#also loved Octet

[davidtennantgenderenvy]

EVERY NEW MUSICAL I LISTENED TO (or watched) MY FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Anyone Can Whistle

A Strange Loop

Bandstand

Candide

Chess

Children of Eden

The Color Purple

Finian’s Rainbow

Follies

Funny Girl

Honeymoon in Vegas

If/Then

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Juno

The King and I

Kiss Me, Kate!

La Cage Aux Folles

Mack and Mabel

Man of La Mancha

Mean Girls

Moulin Rouge

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

My Fair Lady

Octet

Oliver!

The Pirate Queen

Rent

Ride the Cyclone

The Rocky Horror Show

The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scottsboro Boys

Shuffle Along

Side Show

Singin In the Rain

Songs for a New World

Sweet Charity

Violet

We Are the Tigers

Also four operas: The Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretl, Tristan and Isolde, and Orpheus in the Underworld!

[this-is-a-dystopian-parable]

have i mentioned? that the reason I love Dave Malloy isn't just that his work is amazing, but also that he was one of the first first-person accounts i read of an artist i could really relate to. just struggling through life in his early 30's, making art and making mistakes and telling himself above all that he needed to be excited about life? that's what i want to be. excited about life and all the little things in it. and as a high schooler surrounded by all these way more traditional artists (my school had a pretty decent arts budget) i felt out of place because i knew that that wasn't my thing. I didn't know what my thing was yet but i knew that it wasn't what everyone else was doing. i'm not a 2d artist (not by a LONG shot) and I'm not a 3D artist, I'm a 4D artist (the fourth dimension is time). but i don't like acting itself that much, the exciting part is everything surrounding it. and Ghost Quartet and later Octet, Preludes, Beowulf, Clown Bible were my INTRODUCTION to performance art. and that's when it clicked to me that there was someone else out there doing the kind of thing, i had found a piece of myself and filled that big hole in my soul that no other type of artistic expression had been able to fully fill before

[lonelyroommp3]

☕️ Musical from the last 5 years (lol) that i should listen to

my god *i* don't even really listen to many musicals from the last five years because i sort of stopped paying attention after like 2019 when the MT fandom on here died down considerably. yes i work in musical theatre. don't look at me

okay here are some of my suggestions in no particular order based on shows i've actually managed to listen to and enjoy

sing street - one of the great theatrical casualties of covid - the cast literally moved into the theatre on the day the broadway shutdown started and the subsequently postponed bway transfer has just never materialised. they did have an out of town production in 2022 though :)) anyway, love this album, one of the few MT cast recordings that makes it onto my general listening playlists because several of the songs also work really well as standalone pop tunes

& juliet - if you just want to have a silly fun time listening to a jukebox musical this is thee one. bonkers little plot but it's packed with bangers throughout and repurposes its pop soundtrack into a musical theatre context in ways that range from unexpectedly genius (turning britney's "i'm not a girl, not yet a woman" into a nonbinary anthem) to really stupid in the funniest way possible (an entire character is named just to set up a *NSYNC joke)

kimberley akimbo - 2023 best musical winner, a solid example of the typical contemporary musical theatre sound which handily fulfills both the niche of "i enjoy shows like dear evan hansen and want another emotional teen story" and "i want more good meaty lead roles for older actresses"

a strange loop - 2022 best musical winner, a meta show about a fat black queer man who works as a theatre usher and is writing a musical about a fat black queer man writing a musical. filled with commentary about race and sexuality, definitely one for if you want your musicals to be thought & discussion provoking

shows i've not personally listened to for whatever reason but i've heard good things

operation mincemeat - i've heard nothing but hype about this show to the point where it's actually put me off seeing it. so of course i am perpetuating the cycle by recommending it to you without ever having listened to it

standing at the sky's edge - another west end show that i have heard so many good things about and not got around to seeing. so here you go. blind rec. fuck it

octet - i kind of went off dave malloy entirely around 2018 through zero fault of his own, god bless him, just because many of his fans were still being so annoying about the 2017 tonys. but i've heard good things about this show and maybe i need to actually get over myself and give it a listen

message for the masses if i didn't include your fave show or included something i hate it's because it's 10pm and i wanted to answer this quickly so i just skimmed wikipedia for musicals from 2019-2024 and thought oh yeah i know enough about that one to talk about it. i will have forgotten things. don't @ me please i beg you

[pardonmydelays]

What musicals (current or past) would you like to see? And cast albums that are on your list to listen to?

ANON, I LOVE THIS QUESTION SO MUCH! THANK YOU!

so, the ones i really want to see at the moment (i'm not sure if you mean live or just bootlegs, but let's say both) &/or listen to (this is gonna be super chaotic i apologize in advance):

hadestown with jordan & lola, please... i love hadestown, i love eva & reeve but JORDAN & LOLA! 😭 they are something else, ok?

i am literally dying to see waitress live & i know it's possible in poland, so maybe this year?

