#im a songwriter and I take inspiration from them

[witchygaymer]

I became a Fall Out Boy fan when I was 14 so as I’ve gotten older I’ve gained such a deeper appreciation of Pete Wentz’s lyrics like… how tf does he come up with “my mind is a safe/and if I keep it then we all get rich/my body is an orphanage we let everyone in”

[love-belle]

you're the best in my life and i lost you !!!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ in which they truly are the best in each other's lives but they lost them.

or

for when you finally get to know that maybe it is unrequited. ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

social media au // charles leclerc x fem!reader

prequel - i'd never walk cornelia street sign ⋆·˚ ༘ *

warnings - language

author's note - finally here!!!!! i REALLLLLLY hope u like it !!! i have so much planned for this week and i hope i can show u all of it soon !!! thank u so much for reading i love you <3

tagged - @willowpains @lexxlouuu @topaz125 @leclercloml @sophiaasf @slut4peterparker @crlsummer @ananyasr1bughead @official-chicken-little @jspitwall @lovely-blackinnon

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱

liked by lewishamilton, carmenmmundt, lilymhe and 3,927,588 others

yourusername my sophomore album "good riddance" is finally here and i'm soooo excited for u all to hear little pieces of my heart sewn together. every single syllable is what i feel and what i have been feeling. we all have that one person that we absolutely refuse to talk about so just like that, i ended up writing a whole album instead. thank you sooo much for supporting me, i love you all forever. and to the inspiration behind this, thank you. you were good to me. you're the best i've ever had.

19,628 comments

username SCREECHING WHAT THE FUCK

username oh my god

username now im half of myself here without you?????? you're the best in my life and i lost you????? and we had no control when it fell through???? it was one sided hate how i hurt you?????

-> username WHERE DO WE GO NOW

username i 😭 know 😭 i 😭 know 😭 better 😭 you're 😭 no 😭 guarantee 😭

username I ALMOST LOST IT I'LL HEAL EVENTUALLY BUT FASTER WHEN UR NEXT TO ME NEXT TO ME

-> username IM CODEPENDENT BUT TRYING HARD NOT TO BE IM BETTER WHEN UR NEXT TO ME

username why the FUCK aren't people talking about the blue and how it's literally her and charles???

-> username "you came out of the blue like that i never could've seen you coming i think you're everything i wanted" NAHHH FRRRRR

username there was absolutely NO NEED to break my heart like this

username charles is probably tearing up rn likeeee

-> username bro's hiding in a corner bc i KNOW lily is out for blood today

danielricciardo cool album

-> yourusername thank u i wrote it myself!!!!!!

-> username as if daniel's stories aren't js him crying and singing along the whole album 😭😭😭

username "i know it won't work" had NO business ruining me like that when i know damn well i haven't even held hands with someone

username THE VOICE MESSAGE IN THE INTERLUDE OMGKMGKMGKGSJJAJS

-> username i bet you my first born that it's CHARLES

-> username lost it when it was cut from charles' message (yes it was charles and yes it broke my heart) to y/n's like THERE WAS NO NEED TO HURT ME LIKE THAT

username i wish for pain and im glad we only live once bc this woman WILL find more creative ways to hurt us with her amazing songwriting and vocal skills

lilymhe LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEE

-> yourusername I LOVE YOUUUUU

lilymhe SO SO SO GOOD AHHHSJSJSJS

-> yourusername STOP TYSM IM GONNA CRY

lilymhe the only album to ever exist btw

-> yourusername ur the 1 for me ❤️

username still not over two people like what do u MEAN "hate how we touched just to push things aside. when u take me for granted i make it alright"

username she's never attaining peace for releasing this and ruining my nights

username OH I KNOW SPIRALLING IS MISERABLE I SHOULD PROBABLY GO BACK HOME WHY DOES THAT FEEL DIFFICULT DIFFICULT

carmenmmundt still crying

-> yourusername same 😭😭😭

carmenmmundt george wants to comment but he can't see through his tears

-> yourusername PLEASE OMG

username "and to the inspiration behind this, thank you. you were good to me. you're the best i've ever had." DO U WANT ME TO CRY

username charles i am in ur walls

username i will never understand how she wrote "it's nice to have a friend" for charles and now she wrote "two people" like how did THAT transition happen

-> username the worst transition ever btw

landonorris thid is si good anf im cryjng so harf whay thr fucj

-> yourusername lando deep breaths

-> landonorris DINT TELL MR TI TAKR DEEP BRESTGS I SWRAR

-> yourusername wow

-> username i identify so much with lando it's INSANE

username somewhere in monaco pascale leclerc is listening to this album and it's a good day ❤️

-> username bet u literally my bank account the entire leclerc household is BLASTING this

carla.brocker words cannot explain how proud i am 🩷🩷🩷 i love you so much big sis

-> yourusername carlaaaaa 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼 u own my heart i LOVEEEE you

-> username this made me tear up whatcthebfuck

username no bc i KNOW charles heard "will u cry" and CRIED like that man is not strong enough to bear that

-> username no bc "u don't move me???? i see through u????? i don't follow???? i don't want to?????"

-> username that man is in SHAMBLES about this rn

username GOOD RIDDANCE TOUR WHEN

username this will be my personality for years to come

lorenzotl proud of you y/n/n 🤍

-> yourusername i love u charlotte's bf thank u

username cannot breathe bc "it's almost like you like to let me down" and "i hate the fact that i miss u around"

≡;- ꒰ °twitter꒱

≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱

liked by yourusername, landonorris, danielricciardo and 2,672,882 others

charles_leclerc so proud of you. seeing you live your dream is the best feeling ever and i hope you get to see the world just like we talked about. things aren't the same but my support for you will always be unwavering. this is what you were made for and i couldn't be more happy 🤍

tagged yourusername

16,628 comments

username what the actual fuck

username WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

username stfu this isn't DONE like u CAN'T do this

username "things aren't the same but my support for you will always be unwavering" WHAT IF I CRY

username so u mean to tell me that he went to her show after MONTHS even when they're not together just to support her???? bc he wants her to see the world even if things aren't the same????? what the fuck

username i did NOT need this at 7am in the morning come back later

username babe wake up new y/ncharles lore js dropped

danielricciardo amazing show!! aren't you glad i dragged you there?

-> charles_leclerc i literally booked the tickets myself what are you on about?

-> danielricciardo let me have this one mate

username last night was UNREAL bc wdym y/n's ex fiancé was there and wdym she sang full machine and the blue for him and wdym he came on stage and spoke so fondly about her and WDYM MAX VERSTAPPEN AND LANDO NORRIS THREW WATER AT THE AUDIENCE JS FOR THE HELL OF IT

username this is my roman empire

username i know he was dying inside like

username imagine fumbling a bad bitch like y/n couldn't be me LMFAOOOO

username y'all brutal in the comments let my man grovel in peace

landonorris nice caption. now say i love you.

-> charles_leclerc i love you lando

-> landonorris not to ME to HER (i love you too 😘😘😘🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍)

-> charles_leclerc oh (no)

username SCREAMING DANIEL SNATCHING Y/N'S MIC FROM HER AND SINGING HIS FAV SONG FROM THE ALBUM

-> username THEY'RE SO UNSERIOUS 😭😭😭

username this caption will haunt me in my dreams

username is it js me or did her voice crack when she said "now i know it's unrequited"

-> username NO BC I FR THOUGHT THAT IT WAS JS ME

-> username she genuinely looked on the verge of tears throughout "405" like

-> username imagine being y/n and singing the most heartbreaking song ever about ur ex IN FRONT OF UR EX

username no bc this feels like a confirmation that they'll never be together guys why does this feel so final i want my parents back.

username SCREAMING WHATHEBRCUKXKSKA

carlossainz55 surreal night. loved seeing you lose your cool every time she was nearing your side of the stage

-> charles_leclerc just because we can speak doesn't mean we should

username the camera switching from y/n to charles when she sang "i know it won't work" was so me like the camera person is messy js like me fr

username genuinely in ruins on my bedroom floor rn y/ncharles nation we LOST

username no bc i CANNOT enter their friendship era ever again after seeing what i have seen for the past few years

-> username fr like people don't GET IT!!!! they were supposed to get MARRIED

username forever crying bc of them 💔💔💔

yourusername forever grateful for u!!!! thank u so much 🫶🏼

*liked by charles_leclerc*

yourusername u deserve the world

*liked by charles_leclerc*

username charles replying to everyone but y/n on the post HE made for HER makes me so idk like it's weird

username no bc why do i have the feeling that y/n and charles are NOT good and this is js something done for "damage control" or wtv

username im.

