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lochsides · 3 years

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You Signed Up For This Review

If you're following me, you really did sign up for this review. I love that the title of this album lends itself to so many puns. Maybe that was the second indication that I would adore this album (the first being that its a Maisie Peters album). God, where do I even begin to review the pop mastery that is YSUFT? The album is both cohesive and chaotic in the best way possible. Maisie is one of those songwriters who approaches writing with quick wit and personality. That’s my biggest takeaway from this album. YSUFT has so much personality. It is very authentic while being refreshing. I’m so glad it finally here, to be consumed in all its glory. She really hit it out of the park and it was well worth the wait. There is not a single skip.

For those of you interested, below the cut you will find a review for each song. My favourites are 'I'm Trying (Not Friends)', ‘Love Him, I Don’t’, ‘Hollow’, ‘Villain’, ‘Brooklyn’, ‘Elvis Song’ and ‘Volcano’ — yes I know that’s half the album. This is my review and I make the rules. I've also included a little ranking at the very end.

You Signed Up For This — This song has so much main character energy. My favourite thing about Maisie as a songwriter is that her songwriting has a sense of humour to it. This song says so much in 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Its the perfect album opener, particularly for a debut album, but it's also a really good introduction to Maisie Peters for new listeners and old fans alike.

I'm Trying (Not Friends) — I can't decide what my favourite part of this song is: her sharp, witty songwriting or the cadence. This is what I mean when I say that the album is authentic while being refreshing. The cadence is unlike anything I’ve heard before, especially from Maisie, but the passive- aggressive lyrics are so Maisie. She has always had this unvarnished honesty to her songwriting that I really appreciate about her.

John Hughes Movie — Pop perfection! That's it, that's the review. I love the message of this song. It has a sense of self-worth and confidence despite being let down. And when I tell you I adore the fuck out of the bridge of 'JHM', it's an understatement. It was actually the perfect lead single for an album with so much main character energy.

Outdoor Pool — 'Outdoor Pool' is basically Fifteen (Maisie’s Version), when all you wanted was to be wanted. She really captured that in this song. I felt so sad listening to it because 15 really is such a delicate age. The music and production felt very cinematic to me and that really brought to life this story that she was telling. It really is almost Skins. I have so much affection for this song in like a big sister way.

Love Him, I Don't — Ooft, this song hurt my feelings. The production at the start with her ‘ooh’s was already chilling but then she hit me with ‘I wasn’t eating and you still said nothing’ and ‘guess that was my stubborn season’ and took me out. ‘Love Him, I Don’t’ is a song about toxicity and I’ve been there. I have friends who have been there. The lyric ‘what a waste of your twenties’ reminded me of a relationship my best friend was in. There are so many little details in this song that make it so relatable in a way the hurts. I love the melody of the pre-chorus and chorus, and then she goes and strips it back in the last verse. The whole song is a 5-star experience. It's so raw and the emotion in her vocal takes it to another level.

Psycho — Maisie Peters said feral girl summer and make it catchy. There are two bridges in this song. That should be enough to sell me, but she had to go and write ‘you made me feel so useful then so used.’ All in all though, ‘Psycho’ is probably my least favourite and that’s only because there are so many good songs on this album that outrank this.

Boy — I’m joining Maisie Peters’ fight to take away men’s rights because valid. It’s funny because I can hear Ed Sheeran’s writing in this song, mostly in the production. I love the tone throughout this song, but specifically when she says 'I can tell that you've never been hugged, boy.' It's sassy as fuck and I love that for her. My favourite aspect of 'Boy' is that the catchiest part, the one that is most likely to get stuck in our heads. is 'I can do better than this' and that feels very intentional, like a little message from Maisie reminding us that we can do better than The Boy ™️.

Hollow — 'Hollow' is such a good heartbreak ballad. It has all the makings of a great classic pop ballad, from the piano to the production to the poetic lyrics. Was it fair of her to put the lyrics 'now I'm a comma in your explanation of your learning curves and your mistakes' in the same song, in the same verse, as 'you're the one that got away and you got away with a lot' and then follow it up with a bridge of memories and 'I just miss my friend'? Let's discuss. I think the reason I, personally, love this song so much is the lyrical links to other songs like 'Villain' ('now you're kissing that girl I shouldn't worry about'), 'Volcano' ('you got away with it') and 'Tough Act' ('saying goodbye to a best friend' / 'drain it all 'til its all so hollow'). I love it when there are layers to a story.

Villain — I’ve had the hook of ‘Villain’ stuck in my head all morning. The way she explores rage in this song as something bitter that we all swallow but it burns the whole way down our throats, that dichotomy being explored through the subtlety of the production and the feral lyrics, is absolute genius. The song is told through the perspective of someone that feels wronged but they are still the villain of someone else's story and that's something I can personally relate to. I love how much angst is in the bridge, aided by the build up in the production, as she sings 'whole town's gonna hear how you messed me up.' Truly excellent songwriting.

Brooklyn — I think Maisie absolutely shines when writing songs about her sister. 'Personal Best' is my most played song on Apple Music, ever. 'Brooklyn' is almost like a continuation of that, or a deeper dive into her relationship with her sister. The storytelling aspect of this song feels very organic, like a friend telling you all about the adventure of their transatlantic trip over a cup of coffee. And the production is chef's kiss.

Elvis Song — I think this song is the one I connect with the most. The nostalgia factor always gets me and that's what this entire song is. Is the whole second verse a callout? Maybe. It's fine. If I end up calling the person this song makes me think about, it's Maisie's fault. My favourite lyric is 'I was scared to throw my heart off the edge, easier to tell myself we'd mess it up instead, so I left.' That line reads me, but it also captures the tone of regret that comes with reflection on something that ended. The production of 'Elvis Song' gives me old-flame montage vibes. I think it's the perfect candidate for an end-of-summer single.

Talking To Strangers — 'Talking To Strangers' is such a cute song. The whole concept of random people knowing such minute details about your life, that maybe even the people in your life would overlook, just because this one person that loves you so much can't help but tell everyone they meet about you is so fucking romantic. This is such a romantic song. It is 'this made me think of you' in a song except instead of telling the person you think of, you're telling literally everyone that it made you think of them.

Volcano — 'Volcano' is very reminiscent of Maisie's musical roots, which is why this song is one of my favourites. The lyrics are an actual gut punch and her vocal delivery only makes it hit harder. I think the lines that really get me each time are 'in the silence when you stood there, you just stood there' and the bits in the chorus where she sings 'and your friends said nothing' or 'and the world said nothing.' When you're in a situation that can be toxic, it fucking hurts when no one says anything. Then you look back on it and wonder 'why did no one stop you from absolutely breaking me?'

Tough Act — I think many of the songs on YUSFT accumulate to 'Tough Act' and placing it as the album closer makes so much sense in terms of closure from a lot of these stories that Maisie has shared with us. 'Tough Act' is acknowledgement and growth. I think this is best described in the lyric 'I got busy and you forgot how to miss me when I'm not much of who you grew up with.' She has come to terms with the fact that things have changed and this break up is just 'the bad part of the right thing to do.' The melody of this song is so beautiful and it's only heightened when those strings come in under the piano. Maisie's lovely vocals are the cherry on top.

Ranking the songs on this album was so difficult because each one is so outstanding. I think YSUFT is honestly one of the best pop debuts in recent history. She absolutely nailed it.

Love Him, I Don't

Volcano

Villain

I'm Trying (Not Friends)

Elvis Song

Hollow

Brooklyn

Outdoor Pool

Tough Act

You Signed Up For This

Talking To Strangers

John Hughes Movie

Boy

Psycho

#maisie peters #reviews #ysuft #music

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eagles-translated · 3 years

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Answering Eagles questions before the season 3 finale (Part 2/2)

I've received a bunch of questions since 3x08 and 3x09 dropped, so I compiled all the questions into two posts. I had to split them up because Tumblr only allows 10 images per post. Anyway, keep reading to see my answers and enjoy! 👇

There might be some kind of collaboration between Amie and Ludde like last season—we have only heard snippets of Ludde's song submission to the music school and it wouldn't surprise me if we saw Amie perform the song in its entirety in the last episode. I touched on this a little in part 1 of answering these questions.

It seems like Amie singing at the end of the season has become kind of a recurring theme. She performed “Follow” in 1x08 and “Second Sight” in 2x10 (on the radio, but my point still stands). I wouldn’t be surprised if they followed this trend by having Amie perform a new song in the season 3 finale.

I'm not sure if she'll recommend Ludde to the record label, though. I honestly still feel like Amie's whole storyline with sending in a rather basic demo written by two teenagers with little to no experience and then getting praised on it with comments such as "it's going to be a real summer hit" felt so unrealistic to me. Maybe they only said that so Amie would accept their offer or something, but that's still very strange because she would have still said yes without a doubt.

I can understand that they thought Amie was marketable as a person and there was this bonus with her having gone viral before on Felicia's Instagram, but that demo did not seem good enough for me to be immediately released as a single and then have them decide on the spot that Amie would be given a contract.

I mean, come on. It never felt earned because we never really saw Amie struggling with her songwriting journey to achieve this dream. Sending in one demo to one record label and having them immediately want to make a whole album with you just doesn't happen in real life unless the song is extremely good or you have a very unique voice. Amie is really talented but there are hundreds of people just like her, if not thousands. I was never convinced by her getting signed so quickly in season 2.

I understand that they wanted to establish her as a successful artist, but that felt so rushed. I was so sure that the record label would screw her over and steal the song rights to record it with another artist who was already established, and that we'd have to see Amie work even harder to achieve her dreams. But we didn't get that at all. Where was the struggle?

Anyway, I'm getting a little off-topic here. To be honest I have a lot of problems with the writing sometimes, even if I still love the show and its characters. Of course I wanted to see Amie achieve success (and I was happy when she did), but the journey there was so bizarrely easy.

She didn't start to seriously work on making her music career become a reality until season 2. Amie had dabbled in music prior to that, like when she auditioned for the school band and did that performance of Follow, but she didn't truly start to work towards it until season 2 when she decided to have her work sent to professionals in the business. And then, just five episodes later, she gets contacted by the record label in Stockholm.

To put this into context—season 2 took place somewhere around March, and episode 5 around three weeks into April. So when Ludde first started helping Amie it took less than two months for her to get signed. You could argue that the song was just that good or that Amie is just that talented, but it never felt like a realistic storyline to me.

So, back to your question! I need to stop getting so sidetracked while answering these haha. I don't think it would be realistic for the record label to hire a teenager with no professional songwriting experience, likely a very small portfolio of his own work in both size and variety, having a criminal record, and on top of that being infamous in the press for abusing his ex-girlfriend. If Amie offered the ultimatum to her label that she'll only return with Ludde, who has an incredibly bad reputation right now, it feels like she would be running the risk of losing the contract entirely.

There's only so much her label can put up with. We've seen Amie ignore their calls with no intention of reassuring them that she's coming back soon. Honestly, with the way things are looking right now it makes the most sense for the contract to be dropped. By Amie or by the label, I don't know.

The episode description for the season finale says that Ludde will get some sort of justice and it could be about his music (or something related to whatever Andreas is doing).

I believe Amie will be doing a live performance of Ludde's song at a New Year's Eve party in episode 10 but I doubt that Ludde will be picked up as a producer. If he actually does I would find that to be a very unrealistic plot point, to be completely honest with you.

This is an issue I had with 3x08 and 3x09 as well. I had a hard time actually enjoying the moment between Felicia, Klara, and Amie knowing that her family was getting increasingly worried for her and even thought for a short moment that Felicia was lying dead at the bottom of the ocean. All that could've been avoided.

To add, it didn't make a lot of sense to me that when Klara finally decided to call someone she called Amie instead of Elias. An ex-friend of Felicia's instead of her brother who could've helped a lot more. What was Amie supposed to do when she showed up at the hotel, exactly?

I know there was the thing with Klara only knowing Amie's number off the top of her head, but there is no reason why she couldn't have gone down to the reception while Felicia was sleeping and asked to use a computer just to get a quick message to Elias. Like, "hey, Felicia attempted something bad but she's safe with me, we're at this hotel in this room but she didn't want me to call anybody, I don't know what to do". That would've been so much better than keeping quiet about the situation for nearly 24 hours.

I know that Klara probably has trauma from leaving her dad at the hospital after his suicide attempt and that she probably didn't want to go against Felicia's wishes. I understand the first part 100%. But Felicia was in a very bad place emotionally and was thinking that her whole family hated her when that wasn't the case. I feel like in a situation like that you kind of have to be the bad guy just to ensure the family that Felicia was safe. Even if everything turned out alright in the end, it could've gone so much worse if Felicia had wanted to be kept hidden for longer.

The ending of 3x08 was super tough to watch and I can't imagine the feeling of thinking your only daughter/sister drowned herself after you just yelled at her and showed no support. Klara couldn't have known any of this, but I feel like she should've at least contacted Elias if she wasn't taking Felicia to a hospital.

Elias calling Amie would've been an easy solution to this whole debacle but we would've lost the drama. It's still somewhat of a plot hole though, like you said.

Thank you for reading that whole post @detectivejulesohara!

The clip you're referring to was posted on Yandeh Sallah's Instagram account, so not in a trailer for this season.

I think that was either just fanservice or it will appear in season 4 since it was posted in May of this year, and I believe the filming of season 3 had already wrapped by then.

It might indicate that Elias and Amie will be a couple by season 4 (this actually seems very likely regardless if this is actually part of a scene or not).

I think Elias is getting increasingly frustrated with hockey and the fact that he doesn't really have any other ambitions to strive for. He was raised with nothing but hockey surrounding him and it's in his blood. Elias got drafted to the US at around the same age as Mats, but Elias left after a year because he just wasn't progressing.

That must feel like a huge step back, and on top of that Mats was probably thriving in his successful career around the age that Elias is now. It's a tough difference in success to have weighing on your shoulders when you're in a team that's second to last in the rankings.

There's even the accusation in the press that Mats paid for Elias to advance in the rankings, and I'm sure that's going to affect his career negatively.

I think Elias overworking himself could also be the result of him feeling like he has to prove that returning to Eagles—a small club that is probably having their worst season ever—was in fact the right choice and not the death of his elite hockey career. That choice was very questionable from the very start and his agent advised against it. Even Mats found it strange. Elias said that he didn't really have a choice most likely because of the clause in his contract, but then he also claims to Mats that things just turned out that way.

Ludde: You don’t regret coming back [to Eagles]? Elias: I didn’t really have a choice.

The idea that he didn't have a choice in the matter doesn't seem accurate. His agent told him there were other alternatives like Jokerit (a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland) and that they could find something better than Eagles. Elias seemed kind of defeated already and the decision to return to Eagles didn't feel thought-through at all. It's almost like he just didn't care.

