#and I love a good year 6 disco track

[punkpandapatrixk]

💓Heartbeat Disco ☆ Timeless Tarot Guidance

Elements/Signs in this reading are calibrated to all aenergetic placements. Feel free to read as many Elements/Signs as you feel called to at this point in your spiritual evolution♡

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Are you feeling this aenergy of a Higher Romance that’s been pouring unto Earth this year? Earth’s temperatures are finally changing and so many Destined Lovers are going to find each other in the coming decades. I hope you’re excited for that for yourself~ You might just get a heartbeat disco this year and I hope that gets you enjoying Life and Love all over again! ☆

Fated encounters? Honest romance? Love that doesn’t leave you guessing? What’s coming to you in Love within the year you’re seeing this reading?! I hope your happiness is here to stay finally~♪

☆♪°・. aenergetic companion PAC ☆♪°・.

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Heartbeat Disco for 🐞Fire Signs – Gold Astrologer (Simon Forman)

Page of Cups, 8 of Swords, 6 of Pentacles

This year, Fire Signs, you are going to meet very interesting people that will make your heart flutter. This isn’t just about romance but a real sense of human connection that makes you understand, finally, that good people really do exist. And you’ll be glad you never lost hope in people—at least, not entirely XD The people you’ll be encountering are either younger than you in age or they simply exude a joyful and optimistic aura. These people are going to pull you into their worlds—their worlds are very exciting. You just need to know that you, too, have a place in those worlds.

Up until now, you’ve lived under the impression that you’d never amount to anything. This was all a mind game though; perhaps your society made you believe that someone from your country or background would never be able to be where you dream to be; perhaps you were gaslit since childhood, being made to believe that you’re worthless; perhaps there were many evil whispers about your power and talents. All’s a mind game. You’re getting out of that fuck-fog; you’re seeing your true worth now and you have been magnetising your Tribe.

This year—whatever year you’re finding this reading—you’re on the fast track towards your Soul Tribe and that place you belong to. On this new land, on this new landscape, you will be sharing positive aenergies and ideas with people who are similar to you not only in character but also in dreams and ambitions. For the first time ever, you will truly know what it feels like to have a ‘family’. And this family is so much better than you could’ve ever imagined~🍀

Oracle Guidance for Fire Signs🔻❤️

🐏Aries – Priestess of Prosperity

🦁Leo – Priestess of Luxury

🎠Sagittarius – Priestess of Luck

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Heartbeat Disco for 🐍Earth Signs – Red Alchemist (John Dee)

3 of Cups Rx, Queen of Cups Rx, 8 of Wands

Wow, seems you’ve been through some betrayals up until this point. It could also be a feeling of being disappointed in people—people or communities you thought had your best interests. For quite a while now, I think you’ve been in a purging phase. Ridding yourself of attachments and expectations that no longer served your highest good. It seems to me this year you’re still gonna be in that phase. This year is probably your last leg of the purging process though.

This whole being isolated, being alone, keeping to your own, learning to care for your mental health, has been necessary as part of your growing up. This is integral to your character/story development. Your Higher Self (and likely your ancestors, too) wanted to shield you from outside forces—vampiric forces—that would’ve drunk from your aenergy constantly, leaving you mentally drained and exhausted.

This year could be your last year of being alone in that sense—or maybe some time beginning next year. Your new chapter of better communications and better connections with high-quality people is only beginning to unfold. It hasn’t even started yet, dang. So keep going and be expectant for what’s to come. You have high places to go and powerful/inspirational people to meet. Your glorious days are yet to come, babe~🥂

Oracle Guidance for Earth Signs🔻💚

🐂Taurus – Priestess of Ritual

🧘🏻‍♀️Virgo – Priestess of Opulence

🐐Capricorn – Priestess of Inspiration

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Heartbeat Disco for ⛲Air Signs – Gold Astronomer (John Dee)

Knight of Cups, 9 of Wands Rx, Knight of Wands

Have you been wishing upon a star for a healthy Love? Seems like lately there’s been a love song in your heart <3 Seems like your Higher Self is announcing the advent of someone special this year hahah Of all the Signs, Air and Water seem like they’re going to be having the hardest heartbeat disco LMAO A destined encounter is very likely to happen for Air Signs this year. I sense you’re on the trajectory of a Soul Mission. I know you’ve been having signs and synchronicities. Your Spirit Guides have been giving you premonitions~

You’re seriously coming out of a karmic loop where in the past relationships were always taxing on your emotions, and simply, difficult/confusing to navigate. You’ve done all the inner work now. Starting this year, it’s like you’ve transported yourself into a different timeline altogether and you will start meeting very important Souls throughout the next chapter of your Life. In what ways are they important? All ways! You’ll know when you meet them! The excitement in your heart will tell you what purpose each Soul is meant to serve in your Story.

Some may lead you towards your Life Purpose; some may really carry you through the storms so you get to your Life Purpose; some may work with you as part of your collective dharmic Life Purpose. The scenarios vary but the people you will begin to meet starting this year are those that will make you fall in love with Life and yourself again. For some, romance may not seem all too close this year because you’re really working on your enterprise, but that surely can come later, right? XD

Oracle Guidance for Air Signs🔻💙

👯Gemini – Priestess of Intellect

⚖️Libra – Priestess of Illumination

🏺Aquarius – Priestess of Enchantment

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Heartbeat Disco for 🐝Water Signs – Silver Astronomer (Galileo Galilei)

4 of Pentacles Rx, 4 of Swords Rx, 5 of Swords Rx

Ready to mingle, Water Signs? :D Y’all seem to be the peeps who are most ready to re-enter society LOL You’re the ones who have been most disciplined in your healing and transformation. I sense this is especially the case if Water is your Moon or Ascendant! And to some extent, if Water is your North Node or the NN is in a Water House. Anyway, you’ve done such a marvellous inner work all by yourself, isolated from society and some of you have probably been dealing with curses and financial misery and whatnot. You’ve been keeping your chin up tho! The time for you to get rich, mingling, and be of assistance to others is NOW!

If you’ve not been able to go out or work regularly or even hold a decent conversation with anyone, soon you’ll see that you’re coming back to your healthy self. It’s your psychology that you’ve been working so hard on fixing and healing. This year is the end of all your spiritual struggles. You’re coming into your authentic power, your authentic expression. You don’t care anymore and you won’t be easily triggered by what used to depress you so much before. You’ve won this WAR against frequencies that were trying to destroy you from the inside!

I’m actually seeing bombs raining down on whoever tried to mess with you up until recently XD All of the bad karma, all of the negative thought-forms formed against you are firing back at their generator(s). You’re safe. You’re on calm shores now. And moving forward, you’re going to be surrounded by new friends and family who are going to be so supportive as well as protective of you. Congratulations! Love is in the aethers for you! Claim it~ Aaaahh! <3<3<3 Happiness is the most potent revenge on those who wished death upon your Light!

Oracle Guidance for Water Signs🔻💛

🦀Cancer – Priestess of Healing

🦂Scorpio – Priestess of Solitude

🎏Pisces – Priestess of Love

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[snek-panini]

Very belated Binderary books, uh...I've lost track actually. I think they are #6 and #7. And it's another two-volume split! This is (Slow) Burn, Baby, Burn by orchidlocked, an extremely long Good Omens fic set in the 1970s. It's about our favorite angel/demon pair navigating the disco scene, and it's not an AU, which is sort of usual in a fic this long and with such a specific premise. There are a fair few real people featured here, some as major characters, and a lot of music history and an excellent playlist alongside all the fun and angsty relationship stuff that so many of us are here for. I learned a lot about disco reading this fic and it was fascinating and also way more queer than I ever realized.

For the cover up there we have a white Allure book cloth on the spine, and white HTV over homemade book cloth for the main cover. The cloth pieces both come from the same sheet but I oriented the stripes this way so they'd be coordinated-but-not-matched and I really love the effect. They're also cotton and really nice to hold. It's funny, I was thinking of binding this fic when I found the fabric while digging through the Joann's remnant bin, and as soon as I saw it this fic not only came to mind but moved up to the top of the to-bind list. It was fate, clearly.

More photos under the cut!

Both spines and a top view. That's orange HTV for the titles. This it the first time I've worked with matte HTV (I usually use metallic or foil) and I was surprised at how much thinner it is, and how easy it was to stick. And I like the color inverse here in counterpoint to the front cover. The top view shows off the handmade endbands and bookmark, and also the rounding job. I'm still working on rounded spines, and the turn-in over the spine didn't come out as smooth as I'd have liked, but I think it's a good result. The ribbon bookmark was supposed to be blue to match the endbands, but every blue ribbon I could find clashed horribly with the cover so it's this nice leafy sage green. Which actually works really well with...

