#nobody embodies the second lyric more than he does

[fandomsarefamily1966]

"He thinks that faith might be dead

Nothing kills a man faster than his own head"

[theimprobabledreamersworld]

Don’t Let Them Hurt You- Ao3

It took a lot longer that planned, but this Pintroverts one shot is complete! :D

The plot around this one is based on Nico getting an anon hate message on song lyrics he posted online, and Thomas then comforts him and helps him see past it... It was something I had sitting in my WIP folder for a while but initially I was struggling with writing it. So I delved into the realm of personal experience for the hurt and the comfort parts ☺️

I hope you enjoy reading it! <3

General writing taglist: @psychedelicships @jwillowwolf @lost-in-thought-20 @writerwithtoomanyships @red-imeanblue (If you’d like to be added/removed let me know!)

Read on Ao3!

Don’t Let Them Hurt You.

Pintroverts. Hurt/Comfort/Fluff

Warnings: Upset moments, anon hate message, self-deprication.

Nico scribbled furiously, his pen refusing to leave the crumpled piece of paper he found in his bag. The song lyrics raced into his mind while he was out with Thomas an hour ago. He smiled as he thought about his new boyfriend. It was like a breath of fresh air, a clarity in his clouded over world, the writer’s block he had been struggling with for months went away almost instantly after they met in that food court as few months ago. Before, he would stare at his laptop willing words to appear, but his mind wasn’t in it and his fingers wouldn’t type. As the days ticked on and not even a single word appeared on the screen, the lack of motivation set in, and he almost gave up on his newest project… but Thomas crashed his way into Nico’s life and stopped that from happening. In fact, he had already set up several more documents with song ideas in them ready to write as soon as he could, and he couldn’t wait to share them with the people who followed his blog.

Nico’s little following were always so kind and supportive, they were the main reason he kept going with writing songs. People have asked if they can perform his lyrics and he was always blown away by the sheer talent of some of his followers. How he got so lucky, he would never know, but Nico valued every single of them. He finally reached the end of the page, and as the pen fell to the paper with a satisfied clatter, he took a deep breath and pushed the chair away from the desk. He sighed and stretched his arms above his head.

He was never one to speak very positively about himself, but he had a feeling that this was his best song yet. All he needed to do was look it over, type it up and publish it. He hoped that his followers would feel the same. He felt like he should wait for Thomas to come back from getting take-out so he could be the first one to see it, he was the inspiration for it after all. However, the excitement got the better of him, and he remembered that Thomas has notifications on for his blog, so he would be one of the first people to see it. His mind was made up and Nico raced off to get the lyrics typed up.

The word document was opened with lightning speed. The blank space was suddenly being filled with words and emotions at a rapid pace, it was becoming a tapestry right before his eyes and he began to realise just how much he had missed writing. Sooner rather than later, he was finished. He started at his finished work and then opened his blog. Should he really post this? It was his most emotive song yet, and it definitely makes it clear that there is someone in his life now. He couldn’t be happier. How someone as amazing as Thomas wants to be a part of his life, he’ll never work out, but he wasn’t complaining. He took a deep breath before opening his blog and creating a post. He fingers shook a little as he typed out his usual message that he puts at the end of all of his posts.

‘Hey everyone! Just wanted to thank you all once again for your support and patience while I took a while to come up with some new song lyrics! I owe this one to someone incredibly special who crashed into my life recently, and I hope it comes across in this song <3 I genuinely don’t feel like I deserve the support you give me but know that I value you all with my heart and soul. Nico <3’

The overwhelming sense of pride as he hit ‘post’ made his heart beat agonizingly fast, but he couldn’t keep the blog open otherwise he would start to worry about what people think. So he texted Thomas instead checking in to find out what time he’d be coming over. The reply came through almost instantly, 20 minutes, only 20 minutes he had to wait. As Thomas signed off with the signature purple heart, he smiled and held his phone close to his chest. Nico felt his pulse continue to race, he had never felt this for anyone else before and it was unusual, but in the best way possible.

His laptop began to ping with notifications and even though he tried to ignore them, he caved and opened his blog up. To say that Nico was blown away by the response would have been the biggest understatement of the century. He smiled widely as more comments and reactions poured in, at least other people liked the song lyrics as much as he did. He felt on top of the world, until one more comment popped up and it felt like the world was crashing down around him in a matter of seconds.

‘It's true that creators aren't entitled to support, but you. You don't deserve anywhere near as much support as you're getting. There are so many creators out there that are much better than you and they don't get recognition. What you post is nothing special, so how about you stop and let people get support who actually deserve it, you're not worth the time of day.’

Nico stared at the comment until he could almost burn a hole through his laptop screen. He’d never had a hate comment before, and he didn’t know how to take it. He was being so dramatic, it was one hate comment, but that was enough to knock him for six. His heart hurt; his mind was fighting the thoughts racing around. He backed away from his laptop until he hit the wall and he slowly slumped down it, holding his crumpled paper copy of the lyrics tightly in his hand. Is this what people really thought of him?

Well, they were right. He always said that he never deserved the support he was given. Why should he have anyone reading his work when there are other creators that are exponentially better than him? He was a nobody who wrote songs, what was that really? It’s not as if he was a singer, or an artist… someone of worth. He shouldn’t stand in the way of others, what was so special about him? That commenter was just bold enough to say what everyone was clearly thinking behind their screens. Of course it wasn’t real. People can say what they want when no one will ever work out who they are. He laughed bitterly as the tears fell down his face. How could he have been so stupid? No one likes what he does, of course they wouldn’t. He slumped his head on his legs and held his breath until he couldn’t contain his sadness anymore.

The doorbell rang, and he sighed. Of course, Thomas was going to see him like this… that’s going to scare him off. He got up, hesitantly walking to front door and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. God, he was a mess. His eyes were red raw from crying, and his hair was a mess where he clawed at it. He let one person get to him, one anonymous person hiding behind a screen, and he hated himself for it. As the front door opened, Thomas was putting something in his pocket while holding a bag of Chinese food.

“Hey! I saw your song! Nico, it’s incredible- hell, you’re incredible!” Thomas beamed but when he looked up, his smile dropped, and worry clouded over his eyes in an instant. Nico must have looked a mess, he was expecting Thomas to drop the food and run, he wouldn’t blame him.

“Nico? What’s wrong? Hey, hey, hey. Come on, let’s get inside.” As soon as Thomas asked what was wrong, he broke again. The tears began to cascade, and Nico hid his face behind his hands, he felt a hand wrap around his waist and gently bring him back into the apartment. As he was guided to the sofa, he heard Thomas scurrying around the kitchen putting the bag down then coming in to sit next to Nico. He rubbed his hand gently up and down Nico’s back, whispering that everything was okay. The tears began to subside, and he leaned into Thomas’ touch who happily reciprocated. He felt a kiss on his forehead, and he wiped his face of the residual tears off his face.

“So… can you tell me what has got the literal embodiment of sunshine this upset?” Nico smiled slightly and Thomas played with his hair, feeling himself instantly relax at the touch.

“I don’t know if I can… but… just look at my laptop. It should be there.” Thomas looked a little worried before heading over to the desk and reading the words on the screen. Nico saw Thomas’ hands clench until his knuckles turned white and saw how his breathing became slightly labored. The only comforting thing he could think of was, at least he didn’t imagine the whole thing. Thomas marched back over to the sofa and took Nico’s head in his hands before kissing him gently and he pressed their foreheads together.

“Now, you, Nico Flores need to listen to me. You are amazing, you are fantastic and so damn talented that it makes my head spin. The fact that one person is saying something horrendous while hiding behind a screen, it doesn’t take anything away from you. I mean, look at all of these amazing people supporting you and sending you love for your latest song!” Thomas went to the laptop and brought it over to Nico, the comments underneath the hate were flooded with positivity and love, he beamed when he scrolled though, seeing people defend him made his heart feel full.

“Everyone else feels the same way I do about you. You have a phenomenal way with words, they way you write is captivating and you’ve inspired me more than you know. You’ve inspired countless others too. Your posts are special, you’re unique in your own way… let some jealous nobody stay just that… a nobody. Don’t let them hurt you, hun. You deserve all the love in the world, and I will give you all I can! If anything, I don’t deserve someone as incredible as you. You give so much kindness, so much happiness to others… you’ve gotta save some of that for yourself too.” Nico smiled and looked down at the floor, everything Thomas said was true. He could feel all of his sadness and pain melt away so he wrapped his arms around Thomas, hoping he could say thank you without words, otherwise he’d start crying for a different reason this time.

“Right, okay. Let’s reheat the food and we’re just going to watch trashy tv until I have to go home. Sound good?” He nodded eagerly as Thomas stood up holding his hand out for Nico to take, and they talked in the kitchen until the microwave made its call. As they sat together arm in arm until late into the evening laughing at a comedy show re-run, Nico thanked his lucky stars that Thomas crashed into his life. When Thomas had let him know that he was home safe, Nico fell asleep smiling and forgetting the events of the day.

His alarm blared out across his bedroom and Nico rubbed his bleary eyes, attempting to find his glasses to turn off his phone. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he realised it wasn’t an alarm, it was a series of text notifications. He stared as he noticed the time, it was rare that he slept in till 1pm but last night was the exception. Nico unlocked his phone and read the stream of texts from his favourite person.

‘Hey! Good morning, Sunshine! I hope you’re feeling better today <3’

‘You are amazing and fantastic; I can’t imagine my world without you in it <3’

‘Anywaaay, I’m rambling now haha. You have that effect on me ;) <3’

‘So, I know you're probably still resting, you had a rough day yesterday! But, when you wake up… go look at my YouTube channel okay? I’ve got a surprise for you <3’

Nico smiled as he read through the texts, and then he immediately went onto YouTube where a new video from Thomas immediately sat at the top of the page. He clicked on it and turned the volume all the way up, he heard music begin and Thomas was standing in the middle of his apartment singing. Nico stared in awe at how amazing his voice was, he’s heard him multiple times, but he was always blown away every time. It wasn’t until he started singing a particular part that Nico gasped and put a hand over his mouth.

‘If my arms were on a clock, I'd stop the time to be with you. Eternity I'd stop, just to be with you.’

These were his song lyrics from yesterday. He couldn’t believe how perfectly Thomas had captured the song, the emotions he was trying to express. It was a complicated symphony but sung with a perfect simplicity that made the words more powerful. He felt tears welling up in his eyes once again, he couldn’t believe that Thomas would do this for him and as the screen faded to black, he went to text Thomas but then he saw him pop back up on the screen.

“Hey guys! So, it’s been a little while since I’ve posted any music covers on here. I really, really hope you love this song as much as I do! The lyrics were written by my wonderful boyfriend, Nico. As soon as I read the lyrics, I knew I had to arrange and perform this song with the help of some brilliant friends who came together very last minute to help me out. I just… wanted to show the guy that I adore that he is amazing, and the words that he writes have the power the make the world a brighter place. So, Nico. This is all for you. Thank you to all my friends who came together to help, their links are in the description below. Thank you to Nico for inspiring me, his song blog is linked below. Thank you to all of you for watching, and until next time… Take it easy, guys, gals and non-binary pals. Peace out!”

Nico smiled proudly as he watched Thomas smile his trademark goofy smile as the video faded to black for the final time. He went back to the beginning and played the video again as he grabbed he phone and text Thomas.

‘Thank you for everything you did for me yesterday. The song and the video are incredible, you should share some of that talent Mr. Sanders ;) Seriously Thomas, I’m the luckiest man in the world to be with you <3’

He sent the text, and then the doorbell rang unexpectedly. Nico looked at the front door suspiciously, he wasn’t expecting anyone. He crept over and peered through the looking glass then opened it as fast as possible. Thomas was holding a large bouquet of flowers and a speaker. He smiled and kissed Thomas on the cheek before taking the flowers out of Thomas’ hands and smelling the delicate scent. Brightly coloured Roses, Chrysanthemums, Delphiniums, and Irises. They were simply perfect, just like the man in front of him.

“I needed to see you, and I thought I could give you a live performance of the song?” Thomas smiled holding the speaker up in air, Nico invited him in and quickly put the flowers into a vase he kept for ornamental purposes. They were truly beautiful, and he was impressed that Thomas remembered what his favourite flowers were after talking about it on the first date. When he turned around, music was almost swirling around them, and Thomas was standing in the middle of the room. He reached out for Nico’s hand, as their hands touched, Thomas pulled him in close and they slow danced while Thomas sang. As the song drew to a close, they came to a stop and this time, Nico pulled Thomas in for a kiss. When they parted, they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other.

“You’re my entire world now, Mr. Sanders.”

“And you are mine, Mr. Flores.”

[manychocolatefactories]

CatCF Ruby Chocolate: Part 1, Kids and characters

This version is the last of the "four main versions". It is named after the new, fourth type of chocolate discovered in 2004 but only publically released in 2017. It is a modern version, supposed to take place in the 2010s. In this version, there are six Golden Tickets released in the world.

First Winner: Augustus Gloop

(Based on: Augustus Gloop)

This version of Augustus was inspired by the 2013 musical, more specifically by the idea of a cute little boy that eats "pigs limbs from limbs", and also swallows whole little dogs. So, something quite dark.

Augustus has a very cute face. A chubby, angelic face, like the puttis of the Renaissance paintings: blond curls, puppy eyes, a radiant smile. If he wants, he can make your heart melt like the video of a little kitten purring.

But Augustus is hungry. All of the time. He eats and snacks all day long. He dreams of food. He sleep-walks to eat. And while he adores candies and chocolate, there is one thing he loves more than anything else: meat. Meat and blood. He is a true carnivore, for him every meal rhymes with "meat". And if you leave him unattended, he will try to get meat by himself. For exemple, by attacking a living pig and devouring it on the spot. Or by biting off the fingers of a plump woman. But, of course, all of that with a cute smile and while saying sorry in the most adorable way.

Nowadays, if your cute you must be innocent, and thus forgien.

Augustus' body is not as cute as his face. It is said to be a "bloated mass of pink flesh", actually very similar to the body of a pig. His fatness is described as "ill-fitting", as if it was "forced" onto his body. His overweightness is not natural. It is puffy, flabby, bloated, but doesn't feel "natural".

Augustus also always wear ill-fitting clothes and suits.

Mrs. Gloop is a tiny woman, usually wearing a pale pink skirt suit, with her hair arranged in a crown of braids. She might be tiny, but she is bold, energetic, and speaks both clearly and loudly. She has so much presence, she often intimidates people. She keeps reminding others of how cute her son, and how eating makes him grow strong. She insists that she is a good mother who makes sure her son eats of everything (to have a balanced diet), eats well (by giving him only the finest and best-quality products (such as the Wonka bars and not their cheap rivals knock-offs), and of course, she only feeds her son because he "needs nourishment".

And don't dare criticize her, or she will scream so much, so hard and so high your ears will bleed. Just like the "original" Mrs. Gloop, this one keeps pointing out the "hooligans", saying it is better to stay at home eating food than being a violent thug on the street. My iteration sincerely believes that violence and criminality is due to poverty, hunger and lack of food, and if everyone was well-fed the world ould be at peace.

(For her, think of Mrs. Gloop the original, mixed with Bernadette from the Big Bang Theory )

Mr. Gloop (full name, Gordon Gloop, parody of Gordon Ramsey) is the son of a butcher, and the grandson of a slaughterhouse worker. He was always knee-deep in blood, and as a result grew accustomed to killing animals and cooking them (in fact the sight of blood makes him peckish). He is a tall and strong man, but suffers from a bad sleep due to his wife's horribly loud snoring.

He tried to teach his son the refinment of haute cuisine, for Mr. Gloop is a world-renowned cook, but to his disappointment Augustus only cares for raw meat and drinking blood-dipped candies. Mr. Gloop is so obsessed with having good dishes and best-quality ingredients, he keeps at the back of his house a little barnyard full of cattle (if he ever has to serve some steak or ribs to his guests). Trouble is, Augustus keeps sneaking into said barnyard to devour the poor animals.

Second Winner: Elvira Entwhistle

(Based on: Veruca Salt)

Veruca Salt being a pretty solid and complete archetype in herself (the girl who wants it all and has her parents buy her all), it is quite hard to reimagine her. So, I tried thinking about "why" she wants things - given the actions are settled and confirmed, it is the goals that are important, the motivation. And , in our time of modernity, what makes people want things? Trends, fashions, what is "in".

This reinterpretation of Veruca, named Elvira Entwhistle (after one of the old drafts names), is a mix between Chanel Oberlin from Scream Queens and Esmé Squalor from a Series of Unfortunate Events. She is a girl living for trends, for fashions, buying and acquiring all of the latest things "in", only to discard them as soon as they are "out" or not trendy anymore. Spending her time on social media, following models and influencers, she keeps going to luxury shops with her "personal assistant" (a nice name for what is a modern slave) to buy accessories, jewels, clothes, pets and whatever corresponds to the current trend.

Spoiled, impatient, self-centered and short-tempered, she needs to have the latest fashion NOW or she will get insanely angry. She also doesn't hesitate to change her personal appearance to fit all the new trends (for exemple her hair changes color and shape every week). Of course, she got her Golden Ticket because it was the current trend. Everyone was searching for it, so she had to get a Ticket to be the most "in" person around.

 Third Winner: Mike Teavee

(Based on: Mike Teavee)

For this version of Mike Teavee, I wanted to get away from the usual hyperactive and hyper-violent kid. I wanted to take back this common idea that television makes you stupid and sluggish, by making Mike the perfect embodiment of a couch potato (even though he was designed to look at the same time like a mushroom and a zombie).

Mr. and Mrs. Teavee are hard-working people, who spend their entire week working and only come back at home for very brief periods of times (usually in the week-end) before going right back at work. As a result, Mike barely knows his parents. He doesn't even know what kind of work they do. To "babysit" their son, the Teavees bought an enormous, high-definition television with a 666 channels pack, and kept telling him to not go outside due to the outside world being "dangerous" and filled with crushing bikes, killing cars, kidnappers and the like. This is how Mike began his life as a shut-in.

Spending his days looking at the television, never going outside, he ended up closing all shutters because light bothered him. Living in the dark, barely lifting his body from the couch, he only survives on candies, snacks, television-plates and microwaved/defrosted food (and the Teavee family can afford to buy a lot of it, because they are really, really rich - Mike has accounts in three different banks).

The result? A chalk-white boy. A bloated ans shapeless body. A full-moon face covered in craters and scars due to a bad case of acne. Two dead, sunken, small eyes. Speakin slowly, and often pronouncing only half of the words, Mike refuses to answer or talk to anyone while television is on : he only speaks during "uninteresting advertisements". The only thing muscular in his body are his fingers, that got a lot of muscle mass due to twitching frenetically all day long on the remote to channel-hop.

Mike is actually a very intelligent boy, but all his cleverness and intellectual gifts are buried and wasted by the brain-washing of his shut-in life and his television obsession. He got his Golden Ticket because his parents often buy him Wonka bars as "television snacks". Even though, in his own words, he prefers food that "tastes like plastic".

Fourth Winner: Violet Beauregarde

(Based on: Volet Beauregarde)

What is Violet, originally? She is a girl that seeks fame and attention, that is snarky, that is nasty towards people, and that does stupid records. What reflects that perfectly in our day and age? Reality television shows!

Violet Beauregarde was strongly inspired by the most brainless and "sassy/nasty" stars of reality television and the Internet. She is a teenage girl wearing clothes of such bright, flashy and clashing colors it often hurts people's eyes. Her face is covered in makeup, her hair is covered in extensions and her hands are covered with fake fingernails.

