#I love the fourth outfit for Vinyl the most

[enthusiastic-nimrod]

Vinyl and Walkman! I wanted to have all of this in one post but I ran out of room... so anyways, please enjoy these two when they were but  stupid twenty-somethings. 

While I originally intended to make them side characters/mentors of the protagonist, I’m more and more enjoying the idea of having them be their own leads. 

[beautiful-and-terrible]

little things

Rating: Gen

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, SoftBoi!Rodrick, Insecure!Reader

Ship: Rodrick Heffley x Reader

Warnings: Body Image, Eating Disorders / Body Dysmorphia, Insecurity 

A/N: this is. SO shmoopy and cheesy lmaoooo but this was an anon request and i live to please :) enjoy!

---

You dragged yourself through your front door, kicking off your shoes in the foyer. The house was dark - your parents were probably asleep already.

You had just spent the day with Rodrick at Six Flags, and you were exhausted from spending all day in the hot sun, running around with your boyfriend like children. You smiled to yourself thinking about the events of the day, the thrill of the rollercoasters you went on.

You clutched the teddy bear Rodrick had won you close to your chest as you slowly ascended the stairs, trying not to make too much noise.

You entered your room and tenderly placed the bear on the bed, giving it a little kiss on the head as you did so before starting your night routine. Change into pajamas, brush teeth, wash face. As you were putting on your final face cream, your phone vibrated on the bathroom counter. You knew who it was from the specific rhythm of the vibration - two short bursts, like a heartbeat.

Rodrick had sent pictures of you two from today - a lot of selfies, but also a couple of far away shots that Rodrick had harassed people into taking for you. People rarely were able to say no to Rodrick once he had gotten an idea into his head - even if that idea was wrapping himself around a street lamp like a stripper for a good picture.

You finally, blissfully laid down in bed, letting out a giant groan as you cracked your back. You browsed the photos, feeling your heart-rate pick up as you gazed at Rodrick in the pictures. He looked so cute today - he had been wearing cut off black jeans, black high-top vans, and a loose button down Hawaiian shirt, half-way unbuttoned to show off his tanned chest and the multiple layers of silver necklaces he was wearing. His nails were painted black, but his eyes were free of makeup, simply accented by his naturally long eye-lashes and the smile-lines around his eyes.

After admiring Rodrick, you turned your gaze to yourself in the pictures. You felt your heart sink into your stomach. When you had left the house this morning, you had felt pretty confident in your outfit - just ripped jean shorts and a crop-top with converse. But as you looked closer, you couldn’t stop thinking about how unsatisfied you felt with the way you looked in the pictures.

As you continued to scroll through, the more faults you found in your appearance. Your thighs being squeezed by your shorts, which didn’t feel too tight but apparently were not as flattering as you thought. In one picture, you were sitting down on a bench, your legs over Rodrick’s lap, but you couldn’t stop staring at the roll of your stomach that came over the waistband of your shorts. You felt tears pricking your eyes, but you stubbornly refused to cry. You spent a long time trying to feel confident in yourself - you weren’t going to let that hard work be ruined by a few unflattering photos.

However, you couldn’t stop thinking about the way your body looked in those pictures. You got up to stand in front of your full length mirror, looking at the reflection critically. You were craning your neck to look at your butt when you heard a soft tap-tap-tap at the window. You jumped about 2 feet in the air before you realized it was just Rodrick, grinning from outside the window and placing a wet kiss on the glass, making you laugh. He made a grossed-out expression when he realized the glass was not as clean as he thought it was, wiping his tongue on the back of his hand.

“I swear to God, you’re like a toddler. Didn’t your mom ever tell you not to lick random surfaces?” you asked as you opened the window to let him in. He folded himself gracefully through the window, all long limbs and messy hair. You felt both comforted and electrified in his presence.

“Since when have I ever listened to any authority figure?” Rodrick asked, grinning wolfishly and leaning down to kiss you softly, juxtaposing his rebellious tone. For someone with such a seemingly hard exterior, Rodrick was always very gentle and sweet with you. It was one of the things you loved most about him - he seemed to hate everyone but you. It made you feel special and appreciated. 

As he pulled back from the kiss, he frowned, stroking his thumb over your cheek. “Have you been crying? Your eyes are red,” he said, making a pouty face. You shrugged, turning away and shaking your head.

“No, just allergies probably.”

Rodrick scoffed, “Sure, allergies. You’re a bad liar, you know that?”

You refused to look at him, instead going to your record player and flipping through the vinyls you had stacked in a black milk-crate. “I’m not a bad liar,” you said half-heartedly, not really able to come up with any other excuse.

“You totally are, you avoided eye contact and everything. Seriously, what's wrong? Do you not like the bear?” Rodrick asked. You felt his arms wrap around your waist, his chest pressed against your back, his nose tucked into the crook of your neck. You felt yourself smile despite your bad mood.

“No, I love the bear. I named him Sasha Bear-on Cohen. Get it?” you said, turning your head to place a kiss on his cheek.

“Ahh, a-very nice,” Rodrick replied in his best Borat impression. You giggled. He gave you a squeeze, hands warm on your waist, but the sensation made you self-conscious about your body again, and you wiggled away. You couldn’t understand how Rodrick could bear to touch you. You had no idea why he was attracted to you in the first place. It made tears spring to your eyes again, and you sniffled.

“Y/n”, Rodrick said softly, looking genuinely concerned. “I know you. You don’t get sad for no reason - unless you’re on your period, or you start thinking too much about the Mars Curiosity Rover.”

You sighed, but you knew he had a point. It took you a minute to get your thoughts into words before you spoke.

“I just... I know its silly. But those pictures - you look like a Hot Topic wet dream and I look... I don’t know. I just don’t like the way I look. And most of the time I don’t let it bother me - at least, I try - but I hate having my picture taken because whenever I see them, all I can see is the things I hate about myself. So. Yeah.”

You feel the tears making steady rivers down your cheeks, and your voice shakes as you speak. Rodrick listens attentively, sitting on the foot of your bed. He pats the space next to him, and you sit down. His hand rests on your leg - not constraining you or placating you with a hug, just letting you know he’s there.

“Y/n, I don’t know how to tell you this without sounding like a giant cheese-ball, but... holy fuck. You are so beautiful. I - every time I look at you all I can think is goddamn, I can’t believe she’s into a loser like me. And don’t argue, it’s just a fact,” he says quickly as you try to defend him from his own self-deprecation. 

“I’m not good with words... I’m more of a man of action, y’know?” he says, raising his eyebrows suggestively. You smack him on the arm, but his silly expression still makes you smile.

“But, I can still tell you - and don’t repeat this to anyone ever because I’ll never live it down - you give me butterflies. Every time. No matter if you’re in pajamas or a ballgown. You make me feel like a stack of pancakes with warm butter and syrup,” he pauses as you laugh, his warm brown eyes gazing into yours. “Just... I don’t even know what I’m saying at this point. You make my bones feel funny. That’s how beautiful you are.”

Rodrick finally wraps his arms around you. You let yourself be folded into the embrace, feeling content and more than a little overwhelmed by his confession.

“Thank you,” you murmur, unable to find any other words at the moment. You want to say all of that back to him, ten-fold. You want to tell him he makes you feel like flashing concert lights and Fourth of July fireworks. But your mouth can’t make the words, so you just wrap your arms around him tighter.

“Do you want me to spend the night?” he asks, pressing a kiss to your temple. You simply nod, already moving up the bed and pulling back the covers as Rodrick goes to turn out the lights.

In the dark of the room, only illuminated by the street-lamp outside your house, Rodrick looks very alien - all long lines and lean angles. It makes your heart-rate kick up again, and you feel a blush form on your cheeks. It’s not as though this is the first time you’ve slept in the same bed, or even been intimate, but this feels... different. 

Rodrick tucks himself in next to you on your bed - it’s a queen size, so it fits both of you well enough that you could sleep together not touching if you wanted to. But Rodrick is a big cuddler at heart, even if he would deny it to his grave. He wraps his arms around your waist as you lay your head on his chest, already being lulled to sleep by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

You feel like it’s important to tell him before you both lose the tenderness of the moment, so you finally open your mouth to speak.

“I’m so lucky. I know you think you’re... a loser, or whatever but, Rodrick. You aren’t. You are so beyond cool, and brave, and courageous. Thinking about you makes my head spin. And whenever I see you... I’m home.” You trail off, feeling awkward, but Rodrick simply tightens his arms around you, stroking your back with his fingers.

“If I knew we were getting this sentimental I wouldn’t have brought lube... and maybe a few tissues,” he snickers, and you pinch his nipple, causing him to squeal.

“Jerk.”

“Bitch,” he teases back, and you sigh softly, feeling your body and mind relax. You had almost completely forgotten about the pictures - and at this point, you didn’t really care. The pictures didn’t speak. The only voice telling you that you weren’t beautiful was the one inside your head, and it could definitely be a bitch sometimes.

You could’ve imagined it, but as your brain was finally shutting down, you could’ve sworn you heard Rodrick start to sing, “you are my sunshine... my only sunshine...”

“you make me happy... when skies are gray...”

“you’ll never know, dear, how much i love you...”

“please don’t take my sunshine away...”

[jwillgoose]

The record is finished... what now?

We finished our fourth album last week, so I thought it might be interesting (spoiler alert: it probably isn’t) to do a quick post about what happens once a record is ‘finished’ these days, and why it can seem to take so long between an album being completed and actually being released.

Before I stumbled upon a career in making music, my attitude would’ve been similar to that of many fans, I imagine - why not just put the record out as soon as possible? It’s done, you spent (presumably) ages on it, surely you just want people to hear it and shower you with praise and damning reviews? After all, that’s what Radiohead and Beyoncé seem to do, and they don’t mind if the vinyl follows several months later.

Well, Radiohead are Radiohead and Beyoncé is Beyoncé, and both of those artists (and only a handful more) releasing records is Big News in and of itself. Smaller bands and artists need to use their new record as something to build around, to try and fight desperately for attention in a very competitive industry, to route tours around, even simply to remind people that you still exist (often, admittedly, to their distress). Otherwise it’s all too easy to put something out only to see it burn out very quickly, for it to fall to the bottom of people’s ‘recently played’ streaming algorithms and swiftly fall out of the public consciousness pretty much altogether. 

That's why it’s better for 99% of bands and artists to wait until everything is ready and to try to go for one big, focused ‘bang’ (often still a whimper, admittedly), rather than trying to hit the front page of Pitchfork with a near-instantaneous release. And the main thing we’re all waiting for these days, especially with its continued resurgence and importance to artists, labels and fans, is vinyl.

Vinyl lead times pre-pandemic were already a bit ridiculously long because a large number of the pressing plants from back in the day went under or severely reduced their capacity, so we’ve been left with a relative handful of potential suppliers and an awful lot of demand from all corners of the music industry. I think The Race For Space (released Feb 2015) was mastered at the end of October 2014, so made it out there in just over 3-and-a-bit months, and that was with two test pressings after the first failed. By the time Every Valley rolled around (released July 2017) we were already at four-months-and-counting, and don’t even get me started on the White Star Liner EP (tail end of 2018, and the vinyl was late because of test pressing issues).

