#sad piano beat 2022

[irradiatedbearchewtoy]

this is written with the intention of being accessible to people who have only watched post-2005 doctor who but who knows how that will go

i want to talk about a really cool controversial-but-not-in-the-way-where-people-are-arguing-about-if-bigotry-is-acceptable-way classic doctor who serial. if you sit until the end, you get to see a selection of alien designs from other 60s serials

if you're familiar with this story, happy humming! if you're not, hopefully you will know exactly what i mean by that very soon.

if you haven't seen classic who—or at least 60s who—before, this may not be the best serial to convince you of how exciting it is, but i'm running on no sleep, a newly released episode, caffeine, and audhd so i'm at least going to try. my apologies for the stream on consciousness; i have tried to make myself somewhat coherent...

the serial in question is the 1966 pure historical 4-parter 'the gunfighters'. pure historical here meaning set in the past with no science fiction elements.

these were standard in the first few years of the show but stopped after 'the highlanders' in late '66/early '67. there was one after that—'black orchid', in '82—but the time period was less relevant and it wasn't to do with any notable historical events or figures.

the first doctor, steven, and dodo land in tombstone, arizona because the doctor has a toothache after eating a sweet in the previous serial, 'the celestial toymaker'—a serial a lot more revival-only fans are now somewhat aware of since the toymaker's appearance in the 60th anniversary special 'the giggle'—and wants to see a dentist. steven and dodo put on awful american accents the whole time. they get caught up with doc holliday (who ends up pulling the doctor's tooth) and wyatt earp, among others.

a song called 'the ballad of the last chance saloon' plays over (almost?) every transition shot. i love it, but not everyone does; people have very strong opinions about that song. if you don't like it, this serial is a lot to swallow, as it plays over 30 times in less than 2 hours. steven is forced to sing this song at gunpoint while dodo plays the piano. i wanted to just insert a still of that but i think some of you who wont watch the serial or search out clips need to see it.

speaking of the gunpoint thing, there's a good chunk of violence in this one. people get shot with actual non-laser guns and someone almost gets hanged, noose around the neck and all. this isn't abnormal for 60s who. before colour came into the picture, the doctor used to whack people around all the time. a personal favourite of mine is in 'the highlanders' when the second doctor beats up a lawyer, gags him, and locks him in a closet. even in the very first serial, 'an unearthly child', a guy is stoned to death on-screen.

'the ballad of the last chance saloon' has been released officially, most widely when it was released on streaming platforms in 2013 as part of a 50th anniversary album. that version was pulled from streaming a while ago, leaving a very sad gap in many of my playlists. even before removal, that version was cut down from the full 10:34 to 3:51!! which is probably a good thing, because that track can be a powerful weapon against the right target. here is the full version, for your listening pleasure.

on top of it just being a fun story that sticks in people's minds because of the music, there are some cool notable production/show lore moments linked to the serial. yes, you can find these all on tardis wiki, shh

doc holliday's actor, anthony jacobs, brought his 10-year-old son to set, as a treat for his birthday (the birthday detail is mentioned in this ABC radio interview from 2022). that son was named matthew jacobs and went on to write the 1996 tv film starring paul mcgann as the eighth doctor.

it was the only (on-screen) story to take place fully in the united states of america until... the tv film!

it marked the last serial for every episode to have its own name. after this, episodes are simply numbered. there are some exceptions later on in the show, but this was the end of the standard practice.

it hosts the only episode title in classic, 'a holiday for the Doctor', to refer to the character of the Doctor as such instead of Doctor Who

was this a big pile of nothing? maybe? but here are your 60s alien photos, as promised. all photos are from the tragical history tour collection! x x

finally, this is an open invitation to reblog adding as much as you wish about the gunfighters or any other classic/wilderness stories that you want to talk about. my only request is that you make it an unhinged as possible. ik that's tall talk considered this post and episode aren't notably unhinged but just go with it, okay?

i kind of want to do a bunch of these just rambling about classic stories to try and get people to actually watch it but i'm not committing to that so. we'll see.

[sassy-ahsoka-tano]

Smoke & Whiskey

Character/Fandom: Elvis + B.B. King - Elvis (2022)

Requested: yes - multiple nonnies

Prompt: You just came to get away from it all and do some dancing with your best friends, Elvis and B.B. You figure you're safe with them and are looking forward to relaxing. Little do you know what the boys have planned for you. [ Fem!Reader ]

TW: this is a threesome and PWP so...beware there's a lot going on lmfao

Rating: M   ||     Word Count: 6514

A/N: HAPPY THIRSTY THURSDAY BABES!!! it's finally HERE! this was a joy to write 🥴 the alternative title was "Let It All Hang Out" but i just couldn't bring myself to seriously name it that jsfksjsj

🦋 mila

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You just came to get away from it all. You wanted to dance, to relax, let loose, and not think about everything going on at home or at work. You had no interest in doing anything other than that. You thought you’d be safe when you called up your best friends, Elvis and B.B. Yeah, Elvis Presley and B.B. King. You thought they’d be chill, cool with just hanging out at Club Handy on Beale Street. Little did you know the night you were in for when you ran out of the house and hopped into the back of Elvis’ shiny purple Cadillac.

By the time you’ve arrived at the Club, it’s late, so late that almost no one is left wandering the dark streets. You jumped out of the car and are halfway toward the door to the Club before Elvis even turns the car off. He and B.B. follow at your heels, far enough behind you that you can’t hear what they're saying. You swing open the door and bound up the stairs, knowing that bliss and relaxation are only moments and steps away.

As soon as you burst into the bar, your nostrils are filled with familiar scents and you smile. Woody cigarette smoke mixes with the fruity, acidic notes from the Club’s famous whiskey. The room is warm, the soft orange lights turned down low so that they cast a muted glow over the space. There are only a few people wandering about the room or sitting at the tables. It’s fairly quiet, aside from a young woman who plays a slow, sad tune on the piano.

Everything about the setting is comfortable, familiar, homey.

You walk straight up to the bar and order a whiskey. When it’s slid across the mahogany table toward you, you take only a couple of swigs before placing it back down still half-full. You aren’t really interested in drinking. You want to be drunk, yes, but not on alcohol. You want to be drunk on music, on song. You crave freedom, the kind only music could bring you.

And that craving drives your body straight onto the small wooden dance floor next to the piano. Once the woman playing notices your intrusion, she smiles and changes the tune to a more upbeat one. You flash a grin back at her before closing your eyes and heaving a deep breath as you listen to the beat of the song, pacing out a rhythm. Within a matter of seconds, you feel your body moving against your will.

All of your senses tune into your surroundings. You taste the stinging hint of alcohol on your tongue and lips. You smell the smoke as it swirls into the air from the embers of the cigarettes. You feel the cold wind as it floats through the open window to ghost and tickle past your skin. You hear the mellow tinkling of the piano as it weaves a wordless story. And that story plays in your mind, in front of the silver screen of your closed eyes, as your body acts out the parts.

You lift your arms up toward the sky, flexing and curling your fingers to feel how they cut through the air with ease, and then bring your fingertips down against your skin and onto the soft cotton fabric of your dress. Your body jumps with a start, your eyelashes fluttering and threatening to open when you feel a pair of hands gripping around your waist. But the voice which accompanies the sensation soothes your startled body and your eyes remain closed.

“Hi gorgeous,” is all he has to say for you to recognize B.B. standing behind you.

Truth be told, he probably didn’t have to say anything at all. You know the touch of those hands. Intimately. And your body fills with a selfish warmth at the feeling of their return.

“Hi,” you respond in a hushed tone, just loud enough for him to hear you over the sound of the music.

You feel B.B.’s fingers tighten around your hip bones as he pulls you closer to his body. Your arms, still up in the air, drop back onto his shoulders, resting gently on his strong figure. He gently uses his jaw and chin to push your head to the side, exposing your neck to him. You allow him to move you, caught up in the sensations of the moment. You feel his calloused fingers as they gently glide against your skin to slide the strap of your dress down over your shoulder. Your hips move against him to the beat of the song. The whiskers on his chin and upper lip lightly scratch at your skin as he rests his hot lips on your shoulder. He doesn’t press them, just lets them hover above you. The hairs on your arms raise and you shudder, though you aren’t sure if it’s because of his touch or the cold breeze blowing through the window.

You instinctually press your body further back into him, arching your back ever so slightly. You feel the vibrations of his content hum on your shoulder and find yourself smiling with your tongue between your teeth. His hand travels around your waist to press into the sensitive skin on your stomach. You suck in a breath as he applies pressure. His movements force your bum even further back into him, and your breath hitches at the feeling of his hard dick on your skin.

Just as you move to pull away, your eyes fly open to see that Elvis has joined you. His hands take the place of B.B.’s on your waist as he steps closer to you. Before you can even react, he’s leaning down toward you. You can feel the heat of his breath on your skin, the sweet smell of Pepsi-Cola on his lips.

"I missed you," Elvis whispers onto your skin and you sigh in response.

You gaze up into his beautiful sea blue eyes and reach one of your hands out to cup his cheek. Just as your fingers ghost over his skin, he turns his head and takes your finger into his mouth.

Your own lips pop open in surprise. Your heart beats quicker as you feel his tongue swirling around your fingertip and you watch as his lips curl back in a smirk. He squeezes his teeth gently on your skin at the exact moment B.B. pulls your body harshly against his. Without meaning to, you yelp and tilt your head back. You've danced with both B.B. and Elvis at the same time before. But never like this, never so...physical.

Heat immediately floods throughout your body with embarrassment. Despite the throbbing deep in your stomach and the excited pulse of your heart pounding in your chest, you feel an intense urge to pull away. You want to wiggle out from under their grasp. Everything is getting too real, much too real.

But just as you’re about to attempt an escape, Elvis’ fingers hook onto your jawline. He pulls your face around to look at him and grips onto the bones. Your breath stops and you stare up at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to do something but he just smirks down at you with eyes clouded by lust. You're already starting to leak onto your panties, your entire pussy swollen and tense.

Elvis gently maneuvers your head to the side, bringing his lips to your neck. B.B. removes his head and places his cheek next to your ear, his hot breath drifting over the skin. You can feel his hips gently moving against you and your body intuitively matches the expert movement of his hips. It feels wrong and strange but your body reacts quicker than your mind, encouraging their behavior. You feel your eyes involuntarily fluttering closed when Elvis nips at the skin of your neck.

Suddenly, the air is cold around you and all the sensations you’d been drinking in are gone. Your eyes flash back open in shock and you glance around, oddly panicked, to see B.B. and Elvis standing side-by-side facing you. They glance at each other for a quick moment as your eyebrows furrow in confusion. Before you have a chance to ask them what’s going on, they each grab one of your hands and begin to pull you away. You follow blindly, desperate to see where they’re taking you.

They drag you down the stairs and into a small room on the ground floor. Elvis holds the door while B.B. leads you inside. Once you step in, you observe the room. It’s empty aside from a random desk with a few chairs gathered around it and a cabinet in the back stuffed too full with what looks like janitorial supplies. B.B. releases your hand to allow you to get your bearings in the room. Once you’ve understood where you are, you turn and cross your arms against your chest.

“Alright, what gives fellas? Why are we all in the janitor’s closet?” you ask with a quirked eyebrow.

“I think it’s pretty obvious what we’re doin,” Elvis replies.

You shrug and shake your head, throwing your arms up.

“You. We’re doin you, babe,” B.B. explains.

You just stare at them for a moment, too surprised to do anything else. But after your brain is finally able to wrap itself around the concept, you can’t help but burst out laughing. You assume it's a joke, at first. They can't seriously be suggesting it. The sounds that escape you aren’t just giggles or chuckles. They’re full-on cackles, wracking your entire body and making your shoulders shake until your stomach aches. You place a hand on the corner of the table to stabilize yourself as you slowly stop laughing.

“What the hell are you talking about?” you finally ask, wiping a tear from your eye.

Neither of them answers but since you’ve been talking, they’ve started to walk toward you. And, now, they’re flanking you, B.B. to your right and Elvis to your left. Your smile suddenly falls from your face as you glance up at one and then at the other. They can’t be serious…right? Sex between three people is nothing but a myth to you, something you'd heard passed around during high school gossip. But no one respectable actually partakes in that...do they?

“How bout a lil less conversation,” Elvis whispers against your skin, sending shivers down your body. “And a lil more action.”

"Ooh, I like the sound of that, EP," B.B. responds, running his finger up your arm. You shudder again, goosebumps raising on your bare arms. "You should use that for a song."

