#and like it works for a very realistic and grounded spring or summer album!

[lesbiancarat]

I agree their album concepts seem pretty consistent with their music (lack of lore, more rooted in reality), plus i also think that more recent ones (FTS, FML, and Seventeenth Heaven in particular) matched the overall concept/themes of the albums well. Hell ive basically given a whole dissertation to my friend about FTS and FML concepts fitting into their overall narrative. I do admit I'm easy to please so i just like their faces lol but yeah its been nothing but complaints since i got here in 2020 😭 i do see people enjoy stuff so its never been 100% negative but those that are negative are LOUD. Should there be improvements? Yeah sure but like the stuff thats complained about never is what really matters half the time

I will however push my "give every kpop idol a sword" agenda tho bc i wanna see them with swords

yes exactly! and yeah that's true, it's never 100% negative, which is also why i think a lot of it comes down to personal preference and not bad design. bc there have been times i haven't liked a certain design choice or concept photo but i see others praise it and vice versa... but yeah it's just the fact that every comeback it feels like there's a loud group of ppl acting like the the album design or concept photos are the most boring things ever and it's the end of the world when it's really not that serious. and it's okay to not like things without making a big deal out of it or ruining others' fun

and i also totally think it's fine to wish for a certain concept! i too would like to see svt with swords!! but also 9 years into svt's career and they still stick to a pretty realistic concept and don't have lore... i feel like people shouldn't be shocked and upset every comeback that this is the case (and i was just using swords as an example i'm not directing this at you specifically)

like maybe it's time for some people to accept that if they want super crazy fantastical concept photos they shouldn't look to svt for that bc it's just not part of their brand. and if some day they do a concept like that i'm sure it will be super fun and cool and we will all be excited! but people shouldn't be upset when we don't get that since svt and pledis have given us no reason to have that expectation and that is also okay. and it doesn't mean the design or concepts themselves are inherently bad

[theprologues]

Submission - Shamrock

Sometimes I wonder if Taylor has a “trick up her sleeve” and is secretly in the process of buying her masters from Shamrock. Or maybe buying out Sc**ter’s share (although idk how that deal is structured). I fully recognize that this is a crazy theory– pleaseeee don’t get your hopes up, everyone.

This entire Shamrock acquisition has always seemed weird to me. Taylor wanted to buy her masters. Taylor, at the very least, didn’t want Sc**ter to profit off her work. And if all else failed, Taylor was going to re-record her first six albums. None of these things were secrets– Taylor explicitly said as much. Shamrock would have known this beforehand. So why would they spend all that money, yet still let Sc**ter profit as part of the deal? If Taylor is going to do everything in her power to NOT let Sc**ter (and Shamrock) make money off her masters, why didn’t Shamrock just cut Sc**ter out? Then Taylor would have worked with them and they would have made more money. I have to think Shamrock had the upper hand here– Sc**ter needed money quickly. He needed to sell more than Shamrock needed to buy.

Something else about Shamrock: Abigail Disney is the Vice Chair, I believe. I would assume she’s involved in making decisions. Abigail Disney is interesting, because she’s super rich and a social activist. Like she thinks she and other billionaires need to be taxed more. She has a PhD, makes documentaries, is big on women’s rights, and even renounced her shares of profits from a company that has a factory in the West Bank (for ethical reasons). Abigail seems like the kind of person who would be on Taylor’s side and at the very least, not give Sc**ter a chance to profit off Taylor’s work.

So all of this was weird to me back in November, when we heard about it. Then I heard Ivy, and wondered if there was a connection.

“Clover blooms in the fields” – Shamrock literally means “young clover." 

"Spring breaks loose, the time is near / What would he do if he found us out?” – Maybe a deal between Taylor and Shamrock will be announced in the spring. Maybe the “he” is Sc**ter– maybe the reason nothing makes sense right now is because Taylor is trying to catch Sc**ter by surprise, so he can’t foil her plans again. More on this later.

“Crescent moon, coast is clear” – There’s a new moon on March 13th. Meaning there will be a waxing crescent moon from March 14th to March 20th. This coincides with the Ides of March (Spade riddle) and St. Patrick’s Day (shamrocks). Hmm.

“Spring breaks loose, but so does fear / He’s gonna burn this house to the ground” – Could the house be the Lover house? Where each room is an album? Is Taylor afraid that if Sc**ter finds out before her deal is finalized, he’ll ruin it?

Let’s think about the timing, for a minute. We know Taylor was in LA a lot last spring and summer. Shamrock’s office is in Burbank, an LA suburb. Spade left in July and Karlie got pregnant at some point in this timeframe. Idk if any of this is related, but that Spade riddle about the Ides of March haunts me. 9 months before March 15th is June 15th, which is right around the time Spade finished the THEY ARE FREE riddles. That’s also around the time we think Karlie got pregnant. Maybe this is all a coincidence, idk. 

Taylor posts about her masters on November 16th. Jerklie is also papped that day. On November 17th, Karlie confirms her pregnancy with a video. Evermore (and Ivy) come out a few weeks later. Again, just interesting how the timing aligned. 

November is ALSO when Kaylor’s PR gets weird. Taylor says Toe is WB in the LPSS, Karlie is pregnant and still stunting, Taylor is re-recording, we have no idea what’s going on.

To try to tie this all together… I wonder if Taylor is tricking us. Maybe there won’t be any re-recordings beyond Love Story, because she’s been working with Shamrock behind the scenes to oust Sc**ter. Maybe all the buzz she’s created about her re-recordings is to throw everyone off, including Sc**ter and all his people. Maybe this is why the All Knower account on Twitter is still up– because Taylor’s team is involved and feeding them the info they want to get out. Maybe this is why Taylor’s PR is weird– steer the conversation to “Toe is WB” etc. to give everyone something totally unrelated to her masters to talk about. Maybe this is why Karlie is still bearding– either to cover for Taylor or trick Sc**ter. Maybe the reason Taylor wouldn’t sign Sc**ter’s NDA is because she’s going to come for him the moment he’s not profiting off her masters.

