#but her lyrics and the way she approaches the topics is interesting and unique and I enjoy her perspective

[kingofmyborrowedheart]

The interesting thing about Olivia’s music is that sonically it reminds me of music I’ve heard before but lyrically it’s new and unique.

[my-music-1460]

The Role of Blogging in a Music Marketing Strategy

In the modern music industry, having a strong online presence is crucial for success. While social media platforms and streaming services are essential, many musicians overlook the power of blogging. Blogging for musicians can be a game-changer, offering a unique platform to connect with fans, share stories, and enhance overall marketing strategies. This article delves into the multifaceted role of blogging in a comprehensive music marketing strategy, highlighting how musicians can leverage this tool to boost their careers.

The Importance of Blogging for Musicians:

Blogging offers musicians a dedicated space to express themselves beyond the constraints of social media. Unlike brief posts on platforms like Instagram or Twitter, blogs allow for in-depth content that can be rich in personality and detail. This in-depth content can foster a deeper connection with fans, providing them with insights into your creative process, behind-the-scenes stories, and personal reflections. Blogging for musicians is not just about self-expression; it's also a strategic move to build and maintain an engaged audience.

Integrating Your Blog with Social Media and Email Marketing:

One of the primary benefits of blogging for musicians is its ability to seamlessly integrate with other marketing efforts. For example, you can share your blog posts on social media platforms to drive traffic back to your site. This not only increases your blog's visibility but also provides your social media followers with valuable content.

Moreover, including blog links in your email newsletters can keep your subscribers engaged and informed. Email marketing is a powerful tool for musicians, and coupling it with regular blog updates can enhance its effectiveness. By directing your email subscribers to your blog, you provide them with a reason to visit your website regularly, increasing their engagement with your brand.

Using Blog Content to Drive Traffic to Your Music:

One of the significant advantages of blogging for musicians is the ability to drive traffic to your music. By writing about topics related to your music, such as song meanings, album creation stories, or tour diaries, you can naturally incorporate links to your music. This approach not only promotes your songs and albums but also provides context that can deepen the listener's connection to your work.

For instance, if you release a new single, you can write a blog post about the inspiration behind the song, the recording process, or the lyrics' meaning. Within this post, you can embed the song or provide direct links to streaming platforms. This strategy not only boosts your music's visibility but also enhances the overall listening experience for your audience.

Building a Personal Brand Through Your Blog:

Blogging for musicians is a powerful way to build a personal brand. Your blog can serve as a central hub where you share not just your music, but also your personality, values, and interests. By consistently posting content that reflects who you are as an artist, you create a cohesive and relatable brand image.

Personal branding through blogging involves more than just promoting your music. It includes sharing personal stories, discussing topics you're passionate about, and providing a glimpse into your everyday life. This transparency helps fans feel more connected to you, transforming casual listeners into loyal supporters.

Case Studies of Successful Musician Blogs:

To illustrate the power of blogging for musicians, let's look at some successful case studies. Artists like Amanda Palmer and Andrew Bird have utilized blogging to enhance their music marketing strategies effectively.

Amanda Palmer, a singer-songwriter known for her engaging and personal blog posts, uses her blog to connect deeply with her audience. She shares insights into her creative process, updates about her projects, and personal reflections. This approach has helped her build a strong and dedicated fan base that feels personally connected to her journey.

Similarly, Andrew Bird, an indie musician, maintains a blog where he shares updates about his tours, behind-the-scenes stories, and reflections on his music. His blog serves as a valuable resource for fans who want to stay updated on his activities and feel more involved in his creative process.

Tips for Starting Your Music Blog:

If you're inspired to start blogging for musicians, here are some practical tips to get you started:

Choose the Right Platform: Select a blogging platform that suits your needs. WordPress, Blogger, and Medium are popular options that offer various customization features.

Define Your Audience: Understand who your readers are. Are they fans of your music, fellow musicians, or industry professionals? Tailor your content to meet their interests and needs.

Plan Your Content: Create a content calendar to plan your posts. This helps ensure consistency and prevents last-minute scrambles for topics.

Be Authentic: Share genuine stories and insights. Authenticity resonates with readers and helps build a loyal audience.

Promote Your Blog: Share your blog posts on social media, include links in your email newsletters, and collaborate with other bloggers or musicians to reach a wider audience.

Engage with Readers: Respond to comments and feedback on your blog. Engaging with your audience fosters a sense of community and encourages repeat visits.

Conclusion:

Blogging for musicians is more than just a marketing tactic; it's a powerful tool for building connections, sharing your journey, and promoting your music. By integrating your blog with other marketing efforts, using it to drive traffic to your music, and building a personal brand, you can significantly enhance your music marketing strategy. Whether you're an established artist or just starting, embracing blogging can open new avenues for growth and fan engagement.

[flamingplay]

3,5,11,21,63

I'm EXTREMELY sorry for answering this so late, my life is a tumoill since I reblogged this ask game, so thank you so much, J, and all the people who sent to me inboxes for waiting! <3

DO YOU LISTEN TO MORE OLDIES OR MORE CURRENT STUFF?

heh depends on what's meant here uder oldies… If taking past several years I listen to the music released past 2010 much more often rather than the one from 70s-80s-90s smh...

5. IS THERE A SONG YOU DON’T LIKE BUT LIKE ITS MUSIC VIDEO?

"Obsession" by OK GO: I'm really not into their music but their music videos are some next level! Also don't go crazy about "A Temporary High" by AURORA but the visuals are so striking and thought through with the concept of god this song represents, I'm really amazed. Also remember some pretty visuals forsome kpop band but forgot who exactly they were...

11. FAVORITE SONGWRITER?

I would completely agree with you here on splitting this answer into several parts, so it will go like this:

favourite songwriter-lyricwriter:

Flo for her poetic sense and instrumental layers that rather coexist with the lyrics or highlight them or try to make it all very grandeous or try to be very tender and fragile to get into another mood. Everything about her music from lyrics to the aesethetics and music videos is multi-layered and metaphoric and I'm totally here for it! She's like an oldschool poetress that happened to adapt to the modern days because she accidentally was transported to this century...

AURORA for her unique sense of picking up emotions from other people's stories, letting them process through her heart and turning it all into little tales with each song's lyrics and instrumentals. This will always fascinate me about her as an overall approach, she's a true creator of music who will expand all the universes she has stored in her brains with making them into albums!

Yannis for his another level of being poetic with lyrics which give very poignant feelings in a sense of being deeply touched and at times a really impressive vocabulary, he's like no other lyricist makes me just go and look up another fancy word in a dictionary! I resonate the most with his approach of conveying the most aching and yearning feelings, think, he has a very special talent for this...

Jonathan Higgs for.... everything everything, pun intended. I've never met a lyrical mind THAT witty, ironic, experimental in approaches, and daring to look from different angles. If Flo is more multi-layered sonically then Jonathan is more multi-layered lyrically and thematically. You can probably write the whole dissertation on different character lores he managed to create and still hint at, there are so many Easter Eggs no, not these eggs you should give your body to here and there, you might get lost. You truly don't know what this unusual brain will come up with next and this is the most exciting part, imo. And, also, needless to say he's really capable of creating such catchy melodies with all his buddies, it's amazing!

favourite songwriter-musicwriter

Jon for being a soul of Coldplay who always adds the right tone and atmosphere, who builds up the most gorgeous melodies and has such a peaceful and flexible mind for collaborating with the other bandmembers, it's stunning, actually. He has a very peculiar way of knowing the emotion to play on his guitar and "sing" alongside with the lyrics, something absolutely unique and something I've never seen in any guitarist in exactly this way. Jon has such a broad spectrum of different emotions in his hand, seems like he has all answers to so many feelings...

A SONG OR ALBUM FROM THIS YEAR OR LAST YEAR:

Album from this year and album OF the year is Raw Data Feel but Eveyrthing Everything. It's incredibly personal for me and deals with such interesting topics in an unusual "dance your pain away" way (but not the way one can imagine though) you're in some ways caught unaware with each track here. It's about using something like AI to explain or conceal something that's difficult and maybe traumatic to explain, it's also about trying to figure your own ways out with inner self and your coping mechanism, and it's about... So much it's difficult to put into a short answer...

DO YOU PREFER LIVE RECORDINGS OR STUDIO RECORDINGS?

Gosh, depends on production: the worse it is the more I have a feeling of prefering the live recording. And in most cases live recordings contain something unique and not restricted by the label!

[thegaytwentysomething]

Smile - Katy Perry: Full Album Review

Track by Track:

1. Never Really Over - 9.5/10

2. Cry About It Later - 9/10

3. Teary Eyes - 9.5/10

4. Daisies - 8/10

5. Resilient - 7.5/10

6. Not the End of the World - 8.5/10

7. Smile - 6.5/10

8. Champagne Problems - 9/10

9. Tucked - 9.5/10

10. Harleys in Hawaii - 10/10

11. Only Love - 7/10

12. What Makes A Woman - 7/10

Katy Perry, the quintessential pop star of the 2010s, is no longer #1. After a disastrous Witness era marred by weak singles, poor promotion, and a lack of good PR, Katy’s gold star was left less shiny, very well-dented, and collecting some dust. The chapter of Katy’s career as the number one pop star in the world has closed. This is the scene for Smile: what to do once you’ve closed a chapter in your life. In a sonically mixed 12 tracks, Katy explores this topic head on, and though very much imperfect, she succeeds in embracing her flaws and creates a template for her years to come.

On the triumphant opening track “Never Really Over”, Katy starts a breathy vocal just a second after the initial synth note - a quick rebound from the past few years. Throughout the song, she bounces between airy syncopation, belted choruses, and rapid staccato over a glittery beat. Though not a career-defining track, the song never tries to be. Instead, Katy sounds beautifully vulnerable, carefree, and self-assured. We’re off to a good start.

After, Katy sinks into a cool, modern sound with “Cry About It Later”. This track is perhaps her most radio-ready in years, embracing the darker minimalist EDM of Ariana Grande and The Weeknd. With that said, it doesn’t sound like Katy is clawing for a hit. A guitar solo after the bridge breaks up an otherwise completely tailored-for-radio instrumental. Katy’s lyrical voice is clear with vivid idiosyncrasies about champagne, tattoos, devils, and angels. A team of songwriters hired to ensure a hit would have sanded off all of the character of the track. Luckily, Katy keeps her voice even under lots of filters on this radio-ready track with an ear worm chorus.

Katy then does a 180 back to 2012 with “Teary Eyes”, a gay club-ready EDM house banger. The trope of dancing through adversity and heartbreak is a gay tale as old as Judy Garland’s ruby reds, and Katy gives us the goods on this campy, melodramatic, and infectious gem. The chanting choir mimicking the chorus’s melody in a grooving “oh oh oh” is the cherry on top of a saccharine, yet satisfying tune. The song takes the infectiousness of Britney Spears’s “Till the World Ends” and euphoria of Kylie Minogue’s “Get Outta My Way” and fuses it with the anthemic drama of Perry’s “Rise”. Will it succeed on 2020 radio? Absolutely not. Is it a worthy addition to her discography? Absolutely.

The album shifts gears into adult contemporary with the slightly banal “Daisies”, which marches confidently towards mom pop empowerment in the spirit of Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” and Pink’s “Try”. Slightly more acoustic than your typical Democratic National Convention styled anthem, “Daises” comes from a place of earnestness. While it fails as a serious smash comeback single or a real classic like “Roar”, the track does just fine on the album, and doesn’t seem to be trying to prove anything in particular. Like the comfy Volvo station wagon in which this song may be played on adult contemporary radio, the song lacks sex appeal, but gets the job done.

“Daisies” almost perfectly segues into “Resilient” which sounds exactly as you’d expect. Safe, expected, and trite. On the plus side, the song does showcase some nice belts and is reminiscent of Katy’s very early pre One of the Boys lyricism. In an album context, the song succeeds quietly in letting Katheryn Hudson just be herself without pretense. There is a charm in the simplicity, and for that I won’t write the song off completely.

In a fairly jarring transition, Katy goes back to the trap-lite sound of “Dark Horse” with the over-baked “Not the End of the World”. This song isn’t bad, and in many respects, it is actually a banger. However, between the oddly-placed “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” sample and an aggressive use of auto tune, the song never seems to neatly achieve the impact for which it aims. Perhaps it is because the instrumental lacks the punch of “Dark Horse”, or perhaps it is because the triumphant theme is slightly discordant with a darker trap-pop sound, but the song never seems to really land quite as strongly as intended. It lacks focus. With that said, Katy’s Kim Petras-esque sing-talk verses are sung with a real swagger she so often lacks, and the song is anything but a bore. This track is certain to be polarizing, and on some level I applaud its chaotic approach.

After dancing through adversity and halfway creating a sense of empowerment through the first half of the album, Katy finally reclaims her “Smile” in the titular track. I recently heard the instrumental of this funk-lite track playing in the background of a Target advertisement, and frankly that is about all you need to know about the song. While I’m thrilled Katy has found joy, I’m less thrilled to hear corny lyrics like “I got a smile like Lionel Richie” on the title track of an otherwise good album. Katy truly doesn’t seem like she gives a fuck what I think on this track though, and for that I have to give some praise. It is nice when an artist isn’t seeking the public’s approval, and sometimes embracing joy can be cheesy. Maybe on a level, I want what she’s having.

The album starts anew in the second half with the very Harry Styles sounding track “Champagne Problems”. Like “Legendary Lovers” and “Roulette” before it, this song is sure to be an instant fan favorite. Every second is sonically interesting, mature, and satisfying. Like a crisp glass of bubbly, Katy seems mature, yet flirty and fun. I’m here for it. It’s great to be at a point where all you have is champagne problems, and this song sells that idea effectively. While not her best song, it is a good song, which is sometimes all you need need. Cheers!

If “Champagne Problems” was for those who love PRISM, then “Tucked” is for those who love Teenage Dream. From the strumming pop guitar to the big singalong chorus, “Tucked” leans into Katy’s strengths and embraces flirty fun in a way that she’s been trying to run away from for years. In the scope of the album and her career, the song is a blast from the past. It is a simpler Katy, and one which many have claimed to miss. At the same time, the return to form isn’t a desperate attempt at a hit. Simple pop songs like “Birthday” and “Last Friday Night” don’t make chart toppers in 2020. In that sense, this song is actually a bold choice, and a very confident one. To me, it says “I can still do that Teenage Dream stuff you always want me to do”, and it embraces it fully as one aspect of Katy Perry. Your past is still part of you, and you can go back to fun even when you’ve grown - and this song proves that. I quite love this little pop banger, and the album is much better for it.

I’ve written much in the past about my eternal love for Katy’s best song since “Dark Horse”, but let it just be said that I adore “Harleys in Hawaii”. Every second of this song is engaging, sexy, and sonically fabulous. For those who love the unique vocal and lyrical stylings of Katy Perry, this is a real treat. For those who don’t, this is probably just another so-so song. If you know what you’re listening for though, wow, what a track. It takes you to a fantasy, and immerses you in island vibes. This gem earned its place on this track list no matter what anyone says, and Katy knows it.

Then comes “Only Love” which drags on with trite, yet cute melodies and lyrics. For those who like the back half of PRISM, this song may really resonate, but for those of us who like a more sultry Perry, this track is a chore to listen to.

Closing the album is the personal “What Makes A Woman”. While not even Perry’s best album closer, the song is a cute cut, and may have done best replacing “Smile” in the middle of the album as an acoustic break between two pop halves.

All in all, this album does a good job of getting rid of the bitter taste of Witness and showcasing a broad spectrum of Katy’s distinctive artistic identity. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is it worthwhile? Absolutely. That seems to be the message here, both through the lyrics and through the meta messaging of the album’s direction in the context of Katy’s career. Cliche but true: you don’t have a thing to prove to anyone - just be you. Similarly, nobody can ever take away the gold star Katy earned during the first half of the 2010s. Her legacy is secure, the tragedies are behind her, and now she (and we) can enjoy the joy of the full spectrum of life without judgement or fear of failure.

Overall Grade: B+

[lonelypond]

Soldier Game: Operation LA Smile, Ch. 3

NicoMaki, Love Live, 4K, 3/?

Nico shouldn’t be nervous. It was her party. Her idea. Her reminder that whatever else was going on in the universe, whatever unappreciative individuals might think of Nico’s charm and abilities, Yazawa Nico could always draw a crowd. With almost no notice. Take that aloof, rich, redheaded sexcapade. Nico didn’t care. Casual came with the territory. Hearts broken all over the globe.

Kotori had done an amazing job with the panther theme, finding huge, stuffed velvet panthers and leopards to scatter across the rooftop terrace under strings and strings of multicolored fairy lights, small brightness against the stunning Tokyo nightscape. Charged by the atmosphere, Nico twirled under the lights to the amusement of the woman setting up the bar. Nico winked. It was always good to appreciate your audience. She adjusted the bow at the neck of her black and gray glitter clouded leopard pattern sleeveless maxi dress. Kotori had a shiny brown jaguar fabric in a shirt tucked into high gold disco glamour trousers. Nico’s see through black stockings with vine texture added to the wild vibe.

