lazy i pick what i want i step on it and like a beagle, i bark

truthfully, these are the lyrics he understands the least. in retrospect, he could've tried his hand at an original rap to flex is lyric writing again, but he's not that confident in it-- especially not confident enough to apply it to rap. he thinks he gets the point, though: it's hard work, and it's desperation, and it's a hunger to prove yourself and be known. daniel feels that too at his core, and it makes it easier to portray, even in an area he's new to.

this is where the original song picks up-- where he has to be intentional not to trip over his own words-- but he's practiced this the most of anything, because he knew it was what he needed the most help in and because it was the most fun (aside from guitar, old faithful as it were.)

wrote these words all night till i heard the birds chirping, playing the trainee secrete! adrenaline ready! with blood sweat

he didn't write these words in particular, but he's known his fair share of sacrificing sleep to write songs in recent months, not out of necessity, but desire. maybe there was some necessity in it too, like a need to pour thoughts and emotions out on a page, freeing them from where they lurked and swirled in his mind-- that release, that freedom, that productivity. daniel never knew his feelings could be useful for something before he started writing songs.

he's not a trainee either-- still doesn't know if he wants to be one --but he knows how to work hard. he knows the feeling of stage lighting and pounding music and the cheer of a crowd, however humble, and he knows the teamwork it takes to make it happen.

the frustration of the criticism he received last season-- of the criticism he received from himself, and knowing it was all justified. he remembers reading one comment in particular that suggested he didn't work as hard as his teammates, and perhaps that stuck with him the most. in the end, he believed even that was true, and it lit a fire in him to not let anyone down any longer, and to be better for this season, leading up to today. he channels all of it into the final lines

i knocked on this frustration all night i can stretch out my back and say, think you know me? kill it

the original doesn't end here, but they aren't lyrics daniel can apply to himself, nor are they ones he'd feel well re-writing, so it is where his audition ends. the silence of the room afterwards is strange, and he can almost feel an echo of his voice moments prior-- an eco of the entire rest of the day. he bows, a bit belatedly, and says, "thank you," voice scratchy, and he clears his throat. it lacks his typical brightness this time, intensity still wearing off, and he lingers a little longer than he should, like there's something more to say or to do.

in the end, he can't think of anything, and sees himself out, a bit awkwardly, though the smile finds itself to his face soon after. he's finished, and today was so much better than the day like it last year, and it's not even over yet. he collides with kenta and woojin, and slings his arms over both of their shoulders, unfamiliar afterglow of a successful audition rendering him entirely carefree.

✉ ⊰🌞 funky lil thots 🌞⊱ ✉ 🙏 🙏 🙏

[thesinglesjukebox]

ED SHEERAN & TRAVIS SCOTT - ANTISOCIAL

[3.70]

“I MAY BE A HOGWARTS STUDENT" Hargirid paused angrily. "BUT I AM ALSO A SATANIST!”

Elisabeth Sanders: Jesus christ, how many songs in a row can Ed Sheeran release that are just about being an introvert and how special that is? We get it Ed, you're not like other girls. [2]

Will Adams: There comes a point in one's music career -- say, releasing a collaborations album stacked front to back with A-list stars -- where everyman posturing tips over from laughable to insulting. Over a track that's less "Sicko Mode" than "Snivel Mode," Sheeran elbows his way into the rap game as crudely as possible, all while maintaining that just-like-you pose. This is achieved by claiming to be "antisocial," which hews to the recent trend of brands and their social media managers latching on to depression and anxiety as a viable marketing tool a bit too much for comfort. It creates an unforgivable dissonance; he wants to say "get back," but he goes for "don't touch me!" because it's more relatable. It's not that celebrities aren't allowed to feel sad or anxious, or express those feelings. But twisting that into a hook for your overblown song that muddles those feelings into professions of swagger makes it feel empty. [1]

Katherine St Asaph: "Antisocial" is a bad song. But it's bad in the way "The Call" is bad (thinks it's aiming for Jacksonish paranoia, actually is aiming for sexhaver badass, lands either way on dorky) or the way "Look What You Made Me Do" is bad (all of that, minus Jacksonish), not the way "Thinking Out Loud" is bad (beige oppression). Thus, it's the most interesting Ed Sheeran has ever been. Extra point because I'm sure "The A-Team" rockists find this absolutely awful. [6]

Tobi Tella: I've been begging Ed Sheeran to do something other than the generic guitar ballads for ages, so for all I can say about No. 6 Collaborations Project, it's at least something different. This song, however, is perfectly designed in the soulless, generic mold of "Shape of You" and more recently "I Don't Care." It's hard to take someone seriously who just released an album of nothing but songs with his famous friends calling themselves antisocial, but it would be a little easier if the lyrics actually delved into these feelings, rather than just nondescript lines about being upset at a party. Sometimes I think the state of popular music is looking up, and then I have to listen to Ed goddamn Sheeran talk about how he "came here just to vibe" and I want to burn my house down. The collaboration on this song is a completely checked-out Travis Scott, who is similar to Ed in that his music is generally about literally nothing, but unlike him, it bangs. [1]

Andy Hutchins: Travis Scott spending his post-"Sicko Mode" cred on dragging everyone he collaborates with to Astroworld is a dope development. The inherent hilarity in incongruity here -- someone who has dated and procreated with Kylie Jenner cannot credibly insist he's a loner, a collaboration about loneliness is itself oxymoronic, and inexplicably dragooning Grandmaster Flash into this via sample is almost pranking him by way of a writing credit -- is secondary to the instrumental, which sounds like the sort of party on a comet where Ed Sheeran and Travis might actually socialize. (It's also a remarkable bit of producing to artist by FRED, given that Scott wasn't behind the boards.) Sheeran's pen, no surprise, can dip deep into the well of misanthropy where Travis dwells, and though his vanity genre safari is largely forgettable, this is competent enough to be fondly remembered as more than bizarre. [6]

