#crafted sounds

[nofatclips]

"Year of the Hot Dog by Burger Gang" by BRNDA from the album Do you Like Salt? - Directed by David Combs and Ben Epstein

[bandcampsnoop]

6/17/23.

Pittsburgh's music scene is alive and well. Gotobeds kicked off its most recent incarnation, but it seems to be picking up steam lately. Yesterday, Pitchfork had an article highlighting feeble little horse for crying out loud.

I'm more partial to Silver Car Crash. I hear a band that creates a powerful sound influenced (without sounding derivative) by Parquet Courts, Protomartyr, Fugazi and Pavement.

Crafted Sounds (also based in Pittsburgh) is releasing this.

[dustedmagazine]

Gaadge — Somewhere Down Below (Crafted Sounds)

Photo by Eric Stevens

Somewhere Down Below by Gaadge

Gaadge has the Swirlies’ trick of slipping slight, vulnerable wobbles of melody in a surging onslaught of guitar noise, so that you grab onto the song part as you submerge, gloriously, in overwhelming, overdriven textures of sound. This third full-length from the Pittsburgh four piece buries catchy pop in distortion-swollen currents, the noise and the hook living right next to each other, ready to fight.

The band has two guitarists. Mitch Delong, who also sings and writes most of the songs, strums and slashes while Andy Yadeski elicits the MBV-ish howl and drone. The drummer Ethan Oliva hits hard as he can go, arms ricocheting to chest level as he knocks out chaotic beats. The bass, played by Nick Boston, spills out in a viscous sludge of noise and dissonance; if you get pulled under, it’s the bass that will catch you by the feet and suck you down into the murk.

“Komarov” lets the roar prevail, its drifting choruses socked in by feedback surges and a continuous earthquake of drums. It’s over fast — in 1:44 to be exact — but leaves a crater in its wake. “Strok” which follows just after is, by contrast, nearly jangle pop, its keening melody punctuated but not swamped by stinging strums.  The best, most elegant stab at pop comes in “Don’t Go There,” with its sly, shout-out melody and ornately twining guitars; you’ll hear a bit of Guided by Voices, a bit of Honey Radar in its quick hit of tunefulness. There’s an element of shoegaze in Gaadge’s rainbow arcing noise, too, best heard on “Mundy’s Highlight,” which will give you a flash of Swervedriver in its sweet, lyrical chaos.

You could draw all sorts of lines to the Ovlov family of bands (Stove, Pet Fox, actual Ovlov), in the way the music buoys while the noise takes on a physical, body-moving presence. When we listen to rock music, we want to be moved, but we also want to be obliterated, and Gaadge does both very well.

Jennifer Kelly

[professorcalculusstanaccount]

I remember discussing Tintin casting choices with a friend from Germany and remarked how it was odd he often has an English accent in adaptations rather than a Belgian one, and my friend just replied "that's because Tintin gives incredibly strong English boy energy (derogatory)"

Here in the UK there's a lot of weird classism tied into accents. Today accent diversity and representation in broadcasting is actively pursued but in Tintin's time there certainly was a preferred accent to have.

imagine this exchange happens between pages 28-29 in The Crab with the Golden Claws

[pangur-and-grim]

when editing the Sir Cameron book, I read the entire thing out loud, and whenever I hitched on something (the flow got interrupted by a sentence that was too long or too short or too lumpy), I went in and fiddled until it ‘read smooth’ again. it was soothing to do, but also it took soooooo long!

[girlboyburger]

i was extremely sleep deprived yesterday when i discovered the dragon survival mod which was LIFE CHANGING when you're on three hours of sleep so of course i made a whole custom forest dragon texture in one day about it. and. just for fun, some concept art i made for it:

[thepermanentrainpress]

UNDER THE RADAR: DECEMBER 2022

Hope everyone got to ring in 2023 with their loved ones! 🎉 We’re throwing it back for December’s Under the Radar only, featuring releases from Eleanor, salt sword, Touray, Isobel, chengcheng, and Buddie.

1) Eleanor - “Make Sense”

“No, please don’t need your worries / Just looking for a place to voice my woes freely.”

Ontario’s Eleanor and her mother feel familiar in the sense of a generational gap, and how those differences are bridged. A conversation between the pair that reflects on “missed deadlines” and milestones not yet reached, it voices both fear and frustration. Carrying concern and urgency can work together to mend if communication exists, built on respect and a conscious effort to heal and understand. It becomes easy to overlook others’ feelings (namely a child, or a parent and grandparent) in set expectations, and Eleanor hones in on the disappointment and anxiety young people so often experience.

Her tone has a trying and fighting spirit, gripping in the speech-like delivery atop the R&B/soul soundscape. The way her upper register lingers is beautiful. “Make Sense” has heightened emotions that casts light on reconciliation and common ground.