You have a history with them both, B.B. and Elvis. You’d lived in Memphis for your entire life and grew up around Beale Street. You met Elvis way before he was famous when he was just a truck driver for an electric company. You had some kind of problem with your refrigerator and the company sent him. You were more than shocked when you opened the door to see such a handsome young man standing on the other side of it. He'd charmed his way into your life extremely quickly, cracking jokes and being a true southern gentleman the entire time he was at your house. He'd absentmindedly started singing and you were enchanted by Elvis' voice. Apparently, he’d noticed and he continued to visit you, whether you were having electrical problems or not. You were together for two years before you decided to break up. Part of you still loved him very much, but there was a distance that had grown between you.

B.B. was a different story. You’d met him randomly on the street one day. Neither of you was paying attention or looking where you were going and you’d rammed right into each other. He was a very charming gentleman, helping you pick up all the things you’d dropped and offering you a cold drink inside Club Handy. You were hooked on the place from the day he'd shown it to you. You spent all day there together, listening to music and swapping stories. By the time you left, it’d been late at night and he didn’t feel comfortable letting you walk home alone, so he’d walked with you. And, suffice it to say, he didn’t just kiss you at the door. There was a lot more than kissing that happened that night.

In summary...you’ve had sex with both of them, but never at the same time. You’ve never had sex with any two people at the same time. How does that even work? It sounds like a sin. But you don’t have much time to think about it, because they start in on you. Like predators to prey.

B.B.’s fingers trail up your arm, tracing the skin so lightly that yet another shiver ricochets through your body. On the other side, Elvis brushes your hair out of the way so he can access your neck. He grabs onto your jaw again, pushing your face to the side. You allow them both to maneuver you, your body reacting in approval of their actions although your mind isn't totally sure. Elvis’ lips slowly move to your neck and he presses a soft, hot kiss to the skin. You resist the urge to close your eyes or sigh contentedly. Besides you’re much too distracted by B.B. as he takes your face from Elvis’ grasp. His soft hand slides onto your cheek, holding your gaze on his own. His deep brown eyes are glinting in the low lighting of the room as he smirks down at you. He sneaks a quick look at your lips before moving his face down toward you.

You prepare for a kiss, but he plants his lips ever so slightly to the side of your mouth, catching only the corner. You gasp in surprise, releasing the breath you’d been holding. He smirks at you again as you huff in frustration.

"That's not very gentlemanly of you," you whisper against his lips and he chuckles.

But your interaction is cut short when Elvis drags his hot tongue up the side of your neck. You feel your amused expression fall from your face, replaced with raised eyebrows and widened eyes. B.B. pulls your face up to his, finally pressing his lips on yours. Without a choice, your eyes flutter closed and you sigh into the kiss, loving the feeling of his plump lips on yours and the familiar way his thumb brushes soothingly against your cheekbone.

Your hands reach up to slide around his neck, gripping onto him and attempting to pull yourself closer. But B.B. pulls away, your lips separating with a satisfying pop before he reangles his face to kiss you again, harder this time. Both of his hands grip your cheeks, holding you hostage in his grasp. He kisses you passionately, desperately, sloppily. You feel your body being pulled toward him until Elvis’ teeth tug at your neck. You move away from B.B., gasping at the sensation. Elvis begins to suck and bite at the skin, moving to hit the most sensitive parts under your ear and by the corner of your jaw. You gasp, throwing your head back with closed eyes and holding white-knuckled onto the table behind you.

B.B. takes the opportunity to attack the front of your neck. You can feel yourself fall back onto the table, your knees buckling with shock. You rest your bum on the corner of the table as both men suck and bite mercilessly on your skin. Elvis gently moves the other strap of your dress out of the way and bites down hard on the sensitive skin between your shoulder and neck. You can’t help yourself, you let out a moan as one of your hands flies to latch onto his greasy black locks. You tug hard on the hair and Elvis moans into your skin. Your other hand slides onto B.B.’s back, gripping onto the fabric of his shirt. B.B. suddenly pulls back and your eyes flash open in momentary anger at the movement.

You watch hungrily, biting your lip as he yanks his top off, revealing his gorgeously toned chest and stomach. You don’t even try to stop your eyes as they search down his figure. Elvis bites hard onto your skin again and you moan, keeping your eye contact with B.B.

“Fuck,” B.B. mutters before taking a step back to you and grabbing harshly onto your face.

He kisses you again, his lips pressed hard down onto yours. You let your fingers trail down his chest, gliding over all the flexed muscles and hot skin. When you reach the waistband of his pants, you hook a finger under them and pull him closer to you. His lips slip off yours and he grunts before smirking down at you.

Finally, Elvis releases your neck and you automatically turn to look at him. His blue eyes are black, his lips wet with saliva, and his hair is mussed from your fingers disturbing it. You can practically feel the desire in your chest and let your eyes travel down his figure with an open mouth. You turn toward him, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling him to you. Your bodies slam together and his hands automatically move to slide around your waist. You smash your lips onto his, adding his taste to B.B.’s on your lips.

Elvis’ hand slides over your ass and he squeezes his fingers into the skin. You moan into his mouth as he slips his tongue over your bottom lip. You smile into the kiss and open your mouth, feeling his tongue with your own. He presses you back against the table and your hands wind around his neck to keep you from falling. But it only lasts for a moment before he swings you around and begins to walk you backward. You stumble along, tugging at his hair again. You accidentally pull so hard that your lips separate and he releases a noise halfway between a growl and a grunt.

“Lord almighty,” he chuckles and you giggle breathlessly.

He leans down to kiss you again, wasting no time inserting his tongue between your lips. You quietly moan into the kiss again as his fingers curl into your ass, pushing your chest into his. You’re jerked to a stop when you hit B.B.’s body with your back. You feel his fingers deftly unzipping the back of your dress. When the cold air hits your back, you shiver. B.B. runs his warm palms down your back, tracing your spine, and you arch your back, pressing your chest further into Elvis and your ass further into B.B.

You pull your mouth away from Elvis, desperately in need of air. You hold your shoulders back so Elvis can slide the dress off your arms, leaving just the skirt portion covering your body. B.B. quickly and smoothly slides that skirt down your hips and it falls to the ground below you.

Elvis’ hands immediately land on your thighs, hoisting you up onto his hips. You wrap your legs around him momentarily while he lays you on the table in the middle of the room. You prop yourself up on your elbows and watch greedily as Elvis removes his shirt. You bite your lip through a smirk as your eyes flick back and forth between the two handsome half-naked men in front of you. Your chest fills with panic as you realize, for the first time, that you want them both. You need them both. It feels so wrong but that only makes you want it more.

It only takes one look between them before they take their positions. You momentarily wonder if they’ve done this before by how wordless their agreements seem to be. B.B. grabs onto your ankles, pulling you so that your legs are dangling off the edge of the table. Then, he crouches, holding your foot and stretching out your leg so that he can unlatch your heels and remove your socks. He does the same with the other foot, this time gently pressing kisses to your ankle and up your shin, onto your knee, and then the skin of your thigh.

While B.B. works his warm hands and mouth around your leg, Elvis circles so that he’s standing behind you. He sits next to you on the side of the table, slightly behind you. He moves your hair out of the way and begins to kiss up your neck. His fingers start on your lower back, the calloused skin scratching you delightfully. He slides his fingers up your back slowly, his palms warming your cold skin. His mouth trails up your skin as he presses hot, wet kisses to your neck and jaw and ear.

B.B.’s kisses turn into little nips and sucks as he moves closer to where you need him most. You arch your back as he tugs on the skin inside your thigh. He glances up at you, smirks, and pulls on the skin again. You bite your lip, feeling Elvis hovering by your jawline.

"Have you two done this before or something?" you ask breathlessly, glancing between them.

Neither answers with words, but B.B. smirks up at you and Elvis nips at your ear. You take that as a yes.

B.B. hooks his fingers around the waistband of your panties and you lift your hips so that he can slide them off. He drops them on the ground, curling his hands around your inner thighs to gently spread your legs.

“Such a pretty pussy, baby,” B.B. says, glancing up at you before he runs a finger up your folds.

You suck in a breath and close your eyes in pleasure.

“Ah, you like that, don’t you, love? I remember you liked it when I teased you,” B.B. continues and you hiss out a chuckle as he runs his fingers down the slick skin again.

"Yeah, she's a bad girl who likes to be punished, dontcha little one?"

As B.B. wastes a few more minutes, teasingly running his middle finger up and down your clit to spread your wetness around, Elvis gets busy removing your last remaining piece of clothing. Between kisses, Elvis' teeth sink into your shoulder, a little hard but the pain is pleasurable. His fingers tickle your upper back as he unlatches your bra and runs his hands over the free, naked skin. You hum in pleasure as B.B. finally inserts his finger into your folds. Elvis slides the straps of your bra off your shoulders, opening you up completely to them both.

You probably would have been extremely embarrassed had you not already fucked both of them at one time or another. Conveniently, that experience gives all three of you the upper hand. You know what everyone likes and what they’re good at. And you know their dirty little secrets. For example, B.B. is a tease who knows how to use his fingers and tongue in ways that make you see stars. Elvis, on the other hand, fucks you like you’re the only person in the world who matters, the only one he sees.

Elvis gently leans you back onto the table as B.B. begins to pump his finger in and out of your wet pussy. You rest your feet on his shoulders, curling your toes into the warm skin as he inserts another finger and then another. While B.B. fingerfucks you, Elvis leans over you, pressing his soft lips to yours. You reach up to cup his face, although since he’s upside down, you wind up grasping onto his jawline and neck. B.B. curls his fingers inside you and you moan into Elvis’ mouth, bucking your hips up. Elvis’ lips slip off yours and he trails his flaming tongue down your chin and neck and onto your chest. He takes one of your breasts in his hand, massaging the sensitive skin. The cold temperature of the room has already prepped your nipples for him.

Elvis’ fingers dig into your skin, his hand large enough to grasp your entire breast. As he leans over you, your hands slide down his torso feeling all of the muscles on his stomach and the hair on his chest. Meanwhile, B.B.’s fingers, coated with your juices, push in and out of you and build on the pressure in your stomach. He slides his fingers out and drops to his knees, leaning forward to nip at the inside of your thigh. You gasp as he releases the skin and kisses dangerously close to your pussy. Elvis moves his mouth to take your nipple between his teeth, tugging on it. You wriggle underneath them both, needing more. You glance down at B.B. through Elvis’ arm to see him gazing up at you as he swipes his tongue up your slit.

You shudder under the sensation, moaning through a lip bite and curling your nails into Elvis’ sides. B.B. does it again in sync with Elvis who wraps his lips around your nipple, sucking it and releasing it with a loud pop. You moan in response, your eyes fluttering closed again. Finally, B.B. gives in, clutching hard onto your thighs as his tongue swirls around your clit and darts into your folds. You buck your hips toward him and he sucks on your clit, moving to reinsert his fingers into you. You moan in pleasure at the sensations building on each other. Elvis is busy at work, massaging your breast and licking, biting, and sucking your nipple. You can feel it growing sore but you don’t want him to stop as the pressure builds throughout your entire body.

“Fuck you have nice tits, mama,” Elvis breathes, licking another stripe up your breast.

You giggle and gasp, a drunk smile plastered on your face. B.B.’s fingers pump in and out of you faster and faster and your moans respond to his actions. One of your hands flies down and tangles into his hair, yanking on it as his head bobs up and down on your slit. He intertwines his fingers in yours and squeezes hard for a moment before releasing you. Your hands immediately travel back up to Elvis' pants and you toy with the waistband, unbuttoning his pants and undoing the zipper to slide your fingers across his hard member inside his underwear. You drag a finger up his length and hear Elvis hum on your nipple. You groan in disappointment as B.B. pulls away and Elvis releases your nipple.

Elvis smirks down at you, and you watch him above you as he drops his pants to the ground. You feel B.B. grab ahold of your wrists and look down at him. He pulls you to standing and you whimper at the feeling of your incredibly sensitive pussy lips touching, B.B.’s penetration leaving its mark. B.B. pulls you toward him, wrapping his arms around your waist and leaning down to kiss you harshly. You grasp onto his biceps, moaning at the way they flex under your fingers. You yelp and your eyes fly open when you feel Elvis behind you, running his hands down the front of your thighs. You can feel his dick pressing into your back, the warm skin telling you that he's gotten undressed already.

You pull back from B.B. with a smirk and glare up into his eyes mischievously. You turn him and push gently so that he’s backing up into the table. The backs of his thighs hit the corner and you roughly push him down onto it. He gets comfortable on top, his legs hanging off the side of the table. You lean over the table to allow Elvis access to your swollen pussy. Bent at the waist, you glance back at Elvis over your shoulder to see his eyes trained on your ass. His head is tilted and his eyes are clouded with lust. You bite your lip and arch your back to accentuate the shape of your ass for him. His hand ghosts over the skin and squeezes it hard as you hook your fingers into B.B.’s boxers and slide them down his legs.

