#it strikes good balance between rap and production | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

angrylizardjacket · 4 years

Text

mouth full of white lies {Machine Gun Kelly} 4

4. i wanna know what’s your quietest feeling

Summary: So you’ve met his friends, and now his daughter, who’s the only other person who knows that this whole thing is a setup. But all she wants is to make sure that you’re not gonna break her dad’s heart; it shouldn’t be too hard to convince her that your intentions are good.

the brainstrust: @sataninsatin @silvertonguedserpent @juliarose21 @kellysimagines @estxxbritt @machine-gun-casie @harringtonstudios @misscharlottelee @narcvissa @hiworlditishumbleme @angelwarner28 @nevilles-insinuations @rumoured-whispers @mgkobsessed @edwardtriggerhandzz @suckerforbarnes @wastelcve @bakerkells @local-troubled-writer @freddiessmallnipples @oopsiedoopsie23 @mayaslifeinabox @mrs-machinegun-norris @hxbbit

----

Colson writes. A lot. You’d noticed it here and there being close to home, being close his studio, he’s buzzing with new ideas. There’s a ratty notebook that he keeps in the front pocket of his suitcase, held together by fibers and hope, that seems to be worth it’s weight in gold to him, full of lyrics and ideas that he’s been hoarding for as long as he’s been writing. About ten percent of the book has actually come to fruition, but that’s not what’s important about it, it’s that it’s positively brimming with potential as much as it is memories.

It’s been less than a year since his last album, and he’s made a few songs here and there, but now he writes, when inspiration strikes him, after work, or between takes. He’s in talks with Motley themselves, apparently, working on a part for one of their songs, rereleasing with the release of the film. For now, he writes, and he hums, and tests out lyrics under his breath.

“That sounds good,” it’s Sunday morning; he’s up earlier than you, which isn’t necessarily an unusual occurrence. He’s wearing sweatpants, hair curling a little at the ends where he’s letting it air dry, sitting up beside you on the bed. He’s got his notebook balanced on the one knee he’s got drawn up to him, while the other leg is kicked out in front of him, and he’s humming something while scrolling through his phone. He’s muttering something, lyrics you’re pretty sure, while something plays from his phone.

He seems a little surprised, like he’s coming out of a trance that the music had put him in, and smiles with an honest sincerity.

You yawn, and wiggle a little beneath the covers to properly face him, face half-smushed into the pillow. For a beat he looks at you like he wants to do something, like he wants to reach out and touch your cheek, trace his thumb across your lip -

Wishful thinking. Probably.

“Rook’s been working on some stuff; he sent this through last night,” and he tapped away at his phone for a moment, replaying the track on his phone. It’s an instrumental, beat-heavy and the bones for a solid bop. You nod along to it, and he starts rapping under his breath again.

“I think it could be something good,” he sounds quietly hopeful; he doesn’t sound like that often.

“Of course it’ll be good,” you say around a yawn, and this time he does reach out.

“Go back to sleep,” he pinches gently at your cheek, and a warm rush of affection floods through you. Without thinking, you turn to press a quick kiss to his palm, a moment of gentle familiarity, and turn away, to go back to sleep, without thinking to watch for his reaction. You hear a faint, almost disbelieving huff of laughter, before the music starts back up again.

It’s not long before you’re ingratiated with his friends, who’ve all taken you and Colson in stride. Mostly it’s drinking and smoking and making music and playing video games, so even your initial anxiety is quick to fade.

That first morning, Wednesday, cool but sunny, it’s easy; Rook’s the only one awake when you and Colson arrive. He’s sitting at the kitchen island, perched on a stool with a pen stuck in his mouth, and a laptop and drum pad machine sitting on the counter, and when you walk in, he gives you a long, evaluative stare, a joint in between his fingers, idle.

“Hey man, this is Ducky,” Colson doesn’t seem to notice how you’ve frozen awkwardly in the doorway, moving past you to start searching the cupboards for food; Rook nods to him, before looking back at him, “Ducky, this is my man Rook,” and at that, he holds out his hand for the joint, and Rook passes it over, before looking back at you. You give a little, uncomfortable wave.

“Ducky?” He asks, curious rather than hostile, and you let yourself breathe, stepping into the room.

“Or Duck,” you explain, heading to the counter where Colson’s now wrestling with a packet of Doritos, “or [Y/N].” And you put your bag down, taking the seat beside Rook as Colson passes the joint back to him to get a better handle on the bag.

“Tight,” Rook says after a moment, apparently finding something in you that he approves of, because he follows it up by turning the laptop towards you, asking if you were into music. Of course you tell him you are - who isn’t? - but you don’t have a lot of experience in the production side of things.

“I mean,” you concede briefly, “about two years ago there was a trend going around on YouTube where you make a diss track about yourself -” Colson’s entire face lit up.

“You wrote a diss track about yourself? Don’t you do like cutesy vlogs and shit?” He asks, and it’s not meant to sound as unkind as it’s worded, though you still roll your eyes.

“It pays to be on trend,” you shrug, still a little embarrassed at the memory, “but it was fun.”

Colson is looks actually impressed, while Rook is still chewing on the end of his pen, typing away frantically. After a beat, Colson turns to him -

“Her channel name is DuckDuckBooth -”

“I’ve already found the video,” Rook says with a smile, and you have to hide your face in your hands as they watch with equal parts fondness, and a little bit of second hand embarrassment.

Colson posts to his Instagram story a video of Rook jamming out to your self-diss track, before the camera swings around to see you flipping them both off with a fond smile. Your video is the only sound that can be heard for the full duration of the ten second video -

“Too scared of you’re face on the big, big screen, you think YouTube’s gonna be more stable / even though you use your bro for views every chance that you’re able. / With all of the time that you spend around sets, they all think you’re a professional stalker / and you spill you’re guts when you’re NDA free; you’ve made a career as Hollywood’s biggest talker. / [As if! Who asked for the Perez Hilton of the production crew?!]”

He tags both you and Rook, and captioned the video with a question: Should we remix Ducky’s self-diss track from 2016? With two options for fans to choose: Yes. or Definitely.

But Rook’s not who your worried about. None of Colson’s friends really worry you.

Casie arrives a week and a half after you’ve all moved locations, to see her dad, to meet you, and to sit in on production for about a week.

When you finally meet her, her cocked hip and crossed arms reminds you of Colson; she’s four and a bit feet of skepticism and an unmatched, effortlessly cool energy, and you realise too late that you’re kind of intimidated by an elementary schooler.

“I’ve seen your videos,” is the first thing she says to you, and you find yourself smiling, bewildered.

“Cas -” Colson’s voice holds a note of warning where he’s currently getting his tattoos covered. He’s standing with his arms out, looking straight ahead while Corey, the key makeup artist, and his team, airbrush and colour correct like their lives depend on it.

“I’m making sure she’s taking care of you,” Casie, unwavering in both her conviction and her loyalty, shifts her weight to her other foot. “The drum video was cute.” And you’re not quite sure if it’s a compliment, judging by the cool tone of her voice, but she’s wearing a slight smile that you’ve seen on Colson far too many times to not recognize it. This feels like the first of many tests.

She’s adamant that she’s not someone to be bought, though the thought had barely crossed your mind. When she nods approvingly at your dismissal of the suggestion, you can’t help but frown.

“How many girls have tried to get on her good side by buying her stuff?” You ask Colson quietly, out of Casie’s earshot later that night. For a moment, he looks as close to guilty as you’ve ever seen him.

“Not a lot, like one or two maybe; not a lot of girls meet her,” he admitted, “but the ones that try and buy her gifts and shit, they always turned out to be the worst ones,” and perhaps the guilt intensifies a little more, “she’s a good kid; always saw that before I could.”

“She’s a good kid,” you repeated, softer this time, with a faint smile, and when Colson comes back to reality, he gives your shoulder a squeeze.

She’s on set a lot for the days that she’s staying with you all, and when she sees you at work, she appears to warm to you; you’re not sure when you forgot that she was just a child trying to protect her father, but you’re reminded when you see the starry-eyed look she’s giving the makeup artists.

“Hey Corey,” you ask, smiling a little, and the makeup artist who had been in the middle of his lunch looks up from his phone with wide, alert eyes, “could one of your people give Casie here a little bit of 80s glam?” You ask sweetly, and his expression tuns fond as he nods. Casie turns wide-eyed and a little abashed at request, and murmurs that she doesn’t want to be any trouble. Both Corey and yourself wave away her concerns, and Amy, one of the makeup assistants, is more than happy to give the young girl a bit of glitter and gloss to the excited young girl.

She’s got glitter on her eyelids, and blush and highlighter adorning her cheeks, and a shiny, clear lip gloss making her smile that little bit brighter by the time the makeup woman is done with her, and Casie is practically glowing.

“How in the hell,” Colson starts with a grin when she goes to him to show off, “did I end up with the most stylish kid in the world? Cas, you look like a model.” Pride is radiating off of him in waves, and he pulls out his phone, “babe, get a picture, she looks so fuckin’ cool,” he enthuses, and if your heart skips a beat as his casual use of a pet-name, you’re enough of a professional not to let it show. Casie is calling him embarrassing, but is still beaming, and with him in full costume and her all made up, the picture you take - he’s standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders, and she’s got her arms crossed, both of them looking serious and menacing at the camera - you think they might be the coolest people you’ve ever met. Certainly one of the most photogenic father/daughter duos you’ve ever come across.

“Do not make it your phone background,” Casie presses her embarrassed smile into his shoulder where they’re reviewing the photo back in his trailer.

“But I’m not allowed to post it, and I wanna admire it every day - look at you!” He’s pointedly zooming in on her stony expression in the photo.

“[Y/N], tell him he’s being ridiculous,” Casie implored you, and you threw your hands up in surrender.

“I’m not allowed to say what is and isn’t a ridiculous phone background,” you say automatically, which piques both of their interests, and you immediately regret saying anything.

“Babe,” Colson says, prompting you, and you feel yourself growing flustered, both because you’re going to have to admit that your background is a photo of you two, and that he’s called you that twice in about half an hour. Casie’s amused now, smiling, her arms crossed as she raises her eyebrows at you expectantly. Taking a deep breath, you unlock your phone.

“I’m just trying to be a good girlfriend,” you say, avoiding their gazes as you show them your home screen, and your background; the paparazzi photo of you and Colson beneath the boardwalk.

“Is that how you organise your apps?” Is what Casie has to say, which has Colson snorting with laughter, though when you finally look at him, you see him wearing a weirdly pleased little smile.

“Ducky, that’s weird and adorable -”

“It’s not weird!” You protest, snatching back your phone, flustered, but Casie just rolls her eyes, pulling out her own phone.

“Come here, both of you,” she instructs, sounding terribly put upon by the both of you. You both crowd around her, with only slight confusion. “Look convincing.” She holds up her phone, and you both frown a little.

“What?”

“Look convincing,” she insists again, gesturing between the two of you, and finally coming to understand her meaning, Colson gives her an endeared, almost proud look, and you in turn are looking fondly at him. Neither of you have noticed that she’s already taken the selfie. After a beat, she lowers the phone and starts looking at the few photos she’d taken, and both you and Colson seem a little surprised at her speed. “Dad, I’ll send it to you, you send it to her; you can have a photo of both of us looking cool, and a photo of your ‘girlfriend’,” she explains with implicit air quotes, “and [Y/N], you don’t have to have a creepy pap’s picture as your background.” She taps away for a moment before swiftly sending the best photo to Colson, “plus you’ll match.”

“You’re a little genius,” you tell her once Colson’s sent you the photo. Casie beams at you.

“I know.”

And the way you’re smiling in the photo is more than convincing.

[ID: A series of three tweets from @machinegunkelly:

1: Retweeted with the caption ‘🥰🥰’, originally posted by @duckduckbooth with no caption: Two pictures of Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn 99 holding a golden retriever puppy with an edited caption reading ‘I’ve only known CASIE BAKER for a day and a half but if anything happened to HER I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.’

