#but imo the whole album is really underrated

[piimpf]

Hi modetuals please vote on this don't embarrass me

[paper--machete]

idk if you did this before but ummm rank all qotsa albums including them crooked vultures

I'll do you one better! I'll include the desert sessions 11+12 cus imo it's too thoroughly produced to not include

10. lullabies to paralyze

no hate on lullabies but honestly the whole vibe of the record is just sooooo 2005. in my head has to be their worst song just because of how embarassing that chorus is and also there's just a lot of fluff, even the deep cuts on this album feel like throwaway tracks (which I would even say about my favorite songs on the album, tangled up in plaid and broken box). the whole album just feels like a radio-friendly attempt to prove they still had their edge after Nick was kicked out

favorite songs: tangled up in plaid, little sister, i never came, the blood is love, broken box

9. villains

villains gets too much hate. people always point to Mark Ronson for ruining the album but honestly I'm glad we live in the alternate timeline where qotsa made a pop album. the way you used to do is awesome (ESPECIALLY the live version), domesticated animals is awesome, un-reborn again is one of their best songs. hideaway has always sucked tho and I hate the ending of the evil has landed because it just sounds like they were trying to do 3s and 7s again for some reason (with the slide guitars and Josh going "way-ee-ay") but otherwise also one of their best songs. also I wanna mention that Jon Theodore is at his best on this album, you can really hear his background in prog shine through on certain songs

favorite songs: the way you used to do, domesticated animals, fortress, un-reborn again, the evil has landed

8. desert sessions 11+12

first and foremost noses in roses forever is one of the best songs jho has ever written. DS11/12 basically feels like josh decided he wanted to do his own Gorillaz style collaborative project thanks to the increased production values and honestly it just makes me want another desert sessions release just like it.... which contradicts the other thing I wanted to say which is that there's really no album that sounds like 11/12 out there. nowhere else will you hear a song like chic tweetz because any other album would’ve left it on the cutting room floor for being too stupid. i love it

also I wanna say that i think crucifire is for royal blood what ultralight beam was for chance the rapper lmao

favorite songs: noses in roses forever, chic tweetz, easier said than done

7. in times new roman

damn I'm surprised the recency bias isn't getting to me on this one lmao. ITNR has a lot of really good songs on it but put together into an album it really feels like they’re just treading old ground. (I was originally gonna write a review of it when it came out titled “new dog, old tricks”). despite this there’s a lot of great stuff, paper machete and emotion sickness are two of my fav qotsa songs and straight jacket fitting might be their best closer? idk. this would be higher if it didn’t just feel like a “more of the same” type album

favorite songs: paper machete, negative space, made to parade, emotion sickness

6. self-titled

this placement hurts so much because like a year and a half ago this wouldve been #2 😭 anyway i love the self titled so much because it sounds so different from the rest of their discography… you can hear alot of the leftover kyuss influence in the heavier songs and riff writing, plus what other album is gonna try some crazy shit like walkin on the sidewalks or hispanic impressions? (btw hispanic impressions is their most underrated song) also the expanded edition is better for having spiders and vinegaroons but worse for having droids

favorite songs: regular john, avon, how to handle a rope, hispanic impressions, you can’t quit me baby

5. songs for the deaf

i’ve always had beef with songs for the deaf…. i’ve always felt like the best songs on it are so good that they make the lesser songs seem worse in comparison. like another love song is great but when it’s sandwiched between god is in the radio and song for the deaf its like. well obviously this is one of the weaker songs on the album. anyway it’s still good, being the other nick-era qotsa album you can really hear the collaboration between the band’s all-star lineup across the whole thing

favorite songs: hanging tree, go with the flow, god is in the radio, song for the deaf, mosquito song

4. them crooked vultures 

TCV is just a really, really solid album. the sequencing is great, the songs are all great, the musicians are all at their A game, ESPECIALLY josh as it’s not an unpopular opinion to say this album is where he really started tapping into his skills as a vocalist. while i consider TCV to be the honorary bonus qotsa album, i feel like it also manages to stand on its own thanks to the creative contributions of dave grohl and john paul jones.

favorite songs: mind eraser no chaser, dead end friends, bandoliers, warsaw, spinning in daffodils

3.5. over the years and through the woods

maybe I'm biased cus qotsa brainworms but the dvd of this is the best concert film/album I've ever heard. there's a perfect balance between songs being played as they are on the record and songs having things tweaked or even reworked entirely, which is something i’m picky about when it comes to concerts (i saw jack white two years ago and he changed waaaaay too many songs :P) also there’s a lot of neat little bonus things in the set, like an early version of make it wit chu, another desert sessions track (covered in punk’s blood) and of course the live performance of fun machine which is a top 3 song for them and always will be

favorite songs: feel good hit of the summer, avon, little sister, you can’t quit me baby, the fun machine took a shit and died

3. rated R

rated R is a perfect album! i think its greatest strength is its sequencing tbh, it succeeds at both giving the impression of it being a concept album (while not necessarily conforming to the concept) as well as having a super diverse tracklist where no two songs sound alike. also characteristic of nick-era qotsa, i love how rated R isn’t afraid to have short songs or long songs, though unlike on songs for the deaf the short/long songs here feel like they don’t sacrifice length for substance relative to other songs. 

favorite songs: feel good hit of the summer, leg of lamb, auto pilot, better living through chemistry, i think i lost my headache

2. era vulgaris

there is no album that sounds like era vulgaris. why does misfit love sound like that? why does battery acid sound like that? WHY DOES I’M DESIGNER SOUND LIKE THAT??? it’s so fucking weird and rich with ideas, there isn’t a single moment on era vulgaris where the band isn’t trying something new. even my least favorite songs on here have something new and unique to offer while also being the most fucked up little beast creature thing youve ever heard.

favorite songs: turnin on the screw, i’m designer, into the hollow, 3’s and 7’s, run pig run