"Damn girl, you're doin so good tonight," B.B. says, brushing some hair from your shoulder.

You glance up at him and you can only imagine how lust-filled you look. You can practically feel the desire dripping from your expression as you drag a finger up his hard length. He twitches and breathes deeply, his eyes caught in yours. You run a tongue over your teeth and gently lick the tip of his dick, the salty precum sticking to your tongue. B.B.'s stomach contracts and you smirk. He liked that, you remember.

Elvis’ hands are on your hips, massaging the skin as he gives himself a few pumps before thrusting into you. You take B.B.’s tip in your mouth and hum into it as Elvis slides his dick into your tight pussy.

“Holy shit, Y/N,” B.B. whispers, throwing his head back in pleasure.

Elvis pauses, giving you a minute to adjust but wastes no time when you buck your hips back into him. He places a hand on your back to keep you both stable as he begins to thrust in and out of your folds.

You take the tip of B.B.’s dick into your mouth again, glancing up at him as you moan through Elvis’ thrusts. B.B.'s head is leaned back as he groans with an open mouth. You start to bob your head up and down, falling into rhythm with Elvis' thrusts. You don’t have to do much work. With the force of Elvis’ body slamming against yours, he pushes B.B.’s dick further and further down your throat. Your cheeks hollow as you suck on B.B., curling your fingers around his length and pumping him with your hand as well. As Elvis moves in and out of you, your eyes shut tightly and your moans grow higher and higher, louder and louder.

“Goddamn, baby girl, look at you takin me so good,” Elvis mutters from behind you and you whimper. “Oh, shit, baby…fuck.”

Elvis rams hard into you and you release B.B.'s dick, a string of spit stretching out as you grip onto the table to keep yourself steady enough for Elvis to continue. Your fingers stay wrapped around B.B., pumping him the best you can as your legs start to shake.

You release a high-pitched moan and glance back at Elvis, whose face is red and screwed up in a mixture of pleasure and pain as he fucks you hard from behind. Your fingers slip from B.B.'s dick and he intertwines his fingers into yours instead, the wet precum and spit mixing on your palms. As Elvis slams mercilessly into you again, you bite onto the skin of your shoulder.

Elvis slides out of you, leaving you sore and needing more. As he steps away, you can feel your legs threatening to give out. B.B. frantically takes hold of your arm, gently helping you up to a standing position.

“I gotcha, love, I gotcha," he says.

You smile at him, thankful for his help.

“My turn,” B.B. says with a smirk and a wink.

He pinches your chin between his fingers as you heave breaths, your chin pointed outward towards him and your eyes glazed over with pleasure. B.B. glances down at your lips and then releases your face.

Elvis climbs onto the table and you stumble over toward him. He helps lift you onto the table and you straddle him, lowering yourself down onto your elbows beside his head. He reaches up to brush some matted hair from your cheeks and forehead.

“You good baby?” he asks as he tucks some hair behind your ear.

You nod, breathless, and he cups your cheek offering a handsome smile. You gently touch his cheek and then run a hand through his hair, the sweat on his forehead making your fingers sticker than they already are.

“How you feeling, sugar?” B.B. asks from behind and you laugh at the fact that Elvis just asked you the same question.

“Great, baby. Go when you’re ready,” you respond, taking a deep breath.

Elvis nods encouragingly at you and winks. You giggle and bite your lip before leaning down to press your lips to his. You kiss him sweetly.

You feel B.B.’s hands as they gloss over the skin of your ass, and you lean down to kiss Elvis again. Elvis’ hands rest near your ribcage, his thumbs gently stroking your skin. He runs his tongue over your bottom lip and you open your mouth for him, welcoming his tongue with pleasure. B.B. inserts what feels like two fingers into you, curling them inside your body. Apparently, he remembers you really like that.

"You're so fucking loose sugar," B.B. says. "That pretty pussy is begging for us both, isn't it?"

You moan against Elvis’ lips, thankful for more contact on your aching core. You can feel your body react immediately, your back arching and ass sticking higher into the air as it pleads with B.B. to continue. He removes his fingers and chuckles before you feel a painful slap on your ass. Your eyes flash wide and your body jerks forward against Elvis.

"Hey!" you joke, glancing over your shoulder at B.B. You bite your lip in pleasure and return to Elvis as B.B. smacks your ass again.

This time, you stay connected to Elvis' lips but giggle onto them with pleasure. B.B.’s long fingers grip the skin of your ass once more before he begins to push himself into you. You whimper, your lips slipping from Elvis’.  He takes the opportunity to angle his head so that he can suck on your nipple above him. You gasp as his teeth tug on the sensitive nerves. To return the favor, you reach down with one of your hands, dragging a finger along his length. Elvis sighs in contentment, smirking up at you. You return the expression and bring your fingers up to your tongue, spitting on the fingertips before returning to curl them around his dick.

He runs his palms through his hair, his biceps flexing as he heaves out a deep breath. He returns to your nipple, wrapping his fingers around the skin to massage it while he licks and sucks on it. You continue to pump him as B.B. slides in and out of you, slowly but deeply. You're almost sure that you’re taking all of his length with every thrust.

You can feel the sticky sweat of your body clinging to Elvis, the cold air freezing the wet skin in the pits of your elbows and knees. You rock your body back into B.B.. The air is filled with sounds of slapping skin, heavy breathing, pleasure-filled moaning, and the faint sound of music from upstairs. You glance over your shoulder at B.B. to see his eyebrows furrowed and lips hanging deliciously open in pleasure. He gazes across your back at you with dark eyes and smirks, leaning the top half of his body down to kiss you. You sloppily press your lips to his, just once, before he returns to drill into you again.

B.B. angles his dick a slightly different way to hit your g-spot and you yelp, your elbows starting to shake with your weight. He rams into you again and you can feel your body beginning to fail. You release Elvis' dick because you physically can't keep going anymore. His hands help to lower you all the way down onto him, your fingers digging into his chest as you rest your forehead between his pecks. He reaches one of his arms down to pump himself and his other hand curls around your shoulder, securing your body tightly against his. Your eyes squeeze closed and your forehead creases with the mixture of pain and pleasure. Your moans sound more like whines now as the pressure continues to build. You can feel the wave starting to crash. The sound of you, B.B. and Elvis all moaning in sync only contributes to the sensation.

You bite down hard onto Elvis’ skin as your back arches with pleasure. You release a long, loud moan as your hips buck up and down while you ride B.B. through your orgasm. Your teeth release Elvis’ skin and he grunts and strains. You can feel warm liquid on your stomach and realize that Elvis has finished himself off. The waves of pleasure overlap one another, shuddering through your body before slowing down and coming to a stop. B.B. pulls out of you with a groan and a release of breath.

You rest, motionless, on Elvis’ stomach with your eyes closed. You heave breaths, a goofy smile spreading across your face as you drink in the pleasure you just experienced. B.B. pulls up a chair near the table and falls into it, running a hand over his sweaty face. You open your eyes to glance over at him and he smiles. You return it, lifting your head to check on Elvis. He’s staring straight up at the ceiling, breathing heavily but looking fulfilled.

You break the silence by giggling, softly at first and then louder and louder until your shoulders are shaking with laughter. Elvis and B.B. join in with a few chuckles before you all grow silent to catch your breaths again. Gathering as much energy as you can, you gently lower yourself off of Elvis and onto the ground, your legs vibrating with the pressure.

“Ooh…” you say, wincing. "My legs feel like noodles."

“You alright doll?” B.B. asks, flying to his feet to help you. You laugh and nod.

“Never been better, although I could use a shower," you wave B.B. off but he remains standing near you. "And hey! How long have you two been planning this?"

The two men exchange a look before breaking out into breathless chuckles. You glance from Elvis to B.B., taking in how beautifully handsome they both are. You quirk an eyebrow, awaiting your deserved answer.

"Oh from the moment we realized you was the same girl," Elvis responds with a smirk. "Me and B.B. got to talkin and it didn't take long for us to realize we'd both slept with ya before."

"You talked about me behind my back?"

"All good things, love," B.B. replies, throwing his hands up defensively. "With the way you move, there ain't nothin bad to say about you. Besides, I think this worked out pretty well.

“Oh hell yeah. You a natural at this, baby girl,” Elvis adds with a smirk.

You shake your head and roll your eyes. Silence settles again as you glance at each other. You wonder what happens now. When neither of them says anything, you sigh and shrug.

“Well, come here and help me clean up, handsome. Then you can take me home,” you say, gesturing to yourself with your fingers. They glance at each other and back to you.

"Uh...which one of us?” Elvis asks.

You smirk.

“Both.”

─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────

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**If you notice any triggers or grammatical errors that I missed, please let me know! :)

taglist: @mrsjna @floralcyanide @austinbutler17 @slutforsomegoodlettuce @cb97slut @datsavageavenger @misspygmypie @yourfriendhenrywinter @queenslandlover-93 @kittenlittle24 @slutforblueeyes @theliterarybeldam @guns-n-queen @x-earthangel @adoreyouusugar @butler-trouble @kaycinema @mamaspresley @dontbesussis @littledanette @yagirlalexx @hangmanswhore @dark-as-love @adoreyouusugar @gemstone9 @austin-butlers-gf @dollfaceyourfear @dances-and-dolly-dresses @coldonexx @austin-butlers-gf @sagesolsticewrites @mommy-maia @atombombbibunny @lexlexl3x @solo-pitstop-vibes @hopefulinlove @lordandmistress @domaniquessidehoe @elvismylove-blog @amiets2 @itsametaphorbriansblog @shelbysbitchh

[ghostboyjules]

I posted 14,507 times in 2022

That's 4,532 more posts than 2021!

90 posts created (1%)

14,417 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@feraligatr

@lemememeringue

@cry-4-judas

@wantnothing

@hxh

I tagged 4,619 of my posts in 2022

#the sandman - 519 posts

#hxh - 305 posts

#dream of the endless - 234 posts

#dreamling - 215 posts

#my beloved mutuals ✨ - 144 posts

#hob gadling - 115 posts

#prev - 81 posts

#jjk - 80 posts

#killua - 53 posts

#gon - 48 posts

Longest Tag: 113 characters

#😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

tagged by the ever iconic @hxh, thank you bestie :3c

rules: tag people you would like to know/catch up with

Last song 🎵 : Nothing Else Matters (Metallica Cover) by Phoebe Bridgers (I, of course, love the original as well but this is just gorgeous)

Last movie 🎬 : Everything Everywhere All at Once (if you have mother issues™, do not watch this until you are mentally and emotionally prepared. I'm fucked up. and will be so until the foreseeable future.) [thanks @wantnothing and @halflove 🙄]

Last book 📖 : hmmm.. I'm of the opinion that manga definitely counts, so like. technically Vol 14 of jjk, if we're talking physical. or like, the neat lil booklet that comes with my tarot deck 😅

okiieee I'm gonna tag @wantnothing and @halflove, if they wanna do it. since they have helped emotionally damage me 💀

I'll also tag @watermelon-mafia, @caprisun-overlord, @rabooots, @croakings, @queen-alluka, and @queen-eevee (woah that's two royalty in my mutual circle, love to see it ajfjsjfn)

y'all have a good day, and ily 💙😘

9 notes - Posted August 10, 2022

#4

hi yes hello it's me again. so I'm working on my dream of the endless™~ playlist.. and I was looking through this BROODS album that I liked a lot and... just. just look at this.

uugghh Dream just being so overwhelmed after everything and going to Hob.. and Hob's just. Over the moon that Dream feels safe enough with him for comfort.. the bridge is especially destroying me cause like - of course Dream would beat himself up abt needing comfort in the first place and he can't stop thinking abt all that needs to be done and- AAHHH Hob just gently pulling him out of all that, if just for a moment...

I love fics with this premise and now I have a SONG to go with them???? I'm in shambles.

here's the song btw :

BROODS - Bedroom Door

10 notes - Posted November 10, 2022

#3

hey um. i am genuinely so unwell about this song & dreamling

See the full post

11 notes - Posted October 26, 2022

#2

beloved @hxh tagged me in this and I am not gonna lie this was kinda hard. mostly just because I'm v indecisive 🤦‍♂️ also this will absolutely say something abt me as a person, feel free to roast me abt it ajdjajfnf

10 characters, 10 fandoms, 10 tags

1. Megumi Fushiguro (jjk)

2. Cloud Strife (ffvii)

3. Kurapika (hxh)

4. Dream of the Endless (sandman)

5. Kaeya Alberich (genshin)

6. Ling Yao (fmab)

7. Thanatos (hades sg)

8. Shinobu Kocho (kny)

9. Allen Walker (dgm)

10. Mae Borowski (nitw)

okay okay stopping here before I change anything else 💀 I don't think I'm gonna tag a full 10 ppl, but we'll see sjdjfj

okay let's gooo @watermelon-mafia @croakings @caprisun-overlord @lemememeringue @eel-divinity @queen-alluka @queen-eevee @rabooots

almost but not quite 10, good enough for me 💀 ily my beloveds, hope everyone is having a pleasant time (if not I'm wrapping you in a blanket and giving you cookies okay gn)

14 notes - Posted October 13, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

It appears the last two (2)….times I’ve tried creating this post, tumblr thought I was too wordy, so I’m going to attempt to get in and get out before it eats itself again

this playlist (a Dream of the Endless™ character examination via my silly brain and sad ass music) took me entirely too long and I'm going to throw my laptop out of the window if I have to look at it any longer so pls pls take it and I hope that if you listen or even read the lyrics that you find something new, or hear something you like.