The endpapers! I got these as Joann's too. All four are cut from the same print, but I shifted and rotated them when I trimmed them so the patterns wouldn't all be in the same place. I had desperately wanted this other paper I found on Etsy with little vinyl records all over it, but the pieces weren't the right shape and I'd have had to ship them from overseas ($$), but I like the mood these ones set. And they're thick and nicely textured and look awesome with the cover, so really I think things worked out very well.

Couple of pics of the interior. I kept it fairly simple but I feel like it fits the story.

The scene break line is orange, to match the covers. I usually use gray but wanted something more fun. I recently bought some off-white paper that I used for most of my binderary projects this year because I've heard it's easier on the eyes, and it is, but I used the older bright white for this so the color contrast would be sharper. No complaints; I think it looks amazing. The second image above is the appendix I put together for the volume. Being so centered in the music industry, this fic has a really long playlist that the author put together with their preferred recordings. It's linked in the story and I did include the link text in the book, but I had my mind on preservation and the challenges of digital archiving while I was making this one, so I also took all the title/artist/album info and just listed it here. It was too much to do all by hand, so I learned how to export a Spotify playlist into an Excel doc, then moved that into the Word doc to print. A lot of steps, but not nearly as hard as I'd thought, and way less tedious.

I have to say this book is aesthetically really different than all my previous ones. I ran into so many design hurdles but I honestly couldn't be more pleased with the end result. I'll have to push my comfort zone like this more often, I guess.

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

November 2015 - JO DARE: A STRONG VOICE

🔸Remembering Freddie Mercury

1) Do you consider yourself as a QUEEN fan? If so, which is your all-time fave QUEEN song? Did you have the chance to see them in concert?

I am a Huge Queen Fan, My favorite Song is Bohemian Rhapsody. No I never got to see them in concert.

2) In which circumstances did you hear for the first time the song “Bohemian Rhapsody”? What effect had this song on you?

I heard it On Tape When it first came out and just lost my mind... Perhaps i heard it On Radio I'm not sure but, it just blew me away!

3) How did you meet Freddie Mercury for the very first time? What were your impressions about him after meeting in person?

I was in Munich at MusicLand Studio recording my music with Mack. Freddie came in and I couldn't believe it! He was so nice to me and we became fast friends.

4) It’s been 30 years since the filming of the video of “Living On My Own”, tell us about your participation in that video. How was the filming? Do you remember any funny story during the filming of that video?

Freddie asked me if I wanted to be a part of the video for "Living on My Own". Of course I said yes. It was 4 or 5 days after the actual party. This was so everybody could recuperate from the festivities. We all had a great time and were acting kind of foolish. Some of the guys would lose their skirts, probably on purpose. The filming of the video was just like being at the actual party.

5) What do you think about the remix of"Living On My Own" made in 1993? Did you like it?

Yes! Very creative MIX! Jim Beach did it. He was very responsible to create that version. It was number 1 in the euro discos.

6) Tell us about the recording of the song “Hold On”. How did it happen this opportunity? Did you and Freddie record your vocals together or separate? How can you qualify this experience of recording a track with Freddie? Did you like the final result of this song?

He was in Studio a lot, while I was recording. One day, he just grabbed my hand and said, "Why don't we do something together, darling"? I said, “Of course"! It was a very nice experience. I loved the final result of "Hold On"!

7) Please, tell us about your friendship with Freddie Mercury. How was Freddie with his friends? Were you in touch with Freddie? When was the last time you see him?

The Last Time I Saw him was when I was moving back to NYC in 1988 and yes, it was a sad Good Bye.

8) In which circumstances did you know about Freddie’s passing away on November 24th 1991? How did you take these sad news? How did you react?

Well, unfortunately, I knew it was coming. I was praying for more time for him like most people. I was in New York, so I heard it on the radio. I wasn't ready for it and it still breaks my heart to this day!

(read more: https://royaltrilogy.blogspot.com/2015/11/jo-dare-strong-voice.html?m=1)

📸 Freddie Mercury, Jo Dare and Reinhold Mack, German record producer and sound engineer

[jisungshotfirst]

top 10 title tracks of 2023

in which i am a nerd and rant about music<3

10. BYOB - Billlie

this is just the cutest little city pop song! it's simple and catchy and it was a real change to hear such soft voices from billlie! softer title tracks always stand out to me because they are often so so pretty and delicate and byob is so so pretty and delicate! and the lyrics... i have claimed this as an aromantic anthem, it's ours. not relating to your friends having crushes .... billlie i see u

9. Break the Brake - Xdinary Heroes

this song is just straight vibes... the loudest rock we've gotten from xdinary and I appreciate it SO much. the verses r so clean and the falsetto.. its harmonically so interesting so the noise of the chorus feels properly cathartic and doesn't feel like a loss which can sometimes happen in scream-esc choruses. It's arranged SO well to balance all these things and be stimulating while also being so emotive. AND JUNHAN WITH THOSE CRUNCHY NOTES IN HIS SOLO. the dissonance.. its so brain-sratchy

8. In Bloom - Zerobaseone

zebi brainrot is so real friends.. be careful. this song is so beautiful! i think its a perfect example of the song marrying the concept and mv and members tones so well. from literally the first minute of zb1 i was so excited about their concept of mixing natural imagery like flowers with glitchy technology imagery and i hoped the music would match... AND IT DID! its so lyrical while being crunchy and energetic. SUCH a slayful debut

7. #menow - Fromis_9

this song is sooooo pretty. epitome of a soft bop. it's a classic fromis sound but with this sense of maturity and humility that makes it so engaging and emotional. it demands to be taken seriously but still is so fun! the vocal production is next level.. the effect on their voices in the chorus so they're used like instruments... one of favourite techniques ever. i LOVE when the vocals truly feel like part of the arrangement and not just sitting on top and this song truly does that

6. Spicy - Aespa

the absolute cunt aespa serve in this song... who let them. anyone who knows me knows i'm obsessed with everything moonshine has ever made.. and so when i heard they were doing an aespa title... i went crazy. and i am so right for it. THE BASS IS INSANE?? it puts all other synth basses to shame with how in your face it is. and the crispy snare? idk how to describe this song other than cunty because she genuinely does not care about being clean or palatable... like she is In Your Face with sound. and aespa literally ate that up... they are so fun and cheeky and confident! i'm sorry this is the kind of song that only a group of baddies could handle and aespa stepped up

5. Sugar Rush Ride - TXT

txt doing disco... like you already have me at that. it's sooooo groovy and although the anti-chorus was surprising.. i'm not mad at it! I'm so happy they went into it full force with the whisper vocals and the choreo switching mood, it rly helped the genre change make sense. and the DISCOOO at the end.. bop central. the lyrics and choreo and vibes overall r just so beautiful.. what can i say i love songs about gay sex i mean forbidden love...

4. Groovy - Cravity

the funky bop of all funky bops... literally funk pop goodness! there is so much movement in this track theres so many different rhythms happening and the blend together sooo well. the dance break is perfect.. literally everything you want from a dance break with the continuation of the same sounds but a new tone to it and new rhythmic focuses. and the choreo for it literally hits ever beat you want it to and stretches out the time between them perfectlyyyy. but ultimately it is on here because is it a feel-good happy fun bop.. and she excels at it! vity makes me so happy and they are so good at making songs that make you happy

3. Galileo - Kep1er

cutest song of the year! it is so groovy and fun and danceable. it is sooo feel-good it literally makes me smile every time. thank you hiyyih for putting aegyo in a song<3 where is her nobel peace prize. this is the kind of song where you truly can't hear the music theory going on because it just does exactly what you want it to do! any tension chords are resolved perfectly where you want them to. it's the perfect example of chords from minor keys borrowed to make a song that sounds so major and happy. there is absolutely nothing i would change about this song it is sooo perfect. absolutely filled to the brim with joy

2. ROAR - The Boyz

...like literally hello? this song came out of nowhere for me i did NOT expect to be as impressed as i was like my life changed after this song. firstly the whistle.. hot and sexy and catchy. carrying it through as a motif, chopping it up, creating variations, translating it to a singable vocal line... all of that is SO impressive to be able to pull off. crunchy track underneath.. beautiful. but what is most impressive to me about this song is the topline. the vocals are literally insane.. chanhee and hyunjae have my favourite tbz voices and u are crazy if u don't agree that they r the main characters of this song. some of those chorus lines are So high and they can sing them in a way that sounds so effortless. and the backing vocals... the Incredibly high harmony in the choruses makes me want to scream (it's jacob i think.. jail). and there is just voices Everywhere.. everywhere theres little 'ahs' hidden around and it not only fits the songs sexy concept in such a natural way but it just fills up every bit of space in the song. and the lyrics... once again i love a song about ..*checks notes* forbidden love.. that is damned by heaven... definitely not about gay sex tho .. definitely not..