[angstics]

this post about lesbian divas rlly delighted me. it's fun to see this niche topic talked about and expanded on with lots of examples. soooo i compiled all the responses as of 21/09/23 10:30pm EST and put them in a spreadsheet. then ranked them by how much of a diva i consider them lol

first off, the general list. i found 152 unique responses in the replies, tags, and comments. some were only first names so i didnt bother researching into who the poster was talking about. images for ease of viewing:

second... what is a diva?? clarifying where im coming from is important to understand my upcoming opinions. i should make clear that im talking about DIVAS as in DIVA WORSHIP as in LIZA MINNELLI-BARBRA STREISAND-BETTE DAVIS-LADY GAGA etcetera. dykes can see these female celebs as divas as well, but what the original post touches on is the male diva.

this rthko ask explains the diva well. you should also take a look at scholarly articles and books -- divas have been a part of recorded gay culture and esp gay male culture and drag queen culture forever -- the term isnt concrete. rthko says that "there's no real formula" but lists these typical features of a diva:

larger than life -- glam, humor, charisma? would a drag queen impersonate them?

theatrical / proximity to theatre

sexy / horny -- rthko notes here that these arent requirements, citing liza's lack of sexual overtness

strength

niche -- can be popular but not a general crowd-pleaser

gay rights supporter -- before it was cool

now rthko is talking about female divas, even noting the blind spot for bi/lesbian fans and artists. i say you can apply the same features to male celebrities to identify the male divas dykes idolize. i should note that some of the ppl on the list are women or genderqueer. so the list is not entirely male.

another note: im putting so much emphasis on DIVAHOOD because it's SUCH a specific term. not all icons, "weird little guys", "blorbos" are divas. one thing rthko doesn't touch on is how a diva often has a strong sense of self that the devotee can identify and want to emulate -- at the xtreme, leads to drag art. if they dont inspire and amaze, then are they a diva?

lets get into part 3: which of these 152 people / concepts / groups are honest to god divas? you can argue they're all Icons to some extent (the bare minimum being having a lesbian fanbase) but do they have what rthko and i (and gay culture researchers) consider to be the features of a diva?

first thing i did identify those i both recognized and "saw divahood within". ended up with 44:

then i shrunk down the list even further to 18 (again, pure opinion):

then i ranked the 44 more methodically by mapping out the 7 features of the diva:

several important notes:

this ranking is not definite -- though i tried to be fair, considering the limits to what i know, it is subjective

i dont know the histories of some of these people, so i may be missing some things. an inverse example: i know far too much about gerard way, so i had a good idea of how he fit into each feature

some of these i couldnt decide whether i should check or not. al pacino i was esp worried about... couldnt justify checking those boxes the way i can for other people

either way, my findings yielded interesting results! 3 of the most commonly talked about singer-songwriters (bruce, bob, johnny) ranked low. this may indicate that there's other features to the male diva that arent specified or dont apply to females divas / gay male devotees. perhaps defined gender expression, or “voice for lesbians”, or something else.

all of the people with a score of 4 or more can be emulated. "sex" (meaning overt sexuality) is the least common feature, after "theatrical".

though anyone can be a diva to anyone, there's a certain "canon" of who is a diva in gay circles. liza barbra bette gaga. this messy qualitative approach is an attempt to figure that out for dyke divas. i would love to talk about it more.

[meaningofaeons]

First request ive sent for hsr bcz I DO NOT SEE ENOUGH AU CONTENT ON THIS SITE?? I would like to request Gepard x reader musician au where gepard plays an instrument or maybe hes some kind of idol… idk im insane and ill take anything 😭

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈ (tone) deaf

⊹ character(s) - gepard landau ⊹ word count - 705 ⊹ notes - gn!reader, musician/music au, modern au, gepard is still kinda a bad singer like in canon but not as bad (serval vocal coach yahoo!), reader is implied to be semi-famous but still knows the landaus, serval's band is implied to be semi-famous too (SERVAL WINGWOMAN IS BACK!!!), idol!gepard

hi anon!!! I REALLY LIKE THIS REQUEST!!!! I love guys who can't sing (cough tanjiro demon slayer cough) and it's always so cute writing about them. the idea of idol!gepard made me swoon so I went that route! I did hcs I hope that's okay! and I hope the modern au is okay, I didn't know if you wanted to stick to the original belobog/hsr setting or no. thanks for requesting!!! (=^･ｪ･^=))ﾉ彡☆ (I didnt rlly know how to end this one so if you want a p2 lemme know <3)

Gepard isn't necessarily a bad singer. He's just unpracticed.

Serval remembers fondly the times her brother would try to sing in his room, completely unaware of how he sounded to anyone with half an ear for tone.

He'd always wanted to be in a band of some sort like his older sister, but he didn't really have a knack for it. And instruments? Forget it. He could barely strum a single chord on a guitar!

Brawn was always Gepard's bigger strong suit over brains, and music certainly required quite a bit of the latter.

So, Serval, noticing her brother's plight (but also his desire for improvement) approached him on getting vocal lessons. From her, of course.

Over the course of a few years, he improved by leaps and bounds. In all that time, it never occurred to his sister to ask why he was so desperate for musical ability.

That is, until she went with him to one of your shows on her rare time off from her own band.

You were a longtime friend of the Landaus, and Serval felt that all three of you got along quite well. Like a house on fire, one would say.

But she never quite expected her brother to be so taken with your sound.

"Y/N has really bettered her playing!" Gepard ranted to Serval as soon as they were out of the small live house venue, waving his arms around. "I mean, she's always been good, but wow!"

"Is that why you wanted to get into music?" the girl teased, and her sibling immediately shut up.

"...N-Not exactly, but Y/N is inspiring."

"Your crush is written all over your face, baby bro—"

Serval was promptly shushed when you bounded up to the two of them.

"Hey, guys! How'd you like the show? Pretty cool, right?"

Gepard would spend hours ranting to you about songwriting, tone, anything he could possibly think of to occupy your conversation. Serval, meanwhile, would slink away to give you two your space.

It didn't take long for the newly-improved singer Gepard to find his place in a male idol unit.

His looks certainly helped, but it was no shocker that his leaps-and-bounds better singing was the kicker that got him his spot.

You continued your own musical gigs, but you were always willing to lend the blonde a helping hand (and ear!) for his new songs. Though idol groups usually got composers to write for them, Gepard was a sucker for coming up with his own songs.

As a very handsome guy, his talents were naturally geared towards a 'heartthrob' persona to his fans, which they lapped up like a cat to milk.

You soon became no exception—though you were obviously closer to him than any fan could get.

You would help him with writing songs, and all of his love-centric ones were written with you in mind (not that he would ever admit such a thing)

Still, you seemed ever-oblivious to his hints, even when his songs started to get borderline personal. His manager had to outright stop him from performing a song on the fly during one of his shows that specifically described you.

And Gepard was silently thankful that his moment of lovestruck delirium hadn't been broadcasted live to millions.

You couldn't exactly deny your own feelings for the man, but considering both of your levels of fame and his rise to success as a shoe-in for the whole nation's celebrity crush, you figured not to say a word.

Even though the work got busier by the day, though, Gepard always made time for you, and you for him.

When he couldn't make it to a show of yours or he had to miss out on a meeting due to a scheduling conflict, he'd always send a bouquet of your favorite flowers straight to your doorstep.

And though you couldn't always be there for his live performances, you always made sure to send something to eat from his favorite restaurant that he could indulge in after the show.

Fame could be tiring, trifling, and outright frustrating at times, but with the two of you to support one another, it wasn't too bad a hurdle to cross.

[the1trueanon]

I FINALLY GOT THESE DONE HERE WE GO:

ACTOR AU SAGE!!!

Fun fact! Actor AU is currently the only WH AU to have a version of Sage instead of Rosemary! :D

Her intro stuff is really long, so I'll put it under the cut (AAAA IM SO EXCITED TO SHARE HER)!!

So, for the Actor AU, Sage actually isn't an actor at all! She's a singer and songwriter who has pretty recently (like, within the past year or two before meeting the WH cast, maybe?) become very popular. Sage's personality and music draw a lot of inspiration from AURORA and MALINDA -- songs that tend to have a lot of deeper meaning behind them. She's eccentric and honestly a bit weird, but she's most known for being open and honest about herself and her music, and for being very caring and sweet. She's able to immediately connect to people and help them see different points of view, which is part of why she's gotten so popular with both puppet and human audiences.

