#also the chorus is the only part of the song where the beat is completely clear and not muddy

[hongjoongpresent]

the entire essay I could write about the background vocals in terrible man. you don't understand

[xirayn]

Like Biting Bats (Very Metal)

Read Ch 1 of the full fic here

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Eddie is not too proud to admit that his singing isn't great. He can carry a tune, sure, but he doesn't have the control or confidence that he has with the guitar. There have also been times he has gotten lost in his playing and completely forgotten vocals. The rest of the band isn't much better. Gareth yells more than anything, Grant is notoriously pitchy, and Jeff's voice didn't work with the music they played.

It is a definite weak spot for the band, but Eddie has a plan.

The current song they are rehearsing comes to an abrupt stop when Steve starts down the driveway with his hands in his pockets. Eddie glances at the clock. His van is in the shop, so he is temporarily reliant on the Harrington Taxi Service the Party uses. Sure enough, it's his designated pickup time.

Eddie's eyes meet Steve’s. He smirks before launching into Master of Puppets. There is a beat before the band joins in. Steve rolls his eyes as the heavy rift growls through the air, but amusement tugs at the corner of his mouth.

They've listened to Metallica in the car as part of Eddie's attempts at improving Steve’s musical tastes. Other bands, as well, but Metallica is significant to both of them for obvious reasons. In return, Eddie has had to endure Steve's collection of new wave music. Considering he's getting rides for free, he doesn't complain more than the expected amount. 'Take on Me' also sounds a lot better to him in Steve's husky tenor.

Eddie steps back from the mic with his eyes sparkling with a dare. Steve accepts by walking up to the mic and Eddie practically vibrates as the first verse leaves Steve's lips. Eddie leans in to sing the echoes of the chorus into the mic with him. Electricity sparks and flashes between them; crackles through their skin as their hearts beat in time with the drums.

Eddie widens his stance. His hair flies as he gets fully into his performance. It takes him a moment to realize the rest of the band has stopped. They are staring at Steve with raw wonder.

"Fuck, I can't believe I'm saying this, but can Harrington join the band?" Gareth says it as a joke, only he is looking at the others as if to gauge their reactions.

Steve simply laughs it off. "Sure, I'll have my people call your people. Come on, Eds. Get your stuff." He gestures vaguely in no direction at all and heads back to the car.

The band speaks in low murmurs as Eddie packs up. When he waves and starts to leave, Jeff ducks forward to grab his elbow.

"Hey, talk to him about it," he says, glancing over Eddie's shoulder at where Steve is leaning against the driver side door waiting. "Our vocals are weak and that was- We need that chemistry, man."

The plan is going as Eddie had planned before the word 'chemistry'. It rolls around his head; gathers thoughts and memories to become too large to ignore. A skipped heartbeat at the crinkle of Steve's smile or a look lingering on the curve of his jaw combines with times Eddie's mind had drifted to the other man to become a realization.

"Huh." Eddie looks back at Steve for a moment too long. He turns back to Jeff with a laugh in his eyes and a grin that is all teeth. This will be interesting. "Yeah, I'll talk to him."

[rensimps]

Wrong Number {L.F, SKZ}

chapter 8

summary: when texting your friends new number turns to you making friends with a memelord and his friends.

warnings: fluff, crack, very bad sense of humor, angst if you squint, a lot of swearing

word count: 756

It's been a few weeks since you and Jackson had started working with the 3 "small producers", and honestly you really liked working with them. they are respectful and honest, speaking out on things that should be changed and what they think could be done better and you and Jackson listened.

For the most part the song you 5 have been working on is complete, Chris had messaged you about lyrics and you both sent ideas to eachother, asking opinions and what should be added. you had already finished writing the lyrics you both worked on and now all you had to do was sing and rap your parts. your part was the chorus where you would do a fast rap and then transition to singing, Chris wanted your sing part to be strong and rough but confident as well as it fit with the lyrics. your singing voice was mostly breathy and light but on song currently you opted for a more growl type (yknow, like ado?).

As for Chris and the other 2, you had no idea where they'd put their parts in but you trusted them enough. Jackson on the other hand, worked with Chris and Seungheon on the song and the beat. When you first listened to the finish product you honestly thought it could fit in with 3racha well with Jacksons vibes scattered on it but you let the thought pass by.

★彡

Today was the last day before holidays from uni for you and your friends. you all had decided to crash at Jacksons place to have fun and drink in celebration of finishing all your tests.

Jackson was currently sat on a bean bag infront of his TV playing some games with Lexis as you and Jiyeon started on dinner for the evening. You helped Jiyeon with most of it, dinner being Kimchi Jjigae, some bulgogi with various side dishes, a side of tofu to dip into the jjigae if they wanted to and some fish cakes. You brought out a few plates and placed them on the coffee table infront of the couch and called everyone in for food. Jiyeon came striding in with a cooler which you assumed was full of alcohol. She picked some stuff to start with, like beer, soju and makgeolli. you snatched the makgeolli before anyone else could and lexis whined out, something about it being her favorite but you just stuck out your tongue at her.

As you all sat and chatted for a while, your phone dinged a few times. you took your phone and saw a message from lix, your friend you had been talking to for a few months, you two had gotten close in the time you had been messaging, often playing games with eachother like genshin or fortnite, which you definitely carried. You opened your phone to see what he sent.

Mona Lixa: Y/NNNN WANNA PLAY SOME GAMES? I FINISHED MY SCHEDULE FINALLY

sent 21;38

You laughed at how excited he seemed, and sent a reply back with some memes

Y/N: can't rn, I'm having dinner w my friends tonight bc we finished our exams, later maybe if you're still up?

sent 21;40

Mona Lixa: boohh, fine ig I can wait, have fun! I'm gonna beat you this time frfr

sent 21;42

You laughed at his message and liked it before closing your phone, only looking up when Jiyeon called your name.

"y/n, you've been laughing your phone a whole lot lately, did you get a boyfriend? are you cheating on me?" Jiyeon said in faux of fence but also wriggling her eyebrows at you. You scoffed at her but smiled nonetheless and pushed her shoulder slightly. "as if, it's just a friend of mine, he's been whining about how I can't play games with him right now."

"oooooh what friend? I didn't know you had friends other than us" lexis teased, pointed her chopsticks at you accusingly. "yah! fuck you mean other than you! I have plenty of friends" you pouted "he's the person that I texted when Jackson gave me the wrong number, he's actually funny unlike you guys" you smirked as everyone gasp at what you said. they all jumped up and started throwing pillows at you as you screamed and laughed the night away.

★彡

After a few hours at Jacksons place you went back to your apartment. You walked in, took off your shoes, and immediately head to your fridge to drink a bottle of water and hangover supplements to not feel like death in the morning. as you finished drinking the water your phone dinged again, this time a message from Chris.

"Chris": Hey, finished the song, well send it to you but we have to tell you guys something first.

sent 01;23

you furrowed your eyebrows at the cryptic messaged, heading to your bedroom and laid down before replying.

Y/N: That's great! I'll message Jackson to hop on to the group chat then

sent 01;28

★彡

«prev mast next»

taglist:

taglist: @lauraliisa @smoltika @dreeener @tfshouldidohere @ilychee08 @schniti-is-in-the-house @strawberry31 @deadmans-toe @2137natalia @jiisungllvr @lixielovesme

[anja-the-sane-panda]

An Over Analysis on Jack's Facial/Body Language in Locked out of Heaven

Note this is all my take on the map and my brain is literally broken so take this all with a fist full of salt.

Also this is SUPER LONG, so I apologize for giving y'all a collage essay on this.