hamilton, but for that i have to visit my sister in the uk

tick tick boom, because i only saw the movie, i wanna see the play as well

new york, new york because i was obsessively listening to the cast album last year so it's time to finally watch it

preludes, but i don't think this will ever happen, there are literally no recordings of that one & i am obsessed with the album... (let me just say dave malloy is criminally underrated)

anastasia is actually first on my list cause i haven't seen/listened to it yet

you guys are gonna hate me for this, but i haven't seen/listened to wicked yet... i always thought that maybe it's not exactly my thing but i also feel like i need to give it a try, cause it's a classic that everybody loves

i wanna see the great comet live please that would cure my broken soul (or just give me the bootleg with phillipa soo lol i don't think it exists)

i also need to listen to the rest of dave malloy's musicals, cause i only listened to those you can find on spotify (so ghost quartet, the great comet, preludes & octet - would love to see all of them live, especially ghost quartet, that would be an experience) - clown bible is first on my list

once - i've never seen the movie or the play but i absolutely love the song falling slowly from it so i guess i would love the musical as well

camelot with phillipa soo, because she's my wife & i would die for her

but also into the woods with phillipa soo because i couldn't find it anywhere & i don't even know if it was ever recorded

from the new ones i'd really love to see the notebook cause i've heard a lot of good things about it & i also love the movie so i bet the musical must be really good

also, the great gatsby with eva noblezada... my second wife. i really, really need to see this one

...those are just off the top of my head, but i am always open for suggestions, if you think i should watch/listen to something cause i may like it, just let me know!

[wizardiest-wizard-of-oz]

if anyone wants I have a musicals playlist that's over 200 hours that has I think around 205 musicals here's an alphabetized list let me know if I'm missing any I should add (I don't like Andrew lloyd Webber musicals and I'm also not a huge fan of jukebox musicals more specifically mamma Mia) and if anyone wants a link please ask me

13

21 Chump Street

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

35MM

36 Questions

42nd Street

The Addams Family

Aida

Aladdin

Alice by Heart

Allegro

Amelie

Anastasia

Ani

Annie Get Your Gun

Annie

Anything Goes

Avenue Q

Back to the Future

Bat Boy

Beauty and the Beast

Beetlejuice

Be More Chill

The Big One-Oh

Billy Elliot

Black Friday

Bombshell

Bonnie and Clyde

Book of Mormon

Brigadoon

Bring it On

Once More With Feeling (Buffy musical)

Bugsy Malone

Bye Bye Birdie

Cabaret

Camelot

Carousel

Carrie

Catch Me if You Can

A Catered Affair

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Chess

Chicago

A Chorus Line

Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein)

The Colour Purple

Come From Away

Company

Crybaby

Curtains

Damn Yankees

Days of Wine and Roses

Dear Evan Hansen

Desperate Measures

Dog Man

Dreamgirls

Dreamland

Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog

Drowsy Chaperone

Duolingo on Ice

Elegies

Epic (all released sagas)

Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Falsettoland

Falsettos Revival

Firebringer

Flora the Red Menace

Follies

Fosse

Frankenstein

Frozen

Fun Home

Funny Girl

A Funny Thing Happened

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Grand Hotel

Grease

The Great American Trailer Park

Grey Gardens

Gutenberg

Guys and Dolls

The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals

G*psy

Hadestown (broadway)

Hadestown (off broadway)

Hairspray

Hair

Hamilton

Harmony

Heathers

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Hello Dolly

Honk

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (this one is just for Patrick page)

How to Dance in Ohio

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Hunchback of Notre Dame

In the Green

In the Heights

Into the Woods

In Trousers

It Shoulda Been You

Jekyll and Hyde

Kimberly Akimo

The King and I

Kinky Boots

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Legally Blonde

Lempicka

Les Miserables (english and french)

The Lightning Thief

The Lion King

Little Do They Know

The Little Mermaid

A Little Night Music

Little Shop of Horrors (english and german)

Little Women

Lizard Boy

Love in Hate Nation

Love's Labours Lost

Mad Ones

Make Me a Song

Mame

A Man of No Importance

March of the Falsettos

Marguerite

Martin Guerre

Mary Poppins

Matilda

Mean Girls

Merrily We Roll Along

Miss Saigon

Monty Python's Spamalot

The Music Man

My Fair Lady

My Heart Says Go

My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

Nerdy Prudes Must Die (I only have one song because I'm waiting to watch it with my friend before adding more)

A New Brain

Newsies

New York, New York

Next to Normal

Nightmare Time

Nine

Octet

Oklahoma

Oliver

Once On This Island

Once Upon a Mattress

Only Murders in the Building (Death Rattle Dazzle)

The Pyjama Game

Parade

Pippin

The Prince of Egypt

Prodigal

The Producers

The Prom

Ragtime

Ride the Cyclone

The Rink

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Schmigadoon

Schmicago

Scottsburo Boys

Seussical

She Loves Me

Sherlock

Shrek

Shucked

Six

Smash

Some Like it Hot

Something Rotten

The Sound of Music

South Pacific

Spiderman Turn off the Dark

The Spitfire Grill

Spongebob

Spring Awakening

Starship

State Fair

Sunday in the Park with George

Superhero

Sweeney Todd

Sweet Charity

The Theory of Relativity

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Tick Tick Boom

The Time Traveller's Wife

The Trail to Oregon

Twisted

Urinetown

A VHS Christmas Carol

The Visit

Waitress

Wait Wait Don't Kill Me

West Side Story

Wicked

Water for Elephants

Wizard of Oz

The Wiz

Zombie Prom

Zorba

[malloy-character-death-battle]

Death Battle Round 1

Pierre:

Big big hands

Is a rad man but also a sad man. My man went through 3 existential crises in the span of like, a week. If that doesn't show resillience idk what would. Solid dueling capabilities, even when drunk. Enjoys time to himself but can also enjoy company. Is tasked with fixing everyone's problems in the last quarter of the show and more or less pulls it off (Andrei's problems are his, not Pierre's) so both a good problem solver and an effective mediator (might involve paperweight related threats but hey he gets results). Has a mean grudge against Napoleon so don't get on his bad side. Cultured (Reads whenever he is not drinking). Has a lot of money too.