Anyway, you get the picture, and that’s all pre-COVID, which obviously has done precious little to improve any aspect of the economy, besides enhancing Jeff Bezos’ already undignified / obscene wealth. We were initially quoted 7 months for this album but have managed to get it down a bit from there - still, you’ll no doubt have noticed a lot of delayed releases recently and I am taking nothing for granted, on any level, with this record.

We might seem like a modestly successful band but we are also still very much a small team of people. The sheer amount of work it is to get everything ready, besides ‘just’ the music itself, necessitates a bit of a delay between completion and release. Even now, the artwork, liner notes, credits, administrative aspects (PPL IDs and so on) are queueing up for attention; that’s to say nothing of band photos, press releases, updated bios, pitches for various media features (often with ridiculously long lead times of their own), music videos, remixes, instrumentals... in short, a lot.

Then for a band like us there’s the whole tricky chicanery of designing, building, programming and rehearsing a quite fiendishly complicated live set, all while navigating the risks and uncertainties of doing so during what we hope is the tail-end of a pandemic. It normally takes me about 2-3 months to get an album ready to play live, and that’s just the music side of it - then I need to edit videos to run concurrently, give various assets to Mr B so that he can have more to play with than just an on-rails video, then all get together in a room to see what works (hint: not much) and what needs more work (hint: nearly everything). Mr B also needs a lot of time - justly so - to put together his fiendish set creations as well as creating a lot of original video output himself. Popping up on the radio to do a quick session somewhat belies the amount of work it takes to get new material ready for that stage (should it arrive - we certainly don’t assume it will).

But the main thing, still, is to try to garner as much attention, wake as many people as possible up to the fact that yes, you still exist and yes, you’re still flogging the dead horse that is your band and creative output in a perhaps vain attempt to try to prolong an unlikely career and yes, you can order the Amazing New Record soon in at least 5 different colours to ensure its safe arrival in your homes at the very second of its official release. Hello! We’re still here! Hello! We have a new record! Er.. anyone?

Anyway, that’s just a few items from the very long list of things preoccupying me and the other denizens of PSB Towers between now and release. Hopefully everything will run smoothly, the record will come out when we say it will come out and we can even entertain modest hopes of another reasonably-well-charting album. On that note, a brief aside - chart positions are still incredibly important, if only within the record industry itself. A high chart position makes a lot of people sit up and take notice - bookers, agents, festival promoters and so on - which is another reason why it’s important for those of us who aren’t in Mr Yorke’s merry gang to try to get everything out all at once (in its right place, if you will) rather than staggering digital / vinyl release dates.

Hopefully you found this mildly diverting. It’s mostly served as a nudge in the ribs for me to remind me how much I still need to get on with, so without further ado, off I will go, and on with I will get.

Yours pre-releasedly,

J. Willgoose, Esq.

(PS I’d like to make it clear I love Radiohead, and none of this is even a mild dig at them. They are one of the most wonderful musical outfits ever, and they also have the rare privilege of being able to do what they want, when they want to, which really must be lovely.)

[winebleeds]

@bnjmin    sent    ❛    5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. for all :)    ❜

⤑   TAKE A PEAK

you’re really making me add this to a read more again, huh.

5. closet

raleigh: his button up shirts & nicer tee shirts on clothes racks with sweaters on the top shelf and shoes on the floor below. he doesn’t have too much room in it otherwise. liz: her closest is too complicated, fuck that. but, while the majority of it is white, the clothes are organized by shades based on the electromagnetic spectrum. surprisingly, most of her shirts are her nasa polos & the only consistent outfit within the closest. because she usually has less than 10 outfits at a time. she swaps out clothes during the seasons, and resales clothes after wearing them a couple times. her sweaters, her personal ones or stolen ones, are kept in drawers within the bedroom alongside jeans & workout attire. like clothes, she has a selected amount of shoes on a bottom shelf. while it won’t be as big as this closest, this has the general vibes. jamie: like raleigh, his button up shirts and any suits. maybe some of his track wear that shouldn’t wrinkle. nicer tee shirts his tennis shoes... and of course his horse gear hiding in the corner :3 maddie: her clothes are just swung on racks when in a hurry to actually clean. if it’s in order, it’s because liz cleaned maddie’s room. most of her shirts are band shirts and leather & jean jackets.

10. pantry

raleigh: box pasta (he loves bow ties because they look like bow ties), rice, cereals (mainly honey nut cheerios, and he’ll try all the flavors), chips (like pretzels, cheetos, popcorn), and kraft mac n’ cheese. then basic baking stuff like cake mixes, sugar, salt, like, typical foods that’s mixed around where he has to scan for a bit to find what he wants. only his teas are organized. and dog food on the bottom. liz: her apartment does not have a pantry. rip. but they way she has food organized is precise.  jamie: his studio does not have a pantry. but it would have box stuff similar to raleigh... but vegan versions... alongside having the most spices out of everyone else and protein stuff. and his would be organized like liz’s. maddie: her apartment does not have a pantry. it would probably be empty besides her box of animal crackers if she did tho. thank goodness she lives with liz. 

15. bookcase

raleigh: his bookcase holds some of his prized possessions and is one of the few thing he actually keeps organized in his place. and here’s how the bare bones would look like. those science fiction books from his piano instructor, a completed lego models of the millennium falcon and the enterprise as “bookends” with some of his preferred star wars & star trek books, though the models take up more space on that shelf. then everything else is just books with some other trinkets that are vague in my head for now. liz: so she has two bookshelves. the first one is in the living area that most to hold themed books and props to whatever theme caitlyn or liz arranged, though now it’s a combination of whatever maddie and liz want to share in that space. this is what that one would look like, though different items. within her bedroom, liz has a plain shelf with image of it here with several books ordered by the dewey system. she may swap out books when she fells it’s too full, but some of her prized book, like her little women book from her childhood or her engineering textbook from her first class with dr. kumar, will always remain. even if liz may read more on her phone (considering it’s cheaper with the library app), she likes to have physical copies of ones she does enjoy or preorder. oh, slightly off topic, but she’s definitely one of those that reads all the books in bill gates or obama’s book lists every year; she should really join a book club. once liz gets a house, you bet that her bookshelf will look like this one in her study. jamie: this dumbass doesn’t read. maddie: while she doesn’t have too many books for a bookshelf, she does have a vinyl rack. or well, something liz built for her that’s similar to this but maddie would paint lighting bolts on the sides because the sides reminded her of lighting bolts. but she has a simple vinyl rack to store her vinyl that will become canvas for her paintings. and, as for the living room bookshelf, she has one of her 70s cameras she found at an antique store that liz cleaned up for her alongside some of her favorite vinyls to show off or, well, not necessary favorite favorites but ones people will recognize & fit with liz, like fleetwood mac rumors. then, there’s a succulent that liz doesn’t touch that maddie keeps care for; his name is pumpkin because of the orange pot.  

20. refrigerator

raleigh: leftovers from takeout, since normally one takeout plate lasts for two meals. then there’s ketchup, soy sauce, milk, eggs, butter, yoghurt (blueberry or oreo preferred), jelly & jam (mainly blueberry or apricot & there’s even blueberry orange marmalade because why not) some veggies, mainly bell peppers & mushrooms, cheeses, chicken, & hot dogs for his dogs. liz: since maddie & liz would share one, i’m listing things that mainly liz’s here. so she has the meal prep meals in containers throughout the work week. leftovers also last longer for her, about three meals. then there’s meats, mainly chicken & salmon (her favorite), basic things like eggs & milk etc, apple butter, jelly & jam (mainly blackberry & grape), worcestershire sauce, & ketchup. jamie: like, all the veggies you can think of. vegan cheeses, oat milk, cilantro, pickles, jam & jelly (mainly strawberry) leftovers. maddie: the avocadoes in the fridge is because of her. there’s also bbq sauce, sriracha, & leftovers. oh, the the mango habanero jam is hers too. 

25. five most recent google search history

raleigh: 1. names for shades of yellow / 2. beekeeping in urban setting / 3. bee species in california / 4. the most common bee in the world / 5. bees in winter  liz: her google search history has been cleared so i can’t share it :/ jamie: 1. football season updates / 2. how much irrnekg (accidental when holly laid on the keyboard / 3. how much is 8 m in feet / 4. inheritance issues / 5. manage a farm long distance maddie: 1. fairy wings reference / 2. fabric paint in local stores / 3. sour candy lyrics / 4. blinking guy meme / 5. keyboard sale

30. netflix watch history (or just clumping all the streaming services here)

raleigh: the mandalorian, david attenborough’s animal documentaries, x files, dr. oakley yukon vet and yes he cries at every episode don’t judge, indiana jones trilogy no fourth liz: downton abbey, fixer upper, pride & prejudice, the biggest little farm, i am greta, and i guess space documentaries... oh, and the lotr trilogy like, three times already :/ jamie: the office, gilmore girls, flashdance, like all of audrey hepburn’s movies but he tries to hide all of this with fast & furious and cobra kai and action stuff maddie: halloween, nightmare before christmas, the chilling adventures of sabrina, glow, the get down, sailor moon, wayne’s world, magica madoka, the breakfast club

[cosplayinamerica]

Jolyne Kujo from Jojo Bizarre Adventure // Cosplayer : Chaotic Charisma // Photo : kirakichou

Personally I love Jojo and especially love cosplaying the various recolors and outfits there are of the characters. Jolyne is one of my favorite characters in JJBA, from her personality and arc in Stone Ocean (pt. 6) and just her aesthetic too.  Not to mention she’d been a cosplan of mine since 2016 and it was only this year that I felt confident enough to try and cosplay her. For Kumoricon specifically, I had previously done a different color of hers at a con a few months prior so I wanted to bring something new that wouldn’t take too much time but also I’d have fun it with friends.

When I did her ‘canon’ outfit I had a lot of fabric leftover which allowed me to make a second one, only more of my design.  I had previously done five other versions of Jolyne this year before Kumoricon and I wanted to do something different this time around. I specifically wanted to involve discs (a nod to the manga) and butterflies into the design as well so I decided to make my own variation of her costume (although it was also an excuse to rhinestone the hell out of it too). Most of the materials were things I had lying around from previous costumes, rhinestones from my Giorno cosplay, and old DVA and Miku wig, vinyl from my Ferry cosplay, and some old discs I had lying around. I had really wanted to make a blue version of her wig, making it the fourth one I’ve made, and the rest of the outfit fit around it, at least color scheme wise! If I’m being honest, she isn’t at all done yet, I still have to rhinestone the lines, add my LED butterfly wing harness, and finish the wig among a few things. Hopefully, I’ll have her completely done by Sakuracon 2020!

There are certainly a few stories I have as Jolyne. I got a lot of Jojo references thrown my way, be it when getting a picture was taken, in a line, or yelled from across the dealer’s hall. I had a lot of really nice conversations with people about my cosplay and the manga itself. Someone asked if I was from Monster High or if I was Killer Frost which was pretty great. Oh and a LOT of people asked if I could step on them, that was pretty fun.

Photo: sofresh_photos

Cosplay has become one of the pillars of my life. I can’t honestly see my life without it in some way or fashion. This was my sixth year cosplaying, having started when I was around 12 and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. I’ve met so many amazing, talented, and wonderful people throughout my years cosplaying both online and in real life. There are people who I would never have dreamed of calling my friends who are now people I can’t imagine not knowing. The cosplay community has grown alongside me as I’ve gotten older and while it does have its ups and downs I think it’s made me a better person. I’ve learned to be more confident and to be more assertive not just in the cosplay world but also in real life. It helped with my self-esteem and is my de-stressor in life, it keeps me grounded even if I’m covered in green paint or wearing bright pink wig. I’ve also gained a lot of skills and learned a lot from cosplay. From patience, diligence, and not to procrastinate to avoid con-crunch; money and time management; photography, editing, and social media in general; and of course wig/hairstyling, makeup, and sewing.

