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deadcactuswalking · 5 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 8th September 2019

Top 10

At number-one for a second week is Ed Sheeran with “Take Me Back to London” featuring Stormzy, Aitch and Jaykae, which surprises me since it was such a race to #1 last week, where really anyone could get it, although that remix did let the song stand its ground for two weeks, which must mean something. The song’s not great though, but it’s listenable, I suppose, so I’m not complaining that this could see longevity in comparison to say, Lewis Capaldi.

What I thought would be at #1 this week is actually the runner-up spot, “Higher Love” by Kygo and Whitney Houston keeping pretty stable at the number-two spot. Like Mark said on Billboard BREAKDOWN, this week pre-Post Malone album bomb does not matter, so don’t expect a long or busy episode here.

Thanks to the release of Aitch’s mixtape, AitcH2O, the lead single, “Taste (Make it Shake)” is up three spaces to number-three, which is a new peak, to my dismay because this song is incredibly dull.

AJ Tracey’s “Ladbroke Grove” is up a single position to number-four this week.

This means that “3 Nights” by Dominic Fike has had a slight drop down one spot to number-five.

What I’m pretty sure is the Love Island theme song, “Sorry” by Joel Corry featuring uncredited vocals from Hayley May, reaches a new peak up a space to number-six.

Also reaching a new peak is unfortunately the utterly mindless garbage from Lil Tecca, “RAN$OM”, up two spaces to number-seven, probably taking a boost thanks to the debut mixtape.

Sam Smith is sticking at number-eight with “How Do You Sleep?”.

Up a single chart position to number-nine is “So High” by MIST and Fredo.

Finally, to round off the top 10, we have a new top 10 entry, which is from Young T & Bugsey with Aitch, the rising hit “Strike a Pose”, up two spaces to #10 after more than 10 weeks on the chart. It’s Aitch’s third UK Top 10 hit and Young T & Bugsey’s first to reach these heights.

Climbers

There really isn’t much here to talk about, but there are a few notable climbers and a couple more notable fallers this week, although once again it’s a slow, unimportant chart week prior to the impact of Post Malone, so first of all, “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I is looking to be a sleeper hit and replicate its international success up nine spaces to #31 off of the debut, similarly to the trajectory of “3 Nights” except being an exponentially worse song. Our second large increase in the ten-space boost for Sam Feldt’s “Post Malone” featuring RAMI, becoming Feldt’s second UK Top 20 entry and RAMI’s first. The third and final increase here is Headie One’s “Both” as it leaps five spaces within the top 20 to #13; I’m predicting it’ll reach the top 10 sooner than you think.

Fallers

There are more of these than I expected in all honesty but going down the list these are all pretty inevitable drops, and will probably be out of the chart next week: #1 hit “Beautiful People” by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid tanks a whopping 16-space crash down to #19 thanks to streaming cuts, “Lover” by Taylor Swift falls flat after the album loses impact down six to #22, “I Don’t Care” by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber slowly but surely continues its eventual drop during the tail-end of its overlong chart run, down seven this week to #27, paralleling Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus also down seven to #29 as the phenomenon starts to wear off, another pair of identical drops for massive Summer hits zooming down the charts as both “bad guy” by Billie Eilish and “Hold Me While You Wait” by Lewis Capaldi drop six spots to #34 and #35 respectively, “The Man” by Taylor Swift collapses 15 positions off the debut to #36 and that’s all.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

Starting with the dropouts, we have only four here, which is still more than most weeks to be honest, as “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift drops off from the debut at #27 as expected, “Never Really Over” either suffers from streaming cuts or has just imploded on itself (Which is believable considering Katy’s track record) out from #32, “Money in the Grave” by Drake featuring Rick Ross definitely struggles from streaming cuts out from #36 and finally, D-Block Europe’s “Home” lasted a lot longer than it really had any right to, out from #39 after somehow lasting about nine weeks in the top 40.

We also have a returning entry here, which is “You Need to Calm Down” by Taylor Swift, which would have returned with an album cut if it hadn’t been less successful than “Cruel Summer”–UK chart rules mean that only three songs from one album can chart at a time. It’s back at #28, which is an oddly high return for its 11th week. Otherwise, there isn’t anything to cover other than the new arrivals, although I should comment on the album bomb outside of the UK Top 40 and instead occurring within the top 75, which honestly shocked me as I expected there would at least be some impact higher than #42 for Lana Del Rey’s #1 album, Norman Fricking Rockwell. Regardless, I feel obligated to say the Sublime cover and her biggest single in years “Doin’ Time” returned to #42, the title track is at #44 and “Frick It I Love You” debuted at #59. Now, we can move onto our three new arrivals, however...

NEW ARRIVALS

#37 – “Lalala” – Y2K and bbno$

Produced by Y2K – Peaked at #6 in the Czech Republic and #55 in the US

I’ve already talked about this song... in-depth... in June. To put it bluntly, I’m a fan of bbno$ and felt the need to point out this song’s existence as it was gaining traction on release week as a Featured Single on the episode dated 23rd of June (Man, I haven’t done one of those in a while – although there is a new JPEGMAFIA album coming out soon...). If you’re interested more, you should probably read that, but to summarise my thoughts, this is a really fun, catchy banger that reeks of a certain smugness that should be irritating but is self-aware to the point of ridiculousness. If a song could be called “overly meta”, it’s probably this one. Bbno$’ charisma and delivery is really snot-nosed and nasal and could get annoying, since it is pretty tiresome, in fact, it’s soured on me since, but Y2K’s cheap Latin-tinged production is just as vibrant. I’m also disappointed that bbno$ does not in fact say “wristicle” in the chorus. My favourite song from bbno$ is “nursery” with Lentra, if you like this one. Sorry this is too short, but I’ve already discussed it, you can read it here. Next.