1. Chill Kill - Red Velvet

second moonshine on the list .. no one is suprised. i think this song has complimented red velvet's two sides of creepy and feel-good the most successfully. the tone shift from the verses to the chorus is so obvious... but seamless. and what does it is the harmony! the chords are perfect... it seems redundant to talk about rv vocals but they rly just make the song. and the outro... blending both vocal parts of the chorus together.. it sounds epic. it adds to both the happy and creepy by sounding like a group of friends together.. but also cult-y with all that creepiness still lingering. singing 'forget about your sorrow' with the happiest voices like the verses weren't filled with creepy minor sounds... literally gaslighting queens. this song is terrifying and also the most joyful (hi sooyoung 😘) experience to listen to.... only the dream team of moonshine cazziopeia and red velvet can manage that. and it's no surprise this dream team gets my no.1 spot!

thank you for reading if you got this far ! pls share your favs with me and if we share any i'd love to hear what you think! happy new year everyone I truly hope it treats you well<3 and here's to more bops in the new year!!!

[myfriendgoo94]

Hey I haven’t done one of these in forever! Thanks to @macleod for tagging me (also go check out their post cuz there’s really cool stuff on there). These are my top 5 songs on repeat:

1: Health x Nine Inch Nails - Isn’t Everyone

I’ve been following Health since i saw them open for Crystal Castles in 2012 and they honestly just get better. These collab albums they’ve been making are just incredible tho, i’ve had the entirety of Disco 3 and Disco 4 on repeat but this is the one i play even more often. And NIN have been my fave band since middle school but haven’t made a track this good in years, defs recommended if you like either band, STRONGLY recommended if you like both bands.

2: Sweet - Love is Like Oxygen

I’ve had this song stuck in my head for about a decade and it’s been great. You can’t unhear it once you’ve heard it tho lol. I picked up the full album at a record shop a few weeks ago and it rules, viva Sweet!

3: Marnie Stern - Hell Yes

I bought this album about ten years ago when it first came out, listened to it like twice, and then put it down. Idk why it didn’t stick back then but when i put it on 6 months ago it blew me away, especially this song. It’s kinda weird dream pop-infused indie math rock.

4: Billie Eilish - Oxytocin

Ever since i’ve gotten into Billie Eilish i’ve sorta just gone from track to track that i’ve been obsessed with, and this is my current obsession. It’s real sinister and badass and i often put it on when i’m doing my makeup.

5: R.E.M. - Gardening at Night

I adore R.E.M. This is from their debut EP Chronic Town, which is excellent all the way thru, but you can’t really go wrong with any 80’s R.E.M. tbh. Before i got really into them a year ago i had no idea american people could make such good post-punk music lol

These are super fun to do and i love sharing music with people, hope a couple of you listen to some of these songs if ya get a minute. Anyways i’m gonna tag @thatdykepunkslut @mousey-toy @cofo92 @sixtysixsixtysixes for this. No pressure if ya don’t wanna do it, also if you weren’t tagged but wanna do it anyway plz go for it! ☺️

[thesinglesjukebox]

SHAKIRA AND CARDI B - PUNTERÍA

Shakira makes comments about Barbie, we make comments about Shakira... Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie you have 24 hours to release a statement about us to complete the circle...

[5.62]

Harlan Talib Ockey: “Puntería” is a no-thoughts-head-empty ode to sex. Without context, it’s fun, but it’s hard to forget that it just doesn’t have anything like the righteous fury of “Bzrp Music Sessions” or the caustic groove of “Te Felicito.” Cardi puts in an MVP performance, breezily singing a third of the song herself, and it’s ultimately their chemistry that makes this worth it. [5]

Claire Biddles: This only really livens up when Shakira and Cardi sound like they're in the same room -- I'd love to hear a song where they're riffing off each other the whole way through. [5]

Leah Isobel: Something about this brings out my cynicism. None of it is bad, and some of it is quite good -- Shakira singing about her G-spot, for instance. I like the trancey "Realiti" synth in the chorus, too. But mostly when I hear this I hear an attempt to recreate "Kiss Me More," and I'm a little Kiss Me Bored. [5]

Dave Moore: It didn't seem like rocket science to just give Shakira more of the sound she perfected on her Bzrp Music Session (check), then make a mini-album out of it (check) and tack on all the great stuff she put out in the last year or so to fill out the runtime (check). But I would not have guessed the secret weapon on this particular song would be Cardi B taking to the proceedings so naturally that you start to lose track of who's singing when they start passing melody lines back and forth in the second half. So now I also want Cardi B to make a Shakira album. [8]

Will Adams: Neither disappointing nor surprising that Shaki would follow up an international smash with a redux that sands off its predecessor's edges for the palatable lite-disco of "Say So" or "Lottery" or "Kiss Me More" or (or or or or). The real crime is for a duo of performers as vibrant and charismatic as Shakira and Cardi to sound this boring. [4]

Isabel Cole: Two stars known for more dramatic modes turn up the sweetness for a frothy little bauble, like the aural equivalent of girls' night. No one sounds like they're working very hard, in a good way; they're having fun, and so am I! [7]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: "Say So"ification comes for even our most charismatic pop stars -- lite retro production, indistinctly horny sentiments, a vague malaise creeping up even as the beat loops jauntily. It's not bad per se -- I will hear this at parties for the next six months and bop my head along without a second of regret tied directly to the song -- but I can't help but feel like there ought to be something more; I'd rather have an ambitious failure of a crossover track (remember the Shakira-Rihanna Ska Explosion?) than a distinctly unmemorable set of pleasantries. [6]

TA Inskeep: A mildly sexy empty-calories jam that I can't remember I heard five minutes later. [6]

Nortey Dowuona: David Stewart, who is possibly a millionaire from producing a BTS song you don't know (unless you are hardcore ARMY or a person who listens to a radio station) has now created another song for Shakira you won't remember after this year (unless you are a hardcore Cardi B fan or a person who listens to a radio station). Will this one make him a billionaire? Find out on: BIG, MEGA, FORGETTABLE, RADIO SMASHER. Hosted by Cardi B. [4]

Ian Mathers: Cardi B singing in Spanish is surprisingly close to Shakira here, when she just takes a chorus near the end if I hadn't been watching the video I might not have noticed the switch until she mentions her own name. Which is not a criticism! I wish I could fit in on a Shakira song, especially a decent one like this, so neatly.  [7]

Alfred Soto: I hear voices like theirs at checkout lines and on FaceTime chats: two distinctly Hispanic lilts crashing against each other like sea spray against rock. Listening to each other is besides the point. "Puntería" reminds me of those exchanges. Pure idiomatic expression for expression's sake, it puts an arm around the listener then ignores her. [6]

Kayla Beardslee: Apparently scientists still have not found a cure to the "Say So" substitutes epidemic since I last did this bit two months ago. Everyone, our time on this planet as a species is finite: it's up to us to band together and figure out how to de-chintz the pop girl singles before it's too late. “Puntería” is an extremely average addition to the "Say So" imitators’ shelf, but having Shakira on a track will always be worth an extra point. At least I learned a new Spanish word! [6]