Alfred Soto: The chords bored me after three bars, and how often can he repeat that incoherent hook? Well, let's ask the choir, hired by gunpoint. [3]

Oliver Maier: Sheeran's calculated approach to pop songcraft goes scarcely utilised on "Antisocial," his clumsy verse and tossed-off chorus indicating either that he doesn't understand that hip hop beats generally demand different kinds of melodies than his usual fare or that he just doesn't give a shit. There's no sign of the manic pixie dancefloor girl who usually materializes to temper his loner streak either, and thus we are subjected to the darkest recesses of Ed's Id, which ends up painting him less as the brooding hedonist that the discount "Sicko Mode" beat suggests and more as a weapons-grade party pooper. Travis Scott is deployed to lay down the Platonic ideal of a Travis Scott feature, riding the beat more comfortably and coherently than his yelpy counterpart without improving the song's overall prospects. [3]

Josh Buck: "Antisocial" is a great example of the scientific method in action. It begins with the hypothesis "Travis Scott can make literally anything sound cool." and then tests this under the extreme condition of "Even a song with Ed Sheeran." I am sad (happy?) to report that the final product bears out the hypothesis, if only barely. Fred Gibson's production is so rubbery that the track practically bounces off the wall, and the "don't touch me" refrain allows Sheeran to tap into a full 1/10 of Scott's manic energy, even if he is laughably inept at sounding tough. But Scott is the real draw, and though his bars land safely in generic radio feature territory, he doesn't skimp on the delivery, ensuring that the track reaches just enough levels of hype that it will stay in the Friday night college pregaming rotation well into September. As a fun bonus, they'll finally have a Travis Scott song that's clean enough to play during parents' weekend. [6]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: I like how this pop version of "Sicko Mode" doesn't veer off into multiple directions since it echoes Ed's lyrics about wanting to be left alone to "vibe." The "antisocial" aspect doesn't read much like angst or bitterness or despondence. Instead, it channels the feeling of going to a club alone with zero desire to interact with others beyond their presence and energy fueling your longing to dance for hours. [6]

Joshua Lu: It's getting progressively more difficult to listen to Ed Sheeran insist he's an uncool weirdo who never feels like he fits in -- I think I hit my limit on "I Don't Care" or "Beautiful People." It's not that I doubt Ed feels this way; everyone thinks they're an outcast, and Ed's public persona admittedly feels at odds with the social norms associated with pop stardom. It's just that his approach to these kinds of songs always feels disingenuous. "Antisocial" is no different, representing his social anxiety with a lyrical scene that carefully positions Ed at a party, with a drink in his hand and a hat down low, where he doesn't want anyone bothering him as he enjoys the nighttime. It's peddling his introversion as a result of thinking he's too cool for the party, when it often operates opposite for most people, and I can't tell if he's just out of touch or just shrewdly trying to market a party song as something #relatable. It doesn't get better afterwards; Travis Scott spends half of his verse rapping about hitting up a girl (whom he refers to as "that thing") in what seems to be his attempt at appearing vulnerable, but the most he can muster is that he drinks too much Hennessy. By the end of the song, I don't feel disappointed or offended or -- heaven forbid -- related to. I just feel confused. [3]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[marshmallowgoop]

Things About: Ryuko Matoi

✄ For a newspaper ad, Kill la Kill scriptwriter Kazuki Nakashima wrote a short introduction for Ryuko from Ryuko’s perspective. In the introduction, Ryuko reveals that she’s been alone for as long as she can remember and “only [she] could protect [herself].” She then talks about Senketsu, noting that it’s strange that she’s wearing him (perhaps especially because she’s been alone so long and has never particularly trusted anyone else?), but finishes by saying that how Senketsu makes her look doesn’t matter so long as she comes out a winner: “That’s the spirit of Ryuko Matoi.”

✄ Ryuko is very much depicted as a Japanese delinquent (and she describes herself accordingly in episode 8). Her initial outfit and Senketsu are clearly modeled after sukeban, “girl boss,” a term used to describe the culture of the rebellious schoolgirl gangs that began appearing in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. These all-girl groups would modify their school uniforms, wearing Converse sneakers, cutting their blouses short, and so on. Interestingly, even prior to Kill la Kill, when Ryuko more resembles a “typical” high school girl, she still wears different-colored socks than the other girls, much like sukeban would.

✄ Ryuko’s appearance also takes some cues from Sukeban Deka, a series from which Kill la Kill draws a ton of inspiration from (perhaps most obviously, the first ending sequence of the series is a straight-up homage to a Sukeban Deka ending sequence). Particularly, take note of the red glove.

✄ Ryuko’s initial jacket, too, is associated with rebellion and delinquency. The jacket is known as a sukajan, which was initially a specially-embroidered “souvenir jacket” that American soldiers brought home from Japan after World War II. However, in the 1960s, the sukajan became a symbol of defiance, representing a rebellion against the growing popularity of the American “preppy” styles in Japan. Sukajan were then connected with gangs and criminals.

✄ Even Ryuko’s speech is indicative of her delinquency and rebellious attitude. Ryuko (I believe) uses ヤンキー語文法 (yankii (yankee) speech), a crude, disrespectful manner of speaking (which the English dub tries to convey with Ryuko’s considerable potty mouth, her tendency to cut the “g’s” off her verbs, her usage of words like “ain’t,” etc.) Here is an excellent discussion of yankii speech (and its similarities/differences to yakuza speech), which also references this blog post here that delves further into yankii speech.