Agent: [...] Jokerit has called and I’ve had a great conversation with them, so they’re on. Elias: You know what? Let’s skip all the trouble. Let’s go with Eagles, it’ll be great. Agent: What? Elias: I’m so tired of moving all the time anyway, plus I’ll be close to my family. Agent: Wait, I thought that you— Eagles has big economical problems, and… Sorry, but their season started awfully. We can get a better team. You understand, right? Elias: Yeah, but we can’t get a team that needs me as much. Plus— If they say they want to see development, I’ll give them that. Agent: Wait— They’re under the line. We’re talking about qualifying down directly. You can’t in earnest believe you’ll change that on your own. Elias: It’s perfect. I’ll only go up, as you like to say.

It also seems like he's maybe realizing that hockey isn't everything and that there are other things he might want to explore and pursue in his life. I think Elias is feeling kind of stuck right now. He's been training his whole life for one purpose which is a professional career in hockey, and maybe he feels like Mats wouldn't allow him to quit. That option doesn't exist to him.

Like you said, Mats had that comment where he labeled Ludde a "quitter" and Elias stressed the fact that there shouldn't be anything wrong with losing interest and deciding to pursue something else.

Mats: Can you imagine that he’s just quitting? I mean, I’m completely— He really didn’t strike me as a quitter. So fucking close. [...] Elias: [...] Ludde, he’s… He’s not a quitter, he’s just didn’t want it anymore. That should be fair.

However, quitting is seen as failure to Mats. Mats dropped everything when he got drafted. He left his relationship with Petra seemingly without a second thought, because hockey comes before everything for Mats. Felicia even mentioned back in season 1 how her father was just a voice in a telephone for most of her childhood. He barely had any presence in her life because he was busy with hockey.

When Klara tells Elias that he's always putting hockey first, he gets angry but he doesn't outright deny it. In fact, he kind of changes the subject to shift attention away from Klara's claim.

Klara: This— You haven’t changed at all. You’re always putting yourself first. Elias: Excuse me? Klara: Yes, it’s either you or hockey. Elias: Stop! What the— Klara: I can’t take this. Elias: Are you leaving now? I wasn’t the only one you dumped. You’ve been acting like shit to Felicia. Yeah, and Amie and Ludde too, for that matter. You haven’t thought about that? So don’t come here and say I’m the egoist.

This is kind of an interesting thought—that maybe Elias subconsciously knew that was Klara is saying is true to some degree and that he has been putting hockey first. He decided to get on the train to the draft combine in Seattle instead of staying with Klara, and a year later he realizes that things didn't turn out the way that he'd planned and he returns to Eagles.

Maybe Elias is trying so hard to be someone who he just isn't, and it's affecting so many aspects of his life negatively. He lost Klara, he had to repeat almost his whole last year in high school because of moving to the US, and now he seems to be stuck in Oskarshamn. He's previously expressed to Amie that this isn't necessarily where he wanted to end up.

Elias: [...] Hey, is it just me or is there something about this town that… It sort of feels like no matter how much you try to get away, it… It pulls you back somehow.

It's kind of strange that he doesn't want to be in Oskarshamn, and yet he was the one who chose to return. Maybe he somehow feels like he has some purpose there because it keeps pulling him back. He just doesn't know what that purpose is.

Elias tried coming back to Eagles to turn things around for them, and they did win a game against the Capitals but that victory was later tarnished by the fight that broke out between the two teams (and to add to this, the loss of Ludde who used to be one of the star players and Klara as a sponsor). That kind of overshadowed their whole victory. Elias was very determined to do something to help and it very much feels like he needs Eagles to succeed—he needs to sort of "redeem" himself.

Elias: [...] Can I do anything? Can I go talk to— I could go talk to the sponsor. Mats: Let’s deal with it later. I’ll solve this. You have to go to school now. Elias: But we can finish talking— Mats: You can— No. Try to think of something else. Alright?

I think that Elias's desperation for Eagles to do well could absolutely lead to him eventually deciding to be a coach. He doesn't really seem to want the life that Mats had after seeing how success turned out for him—a broken family that he barely cares about because hockey occupies his mind more than caring for his children or repairing the relationship with Leila.

I think Elias being a hockey coach could suit him, but I would also love to see him exploring things outside of hockey—maybe even his interests outside of sport entirely.

I kind of agree with you on this. Klara has apologized to Felicia and been forgiven, but we've never seen her properly apologize to Amie for filming that video of her and posting it on social media. Amie and Ludde were in the wrong, yes, but that video being posted was humiliating for both of them. They had to deal with the ramifications of that for months after with the whole school judging them in silence.

To be fair, the video was posted a long time ago in the show's time frame (nearly two years ago if I'm right?) and they all kind of moved on from it. To add to this, maybe she felt it would've been kind of awkward to apologize with Felicia in the room.

Felicia was so hurt by that video being posted and I think it would feel very weird for her that Klara would apologize for posting the video when it's the sole reason Felicia found out what had been done to her. Without that video, she would've probably gone a few more months without being told what happened at the Halloween party.

I'm waiting for a Klara and Amie reconciliation in this season finale. I feel like this is something that should be discussed between just the two of them, and maybe they'll sneak in some blessing from Klara with the whole budding Elias and Amie relationship? I'd be happy with just a reconciliation, though, but I'm unsure if we'll get one. I have a feeling they'll start the season finale with a time jump and I don't know if Klara is even going to be in Oskarshamn by that time.

If we don't see them reconnecting in the season finale I will be pretty disappointed, to be honest.

Thank you! I really appreciate you too @lunawedlers (your gifsets are absolutely magical)!

This question was sent in a while ago but as season 3 had just started airing I was very excited to see the development of Elias and Amie, mostly because the director had been hinting on Twitter that something would happen between them this season. I've been really interested in them ever since 1x03 and so far the wait has been worth it.

I think all episodes have great visuals, but if I had to pick one I would probably say 3x06. All those shots of Elias and Amie on the walk through the park, the drone shots, and then the view from that bench spot were so gorgeous visually. That answer is more of a scene rather than a whole episode haha, but I think they really made the beauty of Oskarshamn stand out in those shots.

I think Amie will have some sort of performance in the final episode of a new song and that Elias will be watching her! After reading the episode description for the final episode and seeing that there will probably be some New Year's Eve party going on, I have a feeling that Amie will be performing. She's always had a performance of a new song in every season finale and this one should be no exception.

They tricked us a little in the season 3 trailer with us thinking that Elias would be at one of Amie's concerts in Stockholm, but now I'm sure that this scene fits in at the New Year's Eve party.

I think we should keep our expectations low for a kiss between Elias and Amie. They just started developing their relationship, and I like the slow pace they're going in. They're not rushing anything. I also have this feeling that their development has deliberately been so slow because they're sort of "saving the best for last".

Elias and Amie are fan favorites and their relationship has been very talked-about from the beginning. I can see the writers maybe having decided to push their relationship more towards the end of the show, which is why we haven't really gotten any Elias and Amie content until now. That's frustrating if you're impatient and I've seen some people thinking that maybe Elias and Amie won't happen at all, but I don't think we need to worry at all. The fact that Elias and Amie's development has been so slow should indicate that they're much more likely to be endgame.

A kiss in episode 10 could definitely happen, but I don't know. Maybe they'll drag it out further. As I've said before, if they don't get one in season 3 they will absolutely be getting one in season 4. I've noticed that it's always best to keep your expectations low when it comes to this couple.

The episode description for the season finale said this about Elias, which some have interpreted to be about Amie.

New Year’s Eve is here. [...] But is Elias brave enough to say what everyone else already knows?

This could mean anything, really. I'm actually leaning more towards this being about an individual thing rather than Amie being involved. It could be about Elias admitting that he's been overworking himself and not eating properly, or coming clean about the fact that maybe he doesn't want a career in hockey. This is something that everyone else already knows, so I think it might be about hockey.

Felicia has observed the overworking, Mats has told him to stop with it, and Ludde might've had some inkling about it while he was still on the team. Even Amie has probably also noticed that he's been spending a lot of time at the gym lately.

I could absolutely be wrong about this though.

Thank you for the question @lunawedlers!

This is a hard one because season 3 has had so many strong episodes already, and usually my favorite episode ends up being the season finale because it's basically the culmination of the whole season. I really loved 2x10 for this very reason since the ending montage was so well done.

If I had to pick between 3x01 - 3x09 though I would probably have to say it's a tie between 3x04 — Date night and 3x05 — Wounds! These two episodes showcased what Eagles should be all about so well, which is relationships plus the struggles you go through as a teenager in a small town, and then of course hockey. The hockey game episodes are really good, even if I don't think 3x05 topped 2x05 (the game where Ludde got tackled and knocked out).

I loved the contrast in Date night of the budding relationship between Elias and Amie and then that fight between Felicia and Ludde on the cliff. That whole scene between Felicia and Ludde on the cliff was actually really beautiful, especially when the sun had gone down.

It was interesting to see how this sweet gesture from Felicia turned into a fight between the two of them. I thought that was very realistic, because no matter how big of a gesture Felicia made to apologize there were still underlying problems that they needed to talk about.

I also loved the "non-date" between Elias and Amie in this episode. It was cute to see them goofing off before the movie started and then talking about it on the way home. I liked how Elias could connect to her on how they had both returned to Oskarshamn.

The recent episodes that dropped last week (3x08 and 3x09) were very strong and discussed some important subject matters, but I had a few problems with them that I discussed in a question above. They were dark, but not necessarily bad because they needed to happen.

However, I have to say that I prefer Eagles when it's about hockey and teenage relationships. 3x04 and 3x05 made me kind of nostalgic for season 1 and I liked the vibe they both had.

I agree, but I think we could maybe get a combination of both! Relationships can have all these romantic and sweet traits like you described, but also be more passionate and show public displays of affection.

I think Elias and Amie fit the more laid-back and sweet characteristics, but we have yet to really see what Amie is like in a relationship. We've seen her with a crush on Ludde and we got a glimpse of that thing she had with Robin (which was apparently a relationship but I did not pick up on that at all), but we don't really know what Amie is like in a relationship. Maybe she's never really had a "real" one, either.

Nevertheless, I'm excited to see what's in store for Elias and Amie. I'm very positive that they will eventually become a couple in season 4.

#eagles svt #svt eagles #after writing this i kind of want to do a separate post discussing the writing in eagles because i have a lot more to say about it

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iamnotawomanimagod · 4 years

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Manic Review - From “Least-Best” to Best

Halsey released her third studio album on 1/17/2020, and it is easily her best. I’ve wanted to talk about it, but first, I need to figure out how I feel about each track in relation to the others. So this is mostly for me, but I’d love to hear how other people are feeling too!

I love all of these songs, I feel so blessed with this album, which is why this goes from “least-best” to “best”, not “worst.”

(I know that’s kind of splitting semantic hairs, but I refuse to disrespect this album, lmao.)

So, without further ado, here are my favorite songs on Manic, starting with the one I like the least:

16 - “Alanis’s Interlude”

This is THE bisexual anthem we’ve all been waiting for from Halsey. It’s cool, sexy, and features some stellar vocals from both Alanis and Halsey. It ranks so low for me only because I’m not a huge fan of the chorus, the machine drums, or the melody, despite loving the message. But the verses are fire, and so are the vocals.

15 - “Still Learning”

I think this track will be a slow-grower for me, the way “Devil in Me” was. Maybe it’s just because it comes on the heels of the deeply, deeply impactful “More” - but I found this didn’t strike the chord I thought it would. It’s a beautiful song, though, and very meaningful to Halsey’s personal journey. I think seeing it live might change my mind about it.

14 - “Finally // beautiful stranger”

This might be the sweetest side of Halsey that we’ve ever seen, especially when it comes to romantic love. The fact that it was inspired by Yungblud makes my heart ache a bit. I really love the duality of the different versions of Ashley in the video. That being said, the genre/style of song isn’t my personal favorite. Her vocals are amazing, though, and some of the lyrics are really poetic. I know this will be an especially tender one live, in front of a Halsey crowd. I can just picture everyone swaying and singing along.

13 - “SUGA’s Interlude”

This interlude is such a soft, sad moment on the album, and it fits really well before “More.” SUGA’s Interlude is all about the way fame has changed both artists, and about how they’ll know when it’s time to step away from the spotlight - and how that might change them. SUGA has excellent flow, and Halsey’s delicate, pining vocals on the chorus is a perfect complement to his introspective rapping. It’s a really sweet song, and part of why it works so well on the album is because it creates such a heartfelt prelude to “More”. The song all about leaving fame behind, followed by the song about loving her unborn child, and how she badly wants to be a mother...gives me chills, man, literal chills. I think I’d like it more if I spoke Korean, but honestly, Korean Halsey fans deserve somethin’ special, so I’m okay with it.

12 - “You should be sad”

I still don’t know if I quite “buy” Y’allsey, but I can’t deny that this is a really fun song. Singing along to the lyrics is so satisfying, and the music video provided us with some serious Looks. The guitar riff between the chorus and the verses makes me feel things, and so does the line: “I’m so glad I never ever had a baby with you,” especially after hearing “More”. I like this song a lot, but compared to the rest of the album, it’s not in my top ten. I think it’ll be a really, really fun one live, though.

11 - “Without Me”

This song and I share a birthday! It’s also where Manic really began, although we had no idea that was the case, at the time. This was the first time Halsey wrote from such a specific and personal place, knowing we would all immediately recognize who the song targeted and why. She’s used this song brilliantly since then, coming up with a dozen different interpretations and set pieces, performing it while chained to a post, while revealing the messages of her cheating ex, while dancing with a beautiful girl, and even more. (It helps a lot that she performed this song with Jade Chynoweth, one of my all-time favorite dancers, and responded to the backlash of that performance by doing it again, but even gayer, just a few weeks later.) We owe a lot to this song. And, as it turns out, it really fits in with the story of Manic, and with the tone, from both a sonic and thematic perspective. I’m still a little tired of it, though, which is why it ranks so low. But - credit where it’s due!

10 - “Dominic’s Interlude”

This one surprised me, although I went in with zero expectations, not knowing who Dominic Fike was. I wish Halsey was actually in this song, but other than that, I think it’s a great interlude. Not to mention: “If you’re looking for signs then you should know, there’s power in the words that you’re thinking.” That’s an incredible line, hit me hard.

9 - “Ashley”

I both love and hate what this song means, because it scares the crap out of me. The way she described it as “a cautious goodbye” in an interview... It’s absolutely a letter to her fans, about Halsey, about who Halsey is, and who Ashley is, and how that balancing act both breaks her and makes her thrive. She can’t keep doing this forever. She knows how much she means to us, and this song is all about how heavy and scary that burden is, but that she’s committed to it, for now. Ending with that line from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was perfect. We’re the ones who shouldn’t assign her our peace of mind, y’know? Her vocals are stunning, though, and I think it’s the strongest opener from any of her albums. This song reminds me of a much less depressing version of “Batter Up” by Brand New, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it influenced her a bit.