Katherine St. Asaph: EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to an oversight in the selection process, we have covered "Not My Fault" twice. We regret the error. [4]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[wrecking]

ok i know i say this every month now bc i'm old but like HOW is february already over. it just like got super warm and ended instantly like great month. anyways uh this one is defs gonna be one i look back on and cackle at. like what is this list. open for a little bit of commentary on each one bc ya

lady gaga - artpop (highlight this month - mary jane holland) : kind of an odd pick but tbh it's just kinda been in my head this month? messy and maximalist but very fun

kylie minogue - disco extended mixes (last chance) : this thing is just so good. super fun sleek listen and last chance is my fav of them all

boygenius - the record (cool about it) : shockingly to absolutely no one, women are still beating me with hammers, which will continue until i die

men i trust - untourable album (organon) : really good album that i spend random amounts of time with, but always lingers around in my head regardless of whether i listen to it or not tbh

yeule - softscars (4ui12) : 2023 didn't have many albums of note but the ones that were of note were Really Of Note cuz like holy shit this thing is so good. please just put the wav files playable on my tombstone

frost children - speed run (hi 5) : random choice but i've been watching the hi 5 video too much on youtube to not include this here

kesha - gag order (all i need is you) : really went under everyone's radars but wow what an album. perfect for the messy healing process and boy am i in that right now

aldous harding - warm chris (she'll be coming round the mountain) : probably not as good as i originally made it out to be, but damn the highs are high, and by the highs i mean the entire b side of this thing. all 5 of them

dorian electra - freak mode frost children remix : this is your free cringe comp pick for this month, enjoy the lack of taylor this time. anyways the base album is alright but not quite my thing, but this remix just fucks ok it's just fun and silly and funny. frost children sweep

cafune - love songs for the end (unchained memory) : i'll be waiting for a time where perspective doesn't stop me in my tracks every time i hear the opening guitar

deltarune - my castle town : yep i'm coping again

yeule - glitch princess (don't be so hard on your own beauty) : presented without comment

lizzy mcalpine - five seconds flat (reckless driving) : idk this has just snuck up on me, fun pleasant listen and i like her vibe a lot

ethel cain - preacher's daughter (hard times) : presented without comment

troye sivan - something to give each other (one of your girls) : this album has some bores on it but the bops are so good. troye please make a no-ballads album or something, for me

aly & aj - with love from (6 months of staring into the sun) : wrote this album off at its release but it's been growing on me, defs more subdued and a less immediate listen than a touch of the beat(...) but it's so good when it hits right

caroline polachek - desire i want to turn into you everasking edition (spring is coming with a strawberry in the mouth) : i still think this album probably doesn't hold a candle to pang, but i have to admit the deluxe version let me recontextualize it. not sure what was wrong with the original release but i kinda just ended up :/ abt it after like 2 weeks and now i'm like ok wait this is bops

paramore - this is why (the news) : when will this not be on here. it's so good they can do no wrong seriously

patricia taxxon - bicycle (big wheel) : finally starting to listen to her and damn what an intro. good sounds amazing sounds the autism won

mitski - the land is inhospitable and so are we (the frost) : this thing never leaves me alone like it's evergreen. all her other albums have the occasional song i care less about but this thing is perfect

lucy dacus - home video (thumbs) : presented without comment

willow - copingmechanism (hover like a godess) : so good, finally revisiting it after fixating on it in the middle of last year. holds up incredibly well

pinkpantheress - heaven knows (ophelia) : speaking of holding up well, this thing just gets better the more that i listen to it. she made me a stan i gotta say

hayley williams - flowers for vases (hyd) : this is such a depression spiral album. love it so much

allie x - girl with no face (black eye) : god this fucking album. i really don't have words like it's messy it's silly it's batshit it's brilliant. i don't think it's better than cape god per se, but god is it a strong contender for the title of her best work

[c-40]

A-T-4 010 Madonna Madonna

Holiday peaks at number 6 on the UK singles chart on the 14th January 1984 (40-years this Sunday) and she appears on Top Of The Pops for the first time on January 26th 1984, the rest is herstory

Madonna had done a few dates in the UK in 1983, Mark Kamins' remix of Quango Quango's Love Tempo comes out of this. Mark Kamins was the resident DJ at Danceteria and is credited with 'discovering' Madonna. The eponymous first album is given to Reggie Lucas to produce after being turned down by Kashif. Lucas' recording career had begun as a member of Philadelphia's MFSB and playing fusion with the greats of the genre. Lucas then goes into production by the time Madonna comes along he has produced albums for Mtume, Phyllis Hyman, Stephanie Mills, and many others. With all the stories you hear about Madonna she has (had) a good ear and knows what she wants, in this case it was sparse arrangements little more than how the original demos sounded and this led to tensions between her and Reggie Lucas. After having developed seven songs with Madonna for the album Reggie Lucas walked away from the project and Madonna brought in her then boyfriend John "Jellybean" Benitez to remix the album. It was a good move, Benitez was resident DJ at the Fun House and he was producing and remixing some of the freshest electro from Kasso, Rockers Revenge, Warp 9, Jonzun Crew, and Hot Streak. Holiday was essentially performed by Hot Streak (an offshoot of the band Pure Energy) with Madonna taking up vocals, I wonder what was recorded first Holiday or Hot Streak's Body Work? Fred Zarr had worked with Benitez on Rockers Revenge and a Began Cekic project, it's Zarr who plays the keyboard riffs, after Holiday is a hit Benitez and Zarr start getting bigger and bigger jobs. I'll have to have a look because I think post-Madonna Jellybean's best work could be behind him, he becomes a celebrity remixer and he does a lot of remixes of so-so tracks. Gwen Guthrie and Norma Jean Wright are backing singers on Madonna's first album, it's tragic innit both are much better singers than Madonna

Holiday. If you watch her performance of Holiday on Top Of The Pops (or the video for Lucky Star which has a very similar performance) I never knew that's Madonna's brother dancing on the left. He wrote a book about their relationship. If one of my siblings became mega famous I'd do the same. I'm sure I read Holiday was inspired by Change's A Lover's Holiday, it does have similarities such as the lyrics Holiday and Celebrate and it's certainly a record they all would have been aware of

Reggie Lucas wrote Borderline for Madonna's first album. You can hear Lucas's work with Phyllis Hyman and Stephanie Mills in this track. Borderline was her first top 10 in the US. In the UK Borderline gets rereleased in 1986 to keep Madonnamania going, it gets to number 2, the rerelease has the same versions on it as the 1984 version

Borderline (US Remix) by John "Jellybean" Benitez

Burning Up was written by Madonna and one of the three tracks on her original demo cassette it was released as her second single a double A side with Physical Attraction (below) which did well on the US Dance Chart but failed to get into the Hot 100. On Madonna's debut album Burning Up gets replaced with a shorter version with more guitar from the second press of the album

Burning Up

Physical Attraction is another Reggie Lucas track

I can't leave out Lucky Star

Lucky Star is also written by Madonna, to me it's a straight up disco track like something that might come out on Prelude or West End in 1983/84.

[mangowavves]

a mistake (spotify wrapped 2023 on steroids)

here's the top 100 from both of my accounts. and i mean both. i used two different accounts this year. meaning it's a top 187 :3

links will be supplied at the bottom in case you'd rather look at them that way

version one

1. ramen waitress - high sunn 2. hunter's moon - ghost 3. how to never stop being sad - dandelion hands 4. rats - ghost 5. ghuleh / zombie queen - ghost 6. the bug collector - haley heynderickx 7. nova scotia 500 - boyscott 8. ode to joy 2 - remo drive 9. per aspera ad inferi - ghost 10. where the sun sets - mars water 11. what a pleasure - beach fossils 12. seventeen (age) - mike krol 13. year zero - ghost 14. glass jaw - chokecherry 15. american spirits - inner wave 16. fifteen minutes - mike krol 17. kiss the go-goat - ghost 18. ever new - beverly glenn-copeland 19. visions - loving 20. dræm girl - no vacation 21. jigolo har megiddo - ghost 22. song for a guilty sadist - crywank 23. her sinking sun - coma cinema 24. lotus eater - foster the people 25. mummy dust - ghost 26. hospital beach - cottonwood firing squad 27. evergreen - richy mitch & the coal miners 28. what once was - her's 29. con clavi con dio - ghost 30. grade school love - mike krol 31. my blueberry life - current joys 32. clay pigeons - michael cera 33. call me little sunshine - ghost 34. the end - sisyphus 35. gnaw - alex g 36. i exist i exist i exist - flatsound 37. dance macabre - ghost 38. orgasm of death - the growlers 39. using - sorority noise 40. disco - surf curse 41. cirice - ghost 42. swing lynn - harmless 43. stress relief - late night drive home 44. boys - indigo de souza 45. jesus he knows me - ghost 46. red minivan - mike krol 47. blond hair, black lungs - sorority noise 48. smokey eyes - lincoln 49. twenties - ghost 50. ash in the sun - vundabar 51. kids - the frights 52. francis forever - mitski 53. square hammer - ghost 54. alien blues - vundabar 55. ***hidden track*** - prince daddy & the hyena 56. nostalgic feel - bedroom 57. faith - ghost 58. misty morning - travis bretzer 59. killing floor - subvision 60. fine, great - modern baseball 61. i'm a marionette - ghost 62. losing touch (nyc) - thanks for coming 63. make out song - the rosebuds 64. forever dumb - surf curse 65. monstrance clock - ghost 66. two weeks - grizzly bear 67. the gaping mouth - lowertown 68. art school wannabe - sorority noise 69. kaisarion - ghost 70. need 2 - pinegrove 71. you are going to hate this - the frights 72. velvet ring - big thief 73. ritual - ghost 74. rip van winkle - shannon & the clams 75. like a star - mike krol 76. i dreamt i saw you in a dream - sunbeam sound machine 77. watcher in the sky - ghost 78. maud gone - car seat headrest 79. natural disaster - mike krol 80. where'd all the time go? - dr. dog 81. griftwood - ghost 82. morning sun - dave bixby 83. glue - p.h.f. 84 idk - fake tides 85. stand by him - ghost 86. all alone - acid ghost 87. everything is going to hell - teen suicide 88. best supporting actor - good morning 89. spillways - ghost 90. cold weather - glass beach 91. woke up - olivia olson 92. heart attack - mike krol 93. from the pinnacle to the pit - ghost 94. nothing lasts - bedroom 95. enjoy yourself - saint pepsi 96. s.w.a.k. - luxary elite 97. crucified - ghost 98. resonance - home 99. 恢复 - 2 8 1 4 100. a sad song about a girl i no longer know - bedroom kites