This absolutely would not have ever seen the light of tunglr.hell if not for the beautiful souls of the Sandman fandom, and a few of my new friends and mutuals. So special internet cookies and hugs to these inspirational, encouraging, and beyond talented individuals; @wordsinhaled , @weirdfishy , @wizardofgoodfortune , and @xx-vergil-xx - i love y'all dearly and I hope this is even HALF of what you would have expected, or a quarter of the amazing content y'all have bestowed upon my lil eyeballs. Now Onward! to words that personally injure me!

Florence + The Machine -Too Much Is Never Enough

And the crown, it weighs heavy

'Til it's banging on my eyelids

Retreating in covers and closing the curtains

One thing's for certain, oh

A year like this passes so strangely

Somewhere between sorrow and bliss

~I first encountered this song in it's source material FFXV, and there it destroyed me. Now, wearing my dumb lil blorbo glasses yet again, it is back with vengeance..goth royalty sad wet cat flavored (gross), vengeance. "too much is never enough" .... oh sweeties...

Oh, who decides from where up high?

I couldn't say "I need more time"

Oh, grant that I can stay the night

Or one more day inside this life

VIRA - God Complex

God, I could try

To be the one

To be the one

I'll tear down the sky

What do you want?

I'll do it all for life

My love, my alibi

Tonight, tonight

I'll try to do it for you

~pretty sure this is the angriest sounding song on this thing? but it is fitting.. and desperate.. and wanting and... painful. when she grits out 'try' and 'sky' the way she does.. god the emotion. this just brought to mind Dream and falling for someone hard enough to the point of destructive devotion...

I'm gonna be where you are

Doesn't matter how far

Because we are meant to be

I'm gonna be what you need

Darling, please worship me

Unless you prefer to plead

AJJ - Body Terror Song

~ I love seeing people explore the idea of Dream just...not vibing with being fully corporeal. At least not in the way he is while in the Waking.. what a mood, and especially after the fishbowl...whew.

It will betray you

Be used against you

Then it will fail on you, my dear

But before that, you'll be a doormat

For every vicious narcissist in the world

Oh, how they'll screw you all up and over

Then feed you silence for dessert

Philip Wesley - Lamentations of the Heart

[Instrumental~]

~I wanted to include a few instrumental tracks in here and this one felt apt because I used to fall asleep to this album all the time. Like it was one of the only ones I could fall asleep to with any certainty. The feeling and title for this one tho struck me with Dream specifically so I went with it. The rest of the album is so nice though, highly rec.

Iris Lune - Paper Mache

~ this song!! it sounds so so ethereal and her voice is GORGEOUS but the lyrics!! have mercy the lyrics! big ole owwie! "save me from myself" , "make me believe that I can change, make me believe that I'm not strange" hhhh (also if y'all couldn't tell, this will be dreamling flavored, I think I'll tag them too jic but. yes...)

Save me from myself

I've been in the dark too long

Paper mache love

Make me believe that I can change

Make me believe that I'm not strange

At all

Penny and Sparrow - A Kind of Hunger

tremble, recognize the distance

Go try and murder every preference

I’ll keep hangin' ‘round for reference

come care about me

come care about me

~this is... such a heavy song. hadn't heard it before starting this playlist but found it and immediately had to add it.. just. come care about me. changing, watching you with wonder. Dying is just a kind of hunger. that line specifically. -lays on the floor for 3hrs-

changing, watching you with wonder

you’re less and getting even younger

dying is just a kind of hunger

come care about Me

come care about Me

Carly Rae Jepsen - Gimme Love

~originally was gonna be a joke song to lighten the mood but haha! nope! I mean it is lighthearted but it still absolutely, in my mind, fits Morpheus. beautiful babygirl of the endless...smooch

Gimmie love (Oh)

It's the way we are together (Oh)

Wanna feel like this forever, forever (Oh)

It's the way we are together

And I never thought I'd ever say forever

Jon Bellion - Stupid Deep (Acoustic)

~this song fucks me up! 😀 for real though, I highly suggest watching the acoustic performance of this that he has on youtube cause the vibe is so.. intimate and dreamy and gorgeous.. and the lyrics.. jon bellion, sir.. smh.. the ending..

What if who I hoped to be was always me?

And the love I fought to feel was always free?

What if all the things I've done

Were just attempts at earning love? Yeah

'Cause the hole inside my heart is stupid deep, oh, stupid deep

See the full post

48 notes - Posted November 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[luuurien]

billy woods & Messiah Musik - Church

(Abstract Hip Hop, Boom Bap, East Coast Hip Hop)

Stepping away from expansive album concepts and looking inwards towards a narrative of heartbreak, politics and faith, billy woods' second album of 2022 explores a vulnerable side of him rarely seen in his expansive discography. It's a thrilling change for a rapper so often shrouded in such mystery.

☆☆☆☆½

Church is the most we've ever learned about billy woods on a single album of his, and that alone is something to get excited about. One of underground hip-hop's most elusive figures, everything about woods comes solely from his music, yet there's an emotionality and warmth to it all nonetheless: his explorations of Blackness and the African diaspora on this April's Aethiopes hid delicate personal moments in the densely packed writing of songs like Remorseless ("The chain say envy, but PTSD keep me countin', never spendin' / My accountant is a head full of bad memories and sad endings") and Asylum ("Downstairs I hear my mother breaking dishes, my father trippin' / It's been quite bad lately, high tension"), and 2019's Hiding Places found a similar balance as he reckoned with poverty and class systems through the cracked lens of Kenny Segal's production ("I'm the feelin' after you killed him and seen the safe empty / The weight lift like payday lendin' / Face twist at the memory," he rapped on the magnificent Speak Gently). In Church, he chooses to do something entirely unexpected from someone who has long been known for his lyrical mystique and thematic fogginess: write straight from his perspective. Though it takes on the same thematic complexity and rich imagery of his past projects, woods focuses here on a breakup which earns a larger role as the catalyst for contemplations on faith, family, and exploitative systems - all familiar themes for woods, but given a sharp personal bent through the lessons his own childhood religiosity taught him and how those memories persist in his world today. He's still a master of his craft, and the unorthodox viewpoints Church injects into his music prove vulnerability and warmth are as important to his work as any of its intellectual elements. Entirely produced by Messiah Musik, who's previously found himself in woods' orbit with his production for Armand Hammer, his murky boom-bap style provides woods' rapping more padding to bounce off of than the colder, emptier atmospheres Aethiopes used to put his storytelling at the forefront. While woods' rapping adds dimensionality and color to Church's world. Messiah's production is the album's beating heart, pushing him into sentimentality with Classical Music's gorgeous piano loop or sneaking in some discomfort with the warped, muted horns in the background of Fever Grass - it might feel underwhelming coming off the tail-end of Aethiopes' blend of dub and blues and 90's boom bap, but by no means are these beats poorly made, not in the slightest. woods also benefits from the smokiness Messiah's sampling style lends to Church, able to stay in his comfort zone of moody confessionals while never being face-to-face with you, Paraquat's dimly-lit halls following woods down roads of heartache ("Loved that girl, but knew we wouldn't work like Harden on the Rockets"), identity ("In DC they called me New York, I didn't correct it") and political allegory ("Whitey hit Hiroshima, then he doubled back / Black rain baptized, black skies / I'm always waiting on the thunderclap") that give greater insight into woods' internal workings without showing you how it all functions in one go. Church, despite its brief 37 minute runtime, unfolds strikingly slowly, patience and understanding rewarded with the same level of passion and gratification as any of his other projects. Hearing woods so stripped-back is an odd thing at first, but what it brings to the table is a level of radiance and expansion his emotional moments have never been treated to until now. There've always been undercurrents of trauma and mental hardship in his work, but it's always been put into the context of a broader idea: the dupes of capitalism, African identity, imperialism and revolution. Here, those ideas are slid underneath naked accounts of love and loss, Schism memorializing grief and artistic security as he flashes back to leaving a woman's sorrow out of his raps yet needing his music as a space of creative safety ("The shit I wrote, can't do it on a phone / ...The sadness in her eyes, I left it off the page") and Artichoke finding a similar kind of reminiscence as he drifts back into childhood ("It's certain things you can only learn from a fist fight / I used to use a toothbrush to keep my kicks white, it mattered that much") and then connects it to contemporary tensions between the long-standing harshness of hip-hop culture and its relation to LGBT communities, woods still aware of his music's inextricable connection to sociopolitical issues but emphasizing his personal intersections with them rather than the inverse. Detailed as ever, Church's fragmented framework of emotions and the real-world events that compound them helps to support what his previous album perfected, a companion piece for Aethiopes that explores what comes to the individual alongside widespread societal struggles. Desire and connection have never sounded so fundamentally to woods' music like it does here: even as he pricks the same veins as his previous projects, there's something infinitely more tender about hearing him remember where each chip bag was in the hospital vending machine or the innate discomfort of visiting his cousin's tumultuous home, opening up more directly than ever before and letting his emotions guide him in a way that's incredibly unguarded yet wholly confident. His skill as a rapper and storyteller will always hold his music high, Church an opportunity for him to try something new after a string of conceptually ambitious and technically marvelous projects. billy woods isn't trying anything too out of the ordinary, but he doesn't have to: the power of his words on top of rock-solid beats is more than enough to make every moment land with conviction and unending empathy.

[mmultiversal]