1. ...like clockwork

i’m an artsy kid, i like artsy albums, and i love like clockwork for how mature it is. every song feels like a statement, an emotion concentrated into a 4-minute masterpiece. while the lows on here are lower for me than on other albums, they still make important contributions to the album experience as a whole (not to mention the highs soar, i appear missing and fairweather friends are top 5 material for them. I appear missing might even be top 1 tbh.) i’m out of things to say so uhhh yeah like clockwork is my favorite :)

favorite songs: i sat by the ocean, the vampyre of time and memory, fairweather friends, i appear missing

[taylortruther]

you know how to ball i know aristotle is worlds better than karma is a cat but i’m not even talking just lyrically…sonically it’s a whole lot better too. i love midnights, i actually think it’s very underrated but ttpd is my current #1 so i’m a bit biased. midnights has a lot of throwaway songs like question, midnight rain, vigilante shit, labyrinth, mastermind, paris even karma…i can’t say the same for ttpd, all songs are needed in order to put the puzzle pieces together except maybe robin

i disagree with this so much fjaskdl i think ttpd (and to a lesser extent, midnights) actually showed how good taylor has been at editing her tracklists in the past. for all my criticisms, i enjoy it a little too, because i like that we can see her repurpose lyrical or sonic themes, even down to the phrases she uses. the vault tracks of the og albums revealed that as well. but songs like the alchemy? fine, but bonus track material. and to me(!), the prophecy/the albatross, peter/the bolter, and robin/the manuscript sound really similar , which indicates imo that she wanted to play with that sound in particular - which is interesting to note, as a fan! but the run of all of those at the end make it seem like they had no other place on the "standard" version.

also i disagree that all the songs are "needed" for the album to make sense. i think they tell us something about her mindset at the close of that period of her life, but the last third of the album is also where the self-indulgence comes in (and, again, i use that term neutrally.)

[keenobjectdragon]

Okay, since it’s been a few days. Here’s my song ranking:

1. Haven - 9.3/10: so many brilliant elements to this song. My favourite parts. “Help me believe in something more”, “murder on the eyes”, the down to you strings turning into lyrics, and of course the ever after motif.

2. Worlds collide - 9.1/10: great verses, great chorus, great bridge. Favourite parts - “here at the heart, nobody stays together”, MPT throwback, and “no one’s safe” scream

3. Now or never - 8.8/10: my favourite part is the last one minute but the ticking is a nice touch. Underrated IMO. The last octave switch at the end may resemble the crossing of the threshold?

4. Ancient history - 8.7/10. The sax, is there anything else to say?

5. Into the storm - 8.5/10. Great vocals, nice harmonies, great for the story, no complaints.

6. Stand and fight - 8.4/10. Powerful, raw emotion with a great message. Really like this one.

7. Turn and run - 8.3/10 - stand and fights brother, really like the creepy feel and powerful ending adding further to the story.

8. Down to you - 8.1/10 - after ‘haven’ the strings have a whole new meaning to me. Slightly short but catchy and pleasant to bop to.

9. Nights like these - 7.9/10 - really nice message and chill song. Always will be drawn to this song.

10. Lightning and thunder - 7.7/10. Wish it had a bridge but what is there i like. Solid but not my fave.

11. A normal life - 7.5/10 I’m not sure if I’ve listened to it too many times but not really craving to listen to it. Still appreciate its art and role in the story.

12/13. Remember me by/im not getting better - 7/10. I do really like the verses of RMB but the chorus gets a bit messy for my liking. INGB verses remind me too much of ‘your ghost’ from phantoms but I like the chorus. Again I won’t skip but they’re not my favourite.

Overall 8.1/10 - I would probably put this as my second favourite album. Let me know what you think

[gladiatorcunt]

Didn’t know you were a kpop fan babe 😧 Kinda not surprised, but still… Your faves?

“kinda not surprised” erm

(i got into it like around 2015 and i typically go for 3rd gen to earlier when it comes to music, also i don’t interact with any fandoms on social media anymore since i’ve gotten older (and i don’t rlly keep up with the idols themselves) beyond what edits i see or what gets so popular i have to see it on my fyp)

red velvet (my girlies)

loona (haseul could’ve been the baekhyun of loona if they used her properly beyond 1 line)

exo (masterclass in discography and actually being a capital i idol but also mess and mismanagement, arguably a big part of some of their issues is the tension between sk and china, etc.)

vixx (still a fair bit underrated imo when you consider how long they’ve been active, their vocal ability, being known for their concepts, like ughhhhh leo is one of the only idols who i will be like ‘that’s my husband and we have 6 kids <3’ about)

monsta x (very solid discography, talented, rappers that genuinely have something which there a lot of rappers in kpop groups just bc they’re trying to get appeal, still mildly irritated over the wonho thing bc the way companies deal with stuff like that when the idol is innocent is just so annoying. queen is one of the best bsides in kpop history.)

ramble under the cut

honorary shinee (jonghyun is my golden standard male vocalist), boa, snsd, sunmi, btob mentions

unfortunately jay park is cute and i do like mommae, dean’s like one album he did (i didn’t listen to the other one if that even was a full second album), i used to fw hyuna but she’s pissed me the fuck off

fave time out jail ig: bts (just really grew out of being into them ig since boy with luv came out, some of their tiktok fanbase proudly bullying people and how i feel about the quality of their music now (missing house of cards type quality) + the western validation debate + being on tumblr when people made jungkook’s whole personality at 19 yrs old being goo goo ga ga over banana milk and having a noona kink)), nct (the t*eil thing, but imo if people like that want to hide then they will so i think at least some of the members didn’t know, i don’t keep up with that so i’m not sure if any other info has since come out. i believe he did it with how things are rn and as a csa survivor i just feel a bit gross with being overly supportive of them)

and then there is the can of worms that is the group named after colors (another case where imo they were better earlier on, playing with fire >>>>)

i don’t really have any 4th gen faves, i love ateez and i like some stray title tracks (as in random not stray kids lmao) & bsides from groups here and there

i have mixed feelings about 4-5th gen (imo music is not the focus so much as international reach and social media presence), riize (wonbin is so fine though like sm employs pretty boy idols and refuses to manage them properly) and new jeans (i really wished i liked their music because literally everyone else does), ive’s title tracks are pretty solid (i don’t know anything about their bsides), le sserafim is ehhhhhhhh (i think i literally only like anti fragile + they do need to improve technically for me), enhyphen (i will say is the closet to being a fave for me because i eat up their obsessive songs that are apparently about their webtoon???????? and that one jyp cover (i assume bc he was there) bangs, also again they’re fine 😖)

for the life of me i can’t fully commit to aespa but their concept is cool (and the lore should stick to them and not be attached to every sm group imo)

talking about the songs i like & listen to regularly/industry opinions is a different discussion (that i dipped into too much here) i fear so i’ll shut up!!! i could probably get back into it if a company debuted a group and was like ‘안녕하세요! we are D.I.L.F!’ and the members are all at least in their mid 40’s and they groan when they try to bow