HE HAS BIG BIG HANDS. OUR MOST DEAR MOST KIND MOST SMART AND ECCENTRIC> i love this guy SO much

Velma:

She has GOD inside her and god is everything darkness and light. Actually.

[tinyidols]

La Musique Populaire - Aunt Canada

Today's post (the first post on the blog) is about a band I will honestly love forever, La Musique Populaire, AKA LMP.

LMP is a duo, previously an Octet, consisting of lead members Ryan Bassler and Eric Haugen, who are the remaining members, but there were also members Andrew Bawden, Doug Calhoun, Nora Monti, Steve Ohlhaber, and Lauren Schweitzwe.

They recorded their first album, called "Aunt Canada" as an Octet, but had many guests on the album, including (but not limited to)

Brian Runk, Sheriff Derek, Amy Vogt, Greg Wood, Scott Zeller, and Jim Harper.

The album sounds similar to that of an early They Might Be Giants album, with songs such as "Chardonnay" "Beautiful Noise" and "It's Linda Lavin" really bringing out that energy, while songs like their cover of "Church is finally over" or dark cabaret track "Omar The Human Rake" don't really.

The Album is 14 tracks long, and is definately worth the time if you want to listen through it.

[shinygoku]

Revolver (1966)

So, you know from my previous write-up that I think Rubber Soul is a little bit underrated. I think there may be a similar thing occurring here, as while it's more likely to be picked as The Greatest Beatles Album, it's still in the shadow of what comes right after and a couple of the later ones. Still, this is home to a couple of absolutely iconic staples as well as a few hidden gems. Deciding to scrap live concerts entirely, they could now dabble with The Studio itself to bring out new and exciting sounds. Load up yer bullets and ready the needle arm, we're on something Revolutionary.

The famous line art and collage made by Friend of the Band since Hamburg days, Klaus Voormann! Ya can't deny he gets their likeness, though George's direct look at the viewer with those lips is a bit unsettling for me personally. Still, it's what they call Art and the first cover that isn't a single photograph, we have iconic illustration and an eclectic montage here! Very cool ...if not something I'd want on my wall lol

SIDE ONE

Taxman: Remember how in the previous write-up for Run For Your Life, I complained about how dope instrumentals were bogged down by lyrics that sucked? Well it's a similar situation here! I'm Pro-Public Sector being funded by the Ultra Rich being shaken down for change!! I know the Marginal Rate was huge, but it was for those who could, like, actually afford it. Unfortunately that may include Daft Rock Stars, innit? .....Anyway yeah, the guitar shredding is really good but the cleverness of the lyrics is wasted by picking the wrong stance, so this ain't one I listen to that often. The music video on the official youtube is pretty visually interesting though.

Eleanor Rigby: A sad tale of an older lady dying alone, ya wouldn't expect it to be one of the most iconic songs by a band that's already made countless bangers about love and sex and rocking out, wouldja? And maybe it's because of that stark difference, and the song itself being so beautiful, that it stands out and even wins over Beatle Haters! The sound is best in the 2022 remix, obviously, but I like to watch the music video that was in Yellow Submarine for this song, where a multitude of different Lonely People are shown. But the fairly detailed story described without visuals really does tug at the heartstrings (apt that this tune has such a prominent String Octet, haha).

I think part of what makes this work so well is, not just the Tragic Narrative, but also the mundane nature. The allusion to wearing a mask of a false self in public, the bluntness of the apathy shown to strangers. Dreams that go unfulfilled, words that go unheard, your entire life being known only as you have a headstone, if that. It applies to countless people we walk by every day. And the irony of how Eleanor and the Father McKenzie might have been able to connect, but only actually have contact when he's performing her lonely funeral. Owch.... a great song but Not a fun one!

I'm Only Sleeping: First of all, I MUST endorse the painting music video that's also on the Official Youtube. Even if ya've heard this song countless times, you have gotta See it too!!

Anyway, gorgeous strumming and a steady drum balance the slower pace of this number. John's vocals are serene and drowsy, matching the feeling of having a lazy morning in a comfy, comfy bed. The way the music pauses and starts back up with increased tempo, the backward guitar (!!) and how the song starts to repeat itself from the beginning again all give it such a beautiful, distinct vibe, and again it's pretty faithful to that feeling when you doze off and lose track of time.

Love You To: After George's previous song being blazing electrical guitar set to complaining, this one is quite different! Very sitar heavy and introspective, with a very slow start for a while before kicking off with the vocals. It's not really my bag, but I can appreciate the artistry in it, at least. After such a long intro the outro feels pretty abrupt, too.

Here, There and Everywhere: This also has an animated video on the Youtube! It's nice but oddly rotoscopes Help! (Movie) footage among other things, it doesn't feel as Bespoke so it's optional as far as I'm concerned lol. Anyway! Paul does a Beach Boys! It's a pleasant, serene ode to a nebulous woman but, while I like it, it doesn't have quite the memorable staying power other than that it sounds like another band did it. Sorry for being so mild, Paul! I just like others ya did more!