#25 – “Ride It” – Regard

Produced by Regard

...

I have never been so happy to see an absolute nobody chart with a song I’ve never heard before. Let me explain: Do you remember, no pun intended, the late 2000s and early 2010s club boom? There are a lot of fantastic songs that came out of the pop music during that time, and I’m glad there’s been some sort of revisionism of them amongst music communities because some of these are awesome and always have been. One of the most commonly brought up, most popular and definitely one of the best of these dance-pop singles is a song featuring Lil Wayne called “Down”, in which he ends his verse with this, may I add:

And honestly, I’m down like the economy

Listen, it’s one of my favourite songs of all time. I could gush on and on about how that song is near-perfect, but it’s not the time. The dude who is singing on that song isn’t a one-hit wonder like Iyaz, known for the iconic “Replay”, but “Down” hit #1 in the States and despite prolonged success in the UK ever since 2004 with R&B songs, he disappeared entirely after 2012, funnily enough after making a song with Nicki Minaj called “2012 (It Ain’t the End)”. It very much was for the dude’s career, at least in the pop climate, and the dude was talented but admittedly he could only really make one song that was even close to the heights of “Down”... and that was “Down”. Don’t get me wrong, he has a couple amazing singles but none of them pop as well. Maybe it’s J-Remy and Bobby Bass on production, maybe it’s the transcendent guest verse from Weezy, I don’t know, but even his direct follow-up, “Remember the Name”, was just “Down” but so much worse it’s nonsensical. After doing a tiny bit of research on this new single, I found out it’s not an original break-out song by an unknown singer called Regard as I thought it would be. Welcome back, Jay Sean.

The original “Ride It” is a really sweet 2008 Indian-tinged R&B tune with very Timbaland-esque production, and it’s a pretty great single, with very tribal percussion, a Kanye reference and yet somehow it’s still really smooth. It peaked at #11 in the UK and was massive in Russia for some reason. There’s also a rap verse that sounds pretty great, and is the only part in Jay Sean’s career for all I know where he sounded explicitly British to be honest, but the dude is English. The instrumental bridge between the rap verse and final chorus is ethereal, really great stuff, and Jay Sean sounds pretty fantastic on it as well. I didn’t expect the relaxed sex jam to be the EDM remix, especially since it’s nearly Autumn so there’s not as much audience for that... but it’s honestly not a bad remix at all. This is Regard’s first ever UK Top 40 hit, he’s a DJ who released a couple flop singles, and Jay Sean’s eleventh, albeit his first uncredited appearance on the chart, and it’s not a bad house remix at all, to be honest, although it is a tad generic with the typical house-pop drum pattern and drowned-out, pitch-shifted vocals against some synth loops and keys. The vocal mixing is shoddy but it is a remix of a 2008 R&B song that probably does not have an acapella vocal track out there on YouTube, it’s not going to sound perfect by any means, and hell, Jay sounds great against the bouncy 808s here, and while there is a pretty non-existent build-up, that drop, again despite being very weak, is reminiscent of a very 80s synth tone, which I like as it makes a song that would have definitely worked as a hi-NRG track back in the day sound pretty similar to how it probably would have sounded if made so. Yeah, this is pretty cool, I’m just ecstatic to see Jay Sean on the charts again. The drop also reminds me of the chorus “Only Human” by Jonas Brothers. Just a stray observation.

#11 – “Circles” – Post Malone

Produced by Frank Dukes, Louis Bell and Post Malone – Peaked at #2 in Ireland and #7 in the US

Oh, yeah, the bigger story should have been the top 20 debut for Post Malone’s new single “Circles” straight off of his third album, Hollywood’s Bleeding, but I decided to ramble on about Jay Sean. I’m honestly not particularly interested enough to write a lot about this one, and I didn’t want to spoil myself by listening to another single before the album but I have yet to hear the record in its entirety so here we are. This particular single has been quite polarising from what I can gather and apparently it’s an acoustic pop-rock jam which seems promising, although I’m not entirely sure Post can even try and hit the heights of “Goodbyes” with Young Thug – in fact, that album better be good because not only does it feature “Goodbyes” but also “Sunflower” with Swae Lee and “Wow.”, two of his best ever songs released in his career so far. It’s produced by Post and all of his right-hand men, and is his eleventh UK Top 40 hit, and, well... it definitely isn’t awful, in fact, I do appreciate a lot of this sonically. The acoustic guitars drowned out by typical kick-heavy indie-rock percussion and wiry synths as well as Post’s really subdued vocal delivery initially that somehow peaks in the mix just as much as his more intense, reverb-heavy signature Post Malone warbling during the chorus, it doesn’t sound bad. It just feels very much out of Post’s element. He can do pop songwriting, and when it’s just bass and drum in the start of the second verse, that sounds great, but the second verse is also fitted to a trap beat the way “Better Now” is, except this song doesn’t have that heavy trap beat to elevate it, but a weaksauce indie pop beat that is compressed to hell and doesn’t sound great, especially due to really crappy mixing overall. This isn’t bad at all, but incredibly disappointing coming off of the other singles.

Conclusion

There’s not much to judge off of here and while I’d love to give the song with more novelty Best of the Week, the song really isn’t as good as “Lalala” so bbno$ and Y2K are getting Best of the Week, with Worst of the Week going to Post Malone for “Circles”, which is just a really underwhelming single. Oh, and Jay Sean of the Week goes to DJ Regard for “Ride It”, although I don’t think that title will be coming back anytime soon. Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for more musical ramblings and I’ll see you next week!