She thinks she can be as rude and horrible as she wants, as long as she calls it "sassy". But on the other side, she considers "rude" anyone or anything that doesn't please her, or that is too "ugly" or "dirty" for her. She is the kind of girl that keeps screaming loudly "YAAAAAAASSS, bitches!" and "DAAAMMMNNNN", that calls herself "the queen", that chews ferociously on her gum all day long, and that says "Why are you touching me? See, you're touching me again!" while she is the one hitting people. She hates everything "old" and "boring". She keeps publishing musical albums that nobody actually buys, because she sings badly mere words (her singles being titled "Lalalala" and "Heyheyheyhey" - she never understood a song needed to have lyrics). Finally, her biggest dream is to be part of a TV-reality show.

Her father, Mr. Beauregarde, feeds his daughter's "bitchy diva" attitude and her delusions of grandeur by acting as his agent (just like in the 2013 musical). He is also the "ringleader" of Violet's circus (because Violet, with her clothes of ridiculous colors, and her enormous amount of makeup, has a clown subtext). As a result, Mr. Beauregarde is like a ringleader in acircus, a showrunner in a freak show, and also an agent. He "sells" his daughter, he organizes her interviews, he has people pay money for "extra time" with Violet, he shows her around, and finally he uses his whip (yes, he has a whip) to attack all those that try to "touch the product".

He is a short, flabby and balding man, that smokes very long and thick cigars, wears enormous rings and clothes that are garrish and clownish - his over-the-top and ridiculous fashion sense is clearly a compensation for what he lacks in height, hair and health.

 Fifth Winner: Marvin Prune

(Based on: Marvin Prune)

In the original drafts of Roald Dahl, Marvin Prune was a Mr. Know-it-All, a too-perfect schoolboy obsessed with studies, an arrogant bookworm, a haughty teacher's pet, you named it. In this version, i decided to keep the idea of Marvin being a "know-it-all", but instead of using school, books and the like, he rather uses modern technology and the Internet.

Marvin is a tech-obsessed boy. He lives for, with and through technology, to the point of neglecting to live in the real world. He thinks his over-use of technology, and all the knowledge it can provide him, make him an "intelligent" and "superior" boy (when in fact it does not).

He thinks he can claim to have been everywhere in the world because he visited virtually all the most important landmarks of the world. He claims he can speak all the languages in the world, but in fact he uses translation websites. He keeps tracks of all his bodily functions thanks to health monitors (heartbeats, blood pressure, cholesterole...) but not because he is concerned for his health, merely for the sake of knowing more things. For him, Googling something is the best solution to all your troubles, and as a result he is a self-centered and pompous boy.  

Due to his technology dependance, Marvin is actually quite a weak boy. Since he doesn't do any sport or physical activity, and since he rarely leaves his house (due to always ordering things online, having classes online and visiting places virtually), he is a quite thin and frail boy, if not emaciated - at least, a good chunk of his muscle mass has melted away.

The original parents of Marvin Prune were, in Dahl's works, teachers and school principals. I decided here to go with the opposite of a teacher : Mrs. Prune never does anything herself, and always blame it on others. There are problems in the world? For her people should fix it, but they are too lazy to do it - while she herself does nothing about it. Her son acts rude? "Someone should teach him good manners" she says. She loses all of her money? "That's because the people in charge of the economy are all incompetent!"

Mrs. Prune thinks of everything and everyone as stupid because it allows her to blame all of her problems and flaws on other people. But ultimately she never takes any kind of action herself. If someone should teach her son good manners, it is "those lazy teachers at school", certainly not her! She also dislikes things that are "foreign".

Marvin found the Golden Ticket when he ordered by mistake a chocolate bar in France : in truth, he wanted to buy a "tablet" (in French a tablet is tablette, and a chocolate bar is also a tablette de chocolat).

Marvin will also be incredibly frustrated inside Wonka's factory, because in there numeric devices mess up, stop weirdly or disfunction totally (the same way UFOs tend to mess up phones, radios, computers and the like). As a result, he becomes powerless and helpless.

 Sixth Winner: Charlie Bucket

(Based on: Charkie Bucket)

Here, I decided to really twist things up. To have a Charlie Bucket that isn't thin or malnourished, but fat! Yes, here's Chubby Charlie! (No, not Fat Charlie, this one is copyrighted)

Charlie's story is deeply linked to the story of the Wonka factory. The town Charlie lives in was built around the Wonka Factory a bit before the 20th century - it was a "worker town", created to allow the workers of the factory to live with their family next to their place of work. For more than fifty years the Factory was the only occupation and work of the town. But somewhere in the 1950s or 1960s, all the workers had to take an early retirement. They were kicked out, and the Factory closed to the public. The Factory was still working, but not hiring anyone anymore. This was an enormous blow to both the town's economy and moral. There was an economic crisis and poverty (since people were trained only to work in a candy factory).

But there was one good thing: since it was the town Wonka's products were created in, they were sold at must cheaper prices than anywhere else in the world, and all the ex-workers of the Factory got in exchange for their work coupons and reductions for themselves and all of their families - reductions on the Wonka products, of course. This was seen as a chance, because the Wonka products were world-renowned candies, even luxury goods in foreign countries. It was like being able to buy haute-couture as daily clothes and eat gastronomic cuisine every week-end.

But this good wasn't so "good". Indeed, given the poverty and lack of job in town, the ex-workers and their family relied more and more on the coupons and reductions, their diets filled with candy and sugary products. As a result, from the 1970s to the 2010s, the number of people suffering from obesity, diabetes and teeth problems blew up.

[ This background is actually a mix of two different real-world fact. Real-world fact 1: the Menier Chocolate Factory in France, aka the real-life Wonka Factory, was revolutionary for creating a town for its workers, and taking care of their health, education and the like, but closed after World War II, to the deception of everyone. Real-world fact 2: Coca-Cola, Nestlé and other big food industries tend to pay their employees with extra-sugary and extra-addictive if their own products in poor areas, such as South America - resulting in sicknesses and diseases.]

As a result, in this version Charlie is fat. Because in modern days, and in developped countries, poverty and malnourishment actually leads to obesity and diabetes, due to the cheapest food being candies and junk-food.

This version of Charlie is a very nice kid, but a kid addicted to the Wonka products. He grew up on the coupons, due to his family all being ex-workers. Grandpa Joe and Grandpa George both worked at the factory, but were too old or sick after being fired to find a new job ; Mr. and Mrs. Bucket had been trained for the factory and could barely afford new studies after its closing. Mr. Bucket became a street cleaner, while Mrs. Bucket became a receptionist and secretary for a dental office (due to the rise of tooth diseases, dental offices boomed in town, but most are actually crooked or scams).

Charlie grew up in a very humble home, with two parents working really hard to have enough money to buy food for everyone. Of course, fresh or good food is too expensive. Charlie tries to help his family the best way he can with his part-time job (making people fill surveys) and by working really hard at school. But as the years go by, his weight and his health are beginning to cause problems. Due to not having any money he can't do sports, wich makes him gain weight, and the fattest he is the hardest it is to do sport, it's a vicious circle. Every year, the scale reveals he puts on more and more weight, and faster and faster - if he doesn't do something quick, he may end up obese.

And, as I mentionned before, Charlie is truly obsessed with the Wonka products, it is an addiction. He dreams of them at night. He sticks Wonka bars wrappers on the wall of his room like posters. He drools at the mere mention of a Wonka bar. He isn't spoiled, cruel or nasty, but he is too addicted for his own good. In fact, when he finds money in the stret and buy chocolate bars with it, it is a pure act of selfishness, because he doesn't have the willpower to turn away from the candy shop and go back home.

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (240-231)

#240: Joci Pápai - Az én apám (Hungary 2019)

"Hallom őt, az ő szívét a húrokon Látom őt, múló idővel az arcomon Az ő hitét büszkeség vallanom Ezeregy dalból ezt az egyet dúdolom, dúdolom"

"I can hear him, his heart on the strings I can see him, bearing the passing time on my face I’m proud to confess his faith Of a thousand and one songs this is the one that I hum"

If there's anything I love at Eurovision, is when someone sings a song from their soul. And in both of Joci's entries, he does just that.

Az en apam is a bit more sedate than his first entry (which will come soon enough), but it's calming and serene with substance. The lyrics, talking about his relationship with his father, is a touching and poetic tribute, one that people should really speak to their loved ones that care about them.

It's just a shame this song was the one to break Hungary's impressive qualifying streak; I thought they were on a path to win soon (though not with this one...). And they left the contest too; hopefully they will steer the ship back to more open waters and come back.

Personal ranking: 5th/41 Actual ranking: DNQ (did not qualify)--12th in the first semi-final in Tel Aviv

#239: Anna Vissi -- Mono i Agapi (Cyprus 1982)

"Η ζωή μας περνά, κι ότι φεύγει πονά Πίσω δε γυρνά, κι όμως κάτι μας κρατά"

"Our life passes by, and whatever leaves, we’re in pain It doesn’t come back, but something holds us together"

In most cases, the first entry somebody has sent in the contest is their best, with a number of exceptions here and there. Anna is one of them; I never liked her first entry, but her other two are fantastic.

Mono i agapi is quite lyrically simplistic--it talks about how love remains between two people, as the world changes around them. But the melody has a very loungy sound--I've heard it being compared to a James Bond theme. While I don't hear why it would be the case (other than the alluring mystery of this piece), it does give a calming vibe, and stands out in the rather mediocre field in 1982.

Personal ranking: 3rd/18 Actual ranking: 5th/18 in Harrogate

#238: Yardena Arazi -- Ben Adam (Israel 1988)

בן אדם הוא רק בשר ודם,” אבק פורח במדבר, בן אדם, בדרך העולם, כצל עובר, כחרס הנשבר "

“A human being is only flesh and blood, Dust flying in the desert A human being, in the way of the world Like a passing shadow, like broken pottery"

Yardena's time at Eurovision 1988 is best known for the anecdote where she goes to a fortune teller who said that song #9 would win that contest. When the draw occurred, Israel was slotted into that place, but was shafted up to #8 when Cyprus withdrew from having an already-released song. #9 would go to Ne Partez Pas Sans moi, which would end up winning and make history thanks to its singer.

This ends up taking away from the song itself; Ben Adam is reminiscent of older folk songs, but it takes off with its own character and flair. I also love the lyrics, which recognizes humans as flawed, without berating them as such. (We need a little bit more of that in the internet world, haha)

The flurry towards the end of the song was well-executed too, and the instrumentation is just fantastic. It feels like one was in a festival!

Personal ranking: 2nd/21 Actual ranking: 7th/21 in Dublin

#237: Amandine Bourgeois -- L'enfer et moi (France 2013)

“Tu m’as fait pleurer à vif Mon cou porte encore ta griffe J’aimais échanger de peau”

“You made me cry a lot You can still see your mark on my neck I used to like exchanging skin”

I love the dark sensuality of this song—with its blues influences, it tells a story of a relationship gone awry, but does so with sophistication. It starts out with a slick guitar line, which later devolves into a full on outrage against the lover at question.

The harshness of this song probably clashed with its opening spot, which is why it’s so underrated. Or it was because of Amandine’s styling...

Either way, it has grown on me since I watched the 2013 contest, and it gets the right vibes going...except with the lyrical story...

Personal ranking: 5th/39 Actual ranking: 23rd/26 GF in Malmo

#236: Ambasadori -- Ne mogu skriti svoju bol (Yugoslavia 1976)

"Ne molim da se vratiš Al’ molim te da pamtiš Voljela tebe samo sam ja”

“I’m not begging you to come back But please remember I only loved you”

Ambasadori was one of Yugoslavia's biggest groups, and they have a long list of who's who in the Bosnia music scene. I'm not familiar with their other music, but Ne mogu skriti svoju bol definitely highlights their artistry, along with the dark-pop take Yugoslavia had in 1970s Eurovision.

This song was initally my fifth place of 1976, but it has steadily grown until it became my fourth (knocking out Portugal in the process) The instrumentation conveys a dark mood, despite the upbeat strings and the poppy sound. There’s a grooviness in it to contrast the sullen lyrics, mourning for a lost love. It definitely stands out in the crowd; along with Ismeta's lack of makeup.

It got rewarded with a second-to-last place, which is way too low for this. And Yugoslavia withdrew for five years, and came back with a new sound...

Personal ranking: 4th/18 Actual ranking: 17th/18 in Den Haag

#235: Zibbz -- Stones (Switzerland 2018)

"Sins of the father make us fall And I can’t do anything about it"

2018 had a number of staging errors which cost several countries qualification. In Stones' cases, this wasn't the case.

Corrine has incredible stage presence, with a sense of strength and attiude as she struts on the stage. She definitely adds substance to this powerful pop-rock song, fighting against bullying in all corners of society.

To further that, she lights a flare at the bridge, which definitely hits the tone of the song home. Plus, it was an awesome moment to behold.

Basically, Zibbz did everything right--great song, thoughtful message, simple but impactful staging, and it still didn't qualify...While it has outgrown me a bit, it's still a total jam.

Personal ranking: 9th/43 Actual ranking: DNQ -- 13th in the first semi-final in Lisbon

#234: Kalomira -- Secret Combination (Greece 2008)

“An open book An open book, well, I'm sorry, I am not Sometimes I'm acting like a lady Sometimes woman, sometimes baby.”

"You maybe an open book Spongebob, but I'm a bit more complicated than that"

One third of the female-bop grouping in the 2008 contest, Secret Combination takes Greek instrumentation and American production to produce quite the gem. I could imagine Britney Spears singing this, but I also thought of the Cheetah Girls when I was listening to it. With a bit of sweetness and a touch of sexiness, Kalomira plays the different roles well--and has a cute moment when the book actually opens, revealing her in a really nice silvery dress!

Personal ranking: 7th/43 Actual ranking: 3rd/25 GF in Belgrade

#233: Avi Toledano -- Hora (Israel 1982)

"וגם ההורה, ההיא עם הה”א קולה עוד עולה, קולה לא נדם"

"And also the Hora, the one with the Hey Its voice still rises, its voice has not been silenced"

Israel had a particular style with songs from the 1980s--they are usually really energetic, with fun choreography in which everyone joins along. It makes for good results and good energy, especially when it's done well!

Hora seems to embody it in many ways, from the celebratory lyrics to the fun dancing across the really tiny stage in Harrogate. It combines Israeli folk music with a sense of joie-de-vivre, celebrating the nation (which as you will see later, may not work today...)

Avi earns himself a strong second place, but he would write something even better the following year (again, will come later)!

Personal and actual ranking: 2nd/18 at Harrogate

#232: Raphael Gualazzi -- Madness of Love (Italy 2011)

"Ma vedrai un altro me in un sogno fragile Riderai come se non ti avessi amato mai Cercherai un altro me oltre all’ombra di un caffè"

"But you’ll see another me in a fragile dream You’ll laugh as if I had never loved you You’ll look for another me beyond the shadow of a coffee"

Between 1994 and 2010, Italy withdrew from Eurovision, with only one participation in 1997. Nobody knows why, with reasons ranging from the rise of a televote to Italian disinterest in the contest, but they were certainly missed. Thanks to the late Rafaella Carra and a bunch of other circumstances, Italy came back in 2011, and they did so in style.

"Madness of Love" is frequently overlooked amongst Italy's post-comeback entries, as some of us aren't into jazz. I don't listen to the genre often, but I like this song particularly. It's flirty and sweet, under a very sophisticated soundscape which reminds me of a 1920s speakeasy. And while people are put off by Raphael's vocals, the way he lets himself go at the end of the chorus is definitely a highlight.

Basically, it's one of those runners-up that should've won against the winner of its year. But it was nicely made up for ten years later.

Personal ranking: 2nd/43 Actual ranking: 2nd/25 GF in Dusseldorf

#231: Anneli Saaristo -- La dolce vita (Finland 1989)

“Minä sammutin elämän janoa vaan Minä osasin onnea anoa vaan Jälkeen kaiken nyt saatan sen sanoa vaan La dolce vita”

“I was just quenching life’s thirst I knew how to plead for happiness After everything all I can say is: The good life”

La Dolce Vita sounds more stereotypically ”Spanish” than “Finnish”, because of its flamenco influences versus the dark pop or metal we expect from the country. Apparently, a lot of Finns travel south for vacations, which makes a bit more sense here.

Either way, it springs a bit of life and joy into a dark heart. It embraces life in its tropical vibe and Anneli’s deep vocals, and conveys a comfortable mood. Apparently, it was also known for Anneli's slight choreography, but I only noticed her standing during the instrumental.

It would be Finland’s last top ten result for many years, but the 7th place it got in Lausanne was deserved (and they should've done better, actually!). A fitting send-off for their long-time conductor Ossi Runne (RIP).

Personal ranking: 3rd/22 Actual ranking: 7th/22 in Lausanne

[sarcastically-defensive17]

Puzzle - C. Hood

Requested? Nope, just inspired by Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect”

Original story by sarcastically-defensive17

Hope y’all like it!

It was hard to distinguish between nerves and excitement at this point. Her hands were shaking so much that the water bottle in her hand shook aggressively. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage, but there was a smile stretching across her red tinted lips.

“How you feeling?” A voice sounded behind her, and she turned to see the doe eyes of her best friend, Sierra, staring back at her. “You excited?”

“Incredibly,” she replied, turning her head back towards KayKay who was blending out a soft Smokey eye and checking for any missed spots of her light foundation. Her stipulation was that she would allow the girls to choose her makeup but it needed to be light and not caked thick.

She despised makeup, but Crystal and KayKay were determined.

“All done,” KayKay exclaimed, brushing a piece of fallen purple hair from her eyes with her pinkie.

Her hair had been done before, the front pieces secured back to stay out of the way of the makeup. Sierra was finishing the last few curls at the nape of her hair before spritzing it with hairspray one last time.

Her three best friends stood around the room: Sierra behind her, KayKay in front of her and Crystal standing over to the side examining a garment inside of a bag.

“Ready to get dressed?” KayKay asked, nodding down to Y/N’s body. “As much as I think you’re stunning, I’m kinda sick of seeing you in your underwear.”

Y/N held her hand to her chest, an offended gasp leaving her lips, “And to think, Kaitlin, I was going to leave my fiancé for you!”

“He won’t be your fiancé for long,” Crystal interjected, laughing at the smirks on both yours and your friends lips. “Let’s get you into this stunning dress!”

They helped her slide into her dress, making quick work to tighten the corset backed bodice and smooth out the train of her dress.

The wedding dress fit her perfectly, every inch accentuating her body in a way that made her feel beyond confident.

The time moved by so quickly, but also in a way that felt sluggish. She was swallowing her nerves down with water, which she was ordered to drink through a straw as to not smudge her lipstick.

Her three bridesmaids put in so much effort to make her look and feel like a queen, and she would be forever grateful that her three best friends could be there for her while their significant others ran around after her husband to be, who was in a more heightened state of nerves and could only be reassured by her Maid-of-honour.

Mali-Koa stood by her brother in the average sized room with her fingers working diligently to secure the tie around his neck.

The three guys had gotten ready ages ago, and Calum had ensured his sister that he would be ready in time but she walked in to find them all playing a round of ping pong on the table they cleared food off of.

She didn’t know how they brought paddles and balls with them, but she chalked it down to Michael, who had been known to bring weird things with him.

“What if she doesn’t come? What if I’m left standing there, looking like an idiot, as the love of my life runs off with somebody else?” He was flustered, his mind was racing a mile a minute. He let out a short gasp, “what if that somebody else is like Luke?”

“Hey!”

“He has a point there, breadstick,” Michael sighed, patting his tall friend on the shoulder. “You’re kind of a diva.”

“And you dropped some ice and kicked it into my bag earlier! My book got wet!” Ashton called from the other side of the room. He, along with his girlfriend, KayKay, had appointed themselves as the parents of the group. They were determined to ensure the wedding went off without a hitch.