VERSE ONE:

First let's talk about the face where he stares into the player's soul

It's pretty much a poker face which makes sense with his background. He probably perfected it over the years to just keep his mother quiet and not jump on him for not liking her plans. (Too much anyway)

But then he does the first move and his cocky side comes out in a blink of an eye. Like it's almost scary how quick he went from stiff and expressionless to sassy and confident. He's hyping himself up for the performance like how other performers would do quick vocal exercises or doing a quick shake to get their bodies and mind ready. Especially since this takes place after Witch where he looked both depressed

Now the pre-chorus

He is so happy to perform

this entire pre-chorus you see him grow a true smile that just gets bigger until he gets to the top when he goes into his full routine. You can feel his excitement right through the screen. He is ready to give the people what he wants and he is going to love every moment of it Hell he even winks to us. I mean that doesn't add much but I feel the need to point that out for the Jack Rose fans.

Now in the chorus we get to see full Jack Rose, complete with sassiness and confidence. Though we also can see the same smile from the pre-chorus, which makes sense! He is having the time of his life performing and he obviously loves his fans with how he is constantly pointing and smiling at them any chance he gets.

Now the second verse/pre-chorus are pretty much the same as the first except the fact that he seems for focused than cocky when in the room of mirrors (Most likely due to his mother watching him from the reflections) And he seems more excited the closer he gets to the stage.

But now we get to the juicy stuff in the bridge hehehe

Now this part is a little obvious with him pointing to his fans during the "Can I just stay here? Spend the rest of my days here?" He is pleading to whatever deity is listening to just let him stay on that stage with people who actually love him and he loves them back, even if it's just because of his voice/performances he is taking whatever love he can get. That's his heaven, but a certain ✨slaying✨ witch only lets him bask in it for a little while before locking him out it again and again.

K in the final chorus

Small detail I didn't notice the first time but at this part it looks almost like he's reaching for one of the helicopters whilst singing "I've been locked out of heaven" (Yeah this isn't beating my theory that those copters were sent from Night Swan to watch her son during his performance)

Now that Swan tower has lit up behind him and has even taken over the screens in the stage Jack is facing the complete opposite direction, with the most he goes towards it is when he faces the player completely and a few spare glances to the crowd behind him

He knows what's behind him but he doesn't want to think about it. Also at these last few repeats of the chorus he seems to almost be belting it in some spots. Like he's trying to drown himself in the song and stay in the zone forever. But alas, it has to end

That face when his mom waves him off tells us all we need to know. He's used to her actions and distain, but it also stings a lot for him.

Also while it isn't noticeable at first you can actually see him sigh after his hand goes all the way down and he looks at the floor.

In conclusion: Jack needs a hug yesterday and this sets up his reaction to seeing Wanderlust and his fans get turned in majesty. Is he cocky? Yes. But does he love what he does? Well when it comes to performing, yes

thank you all for coming to my Ted Talk, cookies are in the lobby

[yjyt85r98r]

Pretty Series song reviews: Sweetness×Darkness

It's certainly unique!

Song

The Pretty Series has done a few songs that are basically two songs being sung at once, but this one is a little different. Instead of having two solo performances that come together to make a duo, it's a duo from the start, and the chorus is made by combining the intro with the first verse. Lemon sings the melody from her solo part, and Miruki overlays it with her melody from the intro.

The song has a bit of a bluesy vibe that reminds me of old cartoons. The inclusion of spoken lines, and the juxtaposition of different musical and vocal styles, only adds to the cartoony feeling.

The fuzzy distorted guitar for Lemon's parts was expected, but I'm very intrigued by the, like... crunchy glockenspiel in Miruki's parts. Why does it sound CRUNCHY??? What IS that thing??? Is it two instruments synced to sound like one, or is it something else entirely? In any case, very unique.

Both Miruki and Lemon's music styles feel a little bit old school on their own, but when you put them together, they create a modern and fresh sound. The only thing I can say for sure is that I've never heard a song like this before, and I probably never will again.

Vocals

There's such an inexplicable feeling that comes with hearing Miruki do a cute idol call-and-response, immediately followed by Lemon launching into powerful rock vocals. I feel like Lemon's voice sounds even deeper in this song than in the other ones.

It was good to have the two characters take turns singing, with just a bit of overlap in the chorus. There have been too many instances of characters with very different voices completely overshadowing each other vocally, so in some cases, it's probably wise to not even try to get them to sing at the same time. It also works with the episode, seeing as they never practiced together before performing.

Also, is this the first time in the Pretty Series that the audience has been part of a song? There have been times where the audience cheers or chants during a performance, but that's just in the anime, not part of the actual song. This time, Miruki actually invites them to say a specific line as part of the song's intro.

Lyrics

Lemon has a dark image but is actually quite sweet, and Miruki has a sweet image but actually has hidden darkness in her. I initially felt let down when they lyrics didn't explore this, but Miruki keeps her private life separate from her public persona, so I think it works. It's common for idol characters to sing about their secrets and their life story, but they really don't have to if they don't want to. Plus, Miruki's lyrics clearly mention her self-love, which ends up being the most important thing in her character development. Also, Lemon's line about face-wearing holograms (that phrase goes SO hard) hints at the fact that there is more to these characters than meets the eye.

Choreography

The fact that it’s a duet between the two most physically unfit characters who never practiced together does not seem to have been overlooked by the choreographers. The movements are often unpolished and not perfectly matched. (I was thinking they might just look uneven because of the height difference, but Matsuri and Auru also have a height difference and their dance looked pretty synced.) There’s also not a strong sense of rhythm - the movements don’t really follow a beat or anything.

All that being said, it's not particularly bad choreography.

Visuals

Those coords are the best... I don't even know where to start, I just love them so much.

I like the stage design, but I can't help but feel like it's not suited for this particular performance. The pink and purple, and the lasers, both feel more suited to EDM pop. And the amount of pink means that Lemon stands out while Miruki practically fades into the background.

Good points: Unique song Bad points: The typical lack of catchiness and coherence

Rating: 6.5 Personal rating: 6.5

[paranoidandroidofficial]

Ants from Up There is genuinely the best album of the 2000s [including the 2010s and 2020s] (with 1 exception)

This is the second-best album of the 2000s, beaten out only by a life-changing transcendental experience in a cd case trying to be an album (LYSFLATH by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Listen to it. right now. it's so good.). I could ramble on for HOURS about how great AfuT is, but I wanna keep it brief, so I wanna look at it from a few angles: The album itself, its competition, why I think this beats the competition, and what could beat it.

The Album

Ants from Up There is a 2022 post-Rock album made by the British band Black Country, New Road. It's about an hour long, it has 10 songs, and it's an emotional masterpiece. I will make a more detailed review of this album someday, but here are my main pros about it, and my only con.

It only has 2 lackluster songs, and even then, one of them is an intro track, and the other is a break song and a line of demarcation to separate the great songs from when the album goes sicko mode, so I really don't have an issue with them being there.

It actually has a semi-remedy for what would normally be insane tonal whiplash with how different "Chaos Space Marine" is compared to the rest of the album, and that is by putting it as the second track, after an intro track that sounds similar in tone and energy, so that way, it feels like it and the intro are in its own little duo while the other 8 songs are their own separate thing. it doesn't completely solve the issue, but it makes it easier to put up with :)

the concorde comparison actually makes sense when you look into it. Concorde was a plane model that cost billions in the late 60s and 70s to produce, and only amounted to about 20 planes ever being made, and they only saw it through to the end because they had put so much money into it already that it would be more wasteful to quit. That's what Isaac means when he compares his relationship with a woman to Concorde; he's already sunk so much time and resources to this relationship that it would just be a waste to suddenly quit. I think it's pretty clever.

the music is so fucking good. like, no joke, this album has some of my favorite musical moments in recent memory, like the first chorus of Bread Song being in free time (basically saying "fuck time signatures, and fuck bpms" and playing without them), the insane drumming during "Snow Globes", the piano during "The Place Where He Inserted the Blade"... the everything in "Basketball Shoes". I have more to say about that last one specifically.