Cosplay is what connects me to others. The majority of my friends are cosplayers, we bond over shared cosplays, interests, and the process of it. Whether they do competitions, are tik tokers, big accounts or small, buy or make, specialize in wigs or costumes or makeup, young or old, those who live ten minutes away to people all the way on the other side of the planet,  at the end of the day it doesn’t matter which category they fall under, we are all nerdy, geeky people who like to dress up. Cosplay is amazing, the people and connections you make, the memories you gain, and the amount you can have is something I would never trade for.

Kumoricon is a big con in a big space but still maintains its small con atmosphere. It’s the kind of con where everyone knows each other. And while you may only cross paths with each other once or twice or maybe not at all there are people who will come to your aid if you ever need anything. One could describe it as a hangout convention, where you talk with friends, do photos, and explore for the entire event without even realizing the con is already over. It’s not for everyone but for me, being able to talk with friends and hang with people I hadn’t seen in months or meeting for the first time ever, that’s something I always look forward to at cons.

https://linktr.ee/chaotic_charisma

[jana-hallford]

Baby Boomer Memories: Liddle Kiddle Dolls

I was a girly little girl, and loved dolls. (I still do.) Most of my favorite dolls were by Mattel, including Barbie, my beloved Sister Belle, and my last childhood doll, Dancerina. Mattel was a major, major toy maker for the Baby Boomer generation.

Elliot Handler, founder of Mattel (and husband of Ruth Handler, inventor of the Barbie doll!) wanted a line of dolls representing small children in neighborhoods across America. Famed doll sculptor Martha Armstrong Hand, who sculpted other popular dolls including Drowsy (1965) and Cheerful Tearful (1966), made the first ten Kiddles in 1965. They were soft vinyl, with bendable wired legs, painted facial features, and rooted hair that could be brushed and combed. Each came with accessories and a little illustrated “komic” or story booklet.

Florence Niddle (1966 - 1967), one of the first 24 Liddle Kiddle dolls.

Bunson Burnie (1966 - 1967), one of the original 24 Liddle Kiddles. 

Rolly Twiddle (1967) the only African American doll of the first 24 Liddle Kiddles released. She is highly sought after, especially with her original clothes, wagon, pail and shovel, and Komic booklet.

Freezy Sliddle (1967), one of the first 24 Liddle Kiddle dolls.

Liddle Kiddles were introduced at the New York Toy Fair in 1966. The Toy Fair is a buying show, not open to the public, so the dolls hit the market a little later.

I was the fourth grade and turned nine years old in 1967, the perfect age to discover Liddle Kiddle dolls. They were about three inches tall -- much smaller than most dolls of the day -- with playful accessories and outfits. I had so much fun with them!

I had the Storybook Kiddle Liddle Biddle Peep doll (1968), and two Lucky Locket Kiddles. Liddle Biddle Peep was, of course, Little Bo Peep, complete with a chenille sheep and a little shepherd’s crook, a pink dress with paniers, and a matching bonnet. Like all the Storybook Kiddles, Liddle Biddle Peep came with a storybook. She was played with until wires started poking out from her limbs. 

Liddle Biddle Peep from the Storybook Kiddles collection. I loved her. 

Sleeping Biddle Storybook Kiddle. I wanted this one so much!

Lucky Locket Kiddles were about two inches tall, and came in wearable plastic lockets with “jeweled” frames and clear plastic bubble fronts. There was a stand on the back that could be pulled out, allowing the locket to be displayed like a picture frame. Unlike their larger siblings, Lucky Locket dolls were not wired, and their clothes were sewn on.

This excellent collection of Lucky Locket Kiddles includes some from the original “Gold Series,” plus some later issues.

My first Lucky Locket Kiddle was Lois Locket, the sole black doll in the Lucky Locket series. I loved her. The summer between fourth and fifth grade, when I was ten, my family drove to San Francisco for a rare vacation. Lois went with me. While we were in San Francisco, we visited a Russian family we had befriended in Japan. When we arrived, we met the newest addition to the family, a darling little girl named Lana but called Kinka. She was five and spoke only Russian, but language was not a barrier. Kinka saw me and immediately pulled me away to play with her. The first thing she did was show me her big sister Tanya’s room. I could tell she attached special importance to Tanya’s make-up and View-Master. I gave Kinka a coin purse from a set I had shaped like dolls. (I was in my “It’s a Small World” phase, and the coin purse dolls represented various nations.) Kinka liked my Lois Locket, and my mother encouraged me to give it to her when we were leaving, so I did. I was not able to replace Lois.

Larky Locket.

My next and last Kiddle was Larky Locket, a sweet blonde baby. I still have her, sans locket, in an ornate, Rococo-inspired little doll cradle. Lois and Larky were both in the first set of seven Lucky Locket Kiddles (1967), known as the “Gold Set,” since the frames were gold.  Lois was the only doll repeated in the second set of seven Lockets called the “Pastel” set, (1968) due to the difference in frame colors. I’m almost certain my Lois was from the second set, as I recall her locket frame as pastel green, but I could be wrong. Her clothing was the same in both.

The cover of a Lucky Locket Kiddles set of paper dolls shows photos of the actual dolls inside illustrated frames. Larky Locket, in the center, was the baby of the bunch. I still have her. Lois Locket, just to her right, was the only African-American Lucky Locket Kiddle.

Carrying cases were sold for the dolls. Some of my friends had them. There were also tie-in coloring books and paper dolls.

Liddle Kiddles Klub carrying case, exterior.

Liddle Kiddles Klub case, interior.

Pink train case-style Liddle Kiddle carrier.

Liddle Kiddle and hat-box style case.  Sailor doll Lola Liddle (1966-1967) came with a sailboat. (She is not missing her shoes -- her feet were bare.) The picture on the case shows her with Howard "Biff" Boodle (1966). Lola Liddle and Biff Boodle were among the original 24 Kiddles released. Each was sold with a Komic book that featured them both together.

Mattel released many additional Kiddles, including Kola Kiddles and Kiddle Kolognes. These were two-inch dolls, much like their Locket sisters, but in clear plastic bottles that looked like soft drink bottles and perfume bottles. The tiniest Kiddles were Jewelry Kiddles, from just under to just over one inch high. The largest, four-inch Skedaddle Kiddles, were able to walk, ride vehicles or wave thanks to an internal mechanism. Five Holiday Kiddles (1968 - 1969) representing Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day, had soft bodies and vinyl faces. They could be worn as pins, and the Christmas dolls could also serve as tree ornaments.  Four Kiddles n’ Kars dolls (1969 - 1970) wore old-fashioned dresses and drove cars based on early automobiles. 

Rosebud (1968 - 1969) from the Kiddle Kolognes collection. The Kologne Kiddles were scented. 

Apple Blossom (1968 - 1969) from the Kiddle Kolognes series, shown outside of her bottle.

Some of the other later releases were four tiny (two inch) dolls in animal costumes with yarn hair, the Animiddle Kiddles (1969-1970) that could be worn as pins, and four Zoolery Kiddles (1969-1970). Zoolery Kiddles were four plastic animals (panther, lion, chimpanzee, and bear) rather than children, in plastic circus cages, each attached to a bracelet. The cages could be combined to form a circus train.

Robin Hood and Maid Marion from the Storybook Kiddles Sweethearts Collection.

Never opened Lady Crimson from the Tea Party Kiddles series (1969).

From 1968 to 1970 the Storybook Kiddles Sweethearts, tiny but well-detailed pairs of Kiddles portraying star-crossed lovers, such as Romeo and Juliet, and Robin Hood and Maid Marian, were released, along with the Tea Party line in 1969, featuring girls in beautiful gowns, each with a teacup and saucer large enough for human use. This was also the year of the wonderful, whimsical Kozmic Kiddles -- glow-in-the-dark space aliens in flying saucers. I remember Kozmic Kiddles from the Sears Christmas Catalog. How I wanted one of those!

Kozmic Kiddle Greenie Meanie (1969). The Kozmic Kiddles fetch some of the highest prices.

Six Sweet Treat Kiddles with ice cream and lollipop motiifs came out 1969 - 1970. Three Playhouse Kiddles, one set in a kitchen, one in a parlor, and one in a bedroom, were sold only in 1970. Four Liddle Baby Kiddles were also released in 1970.  (I was glad to see one of the Liddle Baby Kiddles was African American. For the time, the representation was significant.) I was aware of the Sweet Treats, but otherwise don’t remember most of the later Liddle Kiddles.

A story I read as a child compared growing up to going through a magic door. It closes behind you, but a new door opens. When I was 12, I gradually stopped playing with dolls the way I had before, even though I still liked them. I felt  profound sadness for leaving my childhood, but understood it was inevitable, and looked forward to what was ahead. I vowed not to forget what it was like to be a child, and like many creative people, I do remember.

Coincidentally, as my childhood and the 1960s came to a close, so did the heyday of Liddle Kiddles. The rising price of petroleum was bad news for makers of vinyl and plastic products, including toys. Mattel made drastic cuts, and the last Kiddles were released in 1970. ln 1971 production discontinued. (The iconic and perennial best-seller Barbie endured.)

There were a few postscripts in the late 1970s. Lucky Locket Kiddles were reissued 1976 - 1978 with bright color frames, then some final ice cream theme Sweet Treat Kiddles were released in 1979, but otherwise the Liddle Kiddle series was no more. Their influence remains. Liddle Kiddles paved the way for other small dolls, including a Kiddles-like series by Uneeda in the 1980s.

Liddle Kiddles remain very popular with collectors, and there are many on-line resources and collector groups. For quite of few of us, these dolls are a treasured memory.