Just as they did for Michael and Crystal’s wedding which was a spectacular event.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Except for KayKay’s of course. She was determined to remain the unemotional one. Part of her badass persona.

“We have a minute until she’s walking down the aisle!” Ashton announced, checking his hair in the mirror one last time. “Mali, you need to head over the the bridal room, Calum, hey your fine ass out there and wait for your girl.

Fella’s were needed to escort our ladies down the aisle.”

The next few seconds were a blur. Calum was positioned at the altar, and he watched as the party made their way out.

Ashton and KayKay, Luke and Sierra, Michael and Crystal and finally, his elder sister walking on her own as Calum couldn’t decide which of his friends to be his best man and decided that all three would be groomsmen and Duke, who was trailing ahead of Mali, would be his best man.

The little dog looked rather dapper in his little doggie suit, that Calum had picked out himself.

Finally, De bussy’s Claire De Lune started and the guests rose to their feet.

He couldn’t stop the tears from pricking in his eyes at the sight of her.

She looked stunning. He had always preferred to see her in comfortable clothes, as she looked the most beautiful when she was feeling like herself, but he couldn’t deny that she looked the most amazing he had ever seen her.

She held the most beautiful smile on her face. One of pure happiness. Her red tinted lips stood out against her eyes, and her hair was styled in a way that made him want to run his fingers through it.

She looked natural, but also done up. A fine line between his Y/N and a blushing bride.

When she finally reached him, he had to take a moment to wipe tears from his face. He barely heard the minister speaking until it was time to deliver the vows.

“Calum, would you like to speak first?” The elder woman asked, but it fell in deaf ears as Calum couldn’t draw his attention away from the woman standing across from him.

“Calum?” She giggled softly, snapping his focus with the squeeze of her hand in his. “Your vows, honey?”

“Oh!” His eyes widened, and it took him another moment before he gathered his composure. He had memorized his vows. He was just hoping he would remember them better than he did the lyrics to his songs. “Y/N, for a long time, I was afraid of love. I told myself I wouldn’t try again, and that I would live out my days with Duke as a crazy dog man. Until I saw you, standing behind the counter of a Dunkin’ Donuts exactly three years ago today. I don’t want to be cheesy and say it was love at first sight, but I definitely knew then that I would do anything for you to be mine.”

He laughed softly, watching as she ducked her head with a blush on her cheeks, “You are my rock. You’re what keeps me going through the tough times, through the writers block, when Duke throws up oh my favourite pair of vans, or whenever I need anything. You are always there. I can only wish I have done half for you that you have done for me, because I truly think I have found my soulmate in you. The quirky girl who stole my heart at Dunkin’ Donuts.” She brushed a tear from her cheek, as Calum reached out for her face and tilted her gaze to meet his. “I love you so much, Y/N, and there is nobody else I would rather spend the rest of my life with. Except maybe Ashton but KayKay ruined that.”

The room erupted into laughter, and Y/N had to fight the tears back as she began her words for her love.

She knew they couldn’t compare to the beautiful statement he made for her, but they were a heartfelt speech that she had written a year before, when she had planned to propose to Cal. Only he got the jump in her and proposed first.

“Calum Thomas Hood,” she began.

“Full name, really?” He groaned, earning a tut from her lips.

“I don’t quite know what it is about you that drew me in so strongly, because it is hard to narrow it down to just one thing. You know how to make me laugh like no other, you have the most stunning and kind personality, you play bass like a god, with a voice like no other and you’re somewhat easy on the eyes. If I had to decide, I would say what drew me in, is that you’re the complete embodiment of everything I had been looking for. Right down to the adorable dog and annoying friends.”

The comment earned gasps and “hey”s from the groom’s party, and they received a quick grin in return.

“You truly made my life complete. I had a perfect idea for a future, but I was missing my one piece. Then I found you, and you almost completed my puzzle. I want to hold your hand as we grow old, I want to stand by your side through the ups, the downs, the right arounds. And,” she pulled his hand towards her, positioning it on her abdomen, with a shy smile on her face, “I can’t wait to raise the last bit of our puzzle with you. I adore you so much, and I love you with every ounce of who I am, Calum.”

“Wait, what?” His eyes were shining with tears, and he didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or question the situation. Did his wedding just turn into a pregnancy announcement? “You’re- there’s a- I’m- huh?”

“I’m pregnant, baby,” she smiled, but the action was hesitant, as if she was scared of his reaction.

He wrapped his arms round her waist, pulling her into a near-bruising kiss.

Their puzzle was complete. They were going to be a complete family, and he couldn’t be more excited.

“He didn’t say you could kiss the bride!” Luke bellowed from beside them, as a chorus of cheers flowed through the room.

He earned the middle finger from both the bride and the groom.

[evacalderon]

E U O N I A : An Eva Calderon Playlist [ L I S T E N     H E R E  ]

WRITING CHALLENGE 001: PLAYLIST @parabellumrpg

I HAVE A DREAM | LILY JAMES (MAMMA MIA 2)

“I have a dream, a fantasy To help me through reality And my destination makes it worth the while Pushing through the darkness still another mile”

This song is the embodiment of who Eva is as a person. As one of the lyrics goes, “something good in everything I see”, this aligns with how Eva chooses to see the world and those around her. She sees the good in everyone and everything and does not judge another based on someone else’s opinion. She will always come to her own conclusion about someone and will not harbor ill will towards them unless they have done or said something that changes how she sees them. 

HERE COMES THE SUN | THE BEATLES

“Here comes the sun Here comes the sun, and I say It's all right“

Eva is the sun in this song that The Beatles sing about. If you looked Eva Calderon up in the dictionary the lyrics above would be listed beside her name. 

¿QUÉ SE SIENTE QUE ME GUSTES TANTO? | DANIEL, ME ESTÁS MATANDO  Translation: How Does It Feel That I Like You So Much?

“¿Qué se siente que me gustes tanto, amor? Que debo de aceptar que Tengo miedo de tu encanto ¿Qué se siente que me gustes tanto, amor? Que si un día tú te vas con alguien más Yo voy también”

Translation: “ How does it feel that I like you so much, love That I must accept that  I'm afraid of your charms How does it feel that I like you so much, love That if one day you go with someone else I go too”

This is Eva when she is in love with someone and the fear of giving her heart fully to them is very present because she does not know how receptive they will be. Will her love measure up to them/what they want or will they just be two estranged hearts held in beings. 

¡QUE BONITO! | ROSARIO

“Qué bonito cuando te veo ahí Qué bonito cuando te siento Qué bonito pensar que estás aquí Junto a mí”

Dedicated to @joaquin-aleman​. It is the song that the two danced to on the night that set two hearts beating in time into motion. Their first dance together and first kiss was done to this song. While that night did not end well, it ended abruptly, awkwardly and with so much unspoken, Eva will always associate this song with Joaquín. 

WITHOUT YOU | LESLIE ODOM JR. (RENT)

“Without you The ground thaws The rain falls The grass grow”

For Eva, this song means that the world keeps turning, life goes on and everything grows, but you don't without the people in your life who mean something to you.

FIRST MAN | CAMILA CABELLO

“I swear on my heart That he's a good man I know you'll stay up late Just waiting for me You held me so tight Now someone else can But you were the first man that really loved me“

Dedicated to Eva’s father. This song is all about telling her father that the man she is with is a good man and that it is because of her father’s unconditional, unwavering and unquestionable love she is able to be in love and have someone love her in return. It is all the love she has for her father and for him showing her how a man should love and treat her in one song. 

SHE USED TO BE MINE | SARA BAREILLES (WAITRESS)

“It's not what I asked for Sometimes life just slips in through a back door And carves out a person and makes you believe it's all true”

While Eva’s circumstances are different than Jenna’s they are both coming to terms with things in their life that did not go according to plan. Eva has to reconcile with the differences in how she thought her life was going to go and how it actually ended up. What she has to reconcile is that she always thought her parents would be in the same country as her and only a stone’s throw away.

HAPPY & SAD | KACEY MUSGRAVES  

“Is there a word for the way that I'm feeling tonight? Happy and sad at the same time You got me smiling with tears in my eyes I never felt so high No, I've never been this far off of the ground And they say everything that goes up must come down But I don't wanna come down“

This is the song version of the feeling of finally letting someone in again. The joy of the moment is washing over Eva, but she knows, deep down, she still might have to brace herself for the worst. 

TREAT PEOPLE WITH KINDNESS | HARRY STYLES

“Maybe we can find a place to feel good And we can treat people with kindness Find a place to feel goodGivin' second chances I don't need all the answers Feelin' good in my skin I just keep on dancin'”

The title says it all. This is one Eva’s motto’s, treat people with kindness, and she truly does her best to live by it. Eva would the human version of Kill Them With Kindness. This is also just a really great bop that Eva would blare in her home and dance to while cleaning. 

DANCE AGAIN | SELENA GOMEZ 

“Happiness Ain't something you sit back and you wait for Mm-mm, ah-ah Confidence Is throwing your heart through every brick wall Mm-mm, ah-ah”

This song is all about how happiness is something that must actively be sought out and that self-confidence is manifest by her casting aside all timidity. That is something relatable to just about everyone and especially Eva in her younger years and how she transitioned to just owning everything about her and dancing away her troubles. This is also another one of those songs she would get up and dance to. 

SOUTH OF THE BORDER | ED SHEERAN FT. CAMILLA CABELLO

“She got the, mm, brown eyes, caramel thighs Long hair, no wedding ring, hey I saw you lookin' from across the way And now I really wanna know your name She got the, mm, white dress, but when she's wearin' less Man, you know that she drives me crazy The, mm, brown eyes, beautiful smile You know I love watching you do your thing”

Honestly, this song is how I see the different men who have been with Eva and have loved her view her. It is a song full of sex appeal and I love it for her. This is her “sexy” descriptive song. This song, like others I have mentioned, are ones she has 100% danced to and just had fun to.

STUCK WITH U | ARIANA GRANDE WITH JUSTIN BIEBER

“There's nowhere we need to be No, no, no Imma get to know you better Kinda hope we're here forever There's nobody on these streets If you told me that the world's ending Ain't no other way that I can spend it”

This song is about being “stuck” with the person you love and how there is no one else you would rather be stuck with. I feel that it fits how Eva looks at loving someone else because you are suppose to love them in spite of all their faults. Being stuck with something isn’t a bad thing when it is them, that person that makes the world a brighter and better place. 

SUNFLOWER, VOL. 6 | HARRY STYLES

“Sunflower Sunflower My eyes Want you more than a melody Let me inside Wish I could get to know you” 

Honestly, this song I chose for her because of the title as I see her as a sunflower, always facing up towards the sun and following its path rather than drooping to the ground like other flowers in the world when the sun isn’t on them. I also chose it because it is a great song and maybe someone out there would use this song to describe them with her.

BARCELONA | ED SHEERAN

“And you and I we're flying on an aeroplane tonight We're going somewhere where the sun is shining bright Just close your eyes And let's pretend we're dancing in the street In Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona”

The song that gets her feet, hips and hands moving. This is the song that can come on anywhere and she will want to dance to it unapologetically.  

BE KIND | MARSHMELLO WITH HALSEY

“I know you're chokin' on your fears Already told you I'm right here I will stay by your side every nightI don't know why you hide from the one And close your eyes to the one Mess up and lie to the one that you love When you know you can cry to the one Always confide in the one You can be kind to the one that you love”

What this song gets down to is that Eva will always be there for those who believe that she should not be and that she shouldn’t love them. COUGH COUGH @joaquin-aleman. She will stay by your side every night.

[rhiminee]

2018 FAVORITE LIVE PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR: DAVID ARCHULETA EDITION

So at the end of every year I like to go back and revisit what David got up to that year. Sometimes the year has been so hellishly long that I can’t even remember that there was a whole other tour back at the start! hahahaha. I’m looking at you, 2018. But seriously. This was an amazing year to be a David fan. He gave us so much goodness. Music videos, albums, tours, oh my! I did a thread on twitter a couple days ago listing my top 15 David instastory vids of the year. All that random singing and dancing that we know and love from David. I was honestly enchanted with myself by the end. You can go check that out if you’re interested! 

For tumblr I wanted to list out my favorite live performances. This is like the long form of the instastories list lol. There were some really great performances from David this year as we were blessed with tours and even some random shows throughout the year. I thought about making a separate tumblr post for each of the videos so that the vid would show up in the post itself but nobody got time to scroll through and find 11 different posts, sheesh. If tumblr would just get with the times and let you embed more than one video per VIDEO post, that would be great. (Are you listening @tumblr?) Anywho. Just clicky click on any of these links below to watch some pretty ridiculously satisfying live music. 

You’re welcome.

11. I’m Ready - Sandy, UT June  http://rhiminee.tumblr.com/post/174998782252/im-ready-90-seconds-of-actual-magnificence-in

This is a bonus because originally I was just gonna do a top 10 but I kept going back and thinking of this and I knew then I couldn’t leave it off. The most amazing part of this performance for me was the last minute and half and that’s why I trimmed the video and made a post about it back in July. If you remember that post, this will be a walk down memory lane for you. But so worthwhile! A gorgeous performance.

10. Someone To Love - Sandy, UT June https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeVUSx9wnzo

It’s a Sandy two-fer! How can I resist two videos from a David concert with shorts??? ;p Seriously tho David really laid it on with this song. His vocals were so smooth and those sliding notes, boyyyyy. What even. Just watch Desmond (the guitarist). He feels it. He knows David is ridiculous. This is insanely enjoyable.

9. He Lives In You - Portland, ME February https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7erzHDrCsVg

Yes I know David has sung this in previous years and I’m pretty sure that a performance of this even made last year’s list lol. But dang. How can you keep this off the list??? From the Spring tour and David just sings with such conviction and the audience is really into it. I’m really into it. The universe is into it.

8. Greatest Showman Medley - Pawtucket, NY March https://www.facebook.com/1333234217/videos/vb.1333234217/10210904042540416/

David was born to sing music like this. It’s truly criminal that they didn’t have him on the Greatest Showman remix album, let me tell you. He did this medley throughout the Spring tour but I love this video because it was part of a livestream of the whole show from Daryl’s House and they had direct access to the audio board so it’s a true step up from most fan vids. Not that I don’t adore fan vids but we all know the audio limitation. 

7. I Can Only Imagine - Tuacahn, St George, UT April https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNrRzcalxwI

This one. It’s like a punch to the gut. Listening to David talk at the beginning and his earnest discussion of being in an abusive situation and finding forgiveness, for yourself and for the perpetrator. David’s obviously emotions here are almost more than I can handle. He is just so genuinely good. AND WE HAVEN’T EVEN GOT TO THE SONG YET. And that’s just transcendent. His voice soars and he embodies the song. The break in his voice at the feels. I just. I can’t recommend this enough but only if your heart is feeling strong.

6. Winter In The Air - Manila, PH November https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvApSWTwfp4

This. Is. So. Goooood. Treat yourself to it. The first time he ever sang this live and I was utterly blown away. That low hypnotic tone in the first verse. And then he gets to the second verse and the key raises and he just takes us to another plane. I don’t understand how his voice even does this. I feel like it’s not normal. We are so lucky.

5. CRUSH!!!! Stripped down 10th Anny Edition - David’s house August https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS10Oop2e4o

Y’all. This is ridiculous. I thought about this possibly stretching the bounds of “performance” to be included here but it was videoed live without edits (he even kept his mess up at the beginning in lol) so I’m keeping it. This is so classic. You know. Can you believe it’s been 10 years?? Also bless him for always being adorkable when talking and then killer when singing. 

4. He Is Born - Fairfield, CT December https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtXYPEKRROc

This song is gorgeous. David singing it is even more gorgeous. David singing it LIVE is the most gorgeous. I’ve been trying to find a good video of this for a while and finally I have this one! 

3. Amor Prohibido - San Antonio, TX April https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrCOxCj9XUA

Sheer auditory nirvana. David singing Spanish and slaying the vocals like a madman. I was not familiar with this song before (I’m so sorry, Selena, it’s gorgeous!) but I sure am now. I’ve watched this video so many times. This is vocal mastery. I know I’m bombastic but really. Really really. So good. The vibrato, the soaring notes, the tone, the soft notes, the control, the everysinglefreakingthing. Once again, check out the guitarist the end. Clap freaking clap. Yes sir. (Honestly I think the entire top 3 should be tied for number 1.)

2. Numb - Seattle, WA  May https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy8Z4It7tgI

David singing with a symphony!!!! Bias alert: I was at this show. And I took this video but I’m only using mine because I can’t find another one lol. This arrangement of Numb caught me so off guard! Confession time, Numb is not necessarily my favorite live song. I don’t even know why because I love the song itself but it’s just not one that normally really stands out to me. But this. This just changes the entire game. The epic sound of the roll of drums. The claps and voices from the choir. The way David’s voice pierces through it all. I am in awe of this arrangement and performance. It’s so major. 

1. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me - BYU Spectacular October https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zib6ma-svLY

I will never get over my obsession with this performance. I’ve posted about it here before but I can’t emphasize enough how next level brilliant I think this is. For one thing, David once again defies expectations. He wasn’t even the main headliner at this show. Colbie Caillat was. But David just blew the roof off with this performance. He got em. He. Got. Em. You can actually hear him picking up the crowd and their amazement and appreciation the further the song goes. The timing, the build up, the occasional shining brilliant note teased early and then streamrolling you into that unparalleled ending. I don’t know that I’ve ever been more moved, impressed, flabbergasted, slain, enamored, or angry at any live David performance ever. I’m angry he’s so good. Each note has purpose. Even the lyric flub. It actually made it better because he hit that high note instead. Each movement of his body has purpose. Each head bob, each hand flair. Each stompy step. And that voice. That unreal voice. I could watch this every day for the rest of my life and never be any less impressed or mesmerized than the first time I saw it. Someone commented about David that the thing that impressed them the most was that he has so much trust in his voice. He just belts out and trusts his voice will do everything that he asks of it...and it does. David Archuleta, you are a musical beast. Thank you for existing.

[kuciradio]

As 2018 is coming to an end it’s time to reflect on this amazing year for new music and artistry. KUCI is a diverse group of DJs and we are proud to represent all genres of music. I have finally put together our Top 10 albums of 2018 along with some honorable mentions towards the end accompanied by some lovely words written by our fellow DJs. We can’t wait for what 2019 brings for us and continue tuning in on kuci.org or 88.9 FM if you’re in the Orange County area. Have a safe and happy new year!