Yellow Submarine: YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

A real Marmite of a song, innit? I adore it, myself~ It's deceptively complex, hidden behind what could be seen as a monotonous, repetitive lyrics sheet, but for those who listen not only with yer ears but your heart and soul as well, you'll enjoy it :3

Even without reading Pro-Community or Escapism subtext within, the base level of a children's song with pretty described visuals and creative, clever sound effects over a catchy base tune with Ringo's vocals really make a song that's more than the sum of its parts. No wonder it did so well as the Title Track and Main Vehicle of the animated movie! XD (Also, as a Supermarionation Fan, I sure suspect Thunderbird 4 was inspired by this number as well as the practical truth that yellow is the most visible colour under water~)

She Said She Said: The LSD in this one is very apparent lol. A bit of mystery lurks in no one knowing if Paul actually played on the final version due to some undisclosed drama. The ......metre? changes partway in and (as always) the instruments are groovy, but again I'm not wild about it and wouldn't notice if it were cut lmao

SIDE TWO

Good Day Sunshine: This hits a little different when hot days are very annoying... but I can't fault this song for the massive shift in climate! I do like how upbeat and jolly this is, the piano offers an interesting flourish and some good harmonies and cymbal crashing.

And Your Bird Can Sing: This is the song I always think of when mulling over Hidden Gems by the Beatles. It's 2 minutes of Rock Perfection and yet it's chronically overshadowed by so many others! While there's much debate over who or what "your Bird" may be, the actual thesis of the song is about deflating materialism and pride, which is cool. The guitar shredding, rhythmic percussion and that triple harmony with "you tell me that you've heard every sound there is" make this such a delight! I think that particular vocal sync may even be the best I've ever heard, it's sooooo great~

For No One: Paul's at it again with 'Maaaan dating Jane Asher isn't doing it for me' songs! However I think this is the best of them lol. Very engaging piano and clever lyrics about two former lovers who now feel mere indifference for the other. Somehow they've drifted apart and it's only a matter of time until they admit defeat and make it formal, but we're not there just yet.

Doctor Robert: This is weird cause it's based on the real dentist the lads used, who spiked John and George with acid and in general seems like the most cartoonishly suspicious kind of nightmare who you really don't want to be left in charge of your numbed body, what the fuck?! I mean the song itself is pretty rockin' but dear GOD do I hope they cut that dude out once the drugging came to light. I'd be hiring some fucking Goons to scare him rather than writing a ditty about the situation, but I guess their ways of coping differ to modern times... oh right, the music? It's good, duh! I'll highlight Paul's Bass as being a very Groovy fixture~

I Want To Tell You: This one I tend to forget about entirely lmao. George at it again, good piano and drum work... I think the Bridge is good but the main song doesn't do much for me. Another "well it's not Bad, but..." number. Huh, sorry George, I know songs ya made that I adore but they ain't here...!

Got To Get You Into My Life: Ska?! In The Beatles? It's more likely than you think! But I actually prefer the "Second Version" that one may find on the YT or Super Deluxe edition. This main one sounds a little overpowering with really loud brass and Paul's voice seems to be filtered. I loooooove that it's a declaration of devotion to Weed instead of a person this time though, while cunningly woven to fly under the Morality Police radar.

Tomorrow Never Knows: This is more Art than a song, and I mean that in a good way! The completely unique Sounds and the experimental Techniques, Ringo's beating on them drums..... it's just really fun to listen to~ Mere words don't work so well for this one XD;;;

CONCLUSION

Best 3: Eleanor Rigby, I'm Only Sleeping, Yellow Submarine

Blurst 3: Love You To, She Said She Said, I Want To Tell You

Hmm, picking the Blurst was really hard this time and now it looks like I have Anti-George sentiments, which I don't! But it's less the choices there are Bad and more Not For Me. That's part'a why I've been saying Blurst this whole time instead of Worst, the subjective aspect can't be ignored...! And maybe I'm showing a little Bias in the Best category, but again it's painful to hafta discard bangers like And Your Bird Can Sing for anything, but I love me some Yellow Submarine just that much more ^^;;

I already used the line, but fuck it; Revolver is indeed Revolutionary. (Read that in the Devious Diesel voice Ringo does, please~). The studio tweaks done to increasingly Sophisticated music really marks a change in the landscape, not just for these Bugs, but the medium as a whole. That kinda sentiment persists with a lot of Beatle Moments, of course, but I think Revolver represents a real point of no return.

🪲🪲🪲🪲

Next month, we'll be (checks notes) ah, instead of The Beatles, there'll be a new group 『サージェント・ペパーズ・ロンリー・ハーツ・クラブ・バンド』. I hope you tune in anyway, as they're very well regarded! A splendid time is guaranteed for all~

[victorian-cat-lady]

One thing I think Dave Malloy is really good at is turning things that shouldn’t be sweet into really sweet lines out of context. For example, in a squeeze of the hand on YouTube, a song about squeezing sperm oil that is clearly partly a joke about the name sperm oil, there is a line at the end, where Dave and Deneè say to each other “with a squeeze of the hand I could melt into you” and then the entire cast repeats it and it’s so cute. And also in Octet during solo when the girl says “I could be so good at love” like it’s about crippling loneliness, but that line is really sweet and heartfelt. I don’t know, I really like that that’s just a thing he does. 