Pretty soon, pretty pretty women were going to be screaming to be let in. Nico wondered when the celebrity guests of honor would arrive and then Kotori stepped out onto the roof, Umi on her arm, in a very elegant and modest little black dress, with a fascinating and subtle open knit texture Nico would have killed to design. What would the boxing redhead show up in, Nico wondered? Some more expensive designer than Nico?

###

Think casual. Last night in Tokyo. Eli smiled and bobbed her head at a young woman who couldn’t decide between approaching Eli or joining the swarm around Nico. Eli was enjoying the breeze, the cool darkness. She’d spent all day in their cramped office, having to deal with various government functionaries who did not believe Eli was official enough for the level of clearance she held. She was looking forward to being in the field, making spur of the moment decisions based on reconnaissance and sitreps. She pushed the sleeves of her loose white blazer up, black cigarette pants, and light blue linen shirt completing the outfit. Feather Smile had dressed like the sizzling hot, shine the spotlight here team they were and Umi had chosen her dress with her usual exquisite attention to detail. Eli smiled and leaned on the bar, “Vodka tonic, please.”

“Yes, miss.”

And then there was Maki. Arriving late, as always. Because it wasn’t a truly fashionable party unil Nishikino Maki arrived. The room practically stopped. No conversation as Maki strode through, brazen, confident, shooting dagger sparks if anyone dared glance her way. Maki pulled entire rooms without even trying and tonight, when she was letting the banked down fire burning in her core light those priceless amethyst eyes, there were actual gasps when she walked into a space for the first time. Eli was expecting something designer, but Maki had opted for gym chic?!!!? And then, Nico gestured at the DJ and a song Eli had almost forgotten came over the speaker system.

“Three, two, one, zero! Here's my intro Please look at me; I'm completely serious My thrilling beauty will win, without fail”

Soldier Game. The silly pop single they’d recorded in high school. Umi seemed surprised but smiled when Kotori giggled. Maki whirled, completely red, glaring at Nico, who dismissed her with an offhand wave and went back to being surrounded by a crushing crowd as the song continued. Maki, arms wrapped around her torso, was slouched behind a panther, nearly obscured, her bold energy burst.

Eli took her drink over, “Want this?”

Maki shook her head, cheeks still reddened.

“That’s a real blast from the past. I keep trying to forget it. Those photoshoots.”

“That tiara dug into my skull. I hate photoshoots.” Maki groaned.

“So this assignment will be fun.”

Maki’s nostrils flared. Eli knew she was biting back an ‘only if l get to shoot someone’ comment and kept the conversation going before Maki totally lost her temper.

“Well, you’ve made an entrance anyway.”

Maki scowled, “Now we do small talk?”

“I’ve had a government bureaucracy runaround kind of a day and I just want to stay off my phone, enjoy a breeze, listen to music, and have a few drinks. In order to do that in peace, I have to first make sure you won’t throw anyone off the roof.”

“What did Umi tell you?” Immediate suspicion.

Eli shrugged.

Maki sounded ready to strangle someone, “Just leave me alone, Eli.”

“Fine.” Eli raised a glass in a toast, “But remember why we’re here.”

“Fine.” Maki shoved past Eli. “I’m going to go be a rich brat.”

And she wasn’t even going to have to try, Eli thought as she downed her drink.

###

Nico was sliding across the floor, new, top tier dance moves, to amuse a set of twins, one with pink streaks, one with purple, both with leopard ears topping their hair.

“Nico Ni always dances her way to ideas. And then once Kotori creates them, Nico dances in them, because if cute girls can’t move and breathe in a Feather Smile design, no one but Nico sees it.”

“Do you get your ideas from concerts...or movies...or celebrities?” Pink Streak asked with a giggle. “Or do you just dream them up?”

“Nico only hangs out with the most stylish....”

“Zookeepers?” Maki asked drily as she leaned over the panther, having fueled her courage with double tequila shots. “”S really not innovative, or…” a shrug and the whole panther moved, “interesting really. The feline as an expression of feline…fury...furry...” she blinked, “I mean female sensuality. Overdone. Copied from cooler…” a pause for frantic blinking, “errors...ermines…”Maki couldn’t find the word and had to settle “years...not even rocker chic,” Maki giggled as Nico felt annoyance start to prick and Maki continued, “scraping rocker bottom chick.”

Nico rolled her eyes, Maki was obviously inebriated. She and the streak twins watched as the redhead stood, swayed, and decided she wasn’t finished

“Unless…” Maki leaned forward again, supported by both arms on the stuffed panther, and only a quick shoulder shove by Nico prevented Pink and Purple Streak from having two panthers sprawled all over them, “you’re into that?”

Pink Streak was closer so Nico grabbed those ears, leaned forward, stuck them firmly in sweaty red hair, whispered, “Do you purr?” and watched in amusement as Maki jumped back, dragging the panther with her, and sprinted for a bar.

###

Eli had spent much of the past three days sharing an office with Tojo Nozomi and the only conclusion she had drawn was that Nozomi, as she’d forced Eli to call her, was an enigma, with little hints of tantalizing layers of....mischief occasionally surfacing in those sea green labyrinth of eyes. Having done her duty as a friend to Maki and provided her temperamental compatriot an opportunity to vent off some steam, Eli found herself wondering where Nozomi was at this event. Not at one of the bars on the terrace, or rubbing up against the nearly five foot tall stuffed panthers like so many of the younger dancers, nor, as far as Eli could see, tucked into a corner conversation somewhere. Maybe she was inside, in one of the cool, dark wood alcoves, staring out at the Tokyo nightscape. This was certainly a view worth the price of one of the hotel’s rooms.

Eli wandered back into the bar. Not as many people clumped here, some masked, because now masks were fashionable. Eli had by now thoroughly reviewed the FeatherSmile dossier. They were one of the first companies to develop a gossamer fabric, diaphanous, like a movie genie’s veil, that still cut the dispersion of droplets. Thanks to Yazawa’s connections and innovative demands, FeatherSmile was often on the leading edge of textile tech. No Nozomi here though, veiled or not.

Eli wandered back out, to the high ceilinged open terrace, casually grabbing a handful of chocolate eclairs and macarons, and there was Nozomi, legs pulled up underneath her, in a very formal navy business suit, a floral shirt her only concession to the non office setting, sitting in the very middle of things, on something that in the very middle of furniture and sculpture

Eli, hands full of chocolate, slid in next to her, “You still look like you’re at the office.”

Nozomi smiled, “I am still on the job.”

“What is your job?” Eli couldn’t help it. She was usually good at figuring people out, at knowing who to ask for a briefing, at knowing which paperwork would fill in the sketch of a briefing, but Nozomi, for all that she looked a proper, mid-level bureaucrat, had none of the mid-level bureaucrat paper trail attached to her name or office, which made Eli think there was more going on here than a simple tourist jaunt covering for a drop off.

Nozomi shrugged, “I manage people.”

Another veronica, swing the distracting cape of an answer. Eli bit into a meltingly amazing pastry to consider the next tack to take.

“Ever been to America?”

“Yes. You?”

Eli ate the final, exquisite bite, “I haven’t spent as much time there as Maki. Family business kept me mainly in Russia or Tokyo.”

“Yes, it’s a very unique nexus you three represent: Japan, America, and Russia. Must have been an interesting high school.”

Eli laughed, “It was. I was student council president.”

As if cued, another Soldier Game song played.

“And the high school idol’ing?”

Eli sighed. No more chocolate left. And this was the topic.

Nozomi leaned forward a little, almost touching Eli’s knee, “Sorry, was that too personal? Something you want to forget?”

“No. It’s pretty common knowledge, although most people don’t know the backstory.”

“Backstory?”

“Maki’s drive to compose, Umi’s need to express herself in lyrics, my….”

Nozomi gave off a calming aura, encouraging Eli to talk. This wasn’t top secret info. Nothing was really stopping Eli from sharing. It was just a part of her past she preferred to…

Nozomi had waved a waiter over to break the tension, “Shirley Temple, please. Eli?”

“Vodka tonic.”

“Of course.” The waiter bowed.

“Sorry to push you. We can talk about the lovely view if you’d rather?” There was that mischief as Nozomi’s eyes met hers, and Nozomi giggled. “Or you can tell me if Maki always gets this drunk.”

“Only on tequila.”

“And you?”

“Never on tequila.” Eli laughed and leaned back against a concrete pillar, “I could never crack the upper echelon of Russian ballet schools. So I had something to prove.”

“Ah.”

Eli heard a confirmation in the ‘ah.” So Nozomi had already looked up the story. No real connection here. Price of doing business. Everyone knows more than they say and still fillets you for information. Confirm, look for weaknesses, memorize flaws. Eli suddenly felt worn.

“I’d better check in with Umi.” Eli stood, “I’ll see you on the plane tomorrow.”

Nozomi half rose, startled, but then settled back down, hands composed in her lap, “Of course. I hope you get some rest, Eli.”

Eli’s name sounded flat as Nozomi said it, but Eli still smiled and returned the courtesy, “I hope you can manage some off the job time.”

Nozomi shrugged. Eli turned away. Chocolate first, then Umi, then sleep. It had been too long a day.

###

Maki glared, then threw back the tequila shot she’d been carrying. Florrie’s ‘Begging Me’ was echoing and she wondered exactly how much control Nico had exerted over the DJ’s playlist. Long Island Iced Tea next, this was a Long Island Iced Tea night.

She marched up to the bartender, demanded the drink, took the bare minimum amount of time to drink it down through a cold metal straw, lips nearly frozen. A little buzzy, a little daring, feeling the need to just…

Everyone not actively chatting up a potential partner in the low lighting, dark wood interior of the bar had spilled out onto the roof, where with no time at all, Feather Smile had set up a sort of prowling fur extravaganza, huge velvet panthers and leopards arrayed in clusters, doubling as seating, people leaning or riding on them, a bar at either end of the terrace. The lights of Tokyo were everywhere there weren’t stars or fairy lights and Maki took a deep breath, trying to just check out of the party scene and let the lights and movement scatter her looping thoughts. It was usually a very solid escape plan, but just as her shoulders relaxed, someone giggled, “Oh, Nico, that tickles” and Maki spun to see Nico leaning over a woman leaning back into a velvet black panther, the woman’s shirt off, her see through black lace bra shimmering darkly. Nico had a metallic pen and finished off her signature with a flourish. And a kiss on the fabric to seal it.

Another giggle. And something whispered. And Nico leaning over the woman to whisper a reply. Maki headed back to the bartender who’d done her marginally satisfying Long Island Ice Tea.

“Make it better this time or I’ll make sure you’re fired.” Maki snapped.

The bartender bowed, “Of course. I’m so sorry the last one was not satisfying.”

“More tequila.”

Umi’s voice cut in, “Whatever she’s having, make it with less tequila. Cute ears by the way.”

Maki reached up and ripped the Nico tainted accessory out of her hair.

Umi leaned on the bar, shaking her head at Maki. “You have to stop getting random staffers fired. People won’t like you.”

“People,” Maki couldn’t help that her glance went to Nico, “Don’t like me now.”

Nico had her arms around a woman’s waist and they were swaying to music that was too sexy to be swaying to in public. Maki pushed herself off the bar, but Umi caught her arm.

“Weapons.” Umi demanded.

Maki waved her hands down the length of her torso. Her side slashed, short, armless tunic covering a sports bra, offered a view of her torso that showed no hidden armament. Her form fitting shorts also proved that there was nothing unnatural about any of the curves the fabric was clinging to. “I just want to dance.”

Visual check cleared, Umi offered Maki the terrace, “Enjoy.”

Maki’s eyes burned with fierce intensity, ‘I plan to.”

And a mellow song, Surf Mesa’s "ILY", rolled but there was nothing mellow about the way Maki walked into the center of the terrace, threw out her arms, closed her eyes, and started mouthing “I love you, baby” as Emilie did, arms raising, wrists crossed over each other, muscle pulses so tight that it seemed like her whole torso was throbbing as she circled her abdomen, thrusting her hips incrementally forward, flexing her knees to crouch down to bounce up, tossing her hair back in near slow motion and red strands flamed in the pattern of flashes that suddenly surrounded her as everyone pulled out their phone, images of Maki lost in a blur, not captive, as the Tokyo nightscape provided a brilliant, blinding backdrop.

###

Nico did not like the speculative, predatory look in Kotori’s eye. She was very familiar with it and they had a strict first seen, first claimed agreement that Nico’s boxing ring encounter with Maki certainly would have invoked but Nico did not want to be so open about her...there was no right word..interest, annoyance, remembering her most recent encounter with Maki, Nico laughed at herself and decided animal attraction was probably the truest.

With so much attention on Maki and the terrace full of dark patches, Nico and Kotori had found a moment to meet. Kotori was leaning into her elbows, watching Maki, idly twisting the straw in her drink.

“Don’t you have a very stylish samurai stashed somewhere?” Nico decided on a diversionary tactic.

Nico knew her partner very well. Kotori turned away from watching Maki, with a squeal, “Did you see that dress, Nico? And the texture, exquisite, I couldn’t rip my hands away. I just want to take it off her so I can see how they did that open knit.”

Nico leaned into obvious, with a snort, “That’s not the only reason.”

Kotori arched an eyebrow, “I never discuss proprietary tactics, Nico.”

Nico chuckled, ‘Well, there seem to be a few other people interested in that…” Nico paused and pointed over her shoulder to where Umi was walled off by a crowd of women fascinated by the most inscrutable member of Soldier Game, now that Maki had decided to dry heave near a plant, “dress.”

Kotori’s lips twisted and anger flared briefly in now cold golden eyes, “I’ll see if Umi-chan wants to sit and sip some champagne.”

Nico was watching Maki run shaky fingers through her hair and slap herself on the cheeks. “And I’ll get the dancing started up again.”

###

Eli leaving had left Nozomi unsettled. So she took her Shirley Temple in hand and decided to roam. Her first target, Nico, who was once again somehow not being crushed by a crowd of young women demanding Nico sign their bras with her private contact info. Nico’s flirt style was an art, all wink and dash, never lingering, but always making a connection. Eager, thirsty eyes followed her everywhere. Nozomi was impressed by the range of her charisma and how professionally in stride Nico took the adoration.

“Care to sign something a little less personal for me?” Nozomi asked when Nico spun into her zone.

Nico demurred. “Nico always needs a treat.” A completely outrageous wink as Nico moved to the next young woman, who had unbuttoned her blouse, exposing ample curves that almost escaped their lacy lilac support, “Hi. Nico Ni wants to know. What’s your name and favorite color?”

“Oki and Green.” The blonde woman flushed as Nico let the pen linger a little.

“Nico will design a holiday set to showcase these memorable curves.” NIco finished her signature with a flourish, “Look for it. Nico thinks Santa will bring a good girl like you, Oki, a very special set.”

“Don’t talk about Santa like that.” An angry voice interrupted.

“Maki! We haven’t had a chance to talk all night.” Nozomi stepped in, trying to divert Maki and guide her away by the elbow, but the riled up heiress brushed off any restraint.

Maki had one target in her laser focused sights. Nico. “Don’t use Santa as a shill for your lingerie.”

Nico winked at the blonde, before answering Maki, “Nico got all her elf paperwork in on time last year. Completely certified to deliver North Pole approved presents. Ask half of Tokyo.”

“Ask Santa.” Maki’s fist were clenched. Nico had no idea why she was in the middle of a fight about two beloved holiday traditions, Santa Claus and FeatherSmile’s Christmas Cuddle lingerie line, but Maki had once again impulsively shoved them both into something unexpected.

“Okay, Nico will.” Nico took her pen and started to write a note on her arm, but Maki grabbed the pen and wrote a number on Nico’s arm as she spoke.

“Text me when he tells you you’re officially on the naughty list.” Maki snorted, “I want to laugh at you.”

This was an incredibly strange way to get the number of the hot, crazy girl she’d already had sex with. But Nico could roll with anything. That was her real superpower. And why she was so good at ALL of her jobs.

But before Nico could retort, Nozomi took the pen and wrote a number under Maki’s on Nico’s arm, “Text me too.”

The blonde giggled. Nozomi smirked at her, and leaned down to whisper, “I’d like to see green on you. Can I get you a drink? I have a Christmas at the South Pole story that you’ll never forget.”

And that left Nico with the glaring Maki. The crowd had been repelled by the waves of fury rolling off Maki. Nico sighed, “What are we really fighting about?”

“Santa.” Maki said stubbornly.

“It’s June, Nico loves Christmas, but Nico was planning to think about the beach and bikinis for at least a week.”