1. Mitski - Be The Cowboy

“Mitski Miyawaki’s powerhouse voice resonates with a haunting clarity on her stunning masterpiece Be the Cowboy. She creates entire worlds and characters out of pieces of herself, from paranoid, awkward women who yearn for traditionalism and some idealist version of what life or love should be (hello “Lonesome Love”), to cowgirls who can do it all on their own. From sorrowful to triumphant, Mitski colors the spaces in between from soul-bearing ballad “Geyser” to unforgettable dancing-alone-in-your-bedroom anthem “Nobody.” (Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp)

“This album was so personal and raw and I also liked how the songs flowed well on this album.” (Heidi Barragan)

2. The Internet - Hive Mind

“I can't talk about this album without mentioning how mad I am at myself for missing the tour. Syd, Pat, Steve, Matt, and Chris, The Internet, are prominent figures of musical evolution; this speaks volumes and not just because they got their start with Odd Future, a hub of avid freeform artists. If you’re inclined to believe what I believe, Ego Death is a heartbreak album and Hive Mind is loaded with recovery anthems and passionate songs to share with your new partner who is not a rebound. Across the timeline, the sounds change from R&B and Hip-Hop to Funk and Soul; but what captures my attention the most, from Ego Death to Hive Mind, is the way a facade is casted aside. Hive Mind is just so sincere and therefore, perfectly fitting for being a part of my top three.” (Thorson Munoz)

“[This album] is a very funky album with heavy tones of R&B. The Internet does not disappoint with their funky sounds, which can be heard on “La Di Da”. Overall the album has powerful baselines, thanks to the amazing Steve Lacy, and groovy beats backed by Syd’s smooth vocals. It is hard to listen to this album and not dance along to it.” (Melissa Palma)

3. Kali Uchis - Isolation

“Colombian singer Kali Uchis’ long-awaited debut album is a high-production value journey into her uniquely sultry, dreamy world of R&B. The songstress’s silky voice pushes boundaries of various genres, from bossa-inspired intro “Body Language” to the Amy Winehouse-esque “Killer,” each track better and more of a banger than the last. Isolation features artists like The Internet guitarist Steve Lacy, British soul success Jorja Smith, and reggaeton icon Reykon. Uchis also recruited her friends Tyler, the Creator and legendary bassist Bootsy Collins for the hit single “After the Storm,” a follow-up to her and Tyler’s song “See You Again” from his 2017 album Flower Boy (supported by a stunningly whimsical music video by director Nadia Lee Cohen). The producer credits are just as stacked, including the likes of Thundercat, BROCKHAMPTON’s Romil Hemnani, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn. Uchis proves herself as the new sound of pop, never veering from her originality that made her a Soundcloud sweetheart.” (Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp)

4. Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer

“She’s such an intelligent creative weirdo and I LOVE HER. Not to mention her oozing femme POWER.” (Naseem Eskandari)

“About the moxie I mentioned earlier, this emotional rollercoaster has an abudnace of it and I cannot get enough! Cover to cover this album packs a punch, and as the visual companion--which brought me to tears--would suggest, this entire album is a celebration of deviant bodies and identities. This album contains the perfect ratio of soft and tender tracks and upbeat exciting ones so its no wonder why NPR named Dirty Computer their number one of 2018.” (Thorson Munoz)

5. Anderson .paak - Oxnard

“Sometimes artists, after huge successes, feel that they need to make music that sounds just like their previous work to gain the same traction, but really the true artists are the ones that stay honest and true to their creative ability - their sound moves through life with them.” (Naseem Eskandari)

“Anderson .Paak, to me, is responsible for every playlist I've ever built that revolves around driving in Los Angeles with the windows down, no matter the time of day. However, I don't drive a convertible, so instead I honored Venice and Malibu using my radio program, Detours. Not only am I excited to honor Oxnard as well, but Oxnard was built for driving; this is evident after listening to "Tints", the first release, and "Headlow". This album, just like Malibu, is masterful; the only difference is that Dr. Dre stepped out of the shadows and was a feature. Oxnard is beyond incredible and worthy of it's legendary features, Snoop Dog, Q-Tip, and Kadhja Bonet, to name a few. I'm really excited for what will likely be Anderson .Paak's next Grammy nomination.” (Thorson Munoz)

6. Blood Orange - Negro Swan

“AMAZING production, amazing narrative!!!!!!!” (Angel Cortez)

“Dev Hynes never fails to make master pieces of albums that narrate the experience of marginalized people in an oppressive and toxic environment. Hynes brings together artists as big as ASAP Rocky to smaller artists of equal talent such as Steve Lacey creating a beautiful medley of indie hip hop to soul and funk.  Coupled with interviews, Hynes is able to make this album a personal experience for the listener. For me it always feels as though he is singing to me personally, something that not many artists are able to do.” (Kelsey Villacorte)

7. Kevin Krauter - Toss Up

“Toss Up has to be my personal #1 favorite album of 2018 by Kevin Krauter who began making music apart from lo-fi dream pop band Hoops in 2015. Toss Up was released this past summer and was the perfect album to listen to during warm summer nights and has carried through to the end of the year as a comforting reminder of those warm times during these cold nights. It has that dreamy, nostalgic feeling, something that you would listen to as you’re reflecting on the tender moments of your life. Krauter mixes vaporwave-esque sounds with sweet ballads with no one song sounding like the other.” (Kelsey Villacorte)

8. MGMT - Little Dark Age

“MGMT's come-back album is focused, synthy, and fresh. Without abandoning the dark undertones present in their older albums, this album reflects the band's personal growth and resonates with fans, old and new. Tracks like TSLAMP and Little dark Age are some of my favorites!” (Angelica Sheen)

“MGMT has maintained their status as an alternative staple and has since transformed their sound into something more experimental since their debut album Oracular Spectacular. MGMT did not disappoint and gave us an album that went from the weird wii-fit/dystopian vibes of She Works Out To Much to 80s dance of Me and Michael to another sweet ballad titled Hand It Over which is super reminiscent of the ending/title song of their second album Congratulations. MGMT never fails to write well thought out lyrics that all almost feel like their own story. All in all, they did not disappoint and this is exactly the kind of MGMT album I was hoping for after a 5 year hiatus.” (Kelsey Villacorte)

9. Ian Sweet - Crush Crusher

“Jilian Medford refines IAN SWEET’s sound and practices self-care on sophomore album Crush Crusher, her most intimate release yet. Medford rediscovers her identity as she considers how much of herself she has forgotten while preoccupying herself with being a guardian to others (she warbles “The sun built me to shade everybody” on “Holographic Jesus”). Ever poetic while satisfyingly straightforward, she notes that “It’s been too long since I let myself cry about something that wasn’t even sad” on the pummeling single “Spit.” She coos, squeaks, and screams in perfect, dissonant harmony over her guitar’s cathartically melancholic reverb. IAN SWEET remains a perfect contradiction that only grows sweeter.” (Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp)

10. Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!

“This band's genius shows through with every new release. Wide Awake throws all of their influences together and expels energetic funk beats with poignant, dark, and brutal lyrics that are especially political. The juxtaposition of these themes with upbeat and optimistic instrumentals speaks to their compositional talent, making it a fan favorite. AND THEY USE COWBELLS.” (Angelica Sheen)

Honorable Mentions:

Glenn Crytzer Orchestra, "Ain't it Grand?"

This album couldn't have been better aimed at me if the band had come and asked me what I wanted to hear.  A modern swing-style orchestra performing both classic tunes from the 1930s and modern pieces written in the big band style.  The ensemble playing is tight, the solos just exactly right, and the production quality a lot sharper than any of the original Duke Ellington recordings.  Top notch stuff. (Michael Payne)

The Vaccines - Combat Sports

"The Vaccines brought back the spirit and energy of their debut album but with a new twist when they released their 4th album early in 2018. Get pumped up with the "I Can't Quit" and "Nightclub" or settle down with  "Maybe (The Luck of the Draw)" or "Young American". The Vaccines perfectly embody the sound and snark of the '70s and '80s artists of which their influenced while still creating a modern feel of the 2010's. My personal favorite off the album "Out on the Street" definitely a treat live! Over all Combat Sports is an excellent album and what we needed in 2018." (Stacey Brizuela)

Cobra Man - Toxic Planet

“Los Angeles local duo Cobra Man blows it out of the water with their sophomore album that carries the heart and groove of something you'd hear out of '84. It is indeed one of the best albums of the year because it utilizes one of the most underrated instruments in the game, the saxophone.” (Spartacus Avina)

Nu Guinea "Nu Guinea"

Heaven & Earth by Kamasi Washington is an album that’s loud and bold in both sound and vocals. A lot of the album often creates an ethereal effect with the heavy instrumentals ascending into a grand peak, most notably heard on “Street Fighter Mas”. The vocals on the album accompany the instrumentals in their same form, loud and climaxing. Listening to this album is like a rollercoaster with its thrilling jazz sounds. (Melissa Palma)

Drug Church - Cheer

Mac Miller - Swimming

“The tragic beauty of this album speaks for itself. Mac was such a raw and very real individual and it reflects in his music the way that many others cannot replicate. May he rest in peace - I hope the next life will be better for him.” (Naseem Eskandari)

Thank you to all the amazing DJs who submitted their Top 10 list of 2018! I am super glad to have been part of an amazing and diverse radio station for this past year and this is only a small piece of what our DJs music tastes are like here. I hope everyone has an incredible and safe New Years Eve and a happy 2019 :)

-Kelsey Villacorte (Music Director)

[elcorreodetorreon]

Mexico's drugs war: in the city of death

It was just another massacre in a country plagued by violence. But this time it was carried out by prison inmates – who'd been let out specially



Rory Carroll

 @rorycarroll72

Thu 16 Sep 2010 15.30 EDTFirst published on Thu 16 Sep 2010 15.30 EDT

It was past midnight and the hired band had launched into a raucous ballad, La Cabrona, to wind up the party. Guests joined in, belting out lyrics in a singsong under a Chihuahuan desert moon: "Dime si ya no me quieres cabrona . . ."

The Italia Inn, a walled compound for rent with a courtyard, kitchen and swimming pool, was a great spot for the fiesta. "Everything was going really well," says Hector, the band's 17-year-old trumpet player.

Nobody heard the vehicles pull up on the dirt track outside or saw the gunmen surround the compound. The first salvo, fired from outside, tore through the garage doors. The band members bore the brunt. Five collapsed in a tangled, bloodied heap. Moments later, the killers stormed into the yard, assault rifles blazing. People screamed and scrambled for cover. Bodies crumpled.

One gunman picked his way through the wounded and taunted them before finishing them off, recalls Hector, who does not want his full name published. "Cry!" the gunman ordered one of the musicians, putting a gun to his temple. "Cry!" The terrified man could only pray. The gunman prepared to fire when a command rang out. "Trabajo hecho, vámonos!"Job done, let's go. The killer lowered his rifle and grinned at the musician. "You're lucky."

Seventeen people died and dozens were injured in the 18 July attack, one of the worst massacres in Mexico's drug war. The crime scene is supposed to be guarded but on a recent morning it was possible to step over the yellow police tape, trodden into the dirt, and pick over the courtyard debris: a scuffed brown shoe, whisky bottles, plates with decomposing sludge. Beer cans bobbed in the stagnant pool and sunlight seeped through 24 raisin-sized holes in the kitchen door. Blood smeared the floor and fridge. Windows were smashed, walls pockmarked. Only the silence was unbroken.

A massacre in Mexico tends to have a short news life. Perpetrators vanish and the deed is eclipsed by the next atrocity, and the one after that. Horrors flow so fast that they lose definition and morph into a single, numbing narrative.

This one was different. When the killers sped away that night it was not the end of the story, but the beginning. The attack set in motion a saga of kidnapping, YouTube video clips, revenge and media blackmail, which exposed a harsh, revealing truth about Mexico in the run-up to this week's celebrations for the 200th anniversary of independence. It is a state colonised by organised crime.

Fly north from Mexico City and the landscape below browns into cauterised scrub. Roads and railway lines, black etchings in caramel plains, eventually converge on a glinting sea of tin-roofed sheds, houses and factories. This is Torreón –"the city that conquered the desert". The first thing you notice is the blinding glare of the sun. The second is a relentless, throbbing heat.

The main drag, Boulevard Independencia, could be Texas: pick-up trucks, gas stations, strip malls, Wal-Mart, Baskin-Robbins. You know the Rio Grande must be close because the coffee – watery americano and only watery americano – sucks. The radio, at least, boasts Latin flavour: upbeat, foot-tapping cumbia music. "For dancing with beautiful women!" smiles the taxi-driver. It is about the cheeriest statement I will hear in Torreón.

The local tabloid, Express, seems to have been written by Dante. Page after page of shootings, stranglings, stabbings, burnings, shallow graves, deep graves, mass graves. Advertisements for spiritual healing compete with those for funeral homes. "Miguel's: best quality coffins at affordable prices." One bright spot is an ad for 600 new jobs to armour-plate cars.

For a country in the throes of a war that has claimed 28,000 lives in four years it is perhaps little surprise that a transport hub such as Torreón, intersection for cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamines, is grim. Murders among the population of 550,000 average three per day. Two massacres in city bars preceded the attack on the Italia Inn party, a bloodbath made worse by the fact the victims had no connection to drug trafficking.

The atrocity's apparent motive was a display of strength by the Sinaloa cartel in its battle to oust a rival group, the Zetas, from Torreón. "It's a turf war, and they'll kill anyone," says Carlos Bibiano Villa, Torreón's police chief. The day after the attack, the Zetas, keen to show they still controlled the city, left four human heads with a note saying the massacre's perpetrators had been punished. Decapitation, once unheard of in Mexico, has become routine.

��� The scene of the 18 July massacre in Torreón. Photograph: STR/Associated Press

What came next, however, was new. The Zetas, after killing the four probably random and innocent unfortunates, really did investigate the massacre. The result was a harrowing video uploaded on YouTube. Rodolfo Nájera, bruised, swollen and stripped, gazed into the camera with a confession. The 35-year-old kidnapped policeman, flanked by masked gunmen, must have guessed how the video would end. Asked by an off-camera interrogator about the Italia Inn massacre, Nájera said the killers were Sinaloa members allowed out of prison for nocturnal hits. Guards lent them guns and vehicles. "Who let them out?" barked the voice. "The director," replied the doomed man. The video ends minutes later with a shot to the head.

A tortured confession would hardly be credible except that in this case it was true. The attorney general confirmed the story. Forensic results showed the massacre victims were shot with R-15 rifles – standard issue for prison guards. Federal authorities swooped on the prison and detained the guards. The director, a stout, formidable blonde named Margarita Rojas Rodriguez, who had recently been named "woman of the year 2010" by the state governor, was also arrested. "Disbelief. I just couldn't believe it. I had never heard of something like this," says Eduardo Olmos, Torreón's mayor.

The prison is in Gómez Palacio, a city in Durango state, whereas Torreón is in Coahuila state. But it takes just a few minutes to cross the bridge linking them. Along with the city of Lerdo, they really form one metropolis of just over one million people in a desert bowl that used to be a lagoon. Each state and city has its own police force and jail, a byzantine mess of overlapping institutions and rivalries. It has helped drug traffickers with ample "plomo y plata" – lead and silver, bullets and money – to worm through officialdom like a ripe mango.

From the outside, Gómez Palacio's jail, rising from a dusty plain, looks the part: high white walls, barriers, watch-towers. Officially, it is a "centre for social readaptation", an Orwellian touch. Mothers, wives and girlfriends, the latter in their best jeans and makeup, queue with groceries to get in. The Sinaloa cartel, Mexico's oldest and most powerful, in effect runs the place. A state surrender coyly termed "auto-gobierno", self-government. If you belong to a rival group, odds are you will be carried out in a bodybag. If you cannot pay "cuota", a levy, you sleep outdoors or in a sort of kennel.

Waiting gunmen recently killed three prisoners who had served their time and were leaving the jail on what turned out to be a short walk to freedom. Guards are routinely murdered inside and outside the jail. It is thought Rojas possibly acted more out of fear than greed in allegedly allowing hitmen to borrow guards' vehicles and weapons for nocturnal murder missions.

The next twist came when inmates rioted in protest at Rojas's removal and demanded her reinstatement. The media drove down the one, potholed road leading to the jail to cover the disturbances – and were duly kidnapped: two cameramen from the Televisa network and two reporters from the newspaper group Milenio. The Sinaloa cartel, jealous of the Zetas' YouTube success, demanded that local networks air three of their own videos in return for the hostages.

"This was totally unprecedented. It was brazen blackmail," says one media executive, who asked not to be named. "You couldn't believe these guys were doing this. Things kept reaching new levels of, of . . ." – he searches for the word – "incredibleness." The TV stations broadcast the videos, which turned out to be of frightened police officers accusing colleagues of working for the Zetas. The cameramen and reporters were freed and moved to safe houses in Mexico City. The fate of the police in the videos was unclear.

Javier Garza, sipping Starbucks coffee under a broiling sun, shakes his head. "This is not the place I grew up in." The director of El Siglo de Torreón, the main local newspaper, used to associate the city with progress. Torreón had a bloody role in Pancho Villa's campaign against federal forces in the Mexican revolution but later grew into an economic and industrial hub for ranching, textiles, metallurgy and engineering. It built universities, fountains, a music academy, a championship-winning football team. By the 1990s, when Garza left to study and work in Mexico City and the US, Torreón embodied a newly confident, democratic, thriving Mexico. A hilltop Christ the Redeemer statue, just marginally shorter than Rio's, opened its arms to embrace the city that conquered the desert.

When Garza returned in 2006 to take the reins at El Siglo, local news focused on water scarcity, schools, public works and the football club's battle against relegation. Drugs flowed discreetly north, and flash millionaires built fancy properties, but that was hardly new. Narco-trafficking co-existed with society. "It was peaceful. You could go out and have fun without any problem," says Garza.

That same year, however, things began to change. A drug pusher was shot dead, then a taxi driver, then there was an attack on a wealthy former mayor, the kidnap of a police commander. Homicide rates soared. The same pattern unfolded across much of Mexico. President Felipe Calderón had declared war on the cartels but not anticipated a bloodbath.

Torreón, patrolled by soldiers and police with masks, with shootouts and corpses daily, is enduring violence not seen since the revolution, says Garza. "Instead of being a city of the future, it's like we've closed a circle with the past," he says.

 Eduardo Olmos, mayor of Torreón: 'What people tell me is that they want things to go back to the way they were.' Photograph: Rory Carroll for the Guardian

Streets empty after dusk. Staff at the hospital stack corpses for want of space and cower when narcos with AK-47s storm through the wards, seeking rivals. Tens of thousands of Facebook users pledged to attend two protest rallies against the violence but, after rumours of planned attacks, just dozens showed up.

In his city hall office overlooking Plaza de Armas, the mayor, Eduardo Olmos, with a retinue of eight bodyguards, ponders the question of how it all happened. "The police," he sighs. "They came in through the police. They bribed, threatened and recruited them and were able to use their radios, vehicles, weapons, bulletproof vests, everything." By some estimates the cartels have a $100m budget for infiltrating police nationwide. It was a gradual process, says the mayor. "The police relaxed their ethics and discipline and just gave in. In the end they weren't working for them. They were them."

Poverty and unemployment, said Olmos, helped organised crime to recruit and work at street level. "Here the gangs don't hand out free meals like in other cities. They don't have popular support. But there is a lot of tolerance for them. If that turns into support, that will be very dangerous. The only answer is education and employment. And a new police force."

Few would argue with that, but what about legalising drugs? Or allowing one cartel to prevail and restore the era of peaceful co-existence with narco-trafficking? The mayor shifts in his seat. The first option, though backed by thinktanks and at least two Mexican ex-presidents, remains controversial. The second remains taboo, at least officially. "What people tell me is they want tranquility, for things to go back to the way they were," says Olmos, choosing his words carefully. "I may have my own views on the subject, but as an elected official I can't talk about benefitting one cartel or another."

It is alleged that across Mexico some authorities are indeed picking sides in the hope a "winning" cartel or coalition will emerge and end the mayhem. Torreón, at least for now, appears to be betting on a new police force. The city recently fired its entire 1,200-strong force and hired an ex-army general, Carlos Bibiano Villa, to build a new one from scratch. Other cities, notably Ciudad Juárez, have tried that and failed. Villa, however, does not lack confidence. A bear of a man with a moustache and .44 Magnum strapped to his thigh, he keeps a helmet, flak jacket, assault rifle and four walkie-talkies within reach of his desk.

"There were 1,200 police when I arrived and they were all corrupt, the enemy within. I couldn't trust any of them. Now I've got 526 new ones and we're recruiting more." Does he trust them? The general guffaws. "I don't trust my own shadow. That's how I survived 43 years in the army."