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Symphonic metal fire-starters Ad Infinitum continue their triumphant march to conquer your mind. The band emphasizes their magnificent mysticism by revealing an atmospheric music video for ‘Fire And Ice’, cut from their marvelous debut album Chapter I: Monarchy. The video was taken from a very special concert in order to satiate the desire for dearly missed live performances, and even showcases some exclusive behind the scenes material. The full show will be available for streaming beginning October 9. ‘Fire And Ice’ marks another epos that represents the band’s diversity and passion for what love doing the most. The energetic and equally melodic tunes of the vigorous ballad perfectly illustrate the heart-wrenching tones of Ad Infinitum. [via Metal Goddesses]

Vicious metal queen Scarlet from Sweden launched the pre-orders for her upcoming debut album Obey The Queen and presented the second single “#bossbitch’. Obey The Queen will be available on November 13 via Arising Empire. Before the album drops, Scarlet and her team send a powerful message to all the women out there through the new anthemic single: “We work really hard with the hashtag #bossbitch which is a shout out and a reminder to ALL WOMEN, regardless of genre, that we are smart, beautiful and perfect just as we are; It may seem cliché but it is needed!” [via Metal Goddesses]

Stellaris is a Prague-based melodic metalcore band. The current members are Nicol – vocalist, Milpi – guitarist, Pedro – bassist and Jamie – drummer. Even though they hit the stage at the beginning of this year, they are working hard on their skills and music, and that is why Stellaris decided to shoot a video clip. “And this is only the beginning of our story,” says the band. Stellaris on their debut single: “’Find Your Course’ is about the never-ending journey of searching for the right direction of our lives. That is why we used a compass in a video, which is supposed to symbolize a tool for finding our way. You can find a lot of metaphors in the lyrics so everyone can find their own meaning of the song.” [via Metal Goddesses]

German symphonic metal band Leaves’ Eyes presents a new single off of their upcoming concept album The Last Viking. Watch the video for ‘Dark Love Empress’ below. The Last Viking will come out on October 23 via AFM Records. [via Metal Goddesses]

Mercedes Lander is best known as the drummer of long-running Canadian metal outfit Kittie, but with her current project, the White Swan, which formed in 2016, she's stepped out from behind the kit to sing and play guitar and keyboards as well as to drum. Sonically, the trio is a far cry from her more famous band's Ozzfest-honed attack, specializing in a gauzy, atmospheric brand of sludgy doomgaze that would be more at home on the stages of Roadburn. The London, Ontario-based group — which also features guitarist Shane Jeffers (Bloodmoon Collective) and bassist Kira Longeuay — is gearing up to drop its fourth EP, Nocturnal Transmission, this fall, both digitally and on limited-edition vinyl, the latter via War Crime Recordings. The White Swan teamed with Revolver to unleash the record's opening track and lead single, ‘In Love and Ritual.’ Check out the crushing, lysergic love song above, along with its striking, black-and-white music video. "'In Love and Ritual' is about finding the person that completes you and the journey of realizing how having that person in your life teaches us to become brand new," Lander tells us, "kind of like a rebirth of feeling and emotional connection. I really wanted to create space with this song, keeping the roller coaster of dynamics in the forefront with a touch of chaos running in the background. Having the lyrics and melody build with the music and really complement each other." [via Revolver]

[dollsorwhatever]

My Little Apple Dolls are here!

Just the inner box because the plastic window was really glare-y and annoying. 

So these are the twins Creo (white) and Pestis (black) from the 2005 SDCC, I honestly got these just to have two to play with and mess around with, and the price was nice. I’m not a massive fan of the outfits but I figured they’d be a good base so w/e.  The hair is...atrocious, nasty polypropylene and I hate it. The rooting is also V weird, it’s like a typical BJD wig where there’s a ‘hair circle’ at the top and distributed around to cover the rest but since it’s rooted I just....don’t get why they did this. Perhaps it’s an aesthetic thing or a low-cost thing, but I hate it lol. The bangs just look bad and the ‘hair circle’ is so thick that they essentially look like they have a giant point at the top of their heads:

The head can be removed very easily, it’s just plugged into the torso at the neck and the vinyl isn’t too stiff that you need to heat them up for head removal. The annoying part is that the end of the neck peg is just a tiny hole:

(they both have brown stains at the bases of their necks...idk why but I’ll sand them off later or whatever) Luckily I was able to slice off the very bottom of the neck peg without ruining it, revealing a normal hole that would enable hair removal, so they can definitely be rerooted and the vinyl softens up very easily with some heat. Unfortunately the top of the head is a little deformed as a result of such dense rooting in that area; boiling helped to flatten it but I think if I want to reroot them, I’ll have to fix it to be completely level somehow. Any ideas, doll people?  Here is Creo with most of her hair removed and a white Monique wig that I had laying around, and an MSD jacket that I put on backwards to look more like a dress:

They’re the same size as H4H dolls, Wellie Wishers and Glitter Girls, Corolle Les Cheries etc, but the torso is a fair bit thicker and the feet are a little thinner. She fits the shoes but clothing will probably be too tight (will update on this later). Wig size is 7-8. Obviously her skintone is a very cool-toned, stark white and the wig is more yellow (I think this wig itself is yellowed tho, the back is more cool toned) but I’m happy with the style and length, as well as the quality of the hair so it will do for now! Now that I know they can be rerooted, I plan on sending them both for long saran middle parts (Creo with white saran and Pestis with black). Overall while I’m in love with the base doll (as in, the naked bald doll), the quality of the clothing is pretty lackluster (at least for these two) and the hair rooting is just a disaster. I understand these are meant to be display dolls but come on, these dolls are so simplistic that bad hair really damages the whole picture imo.    I’m glad I decided to get these as an adult, with the patience and willingness to work on them; if I got these as a teenager I would have been in tears from the hair alone and I wouldn’t have had the money or resources to send them to a reroot artist.  I’m def getting at least one other, and potentially a fourth but I’m being incredibly selective and only getting ones that have unique bases since they’re getting rerooted and redressed anyway.   

[twatkcox]

[The Keihancarl Diaries: December 14, 2019]

Yup, I'm all set for a not-so-grand return to WordPress.com as I'll reopen my main blog very soon. In the meantime, the BGC-McKinley Hill trip comes first.

I've been considering wearing the knitted blazer that I've worn back in 2017, on a trip down south, but I decided on the black fleece coat instead. Aside from that, I decided to wear my red anime shirt and the AoT gloves that I haven’t worn since a couple of years ago. Yup, a red and black outfit that’s suitable for the holiday season.

At this time of the year, I'm expecting heavy traffic so I really need to leave the house early. After all, I really hate getting stressed thinking about wasting an hour or two on weekend traffic. But then again, I didn't have to rush. Anyway, traffic is light in most parts of Commonwealth Avenue and I managed to get to MRT North Avenue Station in less than an hour. I also managed to get inside the MRT just as it was about to leave the station. Of course, I didn’t forget to load up my Beep card first.

The MRT runs a little slower than usual since the rails are undergoing replacement. I had a hard time moving inside the jam-packed train, I can't even reach my bag for my handkerchief to wipe my sweat or my phone to take pictures. The train somehow decongested by the time it reached MRT Shaw Boulevard Station.

I got off at MRT Guadalupe Station and immediately head to the jeepney terminal beside the Guadalupe Commercial Center. I then took an e-jeepney to McKinley Hill, my first stop for this trip.

Getting off the e-jeepney, I saw a float being repainted. I believe this is one of the floats used in the Christmas parade at McKinley Hill.

Reaching there, I only checked a couple of shops and took numerous photos and selfies.

There were Venetian mimes (just figured that one out) inside the mall area. And yes, there were some Doraemon figures on the other side of the canal, as well as the mall lobby.

I then had an Xtra Long Chicken Sandwich at Burger King for lunch, which should be enough to keep me fueled for the next few hours.

I then took a jeepney to SM Aura but I got off a short distance away at the mall itself. I checked a few shops there, including a newly-opened Fully Booked branch located at the former Astroplus area. I also passed by ErgoHome at the third level and I'm still amazed at the space-saving storage solutions, especially the tatami one.

Moving on, it spotted a crowd of people at a sporting brand in the fourth level. Could it be the boxing legend/senator who is said to be the global ambassador for the sporting brand? I couldn’t even take a good look from where I’m standing.

And finally, I check the Skypark area and it looks like there are some circular swings installed in the landscaped area. I believe the swings are supposed to lit up at night, or so I thought.

And yeah, the Christmas tree at the upper ground level looks incredible. As well as the holiday decors at the mall, which resembles a clamshell and a fan.

Next stop, Market! Market!. I only checked a couple of second-hand bookshops there and bought a shojo manga in one of the bookshops as well.

Moving on to Bonifacio High Street, I checked the manga section at the largest (four-story) Fully Booked branch, their flagship store. There are some original Japanese manga books on the shelf, including Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba), Doraemon, Naruto, Haikyuu!, and more.

I noticed a significant reduction in the CDs being sold there. I can’t say the same for vinyl records and DVDs at this point, though.

There are some Plarail models for sale. They were quite pricey, though.

I also checked the discounted books at the ground level, but there’s not a single manga book to be found. I then took a look at some of the posters before checking the rest of BHS.

I actually saw some bazaars and food stalls in the BHS area. There's also an event in the One Bonifacio High Street area.

I checked a few shops in Central Bloc and One Bonifacio High Street malls.

I passed by the Burgos Circle area. I saw some joggers in the area.

I was about to head straight to the BGC Bus stop but I was extremely hungry at the moment. I then saw a couple of convenience stores: FamilyMart (Udenna Tower) and Lawson (Milestone at Fifth Avenue). I checked the offerings at FamilyMart first before moving to Lawson, where I had a pork katsu meal. Yup, a pork katsu with unlimited rice (which is actually two cups of rice) and barbecue sauce. The breaded katsu is quite tender, I can even cut it with a plastic spoon.

After that, I took a short bus ride to MRT Ayala Station. Luckily, I managed to catch a BGC Bus before the station temporarily transfers to the other side by 6:00 PM. There were only a few passengers inside the bus (just all of us from the bus stop) so I was able to sit down.

Reaching Ayala Center, I decided to check a few shops in the Glorietta and Greenbelt malls before taking the MRT to North Avenue. I just saw a bunch of awesome manga books at the Booksale branch in Greenbelt, especially the ones by Ken Akamatsu (Negima and A.I. Love You). Prior to that, I also saw other interesting manga books at their Market! Market! branch.

The real struggle begins here, at the busy MRT Ayala Station. Having spent 30 minutes on the platform, I finally managed to squeeze inside one of the jam-packed trains. I can even hardly move inside, for God's sake! I'm worried about my cap or my newly-bought (second-hand) manga getting squashed by some of the passengers. The train eventually decongested at MRT Cubao Station, and I can finally sit down and finish what I'm writing.

I decided to get off at MRT North Avenue station, partly because I find it difficult to catch a UV Express ride from Centris or Quezon Memorial Circle. I had to wait in line for more than 30 minutes before I finally get to board inside one of the UV Express vans.

As expected, traffic is mostly light in most parts of Commonwealth Avenue. The rest is moderate to heavy traffic, particularly in the North Fairview area. We did take a shortcut near Batasan (going to Regalado Avenue/FEU-NRMF area) to avoid the traffic. I got home at around 10:45 PM, which is quite unusual for me since I don't generally go home that late. Oh well, blame it on the MRT-3 and the long lines at the UV Express terminal…

It sure was an awesome day, probably except the last part. I get to have another e-jeepney ride, bought another manga, check out some interesting shops, and visit some great places (which are malls anyway). I could've bought the A.I. Love You manga books in that Booksale branch in Makati, but I really can't spend too much at the moment, not to mention that I don't have that much money to burn right now so I must control my urge to splurge. Kind of sad, really. Anyway, this trip somehow raised my spirits and keep me inspired throughout the day that's why I always do this. It’s a ritual.

So my next trip is either the North Avenue malls or the Makati (Rockwell/Circuit)-Binondo areas a.k.a. the Chinese New Year trip, which coincidentally falls on a Saturday. That's for January next year, as this is my last trip for this year. And yes, I'm looking forward to a cheerful Christmas and New Year celebrations ahead.

All pics are from my private Instagram account, @kcox105.