✄ However, Ryuko is also depicted rather sweetly even at the start. In the first episode, she steals a delivery bike to make an escape, which is fitting of a delinquent. Later in the episode, though, she returns the bike back to where she’d taken it with a note reading, “My deepest apologies for borrowing without permission.”

✄ The “JK2″ sticker on Ryuko’s guitar case is meant to say that she’s in her second year of high school. As Japanese high schools begin at the tenth grade, Ryuko is then an eleventh grader (an American junior), and she still has one year of high school left. As revealed in the OVA, Ryuko (and Mako) will attend Rinne-Dou High School in Kanagawa for that last year. (Interestingly, Gamagoori attended Rinne-Dou Junior High before transferring to Honnouji Academy.)

✄ The other sticker on Ryuko’s guitar case is of Kuri-chan, the main character of a classic, 4-panel manga series of the same name. Kuri-chan is apparently Ryuko’s favorite mascot character.

✄ At the Complete Script Book Event in 2014, it’s revealed that Ryuko doesn’t go to university after graduating from high school, getting a job immediately upon graduation instead. It’s said that “it’d suit [Ryuko] to be a babysitter or something like that” because she “probably can’t do jobs that force her to work with customers, but she is good with kids.”

✄ In episode 7, when Ryuko throws her bath bucket at the Mankanshokus, you can see that she uses Timotei shampoo (and rinse).

✄ In episode 6, Ryuko is shown brushing her teeth with a bunny toothbrush. The Kill la Kill artbook SUSHIO CLUB LOVE LOVE KLKL has a page dedicated to the “Toothbrushes of the Mankanshoku Family” that includes illustrations of Ryuko, Mako, and Mataro’s toothbrushes. (Ryuko’s is the bunny, Mataro’s is the eyepatch cat, and Mako’s is the bear (?))

✄ By episode 5, Ryuko is shown using a personalized bowl with her name on it while eating dinner at the Mankanshoku’s.

✄ At Anime Expo 2014′s Kill la Kill panel (6th post from the top), it’s revealed that from what Ryuko saw of her father’s killer, she deduced that the killer had to be a high school student of around 17. As such, Ryuko spent six months going from high school to high school before finally getting to Honnouji Academy. 

✄ The series suggests that Ryuko becomes so convinced that Satsuki killed her father that she reworks her memories to change the Nui-like silhouette she remembers to a figure that more resembles Satsuki instead. 

✄ As a series that loves wordplay and puns, Ryuko’s name is surely filled with meaning. Folks who know much more than me have written about this, so I’ll point to this post and this post that discuss some Ryuko name meanings. I will say, though, that one of the most prominent meanings I see behind Ryuko’s name is “abandoned child” (which no doubt refers to how Ragyo literally threw Ryuko away), since the 流 (ryuu) of Ryuko’s name is a kanji that represents ideas of “washing away” and “forfeiting.” (And the 子 (ko) represents “child.”) That said, though, it was explained at the Connichi Kill la Kill panel in 2014 that “Before my body is dry” is Ryuko’s theme because the kanji 流 (ryuu) represents “fluid” and 子 (ko) represents “child” and Ryuko “is a child who is easily influenced by others and thus loses her way quickly.”

✄ Though Ryuko is widely understood as a big lemon eater, she’s actually only depicted with lemons three times within the series and in official, non-concept art (as far as I’m aware): as a part of her introduction in episode 1, in the first opening sequence, and on CD art for the first volume.

✄ In contrast, Ryuko is shown eating/with croquettes many, many times throughout the series (episodes 2, 5, 7, 22), and the disc art for the final volume (9) even depicts her holding up a croquette.

✄ In fact, as revealed at the Complete Script Book Event in 2014, Ryuko’s favorite food is actually gameni, a dish of chicken and vegetables.

✄ That same event also revealed that Ryuko’s least favorite food is konnyaku, “because it reminds her of Uzu,” whose family owns a konnyaku business (and who is kind of obsessed with konnyaku himself). Funnily enough, though, Ryuko seems to enjoy eating konnyaku in the second Drama CD.

✄ In the first Drama CD, Ryuko claims that she’s excellent at cramming, but when it comes to cramming for a big group exam coming up at Honnouji Academy, she ends up sleeping for nearly a week in the library instead of studying. Listen to her dramatic apology to her teammates from about 3:47 - 4:00 here.

✄ The first Drama CD also features Ryuko “correctly” understanding that Satsuki’s eyebrows aren’t truly thick.

✄ In Track 3 of the second Drama CD, Ryuko and Senketsu make a daring escape through Guts’s butt.

✄ The third Drama CD features a bizarre plot where a sentient Life Fiber bug, Minomushi, creates a white T-shirt body for himself that Mako finds. Minomushi then drains Mako’s energy, transferring her consciousness into his T-shirt body (which Mako can then control). (I think.) (Yes, Kill la Kill is batshit.) The Mako/Minomushi T-shirt proceeds to attach itself to the Elite Four, resulting in a bunch more batshit scenarios where Mako speaks through the Elite’s voices. When Mako speaks through Uzu, Ryuko gets super creeped out when “Uzu” tries to treat her like Mako would, dodging “Uzu’s” hug and telling “Uzu” to not call her “Ryuko-chan.”

✄ In the fourth Drama CD, which takes place immediately after Ryuko learns of her Life Fibers and her relation to Ragyo, she falls unconscious desperately trying to convince herself that she’s human. 