version two

1. the village - wrabel 2. get fucked - mustard service 3. unlucky - lunar vacation 4. dancing through the telephone - the axidents 5. i think it might be hell - clarence james 6. common sense - benches 7. want me - baby queen 8. a portrait of - sorority noise 9. like or like like - miniature tigers 10. keep two-stepping - pretoria 11. smokey eyes - lincoln (48) 12. hanging from the ceiling - the velveteins 13. eventualities - daddy's beemer 14. card declined for pizza & wine - stevie dinner 15. fear of heights - daddy's beemer 16. why do you lie - the grinns 17. stay - buddah trixie 18. jesus he knows me - ghost (45) 19. demons - m.a.g.s. 20. shrek~chic - winona forever 21. why am i like this? - orla gartland 22. dogs - nouns 23. drought - carpool tunnel 24. where did my pets go? - furnsss 25. sea dogs & pyrite - soft cough 26. a.c.l. - the symposium 27. jaded - near tears 28. cowboy hat - sea ghost 29. typical - goodbye honolulu 30. nova scotia 500 - boyscott (7) 31. red minivan - mike krol (46) 32. like i care - noah nolastname 33. girls - girls in red 34. corpse - franky flowers 35. grade school love - mike krol (30) 36. dance with me - beabadoobee 37. dover beach - baby queen 38. lovesick - peace 39. like a star - mike krol (75) 40. sappho - frankie cosmos 41. colours of you - baby queen 42. too close - sir chloe 43. easy eyes - archer oh 44. strawberry milk - deep sea peach tree 45. art school wannabe - sorority noise (68) 46. pine point - pup 47. 27 club - strange case 48. blackout control - spendtime palace 49. kids - the frights (51) 50. where the sun sets - mars water (10) 51. the spins - mac miller 52. shred cruz - mom jeans 53. evergreen - richy mitch & the coal miners (27) 54. my only friend - lll spector 55. kim - joy again 56. don't delete the kisses - wolf alice 57. grass eater - the mellowells 58. call me - elevator fight club 59. if you want to - beabadoobee 60. lucid - rina sawayama 61. don't leave me (chapter 1: despair) - hmltd 62. buzzkill - baby queen 63. any other way - tomberlin 64. because i love you - montaigne 65. fever dream - mxmtoon 66. alaska - maggie rogers, toby green 67. i want to be with you - chloe moriondo 68. paper mache world - matilda mann 69. close to you - dayglow 70. telephone - waterparks 71. 14 days - floral tattoo 72. april - beach bunny 73. let's go - stuck in the sound 74. d'you have a car - swrms 75. soapbox sunday - courier club 76. dance macabre (37) 77. ode to joy 2 - remo drive (8) 78. star catcher - vansire 79. cut your bangs - radiator hospital 80. our window - noah and the whale 81. yer killin' me - remo drive 82. my own person - ezra williams 83. angel - lava la rue 84 clearest blue - chvrches 85. flirting with her - sir babygirl 86. heart - flor 87. what's it gonna be - shura 88. tired - beabadoobee 89. urbanangel1999 - thomas headen 90. knock me off my feet - soak 91. you are going to hate this - the frights (71) 92. nothing else i can do - ella jane 93. moment in the sun - sunflower bean 94. bang bang bang - lauren hibberd 95. imposter syndrome - sidney gish 96. natalie portman 2002 - jason is 97. nobody loves you - similar kind 98. i want to kiss you - the spook school 99. turtleneck sweater - marinelli 100. satan's hands - sexy girls

links for the impatient :3

[liugeaux]

Disco Panic! - Ranking Brendon’s Albums

With Panic! at the Disco “breaking up” this year, I think now’s a fitting time to throw out my official ranking of all P! at the D albums. I've been a fan since A Fever You Can't Sweat Out and at the time I thought, man this is a band I'm going to like for a long time. While I was right in some aspects, I was wrong to think that it would be a “band”. The hostile takeover that Brendon Urie orchestrated after their second album left me feeling uneasy, but as a music fan I was willing to give it a chance.

Prior to putting this together I was unaware that Ryan Ross was the primary songwriter on the first two albums. Given this info, Urie surrounding himself with creatives and maturing as a songwriter makes the successful transition even more impressive. I don't think it started off amazing, but the Brendon Urie Project really paid off in the long run. You'll see what I mean in the list below.

By no means do I think this breakup is permanent. I feel like Urie is content being a dad right now and has enough money to make it super comfortable. Inevitably, Panic will be back just like My Chemical Romance, just like Fall Out Boy, just like Motion City Soundtrack, just like Yellowcard ... they all come back, and until then, here is my ranking.

7. Viva Las Vengeance

Let’s start this off with a dead fish. Viva is not good. I don't know what happened after Pray For The Wicked, but something went wrong. Where the previous two albums were full of bold and big anthems that play to Urie's strengths. Vengeance strikes out every time it steps to the plate. Usually I have something good to say even about albums I don't love, but there is a very little good to say about Viva Las Vengeance. It feels like Urie wanted to write show tunes but lost the nerve at the last minute, then tried to pivot into a heartland rock album and  failed at doing both. If somehow this does end up being the last Panic album, it's sad they went out on such a stinker. Just skip this one, trust me.

6. Vices & Virtues

Luckily this list gets much better, very fast. Vices & Virtues’ only sin is being rote. After the departure of Ryan Ross and John Walker, the direction Brendan  took the band was decidedly backwards. It’s no secret that Pretty. Odd. was a fraction as successful as their debut. Vices & Virtues feels like a conscious choice to attempt to reignite the spark that made the first album shine so bright.  Because of this, nothing on Vices & Virtues feels fresh. The songs are good and many of them even stand out in the greater Panic catalog. Even with the clear effort to sound like Fever, the quirky and unusual nature of the band is watered down, leaving only a costumed theatrical feeling. When this album came out, it felt like Brendon was fine with the band turning into the next Offspring, a band that hasn't changed their sound in 30 years. Taking into consideration that this was basically Urie’s debut album and Butch Walker was at the production reigns, it ends up being an easy album to recommend.

5. Pretty. Odd.

Thematically, Pretty. Odd. and Vices & Virtues could not be farther apart. Where Vices trades in the familiar, Odd very much lives up to its name and is quite the departure from its predecessor. As the boldest album in the catalog, I'm not sure the band realized they needed to write singles to be released to radio. It's full of '60s-esque psychedelic experiments and I've always felt this album was the band doing their very best Sergeant Pepper impression. The production is subdued, the tracks meander and Yuri's booming voice is painfully underused. Ryan Ross even does some singing, and if that doesn't scream Beatles, I don't know what does. Oddly enough, this album is the perfect sophomore effort. Its the logical next step following Fever and only expands on the band’s efforts to explore new ideas, songwriting techniques, and unexpected genre busting sounds. It’s a shame the band fundamentally changed following its release. I would have loved to hear a third album from what was essentially the original Panic. 

4. Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die

After the relatively safe Vices & Virtues, and following the departure of Spencer Chamberlain, the last remaining member of the original band, the Brendon Urie Project is now in full swing. I feel like the criticisms Urie received from Vices directly led to Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die being more experimental in a lot of areas. Gone are most of the theatrics and feux-Victorian set dressing, and enter a more synthesized pop and consequently more modern album. It's dancey, and catchy and Urie finally accepts the fact that he's an amazing singer. This and the next two albums are full of big home run swings that display Urie’s intention to remain relevant. There’s an open effort to not be pigeon-holed as that sad boi who can’t grow out of his high-school drama-kid phase. Now that he was flying alone Brandon had to prove he was worth the time. Tracks like Vegas Lights, This is Gospel and Girls/Girls/Boys, set the tone for what the next 5 years of Panic at the Disco would sound like. It retained the experimental nature of the first two albums while allowing those experiments to include elements of popular music more-so than any release before it. Brendon Urie grew up, and instead of making music for his weird drama club homies, he's finally making music for the masses. It's not a perfect album, but it's the equivalent of Babe Ruth calling his shot. 5 years after the seeds were planted in Weird, that energy blooms into Panic’s biggest hit, High Hopes.