First draft of the Multiversal 10 years program, subjkect to change due to everchanging conditions of life. Save the dates, and help us spread the news; no media partners, no stars, no hype... 17/11 Thu 19h - AUSLAND HURE no mercy https://hure.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100031883486971 Ilia Gorovitz drums, electronics https://www.iliagorovitz.com/ https://iliagorovitz.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/iliagorovitzmusic M.P.C. Seht Z - Electronics, synths Damn J - Electronics, synths https://pataphors.bandcamp.com/album/m-p-c-beware-the Handmade Music Ann Antidote - Objects, Electronics Lun Ário - Objects, electronics https://youtu.be/hAHOk4KKslQ https://youtu.be/dhmlQgFKiSs Isabel & Vittoria action sonorè https://soundcloud.com/amand-leyvraz-projects https://soundcloud.com/brainpussyfication2bpf/beeatsz-v30333-live-at-labert-oppmote-festival-aug2017 10000V k angboly - noise https://reactionpowertrio.bandcamp.com/track/10000v Lucien Hawat piano https://soundcloud.com/lucien-hawat 18.11 Fri 19h - In den Räumen des SUBVERSIV e.V Laju x Williams Vincent Laju - Cello Ed WIlliams - Guitar https://soundcloud.com/vincent-laju/afrauxlaju Naked in the Zoo Teresa Riemann - Drums, Voice Ruben Tenenbaum - Violin, FX, Voice https://soundcloud.com/nakedinthezoo FLUT Christopher Kunz - Tenor Saxophone Isabel Rößler - Double bass https://www.christopherkunz.net/flut Nathan L. x Sad Ed drums, electronics, flutes https://nathanl.bandcamp.com/album/why-so-much-hate Python vs Cobra K - Drums T - Guitar https://pythonvscobra.bandcamp.com/album/python-vs-cobra-live-at-multiversal-100 https://brainpussyfication.bandcamp.com/album/bitte-nicht-f-ttern-ep Fezaya Firar https://soundcloud.com/fezayafirar 19.11 Sat 20h RauxxxauS Hops x Possidente Cate Hops - Turntables, electronics Paolo Possidente - Drums, electroniocs https://soundcloud.com/cate_hops https://soundcloud.com/paolo-possidente Jugendwerkhof berlin harsh noise unit https://lowlifehighvolume.bandcamp.com/ Ring Dog Duo Markus Krispel - Saxophone Marcello Busato - Drums https://busato-krispel-duo.bandcamp.com/album/objektmagnipulationen Royal Spaceporn no mercy https://www.instagram.com/trinekrogst/ Flerpsnes no http://listen.irenegellein.com/ Angboly x Morti x Stammberger Kevin Angboly - Drums Isabel Morti - Electronics Norbert Stammberger - Baritone Sax https://www.gnurecords.com/ https://reactionpowertrio.bandcamp.com/ Keller x Imm Beat Keller - Feedbacker guitar Thiebault Imm - Electric guitar https://beatkeller.com/en/news/ https://soundcloud.com/thiebault-imm 20.11 Sun 19h ANAGRAM SPACE Cum Filled Coke Boyz Irene & Trine no success in googling an appropriate link Salgar x Eraslan Merve Salgar - tanbur Anil Eraslan - cello https://soundcloud.com/anilthecellist/ikidebir Aaakzt solo for voice, electronics https://youtu.be/PKzaoGdbtCY https://aaakzt.bandcamp.com/album/here TBA 21.11 Mon 20h Koma F Pleasure Force Dr. Nexus - Voice, FX Kriss Kuldepp - E. Bass, FX, Objects https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075760912127 https://drnexus.bandcamp.com/ https://kris-kuldkepp.bandcamp.com/ BRÅK Wolfie - Guitar, Vocals Sofia - Guitar, Vocals Marta - Bass, Vocals Carolina - Drums https://br4k.bandcamp.com/album/dopamine Izquierda x Craig Lorena Izquierda - Voice, Body Daniel Craig - Electronics https://archive.org/details/lorena-izquierdo-daniel-craig-live-dienstbar-2022 Amand Leyvraz solo for electronics https://soundcloud.com/amand-leyvraz-projects Harald Fetveit solo for electronics https://soundcloud.com/user-438589218 BNSU Self Toxication - Voice, Noise BEEATSZ - Drums, Electronics https://bnsu.bandcamp.com/ 22.11 Tue 20h VILLA KURIOSUM Project VO Rieko Okuda - Violin, Objects Antti Virtaranta - Double Bass https://project-vo.tumblr.com/ Pitch Shifting Grgur Savic -  reeds, electronics, objects Daniel Craig - real to real, laptop Sanja Star - visuals http://grgursavic.com/pitch-shifting/ Kris Limbach electronics, visuals https://krislimbach.com/ Xorgett Julian Fernandez - electronics https://soundcloud.com/user-79123897 Au Revoir Ears Isabel Rößler - Double Bass TBC https://youtu.be/mSbKBbef2gc Fetveit x Seki Harald Fetveit - Electronics Kazehito Seki - Voice, Electronics https://soundcloud.com/user-438589218 https://kazehitoseki.com/ 23.11 Wed 20h KIRCHE VON UNTEN Adam Goodwin amplified double bass solo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9xgnEzqn_w&t=121s Bilwa William Bilwa Costa - electronics https://soundcloud.com/bilwa Cock & Roach knifeloop - electronics stØrfan sender - electronics https://archive.org/details/cocknroach-stubnitz Shake The Train Lucas H - Trumpet, Voice, Action Damn J - Electronics Teresa Riemann - Drums, Voice Phallucipher https://phallucipher.bandcamp.com/ Secrétariat Maxime Hänsenberger : Drums/Objects Shuyue MiaoZhao: Cl/Basscl/mics Emre Sarigöl: Modular Synth/Bass Tokar Krzysztof Tokarczyk: Sax ts/sopran/rec/mic https://thesecretariatband.bandcamp.com/album/sect-rariat Bomi x Fetveit x Leyviraz trio ultranoise 24.11 thu 18h - Villa Kuriosum Garden / Circus Charivari Tent Dora Bleu https://soundcloud.com/dora-bleu Ido Bukelman http://www.idobukelmanmusic.com/ Obligado x Salvatore Gustavo Obligado - sax, electronics Emiliano Salvatore, Guitar, fx, objects https://soundcloud.com/emiliano-salvatore-378327720/salvatore-obligado-untergrun-festival Notorische Ruhestoerung x Lun Ário drums, electronics https://soundcloud.com/lun_ario/2022-09-20-yyurirui-02-multiversal TBA 25.11 Fri 20h - TRxxxTR Cuntroaches Martian - Voice, Guitar Davin - Bass Claire - Drums https://cuntroaches.bandcamp.com/ ThreadedDreams chill https://soundcloud.com/romain-bertheau-620265082/nextxntxrx Zad Kokar on tour https://youtu.be/SHllqb4E-tM Säkkikangas + VJ JV noise, analog feedback visuals nolink sitbQ bomi - electronics https://soundcloud.com/sitbq 26.11 Sat 20h - SUPAMOLLY Izquierdo x Schneider x Salvatore Lorena Izquierdo Aparicio - voice Marie-Louise Schneider - violin, voice Emiliano Salvatore - guitar https://youtu.be/Cudl9EJhL-Y KIME Sofia Borges – percussion Fyodor Stepanov – bass & electronics Andreas Voccia – electronics https://sofiaborges.com/kime-2/ Pitsiakos x Lienhard x Fakuč Chris Pitsakos - Reeds Pablo Lienhard - Reeds Marek Fakuč - Drums http://chrispitsiokos.com/ https://pablolienhard.com/ f https://www.discogs.com/artist/2986617-Marek-Faku%C4%8D KALATA Dirar Kalash - Electronics Joke Lanz - Voice Utku Tavil - Drums https://brainpussyfication.bandcamp.com/album/hot-glue .PK. selektorin https://soundcloud.com/ipekodabasi?_pxhc=1611939600257

[lyraleinoutofjail]

THE PRAYER WORKED I AM FEELING INCREDIBLE well except that my regular bank card is acting up but that a problem for tomorrow

Concert report below the cut

Queuing was probably the worst part, would have been better if the vip/golden circle line and the regular peasont one had been separated from the start. Also the amount of children with names written across their foreheads?? Like what?

Went to get me some drinks, was a weird gated off area with literal security inside the pit. They stopped me to check if I had bought alcohol, I had not. But the concept is nice, keeps people from buying alc for underage kiddies, which there were a lot of. I always forget the age differences between the European and finnish audiences.

Still gooped and gagged from the first support band being literal teenagers. Neither of the openers were my cup of tea which is fine, although I'm a bit sad that neither of the tour openers were playing (both rock and from hell and ghostkid did such a good job during the club tour)

The stage production was miles better than during the ice hall gig and so was the setlist, the show was long enough to justify the ticket price AND more importantly it wasn't a glorified copy of the tour setlist.

Knew half of the guest artists lol

During their B.Y.O.B cover they brought on Samy elbanna (picture below for your viewing pleasure), so obviously I am scrambling to inform my friends who couldn't come, taking what is probably the worst video known to man. I really turned him into a cryptid but it was so nice to see him, he's stunning.

That said before that they had played piano covers of sharks love blood, feel nothing and the intro to die another day, so I was bawling my eyes out just to go "OH SAMY!" and I do mean bawling, snot and tears, both feel nothing and die another day hit a sore spot on a good day already but them adding the piano on top was too much.

Furry song.

Now I went to the club tour 3 times, all 3 times they finished with dark side after wich backstreet boys everybody comes on, so I was already packing my things JUST FOR THEM TO DO A FAKEOUT AND PLAY A COVER OF THEIR OUTRO SONG??? AND IT WAS SO GOOD????

They did such a good job at making the arena concert unique this time around, which if I have to be honest is what saved this trip for me. I had been a bit down and was actually dreading the concert due to my experience in 2022 with the ice hall gig but all went well.

I'd still rank Fall out boys tour higher but it's hard to beat the spectacle that was so much for tourdust. That shit was insane, had me bawling on numerous occasions.

Samy (such a lovely person, never managed to talk properly to him, always get flustered):

[existentialmagazine]

Review: Plastic Harpoons new glowy single ‘Better Than Dying’ delivers warm and groovy alternative-rock, weighted in a narrative of disappointment

After meeting in Santa Barbara while performing in the local music scene, the four-piece Plastic Harpoons came to life. With shared influences in acts like Rolling Stones, Queens, Mt. Joy and more, the alternative-rock group deliver work that carries through stylings of the past with a modernisation you cannot help but love. Now since sharing singles from 2022 onwards, they’ve built up a well-loved discography of music that proves why they’re sure to go far.

Bouncing into 2024 with something refreshing and bold, the group now share ‘Better Than Dying’, a groovy alternative-rock anthem made for the days where you’re feeling gloomy even under the summer sunshine’s rays. From a dazzling introduction that slowly leads you in with vibrant little pops of cascading piano, it’s hard not to feel better under the comforting arms of Plastic Harpoons. Funky bass twangs and bright electric guitar riff also weave through the introductory little taster of sound, a slow and mellow harbouring of tranquility made for you to sit back, relax and listen along to outside of life’s fast-paced expectations.

Settling into just steady beats, short bursts of guitar strums and lulling bass, the verse finds its way into your eardrums like it’s always been there. Little segments of bright keys, backing effects and instrumental moments set up the more atmospheric edge of the song too, carefully crafting your experience down to the smallest of details. The warm vocals are what truly mesmerise though, a rich performance that carries through a soft raspy twang you can’t help but want to sing along with. With charisma and emotion melted into one, you’re left lingering on every single line with an extra little bit of thought that’s only made possible by their vocalist’s stand-out tone.

The chorus is just as serene and slow-paced as ever, maintaining the track’s staple drowsiness, almost mirroring the more defeated lyrical admissions beneath. It does however pick up lightly, pushed along by concurrent repetitions of plucked guitar strings, matched by continued tumbling drums and some newfound dreamy backing vocals that add a haunting echo to every single line. The profoundly central lyrics are even harder to ignore here too, singing ‘the sun’s in the sky, so why am I crying?’ Finding that sometimes your emotions contrast with how you think you should feel, Plastic Harpoons narrative rings out at the most unavoidable yet, asking the questions that we all often feel - but can sometimes feel guilty for too. Continuing ‘didn’t get what I want, I got what I need. Still better than dying’ and looking for the positives in a deflating experience, there’s a ray of light in an otherwise dark moment, even when they got what they wanted and still found it just didn’t deliver what they really expected.

With an electric guitar solo filling the bridge, along with a stripped-back little intermission for the gorgeous vocals to soar, you’ll find that ‘Better Than Dying’ is that perfect pick-me-up tune for all your sad cry-it-out moments and feel-good playlist needs, somehow finding its way between the two. Keep listening here to really understand the power their sound holds, you won’t be able to find anything else like this.

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Tynan Daniels

// This coverage was supported and created via Musosoup, #SustainableCurator.

[patricksmusicblog]

2023 Album Reviews/Thoughts

Some summeries, reviews and thoughts I had about albums released last year.

Owl City- Coco Moon: The production is solid in sound/production. The vocal performances are okay. The lyrics are mediocre though as are the overall songs. May work with a more youthful audience though. 6/10

Princess Nokia- I Love You But This is Goodbye: This is a good little EP about the ends and outs, ups and downs of heartbreak. As per usual it's elastic and expansive. Though there are moments I find Princess Nokia's vocals to be weak. There are moments when her passion and authentication cut through. 7/10

Aly & AJ- With Love From: A nice summery indie-pop/rock album. A lot of tracks to play loud on an open road with top down in somewhat breezy sun burnt weather. Nice harmonies and hooks abound. The slower hooks drag things down to an extent. This is also not an album I imagine I'll go back to much but for what it's attempting to achieve I think it accomplishes that. 7.0/10

Weezer-SZNZ: Winter: Solid effort from Weezer some catchy alt-rock tunes, nerdy songwriting Coumo's nasaly vocals all things Weezer is great at and known for is here. Not essential but good. 7/10

Conway The Machine & Jae Skeese- Pain Provided Profit: A tight and concise project that's a commonly gritty Griselda affair, grimmy and yet soulful and contemplative beats matching Conway and Skeese's ability to be braggadocious and heartfelt at the same time. A solid EP 8.0/10

Logic- College Park: This is Maryland MC Logic's eighth studio LP and this is a quality follow-up to his album Vinyl Days released last year last year was Boom Bap Logic this year is Jazz rap Logic. It's a really really good album, there's a lot of soul-baring about substance abuse and avoiding those pitfalls and ideas of getting more true to who he really was. There's an 8.5-9.0 album in here somewhere but it's watered down by lesser tracks there are seventeen songs here which is just too many but ultimately it's still a solid effort and something long-time Logic fans can get into. 7.5/10

Statik Slektah-Round Trip: The latest LP from Statik Slektah is a dope effort, that has a piano-driven and somewhat jazz-rap sound that features a mixture of 90's legends and younger artists some of which are legends at this point now as well. It's a 20-track project and the first half is where the strongest tracks lie. All are great but the best include "Unpredictable" feat Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and Method Man, "Ain't Too Much Too It" ft Conway, Life & Times ft Joey Bada$$ and "Lion Heart" with Elzhi and Boldy James. The rest is slowed down by lesser guests and beats lacking quality. All in all a good effort particularly for those who love the current crop of underground MCs that have been making noise from 2018 to the present day. 7.5/10