✄ The lyrics for many of Kill la Kill’s vocal pieces suggest that they are about Ryuko. Though nothing has been officially confirmed (as far as I am aware), it seems clear that “Before my body is dry” is a duet between Ryuko and Senketsu, “Till I Die” and “Suck your blood” are songs from Senketsu to Ryuko, “I want to know” is from Isshin to Ryuko, and “New World Symphony” and “Light your heart up” are from Mako to Ryuko. I’ve also heard conflicting information that “Ambiguous,” the show’s second opening, is either entirely from Satsuki to Ryuko or half Ryuko to Senketsu and half Satsuki to Ryuko, and I’d make a case that “Sirius,” the first opening song, is one from Ryuko to Senketsu. The first ending song, “Sorry, I Can’t be a Good Child,” I would also argue to be from Ryuko’s perspective.

✄ On the disc art for volume 8, Mako is shown pushing Ryuko and Satsuki together (perhaps because Ryuko is shy and needs a little help to be sisterly with Satsuki?)

✄ Akira Amemiya’s illustration of Ryuko and Senketsu having fun at the beach (which first appeared in the 49th issue of Nyantype magazine in late 2013) later became two official cards for the Kill la Kill card game and a figurine, which might maybe imply that “Senketsu’s Date with Ryuko” is a canon event.

✄ Similarly, there is a plethora of animator art featuring Ryuko that isn’t officially canon to her character but is still fun to consider. For instance, character designer/animator Sushio draws quite a bit of post-series Ryuko/Mako, animator Kengo Saito once created a comic in which Ryuko works part-time at a clothing store, and something that never fails to get my heart aching is Sushio’s depiction of little Ryuko celebrating a happy Christmas with her father.

[umusicians]

UM Track By Track : : Scott The Pisces -‘Ocean Blue’

United Kingdom based producer and artist Scott the Pisces released his debut EP ‘Ocean Blue’ today! The EP features lead single “Perfect Summer” which features Canadian artist Aleesia, and collaborations with Ashley Alisha, Ria Choony and K.O. You can stream the EP here. 

Scott The Pisces was kind enough to write a Track by Track for the EP which you can read below!

The real inspiration behind the EP came from the lows of 2020. The whole world stopped, summer and the rest of the year was completely cancelled. Going into lockdown for such a long time meant us musicians had a lot of time to think, with no shows, music was the only true outlet. I believe in the alchemy of turning a bad situation good, and so I set out to create a project which encapsulates everything I felt was missing from the year. A form of escapism. 

“Ocean Blue” The title track for the EP, this was coincidently the first song I produced with the project in mind. I wanted to create a track which embodies a sense of wonder, which transports you to a summery tropical paradise by the sonics alone. As with all the songs on the EP, I started out with the drums to get my rhythm going. I wanted them to be punchy and youthful, to create a solid foundation for my idea.

Next came the chords, there are two chord lines going on during the chorus. One is a simple washy pad to create an oceanic texture, the other is a syncopated synth emulating a pattern you’d hear in reggae music. The link to Caribbean music is very important in this track, as you can hear with the steel pan drums which play throughout. The vocal chops are the highlight of the song, drenched in reverb bouncing on top of the instrumental. I always try to create a vocal chop hook, even if I replace it with real vocals later, it helps create a great melody.

Finally the vocals are by none other than Ashley Alisha. Her voice fit so perfectly with the music, it brought a soft sensual tone to the song. She floats on top so effortlessly, such a talented artist. Ashley wrote the lyrics for this one, I was hooked the moment I heard her sing the line before the chorus “Staring in your eyes, Ocean Blue”.

“Perfect Summer” The lead single of the EP, this was the defining song for the mood of this project. I actually wrote the lyrics prior to producing the track. Lockdown had just come into effect last year due to the pandemic, right before summer. I knew everyone would be missing the whole “Summer Experience” and I wanted to create something that would capture just that.

The major influence for this song would be the pop music I grew through my early teens with. The likes of Katy Perry, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kylie Minogue; the whole nostalgic pop sound of 2009-2011. I laid down the basic four to the floor drum pattern, replayed some chords on guitar and built the synth parts around it. It had to sound uplifting and vibrant, to match the lyrical content and ideals I had for the song.

The lyrics were built up of everything I believed the perfect summer would consist of; Beaches, Cocktails, BBQs, Music, Love etc. I sent the song to Aleesia, who previously had worked with artists Martin Garrix & Big Sean, not expecting a reply and she absolutely loved it! She managed to look past my terrible vocal demo I did for it, and resing the song in such a spectacular way, capturing everything I wanted for it. I expect big things for this song over the summer time, it’s why the whole EP has been made available to use on Youtube by vloggers without the need to worry about copyright claims by Content ID. I really hope it becomes the soundtrack of the summer for people.  

“Young & Reckless” This was a special song for me, I produced the instrumental to it the year before last and had been sitting on it for a long time, trying to figure out the right direction for it. It was a very youthful sounding track, I must have taken influence from early Mike Posner with the production as I rarely do synth solos. When I finally got to writing the lyrics on this one, I decided it had to be all about being young. The song you would listen to when you break up for summer vacation after you’ve finished your exams in school. I brainstormed all the experiences I had during those summers and picked the best ones that I believed people would share in common. The whole premise was being young, naive and carefree. There’s a beautiful nostalgia to that.

Ria Choony, my favourite artist to work with, performed the vocals for this song. We had to create a sense of youthful energy to really bring the idea to life. The hooks were doubled by me and a bunch of friends to create the crowd singing effect, which hopefully becomes a reality one day; crowds singing the lyrics together in harmony.

“On My Own” My first collaboration with Bethany Davey, now known as Nova May. I was 3 songs deep into the EP and I knew I needed something that would be the ‘Stadium Ballad’. A powerful emotion filled track to turn the EP around before the final song. I took a lot of influence for the production from the likes of Martin Garrix, The Chainsmokers and Flume. I believed dynamics had to be important for this song, having softer verses to contrast with the loud belted choruses. The transition from subtle snapping fingers in the verses to loud stadium snares driving the chorus.