The lyrics are so strong. I normally am neutral towards relationship stuff in songs, since I don't truly understand the nuances and stuff of relationships, and therefore, can't really relate or get most relationship songs on first listen. If I do, they're either sledgehammer blunt, or I can tie them to something not explicitly related to relationships, or I'm completely wrong. This is sort of an exception. I say sort of an exception because while I didn't really fully get the lines on my first few listens, I was certainly able to understand the general mood of the lyrics, and that mood was unbridled pain as a result of heartbreak, and while heartbreak is something that I don't relate with at all (can't get your heart broken if you've never been in a relationship before. Haha... im such a fucking loser), and therefore, doesn't really get a reaction out of me most of the time... this was absolutely an exception, because here, you can tell that this really hurt him, and it hurt him badly. It also doesn't hurt that Isaac Wood is just an incredible songwriter in my opinion.

All of the last 3 tracks. Just everything about them. Especially Basketball Shoes. That riff during the first part, the ending of the second part, that intermission between the second and third parts... the third part in general. Isaac Wood's vocal delivery during that last part is insane. It is so fucking good. No complaints.

The only con I have with the album is that it can somewhat feel a little lop-sided. Not in the sense that 1 side is all bangers, and the other side is nothing special, but the first half of the album is still great, but that second half is the stuff of legends, and honestly, I kinda wish it were a bit more even... but if it were, then there would be an alternate timeline where I complained that the album never takes a break, because i am never truly satisfied with the media i am given and i need to bitch about something. This is mostly just a nitpick if anything, because like I said... this album's back half is the stuff of legends.

The Competition

[BTW, im only counting albums from after october 2000 to before February 2022, since the actual best album of the 2000s imo was released on October 2nd, 2000, if I remember correctly, and this album was released on February 5th, 2022.]

To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar: Let me get the one that'll piss off the most people out of the way first. I don't think TPAB is better than AfuT for 1 simple reason... there are skippable songs on TPAB. Now, there are 2 skippable interludes on AfuT, but the thing is, I never skip them, because Intro fits as an extended intro to Chaos Space Marine, and Mark's Theme lets me know that this is when shit gets real. On TPAB, here are the skips that I consistently skip, or consider skipping: For Free? (Interlude). I love this song, but I think it's an understandable skip. These Walls. That intro is why I skip it sometimes. Mortal Man. Once Kendrick finished reciting the full poem, that's when I just call it quits, and say the album's finished. Momma. On a bad day, the drums might get on my nerves. But that's not very often. For Sale? (Interlude). barely an interlude, but it's like an interlude in 1 sense; when i see it, my natural instincts make me press the skip button. Yeah, that might be all, and most of the time when I do stuff like listens for reviews, I don't skip these, but if I'm doing it casually, then... I might skip these! Can't say the same for AfuT, where I normally don't skip a single song! I will admit that TPAB is actually pretty close to matching AfuT.

In Rainbows - Radiohead. the only thing I can really say is that I just like AfuT more. No intricate reasonings, or any of that. Just... I like it more.

The Glow pt. 2 - The Microphones. This one is the closest one on this list. This one is very similar to AfuT lyrically, and I'd even say that The Glow matches AfuT lyrically, but AfuT easily beats out the Glow musically. I like the music on The Glow, but if given the choice between indie folk mixed with a dash of noise rock and some of the best post-rock ever committed to tape, I'm choosing the latter before you finish saying the question.

To Be Kind - Swans. Honestly... I can't really say why I like this more than To Be Kind. I guess I like Isaac Wood's voice more than Michael Gira's, but To Be Kind also has some killer music, and some great songwriting (not on the level of AfuT, but still great), so... I guess I don't really know why I prefer AfuT. I just do.

Deathconsciousness - Have a Nice Life. Simple answer... the lyrics on AfuT are just better in my opinion. The lyrics on AfuT really make you understand the pain that this breaking relationship has been causing Isaac, while the lyrics on Deathconsciousness never reach the highs that the lyrics on AfuT reach at some points... maybe except for the last verse of Earthmover, but all of Earthmover is damn near perfect.

Teens of Denial and Twin Fantasy - Car Seat Headrest. AfuT is better musically, but that's not the only reason. Teens of Denial's lyrics read like an angsty teen trying to understand his feelings and cope with them, while Twin Fantasy's lyrics are about the LGBTQ experience. Now, I understand the lyrics of Teens of Denial, since I'm currently going through the process of understanding and coping with my emotions, but I'm... not a member of the LGBTQ community, even if I support it, so I think of Twin Fantasy as just a love album so I can understand it just a little better... but AfuT's pure heartbreaking lyrics are more emotional, and just better written in my opinion, even if I respect Teens of Denial and Twin Fantasy to a similar degree.

What could beat Ants from Up There?

Now, this album is my 4th favorite album of all time, and so let's take some aspects from the albums that already have beaten it.

from (dark side of the moon), an infinitely replayable quality. While I've heard AfuT like 6 times at this point, I'm not sure if it'll hold up like dark side of the moon has, so just in case it doesn't, this is here.

from (ok computer), a dangerous level of nostalgia and personal importance. OK Computer got me into music, and the only album that's ever beaten it is literal musical perfection, so I feel like this dangerous blend of personal importance and nostalgia could be key to making the ultimate "Ants from Up There-repellant Spray".

from (lysflath), make the music sound straight out of heaven. Like, genuinely transcendental music. stuff that sounds like a sneak peek of heaven itself.

now onto the stuff that isn't on any of those albums... more balanced tracklist. make each half as equal as you can.

and lastly... have at least 1 vocal delivery that's on par with, equal to, or better than the vocal delivery on the last part of "Basketball Shoes".

Anyways, in short, Ants from up There is the best album from the past 2 decades, and BCNR have solidifed themselves as one of my favorite bands.

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Somewhere Only We Know

Written By: Tim Rice-Oxley, Tom Chaplin & Richard Hughes

Artist: Keane

Released: 2004

“Somewhere Only We Know” is a song by English alternative rock band Keane, officially released as the lead single from their debut album Hopes and Fears. Keane lead vocalist Tim Rice-Oxley revealed in 2004 of the meaning of the song: “It’s about being able to draw strength from a place or experience you’ve shared with someone. I think it’s an idea a lot of people can relate to.”

[Verse 1] I walked across an empty land I knew the pathway like the back of my hand I felt the earth beneath my feet Sat by the river, and it made me complete [Pre-Chorus] Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? I'm getting old and I need something to rely on So tell me when you're gonna let me in I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin [Verse 2] I came across a fallen tree I felt the branches of it looking at me Is this the place we used to love? Is this the place that I've been dreaming of? [Pre-Chorus] Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? I'm getting old and I need something to rely on So tell me when you're gonna let me in I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin [Chorus] And if you have a minute, why don't we go Talk about it somewhere only we know? This could be the end of everything So why don't we go Somewhere only we know? Somewhere only we know? [Pre-Chorus] Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? I'm getting old and I need something to rely on So tell me when you're gonna let me in I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin [Chorus] And if you have a minute, why don't we go Talk about it somewhere only we know? This could be the end of everything So why don't we go? So why don't we go? Ooh-aah, oh [Outro] This could be the end of everything So why don't we go Somewhere only we know? Somewhere only we know Somewhere only we know

Cosmic Love

Written By: Isabella Summers & Florence Welch

Artist: Florence + the Machine

Released: 2009

“Cosmic Love” has an ethereal yet somber sound, connoting a seemingly light-hearted approach to a melancholy subject. Welch told The Sunday Times that the song illustrates how being in love means “you give yourself up to the dark, to being blind.” Florence also described about its creation on the band’s webpage: “ “Cosmic Love” was a joke title, but it stuck. The most hungover I’ve ever been when writing a song. I went to [Isabella Summers’s] studio after having been to a party, and I was lying on the floor wanting to vomit. We were working really hard on a song and just trying to make this sh*t piano part work, and all of a sudden I hit on one note, and I’d got it. We wrote the whole song in ten minutes.”