Villa, 61, has a PhD in satellite communications but comes across as a wannabe Rambo. With cartels and former police officers gunning for him he sleeps in a small room beside his office where there is another Magnum under the pillow. His family lives in an undisclosed state. He acknowledges geography and economics mean that drugs will always pass through Torreón, yet remains bullish. "We are going to win!" How? "With a hard hand."

Later that night, one of Villa's 12 personal bodyguards is kidnapped and beheaded.

The force's model officer is Raquel Quezada. The 40-year-old mother of two is the sole member of the previous force who passed the vetting and exams. Hollywood would probably dub her the Last Honest Cop. In fact, the former secretary was inspired to sign up by Demi Moore's character being "pushed to the limit" in the film G.I. Jane. On patrol, the soft-spoken Quezada is transformed by body armour, a rifle and skull-painted mask. To prepare for her new job, Quezada ran 10km every day and lost 6kg in gruelling training. "They taught me to control fear and manage risk. This work is dangerous but noble."

Authorities hope to keep the new force honest by promising a free house to every officer who completes 10 years without blemish. A significant carrot, but it is questionable if it can compete with narco threats and cash.

In a different part of the city, a family in a small, pink house makes its own calculations. A dead father and husband. A dead uncle and brother. Three wounded family members. A baby on the way. Funeral and medical bills. It adds up, says Carmen, 37, the eight-months pregnant head of the family and mother of Hector. "I just don't know what we'll do." Hector, who took two bullets, moves slowly and stiffly, a colostomy bag beneath his T-shirt.

Asked if he will play trumpet again Hector shakes his head. "Music, music is . . ." his voice trails off. His mother finishes the sentence. "Music is not really an option any more."

[specialagentfluffstein]

All the asks!

Okie Doke. Except 84. I answered that yesterday. 

1. Who was the last person you held hands with? My ex. 2. Are you outgoing or shy? Outgoing as hell. I’ll talk to anyone.  3. Who are you looking forward to seeing? My new potential beau.  4. Are you easy to get along with? I think so.  5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you? I think so.  6. What kind of people are you attracted to? People with presence. A nice face doesn’t hurt either.  7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now? Maybe. We’ll have to see how things go tomorrow.  8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind? The same dude who always is.  9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? Nope. The last officer I rode with tried to test this and failed.  10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? My sister, probably.  11. What does the most recent text that you sent say? “okay don’t get into anything too life threatening”  12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now? 1. “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” - Abba; 2. “My My My!” - Troye Sivan; 3. “Mystery of Love” - Sufjan Stevens; 4. “Edge of Town” - Middle Kids; 5. “Paris Latino” - Bandolero.  13. Do you like it when people play with your hair? Unless you are a hair stylist, not really.  14. Do you believe in luck and miracles? Luck yes, miracles maybe.  15. What good thing happened this summer? This past summer? I got to play with the SWAT team! I went to the Lake with my bestie! The solar eclipse was a thing! 16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Negative. 17. Do you think there is life on other planets? Affirm. 18. Do you still talk to your first crush? Nope. I wonder what happened to that kid. I wonder if he still wears Hawaiian shirts every day.  19. Do you like bubble baths? Yes. 20. Do you like your neighbors? Most of them.  21. What are you bad habits? I tend to smack my gum.  22. Where would you like to travel? I’d like to visit every Disney park. I’d also like to visit Norway.  23. Do you have trust issues? Affirm. 24. Favorite part of your daily routine? Makeup! or Coffee.  25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with? My tummy.  26. What do you do when you wake up? check the time.  27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker? Negative. I’m good being pale. 28. Who are you most comfortable around? My bestie. 29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up? Not to my face. 30. Do you ever want to get married? Maybe? IDK. 31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail? It is! 32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with? Tom Hardy and Armie Hammer. 33. Spell your name with your chin. flu8ff6y 34. Do you play sports? What sports? Negative. 35. Would you rather live without TV or music? I’ll just die. Thanks anyways. 36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them? Affirm. 37. What do you say during awkward silences? Random “fun facts” 38. Describe your dream girl/guy? 6′3″, dark hair, blue eyes, spent some time in the military, not a cop.  39. What are your favorite stores to shop in? I love Macy’s and T.J. Maxx.  40. What do you want to do after high school? Already did it. 41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? Negative. 42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean? That I’m pissed.  43. Do you smile at strangers? All the time. 44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean? Outer Space. 45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? The need for coffee.  46. What are you paranoid about? Owing people.  47. Have you ever been high? Negative. 48. Have you ever been drunk? Affirm. 49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about? Affirm. 50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore? Black. 51. Ever wished you were someone else? Affirm. 52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself? My metabolism.  53. Favourite makeup brand? Too Faced 54. Favourite store? Safeway. 55. Favourite blog? Can I say my own, or is that too self-centered? I’m digging @symphony-in-silver they post Chris Isaak gifs and I am here for it.  56. Favourite colour? Tiffany blue. 57. Favourite food? Sushi or pizza.  58. Last thing you ate? A smoothie I made for lunch.  59. First thing you ate this morning? I had a cup of coffee… 60. Ever won a competition? For what? Yes! I won four Golds and Bronze medal for SkillsUSA in high school for  Broadcast News Production (gold), Prepared Speech (gold, two years in a row), Crime Scene Investigation (bronze), and CPR/First Aid (gold). I was the first female in Nevada to win two gold medals in the same year. I also won a short fiction award senior year of college.  61. Been suspended/expelled? For what? Negative.  62. Been arrested? For what? Negative.  63. Ever been in love?  Affirm. 64. Tell us the story of your first kiss? I got cornered like a wounded animal and it was awful.  65. Are you hungry right now? Negative.  66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends? Negative. I like you all about the same.  67. Facebook or Twitter? Twitter. 68. Twitter or Tumblr? Tumblr.  69. Are you watching tv right now? Negative. 70. Names of your bestfriends? I call my bestie “favored person” quite a bit.  71. Craving something? What? Yes. Chinese food. 72. What colour are your towels? Yellow and Blue.  72. How many pillows do you sleep with? Five. 73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? Sometimes.  74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have? Not as many as I did when I was six. 75. Favourite animal? Dogs. 76. What colour is your underwear? Black. 77. Chocolate or Vanilla? If it’s ice cream, vanilla. If it’s cake, chocolate. 78. Favourite ice cream flavour? Chubby Hubby. 79. What colour shirt are you wearing? Plum. 80. What colour pants? Light rinse denim color. 81. Favourite tv show? Adam -12 82. Favourite movie? L.A. Confidential (fuck you, Kevin Spacey) 83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2? Mean Girls. 84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street? Same as last night.  85. Favourite character from Mean Girls? Karen.  86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo? Pearl. 87. First person you talked to today? My mom. 88. Last person you talked to today? My ex. 89. Name a person you hate? My advisor. 90. Name a person you love? Officer Male Model (A nickname given to him by a toothless motel clerk).  91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now? Affirm. 92. In a fight with someone? Negative.  93. How many sweatpants do you have? Like two, maybe? IDK. 94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have? Oh my god soooo many.  95. Last movie you watched? Boondock Saints (It was St. Patrick’s). 96. Favourite actress? Gal Gadot. 97. Favourite actor? Colin Farrell 98. Do you tan a lot? I don’t tan so much as fry.  99. Have any pets? No. :( 100. How are you feeling? Pretty okay.  101. Do you type fast? If I’m not thinking about it. 102. Do you regret anything from your past? Affirm. 103. Can you spell well? Affirm. 104. Do you miss anyone from your past? Affirm.  105. Ever been to a bonfire party? Negative. 106. Ever broken someone’s heart? Affirm. 107. Have you ever been on a horse? Unfortunately.  108. What should you be doing? Putting my laundry in the dryer. 109. Is something irritating you right now? My eczema flared up again, so yeah, that’s irritating.  110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt? Affirm.  111. Do you have trust issues? Didn’t I already answer this? 112. Who was the last person you cried in front of? My mom, probably. 113. What was your childhood nickname? Fona.  114. Have you ever been out of your province/state? Affirm. 115. Do you play the Wii? Negative.  116. Are you listening to music right now? Affirm - The The’s “Beyond Love” 117. Do you like chicken noodle soup? I’m largely indifferent. 118. Do you like Chinese food? I don’t like chinese food. I love chinese food.  119. Favourite book? John Steinbeck’s East of Eden or S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders.  120. Are you afraid of the dark? Negative. 121. Are you mean? Yeah, kind of.  122. Is cheating ever okay? On people or in cards? People no, cards maybe.  123. Can you keep white shoes clean? Negative.  124. Do you believe in love at first sight? Affirm. I saw at least three dogs today and I fell in love with every single one.  125. Do you believe in true love? Maybe? It seems like a ploy to sell engagement rings to me. 126. Are you currently bored? I’m almost always bored.  127. What makes you happy? Television, records, things that go ~squish squish~ or at least look like they embody the ideals of things that go ~squish squish~ 128. Would you change your name? Affirm. I’m working on getting my last name changed to distance myself from a deadbeat male parent. 129. What your zodiac sign? Virgo! 130. Do you like subway? No. Port of Subs or Jimmy Johns. No subway.  131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? Say “too late asshole. That ship sailed, sank, and is now home to a colony of octopi” 132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? I definitely already answered this one.  133. Favourite lyrics right now? “Give your love freely to whoever that you please, don’t let nobody tell you ‘bout who you oughta be.” - Josh Ritter “Getting Ready to Get Down.  134. Can you count to one million? Probably not.  135. Dumbest lie you ever told? “my mom won’t let me give my number out” I was seventeen.  136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed? Closed. 137. How tall are you? 5′4″ in my 5.11 boots. 138. Curly or Straight hair? Curly. 139. Brunette or Blonde? Can I go with option C - red.  140. Summer or Winter? Summer! 141. Night or Day? Day! Unless it’s a ride along and then Night. Nothing fun happens on day shift.  142. Favourite month? May.  143. Are you a vegetarian? Negative. 144. Dark, milk or white chocolate? Milk. 145. Tea or Coffee? Coffee. 146. Was today a good day? So far it’s been whatever. 147. Mars or Snickers? Snickers. 148. What’s your favourite quote? “When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.” - Walt Disney 149. Do you believe in ghosts? Affirm. My grandma’s house is absolutely haunted.  150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page? “Out of Elivagar sprayed poison-drops” (The book is the Oxford World Classic translation of the Poetic Edda.)

Thanks for asking!

[happymetalgirl]

August 2020

Black Crown Initiate - Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape

Black Crown Initiate are one of those bands who have so much going for them in terms of their potential and so much about them on paper sounds like exactly the kind of thing I could nerd the hell out over, yet neither of the band’s previous two albums really made that connection with me or showed themselves to be anything other than respectful substitutes for albums like Cynic’s Focus, or Rivers of Nihil’s Where Owls Know My Name, or Opeth’s Watershed. Like The Wreckage of Stars and Selves We Cannot Forgive, Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape draws moments of exceptional strength from modern metalcore to produce a few highlights such as “Years in Frigid Light”, “Sun of War”, “Death Comes in Reverse”, and the closing solo of “Holy Silence”, but its awkward balancing of softer passages and smoother clean vocals just serves as a reminder of how easy Mikael Åkerfreldt makes it look. The band again certainly showcase what great talent they have and that they have the chops to hold their own with this sound, but until they take their compositional style beyond Soen-plus-death-metal, they will have a hard time escaping the shadows of the big names in their field.

6/10

Misery Signals - Ultraviolet

Misery Signals’ output has slowed with the NWOAHM it was borne from, but after only gracing the previous decade with a single full-length (2013’s ironically titled Absent Light) with members preoccupied with side projects, the band re-united its original line-up with long-absent vocalist Jesse Zaraska and a reignited commitment to the phased-out version of melodic metalcore that they sported at the movement’s height of cultural relevance. There are some bright spots of greater melodic vocals invigoration like “Some Dreams” and the quick “Through Vales of Blue Fire”, but Ultraviolet sounds as out of place in this decade as it would be obscured into the background fifteen years ago, serving less as a testament to the glory of 2000’s metalcore and more as a reminder of how saturated the movement became with recycled material.

5/10

Year of the Knife - Internal Incarceration

I missed out on it last year, but Year of the Knife put out their debut album, Ultimate Aggression, last February, a half-hour ripper of no-nonsense metalcore that embodies the current movement that has fixated on reinventing metalcore’s grooves while staying in line with its central aggression. While Ultimate Aggression indeed embodied its title thoroughly, I was hoping it would serve as a filling appetizer for the main course of the group’s sophomore album, Internal Incarceration. After such a promising debut, I have to say Internal Incarceration is a bit underwhelming. The band still flex their hardcore muscles to the point of bulging out of their t-shirts and provide plenty of slam-inducing groove, which there are a few especially good highlights of on “Nothing to Nobody” and the title track. Unlike the creative grooves Ultimate Aggression teased an expansion upon, Internal Incarceration is a more generic display of strength, which makes for this longer listen unfortunately much less exciting. It’ll still get the kids in the pit swinging and kicking once that gets re-instituted, but they sound more like your average local hardcore band who heard Knocked Loose than an up-and-coming powerhouse of the genre.

6/10

Mesarthim - Planet Nine & The Degenerate Era

I feel like such a fool for taking this long to catch on to the prolific Australian project Mesarthim, whose expansive catalog has been all over Bandcamp in the five years since the band’s first release, with this year’s The Degenerate Era being their fifth full-length and Planet Nine being their seventh EP! I may be late, but I made it to the party to see what Mesarthim is all about. I’ve seen a few bands on Bandcamp tag their sound with the “void metal” label, and of the bands I’ve heard, I’ve not really found it to mean much beyond atmospheric black metal with a bit of a space-related aesthetic associated with it, but after hearing Mesarthim, I can see now that this migh be a genuine sub-genre branch of ambient black metal, the subtle but fearless incorporation of shimmering, chime-like electronics and synthetic choral elements really does evoke the vastness of space and the divine wonder of the cosmos. And the band’s two-song EP release this year, Planet Nine, definitely captures that with its bright melodic progressions and expansive synthetic whirring. It’s definitely very atmosphere-based, very dependent on the lushness of the sounds, which are unfortunately hampered in a few of the softer spots by some messy production, but the band’s smooth transitions do help them make up for the flaws in production quality (which I’m amazed they haven’t ironed out this many albums in), and the fixation on gorgeous atmospheres and intentional transitions makes me strongly suspect they take some notes from fellow celestially themed black metal ambient innovators Alrakis.

7/10

Clocking in at around 44 minutes, The Degenerate Era isn’t that much longer than its EP co-release this year, nor is it all too disparate in style, although the band do dip into more traditionally heavy black metal territory here and there, but otherwise it’s lots of expansive synthetic orchestral elements, lots of spacy guitar-playing, and a pretty gutsy dose of the kind of electronics that would send any already-squirming black metal purist over the top into a full blown temper tantrum. The greater range of emotional diversity on this LP in comparison to Planet Nine puts it a little bit higher for me, although both have a similar appeal and are indeed definitely worth checking out.

7/10

In the Company of Serpants - LUX

In the Company of Serpants continue their culinary tinkering with the latest melting pot of metallic styles on LUX, stirring various chunks of 90’s New Orleans sludge, modern death metal a la Rivers of Nihil, and even late-80’s thrash into a broth of atmospheric post-metal (which serves as a gratifying climax specifically to the opening track, “The Fool’s Journey”) that may not be the most groundbreaking dish in the planet, but the freshness of whose ingredients and the skill of whose chefs comes through in the good consistency of the project. I liken it to a soup in that it’s based heavily on atmospheric post-metal and that it’s hard to get a bite of this album without it, and that there are various pieces of meatier genres in there usually popping in one spoonful at a time. Personally, it’s a soup I enjoy and one I think anyone who enjoys some dynamic post-metal or likes their atmospheric metal with a spiritual feel would enjoy.

7/10

Terminal Nation - Holocene Extinction

Terminal Nation are a five-piece from Little Rock, Arkansas who make their full-length debut through the excellent upstart curators 20 Buck Spin, and the band’s aptly titled debut meshes death and doom metal in a flurry more angrily condemning than the average record in the field, occasionally unable to keep from spiraling into grinding blasts of fury in their rage against the capitalism whose very design has oppressed so many and ushered in ecological catastrophe and a new wave of fascism. 2020 has made political commentators out of many, and Terminal Nation are not shy about where they stand and where they place the blame for our world’s ills, targeting the military industrial complex on “Death for Profit”, for-profit medicine on “Caskets of the Poor”, and capitalism as a whole on “Master Plan”. Despite the songs being easily stylistically categorized, the band refuse to let one hybrid genre label define them as a whole, exuding old-school grindcore through filthier guitar tones on songs like “Thirst to Burn” and “Leather Envy”, while slower tracks like “Cognitice Dissonance” and “Expired Utopia” opt for a slow roast kind of scorched Earth, borrowing the occasional nasty metalcore breakdown along the way. Covering a relatively wide range of styles and an array of apocalyptic topics, Holocene Extinction is as blunt in its delivery instrumentally as it is lyrically, and it hits as hard as an album of its nature should, setting this band up on a great start. Fight on!

8/10

Krallice - Mass Cathexis

Already the eight LP for New York’s prolific black metal experimentalists, Mass Cathexis finds the ordinarily forward-thinking band at a loss for major ideas beyond doubling down on he technicality of their sound to the point of stepping on a few of the land mines in the techdeath minefield. They still work in plenty their of their usual progressive song structuring and cerebral atmosphere, and I do enjoy it enough, but I know Krallice can do better than this. And I’m sure they will, and it’ll probably be pretty damn soon too.

6/10

Drouth - Excerpts from a Dread Liturgy

On their sophomore effort through Translation Loss Records, Portland-based quartet Drouth dress up their abundant competence with the basics of blackened death metal as a grander artistic statement than it really is with five epic, yet dragging, showy, yet shallow songs of rather generic material for the genre. I respect the band’s commitment and I give them credit for the performative abilities they showcase on their second album, but I can’t pretend to be wildly excited about 40 minutes of run-of-the-mill blackened death metal.

6/10

Faceless Burial - Speciation

This is the second full-length record from Melbourne three-piece Faceless Burial who have kept a pretty steady pace after their first demo release in 2015 and their independent full-length debut in 2017. Released through Dark Descent Records, Speciation is a refinement of the blunt, bellowing death metal that the band presented on their debut. Packed with delicious low-register guitar riffs, rumbly bass lines, and manic blast beats, Speciation is a candid portrait of much of what makes modern death metal what it is, and what makes it so delicious even looking up at its top tiers. I think Faceless Burial could certainly one day reach those top tiers, and Speciation is a strong step in that direction.