Maki crossed her arms over her torso as another Soldier Game song came over the speakers. “Did you have to play them?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“People expect it.” Nico listened for a verse, “Plus, they’re catchy. You sound good. You wrote the music, right?”

“Composed.”

“Wrote, composed…”

Maki leaned very much into Nico’s face, blinking, “Sewed, painted, same thing, right?”

“Fine. Nico will use the right words. Do you still compose?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“What do you want to talk about?” Nico opened her arms to the room, “Nico has adoring fans eager for a few minutes of her time and your minutes,” Nico glanced at her watch, “are up.”

Maki pulled back. “I don’t want to talk.”

Nico stepped close, and could feel Maki tense at the proximity, “Well, Nico does have a suite reserved if you really need some…”

“Stop.” Maki’s hands shot out, Nico guessed to push Nico away, but they just lingered on her shoulders.

“Well, if you want to dance, Nico never disappoints a pretty lady.” And Nico dropped both hands to Maki’s waist, pulling her in, and starting to sway as the tempo of the music slowed. Maki shadowed the motion, her eyes closing, for a minute and then she froze, eyes wide open, looking down at Nico in horror.

“Um...why...no…I have to…”

“Run?” Nico suggested, her tone teasing.

Maki’s wry smile, full of unguarded charm, was a change of mood more surprising than anything that had happened to Nico so far, “How’d you guess?”

Nico was getting intrigued. This wasn’t the plan. But Nico always had a stock answer, “Nico knows.”

“Santa knows. Nico fakes it.” Almost a playful growl.

“Still on Santa? Did I mention June?” Nico decided to pull Maki close enough that their hips were bumping. “And nothing Nico does is faked.” Nico dropped her voice, closing in on Maki’s ear, “Don’t you remember?”

Full, complete flush. WIld blinking. Nico had a sudden inspiration and released Maki’s waist. “Thanks for your number. Nico might call you, if you’re lucky,”

With a frustrated growl, Maki suddenly had both hands in her own hair, rough tearing it, and Nico wanted to feel the texture so bad it took enormous physical effort to hold her hands back. Then Maki was standing straight again, so tall, slashed tunic showing muscle and tan and curves, a sexy dream fuel snarl mouthing words that took Nico a few seconds to actually register the foreignness of, “Da parte mia, ritengo che sia meglio essere avventurosi che cauti, perché la fortuna è una donna.”

Was that Italian? How many languages did Maki speak? Nico decided she needed less homework not more as Maki walked away from her, a tequila induced sway threatening to tilt her into a bystander.

####

Hanayo glanced away from the FeatherSmile party livestream. If she’d been there, she would have been a mouse in a quiet corner. She couldn’t hear anything but the music but the party was still almost as engaging as a good Korean drama. Hanayo enjoyed watching the women move in and out of conversation groups, dancing, leaning into close, cozy chats that Hanayo could imagine might result in even cozier conversations. Nico was a blur of motion and charisma, Kotori cool and calm and centered as she glided everywhere, from woman to woman, a quick kiss on so many cheeks, a sly smile when no one was looking but the camera. Hanayo wondered what it would be like to be in the same room with them.

She glanced at the small chat window on her business phone. Her agricultural contacts wanted an in person meeting coinciding with her FeatherSmile obligations. She opened a text window on her laptop. Nozomi had warned her about something like this happening.

A/N: The Italian is a quote from Machiavelli: "For my part I consider that it is better to be adventurous than cautious, because fortune is a woman."Hi.

[loseyoutoloveme]

can you do a rundown/review of every song on folklore like you've done for selena? and what your current top 5 are??

considering this is officially one of my top 3 favourite albums ever i’m v happy to 😌! warning, absolutely every single song will be ranked 10/10

thank for wanting to know my thoughts :( i can’t believe anybody would volunteer to read this JDNSKSDJKDS

first of all, my top 5 is probbbbably gonna change (maybe not tho bc my lover top 5 hasn’t really changed a lot), but for now, i think it’s: august > seven > mad woman > illicit affairs > mirrorball

THE 1:

ngl my very first thought was that it reminded me of same love by macklemore skdjdskjdskjsd but not in a bad way!

literally some of the prettiest lyrics, i knew just from this song that this would top red as her best lyrically (best album in general)

honestly just rly sad and sweet and one of those songs that has such a universal sound i feel?

also the simplest song of the album lyrically (also not in a bad way, just like objectively this is the easiest subject matter on the album with the least opaque lyrics), so a really good opener

best lyrics: “we never painted by the numbers baby but we were making it count/you know the greatest loves of all time are over now” and “we were something don’t you think so/roaring twenties tossing pennies in the pool/and it my wishes came true it would’ve been you”

a cute girl, 10/10

CARDIGAN:

i was surprised by the darkish sound of this one

idk what that like clanking sound in the background is but i find it a lil distracting in the first half of the song - but if i ever find out what it is and it has some symbolic meaning/purpose for being there (i assume it does) i’ll accept it sdjknsd

i love the nostalgia that is so present in like almost every song on this album :(

also the music video is stunning and frames the entire album in the most interesting way, metaphor-wise

best lyrics: “i knew you’d linger like a tattoo kiss/knew you’d haunt all of my what-ifs/the smell of smoke would hang around this long/cause i knew everything when i was young/i knew i’d curse you for the longest time/chasin’ shadows in the grocery line/i knew you’d miss me when the thrill expired/and you’d be standing in my front porch light/and i knew you’d come back to me”

10/10

THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN DYNASTY:

love this one bc it’s like a nice lil exhale in an album filled with angst, like it’s cute and boppy without being aggressive

i’m suddenly absolutely obsessed with rebekah harkness, particularly the “bitch pack” thing and her dyeing someone’s dog green

i love taylor’s storytelling and i love how that’s always been a big part of her approach to songwriting. this is taylor at her best narration, like starlight but so much better. this is a type of songwriting that is so underused these days, esp by mainstream artists and i love so much that she has always used it and been so invested in it

the pronoun change made me screech. sooo goooood

taylor’s obv a deeply autobiographical artist which is why it’s so incredible to hear her tell OTHER people’s stories and somehow make them so her own. like i think it’s mostly the english major in me that just gets so emotional over that...... the way that other people’s stories became our own through the way we tell them......

this song is def the one that is most explicit about the album’s theme of telling stories but ones that tell something about her (and about her listeners too), by switching to personal pronouns at the end. it sets up a pattern for the rest of the album, where each song is about one thing (the actual story she’s telling) but also about a bunch of other things.

a good example of why she’s the greatest songwriter of this generation

best lyrics: “there goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen/she had a marvelous time ruining everything”

10/10

EXILE:

bon iver’s voice was a full shock to the system the first time i listened and idk why sdkjnds it is just so deep and i was not at all expecting it esp after the cuteness of tlgad

anyway these lyrics are GORGEOUS

i love a duet where the 2 singers’ lyrics are meant to be directed at each other. is there a word for that type of duet idk but it always makes a duet infinitely better

the miscommunication exemplified in the bridge...... chef’s kiss heartbreaking

out of all the songs this is the one that makes me feel the most like i am in the middle of a forest in winter. i can already picture myself listening to this song in december with the sound of a crackling fire in the background mmmmmmmm my exact vibe

best lyrics: “you’re not my homeland anymore/so who am i defending now?/you were my town, now i’m in exile seeing you out” and “i’m not your problem anymore/so who am i offending now?”

10/10

MY TEARS RICOCHET:

this chorus BRRROOOOKE ME

writing songs presumably about the masters situation and framing them as breakup songs was absolutely galaxy brain

i feel like the image of tears ricocheting has like a million layers to it and is just suuuuch a smart metaphor

also just such a visually rich song ? so is every song on the album but the metaphors of this song are all just so visual

best lyrics: “i didn’t have it in myself to go with grace/and you’re the hero flying around saving face/and if i’m dead to you why are you at the wake?” and “i can go anywhere i want/anywhere i want, just not home”

10/10

MIRRORBALL:

ok so i did like this one on first listen, i loved absolutely everything on first listen, but it didn’t hit my top 5 until like 8 listens later, so it’s def a big grower and i think could be a huge fan fav by next year

the self-awareness in her writing will never fail to amaze me

the way that life is just performing...... yeah

but it’s crazy to me that a person could be like “i’m a compulsive people pleaser and performer and i’ll do anything to get ppl to like me” and that leads to “i am a disco ball” like ???? her brain is so big. it’s such a gorgeous metaphor.... and the circus imagery AHHHHH

best lyrics: “i’m still on that tightrope/i’m still trying everything to get you laughing at me/i’m still a believer but i don’t know why/i’ve never been a natural, all i do is try try try/i’m still on that trapeze/i’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me” and “i can change everything about me to fit in”

10000/10

SEVEN:

this one simply rips my heart out

at first i was like oh this is so weird and then the chorus just would not leave my head

for me personally, nostalgia is literally 90% of my personality and just for so many personal reasons the thought of childhood ending and all of the growing pains that come along with that have been at the forefront of my psyche for the past year. so it just kills me whenever i find a song like this one and it kills me that taylor specifically has several songs about this topic and this is 100000% the best of them all. like it’s the most beautiful experience to have your thoughts and feelings and fears expressed so perfectly by a total stranger, and that’s rly what art is about and i love taylor for doing that for me and millions of other people

i just feel like this song brings up so many vivid beautiful memories of childhood for so many people, like being outside in the summer and screaming and being free. ugh

the pause after “i hit my peak at seven” before completing the phrase........ OOOOOOOOOF IT HITS TOO HARD

and sound-wise, just so off-beat and cool and unique

best lyrics: “i hit my peek at seven/feet in the swing across the creek” and “are there still beautiful things?” and “love you to the moon and to saturn/passed down like folk songs/the love lasts so long” and “before i learned civility/i used to scream ferociously/any time i wanted”

100000000000/10

AUGUST:

i knew immediately that this would be my favourite tbh like i could sense it the second it began

i wrote my first impression thoughts in my journal and you can tell the exact moment i got to the bridge bc i just started screaming sdnjksdkjsdn

i would 100% get a tattoo that said “to live for the hope of it all”

everything about this song is LITERALLY flawless like i have.......no notes......no thoughts.......it’s just an absolutely perfect song

best lyrics: “back when we were still changing for the better/wanting for was enough/for me it was enough/to live for the hope of it all" and “august sipped away like a bottle of wine/cause you were never mine”

100000000000000000000000000/10

THIS IS ME TRYING:

this song is rly good but i keep forgetting it exists omg :/ once i learn all of the lyrics i’ll appreciate her more

the strings are gorgeous

i was rly surprised that this one was done with jack instead of aaron just bc the bridge of this sounds SOOOO the national

these lyrics could be interpreted in so many different ways depending on the listener’s experiences and that’s beautiful

best lyrics: “i was so ahead of the curve/the curve became a sphere/fell behind all my classmates and i ended up here” and “it’s hard to be at a party when i feel like an open wound/it’s hard to be anywhere these days when all i want is you/you’re a flashback in a film reel on the one screen in my town”

10/10

ILLICIT AFFAIRS:

that soft high note on “down,” “stop,” etc is sooooo nice

i don’t have many thoughts on it, it’s just so soft, SOOOOOO gorgeous instrumentally and lyrically

best lyrics: “it’s born from just one single glance/but it dies and it dies and it dies/a million little times” and “don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby/look at this godforsaken mess that you made me/you showed me colours you know i can’t see with anyone else” and “you taught me a secret language i can’t speak with anyone else/and you know damn well/for you i would ruin myself/a million little times”

100000/10

INVISIBLE STRING:

like i said about tlgad, this is a nice little break from all the angst and pain and anger sdnjksdnskjsd just a sweet little break to remind u there are good things in the world too. so placed really well in the tracklist imo

super super super super cute chorus

so many pretty melodies

absolutely an autumn song btw

best lyrics: “time, mystical time/cutting me open, then healing me fine”

10/10

MAD WOMAN:

i literally lost my mind listening to this for the first time

i have such a thing for scorned women anthems like i will immediately love it whatever it is

the pure rage when she says “cause you took everything from me” gives me full body chills

it is just so eerie and haunting and perfect

best lyrics: “women like hunting witches too/doing your dirtiest work for you/it’s obvious that wanting me dead/has really brought you two together” and “every time you call me crazy i get more crazy/what about that?” and “good wives always know/she should be mad, should be scathing like me/but no one like a man woman”

1000000/10

EPIPHANY:

i find this one so hard to listen to but it’s absolutely beautiful and devastating and so heavily relevant for i think the whole world rn

the heart monitor and the trumpets tying both of the topics in together is so genius and so heartbreaking

i think will be the sygb of folklore where it makes everybody cry so much that it becomes a skip despite being a beautiful song

best lyrics: “something med school did not cover/someone’s daughter, someone’s mother” and “some things you just can’t speak about”

10/10

BETTY:

first of all THE HARMONICA

this made me so happy bc it’s just so debut and so fearless and it made me SOOOOO nostalgic on my first listen, because it really felt to me like i was getting to listen to a song from debut or fearless for the very first time again

it’s just so sweet and cute and simple and yet another very self-aware moment of looking back to her past material/subject matter

best lyrics: “would you have me? would you want me?/would you tell me to go fuck myself/or lead me to the garden?” and “i’m only seventeen, i don’t know anything/but i know i miss you”

10/10

PEACE:

the bass at the beginning is soooooo nice

this miiiiiight be the strongest song on the album lyrics-wise but idk yet

not much to say, it’s just so gorgeous

best lyrics: “i’m a fire and i’ll keep your brittle heart warm/if your cascade ocean wave blues come/all these people think love’s for show/but i would die for you in secret” and “would it be enough if i could never give you peace?” and “i talk shit with my friends, it’s like i’m wasting your honour”

10/10

HOAX:

i have a feeling this one will be underrated/underappreciated bc it’s just simple and dark and the last song, but this is....... a lyrical masterpiece

i feel like i need to be playing this on vinyl with all of the lights off and just a candle burning yknow, like there’s just something so dark and ancient about it

best lyrics: “my winless fight/this has frozen my ground” and “your faithless love’s the only hoax i believe in/don’t want no other shade of blue but you/no other sadness in the world would do” and “you knew it still hurt underneath my scars/from when they pulled me apart/but what you did was just as dark/darling this was just as hard”

10/10

OVERALL: 10000000000/10 literally one of the best albums i have ever heard and (while i wouldn’t put it past her to top it) absolutely the best work of her career. so complex and layered and emotional and painful and genuine and different. not to get ahead of myself but this is/should be considered her blue, her rumours, her abbey road....... god. can’t wait to listen to this album for the rest of my life and play it for my future children and just watch it live on as the greatest work of one of the most important artists of the 21st century

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume 6, Number 6

Whatever happens, Bobby Conn will always be fabulous

Greetings from the never-ending sameness! It must be Friday since we’re doing a Dust, but we are not exactly sure which Friday and, indeed, which day of the week comes after that. We have not had a haircut in a while, and we’re wearing the most comfortable, least fashionable things we own, but we have not quite given up, because, you see, we’re still listening to music. Here are short missives from our respective quarantines, covering experimental psych, fey orchestral pop, slow rolling sine waves, disco-glittering satire, solitary black metal and assorted other musical manifestations. Contributors included Bill Meyer, Andrew Forell, Jennifer Kelly, Jonathan Shaw and Michael Rosenstein.

Eric Arn & Jasmine Pender — Hydromancy (Feeding Tube)

hydromancy by eric arn & jasmine pender

Hydromancy is the ancient practice of divining the gods’ intentions by staring for long periods into a pool of water. Eric Arn, an American guitarist who has been based in Austria for the last decade and a half, seems to have picked up at least one message from the cosmos, and he is acting upon it. Feeding Tube Records is his home. Hydromancy is his third release on the label, and like its two predecessors, it carves out a unique zone within a large and ever-spreading field of inquiry. Arn’s spent time playing psychedelic rock, free improvisation and solo acoustic explorations, and worked with players from Texas, New England and Vienna. This time he’s partnered with an English cellist, Jasmine Pender, on two side-long ponderances of resonance. The title is apt; the musicians seem to be regarding the surface of their sound, first letting ripples and reflections guide them, but ultimately peering beneath the surface into darker, persistent currents.

Bill Meyer

ARTHUR — Hair of the Dog (Honeymoon)

On his sophomore album, Philadelphia songwriter ARTHUR disguises ruminations on addiction, anxiety, pain and paranoia in summery cloaks of experimental pop. The combination of whimsy and woe is nothing new, but it’s a fine balance. In Hair of the Dog, complex arrangements surround naïve-sounding melodies, hinting at inner turmoil.  