[Verse 1] A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes I screamed aloud, as it tore through them And now it's left me blind [Chorus] The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out You left me in the dark No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight In the shadow of your heart [Verse 2] And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat I tried to find the sound But then it stopped, and I was in the darkness So darkness I became [Chorus] The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out You left me in the dark No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight In the shadow of your heart [Bridge] I took the stars from our eyes, and then I made a map And knew that somehow I could find my way back Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too So I stayed in the darkness with you [Chorus] The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out You left me in the dark No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight In the shadow of your heart [Chorus] The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out You left me in the dark No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight In the shadow of your heart

[everythingtoony]

LETS TALK ABOUT OUT THERE FROM THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

It’s such a beautiful song, and it was so well written!!

The first part of it, Quasimodo sings in very tightly packed 8th notes (exactly like Frollo’s theme in The Bells of Notre Dame) at the beginning.The line “Safe behind these windows and these parapets of stone, gazing at the people down below me” has the same melody as Frollo’s “Just so he’s kept locked away where no one else can see” line in The Bells of Notre Dame. 

As the song goes on, however, Quasi’s melody and notes become more open, and it feels like there’s room to breathe. The chorus generally stays in a C chord (or D, correct me if i’m wrong), which feels like home. However, when he sings “All I ask is one, to hold forever”, the chord switches to E♭for a short amount of time before pulling back to the original chord.

However, it feels as if Quasi lets himself fully submerge in this fantasy of walking among the citizens of Paris when he sings “If I were in there skin, I’d tresure every instant” and then sings the second chorus, which happens to be a key change. Guess what key that key change is in?

E♭

The key change switches to a key that was only heard for a short amount of time during the first chorus. As if in the first chorus, Quasi was exploring the idea, yet was still hesitant, and in the second chorus, he allows himself to fully plunge into it. This was done on purpose, you can’t tell me it wasn’t-

Also I just want to say the cymbols that come on before the first chorus feel like it’s submerging us in the dream too, and THAT is why I LOVE Hunchback’s score, the use of percussion makes the whole thing seem like a beautiful dream. 

Also, I want to focus on The Bell Tower, the music that plays when Quasi shows Esmerelda around the bell tower, as well. Because it’s completely instrumental, there are no lyrics. It’s simply background music, but you can tell it’s written for the scene, simply because it has hints of God Help the Outcasts, Someday and Out There. The song also makes good use of dynamics and percussion, as it starts out quiet, with Quasi showing Esmerelda around and being quite anxious, and then as it goes on, it gets more louder, and then Quasimodo shows her the veiw from the tower. The sunset, the city, everything. It’s the beauty of it that brings the two close together, and makes the music switch from God Help the Outcasts to Out there. It switches from Esme’s song(s) to Quasi’s song, as Quasi has fully stepped outside of his comfort zone. And since it’s a beautiful scene, it’s acommpanied by powerful music, with cymbols and a choir. The music dies down and becomes quiet once again as Esmerelda and Quasimodo share a very sentimental moment with each other, Esmerelda admitting her problems as a “gypsy”, and then Quasimodo confessing how he thinks he’s a monster. Esmerelda reads his palm, says she doesn’t see any “monster lines”, and then asks Quasi if he thinks she’s a monster, to which he immediately replied with no.

It’s just- GAH I LOVE THIS SCORE SO MUCH IT’S SO POWERFUL!! Every note, every beat, every measure, it all tells a story, it’s absolutely beautiful.

[caltropspress]

RAPS + CRAFTS #14: SKECH185

1. Introduce yourself. Past projects? Current projects?

Hey, I’m Willie McIntyre Jr. but on stage I am SKECH185. I grew up largely in Chicago, in neighborhoods on its South Side, but I am now a New York resident for the last 9 years. I am a part of a 6-man crew called Tomorrow Kings, a duo called War Church, a duo with producer Jeff Markey and have worked with various labels (Galapagos4, Fieldwerk, ReServed, Backwoodz) over the last 18 years. My most recent project is entitled He Left Nothing For The Swim Back.

2. Where do you write? Do you have a routine time you write? Do you discipline yourself, or just let the words come when they will? Do you typically write on a daily basis?

A lot of my writing is done at coffee shops. Being at home is far too distracting because there is always something to clean or arrange, etc. I usually start my day by hitting the gym and then writing for a couple of hours. There is no guarantee that I will write a full verse or a verse that I love when I write, but I write daily as a matter of improving my techniques or experimenting with new ways to phrase things or deliver lines. I maintain a level of discipline with it in hopes of being able to steadily evolve my style.

3. What’s your medium—pen and paper, laptop, on your phone? Or do you compose a verse in your head and keep it there until it’s time to record?

I will write in my head and in my phone but all verses eventually make it on paper. It's the only way I can finalize and edit and it's the only way I’ll remember the cadence or timing of some bars.

4. Do you write in bars, or is it more disorganized than that?

I write in bar-looking structures but some lines are two bars that I will leave as one long line because it is a complete thought. I do a lot of scratching out and writing new pieces and notes in the margins too.

5. How long into writing a verse or a song do you know it’s not working out the way you had in mind? Do you trash the material forever, or do you keep the discarded material to be reworked later?

There is no real time I can think of. Sometimes you can just tell it's working. Sometimes you're trying to be aimlessly intelligent and miss the mark. Sometimes simple for effect is lazy. I will always perform surgery on a verse and pull out lines that work. I tend to write bar by bar so every bar can stand on its own as a thought. I rework material all of the time and I will mine from old verses if what I’m writing at that moment fits with older material.

6. Have you engaged with any other type of writing, whether presently or in the past? Fiction? Poetry? Playwriting? If so, how has that mode influenced your songwriting?

I’ve only done op-ed type of writing and, perhaps, poetry for school.

7. How much editing do you do after initially writing a verse/song? Do you labor over verses, working on them over a long period of time, or do you start and finish a piece in a quick burst?

I edit verses anywhere from 2 to 5 times and I do different types of edits (edits for flow, originality, accuracy, progress, and ambition).

8. Do you write to a beat, or do you adjust and tweak lyrics to fit a beat?

I usually write in silence. I will listen to a beat and memorize the pockets, tone and drum pattern then write in silence until I have an idea about how I want to structure the song.

9. What dictates the direction of your lyrics? Are you led by an idea or topic you have in mind beforehand? Is it stream-of-consciousness? Is what you come up with determined by the constraint of the rhymes?

The beat will often tell you to write to it. With that in mind I will also hear beats and I will recognize a verse or song that was written that fits it. I rarely keep a stream of consciousness rhyme but that will often be a jumping-off point. There aren’t too many constraints in my rhymes; my chorus and bridge structures depend on how much I can pull out of the beat based on how it services the rhyme approach or subject.

10. Do you like to experiment with different forms and rhyme schemes, or do you keep your bars free and flexible?

Every rhyme is an experiment and exercise of some sort. That is what keeps it fun for me.

11. What’s a verse you’re particularly proud of, one where you met the vision for what you desire to do with your lyrics?

The first verse on “High John The Conqueror Speaks” on my War Church album Gunship Diplomacy. It was one of the moments in which I felt like I actually contributed something new to hip-hop. It was something that only I could have done.

12. Can you pick a favorite bar of yours and describe the genesis of it?

“At a distance, even the greatest man is just an ant.”