8 - “Graveyard”

This song really feels like the older sister of “Without Me”. I love the racing speed of the melody and the rhythm, the way everything is layered so manically and frantically over the verses. It’s actually really easy to get lost in the musicality of this one, even though the lyrics are incredible. I think the music video is my all-time favorite of Halsey’s, because I love all the symbolism in it, and it was really trippy to see her without tattoos. I’ll consider this one a bop for a long, long time.

7 - “clementine”

We’ve had this song for a little while, and it’s been one of my favorites. I was pretty sure it was going to stay that way, even after the album came out, but Halsey surprised me. That being said, I still love the way this song manages to be both playful and petulant, spirited and sad. It has some really beautiful images, and the music video is so pretty.

6 - “I HATE EVERYBODY”

We love a song full of contradictions! This song takes the humor/self-deprecation that started in “Clementine” and “Forever... (is a long time)” and turns it anthemic. The transition from “Dominic’s Interlude” to this song is so perfect, it’s hard not to listen to them one after the other. Halsey once again proves her lyrical prowess and ability to write a relatable bop, which is really what we love her for in the end, right? I love the way the song starts out pretty simply, than swells up into something epic.

5 - “3am”

I love this genre, so much, and I think Halsey completely nails it. This song wouldn’t make anyone bat an eye if you played it in 2007. Most other Halsey songs can’t claim that, and since I’m a sucker for the aughties, this one lives high on my list. It reminds me of P!nk, Avril Lavigne, and Paramore. The lyrics are super relatable, and I love the chorus and the bridge. It’s not the best lyrically, but that bridge honestly makes up for what the rest of the song lacks. Can’t wait to scream that one live! I do wish John Mayer wasn’t rambling on the end, but I also love how that leads into “Without Me”.

4 - “929″

This might sound strange, but I love how this song starts with just Ashley talking; she’s speaking through laughter, challenging her friend playfully. This song feels so real. I love the stream-of-consciousness style of lyrics and the way the melody plays into that. Her voice reminds me so much of early, early Halsey - songs like “Tilt You Back” and “For Ruby”. I can relate so much to some of the things she says, and I love the way it ends. It’s such an interesting contrast to the way her previous albums concluded, too - “Young God” and “Hopeless” are both such epic, sweeping tracks. Ending her most personal album yet with such a tender ode to self-acceptance, and self-discovery, is such a beautiful way to show how much she’s grown, as a person, a songwriter, and a singer. This song makes me nostalgic, proud, happy, just a little sad, and feel so at peace.

3 - “More”

I almost don’t really have words for this song. Knowing Halsey’s story, her very honest and public experiences with infertility and endometriosis, made this song hit me a lot harder than I ever expected. I still can’t quite get through it without crying. It’s an incredibly beautiful song. Painfully, painfully honest, about a topic that’s so rarely openly discussed in pop culture. I don’t even want kids, but the yearning she shows, the hope she still has, the way she says that she’s loved her future child more than anything, and has always loved them; the reference to having already bought baby clothes; the sound of the sonogram machine, and the way it sounds like she’s singing to her baby from outside the womb at the end; it guts me. And again, I don’t want kids. I never expected this kind of honesty or tenderness from her. It’s such a special song, truly. (For the record, I listened to it again to write this and am fully weeping once more.)

2 - “Forever... (is a long time)”

What a surprise this song was! I think it perfectly captures a certain kind of self-destructive behavior that so many of us end up falling into when it comes to relationships. The way the song goes from happy and plucky to this burgeoning feeling of dread, of spiraling down into those dark thoughts that trip all of us up from time to time. It goes from a love song to a break-up song in a matter of seconds, and the transition is spine-tinglingly perfect. The storm building in the background, starting with thunder and dissipating into rain. The way her voice comes back in with the same melody, but minor instead of major. The way the song sort of disintegrates into chaos, and into the realization: “talk to your man...tell him he’s got bad news comin’.” (This is definitely about the Yungblud breakup, right? Nevermind, my heart can’t take that. Gonna pretend I didn’t just realize that.)

1 - “killing boys”

Jennifer’s Body is one of my absolute favorite movies, unironically. I love that Halsey loves it too, enough to include lines from it in the most badass boss bitch song she’s written since “Nightmare”. Her vocals are incredible (those high notes!) - the lyrics are the perfect blend of regretful and rageful - the beat, melodies, and overall composition just fills me up with this impossibly strong sense of “fuck yeah, fuck you.” I don’t have the words to describe how this song makes me feel. I had high hopes, based on the title, and it did not disappoint. This song has some of the cleverest lines on the entire record, and it makes me feel a way that no other song does. That’s what seals it at #1, for me (for now.)

Feel free to reply with yours, or tag me in your own review!! I’m really excited to see some of the more detailed opinions people have, now that the initial “IT’S HERE” hype has started to subside.

stream MANIC by HALSEY today

#manic #manic review #manic era #halsey #ashley frangipane #stephspeaks #ok to reblog #changed some formatting

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plasticflowering · 3 years

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Ranking Every ONEUS Song Because I Have Opinions

I guess it’s time for me to embark upon this task. Come along for the ride if you’re so inclined.

This is by no means a definitive ranking, because that’s impossible and the consumption of music is an intrinsically personal experience. But I personally like ranking things for arbitrary reasons.

Each song is ranked in order, and within those rankings I’ve assigned Tiers. Enjoy.

Note: this includes only studio tracks officially released by RBW or KissEnt, which means I’m sadly not including the Road to Kingdom songs. Actually, wait, you wanna know what? The real reason I’m not including Road to Kingdom songs is because I’m still salty that my favorite song from that show is one that didn’t get a studio release. Justice for Warrior’s Descendant.

Let’s begin.

I’ll start things off with the top tier, the best of the best, my absolute favorite ONEUS songs. Now what should I name a tier that represents the pinnacle of what ONEUS can offer us?

Black-Haired Seoho Tier

1. “Valkyrie”

This song goes places. It's the one that made me fall in love with ONEUS and it's still my favorite, oops.

2. “Blue Sky”

"Blue Sky” defies genre to me. The first time I heard it, I was blown away. It has some of my favorite vocals AND two of my favorite raps in their discography - I love Leedo and Ravn's "ballad raps" in general but this is my favorite.

3. “BingBing”

So full of personality. Such an earworm. Emotional and kinda unsetlling lyrics. Xion speaking French? OKAY. It's title track worthy, for sure, so it's a shame it gets so overlooked by casual listeners. I’m glad the fanbase has at least given it the legendary status it deserves.

4. “Lost”

Was not expecting this one to enter my top ten with turbo boosters, but I started to listen to it a lot last year and in the process I started to feel things for this song that I previously have only felt for “Blue Sky”

5. “Plastic Flower”

It me.

6. “Rewind"

It’s all about the synth hook, to me. I am pathetically manipulable where good synth hooks are concerned. Also, the cadence and arrangement of this song reminds me of “Lost” and that’s never a bad thing.

7. “Dizzy”

I just feel like this is where they all shine as a vocal ensemble. Their personalities shine through in Dizzy, and I'm a sucker for that emotive sort of performing.

8. “Incomplete"

Right in a row here, you’ve got two sets of “my favorite song on the album” followed by “what I believe to be the best song on the album”. “Incomplete” is the best song on “DEVIL”. The lyrics are amazing and, this may sound weird, but as a Human in Their Thirties the lyrics hit even harder. Bonus points for guitar, as always.

9. “Dead or Alive”

I’ll never get over how strange and wonderful this song is, and yes I do believe it’s the best song on “LIVED”. (Vee shouts through a megaphone again about how “Dead or Alive” incorporates musical themes or lyrical elements from every other song on “LIVED” and hopes someone listens). Also (vee voice) guitars.

10. “Lit”

“Lit” just rules and I don’t believe there’s much I can add that has not already been said about it

Leedo Face Scrunch Tier

Now for those songs that are still my favorites, and make the world an immensely better place for existing, but don��t quite crack the ultimate ONEUS songs pantheon.

11. “No Diggity”

I'm a simple person, okay? I love bright and poppy songs but I'm also weak for unapologetic bangers, and "No Diggity" is an UNAPOLOGETIC BANGER. I think the guitars are (unsurprisingly) what takes this song to the next level for me. The arrangement in general is so impressive, and it’s obvious that they balanced it well to make use of all the members’ individual strengths. RIP my bias though.

12. “Crazy & Crazy”

The "Crazy & Crazy" appreciator has logged on! When Ravn said "hakuna matata 원하면 이뤄져 bibbidi-bobbidi-BOO", I felt that!!! If I ever get to go to a ONEUS concert and god forbid meet any of you there, I cannot be held responsible for how HAM I will go during this song.

13. “Hide and Seek”

I’m weak for this funky little bass-driven bop.

14. “Red Thread”

I don’t ever feel like I truly have gone in hard for a group until I start proselytizing their ballads to my unsuspecting friends. Ballads have a high barrier of entry in K-Pop especially, but my god!! MY GOD!!! This is a god-tier ballad.

15. “808″

They threw every single synth possible at the wall with “808″ and it absolutely sends me with how well it works. It’s undeniably “a Japanese single,” if you know what I mean, but even with that I think it’s one of their strongest title tracks. The chorus is endlessly singable, too, and that means a lot to me while I’m listening to it while doing the dishes, which I do a lot.

16. “Leftover”

I believe that Seoho and Ravn team songwriting will save our souls, and this song is one more reason to do so. I love that their songs aren’t just straight-up R&B (not that I don’t love R&B), and that there’s something very playful and unique about them.

17. “Zig Zag”

I’ll never forget you, “Zig Zag,” or the way Keonhee absolutely owns your vocals. In fact, if I had to assign an image song to every member I would most likely assign “Zig Zag” to Keonhee. 18. “Lion Heart"

As far as “weird little song” vibes go, “Lion Heart” really wins. Has undoubtedly one of the weirdest moments in any ONEUS song in the first post-chorus, and I’ll never shut up about the implied lore associations.

19. “Hero”

In every ToMoon's life, there is that indelible moment when they first heard Seoho's pre-pre-chorus vocals on "Hero" and suddenly realized so much about life and love and the nature of miracles. And, less dramatically, I love a good rap that uses the word biscuit.

Road to Kingdom Era Xion Tier

I became a Xion bias in Road to Kingdom era, so this is not meant disparagingly. These are those songs that show so much promise and goodness, and make me love them, but are kind of an acquired taste so to speak.

20, “BBUSYEO”

I always love BBUSYEO when it shuffles up, but I never like... seek it out, you know? Even if it is a bop. It’s just a silly little hetero love song that includes toilet humor, and it goes. I love that for it!

21. “Come Back Home”

It's all about the build up here. This song has such a beautiful arrangement that builds to something, dare I say, epic. Good background music for taking a dramatic walk when it’s like, -this- close to raining.

22. “To Be Or Not To Be”

This song works in the context of ONEUS mythology and lore but I tend not to really put it on my playlists if I'm simply wanting to experience an emotion or bust out some fun jams. It is a very strange time signature for a jam, but it’s too up-tempo to really be a mood setter.

23. “Intro: Time"

This intro is like... beautiful, but also kind of slutty, and I love that?

24. “A Song Written Easily”

It's good! It's fun! I really like it, I think it's lovely. But it’s not a song I’m going to rec to a friend and assume it will give them an adequate view of what ONEUS is. If anything I’d expect they’d just be like “that was really fun, but it just makes me want to listen to Blood Sweat & Tears.” “and I’d go “yeah me too.”

25. “Twilight”

I overplayed the fuck out of this song when I was first getting into ONEUS, so forgive me for ranking it low. Also, there is a high barrier of entry here for casual listeners even if it is a classic. Do you ever really think about how weird “Twilight” is? Like, the song structure? It’s very weird. I love it.

26. “Stand By”

I decided to make "Stand By" my charity case after seeing a few people dismiss it as their least favorite off Fly With Us, and I wound up loving it so much. That bridge is crazy good! Vocal line blessing us.

27. “Intro: Fly Me to the Moon”

As far as intros go, this is god tier honestly. But it's still only an intro, and I always feel cheated out of a beautiful full song when I hear this. Like, even for an INTRO it feels short.

My Complicated Feelings About A Thousand Stars Tier

28. “A Thousand Stars”

I just made an entirely separate post about this.

That Overenthusiastic Thicc Ssam Ravn Made for Seoho That One Time Tier

Like, there’s a lot here. I like all the parts individually but something about them just doesn’t go down easily.

29. “Youth”

I’ll be honest, I love “Youth” and I think it’s an absolutely beautiful song with a great hook. I’m just firmly out of the demographic for it at this point and that’s a bit alienating. It’s also weak compared to other songs on “DEVIL”

30. “Intro: Devil is in the Details”

It’s a great intro that does some ambitious things, but on its own it doesn’t hold up as well. Intimidating.

31. “Intro: Lived”

I love Leedo and Ravn, but I don't like how this one opens. That said, I love the way this ends.

32. “White Night”

The fact that I had to rank this so low, when it's such a gorgeous ballad, drives home how many pure bangers ONEUS has. I love this song, but I don't really jam out to it, so it's lower in my ranking.

33. “What you doing?”

Please don’t judge me too harshly for this. I just feel like this song could have been performed by another group and there would have been no appreciable difference. I like Cosmik’s songs, but they’re not, in my opinion. the most ONEUS of the ONEUS songs. Which is weird since Cosmik is a bit synonymous with ONEUS. Anyway Keonhee sounds great in this song.

34. “Now”

Same as above, but this one has the added problem of never really going anywhere. That said, the bridge slaps.

35. “Airplane”

I guess one of the proper tracks on Lived had to rank low, and for me it's definitely Airplane. When I listen to it, I have fun, but it's very... how do I put this nicely? Generic. The stages elevated it, absolutely, and otherwise it might rank even lower sadly.

36. “I.P.U.”

I don’t know how to put this nicely, but the only way I want to listen to this song is if ONEUS is singing it in concert, at which point I can imagine it being very emotional. It’s a special song for special occasions and I’m not going to listen to it to have fun.

37. “Outro: Connect with US”

You’d think I’d love the government-assigned SeoJo song, wouldn’t you? I mean, it’s okay.

38. “Eye Contact”

By the time this song hits the chorus, it always gets me and I love it. But the verses leave something to be desired imo. It is firmly a mid-tier song to me, and I feel like this particular musical formula was much better in “Now.” Also please don’t make eye contact with me I have social anxiety.

ZigZag’s Cursed Live Audio Tier

Unfortunate.

39. “Level Up”

WHY is this song so low??? Every time I hear it start I get so hyped up, but I feel like it never delivers on that hype fully. It feels too mid-tempo and generic for what the mix promises. I don't know. I can't explain it. The bridge doesn't lead up to much and that always feels like a betrayal. And because it has so much potential I’m even more disappointed about that.