There are many foley elements to the song, as I wanted to create a sense of space to surround Bethany’s vocal. When she was singing about waking up in her room, I wanted it to really feel as if it was morning and everything was cosy. The sound of birds at the window for instance. When she sang about proving herself, I added the sound of pencil writing on paper. It’s the little details which spark thoughts.

Bethany wrote the lyrics to this song, she explained that it was about being her own cheerleader. Not letting toxic people and relationships get in the way of her dreams, being better now you’re on your own.

“I Wanna Know” This is the final song on the EP. I decided I wanted to switch things up for the outro of the project, delving to an RnB influenced sound. Upon writing the lyrics for this song, I took influence from all the slow jams I grew up listening to; Alicia Keys, Aaliyah, Brandy etc. The lyrics came about a lot easier for me on this occasion too, especially the RnB runs, melodies and cadences. The verses are heavily based in that genre, being soft and ever building. I wanted to switch things up for the choruses.

The chorus had to feel like it was written for a girl group, think Little Mix or Fifth Harmony. It had to be powerful, yet simple. The instrumentation also changes, blending the slaps of a bass guitar with heavy-boomin 808s. I sang the vocal demo, sent it to Krystal and she absolutely nailed it. Her previous experience working with the likes of Diddy, TY Dolla $ign and Brandy clearly come out in her performance. She was the perfect choice for the final track of the EP.

Connect with Scott The Pisces on the following websites: https://twitter.com/ScottThePisces/ https://www.instagram.com/scottthepisces/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottThePisces/

[joneswilliam72]

A conversation with Kid Vishis: “It’s just gotta be dope. I just feel like if it’s dope, if it’s truthful, then it won’t be denied.”

The history of hip-hop cannot be written without delving into Detroit. Even without Eminem changing the game, you still have the likes of Slum Village, Obie Trice, Big Sean, Danny Brown, and Royce da 5'9" making their mark. Kid Vishis, younger brother of Royce, has proven himself as one of Motown’s most potent MCs. Today, we’re premiering his new single and video: ‘The Return Of The Mack’ (no, not that one). We also talked to him about his thoughts on his home city, the current state of hip-hop, and the surprising ages of him and his older brother.

****

What have you been working on? I know you have the new music/the new song out, ‘Return of the Mack’.

Yeah, I’ve been working on a full album, man. Besides that, just working. My brother’s got a project that he’s working on, so I’m featuring on that. He had me write a million verses for his album. We’ve been trying to put together a project ourselves called the Montgomery Boys. Yeah man, it’s just a bunch of work, work, work, work, and I’m also working on an EP with my boy JR. That’s almost done. We like one or two songs away from that being done. And I got like one or two songs away from my album being done, almost there.

Is the album scheduled for release this year?

It’s not scheduled yet, just because, I didn’t want to do that, man. I didn’t want to put nothing out there and not be able to lock in on it. Like, I would rather have it finished, so it’s no reason why it would be able to come out that day or whatever the case.

Do you have collaborators lined up?

Yeah, I got a couple collabs. I got a couple cool collabs. I can’t really say at this time, because it’s still early, but yeah. The album is crazy, the production is really good, really well-put-together.

So, ‘Return Of The Mack,’ is that pretty indicative of what the album’s gonna sound like?

I wouldn’t say that it’s just that sound. I would say that it gives you different vibes. So, it’s not just, like, the slow pace. It’s a switch-up, I think.

Looking back at your previous releases, what’ve you learned? What do you think of your evolution as an artist and what kind of direction do you hope to go into next, that you haven’t?

As an artist, I think it’s just my consistency that I have to really really really stay on top of. I guess I looked into that type of stuff and I thought, “What’s the hold up here? What’s not been, like, adding up here?” and it’s just the consistency. So, now, that’s the goal, man, to keep working. I love doing it. I’m always working. It’s just the strategy to keep things out. You know, my fans, Alien Gang, they got something to look forward to seeing, without these long dry periods.

Do you think it’s important to keep releasing things as often as possible?

Oh yeah, whether it’s visuals, whether it’s social media content, I mean, people are into that stuff. I was one of those guys that one time was like, “Man, all this social media stuff, man..” I’m not really from that era...but at the same time, if you’re gonna do music, you definitely have to play the game to your benefit, and if I can reach people all over the world through the world wide web, then that works for me as opposed to against me.

How would you sum up Detroit, whether it’s just the music scene, the culture...How would you sum it up?

It’s difficult. We got some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows. Basically, we got our Eminems, and the Royces, and DeJ Loaf, Tee Grizzley, and Big Sean. Like, those are pretty much the five people who took it past, they broke through that ceiling, but you also got really really really dope artists in Detroit that are capable of doing, song-wise, any of the other guys, lyric-wise, that just never get through this ceiling. So, right now, it’s like we reconstructing. We trying to break the younger guys out of just keeping that same “crab in the bucket” mentality. The history of Detroit is people recognize your talents. Some people give it up. Other people, take it like, “Oh, this dude think he competition. He think he all that…”It’s like, so much hate, so much negatively, but it’s all through a competitive type of thing.”After I do my show, I leave. My boys leave with me. We don’t stick around to check out the other acts and try to build with the other artists.” So, it’s like a two-sided thing with that. On one side, you gotta deal with certain things and certain people, and their ways, but on the flipside of it is, I can’t let these guys outdo me, man. I have to be sharp. I have to be on my shit. It’s always somebody in the city who’s gettin’ better. If you want to stay in that upper echelon, you gotta be sharp.

How does it feel watching people like your brother, like Eminem, like Big Sean, come from your city and get big?