While getting my degree, I had to take an art history class in which we spent a brief moment learning about painters who focused on painting scenes of the sublime. The idea of realizing nature and the universe is so much of a humbling experience that I had to throw it in a rhyme.

13. Do you feel strongly one way or another about punch-ins? Will you whittle a bar down in order to account for breath control, or are you comfortable punching-in so you don’t have to sacrifice any words?

None of that matters to me at all. As long as it sounds cool that is all that will be remembered.

14. What non-hiphop material do you turn to for inspiration? What non-music has influenced your work recently?

Groups like Protomartyr, Radiohead, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Moses Sumney, Animal Collective, Arms… A lot of post punk, a lot of comic books. Podcasts. Old Dick Gregory interviews. I have, as of late, been obsessed with watching interviews from the 60s and 70s because there is something to seeing a person speak about something when they don’t know when the next time they will speak is. There is gravity to it that I find important still.

15. Writers are often saddled with self-doubt. Do you struggle to like your own shit, or does it all sound dope to you?

My biggest fear is making something that people can find somewhere else. By the time it gets recorded, I’m confident in performing it in front of a full house based on the quality. I worry about making songs that sound similar the most.

16. Who’s a rapper you listen to with such a distinguishable style that you need to resist the urge to imitate them?

Teddy Faley and my brothers in Tomorrow Kings

17. Do you have an agenda as an artist? Are there overarching concerns you want to communicate to the listener?

I don’t have an agenda but I am very opinionated. I just want to illustrate what being human means to me and maybe start a couple fires along the way.

RAPS + CRAFTS is a series of questions posed to rappers about their craft and process. It is designed to give respect and credit to their engagement with the art of songwriting. The format is inspired, in part, by Rob McLennan’s 12 or 20 interview series.

Photo credit: Fresh Kils

[eunique]

new york, london, paris, munich, everybody's talking about how awful modern pop music is.

I used to think that modern pop music is awful. Now, not so much. Awful is a strong word and I'd rather use simpler. That is, in terms of hamorny wise.

However, your claim is incenuating that pop music is objectively bad. That, I wholeheartedly disagree with.

In general, if you wanted to write pop music, you'd really need chords I, IV, V, vi and V7 if you wanted to add a bit of ✨spice✨ to it. Learn those 5 chords and you can basically play almost any pop song or write an easy pop song. That is only harmony wise and we haven't even gotten into the instrumentation, textures and timbre of the music. There are exceptions to this where some pop songs will use chords that us, as listeners, don't typically expect to hear in modern pop songs.

And putting aside the harmony part, you've also got instrumentation. What you're typically thinking of anon (I assume), is stuff that is all made electronically through a DAW. I will admit, some of the stuff does end up sounding similar and that's more in part with the bass or the kick beat of a song and the sample library used that really factors into that.

A major factor into why pop music almost sounds the same is basically the above but also the fact, music has trends. Like everything else, music goes through phases where certain things will be in favour over other things. Go listen to songs from the early 2010s and you'll hear a lot of similarities between each song. You can hear this in different eras of classical music (classical music as in the genre overall, not the era though that also has trends within it's own era).

Another factor, especially with music within the last 2, maybe 3 years, is that pop music nowadays tends to pull influences from many different genres but mainly R & B and Hip-Hop. This means that the lines for what is defined as pop music is blurred as many songs can fall into many different genres. Take Dua Lipa's Dance the Night for example, you can classify it as pop but you can also tell the song has disco influences but could also technically fall under disco and there are so many pop songs that can fall under other genres. There is no clear cut line of what is truly pop music.

And don't get me into the tik-tok-ification of music because that is a whole other discussion in itself. But just so we all know, it has really factored into pop music as of recent years.

However that being said, the above I just said mainly applies to western pop music. What about pop music from outside of the west?

Pop music from other countries such as China, has their own version of pop music (called mando-pop or C-pop). While they do follow western songwriting structures (verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, bridge, recapitulation, end) integrate their own spin on it.

C-pop will integrate traditional Chinese instruments and/or traditional Chinese performance arts such as Peking Opera into their songs. Listen to Jay Chou or even Lay Zhang. Some of their songs integrate Chinese integuments or Chinese opera.

K-pop uses incredibly interesting harmonies in their music and subverts listeners' expectations incredibly well. Go watch react to the K on YouTube. They have a long running series called Classical Musicians React where classical musicians react to K-pop and analyse the music.

J-pop has its own instrumentations and their sample libraries are completely different from what the western pop music sample libraries are. The way J-pop will use those libraries and push it to it's limits is what makes it so interesting. Hell, they even made a synth voicebank (vocaloid) and that in itself is it's subgenre.

All of those I've just mentioned is only 3 of so many other pop music from other nations. So to say all pop music is awful is a very narrow minded view point to be looking at it. Yes, all of those can fall subject to sounding similar but this I'm talking about western pop vs. International pop music.

Of course art is subjective. Music is a form of art so it is subjective from person to person. If pop, isn't for you, that is fine. But pop maybe someone else's favourite genre. If you think all pop is awful then that's your opinion. I personally think pop does have its moments where it does shine. Do I prefer international pop over western pop? Absolutely! But I think pop is still a valuable genre. Can't complain about more music to listen to.

Regardless, I think it's really important to broaden your listening horizons and listen to all kinds of music because it allows you to see what the music scene is like for other places in the world or what music was like maybe during the 60s or even the Baroque Period. That's just my 2 cents on this anon's opinion.

[rex101111]

Dunno why I haven't asked already (maybe I did and forgot) but if you had to pick which strive themes are your favorites and least favorites what would you go with? If you don't want to do the whole listing then maybe just a couple of standouts? I'd like to hear your opinion on stuff!

hey izzy i used this ask as an excuse to just listen to all the Strive themes for the first time in a while. So here's every character theme and my thoughts:

Find Your One Way: for the longest time I thought it was "own way" but whatever. Okay so this is where I put my cards on the table and say that Strive's overall kind of metal is kinda not my thing. Or at least it took a while for me to click with it since I still use the Rev2 soundtrack as a workout mix so I kinda have a bias. As such I think this song is fine but Give Me A Break is peak Sol so it just sounds to me like its trying to reach that same level and it. uh, doesn't for me. still cool though.

The Roar Of The Spark: and in a complete 180 from the previous song THIS ONE FUCKING ROCKS. Christian Hair Metal, fucking wonderful. From that keyboard intro, to that fucking sublime guitar solo, this one is so fucking good actually.

The Disaster Of Passion: In contrast to the metal (ironically enough) I adore Strive's "pop" themes. Every one of them makes me smile like a doopy dope. Seriously when May's trailer dropped I had "NONE. STOP. LOVE SONG!" on repeat in my head for like a month. So catchy. Really good drum work here also, underrated.

Out Of The Box: This song kinda passed me by honestly, so this was the first time I really sat down and listened to it all the way. Brit Rock can be hit or miss, but this is pretty fun! the Engrish is just bad enough that its really charming and the chill vibes fit Axl really well.

Play The Hero: You're saying this is the theme of a weeb? Never would have guessed. Okay real talk I fucking LOVE this one. Catchy, cheesy, uncomplicated Anime Butt Rock, if that doesn't describe Chipp Zanuff I don't know what does.

Armored-clad Faith: SOCIETY. YOUR SOCIETY. Okay meme-ing aside this one's great too. Gonna be honest though Bass Heavy Metal isn't really my cup of tea, but even despite that its still really catchy. Sometimes memes blind you to how good a song actually is. Chorus is the best part tho.

Alone Infection: To be honest this took a very long time to grow on me. Verging on Screamo didn't help it, and its honestly kinda weird. But hell, it did grow on me eventually. Not my favorite by any stretch but not bad.