Wally, of course, doesn't really trust it, considering how he thinks and what he believes. He assumes she's probably just another attention-hungry diva, thinking they're the shit, using the whole "lets all be best buds!" schtick to sell out. So he doesn't really pay attention to her or what she does too much, besides taking note of her rising popularity.

That is, of course, until he meets her.

Due to Sage's rising popularity, the show executives decide to have her come on the show as a sort of guest star. Wally doesn't really like this, but they're able to negotiate him to at least try it out for an episode and they'll decide what to do after that. Wally reluctantly agrees, but he's not too optimistic about it. He's really just expecting another one of those "rising star" types, y'know? (Which, fair enough, when you consider what all he's probably had to deal with in his time, plus the fact that all he's probably ever seen or heard of her is in interviews, and he puts on an act well enough for his, so.)

I have a whole actual comic planned detailing this that I'll hopefully finish and get out soon (sitting and writing comics is hard when you have near-zero focus QwQ) but essentially he's outside, before filming for the first day of this, just to get air before having to go back in and start directing things and getting ready and she approaches him and just starts talking with him. And he has no idea who the fuck this is??? (Honest to god, he'll never admit it now but he thought she was an intern or something at first XD) But slowly he goes from just answering her shortly to actually participating in the conversation?? And not just a "how's the weather" sort of thing, but like. Actual deep conversation, about what he's doing out there and talking through a little bit of the stress and stuff. And eventually he kinda like, comes to and realizes he's been talking way too much about way too deep stuff and he's like "hold up who tf are you again?" Which is about the same time her manager (who has been named Savannah and she's also a sweetheart) comes out looking for her and before Sage heads in she fully introduces herself to him, and he's just. Stunned. Absolutely blown away.

Here he was, expecting some diva he'd have to give the shake down to, but instead he's met with just. A girl. An honest, strange, caring girl.

This continues throughout that week of filming, Sage subverting every expectation Wally previously had of her. The whole time he's just more and more startled by Sage and who she is. Her whole team is super sweet and she obviously has very deep trust in them, and jokes with them like friends. She treats his staff with utmost respect (which, admittedly, makes him act on his best behavior every time she's around. He doesn't wanna look bad in comparison XD). She seems to genuinely enjoy her time there and what she's doing. Even more than that, Sage honestly has a very poor filter, so she talks a lot about everything lol, but it can be good! Because this is how Wally learns about her drive to create and how much she genuinely wants to bring people together. He finds out that really, the two of them have very similar visions, just for different audiences. Later, he and the executives and director and stuff are all discussing if they wanna keep doing stuff with her and her team and he's just immediately like "Yes. Absolutely. She has a similar vision to me. We either keep doing stuff with her or I'm personally helping fund her, capiche?" and they're all like "👀Got it" XD

And then, of course, there's her music. Which, after that first day of filming, he searches up as much of as he can and listens to it. And is again absolutely blown away lmao (there's another little comic idea I have for this too hehehe but its much shorter than the other one)

And thus begins Wally's journey of self-improvement, led by Sage's example /j XDDDD

ANYWAY HRGHRGHRGHRHGR THATS ALL THE EXPOSITION IMMA GIVE HERE CAUSE THATS A LOT AND THERE'S STILL A TON MORE STORY IN MY BRAIN BUT AUUUGGGHHH I'M SO NORMAL ABOUT THIS AU (also Frills, I have no idea what spell you've put on me with this thing but I have never made such cinematic art before O-O don't stop XD)

As always, Welcome Home belongs to Clown (partycoffin) and Actor/Diva Wally and the Actor AU belong to the wonderful @frillsand!! 💖💖💖

[petruchio]

i was lowkey tumblr stalking asks you’ve answered before (i apologize i just love how in depth u answer) and now i wanna know your tierlist (A/B/C/D/F) for the songs on GUTS. include deluxe pls bc imo the deluxe tracks are better than many main album tracks hehe

well first off you can ALWAYS stalk me and never apologize for it, i love answering stuff and i love that people actually read it HAHA! so please <3 stalk away <3 i love it

i LOVE this question. i was going to make one of those images like the youtubers do for tier lists but then i realized i would have to explain myself anyway so im just going to give each song a letter grade and a little blurb about why i think this... so here goes 🤓

i actually have to put this under a cut because it got so long that i am not going to clog up people's dash with my long and way too detailed thoughts on GUTS but please read this if it is of interest bc i would love to continue discussing haha

so first i'm going to say to me overall guts is like a solid A-/A for a sophomore album. i don't think it's perfect but i think as far as showing growth from the first album, expanding on themes and sounds that were explored in sour, and just maturing while still feeling like a natural progression -- i think it does all of that really nicely while also managing to carve out a unique niche for olivia in the industry. so like. YES! great. (i have been saying that while i see olivia compared to taylor swift a lot, i think it's actually a much better comparison to compare her to avril lavigne in the early 2000s -- avril was originally "discovered" via performing with shania twain (which in some ways we could argue for being a taylor/olivia situation but in the 90s) and a lot of her early work and songwriting is influenced by the country music scene, but, just like olivia, her first album smashed onto the scene and captured the teenage zeitgeist in a really unique and special that was really of the moment it was released and dug into rock inspired hooks and sounds that resonated with the audience of young teens. if "driver's license" is olivia's "complicated," i think we can easily argue that "good 4 u" is her sk8r boi. (and deja vu is her i'm with you, the best single and best song in both of their discographies I SAID WHAT I SAID!) anyway all that is to say i think that GUTS and under my skin ALSO share a lot of parallels both in how they were marketed and the way they dive deeper into darker themes while expanding on a lot of what made the first album great, if perhaps not spawning the level of radio hits as the first album. anyway it's just something i think about that i don't see talked about all that much and i find it really interesting. i could keep going but i know that was an insane digression so let's get to the grades.)

all american bitch - B+ i think this song is a great opener and it has some really great lines in it -- the sarcasm makes it so fun and tongue in cheek and i actually like the scream, my reason for not being able to give it an A is just that i do feel like it's very much "putting on a persona" of being a rock punk chick, which is absolutely cool and is extremely well done, it just doesn't feel 100% authentic to me. like, i like the scream but it feels more like an acting performance than a genuine scream of anguish, but olivia is such an appealing actress that i'm like, yeah girl go off

bad idea right? - A+ this is the deja vu of the album for me. it is SUCH A GOOD SONG and it has the best video by far of any of the singles, it's so clever and creative and i actually really love her vocal delivery, it's bratty and obnoxious but for some reason it DOES feel authentic to me in a way AAB doesn't, i think it takes its influences and manages to reinterpret and transform them into something totally unique and personal to olivia and it's just GREAT. (i think a great example of how good this song is is honestly the kelly clarkson cover she did, it was a really fun cover but you could just tell that olivia's version works better, it's a song that feels like it could only be done by her and i love it for that.)

vampire - B i actually thought i'd rate this lower bc it is my least favorite song on the album but like, okay it's FINE. my issue with vampire is that 1) it feels like the label said "write another ballad that sounds like drivers license and we'll use that as the lead single" which i don't like, and 2) i've written before that my main issue with vampire is that it DOES NOT COMMIT to the genuinely cool metaphor that it attempts. i actually love the line "you only come out at night" because i think it's really clever and creative to extend the "sucking me dry" metaphor of a vampire. i think following that up with "i used to think i was smart but you made me look so naive" is such a let down and so cliche that it annoys me every time i hear the song. like, if the song instead was like "i should have known it was strange, you only come out at night/you said i tasted so sweet til nothing was left in my veins" or something i would think it was a great song. but instead we get that clunky cliche of a line and it irritates me. the song has potential but it just doesn't deliver.

lacy - A- (tw: ed) so i think that this song is about struggling with an ed and i think it is really amazing if you read it through that lens. i don't even really want to say that much more about it because when i saw someone say that on twitter and i listened to the song thinking about that, it hit me really hard and i think it's brilliantly done but it's intense. i think olivia said that it came out of a poem she wrote and i think that lacy is the personification of that really personal struggle and i think it's a beautiful and deeply sad metaphor and the song actually does it really well. i also really love her vocal delivery on the recording and i think it's beautifully produced, the layered vocals at the end are really gorgeous.

ballad of a homeschooled girl - A- honestly i have the same comments as i do about all american bitch except i just think this song is slightly better and feels a little more authentic. i think the lyrics on this one are really clever as well and i love the little production quirks like "how to flirt" and the outro is SO FUN and i love the sort of fourth wall break of "can't think of a third line" and the la la la that just kind of smashes into the end of the song, i think it works so well with the concept of the song so yeah. great.