40. “Intro: Light Us”

I have absolutely no opinion about this intro

41. “English Girl”

I’m way too queer and old for this song. :/

42. “In My Arms”

I don't feel their personalities at all in this song, which makes it stand out from almost all their other tracks. It just doesn't sound like a ONEUS song, to me.

43. “Kiseki”

A rare song that I skip when shuffling through the ONEUS discography

44. “Koisii”

The other rare song I skip when shuffling through the ONEUS discography, but also I would fight it if given the opportunity.

#v.opinions #this took... a couple of weeks #enjoy i guess #v.text

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thebibliomancer · 4 years

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Dark Crystal Age of Resistance ep 6 liveblog

"By Gelfling Hand...”

Huh. I fell off the watching wagon in September. Thats a long time. I’ve probably forgotten all the proper nouns.

Just a stream of thoughts.

So last time in Age of Resistance people finally dreamfast and the age of resisting finally starts. I can’t wait for the Gelfling Rey to show up and stop the one-note Kylan.

Rian has been captured, transferred from one Skeksis to another, and escapes after deciding that he’s not going to escape.

The All-Maudra is dead, long live All-Mauldra Seladon.

Wonder what will happen now, me too.

Deet, Hup, and Brea are under arrest. And now the General wants to drink them.

“These Gelfling have just the vigor we’re looking for. Throw them in. And their little podling too.”

C’mon, Var. Geez. C’mon. Geez. He’s tall for his age.

The only good thing about Skeksis deciding to drink you is that the crystal is all the way back at the castle and they’re not going to want to hurt you or else lessen the vigor.

I’m looking at that jail cell wheel and the gaps are totally big enough for Brea to get out of if she just tries.

Oh hey, Lore senses Brea in need and is leaving his chamber by the magic of bending over to fit through the doorway.

And coincidentally, Rian, Gurjin, Naia, and probably Kylan are all here and saw Brea et al get captured so now they’re going to have an exciting chase scene to try to save them.

-Seladon looking at throne like ‘oh shit oh fuck what have i done-

Pfft she sits on the throne just when Lore decides he wants to leave his horribly hidden chamber and bursts through it like the Kool-Ade Man

OH YEAH

Seladon didn’t even get to enjoy the throne in a conflicted way for more than five seconds. That’s amazing.

Ritual Master: “VAR GEEZ C’MON WHY DID YOU KILL THAT GELFLING GEEZ VAR GEEZ”

General: “The Emperor is forgiving”

Ritual Master: -sass- “Of course! If there’s one quality our Emperor is known for, it’s mercy.”

I never thought that the Ritual Master would be the voice of reason among the Skeksis but hot damn, I’m loving his tone.

Rian standing in the middle of the road like some kind of badass.

But the Rian ruse is a distraction.

Rian: “I heard you were looking for me”

General: ‘this fucking guy’

Rian: ‘Why don’t you come out and say that to my face’

Oh the General is just going to run Rian over with the cart. You can’t accuse him of not being pragmatic.

Ritual Master: ‘I DON’T LIKE ANY OF THIS!’

The rest of the team can’t get the back of the wheel cage open but thankfully Lore out of nowhere.

Lore Out of Nowhere is going to be the name of my band that just turns exposition dumps into songs. Once I learn how to sing, play an instrument, songwrite, or organize groups.

The Skeksis don’t know what Lore is but they’re both appalled and disgusted.

Huh. There are other Gelfling in the wheel cage instead of just protagonists. The paladins that the Skeksis were gathering for the ‘war.’ One can only imagine what they’re making of this.

Lore: -rips the wheel cage door off-

General: -squeaking a little in dismay- “My carriage!”

Oh the paladins are escaping too. I don’t know that they know whats even going on.

Ritual Master: -pokes head at cart to shake his fist and tell the kids to get off his lawn-

Lore: -stomps towards menacingly-

General: “We should escape without delay!”

Ritual Master: -sass- “At long last, you’ve had a good idea!”

And they swerve around Rian instead of running him over because he’s still just standing in the middle of the road like an idiot. Mighty courteous of the Skeksis or the pillbugs to not vehicular gelflingslaughter him.

Brea gives Rian a hug so Deet gives him a longer, lingering hug.

Pls no love triangle. Pls.

Paladins still not know shit start hubbubbing about how Rian is a traitor and a murderer.

Brea: ‘Nuh uh!’

Rian: “Everything the Skeksis ever told us was a lie. But its hard to recognize the light when you’ve spent your whole life in the dark.”

So clearly you should all get- yup Rian is like lets do a huge dreamfast circle.

And hey, good idea! He says afterwards they should spread throughout Thra dreamfasting with all gelfling to share the truth.

Paladin: “I will dreamfast with you!”

Another Paladin: “I will dreamfast with you!”

A third Paladin: “I’m Spartacus and so’s my wife!”

Oh, cool. Funeral for the Dead-Maudra. There’s a cool sounding tradition for the death of the All-Maudra. “The windsifters will deliver six pieces of her crown to six Maudras that they might come together to reassemble it and place it upon the brow of the new All-Maudra.”

That’s pretty neat. A ritual to restate the unity of the Gelfling clans and publicly endorse the new All-Maudra as legitimate.

I have a feeling that its not going to go to Seladon’s liking though.

Woo gelfling song.

Oh the windsifters are like. Batbirds.

I had been thinking that they were like a type of gelfling job, like couriers or something.

More gelfling beastmastery is nice too though.

Seladon: “Gelfling need an All-Maudra who won’t be swayed from the path set for us by the Lords of the Crystal. A beacon of light in these dark times. I shall be that All-Maudra.”

The, uh, librarian guy says that they should get around to the burial rites and return the Dead-Maudra to Thra but Seladon is going Creon from Antigone and saying that her mom isn’t going to get burial rites because she was a traitor. She is going to be cremated instead.

This is sure to endear Seladon to the Gelfling people who thought the All-Maudra was neat despite all evidence.

Librarian guy: “FOR SHAME!”

Seladon: “For Thra.”

Oh shit the Chamberlain limps into the Stone-in-Wood village after surviving that carriage crash last time and yells at everyone to bring him water and good and just generally do stuff for him. But the Gelfling all just kind of awkwardly shut their doors and ignore him.

And also throw stuff at him.

-Gelfling closes door-

Chamberlain: “I see you! I SEE YOU!”

Chamberlain: “How could you? I protect you! YOU OWE ME!”

Aw shit again, news of the Skeksis drinking people has spread here already and the Gelflings have no patience for Skeksis anymore.

And since Chamberlain keeps hanging around screaming instead of leaving, they start throwing rocks and fruit and possibly poo until he runs away.

Hey remember how you let Rian get away, Chamberlain? You goofed. You done goofed.

Scroll-Keeper: “The General and the Ritual Master have returned. ...Without the promised volunteers.”

Ornamentalist: -laughing- “The Emperor won’t liiiiike that!”

Scroll-Keeper: -chuckling- “No.”

-both start cackling-

I love how shitty the Skeksis are to each other.

Some of the promised volunteers that escaped somehow made it back to the castle BEFORE the General and Ritual Master and have been spreading the truth.

Oh, hm. So you can dreamfast with someone. But you can’t then dreamfast the memories you saw in a dreamfast. So the escaped tribute basically has to go ‘yeah but just trust me, I saw what I saw in the psychic vision with the guy who is supposedly has brain sick’

But a lot of things are added up.

The death of Mira. The weird sudden calling for volunteers. The death of the All-Maudra.

A guard: “Yes! Spread the word and gather arms. We take this castle this very night!”

I cherish your optimism, guy.

It’d be a huge blow against the Skeksis but it feels doomed to fail. Plus one of the guards wasn’t as enthusiastic about the idea as the others and is probably going to snitch.

Oh dang I was ready to say that none of the new landscapes really match up to the bubblegloop swamp from the movie but the sweeping view of the Crystal Desert was pretty beautiful, if not as lively.

Kylan, I think: “They say the sands never stop shifting. Crossing the desert on foot will be as easy as walking on water.”

That’s that good shit.

Naia: “Must you complain about everything?”

Gurjin: “Its not my fault that everything is terrible.”

I appreciate you, Gurjin.

Uh oh. It seems like everything has finally hit Brea and she’s having a melancholy moment.

Brea: “I keep thinking that if I turn my head fast enough, I’ll see my mother’s face. Or if I listen hard enough, I’ll hear her voice. .. But I won’t.”

Brea: “I should be there to bury her!” Ooooof. Bad news there, Brea.

Deet suggests that they do their own ceremony there and Brea says that would help.

Deet: “Thats what friends do. They help.”

Brea: -sad hug, sobs- “You’re a true friend!”

Aww.

(Support Conversation rank A. After the time skip, they will be married)

Archer Ur Ru carefully rolling up stuff in a leaf for eats.

Aughra: “LONG NECK THERE YOU ARE”

Archer: -spills his entire lunch, sighs-

So Aughra’s problem is that she understands the situation now and all the pieces on the board but not how everything is going to end. There are many possible outcomes and she’s got to try for the best one.

I’ll say that two gelflings left finally healing the crystal cannot have been the Golden Ending. Maybe try harder, Aughra.

Archer: -seeing where she’s going with this- “And where does my path lead?”

Aughra: “Into the sands to face the Hunter”

Archer: … -sighs- “I cannot defeat my dark half”

Aughra: “You will find a way. But not without sacrifice.”

Holy shit Aughra are you telling him to kill himself? That’s kinda dark.

I mean, Skeksis and Ur Ru are quantum linked or whatev. Archer could just. Injure himself to the point that the Hunter can’t leap and gambol about the treetops anymore. Or ask Aughra to.

Aughra: “Get a move on. You Mystics are not known for your swift speed.”

Geez, Aughra. You dump a task like this on a guy and then call him a slowpoke.

Archer: “Will we meet again?”

Aughra: -hesitates for like a minute- “Some things even Aughra cannot see.”

Archer: -sighs harder-

And then she’s off to Stone-in-the-Wood to prevent a terrible mistake apparently. Hope it wasn’t throwing produce at Chamberlain because ship sailed.

Rian: “Life and death are a circle… not a line. There is no end, no beginning. Today, our beloved All-Maudra has returned to Thra. Though we cannot be there to guide her essence home… we will sing her memory across the wind. I will bind your words into a dream-stitch. All those who find this seed will know her as you did. Speak for the dead. Share your best memory that we may all know her goodness.”

I don’t have snark. This is just a beautiful ritual.

Now Rian is having feelings about his dad.

Like I get he’s feeling like his father actually loved him because he died for him but. C’mon. I feel like we’re sweeping the bad parenting under the rug.

“I love you. Get out of bed.” Wow. The All-Maudra was something.

‘When I looked at her eyes as the light faded out of them I realized that ‘I love you’ actually meant ‘I love you’’

Hup is a good singer.

Rian, why are you and Deet staring at each other longingly across a funeral fire?

Seladon: “I loved you with all I had” -sets her mom’s body on fire- “I’m sorry it was not enough.”

Mm. This is some contrast. In rites.

Oh the dream-stitch is just like flying off into the sky. That’s neat.

OH THE MUTINY IS NOT GOING WELL AT ALL

Gourmand: “I hope you taste better than you fight”

GOD DAMN

Okay the Stonewood Maudra Fara has shown up to Ha’ra.

oh geeez

Maudra Fara revered the All-Maudra so hearing she was killed going against the Skeksis makes her go ‘cool imma avenge her’

Also, this: Maudra Fara: “Several of your paladins are travelling the land telling a different story.”

Seladon is handling this as a reasonable individual.

Fara: “You speak madness”

Seladon: “I SPEAK… as the All-Maudra.”

Chamberlain comes home and finds the castle in shambles. And Skeksis freely peeing and farting on everything.

Seems like they just go full slob when they don’t have to put on a good face for the Gelflings.

Chamberlain is pretty disgusted at how gross things have gotten since he’s been gone but he perks up when he thinks he’ll be able to curry favor with the Emperor.

But nope. The big wild party is still going on and the Skeksis are binging on essence and foods. So the Emperor is feeling pretty good.

Gourmand: “Don’t worry, we kept the podlings.”

Chamberlain has to be a buzzkill.

Chamberlain: “I bring terrible news! Cease all merrymaking!”

Emperor: “I see you standing there but no Rian. What do you have to say before I punish you for your continued FAILURE?”

Shouldn’t’ve interrupted his hedonism, Sil.

Chamberlain: -had fruits thrown at him-

Chamberlain: “I faced grave danger!”

Chamberlain tries to argue that hey the open and rising revolt by gelfling clans is a Bad Thing Actually but the Emperor is feeling too buzzed.

-everybody laughs in Chamberlain’s face-

Emperor: “The General set us free! Never again will the Skeksis have to bear the burden of pretending to care for these useless Gelfling.

But who will make your food or- oh right, they’re going to enslave the podlings.

General: ‘HEY I HAVE AN IDEA LETS DRINK ALL THE STONEWOOD’

Everyone: ‘WOO THE PARTY NEVER STOPS’

And then they make fun of how much the Chamberlain stinks because he had fruit thrown at him.

They’ve been peeing on the furnishing and they tell Chamberlain to go take a bath.

I’d feel bad for him but y’know.

OH SHIT TAVRA, THE COOL SISTER

OH SHIT SHE HASN’T HEARD ABOUT HER MOM

Tavra: “Then she died doing what she had to do. What she always did. Protecting Gelfling”

Ehhhhh, speak well of the dead I guess.

Ok so i guess the rest of the Maudra have shown up. Except Maudra of the Grot who just sent the piece of crown back. Its just too bright up there.

So the Grot, the Vapra, the Spriton, the Sifa, the Dousan all support Seladon’s inauguration but the Stonewood and Drenchen withhold.

This has apparently never happened.

Fara: “The All-Maudra has not always been a Vapra”

Fara: “A war is coming and Seladon is not the one to lead us”

Yup thought something adjacent to this would happen.

Seladon: “It was my mother’s crown. It belongs to me!”

Fara: “I would have followed her into a nest of spitters, but not you!”

gasp

Fara: “I challenge Seladon for the Living Crown”

Oh snap

“We cannot challenge the Skeksis!”

Fara: “They are few, we are many.”

The dramatic irony here is palpable.

Seladon: “Maudra Fara has invoked a challenge. It is her right to choose the nature”

Fara: “Trial by air”

-gasps-

A Maudra: “Tests and trials are the Skeksis ways, not ours!”

Apparently Seleadon is a contender being smart and careful but Fara is pretty confident.

Fara: “I will take no pleasure in besting you…. Childling.”

Wow Fara gonna condescend on top of it all.

And back to the desert.

The Dousan! The desert gelfling! Apparently they barely leave the desert and are forbidden from being castle guards for some reason!

He seems fun.