[garudabluffs]

Peter Brötzmann on avant-garde, playing solo and radio

"Peter Brötzmann is a revered free jazz musician from West Germany whose over 50-year career has taken him from the interdisciplinary radicalism of the late 20th-century Fluxus art movement to extensive collaborative and solo recording and performance. Peter Brötzmann talked about learning from the ’60s avant-garde, why he doesn't believe in teaching jazz and how improvisation comes down to fitting or fighting in his lecture at RBMA Berlin 2018.

Primarily a saxophonist and clarinetist, Brötzmann has worked with experimental greats such as Dutch drummer Han Bennink, British fellow saxophone powerhouse Evan Parker, and Japanese sound artist Keiji Haino, exploring an avant-garde, largely improvisational style of free jazz with his signature rough timbre. His octet album Machine Gun remains a seminal free jazz album of the late ‘60s, a genre-expanding work that aurally articulated the anxieties surrounding the Vietnam War and his country’s uncertain future. With over 100 releases to his name, including some with jazz supergroup Last Exit, Brötzmann’s creative passions have not diminished. In 2017, he released Sex Tape with steel guitarist and singer/songwriter Heather Leigh and a live album with trombonist Steve Swell and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love."

41 Comments "Last Exit is one of the all time greatest bands period"

Peter Brötzmann, the heart — and lungs — of European free jazz, dead at 82

June 23, 2023 READ MORE https://www.npr.org/2023/06/23/1184005533/peter-brotzmann-the-heart-and-lungs-of-european-free-jazz-dead-at-82

"Brötzmann also recorded with titans like pianist Cecil Taylor, drummer Andrew Cyrille and guitarist Sonny Sharrock; a 1987 duo summit with Sharrock saw release roughly a decade ago, under a typically unprintable title."

[luuurien]

Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!

(Dance Pop, Disco, Funk)

Luxurious as its predecessor with red-hot sensuality as its guide, Jessie Ware’s follow-up to her 2020 juggernaut What’s Your Pleasure? features more live instrumentation, more expressive performances, and more glamorous disco fantasies. It’s classic, classy disco revival, and nearly every moment is a dream.

☆☆☆☆½

That! Feels Good! sounds expensive. It’s in the album’s DNA through the luxurious strings and live backing band and Jessie Ware’s magnificently trained voice, but also in the feel of it all, how the music transports you to her world of fruit innuendos and 70’s disco-funk and anthemic choruses until nothing else matters but the next beat to grace the dancefloor. Her music has always had romance as its guide - think back to her ravishing 2012 single Running or her smoky R&B hit Say You Love Me - but it wasn’t until 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure? she could show off a more expressive and distinctive side of her, stepping away from clean-cut pop soul and diving headfirst into swooning disco-pop, putting her music back in the spotlight her 2017 record Glasshouse produced relatively middling results. Now, with a balance in her life that’s strengthened every side of her, That! Feels Good! continues the work of her previous album with a greater connection to ‘70s disco foundations, linking with jazz-funk octet Kokoroko to bring a jolt of live band energy to her music while keeping in line with the tight and fast disco style of her previous release. It’s a wildly joyous and uplifting album that, unlike its predecessor, captures love rather than pining at it, Ware commanding the dancefloor with expertly crafted disco where surrendering to your immediate desires is the only concern; if love is the solution, Ware ensures it’s delivered in utmost glamour and excess.

From its first moments, That! Feels Good! makes it clear Ware is not here to linger: the opening title track packs food innuendos (“I gotta something to get you high / Sugar 'n' salt it, lick that lime / Lick, lick, lick, lick, lick, lick that, get in line!”), calls for gratification (“Freedom is a sound / And pleasure is a right!”), and sumptuous verses (“Every time I get a little bit of an inclination / You can throw me to the shock of a new sensation”) into its four-and-a-half minute runtime, laying the groundwork for the following songs and heading right into the heart of the nightlife. Ware has always been an exceptional vocalist with a propensity for both smooth jams and sing-your-heart-out anthems, but That! Feels Good! reveals her excellence as a performer, often playing the party host as much as she plays the singer on the stage - Shake the Bottle anchors itself in Grace Jones-esque speak singing with only the chorus fully sung and These Lips sends the album off with elegant strings and seductive spoken word - and it pulls you right into Ware’s fantasy like never before. The first seven tracks are a masterclass in pop album structuring, coming right out of the gate with the opening trio of the title track and album singles Free Yourself and Pearls before opening up with the Philly soul-indebted Hello Love, sitting squarely in the world of organic 70s disco and soul (save for the notes of garage house and europop in Free Yourself) but never sticking to a single style - Ware has done her homework in this era of underground dance. It’s not to say she’s the first to do this kind of pop revivalism, disco and dance pop have come back the past few years in all sorts of different forms from Dua Lipa’s crisp nu-disco to the glamorous ballroom of Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE, but Ware opts for more directly retro sounds without too much touch-up, going for classic french touch on Freak Me Now and letting instrumentalists solo through sections of Begin Again and Beautiful People, staying far from being a rehash of old sounds by perfecting all the little details. It lacks some of the chillout, atmospheric warmth of its predecessor, but never before has Ware’s vision been so bold and in your face, That! Feels Good! guiding you through every step of the party from first stepping onto the dancefloor to sneaking away with a new lover to leaving at sunrise with the music still blaring behind you.