2: Tweeted: when me n my girls (my daughter and @duckduckbooth) hang out i realize i’m somehow the least fashionable in the group. when did that happen wtf 😳😳

3. Tweeted: maybe you'll skip to the end and pass all the irrational decisions, patch up all the passion that was missin'. i think that's enough. i'm feelin' lovesick.

End ID.]

Maybe it’s that she likes you, maybe she’s just trying to keep an eye on you to make sure you’ve got her dad’s best intentions at heart, but Casie takes it upon herself to almost shadow you while on set, at least when she’s not with her dad.

“What’s your next video going to be?” She asks one afternoon when you’re both waiting for Colson in his trailer as he gets his makeup removed for the day. She’s watching a video on her phone and you’re reading emails on yours, and you look up, interested. After a moment, she pauses her video, looking up, looking back at you, “I like your ‘day in the life’ ones.”

“I didn’t realise you liked my videos,” you said with faint amusement, and she gives a small smile.

“I’ve been binging them,” she admits, and shuffles a little, sitting up further where she’s reclining on the uncomfortable little sofa, “your editing is really nice; I liked your Euro-Disney video, it was really pretty.”

“Thanks,” you find yourself a little humbled at her compliment, and find yourself musing that you’d like to get back to that style of video, “hey,” you find yourself coming up with an idea, something Colson had said during your first actual date, and with Casie herself now here, it was the perfect opportunity, “do you wanna be in a video?”

“Hello! Hello and welcome back, ducklings! I’ve been feeling rather nostalgic for some of my older content, and was inspired by none other than Miss Casie Baker, so what better day than this beautiful Friday afternoon, to take you all along with Casie, Kells, and I as we head to a boardwalk fair.”

It’s a short drive to the boardwalk, and once you’re there, it’s almost unbearably cheesy. Rides, candy, you and Colson in competition trying to win a prize for Casie at one of the cheap game booths.

You’re filming on and off the whole time, getting aesthetic shots, your heart growing warmer with each genuine smile you manage to catch on camera. You take endless candid photos of Colson and Casie, and even though you know you can’t be out too late because you and Colson are due on set at eight, you make the most of the time you have.

After an hour and a half, you stop at the food vendor, craving hot chips, and Colson orders, while Casie takes your hand, the two of you hanging back.

"Can we go on the Ferris Wheel?"

"Just a minute kiddo, food's almost ready," Colson tells her over his shoulder, but she tugs at your hand, making her meaning more clear.

"You can catch up, we can go around twice; I wanna talk to [Y/N]," she tells him plainly, and you give her a smile, already acquiescing to her suggestion. Colson makes a noise of gentle protest, but he sees her hand in yours, and the reassuring look you've leveled at him.

"Take care of my girl," he tells you with a faux seriousness, and Casie gives a small grin at that.

"I'll protect her with my life," you promise, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"You better," he grinned, tone fond and a little teasing, before assuring that he'd meet you both up there, and you're left wondering what about you screamed 'let's have a serious conversation on a Ferris Wheel' because if it happens again, it goes from a coincidence to a pattern. Casie drops your hand and trots easily through the crowd to the Wheel that had cast the rest of the fair in shadow as the sun set behind it. The ride operator gives you a toothy smile as she secures the door behind the two of you, and Casie links her fingers, resting her elbows on her knees, and her chin on her hands, evaluating you with an inscrutable look. She waits until the basket is about a quarter of the way around before saying anything; for your part, you’re silent, she’s the one who wanted to speak after all.

“Dad doesn’t do fake,” she says finally, sitting back, and lets you wonder in silence for a few moments, what that even means, “I know he did, I’m not blind or deaf, people… people talk to me. A lot. About things my dad’s done.” This piece of information has your expression souring - she’s just a kid - but she doesn’t seem bothered by it, she just seems… almost confused.

“I’m not going to -”

“I know.” She cuts you off before you can even voice what reassurance you could manage, “I’ve gathered that; you’re good. Better than probably any other girl who’s gotten with him for clout.”

“I’m not -” You try to protest and she does look a little apologetic, but after a moment, you stop yourself, and let her continue, trying to understand where she was coming from.

“I know why he likes you, I get it, you -” she averts her gaze for a moment, suddenly a little embarrassed, “you’re actually really cool,” she admits, and your heart softens, but you keep quiet, and let her build back up to her bravado, “but back when his manager had him with like, models and actresses and things, they were all - I mean sometimes they were nice, but they always thought they were better than him, or they just treated him like dirt when people weren’t around, so now, dad doesn’t do fake.” It’s said definitively. You’re at the top of the Ferris Wheel now, stopped for a few moments, and she looks out at the rest of the fair, and then down to the base of the ride, letting herself smile when she spots Colson at the bottom, giving him a wave.

Somehow, sitting in this basket in the sky, it feels like a mafia movie, like this little girl is implying she’ll break your kneecaps if you hurt her father. Or she’s implying something that your heart dare not read into, lest you get your hopes up.

“Dad doesn’t break his rules for just anyone,” Casie finally sits back up, and there’s a new, kinder quality about her voice, before it turns young, turns plaintive, and you’re reminded that she’s just a child looking out for her dad, her hero, “please don’t make him regret it. He’s a good person, I know what people say but he’s -”

“Casie, I care about him. A lot.” You tell her honestly, gently, and she blinks wide and surprised for a few moments, before her expression turns to almost weirdly pleased, maybe even a little smug.

“Good.” She says with conviction, before looking out at the horizon, “this would be a nice shot.”

“It’d be nicer with your dad,” you hear yourself saying, and Casie huffs out a laugh that sounds so much like her father, agreeing quietly. When your basket stops at the bottom of the wheel, Colson flashes his ride wristband to the kid operating it, and he slides into the seat beside you. Casie’s still smiling as she takes a chip from where he offered them.

“Nice chat?” He asks, and offers you the chips too.

“I like her,” Casie announces, and you grin to yourself, “dad, I love you, but you’d better treat Duck right; we’re friends now.” Which sets Colson off laughing, and you turn on your camera.

“You were meant to be on my side,” he laughs, and Casie shrugs.

“I am, I’m on both your sides.”

#mgk #mgk x reader #mgk imagine #machine gun kelly #machine gun kelly imagine #machine gun kelly x reader #colson baker #colson baker imagine #colson baker x reader #the dirt #the dirt cast #the dirt cast imagine #the angry lizard writes

168 notes · View notes

cristalconnors · 4 years

Text

BEST ALBUMS OF 2019: TOP TEN

SPECIAL CITATIONS:

HOMECOMING: THE LIVE ALBUM, Beyoncé

The live album feels like a lost art form. Of late, many feel thrown together without much thought- an offering to the most ardent of fans about as meaningful as a gift card you’d give your coworker. Homecoming is the antithesis of that: a flawless documentation of Beyoncé’s benchmark live performance at the 2018 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that is a staggering recontextualisation of her entire life’s work, dazzlingly criss-crossing her discography, offering rollicking, thoughtful new arrangements of classics and deep-cuts alike, filtered through the lens of HBCU marching band, playing like a half time show that goes on and on and on, offering the final, definitive evidence that Beyoncé is the greatest showman in modern history by leaps and bounds.

LEAK 04-13 (BAIT ONES), Jai Paul

Discovering Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) sometime in the summer of 2013 was like being let in on a secret. I felt like the member of an exclusive club of people in-the-know, the possessor of a forbidden document that could only be discussed in hushed tones and accessed illegally. The circumstances of its arrival were uncertain. Had he leaked it purposefully? Were all of the songs really his? It didn’t even have a proper name (it would be christened Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) many years later). The enthralling mystery of it was eclipsed only by the music itself. It sounded like you shouldn’t have been listening to it, a top secret transmission intercepted and compromised in the process. Its stunningly lush, busy textures were threadbare, pieces of the songs suddenly falling away only to reappear, as if you were streaming it and your internet connection was struggling to keep up. But that only contributed to the mystical grandeur of this earth shattering R&B that felt so purposeful, so impeccably sequenced (not by Jai), so bizarre and at times even funny, so much so that it was difficult to imagine how it could possibly be unfinished- it was perfect.

I don’t think I’d ever really understood how thoroughly devastating the leak was to Jai Paul himself until I read the lengthy note that accompanied his abrupt return on June 1st of this year, when he not only graced us with two stunning new tracks but properly released this album for the first time, a remarkable gesture of goodwill to his fans who gleefully partook in the stolen material, many without much regard to how it’d become available to them. Reading the letter, I felt guilty. The extent to which the leak derailed his career, demolished his trust in the institutions the industry is built on, compelled him to cast himself away from music entirely- his lifeline- and, in his own words, “withdraw from life in general” was genuinely heartbreaking. But the official release of the album that caused so much strife is the culmination of a years long journey of recovery, reconciliation, and growth. It’s a hard-earned reclamation of ownership that signals that Jai Paul, one of the most vital, distinct voices to emerge from the decade, is ready to get back on the horse. Look out.

THE TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2019:

10. CALIGULA, Lingua Ignota

Caligula is maybe the most stunning document of feminine rage I’ve ever heard- an improbable synthesis of metal and opera imbued with biblical imagery and defined by language that’s as flowery as it is vicious (“may your own shame hang you / may dishonor drown you / may there be no kindness / no kindness / no kindness”). Kristin Hayter’s classically trained voice bends almost to the point of snapping, sometimes bringing her tongue to her soft palate to make a sound somewhere between a hum and a gurgle before launching into blood curdling shrieks as the music around her morphs as well, twinkling piano and organ giving way to billowing, thunderous guitar. It’s music that belongs in a symphony hall, if only they’d allow moshing.

09. SINNER, Moodymann

The songs on Sinner, Kenny Dixon, Jr.’s twelfth album as Moodymann, unspool on their own terms, continually mutating as they go on, shifting gears just when you think you’ve got a handle on them. His house isn’t very dense, but there’s always a remarkable amount of intrigue in his deceptively simple sound, evoking early 70′s R&B until strange idiosyncrasies pop out organically from the fabric of the song, pulling focus, reframing it as you’re listening to it. It’s strange, compelling stuff that beckons you to dive beneath its surface, promising you’ll find something new each time.

08. NO HOME RECORD, Kim Gordon

My favorite Sonic Youth songs were always the ones Kim Gordon did lead vocals on. Her hulking monotone was strangely captivating, even when it wasn’t clear what she was even talking about (which was most of the time.) No Home Record is a sublime capitalization and expansion of her power as a vocalist and writer, embracing those same abstract sensibilities that have defined her work for nearly 40 years but pushing them boldly into the future, crafting entrancing, often menacing sonic dreamscapes that are littered with oblique, powerfully resonant hints at the fruits of her near decade of self-discovery after divorcing Thurston Moore. It’s a debut decades in the making that shockingly reveals new, untapped powers from an indelible titan of rock we thought we’d had pegged.

07. HOUSE OF SUGAR, (Sandy) Alex G

Alex Giannascoli’s folk rock warps itself, intentionally obscuring textures and images in a convoluted effort to clarify the feeling behind them. It shouldn’t work but always does, and on House of Sugar, his eighth full-length effort in just nine years, he finds thrilling new power in simplicity and repetition, exemplified by the woozy abstract tapestry of songs like “Walk Away,” “Taking,” or “Near,” wringing a simple phrase, or even just a word, for everything it’s worth, repeating them over and over and over again to craft crystal clear images of longing and pain. But the more traditional songs are just as gripping, striking his strange balance between downtown and backwoods, crafting folk that emanates from deep in the soul and soars out into outer space.