Paramore- This is Why: Paramore is ever-growing, their last LP was a foray into synth-pop and this one is more of a post-punk album. This album is sharp musically a lot of catchy guitar riffs and layers of sounds underneath the mix. Hayley is vocally great she's shifting velocities and tonalities greatly. Lyrically the album is as content rich as any Paramore album. Trying to be considerate of others, and dealing with how sad the news is among other things. It's a tight album, 10 great tracks 8.0/10

7XVETHEGENIUS-The Genius Tape: 7xvethegenius is a solid rapper this project feels like a lyrical exercise for her coming from the Drumwork camp. "Brainstorm" ft Conway the Machine is a highlight, as is the storytelling on "Lost on Mars" and then there's the Rome Streets and Che Noir's "Neck Protected". 7.5/10

Conway The Machine-Won't He Do It: Conway follows up with 2022 essential God Doesn't Make Mistakes with Won't He Do It, an album that's much more versatile production-wise, and features different sounds from the lush "The Chosen" to the piano-laden "Monogram" or the R&B influenced Water to Wine" you actually know what to expect track to track than any Conway The Machine album to this point and I really enjoy that. This album while not having quite the depth and soul searching of the previous album, is more celebratory and features an array of flows and skill sets. He sounds comfortable and effortless on this project. Great work 8.5/10

Killer Mike-Michael: Michael is Killer Mike's sixth LP and really his most personal and forthright album to this point. Backed by a great production that features some gospel/soul influence that feels classically Atlanta. The album tackles issues he dealt with as a youth, from naively poising the community ("Something for The Junikes") to adolescent love mishandled ("Slummer") to the impact of losing his mother and grandma. This album gives you a sense of the good and bad that shaped Killer Mike. I also love the EL-P-assisted "Don't Let the Devil" for a more southern-fried RTJ feel. I appreciate "Two Days" where Mike touches on the prison industrial system and the politics that keep it going. At every turn, Mike is sharp, heartfelt, and thoughtful. The features on the album all come through with good performances from Atlanta pioneers like Ceelo and Andre 3000 to current-day essentials like Young Thug and Future. Michael's an excellent album and a refreshing solo effort aside from the work with EL-P. 9/10

Nas & Hitboy- Magic 2: Nas and Hit-boy continue their run with their fifth album in 3 years and 2nd edition in the Magic series. While the 2021 Magic felt like an exercise in traditionalism, finding Nas rhyming over an updated 90s sound with rhyming up to par with his prime. Magic 2 finds himself more aligned with modern times tracks like "Motion" and "Earvin Magic Johnson" sound more car and club-ready than anything on the original Magic and tracks like "Abracadabra" are more thematically aligned than most of what's on the original Magic. The more thoughtful and introspective tracks tucked in the back of the album are the strongest, "What it Really Means", "Slow it Down" and "Pistols on Your Album Cover" are all great pieces of work. Par for the course at this point. 8.5/10

Meet me @ the Alter- Past//Present//Future: Meet me @ the Alter is a pop-punk band that has been working toward this moment for a while through a series of EPs and singles that showed a band bustling with pop-punk energy and hooks that only come from a strong appreciation for the pop-punk we came upon. Past//Present//Future is the baby of all that hard work. I love the catchy and snarky "Say it to My Face" I also enjoy the chunky distorted guitars on "Try" a song that speaks to pushing through anxiety and going for things anyway. "T.M.I" is my absolute favorite on the project though, I think it's one of the best vocal performances from Edith Victoria, best chorus and overall well-written tunes here. The bass and big chorus on King of Everything make for a really good close to the album. It's a really good/fun project for the band that leaves plenty of room for improvement and expansion musically and lyrically. 7.5/10

Protomartyr-Formal Growth in the Desert: This is the sixth project from Detroit's post-punk band Protomartyr. As customary for a Protomatyr album, you'll get sprawling guitars as well as walls of atmospheric sound. You're gonna get lead vocalist and lyricist Joe Casey's impassioned vocal performances and his great lyrics. "Fun in Hi Skool" is a great song seemingly about the inability to let go of the past to the point where it ruins your present and future. "Let's Tip The Creator" is my favorite on the project, I think it has some of the best guitar playing and drumming. Protomartyr has always been adept at shifting tones and progressing as tracks progress and with Joe Casey's lyrics being thoughtful yet abstract it invites more and more listens. 8.0/10

Dream Wife-Social Lubrication: Dream Wife's third full-length album is much like their previous efforts a place where youthful exuberance meets thoughtful contemplations and some righteous rebellion. There's "Who do you want to be?" A call to mobilization instead of stagnation. The title track speaks to being buttered up and being made to get comfortable with getting screwed over. "Leech" speaks to men, companies people etc who exploit and use women for what they provide. All great tracks. You still get simple tracks punk tracks like "I Want You" or "Orbit" a song about an attraction that almost feels meant to be. Sonically the band switches between straightforward punk to more of a post-punk sound that definitely more beneficial when they're to get a message across. It's their 3rd straight great album in my opinion. 8.0/10

Noname-Sundial: Sundail is the third full album by Chicago rapper Noname. Noname is a rapper who has always been adept at rhyming conscious, poetic but abstract at the same time. She's an artist who wears her culture on her sleeve and cares deeply about the state of it. She's also someone who over time has just gotten better and better at rapping. She's always had a nimble and fluid flow, but this is her least quiet album yet, she's come through with more stronger presence on the mic and more charisma to it. Topically "Hold Me Down" speaks to black people only holding each other down when it's convenient particularly monetarily. "Balloons" on why there was a musical hiatus for Noname in the first place which is the exploitative nature of selling black trauma to voyeuristic white people who are entertained by black trauma. "Beauty Supply" tackles the self-loathing that inherently comes with adapting Eurocentric beauty standards. There's not a turn on this album where Noname has nothing to say. There's very little wasted space on the album. Yet there are lighthearted and fun moments here as well like "Boomboom" or "Toxic". It's a great album that seems sure to reward with more listens. 8.5/10

Nas & Hitboy- Magic 3: Nas completes their amazing run with their third installment in the Magic series Magic 3. To the surprise of no one, It's another great project that features great production and rhymes from Hitboy and Nas. From the production standpoint, Hit-Boy dives more into a soul sample style here a lot of soulful beats and vocals floating in the background of these tracks. Meanwhile, Nas just showcases his skillset, rapping well is a prerequisite for him at this point so it's really about the direction and how the tracks meld together at this point. "I Love This Feeling" track 4 on the project is the first song that I think is steller on the project it has a great soulful almost jazzy sound to it, and Nas is just sharp and speaking to loving the place he's in in life. "Based on True Events pt1" and "pt 2" find Nas getting into his storytelling bag both efforts are vivid. The first one is seemingly a little more personal speaking to doing some personal investigating on a friend's murder and honoring Havoc of Mobb Deep's brother who was murdered. "Pt 2" echo's a song like "Nigga's Bleed' from the late great Notorious B.I.G. "Blue Bently" and "Jodeci Member"are both bangers on the album tracks you could ride in the car too. The album tetters between celebratory and contemplative and Nas is great at both. The lone feature on the project is Lil Wayne who shows out on his verse his flow is fluid and he really rises to the occasion. It's another great effort from Nas & Hitboy and in the end, I think this is an excellent send-off to their run. 8.5/10

Drake- For All The Dogs: Another blockbuster Drake event and similar to the last 3 it's a bloated affair that attempts to please multiple audiences and run up the streaming numbers by any means necessary. The album is 23 tracks long with a runtime of over 84 minutes which from a modern perspective is a long project, one that Drake isn't capable of carrying to greatness. The album thematically leans more R&B and specifically speaks to Drake and his dealing with women. How they do him dirty and how he returns the favor. The best of the R&B include "Slime Me Out" ft SZA which features some of the best vocal work from Drake. "Virginia Beach" sets the tone well and with a nice Trap & B feel. However, most of my favorites on the album are the rap cuts. J.Cole has arguably the best verse on the project with "First Person Shooter". "8 Am in Charlette" finds Drake doing what he does best basically giving you an exact snapshot of where he is in his life, his mindset his mentality, and where he thinks he fits within the game. I enjoy the levity found on "Another Late Night" ft Lil Yachty. However the absolute best track on the album is "Away From Home" a track detailing everything went through to get to the point where he's at, all the rejections and no's he had to endure to get to where he's at in the game. All in all, I think For All The Dogs is a solid effort it's too long and a bit meandering at times. I think some of the R&B is a bit generic at times but I think the highlights make it worthwhile to listen through once to pick out the tracks you like and make a playlist out of those you enjoy. 7.0/10

Earl Sweatshirt & Alchemist-Voir: Earl's interesting because he's a really good/great rapper who's grown from more of a wordy abstract rapper who would impress with dense dexterous rhyme patterns. He's still that way but much more direct, maybe more monotone and monotonous than he ever used to be. You can't care about charisma, or wide-ranging vocal dynamics if you're going to be into Earl Sweatshirt. It can often feel as though Earls just rambling over these beats. However, he's still nice and stern on these soulful and beautiful beats from Alchemist. Earl has a way of still being heartfelt and vulnerable there's a weariness and soul-searching nature to him on these tracks. I love the bright synths on "Heat Check" and the soul samples that come in on that track. The guitar-laden "27 Braids" is a highlight of the project. "Mac Deuce" is my favorite on the project though Alchemist's fluttering swirling beat sounds great under Earl's vocal. There are two tracks with Vince Staples on the project but neither disappoints with "The Celiphant" being the best of the two. 7.5/10

Westside Gunn-And Then You Pray For Me: And Then You Pray For Me is essentially a sequel to Westside Gunn's most acclaimed effort and Pray for Paris a nearly perfect representation of East Coast underground hip-hop circa 2020. And Then You Pray For Me, finds Westside staying close to roots while also itching to expand his sound outward. Much like Westside's taste for traditional East Coast boom bap and blending that with elegance and opulence, he has a taste for classic trap music, done in the mid-00s by artists like Jeezy, T.I., and Ross. "Kostas' is Griselda trap featuring the big three in Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine, and Westside Gunn himself and they sound right at home on the beat the track is meant to play in your ride at high volume. The album goes back right into some menacing hard East Coast sounds with "Suicide in Selfridges" the "Eurostep" of this project. "Kitchen Lights" ft Stove God is in my opinion probably the best track on the project it has the best production, love the lush strings on here as Westside paints the picture of his background as Stove romantizes cooking up the work under kitchen lights. There's something about Stove's serious yet somehow unhinged tone when singing that makes this track. "Disgusting" is dark and menacing and speaks to Westside's ethos "Yeah a ngga from the hood but a ngga bougie though". It's another banger on the album with trap percussion that sounds like it'll sound nice in your ride. Then he turns back to that standard gritty sound with "Babylon Bis" ft Stove God Cooks, They're both strong on here but Stove just shows why his album is so anticipated in the underground. On this album, I think Westside finds a way to bring a trap sound in and still blend it into Griselda's world. It's 21 tracks long though which means there more variance in quality here than your average Westside project. Still, I think it's a strong project. 8.0/10

City Girls-RAW: City Girls are back with their 4th project in RAW. This isn't as good as their 2020 album City on Lock. That album had more energy from track to track, still "No Bars" is among the best on the project which features some of the best of the project. I wish JT would just go solo, she can rap and I'm more curious and what she has to say lyrically. "Fancy Ass B*tch" is another highlight of the project it has some of the best production on here. "Flashy" is a solid pop-rap tune. Outside of that, almost everything is formulaic and a couple tracks are awful due to blatant sampling and straight-beat jacking. The City Girls have something but it just doesn't feel like they're progressing musically and it doesn't even feel like they're on the same page at times. 6.5/10

Reason- Porches: Reason is a good artist, I really enjoyed his 2018 album There You Have It, Then he dropped New Beginnings, and that one actually escaped me. Reason's new album speaks to coming from the ghetto and the good and bad that comes from that. It's a great album that finds Reason telling stories of homies that are good and have a lot to lose getting off track due to the street element on "A Broken Winter Break". He touches on generational curses as well as the same friend who was watching the older brother repeat some of his same actions later on on "Bussin". Love the flow pattern on "Too Much" as he gets introspective about how he came from the bottom but how still deals with issues even though he's seen "success". He's basically saying I'm not a superhero I go through issues too. On the fun side "At it Again' is my favorite song with some bounce on it, a great track to ride too. On "Gang sh*t" Reason touches on how people feel as though you switch up when you made it but when the really only thing that has changed is them. The album could've been a lot sharper at 12 or 13 songs but at 17 it feels like it drags a bit but that's how things go with hip-hop albums these days. Still, this was a great project from Reason. 8/10.