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chestnutpost · 6 years

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As Coal Plants Close, Some Marginalized Communities GetLeft Behind

This post was originally published on this site

LECHEE, Ariz. — A frosted sheet cake sits on a conference room table, part of a goodbye ceremony that has become a frequent tradition at the Navajo Generating Station, a hulking hilltop coal plant that dominates the northwestern corner of the Navajo reservation, just outside the small town of Page. The steam pumping from its three stacks is visible from at least 40 miles away on a cold day.

“It is tough to leave,” operations manager Ed Irvin told about three dozen employees gathered in the room to wave him off. He opened a gift from his colleagues — a Navajo blanket. Like hundreds of his co-workers who have taken jobs at other power plants operated by the same utility, Irvin will transfer to a gas-powered plant in Gila Bend, southwest of Phoenix and about 330 miles south of LeChee. “If you want to come see me, go to Hell and turn left, because that’s Gila Bend in the summertime,” Irvin joked.

Many northern Arizona residents haven’t felt much like joking as they consider the loss of a power plant that has employed generations of families. The station, which the operator says can power about 1 million homes, first started pumping electricity to Los Angeles and other southwestern cities in 1974 and was supposed to last until 2044. But the owners announced in 2017 that they would abandon the plant by the end of 2019.

Matt Krupnick Operations manager Ed Irvin at his leaving party. He is transferring from Navajo Generating plant to another power plant more than 300 miles away.

Coal power is too expensive to justify, according to Salt River Project, the primary utility company that runs the plant. And with more Americans opposing coal power, according to University of Michigan researchers, the country’s growing opposition to coal has helped push many providers toward renewables and natural gas. Despite the gutting of federal emissions legislation in an effort to boost the industry, coal has failed to bounce back. More than 70 coal plants across the United States are expected to close by the end of 2020.

The decline of the most-polluting fossil fuel has enormous environmental benefits, not just in terms of reducing emissions but also reducing the air and water pollution that affects communities near coal power plants. According to an analysis published Monday, 90 percent of coal plants that collect data on pollution have contaminated nearby groundwater.

But a decision that makes economic and environmental sense for many could devastate the way of life for those who live on the Navajo and Hopi reservations and depend heavily on the Navajo Generating Station and the Kayenta coal mine, around 90 miles away, that supplies it. The mine, which straddles the border between the Hopi and Navajo reservations, also will close this year.

The job losses will be significant. In addition to the more than 500 jobs lost at the station if it closes, more than 300 mine workers will lose their jobs in October. Through lease payments and other revenue, the plant and mine provide a staggering 85 percent of the Hopi tribe’s budget and nearly a quarter of the Navajo’s, say the plant’s supporters.

Like other parts of the U.S. that have been forcefully weaned off coal, northern Arizona is facing a difficult examination of its economy and workforce. As coal continues to decline, it’s a paradox many communities across the U.S. will face: how to ensure positive environmental change doesn’t come at a crippling economic cost for some of America’s most marginalized communities.

Matt Krupnick Pools adjacent to the Navajo Generating Station in northern Arizona.

Unemployment on the sprawling, 17.5 million-acre Navajo reservation ranges between 45 and 55 percent, according to tribal spokesman Jared Touchin, even with the plant open, and some parts of the Navajo Nation still have no electricity or running water. The loss of the plant’s revenue likely would force budget cuts on both the Navajo and Hopi reservations, leading to cuts in services.

In the case of the Navajo Generating Station, both support and funding for a smooth transition from coal have been lacking, leaving local communities scrambling for an answer.

The region’s political and educational leaders, who said they were taken by surprise when Salt River Project said it would shut down the plant in 2019, have tried to scrape together contingency plans, but meager funding from taxes and grants has prevented them from figuring out how to replace the jobs and revenue from the coal industry. Several community leaders complained that Salt River Project has provided little help to the region that depended on it for decades.

Two private companies interested in buying the Navajo Generating Station pulled out last year, saying the challenges were too great. Now, in a desperate, long-shot bid, the tribe is pinning its hopes on purchasing both coal facilities itself, through the Navajo-owned firm, The Navajo Transitional Energy Company, in order to save jobs.

But the concern is that the tribe would not only saddle itself with a risky, money-losing asset with just 25 years left on its expected lifespan, but that it also might find itself responsible for the clean-up costs when the facilities are eventually retired. And some in the tribe, such as the Navajo environmental group Tó Nizhóní Ání, have come out strongly against the bid.

“Any discussions that hint at a future for NGS beyond 2019 are not based in any credible economic reality,” Tó Nizhóní Ání leader Nicole Horseherder testified last year in front of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. “They are an incredibly wasteful distraction to helping the Navajo build a better future.” The closure of the plant and mine would give the Navajo Nation a rare chance to wean itself off coal, she added, and solve long-standing health and environmental problems caused by it.

But bid leaders are confident taking over the two sites is the way forward. They say it would help the tribe survive until it figures out the next step. “We are going to be the new owners,” said Steve Grey, director of governmental and external affairs for the Navajo Transitional Energy Company. The tribe needs to take care of itself, he said. “The Navajo people are very self-sufficient.”

The problem is people are already leaving. Hundreds of station workers, many with young spouses and children who filled Page-area jobs and schools, have already moved south to other Salt River Project plants, making it even more difficult for the region to recover.