Written by: Chloe Hoy

2) salt sword - “90′s game”

Cool and impassioned is experimental pop wonder “90′s game,” a personal recollection of artist Colin Ablitt’s ‘new kid on the block’ chapters early in his life. About “identities and faces” and the confusion it bestowed, the single’s video game focal point is largely appropriate. I felt the disassociation and urge to please and prove, while haunted by the characters of one’s past (“I’m bursting in flames but you don’t hear the sound”). Adaptability is the overarching theme, and is juxtaposed with harsher synths and drums that capture the essence of an outsider in an big new world. It opens with a poem constructed out of samples from a 1950′s instructional video and references familiar gameplay in labyrinths, save functions, and boundary breaks.

"90′s game” is painstakingly imaginative and sensitive, searching for belonging in all the entanglement.

Written by: Chloe Hoy

3) Touray - “Where I’m Going” 

Touray’s “Where I’m Going” captures both the bright-eyed and disconcerting energy of young adulthood. It piles on the guitars – dazzling and chaotically paced – and is steeped in melancholic delivery. “Wake me up in June / when city grass is colder than my heart,” the London-based artist remarks in his urge to feel alive. Its blaring chorus really pulls out the emotions of the song: ecstasy, fear, peace of mind. Coloured from an early 2000s indie rock palette, "Where I’m Going” teases at dissonance before folding seamlessly into itself.

Written by: Natalie Hoy

4) Isobel - “Miles”

A self-described “sad girl winter ballad” couldn’t be more accurate for “Miles.” Feeling blue and romantic is an unfortunate pairing, but it can create the most sincere piece of art in how loss and love intertwine. While written about a first love and the shared memories, the sentiment holds the same weight for any relationship that has run its course (willingly or unwillingly). Isobel collaborated with Andrew Lo (keys and strings) and producer Benjamin Paul de Caiman; I love the levity in the layered arrangement.

It’s very validating towards the emotions felt for another and the situation (“didn’t wanna roll up my sleeves / didn’t wanna cover your heart”) – becoming self-assured is a journey. "Miles” shows us that time and distance form appreciation, and that falling prey to nostalgia is precious time to learn and grow.

Written by: Chloe Hoy

5) chengcheng - “Boundaries”

"Boundaries” is songwriter/pop producer chengcheng’s debut release. Despite a stylish dance pop beat, the track divulges raw feelings about a past relationship and goes so far as to include voice memos sent between him and his ex. It feels bright and provocative, with an accusatory tone nestled in its summertime bass line. Calling out the disposability of some modern day relationships, “Boundaries” is delivered with confidence; anything to make it hurt a little less.

Born and raised in Shanghai, Chengcheng Tang obtained a bachelor’s degree in music production and engineering from Berklee College of Music before relocating to Los Angeles. His debut EP is expected out early 2023.

Written by: Natalie Hoy

6) Buddie - “Sunday Morning”

They bring a new meaning to lazy Sundays—shaken and resilient in an unfamiliar environment we used to take for granted. Led by Daniel Forrest, the band originated in Philadelphia before being reassembled upon Forrest’s move to Vancouver in fall 2021. Lyrically, the song explores disruption and familiarity, but has a cozy indie rock meets power pop sound. Buddie evaluates their interactions and approach to life, bearing a rebirth at song’s end that is earned (“We have tools to dig the roots out / and replant with lilac”).

They’re attentive to a balance between relaxed and exasperated, much like how society has moved forward. The primarily instrumental final third is harmonious. A style that is empathetic but can still debate, the act impresses with their new release. Transplant EP is out now.

Transplant by Buddie

Written by: Chloe Hoy

[sevenines]

i saw this tweet and found it interesting for two reasons. one is that some people base how good cartoon network would be to toh by how it treated su, and despite the fact that su’s treatment by the network was considered poor at the time, now its thought to be exceptionally good in comparison to modern shows.

two is how exactly su got impacted by a limited budget. a common criticism is how characters like connie, peridot, and lapis are left out of missions. but balancing a lot of characters is not only hard but also costly (extra animation, extra voices—it’s been revealed that the show is limited to a set number of characters per episode otherwise they’re over budget). animation mistakes are not uncommon since retakes cost extra. the entire reason the original show got cut short was due to loss of funding!

[canisalbus]

I think a big reason people think of arabian horses for Machete is their reputation as an incredibly nervous and high-strung breed, something we've grown to associate with our beloved tissue paper and pipe cleaner skrunkle dressed in the finest fabrics. However other personality traits often assigned to arabians (at least based on all the reading I did in my horse girl past) is being friendly and eager to please. Also, honestly, the bug eyed look is a pretty recent development in arabs as breeding has gotten more extreme - I think both arab and akhal-teke could be very fitting breeds for Machete, but I gotta admit I enjoy the idea of akhal-teke. Horse Machete with an almost pearlescent, shiny coat sounds wonderful. (Though, also, something about marwari horses intrigues me for Machete - that's not how his ears go, but the prominence of marwari ears as a feature feels right. Understandable if the shape is too off, though.)