It’s great. It means that there’s hope, you know what I’m saying? It’s possible that we can do a lot coming out of Detroit and that it’s just the only thing, man, is I can’t tell you how Eminem blew up. I don’t think he can. I can’t tell you how Royce blew up. I don’t think he can. DeJ Loaf, Tee Grizzley, I don’t think they have a blueprint for it. So, it’s not like “Oh, that you get on? Okay, well, I’m gonna imitate that, and then I’ll be on.” It’s just certain situations kind of just happen, but it’s still hope nonetheless, and we’re still very proud of the artists that have belonged, passed that certain ceiling and we’re gonna continue to support. It’s just we don’t need any kind of reason to do anything else negative. No lack of support, we can’t afford to do it. There’s too many people already, man, that’s passed in the city that was talented and people who were looked at in the certain light, and we can no longer talk to them, we can no longer listen to the music from these guys, and we gotta keep the pride of Detroit just even for the sake of a Big Proof or a J. Dilla, amongst others that we’ve lost.

You have performed as the hype man for your brother. What’s that been like?

It’s just like, for me, it’s special to me. I love it because it’s my brother. I was already one of the guys who, basically, I listened to everything Royce does, every single thing. I like everything. So, I know all his music anyway. But before me, it was somebody else. It was another guy who he used to be with. That didn’t work out. They kind of were kind of splitting ways as friends. So, I kind of came along at the perfect time. I just picked up a pen one day and started writing. I wrote about three 16-bar verses and I would recycle those 16-bar verses to just rap for people and just shit like that. And finally, Royce heard me after all his friends is telling him to listen to me. “Your brother is nice. I’m telling you.” And he’s like, “My baby brother? What?” So, he’s finally one day, put me on the spot. My heart is beating through my damn chest. I feel like I’m about to pass out. I just close my eyes, and I just start rapping. I open my eyes, I look at Royce, and he looks like he saw a ghost, like “What the fuck?” He was blown away, and then, ever since that day, the very next shows, the very next tour that he did, he brought me with him, and will be on-stage with him, so I will help out certain stuff with the lyrics that he would have him rhyme in front of the crowd. No beat, nothing, just rhyme. And I’ve been basically doing that since I first decided to pick up the pen. I wasn’t even an artist yet.

What’s the age difference between you and your brother?

Royce is a hundred and, I believe, eighty-five, and I’m a hundred and seventy-seven.

What have your best live experiences been, just as a performer?

I would be lying if I told you these Eminem tours we did weren’t some of the best experiences. Just like I said, man. We come from Detroit. The stigma about Detroit is so many negative things about how bad the city looks, how loud the people are. There’s really no reason for somebody from Detroit to make it on any kind of level. So for it to be me from Detroit, Royce from Detroit, Eminem from Detroit, Mr. Porter from Detroit, we go into these different countries, and I’m not saying that I have any part of how things sell out, but I am a part of it. So, just to be on-stage and you see all those people, and then you’re a part of history where Eminem breaks Michael Jackson’s record for attendance at a stadium, like 81,000...Probably nine times out of 10, the average person will never witness anything like that as far as being on this stage, actually performing. So, I just to be grateful and use it as motivation, but that is definitely one of the bigger experiences that I’ve ever come across, just as far as the amount of people, and they’re all loving this hip-hop. They want to hear this music. You say “Put your hands up” and you see a full stadium of people put they hands in the air, in the name of hip-hop music. Like, how crazy is that? That will probably be my main experience.

Who are some Detroit artists that are more known in Detroit that we should look out for?

If you talk about hip-hop, if you want you just bars, I can refer you to some guys. If you want really dope songs, I can refer you to some people...There’s a kid named Young Roc and, number one, the kid is a star. But he’s coming from Detroit, that there’s so much around him that it’s just not easy to just have him just blow up like that. But, I mean, if you’re looking for songs and just different vibes, he does all that. He got that on lock. If you want, like, lyrics, like “bars” bars, you’ve got my little brother, Al KhuFu, you’ve got Jonnie Morris, Seven the General, Ty Farris, of course, the Marv Wons, Quest MCODYs and stuff like that. It’s so many people that any platform, if they’re rapping, they fit into any community, because they’re nice. It’s not put them up with certain guys, and they’re just gonna get swallowed. They’re gonna shine, because they’re nice. And I can sit here and keep going, females too.

Who are some female rappers?

Miz Korona is of course of the top queens as far as bars go, but you got artists like Tiny Jag, Detroit Che, and she rap better than a lot of dudes. It’s a lot goin’ on and a lot up-and-coming too.

Have you lived in Detroit all your life?

Yeah, all my life. Not directly in Detroit my whole life, but I mean, it’s just the way that it is. If I move to 9 Mile, and 8 Mile is one mile away, so it’s right there.

Do you see yourself ever leaving?

I could myself having property somewhere and then going there, but I’ll always to come back, because this is where my base. This is where it all comes from, where all the hunger to do better, stuff like that. Yeah, I always gotta keep that chip on my shoulder.

You have your own label, Sick ‘Em Records. How did that come about?

“Sick ‘Em” is something that I will always say, in between records, and stuff like that, and then it got kinda catchy. So, people started to repeat it all the time. So, I just was like, “That’s kind of what people know me for. So, let me go ahead and turn it into something.” So, me and my business partner decided to make that a thing.

You do things also like helping young artists with giving equipment and mentoring. What do you get out of doing that?