[lilmsmallory]

VIDEO TITLE:  SPRING BREAK FASHION LOOK BOOK

POST DATE:  MARCH 6TH 

VIDEO LENGTH: 21:57 Minutes 

NOTES: so the layout for this is written some what weird, but i hope it makes since? also this took me two days to write bc tumblr some how deleted it yesterday -_-

-video opens with a montage of her in the outfit before it goes into her channel name with sparkles. It fades out to her sitting in her normal filming location of her teal wall.-

“Hey what’s up guys it’s Mallory and welcome to my channel or welcome back to my channel! Today if you you didn’t already read the title then Its a spring break look book! But we have a little bit of a spin on this look book! I ordered five items from five different stores to gets at least five outfits for next week. And before everyone gets up in arms i have videos filmed, and then you’ll get vlogs, no need to worry about that! But for quicker updates don’t forget to follow me on twitter and Instagram for updates. But now, lets get on with the video!

-the video swipes into the first outfit, crop top from Dolls Kills, light wash overall skirt from Zafull, black strappy platform from Zafull, white pearl crossbody bag from Forever 21, & rose earrings from Fashion Nova. Her hair is pulled back into a high pony tail, and her makeup is natural minus her normal extra winged out liner and peach lipstick that matched the flowers in the top. After moving around a little bit showing off most of the outfit it swipes into her standing there to talk about the look-

"So outfit one makes me feel such early 2000s kid. Like i feel like this top was really similar to one that Brittany Spears had on in one part of  Crossroads! And im LIVING for this overall skirt, its going to end up being a staple in my wardrobe, along with these shoes. I swear im going to be at height with my best friends eyes now, or well almost cause I don’t think these are almost a foot taller. So outfit total with bag and earrings came to 110 dollars. So let get onto look number two!”

-The video swipes into the second look, strapless ruched body suit in pink from Forever 21, distressed shorts from Forever 21, cropped cotton candy jacket from Fashion Nova,  vinyl strap sandals in lavender from Forever 21, & tattoo choker and layered chain necklace from Dolls Kill. Her makeup again natural with her wing again, but a nude lip. Her hair is pulled back in a half up and half down look-

“So can we just start with my favorite part of this look and that’s this jacket. Its so fun and so me really, and it something that i can throw on over like a white dress or a black one just to add some color, something that i will totally wear again, unlike this body suit, It flatters me yes but  I really wish it had like straps or at least had a spot of add straps if you wanted to. and if we wanna talk about these shorts, my butt looks amazing in them, like  these are a total keeper! So this outfit came to 91 dollars, but when three fifths of the outfit is Forever 21, I don’t blame the outfit for being under 100 dollars, but lets go onto the next look!”

-The video swipes into the third look, sweet savage love floral top & shorts from Dolls Kill, black strappy platform from Zaful, rose flower crown in white from Forever 21, white pearl  cross body from Forever 21 & triple strand necklace from H&M. She has a smoky eye look with a light pink lip, and her hair is down and curled loosely around her face.-

“Okay lets start with the fact that I did end up cheating just a little bit in this look, and not because i repeated the shoes and bag, but that the top and bottoms where separates and i ended up ordering six things from Dolls Kill, and that was actually the site i was the most worried about, but they actually worked out really well in my favor because i think this is my favorite outfit i have done today. ten out of ten would recommend this. Plus these shoes are actually the most comfortable pair of heals i have had on in a long time. So outfit total came to 128 dollars, but seeing as the bag and shoes are a repeat, its really 58 dollars, but onto the fourth look!”

-The camera swipes to the fourth look, navy floral dress from Fashion Nova, black strappy platform from Zaful, small shoulder bag in white from H&M, layered coin necklace from Fashion Nova, & large hoop earrings from H&M. Her hair is curled loosely and she has a dark smokey eye with a matching pink from the flowers in the dress lipstick on.-

“Have we figured out I love floral yet? No? So i actually I was really worried about this dress, cause i may be curvy up top, but totally not in other spots, but i do not mind this at all. It totally a lets go to a club dress without being too short or anything. And these Zaful shoes are getting the most work out, and I could not match either pair of shoes i got for this so there is that. So 109 for this outfit, or just 49 dollars if you’re repeating shoes like i am. Onto the fifth outfit!”

-The screen swipes to the fifth look. strappy chiffon lace tank top from Zaful, stoned denim shorts from Dolls Kill, holographic wedges from Dolls Kill, faux leather mini backpack from Zaful, & sunglasses from Zaful. Her makeup is natural with a wing again, with a dark pink lip, and her hair pulled up in a high pony tail-

“Okay so if i had to say i went out of my comfort zone at all it would be this outfit. I don’t even think these shoes match but they were the most expensive thing I got and i had to figure out what outfit they fit with the best. But i think these might be the only thing I end up returning. Everything else i love and will wear again, you might never see me take off these sunglasses honestly! Anyways the total for this outfit came to 156 dollars, but if i swapped the wedges for the Zaful shoes it would bring it down to 130 dollars slash 70 dollars. But lets get onto the bonus outfit that i didn’t mean to make it just kinda happened!”

-the screen swipes to the bonus beach look, sweetie floral ruffle swimsuit from Fashon Nova, sarong in black from H&M, vinyl strap sandals in lavender from Forever 21, sunglasses from Zaful, & a straw hat in beige from H&M. her hair was pulled back into a low pony tail and she had on a ‘no makeup’ makeup look with just lip balm.-

“So i couldn’t leave a spring break video without some type of swim suit, and i think for me this is really flattering and i can not wait to be laying by the beach or pool in this I really have no negatives over this. Plus I can take the shorts from look two and throw these on if i have to go anywhere and it would still look good! Anyways, this outfit came to 87 dollars, but if i take away the repeats, it brings it down to 62 dollars, and to me that’s a steal. But lets head back to sit down and talk about this!”

-the video swipes back to her teal wall filming room, back in outfit three-

"So as we can see outfit three was my favorite, no shock about that. But there is a poll if you click the I up in the corner you can vote on what outfit was your favorite. And time for talking about do you have to spend over 500 dollars for spring break? No absolutely not, but that doesn’t mean don’t get anything new. But let me know what you think down below, and don’t forget to hit that subscribe button and that bell so you don’t miss another video from me and I’ll see you guys on Saturday!”

[bluetapes]

Thanks to Paul Margree and Louderthanwar for this lovely review:

"Trupa Trupa: Jolly New Songs (Ici d’ailleurs / Blue Tapes / X-Ray Records)

LP | CD | DL

Released 27 October, 2017

The latest album from Gdańsk avant-rockers Trupa Trupa is another step forward, says Louder Than War’s Paul Margree.

In the video for Trupa Trupa’s To Me, there’s a recurring image. A group of acrobats twirl and spin, superimposed against a cloudy summer sky. Suspended from ropes, they execute weird and angular manoeuvres, their strangeness emphasized by editing that rocks them back and forth in jerking loops, then doubles them into trippy kaleidoscopic mandalas, like some unholy mash up of James Marsh’s Man on Wire and Dziga Vertov’s Man With A Movie Camera. It’s perfect for the crashing, off-centre lollop of the track it accompanies, and together the combination of disorientating visuals and lurching sonic heaviness is a majestic encapsulation of the whole Trupa Trupa listening experience.

To Me is the lead track for the Gdańsk quartet’s fourth long-player, Jolly New Songs. It follows 2015’s Headache, the album that brought Trupa Trupa to international attention and garnered plaudits from sharp-eared listeners far and wide for its merging of unsettled post-rock rhythms, loopy psychedelia and punchy, grungy production.

Headache may have been Trupa Trupa’s breakout album but it wasn’t their first – with a brace of albums under their belt to hone their craft, it’s no wonder that Headache landed so hard. Those early records majored on the band’s fuzz and wah credentials, with tracks like Miracle (from 2013’s ++) evoking contemporary Brit-psych travellers such as Toy, not to mention vintage outfits like The Doors. Bringing sound engineer Michał Kupicz on board helped them to refine their approach, and the band’s latter incarnation is a more varied and interesting proposition as a result, the tight vortices of their heft and swirl evoking Donovan’s Sunshine Superman reimagined by Gang of Four while navigating a coracle through a burning river of volcanic lava.

Jolly New Songs picks up pretty much where Headache left off. Evolution rather than revolution is the order of the day, with 11 lean cuts that see the band zeroing in on their core strengths with disarming efficiency. Recorded at the same studios in Gdańsk that the band use for rehearsing, with Kupicz again on production and engineering duties, the disparate elements – lysergic churn, gritty scuzz and weary lyricism – are clearly differentiated even as they’re integrated into the band’s overall lurch and stomp even better than before.

Fragmented, evocative lyrics, courtesy of guitarist Grzegorz Kwiatkowski and bassist Wojtek Juchniewicz, both of whom share vocal duties, mirror the brutal efficiency of the group’s sonics. Cuts such as Love Supreme or To Me exemplify this less-is-more approach, the repetition of one or two key vocal phrases (usually just the title, with occasional embellishment) matching the mood of beatific despair just fine. And, as you might perhaps expect for an album titled Jolly New Songs, there’s a love of absurdity and paradox at play that tucks lyrical visions of burning trees and black, red-eyed dogs in amongst even the most melodic twists and turns of their songwriting.

Early highlight Falling gives a great taster of Trupa Trupa in full flow. A clattering drum and guitar intro gives way to soaring guitars and a dreamy, multi-tracked vocal line, anchored to a rock-solid thump, hinting at a naughty Britpop nostalgia. But before you can say Spike Island, that syncopated intro is back, all stuttering drums and hiccupping vocals, before another jump cut. This time a nasal, nagging voice repeats “Think I am wounded, wounded now, think I am wounded…”, a near-dead Major Tom dropping into the heart of the supernova as the guitar chimes like some crepuscular Abbey Road gem. The shifts are frictionless, less three songs in one than an art-rock epic that should occupy a whole side of vinyl condensed into a two minutes and forty-eight seconds of rusted barbed-wire thrill.

Back in 2015, parts of the indie rock landscape were looking in dire need of some attention. With Headache, and now Jolly New Songs, Trupa Trupa have brought a much-needed freshness to the territory, their nimble poeticism backed up by a wintry toughness. They, as well as other string manglers like Hey Colossus, Part-Chimp, Cayetana and Beaches – there are more if you know where to look – are carving out unique, individual spaces in a zone where mould-breaking innovation has all too often ossified into idea-free conformity. Essential listening."

[vinylbay777]

Artists Who Recreated Other Artists Music Videos

On Wednesday, New York disco-rock band Escort released a video for their latest single “Outta My Head.” The video near-faithfully recreates the one released by Journey for their hit “Separate Ways” back in 1983, down to the clothing each member of the band is wearing.

This is not a new occurrence, as many artists before them have either recreated other artists’ videos in either tribute or parody as well. Artists like Eminem and Blink 182 have been parodying snippets of popular videos in their own ways for decades. With every new parody single he releases, “Weird Al” Yankovic produces a parody video to go with it. Recently, younger artists like Troye Sivan and Anne-Marie have been paying homage to iconic late 1990s videos in their own clips.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at artists who have recreated another artist’s complete music videos for their own music videos. Here are six that wear their inspiration on their sleeves and, faithfully or not, pay homage to what came before.