06. BANDANA, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

Freddie Gibbs and Madlib reunite on the most virtuosic rap album of the year, taking their unlikely marriage of gangster rap and delicately constructed, meditative beats that sound almost like memories to astonishing new heights. Gibbs grapples with personal demons- the lowest lows of his career, his ongoing relationship with drug abuse- but also flexes, showcasing his effortless flow as he flawlessly keeps pace with Madlib’s twisty production, navigating signature changes and tricky rhythms with ease, perfectly in concert with Madlib’s searching, soulful looping beats that envelop you, contorting right when you’ve settled into them. The collaboration keeps you on your toes, demanding your full attention as they whisk you through their kaleidoscopic vision of masterful, immersive rap.

05. ALL MIRRORS, Angel Olsen

The breakup album has never sounded so lush. Plenty can wax poetic about ridding themselves of toxic partners and of newfound freedom, but Angel Olsen tries to get to the heart of what it all meant, how she’d allowed herself to get lost in the relationship, forgetting herself. She makes the process sound luxurious, utilizing a 12-piece orchestra to inject a bolt of energy and welcome drama into her abstracted songwriting, embracing the darkness and working through it to find herself anew on the other side.

04. WHEN I GET HOME, Solange

When I Get Home sounds like you should be listening to it in a museum- and knowing Solange you’ll probably be able to at some point. Its heady sophistication is constantly announcing itself to you, but that’s not to say that it’s impenetrable. It’s her most personal effort, a surreal tour through the Houston of her memory and the Houston of her imagination, exploring the sounds she was reared on, but refracting them, embracing repetition to create a dreamlike, prismatic journey through her influences that, as Solange puts it, can’t be a singular expression of herself “there’s too many parts, too many spaces, too many manifestations, too many lines, too many curves, too many troubles, too many journeys, too many mountains, too many rivers, so many...”

03. NORMAN FUCKING ROCKWELL!, Lana Del Rey

Norman Fucking Rockwell! is Lana Del Rey’s victory lap, an amalgamation of everything she’s always done well packed into a sprawling 68 minute apocalyptic opus, invoking Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and most memorably, Sublime while utilizing her trademark playful, disaffected word play to craft a soaring requiem for the world as we know it. “L.A.’s in flames” and who cares when there’s a good time to be had? It’s a stunning “fuck you” to an industry and populace that dismissed her viciously when she arrived on the scene, forging her masterpiece on her own terms.

02. U.F.O.F., Big Thief

U.F.O.F. evokes the sensation of reaching out and attempting to make a connection- a connection with another realm, with the dead, with alien life, with a distant lover. The music is open and searching, and to hear the band talk about the process of writing and recording it, this spirit of experimentation was present in the studio. They’d tinker with instruments none of them knew how to play, hoping whatever they could coax out of it might speak to the ethereal textures and opaque poetry of the music they were working on. The result is a ghostly folk masterclass that launches Big Thief into the stratosphere as they work seamlessly in tandem to craft music that touches God.

01. TITANIC RISING, Weyes Blood

Struggling to cope with a world on the precipice of collapse, Natalie Mering looks backward, invoking the baroque pop of the 1970′s to search for solace in the stars or the arms of another, like Karen Carpenter scrolling through Tinder or Co-Star. But trying to stave herself away in the past only finds herself submerged in her childhood bedroom. So she bolts forward, utilizing familiar frameworks to craft stunningly lush, contemporary and urgent pop that grapples with crises both personal and apocalyptic with an optimism that feels not naive but like a vital lifeline, like a hand reaching out in the darkness to pull you to safety. It may be a futile gesture, but at the end of a decade that’s abruptly descended into a hellscape, it’s a call to keep the faith and forge on.

13 notes · View notes

romeodeltabravo · 4 years

Photo

Mac Miller’s posthumously released album Circles strikes a delicate balance between lo-fi beats and high production values, and for that it carries a really good vibration throughout its runtime. Miller was very much on the chill side of hip hop sounds, this release exemplifies that, and while I have to wonder what it might have been like if he had seen production through to the end himself, it’s a fitting tribute put together by friends and collaborators. Highlight tracks include Blue World, Good News, Hand Me Downs, and Surf. Available on iTunes and Spotify now. Need to stop saving drafts and forgetting to post, but had a good arm/back/core session. #gym #health #fitness #fit #beard #ink #tattoos #friday #armday #backday #coreday #comewithmeifyouwanttolift #irontherapy #newrelease #macmiller #circles #2020 #blueworld #goodnews #handmedowns #surf #hiphop #rap #posthumous #itunes #spotify https://www.instagram.com/p/B7t1pn7giUw/?igshid=lp20t5o26f6k

1 note · View note

surveys-at-your-service · 6 years

Text

Survey #157

hey instead of lyrics, there’s a warning for a religiously offensive answer.

How many kids do you want to have? Only too many scaly and furry ones. <3 Who’s the last person you smoked weed with? I've never smoked it. Who is the person you have hurt the most? Probably Mom. Who is the person that has hurt you the most? Jason. Who was the last person who cried around you? Mom when she found out about my cousin Brenna. What was the last thing you cried about? Emotional conversation with Sara. What’s your current problem? Just friendship stuff after breaking apart from Colleen again and being ignored when I've been reaching out to old friends, something I've been putting a lot of effort into lately. I just don't get what's wrong with me/what's that damn unlikable about me that I can't make or maintain friendships. What brand of face wash do you use? Biore. Or I think Neutrogena if I have a pimple. Do you know anyone who owns a boat? Dad. Did you get carded the last time you ordered an alcoholic drink? I surprisingly didn't. Nor did I get carded when I bought something from the liquor store for Mom and me. Do I look 30 or something now that my hair's cut. Did your parents give you an allowance as a kid? No. Do you know anyone who’s died in childbirth? No, thankfully. Are you (or have you ever been) a vegetarian? I am. Took a brief break for weight loss purposes but seeing as that did nothing, I went back to it and plan on staying that way. Do you ever use Snapchat? No. What was the last show that you watched a full episode of? The Good Doctor. Do you get your feelings hurt easily? Yup. When you go to McDonalds, what drink do you usually get? Coke. What’s the nickname of your home state? The Tar Heel State. What’s the worst type of weather in your opinion? Hot and humid. Do you have a Kindle or iPad or neither? Neither. Would you rather read or write? Write. Is there a dead end road near where you live? Most likely. Have you ever had to call and complain about a product you bought? No. Do you have a sensitive gag reflex? YUP. Are you at risk for any medical issues? Heart issues run in my family, and I'm finding out if I have hypoglycemia like. Tomorrow. Is there an upcoming concert you want to go to? Metallica in January, desperately. Do you own a robe? No. Don't really need one. I get dressed right after showering. What is your favorite mark of punctuation? Question mark. How many deep dark secrets do you have? I don't really keep it a secret, but I don't just happily share it either. One. Where is your father right now? I'd assume at work. How comfy is your bed on a scale of 1-10? I guess like... 7? What was the spiciest thing you’ve ever eaten? Hot wings at BWW doused in like the... fourth-hottest sauce. Who last called you sexy? The only one who is insane enough to call me that is Sara. Do you want any more piercings? Collarbones when they're prominent again, more in my ears, and then if/when I lose enough weight probably lower back dermals and bellybutton. Do you believe in heaven and hell? Not in the Christian concept, but in some manner, probably. Certainly a heaven of some sort for the good. I don't know about a hell, but maybe purgatory as earth-bound spirits? I mean there's no way the evil are going to a lovely place. Which do you think you're most likely to go to? Hopefully a heaven, but if it turns out the Christian god is real, happily to Hell because fuck him for a multitude of reasons. How will the world end? A meteor strike seems logical. Flooding from global warming (I don't know how much it actually would cover if all ice melted, but). The sun dying, if Earth is lucky enough to possibly survive that long. Are you scared of the dark? No. How many true friends would you say you had? Like 2-3, lol. Do you have a motto? Not really. When was the last time you went on a trampoline? Couldn't guess. What’s your best memory with each of your parents? Dad, maybe him teaching me to ride a bike. Or playing softball. As for Mom, maybe the time we were driving around one night, grabbed some milkshakes, and jammed out to Judas Priest way too loud lol. Do you believe that leaving a significant other for someone else is ever a good idea? I mean, sure. If you truly loved your s/o, you wouldn't even consider someone else. Better than cheating. Is it possible to ‘fix’ a ‘broken’ relationship? I'm not sure, honestly. This will never in any universe happen, but let's just say Jason and I got back together. It wouldn't work. At all. Our relationship was Heaven to me until it ended, and I know it could never be repaired. If you found someone seemingly perfect for you, but it turned out they had a child… would you still give the relationship a chance? Nope. I could never take on the role of a parent figure for a child. Nevermind one that wasn't mine or Sara's. Is it possible to ‘fall out of love’? Yeah, been there. Why do you think people choose to get married? Some people just enjoy the idea of a legal union with each other to signify their love, some don't want sex or kids before marriage, etc. Would you have sex with the last person you text messaged? We're both girls, but if it was physically possible, definitely. Who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything? Mom or Sara, depending on the subject. Who was the last person you danced with? Sara. How many tattoos would you get? Arms covered, hands, knuckles, neck, sternum, hips, back, ribs... lots. The only place I'm not very interested in tattooing are my legs, but it'll probably happen if I find something I love and also to balance things out. Might look kinda weird to have so many but then none below my hips. Abusive relationship: leave him/her or keep it a secret? TELL. SOMEONE. I'm sure the idea is terrifying, but what's scarier is staying with someone abusive. Tell someone who can do something. Besides your mouth, where is your favorite spot to get kissed? Breasts. Who was the last member of the opposite sex you laid in a bed with? Jason. Do you prefer broccoli or asparagus? I like the broccoli, the latter is disgusting. Do you like gore? Sometimes it's aesthetically pleasing to me, sometimes it gives me a quick gag if it's something real gross with humans because then I can actually imagine it on myself. Have you ever read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov? No. Pretty sure I know the basis of it, though, if it's about the lolita fashion. My friend had a phase where she was deeeep into it and told me about a book of that name. Gross. Do serial killers fascinate you? Not especially, but sometimes it is intriguing to learn just how fucked they can be. I wonder how the mind can make up some shit. Besides your own, what’s your favorite country? That I'm at least somewhat aware of, I find Japanese culture quite interesting. Would you ever get a septum piercing? Nah, don't think it'll look good on me. Are you lactose intolerant? No. Are you allergic to gluten? No. Do you know anyone who is missing a toe? No. Do any lights stay on while you sleep? My snake's and iguana's lamps. If you have a notepad in your phone, what do you use it for the most? Lmao tattoo ideas. Have you ever had a crush on someone of the same gender? At least three girls. Two before I even realized I was bi lmao. Just looking back, my bond with them on my end wasn't straight, Alon especially. What store do you shop at the most for clothes? HotTopic. Would you ever get your nipples pierced? I very recently actually briefly considered it lmao. I wouldn't tho. Tbfh mainly just because of foreplay reasons shhhh. How many pets do you own? Six. What’s your least favorite season? I loathe summer. Do you like tacos? Omg no. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Introvert. Do you like to play board games? Not really, no. Are you fond of romantic novels? When I read, I wouldn't actively seek them out, but I enjoyed quite a few. Fruit Loops or Cocopops? Fruit Loops = Good Shit. Would you eat a live spider for one million dollars? Biiiitch yes for that much. Do you believe in aliens? I've been more open to the possibility lately. Maybe. If you were the last person alive besides one other person you get to chose, who would it be? My Sara Jane. Dogs or cats? Cats. Do you like cotton candy? I can only manage a couple bites. Too sweet. Would you ever use a dating site? I like to pretend that never happened lmao neeeever again. Do you believe in ghosts? Absolutely. Rap or pop? Pop, if I had to pick between the two. Do you like Lady Gaga? Some of her songs are super catchy. What about Nick Minaj? She's very talented in her genre, but I'm not a fan of her music. How many pairs of jeans do you own? None. Do you have an addiction to anything? Technology. Do you like cheeseburgers? Probably what I miss most being a vegetarian. I love burgers. Do you have a Flickr? Yes. When did you last vacuum your room? Few days back. Who was the last person to sit on your bed? Mom. Do you have a favorite flower? Orchids. Do you like to cuddle with your S.O. or do you prefer your space? Depends on how comfortable I am in the relationship. In my current one, I am like. Soooo cuddly. Do you like being called pet names or not? Depends on the person. Parents, s/o, friends, sure. Do you care if your produce is organic or not? Not really, but I mean if I was to pick between something organic or not and I was aware, I'd certainly pick the organic. Do you get enough calcium? I love milk, bro. Who is it that you’re in love with? Sara 100% 100% 100% my babygirl. Is your significant other of the same ethnicity as you? Yes. Do you have any friends in a band? An old friend is the guitarist of a pretty nice metal band. What’s your favorite flavor of potato chip? Classic, probs. What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you? Suicidal depression. Do you ever donate money to charity? If so, which charity and why? Once I have a source of income, I plan on donating to every charity livestream Mark does. One, because it's just being a generous human, but also because I try to actively support everything he does. How many are too many partners for one person, in your opinion? Basically, I only support monogamy. What has been the most exciting moment of your life thus far? Meeting Sara. What’re your plans for your next birthday? Lemme get my Mark tattoo, man. Go out to my favorite restaurant. Family time. Have you ever kissed anyone with a tongue ring? No. Thinking back to the last person you kissed, have you ever kissed them on their bed? Yeah. Have you ever slept in the same bed with the last person you kissed? Yeah. Thinking back to the last person you really, truly passionately kissed, how many times have you cried because of them? Waaaaaaaay too many times. How cold does it have to be before you put on a sweater? Like low 50s. Has anyone ever pulled a gun on you? Whoa no. Kisses on the cheek or the neck? If you're not in the mood to make out, don't kiss me on the neck lmao. One word to describe your most recent ex? Hilarious. Fried, poached, boiled or scrambled eggs? I only like scrambled. Have you ever gotten into a club, whilst being underage? Never been to one. When do you plan on moving out? When Sara and I are ready to move in together. Before Facebook became popular, did you use any other social networking site like Bebo or MySpace? I had MySpace. Do you think when someone says “I love you” that you are obliged to say it back? Definitely not. Those are strong words. Which Disney princess do you think is the most beautiful and why? Hmmm, I think Pocahontas. I just think she's very pretty. What’s the best food to have at a sleepover? PIZZA. How did you meet the last person you shared a bed with? YouTube. Do you have any half-siblings? Four. When going shopping for junk food, what’s the first thing you pick up? Usually chips. At sleepovers, do you usually stay up all night or actually go to sleep? Go to sleep. Is there anything in the room you’re in that’s really dusty? I neeeed to dust my fan. Do you know anybody with different colored eyes? No. Are any of your relatives vets? Not to my knowledge. How many minutes do you consider late? More than 5. What kinds of food do you dunk into milk? Just cookies. Do you have any current or past teachers on your Facebook friends? Yes. How much sugar do you like in your tea/coffee? I hate both. Have you ever seen your mom or dad drunk? Yeah. After seeing a movie, do you go to a site to enter a review about it? No. Do your parents vote? I know Mom does. Guessing Dad does. How would you react if your best friend was pregnant/got someone pregnant? My best friend is my girlfriend, and I'd support whatever she decided. She doesn't want kids at all, nor do I think her body could handle it, so I'd understand if she aborted, and if she didn't, I'd try damn hard to be an amazing parent. What restaurant has the best fries? Bojangle's fries got all her challengers SHOOK. What does your mailbox look like? Just a normal 'ole mailbox. Would your mom make a good president? No. What’s your favorite thing to eat during a movie? Popcorn. Do you consider cooking to be an art? Sure, it can be. What browser do you prefer to use? Chrome. What genre of films do you like the best? Paranormal horror. Have you ever had a crush on someone several years older than yourself? No. Does your best friend have any tattoos? No. Who was the last person you were rude to? Did you have a good reason? Probably Mom. There's never a good reason to be rude.