[laulo821]

do you have any favorite three days grace albums or songs (ive been listening to them a good bit lately eheheh)

bro is asking me my favourite three days grace album like it wasn't like choosing my favourite child smh /funnie

all the albums are really good to me

i think i'm less into three days grace (album) and transit of venus but even those two got real bangers in them

i have prolly listened the most to one-x and life starts now so nostalgia is really at play here

human is more mature (/melancholic?) and i think growing up i was able to understand it more and more, making it a landmark for me; but outsider feels like rebellious teenage years so they went along great during my highschool/uni experience (human being the will to belong and outsider being the will to be unique)

and well i'ven't got much time to get as familiar with explosions as the others but that's some real shit right there and somehow feels like a comeback to more heavy rock which i appreciate.

anyways regarding songs

i love . all of them . i think. i associate my OC Damon Odrat to a lot of their stuff so i have a lot of favourites just by association with my love for him lmao (and writing my songs review i realised i associate a LOT more of my OCs to their songs ... if you want i can tell the whole list (<- please ask me to tell the whole list)) but regardless,

i love the soft sentiment of "never too late". helped me a lot.

"world so cold" carried my phone songs and my emo era.

in my heart "gone forever" and "last to know" go hand in hand (THE PLOT TWIST OF LAST TO KNOW!!! so good...).

"human race", "i am machine" ... sobs.

"the mountain" and "the abyss" are so so underrated fr (in my heart "the mountain" and "the champion" go hand in hand).

"me against you" THE REALEST SHIT!!

"scar is born" and "chain of abuse" very poetic my heart hurts they did serve dawg

also their cover of "somebody i used to know"!!! AUGH I LOVE THEM!!!

and that's just citing the bare minimum of their best songs imo. i have skipped over such good ones augh ..... i love three days grace they dont miss

what about you!! which album do you prefer and which songs too!!! let me know EVERYTHING!!!

[allamericansbitch]

i finally listened to the secret of us, i’m obsessed with let it happen, underrated song imo. i liked us but tbh the thing that ruined it for me was the long drawn out “us” being sung a million times. like it was just strangely annoying lol. the album as a whole is great though

yeah us didnt really hit for me either. but i love let it happen, it's very under appreciated.

[a-canker-in-a-hedge]

the people (read: like 4 of you) have spoken! musicals only jfj playlist incoming!! brace for impact!!!

curator's notes below the cut, if you're interested in that sort of thing. otherwise, have fun! maybe i'll drop the frmc one next!

Into the Fire, The Scarlet Pimpernel

I think we as a society are sleeping on The Scarlet Pimpernel the musical, it's bonkers. This one's from act 1, where the titular Scarlet Pimpernel (arguably the first masked vigilante in English literature) and his buddies take off to rescue poor trapped aristocrats from the French Revolution. In a lot of ways, it's best read in conversation with Les Mis (the original novel was written by a baroness, it's reactionary as shit), but here I think it expresses an enthusiastic (and to be clear, Bad) English nationalism that speaks to a young JFJ and precisely what he thinks he's getting out of joining the navy. He is Not Correct, as we shall see.

2. Glory, Pippin

I think this one speaks for itself. Patina Miller as Pippin's Leading Player brings a terrifying, seductive irony and contrast to this number, contrasting the horror of war with the rhetoric that convinces people to go die in the name of the king. The narrative here is I think pretty clear; this is what it's actually like to nearly die in battle. It's bizarre and dizzying and confusing and kind of silly, and you'll only make sense of it later when you can build a performance out of the experience.

3. The I Love You Song, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Oh James. If only mommy and daddy loved you. This one breaks my heart. Neglected children will do a lot to fill that void. This song provides context to the previous two. He wants to be loved, and he confuses love with attention and praise and power. And it will eventually kill him. Again too we see the theming of fantasy as a narrative device. James makes up stories about himself, for himself, contextualizing and recontextualizing James Fitzjames to suit his needs, whatever they may be.

4. The Last One You'd Expect, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Men Will Tell Such Lies About Themselves. Gentlemen's Guide is so funny, everyone should go give the whole album a listen. I like the conclusion of this one as the high point of JFJ's pre-Terror success. Specifically, I like the struggle to stay ahead of the tidal wave he's built himself that's rolling up on his heels. It can't possibly catch up with you if you keep moving, right?

5. Where I Want to Be, Chess

CHESS THE MUSICAL BABEYYYY I AM NOTHING IF NOT ON BRAND. This is a pair with the previous song, an internal monologue as opposed to the external perception of success we've seen previously. The emptiness, the sense of loss of self, the fear and paranoia of living with one's lies, sacrifices, and the harm one's own ambition has caused those around you. It's also got those big stupid melodramatic violins. Fun Fact! The score for Chess was written by Benny and Bjorn from ABBA! I also think JFJ would have really enjoyed Mamma Mia. This is also the Josh Groban concert version, partially bc if I had to pick someone to be jfj's singing voice in the disney animated Terror, it would be him.

6. 30/90, tick, tick...BOOM!

Oh shit death is coming for you king, You Are Running Out Of Time. I feel like this one speaks for itself, if instead of grey hairs you could see the blood at your hairline. Well, not yet. But soon.