The album incorporates whispers of disco in “No Tengo,” a low key Caleb Giles rap interlude on “Something Sweet,” swinging 1960s horns on “William Penn Island” and a choir of children on “You Are Mine.” The magpie eclecticism holds together beneath a voice that can err on the side of mannered. It is most effective when direct and unadorned as on “Simple Song” where a woozy waltz and detuned guitar bridge underline the poignancy of the lyrics: “In a couple of years/You lose a couple of friends/You lose yourself and you start over again/I don’t have patience/All that I know is addiction.” There is a lot to like here even if at times ARTHUR treads too hard on the path of whimsy.

Andrew Forell

Gaudenz Badrutt — Ganglions (Aussenraum)

Ganglions by Gaudenz Badrutt

“Connect” is the not the first words that 2020 is going to wear out, but it’s in the running. Veteran Swiss electronic musician Gudenz Badrutt could not have foreseen the present situation when he was making this LP, but it speaks to at least one aspect of it. Perhaps the barrages of commercials dropping the word “connect” by corporations interested in currying your subconscious good will has you pondering the networks by which that state is accomplished and sustained. Badrutt’s music is assembled from sine waves and feedback systems, which he layers and interrupts to make sound that flickers and surges like an audio rendering of your nervous system in various states of load-carrying and overload. Listen closely, and you can ponder your place within the system. But if you’re sick of thinking, feeling, and awareness, turn this shit up and it will blot out whatever offends you.

Bill Meyer

  Nat Baldwin — Autonomia I: Body Without Organs (Shinkoyo)

AUTONOMIA I: Body Without Organs by Nat Baldwin

Nat Baldwin is a published novelist as well as a singer and double bassist with several solo records and a long-time stint is a member of the Dirty Projectors on his cv. His versatility does not come at the expense of focus; indeed, Autonomia I (so named because there’s a second, cassette-only volume) show that he knows how to get a lot out of a particular idea. This LP was inspired by a broken bow, which he employs (sometimes in concert with an intact one) on five of the LP’s seven tracks. When one of your tools is unreliable, you have to be ready to scramble, and there are moments when it sounds like he’s trying to recover from or get ahead of his implement’s waywardness. But those also sound like moments of opportunity; whether he’s exploring rattle of a loose part against his bass’s body or using that bow to obtain non-prescribed tensions from his strings, he organizes his instrument’s unusual sounds into quick-moving, provocatively shaped constellations of sound.

Bill Meyer

Bonifrate—Mundo Encoberto (Self-released)

Mundo Encoberto by Bonifrate

Pedro Bonifrate is one-half of the Brazilian psych outfit Guaxe, this solo album (according to Google translate “overcast world”) springs from the same trippy, laid-back but multi-instrumented roots. Lush like the rainforest that surrounds him, playful and full of bright colors, this eight-part composition unfolds in the manner of a particularly vivid dream. “Parte 1” mutates freely over its 11 minute duration, stirring to life in a rush of strings, slipping into beach-y mildly hallucinogenic balladry, trying on a bit of Syd Barret-ish whimsy, crescendoing in clangorous guitar overload. Hard to say if Bonifrate played all the instruments, but the album has an idiosyncratic euphoria, as if it were lifted in one piece from the vivid contours of one person’s mushroom trip.

Jennifer Kelly

 Bobby Conn — Recovery (Tapete)

“It’s a disaster, the one we’ve been waiting for for years, and now we get to see how this thing ends,” croons the one-and-only Bobby Conn in his glam-shuddering, disco-sleek tenor, and sure, 2020 in a nutshell, got it in one, congrats! Who’d have thought that Conn’s arch, satiric performance art could be a form of comfort here at the end of the world? Who’s have supposed his stylized excesses would seem not an iota too much? Conn, as ever, is sharp and topical, pondering all the oppressed sub-groups left out of the “Good Old Days,” (against a swaggering Phil Spector beat), mourning the xxx-rated theaters put out of business by Pornhub in “Bijou,” skewering big data’s intrusions in the synth-operatic glories of “Disposable Future.” But what’s always separated Conn from mere satirists is the elaborate, over-the-top quality of the music he makes. “Recovery” with its scatted bassline, its frenetic syncopation, its funk precision—it all works as music way before you start to chuckle at the lyrics. Conn is as much a character in the long-running graphic novel that plays in his head as a bandleader, but don’t underestimate the bandleader. There’s art underneath all that eyeliner.

Jennifer Kelly

Curanderos — Raven’s Head (Null Zøne)

Raven's Head by Curanderos

If you’re looking for something to cure what ails you in these uncertain times, Raven’s Head might be your balm. You won’t need a prescription, since the tradition of shamanistic healing precedes the AMA, and the particular configuration of healers here — John and Michael Gibbons of Bardo Pond + Scott Verrastro of Kohoutek — models a cooperative approach that more conventional leadership would do well to emulate. The combination of personalities also tips you off to what to expect. Verrastro is a colorist, using the metal parts of his drum kit to keep the listener aware of the dimensions surrounding the listening space, but he also provides just enough forward momentum to keep the music moving at a fogbank-rolling pace. The Gibbons match liquid lead and coarse riff with practiced ease; they’ve spent a lot of time in such cloudy spaces, and they breathe deeply of the inspirational atmosphere.

Bill Meyer

Discovery Zone — Remote Control (Mansions and Millions)

Remote Control by Discovery Zone

“Sophia Again” is a sci-fi mini-story, presenting the conversation between an AI creature and her creator, talking about the self, the meaning of life and the joy of connection, as bubbling arcs of synthesizer sounds jet off into the ether. It is, perhaps, the most literally futuristic of the cuts on this gleaming, synth-centric album, though the whole thing is polished to an other worldly, not quite natural glow. JJ Weihl, the artist behind Discovery Zone, also works in Fenster, a Berlin-based psychedelic pop band of a similarly polished, dance-referring (but not dance) aesthetic. Here, she works solo in luminous abstractions of crystal clear sound. The pleasure comes in the purity and beauty of voices, synths, drum beats, which sound like Sophia might have made them while learning to be human; they are a little too perfect to be wholly man-made.

Jennifer Kelly

 Esoctrilihum — Eternity of Shaog (I, Voidhanger)

Eternity Of Shaog by ESOCTRILIHUM

An epic of esoteric demonology from Ashtâghul’s one-man black metal project Esoctrilihum, Eternity of Shaog presents as ten songs, most of which bear titles like “Exh-Enî Söph (First Passage: Exiled from Sanity)” and “Amenthlys (5th Passage: Through the Yth-Whtu Seal).” One gets the sense that there is a cosmology being built—but even Google has a tough time tracking the references to the many, many Eastern mythic systems in the repertoire. The provisionally good news is that Eternity of Shaog is a bit less musically spastic than its predecessor, The Telluric Ashes of the Ö Vrth Immemorial Gods, an even longer record released just last year. Say what you will, Ashtâghul is prolific. On this new record, you get his signature combination of black metal speed and snarl and an ambitiously (that’s the kind word) proggy compositional sense. The transitions this time around are less violent, the riffs are pretty good and plentiful synths build out to lush soundscapes. The musical textures are rich, but the bad vibes dominate. It’s hard to say what malign presences you’ll be summoning into your home if you play this stuff as loud as seems intended. Maybe keep some holy water handy.

Jonathan Shaw

Fire-Toolz — Rainbow Bridge (Hausu Mountain)

Rainbow Bridge by Fire-Toolz

As Fire-Toolz composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Angel Marcloid conjures mosaics from such disparate elements that one wonders how the music hangs together. Yet what at first seems like a chaotic, fractured farrago coalesces into a cohesive picture of her world that simultaneously bewilders and awes. Catholic in source and meticulous in construction Rainbow Bridge is an uncompromising and often stunning dash through Marcloid’s mind. Treated vocals that evoke death metal or JG Thirwell at his most outré, passages of twinkling synth and arena guitar, elements of 1980s Japanese ambient music, fusion jazz and Chiptune slot together like Jenga blocks that wobble but never quite collapse.

Marcloid’s project of musical excavation, reclamation and transformation perhaps mirrors her experience as a non-binary transgender person and the atomization of many tracks on Rainbow Bridge read as a meditation on the contingency of identity and the struggle for place within/outside social constructs that define acceptability and “taste”. On the other hand, sit back, push play and prepare to drift along with the ambient flow then be jolted from reverie by glitch and noise. Much like the world really.

Andrew Forell       

 Jacaszek — Music for Film (Ghostly)

Music for Film by Jacaszek

Music for Film collects the Polish composer Jacaszek’s scores for three movies — the 2019 documentary He Dreams of Giants, the 2008 project Golgota wrocławska and the 2017 film November. Haunted, evocative, disquieting and gorgeous, these ten soundscapes infuse the sounds of electronics, strings and samples with dread. “The Iron Bridge” turns sampled voices and slow throbs of cello into dance with death and memory, while “Liina” picks up eerie vibrations just out of focus, like a camera accidentally recording a ghost. “Dance” hurls electric bolts of tremulous sound—they sizzle with aftertones—then picks out a morose melody in plucked strings. All is dark, subdued, ominous but velvety, sensually smooth. Not having seen the films, I can’t guess the subject matter, but let’s assume there’s no laugh track.

Jennifer Kelly  

 Kontrabassduo Studer-Frey — Zeit (Leo)

Double bassists Peter K Frey and Daniel Studer has spent the better part of the 21st century performing as a duo, but they don’t seem to have felt pressured to rush out a recording documenting their music. This CD includes selections from 2004, 2007, and 2018 that were made at home, in concert, and in the studio. But despite the variety of sources and occasions, this album feels quite cohesive, which is a testament to integrity of their partnership. They rarely play similarly at any given moment, but their contrasting techniques and frequency ranges evince a balance makes even the tracks with contributions by clarinetist Jürg Frey and cellist Alfred Zimmerlin feel like the work of one massive, multi-bodied bass.

Bill Meyer

 Marlin’s Dreaming — Quotidian (Self-Released)

Quotidian by Marlin's Dreaming

The trick of putting soft, flickery voices in front of raging guitars is not a new one, but it’s still worth trying, especially as well as Marlin’s Dreaming does on “Outward Crying.” This sweeping, soaring, but fundamentally introspective tune blasts and blares in a sensitive way, the guitar noise parting like drapes for the singer’s disconsolate confession that he’s leaving this town. The town in question is Auckland, New Zealand, and you can certainly make connections to antipodal fuzz icons, especially the Verlaines. Yet there’s a bit of romantic swoon here in cuts like “Sink or Swim,” which links Marlin’s Dreaming’s diffident lo-fi pop with the baroque gestures of Roxy Music. This is the band’s second album and rather poised given their short history. Marlin’s Dreaming out loud in soft colors and blistering fuzz, and it’s a good one.

Jennifer Kelly

 Christian Rønn & Aram Shelton—Multiring (Astral Spirits)

Multiring by Christian Rønn & Aram Shelton

Some musicians stake their claim within a particular locale, and others tour the world. Alto saxophonist Aram Shelton’s done a bit of both. You could say he’s a serial resident; over the past couple decades he’s been based in Chicago, Oakland, Copenhagen, and now, Budapest. But his recording history lags behind him. His latest release is a cassette recorded in April 2018, and it stands apart from anything he’s done to date. Credit for that lies partly with his choice of partner, Danish keyboardist Christian Rønn. Rønn’s instrument here is a Wurlitzer electric piano, augmented with effects that play up its reverberant qualities, but played without much reference to the way people used to play the thing when it was omnipresent in the 1960s and 1970s. Instead of nailing down a groove, Rønn posts reverberant signposts that Shelton can snake through or lays out undulating surfaces that the saxophonist can sail over. Either way, Shelton plays with a darker and softer tone than has been his wont in the past, casting a pall of eerie foreboding over this gradually evolving music.

Bill Meyer

Snekkestad / Guy / Fernandez — The Swiftest Traveller (Trost)

The Swiftest Traveler by Snekkestad / Guy / Fernandez

Englishman double bassist Barry Guy (b. 1947) has been shuttling between free and composed musical zones for over half a century, longer than the similarly versatile Scandinavian reeds and brass multi-threat Torben Snekkestad (b. 1973) has been alive. Catalan pianist Agusti Fernández (b. 1954) traverses similar terrain. And all three shift fluidly between conventional virtuosity and astutely applied extended techniques. The trio’s rapport is so strong that one supposes that however the album got its title, it wasn’t the result of some musical contest. They’re builders, not destroyers. Still, the rapidity with which these three musicians move from event to event is undeniable. Sparse stasis morphs into quick runs up and down the keyboard; a dense, high-velocity onslaught transforms into intricate, three-part counterpoint. The quickness with which the music changes and the completeness that it expresses from moment to moment make this a very satisfying performance.

Bill Meyer  

 Various Artists — Quilted Flowers: 1940s Albanian & Epirot Recordings from the Balkan Label (Canary Recordings)

Quilted Flowers: 1940s Albanian & Epirot Recordings from the Balkan Label by Canary Records

The word “Balkanized” has the dubious distinction of having acquired extra-regional meaning, to the point where it now signifies a whole divided into smaller, mutually hostile regions. But some of the Balkan musicians who moved to New York City pulled together to play on each other’s gigs and recordings. The Albanian multi-instrumentalist, Ajdan Asllan, who ran the Balkan record label, partnered with musicians from Greece and Bulgaria on both a musical and business level, and kept the company running into the LP age. This collection pulls 11 sides of instrumental and vocal music that originated on his home turf, but if your ears have previously pricked up in response to rural music from Greece or Anatolia, you will want to hear this stuff. A pair of clarinets or a violin usually carry the melodies, sometimes chased by sharp-pitched vocals that spread out in ragged but lusty unison, and always carried by unevenly accented rhythms articulated by vigorously strummed stringed instruments.

Bill Meyer

 Otomo Yoshihide & Chris Pitsiokos — Live in Florence (Astral Spirits)

Live in Florence by Otomo Yoshihide & Chris Pitsiokos

Live in Florence documents a meeting between Otomo Yoshihide on guitar and turntables and Chris Pitsiokos on alto sax and electronics at the Tempo Reale Festival in Florence, Italy. This was the final date of a six-day European tour by the duo, and they’re primed from the first crackled sputters and blasts. The two thrive on these sorts of boundary-crushing forays and their seven short improvisations careen along with frenetic, brawny energy. The two deploy jump-cut pacing and shredded attacks from piercing overtones and feedback to frayed overblown sax and turntable crackle to manically angular reed lines and searing electronic bursts to chafed sax amplifications and thundering rumbles. Even on pieces where they start things out a bit more subdued, the two quickly ratchet up the intensity with torrid, barely-controlled vigor. There’s a slight respite on the sixth piece, with Otomo’s chiming guitar harmonics laying a resonant field for Pitsiokos’s breathy chirps and bent tones but even here, they arc to waves of feedback and skirling reed fusillades by the end. The final piece starts with shattered electronics and spitting reeds and mounts into bellowing din, exploding to the finish of the exhilarating 37-minute set.

Michael Rosenstein

[ober-affen-geil]

There’s something about Roswell that’s truly magic. I’ve been over several elements of it that make it absolutely unique to me in how it handles certain topics and writing techniques, but I have yet to give credit to a specific element that usually flies under the radar, especially on TV. This is a post where I want to talk about the music editing.

Because it is, pardon the pun, out of this world. Not only in the song choices but in the timing over scenes and especially in the lyric placement. There are many, many examples of it in the show (literally every damn episode) and I could spend hours talking about them but for the sake of brevity I will narrow it down to three scenes. 

The scenes I’m going to talk about are ones that I’ve chosen because they use the same song for multiple characters/plot points. There are some really great moments that are more focused (the Echo kiss in 1x09 gets a shoutout because the chorus of “Iris” is literally perfect for that scene) but to me the true genius of the music editing is on display where the choices have to be more versatile in order to have multiple meanings.

*A note before I get started. I’m doing three scenes so in the interest of space I will try to let the lyrics speak for themselves. If you want a more detailed breakdown of why I think specific lines over specific moments are worthy of note, shoot me an ask or a dm!*

The first one I want to talk about is “God of Wine” by Third Eye Blind used at the end of 1x02 over Alex going to talk with Michael and Max going to talk with Cam. (And their respective hookups.) 

This is already a great choice because the song is name-dropped earlier in the episode. (”Fraudulent zodiac” is the lyric Rosa has written on her hand the night she dies, Maria tells Liz in this episode what song it’s from.) The main points are these:

The lyrics under Alex telling Michael that it’s a “problem” for him that Michael still looks at him like a love-struck teenager are “I can't keep it all together/And the siren's song that is your madness/Holds a truth I can't erase/All alone on your face“ (What’s also interesting is that in the lead up to this talk, when Alex is approaching the trailer, the lyrics are “We can’t get back again”)

This is where things get truly inspired. After Michael and Alex go into the trailer, the POV switches regularly between them and Max and Cam.