making the bed - B+ this is a song where i'm like, there's nothing WRONG with it i just don't think it's particularly special, like it's a good song and it has some really great lyrics i just think it's a decent song that accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. it's good. no real notes. my favorite lyric is "they tell me that they love me like i'm some tourist attraction" -- i love when the pop girls talk about the complexities of fame, and olivia seems strikingly self aware in a lot of her lyrics and that one is really a hard hitter. (it reminds me of billie's getting older song, "the things i once enjoyed just keep me employed now" and "another thing i ruined i used to do for fun" which are both lines that i feel like really do a nice job of exploring how it feels when your art and artistic expression becomes a job and a persona. i think billie and olivia are doing so much cool stuff and they both just seem like such cool and interesting girls. they just give the vibe that it would be so fun to get dinner with them and talk about their experience of teenage fame because they both seem to have some really interesting and complex insights about it.)

logical - B- tbh this song is kinda boring to me. it's fine but i just think it's a theme that is explored better in other songs. the one line i really like is "if rain don't pour and sun don't shine" because i like to imagine that it's a reference to taming of the shrew act iv scene v.

get him back! - A+ SO GOOD COME ON GET HIM BACK IS SO GOOD AHHHHHH i get mad thinking about the music video bc the iphone lens makes it so weird and i think this could've had an even better video without the iphone gimmick but holy cow this song is so good. it's so clever, it's so fun, it ROCKS. (though this is the point on the album where i start to get annoyed by all the production quirks, i think they are fun on a couple songs but we don't need the "is this the song with drums" thing, just play the song. there's only so much studio chatter that makes a song fun before it gets a little grating to listen to every time i want to play the song.) but this is a brilliant song. I WANNA MEET HIS MOM AND TELL HER HER SON SUCKS. has anyone ever more perfectly captured how it feels to be nineteen. ugh this song is so good.

love is embarrassing - A i actually really like this song and i think it's a really nice spiritual closer to sour. it does such a nice job of reflecting but in a funny, tongue-in-cheek, self aware way that i think is so appealing and cute. i love "you found a new version of me and i damn near started world war three" as a callback to "another actress i hate to think that i was just your type" and i LOOOVE the outro with "i'm planning out my wedding with some guy i'm never marrying" which i think is a fantastic line. i love the vocal delivery on the outro as well. (also this is an example for me of a song with no studio chatter or production gimmicks, and it's GOOD bc it's like, it doesn't need that! it's just a fun song! and i like it for that!!)

the grudge - A- honestly a beautiful song that captures a very specific feeling. i love the melody and the way she delivers "how could anybody do the things you did so easily?" the second verse is an absolute gut punch of what it feels like to come away from a toxic love. it has a couple clunkers (i'm not a fan of "trust that you betrayed, confusion that still lingers" which i think is just a bit awkward) but overall it's a lovely song and so raw.

pretty isn't pretty - A again just a really solid work. i love the guitar sound on it. and i think it does a really nice job of capturing another specific teenage emotion. one thing i love on GUTS is that it feels legitimately balanced between songs about heartbreak and songs about personal feelings and this song is one that i think does that second part very well. i really love the second prechorus line "it's in my phone it's in my head it's in the boys i bring to bed" and i think this song is really insightful and personal.

teenage dream - B my issue with this song is my same issue with hope ur ok which is that it just feels so aware of itself as AN ALBUM CLOSER and i find it a bit cloying. i think the theme is interesting and has potential but the song just annoys me because it feels kind of overdone. idk. i just don't love it. i get it and i get why it's there but i think there was a better way of closing the album in a more genuine way.

BONUS TRACKS RANKING LINK (i have to link a new post here since i hit the character limit on this post. geez lol)

[youngveinsworld]

contents page

this page will be updated with links as i make the posts !

2009

the early days of the young veins:

how the band got its name

the label

forming the young veins

writing and recording take a vacation:

the band talking about the album process

music that inspired take a vacation's sound

on songwriting

pictures from the studio

album listening party at angels & kings - 16 october

other events:

halloween in chicago

picture/info tag for 2009

2010

tours:

spring tour with foxy shazam

summer tour with rooney

individual live events:

first show as a band - 13 march

south by southwest (SXSW) - 19 march

bonnaroo festival - 11 june

album release party - 8 june

performances with the like - may

acoustic sessions

new york rooftop concert - 20 july

about the band:

info about the songs

the hiatus

masterlist of interviews

picture/info tags:

merch

the band performing onstage

the band offstage

with fans/fan interactions

recaps of specific concerts

2011

superbowl hero

ryan's work on 'the french album' (taisez moi by didier wampas):

general info

info about the songs

timeline of the album process

the taisez moi cd

side notes

if i have used a photo taken by you of the young veins performing onstage or with them after a show and you want me to take it down/blur your face out please inbox me! i always always where possible credit the photographer under images and link original sources but if you're not happy with your work being shared on my blog or you have privacy concerns about your picture with the band being reposted im happy to remove it!

i use the uk system of dd/mm/yyyy in the tags, so if you wanted to find pictures from the show on 7 april 2010 for example that will be under #07042010 rather than #04072010. apologies if this is confusing but otherwise i would constantly be tagging things wrong..

if you see a mistake in one of my posts feel free to let me know! i sometimes get place names wrong (especially connecticut i find that one really hard to spell) or other things like that. i dont claim to be a fountain of knowledge about tyv, just a fan who wants to keep all the young veins content i can find in one place!

and shoutout to prettyoddfever for the inspiration to make this blog! i see her account as such a valuable resource for fans of pre split panic so i wanted to make something similar for everything ryan has done post split

[enamation]

if it’s okay can i request nightcord with a reader who’s peppy yet serious and caring and they want to join the group because they’re friends with kanade and what is their reactions?

Hello hallo hello !! Im literally gonna cry I had written this the second i saw the ask and right before i was going to post it i left the app since my parents had texted me and now its ALL GONE :(((, so this has been rewritten, i hope you enjoy !!

Type: Multiple Headcannons

Warnings: None

❥ NIGHTCORD at 25 + Reader: New Member?

headcannons start utc !!

KANADE YOISAKI

You had known Kanade for a while now, actually

You two had met at the music store, when Kanade was looking for a new CD to get inspiration from, she picked one that was made by your favorite group, and you started a conversation from there!!

You learned about what had been going on with her, and how she can get so immersed in music she forgets to take care of herself sometimes

This causes you to always text Kanade and remind her to do certain things for herself

Once you find out about 25-ji, it takes you a few days, but you decide to ask her if you could possibly join

She hesitates and stiffens up slightly once she reads the message

She compared the sekai, the vocaloids, and Mafuyu, to lively, sometimes serious, caring, well.. you

She first thought it might be a recipe for disaster, but she decides to ask the others first that very night before she makes her own decision

Lets find out how they react to you 🤔

❝ Ah- well, it might be a bit difficult, but I'll make sure to mention you to the others. ❞

MAFUYU ASAHINA

I mean, she didn't think that much of you, just kinda saw you as someone Kanade mentioned

When she first met you, she found you a bit annoying..

But as time went on, she suprisingly didnt mind your presence, you were just sort of something brighter than everyone else, and admired (she obviously doesnt know that) the way you can easily switch and become serious when needed

Mafuyu appreciates how you do your best to take care of Kanade and make sure she takes showers, eats, etc.

She doesnt trust you too much yet, so until Kanade decides to show you the Empty Sekai, you'll have to bear with her and her good girl persona

She doesnt mind you becoming a member at all.

❝ Welcome to 25-ji, Y/N. Its great to have you here. ❞

ENA SHINONOME

When Kanade tells the group about you, she doesnt see a reason for you being there

Whats your role 🤨❓ Kanade already is the songwriter, Mafuyu lyricist, She illustrator, Mizuki the video editor, so..... 🤔

As she hangs out with you more and understands your character, she finds comfort in you

Youre lively, youre serious, youre caring, and most importantly, you willingly act as her reference

Drawing around you calms her down alot more, and she loves talking with you even though sometimes you can get a little too happy for her liking

She would love for you to be in the group !!

❝ Thats amazing to hear !! Welcome to 25-ji Y/N !! Dont let Mafuyu scare you away, okay? ❞

You have no idea what she means by that.

MIZUKI AKIYAMA

Mizuki is the only one that thought it wouldn't hurt to have another member! That doesnt mean they don't need to meet you first, though.

Once you two finally met, they almost immediately took a liking to you!

You didnt eye them weird when they teased you, you two could goof off together, and you could take them and other things seriously immediately. Mizuki sees you as (from what they call) a 'focus point'

When they need a break from the group or the world in general, you're one of the first people they go to.