#survey #quiz #questions #random

3 notes · View notes

laketaj24 · 6 years

Text

Game On Part 13

Masterlist

Warnings: None, smut to be in the next part

The plan was in action but there would not be any movement on it until each part was well trained and developed. Ragnar knew both Aelle and Ecbert and he knew that they were always prepared. Ivar had his part down, he only had to work on long range shots. He was to be the spotter if anything went awry.

Training commenced further than you thought possible. Ragnar wanted you physically capable of handling the guard if you had to, and after seeing the pictures of the three likely men, you felt defeated already.

Ubbe swayed in front of you with his hands up as if he was ready to attack. You lunge left and then right after him and he was quick. He dodged you each time with a devious smile. “Y/N,” He planted his hands on your hips and gripped them firmly. “Plant yourself.”

You spread your legs as directed giving you more of a balance and Ubbe stepped back. “If he lunges towards you aim low. You are not tall anyhow. You just need to learn how to use your small frame for your advantage.” Ubbe positioned himself behind you and lowered your waist, making you squat a little. “It is simple really.” He breathed behind you. Ubbe smelled as if he had just showered and his damn perfume had your head spinning.

“Okay.” You breathe.

“When I come for you, give me all you have.” Ubbe moved in front of you and gave you a nod. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” You lie.

Ubbe lunges at you and you dodge him. He comes at you again you lose your balance stumbling to the left but regaining your composure at kicks at you and you jump back. Maybe the training had done some good. You punch at Ubbe striking his shoulder and nods his head in approval. Then with one swift kick you’re on your back and he is over you. The sting of the fall combined with the fact he was fucking perfect hit you. And you lay there beneath him writhing for air. He’s between your legs and you feel him harden as his eyes glimpse over you. Ubbe’s big hands pin yours to the ground and his smirk of defeating you makes you grin. “You will get there, Y/N.” He whispered. The nerf bullets strike Ubbe’s head one after another. “That’s enough.” Ubbe climbs off you and turns to Ivar in the watcher’s cabinet. He shoots him a bird and extends his hand to you. “How do you put up with him?”

“I really don’t know.” You chuckle and turn to Ivar. “You brought that damn nerf gun?”

“Ragnar suggested it.” He points to his father who is engulfed his cell phone. “Are you two done for the day?”

“Yes.” Ubbe wipes the sweat from his face and hands you a water. “Tomorrow morning, we can start again.”

“Great.”

Hvitserk and Sigurd enter the room already wrestling each other to the ground playfully. Sigurd slams Hvitserk into the wall only to fall from Hvitserk kick to the chest. Hvitserk runs over to him gripping him in the headlock and Sigurd elbows him in the face. Ubbe gently pulls you back from the fight. But your enthralled by how agile they bot seem to be. Hvitserk rolls to the ground only to spring back up waiting on Sigurd who yields.

“Good job, next time I won’t let you win.” Sigurd smiles. “Y/N, you are looking pretty fit there.” He raises his eyebrows and you blush. He dodges the nerf bullet and burst into laughter. “What the fuck Ivar?”

“Target practice.” He shrugged.

Hvitserk gives you a nod. “You are looking fit though. Ubbe is the best trainer.” He stands next to you. “I think you will do well.”

“Thank you.” You open the water bottle and take sip. “Are you enjoying Africa?”

“Gods, yes. There is so much to do there.”

You cut your eyes to Ivar who is surprisingly not raining down nerf bullets on Hvitserk, He just watches and continues whatever conversation he is having with Ragnar. But for once he doesn’t seem to be bothered.

“I’m so proud of you Hvit.” You touch his shoulder playfully.

“Thank you, how are things with him?”

“Well. I really love him.”

Ubbe starts training with Sigurd and you two lean against the wall. “I still think you would have been better off with me.”

“Are you not with Margarethe?”

“No,” His face reddens. “She is not you.” His dimples warm you for a moment as you try to appear not smitten by his words. “I doubt anyone could be you.”

“Why is that?”

“You’re a treasure, but you know that clearly already Y/N. We all go mad for you. Even Ivar, who I’m sure hasn’t had a heart ever in his life.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I just speak truth. Everyone knows he isn’t the happiest of us. And you give him happiness, so you are a treasure.” He glances up at Ivar who appears mad but does nothing. “And now, I’m going to go train before he exchanges the nerf gun for something else.”

“You’re right.”

The boxes from the move were everywhere. Neither one of you had taken the time to to even start to unpack anything other than clothes. You sift through the boxes looking for your makeup. Over five hundred dollars’ worth of makeup and you couldn’t find one tube of lipstick.

“Ivar, have you seen my makeup.”

He doesn’t answer as he clicks away on his game controller. You peak your head around he corner. “Ivar.”

“No.” He groans. A stream of curse words flow from his mouth as he loses the game and tosses the x-box controller to the ground. “Fuck you, Bjorn.” He says into the mic. “No, I swear you are cheating somehow. No you are not better than me. One game doesn’t make you a fucking champion. No, I don’t want a rematch Sigurd, you blond cock-eyed bastard!” You hold back your laughter as he continues cursing his brothers. “You know what Ubbe, fuck you especially.” He pauses. “Oh, I’m childish now, when Bjorn here is using cheat codes? I have better things to do than to argue with you all. Yeah, whatever.” He snatches the headset off holding down the power button. “What is so funny?” He says with raised eyebrows to you.

“You are the worst loser ever.” You laugh opening another unlabeled box.

Ivar turns to you. “Why are you opening my computer boxes?”

“I can’t find my makeup.”

“I threw it away.” He smirks and his piercing blue eyes stare at you.

You feel your heart rap against your chest. “Excuse me?”

“I threw them away, why must you wear all of that. I like you as yourself. Now you can be just that. My natural beauty.” He folds his arms and watches as you begin to lose your shit. “Why are you still looking. They are gone.”

“Ivar Lothbrok.” The warning in your voice is evident. “I had Sephora and Fenty Beauty, that is now on back order.”

“Not my problem.” He shrugs.

“You better be lying.”

Ivar’s amusement is evident as it grows each time you pout and kick his boxes around. “Why are you mad? I complimented you. You’re so beautiful. I want to see you just as you are.”

“Whatever Ivar.” You wonder down the hall to the bedroom and close it behind you and you hear him laugh. This evil dick, got rid of your makeup collection. You open your drawers to start unpacking. You slam boxes making your move as loud as possible. Why couldn’t he be normal for one damn day?

You open the closet and your eyes widen at the set up. Your make up is lined against the wall in a glass shelving that looks crystal. They are arranged by colors and products and line. And a mahogany vanity beside it with makeup lights beaming from it. You gasp. “Fucking dick.” You whisper.

He opens the door. “Do you like it?”

You shake your head yes.

“Speechless?”

“Why would you let me throw that fit?”

“I like to see you mad. It’s sexy.” He sits on the bed. “You pout, and stomp and you get easily irritated when I stare.” A small smile garnishes his face. “Plus, you have a small wrinkle in your nose that is fucking adorable. You are sexy and that fucking feisty ass attitude.” He sucks air through his teeth. “Makes me want to rip off your clothes.”

“You didn’t have to do this for me.”

“I wanted to Y/N. We can’t go to war, if you don’t have your war paint.” He beams. “Come here.” He mutters, and you do with narrowed eyes. “This whole thing makes me nervous.” He admits. “I don’t want you in it to be honest and I know you know that.”

“I will be fine, and you should know that I want to be in this? Those fucking assholes tried to take the love of my life away from me.”

“Ragnar?” He teases.

“No,” You straddle him and flick your tongue across his sharp cheek bone. “Don’t play.”

He clutches your thighs pulling you closer to him and places his hand at the nape of your back. “It’s in one month, and then you can’t back out?”

“I wouldn’t anyhow.”

He understands you’re sincere as he lays back on the bed and you are over him winding your hips to tease him. “I know that’s what scares me.”