Jerry Williams was among the plant employees who took up offers to work in the Phoenix area. He is president of the LeChee chapter of the Navajo Nation and lives just south of Page and in view of the power plant. Williams worked at the Navajo Generating Station for more than 37 years before moving to the Gila Bend gas plant last year; he sleeps most nights on his son’s couch an hour from the plant and then flies back to Page each weekend for chapter meetings and to spend time with his wife.

Williams, who turns 59 in April, recalled the job interview when the company was considering him for the Gila Bend position. “They asked me where I want to be in five years. I said, ‘Back in Page.’”

He supports the Navajo bid, saying that if the plant closes, there is no good alternative for the Navajo Nation or Page. “I wish I could see Intel coming in, Microsoft coming in, but that’s wishful thinking.”

Matt Krupnick Coconino County Supervisor Lena Fowler in her Flagstaff, Arizona, office. She grew up on the Navajo reservation and is pushing the northern Arizona region to train workers for a post-coal future.

With a depleted workforce and few prospects to fill the economic void, the region needs to quickly find some way to make up for the losses. In Coconino County, which contains Page and LeChee, officials estimate the region as a whole would lose nearly $7 million a year in taxes associated with the plant, said Lena Fowler, a county supervisor who grew up on the Navajo reservation. She is pushing the northern Arizona region to train workers for a post-coal future.

Several community and tribal colleges and Flagstaff-based Northern Arizona University have teamed up to collaborate on vocational programs that would train displaced workers in other professions, but the disciplines being discussed — culinary arts, apartment maintenance, boat mechanics — tend not to pay nearly as well as the coal jobs. Power plant operators make nearly $80,000 a year on average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared to about $50,000 for chefs and $41,000 for boat mechanics.

And the schools just don’t have the money to train workers in more lucrative professions anyway: Coconino County voters in November voted down a tax measure that would have funded more programs at the local community college.

The region is seeking help to work out how to diversify its economy. A March symposium organized by Coconino County will bring in leaders of former coal regions and economists to help the region understand how to move past coal, with most of the program focusing on tourism.

Its spectacular landscapes — beguiling slot canyons, mesas and Lake Powell — attract busloads and boatloads of tourists in the summer, but winter months are spare. County leaders are looking to extend the tourist season, such as asking the federal government to keep the nearby Grand Canyon open longer in the winter.

Left_Coast_Photographer via Getty Images The glowing walls of the Antelope Slot Canyon, Page, Arizona.

And then there is the region’s renewables potential. Horseherder told the House subcommittee that the tribe needs to prepare now for a future free of fossil fuels. “We have no choice but to embrace the renewable technology available and move forward with it,” she testified. “The Navajo Nation must work toward a plan to transition retired coal plants and brownfields into solar and wind generation facilities.”

But progress toward this is slow. Business and tribal leaders have looked into establishing a big solar plant in the region, but they say it would only employ a fraction of the workforce employed by the Navajo Generation Station.

Leaders of both tribes did not respond to numerous interview requests. Peabody Energy, which owns the Kayenta mine, declined to answer questions.

It might take outside help for the region to thrive after the closure, but other regions have found that help. In Spain, for instance, a nationwide move away from coal came with social and financial help for those affected, including retraining workers in cleaner energy sources.

Local business leaders, meanwhile, are rooting for the Navajo group to buy the plant for the economic benefits, but they’re also committed to finding other, still unknown ways to keep the Page area running.

“If NGS closes, it will be a sad day for all of us, but we are a strong town,” said Judy Franz, executive director of the local chamber of commerce. “We’ll be OK.”

For more content and to be part of the ‘This New World’ community, follow our Facebook page.

HuffPost’s ‘This New World’ series is funded by Partners for a New Economy and the Kendeda Fund. All content is editorially independent, with no influence or input from the foundations. If you have an idea or tip for the editorial series, send an email to [email protected]

The post As Coal Plants Close, Some Marginalized Communities GetLeft Behind appeared first on The Chestnut Post.

from The Chestnut Post https://thechestnutpost.com/news/as-coal-plants-close-some-marginalized-communities-getleft-behind/

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akakailisiandrago-blog · 8 years

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Expression

ex·pres·sionikˈspreSHən/

noun

noun:

expression

; plural noun:

expressions

1.the process of making known one's thoughts or feelings."his views found expression in his moral sermons"synonyms:utterance, uttering, voicing, pronouncement, declaration, articulation, assertion, setting forth; More

2.the look on someone's face that conveys a particular emotion."a sad expression"synonyms:look, appearance, air, manner, countenance, mien"an expression of harassed fatigue"

3.a word or phrase, especially an idiomatic one, used to convey an idea."nowhere is the expression “garbage in, garbage out” any truer"synonyms:idiom, phrase, idiomatic expression; More

4.the production of something, especially by pressing or squeezing it out."essential oils obtained by distillation or expression"synonyms:squeezing, pressing, extraction, extracting"essential oils obtained by expression"

5.GENETICSthe appearance in a phenotype of a characteristic or effect attributed to a particular gene.

the conveying of feeling in the face or voice, in a work of art, or in the performance of a piece of music."eyes empty of expression"synonyms:emotion, feeling, spirit, passion, intensity; More

MATHEMATICSa collection of symbols that jointly express a quantity."the expression for the circumference of a circle is 2πr"

the process by which possession of a gene leads to the appearance in the phenotype of the corresponding character.noun: gene expression; plural noun: gene expressions

----------------------------------------------------------------------

A word that has made itself known to me for the last 6 weeks.... the word EXPRESSION is quite elaborately expressing itself in my life lately.

First it was a sore throat. For weeks. At first I thought it was, well, just a sore throat. Maybe too much gym? Too much drinking? Too much hanging around other sick people?