Similar to Ena, they also find comfort in you

Youre such a great person to be around, it was a yes from them before you even spoke.

❝ Yaha! I'm glad to hear you're one of us now! We're gonna have a good time together, Y/N. ❞

[sesamie]

im curious as to your songwriting process, do you start with lyrics first or a melody or kinda both? how easy so you find all the different parts of a song are to compose?

wellllll good question! i don't really have a process. usually i come up with a concept and start thinking of phrases that i feel or think about that concept, then write those down, like for cd's lament this was the original thoughts i wrote down earlier tonight while i was playing minecraft:

knowing i could either chop this up later and make a poem souffle or a song pie or something. i always try and write down phrases i come up with just in case they might be useful later; i have a whole channel in my personal just-me discord i use for it:

really just any and everything nice that pops into my brain i'll write it down in case i can use it later!

once i have those sort of base phrases and concepts written i start thinking of how i would want the song to sound - if a phrase has a natural musicality due to the meter of the words, i'll usually base it around that. i have an easier time just coming up with a melody and humming it into a recording (i can improvise this quite easily) than i do actually writing down notes and chords and whatnot. usually i come up with a vocal melody and use the guitar to just back it however it fits. if it needs it, i'll think about my other instruments (currently writing a clarinet duet but gd knows when i will be brave enough to record that or even finish it for that matter) but usually i just consider everything a demo (which is short for demonstration which is good to remember! it's just a demonstration! that's just kinda sorta how it's supposed to sound! nothing is ever finished!) and leave it all very unpolished.

if i think i'm gonna forget something in the middle of songwriting (i also lose melodies easily) i record myself singing or humming just that part. and to write lyrics i just let it happen as it happens like poetry and then i go back and restate things to make it fit the meter and whatnot. generous use of rhymezone, not necessarily for rhymes but more for inspiration on how to word things or extra concepts i can pull from if i need more than what i have.

then i do chords, and change the melody and chords until i have something i like, then i write that down, and record that demonstration

then i go and try to record an uploadable version! it usually takes me a couple tries - if i mess up, i stop and start again. once i do it all the way through without fumbling too hard i just upload it, i almost never actually listen to them before uploading them, cause if i made a big mistake, i wouldn't have recorded to the end anyways. then i put it on soundcloud and tumblr and then embarassedly delete it off tumblr and then post it again on tumblr and then dm it to my single friend who asked to hear all the songs i upload. and then yeah!

i almost ALWAYS do the full process in one sitting. i might be thinking about a song for a long time beforehand, but the sitting down to write and record process usually happens all in one.

[myloveforhergoeson]

Lengthy comment left.

I make no apologies. ;)

oh my friend thank you so much!! literally just the sheer size of the comment in my email made my heart swell so so so much. i truly cannot put into words how much your support means to me :') thank you for giving me the space to share my story and talk about it all the time and taking precious time away from your day to dive into my content and share your thoughts <3

now, everything i have to say under the cut <3

"I love how Roxy was so excited when Gustavo mentioned going multiplatinum. Of course that would be her main focus. She's not interested in the sold out stadiums. She wants the awards."

yes!! while she's not worried about awards in the sense that collecting them means something in hollywood, its more about the reach of her music - someone nominating a song of hers for an award, what that implies about the impact and the effect of her words... good lord im crying just thinking about it 😭

"I love how you actually focused on another reason the New Town High song was a big deal - especially for Kendall. Being able to have one of his songs - preferably a love song - on his girlfriend's show would be a big deal for him. I actually wish the show focused on that angle a bit more."

thank you!! i know on here we like to joke about how season 3 and 4 kind of erase everyone's characterization from the first few seasons, but personally i've always felt this episode in particular also falls into that category. so weird for kendall to be a gustavo ass kisser, so i definitely needed to give him a reason if that's how i was going to write the story :)

kendall: write a song about love for my girlfriends show because im in love with her

roxy: what's that? you want to sing another song about my boyfriend?

"Okay, first of all, Storm in a Teacup or Rip-Off the Old Block are awesome song titles."

I'M TRYING SO HARD 😭 <- someone who could never be a songwriter. something early 2000s pop punk bands loved to do was take a common phrase and twist it into new meanings or make it punny or combine it with another phrase (i.e. i'm like a lawyer with the way i'm always trying to get you off) (i love you pete wentz) so that's my attempt at a small nod to her taking inspiration from the scene around her to write her music in minnesota <3 now that it's all pop, her content's shifted just a bit for more palatable and straightforward titles

"And I love the way she immediately starts thinking about what her dad used to do for her when she was sick and immediately apply it to James. It was a very sweet touch."

in my first draft james actually fought her a bit more about taking care of him because he really didn't want her to get sick! but when i was writing out the parts where she was taking care of him i was thinking 'she's 17 where did she learn all of this?' and there's only one person that could've been LMAO so i took their back and forth out and made it more narrative, glad you thought it was a sweet touch :)

"And I love how James fell asleep on her. Shows how comfortable he is with her. (Also, the falling asleep in the middle of a conversation... that's my dad sometimes - the only difference is James doesn't snore.)"

i regret to inform you james diamond does snore but i cut it out of the final drift. at the end of the chapter when james makes fun of her for being a double dipper the conversation was essentially

james: rox! gross!

roxy: you literally just kissed me with tongue? and don't act like you're so perfect - you literally snore so loud you big jerk

james: don't you ever imply that i snore again!

roxy: imply? i'm stating it as fact

which was not as good as what i came up with afterward hehe

"Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus! Communication wins out in the end!"

😭 me when i project my communication issues onto my oc and then fix them 😭

"Why do I suddenly want Dak to appear again so Roxy can rub her newfound happiness in his face?"

i want dak to come back so bad (i say as the author of this story like i don't make the decisions) because i miss writing him aghhhh ! he will at some point some time eventually i just need to make up my mind about when. i have a few ideas but i'm not really married to any just yet. same with stephanie!! when will she return from the war!!!!!

"Oh. Then the jerks from Roxy's past had to come and ruin it. Once again, I shall like to offer my services in dealing with the douches. Maybe the guys and Gustavo could team up and destroy their career before it can even take off. Maybe something a la what they did to WayneWayne is in order..."

no comment. just love your ideas sm!

thank you so so so much again! <333

[f4rlands]

Hi!! I’m so curious about your busk au!! (Also, absolutely adore trans fem scar and need more things with her, the way I got so excited!!) but yea would love to know more about it! :D (also oooo is it scarian??) (also also! I hope you have a great day!)

HI!! HECK YEAH HECK YEAH, BUSK AU IS LIKE MY BABY I'LL TAKE ANY EXCUSE TO TALK ABOUT IT

it's actually a grumbo au! it's essentially just a slowburn romance between them, with a very meet-cute beginning and some very angsty backstories (particularly mumbo im so sorry mr jumbo my beloved...). i don't want to spoil too much in the first ask about it, but i can definitely talk a bit about the plot and characters in it!! i don't imagine i'll end up writing a series for it like i had originally wanted to, so i'm very happy to talk about mostly anything!!

anyway! the general overview!

the au is set in a touristy coastal town, and it follows grian and mumbo, two busks. grian plays the guitar, and he has been since he was very young - it's his one true passion. he wants nothing more than to turn it into a career, to be able to share his music and inspire other people with his creations, but so far it's... not been working out. he works three jobs, just about making ends meet, and he's just like,, chronically tired. this poor man.

anyway, he busks for fun, just to see the way that people flock to his music, and it's a good way to make some extra cash!

mumbo is essentially his opposite - he busks because he doesn't really know what else to do. he enjoys playing the piano, sure, but he doesn't necessarily have a passion for it in the same way that grian does. he's an engineer, making plenty of money to live comfortably and still have a decent chunk of spare time, so he has a massive range of hobbies. he's not necessarily amazing at any of them, but he's decent and they keep him busy, so he's not about to complain.

he started songwriting a couple of years ago, but he daren't play anyone his music because he doesn't think he could stand their disapproval if they thought it was bad. instead, he tends to play seasonal music when he busks - summery, christmassy, and everything inbetween. he plays what people want to hear, and holds anything different close to his chest.

the pair of them play in a similar part of the town centre, on opposite ends of a broad central plaza, but they haven't ever really spoken. until, of course, they do :) i won't get into their meeting now, simply because this post is already long as hell, but i'm very happy to talk about it in another ask, if you were interested!!

and also, YES TRANSFEM SCAR. SHE'S MY EVERYTHING!! she's grian's best friend, an animator who largely works from her own studio and - whenever she has free time - draws caricatures for tourists next to where ever grian happens to be playing that night! :D