Well, you know, like I say, man. There’s not very much for people to look forward to. It’s almost like they don’t have anything to look forward to. When you wake up every day, and you just wake up to the same stuff. “This guy left the street. He didn’t graduate from college. This guy didn’t get this good job, and now he’s got this nice car, or whatever.” It’s just the same old struggle. So, if you could do something to help these kids get that feeling of just, “I feel like I’m a part of something. I feel like I’m taking my talent to a new level dealing with this situation just because I’ve got access to the studio. I’ve got access to equipment, camera equipment. You know, all of them are into it. All of them are into rap music. All of them are into photography and making beats and instruments. They just don’t really have anybody to say, “Come on in here, and you can work and sharpen your skills right here.” At Heaven Studio, where you might see Royce walking by. You might see J. Cole, or Westside Gunn and Conway walking by you. The whole type of things are experiences and level-ups for you.

I know you worked with Conway on your project in 2018, The Purge. Are you pretty close with the Griselda dudes?

That’s them, from a while ago. Before Conway and Westside Gunn got on Shady, I was rockin’ with them dudes. Westside Gunn and Conway were on Royce’s Trust The Shooter project, and shortly after that, Conway was on The Purge, my record, for a song called ‘Iron Man’, and it turned out crazy, and I’ve been witnessing their journey and their growth for a long time. It’s amazing. It’s amazing what they’re doing for hip-hop, just because the climate of hi-hop. I’m not gonna sit here and badmouth nobody’s music and nobody’s vibe. I’ve over that shit. But I’m speaking as a fan of hip-hop. I was fallin’ out of love with the music that I was hearing. It just felt like hip-hop is not for me anymore. It’s for a certain demographic. And then these guys come along with some grimy-ass New York hip-hop, and people is rockin’ with it, and I’m like, “Holy shit!” So, I’m listening to it, and it’s motivational on a different level or something…It’s basically, “Keep goin’. Keep doin’ what you doin,’” but then...keep the consistency with it, and it’ll pay off.

Do you think we’re due for a full-on revival of harsher, lyrically-driven hip-hop like they make and like you make, or do you think it’s gonna stay in the underground?

You know, I think we’re due. We’re definitely due for some more thought-provoking, grimier-sounding, just like soulful type of music. Right now, I’m not seeing the evolution from kind of, like, the Casio keyboard-sounding beats. I don’t know where the evolution goes from there. But as far as hip-hop, man, we’re due for it. It’s time. I don’t know what the last hit record was like that in hip-hop, but it seems like it’s been a minute.

You have to think about how Eminem, obviously he’s huge, and Kamikaze hit number one, and that was a pretty no-frills record with a lot of really aggressive raps, very few features, and even though he’s a superstar, the fact that an album like that can still be a huge hit, I think, says a lot.

Absolutely. I mean, shit, Eminem has had his ups and down as far as the sound of what music that he does put out. But generally, everything that he does put out is successful. But for him to do songs with like, Skylar Grey on the hook and these big, almost-pop-sounding records, then he switches it completely and go into hardcore, just spazzed-out shit. People say it sound like he mad. And I’m like, “What is it about aggression that people got such a problem with? Like, that’s what hip-hop is built on. We can’t take the aggression out of hip-hop and everything, everybody’s singing, like, Autotune. It just sounds so robotic and generic, that hip-hop could possibly fuckin’ disappear just like rock ‘n roll.

Since mainstream hip-hop has a largely white audience, do you think people are uncomfortable with the idea of say, a non-white person expressing anger, expressing dismay about how things are, and would rather just hear them having fun and talking about things like partying?

Yeah, I mean, but all of those are part of life. There are people that party every day. But there’s also a lot of people that don’t party every day. It’s people who fuckin’ read books and shit. They want their brain to be challenged, and when they’re playing certain music...it doesn’t do anything for their brain. Everything is just straightforward….Even though there is a large amount of white fans and stuff in hip-hop, I feel like the artist still creates what the relevance is as far as the things that they come up with musically. Everybody’s not talking about that type of stuff like racism, but the thing is, people that do talk about that type of stuff, it shouldn’t be looked at like, “Ugh, we don’t wanna hear that.” It’s a real thing, and we can’t turn the cheek to it. But it’s just gotta be dope. I just feel like if it’s dope, if it’s truthful, then it won’t be denied. How can we evolved always talkin’ about this club. LIke, you walk out your door, and boom, you in the club. That’s not a reality, that’s not a real thing.

from The 405 http://bit.ly/2uOEyno

[theseventhhex]

Acid Tongue Interview

Acid Tongue

Photo by Luca Gioiretto

Acid Tongue is an American-bred garage band composed of Guy Keltner & Ian Cunningham – a duo warped in their youth by adolescent exposure to mind-altering substances and strange, spiritually-driven parenting techniques. After years of extensive traveling throughout the United States, as well as some experimental therapy in a Mexican yurt, the boys have united to produce their take on the music of their parents’ generation. Incorporating imagery of the afterlife, dream-states and drifter-culture, Acid Tongue seeks to enlighten listeners to their swingin’, contemplative lifestyle. Recorded in Seattle and Portland during the tumultuous 2016 election, Acid Tongue’s debut LP, aptly named ‘Babies’, is a soulful, stoney, heartfelt approach to modern psychedelia. The sound is a dark reflection on childhood romance, confusion, Satanism and suicidal thoughts familiar to anyone suffering from the American condition… We talk to Guy Keltner about getting the right tone, pulling from dreams and Spanish cuisine…

TSH: Talk us through your intentions with ‘Babies’ in wanting to write something truthful and something that isn’t being said these days – how this came into play…

Guy: There are a lot of records out right now that tackle romance, depression and partying. I don't see much discussion of puberty and adolescence in current rock and pop songs. Of course there are those songs about young love, but what about our unwanted erections or first periods? Weird feelings about your personal appearance, your best friends, your meaning in life. How lonely it can be as a teenager in a small town or a messed up family. I wanted to speak directly to these kids, because I've been there and I know what's it like, and I want them to know that they aren't alone.