I tried everything. It would go away, temporarily, and then come back. I dont think I was sick sick, just this, sore throat. I started to question it. And then my friend Krista and I pulled some healer angel guide cards and the one I got that day was suffering. It was a warning to be careful. But that whatever hurt, pain and suffering I might feel physically, could lead me to recluse in order to heal.

I told her about my sore throat and then said, maybe it was a Throat Chakra blockage. Only half kidding. And then I looked it up....

“ Throat Chakra Blockage

A blocked throat chakra can significantly impact your ability to communicate effectively for fear of ridicule and judgement. A throat chakra blockage can also manifest as the inability to express and realize your truth in the world. When the fifth chakra is open and balanced, you are able to express yourself clearly and honestly in any situation with confidence. Common Signs of Throat Chakra Blockage: You may find yourself unable to speak your truth when you need it the most, or holding back on expressing your needs and desires. Perhaps, you long for realizing your dreams and living with a strong and clear purpose, but seem to not be able to quite get there. These are common signs that your throat chakra does not function at its optimal level.

When the throat chakra is blocked or otherwise imbalanced, energy flow is hindered and can lead to physical symptoms affecting the head, mouth, throat, and neck. It is not uncommon to experience neck pain, headaches, hoarseness, and sore throat when the flow of energy through the throat chakra is disrupted.

Some common physical symptoms of blockage include:

chronic sore throat

frequent headaches

dental issues

mouth ulcers

hoarseness

thyroid problems

laryngitis

Temporomandibular disorders of the jaw (commonly known as TMJ)

neck pain

Consequently, the blockage can also impact your physical health. When you experience such signs of physical discomfort, healing practices focusing on the upper body area, in particular your neck and shoulders, can bring relief and allow energy to move more freely. Of course, for serious and recurring symptoms, please consult a physician whom you trust.

Emotional Signs of Throat Chakra Blockage

When the throat chakra is imbalanced, the blockage can also manifest through non-physical symptoms that may impact you at various levels from psychological and emotional, to psychically and spiritually.

Non-physical signs of blockage can be more prevalent. Among the more commons signs are:

fear of speaking

inability to express thoughts

shyness

inconsistency in speech and actions

social anxiety

inhibited creativity

stubbornness

detachment

For instance, perpetuated blockages that are fairly significant can cause one to become arrogant, deceptive, domineering, or manipulative. On the contrary, energy that flows freely through the throat chakra promotes effective, truthful communication. You are able to “find you.” You are confident, responsible, and can easily find the right words to express your thoughts.

A blockage of the throat chakra can cause you to become stoic, quiet, and fearful. The imbalance may also create feelings of anxiety, insecurity, and shyness when it comes to self-expression and speaking to others. Public speaking can cause near paralysis when the issue is a blocked fifth chakra.

An imbalance in the throat chakra can adversely affect many aspects of your personal and professional life. You may find you avoid social situations and are more comfortable alone. You may even become distrustful of your inner voice.

What To Do About A Blocked Throat Chakra

Clearing the throat chakra involves learning to let go and trusting your inner voice. Not a small task for a lot of us! Check out the general guidelines for throat chakra healing for practical ideas on how to restore balance in this center.

A few basic steps to clear this chakras include:

Working through and releasing all negative emotions, including guilt, hurt, and resentment can work wonders to restore energy balance in the throat chakra. Sometimes a good cry can also help alleviate a blockage of the fifth chakra.

Practicing mindful speech, action, and deeds can help you maintain throat chakra balance. For example, talk openly and honestly with others on a regular basis.

Meditating on and incorporating the throat chakra’s color, blue, into your life can also calm emotional upheaval. For instance, introduce blue-colored flowers or decor to your home environment.

http://www.chakras.info/throat-chakra-blockage/

All of this was totally relational to me. I felt right at home in that damn webpage. I had the AH HA! moment even. But then the question was, how the HELL DO I MAKE IT ALL STOP! How do I FIX THIS?

Krista’s gave me some crystals that seemed to help....

But there was more, there still IS more. SO much more.

My first day in Sydney I found myself drawn into the ONE stone/crystal/psychic tarot card reader shop in all of the WestField Mall. And if you know anything about Westfield malls.... in Sydney, then you know what I mean. Not long into mosey-ing around the store I felt myself drawn to aquamarine - I mean, I knew it was my birthstone, but I read the card and felt like it was the one. So I grabbed three raw stones all of beautiful symmetric shapes. Mosey-ed around a little more and came up to the counter. Teagon - the young woman working - grabbed this smooth, round stone that had a hole carved into it. Beautiful light blue with darker blue waves, like the ocean. She said - Here, hold this up to your throat for a moment. - So I did. I felt a rush of emotion move through me. But it started in the lump of my throat that burst into tears after asking her why she felt I needed that stone there. Her reply - I felt some type of blockage there, something about your expression.... Blue lace agate, this stone, is very good for clearing that. ---

And that was it, just like a tidal wave, I burst into tears. She just hugged me. I think she does that kind of thing on the daily. She doesnt need to know if she is right or wrong. Shes just there, dressed in all white, like a perfect messenger angel.

Left that mall with all I needed.

Later I decided to look up the deeper meanings of aquamarine. Low and behold - the ultimate throat chakra healing stone. Who would have thought! I guess im pretty in tune with what I need too. ;-) But.. was this giong to fix all my “expression/throat chakra blockage/public speaking/need to be heard problems”?

Since then, the term expression for me has come up several more times.

Ill have to add in all the details later. But fast forward to tonight.