Dousan Guy: “To the great All. May the dead become one with Thra again. May we feel their tears in the rain. And their warmth in the suns. Though they are gone, they remain with us still.”

Brea: “That was beautiful.”

Dousan Guy: “But a trifle compared to your emotion.”

Oh they got the dream-stitch thing.

Ah. Reky’yr. Sandmaster.

Rek’yr is a smooth guy. He’s giving Brea a bone protection charm and offering to carry the group across the desert.

He’s the most helpful Gelfling they’ve met so far.

Oh. Until they mention they’re going to a place considered a cursed ruin and then he gets cold feet.

But Brea shames him into it by calling him a coward.

Brea: “You don’t trust Rek’yr?”

Rian: “Well for starters. He’s a Dousan.” Wow. Ok. Racist. “They’re obsessed with death!”

Brea: “They’re not obsessed.”

Rian: “HE GAVE YOU BONES”

I really hope Rian is proven wrong in his kneejerk suspicion.

And then Naia, Gurjin, and Kylan peace out to join the spreading the news group of the plot. They recognize that they’re secondary cast and there’s no room for them in this subplot.

BOLD GURJIN! THANK YOU RIAN YOU’VE DONE SOMETHING GOOD AND GIVEN HIM HIS ADJECTIVE!

Hunter: -spots the party on the flying thing- “So. The hunt continues.”

Okay so trial by air is like a flying race. And everyone telling Fara not to be afraid of Seladon because she’s just a child makes me think that its not going to be so easy.

And that Fara is going to be for a rude awakening.

Oh god. Seladon is late to the challenge because she’s been dressing Extra Extra. Like a Skeksis.

I really can’t overemphasize how Aesthetic Seladon has suddenly become.

And then she’s like ‘hey fara take the crown i don’t even want it its nasty’

Fara: ‘u wot m8’

Seladon: ‘Its cool i made a cooler, gother crown. Its much cooler.’

Fara is mighty pissed at this but Seladon just grabs her and throws her across the room and breaks the Living Crown with her.

Seladon: “Gelfling turning on Gelfling. We stand on the brink of anarchy. Bow before me, Maudra Fara. And together we will prove our loyalty to the Skeksis and snuff this fire before it burns us all.”

Fara: “As you burned your own mother.”

Damn Fara is good at burning Seladon.

And Seladon can only go ‘yeah well gtfo my city’

You know I was wondering how the trial by air would be portrayed. Flying gelfling is well within the special effects that they’ve already shown but a race would be different. But Seladon decided ‘screw that actually’

Ah well.

And then Fara and the Drenchan Maudra peace out.

And the other Maudras are like ‘geez Seladon geez’

Seladon: “And what will you three choose. Order or chaos?”

A Maudra: “This is not the gelfling way!”

Seladon: “It. Is. Now.”

Oh you three are going to bow? You cowards.

This is the Age of Resistance, not the Age of Follow Seladon She Has Some Good Ideas.

Well I thought that the clans were in revolt but it seems mostly just the Drenchen and the Stonewood. And standing alone against the Skeksis and the other clans is not going to go well for them.

In general, the feeling ‘oh we should definitely trust our autocratic overlords they know whats best’ has been panning out really bad.

#dark crystal #dark crystal age of resistance #liveblog #episode 6

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violetsforkino · 6 years

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‘riveriver’ vol. 17 ☾ march '18 ( translated by yutopia )

pentagon violet moment

delicately beautiful heart-broken love song to color the street into violet

the great ambition of self-produced idol

pentagon debuted with 'gorilla’ in japan in march last year recorded a good sales result with their 2nd japan original mini album 'violet’. started with 'violet’, a hit song handled by member kino for the first time, it also included 4 original japanese songs, and shone with the weekly no. 1 ranking in all tower record branches.

the perfect 10 members cherish team work and take care of staff. they will check out videos of overseas artists when they have time, and face music seriously every day. they understand themselves better than everyone else, and the strong ability of members to produce in their own directions is the biggest advantage of pentagon.

which song is your favorite one in the album 'violet’? kino: 'love’, since i feel like it is a song we sing for fans. yuto: me too. it’s a song that’s easy to remember. yanan: should be the title track 'violet’ (japanese version). it’s a song full of kino’s love. jinho: yeah, i think so! it’s also a song written by our adorable brother. wooseok: the melody is good enough to get you goosebumps. shinwon: it’s in a very painful and sad vibe. hui: i’ll choose 'up up up!’. it’s very delightful and i’ll feel better as i sing. e'dawn: me too! i like the song itself, not to mention the performance making it even more enjoyable! hongseok: i’ll choose 'wake up’. i like japanese anime very much. i think it will be very catchy as a theme song of anime.

please appeal to us any point in the title track 'violet’ to listen kino: same as the korean version, that yuto saying 'yuto-da’ before his rap. it sounds very sweet and i’m satisfied. i’ve never thought that this phrase will be so suitable in such a delicate song (laugh). yeoone: it should be the harmony between the sad lyrics and the beautiful melody anyway. i usually like this kind of song. e'dawn: my own part (laugh), because i rap wholeheartedly. yanan: i think so, probably. you can’t be unconfident to your own part. wooseok: no matter how many times kino sings, 'yeah violet yeah,’ at last, i still like this.

korean version is co-produced by kino, e'dawn, yuto, and wooseok jinho: the lyrics are very nice itself, especially kino who is used to reading a lot of books and i think he is emotional. we’ll be happy if you listen to the song while paying attention to the lyrics. kino: i always want to compose a song in the theme of my favorite color purple. but it’s a bit different to express love or emotion with purple… anyway, i wrote the lyrics with the thought of having more people feel empathy. hongseok: it expresses a painful feeling gently. i like this kind of view of the world. shinwon: 'your words are as pretty as a flower’ (korean lyrics). the lyric is a point as well. it sounds very dramatic.

how’s the choreography? hui: in the 2nd chorus, there’s a dance presenting the image of flower. please check out that part!

kino also took part in composition. after it’s finished, who’s the first one to listen? kino: shinwon hyung. he told me that 'it’s a very nice song,’ and i was very happy.

'violet is a kind of flower’ what is your favorite flower kino: digitalis (foxgloves). as i mentioned before, i like purple the best. therefore i think purple digitalis are very good. hui: mine is usnea. i think the color is very pretty. hongseok: mine is hibiscus syriacus (korean rose). it’s the national flower of korea hongseok: yes. flowers in pink are very beautiful. anyone who choose in the reasons other than color? yeoone: rose! since it’s the most passionate flower. e'dawn: camomile. it’s very cute. yuto: i like dandelion. wooseok: my favorite one is saffron. yanan: i prefer trees over flowers. jinho: i’m… not interested in flowers (laugh).

'beautiful’ one of track list is composed, written, and arranged by mr. jung ilhoon from btob in the same company. yanan: he is a senior who always supports us. i learned a lot in the opportunity to spend time with him. wooseok: it’s happy to have a further relationship with ilhoon hyung. hongseok: he also told us that 'let’s compose together if there’s a chance. jinho: he gave us direction nicely during the recording. what advice did he provide at the site? yeoone: he said 'if you sing confidently, it can be conveyed to the fans for sure.’ kino: during the recording, although there’s many difficulties, he praised us, 'you did well,’ and we became more eager to do better. e'dawn: when we are praised, we felt more natural and got more power. hongseok: he praised me, 'your voice is very good.’ hui: these praise gave us a lot of confidence, and he gave us many advices as well. yuto: such as, 'try your best to be aware of the strong and weak of the song. wooseok: 'try to imagine the image of each word one by one,’ he said. shinwon: he gave us detailed direction of the atmosphere of the song, and we could complete the recording safely.

each of you participated in the production including lyrics and melodies. when and how do you usually compose and write? kino: once there’s a melody or lyrics appearing in my mind, i will arrange the compositoin immediately. jinho: when a melody or idea appears, instead of working alone, i will discuss with others when i am writing. hui: i compose songs according to the mood of the day. wooseok: i also brainstorm lyrics in the mood of the day. e'dawn: i’m not the type of 'in the mood of the day.’ i always keep processing composition every day. yuto: when i am producing music, i always have myself bear in mind to explore my imagination broadly. hongseok: i’m not quite used to doing it myself, so i foten do it with kino. i will discuss concept and theme with kino in the process.

which artists or producers are you influenced by?hui: i’m influenced by mr. yoon jongshin greatly. kino: mura masa, a producer from the u.km and a singer-songwriter troy sivan. i feel like i share similar emotion with the two and i am also influenced at the production aspect. e'dawn: i want to produce music that gives others power like michael jackson does. wooseok: for me, it’s american hip-hop artist joey badass! shinwon: i’m much influenced by one direction member harry styles. i’m thinking about trying to compose with guitar like he does. yeoone: i’m not influenced by particular artist. i just listen to new age music a lot.

not only pentagon’s songs, hui also handled wanna one’s 'energetic’ and 'never’, showered in the spotlight in the name of 'composition idol’ in a leap. hui: i am sincerely grateful to the attention towards my music, i feel honored. i will work hard to present music in different genres hereafter.

2017 is a very compacted year. look back then, how do you feel> kino: since we did a lot of things, i think we really worked hard as pentagon. jinho: i feel like all the things i wanted to do were achieved, so it’s a proud year. shinwon: it’s a very good standing point towards 2018. wooseok: but i think we are still at the starting line. e'dawn: i think it’s a year that we have ot be thankful to those who support us.

if you praise yourself at this moment? yanan: we shouldn’t praise ourselves, because we’re still not good enough.

then, if you give yourself a yell, what would you say other than 'what a hard year! fighting for this year too!’? hui: i want to say 'don’t forget your initial resolution this year!’ e'dawn: 'don’t forget your thankful heart’

other than yourself, if you have to choose a member to give out some messages, to whom and what will you tell him? yuto: i want to tell yeoone hyung that 'what a hard work for drama shooting!e'dawn: i will tell yanan that, 'thank you for being the mascot of pentagon’ wooseok: i will say to yanan hyung as well, 'let’s work hard hereafter!’ kino: i will say to hui hyung. although 2017 is tremendously hard year, he put so much effort in for pentagon. 'don’t feel stressful from now, huiting!’ jinho: i want to say something to hui, too. 'for being a leader, and writing songs for us, i am always grateful!’ shinwon: i want to tell hui and e'dawn hyung who participated in triple h that, 'here you have run without any rest in 2017, it’s been really hard!’ hui: i want to tell all the members that, 'you’ve worked hard this whole year. from now on, let’s do our best as happily as we do at this moment!’ yeoone: i also want to say, 'what a hard year,’ to all of us. hongsoek: we have overcme a lot of difficulties in this year. yanan: i want to praise us, but we may have feel self-satisfied, so i chose not to praise! (laugh).

what’s your personal target this year? kino: i want to give out better songs. hui: i want to compose many songs. jinho: i want to compose good songs! yeoone: i still want the group to shine on the 1st place of music program. hongseok: i want to try on dramas, movies, and musicals, etc! yuto: to train up my ability in rap, lyrics, and composition. shinwon: i want to have myself grown more. e'dawn: i want to show a better me! wooseok: i want to work out harder and build up my body. yanan: i want to work hard in order to be able to have promotions in china.

finally we’ll have leader to tell us pentagon’s ambition this year hui: we hope to have more meeting with universe who loves pentagon, and to deliver our music to more people. to get more love, we will do our best hereafter!

after going through mnet 'pentagon maker’, they debuted in 2016. they are a 10-member group with multi-nationalities included korean, japanese, and chinese. they debuted in japan in march 2017. the members share a strong bond with each other, and their biggest charm is that all of them are able to compose and write. the japan 2nd original mini album 'violet’ released on 17 jan became a good start of 2018.

#pentagon #ot10 #interview #translation #riveriver

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jswdmb1 · 7 years

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Song for a Winter’s Night

“If I could only have you near To breathe a sigh or two I would be happy just to hold the hands I love On this winter's night with you”

- Gordon Lightfoot

The holidays can be a tough time for a lot of folks. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m one of those people. It’s even harder when you have had a rough year leading up to it and don’t feel much like celebrating. But, there are certain things about Christmas that I love and probably most is that it ushers in winter. Winter is such a maligned season and I have cursed it in the past. I still don’t like the cold, but I do like the fact that it brings a quieter and calmer time of year that gives opportunity for reflection and resetting. To me, the best way to go about that is with some good seasonal music. Notice I didn’t say Christmas. There are certainly Christmas songs I like, but there are others that fit the season well into the rest of the winter. As such, I give you my winter season playlist.

Now, before I give you the songs, I warn you to tread lightly. Christmas songs are like the food and drink we encounter this time of year. Some is good, a lot is bad, and taking it in reasonable doses is usually the best approach. I personally refuse to listen to any Christmas music until about a week or two before the actual holiday and I steer clear of those stations that go all holiday on November 1st and repeat the same crappy songs for two months. So, for a slightly different take on holiday music, I have put together a seasonal playlist. The full list is at the end of this post, and I’ll share on Spotify through Facebook as well. But first, a few highlights:

Jesus Is Just Alright - If Christmas is all about JC (it is) and if JC is still OK (for sure) then this is the perfect Christmas song. I really don’t understand why I have never heard it as such. Written as a gospel tune during the late 60s it has been covered by many artists. I love the popular version put out by the Doobie Brothers in the 70s. If you listen to this song, I guarantee it will fire up the true meaning of Christmas in your groovy soul.

Santa Claus Go Straight to The Ghetto - When I first saw that James Brown did a Christmas song, I thought here comes the funk and some tongue in cheek humor. Instead, I got smacked across the face with a touching heartfelt song that makes you realize this holiday can be brutally hard on those living in poverty. James literally begs Santa to go first where he is needed most and to skip The Godfather of Soul himself because he has already had his chance. It is as genuine a Christmas song as you’ll ever hear, and don’t worry, it still has some soul along with a funky sax solo.

Christmas In Chicago - When I started this list, I had a lot of ironic and cynical selections. I quickly realized that is not how I really feel about the season. One song from that group remained however. It’s a blues song, so it’s not going to be all mistletoe and ho ho ho, but it’s not necessarily cynical. Instead it’s a reminder similar to the song above that not everyone is as fortunate as we are and puts things in perspective. Plus, how could I leave a song with that title off the list.

Midnight in Harlem - This song is neither a Christmas song nor a winter song but for some reason it fits both for me. It is a beautiful song and reminds me of someone telling a story about traveling back to New York for the holidays with perhaps a broken relationship to repair. Every time I hear it, I imagine someone walking up a cold street with the wind blowing in his or her face working up the courage to face someone from their past in one last reconciliation attempt. Why all that makes me feel like Christmas, I don’t know, but trust me that is the least of my problems as far as being normal goes.

January Hymn - First of all, how could a band named the Decemberists not make this list? This is another song that really captures the mood about winter especially in those days after the holidays are over and you realize that the season is just setting in. I really think that’s what gives winter such a bad rap. Four days into it, everyone blows themselves out on Christmas and then counts down the remaining 86 days until Spring. This song celebrates those last 86 days versus wishing them away.