TSH: Do you prefer songs to be formed in a freeform or stream of conscious style of working?

Guy: It's a little mix of both. Sometimes lighting strikes in the middle of the night and I can spit the whole thing out - the lyrics, the melody, everything. Other days I get a great idea for a line in the tune, maybe a snippet or melody and it takes a few weeks before things fall into place, maybe even months or years. I write a lot and try not to get too bogged down in a specific process.

TSH: You’ve previously mentioned with regards to your creative process… ‘the trick is keeping things on the edge...

Guy: The best songs we play are about to fall apart at times. I think the band really enjoys the moments when things could really end up being a disaster and they end up working out. There are a lot of weird stops and breaks in our tunes that help build tension and anticipation.

TSH: How key is the notion of getting the right tone whilst formulating new music?

Guy: It's everything. We want to do as little editing in the mixing process as possible. During the recording of ‘Babies’, we had access to a lot of amazing gear. I could pick between 30 or 40 different guitars, dozens of vintage amps and pedals, just to achieve the perfect sound for a song. It can be tedious but it makes the final mix session a total breeze.

TSH: What would you was the trickiest part in bringing together and fleshing out ‘Humpty Dumpty’?

Guy: Funny you use the word tricky. This was actually a really easy song through and through. I wrote it in one of those bursts of creativity, and we cut everything in a day. It was a very organic process and extremely fun to record. I had a really creepy, bizarre idea for a romantic song, and the melody fit in perfectly with the concept. Everyone involved totally understood the vision and hit the same wavelength.

TSH: Furthermore, what’s the core foundation for a track like ‘Talking In Your Sleep’?

Guy: Now this was a much more difficult song to finish. I probably went through three different drafts of it before we finalised the lyrics and structure, and then we still added in that bass breakdown in the middle during the recording sessions. A lot of the backing vocals came way later, and there are some really cool guitar riffs at the end that took a bit to flesh out.

TSH: Do you still find yourself pulling songs from your dreams?

Guy: All of the time. Some of the best stuff we have was written when I was either sleeping or half-awake. I had to learn to force myself out of bed when one of these weird melodies pops into my head. I'm always singing into my iPhone and saving voice memos at three or four in the morning, really quietly so I don't bug my neighbours.

TSH: With regards to your energetic live shows, what are the key features that you feel are required to manifest themselves when performing onstage?

Guy: Things are a lot louder when we play live. The recordings are meant to stand on their own, so they are more laid back, which helps give the illusion of dynamic range. There's more room to experiment. When we play live, it's just us and the instruments we brought that night. We tend to fuzz things out a bit more, play some of the songs faster, and generally add an element of heaviness that you will not find on our records. It's a nice change that usually goes over well with the crowd. They get to head-bang more and scream at the top of their lungs.

TSH: Since you’re so immersed within the art form of music, is it always cool to know that you can always learn new things?

Guy: We definitely learn daily from these experiences. You have to be well versed in more than music. It's all about self-sufficiency, money management, knowing how to change a tyre, knowing what sorts of habits to form and avoid. It's nice that each member of the band and our team is always teaching the others something special or useful.

TSH: How important is it for you to bring to light bullying, knowing it’s such an unfortunate issue in today’s society?

Guy: I actually have a song on our next LP about this subject. It's probably one of my favourites we've written so far, and it basically discusses the fact that this is a prevalent issue all the way up to the highest echelons of our society.

TSH: When you overlook a legend and master like RZA, which attributes of his do you mostly admire?

Guy: RZA understood the need to insert a cultural narrative into your artwork. He brilliantly blended so many interesting elements in the Wu-Tang Clan and its surrounding universe that cemented them as one of the best hip-hop acts of the 1990s.

TSH: Acid Tongue came to be in your basement in Seattle during Super Bowl XLIX. Was Pete Carroll’s infamous call perhaps the worst sporting call you’ve seen?

Guy: I think the whole group decided to drink their way through that awful game and we collectively have a pretty hazy memory of the last quarter or so. I just remember the dull pain of loss.

TSH: Being a lover of cooking and reading, what have you been delving into with regards to both in recent times?

Guy: We learned a lot of great cooking tricks touring in Italy. Our bassist, Alessio, is from Ancona and we were lucky enough to spend a few days with his folks and gain about 15 pounds of post-tour weight. Unfortunately I've been spending too much time reading The Atlantic, The New Yorker and The National Review lately, and most of it makes me sigh and get depressed about the current state of American politics. We are a society experiencing a deeply troubling identity crisis at the moment.

TSH: Speaking of food, when you toured Europe, what were some of your highlights regarding having amazing food?

Guy: Spain is always my personal favourite. There's nothing better than doing dinner on a patio at 9pm, and then have a couple hours to relax before you play a late set. There's a lot of really adventurous cuisine going down in the bigger cities, and tons of great seafood all over the country. Alessio turned 26 in Spain, and his girlfriend booked a night for us to stay in a castle outside of Madrid. It was renovated into a really great hotel, and they served us a four course meal, tons of great wine and we had a beautiful view of the countryside. That was probably my favourite meal.

TSH: How well did you fare in your arm wrestling contest with Mastodon’s Brent Hinds?

Guy: How did you find out about this? You guys really do your research. I got my ass kicked. And then we jammed out with some session musicians at the studio.

TSH: What are you mostly passionate about outside of music?

Guy: My family.

TSH: Finally, what’s the best advice that you’ve been given in recent times?

Guy: Don't sweat the small stuff. Think about everything as a long game. Feel fortunate that you don't have to work a desk job anymore.

Acid Tongue - “Humpty Dumpty”

BABIES