1.       Panic! At The Disco, “Girls/Girls/Boys”: When it came time to release a video for single “Girls/Girls/Boys” from their fourth studio album, ‘Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!’ in 2013, Panic! At The Disco took things back to early 2000s R&B for inspiration. To go with the song’s lyrics about a love triangle, they decided to recreate D’Angelo’s “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” video, which would have frontman Brendon Urie completely stripped down and singing directly into a camera. It’s a pretty faithful remake with every camera zoom and pan spot on. (video)

2.       Weezer, “Africa”: Weezer are no strangers to parodying pop culture in their music videos. But with their recent cover of Africa’s “Toto,” the band decided to do something a little different. Instead of recreating the original song’s video, they recreated one of their own. The band recruited parody expert “Weird Al” Yankovic to play Rivers in a shot-for-shot remake of their “Undone (The Sweater Song)” video. The only differences were Yankovic’s “Buddy Holly”-inspired outfit and the lack of dogs running around the set. (video)

3.       Fall Out Boy, “Irresistible” feat. Demi Lovato: For their “Irresistible” video back in 2016, Fall Out Boy inserted themselves into the world of *NSYNC’s “It’s Gonna Be Me” video, turning themselves into bobbleheads that get brought to life on the store shelf. While not as faithful as some of the other videos on this list, the band does a good job of putting their own spin on the concept. They even found roles for *NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone in the production. (video)

4.       Blink 182, “She’s Out Of Her Mind”: Not ones to take themselves too seriously, Blink 182 decided to parody one of their own music video in 2016. The video for ‘California’ single “She’s Out Of Her Mind” is a nearly shot-for-shot remake of the video for the band’s breakthrough single “What’s My Age Again,” except with ladies running around instead of the band. (video)

5.       Classixx feat. T-Pain, “Whatever I Want”: With their 2016 video for “Whatever I Want,” electronic group Classixx found inspiration in indie rockers The Smiths, faithfully recreating the video for “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” down to the photo of Oscar Wilde and even reusing shots from the original. According to director Daniel Pappas, the inspiration for the recreation came from collaborator T-Pain’s (who plays the part of Morrissey in the video) struggles with depression, the “shared sadness of Smiths fans and how, through all of the depression and sadness, when you look like Morrissey in whatever way you can, everything is going to be okay.” (video)

6.       Ingrid Michaelson, “Girls Chase Boys”: Robert Palmer’s video for 1988 single “Simply Irresistible” has had its share of reimaginings and references in popular culture. But for her 2014 single “Girls Chase Boys,” Ingrid Michaelson went a step further and created a nearly faithful homage to the original. The twist, however, was that the ladies in make-up and pink dresses from the original would be replaced with men in make-up and pink shirts. (video)

Whether parodying their own videos or faithfully paying homage to the artists that came before, recreating a music video has become a popular way for artists to share artistic inspiration and/or get a certain feeling across. Check out some of these recreated videos above and let us know what your favorite music video recreations are in the comments below.

                                                            ---

Pay homage to your favorite artists by picking up music from these artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s top new independent record shop. With thousands of titles to choose from in a wide variety of genres, we have something to fit the tastes of most music fans. Browse our selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

[lifeonashelf]

CHURCH, THE

I feel kind of bad for The Church. Here you have this outfit who perfected a strain of moody indie rock with lush psychedelic flourishes, except they did so a few zeitgeists too early and peaked about twenty years before the sound they were instrumental in shaping started being deemed stylish by hipster tastemakers (actually, they did it about twenty years before hipsters were even a thing, back when cassettes were fashionable the first time). If their most enduring record—1988’s Starfish—was released today, Pitchfork writers would be tripping over themselves while racing for their laptops to vigorously espouse its merits (then after everyone else caught on to how good The Church is, these same writers would inevitably turn against them and start including them in articles with titles like: “20 Crappy Bands That Hipsters Love”). The group would likely be enjoying the same level of chic esteem as squads like Interpol and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club—bands that are regarded as cool both because they actually are cool, and because people who regard themselves as cool also regard those bands as cool. It naturally follows, then, that The Church would be the third or fourth-billed name in the Saturday line-up for next year’s Coachella, after which assorted dudes with excessively-manicured facial hair would pause between gusts of mango-papaya vape to expound on how “ah-may-zing” their set was (though they would go on to insist the true highlight of the festival was Sia’s performance, which they would—also—designate as “ah-may-zing”).

The Church also arrived a bit too early to benefit from the 1990’s alternative explosion, an epoch during which they would have surely gotten along famously, probably sold at least as many records as the Gin Blossoms, and ostensibly been written in as a favorite band of the character played by Claire Danes on My So-Called Life (Angela Chase never specifically mentioned The Church on that show, but I still sincerely think she probably did like them and I’m reasonably certain “Reptile” was her go-to cut; I doubt Jordan Catalano enjoyed their stuff very much, though—Angela would have been all, like, “hey, let’s listen to this Church CD,” and he would have fluttered his eyelashes and been all, like, “nah”).

Unfortunately, even in their own era, the band’s timing was inopportune. An effective LP like Starfish had all the potential in the world to set up The Church as a benchmark of the thriving college radio circuit, which reasonably could have segued them to continued success in the decidedly guitar-friendly age to come. However, they had to settle for relegation to the middle-ground because they happened to release that record in 1988, a year during which numerous sonic purveyors who would ultimately define the impending alt-rock movement in The Church’s stead released seminal works that were so trailblazing they inevitably made Starfish’s more discreetly-admirable fare sound underwhelming by comparison. While the album boasts four stellar tunes and six solid others, I don’t think anyone could successfully argue that Starfish is anywhere near as exhilarating as Jane’s Addiction’s Nothing Shocking, Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation, My Bloody Valentine’s Isn’t Anything, The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, Soundgarden’s Ultramega OK, or Dinosaur Jr.’s Bug—to name just a few of the 1988-alumni discs which effectively set the tone for much of the decade following their release. Even if The Church wrote ten songs as fabulously hypnotic as “Destination”, they couldn’t have possibly competed against a roster of that caliber.

As things stand today, the group’s legacy rests in the realm of far more humble peers such as Soup Dragons and Aztec Camera—which is to say The Church is fondly remembered by dudes in their late-40’s who still wear Happy Mondays t-shirts and scour vinyl bins looking for elusive Charlatans UK singles, yet they rarely earn more than a passing mention in broader critical symposiums about the fertile ambit of 1980’s indie rock. Most people under the age of thirty-five only know The Church even existed because their song “Under the Milky Way” appeared in the most slavishly overrated cinematic offering released so far this century, Donnie Darko (granted, Donnie Darko is far from terrible—in fact, it very well may be one of the best movies ever made about a disturbed teenager who hangs out with a demonic ghost-bunny and travels back in time to masturbate in front of Drew Barrymore—but for all its meandering allegories and figurative virtuosity, the film is nowhere near as mind-bending as its Cult Classic status suggests). And here’s the kicker there: even with their best song prominently featured on a popular soundtrack during an era when popular soundtracks were still a thing—a circumstance which would seem ideal to trigger a contemporary reappraisal of The Church’s prowess—the band was outshined yet again. And this time it wasn’t a cadre of future legends who shoved them into the backseat, it was a now-forgotten singer-songwriter named Gary Jules, whose admittedly first-rate cover of “Mad World” usurped “Milky Way” as Donnie Darko: The Album’s breakout anthem and sparked a contemporary reappraisal of Tears For Fears instead. Even though Tears For Fears was objectively a better band than The Church, it still kind of sucks that Gary Jules dropped a fucking jet engine on the latter’s shining moment.

I hope The Church at least takes solace in knowing they are responsible for one of the most killer tunes ever recorded. “Under the Milky Way” remains an utterly magnificent creation, a five-minute slice of brilliance which is nigh impossible to dislike. Though only a modest hit when it was released—the single didn’t crack the Top-20 anywhere, not even in the collective’s home country of Australia—“Milky Way” nevertheless demonstrates the sort of definitive song-craft most bands could only dream they were capable of summoning. Its hooks are melodic and mesmerizing enough to immediately satisfy the ears of the most jaded pop purists, yet the multifarious arrangement is layered with supple intricacies which invite, and richly reward, a more duteous immersion (to put it in more articulate terms: the song sounds really simple, but there’s actually a whole lot of shit going on there). The brilliantly ambiguous lyrical stanzas are ripe for personal interpretation, unfurling the sort of stream-of-consciousness reverie that any listener searching for revelations can self-apply as they see fit (“Something shimmering and white leads you here, despite your destination / Under the milky way tonight”… ah-may-zing). As for me, I’ve listened to the track well over a hundred times in my life, and I still have no idea what it’s about—although I assume it’s either about fucking or dying, since just about every song ever written is inevitably about one of those two things. “Milky Way” is so entrancing, not even the presence of a densely-processed solo which sounds like braying bagpipes can shatter its dark spell (an old joke comes to mind here: Why do Scotsmen always walk while they’re playing their bagpipes? They’re trying to get away from the noise…). The sole other tune I can think of that accomplishes a similar feat is Korn’s “Shoots and Ladders”, which would still be extraordinary even with ten sets of bagpipes pealing through it, since it holds the distinction of being the only song in the history of recorded sound which inspires moshing alpha-males to savagely pummel each other while growling the words, “Knick knack paddywack, give the dog a bone, this old man came rolling home” (these lyrics naturally lead me to assume “Shoots and Ladders” is about both fucking and dying, concurrently).

I need to back up for a second here, because the more I listen to The Church, I’m starting to think their interment in the crowded mausoleum of ‘80s one-hit-wonders is probably more fitting than not (this concession sort of negates my original thesis for this piece, but fuck it). I do dig several of the tunes on Starfish a whole lot (I have yet to mention “North, South, East And West”, which supplies five more of the finest moments on the record), yet none of them are remotely as transcendent as “Under the Milky Way”. And my appreciation for the band’s dexterity, while potent in single-serving dosages, has not inspired me to seek out the rest of their surprisingly voluminous discography. Until I started writing this, I wasn’t even aware they are still active, nor that they have issued a full dozen records since Starfish (I just now checked out a couple clips from their most recent offering—2017’s Man Woman Life Death Infinity—and they were about what I expected: competent, but not remarkable). I am much fonder of The Church than I am of Soup Dragons or Aztec Camera, I would definitely select one of their shirts over a Happy Mondays tee if it came down to it, and I would be far more excited to stumble across the 12” for “Destination” in a record store bin than a whole stack of Charlatans UK singles. Nonetheless, I can’t think of any persuasive criteria under which I could possibly contend that Starfish is as essential a record as Daydream Nation (although, it is a way better record than Sonic Youth’s 2000 release NYC Ghosts & Flowers).

Ultimately, I guess all I can really say about The Church with conviction is that they made at least one really great album that I own and enjoy. Which is good enough for me, even if that rote conclusion makes all of the needlessly flowery paragraphs leading up to this one rather pointless. But I already wrote all that other shit, so I’m not going to go back and excise it now; there were a few decent jokes in there, and at my age, I can’t really afford to delete pages that I squandered several nights working on. It was a dumb premise, though—who the fuck am I to insinuate that the dudes who wrote a timeless classic like “Under the Milky Way” somehow didn’t realize their full potential? Especially when they’re still touring on the strength of that creation 30 years later, and all I’ve really managed to do in the last 30 years is get myself savagely pummeled by alpha-males at a few Korn shows while Jonathan Davis scatted nursery rhymes at me from the stage.

I suppose if I ever write about The Church in the future, I’ll give my notions a bit more thought before I type myself into a corner. For now, I think I’m just going to close this piece and allow it to simmer in its averageness. If I start tweaking these entries just because they aren’t any good, I’ll never finish a single one. And then who’s going to author middling essays about the hundreds of bands in my collection I haven’t gotten around to yet?