3. Pray For the Wicked

Speaking of High Hopes, Pray For the Wicked is the most confident album in Panic’s entire catalog. The production is tight, the hooks are violently catchy and Urie’s voice has never sounded better. If we're going to make a car analogy, this album is firing on all cylinders. Wicked feels like the exclamation point on a return to dominance. The break-up of the original line-up creatively set Urie back several years and it wasn’t until High Hopes hit radio, that Panic was what fans always wanted them to be, the biggest rock band in the world. It isn’t as brash as Death of a Bachelor, but it shares the sleek pop sensibilities of its predecessor.  Wicked’s only crime is not being as good as #’s 1 and 2 on this list. Silver Lining, Say Amen, and Hey Look Ma are as good of a 1-2-3 punch as any band would hope to have just once in their career, but for Panic, these five-star songs aren’t even their biggest hits.  

2. A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out

Fever sits as a unique jewel of an era of music that saw the excesses of its time and chose to bask is the emotions that came with it. Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, and the other poster-children of mid-2000’s “Emo” rock, shared a similar world view and lyrical tone. Where those songwriters felt like they needed music as therapy, Panic sounded like a group of theater dudes who just needed an outlet. They were more talented than they were confident and that led to them slotting easily into the “Emo” world. Acoustic riffs, electric crunch, upbeat, youth-fueled songs, and a healthy experimental kitchen-sink mentality. The journey of Fever feels like the boys in the band were let loose in the Fueled By Ramen instrument closet and after 10 minutes, in what can only be described as A.D.H.D.-voice, you hear from the back “Dude I found an accordion!” That spritely excitement is the energy the whole album carries, and its infectious. Sadly, due to the direction taken for their second album and the subsequent departure of Ryan Ross, Fever never got a “proper” follow-up. This leaves it as the biggest outlier of the genre during that era. Track by track, by the time you get to the big hit, I Write Sins, Not Tragedies, you’ve already been showered with so many Emo riches, that Sins seems like a formality. 

1. Death of a Bachelor

With the departure of Ross and ascension of Urie as the sole creative voice, the transition wasn’t super smooth (see Vices and Too Weird). Death of a Bachelor was the first Urie fronted album with a voice. Urie finally had something to say. He finally understood the theatrics he’d been wearing as a costume for years and grew into what he was supposed to be. Lyrically, Death of a Bachelor lives up to its name. It serves as a bookend to Urie’s youth and celebrates the excess of adolescent freedoms and passions. It’s nostalgia in real time, a bachelor party as a new beginning and a critical look in the mirror as Urie washes off the puke stains from his big-boy pants. Too Weird, set Urie on the journey through “anything goes” production and Bachelor shows significant growth in that direction. The previous 2 albums were produced by Butch Walker and while that is always a formula for quality, Walker can be a bit hand-holdy in his direction. Bachelor eschews that by having Urie take the production reigns. Listening to the result, leaves it evident that he was ready. The song Death of a Bachelor might perfectly encapsulate Urie’s era of the band. Dynamic production, huge vocals, personal reflection, raw ambition and a learn-by-doing attitude, its wonderful. 

Hopefully, time will be kind to Panic. Had Urie not stepped up and worked his ass off, they might have drifted into 00’s emo obscurity. Inevitably, when they announce a return with either new music or a tour or both, the music in this list will be gilded as a precious expression of a very specific time in pop music and more specifically Urie’s talent.  

Cheers

[blizzardfluffykpop]

Top 10 Biases Tag Game

Tag game and tagged by @bitchlessdino don't ask me if I cried when I saw your notification 😭💖 thank you 🥺💖 Rules: write down your top 10 biases and answer the following questions.

[The first four change switch with each other a lot-- anyway--]

1.Kihyun (MX)

2.Shinwon (PTG)

3.Yugyeom (Got7)

4.Junhui (SVT)

5.Yeo One (PTG)

6.Gaon (XH)

7.Dino (SVT)

8.Hui (PTG)

9.Jisung (SKZ)

10.Rocky (ASTRO)

1)between 1&4 who would you rather kiss? You're making me choose between my ults-- bro 😭-- alright-- it's Kihyun. He wins fair and square [also stream Youth!] 2)Between 2&7 who would be your best friend? I dream of being Shinwon's best friend-- we listen to the same genres [esp the 1975], play guitar [imagine the jamming sessions 😭], and he's literally just a sweetheart, man deserves to be cherished. 3)Between 5&10 who has the better voice? Oh god-- I love both of their voices so much-- it's not even funny. But I'll go Rocky-- man not only raps so wickedly-- but sings heavenly? Yeah, that owns my whole heart. (I'm so sorry Changgu!!) 4)Between 1&8 who is the funniest? Why are all these questions so hard-- I bias men who make me laugh-- pls-- have some mercy. Although since Kihyun has made me sob uncontrollably from his title track these past two days-- (it's so fucking good) I will be going with my military man Hui-- 5)Between 6&9 who would you date? Why did you do this to me-- I love them both sm-- Is dating both an option? (it would be an 00', 01' & 02' together 😂) --Okay just changed my answer because of the next question tbh-- It's Gaon-- why? same reason as Shinwon-- I wish to play guitar with him, and man imagine the cuddles-- man is so affectionate 🥺 6)Between 9&10 who would you do a collaboration with? Jisung-- easy-- why? [altho i love rocky sm the man is so fucking talented that I'm terrified--] Jisung would just be sm fun to work with and like-- dream. 7)Between 4&8 who is the better dancer? Hui, I'm so sorry baby, you keep losing 😭 he's an amazing producer/singer but-- Junhui is literally apart of the performance team for a reason-- he's so skilled and the way he moves I get absolute shivers! 8)Between 3&5 who would you most likely marry? You're really making me choose between Yugyeom-- an ult- and Yeo One my suburban dad love-- yeah-- I'm so sorry to Changgu again 😭😭 but considering-- Yugyeom's been in my ult tree for 3+ years-- he wins [yeo one was just added to the bias list this year--] 9)Between 1&7 who would you nurse when they are sick? I really want to say Dino-- [ngl I totally would be doing that on the side, because man deserves to be taken care of--] but Kihyun-- he's been my ult for 7 years-- yeah, I'll be taking care of him-- 10)Between 2&3 who has the better smile? Yugyeom-- every time I've seen that man smile-- I turn into a disco ball-- bro is shining when he smiles-- 11)Between 6&8 who would you vacation with? Hui-- hands down-- man will pack everything and then some-- [Gaon would pack one pair of underwear and call it good enough--] Hui is the leader of the group-- I trust him to get us there and back alive-- and he needs a vacation-- the little workholic. Plus-- man loves to hold hands 😭😭💖

Honestly, I'm just going to pick the first few off of the top of my head, ngl-- but I truly adore these people! @gooddboygonebadd @proudahgase-got7 @jisungshotfirst

And anyone else who feels like doing this game can totally tag me!

[beneaththebrim]

Brim’s favorite albums of 2022

In reverse order. First EPs, then LPs.

EPs:

10. A Sterling Murmuration | Zoon

Hazy shoegaze, nostalgic and soothing.

9. My Bestfriend’s House | Blue Hawaii

Dance-worthy! Was pleasantly surprised by the disco track at the beginning.

8. graves | Purity Ring

Standard Purity Ring fare, squealing croons atop haunting, euphoric synths.

7. SICK! | Earl Sweatshirt

A return of the meandering depressedcore hip hop we love. Dizzy and ephemeral soundscapes flit in and out like thoughts through an anxious mind.

6. La Ciudad de Dejamos | Fin del Mundo

Liquid guitars against balmy drumwork make for some really nice 90s-nostalgia shoegaze. Music like a cool summer night.

4 & 5. Kris, Perfect Order | KÅRP

Good ole dark Scandinavian synthpop. What would we do without you.

3. Ninety Three | Taylar Elizza Beth

Low key, lush hip-hop featuring Taylar Elizza Beth’s whispery vocals that float between rap and croon.