Taglist: @titty-teetee @kimistry27@whenimaunicorn @imgoldielikehawn @sparklemichele @fuckyeahalexhoghandersen @readsalot73 @oddsnendsfanfics @kawennote09 @vaisabu@vbiggs03 @genxmama @tinymoonshine @oneday-i-will-fight-luke17 @kenzieam @ivars-snowflake @sincerelysinister @suz123 @fivesecondsofsarang @sunnyfortomorrow @2loveeverything2 @wilddrabble @clumsywonderland @letsshamelessqueen-m @kc-7@alyse45 @romanchronicles @getinmelanin011 @doloreschanal @captstefanbrandt @valynsia @harleycativy @byzantium-glytch @pebblesz892@earthsmightiestasses@lisinfleur @betheworstyoucanbeandenjoyit @unsure-but-trying@rachybakes@amethyst09 @ridethemasterofjames @thequintess

As always let me know if you would like to be added or removed from the taglist! And let me know what you think! I’ve added the masterlist link but if you want you can always go support on wattpad username: writegirlproblems and vote there if you have one! Thanks!!

#ivar the boneless #ivar series #woc fanfic #ubbe #hvitserk #ragnar #sigurd #bjorn #gameon #laketaj24

156 notes · View notes

ephemeralityonline · 3 years

Text

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors (10/20/21; a review of the Ratking album "So It Goes")

After listening to this album for a year or so, I have no idea why this album isn't talked about a lot in the current musical landscape. The production from Sporting Life throughout the entirety of this album is some of the best I've heard this decade. It is repetitive, highly engaging, chaotic, and has a certain punk energy to it. Especially on the mind-numbing disorder of tracks like "Canal" and "Snow Beach", the number of layers within the instrumentals feels almost like a beautiful wall of samples where with every listen you can find a new part to the beat. With beats these unequivocally phenomenal, you wouldn't even need to have good rappers to make this album great. However, what elevates this album is that the rapping fits perfectly with the beats. Wiki and Hak pull through in spades giving some of their best work in their respective careers. While I have always really liked Wiki's music, his delivery can become grating if you’re new to him. This is barely a problem here as Hak is able to break up Wiki’s higher-pitched verses with more melodic and laid back flows. This dynamic between the two prevents either of the two’s voices from getting repetitive or annoying. On top of the dynamic between Hak and Wiki, Sporting Life couldn’t be a better fit for both of their styles. Before SLUMS or Standing on the Corner, Sporting Life was pioneering the new lo-fi hip hop scene in NYC. The production is grimy and strikes a nice balance between experimental and accessible. While I can certainly cite some production similarities with El-P and even a little Madlib, Sporting Life’s production doesn’t feel like an imitation of the two, it feels like a natural evolution. On songs like the title track and “Remove Ya” the instrumentals perfectly emulate the feeling of the lyrics. Specifically, on the former, I felt like the soaring vocal samples on the track were a sonic representation of the “six million trains to ride” that Wiki talks about in the chorus. The only track that falls a bit short relative to the rest of the album would be the sluggish “Take”. The beat is a bit basic compared to the rest of the album and Salomon Faye has a surprisingly weak feature especially compared to King Krule or Princess Nokia who both add a lot to their respective songs. However, the album ends on a sweet note with “Cocoa ‘88” cutting through the relatively lighter second half with piercing blade samples, a catchy "day's work for day's pay" refrain, and one of Wiki’s best flows yet. A chaotic closer for a chaotic album. The album can make you feel like you’re either flying through the skyscrapers or running through the sewers. This album is New York to its very core. The New York references can range from subways, Wallabees, bodegas, and every staple you can think of. Even the album cover is based on the MTA transit map. As someone who grew up in Queens as a child but moved down south early on, this album is almost like nostalgic soul food for me. Regardless of your connection to the city, I would highly recommend listening to this album. One of the definitive rap albums in my life.

Originally posted on my RYM account.

#hip hop #music

0 notes

lunapaper · 3 years

Text

Album Review: 'Welcome to the Madhouse' - Tones and I

‘Dance Monkey’: Two words that will fill you with either confusion or dread.

The global mega-hit by Tones and I (real name: Toni Watson) has been unavoidable these past couple of years, especially if you happen to be Australian like me. Every TV show, every commercial, every sporting event... It’s been played everywhere.

And it’s not just ‘Dance Monkey,’ either. If I have to hear ‘Fly Away’ one more time as well in a TV ad, I’m calling fuckin’ ACMA. I even heard the colourful and cheesy ‘Cloudy Day’ in an ad for Home and Away not too long ago as two of the characters crashed their car into a ditch.

Why the song is so big, no one really knows. And Tones and I’s debut album, Welcome to the Madhouse, will only leave you with more questions.

Despite its title, the record only proves that Tones is not is not as creepy or kooky or mysterious and spooky as Sony Music wants you to believe. The synths are garish, chintzy and sometimes nauseating, the production tinny and eerily compressed. The songs are composed of nothing but vague platitudes and faux-inspirational anthems, doomed to soundtrack a million more montages.

One minute, Watson wonders ‘Why am I so damn lonely?/Am I the only one who feels this way?,’ the next she’s boasting on ‘Westside Lobby’: ‘I'm not that fucking nice.’ She also mentions that ‘[M]y song went number one in over thirty fucking countries/And I'm sorry if that offends you, my dear,’ but if this record is anything to go by, quantity does certainly not equal quality.

Other times, Welcome to the Madhouse is weirdly infantilising. On ‘Won’t Sleep,’ she sings atop a gloopy, Fischer Price-type beat: ‘We like to party/Sleep around with secrets, grab somebody/But don't go tell your mama 'cause she won't sleep.’ On ‘Child’s Play,’ she taunts back: ‘Ring around the rosie, I/You keep pretending you don't know me, why?/You call my phone and say you're lonely, hi/You're only lonely when you're home at night.’

While someone like Poppy or Melanie Martinez can strike a good balance between creepy and cutesy, Watson’s nursery rhyme hooks and kitschy, day-glo aesthetic come off rather forced. Even the way she hides her real age and tries to dress younger than she appears feels like a strange attempt to pander to the TikTok set.

Everything between ‘Fly Away’ and ‘Cloudy Day,’ meanwhile, is instantly forgettable, recycling through the same piano chords, pulsing EDM-style bass and uplifting harmonies. The album ends on the cartoonish white girl rap of ‘Bars (RIP T),’ which is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek tribute to a dear friend, but sticks out like a sore thumb in amongst all the radio-friendly pop and syrupy ballads.

And if you’re wondering where ‘Dance Monkey’ is, it’s included on the deluxe edition of Welcome to the Madhouse, along with the rest of her 2019 EP, The Kids Are Coming.

Although not as shameless as Bieber’s four deluxe editions of his recent album, Justice, it still feels kind of tacky to repackage your debut with a bunch of material that’s already a couple of years old at this point just so you can game the Spotify algorithm.

Welcome to the Madhouse is exhausting and aggressively bland, an ugly pastiche of pop’s most awful trends. It reeks of desperation: PLEASE LIKE THIS ALBUM, it seems to scream.

It’s - surprisingly enough - a self-produced effort, with Watson eschewing a team of super producers. For any other new artist, it’d be admirable, but in Watson’s case, it could’ve been useful having someone to rein in her worst creative instincts and excesses.

The nasally affectations also persist, like Sia freebasing helium. I’m not one to judge, I fuckin’ love strange and unusual voices. One of my favourite singers of all time sounds like he’s been chugging back a mix of whiskey, jagged rocks and glass. But Watson lays on the vocal tics so damn thick, that it just becomes less and less convincing with each track.

Interestingly, you can hear hints of her real voice here and there on Welcome to the Madhouse. How much of it actually is real is up for debate, but the voice we hear on the record, the one that’s gone to the top of the charts worldwide, embodies all the worst traits of the modern-day pop voice: The Millennial whoop, the vocal fry, the baby-like gurgle.

Watson might be seen by some as an off-brand Billie Eilish in fluorescent gear, but if anything, she’s more like a female Brendon Urie: an insufferable theatre kid cliché churning out glossy pop dreck that’s too self-indulgent for its own good. If Glee was still on the air, you just know they’d be milking the shit out of this album.

Tones and I telling us that she’s ‘so over people saying I don't look right/"There's no place for you in music’s” all I hear’ would hit a lot different if the songs on Welcome to the Madhouse were actually good. She had all the time and resources and major label backing to produce something truly wild, but instead, we get... this?

Trust me, madhouse is not the word I’d used to describe this record...

- Bianca B.

#music #tones and i #welcome to the madhouse #new #reviews #albums #Bianca B

0 notes

thebandcampdiaries · 3 years

Photo

djradtipptocpp is back with a new release: 2017-2021 (Reasons) Why we are? Long Live FBNOIP

djradtipptoppp is back on the scene with one of his best releases yet, 2017-2021 (Reasons) Why we are? Long Live FBNOIP. What makes this production quite special is definitely the fact that this artist is not only looking to make music. He is also looking for an outlet to communicate with people. There are some artists that just aim to entertain people, while others really want to share a more important social and political message. In this day and age, a time when we are experiencing so many social issues, and worries on a global scale, artists like djradtipptoppp are particularly important in these circumstances.

djradtipptoppp is back on the scene with one of his best releases yet, 2017-2021 (Reasons) Why we are? Long Live FBNOIP. What makes this production quite special is definitely the fact that this artist is not only looking to make music. He is also looking for an outlet to communicate with people. There are some artists that just aim to entertain people, while others really want to share a more important social and political message. In this day and age, a time when we are experiencing so many social issues and worries on a global scale, artists like djradtipptoppp are particularly important and definitely very welcome in the fabric of the global music scene.

With the release of 2017-2021 (Reasons) Why we are? Long Live FBNOIP, the artist is, in fact aiming to create awareness on the current issue of police reform in America. He also wants to highlight issues such as mental health awareness as well as social justice. In order to do that, he creates music that is extremely easy to relate to and that speaks to listeners of all walks of life. The artist is particularly connected with some of these issues even because of the fact that he is experiencing autism firsthand as well as PTSD, ADHD, and BPD. This release is also a great indication of how djradtipptoppp is incredibly well-connected with his audience. He has had millions of plays from people throughout the world, and he continues on his path to reaching out to as many listeners as possible. He should the audience that it is indeed possible to create high-quality music that also feels creatively accomplished and catchy, to begin with.

While the song is particularly striking because of its concepts, it is also quite outstanding in terms of sound. djradtipptoppp is a very versatile artist and producer, and his music seamlessly blurs the lines between a wide variety of styles and influences. From techno to Lo-Fi, boom BAP as well as abstract jazz and even ambient and classic rap music with an underground taste, anything goes.

The sound of this particular new release is extremely atmospheric and very immersive for the audience. The artist actually lost funding for his SoundCloud page, and he has been making music for a long time, even though it might appear as if this was a new project. There’s something really special about how every element in the mix seamlessly comes together, offering a very distinctive and one-of-a-kind sound that sets the bar higher in terms of different genres colliding and creating a unique musical offering that will not let the listeners down. It is not every day that you come across an artist whose music is deeply tied to his belief and social ideals while also keeping a very remarkable production quality at heart. At times, artists who are very political tend to use their thinking as a gimmick, and they overlook the quality of their music. However, this is definitely not the case here because djradtipptoppp is just as good as a musician as he is strongly rooted in his beliefs. We are currently experiencing really trying times, and I feel that people really want to listen to artists who have more to say other than just offering escapism and entertainment. In this case, djradtipptoppp blurs the lines between these different roles, combining his creative vision with his ability to tell stories and inspire people to build a better tomorrow and to hopefully live in a society that will be equal, more tolerant, and more aware of those who need more help and support in order to enjoy the quality lifestyle the day so much deserve.

Find out more about djradtipptoppp and do not miss out on 2017-2021 (Reasons) Why we are? Long Live FBNOIP, which is currently available on SoundCloud and other digital music streaming platforms on the web.