7/10

Avatar - Hunter Gatherer

Swedish quintet Avatar are nothing if not creative, and their decision to go all-in on the circus-freak aesthetic seems to have catalyzed the wildness with which they reimagine and remold melodic death metal. And they’ve certainly been actively prolific over the past decade that saw their emergence into the spotlight, releasing consistently every two years, and they’re right on time this year with Hunter Gatherer. Coming off of the bombastic tale of 2018’s Avatar Country and knowing that the band have a penchant for concept albums, I was eager to see what Hunter Gatherer’s might be, and while there’s no connective narrative, the album generally sticks to a theme of gazing into a chaotic future. The sensational Swedes kick off this year’s effort with its most uncharacteristically generic display, the standard melodeath “Silence in the Age of Apes”, but the album doesn’t take long at all to get to Avatar’s usual extravaganza as the second track, “Colossus”, immediately kicks of with a punctuated siren wail and from the get-go you know you’re in for a ride, and the track’s swaggering mid-tempo march is headbanging as fuck. Oh the invigorating melody just keeps coming too; “A Secret Door” balances alternative rock’s soaring triumph with the natural tendencies toward that feeling from melodeath. The song “Child” captures Avatar’s essential traits with its risky stage-production sway, its soaring chorus, and it’s rumbling low-tuned foundation that all serve the band’s grand ambition in spectacular fashion, and the subsequent “Justice” only soars even higher from there with its palm-muted-backed chorus and Johannes Eckerström’s absolutely fist-raising vocal melody. And the Swedes keep the high-stakes moves coming with the grippingly candid piano balladry of “Child”. As with every Avatar release, though, there are some songs that don’t fly over so well, but only two out of the ten. The band’s switch into half-measured seven-stringed eccentricity on “God of Sick Dreams” is just one of the moments that feels like it could have been a bigger display of creativity, while “Scream Until You Wake” is a clumsily cheesy collision of melodic heavy metal and arena butt rock that unfortunately puts the band’s theatricality in a bad light. The album finishes on two powerful notes, though, with the quick thrash of “When All But Force Has Failed” that immediately reminded me of Bullet for My Valentine’s “Waking the Demon”, and the epic eight-stringed cinematic finale of wormhole. While I still may not have been in love with an Avatar album from start to finish, I still look forward to reviewing their music whenever they have a new album out because even if not everything they do on a particular record, the group’s zealous drive to put on a good show always yields an eccentric and exciting track list and the enthusiasm the band has for whatever imagination it is they’re realizing comes through in their performances. So even if there are a few acts during the show that don’t dazzle me personally, I stay for the whole performance because there’s never a dull moment, and there really is nothing else like it, and Hunter Gatherer has proven sticking around to be worthwhile, because the band have struck their most consistent effort yet, and one I can say I really do love as a whole even with its momentary flaws.

8/10

Moloken - Unveilance of Dark Matter

This came out way earlier in the year, but this is the fourth full-length album from Sweden’s version of Ulcerate, Moloken. I totally kid with how reductive I’m being there, but I mean that comparison as a compliment because Ulcerate are one of death metal’s most interesting acts at the moment and their album this year definitely bolsters their already-high reputation for post-death metal alchemy, and I’d say Moloken’s new album this year showcases how they perform similar sonic sorcery with the vile, grungy sounds of old-school sludge metal, transforming the heroin-intoxicated street babblings of depression into a cleaner, progressive form. And while some of that hyper-perceptible mental anguish is suppressed in that evolution, there’s still enough vibrant torment there inthe clangy bass lines and the yowling screams of agony underneath the layers of more complex, heavy, and modernized instrumentation. I think the song “Hollow Caress” probably highlights the span of older and newer sludge elements on this album best out of the tracks here, but really this whole album is an enthralling window into the spasms of the tormented psyche that might look all too familiar.

8/10

Ingested - Where Only Gods May Tread

Ingested cook up nearly 50 minutes of crusty blackened death metal similar to that of Ancst with a punchy deathcore edge a la Despised Icon or Venom Prison on Where Only Gods May Tread, and for as predictable as the results are, they do pack a solid punch that presents the rhythmic battery of deathcore as a worthy tool of death metal aggression rather than a purist-discredited development. And the band have even tapped a few members of the new and old guards to endorse their metallic campaign through collaboration; Crowbar’s Kirk Windstein joins in on the sludgy barn burner “Another Breath”, while hardcore advocates Matt Honeycutt and Vincent Bennett contribute their talents as well. While it’s, again, not the most groundbreaking of releases, Ingested certainly get the job done satisfactorily beyond what any reasonable purist could gripe about.

6/10

Thou - A Primer of Holy Words

After dropping their compilation of Nirvana covers just a few months prior, Thou hit us again with another compilation of cover songs they’ve done over the years that exemplifies their greater aptitude for the cover song when it comes to styles closer to their wheelhouse like the hardcore punk of Minor Threat and Born Against and the doom metal of Black Sabbath as opposed to the lo-fi grunge of Nirvana, though the band still insist on trying their hand at sludgifying a couple of 90’s grunge classics on a misguided cover of Alice in Chains’ “No Excuses” and Soundgarden’s “Fourth of July”. Like Blessings of the Highest Order, A Primer of Holy Words more or less just runs all the songs on it through a Thou processor to churn out a rather homogeneous mush of sludgy cover material out the other end. It’s a more complimentary batch of songs to the machine the band puts the songs through than the Nirvana covers were, but it’s not something that revolutionizes the originals or outshines Thou simply doing their own thing enough to have me itching to return to it.

5/10

Halestorm - Reimagined

Halestorm take all the punch out of their best hits like “I Get Off”, “I Miss the Misery”, and “Mz. Hyde” in this unnecessarily partially stripped back, partially minimally electronic remix/re-recorded EP of their gutsy modern hard rock catalogue, along with a passable cover of Whitney Houston’s classic “I Will Always Love You”. The unplugged mix of these songs spotlights Lzzy Hale’s booming voice even more than usual, but, again, unnecessarily removes her from her most fitting and supportive context. The neutering of the songs’ instrumental rock swagger to back Hale’s attitude-rich vocal delivery has mostly unfavorable results, the still-vibrant swoon of “I Miss the Misery” coming out the most unscathed, but the most butcherd of the bunch has to be the band’s most storied hit, “I Get Off”, which is about as lifeless as re-dos get. Honestly, the only point I can imagine the band attributed to this project would be the center Hale’s already very centralized voice, which is, not to be a broken record here, just unnecessary. I doubt it was her actual motive, but it’s like she didn’t want anyone else around her sounding good too, so she could stand out better. But more likely it was just another poorly conceived misfire of an acoustic EP of many, not the first or last of its kind. Perhaps my sharp distaste for this one is the impressive display Breaking Benjamin showed on their acoustic re-do album earlier this year.

3/10

Batushka - Raskol

Despite being lambasted as frauds by most fans of the original incarnation of the band after the legally-backed and Metal Blade-released Hospodi was embarrassed by the rushed, but clearly more artistically sound, Панихида (Panihida) from Krystov Drabikowski’s unofficial version of the Batushka project, and more or less exposed as such through the side-by-side release of the two albums, Bartłomiej Krysiuk’s version of Batushka still managed to strike a deal with Witching Hour Productions to release more material this year. I reviewed both Batushka projects last year and despite Drabikowski’s album feeling a bit rushed due to the circumstances of its release, it still blew Hospodi out of the water. Whereas Krystov’s album captured the aesthetic and compositional essence of the seminal Batuska debut, Bart’s album sounded like a generic blackgaze imitation of the real thing, which put the debate to rest for me and most of the Batushka fan base as to who was the deserving artist of the Batushka name. Nevertheless, Bart is giving it another go with the Batushka project in an attempt to earn back the trust he squandered amid the feud that boiled over last year. Biting off a smaller piece of material this time with the modest half-hour slab of Raskol, Bart actually does refine his craft to a slightly more respectable level after shamelessly pimping the band’s name out last year. Fans embroiled in the feud on Krystov’s side seem to forget that even if he wasn’t the driving force of the band, Bart was a part of Batushka from the start and for a long time, so it’s not really that outlandish or surprising that he would actually get better at doing the Batushka thing. While it does still lean on standard shoegaze elements to bide time when Bart’s imagination (or whoever he might have brought on to assist him this time around) runs dry, Raskol is a vast improvement on the cheap, inauthentic-sounding Hospodi, feeling like a much more believable part of the Batushka canon. I still understand fans’ skepticism of the validity of Bart’s incarnation of the Batushka project and I myself still don’t feel totally comfortable lending my full support to a man who hasn’t done much to contest the allegations of unethical actions against him. If this is to be the legal version of Batushka, so be it, at least it’s a little more believable now.

6/10

Primitive Man - Immersion

Denver’s Primitive Man have been the poster child for gargantuan, muscular death-sludge-doom for their entire career, whether it be on their various splits and collaborations or on their full-length projects. The band have played around with harsh noise as a supplement to their absolutely merciless core metallic sound, especially on the lengthy demo, P//M, but the hulk-powered trio have largely kept their main projects free of bells and whistles, which has certainly not led them astray. The band’s 2013 debut album, Scorn, was a sweat-inducing warm-up of direct, no-nonsense, hate-filled sludge metal, and the band quite literally doubled down on it on 2017’s 77-minute Caustic, whose undeniably captivating and fearsome ferocity and tapped so simply yet so tangibly into the core ethos of metal music in this day and age made it one of my favorite albums of that year. This year, the band trimmed it back to six songs clocking in at just 36 minutes, and despite its relative shortness, Immersion spends its time savoring the band’s doom at its usual slow-burning pace. Aside from the noisy two-minute interlude, “∞”, Immersion is another unyielding slab of the vibrantly hateful doom metal that made Caustic such a monolithic album. Despite its being built similarly to it predecessor, Immersion’s half-length feels like a half measure, checking all the boxes, but not really giving the band enough time to vary up their very thick but very homogeneous style except for the harsh noise interlude and the anticipatory buildup of “Entity”. The band are definitely powerful enough to doom-slam their way to finishing the mission though, and Immersion is by no means a failure to showcase that raw power.

7/10

Atramentus - Stygian

Donning your funeral doom metal debut album with a Mariusz Lewandowski art piece after 2017 is a pretty gutsy move in at least that it immediately draws comparisons to Bell Witch’s masterful Mirror Reaper, yet that is the first move Atramentus have opted to take (plus it’s not like a hundred other bands haven’t commissioned the Polish surrealist since then), but they were a bet that 20 Buck Spin has had no problem pitching in to for the Québec-based band’s long-awaited emergence onto the scene. The band’s sudden arrival with a sole release deceptively suggests they are a super new act, but the project has been on the shelves of vocalist/guitarist Philippe Tougas since 2012, who composed the album and kept it in the vault until 2018 (perhaps inspired as many of us were by Mirror Reaper) to finally record it. Stygian is a less melancholic doom metal album than a first impression of the cover might suggest given how many bands have adopted much of Mirror Reaper’s aesthetics. Instead, the debut album’s three tracks offer a refreshingly frightful mix of thundering, mega-chambered drums, Halloween-ish organ hums, dark ambient echoes, and deep rumbling growls and augmented throat chants that are similarly hellish, but also divinely ceremonial hums and emotive soloing during the last of the three movements that serve to maintain the vastness the album invokes. Indeed, the third song (which is half of the album’s length) rolls back some of the menace in favor of some more familiar mournfulness. And of course, this is all delivered at an absolutely tortoise-ish pace as is the key feature of the genre (save for the final burst of blast beats three minutes before the album ends), and of course it can very easily be reductively summed up as a condensed version of Four Phantoms or Mirror Reaper but I really do think Stygian will stand out from the largely homogeneous doom metal crop for what it does do differently with its more ominous elements and hopefully inspire Atramentus to stay active.

8/10

Innumerable Forms - Despotic Rule

The Boston five-piece are back with a two-track demo after a smashing debut in 2018 that captured the vile sludgy doom of Primitive Man and the adrenaline of brutal death metal. The first song on this year’s short offering, “Philosophical Collapse”, explodes out of the gate with deathly quick pace and fury until like a fatigued distance runner after a minute-long burst of speed, it succumbs to doomed sluggishness for the bulk of its runtime. The second and titular track is based on a slower Iommi-esque doom riff that slowly takes the modernized sounds of Sabbath into thrashy territory over the course of its nearly five-minute runtime. Both songs capture the aggressive doom at the heart of Innumerable Forms’ sound that made me love Punishment in Flesh so much, and I hope these songs are at least a sign of what is to come from the band.

Innumerable/10

Unleash the Archers - Abyss

I feel like for power metal especially, putting out a boring record can be worse than an incompitent or poorly executed album, and Unleash the Archers definitely provide strong support that with Abyss, whose moments of mild euphoria (which is an extremely generous description) are much too few and far between the slog of totally formulaic and under-delivered melodic autofill. Vocalist Brittany Hayes showcases her capacity for power metal drama on the epic “The Wind That Shapes the Land”, which only makes her utterly bland, zero-effort delivery across the rest of album that much more offensive. Yeah, I’ll keep it short and keep myself from going too in on this album, because, yeah it’s just boring, which is a massive and avoidable mistake to fulfill an easy baseline requirement for power metal, which, to me, is grounds for failure.

3/10

Incantation - Sect of Vile Divinities

Good ol’ Incantation are back with another 45 minutes of doomy death metal, the likes of Ossuarium, for example, have harped on, which, to give a ratio for clarity, is like 80/20 death/doom. Definitely more death metal gusto than doom metal void-gazing to avoid that pitfall of lethargy, the trade-off for this clearly minimally ambitious album being the numerous pitfalls of death metal. Sect of Vile Divinities definitely gets the job done and it’s sometimes pretty savory along the way, but it’s definitely not an above-average slab of meat from this particular slaughterhouse.

5/10

Kolossus - The Line of the Border

Kolossus is the one-man atmospheric black metal project of Genoa-based creator “Helliminator”, who released this debut LP back in March to relative silence. And with how saturated bedroom ambient black metal is, I get how easy it is for things to get lost in the weeds, but for anyone who stumbles upon this one, it’s definitely a good few leagues above your typical atmospheric black metal release, and Satanath Records did well to catch wind of Kolossus after the independent split release with Manon in 2018. The Line of the Border is a confidently dynamic record whose fluidity in its shifts from acoustic melancholy to post-metal sludge and somber, yet seething, black metal agony showcases Helliminator’s and his collaborators’ compositional ability. It’s a hard album to sum up, and that’s a good thing for an album in a field so easy to reductively describe.

7/10

Humavoid - Lidless

Lidless is the patiently-awaited sophomore album from Finnish four-piece Humavoid, who’s 2014 independent debut album caught the attention of up-and-coming German label Noble Demon through its bold, progressive approach to experimental death metal that, when even just competently executed, gives off such a naturally heady vibe. But Humavoid are not about taking the path of least resistance and not about just creating the appearance of innovation with metal music, and their second record’s thrilling firestorm of Meshuggah-influenced djenty jaggedness that puts Veil of Maya and Jinjer to shame and jazzy eccentricity that fires a warning shot past Imperial Triumphant in the larger-than-life swirl of sounds that would make Devin Townsend cream his britches make for quite the decisive statement. Lidless may be comprised of very familiar ingredients, but the compositonal ingenuity the band wield and the constant headlong drive into the unknown make the combination of sounds on this album. The frightful, falling-stalactite-feeling piano-playing and synth work especially keep the mood of the album ever-shifting and the rest of the band excitedly on their toes, along with anyone hearing their overachieving madness. This is definitely one of the year’s best, and I am so eager to see what lies ahead for Humavoid.

9/10

Expander - Neuropunk Boostergang

Of the bands partaking in this past decade’s thrash metal revival Austin, Texas’ Expander are one of the less hokey, more serious-sounding bands to emerge recently, but of the handful of (2) EPs the band have released and the debut they put out in 2017, nothing the band has done has really sounded any alarms in my ears that they might be one of the bigger movers of the genre in the coming, now-current decade. Reliable underground curators Profound Lore and little-guy-supporter producer Kurt Ballou, though, disagree with my doubt in the band’s potential and have backed their sophomore release here, Neuropunk Boostergang. Harnessing some industrial elements and aggressive shouting that hearkens to American Head Charge and labelmates Lord Mantis and angular riffing reminiscent of both nasty sludge metal and crossover thrash with a more futuristic technicality, Neuropunk Boostergang is definitely a significant step up from Endless Computer, and an album that finds the band zeroed in on an attractive sonic identity. Not many thrash albums beckon the descriptor of atmospheric, and if so it’s certainly more of a generous way of saying it’s boring and blends into the background. Yet Neuropunk Boostergang manages to touch on meditative chords with its immersive and fascinating take on thrash metal, forward-thinking and avant-garde with an early version of the genre that most bands think simplistically to nostalgia-trip over. I wouldn’t have backed Expander to put out anything of major value based on their entire back catalog, and I wouldn’t have guessed that they would actually carve out a little niche for themselves to really blossom in. But the gnarly Texans (and Profound Lore) have proven me wrong in my favorite way with my favorite thrash release of the year.

8/10

Seether -  Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

Seether have not been doing so well, at least creatively, for the past several years, their last album before this one, Poison the Parish, being a completely unmemorable late-career display of the creative dryness within the band and the expiry of the post-grunge they capitalized in the early 2000’s. Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum is not a full return to form, but it is a step in the right direction that the band desperately needed, which just comes from more meticulous songwriting this time around. The opening track “Dead and Done” is an energetic and vibrant start to the album and “Beg” revisits that “Fuck It” type of energy that the band need to embrace more frequently, while the silky “Wasteland” adds a scoop of Deftones’ shoegazy guitar work and captures the emotive potency that makes post-grunge so appealing when it’s at its best. The swinging “Bruised and Bloodied” offers a taste of the wackier side of Seether, while the more traditionally grungy “Pride Before the Fall” shows just how much the band appreciate Alice in Chains, and they actually help diversify the largely dragging energy of the album. Indeed, the bulk of the album is still unfortunately rut-entrenched filler that could have been better trimmed. It’s passable filler, but it just means that this album is still one that I’ll only be partially returning to to visit its best tracks.

6/10

Powerman 5000 - The Noble Rot

I have never been too big on electro industrialist project Powerman 5000, which wouldn’t even make a B-team picked by frontman Spider One’s own big brother Rob Zombie. My introduction to them was through their 2009 album, Somewhere in the Other Side of Nowhere, an astonishingly character-less and generic caricature of the industrial metal Zombie so exuberantly champions. The band have their better projects like Tonight the Stars Revolt!, but nothing they’ve put out so far has really ever convinced me that I should be paying them more attention. This year’s The Noble Rot is a pretty non-offensive outing, but also typically devoid of imagination. Not to stoke sibling rivalry that’s not there or anything, but it’s like if Rob Zombie were trying really hard not to upset suburban parents from the 90’s. It’s a lot less butt-rocking than the band have shown they can be at their worst, and it’s overall passably listenable. The metropolitan swagger of “Black Lipstick” is a notable highlight where Spider One’s sultry delivery actually works in the track’s favor. But unfortunately there really aren’t any other significant positives to speak of, and listenable is about as kind of a thing as I can say about this album.

4/10

Gulch - Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress

San Jose’s Gulch definitely get points for their all-out work ethic and for leaving everything on the stage or studio, but the band’s sophomore effort this year simply echoes the same need for continued growth that their debut did. The group’s exaggerated but still-maturing take on hardcore punk is thrilling in the short moment it occupies, but entirely forgettable.

5/10

Venomous Concept - Politics Versus the Erection

Like Gulch, Venomous Concept definitely get points for the effort they pour into their very similar brand of aggressive, off-the-wall hardcore punk, but theirs turns out to be another similar case of too little of that effort directed toward really arranging their outlash in an efficient way. It works for the stages and getting kids kicking in the pits that aren’t around anymore for the time being, but only at that baseline level that all good punk music in this vein does. Unfortunately, there’s simply not enough creativity in this project, or traditional punk ethos done exceptionally well for me to be all too enthused about it.

5/10

John Petrucci - Terminal Velocity

Show-off.

7/10

Pain of Salvation - Panther

A lack of ambition has never been a weakness for Swedish prog zealots Pain of Salvation, who love biting off sometimes a bit more than they can chew with their consistently lengthy and overly galaxy-brained concept albums. I definitely respect the massive inspiration the band always seem to tap into and I find them quite capable of fulfilling their creative mission more often than being too heady for their own good. The band do insist on integrating a perplexing degree of early 2000’s nu metal into their sound, and including some rapped verses that seem like a quota they just have to check for some reason. And Panther is, for the most part, another solid display of talents from Pain of Salvation, whose impressive compositional prog chops do more than enough to obscure the odder choices that pop up here and there.