We go to Max hooking up with Cam in her kitchen with the lyric “And I said no, no, no, no, no”. It goes instrumental for the switch to Michael and Alex, then when it changes back to Max and Cam the lyric is “I can’t keep it all together”. Back to Michael and Alex for the line “I know, I know, I know, I know”, and once more to Max and Cam for another “I can’t keep it all together”.

The final line for Michael and Alex is “And there's a memory of a window/Looking through” while the last lyric for Max and Cam (with only Max’s face fully in view and as the center of the shot) is “I see you/A sadness I can't erase/All alone on your face”.

Subtle. Very subtle.

The second scene is “Can’t Love Me” by Novi (featuring Tyler Blackburn because why not fucking murder us some more huh Tyler) used in 1x12 over Cam telling Max she’s leaving and Alex trying to get Michael out of Caulfield before it blows sky high.

What’s truly extraordinary about this example is that it manages to use one line in the song (repeated naturally as part of the lyric structure) to apply to three different situations. The line is “Yeah, but you can't love me anymore”. (I’ll do a little explaining in this case to help with understanding my reasoning.)

It first plays over when Cam is telling Max she is leaving Roswell after confessing that she has deeper feelings for him than what she let on. Cam can’t love Max anymore because he’s involved with Liz. Max can’t love Cam anymore (platonically) because she’s leaving.

We next hear it when Michael is trying to get Alex to leave without him, trying to convince him that he doesn’t love him and he should stop trying to hold on to the past. Alex can’t love Michael anymore because if he does he will die with him.

The last time we hear it is when Michael and Alex start moving to the exit, leaving the shot as the camera stays on Michael’s mother trapped in her cell. Michael can’t love her anymore because it would get him killed. She can’t love him anymore because she’s going to die.

Motherfucking ouch. They didn’t have to do us like that. But I’m glad they did.

The third and final scene I’m going to touch on is the end of the pilot, with “When the Truth Hunts You Down” by Sam Tinnesz over Michael and Alex’s moment and Max with Liz/Isobel. This one gets extra credit points for not only fucking stellar lyric placement, but also for using the rhythm in the song to emphasize physical moments (mostly in the Alex/Michael part).

First, Michael and Alex. The lines we hear as the camera pans over Alex looking at his teenage self are these: “You can run, but you won't make it far/You can't hide from who you are” We then move to an instrumental section as Michael reveals himself in the doorway and they exchange a few words. 

Subtly, Michael is swaying a little from side to side as he moves closer to Alex and his steps more or less match up with the back beat. Less subtly, on two occasions the movement of Michael’s eyes flicking up to look at Alex is matched with a cymbal flare in the music. And least subtle of all, the lyrics kick back in as they crash together; their lips meet on the first “run” of the line “You can't run, run, run, from the smoking gun” which is exactly where the down beat is. 

Then we switch to Max looking at Liz for the next line “Caught in the crosshairs of the things we've done”. This is the point when Isobel makes her way over to where he is watching Liz dance and they have a cliffhangery conversation about how Liz can “never know about what happened to Rosa.” The rest of the verse plays under Jesse Manes trying to brainwash Kyle and repeats over Max joining Liz on the dance floor. “There's no hiding place, not a secret safe/What is lost will be found”. Until we cut to black and we hear the final line over the end title card: “When the truth hunts you down “.

I mean wow you guys. And these are just three examples. The whole damn show is like this. Is it any wonder all of us fell so hard?

Music is one of those things that can make or break scenes, but it’s lowkey enough that most of us don’t pay attention to it (unless it’s badly done). Like so many other things about the show, Roswell has proved itself to be surprisingly masterful in its use of music. I was floored by it several times throughout the first season and I continue to discover new subtleties as I rewatch. I am so very much looking forward to hearing more as we go into season two; I cannot wait to get murdered on a weekly basis again.

[evie26blog]

Inspirational Artist Links: Performance Art Responses

Electric Stimulus to Face, by Daito Manabe

Manabe’s electric stimulus to the face experiment was really interesting to me. I think that this video demonstrates that although we are all unique, we are all biologically the same. Yes, we vary genetically with different conditions and so on, but our bodies function the same way. Four different people had the electrodes placed in the same spots and each one of their nerves reacted the same way to the stimuli. This point was made even more clear by the way that he synced all four videos perfectly with each other. You can watch all four people have the exact same response to the same stimuli at the same time.

Alter Bahnhof, by Janet Cardiff

When I read this description of this video it got me really excited. It was more anticlimactic than I was expecting and I think that it would be more impactful to experience firsthand. For me, the slow movement through the station failed to grab my interest and I continuously found myself getting distracted. I do believe that the concept is fascinating and I wish that I had the opportunity to experience this piece the way that it was intended to be experienced.

Bike Lanes, by Casey Neistat

I must admit that the first time Neistat ran into the construction equipment I laughed harder than I should have. It wasn’t funny to me because he was possibly injured but because I knew what he was trying to say. If he was going to get a ticket for biking outside of the designated lane when it was unsafe to do so, then he was going to plow through obstacles that were placed in those lanes. His witty, sarcastic response to an unfair ticket was pure gold in my opinion.

Legend & Queen, by Candace Breitz

What really stood out to me about these videos was the different ways that people reacted to the music. You could tell when someone was truly moved by the lyrics and when others couldn’t think of the words but still moved with the rhythm. These videos showed that music affects us all differently while bringing us together at the same time. I especially liked the way that Breitz laid out the videos. By filming thirty people’s individual reactions to the same song and then displaying them all together, the viewer is more inclined to move their focus from the entire group to then each individual over the course of an hour.

Meat Joy, by Carolee Schneemann

This video did not resonate with me at all. I understand that Schneemann’s purpose behind this piece was to fight the social norm at the time but I had a hard time identifying what those norms were. This video is more than twice as old as I am and I think that the older it gets; the more meaning is lost on younger generations. I do think that it would be interesting to watch the video with someone that lived in Paris during that time to see what their reaction would be and maybe gain some insight.

Vanessa Beecroft Interview & VB40, by Vanessa Beecroft

Beecroft’s use of the female figure as an art form is inspiring. She uses a controlled environment to display these women in a way that forces to viewer to appreciate their form. The models aren’t allowed to speak or act in any way and they can only move once tired. Each position of the body is considered art, which I think is beautiful. Beecroft uses mostly nude models to evoke a sense of discomfort in the audience; she wants them to feel unsure of how to approach her work. VB40 resonated with me because it shows these women that are all nude except for red tights and heels. To me, the nude part represented vulnerability but the bold color of the tights and the heels said power. I think that Beecroft was trying to demonstrate a woman’s ability to be both vulnerable and powerful at the same time.

The Astonished, by Bill Viola

This video resonated with me in the sense that it shows that not everyone experiences sadness and grief in the same way. Working as a CVT and helping with euthanasia almost daily, I constantly have to remind myself that everyone goes through these emotions differently. This concept has made me a more understanding person and has helped me to not jump to judgement so easily. I think that this may be the message that Viola is trying to get through to the viewers. Grief and sadness are experienced differently by everyone and there is beauty in that.

Staging, by Maria Hassabi

What resonated with me the most about this video is Hassabi’s use of space and movement. The slow movement of the performers allows the viewer to take in every detail of the body’s movements and how the environment effects the overall piece. In the video, she said that viewers reported feeling either a sense of meditation or tension. I think that for Hassabi, she gets a profound feeling of connection to her surroundings and the people performing with her. While I do appreciate her message behind the performances, I feel that I would be a viewer that experienced tension. Something about watching someone slowly move along on the floor as if no one were around would be unsettling to me.

Talking Tongues, by Lisa Steele

This video was very interesting to watch. I found the subject matter compelling and loved how Steele herself played the role. Domestic abuse is an extremely important issue and Steele’s video brings awareness to the fact that most people don’t want to deal with it. She portrays a woman that has tried multiple times to escape her abusive husband and no matter how many times she reaches out for help, she is always sent back to him. I find this video as a plea to listen to those that come forward and ask for help in these situations because not all of them will be able to share their stories as a survivor as Steele did.

Perimeter of Square, by Bruce Nauman

This video failed to resonate with me. As I watched it, I was having a hard time deciphering what Nauman was trying to get across to the viewer. I actually ended up looking the video up in order to get some insight. Nauman was demonstrating many themes but the ones that I noticed the most were repetition, body awareness and minimalism. He synced his body movements to the tempo of a metronome, which requires awareness of one’s body. I definitely think that Nauman accomplished what he wanted to in this video but it simply failed to pique my interest.

Punk Prayer, by Pussy Riot

The message behind this video resonated with me more than the delivery. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in the conditions that these women described in their song. In this sense, I do believe that it is important to shed light on these issues and to try and make a difference. What did not resonate with me is the fact that they did this within a church. I’m not a very religious person and no longer practice but I was brought up in the Catholic church and still hold a great deal of respect for religion. I found their performance disrespectful but I suspect that the group intended to upset people by choosing a church as their setting.  

Cut Piece, by Yoko Ono

What resonated the most with me about this video was when the woman speaking throughout the video said that either way, whether or not anyone had cut the dress, it would have said something. The message would have been different if no one actually came up and cut Ono’s dress. As time went on, people started to get more comfortable with the idea of cutting pieces of her dress away and therefore people started taking larger pieces off. To me, this is an example of mankind’s herd like tendencies; one person may do something that is considered taboo but when more people follow suit, it becomes an accepted behavior.

Interior Scroll, Carolee Schneemann

This piece was intriguing to me because of Schneemann’s use of the female body. It evokes a sense of great respect for the female body as a place of creation. The photographs that show Schneemann painting herself with mud depict a oneness with nature and recognition that life comes from women. In the photographs where Schneemann is seen slowly pulling a scroll from her vagina, I believe that she is trying to say that women hold a great amount within themselves. There are so many traits that make up a woman: wisdom, strength, empathy, etc. Life on Earth would not exist without us and that is why this series of photos resonated with me.

Bound Mouth & Foot, by Kate Wingard

I really liked Wingard’s message behind this piece. I think that the use of terms that would be hurtful to a person brings awareness to the mental and emotional damage we can do to one another. I especially appreciated the way that she completely removed the word “shame” by literally stomping on it until it was unrecognizable. For me this was a message to squash the negativity that others throw at you and never let it take hold.

Wholesome, by Megan Carnrite

I found this video really interesting. What resonated with me was the idea that life will continuously throw things at us and we handle them the best we can. Whether we successfully handle a situation (swallowing) or if it becomes too much and we let things slide (food falling from Carnrite’s mouth), we are all expected to keep up the appearance that nothing ever phased us. I think that this was a beautiful metaphor for the everyday struggles of life.

Roll of a Woman, by Javid Rezvani

I found this video extremely funny. The viewer’s first reaction is that the woman is talking about sex and they continue this narrative throughout the video; even after the true topic, the fact that women do indeed poop, is revealed. I found that this witty approach could be used for so many aspects of our lives. There are so many different facets of our lives that we may know occur as humans but we never think about it happening in someone else’s life. It’s as if the artist is saying, “hey, we are all more alike than we think. Stop thinking we aren’t”.

How to Earn a Glass of Water, by Dallas Scott

I think that this video showed a great deal of human restraint. Scott demonstrated an amazing amount of willpower to be able to sit under lamps that were probably hot for just under three and a half hours, waiting for a glass of water to melt. Other species would not have demonstrated such restraint and would have left in search of an easier source of water. While I found the video a great example of a human’s will, it did fail to resonate with me on an inspirational level.

Can Knot, by Alexandra Gutierrez

I think that the message that Gutierrez is trying to portray is how we deal with life’s struggles. In most cases, they are not clearly defined as a single issue but rather are intertwined. As we struggle to pull them apart, we may attempt to put the others to the side in order to focus on one issue. This may work for awhile but eventually we’ll pull on something that pulls everything else to the surface and we are met with another knotted mess of problems. This video resonated with me because it resembled how I have dealt with issues in my past and I think that many people have experienced this as well.

[aurora-daily]

A Beautiful Soul

Interview by Katharina Weiß for myp-magazine (August 19th, 2019).

Norwegian music artist Aurora jumped out of a natural fairytale into our urban world to spread her message of connectedness and love—in a unique and utterly beautiful way.

When Norwegian music artist Aurora Aksnes published her debut album, “All My Demons Greeting Me As Friends,” in 2016, the success was kind of overwhelming. From one day to another, her music has caught the eye of outsiders, light beings, nonbinary people and even mainstream audiences. The result: endless tours and TV appearances.

More noteworthy, however, are the encounters with her fans, who entrust everything to Aurora, bring her gifts wherever she is—from mobile phones to dead insects. In no time, she has been gathering “warriors and weirdos” around her and became a projection screen for so much.

With her third album, “A Different Kind Of Human – Step 2,” Aurora wants to empower every listener for the world we’re living in. Compared to her second record, “Infections Of A Different Kind – Step 1,” the sound became louder, more demanding, and more upright. While the melodies seem more carefree and pleasing, Aurora’s lyrics couldn’t be more pointed: She precisely describes us, our soul life and the way we treat ourselves.

Consuming that album is no less than looking in a mirror while being fully embraced. And meeting Aurora personally is an unusual experience: Her voice is as soft as a mountain spring and her sentences are as light as a natural drug trip. Let’s immerse in the thoughts of this beautiful soul!

"Humans are so diverse, but the world has forgotten that we have to embrace more than one kind.”

Katharina: In the past, you stated that your songs are “more a story of the world’s experiences”—rather than your own. What feelings are attached to that quote?

Aurora: It’s a very emotional world. But it’s not really made for humans like us, for quiet people and weird people. Humans are so diverse, but the world has forgotten that we have to embrace more than one kind. My musical world wants to be a safe place for people where everything is allowed, where you can just exist and be accepted.

“I feel that my followers and I are very equal and full of light.”

Katharina: You have a very strong community of passionate listeners who bring up a lot of personal stories in their comments and posts regarding you. How have you created this followership of “weirdos and warriors?”

Aurora: I did not create anything. It just happened. They did it themselves. I don’t know how we became so many. But now we are this big army of love. I think I try to speak to all of them at the same time and I meet many of them in person. And at my shows, I actually feel them emotionally through their energy. I try to signal them that I want every single one of them to be here with me for experiencing this exact moment, as perfect as it is. I think they know that I appreciate them. It’s magical: We have a very loving relationship. They understand when I am tired, and they respect it. I feel that my followers and I are very equal and full of light.

“It is easier to love yourself when you realize how important you are—and that you have a lot to do in this world.”

Katharina: We always read about people telling us to love ourselves, now it‘s you—but how can we deal with it when we’re failing that task?

Aurora: Failing is good. To embrace that is a very good approach for falling in love with the people around you as well: We are all kind of failures in the process of learning to love ourselves the way we really are. And this unites us. If you just imagine being old and lying on your deathbed, having spent your whole life trying to love yourself—that’s a bit sad, isn’t it? A human life is quite long these days and we have a lot of time to learn about. What can we change and what can we not change? But the most important thing is to learn acceptance. If you are not the way you hoped to be, you are the way you are anyway—don’t waste your valuable energy, spend it on beautiful things! It is easier to love yourself when you realize how important you are—and that you have a lot to do in this world.

"I am very excited for humankind to make itself proud again."

Katharina: You draw major inspiration from nature, so it is no wonder that you also speak up against environmental cruelty. Would you consider yourself an environmental activist?

Aurora: Absolutely. It is the responsibility of all of us to fix what the people before us have damaged—because they did not know what we know now. We have claimed that we are the most intelligent species on the planet. So it’s about time that we act that way. I am very excited for humankind to make itself proud again.

"If you have love in you, you need to share it.”

Katharina: You sound very passionate now. What else makes you so passionate?

Aurora: I am a very thirsty person. Among the many things that make me passionate, making music is the biggest one. When I am in this process, it feels like making love with something divine. Another important topic: respect. To treat all living things equal. No matter of gender or species. And of course: love. If you have love in you, you need to share it. And you should be allowed and proud to do so. We wasted so many years on establishing that only same-sex love is ok. But this worldview will lose in the end.

“When I was little, I was very inwards. I noticed people’s pain and when they tried to hide stories and vulnerability.”

Katharina: How can we imagine your upbringing? Was your environment always so politically aware?

Aurora: When I was little, I was very inwards. I noticed people’s pain and when they tried to hide stories and vulnerability. And I was always interested in the most intimate and personal emotions, especially my own. But I started looking outwards just after I finished my first album, “All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend.” That was when I realized how big the world is. And that there is so much to support. There are issues beyond self-care that we have to fight for. And we have to hold on to our victories. Because some time a man or woman will gain power again and use it to make love and self-empowerment illegal again.

“Growing up in the forest makes you a philosopher."

Katharina: Very true. But back to the first part of the question: How did your childhood look like?