2. Raving Dahlia | Sevdaliza

Sevdaliza’s back with her signature inexorable smoky ballads. These tracks are a little dancier, a little heavier than those of her most recent album, though, while retaining her unique style.

1. Bloodline | Gabriels

(December 2021) Gabriels singlehandedly bringing back The Blues in the year of our lord 2021, why not? Meticulously vintage, with the agonized, raw-yet-finely-tuned vocal stylings of Jacob Lusk—one of the absolute best vocalists of our age, seriously. Southern gothic sin, baby.

Full albums:

27. Arkhon | Zola Jesus

It’s a Zola Jesus record, which means I like it. But I find myself never getting into any particular moment. Maybe it’ll take more time to sink in, maybe it’s just lacking stand-out tracks to anchor the album. Music like spelunking.

26. Entropy is the Mainline to God | The Veldt

The Veldt comes back rocking and rolling. I was hoping for something more shoegazy like their old stuff rather than the psychedelia-tinged 80’s metal sound they’ve got going here, but hell, it’s groovy!

25. Arrangements | Preoccupations

Previous album was a little one-note, but this one veers into some interesting spaces as it pushes and pulls with the distortion. Jaunty.

24. The Silence in Between | Bob Moses

Bouncin introspective dance music. It’s not original but it’s full of bops!

23. Loom | Uèle Lamore

Earthy yet ethereal blooms of instrumentation. Lovely to listen to, but for some reason lacks memorability.

22. Black Radio III | Robert Glasper

An eclectic tour de force featuring a stellar variety of guest spots atop Glasper’s production. Although a lot of tracks are fantastic, the album doesn’t quite cohere as a whole for me.

21. Once Twice Melody | Beach House

Beach House made a Beach House record, and it’s great. The same subdued, affectionate, dreamy sound we love.

20. 11 | Sault

The only Sault album I liked of the six they released this year ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It’s excellent though, love the down-tempo jamminess of the instrumentation and the thoughtful, murmuring vocals.

19. Broken Hearts Club | Syd

Vaped torch songs for your local lesbian fuckboy to play in the background while getting down. Syd comes through once again.

18. Only After You Have Suffered | Jamire Williams

(December 2021) Contemplative, choppy jazz with phenomenal hip hop and operatic interludes. “Pause in His Presence” in particular is something else.

17. Kanawha Black | Nechochwen

Indigenous-made atmospheric folk/black metal. Expansive melodies invoking the Appalachian forests meld with the harsh vocal texture to create a space of reverence and awe.

16. EBM | Editors

Delivering on that punchy aughts-nostalgia stadium rock. Head boppin rhythms and gushy pop-punk hooks.

15. Laurel Hell | Mitski

Mellow sounds that swirl around the main maelstroms of the album, cracking at the seams and letting the rawness soak through.

14. Plastic Estate | Plastic Estate

Slick and infectious 80s-nostalgia new wave that you just gotta sing along to. Very special when the singer sinks into a baritone.

13. Cool It Down | Yeah Yeah Yeahs High-energy-yet-dreamy punky indiepop. Some great anthems on this one.

12. Too Much to Ask | Cheekface Cheeky pop-punk that’s like scrolling through a quality twitter funnyman’s feed. Hilarious and full of bops.

11. Exister | The Soft Moon

A cold counterpoint from the California goth scene, starts off slow before cranking up an onslaught of noise that thrums between industrial and darkwave. Angry and cathartic.

10. Ravage | Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch

Haunting and disturbed sounds from the French pianist/composer. A melding of dark ambient that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror movie, with crashing, harsh piano work.

9. Twenty Twenty Twenty Twenty One | Spencer Krug One of the best lyricists of the day, imo, reminiscent of Leonard Cohen. Every tug of Krug’s voice strains with emotion, and every turn he takes with the instrumentation on different albums is a welcome surprise, finding different ways to express his agonized sentimentality.

8. Giving the World Away | Hatchie Earnestly saccharine power-dreampop. Great album with some real bangers.

7. We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong | Sharon Van Etten Warm and husky, sad and poignant folk songs. Van Etten’s voice soars with transcendant emotion.

6. The Runner (Original Soundtrack) | Boy Harsher

Spooky and sleek darkwave, punctuated by a sparkly disco banger. Boy Harsher at the top of their form.

5. Angels & Queens - Part 1 | Gabriels

Jacob Lusk delivering that wonderful vintage, Nina Simone-esque vocal quality, with the opening tracks fast-forwarded from last year’s bluesy EP to some funky 70’s soul. Gorgeous and blue.

4. Ever Crashing | SRSQ

Gushy dark California gothy dreampop. Infectiously synthy, powerful vocals. Lush songs for a heart that’s itching for summers long past.

3. Stay Close to Music | Mykki Blanco

A humble confessional, at times diving back into the idiosyncratic rapping style of Blanco’s more dance-y earlier releases, at times plunging into an ethereal wash of sound.

2. Semblance | MorMor

There is something magical about MorMor’s tissue-paper-delicate voice. Gentle, sensitive, cathartic. Music for letting go when you so want to hold on.

1. Pigments | Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn

Lovely. Sublime. Spacey. Sprawling. Meandering and melancholy pockets of plaintive yearning. Music that takes you on a journey and leaves your heart aching for more.

[aaronafgash]

10 NEW SONGS - 4/14/24

It’s become clear that when you’re not completely ignoring your whole ass job, writing a whole ass article becomes much more difficult - who knew! Still aiming to get these out every week, just might not be a Friday / same day situation. Alas.

1. Hold Up - Sasha Keable

Sasha Keable has quietly dropped some gems in the past 4 to 5 years (I was shocked to discover that she’s the featured artist on Disclosure’s “Voices”, a song I've adored for years), but this single might be her best release to date. She confidently sings here over jazzy, electronic keyboard chords, giving us some modern … dare I say … Amy Winehouse vibes? At the very least, she sounds more like Amy than whatever the fuck is happening with this Back to Black movie.

2. Illusion - Dua Lipa

This sounds like early Dua, and I mean that in the best way possible. She’s been getting a weird amount of hate in the pop world - I think it’s hard to follow an album as incredible as Future Nostalgia, but none of these songs are bad at all. Leave her be!

3. The Kill - Maggie Rogers

A clear highlight from a really strong album in Don’t Forget Me, I fuckin’ love this. Her harmonies here are top notch, and the upbeat country / folk vibe she has going works so well with her voice and songwriting. This song is so good that I actually looked up tickets to her Milwaukee show in the middle of typing out this blurb.

4. Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter

Just a fun little girly-bop bop with bonus track vibes - I think she put this out for Coachella promo? Regardless, happy to add this to the library. 

5. Nasty - Tinashe

Tinashe has quietly released some bangers since she blew up back in the day with 2 On - add this one to the list. I would go feral if I heard this drunk in a bar. I will go feral when I pay way too much to hear it at a bar via TouchTunes.

6. Player Two - Jordan Ward

Jordan Ward doesn’t miss and this is catchy as hell. Looks like it’s going to be featured in a movie I’ve never heard of based on the title - interesting. It kind of sounds like a cross between disco, yacht rock, and R&B.

7. Ash Roth! - Asher Roth

I was a MASSIVE Asher Roth fan back in the day, so I was thrilled to see that he dropped a new album this weekend. This was a clear highlight for me, as Asher introspectively reflects on himself and his career over a laid back beat, reminiscent of his Pabst & Jazz era. Dude can really rap and I’ve always said that. I’m also realizing now that he’s released multiple albums since 2020 that I never listened to, so that’s a rabbit hole I will absolutely be going down in the near future. At one point, a video existed on the internet of Asher Roth singing "Just Friends" by Musiq Soulchild live on stage, and while I can no longer locate this video, seeing that told me everything I needed to know about Asher Roth. I'll bet you had no idea I had this much to say about Asher Roth. I can't even explain it, I surprise myself too.

8. TWUG (That’s What U Get) - Jean Deaux

A great R&B beat and a solid vocal performance from Jean Deaux. I always find myself wanting more from her projects when I listen through, but she’s released great individual songs over the years. 

9. magic - strongboi

Knew literally nothing about them before writing this but have since discovered that strongboi = Alice Phoebe Lou + a producer / collaborator? Alice Phoebe Lou fucking rocks, as does this song! Slayyy, niche indie queen. This sounds like a breezy summer day and I'm loving every second of it.

10. How? - Dhruv

Another artist I know very little about, but my god, Dhruv has a beautiful voice. I could listen to this man sing all day.