7. Is This What You Call Love?, Passion

Speaking of getting slept on, Passion my beloved. This is the most underrated Sondheim musical imo, and is one of the few songs on this playlist where I had a specific scene in mind when I added it. Yes it is that one. Songs to get punched in the face by your captain to.

8. Totally Fucked, Spring Awakening

Do I even need to say? You get it. We understand each other. Yes. This was the toughest one to fit in aesthetically with the soundscape of this playlist, but I think it works where it is.

9. You Gotta Die Sometime, Falsettos

Oh Shit Death Is Coming For You King. You Are Running Out Of Time. This is the 2nd song from a William Flynn show on this bad boy, which feels appropriate to me, somehow. I can't explain it, it's vibes. I think this song really gives JFJ a beat to breathe, to sit in the inevitability of his fate, and a bitter kind of acceptance. It works for me.

10. Any Kind of Dead Person, Ghost Quartet

And now we're having fun with it! This is the only Dave Malloy tune on here, and it's also one of the most lighthearted. As has happened several times before, this song is in direct conversation with its predecessor. You need to keep going somehow, even if you're only walking to the end. Very Samuel Beckett-core, now that I think about it.

11. I Don't Know How To Love Him, Jesus Christ Superstar

We understand each other. You understand why I have done this. I picked the movie version because I like the orchestration better. I have no other notes.

12. Come to My Garden/Lift Me Up, The Secret Garden

This is the most distant parallel line in this whole playlist, but this one is in conversation with The I Love You Song. Reconciliation with an absent parent, with the wounds of the child. They are calling you on. Make peace with yourself. We are almost there.

13. Love To Me, The Light in the Piazza

Please excuse Matthew Morrison's bad Italian accent. I love this song so much. There's a note in Sondheim's collected lyrics about simplicity, and I think this song embodies it. This song is so much about seeing someone for who they are, and it shows in the lyrics, in the lack of both musical ornamentation and complex text, even in the delivery. If I may have one more direct parallel, this song is speaking to 'more than god loves them.'

14. Finale: Make Our Garden Grow, Candide

Let me preface this by saying that this is not a fix-it ending. James does not live at this time. With that being said, I picked this one for two reasons. One, the resonance sonically and lyrically with the previous two songs, and two, the theme of letting go of ambition/expectation/demand. The acceptance of imperfection. The resolution into the simplicity of the body/existence/the reality of one materiality and mortality. There is no Eden to return to. We have only each other. JFJ has the only peaceful death we see onscreen, and for me, this song resonates with that. The release on that last note. 10/10 thank you Mr. Bernstein. That is all there is no more, thank you for coming to my ted talk. Goodnight <3

[a-flickering-soul]

Heyyy, I don't have a number for the spotify wrapped, but I do want to ask something. I've been slowly getting into steam powered giraffe, and i saw you had some of their songs in your list. Could you list some of your favourites of theirs? I know next to nothing about them, and I don't really know where to start. Feel free to recommend as much as you like, I'd really appreciate it!

Oh my god I love this QUESTION!!! It's been so long since I got an SPG ask!!!

Honestly, when I started getting into them I genuinely just listened to their whole discography in chronological order while I was doing homework or whatever and that was a really great introduction, because you get to see how their sound and aesthetic evolved over time and that's really cool! I also recommend listening to their albums in order at least once because for a bunch of them, there's a distinct theme or ongoing bits and bobs and skits that flow into each other (Album 1 and VQ most noticeably, 2c Show and MKIII less so).

Otherwise, my two favorite albums are Album 1 (either version is really fun to me) and 1896, which bookend nicely as of now. I like Album 1 a lot because it's just very. . . themed? It's one of their most stylistic albums and there's a lot of really solid "beginner SPG fan" songs in there that are pretty classic. 1896 will also always be one of my favorites because I'm just enamored with Zer0's voice and the influence he brings to the band and I just think it's a very cohesive and nice-sounding album overall.

I would not, however, recommend starting off with Vice Quadrant 1 and 2 until you get a grasp on SPG and their whole. . . thing. There are bangers in there for SURE, almost all of them criminally underrated, but it's also a space opera performed by three vocalists and as such is very hard to follow at times.

For specific songs that make me go CRAZYYY that are also pretty beginner-friendly I'll limit myself to a few from each album because I'm taking you seriously when you say to recommend as much as I like:

Clockwork Vaudeville

On Top Of The Universe

Brass Goggles

Electricity Is In My Soul

Honeybee

Mecto Amore

I'll Rust With You

Over The Moon

Starlight Star-Shine

Sleep Evil Sleep

Shattered Stars

Eat Your Heart

Bad Days On The Horizon

Hot On The Trail

I will end this with a shameless self promotion of my own personally curated Spotify playlist of my fave SPG songs (it's a good mix from all the albums IMO but it also is curated to my personal taste so YMMV ig?) as well as my big ol YouTube playlist of some of my fave performances by them, since I really do think seeing them perform is half the fun of this band!

Happy listening and hope you have fun! I love SPG and it's always very exciting seeing other people getting into them :)

[raytorosaurus]

i feel like people forget about desert song a lot. im probably biased cuz it's my favorite mcr song, but i haven't seen much of anyone bring it up recently (and even then i feel like people focus more on the desperation in "from the earth to the morgue" than the rest of the song, which is just. so wrong to me). the vocals feel like a knife twisting in my chest throughout the whole thing and nobody seems to notice how gut-wrenching "did you come to stare or wash away the blood" really is, especially in the context of the song itself and the album it was for

oh fr??? that's interesting bc i feel like when they played it this tour that was all my dash talked about for a while, and i feel like it's one of the more widely-discussed/appreciated deep cuts. it definitely deserves all of that because it is an insanely emotive song and performance but at least in my circle idk if i'd say people forget about it...so yes i agree it totally deserves the hype, including parts that aren't "from the earth to the morgue," but like to compare it to my other recent ask about another slow-paced emotional-breakdown song, i feel like it gets more appreciation than early sunsets when both are pretty equally deserving imo. i know desert song also has ~lore attached to it but i reckon the stories from the studio abt early sunsets hold their own against that too, yk? so i'll give you underrated but idk if i'd consider it a contender for most underrated