(we also have transmasc grian and nb pearl teehee >:))

[beautifulpersonpeach]

hello i came across your page and found you super interesting and a good source to go to when in need of some not sugarcoated opinions

im an army, been an army for a bit more than four years and just a few months ago i got super into enhypen and now well im obsessed

ive given other groups a chance… no one and when i say no one did it for me like enha i can’t believe they managed to turn the scale with bts for me im obsessed with both of them and now i have 14 babies

enha are really captivating and theres smth abt them thst idk its just special HOWEVER lets be real they are not doing so good with streams and charting and it pisses me off like crazy bc god do they deserve a lot more and i keep thinking what is it that they lack?

so i wanted to ask you do you think enha would make it big (armys pls dont come for me at the comparsion) but do u think they would make it big like bts? and secondly what are they lacking as a group in terms of everything (music, style, personalities, personas… etc)

***

Let's get the obvious out of the way lol. Unless it's a group from Big3, it's going to be near impossible for any currently active group to become as big as BTS this decade. For Big3 + HYBE groups, it's possible but difficult. Enhypen surprisingly doesn't follow BTS's playbook as closely as some other groups do. The three boy groups most closely following BTS's playbook right now, are:

RIIZE - in their whole concept being a coming of age odyssey with a rap-spin;

Stray Kids - practically everything about Stray Kids is BTS-inspired (and it's something I've talked about before);

Ateez - it's in their lore-heavy branding and performance focus, also utilizing rappers.

The key thing lacking for those three groups in reference to following BTS's playbook, in my opinion, is the music. Other things too, but it's the music that's the key limiting factor here. This doesn't kill their momentum and I'm not exactly saying the music bad, just that going by my taste, there's a lot of room for improvement.

ENHYPEN doesn't lack at all in the music department. I'm probably biased but it's also true many of their songs are produced by BigHit's team of producers who made the music that got BTS this big and who generally make stuff I like. So, Enha's got great songs, but like I've said before, currently, they're not a rap-focused or even rap-present group, and it's unusual for vocal-centered boy groups to become massively popular unless they're from SM, and even then, rap groups still outperform... I mean, we've seen that movie before.

But to follow BTS's playbook, they'll have to mitigate this lack of rappers - Bang PD/Belift has to push for more involvement from ENHYPEN into their song-making process. Having members with writing credits helps to show a more direct connection between the members and the song. It adds to a sense of ownership and legitimacy for a lot of fans (whether or not it actually reflects it). So far, in ENHYPEN Jake and Jay have contributed to songwriting and it's been very good. Ni-ki also takes part in making choreography. But for Enhypen to grow massively, the members need to be seen having more direct and consistent input into the creative process, whatever form that takes. Also, if I were them I'd lean even more into their choral, hiphop sound. Nobody does it like them and it's pure magic.

Also, ENHYPEN's lore is somewhat clumsily tacked into their MVs, making it difficult for people to understand the group's identity. Enha is a 'concept group'. Their concept trailers are beautifully shot, frankly a work of high cinema, something beyond the quality of most MVs. But then, all that complexity and subtext kinda disappears in their main MVs. Maybe it's because I've never been a theorist, but the presentation of lore symbolism in their MVs can be confusing and difficult to parse even with reading the WEBTOON. Ateez's lore by comparison is in a sense, 'simpler'. People might struggle to understand what ENHYPEN is and connect with them, when as a concept-heavy group, their lore is difficult to understand. It's up to Engenes to better compile and present the narratives around the group, to get more people to connect with them.

ENHYPEN are easily some of the best performers in their generation, but because of their style of music (vocal-heavy, limited rap/chanting verses paired with intricate choreography and floor-work), live concert performances can be very challenging. They pull it off amazingly well, but I worry for them tbh. Here, Ateez has figured out a formula that works to keep their performance energy consistently high: rely on simple rap/chant verses, focus on open, simple choreography that travels across the stage, and utilize props to add to drama.

Like I said earlier, Enha's music-scape and choreos add a layer of difficulty that make it harder to replicate BTS in terms of performance, as they currently are. Enha's vocals would need to improve, as will their stamina, to bridge the gap. But they are well on their way to getting there. If thing's continue to improve like it has so far, within a year or so they'll be seen as beasts. They're already incredible, but if they keep growing it will become more apparent to more people the unique mix of talent that exists in Enhypen.

Because that's what you saw that made you write this:

"a few months ago i got super into enhypen and now well im obsessed

ive given other groups a chance… no one and when i say no one did it for me like enha i can’t believe they managed to turn the scale with bts for me im obsessed with both of them and now i have 14 babies"

All seven of them are naturally, incredibly charismatic, and they seem to be very decent and talented people. That's why you're obsessed. Lol. In my view, Enhypen at their core is a high-performing hiphop team that does 'haunting and dramatic' contemporary pieces extremely well. Their performances are insanely intricate, and it frustrates me to no end that it's usually near impossible to translate all of what's happening in the practice to a stage performance.

Take for example their MMA2023 dance break:

It's been a source of fiery debate in my group chat since it dropped and I'm not even kidding. The amount of floor work, the precision, Heeseung, Ni-ki, Jungwon, Jay, Sunghoon's dance styles show best in krump breaks like this. Ni-Ki and Sunghoon trained in ballet and as a figure skater, respectively, and you can see it in how they move. Jungwon is a powerhouse, and Heeseung and Jay embody the sort of dual charisma that one can only be born with. You either have it, or you don't. They're all special and this is a performance that is just that good. But with the camerawork of the main show, the clashing outfits with the backup dancers, the poor lighting, means so much of this performance can be missed. The boys still did amazing. But when you see the practice and see what it's supposed to look like, it hits you just how limited they are by their intricate performances not captured better on stage. Engenes can work around this by hyping up good fancams, and dance practices that capture their effort.

The final thing I want to say in where ENHYPEN is lacking, is one in which it physically pains me because this is easy to fix: American roadshows/interviews. BTS had only one barely fluent English-speaker but he was also the person often most involved in making the music, and so he could better respond to questions about it. The rest of the group also made up for not being fluent English-speakers by doing comedic antics while remaining as engaged as possible in the interview. The person who usually contributes to Enhypen's American interviews is Jake for obvious reasons, sometimes Jay, but each time I've watched Jake speak he seems worse than unprepared. To be blunt. It's not enough for a group to show up on Western talk shows, they also have to effectively communicate who they are and why they're special. Enhypen does this so much better in variety content like this:

this too:

But in situations like this interview below, it's clear Jake sometimes struggles to explain some things, but he recovers quickly later in the interview.

Jungwon answers questions very well but speaks in Korean. It's fine, but working on his English can only be a positive in this scenario. For Jake too.

[bitchlessdino]

Honestly right now im having a blondino fluffrot and i wanna write a oneshot inspired by a pin i saw on pinterest where songwriter!reader is just spending a rainy day writing songs for svt, then chan comes into their studio with hot cocoa and the sweetest smile as he sits beside them and they just go "chan-ah can you please listen to this" and just like the sweetest gesture: reader takes of their headphones and places it on chan's head for him like gjdjdjdh that is so sweet

Like that woozi panel RIGHT OVER THERE THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT

I wanna write it SO BAD but im in the middle of writing another fluff fic with dino getting asked in an interview what's it like dating a bisexual, and i know from experience it is not the best idea to start another fic with WIPS still in my drafts but then that has never really stopped me before huh

Basically just having chanrot but fluff, and since you're also having fluffrot i shall leave you with these two sneak peaks of what i plan to write 😈

But also oh my god look at how beautiful seungkwan is

That sounds like such an adorable idea wips are really little blessing and curses, you’ll think about them for a while. Take your time and enjoy writing. 💗

Seungkwan my sweet boy he’s so cute i love him sm 😭🥺💕

[iphisesque]

I've tried writing poetry more than once, but I keep getting stuck on this: I write verses for songs that don't exist instead

I can't sing, so embracing it is out of the question, so how do I make poetry feel just as poignant when whover doesn't have the music in my brain reads it?

oh i get this ALL the time like you wouldn't believe how often. so many songs i have written started out as poems and vice versa so many poems were originally song ideas (i reckon this is at least partly because i like to write in fixed meter and song verses are by definition fixed meters).

what i like to do, since im also a singer, is take it in whatever direction the text leads me and make songs out of my more musical poems — perfectly fair if this isn't your cup of tea of course, but songwriting without singing is also a very valuable art, and if you play an instrument you can write an accompanying melody and see if anyone's interested in singing it (or even sing it yourself for a quick demo, i promise you bad singing with amazing songwriting is nothing new and there are so many people who value lyrics or melodies over technical vocal prowess).