But wait, there is more! djradtipptocpp released yet another fantastic and powerful new track: American Oppression 14 A History of Mis-understood Experiment

djradtipptocpp announces a brand new studio release: American Oppression 14 A History of Mis-understood Experiment

January 2021 – djradtipptocpp is a recording artist based in Virginia. His sound is a combination of different genres and sonic aesthetics, most notably POP and RAP. His most recent studio release, American Oppression 14 A History of Mis-understood Experiment is a perfect example of this excellent creative balance, showcasing the artist’s personality, and his ability to make music that sets the bar higher in terms of personality and innovation. This release is highly recommended to any fan of quality music made with passion, and social focus, and it is a one-of-a-kind take on the electronic / rap genre, highlighting djradtipptocpp’s open-minded approach. This release comes highly recommended if you are a fan of artists such as Flying Lotus, J Dilla, or Nosaj Thing, just to mention a few. If American Oppression 14 A History of Mis-understood Experiment is any indication, this is going to be an excellent year of creativity and great music for djradtipptocpp

Find out more about djradtipptocpp, and listen to American Oppression 14 A History of Mis-understood Experiment. This release is currently available on all major digital music streaming platforms on the web.

youtube

0 notes

rainydawgradioblog · 4 years

Text

RDR Music Rotation Adds - 04/07/20

Due to COVID-19, all regular DJ slots at Rainy Dawg Radio have been either cancelled or moved to the blog in text form. Without broadcasting restrictions, our DJs are no longer required to make selections from the Music Rotation, so the weekly additions have been repurposed into a blog series. All adds written by the Music Director.

FULL-LENGTH

The Garden - Kiss My Super Bowl Ring (art punk, experimental rock)

They're a punk band but you can tell they toured with Machine Girl. Swings capriciously between jumpy post-punk, lo-fi twangy guitar and synth collages, screamed blastbeat sections, pseudo-trap and breakbeat digital hardcore. Moody, angsty, sun-bleached, and always running at 80 miles per hour.

Mamaleek - Come and See (experimental rock, metal, avant-garde)

An alienating post-whatever album built of cathartic blasts of noise, agonized wails, demonic blues riffs and… jazz jams? Guitar work shifts flawlessly from eerie detuned twang to distorted atonal scratching, while the rhythm section stays firmly in the pocket, allowing the band to drift into chaos and still keep headbanging.

Code Orange - Underneath (hardcore, industrial metal)

Over-the-top metalcore/hardcore merged with industrial electronics, occasionally stepping into nu-metal and mathcore territory. Walls of distorted guitar interspersed with blasts of electronic noise, time signature shifts and glitchy breakdowns.

Little Wings - Froggy's (indie pop, folk)

Kyle Field returns to his usual indie-folk sound armed with a synth and drum machine. Melodicas and soft, wobbly synths dance around soft-strummed acoustic guitars and Kyle’s kind-bearded-uncle voice.

Prolaps - Pure Mud Volume 7 (breakcore, footwork)

A collaboration between Machine Girl and Kill Alters’ Bonnie Baxter. Wonky, noisy and chaotic. A disorienting smear of warped vocals, samples, blips and bloops, tied together by heavy-hitting drum machines and minimalist synth melodies.

Childish Gambino - 3.15.20 (neo-soul, art rap)

Donald Glover’s first album under the Childish Gambino moniker in 4 years sees him experimenting with spacey passages and occasional grimy production, while letting his pop sensibilities shine through. Funk guitars, neo-soul vocal harmonies, and pseudo-industrial electronics make up an impressively diverse palate of sound.

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud (indie pop)

Katie Crutchfield writes cozy, familiar indie pop songs tinged with country and soft rock tendencies. Saint Cloud boasts impressive songwriting and arrangements, with plenty of lush vocal harmonies, and a sprinkle of psychedelic synthesizers.

The Weeknd - After Hours (r&b, synthpop)

After Hours might be The Weeknd’s most consistent illustration of his trademark glossy, futuristic r&b sound to date. Crispy, lo-fi drum machines sitting under a wash of hazy synths and delicate, reverb-lathered croons.

Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Tortured Mind (art rock, glam pop)

Heaven To A Tortured Mind sounds like a modern glam rock band that’s been reinvented with modern production, then warped, distorted, and splattered across the stereo field. Noisy synths and manipulated sounds peek out from behind, and Sean Bowie’s vocals swim in a wash of sound.

Thundercat - It Is What It Is (soul, jazz-funk)

An impressive jazz fusion album that strikes a balance between chill and complex. Downplayed keyboards and synths form a rich harmonic bed, shaken up by Thundercat’s virtuosic bass playing while his soft, buttery-smooth falsetto glides above. Lil B feature!

SINGLE/EP

Lily Konigsberg - It’s Just Like all the Clouds (indie pop)

4 miniature nuggets of pop gold, barely ever passing two minutes each. Lily's soft, airy voice and lush accompanying harmonies glide over bright guitar chords, uplifting instrumental leads and a punchy, upbeat rhythm section. The musical equivalent of sunshine and a soft breeze.

Control Top - One Good Day (punk)

A powerhouse of fuzzy riffs and that good loud gay screaming. The thudding, insistent rhythm section carries the band through as they break into a noisy splatter of manipulated vocals.

Frank Ocean - Dear April / Cayendo (dream pop, neo-soul)

A pair of chill, floaty “acoustic” singles, centered around Frank’s voice and a few simple keyboard and guitar chords. Self-harmonized, layered vocals swim in a pool of warm, wet warble. Cozy and calming.

LOCAL

Yufi - s/t (PLURcore, EDM, screamo)

Nostalgic and emotional atmospheric EDM with a whole salad of sound mixed in: shoegaze guitars, noisy, hard-hitting drum machines, indie rock twang, blastbeats, harsh sreams, and soaring autotuned vocals reminiscent of 100gecs. EDM 4 punx.

0 notes

arealpeopleperson · 5 years

Text

Research Log: Case Study 1

Music Videos - Past, Present & Future

An analysis & comparison of Music Videos from the past, with the present & my depiction of the what’s to come in the future…

Past (1994): Biggie Smalls - Juicy

Present (2019): Ghetts - Listen

Case Study 1 - 'Ghetts - Listen [Music Video] GRM Daily':

In this case study comparisons are made between the visuals displayed in music videos against in a Netflix series. The chosen body of work the music video of a song which serves as one of the soundtracks in its accompanying Netflix series. The music falls under the ‘Grime’ genre and the series is about gangster culture in London. Points are made about why specific aesthetic decisions were made by the director of the music video to make it different to the series whilst their core message remains very much the same. Contextual information is also provided to ensure a deeper understanding for the chosen topic has been thought about.

“Listen” (Ghetts - Listen [Music Video] GRM Daily, 2019) serves as one of the tune’s from the popular Netflix series ‘Top Boy’ (Bennet, 2019). The video was directed by Saudi Khalaf and his aims were to reflect the eerie tone that’s carried throughout as Ghetts rides calmly with honest lyrics over the haunting Sir Spyro production. Problems Khalaf would’ve aimed to solve are: how to match the raw and grimy atmosphere of the series, whilst providing visuals that are as equally calm and collected as the song. He did this by repeating several shots of Ghetts delivering his lyrics in a laid back manner in his neighbourhood/roads he grew up on (Wynter, 2019). This have conforming connotations to it giving the audience ‘peace of mind’ whilst the eery tone of the beat contrasts this so the Director has the balance just right. Ghetts informs the audience about how when he first started making grime, he never expected it to to finance himself. This is inspiring, motivating and humbling to anyone who may be interested in pursuing a dream of any kind and feel as if they’re hard done by due to others being more financially fortunate. The Director has represented Grime in a way that’s not ‘throwing it in your face’ unlike the ‘Afro-beat’ material that you here a lot in clubs nowadays. He’s kept it to its ‘roots’ whilst depicting a visually-striking and interesting watch.

Involving artists of the likes of Ghetts in worldwide multi-million pound funded series such as ‘Top Boy’, they’re finally gaining the exposure which leads to salaries that they deserve and have worked hard for. They should be doing this with the younger up and coming artists as well as the older more established ones. A big concern in the Grime genre it’s it reputation for low professionalism. One tweet from Grime Producer/DJ ‘@FilthyGears’ says ‘Seems like grime don’t grow it’s just used as a spring board. Don’t know any big artist who makes predominantly grime and don’t stray. In hip hop a rapper might make a mainstream tune but it’s stopped hip hop’ (Twitter.com, 2019). This tells me that there isn’t a strong enough platform in place for the genre, not enough companies are willing to represent the controversial genre and take some responsibility on board. This saddens a huge number of people because even with all this negative energy being thrown around it’s still the grime tracks/instrumentals that get the UK crowds at events going and this energy I feel can’t be matched by any other genre.

Whilst the messages between the series and the music video remain similar, they’re actually very very opposing in the sense that the series has a huge focus on the violence and demonstrates this aesthetically with several gruesome scenes across the episodes. The Music video for listening the other hand is more laid back with the violence with subtle glimpses every so of ten but nothing heavy of visually disturbing. It’s done like this to stop people from seeing the material full-stop. If you don’t see it you won’t do it, which is the same science behind it as with why you wouldn’t let you children play a first person shooter game.

Furthermore especially because the context its a music video not a series therefore the mood doesn’t want to be disrupted by a horrible dark graphic, thesis why so many music videos are so packed full of positive show-off things such as cars, jewellery and attractive girls. It’s trying to glamourise the culture which is not toxic for people and is also bending the truth. However for an even higher level of violence, there’s new series called ‘Drillin’ directed by Romano Caesar Smith and broadcasted on media platform ‘SBTV’s YouTube channel (Drillin, 2019). The series helps visual learners to gain a better understanding of what happens in a gang-culture environment. This is a positive step forward in lowering knife and gang related crime in the UK because it’ll put people off being tempted to involve him selves in it. It’s said that 60% of people are in fact visual learners, this means music alone (Danesi, 2019) (which can only be absorbed my our sense of sound), doesn’t effectively deliver al the messages it’s designed to do and actually demands the need of a visual representation to accompany it in the body of work. This is the purpose of the music video and EP cover, however developments in new technology produced by company ‘Dimension’ have products such as ‘Volumetric Music Video’ which film a way that captures a mesh-like skeleton. It’s not CGI, but it’s similar in how it captures textures and a 3D mesh of the subject/object. To be able to actually be in the the music video and smell, taste and feel the body of work would be a huge step forward and could create an endless about of creative possibilities to help learners that suffer from forms of dyslexia, dyspraxia, or even anyone who struggles to and register words in their brain by solely listening.

To conclude, the music video for “Listen” was a well depicted visual representation and has met all the requirements of demands of a music video whilst still not steering away from the fact that it is for a Netflix Series focussed around a dark and touchy subject. The Director has thrown in subtle semeiotics such as making Ghetts wear a pink coloured hoodie and a bright yellow jacket - something that a gangster or artist of a genre related to that culture would never normally be seen in. This draw the audience away from wanting to be a in a gang by making them want to look as good as he does in his bright coloured garments.

Bibliography:

Bennet, R. (2019). Top Boy. [video] Available at: https://www.netflix.com/watch/80185306?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2C78ab7307552711a805064e09f3cf4db4f70eeba5%3Ae1b9b7e7150a5220b2b0a2c4e9837ffc1b9c57d1%2C%2C [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Danesi, M. (2019). Visual Rhetoric and Semiotic. [online] Oxfordre.com. Available at: https://oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-43 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Drillin. (2019). [film] Directed by R. Smith. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_NYy_veWnI : London: SBTV. [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Ghetts - Listen [Music Video] GRM Daily. (2019). [online video] Directed by S. Khalaf. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azJ London: GRM Daily. [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Twitter.com. (2019). (@FilthyGears) on Twitter. [online] Available at: https://twitter.com/FilthyGears/status/1175715920414728193 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Wynter, C. (2019). PREMIERE: GHETTS GIVES VISUAL TREATMENT TO COLD SINGLE "LISTEN". [online] GRM Daily - Grime, Rap music and Culture. Available at: http://grmdaily.com/video/ghetts-listen [Accessed 14 Oct. 2019].