Aurora: I grew up in a very small town. I lived in a fjord. When you translate it, it is called “the fjord of light.” Sounds like a fairytale place, I know. I grew up there with my two sisters and my mum and dad. And we had many cats, they were all grey. We moved there when I was three and for me, it was a true gift. For my older sisters, it must have been a really difficult experience to change all their surroundings, but for me, it was just beautiful. Your eyes can linger and travel over the sea and the mountains when you look out of the window. And behind the house, there was a big forest. I used to play there every day until a big bell next to the house was rang by my parents to tell me that diner was ready. Growing up in the forest makes you a philosopher.

Katharina: Let’s take the time for a philosophical game then. All my next questions are about “last times” in your life. First question: When was the last time you got surprised?

Aurora: I did get surprised when we landed in Oslo recently. It was about packing your suitcase. I opened it and realized: I just packed things that looked good, colorwise. But when I unpacked it, I recognized that I have nothing useful with me. So I had to buy some new panties.

“One night I wrote a song in my dreams.”

Katharina: When was the last time you remembered a dream very well?

Aurora: This morning. I used to have a dream journal and I remember my dreams very well. One night I wrote a song in my dreams. It was the title track from my album “Infections Of A Different Kind – Step 1.” I woke up in the middle of the night and went down to my piano. I pushed the record button on my phone and played the melody. And then I went to bed again.

Katharina: When was the last time you experienced pleasure?

Aurora: This morning. When I masturbated in the hotel room.

Katharina: When was the last time you had to say goodbye to someone—or something?

Aurora: I am often traveling with my sisters. One of them is in town with me right now, but we had to say goodbye to the other one two days ago. It is always sad, even though we are only separated for a little while.

“My supporters are really attracted to me because they resonate with what I say.”

Katharina: When was the last time a listener of your music—I don’t like the word fan—really touched you?

Aurora: I feel this way too, fan sounds so cocky. I have a big issue with it. It is not a fair word to these amazing people. Maybe we can use supporter instead? My supporters are really attracted to me because they resonate with what I say. We are similar people in some ways. Many of them are extremely artistic. Sometimes when I meet a person, they are too excited to talk to me. They can’t say anything. We all know that struggle. But they give me their letters and their words are so poetic and creative. And often I am taken aback when reading it, just thinking: What a beautiful soul!

[btvs]

Pop Queens of Heartbreak: Deconstructing Why Marina Diamandis and Lana Del Rey Are Often Compared to Each Other

Fans of one artist are often fans of another who has a similar style. Usually, these two artists hate being compared with each other and claim to be individual. Marina Diamandis and Lana Del Rey are an unusual case of this, because they became friends after so many fans wanted them to collaborate. People somehow think Marina and Lana are the exact same style since they share a large group of fans. Marina Diamandis and Lana Del Rey are widely seen as synonymous, and while they do have a lot in common, they are both individuals who have unique and distinct styles.

Marina Diamandis and Lana Del Rey are both pop music - but they are on opposite ends of the pop genre. Lana Del Rey is seen as a pop artist, but she has a lot of rock influences in her instrumentals. Her style, mostly during and after the Ultraviolence era, resembles the voice and instrumentals of Stevie Nicks, the deep lyrics and tone of Fiona Apple, and some elements of 60s-70s psychedelic rock. Her music seems like what old movies would sound like in music form. She has been described as indie “sad-core”, and her music hits hard. Generally, Lana sings about men, money, and drugs. However, her lyrics are anything but superficial and they go along with the beautifully melancholy theme of her music. She is extremely introspective and intellectual, and she has a sardonic view of the world which is reflected in her choice of words. Somehow, Lana manages to both be pessimistic and transport the listener to a different place where everything is dreamy. Unlike Lana’s music, Marina’s music is generally under the categories of dance and bubblegum pop. Her music is simultaneously existential and upbeat. While she does have some slow songs, she never strays from the pop genre. Electra Heart is specifically her most bubblegum pop album because it goes along with her theme of the American Dream and contrasts starkly with her somber lyrics. Although these artists have differences style-wise, they use their voices in a similar way. They challenge the norm of radio pop music with their alternative pop production but do it in different ways.

Lana and Marina are both interested in psychology and philosophy, so their music is deep and their lyrics make you think. Marina has multiple songs about social issues. A specific example is the track “Savages” from her album Froot, which she wrote after the Boston Marathon bombing. It discusses villainous human traits and contains lyrics concerning rape and murder: “We live, we die, we steal, we kill, we lie / Just like animals, but with far less grace.” Another song in which Marina expresses her opinion about society is the song “Sex Yeah”. “Sex Yeah” focuses on the topic of feminism and how women are treated in the media. She describes her personal experience with how society has treated her as a female pop artist: “If history could set you free from who you were supposed to be / If sex in our society didn’t tell a girl who she would be / Cause all my life I’ve tried to fight what history has given me.” The album in which “Sex Yeah” is a part of is called Electra Heart. It is a concept album and project that is based around a character that Marina created, Electra Heart, to express different personalities: the housewife, the homewrecker, the beauty queen, and the teen “idle”. Each of the songs on this album correlates with one of those personalities. The album and project as a whole guide the listener through an experience of Electra’s life as she struggles with identity issues, depression, and challenging society. Lana Del Rey also has many personas she displays through her music, but it is caused by her changing personality and not from a character she created. Her first album, Born To Die, presented a young, plucky-yet-depressed teen persona. Her next album, Ultraviolence, was the epitome of a cynical look on unhealthy relationships. Her two following albums, Honeymoon and Lust For Life, display a woman who is more satisfied with life. Lana Del Rey has subtle references to psychology in her music, most of which are more philosophical. The first reference I noticed was in her song “She’s Not Me (Ride Or Die)”, where she sings, “Remember, I’m the ghost in your machine.” I was curious as to what that meant, so I immediately looked it up. The concept of “ghost in a machine” references the philosopher Gilbert Ryle, and is described as “the consciousness or mind carried in a physical entity.” After listening to Lana’s music over and over I picked up on other psychology and philosophy-related commentary. Her way of talking about it is through poetry, unlike Marina who directly discusses society.

Marina Diamandis and Lana Del Rey both cite many inspirations for their music. Marina Diamandis’s Electra Heart was heavily inspired by Cindy Sherman and her different personalities that she portrays in her photography. Electra tries on all of those personalities to try and find her true self - but she does not have a real identity. The album was also influenced by the ideas of the American Dream, much like her previous record, The Family Jewels, which is themed around Marina’s desire for success. Marina has described the Electra Heart character as the “goth Britney Spears.” Marina also gathered inspiration from Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, her parents’ music tastes, and 90s pop. Marina took a psychology class while writing her newest two-part album, LOVE + FEAR. She created a Tumblr page, marinabook, on which she posted her life updates and opinions on topics. One particular topic she discusses is how society views being alone. She references other sources on this website as well. Just from observation, it is clear that Marina talking about her life, psychology, and reading books influenced her recent album. Lana Del Rey’s inspiration comes mostly from older sources; she usually references old artists, poetry, and films. It goes along with her style as a poet. For example, one of her interludes consists of Lana reciting a poem by T. S. Eliot. Both Lana and Marina’s inspirations are heavily portrayed in their own art. It is clear that they look up to their idols.

Many people who are fans of Marina Diamandis are also fans of Lana del Rey because they categorize them as the same genre when in reality it is more complicated than that. They have similar ways they approach the pop genre, the way they honor their idols, and their favorite topics to write and sing about. Within these categories, though, they have many differences. It is reasonable to compare two artists, but it is necessary to notice their distinctions as well.

[moonsandmelodies]

A Gothic Top 5

As The Banshees were my biggest gateway into my music obsession, I’ve had a fascination for gothic themes for many years now. As picky as I get with the goth rock/darkwave scenes, they generated and influenced several of my all-time favorite albums. To coincide with this Halloween, I’ve decided to look back on five of my most formative gothic, autumnal and/or 'spooky' favorites.

This is more about representing than building an exact top-5, so check out this related list and my Halloween mixes if you want more.

Lene Lovich - Shadows And Dust, 2005

Lene Lovich is new wave’s wacky witch of the west. Anyone familiar with her distinctive polka-dotted voice will know this already. Shadows And Dust is the lesser-known piece to the puzzle. Despite coming fifteen years after March, Lene sounds more witchy than ever. She tributes the Wicked One herself with all the right gleeful camp on track 9.

Mixing non-forced cabaret drama with speculative themes, SAD is a goth-pop wonderland. SAD plays like a natural step from where she left off, unfazed by time. It never lacks a new trick to show off, be it wispy synth bells (“Ghost Story”), viking-like backing vocals, a grim synth-string intro (“Remember”) or an elaborate Dracula narrative (“Insect Eater”). To top this off, every song has a bouncy hook to get you nodding along. Altogether, it brings me back to Siouxsie's Peepshow. With a bold sing-along and mutant arrangement, “Shapeshifter” makes a worthy “Peek-A-Boo” sequel. And this is coming from a fanatic!

Lene sings like she's stirring a cauldron. Her voice wears a bit on louder sections, but I love her enthusiasm. Her wild-but-warm spirit hasn’t faded a bit, and her deeper, richer tone matches her themes. The sheer thrill she takes in voicing Reinfield on "Insect Eater" is nearly contagious. Sweeter moments like "Remember" show her knack for tender romance isn't gone either.

Even beyond her ‘prime’, Lene had so much more to offer than “Lucky Number”. SAD is a major reason why; the limited release has me wishing more fans got to hear it.

Grimes - Halfaxa, 2010

In a Simpler Time (tm) before dating billionaires and romanticizing climate change with anime, Claire Boucher packed fresh creative instincts into a computer. On oft-ridiculed Halfaxa, she channeled cathedrals and haunted medieval heirlooms from what many critics dismiss as the lowest dregs in music-making: Garageband. Albums like this tell me they're wrong.

These technical limits and her isolation at the time informed these songs to unique results. Like many albums in this formative time for bedroom e-music, she’s alone with her thoughts here. Like any creative mind, I can lose myself in these thoughts. Naturally, the songs create unique emotional portraits, both vague and pointed. “Devon”, for one, is a raw, rejected love song all the way, but with other highlights like ”Dream Fortress”, I detect so many different feelings at once. It's sad nostalgia for that once-beautiful abandoned heirloom one minute and ghostly horror the next.

Halfaxa is a mind, a universe and a huge antique house. It thrives in surrealism and history’s shadows, but as other reviews stated before, you find human feelings inside. Her devotion to Mariah Carey helped; she stated Halfaxa was her attempt to capture the spacious, haunting effects of group church singing. I know well these vocals can be a bit much with the echoes and caterwauls everywhere, but I would argue the cowgirl-punk approach on Art Angels has it’s own acquired taste.

Halfaxa is ethereal wave’s digital-age niece; any fan should try it.

Bauhaus - The Sky's Gone Out, 1982

Bauhaus’ messiness was the main reason I was a ‘casual fan’ rather than worshipper. With that said, Sky’s Gone Out struck me as a thrilling mess if anything. Beyond “Exquisite Corpse”, the songs don’t lose their footing in shouty jam-outs. They had more ambitious ideas and the experience to pull them off by now. They were maturing from the faux-edgy rambling that filled their debut.

Sky’s Gone Out stands out further as the one Bauhaus album where they could pull a true ‘scare’ on me. For all the hammy drama leftover from Mask, this album allows itself to build a stronger atmosphere, one that belongs in bizarre nightmares out of an arthouse film. Sky’s Gone Out has it’s own black-and-white, surrealist world like the cover art.

Complete with piano and sax from a haunted house, “Spirit” isn’t punk as much as a wild, dancing chorus of ghosts. The "Three Shadows” trio is a journey in itself, going from quiet goth-tar disturbance to an underworld's fairground waltz.

Despite everything, the album ends on a quiet, solemn note with “All We Ever Wanted”. It’s the gentlest song to the Bauhaus name. >Peter’s fittingly spectral highs toward the end whirled around my head for years. Fun as songs like “Spirit” and “Bela Lugosi” get, it makes me wish Peter Murphy showed this vulnerable side more often.

Cocteau Twins - Head Over Heels, 1983

Head Over Heels takes place in the mountains and towering caves of your mind. As the first ’normal’ Cocteau album, this invented ethereal wave as we know it and pioneered the 4AD sound. I’d argue shoegaze’s whole color-wash approach began around here too.

HOH is a thrilling display for Cocteau's leftover goth roots in the more elemental context that would become their trademark. Liz Fraser’s voice settles a bit, sounding freer than ever as she belts, quivers and hums with equal strength. Her usual non-lyrics add to the enigma but her tone posesses incredible warmth and nobility here. The boldness in her delivery is surprising knowing her famous self-deprecation.

The spacious fuzz-guitar draws curiosity but insists to lurk in shadows. It’s a long, long gaze into said caves, where water drips quietly and huge sun rays peer inside. This is the moody, bewitching edge of nature in it’s full glory. It can be “Sugar Hiccup”’s candyland dream sequence or an intimidating divine beast emerging from it’s lair. What never fails to cast a spell on me is “Tinderbox Of A Heart”, a tie with “Fifty Fifty Clown” for my favorite CT song. it works like a travelogue for HOH’s world, where this mountain-cave turns out huge from the outside and all you can do is glare in awe.

Siouxsie And The Banshees - Peepshow, 1988

As the 33 1/3 book stresses, Peepshow emphasized SATB's art-film interests. At this point, they were more a 'goth pop' group. Far from Juju's raw impact, then, but resuming the moody elegance that graced Dreamhouse and Tinderbox. For each goth-tar you have ”Carousel”’s haunted circus organ, "Rhapsody"s chilly strings and "Peek-A-Boo"'s reversed tango.

Martin McCarrick is the one who took the Banshees (further) beyond rock. Adding cello, accordion and other new flavors, he's one of their most unique members. The result is the band's last goth album, being a few years before "Kiss Them For Me". As if predicting this change, they went all-out with it. Peepshow has all the thrill, variety and surrealism to remind you why this band was so vital to the goth scene. Q gave this apt summary: 'Peepshow takes place in some distorted fairground of the mind where weird and wonderful shapes loom’. In a parallel to Goldfrapp's debut made in a cottage, they recorded these songs in a 17th century mansion. It's the kind of album that puts modern dark cabaret and Hot Topic rock to shame.

Siouxsie sounds like the suave and secretive ringleader in a freakshow. Songs like “Scarecrow” and “Rhapsody” showcase her refining flair for drama. As a whole, Peepshow finds this band at a special middle ground. Yet to hit the Top 40 with “Kiss Them For Me” but on their way, with their middle era's adventurous spirits intact.

[theflenser]

Street Sects interview with Ad Libitum.

A interview with Street Sects, originally published in Polish in the Ad Libitum zine.

Interviewer: Lidia Kowalski

1) In one interview, you stated that Rat Jacket was kind of "transition point" for you. Was it only in musical kind of meaning or was it also concerning lyrical content? What kind of "topics" will be brought up on the newest album?

Leo Ashline - Mostly it was a musical transition point. I tend to approach lyric writing from a song to song basis, depending on how the music that Shaun sends me makes me feel at the time. Shaun was introducing a lot of melody on that EP, twitching guitars, slightly more patient structuring, and some really sad, melancholy synth work, so the words reflect those things. Lyrically, the thematic connective tissues of Rat Jacket are trust, betrayal, and regret. It differed from End Position in that it was less hateful and nihilistic, albeit only slightly.

On The Kicking Mule there are a lot of different themes at play. The record is more of a collection of vignettes than it is any kind of concept record. A lot of the songs are incredibly personal. “Birch Meadows, 1991” is about my parents divorce, and “Everyone’s at Home Eventually” deals in part with my love/hate relationship with alcohol, and how it has always been first and foremost a symptom of my fear and anxiety. Other songs, like “Chasing the Vig” and “The Drifter” are my feelings and experiences filtered through my love for crime noir writing, much like “Featherweight Hate” was on End Position.

2) Firstly, you have been working on making your project into a "total aesthetics" one. What exactly does it mean, what does it involve? And is it possible that one day it will go beyond simply music and visuals?

LA - An old friend of mine impressed this idea upon me about a decade or so ago. To me it means having all of the facets of your work (the music, the visuals, the words, the live performance, etc) coalesce into a unified or singular aesthetic. I think our work as a whole speaks pretty clearly to that intent. And yes, I do think it can and (hopefully) will seep into other mediums. Time will tell.

3) Concerning the visuals - on almost all of the covers of your releases, a silhouette of woman which (imo) symbolises death, can be seen. Does her presence mean simplz that death, or a thought of it, is present through full duration of your life, or does her symbolical role differ? What's your view on that?