if you're adamant about not wanting to write songs, which is super fair, you can probably try your hand at more rigid meters which have fixed accents and a more musical quality to them: i take a lot of inspiration from ancient greek and latin meter, you could try following them or similar fixed-accent meters exactly. you would have to make sure the correspondence isn't too off between the original type of accent and your language's type of accent, which can be a bit of a pain, but luckily writing modern language poetry with ancient language meters is nothing new, and you can often find examples of poems from the past handful of centuries trying to adapt these forms into their own languages (at least in italian it's like this — and if you're italian i would recommend you check out what carducci does with the odi barbare, it's very interesting metrically if not thematically)! and obviously, once you have your meter of choice down, you can just say which one it is and anyone who has any familiarity with the meter will know how to read it.

at the end of the day, though, nobody is inside your head like you are, and you always risk something not coming across like you intended — be it the metrics of a verse or the meaning of an expression you used. there's a lot of poems i have scrapped because they didn't sound right to others who heard them differently to how i did in my head, and others i have posted regardless of how someone else might read them differently, simply because i liked them too much to let that dissuade me, and others yet which i have posted as poems but i could hear a melody for while composing them and just couldn't be assed to record them or make them song-length. i cannot for the life of me remember who originally said this because i am a hack, but i am very fond of the theory of art according to which art is the intersection between the author, the work itself and the people who experience it: the melody you have in your mind is part of the poetry itself, but so is a potential reader's "misunderstanding" and reinterpretation of it, those elements aren't necessarily in competition but they come together to create a meaningful artistic experience that exists in the world as opposed to just in your head.

[autogynocrat]

Different anon here but Bob Dylan is widely regarded as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. Over the course of his illustrious career, Dylan has written and recorded hundreds of songs that have explored a wide range of themes and philosophies. From the political and social upheavals of the 1960s to the personal and introspective musings of his later work, Dylan’s music has always been thought-provoking and influential. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key themes and philosophies that run through Dylan’s music.

1. Social Justice and Political Activism

Dylan’s early work was marked by his deep commitment to social justice and political activism. Many of his songs, such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” became anthems of the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement of the 1960s. Dylan’s lyrics often called for an end to social and political inequality and inspired a generation of activists to take action. Even in his later work, Dylan continued to tackle political issues, as seen in songs like “Masters of War” and “Hurricane.”

2. Love and Relationships

While Dylan’s early work was dominated by political themes, his later work often focused on more personal and introspective themes, particularly love and relationships. Songs like “Lay Lady Lay” and “Just Like a Woman” explore the complexities of romantic relationships, while tracks like “Tangled Up in Blue” and “Simple Twist of Fate” touch on the pain of lost love and the struggle to move on.

3. Spirituality and Religion

Dylan has also explored themes of spirituality and religion throughout his career. Many of his early songs, such as “With God on Our Side” and “Masters of War,” criticize the use of religion to justify war and oppression. However, Dylan’s later work became more overtly spiritual, with albums like “Slow Train Coming” and “Saved” showcasing his newfound faith in Christianity. Even in his later, more secular work, Dylan often explores themes of faith and redemption.

4. Freedom and Self-Discovery

Dylan’s music has always celebrated the importance of individual freedom and self-discovery. Songs like “Like a Rolling Stone” and “All Along the Watchtower” encourage listeners to break free from societal norms and expectations and find their own path in life. Dylan’s music often celebrates the importance of personal growth and exploration, and his lyrics have inspired countless listeners to find their own way in the world.

5. Irony and Satire

Throughout his career, Dylan has also used irony and satire to comment on social and political issues. Tracks like “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” use humor and irony to highlight the absurdity of societal norms and expectations. Dylan’s music often encourages listeners to question the world around them and to not take things at face value.

Bob Dylan’s music has explored a wide range of themes and philosophies over the course of his long and illustrious career. From his early work as a political activist to his later explorations of spirituality and personal growth, Dylan’s music has always been thought-provoking and influential. Whether he is celebrating individual freedom or critiquing social norms, Dylan’s music has always encouraged listeners to think deeply about the world around them and to strive for a better future.

thank you for this infodump i can't read it rn bc im at work but im sure someone will enjoy it

[independentartistbuzz]

Indie 5-0: 5Q's with Animals In Denial

Introducing Animals In Denial, the visionary musical project led by Christian Imes. 

A talented songwriter, producer and performer, Imes’ journey began at 14 when he picked up a guitar for the first time. From there, he went on a relentless path of exploring music and creativity. His self-taught approach led him to master not only the guitar, but also synthesisers, drums, and bass guitar. 

In his personal studio, Imes is a musical powerhouse, crafting compositions that brim with emotion and authenticity. 

Occasionally collaborating with his wife, Jeanine, Imes adds depth and dimension to his already multifaceted work. With over a dozen singles and four full-length albums released in 2016 alone, Animals In Denial captivates audiences with its diverse and emotive sound.

We caught up with the dynamic Christian Imes himself to find out more about his dedication and passion for creative music: 

You've been dedicated to your music journey from a young age, starting with your first guitar at 14. How has your journey evolved from playing in local bands to creating your own music as Animals in Denial, and what drives your passion for music?

When I first started playing guitar, I had no ambitions to write anything. I simply wanted to be a  guitar player in a band. Not even the lead guitarist, just one of them. There were several local  bands not able to get out of the garage, or play more than a show or two without disintegrating. I  also ran into the problem where we weren’t writing any original material, but rather just playing  bad cover versions of songs. 

When I started down the path of wanting to write original music, I had no ambitions to write  anything on my own. I wanted to write as a band. All of the local bands that I played with,  seemed to only want to play covers on the weekends, in whatever local bar we could. I  remember trying to get everyone on board with saying “ok, that’s a cool beat, now let’s have the  bass do this, and I’ll do this other part with a guitar.” Trying to wrangle songs out of these  situations generally just got me standoffish attitudes, since I wasn’t a drummer, or bass player,  etc, yet, so who was I to say what part should be played. This was a process that I attempted  with three different local bands. The drummer in the last of those bands said he didn’t like being  told what to play, and the bass player agreed with him. They were brothers, but this had also  happened in the other bands I was in.

Not to be mean but we weren’t doing anything else, and I  wanted to do more. I was ultimately asked to leave these situations. So, I looked around and  thought of my heroes and said “well, if you claim to have so many ideas, then write them down.”  That is what lead me into figuring out how I could make recordings, which is what led me into  computers and synths. 

Of those previous experiences, I joined the last of those bands when I was 16 and that was  where I really got into synths. I responded to an add in the Mountain Express paper and met  with a guy. He was a bit older than me, but he grew up in the synth heyday in the 80’s and  exposed me to synthesizers and multitrack recording at home! 

He gave me a cracked copy of acid pro 4 and I was off to the races. That copy of Acid Pro 4  was a huge upgrade from Sound Recorder and a massive leap over my Tascam 4-track. The  first song I did was done in a car with a Gateway solo laptop. I remember being amazed at how  powerful I felt knowing I could get sounds for and from any style and meld it into something cool. I wanted to make big alternative rock records, with artists and producers who I considered to be  the greats, I wanted to make music videos, and take what inspired me and move the ball  forward even if only a tiny bit. I wanted to make a difference somewhere to someone, as it was  music that saved my life. 

I have loved music since I was a little kid. I remember me and my younger sister would perform  for people my mom would have over when I was about 7 or 8. We loved to sing and dance in  front of people, and they always got into whatever it was. It made us feel great. 

I recall sneaking to watch MTV and once, I had seen a music video from Smashing Pumpkins. I  was around 9 or 10, at the time. Someone in my neighborhood had offered to give me his old cd  since he had moved on to rap music. That copy of Siamese Dream I credit for the reason I  literally didn’t kill myself as a kid in the mid-90’s, as my home life had disintegrated around me from drugs, death, and divorce by that point. I used to pray to God to just kill me because I was  tired of suffering. That whole album from beginning to end let me feel things and made me feel  like “This person gets it, he gets what I’m dealing with.” I never forgot that and someday I  wanted to return the favor to someone out there that was staring into the abyss and needed to  know that they weren’t alone. It made me feel like there was a reason for my suffering and that I  could hopefully be that comfort for someone else. Music literally saved my life. 

Your ability to play multiple instruments and program synthesizers is impressive. Could you share your process for self-teaching and expanding your musical abilities, and how does it influence your creative process as a musician?