8/10

Ulver - Flowers of Evil

I don’t know why but for some reason I thought Ulver’s venture into synthwave was a one-day stop before they moved on to whatever was next for them. I wasn’t expecting the genre-polyamorous visionaries to make another album in the same synth-y new wave vein as 2017’s The Assassination of Julius Caesar, yet Flowers of Evil is an unexpected and welcome sequel to an album that opened up a whole new avenue of sultry smoothness for the band, and it’s just as cool as it’s predecessor. Are Ulver the new Depesche Mode? I don’t know, if they are, I’m okay with that.

8/10

Necrot - Mortal

Necrot are a recently established trio from Oakland, California who have certainly generated a lot of buzz around their sophomore LP release here since their announcing it a few months ago. I mean I saw memes about the cover relating to coming home and taking off your pants or bra after a long day back in July. The band’s straightforwardly deathly 2017 debut, Blood Offerings, certainly didn’t seem to drum up too much hype around the time of its release, but the band are certainly releasing Mortal this time around to quite a captive audience, and after all the anticipation for their second album, Necrot show the world that can definitely play some death metal. Honestly, I went into this with a pretty open mind and eager to see what Mortal would be al about for the new group with the spotlight on them, but apart from a more old-school approach to riff-writing that does indeed come as a breath of fresh air in today’s death metal landscape, I don’t really see what else about it is such a big deal. I’m not saying there aren’t some tasty grooves or even a good few attention-grabbing solos on here, but I really don’t get what the death metal world is getting all hot and bothered about for this album beyond its checking off all the usual boxes and maybe doing a little smoke and mirrors to present themselves like a modern incarnation of Death or Morbid Angel. I mean I like it as much as, if not a little bit more than, any other average death metal project and I really do like what they band are doing with vintage riffs in this context, but I just don’t see what it’s doing with the very typical elements of the genre that it employs so much better than their average contemporaries that’s ramped up such astronomical hype.

7/10

Pig Destroyer - The Octagonal Stairway

Probably the EP I have been the most pumped for, it’s nice to hear some new Pig Destroyer not so long after their 2018 release, Head Cage, which took some getting used to for me, but I can say I regard it pretty highly as a step toward a more full-bodied sound for the band. I mean they’ve never been short on the shrapnel-spraying volatility needed to wholly carry a project, their groundbreaking creativity with the building blocks of grindcore setting them at the top of their field to look down at the grindcore masses far far below, and J. R. Hayes’ impressive poetic lyricism being a hefty bonus, and Head Cage wasn’t really that big of a stylistic departure for them apart from adopting the sound pallet of their contemporaries. The Octagonal Stairway is definitely more of an interim project for the time being, the first three tracks continuing the band’s mass-building with their sound; they’re as hard-hitting and representative of Pig Destroyer as any song off Head Cage, the title track in particular. I can grant to the pickiest Pig Destroyer Fan that there still isn’t as much slasher-film gore being invoked through samples of such, overtly grotesque lyricism, or scraping guitar tones that mimic the sharping of rusty bone saws. The last 14 minutes of the 25-minute EP are consumed by sample-driven ambient industrial music that the group have definitely had more creative and immersive experiments with. The 11-minute closer, “Sound Walker”, has its flashes of cool industrial manipulation, but given how high Pig Destroyer have set the bar for their ventures into this kind of territory with the cinematic horror of Natasha and even Mass & Volume, this massive track, while a respectable slab of industrial noise ambiance that flows as well as the aforementioned projects, lacks that narrative immersion and grandeur the band have shown to harness so well to bolster their music. For what handful of their talent the band offer here, it’s just enough to remind us of their immense prowess and that they’re still there, watching, waiting.

7/10

[ashotatthenight]

could you give a description of all Brandon's characters in the new Killers music video?

Lmao okay so I did my best here. BUT this is definitely subjective andother people might be reading different things from them. This turned out waylonger than anybody wants or needs it to be but oh well. See below the cut if you want to listen to me bullshitting.

Okay so the first character is some kind of washed upsinger-turned-Vegas cabaret performer. Someone who once had a pretty sparklingcareer but now that he’s older and over the hill, his popularity declined tothe point that the only gig he could land was one where he’s performing to double-digitaudiences who yawn and sigh through this forgotten legend’s performance. Thefact that Brandon is wearing a suit that he wore over 10 years ago when heplays this character is what brings me to the conclusion that this dude hadonce made a name for himself, but his popularity declined and performing aspart of some kind of dated residency is the only gig he could land. He’s stillwearing the suit he used to wear because it reminds him of a time where he felthe was doing what he was destined to do. You can tell that the performer in thevideo is pretty unhappy because of his facial expressions and just the lack ofgusto in his performance. He smiles at one point but it’s such a sad smile.He’s kind of hyped up backstage, probably because it reminds him of the oldendays before he’d step out step out to crowds of thousands of screaming fans, butthen when he does go onstage, he steps out to a modest crowd of people whocouldn’t care less if he’d turned up or not. He’s depressed because he remembers how good he used to be and knows he won’t ever be that guy again.

The second character is an ex-motorcycle stunt riderwhose career seems to have come to an abrupt end after he crashed out on acourse and seriously injured himself. He relives his glory days bywatching tape after tape of old recordings of himself in action during theheight of his career. He has video cassettes stacked around his TV labelledwith things like “Hoover Dam,” and “Euro Tour” so it seemslike he had a pretty accomplished career going for himself until he had his accident.One of the tapes has “‘01” as the date on it, so on the basis thatthe MV is set in 2017, it’s obviously been a while since he was in his heyday.Whether it was because he was scared to get back into stunting or if hisphysical condition following the accident didn’t permit it, he crashed out ofhis career and seems to have been unable to move on from it. He’s obsessed withthe life he used to have and is trying to hold on to some semblance of the person he usedto be. I think it’s also important to note that of all of the characters, thisone is the only one (as far as I can tell) to wear a wedding band. This leadsme to believe that his obsession with his cut-too-short career caused hismarriage to fail too. Re-watching these old tapes brings a brief moment ofnostalgic happiness back to the character, but he breaks when footage of theaccident reminds him of the reality of his situation, of all thecould-have-beens, and of all that he’s lost. For me, this guy and the first guyare the two characters that are easiest to sympathise with.

Next we have a gambling addict who seems to actricher than he actually is, showing off by wearing ridiculous clothes that areas loud as his ego and flashing materialistic possessions like his fancy watch,his rings, and his classic car. He walks through the casino as though he’s somekind of renowned casino/gambling mogul but nobody seems to take any notice ofhim at all and he simply takes a seat at a casino table with everyone else.He’s dressed like an archetypal bigshot cowboy, but he soon gambles away whatlittle money he has, and when he runs out of chips, he gambles his jewelleryand then finally his car because he’s an addict and he literally can’t stophimself. I’m personally drawing a link between this character and the oneportrayed in “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” from Brandon’s firstsolo album.

Next we have a guy who’s dressed up to the nines,suited and booted and very clearly wealthy in terms of money and in terms ofhis sense of self. The character is seen flirting with a group of women who, tohis face, flirt back, but behind his back they all seem to be saying what acomplete asshole he is. Clearly his only appeal to them is the fact that he’swealthy. They fawn over him long enough to temporarily boost his ego, but noneof them seem to actually like him. The fact that one of the girls looks at herwatch at one point in the video and they all leave without him to me suggests thathe paid for their company. He winds up alone, and the message here seems to bethat money can’t buy happiness or friendships or relationships. No matter howmuch money you have: If you’re an asshole, nobody’s gonna give a shit.

Last we have a self-obsessed, narcissistic bachelorwho seems to think he runs any joint he walks into. He’s very egotistical andarchetypically masculine/”macho”, and acts like a bigshot even though he livesalone in a beat up old trailer with a beat up old car to match. Everything hedoes seems to be to add to that male bravado: The weight lifting; Shooting tincans that he could just as easily knock over with the barrel of his gun andspare himself a bullet with how close he’s standing; The fact that the hood of hiscar is open and there are tools left out. He’s supposed to embody masculinitybut of course we see that this gets him nowhere. Alone, he goes to a karaoke bar andperforms what seems to be a well-practiced routine that he clearly gives on thereg (only after necking a couple of shots for Dutch courage) and he takes itway too seriously. He thinks he can go around doing as he pleases and havethere be no repercussions, but he learns the hard way that this isn’t the casewhen he hits on a chick who’s watching him sing. Her partner squares up to himand beats him up, and he’s left battered and bruised. Nonetheless, he seems toget off on it somehow.

I think the main things that tie these five guystogether are loneliness, and the fact that the character of “The Man”is for each of them exactly that: A character. A suit that they put on. They each seem to be soself-obsessed and have such an inflated sense of self that they’ve wound upalone and unhappy because they don’t listen to other people’s advice, theythink they know it all. They think that anything they hear that contradictstheir opinion is intended to hinder them rather than help them, and in turnthis has isolated them from pretty much everyone. Each character embodies thesemasculine stereotypes, but the video really highlights the fragility of thatmasculinity, mocking what it means to be stereotypically masculine. These guysare over-obsessed with what it means to be “The Man”, and it winds up ruiningtheir lives. The video really compliments the self-deprecating message of thesong: Even though its lyrics appear to be full of pomp and apparentself-importance, combined with the video it becomes clear that the song’sactually warning you not to turn out like those guys.

I also can’t helpbut feel like those guys are emblematic of different aspects of Brandon’spersonality, only hyperbolised to the point of ridiculousness. I think thecharacters play on Brandon’s fears and on all the ways he could have turned out.They represent things that maybe were important to him when he was younger, butgrowing up has made him realise how little materialisms actually mean in thegrand scheme of things. The karaoke guy needing a drink before he can go up onstage, these guys’ need for validation, a fear of becoming irrelevant andwashed up. Brandon is definitely acting in this video, he’s definitely playinga bunch of characters, but for sure there’s more of him in them thaninitially meets the eye. And that’s why I think it needed to be Brandon whoplayed all these characters, as disappointing as it is that the other guys aren’tin the video. These are five wildly different characters who have somepersonality traits in common, and that’s because those personality traits stem fromthe same person.

[onestowatch]

Happy Birthday, Mick Jagger! Here's 12 Front(wo)men to Make You Proud

It’s a big day, folks. Legendary Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger turns 76, capping off another 365 days of stardom in a nearly six-decade long career as a poster-child of rock and roll. Fronting a band is a glamorous job, but certainly not an easy one. We here at Ones to Watch have a lot of respect for those bandleaders that can work a crowd into a frenzy and make thousands of people sob by the sheer power of their artistry. 

In honor of Mick Jagger’s illustrious career as a paragon of performance, we’re here to introduce 12 front(wo)men that are on track to carry on our favorite rock legend’s legacy as entertainment icons. Happy Birthday, Jagger!

Josh Taylor (half•alive)

We’ve had half•alive on our radar ever since the release of their funk-injected indie-pop number “still feel.” in 2018. Since then, we haven’t been able to take our eyes off of the band’s magnetic frontman, Josh Taylor. Serving up glassy falsetto hooks while backed by the band’s hypnotic retro grooves, Taylor glides through underplayed, cool-as-can-be choreography to lead a show that that will have you buzzing long after the final curtain.

Jordan Miller (The Beaches)

As a hobbyist musician, I have a lot of respect for musicians who can juggle singing, playing an instrument, and absolutely owning the spotlight all at once, and nobody does it quite like Jordan Miller of The Beaches. Miller delivers fiery vocals while playing a driving rock bass, flawlessly balancing the high-energy performance required of a frontwoman while maintaining the rock-steady precision of an expert bassist. Peep her bringing down the house with The Beaches on Mercedes-Benz’s ‘Garage Gigs.’

Winston Surfshirt (Winston Surfshirt)

With a name like Winston Surfshirt, there’s no way this guy wouldn’t be the coolest cat south of the equator. Surfshirt is the leader of the 6-piece soul collective that bears his name, delivering psychedelic kickback vibes that have even convinced Elton John he’s the life of the party. Need proof? Watch Winston light up a spliff and lead the crowd in a sensual sermon of soul at 2019’s Splendour in the Grass.

Dylan Nash (Liily)

The long hair-tight tee combo has long been a staple in rock music and is a style that Mick Jagger has owned for decades. Carrying on this bastion of fashion is frontman Dylan Nash of alt-rock band Liily – but more importantly, beyond the hair flips and erratic dance moves, Nash delivers robust, gravelly vocals that embody the inherently rebellious nature of rock and roll. Put on your stank face and check out Liily’s performance at Ones to Watch’s showcase ‘All Eyes On’ – we bet you’ll be head-banging in seconds.

Lydia Night (The Regrettes)

Don’t let the pink Telecaster and button nose fool you – Lydia Night of The Regrettes delivers a hard fucking show. Fronting a four-piece rock band takes a lot of power, a 18-year-old Night delivers unapologetic lyrics (and often political ones – The Regrettes’ track “Poor Boy” has been called “an anti-Brett Kavanaugh anthem” and a “feminist call to arms”) with a ferocity far beyond her years. Watch her prove it on Conan.

Jake Luppen (Hippo Campus)

Anybody who has seen The Rolling Stones live (or hasn’t been living under a rock) knows about Jagger’s legendary hyperactivity when he’s fronting the band. Well, Jake Luppen draws upon this same scattershot energy with Hippo Campus, generating a rapturous performance you can’t take your eyes off of. Whether he’s doubled over in passion during a particularly tasty guitar lick or leaping up and down during one of the band’s booming choruses, you can be sure Luppen will get your blood pumping.

Nick Hinman (Palm Springsteen)

Los Angeles upstart Palm Springsteen is a band that oozes charisma, and at the front and center of it all is Nick Hinman. Taking inspiration from entertainers who revel in the lunacy of performance, like The Talking Heads’ David Byrne or Prince, Hinman owns every eye in the room when he thrashes around the stage hollering infectious hooks and hyping up his band. The dude also has a killer wardrobe – he’s practically a walking high-end thrift shop. Check out Palm Springsteen’s video for “Sister Sister;” you only need to glimpse Hinman’s devilish grin for a moment to understand his captivating power.

Katie Gavin (MUNA)

An excellent bandleader can’t get lost in the shuffle; they have to have fascinating individuality that captivates their audience, a real je ne sais quoi that you can’t put into words. MUNA frontwoman Katie Gavin goes beyond taking this sentiment to heart. From her chic, candy apple bob to her bouncy physicality to her shimmery, drawling vocals, it’s clear that Gavin basically sweats personality – and lord knows, she can get a crowd working up a sweat, too.

Zach Charles  (A R I Z O N A)

Electro-pop group A R I Z O N A puts on a hell of a performance, in large part due to singer Zach Charles’ raw emotionality. The group is known for producing massive walls of sound that wash over the listener. Chief among the components of this soundscape is Charles pouring every ounce of passion he’s got into the mic, conjuring up a sonorous lead that never fails to enrapture anybody listening.

Travis Hawley (Night Riots)

A key weapon in a successful frontman’s arsenal is the ability to tell a story, which is something that Night Riots’ Travis Hawley has in spades. Hawley approaches the mic like an old friend, letting loose his pristine tenor in an enthralling display of candor and vulnerability. Ones to Watch has had the pleasure of hosting Night Riots at one of our ‘All Eyes On’ showcases – check out the video and get lost in Hawley’s vocal, just like you might when Mick Jagger performs “Wild Horses.”

Hannah Joy (Middle Kids)

There’s nothing more authoritative than a female bandleader in a co-ed band, and joining the likes of powerhouse frontwomen like Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O and Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard is Hannah Joy of Middle Kids. Joy’s emotive vocals and passionate guitar work have played a large part in scoring the Australian group support slots with acts like Bloc Party and Cold War Kids, and even saw them win FBi Radio’s Northern Lights competition to clinch a spot at Iceland Airwaves festival in Reykjavík.

Murray Matravers (Easy Life)

Murray Matravers of British export Easy Life presents a distinctly modern twist on Mick Jagger’s signature swagger (say that 10 times fast!) Matravers, true to his band’s name, exudes an effortless comfortability onstage that makes the audience feel right at home, swaddled in the group’s neo-soul, hip-hop-tinged sound. The alluring effortlessness of Matraver’s performance is something that can’t be taught; rather, it’s something the best frontmen are born with.

[douxreviews]

Roswell, New Mexico - ‘So Much For the Afterglow’ Review

“I gotta get through this one, really crappy day.”

The tenth anniversary of Rosa’s death has opened old wounds and dredged up the worst in the residents of Roswell, including Max and Liz.

Liz idolized Rosa but thanks to Rosa’s drug use and her possible mental problems, it’s clear Rosa wasn’t always there for Liz. Rosa’s death embodies that abandonment. Isobel’s psychic nudge may have sent Liz packing 10 years ago but I suspect Rosa’s death was the real culprit.

Either way, her father’s plea sends Liz on a quest for understanding if not outright forgiveness. Her first stop is to visit Kyle in search of Rosa’s autopsy. Maybe if she can blame the drugs, she can forgive her sister. Her next stop is to ask Max if he can show her better memories of Rosa than the ones she continually dwells on. This is the last thing that Max wants to do. His fears are justified when he shares a memory of Rosa on the night of her death.

Following the story from Liz’s POV allows us to empathize with Liz. This is important because we learn some not so flattering things about her and her actions throughout the episode are even less flattering. Liz used losing her job as an excuse to pick up stakes and return to Roswell, abandoning a fiance in the process. While there may be a perfectly good reason for her decision, it still seems like a pretty crappy thing to do.

Just as lying to Max about her feelings for him as she dangles the possibility of a future relationship is a crappy thing to do. Discovering that Max may have knowledge of your sister’s death is definitely grounds for pumping the breaks on the relationship. But her ability to shift from honest communication to manipulation with someone she cares about does not speak well of her character.

The question remains, is Max worthy of her trust? Liz is not wrong about him hiding things from her. And the viewer is privy to information that Liz doesn’t have, namely proof of Max’s feelings for her. However, he is behaving out of character. This is a man who has spent his life protecting one secret yet we saw him barely able to contain his powers on multiple occasions. And while Michael isn’t particularly surprised when Max decks him, Isobel is shocked. More to the point, if Michael had not stopped him, there was the very real probability Max would have killed Wyatt.

Max’s anger issues open up the possibility he could be responsible for Rosa’s death (although I still doubt it). Especially since Isobel refers to “the last time” this happened. She doesn’t mention when but I’d lay odds it was ten years ago. Is this a side effect from healing Liz? Does it mean he tried to heal Rosa?

I find these new tidbits of information about Liz and Max fascinating. As much as he cares about Liz, he has an overdeveloped sense of fairness and is legitimately offended by Wyatt’s (and the Mayor’s) racism. It’s probably what drove him to become a cop. Whereas, Rosa’s life and death can define so much of who Liz is. From Liz’s choice in music, her overpowering need for an explanation to everything, even her loss of faith. However, for my money, Michael and Alex are the more interesting pairing.

Alex clearly has issues acknowledging his feelings for Michael. We’re given the impression that Alex is not happy with the person he’s become although it’s not clear if it’s because of his injury, what happened during his tour in the military or something more domestic, say his father. And Michael reminds him of better, or at least simpler, times. Michael, being Michael, would rather fain indifference than risk being hurt by Alex’s erratic behavior. So, how ironic is it that Alex and Michael are the ones that are actually honest with each other about their feelings and act on them, while Liz and Max continue to dissemble.

What Do We Know:

Rosa was killed by an alien. Our alien trio knows it and now so does Liz and Kyle. Max’s comment about letting Liz down sounds more like regret about how he handled the situation than a confession of guilt. But I find it hard to believe that a teenage Isobel or Michael was capable of murder. At least not on purpose. Did one of them lose control of their powers? Or was Rosa just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

We also learned that the Evans’ adoption of Isobel and Max caused a rift between Max and Michael that’s never healed. Much of Michael’s anger involves being on the outside and looking in on everyone else’s relationships. For his sake, I hope this thing with Alex works out.