[percocet]

Omg would u be willing to give like piano classical music recs? I just love how pianos sound but I don't know much classical music :(

HI. YES. i feel like i've been waiting for this moment all my life.

so first thing to note is that "classical music" as a genre, as the general public thinks about it, covers like. the 1600s to early 1900s. it's like saying mcr and golden era broadway music are the same genre, which drives me up the wall some days but i've also accepted it as like. general public insistence that all music composed before 1910 is somehow stuffy and elitist to listen to. ANYWAY rant aside this is all to say that the sound and style is going to differ a lot!

without further ado, here's my Certified Fresh™ piano recs for beginners <3

the famous composers you should probably listen to

rachmaninoff - piano concerto no. 2 in c minor. evgeny kissin (<333) has like thee recording ever of this (linked). it's the most famous piano concerto in the world. i've been playing this baby since i was 15 and literally every day i learn something new about it. gift that keeps giving!! and if you like this, then i'd also take a gander at the rhapsody on a theme of paganini, which is a whole piano concerto that's like theme and variations on the melody from the most famous paganini violin caprice (no. 24).

chopin - ballade no. 1 in g minor. krystian zimerman (linked) has probably the most solid recording, but i'm rlly partial to yundi li's interpretation! seong-jin cho is also incredibly impressive, i've seen him twice and his work blows me away... all of chopin's music is quintessential piano listening imo; his collection of waltzes, nocturnes, and études especially are foundational learning material! he's my fav composer of all time <3 (side note: arthur rubinstein is known as The chopin performer, but any of the people i listed will do a great job if you're looking on youtube on spotify for a version to listen to)

liszt - transcendental étude no. 12 "chasse-neige". and if you have time then wough ALL of the transcendental études and listen in order. i don't really like liszt but i worship at the feet of daniil trifonov's album i'm so serious. also gotta plug that i saw him perform live too and he is like the second coming of christ to me. my absolute favourite pianist atm.

beethoven - sonata no. 14 "moonlight". while we're in that fob mood! everybody knows the first movement but rarely do people play it well tbh 💀 the second and third movements are also very famous but they seem to fit on the second tier of the classical music iceberg, so i'll rec it anyway. harder to say who my fav beethoven performers are.. he has the most difficult repertoire for a reason! maybe claudio arrau or alfred brendel (linked), daniel barenboim for more modern recordings (and a complete set of sonatas) but he's not The best..

mozart - fantasia in d minor. sigh. so i'm not the biggest mozart fan, admittedly. but he's got an incomparable place in history, so here we are! this is probably one of the more underrated famous pieces (in comparison to like the turkish march or whatever). linked is trifonov again, but i would rec seong-jin cho's mozart album too, it's solid all around.

bach - partita no. 2 in c minor. probably the most dramatic and accessible of his partitas. you have probably heard of the well-tempered clavier at some point in your life, which is his collection of preludes and fugues! those are worth listening to if you're ever in the baroque mood. i'm so serious when i say bach's music is god to me. not the easiest listening, but worth it tbh... anyway. martha argerich (linked) is goated and one of my main inspirations in music. (and if you find yourself liking her, i'd rec her astor piazzolla interpretations like tres minutos con la realidad, great argentinian music by great argentinian musicians!)

stuff that goes so fucking ham i can only describe it as the closest humanity will ever touch divinity

godowsky - passacaglia. based off schubert's unfinished symphony but that's not super important all you need to know is that it's 20 minutes of insanity

liszt - erlkönig. this is like a veritable nightmare, musically. it's based on schubert's erlkönig and it's absolute hell. holy shit. it's so good. yuja wang (linked) is superhuman

bach (transcribed by ferruccio busoni) - partita no 2. in d minor. this partita was composed for the violin but naturally someone had to put it on the piano and make it go harder than it already does. literally a religious experience, ofc evgeny kissin had to do it to 'em

ravel (transcribed by beatrice rana) - la valse. beatrice rana is so goated, holy shit. this waltz is also musically difficult, but she just knocks it out of the park. every time i listen to this i get chills, esp towards the end. definitely worth watching as well as listening to, she's electric with it

liszt - mephisto waltz. did i say i didn't like liszt already? i feel like liszt is overrepresented here. liszt enjoyers come get your food ig. khatia buniatishvili is just crazy impressive, she's just so effortlessly virtuosic and i live in awe of her work.

this got kinda long but i think it's more bc i can't shut up.. anyway! hope you enjoy!! let me know what you think if you listen to any of this!

[sternbilder]

Ranking my favorite 2023 K-pop comebacks

I feel like 2023 was a year where I followed kpop comebacks especially diligently bc of my newfound interest in dance, and since it's 2024 this means an entire year has passed now of This

here's a list of my 10 personal favorite title tracks this year, happy new year all!

The Top Ten

1. Monsta X - "Beautiful Liar"

listen. when I said

in january of last year I meant it with my whole ass and I stand by it an entire earth year later. this song fucks So hard

firstable Yes I'm sad this is their last cb with most of the group in a while but also jesus what a banger to go out on

I love the guitars, the looks everyone is serving, the funky little twist in the song structure after the second verse, plus thinking always about lovemelovemelovemetellmetellmetellme + the chains + kihyun with a literal goddamn whip + the gunshot sound effects punctuating joohoney's verse. chefs kiss

2. Taemin - "Guilty"

god taemin is back and you can just feel the catholicity through the screen. the haunting vocals. the delicious string textures throughout (the way the arpeggios shift to pizzicato for the second verse!). the 6/4 time (the only choreo I learned this year that was not to an 8 count). the fucking through the shirt grab. the bridge which they extended in the MV specifically to squeeze in Even More Yearning™.

this is a perfect cb and I will say the rest of the album is also flawless and my favorite out of this list. honestly this probably would have been first if not for the fact that I personally just liked beautiful liar so goddamn much. thank you taemin. no notes.