Her focus here is almost solely on physical desire, letting her need for touch propel Freak Me Now’s uninhibited house-pop and Pearls’ dance ‘til you drop diva house, but Ware’s music has never been unfocused, this turn away from What’s Your Pleasure?’s yearning for connection during pandemic lockdowns replaced with music that knows exactly what it wants and where to get it. Beautiful People makes it Ware’s mission to fit as many people into the party as she possibly can, fueled by cowbell and a peppy horn section and rejecting misery in favor of finding a new person to party with and pouring another drink, while Begin Again finds spiritual rebirth through a syncopated Latin disco groove and lush, elegant backing instrumentation, each finding euphoria their own ways while staying true to the inclusive, community ethos that ‘70s disco was built upon. Even Lightning, the album’s one slight misstep due to its trading of disco for the moody alt-R&B jams of her early albums, doesn’t lose a whole lot of magic, still functioning as a breath mark before the album comes to an end even if it’s too drastic a step away from everything before it. She doesn’t need to take up too much of your time because these 40 minutes are more than enough to get every idea of hers across - Ware the club diva, Ware the romantic dreamer, Ware the sexual temptress - and no time is wasted in that, Ware keeping the album focused and on a defined path from start to finish.

That! Feels Good! is the kind of party where everything seems to go right: the perfect amount of people, the right kind of drinks, the perfect lighting across the dancefloor, and the most welcoming host in the form of Ware. Her music may stay in one place, but it’s because she’s never sounded better than she does here, a smooth and singular listen with one goal it achieves with absolute precision - few pop albums, especially in this revivalist style, manage to be so refreshing and true to its roots at once. Balancing so many different ideas so effortlessly is a feat in itself, yet Ware makes That! Feels Good! exciting to come back to outside of its pure craftsmanship with her passion for her musical forbearers and how she carries their ideas forward. These songs are waiting for you to lose yourself inside their rich, timeless disco fantasies, and it’s impossible to resist Ware’s invitation to the party.

[this-is-a-dystopian-parable]

Reacting to the new Three Houses photos!

My Three Houses brainrot is setting in and I have to keep myself from going insane and/or spoiling myself before I see it. So lets go through the new photos released by Playbill yesterday (May 3rd)! My predictions below, but I don't know any more than you do so there won't be any spoilers!

Right off the bat. The set? STUNNING. Giving Octet/Comet/Ghost Quartet if it had a proper set. The concept of the show is an open mic night so the bar setting is a given, I love the little tables with menus, makes it very Great Comet. I love how many of Dave's shows are set in a specific place that the performance factors into. You are at an academic lecture, a jazz club, a church basement. Wonderful job by dots.

Love that the Grandmother and Grandfather double as the bartenders/waiters here. A note about the cigarette from the playbill, these are herbal cigarettes that are actually smoked for real, they just don't have any effect. Just a fun fact for realism.

ONSTAGE BAND lets gooooooo. You can see the other two characters sitting at the two little tables downstage.

No thoughts. Pretty :)

DRAGON DRAGON DRAGON DRAGON

I'm SO curious why he's here. I had assumed, naturally, that the puppet in this case would be the Wolf. But no, there's a dragon here??? My prediction is that this is either connected to the video game references in the show (we'll come to that), it's a puppet a character made, or it's some hallucination/dream sequence.

Dragon is sitting at the bar??? He's havin a drink??? Oh my god???

Band onstage!!!

You can see how close the audience is in this one!!!

More that are close-ups. My only note here is that the background behind the bar is different! So I assume it changes between characters.

HERE WE ARE. THE SIMS PLUMBOBS. THATS SO SILLY. I'm also really curious about the way Dave would use the context of the Sims in this show. Like I'm predicting it's going to be more than "people playing video games stuck at home" but will also have some comment about socialization and human connection. Since Mia Pak doesn't have one here, I feel like we're likely to see an Octet style form where during each person's individual story, the others act as a side characters.

Oh my gooood he is so unhinged and silly. What is he up to. The intense glare. The plumbob again. My prediction is that he will sort of hang around and antagonize from within each person's story, taking on different roles and acting as an omnipotent force.

ALSO. ELECTRIC GUITAR. Giving Beowulf but also The DJ. I guess that's what I'm leaning towards with his style of antagonism, he's just there to poke fun at them and be mean and have fun. I love him, he looks like he's having so much fun.

I love the boxes but it's also really surreal, because I JUST did a show in October that was also about quarantine and featured tons of cardboard boxes. Seriously. The playwright had decided to clean up the house during quarantine, and put things into boxes to keep them organized. But he fell into depression and for months just lived out of the cardboard boxes he didn't have the energy to unpack. This show was about a depressed woman who couldn't sleep, and was haunted by a Pierrot clown and a puppet. Anyway. I'm getting similar vibes here.

Those are all my thoughts on the photos! But I have a couple more from the updates to the program, which you can access here.

The characters have new names added to them! It's now Susan/Shelob, Sadie/Pookie, and Beckett/Zippy. I wonder what these are about, if they're just other characters they play within the stories. My prediction is though that they're either online names or related to the Sims bit mentioned earlier.

According to the program, there are only THREE musical numbers. Not acts, "musical numbers" that's the exact wording.