Put a Little Love in Your Heart - Other than possibly the aforementioned Mr. James Brown, is there a groovier soul around than the Reverend Green? My biggest regret is that I didn’t get to hear him preach when I visited Memphis in June (he has a church near Graceland that he opened in the seventies and he still holds services every Sunday). Pair him up with an angel like Annie Lennox and you have a killer duet. While the song fits this season perfectly, it’s probably my favorite song on this list and will be on my playlists long after the last present is returned.

Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth - The Little Drummer Boy is my favorite traditional Christmas song, and no one sang it better than Bing Crosby. The story is that Bowie thought the song was corny, so they wrote the Peace on Earth part to satisfy him. Rather than pull rank, Bing was up for the challenge and beautifully anchors the duet in the background. His move through the traditional verses is stirring while at the same time completely gentle. It would be one of the last things he recorded as he passed away a few months later. What a beautiful and gracious note to end on and to leave for us as a gift to celebrate for every Christmas.

Imagine - This is not a Christmas song, and Happy Xmas gets all the play, but nothing sums up how we should be feeling at this time of year better than this song. It’s especially poignant given that Lennon was killed less than three weeks before Christmas. I will never get over his senseless murder and the song never fails to be a powerful reminder that more peace and less violence are the gifts we need above all in this world.

The Christmas Song - A lot of people like to criticize Dave Matthews songwriting abilities and some of it is justified, but it is also unfair to some of the great songs he has written. My favorites like this one, Bartender, and The Stone have deeply religious undertones. For me personally, no one has ever told the story of Jesus better than in this song. Every time I listen to it, I marvel at just how regular of a guy Jesus was while at the same time doing his best to save us all, probably in vain. I know it’s a high standard, but I wish more so called religious folks would follow suit and get more humble and less pious, Particularly at this time of year, we need to that we are all soul searchers and will be to the day we die.

So, if you are having a tough time getting into the Christmas spirit, or are just sick of hearing the same songs on the radio, start a fire (ideally in a fireplace otherwise that is arson), get comfy and listen to these songs that hopefully get you in a reflective mode and looking forward to the winter season to come. If that doesn’t work, just remember Spring is only 96 days away.

Cheers,

Jim

Gordon Lightfoot - Song for a Winter’s Night

The Doobie Brothers – Jesus Is Just Alright with Me

James Brown – Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto

Pet Shop Boys – It Doesn’t Often Snow at Christmas

Leon Russell – Christmas In Chicago

Eagles – Please Come Home for Christmas

Tedeschi Trucks Band – Midnight in Harlem

The Shins – Wonderful Christmastime

Run-DMC – Christmas in Hollis

Oasis – Merry Christmas Everybody

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Christmas All Over Again

Natalie Merchant – Children Go Where I Send Thee

The Decemberists – January Hymn

Al Green & Annie Lennox – Put a Little Love in Your Heart

Bing Crosby & David Bowie – Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth

John Lennon – Imagine

Dave Matthews Band – Christmas Song

You are going to have to wait for this one which is my favorite Christmas song of all time as it gets its own post next week 😊

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thebookventureroftroy · 7 years

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My review/ranking of Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation’

Only read on if you like long posts coz this is a lonnngggg one

So I’m currently on Holidays and really bored so here’s my post reviewing and ranking the song’s from Taylor Swift’s new album. I downloaded it last weekend and it took me a while week to listening to kind of solidify an order of favourites for this one. There’s some really good ones.

I’m not like a mega-Taylor Swift fan, she’s more like a problematic fave. I have admired her songwriting prowess for a really long time though. I was really nervous ahead of the release for this one because I didn't particularly like the singles she released before it (except for ready for it) and I was like “Oh boy, this is it. This is the time I don’t buy Taylor’s new album.” And, well, I bought it. And she's hooked me in again.

I actually like that she kept her best stuff for the album release though. Usually its the other way around. As a whole, I like that Taylor is experimenting with new sounds and styles. it’s a natural progression for most artists around this point in their career and I think for the most part she’s succeeding. There are a like a couple of songs on this album that I don’t really like and after that they’re just all good in my opinion so I’m starting from the bottom and working my way up so it ends on a positive note.

A word before we start, my reaction towards songs comes a lot from the music before the lyrics, which I think is the opposite to a lot other Taylor fans. Lyrical connection is usually the second criteria in whether or not I like them. And then sing-ability is a factor as well.

Anyway, I’ll stop rambling.

Here we go.

15. This is why we can’t have nice things

Soooooooo I know this is on a lot of people’s favourite lists but I really didn’t like it. And it’s not because of the story. I usually love sassy Taylor. Some of my favourite songs of her’s are about her ripping on people. They’re usually the most fun. But I guess it’s just the way it sounds. i don’t like the way she drags the chorus and it sounds very musically disjointed. It’s the most displeasing to listen to out of all the songs on the album (And i thought my least favourite would be Look what you made me do) Anyway…like all of Taylor’s songs, it will probably grow on my because it is also really catchy but for now I can’t rank it any higher. Sorry guys.

Best lyric: Probs “Friends don’t try to twist you, get you on the phone and mind trick you.” It’s fun to sing, I guess.

Worst lyric: “NICE. THINGS. DAR. LING.”

14. End Game

I feel bad because I really wanted to like her collab with Ed Sheeran but in the it felt a little flat. First of all, it sounds like a Drake song. I feel like this is also Ed’s fault. He tends to borrow stuff from other artists in his songwriting (though Taylor has done this a few times on the album so I suppose I can’t hold it against them). I don’t really like Future’s verse. I do like Ed’s though. It’s probably the best part of the song. Taylor’s is a little boring.

Best Lyric: “I swear I don’t love the drama, it loves me” (also when Ed pipes up with “end game” in the last part.)

Worst Lyric: All of Future’s verse. It’s really boring and unmemorable.

13. Gorgeous

Ok so this was the single that made me fear for Reputation. I do not like this song. Actually, that’s a lie, having listened to it so much while determining this ranking it’s actually starting to grow on me. I don’t like the slurring of Gorgeous and the melody of the verses makes me feel uncomfortable. The beat is also really boring. But mostly I just find it annoying. At least Look what you made me do is annoying in an interesting/memorable way. Anyway, the reason this isn’t last is because, while I don’t really like it, I also think it’s a better written and crafted song than the previous two.

best lyric: “I guess I’ll just stumble on home to my cats………….unless you wanna come along” (at least it’s funny)

Worst lyric: “I’ve got a boyfriend he’s older than us” So I’m mad because every line of this song sounds like it’s about Tom Hiddleston except this one. I’m by no means a Hiddleswift fan but I’m convinced that Taylor started writing this song when she was dating Tom Hiddleston and then changed a couple of the lyrics to make it about Joe before including it on the album. That’s my conspiracy theory and I’m sticking to it.

12. Look What You Made Me Do

Truth time. I don’t actually hate this song. I mean, I should. It’s quite bad. But it’s also…not actually that bad? I mean, the Chorus is terrible, and half the time I change songs once it hits the chorus. But I like the rest of it. And I was blown away by the music video too. That production value man. Keep it up Taylor. Can you do I Did Something Bad next?

Best Lyric: “BUT I GOT SMARTER, I GOT HARDER IN THE NICK OF TIME. HONEY I ROSE UP FRON THE DEAD I DO IT ALL THE TIME. I GOT A LIST OF NAMES AND YOUR’S IS IN RED, UNDERLINED” (I know everyone loves “I don’t trust nobody and nobody trust me,” but this one is the most fun to sing out of the whole song. I love it. It’s the reason I kept replaying this song over and over again when it came out.

Worst Lyric: “look what you made me do…. look what you made me do…look what you just made me do look just what you made me do” (seriously, Taylor? you’re more creative than that)

11. Dress

Ok we’re getting to the good songs now, so i’ll probably be a lot less critical. This song isn’t bad it’s just unmemorable. I usually love sexy Taylor but this song just doesn’t click for me. Maybe coz I don’t really feel any connection to it. It’s smooth af though so it’ll probably stay in my regular playlist.

Best lyric: “Say my name and everything just stops” *music stops. YAASSS TAYLOR

Worst Lyric: There aren’t really any. I don't love it but it’s still classic Taylor songwriting so….

10. Call It What You Want

So when this song was released as a single I didn’t really like it either. I thought it was a little boring. Having listened to it a bunch times though I now find it so cuuuuteee. Happy Taylor is so adorable, I love it. Dress is probably more dynamically interesting, but I ranked this one higher because the lyrics make me feel all fuzzy. It’s reminiscent of classic Taylor (Remember “Ours"? Still one of my favourites)

Best Lyric: “I want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck, not because I owns me, because he really knows me” awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww so cuuuuuuuuuuuutteeeeeeeee

Worst Lyric: There’s not really a bad lyric, but I’m not a huge fan of the melody in the verses.

9. New Year’s Day

Ok, so this is in this spot because I didn’t dislike it when I first listened to it, but it also doesn't particularly stand out to me. It is a beautifully written song and I lovvveee that she ended the album with it. It’s a gorgeous closing track and I can see her closing the tour with it (I’ve got my fingers crossed that she’ll film the Reputation tour so poor uni students like me can still see it coz it’s gonna be amazing). Anyway, raw honest music like this is why we fell in love with Taylor in the first place and its great that while she’s experimenting with new sounds and styles she still comes back to her classic style. It’s just a nice track at the end of a whirlwind journey, Kind of like new year’s day, I guess (OHHHH, I guess that’s what you were going for).

Best Lyric: “Hold on to the memories they will hold on to you” (but also “I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on new year’s day” coz those harmonies are stunning.)

Worst Lyric: Can’t find one. Guys, she’s such a good songwriter I can’t even

8. So It Goes

And now we’re at the part of the list where it’s getting hard to actually rank them. But here we go with “So it Goes.” Now this is the sexy Taylor I love. It’s very satisfying to listen to. I love how the Chorus is subdued and then the sexy beat picks up in the chorus. It’s just a really good song. very chill and sexy.

Best Lyric: “Wear you like a necklace. I’m so chill but you make me jelaaaasss” (I’ve previously not liked how Taylor slurs her lyrics but I really like this one. Very sexy) I also love the whispered counting too. Oh and “You know I’m not a bad girl but I’d do bad things with you.” Taylor

Worst Lyric: We’re at the point in the list where there aren’t really any bad lyrics. This is why she's a Queen songwriter.

7. …Ready for It

Ok so this is the best out of the singles Taylor released before the album. I liked this one from the second I heard it. It’s very fun and I listened to it a lot walking to the bust stop every day, learning the lyrics. It’s very fun. And sexy (why the robot music video though…I don’t….this song is about passionate love not….ah forget it). Jury’s still out on whether or not I like rapper Taylor. If I had to point out a weakness I’d say the verses. But Chorus is sooo good and fun and sexy, and I love the build up to it. I dunno. I just like the song. It’s a lot of fun.

Best Lyric: The whole Chorus.

Worst Lyric: You know what? I’m just going to remove this category from the rest of the rankings.

6. King of my Heart

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee this song is just adorable. It’s so cute and lovely and happy. I also like the different sounds and beats she plays with in this song. And she just sounds so happy. Go Taylor. I feel like a proud sister. Also, Taylor’s mastery of her low register is the best thing that’s ever happened to her.

Best Lyric: …..Probably the whole chorus again. “and all at once you’re all I want, I’ll never let you go, KING IF MY HEARRRTTTT. (Soooo cute)

5. Delicate

I like this one because it’s classic ballad Taylor and it doesn’t feel like the song is dragging, probably because of the beat under it. It moves it along without feeling distracting or out of place. It feels…well…delicate. (come on, you knew that was coming!). But yeah, I really like this one, it’s also really cute. I love all her cute songs, particularly about Joe because she’s just so darn happy in that relationship. I also like the subtle build through the song.

Best Lyric: “My reputation’s never been worse so you must like me for me” awwwww tayylorrr

4. Getaway Car

Boy did this song fly up my ranking list. It wasn’t originally this high up the list in early rankings but boy did it grow on me. Like all the best Taylor songs do. A lot of my favourite songs are like literal storytelling songs. It’s lyrically interesting and has a fun musicality to it.

Best Lyric: “should have known I’d be the first to leave, think about the place where you first met me” and “Nothing good starts in a get-a-way car”

3. Dancing with our Hands Tied.

Ok so this sounds like a tatu song. Not a bad thing, just an observation. The racing beat is classic tatu. Anyway, This is my favourite love song on the album. In the same way that I Know Places was my favourite song on 1989. The two also have quite a bit in common thematically, about hiding a relationship (Huh, maybe that’s why it reminds me of Tatu so much). She’s good at crafting songs like these because she musically captures the feeling of running and hiding and then I feel like I’m running and hiding with her. It’s great. I love clever songwriter Taylor Swift. I love that it gets a little faster every verse. And I loved the beat drop in the chorus.

Best Lyric: I LOVE ALL OF IT.

2. Don’t Blame Me

I don’t know how to describe why I like this song. I love the choir sound in the chorus. I also think Taylor sound vocally awesome in this song. (OMG when she hits that high note!!!!). The beat is so sexy in this one. I love it. it goes to so many places and I just enjoy the hell out of it.

Best Lyric: music stops. CHOIR SINGS “lorrd save me my drug is my baby i’ll be using for the rest of my-USING FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. OHHHWHOAOHHHH”) YASSSS TAYLOR HIT THAT HIGH NOTE)

1. I Did Something Bad

I JUST LOVE SASSY TAYLOR SO MUCH. There’s always that one sassy taylor song on the album that is just the best thing ever. This is that song. Yeah it’s not as heartfelt and beautifully crafted and meaningful as some of the others but my god is this song a lot of fun. But the best thing about this song is you can literally feel the beat drop coming and its it is completely earned. I like that it’s kind of a sequel to Blank Space. But it’s a better song because Taylor Swift didn’t cop out of it by saying “yeah…it’s just a joke….” like she totally owns everything she says and I love it so much. GO SASSY TAYLOR.

Best Lyric: The whole damn song. “So I play em like a Violin and I make it look oh so easy” “If a man talks sh*t then I owe him nothing” “Then why’s it feel so *CRASH CRASH* “GOOD” CRASH CRASH “GOOD” “So I Fly em all around the world and I let them think they saved me” “He says don’t throw away a good thing. But if he drops my name then I owe him nothing. And if he spends my change then he had it coming” “They’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one”

Sorry I got a little carried away. But the fact that there’s actually so many best lines that it’s too hard to choose one just proves why it’s number one on my list. And why it should be number one on your’s. mwahahahahahaha

Anyway.

Hope you enjoyed my ranking. Once again Taylor grabbed me with her songwriting powers and I’m caught in her spell all over again. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to listen to I Did Something Bad for the millionth time.