3. SHINee - "HARD"

aka the song I previously described as "2 baddies, but Good" (no really, they have same key signature & near identical song structure. listen to them side by side with HARD on .95 speed if you don't believe me)

anyway, like 2 baddies this is SM-flavored af but I love the old school hip-hop vibes in HARD soooo much. I've had some people tell me they found it weird and off-putting but to me it's effortlessly cool but also earnest and just. fun? (not only the music but also the visuals? hello? the fashions in this MV) def gotta be one of my most played this year

4. Lee Gi Kwang - "Predator"

ok now for a dark horse pick. I feel like in the borderline 5th gen landscape nowadays older groups are often forgotten (even though hello! 2nd gen bgs are back from the military now and are having a Moment) so people perhaps understandably overlooked this one but god this song is a bop.

is it just criminal by taemin part 2 but less sexy and with a lower budget? yes. but the song is an absolute bop and the choreo slaps in its own right so imo it's a very worthy homage especially given it captures its exact gender of "pathetic sadboy making horny mistakes and needing to dance abt it" so so perfectly,

5. Exo - "Cream Soda"

tbh not what I was expecting from an exo comeback and I was surprised that I ended up liking this so much given I didn't really care for the prerelease tracks, but the more I listened the more this grew on me?

ofc it's an exo track so the vocals are 100 emoji but the chorus and melodies are simply addictive and the choreo for this one is also just a ton of fun (the sexy little head swipe,)

also I love the outfits in this MV (everyone keeps saying this is the Weed aesthetic but honestly? with korea's whole Thing? this is exo's macklemore-style thrift shopping and/or raiding grandma's attic for hidden midcentury treasures phase. to me.) but thank u @ the universe specifically for giving us back silver haired baekhyun. bless.

6. VIXX - "Amnesia"

another underrated release tbh! this initially gave me guilty vibes w/ the abundant use of pizzes since they were released around the same time but I also just independently love this song

I feel like it's a very mature song that takes itself seriously but not in an overly self-absorbed or cheesy way (another comparison I might make is to leo's losing game from last year), the chorus is poignant and hits hard because it's so earnest—maybe especially so since they were down to 3 with this cb—but man that melody is just so gorgeous, like it haunts me

7. Dreamcatcher - "Bon Voyage"

ok if I'm gonna be real it wasn't a great year for my faves—while I liked OOTD and reason they weren't top 10 worthy for me, mx had 1 excellent release before having most of its members yoinked by the military, and I didn't love either of oneus's cbs this year

that being said! I did still like bon voyage! while I preferred the first 2 in the trilogy it still felt like a good and fitting finale, bittersweet and full of equal parts regret and hope

in many ways it feels like a harkening back to classic dreamcatcher with the Big Anime Opening Vibes™ but more somber and grown up, an unexpected summer anthem from these queens,

8. TXT - "Sugar Rush Ride"

it's been a busy year for txt and while I'm not super familiar with them and their releases are sometimes a bit hit or miss for me, when they do hit they HIT

I actually considered chasing that feeling for this list too but despite adoring the take on me-ness of it I ended up nixing it after adjusting for recency bias

sugar rush ride though, I feel is a bop that stood the test of time with its catchiness and surprisingly dark undertones, and is also one of my favorite choreos I learned this year by far like. come on. it's the epitome of Boy Group Hot.

9. Taeyang - "Vibe"

this song lived rent-free in my head for MONTHS, god it's so catchy

I actually missed when my local studio taught this song but I liked the choreo so much I learned it on my own which, predictably since it literally features 2 main dancers, was not easy but extremely worth it bc just like the song itself it's just really fun

other than that what can I say. the MV is nothing special but otherwise it's just a really solid song with Big feel good energy.

10. Kiss of Life - "Shhh"

ok,,,,,,,I don't really follow rookie groups that closely bc generally I don't feel like I'm the target audience but. out of this year's new groups I did especially like kiss of life's debut!

the MV doesn't do much for me tbh but musically it sounds uncharacteristically mature to me, in a good way—it has a subtle confidence about it that I like plus excellent vocals, and is (possibly hot take?) what I was hoping to get from newjeans this year as a continuation of their debut last year tbh

Honorable Mentions

Jungkook - "Standing Next to You"

this one just felt like cheating bc it's technically an English single and there's probably some recency bias here but I can't not mention it bc I simply love this track. I'm not even a BTS stan but it's just a jam with great vocals and instrumentals (the big band notes and MJ influence! please!) and the choreo is also SO ridiculously fun, both the chorus and the dance break

BTOB - "Wind and Wish"

this is just a wholesome song that makes you feel good, like is it a lil bit cheesy? yeah, but it's also Good Vibes Comma the Song, wearing its entire heart on its sleeve in the most endearing way. it's nostalgic and mellow and full of love for its friends and a zest for life

also special shoutout to the bridge, which in such an otherwise lowkey song did not have to go that hard and yet it Did?? that harmony gives me chills, 100% certified vocal kings would cry again

Shownu X Hyungwon - "Love Me a Little"

this is a pathetic meow meow song in the best possible way and was sadly beat out by the other slightly better pathetic meow meow songs on this list (guilty, predator, amnesia) bc it was just a really good year for them but I still think it deserves a mention bc first of all yea boi @ my mans shownu being free from the military but also the instrumental/dance break at the end is dark as hell and also SO fucking tasty

Infinite - "New Emotions"

another 2nd gen group that quietly had a renaissance this year! this song is simply a bop and while the song itself is not as memorable as some in the top 10 the choreo is actually really fun

also myungsoo looks really ridiculously fine as center in the first chorus and that's the last thing I have to say about this song,

Key - "Killer"

honestly I really liked both of key's cbs this year but I feel like killer was slept on somewhat, it's got a hint of sadboi but it's tempered by the upbeat 80s pop style, plus the grungy mullet and beret outfit from the MV was a fucking Look and a Half

And my favorites per month

January: Monsta X - "Beautiful Liar"

February: Purple Kiss - "Sweet Juice"

March: Onew - "O (Circle)"

April: Lee Gi Kwang - "Predator"

May: Dreamcatcher - "Bon Voyage"

June: SHINee - "HARD"

July: Exo - "Cream Soda"

August: MAMAMOO+ - "dangdang"

September: Key - "Good & Great"

October: Taemin - "Guilty"

November: VIXX - "Amnesia"

December: TVXQ - "Down"

[aturnipsingularity]

Turnip, what's YOUR album of the year if you had to pick one? Pitch it to me, infect me with ur music taste

Okay, so I can't pick just one, so I'll throw a handful of my faves that I discovered this year into the ring. The most recent would be Eternal Blue by Spiritbox. Underrated alt/prog metal band, and I haven't heard a whole lot of others talking about them. I really like the way the first couple of tracks blend together, and the lead vocalist has an amazing voice. She has this really melodic singing that meshes well with her death growl. I also really like that there's a good mix of slower songs with the harder music. There's a lot of good variety, and the pacing is really nice.