[zazter-den]

hgksd no one can hold a grudge like family

My mother apparently still hasn't forgiven me for the 'car karaoke' incident ^^;

So when I was young- my mum, my great aunt (who we'll call 'Nonna Marga') and I used to make an 8hr roadtrip every summer to visit our family in the big city. Every year my mum would load up the trunk cd player with 6 discs, and they would sing those albums on repeat across the country.

Which wouldn't have been too bad, if it weren't some of the most soul-suckingly sad italian music in existence. It was early 2000's so there was at least half a disc worth's of Josh Groban remixes wailing 'Ave Maria' and there's only so much a young dizazter could take. Again, it was an 8hr trip one way. So my mum and I had a few debates about it, but like many families- Elders have final say, and I just had to suck it up and just hope for 'Vesuvio' on the italian pop disc to show up every 50 minutes.

Until the trip of '04 or '05? I was a tween who discovered limewire and started burning my own cds of anime piano tracks, trance music, and stuff-including memes I got sent from friends. So this trip, I waited for the first gas stop and when they were busy I swapped one of the discs with my own, and waited.

And when it eventually played the first track, my mum didn't recognize it at first because it started like one of Nonna Marga's old italian pop songs.

That was, until the speakers started blaring the lyrics 'ma-ia hii' 'ma-ia huu' 'ma-ia haha'. Now mum works in a nerdy industry, so when a meme came out- She knew about it maybe a week or two later, so she recognized 'Numa Numa'. I can still see her groaning, and clicking to the next cd- When good ol' Nonna Marga told my mother to turn it back.

Dragonstea Din Tei sounded like some of her italian disco music and she was in love, mum was biting her tongue just waiting for the song to be over. And the moment it was, to my mother's horror, Nonna Marga told her to put it on again.

Nonna Marga was more animated than I had seen her before, dancing in her seat having the time of her life, while my mum got more and more annoyed- cause now she's trapped by the same 'Elders have the final say' predicament.

I was trying not to laugh my ass off because it was genuinely a cd of songs I liked, but since my mom had the stereo on randomize- it was the first of my songs to be picked. Meaning, my mum couldn't *reasonably* be mad at me for it in front of Nonna Marga, who at that point was singing her own italian lyrics over the vocals because none of us know romanian.

She probably asked my mum to play that song no less than 2 dozen times during our roadtrip up to the city, and each time my mother was burning holes into me from the rearview mirror.

I don't remember if I got punished for swapping the disc, but safe to say my cd was "missing" on our ride back. (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

[whileiamdying]

Tina Turner Singles Collection ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ Arriving in November

Rhino 5LP or 3CD boxset includes a foreword by the singer's friend and collaborator Bryan Adams

EMILY ZEMLER

Courtesy of Rhino

Rhino will release Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, a collection of all Tina Turner’s singles from 1975-2023, on Nov. 24. The boxset celebrates 50 years since the start of the singer’s career and will mark the first time her singles have been released all together.

The release is previewed with a new version of Turner’s 1996 song “Something Beautiful Remains.” The new rendition, titled “Something Beautiful,” was reworked by producer Terry Britten, a long-time collaborator of Turner. “Dear Tina, the experience of working with you could never be repeated, but in my heart something beautiful remains,” Britten said in a statement.

Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll will be released as 3-CD and 5-LP sets and digitally with a cut-back 12-track vinyl version. The collection is available to preorder now.

All sets come with a foreword from Bryan Adams, Turner’s longtime friend and collaborator. “From obscurity to the stages of the UK and Europe, I credit Tina for changing the course of my life and I’m so grateful to have had some of her precious time,” Adams writes. “She was a force of nature, no one had her energy or her voice, I suppose it’s fitting to say, it’s only love, and that’s all.”

Turner, who died in May, unveiled her first solo LP, Tina Turns the Country On!, in 1974 after several years of performing as part of Ike & Tina Turner. She released multiple hit singles over her career, including “What’s Love Got to Do with It” and “The Best.”

Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll Track List

CD1 1.   Whole Lotta Love 2.  Acid Queen 3.  Root, Toot Undisputable Rock ‘n’ Roller 4.  Viva La Money 5.  Sometimes When We Touch 6.  Music Keeps Me Dancin’ 7.  Let’s Stay Together 8.  Help 9.  What’s Love Got To Do With It 10.  Better Be Good To Me 11.    Private Dancer 12.   I Can’t Stand The Rain 13.   Show Some Respect 14.   We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome) 15.   One Of The Living 16.   It’s Only Love (with Bryan Adams) 17.   Typical Male 18.  Two People 19.   What You Get Is What You See 20. Girls

CD2 1.   Break Every Rule 2.  Paradise Is Here 3.  Afterglow 4.  Tearing Us Apart (with Eric Clapton) 5.  Addicted to Love (Live in Europe) 6.  A Change is Gonna Come (Live in Europe) 7.  Tonight (with David Bowie) (Live in Europe) 8.  River Deep, Mountain High (Live in Europe) 9.  The Best (Edit) 10.  Steamy Windows 11.    I Don’t Wanna Lose You 12.   Look Me In The Heart 13.   Foreign Affair 14.   Be Tender With Me Baby 15.   It Takes Two (with Rod Stewart) 16.   Nutbush City Limits (The 90’s Version) 17.   Love Thing 18.  Way Of The World

CD3 1.   I Want You Near Me 2.  I Don’t Wanna Fight 3.  Disco Inferno 4.  Why Must We Wait Until Tonight? 5.  Proud Mary 6.  Goldeneye 7.  Whatever You Want 8.  On Silent Wings 9.  Missing You 10.  In Your Wildest Dreams (with Barry White) 11.    Cose della Vita (with Eros Ramazzotti) 12.   When The Heartache Is Over 13.   Whatever You Need 14.   Open Arms 15.   Teach Me Again (with Elisa) 16.   What’s Love Got to Do With It (Kygo remix) 17.   Something Beautiful (2023 Version)

[dan6085]

20 Most popular songs from 2020 along with some details about each:

1. "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd - This upbeat synth-pop song dominated the charts in 2020 and became The Weeknd's biggest hit to date.

2. "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I - This catchy pop tune by Australian singer Tones and I became a viral sensation on TikTok and topped charts around the world.

3. "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa - This disco-influenced track from Dua Lipa's second album "Future Nostalgia" was a hit with both critics and fans.

4. "Savage" by Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyoncé - This remix of Megan Thee Stallion's hit song "Savage" featured a verse from Beyoncé and became an instant fan favorite.

5. "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles - This groovy, retro-inspired track from Harry Styles' second solo album "Fine Line" was a summer anthem in 2020.

6. "Say So" by Doja Cat - This funky pop song by Doja Cat became a TikTok sensation and earned her a spot at the top of the charts.

7. "Adore You" by Harry Styles - This upbeat, guitar-driven track from "Fine Line" showcased Harry Styles' versatility as a songwriter and performer.

8. "WAP" by Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion - This explicit and provocative track from Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion caused controversy but also became a huge hit.

9. "Stupid Love" by Lady Gaga - This catchy dance-pop track marked Lady Gaga's return to her pop roots and was a fan favorite in 2020.

10. "The Box" by Roddy Ricch - This trap-influenced track by Roddy Ricch was a sleeper hit that eventually took over the charts and became one of the most popular songs of the year.

11. "Intentions" by Justin Bieber ft. Quavo - This romantic pop ballad by Justin Bieber featured a guest verse from Quavo and became a hit with fans.

12. "Break My Heart" by Dua Lipa - This disco-inspired track from "Future Nostalgia" showcased Dua Lipa's ability to blend old and new sounds into something fresh and exciting.

13. "Rockstar" by DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch - This trap anthem by DaBaby and Roddy Ricch was one of the most successful songs of the year and earned multiple award nominations.

14. "Before You Go" by Lewis Capaldi - This emotional ballad by Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi was a hit with fans and showcased his powerful voice.

15. "Circles" by Post Malone - This introspective track from Post Malone's album "Hollywood's Bleeding" was a hit with fans and critics alike.

16. "Good as Hell" by Lizzo - This empowering anthem by Lizzo was originally released in 2016 but gained new popularity in 2020 and became a fan favorite.

17. "Memories" by Maroon 5 - This sentimental track by Maroon 5 was a hit with fans and marked a departure from their usual pop-rock sound.

18. "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi - This emotional ballad by Lewis Capaldi became a viral hit on TikTok and earned him international acclaim.

19. "Don't Worry Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin - This classic song from 1988 saw a resurgence in popularity in 2020 as people looked for comfort during the pandemic.

20. "Levitating" by Dua Lipa ft. DaBaby - This disco-inspired track from "Future Nostalgia" featured a guest verse from DaBaby and became a hit with fans.