Love the Subhuman Self: God what a banger and a half. If you don't sing along to the chorus there's something wrong with you. Also this is a song made in the current century that uses the phrase "bee's knees" in the wonderful way only people who don't speak English can manage. What a fucking miracle this song is, damn.

Let Me Carve Your Way: Bad news, horrible greasy shadow man has a pretty good theme he absolutely did not deserve. Tragic. Okay seriously this is pretty good, strong beat nice chorus and the end bit is nice contrast overall. Yeah its alright.

Necessary Discrepancy: Part of me still prefers Diva Of Despair, but this bangs so hard holy shit. From that weird ass electronic intro to the guitar and that climax, bro. Bro. Not my favorite but I'd say...third place.

Hellfire:

Ky:...Leo, I think you might be suffering with depression.

Leo: Depression!?!? What kind of nonsense are you spouting!?!? Can a guy with depression have a theme this rocking!?

Ky: Leo. Half of that song is you calling yourself a liar and hoping you die.

Seriously though another song I kinda slept on but its really good also can someone tie Leo to a chair and take him to a therapist? Thanks.

What do you fight for: Lesser than the sum of its parts. Like the chorus is good, the melody is nice, a few verses are cool. But its kind of a mess. There's a really nice solo, but it just kinda stuck a bit too early in the song for it to really built up to the climax properly. Crawl is better anyway.

Trigger: probably one of my least favorite, honestly. It just kinda meanders around without really coalesing into anything substantial and just like. refuses to pick up any momentum at all. it just changes itself up too often and its kinda tiring to listen to. Also the lyric "don't make a big deal out of me" is so ironic in hindsight when it turns out she contributed a big fat load of jack shit to the story mode of Strive. but that's a pile of meat that was once a horse I am kinda tired of beating so lets move on.

Rock Parade: MY FUCKING BOY IS DANCING AND IN LOVE. FUCKING LOOK AT HIM! God I love love love this one, so freaking good. It tells a story, its rocking, its catchy, and that that more gentle bit near the last third is so evocative. I always imagine him doing a fan dance during that part. Second favorite absolutely.

Requiem: Heavy Metal has always been I-No's signature sound and aesthetic, and mixing that with Alt Rock gives this one a pretty unique feel compared to her other themes. Midnight Carnival still stands on top as far as I-No themes go but this one ain't too shabby. Sick guitar solo, naturally.

Crawl: Intense, rocking, better than Nago's actual theme. Pretty gnarly boss theme.

The Kiss of Death: The only way to do good Industrial Metal is to go All In. And this song does that and then some. How the hell did this head banger get past me??? I'm genuinely baffled that a guy as big as Beef Dickinson managed to evade me for this long. Fuck yeah.

Perfection Can't Please Me: I really appreciate those call backs to Juno in this song since that one was one of my favorites in Xrd. Even with all my reservation with how the Aria plot got resolved I can't deny this song is a ton of fun. Though, hear me out, how fucking funny would it have been if they took Meet Again and remixed it into something this poppy?

Drift: My thoughts about this song are about the same as the thoughts I have about Happy Clappy himself. There are certainly things to like about this song, there are some really cool bits and riffs and the lyrics are cool, but it switches around so much its hard to really get attached to any one aspect of it. Like sometimes its really fun and bouncy, sometimes its rocking out, sometimes its pretentious because Chaos can't fucking help himself. I like it better than I did when it first came out, but still just kinda meh. The "Disney" bit still funny as all hell though.

Mirror of the World: Best song in the game. No. Zip! It is, no arguments will be accepted are entertained here. This song rocks, this song slaps, this song tells a story, not just the story Baiken is going through in Strive but her whole journey up till now. This song is soulful and harsh and beautiful and fucking everything. This isn't my Baiken Bias talking its just true don't argue with me just sit with me as we listen to Mirror of the World on loop for two hours and then You Will Understand.

Like a Weed, Naturally, as a Matter of Course: This song is just vibes honestly. A cool and smooth song about how just living for the sake of it is good enough, because if a weed can be why can't we? Also the pronouns getting changed every few words is like two steps away from screaming "THEY'RE NON-BINARY NOW PRETTY NEAT RIGHT?" and you know what that is neat.

The Town Inside Me: The most Song of all Trans. Seriously though this song is so much fucking fun. Probably my favorite "pop" theme of the three we have so far. Honestly it just feels like a complete, full song. Like you can just take this out of the game and play it on the radio it just feels like there's nothing missing here its awesome. Personally though, the thing I like the most in this song is how triumphant it is by the end. Bridget is out of the box and she ain't going back in, and she is glowing.

The Hourglass: His Xrd theme was honestly just okay so I was more open to give this one a fair shake. And honestly? Pretty fun! Nothing really major to say here except that it's peppy, positive, energetic, and has a nice strong sound to it. So, Sin, basically.

The Circle: I really, really wanted to like this song. I listened to it a few more times and I just. Can't connect with it. It's like Drift in that there's a lot of different things going on and also like Drift nothing really comes together here. I saw a post mocking people who don't like this song as people who only like music with wide appeal and to that person firstly fuck off with the gatekeeping and secondly just because a song has complex things going on or messes with the time signature doesn't automatically make it good and I just don't like this song because its a damn mess that barely coheres into something a bit more solid by the end but only just barely. Delilah deserves to be her own character if only so she can get a proper fucking song out of it.

[bybdolan]

uhhh i cant wait for a complete post of your thoughts when you've had time to think about it, im sad it doesnt fit the vibe of the photoshoot and its ok and im going to listen to the album bc it sounds like taylors previous work which i like but im sick of the same production on every track and its not even good, that synth rythm at the end of the anti-hero chorus is giving me ptsd its like every taylor swift song is starting to sound like that

ok i can finally answer this a bit more thouroughly after having sat with the album for a few days. I think my initial reaction was much more negative than my views on the album are now, simply because I also expected something different and was taken aback by what we ended up getting. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of reputation: in my perception of it, in its sound, and in the themes that are being explored. Ultimately, Midnights is the better reputation: it deals with themes of fame and "finding love through all the noise" MUCH better than the 2017 album did, likely because Taylor now has the removal and strong footing to really Get Into a lot of shit (and her own insecurities) without constantly being worried about how she will be perceived. Some tracks on Midnights are what I always wanted to hear from her fame-wise, as exemplified by how many beats from this playlist get hit, so all in all I do appreciate a lot about the album. It's also just... fun to listen to, I want to dance around my room to many of the tracks which I dig. Unfortunately, this is not all it takes for me to be head over heels for an album, and Midnights kind of disappointed me on the songwriting front. This is me complaining on an incredibly high level because Taylor is That Good, but there were almost no lyrics that stood out to me upon first listen. It is exactly the same feeling reputation has given me upon first listen, where I sat around wondering when a lyric would really GRAB me the way many of the lines on Speak Now or Red did. I appreciate the humor and Taylor's delivery of the lyrics is arguably the best part of the album, but I feel a bit dissatisfied with some of the metaphors or literary devices on here. Negative examples are "Your eyes are flying saucers from another dimension", "Cat eye sharp enough to kill a man" (shut up...), "I miss you but I miss sparkeling", "the sand hurts my feelings" (i actually love where she was going with this and think it should have been more refined because it doesn't land). And a lot of the songs are also just... There. They don't do anything for me. Which kind of is the worst crime an album can commit. I like Jack, but there is truth to the fact that he only ever is experimental on his own albums and gives the girls he works with very little breathing room. When listening to Midnights, I feel like the music is just. There as a backdrop to the lyrics and very rarely adds something to the overall feeling of the song. And when the lyrics by themselves are not that strong... That's not great. I would argue that Midnights has better lines than 1989, but 1989 felt like a symbiosis of production and lyrics, where each perfectly supported the other, and Midnights doesn't give me the same feeling. It feels a tad rushed. I say all of this and will most likely still stream the fuck out of the album, but I won't consider it a Great Work in the process of doing so. I simply love dancing around to a silly pop song.