Like a bagpipe-wheezing Scotsman, I’ve got to keep moving. It’s time for this old man to come rolling home.

 June 28, 2018

[popofventi]

June Song 5: "Strangers In The Street" by The Fratellis featuring PP Arnold

"When I first received ‘Strangers In The Street’ to listen to and was invited to sing the vocal I instantly loved the song and felt a connection with it. When I asked Jon to explain his meaning of the song to me, it all made sense and the song has made something very beautiful happening in my life. I’m very happy that the song is being released at this time to support all the brave souls on the frontline supporting all of us."  -- PP Arnold

“Strangers In The Street” by The Fratellis feat. PP Arnold

The Fratellis’ ‘Strangers in the Street’ featuring soul legend PP Arnold is a special version of the track from their upcoming sixth album Half Drunk Under a Full Moon to be released through Cooking Vinyl Records on October 30th.

100% of the profits generated by the track will be donated to Spotify’s COVID-19 Music Relief Project and also to charities supporting those on the frontline. Get the track here: https://thefratellis.lnk.to/SITS

“Strangers in the Street”

Saw the night give way where the light was golden So I took my leave of all that I was holding Darling come the day when your nightmares fall I'll be on that first plane home and we'll outrun them all Well I guess it's sweet We still live like strangers in the street

It's the cruelest thing when the word is spoken I swear it's a sin to see you heartbroken Darling come the day it's too much to breathe I'll hold this space for you and I won't let you leave I will keep the beat We'll still move like strangers in the street

Darling come the time when you slip away I'll be that whispered word that hangs around your doorway Our tale complete We'll still dance like strangers in the street

-xxx-

UPCOMING THE FRATELLIS SHOWS

FRATELLIS’ BIO: A brashly melodic indie rock outfit from Glasgow, the Fratellis feature vocalist/guitarist Jon Fratelli, drummer Mince Fratelli, and bassist Barry Fratelli. The witty trio played its first show in early 2005, maintaining that the band's moniker was merely an homage to Barry's original surname (however, other rumors suggest that the Fratellis borrowed it from the nemesis family featured in Steven Spielberg's film The Goonies). Such trivia only added to the Fratellis' growing appeal upon their debut, and the band's limited-edition self-titled EP arrived in April 2006. Although few copies were pressed, the record received a helpful boost from Zane Lowe's Radio One program, which put the acoustic-driven track "Creepin Up the Backstairs" into regular rotation. Televised appearances on Later with Jools Holland and Top of the Pops followed during the early summer, while the group's second single, "Henrietta," earned the Fratellis their first U.K. Top 20 hit. "Chelsea Dagger" began climbing the U.K. Top 40 that August, and the debut album, Costello Music, finally arrived in September. Although the album failed to chart in most countries (even an American iPod commercial featuring the track "Flathead" failed to spark much interest across the pond), Costello Music enjoyed a great deal of success at home, earning the bandmates a BRIT Award and peaking at number two in their native U.K.

The Fratellis returned to the British charts in 2008 with "Mistress Mabel," a track from their polished sophomore effort, Here We Stand. The band then went on hiatus for a few years; during that time, Jon formed the torchy duo Codeine Velvet Club in 2008 with Lou Hickey and released a solo album, Psycho Jukebox, in 2011. Meanwhile, Barry joined the Twang as a touring member and Mince played with Jon's backing band as well as with Throne o' Diablo. During this time, "Chelsea Dagger" also became the unofficial theme song of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks. In 2012, the Fratellis regrouped for a U.K. tour and announced in 2013 that they had recorded their third studio album in their native Glasgow. We Need Medicine arrived in October 2013. By the end of the year, they were already writing songs, some of which appeared on the Soul Crush EP, available as a free download on the band's website. The Fratellis recorded their fourth album in Los Angeles with producer Tony Hoffer (who also produced their debut); preceded by the singles "Me and the Devil" and "Baby Don't You Lie," Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied was released in August 2015. The following year, the band celebrated the tenth anniversary of Costello Music with a U.K. tour. In 2017, they began work with Hoffer on their fifth album. Preceded by the disco-tinged track "The Next Time We Wed," In Your Own Sweet Time appeared in March 2018. The Fratellis headed back into the studio in L.A. with Hoffer to record their next outing, 2020's Half Drunk Under a Full Moon. ~ Andrew Leahey & MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi

Ventipop June 2020 Playlist

[thisisheffner]

MEREDITH MUSIC FESTIVAL 2019

Don’t Ever Doubt Aunty, She Knows How To Throw A Party

Words: Bec Grech and Sally Lewis Photos: Chelsea King

This is Bec’s fourth and Sal’s first Meredith Music Festival. Here is who and what they saw during a wonderfully wacky weekend at the coveted Supernatural Amphitheatre. 

FRIDAY

Cleansing smoke from the smoking ceremony filled the Supernatural Amphitheatre, signalling the start of Meredith Music Festival in its 29th edition, held on the land of the Wadawurrung. In a MMF first, Uncle Barry Gilson along with other traditional custodians of the land performed a beautiful Welcome To Country. Stories, singing and dancing. In a minutes silence, the Sup’ stood in solidarity to pay respect to their recently lost Elder, Aunty Mary. Thank you Uncle Barry and the Wadawurrung people for sharing your stunning land with us for the weekend and welcoming us all with open hearts. 

Photo: Meredith punters walking through the Smoking Ceremony held by Wadawurrung people, the traditional custodians of the land on which Meredith takes place.

Jesswar opened the festival with an explosive, tough as nails performance. Her hard-going hip hop had all the bad bitches move to the front. And move to the front, we did.

Karate Boogaloo, the funky and oh-so funny four-piece served up a set of their finest and fruitiest jams. Sweet, sticky, ooey-gooey goodness. Kay-Bee’s unconventional funk and fusions of psych and RnB, had the Sup’ swaying and smiling ear-to-ear. Carn the Boogers! 

With housekeeping out of the way (courtesy of FEE B2 and Shania Twain), Julia Jacklin instantly warmed and wowed the crowd. Equally composed and expressive, Jacklin’s voice has the power to deliver a performance that can be simply summarised as, stunning. Singalongs to ‘Pressure To Party’, ‘Don’t Know How To Keep Loving You’ and ‘Pool Party’ had our hands to our hearts. 

Aunty Meredith, thank you for putting together a lineup with set times that allow us to jump from the dreamy, indie pop of Julia Jacklin to the electric rockabilly of Tokyo’s Stompin’ Riffraffs. Seriously, the screams, the masks, the blazing theremin solos. Unreal. Check them out. 

I was quite perplexed by the disregard of Meredith’s ‘No Dickhead Policy’ when Liam Gallagher was announced as a headliner… After a couple of tracks I swapped out his set for some downtime at the Ecoplex Cinema and was witness to an odd Christmas movie where Santa hosted an international kindergarten rock eisteddfod inside a grand organ, then proceeded to invade an innocent child’s dreams that were influenced by Satan. I was happy with my decision, but hey, I’m sure most people in the Sup’ were having the time of their lives, and that’s great too. I stayed for the Friday night headliner and the set was, strange? With two decent enough albums behind him, Liam Gallagher surprisingly leaned heavy on the Oasis classics but not the ones I was expecting. ‘Wonderwall’ of course came out, as did ‘Cigarettes And Alcohol’, ‘Rock N Roll Star’ and ‘Stand By Me’, but Gallagher chose to skip over a huge mix of mega hits. Admittedly I may have fallen asleep in the deep comforts of a cosy couch as Gallagher played, but I suppose there’s something cool about being woken up to a crowd of festival goers singing along to some iconic 90s Brit-pop. Special mention to the unaware punter yelling “play Wonderwall!” as Gallagher and his band were belting out that man’s very request right in front of him. “Who are you looking forward to seeing at Meredith?” they all asked. My instant reply, “Close Counters”. The Tasmanian duo played their biggest crowd to date and utilised their deep synths and drilling basslines to get the Friday night party started with their crazy good fusion of house, jazz and soul. Mmmm Moog synths rule. Elle Shimada also made an appearance to slay the violin, as well as Francesca Gonzales who leant her vocals.

Logic1000 whose debut EP dropped only weeks before our supernatural adventures carried us into the early morning, floating between deep house and ambient electronic moments. Oops! Bed time for me. Closing out the night was Vanessa Worm. I was meters away from my tent when Vanessa’s wacky vocals permeated through the campsite. It sounded too good to be true, and impossible to miss. I made the trip back to the dance floor to witness her set in the flesh. Gritty electronic beats provided a background to some incredibly silly vocal stylings that appeared to be emanating from a puppet who had gained awareness of it’s strings and was making every attempt to rid itself of it’s puppet master. They definitely expelled some of their inner demons. Fantastic, I wanted to put my boot up but held onto it for some strange reason, which I have now come to regret. 

“Time for you to be still” – listening to Vanessa Worm, I hit the hay too.

SATURDAY

Scott and Charlene’s Wedding was the most wonderful soundtrack to waiting in line for coffee. A very blissful morning indeed.

U-Bahn was up next and boy, not only did they look good (hats off to outfit coordination and killer eye makeup) they sounded bloody brilliant. Having caught these synth-punks around Melbourne town a few times previously, their moment on the Sup’ stage may just be my favourite performance of theirs yet. 

“Where are you camping?” is apparently every third question asked at Meredith, so for the sake of this article.. I ran back to our castle/camp at Bluegums to refuel and unfortunately missed seeing River Yarra, but thanks to there only being one super loud stage, I was able to listen to their pops of percussion fuelled, experimental electronica. Wobbly, wonky, I liked what I heard.

Cate Le Bon on a sweet Saturday afternoon was sublime. Uniquely impassive in their own kooky fashion, Le Bon and her band in their performance slip in twinkles of magic and stubborn eccentrics. It was truly dazzling and full of heart. Plenty of boots up in the air for this set.

It seemed like the entire festival flooded the amphitheatre for DJ Koze on Saturday afternoon. An incredible turn out for a last minute addition to the lineup. Koze must have raided the local Meredith nursery, going full bush on the set design – it looked and sounded amazing. Potentially the crowd favourite? Sally, please blast ‘Pick Up’ as you scatter my ashes through a forest somewhere. 

Can do! Bec and I both gave our boot to the German DJ, as we boogied our bums off to Koze’s impeccable selection of beats and bangers. I’m having flashbacks. Might go cry to the memories of Meredith right now… 

Following Koze’s wild hour and a half were some marvellous afro house beats, courtesy of Digital Afrika. I didn’t realise just how much dancing could be squeezed into one afternoon. The Eqyptian Lover then whipped the crowd into a frenzy with their powerful stage antics. Forcing the crowd to scream “eight oh, motha effin, eight”. They proceeded to play nothing but that drum machine for fifteen minutes straight while thousands of smiling faces ferociously shook their booties. 

I was also one of those booty shakers and I aspire to dance as The Egyptian Lover dances… He’s got the moves I tell ya. *Flicks hands left and right*. Viagra Boys. WOW. The five-piece punkers from Stockholm, Sweden, had everyone in the palms of their hands as they bashed through their catalogue of witty post-punk belters. Frontman Sebastian Murphy is a crazy character, he threw himself around the crowd and all about the stage as he sang and shouted his lampoons on life. Push ups into a microphone as he yelled “sports!” during the ‘Sports’ outro, very, very impressive. Special shoutout to the saxophonist of the band who bloody slayed that thing all set long. I admire a punk band who indulge in using bongos. Absolutely wild times. I may have given DJ Koze my boot but Viagra Boys have my heart.