#taylor swift #reputation #review #ranking

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theplaguezine · 5 years

Text

HAMMERFALL

Interview with Oscar Dronjak by Daniel Hinds

(conducted September 2000)

Love them or not, there is no denying that Sweden's HammerFall played a key role in the resurgence of classic heavy metal in the past few years. Their debut album Glory to the Brave burst onto a scene crowded with black, death and nu-metal bands, but very little in the way of traditional heavy metal. The band quickly ascended to superstar status in many countries, most notably Germany and their own Sweden, where their latest album, the Michael Wagener-produced Renegade, debuted at #1 on the national charts. The video for the title track ranked behind only Eminem for most popular video of the year - a dramatic feat for any metal band. Guitarist and songwriter Oscar Dronjak was nice enough to give me the lowdown on this sensational band and their latest release…

Was Renegade written on the road at all or after the tour? Afterwards only. Maybe a riff here and there, ideas pop up, you can never control that, but there is no actual song-writing going on on tour. I need to be more relaxed, doing whatever I want. On tour, you have to adapt. If you feel like writing a song at 8 o'clock at night, usually you can't. [laughs]

Was working with Michael Wagener a good experience? Was there anything that surprised you as far as the way he worked in the studio? He was the best producer we could have worked with. I had talked to him on the phone before we went in, just to get a feel for the recording - what he wanted and what we wanted to get out of it. The most special thing that we weren't used to was the order in which we did the recording. Normally, we have always started out with the drums and the bass, then the guitars, then the vocals and solos - just instrument by instrument. But Michael said, 'This is how I work and I hope you can agree with it because I really want to do it this way.' What he did was, we did the drums and bass of course, to have a foundation to build on, then we went through song by song instead of instrument by instrument. It gave Joacim [Cans, vocals] one day off between each song, instead of having to sing for three or four days in a row and wear his voice out. He got to go all out for a couple of hours because he knew he'd get to rest tomorrow. Each song took two days, because we did the guitars and vocals on the first day and then overdubs and backing vocals on the second day. He was really benefiting from that and I think you can tell if you compare this record to the ones before, because his voice is powerful all the way through. So that was Michael's' greatest thing, apart from his ears. He's just so good at hearing stuff.

Do you think you'll work with him again? Yeah, if this album sells enough, because he cost a lot of money. [laughs] But if we are lucky enough to get to go back, I don't think there's a question in anyone's mind that we will. But it will also depend on what his schedule is and ours. It's going to be a little while before we record our next album also. The cool thing about it is, after a couple of days, we were best friends in the studio. So it was more like 6 friends having fun together instead of one producer and a band recording. That helped a lot to make us feel comfortable and relaxed.

How was it recording in Nashville? Really cool, actually. When you are going away from what you're used to for two months and have to produce something, it might be a problem, but we had a lot of fun. Nashville is not a big city, but it was really cool. This was my first encounter with standard U.S. life, instead of just being on tour. We got to do all the things normal people do, so it was a lot of fun.

'Always Will Be' is one of the best ballads you guys have done yet. Can you tell me a bit about the inspiration for that song? Traditionally, on each album, there is one song that I write all by myself. All the others, Joacim and me write together, but this one was the special one for this album. It was based on kind of a personal experience. I guess there is a line between reality and what I made up for the song, to make the song better, but somehow it is based on real life. That makes me very happy when you say it is one of the best ballads because it is one of the more personal songs - the most personal song on the album. Another thing working with Michael and having that relaxed atmosphere, he worked with each individual and really brought out the best in each of us. You can tell that from the voice, especially on that song, because he worked really hard on the different emotions to get just the right emotions for the right lines and melodies.

The first album was very immediate, while Legacy took several listens to get into fully. Is that something you see, that the new album is maybe a little deeper? Maybe. Some people have said this and some people say it is really easy to get into it. I think the song structure is more thought out this time. We've been working harder on the songs for this album than for either Glory to the Brave or Legacy of Kings, so I think maybe it will take a little bit longer. But that's a good thing, also. If you listen to the songs, there is not one song where you say, 'What is this?' When it takes a little bit to get to know the songs, then they last longer. Hopefully at least. [laughs]

I understand there has been a bit of a delay in Renegade's release in the US. Why? I have no idea actually. I asked somebody here the other day and they didn't really know. I think the decision was made en Germany. We were behind schedule with the layout and stuff like that, so that might have played a part in it. We wanted to get a tour here in November and December, but since the album wasn't out 'til Nov. 26th, there was no point in touring in December, so we had to postpone that.

I understand the video to "Renegade" is doing quite well. What can you tell me about it? We decided pretty early on that, if we were going to do a video, let's do it right - do a video that is compelling to watch and not just the band playing live somewhere. Nuclear Blast and us decided to put in a little bit more money than before to get a lot better results. The look of the video is really professional, though it didn't cost a couple of million dollars like most videos do. The director got in touch with a production company that had a lot of computer guys that did animation. They would have cost like ten times what they did cost because they wanted to do this, they're not used to doing music videos. They're used to doing more like business presentations, stuff like that, so they thought it was a cool idea and maybe a way for them to break into the market. So we said, 'This is the amount of money we have - do whatever you want with it, but we can't get any more.' [laughs] Without them, this video would never have been as good as it is. We tried to fulfill another of our childhood fantasies, to have a really cool heavy metal video, like the ones Judas Priest did in the 80s. We get to play superheroes and there's monsters and explosions and even motorcycles in the video, so it is kind of a dream come true. It's doing really well on TV, being aired in both Germany and Sweden on national TV. We didn't expect that - we hoped for it of course, but we never expected it.

How do you go about picking the singles? Usually, we have an idea of what will work and what won't. This time, we actually decided on the first song on the album, "Templars of Steel," to do that as a single because it has the catchiest chorus. This was decided a couple of months before the recording. During this period, I played the songs to my brother and some friends who weren't into metal that much, but they know a good song when they hear one. All of them, after hearing the album once, said '"Renegade," I remember this one, it was my favorite,' because they could sing along to the chorus and it was easy to remember. Which is basically why you release a single, so we listened to people, plus Michael Wagener said, 'Please take "Renegade," it's my favorite!" [laughs]

Tell me a little about the personality of each of the members of HammerFall. Let's start with our new drummer Anders [Johansson]. He's like a clown mostly, he's the one that keeps everyone entertained all the time. He is talking constantly. If people talk about themselves constantly, it's no fun, but he just makes conversation and tries to get people, if he doesn’t' know them, to say things or to get a laugh out of them. He's very easy going off-stage, but when he's on-stage playing, he's dead serious. Usually… Sometimes, he just freaks out and plays a fill that takes up a whole verse and nobody knows where they are anymore. [laughs] But we don't do that live, just in rehearsals. He's a very nice guy; that's why we wanted him in the band, because his personality fits so well with everyone else. And that goes for everybody in the band, everyone respects one another. Nobody goes around thinking they are better and everybody has respect for everyone's opinion, which is incredibly important if you are going to spend so much time together. Joacim then is very goal-minded - he knows what he wants to do and he sets out to do it and usually succeeds. He has lots of ideas and is very visual. Stefan [Elmgren] is very laid-back, he likes to hang out at home and watch TV most of the nights. He's very mellow and a great guitar player, a lot of fun working with him. Magnus [Rosen, bass] is probably the most nice guy you could ever meet. He's so kind to people. He likes mankind - mankind for him is something good and everybody who acts in a bad way is because of society or they don't know any better, but there is something good in everybody. That helps a lot in discussions, because he is so calm and has a very soothing personality. And for myself.. it's harder. [laughs] I think I'm kind of stubborn. When I want something, I usually end up getting because people end up getting tired of arguing with me. [laughs] I'm also a little nice because I judge people only by how they behave towards me and not by what people tell me about them. Everybody talks bullshit about everybody else, so I don't listen to it - I prefer to find out for myself. For example, when we were touring with Death here in the States in '98, everybody told us about Chuck, that he was hard to get along with, a real prima-donna type - almost exclusively bad stuff, and some really bad stuff, so we were worried before we went. The guy that Chuck was, the guy that we got to know, was the exact opposite of what everyone said. He was really nice, very sharing. This was a Death tour and we were just tagging along as the support act, so all the drinks and food on the bus was their stuff. The first thing he said was, 'Everything you see here is yours as well as ours, we share everything.' We had so much fun on that tour, he was just the coolest guy ever and the other band members were really nice, too

That kind of answers my next question, which was did you enjoy the US tour? It was ups and downs like any tour, but as a whole, it was a huge success. The album sales were doubled afterward from what they were before the tour. We got a good reception from the fans, even though most people didn't know about us. There was always a handful of HammerFall fans at each show - it ranged from a handful to about 75%, which we had in L.A. We showed everyone what we were all about and convinced at least some of them to check it out, and that is the whole meaning of a tour.

Any chance of a live album at some point? It's not going to happen this time. I think we need another album, 4 studio albums to choose from before we do a live album. This is not anything definite, but it might happen: we do another studio album, then go on tour and record the stuff there, and then release a live album shortly after that. But it is just speculation. We want to do a live album, partly because we are very much a live band, but also because when you do a live album you also do a live video or DVD. A HammerFall show is something that should be experienced. We try to put on a big show, as big as we can anyway. The music alone is not enough o show people who haven't seen the band what a show is really like, so I'd love to do a video.

Heavy metal has survived 30 years and seems to be stronger than ever. What do you think its future will be? I guess it is a little bit different over here. From what I can tell, things are growing really fast and heavy metal is just getting stronger day by day. That is good that we have all these new bands, not just all the old bands reforming because they see that the music they once did is now cool again or whatever. A lot of bands from Sweden, for example, melodic metal bands that didn't exist a couple of years ago. A lot from Germany too, because the labels saw that they could make money off heavy metal again, so that's why they are signing all these bands, hoping they will be the next HammerFall or whatever. But you can't just release an album and hope people will buy it, you have to do promotion and the album has to be worth releasing. The future of heavy metal and the growth of the music, it is really good that all these bands are around. I don't know where it is going to end, but I think it is going to be a lot bigger than this. It's not going to be like in the 80s with Iron Maiden and stuff. The music scene is too big for that, there are too many various types of music nowadays that weren't around in the 80s.

How about the future of HammerFall? Do you have any goals you haven't reached yet? You always have goals and whenever you reach them, you set some other goals, maybe higher or different. Right now, I'm just waiting to go back on tour again because it has been so long. Apart from this one festival we did in Spain, we haven't played live since August 25th in 1999, so you get the ache for it. Playing live is where you get to meet everybody and perform and that is what we love. It's not going to happen until January in Europe and in the States, we're looking at March hopefully. They are still working on it, but the tour is the immediate goal. And to just spread the word of heavy metal. It's getting to a point, especially in Sweden, a lot of people who don't know what heavy metal is, before they just shielded their eyes and said, 'Oh, I don't want to have anything to do with it.' But when they listen to the music and get into it, they understand that it isn't as bad as they think. [laughs] So, opening people's eyes is basically the goal that we have. The crusade for heavy metal must go on.

www.hammerfall.net

#HammerFall #interview #sep2000

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helloluckybouquetbearus · 4 years

Video

youtube

BTS has a lot to celebrate today! In addition to celebrating Jungkook’s 23rd birthday (24th by Korean reckoning), BTS also took to Twitter to express their excitement and gratitude for their recent success on Billboard’s Hot 1 chart. BTS’s new English-language track “Dynamite” made history when it entered the chart at No. 1, which is the highest ranking on the chart achieved by an all-Korean group. Jimin posted, “Jungkook, happy 24th birthday. Hyung loves you.” BTS’s J-Hope wrote, “Happy happy birthday to our youngest, and hyung loves you a lot!~ To the members, congrats also on getting No. 1 on Billboard. I’m happy because I have you guys. And ARMY!!! You know that I love ARMY, and I’m grateful for ARMY more than anyone else?? ARMY must be congratulated too!! I love you, my people who are always by my side.” Suga also expressed his tears of joy and used the hashtags, “Happy Birthday Jungkook,” “I still can’t sleep yet,” and, “Punching the empty air.” On J-Hope’s post, Jimin commented, “I’m still crying, hyung,” to which Suga replied, “Me too,” with crying emojis. Jimin also posted, “As I just said with Suga, thank you so much, and thank you again, ARMY. I’m really sorry, I don’t really know what to write. I keep tearing up.” He continued to post, “It has to sink in for me to go to sleep,” and “I’m so dazed, but all of you made this happen, so all of you should be congratulated. I hope everyone is as happy as [how great] this achievement is. Thank you and thank you.” Jimin also added the hashtag,”Our ARMY received a prize.” Jin also posted a photo of himself with Jungkook and wrote, “Happy birthday Jungkook. I chose one where you came out nice.” Finally, the seven members got together to celebrate the occasion with a live broadcast on Naver’s V Live and posted a short clip on Twitter as well. Big Hit Entertainment also officially released each member’s comments on the group’s Billboard Hot 1 achievement. RM shared, “I still can’t believe it. It’s like I’m dreaming. I thank the songwriters for creating a great song, and I think all of the accomplishments we make are made with ARMY. I’m just endlessly thankful. I’ll do my best to return this with even better music.” Jin said, “‘Dynamite’ was a song that began with the pure thought of wanting to have fun with our fans, so I was very surprised and happy that it achieved the unimaginable result of No. 1 on the Hot 1. I think it’s something we achieved with our fans. I’m truly thankful.” Suga expressed, “Taking No. 1 on the Hot 1, I’m a bit stunned and in disbelief. When asked about my goals, I used to say that I wanted to reach No. 1 on the Hot 1, and I’m feeling great now that my dream has become reality. Thank you ARMY for letting this become more than just a dream. I won’t rest on my laurels and will work even harder.” J-Hope said, “I can’t tell if this is a dream or reality. I’ve never felt like this. I’m feeling emotions that are hard to explain in words. I’ by Korea Stars TV

#IFTTT #YouTube

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eurovision-del · 4 years

Text

Continuing my rankings of all the songs this year, here’s places 30-21

30. Belarus - Da Vidna

This is a nice song, it builds well, I really enjoy the beat when the pre-chorus kicks in, and the choreography makes it interesting to watch, but I really don’t like the sound they used in the drop. Honestly that’s the entire reason for this ranking so low, because I do think this is a solid song, and I really appreciate that Belarus are singing in their own language again, but as there’s a part of this song I dislike, it’s harder to rank it higher.

29. Russia – UNO

This reminds me a lot of the eurodance of the 90s, a genre I do enjoy in moderation, but probably didn’t need any more of. I can understand how people find this entertaining, but for me it actually wears out it’s welcome quickly. It’s a burst of catchy noise and fun with a dance to match, but after the first minute you’ve pretty much heard it all, and I find it really repetitive. I think another issue is I like songs that make me feel something, and this doesn’t move me at all, other upbeat fast paced songs make me happy or want to dance, and this doesn’t do that. I do still appreciate that its something different though.