[halfseoulco]

FACE — Jimin: A review

Published Friday, March 31st, 2023 — Following the news of the group’s break from making music together, the individual members of global sensation BTS have been showcasing their own unique colors with solo works that have been coming in a steady stream since June of last year—and this time, it’s Park Jimin’s turn to show the world what he’s capable of. 

Introduction

Jimin’s first solo album has been highly anticipated for quite some time, with heavy speculation as to what he would bring to the table. There were many guesses as to what kind of music he would make, knowing full well that this is the artist who brought us “Lie”, “Serendipity”, and “Filter”—which means that based on his artistic range, it could be anything.

“Set Me Free Pt.2″

Following the promotional schedule released by Big Hit Music, Jimin prefaced the album’s release with the pre-release single “Set Me Free Pt.2”, the title of which had many ARMYs guessing at a collaboration with fellow bandmate SUGA, who included “Interlude : Set me free” on his most recent solo mixtape, D-2, in May 2020. The music video for “Set Me Free Pt.2” was preceded by an official teaser and featured a simple yet powerfully dynamic setting motivated mostly by expert lighting and camerawork. While the song’s choreography—which is reminiscent of “ON” in some aspects—doesn’t involve as much intricacy on Jimin’s part as it does for the dancers themselves, he was able to weave himself in and out of the various formations seamlessly and execute the moves in time with the chorus. “Set Me Free Pt.2” can truly only be described as an anthem—punctuated by the bold brass lines and solid percussion throughout, while sometimes explicit, the lyrics paint a portrait of a Park Jimin who is committed to only showing his most authentic self, even if it’s a version of him that other people don’t like. The lyric “Going insane to stay sane”, also a nod to “ON”, is a written expression of the nature of Jimin’s desire: the freedom to be himself in such dramatic yet necessary ways so that he doesn’t lose sight of who he really is. At the end of the video, Jimin, having worn black through most of it, is revealed wearing white—a visual contrast to show the difference between his past self and his new, true self.

FACE and “Like Crazy”

The day FACE was released, the music video for the title track, “Like Crazy” also premiered. Shown in the official teaser as being completely different from “Set Me Free Pt.2”, “Like Crazy” features a dreamy soundscape intertwined with gentle strings and a sensual beat—and an almost tangible longing for the way things used to be. Jimin admitted during his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the album itself is meant to be a representation of his emotions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Known by ARMY as being both a social butterfly and a passionate artist with a deep love of performing, it is not missed by anyone that “Like Crazy” details the singer’s frustrations with being unable to connect with fans and perform for live audiences due to BTS’s canceled Map of the Soul world tour, which was supposed to take place in 2020. “I’d rather be lost in the lights, lost in the lights. I’m outta my mind,” Jimin croons while weaving through crowds of people under flashing lights—only to end up alone at the end of a hallway. The alternating between seeing Jimin having fun with his fellow partygoers and seeing him by himself illustrates the sudden juxtaposition in his realities during the pandemic, where he went from a series of shows during the BTS World Tour Love Yourself: Speak Yourself to a postponed-then-canceled tour that was meant to kick off the chapter that ARMY is currently witnessing. Now, making his debut as a solo artist, Jimin has been busy making the rounds, including a performance of the English version of “Like Crazy” on Jimmy Fallon’s show and an appearance on SUGA’s talk show, SUCHWITA.

Jimin’s solo debut has “Like Crazy” and “Set Me Free Pt.2” sandwiched between songs with distinctly different emotional tones, creating the sensation of a musical mood swing as it alternates between fire and melancholy. The EP begins with another spitfire track titled “Face-off”, which has definitely earned its E rating on Spotify. More than just its use of explicit language, the song acutely embodies the kind of anger that many people felt during the pandemic; and allows the space for empathy on a large scale. “Interlude : Dive” helps set the mood for “Like Crazy”, an instrumental soundtrack with audio sprinkled throughout, including a clip of loud cheers and Jimin telling an audience that he missed them so much. The interlude ends with the sound of a drink being poured and set down on a hard surface, smoothly transitioning into “Like Crazy”, which we’ve seen starts at the bar of a club. Following “Like Crazy” is “Alone”, a slower, softer track that describes the blending of days with nothing to tell them apart and a pain that comes from enduring loneliness and isolation without an end in sight.

If you listen to “Like Crazy (English Version)” on the physical CD, you’ll hear that there are almost three minutes of silence followed by the hidden track, “Letter”, which begins at the 06:13 mark and features background vocals by Jungkook. The song is, quite literally, a letter from Jimin to ARMY, revealing anxiety about being separated for too long and the fear of losing his fans’ love due to not being able to see each other. The soft acoustic track pleads for him and ARMY to stay together, conveying a deeply rooted sincerity that can be felt strongly in both the lyrics and the conviction in Jimin’s voice. The lyric “If we were together, even the desert could turn to a sea” calls back to another famous hidden track, “Sea”, which is only available on the physical version of BTS’s 2017 EP Love Yourself: Her 承. “Sea” itself carries deep significance to both BTS and ARMY, describing the relationship between the two and how the strength of that bond has allowed the group to carry on despite the hardships they faced. (This was also the message printed on the slogan for BTS’s Wings Tour Finale Concert in Seoul, which elicited emotional responses from the members.) By reiterating this message, Jimin is reminding ARMY of his commitment to them while also expressing his appreciation for the love and support he has received.

Conclusion

Production credits on FACE include Big Hit Music producers Pdogg and Ghstloop, while writing credits include most notably Jimin himself, RM, and Supreme Boi, among others. The amount of love and care that was put into this album is evident in its execution; and it is clear that everyone who was involved treated it with the utmost respect and attention that it deserves. Overall, FACE provides a raw and honest depiction of the range of Jimin’s emotions during a difficult time—and again, empathy plays a large role in the listening experience. The universality of his situation allows for a greater number of people to relate to the music’s messages, which is the wish Jimin expressed while discussing the album with Jimmy Fallon.

While I enjoy the emotional dichotomy of FACE and appreciate Jimin’s versatility, I favor the softer tracks a little more, with “Like Crazy” being my pick for favorite song off the EP.

Genius Lab USA Rating: Baby, come and follow me. There’s not a bad thing here tonight.

FACE Track List:

Face-off

Interlude : Dive

Like Crazy

Alone

Set Me Free Pt.2

Like Crazy (English Version)

편지 (Letter) (physical album exclusive)

[noisemachinedotcom]

asked by @cardcaptor-datura! fanks :2 didnt realize you had to turn on asks for sideblogs lmfao

7: a song by a band you wish were still together

okay i’ll preface this with ludo can be pretty obnoxious i think and technically they did get back together Once to put together a very shinily-produced little halloween song. it’s cute but not my favorite i like how it uses samples it’s a fun song but if it’s not shitty 2000s nerd rock whats even the point

ANYWAY Pt. 3 The Lamb and The Dragon off their album Broken Bride... it fucks severely and unapologetically. Broken Bride is a concept album about a dude who builds a time machine to save his dead wife, its pretty good and holds up, save for two songs that are either mid, corny, or both. Those being Tonight’s the Night (redundant Rock And Roll nothing-number which just repeats basic character motivations that were very well implied in the first song its unnecessary and condescending) and Save Our City (my only true complaint with this one is it sounds suspiciously Christian. not like faith based music is bad but the chorus is just eerily reminiscent of accidentally turning the radio to clean jesus worship rock. all that complaining out of the way it does get points for depicting the literal rapture as some kind of zombie apocalypse complete with a dragon)

24: a song to drive to

luckiest guy on the lower east side by the magnetic fields fills me with indescribable childlike glee and i dont often get to drive anymore but when i do this always makes the cut because its adorable and also about driving. also the beat is wet as hell for no reason i love it

torn green velvet eyes gets close second because the part where it goes br br br  br br brbrbrbrbrbbrbr made me flip out the first time i heard it and the instrumentation the crunchy digital mixed with shiny sounds itches my brain in a way that feels incredible. and when you’re in a car you can turn it up loud as hell and let it Warsh over u. my headphones have been broken for a long time so when i really get access to Loud it drives me nuts and cars are perfect for loud. i’ve also been driving to a lot of vocaloid ive got a massive playlist i made based on stuff i listened to in middle school during the vocaloid revival phase

[khiphop-discussions]

SMTM11 Ep.2 Producer Songs

I already listened to the contestant songs from Ep.6. I'm gonna make a video for those but I feel like these songs didn't really warrant one. I wasn't even gonna listen to the studio versions of these songs but I was sold after listening to one particular song from the contestants on Ep.7 (will talk about those on a video).