Future (2044):

My depiction of what music video’s will be like in 2044 (25 years from now) are very imaginative and sense indulging. Not only do I believe that we will be able to watch visuals alongside the music, but much like a 4D cinema, I believe we’ll be able to smell, taste, and physically feel what’s happening it the scene as we watch the visuals. It may be that we don’t actually hear or absorb the music/artwork conventionally but instead it goes straight into our brains via wires or even wireless transmitters.

This idea was my most ‘far fetched’, however that’s not to say it won’t be possible the way technology is advancing today. A more foreseeable depiction of a music video from 2038, might be that we see 3D augmented reality scenes popping out of tablets and screens. This technology his already in development and being pushed my companies such as Microsoft who have developed a device called the ‘HoloLen 2 AR Headset’. Apple have also responded with their version the device called ‘[AR]T’. Volumetric Music Video by a company callled ‘Dimension’ - Films in a a way that captures a mesh, it’s not CGI but similar how it captures textures and a 3D mesh of the subject/object.

My last idea, more on a musical note… (pardon the pun) discusses the idea that a track/song will be made up of 2 or a few tracks all in one and mixed together to build and create energy, the same way a DJ mixes tracks to do this. Drake has already experimented with these types of concepts for example this song ‘SICKO MODE’ is. Made up of three completely different beats and tones of voice. In a similar way I imagine this so be done with UK rap genres of the likes of Grime/Drill music, very much engineered for live events and to be mixed by a DJ with performing MCs/rappers providing the vocals. For example, a track could have three instrumentals all mixed into each other with three different MCs featuring on it. The next MCs begins rapping when the as the next beat/instrumental is mixed/dropped. This will create an energy in tracks that at the moment you can only experience at live events. It’s only being tested on a small scale if at all at the moment but once done correctly, which I’m yet to come across, I think this could be the start of something very big.

0 notes

dailyobjectsblog-blog · 5 years

Text

5 Trendsetting Huawei P20 Pro Cases

Mobile phones have turned into the inexplicable necessity of our regular life. Regardless of whether it is a teenager or an adult, we find a phone in everyone’s hand. It handles all the important functions of our everyday life like online shopping, data transfer, banking and what not.

As mobile phones are now a necessity, it is extremely important that your phone has a really good mobile case. By good, it doesn’t mean costly or fancy – simply that it should be high quality.

It’s a good plan if you are looking for the best Huawei P20 Pro case as it is the best camera phones right now. It’s very expensive- not to mention slippery and fragile, that's why it is recommended to put these mobile phones in protective cases and covers.

But there are such significant types of cases out there – how would you know which one to choose? Never fear, we’ve found the best Huawei P20 Pro cases that you can purchase to keep your phone looking great.

• Gatsby Ocean Case Cover

The best Huawei P20 Pro case right now, offering good protection & smooth matte finish at a reasonable price. This official Huawei case can add a splash of colour to your phone, with a stylish blue glittery design. This case has a distinctive look that fits with the style of the phone while ensuring the thin and light polycarbonate hard case that is fully protected.

• Apna Time Case Cover

Apna Time case cover by the daily object is for all gully boys out there, who are giving a tough competition to the city’s underground hip-hop scene with their talent. If you are a crazy fan of Indian underground hip-hop rap then you can’t miss this “boht hard” Apna time aayega phone case.

• Yoodi Rugged Leather-Style Case

It’s not simply leather wallet case you have to watch out for if you’re looking for a bit of class. The leather-style panel on the back of this case from Yoodi looks great and does the business, giving your surface a grippy surface as well as stylish look. The bottom panel that impersonates brushed metal finishes the look.

• Spigen Rugged Armor

The Rugged Armor is a standout amongst Spigen’s most adored and widespread designs and uses the shock-absorbing properties of TPU to protect your P20 Pro. The case raises the display and camera lenses from the ground, keeping them scratch-free, while the carbon fibre-style panels at either end of the case give it an advance look. This is an extraordinary case that strikes a balance between protection and style.

• Official Huawei Smart View Case

This is an official Huawei product, so it' is made to the highest standards with the best quality materials. It secures the front of your Huawei P20 Pro from scratches, scrapes and front-on impacts with the official flip cover. When closed, the P20 Pro will show notifications, weather, and other details through a little see-through section of the cover, making sure that you’re easily able to stay up-to-date without having to uncover your phone.

Whether you’ve recently grabbed the Huawei P20 Pro, or you’ve been enjoying it since its launch earlier in 2018, it is never a bad time to pick up a good protective phone case so get yours now.

#huwaei p20 pro cases #huwaei p20 pro covers #mobile covers online

0 notes

mudonthetracks-blog · 7 years

Text

APRIL ROUNDUP

Arca: Arca

5/10

Another interesting release from the Venezuelan producer which is worth a listen. It strikes a very unsettling balance between sensual vocal sounds and grotesque, unnatural production. However, too often it fails to be interesting and falls back to overly simplistic musical phrases.

Father John Misty: Pure Comedy

6/10

This is lovely release. Father John Misty delivers some great lyrics on here, describing hardship yet keeping a sense of humour and strange optimism. The instrumentation is mainly piano and acoustic guitar with prominent drums. However, this album really outstays its welcome coming in at one hour and fourteen minutes, a decision which is needlessly self-indulgent.

Joey Bada$$: All-Amerikkkan Bada$$

5/10

Joey Bada$$ delivers another hip hop album which takes aim broadly at the social injustices in American society (notice the kkk?). It’s certainly worth a listen, the production is strong and the rapping is excellent, but there isn’t anything exceptional here. The ‘fuck Donald Trump’ lines are quite tiring and I find myself asking what he actually contributes to the debate in the lyricism.

Show Me the Body: Corpus I

4/10

We know these guys are good, and Corpus I certainly has some great moments within the swirling chaos. This is labelled as a collaborative mixtape and with seventeen songs reaching into many areas of the left field it certainly shows. Sometimes we get the good moments, and at other points we get some awful moments. Ultimately, it needs more direction and fine tuning, but it brings optimism about the future of the group.

Kendrick Lamar: DAMN.

7/10

This must have been one of the most anticipated releases of the year. DAMN. is a good album, which sees Lamar taking a step back from the grand, jazzy project of 2015 towards a more typical and straightforward hip hop style. He proves he can do this better than most and there are some fantastic tracks on here like XXX. and DNA. However, this is ultimately quite disappointing: the album has many imperfections and dull tracks, and Lamar’s new direction is too safe. This is his weakest LP since Section.80.

Future Islands: The Far Field

6/10

This is a pleasant synth-pop album with well-constructed songs, and it is produced very appropriately. It feels soft and content. It is basic and there isn’t much about it that could be described as particularly exceptional, but it is enjoyable, and the more time spent with it the more it grows on you with its pleasantness.

John Mayer: The Search for Everything

3/10

Nothing much to say here: this is competent certainly, but utterly boring. It seems like Mayer has tried and failed at a pop comeback, and he remains and intensely frustrating artist. This guy has played the blues with B.B. King and he puts out this kind of rubbish?

Kelly Moran: Bloodroot

9/10

Taking inspiration from John Cage, Moran combines prepared piano timbres with electronic production and creates a set of beautiful tracks. These pieces sound gorgeous and the melodies which emerge are full and engrossing, all sounding at once like they could be smashed as easily as glass. Moran’s compositional training really shines through this eerie compilation. It would be tempting to criticise this as derivative of John Cage, but that would be dishonest, as Moran puts her own electronic production skills to work and brings in influences as far away as black metal, which really gives this music its own distinct flavour.

Gorillaz: Humanz

6/10

The Gorillaz project is about fantasy and going away to a different place, and again this is aimed for as Albarn seems to seek a feel-good dance music sound with undertones of reality and nihilism. This reflects the problem though: Albarn wants to make a Gorillaz album, but he just makes sad albums these days. This album is messy and full of misplaced features as well, it doesn’t match the earlier output and the last Blur album was more successful. Nevertheless, it has its momentz (pun intended).

#music #album reviews #albums #kendrick lamar #gorillaz

1 note · View note

thisaintascenereviews · 7 years

Photo

Album Review by Bradley Christensen Damez – The Art of Extravagance Record Label: Self-released Release Date: February 6 2017

Depending on how you feel about Future, you’re either really happy that he’s released two albums in two weeks (I’m pretty psyched about that, actually), you hate that he’s done that (because you don’t like him and most likely never did), or you don’t care (since you can easily just ignore it, since most people don’t have to listen to his music at all, nor are they forced to check it out). One thing’s for sure, though – these albums, especially when put together, they’re pretty long. Both albums are a little over an hour on their own, but together, they’re over two hours. That’s pretty long, but I don’t mind that, because neither album is exhausting. They have filler, and they could have been trimmed down, but they’re not exhausting or boring albums. When it comes to listening to albums, I look for albums with a good length, but that’s for a couple of key reasons – I like having a small “rotation,” which is what I call the stuff that I’m listening to, and having more shorter albums means that I can have more albums on there, but longer albums can be very hit or miss for me, my rotation withstanding. The longer an album, the bigger chance that it can be exhausting, long-winded, or meandering, because ideas can be repeated and regurgitated. Even great albums can be bogged down by their lengths, unfortunately. That’s how I feel about the new record from rapper / singer Damez, entitled The Art of Extravagance. I came across this rapper on Bandcamp last week, and while the album was sixteen tracks long, I liked what I heard, so I downloaded it, especially because it was cheap to download. I’ve spent the last week with it, and honestly, it’s a frustrating album. This album is great, but it’s bogged down by its exhausting length of 71 minutes. With a length like that, it’s practically a double album, and I don’t know how to feel about that.

What sucks is that, like I said, it’s a great album. Everything on this LP is awesome, whether it’s Damez himself, the lyrics on the album, or even the sound itself, but a couple of key things bother me to no end. The first thing is its length, because 71 minutes it overkill for any album, no matter what it is. Even on albums I love, the length can be a problem, because of replay value. This LP, well, it’s great, but it’s way too for long its own good. This leads into the second thing that bugs me about this LP – its sound doesn’t lend itself to a longer length. See, when I first started The Art of Extravagance, the album’s first four or five songs were more straightforward and energetic bangers; they were generic, but I was thinking, “Okay, if the album’s all going to be like this, it’s going to be too long for its own good.” I was surprised, though, because the album ended up being more of an R&B record. Well, kind of. Its production was more in the cloud-rap, and moody hip-hop sound that an artist like A$AP Rocky has. It was really solid, too, but the problem with this kind of sound is that it’s not very energetic. That type of hip-hop is quiet, moody, and atmospheric, and it’s not a sound I want to hear for 71 minutes. There are some more energetic tracks in there, but it’s a long, exhausting, and meandering album after awhile. The thing is, though, everything else is really good. Damez is a good rapper, and even his singing is pretty good, too. He’s not great, but he is totally fine. I have no complaints about his singing on the album, especially when the content is really nice. There are some very interesting, introspective, and well-written tracks here, at least in the lyrical department, and it’s kind of a shame that the album is too long for its own good. I wish this album were a lot shorter. If it was, I’d get really into this, and it would most likely one of my top albums of the year.