First House: Susan

Second House: Sadie

Third House: Beckett

Coda

Dave Dave Dave. Maybe this is a previews thing, and the different names just haven't been solidified? Either way, I support doing whatever he wants from a show standpoint but I'm curious how it would translate to an album. Of course, that's a problem for another day!

Woof. Long one. Thank you for sticking with me here and stay tuned because I am going to be sharing a LOT more about this show as it develops!

[partialto]

Six albums I’ve been listening to

@nymphastral​ and @tarttism thank you so much for tagging me! This one made me think; it’s not as often these days that I’ll listen to a full album front to back.

Peak nerd shit first: the cast album of Dave Malloy’s Octet literally got me through the first waves of the pandemic and I still go back to it regularly. Opening track: The Forest

Also contributing to the overrepresentation of musical theater on this list, the Alice By Heart cast album. Opening track: West of Words (@pemberlaey​ I feel like this might be up your alley?)

La Dispute’s Wildlife; not their most recent album but the one that’s  closest to my heart. Representative track: A Broken Jar

Mother Falcon’s You Knew is everything I ever loved about chamber pop. Representative track: Marigold

Seventeen’s Face the Sun - just a solid, feel-good pop album with some absolutely incredible melodies. Representative track: Shadow

Caroline Polachek is like if Kate Bush had been an 80s baby, I adore her, and I’ve been wearing out Desire, I Want to Turn Into You since it was released. Representative track: Bunny Is A Rider

No pressure tags: @emungere, @horrorgods, @pemberlaey, @towerjunkies​, @wild-hyacinths, and anyone who wants to!

[videostak]

Had no idea and i mean no idea there was a cd from 2005 or so of steve reich and musicians live in 1977 of them doing six pianos pendelum music violin phase music for pieces of wood and drumming part 4! I wanna get it so bad cause like theres some yt uploads of steve reich and musicians playing at live and i love how he had like that touring group and it would be structured like a concert with them doing a set. And im listening to the album rn on spotify and it sounds so nice like so cool! Especially for pieces like pendelum music and music for pieces of wood where he didnt release those on any albums around the time they were written. And also for violin phase cause i love the slowed down paul zukofsky recording for the way he does it and have been meh abt the version included on octet music for large ensemble album so i wonder how this ones gonna be since its shem guiborry who did the latter recording too. Maybe live itd sound better. Def wanna pick it up if i can find it for a good price cause itd also be perfect for driving. Wouldvd been cool tho if clapping music was on it too or also four organs . I wonder if theres other live CDs of steve reich and musicians in the 70s out there

[pesterloglog]

Calliope, Jane Crocker

Act 6, page 4144

uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering gutsyGumshoe [GG] at 11:17

UU: good morning, lovely. ^u^

GG: Why, hellooooooo.

UU: so i gUess today is finally the day yoU make everything better.

GG: :B!

UU: it is the day whereafter the legendary octet of mUtUal progenitoriety will come together and heal a great breach in paradox space.

UU: a day delivered throUgh eighty billion years and foUr distinct Universal instances worth of Unfathomable tUrbUlence.

UU: and while the emerald eye of this storm is fixed in the abyss forever

UU: today yoU are poised to escape its scowl once and for all.

UU: by skaias gUiding light, yoU may leave behind its tUrning arms of bright coloUrs and mayhem, and secUre peace for yoUr cosmic progeny for all dUration.

UU: and if yoU are to meet this departUre with trepidation i woUld Understand! bUt also i woUld ask

UU: is there nothing i can do to ease yoUr mind?

GG: Gosh! So formal today.

UU: yes. u_u;

UU: i'm afraid i am gUilty of rehearsing this pep talk well in advance.

UU: i thoUght yoU deserved a proper sendoff.

GG: D'aww.

UU: well then?

UU: is there nothing i can do?

UU: it was a serioUs qUestion. :u

GG: You needn't worry about easing my nerves.

GG: If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be nearly as thrilled about today as I am!

UU: splendid! ^u^

UU: bUt remember i will be here to help, whilst refraining from caUsal spoilers to the best of my ability.

GG: That is reassuring!

UU: have yoU corresponded with yoUr first designated co-player yet?

GG: No, I haven't seen her online yet today.

GG: I'm really hoping Lalonde won't flake out on me this time. Have you heard from her?

UU: not the today that is local to yoU.

UU: thoUgh i do have a wee bit more troUble monitoring her than the rest of yoU. cUrioUs dark patches in transmission, hUmph.

UU: still, i woUldn't fret over it. she is as good a chUm as any yoU have and shoUld come throUgh Ultimately, even if things seem dire.

GG: If you say so.

GG: Oh!

GG: I wanted to tell you, I had an amazing dream last night!

UU: blimey! :U

GG: I believe it may have been of the sort you described. A dream of awakening, presuming I haven't just flatout lost my marbles.

UU: indeed, im sUre it was. i knew yoU woUld wake Up soon!

UU: might yoU describe what yoU saw?

GG: I was in a bright gold city. Above was a brilliant blue sky, but the horizon was dark as night.

GG: Was this the place you told me about? What was it called...

GG: Ah, shucks, does this count as a "causal spoiler?"

UU: not at all! that is a simple detail aboUt the realm yoU are aboUt to explore, withoUt directly involving yoUr fUtUre decisions of conseqUence.