When it comes to instrumentation, I play by ear and feel, so I tend to just get my hands on the  instrument and start experimenting. Being that I started playing guitar pre-youtube and my mom  barely could afford the guitar pack, lessons were out of the question, but the pack was a Squier Strat Pack and it was $250. I only got it after begging for two years because she got a child  support back payment. So, what I did was I just used CD’s and tv commercials to learn how to  play instruments. I would just sit with my guitar and listen to songs and just sound them out and  so I learned how to play my entire music collection that way. When I wasn’t doing that I would  watch tv and try to figure out the melodies from the commercials before they ended. 

When I moved into synths and drums I focused with drums learning how to play to anything that  Jimmy Chamberlin or Josh Freese were playing on. Synths was a bit different as I learned how  to play keyboard, then I got into sound design, which the internet played a huge part in, and so,  I spent entirely too much time on Vintage Synth Explorer.com. Synths was a bit weirder as I started off first playing with presets and tracking layers at a time. I got into actually programming sound design not to dissimilar to how I got into computers and that was by needing to  understand how the machine worked to know exactly how to do it again. 

I tend to learn music that moves me and makes me feel. Everything I listen to also has a color  to it, like an actual color hue, that’s similar to ambient lighting in the car. Every sound or song  has one and so depending on where my head is at, it’s what I’ll gravitate towards. 

Learning instruments by learning songs, helps to keep you focused on what it is you’re actually  trying to do and that’s not really trying to master any instrument for me, it’s trying to write more  songs. So I keep a big focus on song craft, and learning songs written by others helps me keep  my ideas fresh. I really don’t believe artist’s write the songs as much as they are channeling  them from some other place. I hear the songs in my head before I write them, and I am drawn to  listen to stuff that has a piece or a snippet that I need in order to get the idea out of my head. 

I’ve since learned a lot about music theory and would like to get deeper into it, but I tend to get  caught up in another song as I am always hearing something in my head. In a big way, my  approach is what helps me stay creative, as by learning from everything I listen to, I am able to  not get married to one type of process for creating songs.

Playing multiple instruments forces you to think about the entire song, and how every part plays  with others, so, I am never trying to show off on any instrument unless the songs asks for it. If a  song is going to have a guitar solo, or a big crazy synth jam, etc it’ll be done tastefully and fit the  song. I think it really helps keep the ego in check, and to me, generates the best songs. 

It's fascinating that you handle almost every aspect of your music, with some production assistance from your wife, Jeanine. Could you tell us more about the collaborative dynamic between the two of you in the creative process?

Me and Jeanine have a few ways we work together. In Animals land, I tend to write the music  first and usually write the lyrics second, and she helps me with deciding vocal approaches. She  really is a big part of why I started to use my voice more, as before it was a lot of yelling. So,  after we have the basic outline of the vocal delivery decided, I record a bunch of vocal takes,  anywhere from 4 -12 of each part, she then has the Herculean task of picking the best takes  from each part. 

After that, I mix for the most part but there are some songs that she actually mixed the bass, as  it’s her favorite instrument. Then I master everything, using Izotope’s AI mastering software. 

In the past, Jeanine would then get anywhere from 3 to 15 versions of a song to listen to in the  car and pick the best one from that. Now, with the AI assistant it’s down to 2 or 3 versions, with  most of the time it being right the first time. Jeanine is also instrumental in helping me with track  sequencing, as we both still agonize over the order the songs flow. We both love when albums  are good from start to finish, with the idea you don’t need to hit the skip button. 

When it comes to the live show, Jeanine is who I entrust to handle main electronic duties, so  she’s playing keyboard and triggering any backing tracks or samples we need. She also does  backing vocals. She also is directly responsible for things actually getting released as I tend to  be really good at making stuff, but not so much with the business side of things. It also goes  with out saying that she’s my biggest cheerleader, but still critical, so, when a vocal isn’t making  her feel it, I know to keep digging. I couldn’t have finished this many songs without her. 

We also have a side project that’ll be coming out early next year we call MOD CON, that’s a  EDM project, where we basically just jam out with synths and sometimes other instrumentation  and it’s purely instrumental although we’re open to collaborating with vocalist, just not either of  us. I also do most of the music for her project we’re working on called Lady Destro, where she’s  lead singer and lyric writer. 

In 2016, you released a significant amount of music, including singles and full-length albums. How do you manage such a prolific output, and what inspires your songwriting and music production during these periods of creativity?

Well, I’ve always written fast because I just constantly hear music in my head. I really can’t shut  it off, I finish one thing and before I can finish one song, 2 or 3 more pop into my head. In 2016,  I wrote 88 songs in 3 weeks, and I only stopped because Jeanine told me I needed to slow  down and decide on some to release. I started out saying I was going to write 10-20 new songs  and it ballooned into 88. There’s still an entire album worth of songs from those sessions that I  haven’t released yet. 

I have ASD so I tend to be super detail orientated so, I hyper research every piece of gear and  tech I have, to set things up in a way that I can’t help but record something. I currently have over  700 pieces of new music I am working on, and a little over half of it is Animals music, and the  rest is for other projects. I just am constantly hearing new songs in my head, so I have to get  them out. I have multiple tracking rigs set up and an audio interface on every computer I own,  even upstairs in my bedroom, and with the price of old Macs, and studio gear for pennies on the  dollar I am close to putting a small rig in my bathroom. 

I am basically always on or working on something. The vocals are really the hardest part for me,  as the music is what I hear the loudest in my head. The words are almost always jumbled in my  head and that’s where my wife Jeanine is invaluable as she helps me zero in on the right  method of delivery. I honestly don’t think I can really help but create and write songs, as it feels  like I’m going to wither away and die if I don’t. 

I’m inspired by my heroes and all of the great music that was made before me, and there is so  much to draw from. I like to think of myself as “song agnostic” approach wise, meaning the  instrumentation or method of recording everything can change. No formula, just taking what I  hear in my head and bringing it into a format everyone can hear. 

The lollapalooza festival in the 90’s is probably my biggest source of inspiration as to me it really  was the second pinnacle of music. I think we’re due for a third and I’m trying to do my part, but  that festival and the artist’s that played it, being so different from each other but, all sharing  stages and audiences was incredible and I wish I would’ve been older to be able to experience  it. Everyone I meet that went might as well be a celebrity to me. So, to me, AID is a direct by product of that festival. I think it also set me up to always chase where the next good song is,  and to know that not every guitar part needs a distortion pedal. 

It’s a similar bent with production and just like I have guitar heroes, drum heroes, songwriter  heroes, synth heroes etc, I also have production heroes. That list is small when compared to the  number of artists I listen to but it’s a mighty list. Alan Moulder and Flood are at the top of that  list, as well as Butch Vig, Steve Allbini, Ken Andrews and the great Rick Rubin. Trent Rezonr is  one of the heroes that overlaps in so many areas. To me they’re the finest producers in the land  and can’t be beat. The albums they had a hand in are just beyond top notch and are the gifts  that keep on giving. There’s certain parts or certain songs that come on and the room is just  flooded with color, and you can feel it light your whole body. It’s like that feeling you get when  you get a bottle of water after mowing your lawn on a really hot day. It’s like your insides  become super alert! It’s exhilarating and probably why I don’t do drugs.

As an independent musician, what are your goals and aspirations for Animals in Denial, and what can fans expect in terms of new music or projects in the near future?

My biggest goal’s with AID are to get to work with my heroes that inspired me to pick up an  instrument in the first place. I’d probably be satisfied with just knowing that they heard it, and  thought it was pretty freaking cool. But I am doing everything I can to be able to make records  with my heroes as I feel like we could do something that would shake up the world! 

We have another of the revisited series singles just released, and the first ep in that series will  be out November 10th. We have several batches of the revisited songs that I can’t wait for  everyone to hear, as it is what I meant to say, it’s what I heard in my head! 

Currently we are working to build up the live show and possibly tour, although, we’re looking at  the modern world here and so making live streaming a key component to all live shows is goal  1. Also, thinking about how to reach the most people, the most efficient way. Fans can expect  

to hear more music! There’ll be lots of new music and they’ll see more performances and  videos. We have the revisited series that we’re releasing now and then after that will be another  round of albums of new music, as I have so many new songs! 

I also will have side projects that are releasing. MOD CON being the first of them, and some  others to follow. I’d like to have them further along before I can give details but one of the  projects is a guitar record, that’s mostly for other guitar players, so think of John 5, Joe Satriani kind of thing. I’m also hoping to find a band I can play drums in and just be the drummer, but  that’s a pretty good ways away so we’ll just leave that out for now.

Stay up to date with Animals In Denial on the Website, and Facebook. 

Stream music on Spotify, Soundcloud and YouTube music.