For what it’s worth, though, The Art of Extravagance is a great album, but it’s not without its problems. I wish I loved this more than I do, and I do love this album, but I can’t say it’s perfect. It’s not even because the album itself is bad, but it’s way too overloaded. See, both of Future’s new albums work for me, because they’re overloaded in content or ideas. They’re the perfect balance between consistent and interesting and/or diverse. The self-titled is definitely more interesting than diverse, and HNDRXX, the second one that he dropped, that’s definitely both interesting and diverse. Either way, though, this LP has the problem of being great, but it’s not quite consistent enough for the length to be justified, and it’s very overloaded with good / interesting content. Future’s new albums, as much as I like them, are not very “deep,” and that’s another reason they’re easier to get into. This LP just has a lot of content, but it’s two-fold. Its content is very interesting, but there’s a lot to get into. At 71 minutes, it’s not an album that I want to revisit constantly. I love it, but it’s an album that isn’t the easiest to listen to. I mean that in the best way, though, because it’s not that it sucks. I love it, but it’s an album that’s definitely got a couple of strikes against it. Would I recommend this, though? Oh, definitely. If you’re a hip-hop fan, or you’re one of those people that doesn’t listen to hip-hop, but you want something deeper and more interesting, Damez is for you. I can’t guarantee that the album’s 71-minute length will really do a lot for you, either, but it’s worth a listen. There’s a lot of content to sink into here, and there is some diversity, but it’s not enough that really justifies its length. It’s incredibly long, and overstays its welcome a bit, even though its content is worth listening to. I’m happy I listened to this, and it is a really awesome record, but it’s not a masterpiece.

#damez #the art of extravagance #hip-hop #r&b #trap #rap #bandcamp

9 notes · View notes

swimintothesound · 6 years

Text

March 2018: Album Review Roundup

This is getting out of hand.

As I do my best to stay up on “the culture,” my monthly lists of notable releases seem to be growing longer and longer. While I’m trying to limit these roundups to fewer than ten albums per post, roughly thirty albums came out this month that grabbed my attention in one way or another. There’s so much new stuff I almost don’t know where to start, yet I must.

Here are some of the best/most notable releases from March of 2018.

Previous Roundups: January, February.

Soccer Mommy - Clean

While she made some waves in 2017 with her career-spanning Collection, Soccer Mommy (whose real name is Sophie Allison) has arrived in full-force this year with her debut album Clean. This 2018 release finds Allison moving away from the solo bedroom recording of her previous work and into full-band indie rock territory. With sparkling guitars, a rumbling rhythm section, and of course Sophie’s passionately-delivered vocals, Clean is the raw emotion you’ve been waiting for. Sometimes spiteful and vitriolic (“Your Dog”), other times writhing in insecurity (“Last Girl”), and occasionally wholly-triumphant (“Scorpio Rising”), the tunes off this record have cemented Soccer Mommy as a well-deserved star of the indie circuit, and the voice of a million awkward people fumbling through their own relationships.

Camp Cope - How to Socialize and Make Friends

Fists clenched and voices raised, the outspoken Melbourne trio has returned with the follow-up to their much slept-on 2016 full-length. Striking while the iron’s hot, How to Socialize is an album for right now. Fraught with political commentary and much-needed callouts, this is less of an album and more of an open defiance. The catalyst for change and the soundtrack to a long-overdue rebalance, this record is a blunt and open dialogue giving words to a group that’s needed them most. The music itself is beautifully-goosebump-inducing. Exploding with unrestrained vocal takes, cresting guitar strums, bouncy basslines, and rocksteady drum patterns, Camp Cope is the exact type of band that the music industry needs right now.

Sorority Noise - YNAAYT

YNAAYT is a full-album reimagining of You’re Not As _____ As You Think that casts new light on last year’s landmark emo record. Not content to merely swap electric instruments out for acoustic ones, YNAAYT indeed is best described as a “reimagining.” With loving acoustic arrangements, beautiful orchestral flourishes, and a remixed tracklist, Sorority Noise transformed what could have been a one-off gimmick into a gorgeously-composed piece of art. The songs are reworked, shifted, and changed just enough that it’s almost unrecognizable from the LP upon which it’s based, making for a compelling back-to-back listen. Released alongside a hiatus announcement, this would be a graceful note for the band to go out on (as much as I hate to think about it). This album is concrete proof that there’s beauty, serenity, and eventual recovery in grief.

Jack White - Boarding House Reach

I’d describe myself as a “begrudging Jack White Stan.” For better or worse, White has played the single biggest role in the formation of my musical taste. The foundation for everything I like, and an artist that has loomed large in my library for a majority of my life. In spite of (or perhaps because of) his importance to me, his work post-White Stripes has been hit or miss for me. While I eventually came around to Blunderbuss, Lazaretto came across as the musical equivalent of jerking off while staring into a mirror. Perhaps feeling the need for a pivot himself, White described his 2018 album as "a bizarre one" that sounded like "good gardening music or roofing music or… back-alley stabbing music." The craziest thing is he isn’t wrong.

It seems that in between unearthing old music, sounding like an old man, and being hopelessly conceptual, Mr. White actually had time to cook up a decent record. I’ll admit that (of the two sides of Jack) I’m a bigger fan of his more thrashy garage rock half, so the fact that this album takes that distorted riffage and cranks it up to 11 makes me a very happy stan. There’s still a decent amount of jangly country Nashville sound, but “Rock” (with a capital R) is this record’s primary language. There are moments of unbridled weirdness, which are to be expected (ironically), but at its heart, Boarding House Reach is the best album that I can expect from Jack White in 2018.

Earthless - Black Heaven

Speculate what you will about where music is “headed,” but there will always be room in my heart for a great rock album. On Black Heaven, the typically-instrumental Earthless gives us a collection of sprawling and hard-charging metal tracks. Their fifth album as a band, Black Heaven is a psychedelic heavy metal odyssey. 39 minutes of forward momentum and chest-inflating riffs that fire on all cylinders up until the final notes. An album for driving through the desert as fast as your car will allow while the sun is at its highest point.

Yo La Tengo - There's A Riot Going On

While Yo La Tengo may not be the biggest band in the world, their influence can be felt all over the indie rock sphere. Over the course of their thirty-plus-year career, they’ve hardly ever made a misstep, and There's A Riot Going On only adds another layer of greatness to their legacy. Half ambient, half traditional Velvet-Underground-Esque slow jams that they’re known for, Riot is best described as a pleasant album. A record you can devote yourself to entirely, or let run in the background, both to equally-enjoyable ends. A calm, relaxing, and chilled out hour of new material that will provide the soundscape for years of creativity to come.

Haley Hendrickx - I Need To Start a Garden

On I Need To Start a Garden we witness as Haley Hendrickx attempts to balance the cultivation of her soul with the well-being of those around her. With deeply-cutting lyricism, haunting, fragile vocals, and wonderfully-arranged instrumentals, Garden is a carefully-crafted record. At its best moments, the album’s minimalism serves Hendrickx’s style well as the songs crest from held-back whispers into full-blown explosions of sound and emotion.

Easily my biggest surprise of the month, and an early frontrunner for album of the year, Haley Hendrickx is a person to watch, with a record to love. For my full review of I Need To Start a Garden, keep your eyes on Hooligan Magazine in the coming weeks.

Quick Hits

Two Dozen albums from the past month. All summarized in one sentence.

Donovan Wolfington - Waves: Released posthumously following the band’s untimely demise, Waves is a textbook shredder of an album. Proof that it’s better to go out on top than not at all.

Disco Inc. - The Boredom Keeps me up at Night: Five forthright and punchy punk rock tracks stretched across 15 electrifying minutes. Equal to or greater than the energy received from a cup of coffee.

Titus Andronicus - A Productive Cough: Eschewing all previous conceptual frameworks and punk-leanings, A Productive Cough finds frontman Patrick Stickles embracing, emulating, and achieving a pitch-perfect version of the singer-songwriter music that he was brought up on.

The Breeders - All Nerve: As if the last two decades never happened, the Deal sisters are back alongside their primo ‘93 line-up. Together they deliver a collection of 11 beautifully-grungy tracks that prove the 90’s aren’t dead yet.

Superorganism - Superorganism: Eight pseudonym-clad bandmembers deep, this synth-laden indie pop group formed, and turned this record around within the space of a calendar year. Bright, vivacious, and charming as all get out, Superorganism have already made a name for themselves with this bubbly debut.

Lucy Dacus - Historian: Slow-moving and heavy-minded singer-songwriter moodiness for a rainy day or a broken heart.

Gulfer - Dog Bless: Tappin’ guitars, screamin’ vox, bombastic drummin’, Gulfer deliver emo revival goodness on their gleaming sophomore album.

Lil Yachty - Lil Boat 2: Coasting off the recognition of his breakthrough mixtape, Lil Yachty offers up 17 sleepy and unfocused tracks that only occasionally meander into genuine entertainment. Overall, it seems like Yachty has lost the plot.

Logic - Bobby Tarintino II: Rick and Morty skits aside, the latest Logic mixtape isn’t as cringy as the internet would have you believe. Packed with dense lyricism and hyper-technical bars, this release cuts out all the fat and gets straight to the rapping.

Young Father - Cocoa Sugar: Electronic, unpredictable, and utterly new, Cocoa Sugar is future music.

Vile Creature - Cast of Static and Smoke: Optimistic queer black metal from the fantastical Canadian duo.

Remo Drive - Pop Music EP: A trio of fresh tracks from the breakthrough pop-punk band. Aptly-titled, this 8-minute release is catchy, bright, and colorful. Essentially the musical equivalent to fructose-laden soda.

Of Montreal - White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood: A groovy, dancy, funkwave inferno of radiant two-sided indie tracks.

Nap Eyes - I’m Bad Now: Indie rock with Lou-Reed-esque vocals that display resolve, even while in the calamitous eye of the hurricane.

Mooseblood- I Don’t Think I Can Do This Anymore: The UK pop-punks offer up a vague and uniform 36-minutes of relationship strife on this blue follow-up to Blush.

Mount Eerie - Now Only: Another long-form meditation on the death of a loved one. Heartwrenching and spell-binding.

The Decemberists - I’ll Be Your Girl: The Portland, Oregon five-piece return with a mixed bag of brightly-colored election reaction tracks.

Preoccupations - New Material: sharp and bombastic post-punk from a future that almost didn’t exist.

Citizen - Live at Studio 4: Live in-studio versions of three of the best cuts off 2017’s As You Please.

Hot Mulligan - Pilot: Chicken soup for the modern emo’s soul.

Blessthefall - Hard Feelings: Neon-lit metalcore with a hyper-clean and poppy approach.

The Sword - Used Future: Equal parts jammy, psychedelic, stoner, and riffy. This is a chill and laid-back album that’s perfect for the outdoorsy metalhead.

Trace Mountains - A Partner to Lean On: Chilled-out Alex G-esque Americana with an electronic slant.

The Voidz - Virtue: An hour of political indie rock from the outspoken and leather-clad Julian Casablancas.

Frankie Cosmos - Vessel: Verbose (professional) bedroom folk from the Princess of Bandcamp.

Czarface x MF DOOM - Czarface Meets Metal Face: Bars. Just. Bars.

Casey Musgraves - Golden Hour: Lovely, lovesick, loveless country music made for sun-drenched valleys and porch-lit beers.

The Weeknd - My Dear Melancholy,: Six smutty, spacy breakup songs from the void of heartbreak.

Plus singles from The Voidz, Gucci Mane, The Wonder Years, Snail Mail, Jack White, DJ Khaled, Royce Da 5’9”, God Is An Astronaut, Parkway Drive, ZHU, Half Waif, Anderson .Paak, Beach House, Dj Khaled, Vince Staples, The Decemberists, A$AP Rocky, Grouper, Dr. Dog, Parquet Courts, Courtney Barnett, Weird Al, Panic! At The Disco, Underoath, Flatbush Zombies, Miguel, Jens Lekman, MØ, Our Last Night, Iceage, Cardi B, Migos, Manchester Orchestra, Alvvays, Lil Pump, CHVRCHES, Rae Sremmurd, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Hop Along, and N.E.R.D.

#Soccer mommy #camp cope #sorority noise #jack white #earthless #yo la tengo #Haley Hendrickx

0 notes