Favorite song: Silk In The Strings

I also finally listened to The Death of Peace of Mind by Bad Omens this year. I had heard a couple of their singles before, but I hadn't checked out the full work until recently. I was really glad I did, because it's amazing. Lots of bangers in there, 10/10 would recommend. I really enjoy metal/post-hardcore in general, but the synths and electronics give the music a really nice boost to the energy (see one of my fave albums of all time -- Trauma by I Prevail). It makes it really punchy, and I love that!

Favorite song: ARTIFICIAL SUICIDE or bad decisions

I also want to recommend Take Me Back to Eden by Sleep Token, because I was very hyped for it to come out this year. However, I was let down a little bit and do have a few reservations about the album in general. I think it's great. The vibe of it is really ethereal, and I appreciate the fluidity of the songs in terms of tone and sound. But, it suffers from a lack of variety in tempo. A lot of the songs are slower, and the sequencing itself doesn't lend any room for picking up the energy it loses after the first 5 songs. I also hate the songs Are You Really Okay? and DYWTYLM. They don't feel like they belong. At all. They feel like filler/billboard top 100 and less of this otherworldy, almost ghostly sound they're trying to go for. It also took me a few listens to come around to Ascensionism and The Apparition, but I do really appreciate those songs, and I really quite like them now. It's a really good album that took a few misteps. The Summoning is so good, though. There's a reason it's their most popular song. If you're going to listen to it, I would recommend listening in the following order, because it's the best one I've found for right now. Although it's also not perfect by far, and you can hear the tonal shift after the first three songs, I think it feels a bit more balanced. I can't say I'm quite satisfied with it, but it's still a lot better imo

Drop Are You Really Okay? and DYWTYLM. Don't put them in the playlist.

1. Chokehold

2. Vore

3. The Summoning

4. Aqua Regia

5. Ascensionism

6. The Apparition

7. Granite

8. Rain

9. Euclid

10. Take Me Back to Eden

Favorite song: Euclid or Chokehold

And a small honorable mention to these albums that I finally got to listen to, but don't have enough thoughts on (yet) to rant about:

So Much (For) Stardust by Fall Out Boy

Rain City Drive by Rain City Drive

The Click (Deluxe Edition) by AJR (don't judge me I really like them)

Opal (original soundtrack) by Jack Stauber

Frontiers by Journey

Empire by Queensrÿche

4 by Foreigner

I really should have listened to the older albums sooner, but I just never got around to it -- even though I know multiple songs from each one.

I'll eventually talk about all of the other entries on this list, as well as my all-time favorites (not listed) and the other couple of recents I have yet to finish. Mostly just because I like talking about music lmao but today is not that day. Also you have to tell me about your music taste now!

[wrecking]

november!! weird month, but hey we got some good music. open for names and a little blurb about each one

olivia rodrigo - guts : basically guaranteed top 2 aoty at this point which is hilarious, but in my defense i am in my teenager era

studio killers - self titled : i refuse to use the "special edition" cuz it's literally just the album with one song swapped for a song that came out 5 years later so they could split their single off the album. idk why this has been resurfacing but it's quite good so hey why not right

jessica lea mayfield - make my heart sing : idk i'm in my grungy traumatized alt-country rock thing era and yeah this hits

hayley williams - flowers for vases / descansos : [ bolds the word "traumatized" in the last one silently ]

sigrid - the hype : this just kinda snuck up on me? really good pop hits we love to see it

be your own pet - mommy : surprisingly memorable! was kinda whelmed on first listen but it's very listenable and fun so hey

kesha - gag order : [ underlines the word "traumatized" from earlier ]

faye webster - i think i'm funny haha : starting to revisit a lot of music i stopped listening to around the time of my return in august 2022, so this record has become a solemn comfort item in a way, which is fitting i think

hiroshi yoshimura - green : stunningly poignant ambient record. has become a major force in my life fr

julia jacklin - pre-pleasure : [ circles the word "traumatized" ]

taylor swift - 1989 taylor's version : i really don't have any defense other than this album reminds me a lot of 2017, and with tears of the kingdom coming out earlier this year i was itching to revisit it in a new way. the fucked part is that three of her records could've been on here actually tho (this + red tv + midnights)

laurel halo - atlas : really really good ambient record. it sounds like the cover looks in the best way

boygenius - the record (+ the rest tbh) : finally coming back around to this and crying my eyes out to cool about it, what else is new

fiona apple - extraordinary machine : this one has just been floating in the background of the whole month for me. it's really good and underrated for her tbh

pearly drops - a little disaster : just so good. it's stim content to me i think

billie eilish - tv songs : [ adds stars around the word "traumatized" ]

hitsujibungaku - our hope : god this album is just so evergreen. can't wait for their new one next week wtf wait it's next week LMFAO

troye sivan - something to give each other : idk this has stuck with me quite a lot! not as good as BN or IAD but defs better than bloom imo. one of your girls is a classic already i just know it

carly rae jepsen - the loveliest time (+ the loneliest time) : this one finally came back around for me and god what a flawless (set of) album(s). she really said hold on i'm making bangers

ethel cain - preacher's daughter : i can't even prove i streamed this this month, but this album has been rattling around my skull the whole time.