Here I am, in Bali, and a friend I have been feeling the need to connect with, walks right into the same restaurant where I am eating. Just like that. Granted I knew he was in Bali, but I did NOT tell him where I was eating. We get to talking, and through everything said, the final answer is that our purpose in life is to express ourselves. That is the GOD CREATION and CREATOR. He said he realized this through his own struggle with expression. And then I realized later tonight, after I got home, that it wasn’t about the answer, or the fact that he had been there. It was exactly what he said when he first sat down... That he was there for me. He was meant to be there for me.

So what - What with all of this. Well, funny thing is. I still dont know. I am not quite sure where I belong, where I fit in, if i fit in at all or if im even meant to, but right now, thats ok and I dont need a clear answer. I think the path has made itself know and its all about EXPRESSION.

And so.... Here I go....

#throatchakra #throat #expression #chakras #crystals #synchronicity #openness

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deadcactuswalking · 5 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 9th June 2019

Okay so full disclosure; I haven’t been enjoying writing this show for a while, mostly because of how I’ve been barely been able to keep up with life yet alone new music as it comes out each week... but let’s not get into detail. This isn’t what I’m here for, I’m here to ramble about pop music that probably isn’t all that interesting anyway, in this case a lot of British hip hop.

Top 10

“I Don’t Care” by Ed Sheeran featuring Justin Bieber is unsurprisingly still at the top after being at first place running on the chart ever since its debut four weeks ago.

Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus hasn’t moved since last week either, still at number-two.

In fact, the whole top 10 is stable and kind of stale. To exemplify that, only number-five has moved from last week. Hence, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi is at number-three.

“Vossi Bop” by Stormzy holds on at number-four.

Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” actually moves a singular space up to number-five.

“Piece of Your Heart” by MEDUZA and Goodboys, however, has not at number-six.

“Hold Me While You Wait” by Lewis Capaldi is at number-seven.

The late Avicii’s “SOS” featuring Aloe Blacc is at number-eight. I’ll be up next week thanks to the album’s release.

To my surprise, Ed Sheeran’s “Cross Me” featuring Chance the Rapper and PNB Rock is still at number-nine off of the debut last week. I’d like to add that this is an Ed Sheeran song with a producer tag. Huh.

Shawn Mendes’ “If I Can’t Have You” rounds off the top 10 by not moving at #10.

Climbers

Well, there aren’t many climbers this week, especially since it’s busy in terms of new arrivals, but there are some increases here. “Wish You Well” by Sigala and Becky Hill zooms up 15 spaces to #24 (Methinks it didn’t have a full tracking week last week as this sudden increase seems odd), whilst “Falling Like the Stars” by James Arthur continues an unfortunate gain up the charts as it’s moving up 10 spaces to #25. Other than that, we have nothing. However, it’s a different story with our Fallers.

Fallers

We’ll have to do what we usually don’t have enough fallers to do anymore and split it into genre categories, especially as pretty much everything in the second half of the Top 40 is in freefall.

In terms of pop, rock and EDM, “Summer Days” by Martin Garrix, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy and Macklemore is down six spaces to #40 off of the debut, “Giant” by Calvin Harris and Rag’n’Bone Man continues its fall down six to #39, “3 Nights” by Dominic Fike is sadly down five to #38, “Late Night Feelings” by Mark Ronson featuring Lykke Li is down six to #36, “So Am I” by Ava Max collapses down 10 spaces to #35, “Easier” by 5 Seconds of Summer (Featuring Nine Inch Nails, simply because it’s funnier this way) is down five off of the debut to #34, “Talk” by Khalid is down six to #28, “Here with Me” by Marshmello and CHRVCHES is down four to #20, and that’s about it.

For hip-hop and R&B, we have slightly less notable hits, with “EARFQUAKE” by Tyler, the Creator featuring Playboi Carti and Charlie Wilson continuing its unfortunate fall down 13 spaces to #37, “Fashion Week” by Steel Banglez, AJ Tracey and MoStack falling down five spaces to #33, “Guten Tag” by Hardy Caprio and Digdat dropping down four to #27, right next to “OT Bop” by NSG collapsing down nine spaces to #26 off of the debut. We also have “The London” by Young Thug, J. Cole and Travis Scott down four to #22, “Keisha & Becky” by Russ and Tion Wayne down four to #19, and that’s all.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

Well, streaming cuts have snabbed “Grace” by Lewis Capaldi of its longevity as it drops out from #14 – no, I’m not complaining – and the same could be said for “Your Mrs” but JAY1 out from #37 but I’d argue that’s just because people are starting to realise the song is awful. Otherwise, well, streaming cuts have hurt “Sucker” by Jonas Brothers as well out from #20 and “Just You and I” by Tom Walker is out from #36 (There will be a rebound), but it’s not like I didn’t expect the Skepta album bomb of sorts to get rid of competition, as “Motorola” by DaBeatfreakz featuring Swarmz, Deno and Dappy is out from #38, “No Diet” by Digga D is out from #32 and... “Earth” by Lil Dicky and Friends, which isn’t competition for Skepta but would have been out from #40 anyway. There is one returning entry but we won’t be covering it in this section, because it’s time for the new arr—

ALBUM BOMB

Skepta – Ignorance is Bliss

New section time, I suppose, even though there won’t be any new content for the most part. This is just a separated space for me to talk about mini-album bombs as they don’t really exist in the UK, but they allow three songs from an artist at once. Hence, Skepta is currently charting three songs from his highly-anticipated album Ignorance is Bliss (Which I haven’t had the time or motivation to listen to, as with most recently-released albums), two of which are completely new and will be at both ends of the chart. There is one returning entry however, as “Greaze Mode” featuring Nafe Smallz, despite being pretty awful, reaches a new peak at #18 after dropping off last week.