28. North Macedonia - You

Moving on from songs that are interesting but have aspects I don’t enjoy to a song with nothing I can point to that I dislike, but isn’t doing anything interesting either. I do enjoy it, but it’s got no real impact.

27. Armenia - Chains On You

I have not forgotten how bad the live version of this is, this style of song needs a very particular kind of delivery that Athena just can’t pull off. I’m also not very impressed by the revamp, I actually quite liked the sparse beat of the original cut, and some of the new production sounds messy. It also adds some of that synthesised brass sound under the chorus that I can’t stand. The elements that made me like this song in the first place are still there, I still enjoy that steel drum beat and the dark tone, and really appreciate that it’s a kind of music we haven’t really had at Eurovision before, but I hope that when this genre gets a chance in a proper competition it will be a better song than this.

26. Ireland - Story of My Life

This song dragged me back to being 11 and discovering pop music properly, with Katy Perry and P!nk in particular coming to mind. I’m aware this isn’t a new comparison, just about everyone has said this song sounds about a decade old, so then it just comes down to whether you enjoy it or not. I think I do, by my opinions are really mixed. This genre reminds me a of a very specific point of my life that I’m glad I grew out of, but at the same time I don’t mind the nostalgia hit, and I do appreciate how genuinely fun this is. Lesley also really sells the message, but I’m sort of sick of the cliché ‘I’m gonna be me’ message unless it’s got a really good song to back it up. It averages out to a middling place on my list.

25. Serbia - Hasta la Vista

Another song where I have mixed opinions. This is not a genre I typically like, and it has my old nemesis the heavy synthesised brass, but at the same time I can’t help but enjoy this. It’s a lot of fun to listen to and really catchy, but in a good way. Also bonus points for not being in English!

24. UK - My Last Breath

And my own countries’ entry. I didn’t get my hopes up when they said they were collaborating with a record label, because I don’t trust the BBC to pick a decent song, but also of the countries that chose to go internal and cancel national finals, the UK was probably the only one who should have done it. You Decide last year was a mess and we always somehow pick a terrible entry from it. (Side note, I still can’t believe France cancelled Destination Eurovision for a Lundvik song, of all the nation final season disappointments, that was the worst). As far as the song goes, it is an improvement. The only time I let myself hope was when they announced it would be played on BBC radio 1 as well as radio 2, because that indicated that they might have got something contemporary. I think they did, but it’s also a very plain type of contemporary, very singer-songwriter. That said, I kind of enjoy this song. It wouldn’t have troubled the scoreboard had the contest gone ahead, and it’s very ‘safe’ but I can’t deny that it gets stuck in my head and I actually enjoy singing along! I’ve seen mixed opinions on the hook, but I love the little pause before ‘breath’, it’s probably the most interesting thing this song does. Overall, I’m not embarrassed by our effort this year, and hopefully the step in the right direction this year will lead to a truly good song for the next competition.

23. Albania - Fall From the Sky

I really liked Shaj, and was so happy when it won FiK all the way back in December. The announcement that it would be revamped and translated made my heart sink. It’s not as bad a revamp as it could have been, the song is still good, but I wish they hadn’t translated it into English. I also really miss the climax with the break and the strings that come in, that was my favourite part in the original version, but I do like the bridge in the current version. Although I’m not happy with all the changes, it’s still a really powerful ballad, and a good one as far as I’m concerned.

22. Italy - Fai Rumore

This is a beautiful ballad, but unlike Fall From the Sky, which I originally loved, but then fell in my ranking with the revamp, I never felt much for this song. I do enjoy it, and I think it’s very well constructed and well sung, but it never moved me the way other ballads have, so it winds up in the middle of my ranking.

21. Moldova - Prison

Man, this song is such a mess, it’s also a shameless Kirkorov/Kontropoijlos joint, and as such basically bought its way into being Moldova’s entry, but… I can’t help but enjoy it. I try to avoid calling songs ‘guilty pleasures’, and hey, I still have Freaky to rank, but this is definitely the song I come closest to feeling bad about enjoying. But I can’t help it, I live for the bad melodrama of it all! I love the dramatic beats pounding out under the chorus, the dark tone, the lyrics about not wanting to seem desperate while she’s screaming PRISOOOOON in the chorus. It’s a hot mess and I love it. I will say that a silver lining of the contest being cancelled though is that we never had to hear it live, because the national final performance was bad in the unenjoyable way.

#eurovision #esc2020 #2020 ranking

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aaronmaurer · 5 years

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Music I Liked in 2018

Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.

Are alternative and indie rock viable formats anymore? What do those labels mean in the year 2018? (What did they ever mean, really?) My favorite sonic moments of the year appear to be more out of step with the general populace and critical circles than ever before, and yet, I still go to a lot of concerts and seeing many of these acts live this year in sold-out venues proves that there is still an audience out there for guitar-based music. If that’s your thing (and no worries if it isn’t), give some of these records a shot.

15. Ruins / Tender Offerings EP – First Aid Kit

Sweden’s harmonic folk sister act returned at the beginning of the year with the accomplished Ruins. It may not have hit the heights of their career-best Stay Gold, but it still provides moments of sweeping beauty. However, it’s the 4-song collection of outtakes from the same sessions that cements this album cycle on my list: Tender Offerings is even more immediate and quietly affecting than its parent record.

14. Arthur Buck – Arthur Buck

Personal favorite singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur teamed up with former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck this year for a collaboration that hews more towards Arthur’s influence than Buck’s. That’s not a bad thing and this is a recent highlight of Arthur’s prodigious output. If the collaboration continues to foster such energy and inspiration, I hope it extends well into the future.

13. Malibu Nights – LANY

I’m not quite sure how to classify LANY; in my analysis they have as much in common with emo as pop music, and their synth-heavy sound doesn’t readily slot into rock formats. Regardless, I find their music easily approachable and their lyrics to cut with a similar sincerity as the likes of Jimmy Eat World. Malibu Nights is concise and consistent, two things that cannot be said of 2017’s self-titled full-length, and it is all the stronger for it.

12. Black Panther the Album – Various Artists

Black Panther the Movie was one of the highlights of the year (see my film picks coming soon) and its companion soundtrack follows suit. A mixtape curated by and featuring Kendrick Lamar, this album of original material manages to form a cohesive unit as opposed to a collection of random tracks (i.e. last decade’s Spider-Man 3 soundtrack – which I actually liked, on the whole…). Wakanda forever!

11. Love Is Dead – CHVRCHES

The third LP from Scotland’s CHVRCHES was viewed as a letdown by much of the critical community, and as someone who ranked 2015’s Every Open Eye as that year’s favorite album, I would have to agree – to a point. Love Is Dead still has plenty of fantastic arena and festival-ready anthems to its credit and I don’t blame the trio for leaning into their pop side for this one. The album is incredibly front-loaded with “Graffiti,” “Get Out” and the Matt Berninger collab “My Enemy” coming in the first third, but there are strong moments all the way through and it’s definitely one of the most enjoyable listens of the year.

10. Wildness – Snow Patrol

After a 7-year hiatus, Snow Patrol returned with Wildness and I have to admit I was initially disappointed. However, I have found that with repeated listens this record has really grown on me. The emotional transparency of Gary Lightbody’s songwriting remains intact and you can feel his authenticity on songs like “Life On Earth,” “Heal Me” and “A Youth Written In Fire.” Definitely worth spending some time with.

9. [untitled] EP / [Untitled] – mewithoutYou

Philadelphia’s post-rock luminaries made a surprise return this year with some of their best work to date. An EP arrived in August and rather than a preview of October’s full-length release (only a single song is repeated, in a different version), it functions as a compelling work in its own right and finds the band embracing their more meditative and melodic tendencies. By contrast, the LP leans a bit more into the band’s harder edge – but not completely eschewing quieter moments – without sacrificing any of the lyrical depth or deft musicianship they are known for. It feels like a creative renaissance for a group soon to enter their third decade.

8. boygenius EP – boygenius

The only negative to this stellar collaboration between singer/songwriters Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus is that it’s only six songs long. The artists are each given space to shine and when the harmonies kick in, it’s transcendent. Here’s hoping it’s not the last we hear from them as a trio.

7. Be More Kind – Frank Turner

A blazingly earnest call-to-arms for hope in the face of the current political and social landscape, Be More Kind is filled with rousing sing-alongs about decency and making a difference. “Don’t Worry,” “Little Changes,” “Brave Face” and the title track are among the most positive and affirming songs I’ve heard in recent memory, but it’s the rousing and reclaiming anthem “Make American Great Again” that marks my favorite moment on this near-perfect record.

6. Come Tomorrow – Dave Matthews Band

Old habits die hard, and even though my enthusiasm has waned since my obsessive high school & college days, I’ll still go to bat for much of Dave Matthews Band’s music. Their first studio album in 6 years is somewhat a catch-all of songs they’ve been playing live for a while but hadn’t recorded, and as such, is a bit overlong and slightly disjointed. Even so, there is a melancholic wistfulness that pervades many of the record’s highlights including “Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin),” “Virginia In the Rain” and “Come On Come On,” which rate with their best work.

5. Upside Down Flowers – Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

Andrew McMahon’s latest effort is a very nostalgic look back at not just his early career in Something Corporate (“Teenage Rockstars”) but to his childhood as well (“Ohio,” “House In The Trees”). What could come across as navel-gazing or self-mythologizing instead becomes universal in its specificity and his most impactful work in years.

4. Art of Doubt – Metric

Every few years, Emily Haines and Co. grace us with an album of self-empowerment anthems, some of which make more of a personal impact than others. This year’s Art of Doubt was initially a sleeper that I find I keep returning to, discovering new layers of resonance each time. It now ranks alongside Fantasies and Synthetica in the band’s discography to me.

3. Mirror Master – Young the Giant

On their fourth record, Young the Giant deliver some of their most diverse and hooky tunes yet, including the Eastern-tinged “Superposition,” the introspectively moody “Glory” and the soaring anthem “Simplify.” While I’ve counted myself a fan of their previous work, this one coheres in a new way for me that is immensely rewarding.

2. Vide Noir – Lord Huron

Lord Huron have yet to make a misstep and their third full-length proves their most sonically wide-ranging yet. From the driving energy of “Ancient Names, Pt. I,” to the old-timey crooning of “Wait by the River” to the blown-out guitar of “The Balancer’s Eye,” a range of styles are employed. Even with these varied modes, everything hangs together to create an atmospheric quest into darkness for meaning beyond this plane.

1. Layers of Us – Mimicking Birds

There is a spacious ambience to the latest from Portland’s Mimicking Birds, on which acoustic guitars are traded for splashes of mood-setting synthesizers and lyrics pondering humanity’s place in the cosmos and impact on the planet. Despite the dread and existentialism that permeates some tracks, I find a lot of beauty and hope shimmering through the record. It is by far the album I listened to the most in 2018 and perfect for the winter months (during the Winter Olympics I found myself daydreaming alternate realities where the gorgeous and haunting “Belongings” could soundtrack a gold medal figure skating performance).

Here’s a sampling of songs from each of these records if you want an easily-digestible mix:

Bonus! An additional mix of other singles, b-sides, covers and more from 2018 that I really like:

Double Bonus! 7 Best Live Performances I Saw in 2018:

7. U2 – Experience + Innocence Tour at the United Center, May 22nd

The companion to 2015’s Innocence + Experience Tour shared a stage and some common songs, but for the most part was a unique experience that stood on its own. Still telling a loose story of the band’s history through the lens of their Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience albums, this arena tour centered around the newer material of the latter, which – being one of my favorite albums of 2017 – I was quite happy with. Closing the show with the same excellent two-song final sequence as that album, and a beautiful visual element that formed a bookend with the I+E Tour, was an inspired and moving choice.

6. Lord Huron – Pandora Presents The Stack at Concord Music Hall, September 20th

I was lucky to see Lord Huron twice this year during the Vide Noir tour cycle, and the second time was even better because A) it was a free event (put on by Pandora) that included free Sam Adams!, B) it was in a small venue and C) they reached all the way back to their first EP to end the night with “We Went Wild.” It took me right back to the night I was introduced to them at an intimate Lollapalooza pre-show at the Double Door in 2011, where this then-unknown band captivated me with their atmospheric percussion and guitar rhythms. They’ve yet to let go.

5. The National – Lollapalooza Aftershow at Metro, August 2nd

The National are at a point in their career where they headline festivals and play large theatres, so it’s rare to see them at a 1000-capacity venue like Chicago’s Metro anymore. Fortunately, the concert hall often hosts huge bands on Lollapalooza weekend for late night “aftershows” (which are always nearly impossible to get into) and I somehow scored tickets to the National’s performance there the night before they headlined the fest. It was great to see the band tear through a setlist spanning their whole career that was significantly different from what they did the following evening. The finale of an acoustic “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” – at around 2am – was a beautiful communal moment.

4. Beck – Riot Fest, September 15th

I’ve seen Beck a few times over the years and I think his current setlist might be his best ever, a great mix of all his musical permutations (though missing any songs from Mutations…). Latest record Colors was one of my favorites of 2017 and that material was fantastic live alongside classics like “New Pollution,” “Loser” and “Girl.” The stage and lighting design were a lot of fun as well and provided a visually engaging and exciting backdrop. While the festival setting meant a truncated show, I won’t hesitate to catch him again whenever he returns to town.

3. Mew – Frengers 15th Anniversary Tour at Brooklyn Steel, October 14th

Mew are a Danish indie/prog rock/dream pop band that have a number of great albums to their credit. One of my favorites is Frengers, which I didn’t actually discover until a few years after it was released in 2003. Imagine my good fortune to discover one of the few US dates on its anniversary tour happened to coincide with my trip to New York this fall. Hearing the record performed in its entirety, from the opening guitar+drum salvo of “Am I Wry? No” to the final soaring cacophony of “Comforting Sounds” was a moment out of time in the best possible way.

2. boygenius – Thalia Hall, November 13th

A truly transcendent night of music that began with each of the collaborators – Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker – playing her own masterful set, then all coming together for a finale of their entire EP. The vocal control evident in the contrast between the raw power unleashed on “Stay Down” and the restraint on the acoustic and un-miked closer “Ketchum, ID” proved these ladies really can do anything.

1. Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight 10th Anniversary Tour at Thalia Hall, February 16th

This is incredibly bittersweet, in light of frontman Scott Hutchison’s death in May. Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit played two nights in Chicago during a brief album anniversary tour, hosting what turned into an audience sing-along of Midnight Organ Fight in its entirety along with a mix of other favorites including “Holy,” “The Woodpile” and “The Oil Slick.” Losing such an honest and powerful voice this year hurt a lot. I’m so thankful I had one last evening of catharsis with him.

#music

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