oklou - galore : this one always just comes back at the most random times, but it's always welcome. it's like an old friend who's also a sparkling fairy

clairo - sling : [ just points at the word "traumatized" at this point because like do i even need to say it anymore ]

lorde - pure heroine : my winter sleeper hit, this album is so poignant. at least for me, each time i go back to it it grows richer i think. it's a kind of love letter To and From my youth in the same breath, and in this age of "ok but i'm getting older and things are changing but i also feel like a teenager again bc of the hormones but i also know things are gonna get drastically different soon" it's such a good comfort pick

maggie rogers - surrender : despite all the trauma above this, i do still have some fire left in me. [ the intro to either "want want" or "shatter" play ]

the volunteers - self titled : just a sleek good rock album. i love the vocalist and the songs are so good... stan immediately

no predictions bc i've been struggling to listen to music at all this month. i will return someday i swear

[meme-streets]

omg what’s your personal ranking of the doors albums i’m so curious on your take

ok sorry this was so late! i realized i hadn’t actually listened to the live album yet (which i wanted to rank as well) and then i didn’t get the chance for several days. for the sake of ease i’m only going to do the ones released while morrison was alive. these are based on my preferences, not judgements of quality.

1. morrison hotel. ironically has the highest volume of doors songs i don’t really like (which i like…2), but it’s the album i listen to straight through the most, i own it on CD, and as an overall whole i think coheres incredibly well. the callbacks to “roadhouse blues” in “the spy” and “maggie m’gill”, the callback to “waiting for the sun” the album in “waiting for the sun” the song, just in general the way the whole thing flows.

2. strange days. i expect this is an uncontroversial pick, given as it’s generally accepted to be a great album. “love me two times” and “people are strange” are of course iconic, “strange days” and “moonlight drive” are incredibly cool songs, and of course “my eyes have seen you” is probably my all-time favorite doors song. the album has a really cool sound overall and i think it holds together very well; another album i’m inclined to listen to all the way through and the one that got me into them as a whole. some of manzarek’s best keyboard work is on here imo, or at least my favorite. the fact it feels like a slightly more cohesive concept album also gives it a slight boost over the self titled.

3. the doors. a killer first album with an abundance of favorite songs of mine–“soul kitchen” (an old favorite of mine from childhood), “back door man” (makes me want to dance in ways that are not physically possible), “break on through”, “take it as it comes” (genuinely haunting), “light my fire”, “i looked at you”…honestly every single song on here is a complete banger. “the end” is an incredible finale. literally just a bunch of really fucking good songs so i gotta put it high up on the list.

4. absolutely live. their energy is incredible live, it flows super well, the mixed in spoken word poetry is fantastic, and also...jim morrison noises. the slight lyrical alterations to soul kitchen and how perfect of a closer it made. the emotions i experienced listening to this sure were something!!

5. waiting for the sun. maybe a strange pick, but despite being one of their lesser-appreciated albums i think it’s cool as hell with a really unique sound. “five to one” is a favorite of mine, “hello, i love you” is iconic, “not to touch the earth” is genuinely kind of terrifying (sounds like getting murdered in a funhouse imo), “the unknown soldier” and “yes, the river knows” are great, and despite it being a weird song, i have a particular soft spot for “my wild love”. i’m a sucker for sort of…campfire songs, almost. overall an incredibly cool album that doesn’t get appreciated enough.

6. the soft parade. another underrated one; between this and waiting for the sun i had to give the latter a slight edge just for how many songs on it i really like, but i love the orchestral sound of this album. “touch me” has been a favorite since i was a kid, and “runnin’ blue” is a weird but fantastic song featuring bluegrass breakdowns and what seems to be jim morrison’s surprisingly on point bob dylan impression. and of course, the final and titular track has the iconic “you cannot petition the lord with prayer” bit.

7. l.a. woman. ok, don’t eat me alive for putting this last–i feel insane for it–but despite it being an iconic album and having a couple songs i really really like (“the changeling” and “been down so long”)…it’s just not my favorite? i don’t find myself listening to it as much, though it was the last one i listened to out of the main 6 so that probably had an impact. i will say, their cover of “crawling king snake” is really cool, one of my higher rated ones (though nothing will ever top junior kimbrough for me), and overall it’s still a fantastic album.

this was incredibly hard oh my god. as obnoxious as i am about how hot i find morrison, i fell in love with the music first, and i adore (heh) most of the doors’ discography. even the songs i’m not as big on i don’t dislike.

[gummyswift]

My thoughts on random Taylor Swift songs

Before I get into it, I just wanna say that I'm no music critic, so don't take my opinions too seriously. This is all for fun.

Lavender Haze

This was one of my Midnight favs when I first listened to it and I still love it and the purple aesthetic.

Fav lyric: "Talk your talk and go viral, I just need this love spiral."

Stay Stay Stay

Cute! And underrated! This song gets a lot of hate cuz people think its childish or that it sounds like a Target commercial. It's not one of my absolute favs but I like it! I will say I think it feels a little offputting on a album where the main theme is heartbreak, but that makes sense considering it was only made cuz Taylor's record label wanted her to make a happier song for the album.

Fav lyric: "You took the time to memorize me. My fears, my hopes, my dreams, I just like hanging out with you all the time."

Holy Ground

Someone tell me what the background vocals are saying, I honestly can't tell.... ANYWAY this song is fun! The verses are the best imo.

Fav lyric: "Tonight I'm gonna dance for all that we've been through, but I don't wanna dance if I'm not dancing with you."

You Belong With Me

A classic! This was actually the first song I ever memorized, so I'll always have a soft spot for it. Admittedly it does it give off "not like other girls" vibes but I can forgive it.

Fav lyric: "And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town. I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down."

Girl At Home

So Taylor's Version of this song gets some hate cuz the production is pretty different from the stolen version... I like the new one better. I never really listened to the original Girl At Home unless I was listening to the full Red album, and I never really thought about it or played it on its own. The new Girl At Home I've actually gotten stuck in my head a few times. I think in general it's just more memorable.

Fav lyric: "And it would be a fine proposition if I was a stupid girl."

Clean

I love that you can hear this song and just think... water.

Fav lyric: "It was months and months of back and forth. Now you're all over me like a wine stained dress I can't wear anymore."