#32 – “Bullet from a Gun” – Skepta

Produced by Skepta and Ragz Originale

Now, the BBC usually censors any objectionable material on the album covers and replaces them with a picture of the artist, but Skepta flipping the bird and holding a gun was fine here, I suppose. This song was actually part of the double A-side single Skepta released to promote the album before its release, but it never charted in the top 40 until it ended up as the opening song on the tracklist, as well as having a video pushed. Now, I hated “Greaze Mode” so hopefully its less accessible counterpart will be better, and, well, it is, but not because this is of insane levels of quality. The instrumental’s eerie synths here are hypnotic like most of Skepta’s self-produced synth loops but the infectiousness of the beat doesn’t translate to the vocals and content here, as his oddly low-mixed vocals under the trap percussion don’t go into any detail until the verse where he talks about how he can’t make any sorrowful songs mourning his father because he’s only thankful for him and how he has rubbed off on Skeppy himself, and then he actually goes into a pretty emotional verse about facing demons and considering seeing his daughter’s face every day as a blessing, with a rapid and blunt flow, because he can’t be sure every day that he’ll be alive to see the next morning, not because he’s still involved in gang violence as he’s matured from that experience but because he’s paranoid of those we are supposed to place our trust in most, the police. That’s only a few bars though, and while they connect and they are pretty powerful lines, it has to be book-ended with Skepta taking your girl because it was just your turn and not learning his lesson by shooting you as that’s just how the world works. I mean, this isn’t bad by any means, but staying on topic would be appreciated when you emphasise such heavy subject matter for as many bars as you do but completely abandon it by the end of that one extended verse. The beat’s great, though, and Skepta’s delivery has always been pretty aggressive on these types of beats, so for what it is, it’s decent and it works fine for Skepta’s 13th Top 40 hit. Next.

#14 – “What Do You Mean?” – Skepta featuring J Hus

Produced by Skepta and iO

Now this is Skepta’s 14th Top 40 hit over here in the UK and J Hus’ sixth (In terms of top 20 hits, it’s Hus’ third and Skepta’s fourth). J Hus, recently released out of prison, delivered a consistently fire and really impressive feature verse on Dave’s “Disaster” last time we had a British hip-hop album bomb onto the charts, and has performed with Drake hours after he was released, but honestly a lot of the time I find J Hus to be uninteresting in his solo work, and his last album was droning and honestly pretty dull. This, on the other hand, is a complete banger. Skepta’s self-produced beat is equally as menacing and eerie as “Bullet with a Gun” but I see it takes some steps from ‘90s G-funk with that synth line, backed up by strings and plunging 808s. J Hus’ Auto-Tuned chorus is really slick, and he shows a lot of swagger in his funky yet relatively mellow hook, before Skepta comes in bouncing with a pretty intense verse. Is the content anything interesting? No, but it’s not trying to, and when the beat is this interesting of an amalgamation of trap, G-funk and freaking banjos in the second chorus, as well as smooth as hell flows delivered by Skepta, you don’t need insane lyricism. I love how the multi-tracked vocals from J Hus transition perfectly into Skeppy’s verses as well, and both ride the beat fantastically. Not much to say about this one but I’m glad to see some trap with an actual groove to it that doesn’t overstay its welcome, as well as performers who know what they’re doing spitting on it. Oh, and the vocals are actually mixed decently this time. Seems like Skeppy’s mixing may be a bit inconsistent especially on the vocal side, as the bass and kick here are much louder than they need to be. I love this, though, so check it out.

Oh, yeah and J Hus crooning “North Korea” is hilarious to me.

NEW ARRIVALS

#31 – “Mother’s Daughter” – Miley Cyrus

Produced by Andrew Wyatt – Peaked at #10 in Hungary and Slovakia, #54 in the US

Miley Cyrus has released another absolute trainwreck of an album a la Dead Petz, but this time it’s harder to swallow as it’s just an EP and all tracks take on a different style of music, despite being primarily trap-influenced. That sounds like it’d be an interesting venture into the Cyrus psyche but nope, SHE IS COMING is just as awful as I and many others expected, but the breakout single, her 16th UK Top 40 hit, doesn’t exactly make that evident, because instead it’s just mediocre, almost painfully so. This starts with a scratchy guitar mumble before exploding into a synth-lead trap beat, complete with high-pitched vocal samples, but it seems really lightweight, mostly because all these pop princesses that try their hand on trap beats can’t pick a beat with any bass or intensity, especially when this song is about playing up a archetypal villain role for the media, I assume, and despite the distortion on her vocals she still has the country twang, can’t flow for the like of her and belts a post-chorus that is pitchy and hard to listen to. Really, the whole song is just one big mess, not even mixing wise as it’s completely fine on a technical level (Although the lack of much noticeable sub-bass to speak of concerns me), but the messiness of the songwriting really shows in the bridge, which essentially takes away the gliding synths and places the scratchy guitar groaning in its place, whilst Miley rapid-fire spits an incredibly janky flow. The final chorus also has these “Oh, my God” lines as filler to replace the lines in the chorus, which doesn’t break up the monotony of this song at all. The cringeworthy outro aside, this is just boring – and it looks like I won’t get a break from dullness anytime soon.