To be quite frank, I didn't like any of these songs. I'm actually kind of shocked at how weak these songs are as a whole tbh.

Receipt - Jay Park: This one was co-written with Slom. Jay's partner on this season. I listened first just to get it out o the way but it's number 2 on the SMTM11 Ep.0 EP. The instrumental is nice. Something I'd expect from Jay. It's not the worst thing I've heard but it completely un-notable.

Wow - Groovy Room x Lil Boi: The song's instrumental does a good job at building tension in he intro but as soon as the beat drops, its disappointing. Lil Boi's rapping is the only good thing about this songs after the intro.

Be My - LeellaMarz x The Quiett: Toil is listed as a write on this song. The instrumental is nice. It's kinda cute/romantic so it seemed like it was setting up a love song, especially with the title. It is a love song. Its pretty pleasant overall. Leella and The Quiett rapped well as expected. The song is nothing too crazy. It's kinda of a "b-side" or "non-single" type song for me. The best part if the ending where Leella is kind of singing. Overall, this one isn't too bad.

Sun Goes Down - Justhis: I feel like team R.Jus knows how to start off the song in order to keep people interested. Justhis started off with the right energy. Then around the chorus there's a beat change + Justhis is singing the chorus. Personally, I'm not too big on this song but it is probably the most interesting and energetic.

Overall, I think "Be My" is my favorite song from these. "Sun Goes Down" has a lot of the makings of a "good" song but somehow it's still not my thing. I feel like these songs overall are kinda weak considering they were actually released outside of the show. Also, these are the songs that they performed to help entice the contestants to join their team.

[thisworldisablackhole]

This month in listening... 03/21/24

Been a minute since I've done one of these roundups, which is maybe for the best. More time for things to happen. This one is gonna be exclusively new releases because the last few weeks have been HOT. The year is really starting to cook up and I'm stoked.

New Waxahatchee album just dropped like 30 minutes ago (at the time of writing this), and I think it might be her best work to date. I've been a fan of the Crutchfield sisters since P.S. Eliot. Alison's band Swearin' is still one of my favourite pop punk bands ever, and Katie has been killing it with her solo work ever since American Weekend came out in 2012. I still have fond memories of running away from home in 2014 and singing Bathtub next to a camp fire, high on mushrooms in some dusty norcal weed town. The americana influence that she has been incorporating into her music recently suits her voice and style of songwriting so well, and I'm so happy to see it really flourish here. The collaboration with MJ Lenderman is just the cherry on top.

SeeYouSpaceCowboy dropped a new 2 part single recently. The first part functions as a short but beautiful piano intro featuring vocals from singer iRis.EXE. I do not know anything about this singer other than the fact that her voice is completely mesmerizing, even just the way she enunciates certain words scratches a weird itch in my brain. The intro cleverly transitions into the next act with the sound of a crowd clapping that slowly synchronizes into a single beat which lays the foundation for the rest of the instruments to come in. Silhouettes In Motion might actually be my new favourite SYSC song, and forebodes extremely well for how much I'm going to love the full album. The way the chorus swings in is so disarming and wonderful, I could just repeat that part over and over.

Last friday, Night Verses finally dropped the long awaited part 2 of their album Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night. There has been lots of clamor and confusion over why they released the album in parts like this, and I think the only real answer is that they wanted to end up on my year end list two years in a row. Seriously, the second part of this album rules and it starts off so strongly with this song Plague Dancer. This is one of the heaviest songs on part 2 and if full of intoxicating grooves, but the part that really sells me on it is that god damn breakdown where Nick DePirro throws in these muted harmonic strums that sounds pieces of sheet metal flapping in the wind in between chords. It's just so cool. Night Verses might be the only instrumental band I've ever really fallen in love with and I'm totally ok with that.

I should really just wait until Boundaries releases their new album next week, but YOLO. The three singles they have put out are just too good. Boundaries have double down on the heaviness with these tracks, and in doing so have maximized the contrast between the brutal and melodic parts of their sound. The heavy parts are blistering, and the choruses are succinct and effective in their ability to inject a quick blast of relief into the storm. Matt and Tim are also possibly my favourite duo of vocalists in metalcore right now. They are both just so distinct and powerful in their own right, and compliment each other so well. I didn't even realize that Tim is also the drummer until watching their music video a few days ago, so I have gained a whole new level of respect for his cleans.

A new album from One Step Closer has probably been my single most anticipated piece of news ever since their EP Songs for the Willow swept me off my feet in early 2023. That EP showed a distinct shift in their sound in a more melodic direction, and the result was three of their most memorable and interesting songs to date. This new album so far seems to indicate an even further push into pop punk territory and it is a welcome change for me. OSC are at their best when their hearts are on their sleeve, and this new track is oozing in heart. Honestly getting some Separation era Balance and Composure vibes from this song which I absolutely love. This album is coming out a week after the new Like Moths to Flames album which is insane. We gonna be eating good in May.

This new album by Irish folk musician Sam Lee really came out of left field and took me by surprise. I honestly only checked it out because the album art gave me weird Shire Hobbit vibes, and I was pleased when I played the first track and my initial thought was "yup... Hobbit music". I don't listen to a lot of folk music, and when I do, it doesn't sound anything like this. This album is just sounds very mature, and I don't mean that in an egotistical way. I mean it in the way where it sounds like there's some type of ancient wisdom or energy seeping through the cracks of Sam's deep storytellers voice and the thoughtfully dramatic arrangement of instruments. This is one of the most unique albums I'll listen to this year, and I'm glad I took a gamble on it.

A new Greyhaven single also dropped today, and good lord the reception has been nothing but praise. This band has not dropped the ball at all. This Bright and Beautiful World was one of my top 5 or 10 albums of 2022, and this new song is one hundred percent on par with, if not better than the best parts of that record. They are releasing a new 5 song EP on April 12th, thru their new home of Sharp Tone Records. I'm not even mad that it's not a full length, because the quality of this song is so promising. Spiritbox's The Fear of Fear honestly changed my perception about what an EP could accomplish, and now I am hyped at the prospect of a band I love putting out 4 to 6 tracks solid tracks with NO FILLER. The replay value is gonna be huge.

Poisoned Seeds are a local band, and I'm super excited about them right now. They are one of the few really good bands in the scene right now that are drawing more influence from 90s and early 2000s melodic hardcore and metalcore bands. I think it's fairly obvious by now that I love melodic bands, so I'm always hyped when there are people in my own back yard providing that sound at a local level. Guitarist and main song writer Avrinder Dhillon personally cited Shai Hulud as an influence, and I think they provide a great reference for how Poisoned Seeds implement melody into their riffs and vocals with a tasteful subtlety while maintaing an essence that is tough as nails.