Anyway, I know this is wild. I don’t expect this to happen, as much as I want it to. I only bring all this up because of the discussions tonight about whether the “masters case” is closed. I thought I was the only one who has been wondering if maybe it isn’t. Realistically though, I expect to be completely wrong.

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

Pro: I think I saw that all her albums were registered with copyright. Good theory though!

[onestowatch]

Hollyy Starts 2021 With Soulful Double-Side Single Release

Retro-soul band Hollyy have hit the ground running in 2021 by dropping not one but two new soulful and summery singles. Inspired by the vocals of Sam Cooke and the instrumentation of Wilco and Whitney, this double-sided follow-up to their debut EP, Miss the Feeling, serves as a harmonious and sentimental preview of what fans can expect from the Chicago natives.

Ones To Watch was able to talk with the band about their latest singles and what their plans are for the foreseeable, hopefully pandemic-less, future.

Ones to Watch: How has your perspective on your music changed since the release of the Miss the Feeling EP?

Tanner: I don't think too much has changed from a music perspective, to be honest. But I can tell you that back in September, we were hopeful that by Summer 2021, we would be living a normal gig and tour-filled life. That glimmer of optimism has since faded more and more into the realistic likelihood that it will not happen. Other than that, we've been working even harder at recording, writing, and producing our debut full-length. We're also busy enhancing our studios and gear as well so we can plan virtual shows to wrap up the winter and spring.

Brandon: We've been writing a lot over the last year, and the pandemic has informed my perspective. It's maybe not a giant shift, but I certainly find myself trying to be more honest about my emotions or the events that are shaping my life.

You guys started 2021 full speed ahead with not one but TWO singles coming out on Feb. 19. What made you all want to release a double side, and why these singles?

Tanner: Double-side records have an interesting history in Funk and R&B record labels in the 60s and 70s. We think it's a cool concept to keep alive as it's mostly gone away in the last couple of decades. And then, especially with our musical influences being so deeply rooted in these genres and funk/soul/r&b artists, we love doing anything we can to pay respect and honor traditions. "Hesitate" and "Sailing" didn't make it on to our 2020 EP, but we felt they melded very nicely together and complete a satisfactory double-side record.

Brandon: Yeah, "Hesitate" and "Sailing" were written and recorded before the pandemic, and we had to stop our usual routine. They compliment each other well and make a good bridge between our 2020 EP and what we've been working on over the last year.

What are y'all's plans for future releases? (Unless it's a secret, of course, and you want to surprise your fans.)

Tanner: We're forever recording new music! Eyes are still on the prize for doing a full-length album, but especially with where we're at with live music. Almost everything gets continuously placed on hold, and there are a lot of release ideas to consider. Singles, double-sides, videos, virtual performances, all of this comes into consideration right now, and we're also in the works on everything just laid out. It's a busy winter and spring, but it's fun!

Brandon: We've been busy writing and recording, and there's still a lot of work we need to do, but I'm excited for people to hear what we've been working on.

Fans recently had the chance to see you play a live studio session with Audiotree. How did all of you feel leading up to the stream? Were you nervous, and if so, what did you do to stay centered and show ready?

Tanner: Playing an Audiotree session has always been a dream, especially being a band from Chicago, so I guess there was a tad bit of added pressure, but overall it just felt so good to unleash and play an energetic live set. It was exciting to get into a rehearsal schedule again leading up to the set since we haven't consistently been able to do that much over the past year. In terms of dealing with nerves in our band, we pick up each other when we recognize someone is nervous or anxious before a performance. We try to keep things light and make sure that at the end of the day, we're all having fun!

Brandon: I was nervous! It's been a while since we were able to play together, and I felt the pressure of putting on an excellent performance after months of not being able to practice.

Do you feel more or less able to be vulnerable nowadays?

Brandon: I've been trying to open up more this last year and broaden my perspective on the world and what matters to me. I've always been very introspective, but lately, I've been trying to understand different perspectives and how I can relate.

Pete: I think a sense of vulnerability comes and goes. The everyday drudgery of bad news sometimes gets to me, and I sort of go numb for a week or a two just trying to process everything. Usually, it's new music or a good movie that brings me back down to earth and helps me feel more human.

What are the best parts/worst parts of your day?

Tanner: *laughs* Reading the news for sure.

Brandon: Honestly, the days have just been blending together for a while. Meeting a few days a week, even if it's online, to work on new music or the next project has kept me sane and focused.

Pete: The best part is usually finally being able to focus on music in some way, shape or form, pretty much the only thing to look forward to, haha.

I saw recently on the band's Instagram that Pete recently refreshed the "Songs For Hollyy" playlist on your Spotify artist page! In your opinion, what makes a great playlist, and which song on it is your favorite?

Tanner: We certainly don't refresh that playlist as much as we bounce new songs and suggestions over to each other on text or Slack, but these playlists are fun because they usually really are reflective of who our most recent inspirations are.

Pete: I know many people get wrapped up in playlist making like artists making a setlist, but for me, playlists are more like a record of the time they were created. Mostly they're songs that stick out to me and grab me in the moment, but I find in retrospect that usually those songs were indicative of the mood I was in and what was going on in my life.

"Hesitate," produced with the help of Nixon Boyd (Royal Mountain Records & Hollerado), and "Sailing," are now both available for streaming and with a 45 vinyl in the works!