Lil Wayne & 2Chainz-Welcome 2 Collegrove: Lil Wayne & 2Chainz's first collaborative effort Collegrove while solid didn't really grab my attention when released, Wayne's career was somewhat in a lull and I wasn't the biggest 2Chainz fan. On Welcome 2 Collegrove things are much different Lil Wayne feels like he's getting into a 2nd prime and 2Chainz is a really quality MC at this point. This album also feels more highly produced and organized with varying sounds. "Big Diamonds ft 21 Savage has that classic cash money/New Orleans sound produced by none other than the great Mannie Fresh. It felt good to hear Wayne go back to his roots on that sound. There's the bounce and whistling sound of "Presha" on which Wayne showcases his great flow. "P.P.A" has a great jazzy sound, and has a lush sound as 2Chainz, Wayne, and, Fabulous wax poetic about women's genitalia. Wayne once again has the best verse on this one. "Oprah & Gayle" ft Benny The Butcher is sharp again the production is strong, everyone is great but Wayne dominates this one again. "Shame" is fun because they take on a Wu-Tang-influenced track produced by Havoc where they reference to being like Rae & Ghost. The Havoc-produced "Bars" is excellent as well. "Can't Believe You" has a beautiful opulent sound where Wayne is the MVP as well. Wayne is the MVP of the album. He's competitive, his flow is nimble, and his wit is on point. The sequencing is on point as well. Great album. 8/10

Kamaiyah- Another Good Night: A Good Night in the Ghetto(2016) is truly the principal project for Kamaiyah and one where she showcased her penchant for hooks, melody, and, an around-the-way arura on 90's flavored West Coast production(highly recommended). While this tape is similar in aesthetic. The quality of the tape is about 2 or 3 notches below what that project was. The best track was the first track "Raining Game in California" It has a catchy hook and Jay Worthy is strong. "Take a Sip" repurposes "Out The Bottle" and is a track worthy of being on the album. After that there are really a lot of middling Kamaiyah tracks with a lot of them being no longer than 2 minutes long barely long enough to establish a vibe and leave. It's a fun lil project still but I found her EP Still Lit released late last year to be better not to mention 2020's Got it Made. 6.5/10

[independentartistbuzz]

The Americans Debut Strong New Release “Strays”

Acclaimed Los Angeles-based band The Americans today released their intricate new EP, Strays, pushing the boundaries of their genre.

Listen in here:

https://open.spotify.com/album/4sZSvcgQewVcw64tgHgxJj

Strays is an impressive demonstration of the band's ability to reinvent rock & roll through the prism of early folk and blues. Patrick Ferris (vocals/guitar), Zac Sokolow (guitar), and Jake Faulkner (bass) deliver an album that lands somewhere between Bruce Springsteen and Nathaniel Rateliff.

The Americans' last two releases, Stand True (2022) and I’ll Be Yours (2017), helped catapult the band into the spotlight. Revered producer T Bone Burnett called them "genius twenty-first century musicians that are reinventing American heritage music for this century. And it sounds even better this century." Acclaimed music journalist Greil Marcus (Pitchfork) writes, "From the first rolling guitar notes, carrying sadness and defiance like dust, this sweeps me up: I want to know everything about where that feeling came from, and where it's going."

The first single, "When You Get Back," is a heartbreak song about devotion and solitude in the face of unlikely odds. Vocalist Patrick Ferris weaves between a soulful whisper and all-out rocking choruses. He sings mournfully, "You left the life of virtue / To them that might deserve you / And drifted out to sea." It's an intimate, emotional opener that sets the tone for the rest of the EP.

"We write our songs inside-out," says Patrick. "We grab hold of something minuscule and primitive—a simple turn of phrase or an unusual beat—and try to build a song around it. It's inefficient, but when it works, it works."

"Land of the Free," the second track on Strays, is a powerful anthem about homelessness in Los Angeles. With a Tom Waits-crooner opening, featuring piano and upright bass, the song falls into a dreamscape of rolling rhythms and shimmering electric guitars. "O'er the land of the freeways," sings Patrick, "and the home of the strays."

Patrick's resonant vocals shine again on the hard-hitting second single "Kingdom." Layered with ripping guitar riffs from Zac and exquisite bass grooves from Jake, the song examines the power of one-way desire. Patrick snarls, "You hold the key to the kingdom / Wrapped 'round your wrist like a weapon."

The band's distinctive, powerful works have captured the attention of a number of stars. They've backed Nick Cave, Lucinda Williams, Ashley Monroe, and Devendra Banhart, and joined Ryan Bingham on four national tours. They worked closely with Jack White and T Bone Burnett, joining Nas, Elton John, and Alabama Shakes in the PBS/BBC primetime series American Epic. They have appeared on The Late Show (CBS), and their music was featured in the films Texas Killing Fields, A Country Called Home, Little Glory, and the TV series No Tomorrow.

Strays is an EP that's full of catchy hooks, soulful vocals, and innovative arrangements. The Americans have once again proved themselves to be one of the most exciting and talented bands in the roots music scene.

[lovejustforaday]

2022 Year End List - #14

Angel in Realtime - Gang of Youths

Main Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Chamber Pop

A decent sampling of: Adult-Alternative, Heartland Rock, Art Rock, Maori Music, The Big Sound

Next on my 2022 year end list is a band from the opposite side of the world, who I’m told (by the internet as per usual) have been making a lot of waves on their side of the globe, and even won the J Award for Australian Album of the Year.

Gang of Youths are an Australian rock band fronted by David Le'aupepe, a baritone vocalist with that smooth, down-to-earth kind of voice that makes him a perfect fit for heartland rock and the rock radio format in general.

Everything about this band’s sound is utterly feel-good, which will definitely put some sad-boy hipsters off of their sound. I however, as a sometimes sad-boy hipster myself, fucking love the band’s unabashedly life-affirming ethos, and I think it is something severely needed in these troubling times.

On their third LP Angel in Realtime, Gang of Youths revive new sincerity with a bombastic concept album about Pasifika heritage and identity, guardian angels, lost family ties, and most importantly, David’s father and the secrets that David learned about him after his death.

The record plays out like a cinematic vignette of a son coming to terms with his own origins and everything he thought he knew about his father’s life story, set to the soundtrack of chamber-rock ballads and arena rock anthems, with elements of Maori folk music and chanting inter-weaved throughout. It’s a fresh and compelling concept, and the band makes the subject matter very approachable with their style of music, regardless of how heavy the concept may look on paper.

Honestly, it’s pretty wild to think that this is a record that came out in 2022. This album would sit very comfortably in the established canon of acclaimed noughties anthemic indie rock, among big names like Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire. I can also imagine this record playing alongside the aforementioned artists at your local millennial craft beer bar. And I mean all of this as a compliment; I’m a sucker for that BIG, sentimental millennial rock sound.

“you in everything” is a tear-jerking opener that swells into a sublime dawn of chamber pop, as sincere as it is breath-taking in the same way that opening shots to nature documentaries about giant landforms are. “in the wake of your leave” is a song to shout drunkenly at the top of your lungs, with it’s killer chorus and bright melodic riffs, though it masks painfully bittersweet reflections on death and funerals.

My favourite cut is “tend the garden”, a track which sees David Le’aupepe directly taking on the perspective and headspace of his father, telling much of his life story through lyrics based on his son’s own interpretation. Musically, it’s particularly reminiscent of Broken Social Scene, with a very sonically rich and metropolitan sound, somehow both laidback yet meticulously crafted.

Then there’s “the kingdom is within you”, which blends 2-step dance beats with bold piano lines, alternative rock, and layered, encompassing production, all to create a track that is both enormous and stratospheric.

Things wind down with “brothers”, an introspective six minute piano ballad that largely gives context to the album’s subject matter, as David Le’aupepe explains how he came to learn about his half-brothers after his father’s death. Its the emotional linchpin of the album and, though its composition is quite simple and repetitious for its length, ends up working quite effectively and became a track I wanted to revisit often. This is all thanks to David’s performance, which he absolutely nails with his wistful but frank lyrics and soothing voice that was tailor-made for this kind of balladry.

All that being said, the record is a bit long for its own good in my opinion. The massive arena rock sound can start to wear down on some of the b-side tracks. But then part of me also understands that this is meant to be an album of epic proportions, and the band probably wanted a length to match that.

In one way, it feels more like a concert experience than an album experience, and to some people that’s a definite plus. I can definitely imagine that Gang of Youths absolutely tears it up at a live concert.

Either way, I’m very happy for the success of this band and this record. Angel in Realtime is one of the most uplifting artistic expressions of the year, and it has an profound and touching story to boot. I’m glad that there are artists like Gang of Youths that are still able to find good in the bad, and capture some of the joyous beauty that exists in this world; a very large amount of indie rock these days is about depressive reflections on an idyllic past. So here’s to more albums like this in 2023.

8/10

Highlights: “tend the garden”, “brothers”, “you in everything”, “the kingdom is within you”, “in the wake of your leave”

[skrrtscree]

Viva Las Vengeance is out so I decided to waste 43 minutes of my life and here's my thoughts.

Note: any song after Local God is my first time listening to it, so all these reactions were written as the song was playing.

Also I'm using the tumblr app so idk how to cut text sorry.

Viva Las Vengeance:

This song has already been shat on to death for good reason

The verse and the chorus don't fit at all with each other

And the slow part near the end is not it😬

Middle of A Breakup:

Just saying this now the lyrics on these songs are VERY on the nose AND unoriginal

'Keep your disco, give me T-Rex' tf is that suppose to mean???

It's meh. Not as painful as the first one for sure.

Don't Let the Light Go Out:

Said it before and I'll say it again: Ed Sheeran knock-off.

Shows that Brendon doesn't need uplifting beats and screehing to make a good song

Well 'good' is subjective but this is one fo the better ones.

Local God:

This song should be in JAIL.

I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT IHATE IT-

Doesn't flow together AT ALL

It's 2022 Brendon why did you make an ENTIRE 3 MINUTE SONG about a guy you haven't talked to in YEARS???

Star Spangled Banger:

the title is a obvious lie, this shit ain't banging at ALL

Why is brendon sing-talking some parts in the verse?? Could he not fit all the lyrics in??

Good to know that the verse and the chorus not fitting together is gonna be a running theme throughout this album

God Killed Rock and Roll:

I swear the beginning of with the piano this sounds like a cheap knockoff of bohemian rhapsody

The musical flow of this song SUCKS so much its kinda funny. It starts with piano with an accompany of a chorus which is the only decent part of the entire song, then the pre-chorus has a quicker beat and the switch feels so abrupt.

I don't like that it sounds like brendon is trying to chase the lyrics in the chorus

Say it Louder:

Ngl the beat actually sounds good???

'For the people in the back(back,back,back) bros trying to create his own echo💀

None of it sounds out of place so far.. his voice does kind of sound a bit werid though its kind of expected of him at this point

OK nvm, it got slow again around the middle

Sugar Soaker:

The come on come ons do not fit the beat of the chorus. They fit the verses just fine though.

He's definitely making the choruses sound 'fulfilling' when it's just the verse but upped an octave. It just comes off as lifeless..

Wtf were those come ons at the end, its like hes creating dramatic tension through audio

Something About Maggie:

HELP NOT THAT HIGH NOTE FOLLOWED BY ALL THE LOW ONES, yeah that made me actually laugh

'Let him GOOO🤩' 'people say people say run away run away😈'

Sorry but the only ones who wrote a good line about slitting wrists were MCR and that was in 2004 🙄

Also Panic hasn't really been 'emo' since Fever (maybe Vices but that's pushing it) so not only is this line just yeesh it doesnt fit at all.😬

So glad Brendon decided to embrace his snake persona with how he's saying his s' at the end of sentences

'oh yeah'😚

Brendon PLEASE stop messing up the track by switching beats halfway through it

a a a a a a a a

Friendship ended with Sarah, now Maggie is my bestie

Sad Clown:

Title is kinda self-aware, ain't it?

Alright Brendon we know you were on Broadway but that doesn't mean you have to force yourself to sing like that on your songs

Only dogs can hear it I stg

Great he got slow AGAIN out of no where, cause that went so well the last time he did it (viva las vengeance)

All By Yourself:

Another self-aware title damn, he's on a kick with these.

He likes mentioning those posters on my wall. Ironically I have two IDKHOW and FØB posters and none of him lol.

Even with a slow song like this, it still feels like he's forcing himself to sing higher than he has to.

He was right about changing everything all by himself though.

This actually sounds pretty nice, I will admit.

Do it To Death:

What else is there left to say? It sounds the exact same as the other songs..