Speaking of long-standing relationships. Max and Jenna? Didn’t see that coming. Just once I’d like a man and a woman to be partners on a TV show and not have sex come into it.

Relationship issues aside, this episode upped the ante on Max, Michael, and Isobel’s potential outing. Liz’s interest in protecting Max’s secret is waning in the face of his apparent betrayal. And Kyle has both the means and motive to inform the government of what he knows. I don’t think that will happen anytime soon, at least not before the season finale. But I wouldn’t mind a few answers.

3 out of 5 big guns

Parting Thoughts:

“So much for the Afterglow” refers to the song by Everclear.

Also in the music matters department, the song “God of Wine,” in which the lyric “a fraudulent zodiac” is featured was playing during Alex and Michael’s scene at the end of the episode.

This is the second reference to Max’s love of Russian literature in as many episodes. I wonder how that comes into play.

Michael and Alex were musicians until something happened to Michael’s hand. Makes you wonder if Max can only heal humans.

Isobel and her husband have an interesting relationship. And I’m not just talking about the sex. He’s very accepting of the fact that she just walks out at the drop of a hat. I realize this has probably been going on for years. But it is odd, right?

Quotes:

Liz: “You gonna arrest me, officer?” Max: "Nah, too much paperwork.”

Kyle: “It’s late. Thanks for the family history lesson, but I’m gonna pass... on all of this.”

Jenna: “You look like garbage, partner. Ruggedly handsome garbage, but garbage.”

Isobel: “How’s your fiance back in Denver?” Liz: “We broke up.” Isobel: “Does he know that?”

Arturo: “There was more to Rosa than the bad things that she did.”

Michael: “You keep showing up like this, I’m gonna start thinking you like me.”

Michael: “Isn’t there some law about building on a historical site?” Alex: “What do you mean, a historical... Oh, because the UFO crashed here? Yeah. We’re not supposed to build on top of Santa’s workshop, either.”

Kyle: “The mid-makeout abandonment was very sophomore year. I got all nostalgic.”

Kyle: “If you’re gonna forgive her, don’t focus on the science. Focus on the memories."

Noah: “The next time we do the thing I like with the thing and the thing, let’s not use my lucky tie.”

Noah: “You want me to take him out for a beer? I can totally do the cowboy thing. Grunt, stare off into the distance. Talk about belt buckles as a secret metaphor for emotions...”

Max: “Are you sassing Jesus?”

Max: “Men who work miracles with their hands tend to die bloody.”

Michael: “For a genius, I was a real dumb ass."

Max: “You been honoring your dead sister any other way? Like, I don’t know, riddling the Crashdown Cafe with bullets?”

Jenna: “You could’ve done that.” Max: “I keep telling you, I’m a feminist.” Jenna: “You wanted him to lose to a girl.” Max: “Also that.”

Isobel: “We’re family.” Michael: “No. We’re not. We all just happened to hitch the same ride on the same doomed intergalactic Titanic.”

Isobel: “Come on, Michael. Is there really nobody in this world that you wouldn’t risk everything to save?”

Maria: “Home doesn’t have to mean a white picket fence house and a family. It can be a person.”

Max: “I don’t want to be an experiment.”

---

Shari loves sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and anything with a cape.

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#230-221)

#230: Dschinghis Khan -- Dschinghis Khan (Germany 1979)

"Die Hufe ihrer Pferde, die peitschten im Sand Sie trugen Angst und Schrecken in jedes Land Und weder Blitz noch Donner hielt sie auf"

"The hoofs of their horses, they lashed in the sand They carried fear and horror in every country And neither flash nor thunder stopped them"

One of my favorite songs to jam to is Boney M's "Rasputin". A disco-influenced song about the life of "Russia's greatest love machine", it's energetic while telling that of a myth. I mention this because Dschinghis Khan is compared to this often, in all the ways.

Only this time, it's about the great conqueror Chinghis Khan, who took over the whole universe (and lasted for a very long time). From how he struck fear across the steppe to fathering seven children in one night, he is seen as the embodiment of masculinity.

While entertaining, sometimes I'm put off by the gimmickry. It can be argued that it wouldn't age that well today, because it can be seen as culturally appropriative or mocking Mongolian culture. But for what it's worth, it's enjoyable and still a classic today.

Personal and actual ranking: 4th/19 in Jerusalem

#229: Louisa Baïleche -- Monts et Merveilles (France 2003)

“Oh, mon amour Où es-tu, mon amour?” “Oh, my love Where are you, my love?”

A definite case of love at first listen for me—Monts et Merveilles is a calming ballad, albeit with sad lyrics about the end of a relationship. The instrumentation is quite nice; it reminds me of songs that stood out on the charts during that time. It also had the "ethnic style" percussion in the bridge, which made me think that France Televisions wanted to mix what worked in the last two years (ballads) with the ethnic sounds from the 1990s (as Louisa is half Kablye, an Algerian ethnic group)

Despite it, it got a pretty low result—though it may be because 2003 was a stronger year songwise compared to the two years that came before it. Or it maybe because of the hair getting into her face that took away from the experience...

Personal ranking: 5th/26 Actual ranking: 18th/26 in Riga

#228: Hakol Over Habibi -- Halayla (Israel 1981)

"הלילה, הלילה, יהיה זה הלילה נאמר דברים שלא אמרנו מעולם"

"Tonight, tonight, it will be the night We’ll say things we’ve never said before"

On a random note, whenever I would search up Idan Raichel's "Hakol Over", Hakol Over Habibi would be one of the first search items that pop up. I would completely ignore it until now, when they actually participated in Eurovision!

That said, Halayla is very groovy song which plays with the disco vibe of the 1970s and the highly energetic choreography that would define 1980s Israeli Eurovision entries. The instrumentation is quite awesome, with the mix of piano, strings, and I think accordion setting up the vibe. (And it switches well from minor to major and back again , which can go awry when done wrong).

The members seem to have a ball on stage, and Kikki looks beautiful in her dress, which was fitted that way because she was pregnant at the time!

Personal ranking: 5th/20 (though it jumps around often...) Actual ranking: 7th/20 in Dublin

#227: Wind -- Laß die Sonne in dein Herz (Germany 1987)

"Manchmal bist du traurig und weißt nicht warum Tausend kleine Kleinigkeiten machen dich ganz stumm Du hast fast vergessen wie das ist, ein Mensch zu sein Doch du bist nicht allein"

"Sometimes you feel sad and you don’t know why Thousands of little reasons are making you dumb You nearly forgot what it’s like to be a human being But you are not alone"

Wind has the interesting distinction of participating three times and coming in second twice out of those three. The first one, "Fur Alle" was seen as such as a big contender that there were bets made against it winning. And then it didn't.

Laß die Sonne in dein Herz didn't come that close to winning in 1987, but I can argue it's the better song of the the three.

It catches you right away with the reggae influences, which creates a relaxed vibe throughout the song. It builds up well with every key change--it does get repetitive at times (especially with the choruses), but never boring. And while it shares a similar theme to Fur Alle, it doesn't come off as either derivative or charitys-single like.

(That said, I did grow to like Fur Alle eventually, but this one was more instantaneous.)

Personal ranking: 7th/22 Actual ranking: 2nd/22 in Brussels

#226: Charlotte Perrelli -- Hero (Sweden 2008)

“This is a story of love and compassion Only heroes can tell.”

The better Charlotte song, in my opinion. The song she won with, “Take Me to Your Heaven” is a complete vintage track, almost influenced by ABBA-nostalgia going on at the time. “Hero” , while still on the same schlager vein, modernizes the production a little bit, to the point I imagine it would be a good pop song of that era.

Alongside that, Hero has some compelling lyrics, one which could summarize the hero's journey in general. I wouldn't be surprised if somebody were to write a Eurovision jukebox musical, they would use this in some format.

That may be the case on why l like it better, but it could also be because it should’ve done better in the contest. The fact the jury wildcard saved Charlotte is a reason why they're around, but the fact there was a wildcard which kicked out the actual tenth placer (North Macedonia's Let Me Love You) could be totally flawed too.

Personal ranking: 6th/43 Actual ranking: =18th/25 (with France) in Belgrade

#225: Carlos Paião -- Playback (Portugal 1981)

“Podes não saber cantar nem sequer assobiar, Com certeza que não vais desafinar, Em play-back, em play-back, em play-back,”

“Maybe you don't know how to sing or even how to whistle But you won't sing out of tune for sure, In playback, in playback, in playback”

This is so modern and infectious it’s unbelievable. From the introduction to Carlos’ biting lyrics to the choreography, it makes one wonder why it got neglected in the voting. 1981 was a strong year, sure, but this song is definitely one of the best of that field.

Playback, as the title suggests, is about the pervasiveness of lip-synching in the music industry. One day, nobody will have to learn how to sing because the playback will save them. They can all focus on the performance without taking note of the song.

It's eerily relevant to Eurovision today, considering we don't use live music anymore and backing vocals can be mimed. I have mixed feelings about the latter, because one side argues it allows different genres of music to appear, but the other argues it reduces artistic credibility. I prefer having live vocals; if a delegation wants to use them on the track (e.g. looping), it should be on a case-by-case basis.

Maybe that's why it somehow made the ESC250 the last two years...

Personal ranking: 4th/20 Actual ranking: =18th/20 (with Turkey) in Dublin

#224: Emma -- La mia città (Italy 2014)

“E dimmi se c’è davvero una meta O dovrò correre per la felicità”

“And tell me if there really is a destination Or I have to run for happiness”

The black sheep of Italy’s post-comeback output, and coincidentally the only song completely chosen internally. That being said, La mia citta is still a good song, and for me it’s better than some of the fan-favorites out there.

Admittedly, I prefer the punchy verses to the chorus, with the latter reminding me of something out of P!nk's discography, but I revel on Emma’s energy and her letter to the city of Rome. We have struggles about the place we are from, but still try to sing its praises when we can!

The staging was a bit tacky at times, but I did like the aesthetics of it—particularly her laurel wreath. Her costume had a good concept also, but is also overdone it in terms of the bejeweled top.

(As for the Sanremo winner that year, Contravento, it feels like a bit of a grower. The clarinet intro really takes one in, but there has to be a whimsical, sweet staging to accompany the hopeful song. Had they done so, a left-side finish would've waited for them)

Personal ranking: 6th/37 Actual ranking: 21st/26 in Copenhagen

#223: Brigitta -- Open Your Heart (Iceland 2003)

“Everything you share with me Turns a little darkness into light And that is how we’re meant to be Truth will keep the light shining brighter”

Also known as, the woman who originally came from Husavik! The difference is that Birgitta was the lead singer of the group Irafar. Open Your Heart reminds me of songs that end up on DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) soundtracks—it can actually work in the end, but also in the beginning to introduce the characters and/or their circumstances. The random running order really helped it with being first, haha! Beyond that, it's an optimistic song, helped with the guitar influences which ground it in the era. Plus, the production and lyrics add to this feel, encouraging even the shiest to open up their feelings. Also, I like the flowery aesthetic that Birgitta has, from one in her hair to the larger one (which I think is real?) on her microphone. Personal ranking: 4th/26 Actual ranking: 8th/26 in Riga

#222: Tomas Ledlin -- Just nu! (Sweden 1980)

“Han vill dra iväg, kanske ner till Paris Och hitta äventyret på något vis Inte sitta här på stans konditori Och låta tankarna, bara fladdra förbi” “He wants to go away, perhaps down to Paris And find adventure somehow And not just sitting here at the local café Just letting the thoughts flutter by” The 1980s saw the genre New Wave come to vogue, and Just Nu was a valiant attempt on the genre, especially considering the direction Eurovision would go later. From the opening notes, I got the punkish notes from the instrumentation, and the lyrics definitely add to the feeling of being free from societal expectations, crying out "right now"! (which is funny, because I learned Romanian at one point and nu means no in the language. So I keep thinking it's "just no!" against conformity) Tomas also shows quite the attitude on stage--he just struts into the stage with a boyish charm and kickstarts the song. With his looks and usage of the microphone stand, he portrays this rebellious character well, though the orchestration could’ve been improved with the strings and flute. Personal ranking: 2nd/19 Actual ranking: 10th/19 in Den Haag

#221: Lea Sirk -- Hvala, ne! (Slovenia 2018)

“Moje ime je Lea in/Za vas imam nov lik!” “My name is Lea/ And I have a new character for you!”

I love the opening lines for this song—it immediately sets the tone and has a strong statement alongside it. She's Lea, and she won't let anything down on She asserts that she can’t be sold out, and has a great attitude to accompany the trap beat, which reminds me of a K-pop song for some reason. The staging fits the song to a T--though it didn't need any changes from the NF, haha. As for the fake break, I don't have any strong opinions on it, but it definitely kept up interest for the song. A nicer touch was the Portuguese line in the end. Either way, it was a surprise qualifier in its semi that year, and it was one surprise that I greatly welcomed. Hvala da!

Personal ranking: 8th/43 Actual ranking: 22nd/26 GF in Lisbon

[thesuper17]

2018′s most impactful musical moments

-

nobody key change

If Be The Cowboy, Mitski Miyawaki's fifth album, is as interwoven with artifice as she suggested in an interview with Pitchfork shortly before its release, it only makes lead single Nobody a more beguiling accomplishment. A purer expression of longing than the opening line: 'My god I'm so lonely/ so I open the window/ to hear sounds of people', could scarcely by imagined, but evidence of a distance between Nobody's author and its lead character is provided in the song's meticulous craft and execution. That duality, between ostensibly real anguish and sparkling production sheen, is where Nobody lives, a version of the ubiquitous struggle more potent than the reality. Disco keys and syncopated rhythm propel the song forward even while Mitski sings of stagnation and hopelessness, and during the second chorus, she intones loneliness again and again, in rising arpeggios that begin to push into her falsetto range. Just as Mitski's delivery seemingly peaks in intensity, the chord progression beneath her shifts up a semitone, and she redoubles, hitting the same high B which formed the dominant 7 of the C# arpeggio she sang over the previous chord, now a 9 over A minor. The subtlety of the melodic movement Mitski employs over this key change is delivered in stark contrast to its proud and bombastic standard deployment. Nevertheless, the drama of her declaration is heightened a notch further in this instant, and it is her commitment to the technical, rather than the raw expression of emotion, that facilitates this. Perhaps Mitski is weaving a story in Nobody, but it's her mastery as both empath and composer that see it land with such weight. -

everyday is an emergency - first half

In many ways Aviary and Have You In My Wilderness, the two most recent albums released by Los Angeles musician Julia Holter, feel more accurately characterised by the other's title. Wilderness saw Holter refine her previously sprawling arrangements and compositions to so many beautiful birds, purposeful in form and deliberately contained in scope. By the close of Aviary's first track, by contrast, the listener is already lost in Holter's wilderness, as vast, uncompromising and beautiful as it has ever been. Nowhere is the wild landscape of Holter's id, actively hostile to those who would try to derive a singular interpretation, more keenly evoked than during the first half of Everyday is an Emergency. Horns, strings and wordless vocals collide, unmoored to rhythm or any consistent harmony, their only direction an agonizingly slow, spiralling descent in pitch. Held notes begin in the upper registers, separated by semitones, and only briefly hinting at chords as if by the random incidence of related pitches occurring at once, before slipping back up against each other in grating disharmony. As other instrumentation joins the procession and the overall pitch finds a resting point, the abrasive cacophony recedes to a near-hypnotic drone. The listener is immersed for over a minute before a complete break, whereupon a melancholy, cycling melody emerges over rich grand piano chords. The second half of the track matches this haunting repeated melody to a recursive lyrical structure, in what is effectively a new song entirely. It's beautiful and, to the extent that Holter ever is, conventional, but it's also an oasis, a brief moment of calm found in the eye of an intense storm. Only after enduring the intense disquiet of the first four minutes are listeners granted entrance to this understated space, but Everyday is an Emergency is not designed to challenge. Holter plainly does not regard the accessibility of her music one way or another, she simply sketches the sprawling geography of her wilderness and leaves the listener to navigate.

-

sobbing and eating eggs again

Nearly every review of A Crow Looked at Me and its 2018 follow up Now Only does Phil Elverum a disservice by likening him to Mark Kozelek. On the surface, it is easy to draw comparisons between the recent work of Sun Kil Moon and Mount Eerie: Benji and A Crow both feature sparse arrangements of acoustic guitar over which frank reflections on life and death seem to spill, without edit or filter. Beyond similarities in form however, the two could not do more to evince opposing characters if it was intentional. Where Kozelek makes it his prerogative to 'find a deeper meaning' in the death of a cousin he says he 'had pretty much forgotten all about', Elverum understands the futility of even keeping Geneviève Castrée, his deceased wife, whole in his memory ('you did most of my remembering for me'). On Now Only's title track , he approaches the question of meaning more directly, of how his wife died 'for no reason' while he could only watch, and notes the absurdity. In this absurdity though, a form of coping, even humour, is found. It is not humour to laugh to, and it's not the homophobic or misogynistic jibes of Kozelek either, rather it’s a reminder that, for those still here, life continues. A near-obsessive thread of record-keeping pervades A Crow, of noting the exact number of days or weeks it has been since Geneviève passed, and the active effort Elverum makes to continue day after day seems no easier to rally a year on. But he does, and the majority of that effort goes into creating some version of normalcy for a daughter who has lost her mother. The absurdity comes to a head on Crow, Pt. 2, in which Elverum describes the shape of their new family life in mundane details, of living, talking about school and making food. Over breakfast, his daughter asks to hear 'momma's record', and as Elverum watches her piece together an understanding of loss from the sound of her mother's voice, he sings: 'I'm sobbing and eating eggs again'. He suggests earlier, on the title track, that the most devastating waves of grief have already begun to subside, and will eventually fade almost entirely, but life won't wait for that. Crow, Pt. 2 is the sound of Elverum experiencing the meantime, knowing eventually the sobbing will go, and the eggs will remain. For now though, he lives with both. -

let that boy come home

Deciding the moral victor of last year's Pusha-T/Drake's beef is a complex task. Pusha's verses incorporated real low-blows, and whether his purist approach to hip-hop helps or hurts the genre is a philosophical question. Luckily, determining the actual victor is incredibly simple. With hindsight, the closing track of Pusha's DAYTONA, Infrared, feels almost like bait. In enticing the world's biggest hip-hop artist to respond directly to him, Pusha ensured the maximum audience would be waiting for his inevitable counter, and he held onto the crucial detail just long enough for that moment to arrive. Throughout his 2018 album, Pusha's incredibly deliberate flow and inimitable swagger, combined with top-shelf beats from Kanye West on rare form, saw lines hit with a blunt force. The weight of his kingpin boasts was held up by the sheer quality and confidence of his delivery, and everyone, inside and out of the hip-hop scene, was in his sights. There's nothing blunt about The Story of Adidon. Pusha's 'surgical summer' begins tracing Drake's family life, with jibes at his absentee father that initially glance off as irrelevant, but details begin to paint a picture, and the smirk on Pusha's face is almost audible as he draws closer to his target's shame. Finally, the instantly iconic: 'You are hiding a child'. Pusha nearly caricatures his own delivery here, drawing out every word of the killing blow just to savour it a little longer, the 6 syllables last an eternity. Hip-hop beefs, and the genre more widely, often exist within a sort of stylized fiction, where actors are hypermasculine, dangerous and uncaring figures. Even though Pusha embodies this archetype completely, The Story of Adidon flips the trope on its head, targeting Drake specifically for his pride and those things 'deeper than rap', even telling him how to put things right. It's almost kind, and it's complete obliteration.