UU: the place yoU visited was called prospit. it is where i have woken Up every time i have gone to sleep for most of my life.

GG: I didn't see you there. At least, I don't think I did!

UU: no, yoU woUldnt have.

UU: my prospit is an alternate version from yoUrs, in a completely different session qUite far afield of yoUr reality.

UU: if we are ever to meet in person, it is Unlikely to be while playing oUr respective games!

GG: Ok then.

GG: I mentioned this briefly to Jake, and he didn't have much to say before we parted ways.

GG: I will gather that if this is all true, then it means Jake had not awoken yet?

UU: i think this is for yoU to determine in time. what is yoUr hUnch?

GG: I don't know.

GG: But there was one thing about the dream that was very troubling.

GG: I'm becoming nervous to consider what it might mean.

UU: Understandable. bUt it will be important to practice patience today.

UU: yoU have a long road ahead of yoU, and many qUestions will be answered in time.

UU: bUt we can talk it over later. now, we both have games to prepare for!

UU: i know yoU coUld never fUlly appreciate what this actUally meant, bUt i took mUch care to sync Up these conversations with yoU on the same day that i begin playing as well.

UU: that way, we can joUrney throUgh oUr sessions together and compare notes! :u

GG: Hrm. I'm still not sure I appreciate what that means, but I appreciate that a nice gesture has been made if you say so!

GG: I guess I should just start believing all of this now, huh? Rather than learning it to be true later and feeling the fool for all my curmudgeonly skepticism?

UU: ~_u

GG: For starters, I guess I could drop my reservations about your story?

UU: will yoU :U!!!

GG: I can write off much to tomfoolery as I'm no stranger to a good prank myself. But quite honestly you seem too kind for this charade. Not the type I'd expect to trot out such persistent falsehoods beyond their humorous welcome.

GG: So what do I know! Consarn it, maybe you are an alien girl from Uranus, and together we are about to play a game which determines the fate of existence. Sign me up!

UU: oh, hee hee! bUt i never claimed to be from that planet, which is only in the far reaches of yoUr solar system.

UU: in fact i am from mUch farther away. a different Universe altogether.

UU: bUt if yoU trUly mean it, thank yoU for believing me!

UU: now, jane my lovely, let Us prepare for this adventUre.

UU: remember what i said aboUt the need for patience.

UU: patience with yoUr friends.

UU: patience for yoUr growth as a hero of life.

UU: and patience for the coming of the other foUr of legend.

UU: a hero of breath and of light and of time and of space!

UU: and if yoU still find yoUrself in doUbt

UU: jUst check the inscription on that big old book downstairs.

UU: after all, if yoU cant trUst words written by yoUr own hand

UU: then what Use is trUst at all? ^u^

UU: <kisses!>

uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering gutsyGumshoe [GG]

[cas-asiaszymanska]

Blog 3 (September 2) - Creativity

18.10.2023

Today we went through the whole Latvian song, as we are preparing for our first concert of this year. We revised every part separately, so that everyone would be sure of their part. At the end we very quickly went through the first, remaining part of the Lullaby (I love it – It has such a beautiful melody and words). I did much better with the high notes today, but I had a little more problem concentration on the timing of the melody. By now I am good with staying within my part. I am still working on my vocal technique, trying to improve it with every lesson. Overall, even though there are still many areas for growth, I am getting better and more comfortable with singing.

25.10.23

Today we started by learning a new, very short song calls “Horal”. It has 2 parts, one in Latin and second one in Polish. It has a pretty simple melody, so it is easy to keep to my part, but it is very hard to efficiently use my breath, as it has long parts with no breaks and the exact moment to breath in. So if I do not manage to breath in and hold the air correctly, it is hard to keep up late. I will for sure need to work on that. Later we rehearsed the whole lullaby (I love how magically it sounds). In this song it is a little more challenging to keep to my part, but I still manage. What I have problem with here, is keeping up with the tempo at all times and hitting the correct notes in larger intervals. This might be because of how new this song is still for me, but I will work on that during the next lesson. I still need to work further on my vocal technique and the parts mentioned above.

27.10.23

Today we had the lesson instead on next week (1.11) and tomorrow we have our first show. We practiced the whole 3 songs, so that we are prepared for tomorrow. It was more challenging than I expected, but at the end we got the hang of it. I am really good with keeping my part (apart from one small moment in the Latvian song), I also concentrated more on controlling my breathing but it is still a challenge. My big milestone for today was singing very well one of the very high parts, but I still have some problems with hitting the same note in different moment of the song... As for my vocal technique, today was better than normally, but this a lot to learn.

28.10.23

The Concert:

Today was a big day, as it was our first concert. It turned out that we were performing in octet, as the rest of us were sick or out of town. We warmed up on the back of the church and than went for the rehearsal. We sang the “Choral” with other two choirs and went to practice our own songs. The concert itself went very well. We sang all 3 songs without major mistakes. I did ok with my breaching and even with the vocal technique. I had some problems with the higher notes, but I managed.

Blog summary 3

In the past two weeks, I got much more comfortable with harmony singing as well as the high notes. In some small parts I still mess up the rhythm or breathing a little, but it is getting better now. I am slowly getting more and more used to holding long notes without betting distracted by other groups singing the melody. My technique is still lacking professionalism but I am and will be working on that further.