#16 – “Bruises” – Lewis Capaldi

Produced by Lewis Capaldi and James Earp – Peaked at #19 in Scotland

When I said that Capaldi had streaming cuts, that may not have been entirely accurate as Capaldi has debuted his fourth UK hit in the top 20 to replace “Grace”, so seemingly the three song per artist rule has kicked out the lowest performing song. Now Capaldi’s success doesn’t surprise me, because there’s no one making breathy, low-key ballads that Sheeran specialised in – well, there are, they’re just not gaining real traction – so we need to fill a hole while Sheeran’s off partying at a party he doesn’t want to be at with Justin Bieber and PNB Rock. I am, however, incredibly disappointed by his success, because he and James Arthur make me want to throw bricks at squirrels. Now this is actually his first official single as it was released independently (And on his label) back in early 2017, but thanks to inclusion on his newest album, has had a boost two and a half years late, and we weren’t really missing anything. I’ve heard this before reviewing the charts this week, I feel it was an advert, and it really does seem like a song for melodramatic commercials. I’ll give it to him, Capaldi has strength and he has a lot of power in his young voice, with a rock edge I appreciate that Arthur doesn’t have, but this instrumental is painfully simple, to the point where it’s so minimal that it can’t work, especially with Capaldi’s multi-tracked falsetto nonsense crooning, as that would make much more sense with an actual drum beat instead of just soul-less piano notes being looped under Capaldi essentially vocally riffing. By the final chorus and bridge, you’d expect some strings or something, surely, but, no, it stays as it was until the last second, where a secondary piano line plays... and it just plays the vocal melody from the chorus, once. It’s not worth it at that point, and there’s not even a stylish finish to the whole thing. To be fair, it’s the only Capaldi song I’ve heard that isn’t excruciating. Doesn’t mean it’s any good though.

#15 – “Shine Girl” – MoStack featuring Stormzy

Produced by Ill Blu, TSB and Levi Lennox

God, I really don’t like MoStack. I’ve never heard a chorus or verse from him that’s compelling in his five Top 40 hits (and three Top 20 hits) since “No Words”, and most of his singles are Auto-Tuned faux-dancehall faux-grime nonsense, but he’s just released a 40-minute album (Delightful) with features from J Hus, Dave, Fredo and of course Stormzy, who has propelled one of the STACKO tracks to the top 20, becoming his 14th Top 40 hit and his seventh Top 20. Is it any good? Well, actually, it’s much better than most of MoStack’s stuff, mostly because the twinkling synths in this Afrobeats track are actually fitting as instead of attempting to be threatening, menacing or intimidating, it’s a love song. Stormzy’s hook, despite being somewhat overly possessive, is somewhat cute and the multi-tracked harmony backing vocals are really nice... MoStack exists though, and the content here pretty much chalks up to having sex with other girls despite the fact that both Stormzy and MoStack are always talking about how they love the sex from this girl in particular. MoStack is nasal and irritating as usual, although I do like the completely irrelevant line where he asks why Stormzy’s high

Wait, Stormzy, why you look so damn high?

It’s offbeat, drenched in Auto-Tune and reverb, and mixed below both the instrumental and Stormzy, but overall, MoStack is mostly a non-presence, so that’s cool. I like Stormzy’s hook well enough, and the piano dwindling at the tail-end is pretty excellent, so, you know what, Stacko, you get a pass for now.

#13 – “Never Really Over” – Katy Perry

Produced by Zedd and Dreamlab – Peaked at #4 in Scotland and #15 in the US

So, she’s back. Katy Perry has been existent for a while now but she hasn’t released that big comeback single since her waning success with the Witness era, so she’s come back with a bang... except it’s a Zedd production and it’s only in the top 20. To be fair, I’d accept anything if I had just experienced that trainwreck of an album cycle. Did you guys hear about how Zedd doesn’t actually produce or compose his own beats, though? Yeah, that’s pretty dreadful, apparently he can’t play piano in a note other than C. I don’t believe that for a second personally, but the dude absolutely tears into Zedd, it’s hilarious. Anyway, is this Katy Perry song any good? Well, it does take me back to the days where Katy Perry was massive, with the cute yet simplistic synth line and finger-snaps making up a vibe similar to the introductions to a lot of her earlier hits. It is familiar overall actually, I swear I’ve heard that vocal melody in the pre-chorus before. The rattling percussion adds some bounce but may be a bit too stiff and unnatural, as a lot of Zedd’s production is. The snares and even Perry’s vocals are clipping over the cloudy synth mix in the chorus, however, and the lyrics are repetitious and somewhat meaningless... but who cares? That drop is incredible. The song could be a Chris Brown song featuring posthumous vocals from XXXTENTACION produced by Tay Keith if it had that fun, 80s-reminiscent drop which Katy Perry essentially triplet-flows over. The way it carries into the bridge as well makes it very manic and it works as a damn good post-chorus. Oh, yeah, and that ticking clock is annoying, and only made sense in “Stay” and “The Middle”. I’d say stop using it, but Zedd doesn’t exactly have much control over his compositions so I’m gonna say it’s Dreamlab’s fault for implementing it if anyone. It’s really jankily pushed into this song and doesn’t make for a good outro at all, there’s literally a clock solo. Oh, yeah, and this is Katy Perry’s 28th UK Top 40 hit. That’s insane.

Conclusion

There’s not much really to go home about here, although Best of the Week is probably going to Skepta and J Hus for “What Do You Mean?”, with the Honourable Mention going to both Skepta and Katy Perry – yep, it’s a tie – for “Bullet with a Gun” and “Never Really Over”, while Worst of the Week is easily going to Miley Cyrus for “Mother’s Daughter”. In fact, I’d be hesitant to give ANYONE, even Reviewing the Charts nemesis Lewis Capaldi (and MoStack for that matter), a Dishonourable Mention of any sort. Hence, follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for more musical ramblings, sarcastically quote-tweeting Piers Morgan and I’ll see you next week.

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