Photo: Viagra Boys frontman Sebastian Murphy singing into the front row of people. 

Dead Prez were up next, who blew us all out of the park. Gangsta Brooklyn political-rap pairs very nicely with samples of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pink Floyd.

Amyl and the Sniffers came in stinkin’ hot (and slightly late) with an ARIA tucked under their mullets. Two years ago the local punks opened Meredith on Friday night. This year they cut loose during a headline time slot. My. Oh. My. They delivered. A set equally as punchy and wild as it was wholesome. In between heavy breaths the band made it pretty clear how special it was for them to be playing another Meredith. Props to Amy for creating a safe space in the mosh for everybody except creeps. She is a force to be reckoned with. Footage of buff kangaroos fighting while Amy sung “I wanna be your little angel” along with a live Chat Roulette video stream displayed throughout the set, sent me (and I’m sure many others) into fits of laughter. The joy of short and sharp punk songs is that nearly every single Amyl and the Sniffers hit can be squeezed into a 45 minute set; ‘70 Street Munchies’, ‘I’m Not A Loser’, ‘Monsoon Rock’, ‘Gacked On Anger’, ‘Cup Of Destiny’. All killer no filler.

Photo: Amy Taylor of Amyl and The Sniffers on stage during their Saturday night headline slot.

Irish alt-pop/disco sensation Roisin Murphy who you’d recognise from Moloko (‘Sing It Back’) blew us away with an impeccably controlled vocal delivery and performance. It was a real treat to see her delve into the sonic world of her solo endeavours – swaying between chiming, glittery, lush synths and the squelchier sounds of ‘Overpowered’. Upwards of 4 costume changes? What a party. There was also some kind of silver alien that Murphy hugged and danced with. It was confusing but I loved it. After that, I only remember dancing. 

Two hours of solid dancing to incredible house followed, soundtracked by Eric Powell. Thank you. Just, thank you. German producer and DJ Helena Hauff, whose appearance at Meredith had been years in the works, mixed the entirety of their set on vinyl. Starting dark and brooding, we were quickly plunged into dark, fast and heavy selections accompanied by intensely curated visuals. “Are you ready to RAMBL?!” … No, I’m so sorry but by body can’t do it. Dancing for upwards of 15 hours had me beat. I did however enjoy the local DJ’s diverse mixes of house, disco, funk and techno from the comforts of my tent AND as I woke back up at 7am for a cheeky run to the loo. There was no better way to wake up Sunday morning than with another lil’ dance.

SUNDAY

We all rolled out of our tents slowly late Sunday morning with sore heads, full hearts, and dropped jaws, recovering from the breathtaking talent that graced the Amphitheatre the night before and we headed down to catch Gordon Koang. As much as he insisted he loved the crowd very much, I think we loved him more. Koang had the amphitheatre standing up and clapping their hands (despite how rough we all undoubtedly were feeling at this point in the weekend) before he even played ‘Stand Up (Clap Your Hands)’ which on stage featured a string of the cutest dancers possible. Two disco ball headed dancers also joined the party on stage and now I need a disco ball head toot sweet. 

I’m not going to lie, I had no idea what The Gift was. I didn’t even think to ask. Holy. Moly. Not only is the Sup’ the perfect place to let your hair down but also, your pants. Nude racing around the Amphitheatre by those with brave souls and bare bums. Meredith truly is a magical place. Speaking of…

MAGICAL MOMENTS

Interstitial DJs – the unsung heroes of the dancefloor. Adriana selects the most wonderful international boogie gems and only FEE B2 can get away with mixing ‘Come on Eileen’, into drum and bass, into disco.

The People – Ingrained in its philosophy, everyone is welcome at MMF. With open arms Aunty Meredith and the Wadawurrung people allow festival goers to indulge themselves in music, art and community. The people at MMF are united bunch of loose bananas who have the best fun, and who importantly look after each other while doing so. No dickheads. No worries. 

The amount of ‘overheards’ and ‘seen ats’ could be endless. I loved seeing the endless array of dolled up punters and groups of friends in highly coordinated outfits; women in 80s business attire passing around a cheese board in the midst of a Swedish punk set, a crew dressed in life jackets and helmets carrying their mate on an inflatable raft who paddled and parted the Sup’ like the sea, netballers, cricketers, flight attendants, birds, disco dancers, you name it and someone was probably dressed like it at Meredith. The Return of Doof Sticks – This year the doof sticky things were removed from the banned items list (as long as their heads were no larger than that of a cauliflower). They lined the Sup’s horizon to make a spectacle of lights and crafty work. Even some cauliflowers on sticks were spotted. The Boot – My first time at Meredith, I was relieved and heart-warmed by the concept of giving an act your boot/shoe. Thankfully not a suggestion of a shoey, but an act of admiration. 

Cricket – Who doesn’t love an impromptu game of bat n’ ball in the rise of the Sup’? Meredith is the only place the police and punters sporting ‘eff the police’ shirts can come together for an over. Couches – How have I survived past music festivals without one? A place to chill out and enjoy the music from afar, or dance on top of, or start a party at, or make as a meeting point. Genius. Also, I hope the guy we found asleep on our couch Sunday morning is doing fine and found his friend Sarah.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Despite comments in the lead up that MMF 2019’s lineup wasn’t as strong as previous years (which we never once bought into) and the ticket swapping page being swamped with heavily discounted tickets – it is pretty damn clear by the success of the weekend that; 1) don’t ever doubt Aunty, 2) She knows how to throw a party, and 3) those who sold their tickets missed out on a stellar weekend. During every set there were boots being held up left right and center. With every twist and turn someone beside you was having the time of their life.The Supernatural Amphitheatre is without a doubt the most magical place for live music in Australia.

Thank you Aunty Meredith. Thank you to the Wadawurrung people for sharing your land. Thank you to the lovely friends we met and made. We are already counting down the days ‘til Golden Plains.

The post MEREDITH MUSIC FESTIVAL 2019 appeared first on SYN Media.

This content was originally published here.

[nilority-blog]

    DETROIT (AP) — Former presidents and preachers joined a parade of pop stars Friday in a singing, hip-swaying, piano-pounding farewell to Aretha Franklin, remembering the Queen of Soul as a powerful force for musical and political change and a steadfast friend.

In a send-off both grand and personal, an all-star lineup of mourners filled the same Detroit church that hosted Rosa Parks’ funeral and offered prayers, songs and dozens of tributes. Guests included former President Bill Clinton, former first lady Hillary Clinton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson.

Robinson, the Motown great, remembered first hearing Franklin play piano when he was just 8 and remained close to her for the rest of her life, talking for hours at a time. “You’re so special,” he said, before crooning a few lines from his song “Really Gonna Miss You,” with the line “really gonna be different without you.”

Bill Clinton described himself as an Aretha Franklin “groupie” whom he had loved since college days. He traced her life’s journey, praising her as someone who “lived with courage, not without fear, but overcoming her fears.”

He remembered attending her last public performance, at Elton John’s AIDS Foundation benefit in November in New York. She looked “desperately ill” but managed to greet him by standing and saying, “How you doin,’ baby?”

Clinton ended by noting that her career spanned from vinyl records to cellphones. He held the microphone near his iPhone and played a snippet of Franklin’s classic “Think,” the audience clapping along.

“It’s the key to freedom!” Clinton said.

Expected to last several hours, the service encompassed many elements, emotions and grand entrances that were hallmarks of her more than six decades on sacred and secular stages.

Ariana Grande sang one of the Queen’s biggest hits, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and Faith Hill performed “What a Friend We Have In Jesus.” The Aretha Franklin Orchestra performed a medley featuring “I Say a Little Prayer,” ”Angel” and other songs she was known for, along with such gospel numbers as “I Love the Lord” and “Walk in the Light.”

Barbara Sampson read a statement from former President George W. Bush, saying that Franklin would continue to inspire future generations. The Rev. Al Sharpton read a statement from former President Barack Obama, who wrote that Franklin’s “work reflected the very best of the American story.”

Sharpton received loud cheers when he criticized President Donald Trump for saying that the singer “worked for” him as he responded to her death. “She performed for you,” Sharpton said of Franklin, who had sung at Trump-owned venues. “She worked for us.”

“She gave us pride. She gave us a regal bar to reach. She represented the best in our community,” Sharpton said.

Many noted her longtime commitment to civil rights and lasting concern for the poor. Her friend Greg Mathis, the award-winning reality show host and retired Michigan judge, recalled his last conversation with her. They talked about the tainted water supply in Flint. “You go up there and sock it to ’em,” she urged Mathis, paraphrasing the “sock it to me” refrain from “Respect.”

Franklin died Aug. 16 at age 76.

Her body arrived early Friday in a 1940 Cadillac LaSalle hearse. She wore a shimmering gold dress, with sequined heels — the fourth outfit Franklin was clothed in during a week of events leading up to her funeral.

The casket was carried to the church that also took Franklin’s father, the renowned minister C.L. Franklin, to his and Parks’ final resting place at Woodlawn Cemetery, where the singer will join them. Pink Cadillacs filled the street outside the church, a reference to a Franklin hit from the 1980s, “Freeway of Love.”

Program covers showed a young Franklin, with a slight smile and sunglasses perched on her nose, and the caption “A Celebration Fit For The Queen.” Large bouquets of pink, lavender, yellow and white flowers flanked her casket.

Floral arrangements from singers such as Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett and from the family of the late Otis Redding, whose “Respect” Franklin transformed and made her signature song, were set up in a hallway outside the sanctuary.

Detroit plans to honor one of its most famous residents. Mayor Mike Duggan announced during the service that the city would rename the riverfront amphitheater Chene Park to “Aretha Franklin Park.”

Bishop Charles Ellis III of Greater Grace knows well the boldface guest list and surrounding pomp and circumstance, but he has a higher mission in mind.

“It is my goal and my aim to ensure that people leave here with some kind of spiritual awakening,” Ellis said. “This is not a concert, this is not a show, this is not an awards production. This is a real life that has been lived, that a person regardless of how famous she became, no matter how many people she touched around the world, she still could not escape death.”

Family members, among them granddaughter Victorie Franklin and niece Cristal Franklin, spoke with awe and affection as they remembered a world-famous performer who also loved gossip and kept pictures of loved ones on her piano.

Grandson Jordan directed his remarks directly to Franklin, frequently stopping to fight back tears.

“I’m sad today, because I’m losing my friend. But I know the imprint she left on this world can never be removed. You showed the world God’s love, and there’s nothing more honorable.”

___

Associated Press writers Josh Replogle and Kristin M. Hall contributed to this report.

READ MORE STORIES ON BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM:

Aretha Franklin Laid To Rest In Epic, Hours Long Funeral

Highlights Of The Aretha Franklin Funeral Service

Traci Braxton Reveals Sad Reason Why Phaedra Parks Joined ‘Braxton Family Values’

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Go to Source Aretha Franklin Laid To Rest In Epic, Hours Long Funeral     DETROIT (AP) — Former presidents and preachers joined a parade of pop stars Friday in a singing, hip-swaying, piano-pounding farewell to…