Also for Vasco I would vote for a lusitano in the palomino colouration, personally!

.

[jajatoc]

Oneirotects (mea culpa)

[shepscapades]

Why does Ren have 4 ears? Are they all real or is one set fake?

Hehe I’ve gotten this question a lot actually! They’re all real— I like to think hybridization isn’t always a clean balance of traits, so Ren just unfortunately ended up with two sets of ears— his Dog ears being much more receptive to sound, naturally— and sometimes when the extra intake of sound is too overwhelming, I imagine he wears earplugs in his human ears to help adjust :> it’s a bit weird, but idk! i like to make designs funky and nonconventional! I liked the idea that Ren had hearing struggles due to wonky hybridization and just kept the concept :>

[nofatclips]

Oh Wonder by Gaadge from the album Somewhere Down Below

[soothifying-sounds-asmr]

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| making bobbin lace by pletu_kruzheva

| contains: clacky wood sounds

[aurabora]

sorry to be the bearer of bad news but if you think aegon iii would have “healed from his trauma” with the daughter of his mother’s murderer then you’re delulu. the boy who wore black all his life? the boy that gave away jaehaera’s doll the first chance he got? the boy that was so discomforted by jaehaera’s presence that the maesters even noted how he was less discomforted by myrielle peake’s presence than jaehaera? it’s fine to have headcanons or whatever, but seriously. aegon iii would sooner ride a dragon than “heal” with the girl he was forced to marry.

[bookshelfdreams]

I know it's been half a year and I don't feel like digging up the original post rn but I finally got started ooooonnnnn

✨The American Duchess Wrap Cape✨

Carol Kimball made a printable version of the pattern which she generously shares for free on her blog along with instructions for alterations and assembly (PLUS pockets! And a hood!). This is what I'll be working with.

I forgot to take a picture, but I'm using a grey-green (sage? I'd call this sage) boiled wool as top fabric, and dark blue flannel for the lining. Because I am an idiot, and also due to my general hubris, I have forgone the mockup. Instead, i decided to try on every pattern piece as I go along and see what alterations it needs. I am sure I will not regret this.

(I do have a lot of fabric, so there's room for error. When I bought it earlier this year I thought I would do the hood, but I have since decided against it - with the colour, a hood would make me look like some twee forest creature. Not that that wouldn't be an amazing fashion concept. Unfortunately, hoods don't work great with scarves and shawls, so no hood this time.)

First (after printing and taping together the pattern pieces) was extending the shoulder seam. The original pattern has tiny shoulders, which might work fine for some (although, tbh, even the og pictures of AD's reconstruction seem to fit the model kinda awkwardly), but for me, too small. Kimball recommends making a sort of bulge on the front piece so it actually goes over the bust, which I did; I freehanded it and figured I would cut it out, sew in the darts and then check if it fits.

I wasn't sure how to mark where to put the darts without cutting up the pattern. In the end, I just put a little bit of white thread through the start and end points, pulled off the paper and tied them off loosely. That worked really well, and it made folding the darts easier, too.

Anyway, the front piece seemed to fit! So I used it to adjust the pattern for the lining, cut out the two front pieces, and put in the darts there. Then I cut open the darts, finished the seams that needed finishing, and pressed all my seams, as if I knew what I was doing and wasn't a chaotic craft gremlin.

Next, I cut out the back piece (the pattern prints only one half, but I mirrored it and then taped the two halves together, so I wouldn't have to fumble around trying to cut it on the fold. That would not have ended well) in both top and lining, sewed them together with the according front pieces at the shoulders, and pressed the seams again.

Then I ran out of blue sewing thread. But since it's 20:00 anyway, and my sewing machine is very loud, I'll be a considerate neighbour and stop with the noise-heavy activities. Tomorrow I'll have to go to the inferior craft store (the good one is closed on tuesdays) to get some fusible interfacing for the collar and pockets (up next!). Also blue thread.

(The cat was helping, as always)

[kai-nyktos]

what if bill is jealous of the pine family because they remind him that he doesn’t get to have a happy family because he burned them all. and ford having almost gone down the same path as him (unappreciatedly smart, weird, outcasted, and then gaining access to greater knowledge and almost destroying the world) but stops and saves his family even after all the shit that’s happened (this is the one timeline where both dipper and mabel survive, after all). he gets to be happy. they all get to be happy, together.

he must hate them as much as he hates himself, doesn’t he?