LA – Death, or “Lizzy”, as we call her, represents different things in different images. In the original Gentrification seven inches, she represented the culture, the color that gets pushed out and washed over when a neighborhood is gentrified. People want to destroy what they are afraid of. People are afraid of what they don’t understand. Death, like diversity, scares certain people. Lizzy was beautiful, and look what you did to her. Now you can drink your fucking pour over coffees and your fifteen dollar craft cocktails in clean, vanilla scented, color-free comfort. Happy?

In other images, she is the voyeur. She is watching, waiting, refusing to participate or interfere because she knows better. She knows how it’s going to end, one way or another, so she may as well sit back and enjoy the show. In other images she is the chauffer, our guide from here to there. In those instances I’d like to think that she represents hope, optimism, and a chance at finding something more meaningful than what we have allotted ourselves this time around.

4) You have once told about that there were periods in your life, where your only motivation to get up was music you got to make. Has making music had a cathrarctic, self-therapic role for you? Or maybe it played a part and made you see anything else in life worth living for only a bit?

LA - I think maybe a bit of both. Focusing so intently upon negative energy can be therapeutic in that the negativity can, on a good day, become something purposeful. It can be a tool to be utilized rather than a weight or a burden. And yes, certainly touring, meeting people, being fortunate enough to see your work have an effect on others, all of that can be incredibly rewarding. It can sometimes help to restore that lack of faith in the whole thing. But most of the time, unfortunately, it isn’t enough. You reach down and try to dig for that feeling, and it just isn’t there. Shaun and I do what we can to keep pushing each other forward, and I think that we are fortunate to have that dynamic. I see a lot of people, artists, who struggle to make it on their own, and it’s such an uphill battle. Trying to dodge depression, rejection, self-doubt, and a constant lack of encouragement all while pushing yourself creatively can quickly become a bleak and impossibly lonely road. It’s hard to blame people for wanting to walk away from that.

5) Well, it is obvious becouse of your experiences and feelings, but in your music you often display the darkest, most ugly side of live. You had your fair share of really awful times, but here comes the question: what, do you think, has the most power to destroy a human: his surroundings or him alone?

LA - That’s a pretty big question, and honestly I don’t think I’m really qualified to answer that, at least not in any kind of broad sense. Speaking for myself, I blame the majority of my hardships, past and present, on my own poor decisions. I’ve had a lot of opportunity, and I have wasted almost all of it. Now I’m playing catch up, and I’m still paying for a lot of those mistakes. I used to move around a lot, different cities…different states. Wherever I went I kept fucking up. I don’t think my surroundings had much to do with it.

6) There are a lot of people in the world that live in their safe world, completely unaware of what can be happening three steps from their home, completely unaware of how depression feels. Do you see "consciousness" as a value? Would you rather be totally blind, but happy?

Shaun Ringsmuth:  Consciousness is something I've had to teach myself to value. Of course, the mind records what's happening whether you appreciate it or not, but it might be to one's advantage to find a place of calm before blowing one's brains out, or worse having one's brains blasted by another person. Violence like that, either way, always scares me, because of how little value is placed on the moments, whether it's sentiment between two people or the greatest speech ever being spoken--it all seemingly becomes a waste staring at the barrel of a gun. On this topic, I would recommend Viktor Frankle's book Man's Search for Meaning. It is with great luck that tragedy doesn't happen to a person, and of course that begs the questions of how to live, why, and what for. Arguably it is better to try to live with purpose, and if that purpose is found to then not diminish it with negative self-talk, or rot away on drugs and alcohol, and to not take out on other people one's personal sense of injustice. With the creation of art, a sense of purpose can be easily associated, because it is often self-created and comes from a place of inner truth. Even in collaboration, like with me and Leo in Street Sects, we share what we can, go our separate way for a while, and then come back with we've found. Sometimes this is a song, or a new image, or a lyric, but whatever it is the aim of these created things is to give time--time being the only thing we ever really own--a story, a way of relating the human experience, which with any luck gets passed on long after we're dead. However, to get back to your question, is it better to be totally blind but happy: that's not for anyone else to say but yourself. You have to step away from your everyday reality for a number of minutes and ask yourself, Is this who I am, is this what I want? And then change the "why" to the "how"--as in, not "why am I doing this," but "how am I going to do this."

LA - Do I see a consciousness as a value? I can’t imagine any artist or musician answering “no” to that question. If I was “totally blind, but happy” I don’t think I would have much use for art or music as a creative outlet, because I doubt that I would have anything interesting to say. Pain and despair, like death and diversity, are a part of life.

7) On "The Defence of Resentment", you start by listing some of the fears you have. However, is there any  particular fear that is close to you the most, that haunts you, if I can say it this way, "personally"?


LA - My biggest fear is the fear of being a failure, of having wasted my life. To reach the end and have to own up to the fact that I could have done so much more, that I could have tried harder, done better. The potentiality of that kind of regret is terrifying.

8) In one interview, you said that being sincere while writing lyrics isn't enough, it is also a matter of finding a unique perspective. In what way you see your perspective as unique?

LA: Everyone’s perspective is unique, not just mine. However, not everyone is able to communicate their perspectives in a way that does justice to their particular experience. Art takes form, and we look to preexisting forms as influences and guideposts for our own work. Even the most abstract artists are often hard-pressed to outrun the shadows of artists who came before them. With my writing I try to focus on expressions of sincerity and honesty, and try to couch those expressions in a form that appeals to my inner critic. I don’t want anything that I write to have the stink of familiarity or nostalgia. It has to be clear that there was an effort made to approach the work from a fresh perspective. Whether I’m successful in that or not is not really for me to say, but the effort is there.

9) Do you think that we, as a human kind, have a tendency to run away from thing we'd be better off not knowing? What we escape most frequently in modern world?


SR: Some of us, yes. I've known and admired people in my life who have preferred truth in every instance. I was not one of those people. I wanted escapism and fantasy, some of which was self-destructive. Not wanting reality exactly as it is can also lead to creativity: novels, movies, music, paintings, architecture. Attempting to see reality as it is, and attempting to see reality as better than it is--these are worthy pursuits. Lately, I'm finding what's most important from day to day is knowing exactly what one thinks and feels, followed by deliberate action. Like, really stopping all movement and asking what's going on. It's the only way to care for oneself and for others. It is worth taking the time to breathe deeply, look around, and be in that very moment of reality, because that's the best chance to really see and to create. This is easier said than done, of course, because one wakes up and all the shit from yesteryear is right there, and nothing seems good enough and nobody is kind. Everyday one has to make a choice of how to live.

10) On "Rat Jacket", I can feel a distinction, yet a weird relationship between abrasive mechanisation and a "human side" to this music (by which I mean post-industrial melodic hooks). Do you think that the same kind of connection between pure human soul and that what is cold and obcure can be found?

SR:  Yes! Though, I would add that every Street Sects recording has attempted this connection between warm human melody and cold machine sounds. Humans have the gift (and burden) of being self-aware, unlike other animals, and with that comes the urge to name, to conceptualize, to make meaning where there seemingly isn't one. It's how people come to such wildly different interpretations over pieces of abstract art. The less a piece is controlled by labels the more room a person's mind has to dream. Even if something begins with a narrative or directive, it can take a turn for the surreal and then allow more headroom for the spectator. We see this in Ingmar Bergman's films. We see this in John Barth's novels. We feel this in Harold Budd's music. Any abstraction of course does ask participation of the listener/viewer, and not everyone wants that experience. Sometimes all we want is escape. Creating these things can get complicated, but it doesn't have to be a single extreme choice, thus the use of melody or a relatable narrative coursing through abstract imagery.

On "In Prison, at Least I Had You" I wrote a fairly abstract intro. Originally it was supposed to go toward a split release with the Cincinnati band Curse. Some

of their songs have slow, doomish metal-inspired parts, so I wrote what I thought would complement that. When the song starts, it's all bits of sound, total collage work, which eventually flows into what I hoped would be doomish metal tempo, followed by the main portion of the song itself. The final version you hear on Rat Jacket didn't come out as I intended, at least the intro part before the wind-up sound that kicks off the song, but I spent a lot of time on that intro collage part, really feeling out those sounds, connecting them, making sure they had the right rhythm in the mix. The intention of that song in particular serves the human/machine dynamic, I think.

11) During the times of "Gentrification" you said that you don't exactly write lyrics, but rather do some kind of stream of consciousness resolved around central topic. Are you still working like that?

LA: No. With the Gentrifiction singles there were these pieces of micro-fiction that I had written to accompany the records, these sort of journals from characters who were caught in the crossfire of social displacement. Those pieces were the core of the writing, and the “lyrics” were more guttural abstractions of those pieces. Since End Position, my approach to lyric writing has been more traditional and meticulous.

12) Also, many times when you were asked about your process of creation, you mentioned talking with each other a lot about it. What were those conversations about? I don't mean to dwell to deep, just the general.

SR: Leo and I don't sit down and work out songs on instruments together. We tend to talk through the parts, and later I work them out in the instrumentation. This is why I sometimes only write a snippet of a song, maybe one minute or two. I'll send it over to him to think about, and he'll often listen to the pieces in his van. The conversations, on the whole, cover a long period of time in our friendship, to my mind, because he and I have been talking about music since we first met in 2002. Sometimes in talking about a current thing we're working on, we'll reference a ten-year-old conversion about a band or song. It breathes new life into old ideas.

13) This question can be a bit personal, and even if your music and lyrics are generally confessional, I'll understand if you don't answer. What's you experience with the spiral of self-hate? What makes it worse and harder to escape (if it is possible at all)? How do you experience it, can you desribe in your own, abstract way?

LA: I don’t mind answering. My relationship with self-hate probably began around the time my parents got divorced, in 1991. I put on a lot of weight and it made my life harder in terms of school, peers, and my interest in the opposite sex. I have struggled with having a negative body image my entire life, and it has greatly effected my self esteem, my confidence, and my overall mental health. These issues in turn led to eating disorders, isolating myself from other people, and self medicating with alcohol and drugs. The chemical dependencies then in turn created a maelstrom of other problems, culminating in extreme and obsessive self destructive thoughts and behavior. Fixation on suicide as a solution, which is still a huge part of my mental framework, unfortunately. I feel like I have been trying to work backwards through these problems for a long time now, but the root problems are still there. Getting off drugs and alcohol was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the mountain of work I still have in front of me. What makes it worse is inertia. Sitting around. Not doing anything. I have to keep busy with the band. I don’t go to therapy, and I stopped attending (AA) meetings years ago. Street Sects is the only real cure I have found. I don’t know what I would do without it.

14) This will be less of a question and more of a confirmation (or denial) of my predictions. On your lyrics to "In Prison, At Least I Had You", there is a fragment that says "I'm holding the same position". Is it reffering to title of your debut LP, "End

Position"?

LA: Yep. Nice catch!

15) And finally. How are you feeling these days? Is life quite OK? I wish you the best, honestly.

SR: I am now almost two years sober, so my feeling about things in general is one of hope. Without sounding corny here, I really want to live with passion, put all the ideas into the music, and try to connect with people along the way. When I drank, i drank to black out and forget myself, and I lived that way from about 14 to 32 years of age. There was so much self-loathing, trepidation, anxiety in my life. I was afraid of everything. These days I try not to take anybody or anything for granted. I let people know that I love them and that they are loved, which is something I couldn't do pretty much my whole life. I'm grateful that I'm still making music with my best friend, Leo, and I truly believe our best work is still to come.

Thank you, Lidia, for listening and looking into our music, and for taking the time to interview us.

LA: I’d be lying if I said that I feel good more often than not. Staying positive is a constant struggle. But I have a lot to be grateful for, most of all this band and my friendship with Shaun. I’m also extremely grateful for my mother, who helped me get sober, for the small handful of friends I have, and for everyone who has ever supported Street Sects in any way. Thanks for the interview, Lidia. Sorry it took us so long to get these answers back to you.

[aworldoforange]

Singular Act 2 Album Review

Here is my track by track review of Singular Act 2 by Sabrina Carpenter. (idk who’s interested but I’m doing this because I want to lol). I will be ranking each song out of 10 points, Feel free to tag this or comment with your fave tracks if you have heard the album.

In My Bed (10/10): A mellow but moving opener to the album. The song explores the emotions you feel when you overthink something or are overly anxious and it makes you want to stay in your bed or mentally be in bed and not deal with it. The song’s tempo starts slow then slowly increases into a steady rhythm that perfectly fits the moody self-reflective vibe of the song. The lyrics are very relatable anyone doubting themselves or struggling to balance their emotions to get what they want or need. I definitely recommend this track to anyone who asks I think everyone will be able to relate to it in a way.

Pushing 20 (9/10): An upbeat bouncy beat that stays steady with the no-nonsense confident and impatient lyrics regarding someone who is wasting Sabrina’s time and not taking her seriously despite being on the verge of adulthood. Despite the song referring to turning 20, anyone can relate to this song in terms of getting rid of the people in your life who waste your time and don’t give you anything but frustration, The lyrics are sassy and fun with the chorus being chanty and easy to remember so don’t be surprised if it gets stuck in your head.

I Can’t Stop Me ft. Saweetie (8.5./10): A trap inflected anthem about liking what you like and not being ashamed of it no matter what anyone says despite you knowing it may not be the best thing for you.The mixed message and Saweetie’s adlibs cutting off Sabrina’s vocals may make this track offputting on its first listen but it may just be a grower as it took me three listens to get into it. Saweetie’s verse exudes her confidence that comes across as far more mature than Sabrina’s lyricwise but contributes to the powerhouse atmosphere of the song in a way that works solidly. 

I’m Fakin (10/10): This self-confronting song has light hearted breezy slightly tropical production that may hide the true subject matter of the song. Sabrina admits that despite the issues she is having in a relationship she never truly intends on leaving and only says it seem like she has the upper hand when she really wants to stay. For me this song is the easiest to bop along because of its airy yet swift beat that gives this song a pleasant moment that offsets the lyrics that may be taken more seriously with different production and give the song a different vibe. The chorus is a real earworm that may bounce around in your head for a while but you may not mind it at all. 

Take Off All Your Cool: (9/10): This song about liking a person when they act like themselves and not try to put on a facade comes with a unique building production that seems to lead to heavy beat drop but pleasantly surprises you with a chill beat drop that reminds me of the sound of a water droplet dropping into a puddle of water. It feels refreshing after the heated and commanding vocal delivery Sabrina displays in the prechorus that gives the song a romantic and summery vibe. 

Tell Em: (10/10): Tell Em is a sensual and romantic song that is the musical equivalent of a warm embrace. The production may be reminiscent of the R&B influenced songs from Ariana Grande’s sweetener or maybe even thank u next. However, Sabrina offers hushed and intimate vocals that makes the song much more personal and delicate than any of those songs. The song is about knowing the relationship you have with someone but not needing to tell anyone else because it is so valuable between the two of you alone. This is another song I definitely recommend as a must listen song and a highlight of the album, and as a highlight in Sabrina Carpenter’s discography overall.

Exhale (10/10): Raw and revealing lyrics about the true mental state Sabrina is facing power this stripped back ballad about needing to take a breathe from all the stress and tension in her life from her family, record label and her own anxiety and self-doubt. This song handles the topic matter of anxiety in a very raw and realistic way that feels much more like a confessional then a glossy, broad take on the subject that is too generic for anyone to truly understand how the singer is actually feeling. The only problem with this song is too short (2 minutes and forty seconds) but you feel as the song ends you feel Sabrina got everything off her chest and exhaled and the song suddenly feels more complete than before.

Take You Back (10/10): Sabrina jumps back into her sass mode as she snaps at someone in her life who she previously let in but realizes isn’t actually making her happy and only giving her problems so she wants to get rid of them. She relies on lyrical humor to relate getting rid of this person to taking back a product she wasn’t happy with back to the store, calling her decision to be with them a case of “buyer’s remorse”. The title alone is ironic since it may fool the listener into thinking they will be hearing a song about wanting somebody back in their life when it is exactly the opposite. This track is my personal favorite for its lyrical themes and humorous approach alone.

Looking At Me (10/10): The album comes to a powerful close with an upbeat Latin-influenced thumping disco beat about being so confident with yourself that when you’re in a room with lots of people you say know their eyes are all on you because you give off such confidence. Sabrina gives us more playful lyrics and powerful sassy vocals to bring the album to a riveting close. Out of all the songs on the album this definitely seems like the best choice for a single. This song could very easily start up a dance party and get everyone on the dance floor. If you ever need a boost just turn up this song and dance your heart out.

Overall this album was very strong and definitely has replay value in pretty much all of its tracks for me. I definitely recommend giving the album a listen I don’t think it will disappoint anyone who does, 

Grade: A

Must Listen Tracks: Take You Back, Looking At Me, Tell Em, In My Bed, I’m Fakin, Exhale

[lucyreviewcy]

An Ode to Taylor Swift’s Approach to Self-Branding

In his book Stars, Richard Dyer discusses the way that movie stars’ personas are built and developed both within and outside of their films. Dyer suggests that the kind of characters that stars play feed into the overall narrative of their career. Taylor Swift isn’t a film star, unless you count a few brief cameos, but her persona is unique in that her personal presentation (Instagram, interviews and anywhere where she is pretending to be herself) and her performance persona (in photoshoots, music videos, live performances and arguably her music) are so nakedly constructed.

While she once may have claimed to have something in common with the girl she plays in the videos for Picture to Burn or Tim McGraw, these days, Swift is no stranger to drawing attention to how her image is created. If you don’t believe me, just look at the video for …Ready for It. She’s literally making a new Taylor.

Whenever T Swizzle releases new music, her fans are chided for combing through the lyrics and accompanying images with a fine toothed comb to find hidden clues or references to other parts of the Swift Mythos. Swift’s music videos are rife with call-backs, her lyrics shot through with veiled (and sometimes…not veiled at all) references to events in her personal life or previous work. As she proved with the Look What You Made Me Do video, you don’t need a cast of thousands of Hollywood stars and decades of comic books to create an extended universe; she did it with one name, one persona, reinvented over and over.

YouTube film academic Lindsay Ellis has pointed out that any text or product exclusively targeted at teenage girls (Ellis refers to the Twilight franchise of books and films) is received by audiences as being universally poor quality and worthy of spades of parodies and mean-spirited hot takes. A lot of media that is cherished by and targeted at young girls is considered extremely low art, and Taylor Swift, despite being a prolific songwriter and a consummate performer, is often dropped into this bucket with a loud, gangly thud. Regularly commenting on how much she loves Tumblr (a site often associated with the obsessive, single-minded fandom (you can read my Timeless reviews on this very blog btw)) as a way of connecting with her fans, Swift makes a big point of trying to connect on a personal level with the hordes of young women who connect with her music.

EM Forster wrote: “Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer.”  Swift seeks to connect with her fans who connect with her art. She’s attempting to turn a one-sided exchange into a kind of contribution triangle, whereby she’s inspired by her fans who are inspired by her work, and both contribute in the resulting music. By creating this pseudo-give-and-take, Taylor’s music and images become something more than a disparate set of marketing images and tunes, but one mythology – “fragments no longer.”

I think it’s admirable for any star to try and do this. As I mentioned at the start of this article, Swift’s persona is fully constructed. Her desire to connect with fans is extremely marketable and played up in interviews and even the way that she speaks to the literal thousands of audience members at her concerts. However, Swift’s detailed, complex mythos, full of symbolism and self-referential intertextuality is the net result of all that connection. It is a mad and brilliant scheme that ultimately acts as a cultural studies training level for her fans.

It starts when Taylor’s hidden a clue to her album title in her latest music video. Her fans interrogate the text, which is a CGI ridden 4 minutes that is so unreal in its aesthetic that every element has been consciously constructed. They dissect, they discuss, they write about their findings. You know, just like when a big controversial movie comes out. That’s right, I’m saying ME! is the Roma of the Taylor Swift world.

I’m a fan of Swift’s music (eye-roll all you want, she writes good tunes, bite me), but I recognised literally none of the symbolism that fans and super-fans and beleaguered entertainment correspondents across the globe are writing adrenaline-fuelled blog posts about. I’m 25, I work in media and I’m doing a masters in film – did I notice that the seven suitcases represented T Swizzle’s albums or that the whole damn video takes place inside a cocoon? No. I did not.

While the details that fans are going nuts about might not be ground-breaking or important in the oeuvre of film and cultural studies, it is so important that these fans are being encouraged to explore and interrogate these texts. They’re sharpening their teeth for tougher meat. Not every Taylor Swift fan will grow up into a film studies academic (although I would read a sci-fi short story where this bizarre phenomenon happens and somehow brings down society) – but the fans that engage on this level are learning how to explore media as constructed work in the context of its creator. THANK YOU TAYLOR! She’s not the hero that media studies wants, but she’s the hero it deserves…

We live in a media dominated age. Our politicians fight in snarky twitter battles, news breaking across the world is available to us pretty much as it happens, and our sexy looking lunches are tiny headlines broadcast from our social media accounts. Interrogating media is a really important skill in this age. Young women and men reading “too much” (don’t get me started) into Taylor Swift videos are learning three things:

1)      Sometimes there is more to a media text than meets the eye, subliminal messaging is a thing.

2)      Taylor’s persona is constructed and she’s consciously creating each new incarnation.

3)      You can question the media that’s put in front of you, even if it is put there by someone that you like.

The way that people often dump on media studies and related fields as “reading too much into things” and “all bullsh*t” is frustrating. Not only is this argument kind of rude, it suggests that there really isn’t much more to a text than meets the eye. There is! Films, movies and music influence us every moment of every day, having the curiosity to ask how they’re doing that is not a bad thing. You’re not “making it all up” if you say that the way that Harry Potter valorises unrequited love is actually quite dangerous, or if you point out that the 2017 Baywatch manages to gently reinforce all the bad gender politics of the 1980s original (WOAH SHOCK) or if you want to write a gosh-darned 7,000 word essay on the bit where the snake bursts into a cloud of butterflies. That curiosity is empowering and exciting and exploring texts this way is fun.

There are caveats to this. Not everyone likes reading texts this way, and it is important to maintain your love for the movies, music videos and other texts that you explore even while you hit them with some cold hard theory. So here is my message to any Taylor Swift fan and budding media genius, stepping out into this wild world of media. Keep these things in mind:

Not everyone will share your passion, but that doesn’t mean your passion is bad - it just means that you might need to have other topics of conversation up your sleeve for when people just aren’t interested. 

Be sensitive to your friends and don’t dump on all their favourite movies and musicians.

Be aware that a lot of people might not share your opinions.

Be quiet in the cinema because shouting “Dutch angle” every time there’s a Dutch angle will make people really mad.

But don’t ever be embarrassed to read into a text and ask questions about how and why it was made.  T Swizzle has felt the brunt of a media age that says what it wants and airs your dirty laundry. She writes songs about how it feels to have a reputation you have no control over. Then she says to her fans “Hey, I’ve reinvented myself, come see if you can figure out what I’ve done! Dissect every frame of my video and every lyric of my song, and every damn pixel of my Instagram.” She sets up the media world as a puzzle which can be pieced together, and if not solved, then thoroughly explored.

Taylor Swift actually wants her fans to do this, and so do I.

[pockpop]

sunset,sunshine | lee felix

➵  summary: being the first black idol from one of the big three is already a challenge, but dealing with felix and feelings? it seems even harder.

➵  genre: fluffy, angsty, cutesy cringe ish

➵ request(s): (1) hello luv ❤ if requests are still open, may I ask for a Felix x y/n fic where y/n is part of the upcoming jyp girl group with survival group ( like stray kids) and she's the first biracial (black & korean) artist from the big 3 ?? oh and y/n is a fellow crackhead Aussie too lmao. thank you!

(2) hello! may i request a felix x australian!reader fic where y/n is the maknae, main dancer, main rapper, & vocalist of a unique girl group that like produces and writes songs, like skz! ( they also don't do basic concepts like cute and sexy). but the gag is... reader is the 1st black and korean idol! reader is a w a l k i n g meme and very 4d, which ppl rlly like!! lmao she's also a fellow 00 liner, and since her and felix have a lot in common, many international fans ship them together! thank u!

➵  a/n: ermm I got these requests a WHILEE back and I honestly just didn’t know how to go about it? but it is finally here and I’m so sorry for how late it is and a complete foolery mess but I hope you like it anons and I hope this at least makes you smile cause who doesn’t love them some felix okay?

sept.15.2018  | 3:06am

masterlist

••

you bopped your head to the music blasting through your headphones as you bounced down the brand new halls of the new jyp building. your sneakers squeaked against the floor as you bowed to the staff you passed and waved to a few friends you had made so far as a new part of jyp’s company.

but people recognized you everywhere you went and called you ‘jyp’s experiment’ because technically, that was what you were. the agents talent scouted you, more for your great musical abilities than your mixed race, and instantly you had become a trainee for jyp.

but that was over two years ago, and now you were officially a debuted idol in one of the newest girl groups,the first black and korean idol of the big three, so of course there was much talk in the kpop world of how much you were going to change it. you could produce, write your own songs, dance,sing, and act a bit, you were a triple hit and people called you trouble. not that you didn’t mind.

it was pretty early in the morning and so as you came to the dance practice rooms, some were still empty but a few had occupants. you were passing one of the rooms when a head of orange hair caught your eye. immediately backtracking, you glanced through the small window of the door to see felix of stray kids practicing alone.

you had only met him in passing a few times but he mostly kept your conversations short and brief,always smiling that gorgeous smile of his. he always practiced around the same time as you and you always wanted to have at least conversation but you just didn’t know how.

people always said you were a pretty open person and extremely a mess, a walking meme so to speak, but felix was different. he was australian just like you and you both struggled with korean coming to the country, so there was common topics,but he was always gone before you could start.

you watched him glide across the floor, his movements so effortless and sharp. he knew his balance and it was as if he connected to the music in a way you had never seen before.

you wanted to watch him for a little bit more,but you wanted to go over a few parts before your members got there. but right as you were about to leave, felix suddenly looked back directly at you,’catching your eye. embarrassed,you slowly backed away and quickly tried to walk away but instantly you heard the swift opening of the door.

“it’s rude to stare you know,” you heard his accent loud over your music. you were wondering if all the times he could’ve actually made conversation, why now when you looked like you just rolled out of bed and was staring at him hardcore. you turned around and scoffed, waving him off,”it wasn’t staring, it was admiring a fellow artist,”

felix smirked glancing down at his sneakers, then back up at you, sweat dripping down his forehead. “admiring? hmm I don’t think that’s the word for it,”

feeling how warm your cheeks were getting, you turned to leave,”g’day sunshine, mama’s gotta go!”

“see ya later peeper!”

you gasped turning back to him and the moment he began to laugh at you, you narrowed your eyes at him.” listen up sunset looking head ass boy, you trying me too early in the morning,” this insult only made him laugh harder and soon you broke into a smile just at seeing his face light up the way it did.

he finally calmed down to say,”you’re actually funny when you’re not rushing to get away from me. you know, as fellow aussie’s we should get to know each other.”

“hmm yeah no, i don’t become friends with boys that still use the word peeper,”

rolling his eyes, felix leaned against the door handle,”fine, admirer, let’s hang sometime later if you’re not busy.”

tilting your head at him as you backed away slowly, you hummed in thought,”I might take you up on that offer, I think you might be funny enough to roll with me.”

“I might be? oh girl you have no idea,”

and that’s truly how your friendship with felix grew. he hated being called sunset sunshine head by you but allowed you to do it because he thought you were cute. plus you spoke your mind, always tagged him in memes and did fortnite dances with him on the roof of the jyp building, without a care in the world.

even though your mini album was done, you were still working. you wrote lyrics, produced music, having the positions of maknae, a main dancer, rapper, and vocalist at times, you had a lot on your plate, but felix came in clutch with sending his memes of the day.

but international and korean fans eventually caught on to how close you two were.it truly wasn’t a secret that you both would make entire fools of yourselves backstage at music shows and the cameras caught it all. international fans truly went wild for it,some korean fans as well but not everyone was very happy about it and didn’t keep it secret.

»»

one late night, after a music show performance, you returned to the studio to work on a new song you had begun to write. but after getting stuck on a line, you ended up just reading some comments online because they truly were your guilty pleasure.

“y/n and felix are a whole ass mood,”

“she’s annoying,”

“omg what if felix and y/n are secretly dating and end up like edawn and hyuna?”

“I can’t stand how weird y/n is, sorry not sorry.”

“if felix is interested in someone like y/n, I feel sorry for him.”

“y/n is a happy virus and felix is our sunshine,can they just be together already?”

you were still scrolling, immersed in the comments that you hadn’t heard felix enter the room. it wasn’t until he approached you, his cologne catching your attention.

“creeping on me again, sunshine? you are still failing to scare me homie,” huffing, felix sat beside you and spun in his chair,”i wasn’t trying to scare you, I thought I told you I gave up on that after you punched me in the face the last time.” you pursed your lips before nodding,”you tried to get me while I was coming out of the bathroom, mama always said you gotta be cautious ya know?”

felix rolled his eyes and smiled at you,”aren’t you supposed to be working on something important?”

“aren’t you supposed to be resting before another show?” you counter question and he shrugs, shrugging back, you continue.”I’m just reading some comments about us,”

“they are by the thousands, don’t read them,”

“but some are so cute! people actually ship us together! funny thing is we barely text with words, our friendship is literally in memes,”

felix smirked, his eyes dancing in the dim light of the studio.”meme king and queen, we should be crowned.”

“you’re obviously the queen though because I definitely have more balls than you,”

“says the girl who can’t even look at sloths without crying,”

“but they are cuddle bugs! a animal made for cuddling! totally beats humans any day, fight me.” felix giggled, sitting up to lean forward on his knees.”i don’t know why I like you, you’re so weird.”

you tilt your head at him and he realizes what he said and his eyes widen,”wait-run that by me again?” a smile curling the corners of your mouth. but felix was panicking,”chan is calling me, gotta blast!” he was out of the studio before you could get another word out of him.

but he just confessed to liking you. was it like-like? or just as a friend? you weren’t sure but it made you feel happy inside.

»»

“wait- so how did he say it?”

groaning you out down your fork, less interested in your taco salad. “nina, I’m not repeating it again, it’ll be for the fourth time! he said he liked me.” nina, was a member of your girl group, half cuban and your best friend.

“but y/n,” she whined,”context is important! I mean he does talk about you a lot but you do the same about him too so- wait, do you like him?”

you shrugged and glanced around the small restaurant trying to avoid her sharp hazel eyes.

suddenly, she gasped, her hand smacking the table and making many people look over to you two.

“you do like him! damnit! I should’ve known after you made a literal moodboard of meme felix faces!”

“that doesn’t mean anything!”

nina narrowed her eyes at you and made a stank face,”the only time you ever did that was for pepe and kermit and claimed you only made meme moodboards for your current crushes.”

pouting, you crossed your arms,”dang it nina, stop paying attention to things I say! I was hoping you would forget about that.”

“yeah well I didn’t. so why don’t you just tell him? the boy probably is goin’ crazy thinking you don’t feel the same,”nina said going back to stuffing pieces of chicken into her mouth.

“you know you’ve got to chew it, right?”you ask as she inhaled the chicken, she held her hand up to you and ate even faster before she choked on a piece and cried because she had to spit it all out. you didn’t let her know that you had gotten it all on camera and already getting screenshots for meme pictures later.

»»

the next time you saw felix in person, he was leaving one of the dance studios just as you were leaving a producing room. it reminded you kind of when you guys first became friends.

you couldn’t help but feel a bit sad and reminiscint about the fact that you both went from talking all the time and walking to the building together to nothing. you knew he had been avoiding you by the lack of memes and strings of whiny texts.

you saw him before he saw you and thought it was now or never.”hey stranger danger,” his head shot up at the sound of your voice, his fading orange hair was wet from sweat, sticking to his forehead, reminding you of fading sunset light. his jacket was slung over his shoulder as he was mid-singing through his duffel for his headphones.

“oh hey, dude.”

“you really are going to dude-zone me? the disrespect I feel is abundant,” you say in mock hurt, touching your chest. he broke into a smile and glanced down at his shoes.

“like I really was out here about to tell you how I like you and all and how your freckles remind me of the stars and your hair the sunshine but no-“

“wait really?” his face lit up in shock, his eyes going wide. biting your lip, you rocked on your heels.”yeah, yeah you know but if you don’t feel the same anymore it’s cool.”

felix shook his head,” feelings don’t disappear that fast y/n, I just didn’t know what to do when I accidentally confessed.”

“you could’ve just waited like two more seconds and I would’ve been like yo dude, I like you two, let’s reign as the meme couple and slay these hoes.” felix began to laugh again and you smiled seeing his face brighten as he did. his smile and laugh was seriously your favorite and you shamelessly stared at him.

“well, if that offer is still on the table,”he started as he walked closer to you until you had to glance up to see him better. “then I would happily reign with you,” you giddily rocked back and forth and smiled at him.

“well yeah cool, I would give you a little peck and all but you is a sweaty mess and if you touch me we gonna fight so I suggest you back it up like ten feet.”

“what? you don’t like me like this?” he teased trying to sexily run his fingers through his hair but it only made you laugh at him.

“do that again and I’m leaving you for kermit,”

“right, what can that frog do for you that I can’t?” you both began walking side by side, hands brushing but no one making a move to hold hands.

“I’m sure he is limited in many ways but that frog be banking so,”

felix rolled his eyes at you and swiftly leaned down mid walk to peck your lips,leaving you shook for a moment.”he ain’t as cool as me though.”

shyly you smiled at him and continued to walk,”damnit sunshine, back at it again with the cheesiness.”

••