It keeps teasing me thinking he's gonna say something else-OH SCREW OFF NOW THIS 'shut up and go to bed' SHIT AGAIN

I sat through 40 minutes of your mediocre music just to get jumpscared with a viva las vengeance callback END ME

In short: im disappointed but not surprised. This doesn't even feel like Panic anymore. The lyrics are bland and repetitive, Brendons vocals are truely fighting on their last legs and the songs can't commit to a single beat. It's like he had too many ideas and thought he could execute them all but he couldn't. I can't believe this album is actually real, I refuse to listen to this ever again.

If the studio versions of these songs sound so dogshit, I canNOT wait to hear about the tour versions.

Bonus note: the song spotify decided to auto play right after finishing the album was Famous Last Words which idk whether to laugh or cry.

[rapha-reads]

Eurovision 2022 : only two months left ! (may 10th)

Time to check the songs - part 3

Albania, Montenegro, Germany, Australia, Denmark

Part 1 : Spain, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia and Norway

Part 2 : Poland, San Marino, Finland, Estonia, Netherlands

Remember to block the tags (eurovision, esc, esc 2022) way ahead of time...

Albania : Ronela Hajati, Sekret

Not to be wlw on main, but. I am. Looking. O.o You can always count on Albania to send their hottest women. Question : what is it with that crazy haircut? I think she'll be way better in a live performance, she seems like a powerhouse that is too restricted by the music video format.

Pros: good voice, excellent dance moves, amazing aesthetic, the instrumental music is good (those eastern notes as always). Cons: the music video is way too straight, too much English, a bit too weak? Overall: 7/10.

Montenegro : Vladana, Breathe

Ooooh, I got tricked again! It started as a boring sad ballad and then it turned into a sad pop beat! Also, checking the comments, I learned about her history, and yeah. The lyrics are beautiful.

Pros: she's gorgeous, so much emotion in her voice I think she'll be amazing live, the lyrics are deep and the melody is a bop. Cons: ... it's all in English. Overall: 9/10.

Germany : Malik Harris, Rockstars

Darling if I wanted to listen to Flatsound or Alec Benjamin and have a 3am sad session in the dark, I'd put an acoustic indie playlist on. Also this is 2022, acid wash blond hair was 20 years in the past. Yo, sweetie, if you're a rockstar, GIVE ME SOME ROCK. This is 3am depressed indie. Not what I sign up for in Eurovision. SMYL called, they want their sad groove back.

Pros: really nice voice (I can be fair), acceptable rap flow, can play his instruments on his own. Cons: I am. Bored. And unentertained. And getting depressed. This is Gay Olympics, not Live Aids. Overall: 7/10.

Australia : Sheldon Riley, Not The Same

OH MY GODS, IT'S SHELDON RILEY. Shut uuuuup, The Voice Australia is THE BEST, okay. I'm already hyped, and I'm not supposed to get hyped for Australia, THEY'RE NOT IN EUROPE. Okay, let's hit play.

NOW THIS IS GAY OLYMPICS. Fuuuuck, I got chills, he's so good! His voice is even better, his style is impeccable (I know it's slightly the same outfit as during his Voice Blind Audition but it's gorgeous), the lyrics are relatable... Montaigne last year, Sheldon this year... Australia, we love you, but stop trying to win. We're not having EUROvision Down Under. Please?

No but I just relistened to his All Stars Blind Audition and I'm crying. I love Sheldon. Go listen to his stuff.

Pros: everything. Cons: it's Australia... Overall: 10/10.

Denmark : Reddi, The Show

Oh, oh, OH, OH. Got tricked again. Was already starting to complain about the lack of piano on fire but then they punked everything up. Really vibing with this one !

Pros: girls' band! punk rock! stylin' suits! gorgeous hair! great voice! Cons: the beginning is too slow. Overall: 9/10.

Bonus points to Montenegro and Denmark for trolling all of us who always complain about ballads!

Next part : Serbia, Ireland, Romania, Switzerland and Moldovia.

[wewerepromisedsomuch]

Album Review: Maggie Rogers

Artist: Maggie Rogers

Title: Surrender

Record Label: Capitol Records

Release Date: 29th July 2022

Rating: 8.0/10

Serendipity can be ironic at times can’t it? After a bout of non-stop touring in support of her superb debut album ‘Heard It in a Past Life’, that came to a halt in early 2020, Maggie Rogers craved solitude and a chance to recalibrate. Although Rogers sought her own form of isolation, it would appear fate had other plans and, we all know what happened next. With Covid spreading across the globe, Rogers retreated to the coast of Maine with the view of shutting out the world for as long as she needed to. After a period of deliberate stillness Rogers felt the urge to create music once again, as ideas began to manifest into what would eventually become her sophomore record ‘Surrender’.

‘Surrender’ is a record of raw intimacy, and raw intensity, and despite its conception occurring in Covid-times, this is by no-means a Coronavirus themed album. However, there are references to the world at large but more-so from a societal point of view, which is echoed in ‘Horses’ and closing number ‘Different Kind of World’. Both tracks find our protagonist in a ponderous frame of mind while being accompanied by a subtle acoustic lilt. The former contains the contemplative “you said you wondered about the world/well I have since I was a little girl”. While the latter bristles with a relatable anxiety as Rogers confesses that her “palms are sweating thinking about the state of the world”….you and the rest of us Maggie. Elsewhere ‘Surrender’ focuses on friendship, mostly from what seems a platonic place, although there are occurrences that recount the sentiment of love being rebuffed from the other party. Sonically the Maryland resident’s latest offering is a wonderfully constructed record (Rogers co-produced the album with Kid Harpoon) as it straddles musical borders between contemporary pop, R ‘n’ B and soft-rock. For the most part it’s an LP that’s built layer-upon-layer of subtly nuanced aural nuggets, with wordless vocal ticks creating beat-like textures as plumes of fuzz coalesce with a defiant energy. Then of course there’s Rogers’ impeccable voice which effortlessly skips from subtle and tender to full-blown powerhouse.

All the time spent secluded in Maine appears to have centred Rogers’ focus on the themes of support and companionship which are frequent occurrences that weave their way through ‘Surrender’. ‘That’s Where I Am’ maybe slightly tinged as a love story that never quite happened but the sense of connection and fondness can’t be ignored when Rogers trills “you’re the only one I ever wanted/all I ever really wanted was you” without a pang of sadness. All of this is wrapped up in juddering, nuanced pop that’s underpinned by a thumping bass drum. ‘Anywhere With You’ follows a similar pattern but this time the singer/producer is coming to the aid of a friend who’s going through some rough times. Starting off as a sombre piano ballad the track eventually erupts into a wave of triumphant noise as our figurehead grabs her buddy by the hand while bellowing “if I’m going to lose my mind/I’m going to lose it with you” as they journey off into the horizon, leaving all bad vibes behind. ‘Be Cool’s watery textures and shuffling beats wash over Rogers as she, again, utters words of unfaltering reassurance “I’ll promise I’ll be there/to cover you with love/just be cool”. On the other end of the spectrum is the immediate staccato propulsion of ‘Shatter’ which is pitched somewhere between 80s pop quirkiness and driven rock. Suffice to say Rogers’ vocal display here is breathless and wholeheartedly cathartic. When the singer hollers “I’ll do anything just to be with you” you can feel the sentiment. ‘I’ve Got a Friend’ is stripped back to just a plucked acoustic guitar, a jangly piano and that outstanding voice Rogers is blessed with. It’s a touching ode to unwavering friendship, one “that’s been through it all”, the good times and the bad, the kind of friend “when I’ve been through shit/she’s the first one I call”. The kind of friendship that lasts a lifetime.

Vulnerable yet unflinchingly powerful ‘Surrender’ is the kind of record that stops you from “thinking about the state of the world” for a while and transports you to a place of compassion, love and friendship. Right now, that sounds pretty perfect right?

[brian-in-finance]

The Contenders, 2022 Edition

There's nothing like Oscar season to get our competitive juices flowing. The front-runners may be obvious by now, so let's advocate for the actors, directors, and one rock-star composer we'd like to see go the distance.

Best Director

CREDIT: NIKO TAVERNISE/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS; KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX; ROB YOUNGSON/FOCUS FEATURES; CHIABELLA JAMES/WARNER BROS. (2); ALISON COHEN ROSA/APPLE TV+; KERRY HAYES/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

The Competition

JANE CAMPION (THE POWER OF THE DOG)

The return of the talent behind 1993's The Piano, Campion's first feature in 12 years was already cause for celebration. But when Dog turned out to be the strongest movie of her career, it was full-on astonishing.

STEVEN SPIELBERG (WEST SIDE STORY)

All Spielberg had to do was avoid mutilating a classic and he probably would have gotten a pass. His reimagining, though, succeeds beyond all expectations: It's shrewdly updated and progressive, with a real reason for being.

KENNETH BRANAGH (BELFAST)

Branagh was nominated for a directing Oscar at the precocious age of 29 for 1989's Henry V. It would be a tribute to his deep-boned talent and longevity if he made it back to the bracket again this year — and Belfast deserves it.

DENIS VILLENEUVE (DUNE)

The visionary behind the biggest gamble of the year — one that paid off artistically and commercially — should be honored here. It may take the second film for the saga's heft to kick in, but Villeneuve's command is already clear.

On The Bubble

REINALDO MARCUS GREEN (KING RICHARD)

JOEL COEN (THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH)

GUILLERMO DEL TORO (NIGHTMARE ALLEY)

Best Supporting Actress

CREDIT: NIKO TAVERNISE/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS; KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX; ROB YOUNGSON / FOCUS FEATURES; A24; SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES; APPLE TV +; 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

The Competition

RITA MORENO (WEST SIDE STORY)

The narrative is so perfect, it's hard not to root for it to happen, just for the sake of a good cry: Exactly 60 years after her Oscar triumph in the original, Moreno could be back at the podium, shining and showing us the way.

KIRSTEN DUNST (THE POWER OF THE DOG)

Dunst's fans (we're at the front of the line) have been dreaming of a performance like this: all of her vulnerability, sadness, and moxie poured into a nearly silent turn. Exquisitely, she makes the entire cast lean in.

CATRÍONA BALFE (BELFAST)

This is a turn that vibrates in every scene. As the beating heart and Mother Courage of Kenneth Branagh's boyhood memoir, Balfe finds room for the emotional gamut of parenting in a war zone during the Irish Troubles.

GABY HOFFMAN (C'MON C'MON)

Call it the Phoenix Effect (and credit us, please): If enough of the acting bloc falls in love with Joaquin's avuncular central character, they'll no doubt notice his brainy costar — a believable sibling with plenty of fire herself.

On The Bubble

CATE BLANCHETT (NIGHTMARE ALLEY)

KATHRYN HUNTER (THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH)

ARIANA DEBOSE (WEST SIDE STORY)

Best Supporting Actor

CREDIT: APPLE TV +; ROB YOUNGSON / FOCUS FEATURES (2); FABIO LOVINO/MGM; KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX; NIKO TAVERNISE/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS; WARNER BROS.

The Competition

TROY KOTSUR (CODA)

If this Sundance crowd-pleaser has one performance that eases it away from the edge of sentimentality, it's Kotsur's father: gruff, bawdy, unbroken. Deaf himself, the actor allows us to laugh through the tougher moments.

CIARÁN HINDS (BELFAST)

It's a good year for dads at the movies: Hinds can seem spooky in films like There Will Be Blood, but his feisty, romantic grandpa in Kenneth Branagh's memory play is loaded with dignity and pure, overwhelming affection.

JARED LETO (HOUSE OF GUCCI)

We have eyes and thus can see that Leto's prosthetics-heavy turn as an untalented fashion scion is not for everyone. But once in a while, the Academy (especially its acting branch) is charmed by such deep dives.

KODI SMIT-MCPHEE (THE POWER OF THE DOG)

A long way from 2009's The Road, Smit-McPhee ain't your fragile moppet anymore. It took a skilled actor to embody Dog's most deceptively unpredictable character, and Smit-McPhee is already racking up critical wins.

On The Bubble

DAVID ALVAREZ (WEST SIDE STORY)

JAMIE DORNAN (BELFAST)

JON BERNTHAL (KING RICHARD)

Best Picture

CREDIT: NETFLIX; WARNER BROS.(2); NIKO TAVERNISE/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS; EVERETT COLLECTION; APPLE TV +; KERRY HAYES/20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

The Competition

KING RICHARD

Remember Rocky, Chariots of Fire, and Million Dollar Baby? Sports underdog stories are exactly the kind of movies that tend to make it to the top. Toss in the stellar performances of Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis and we might be looking at the winner.

THE POWER OF THE DOG

Arty neo-Westerns have a way of crashing the final bracket — and sometimes prevailing. Jane Campion's triumph becomes richer and richer the more you think about it. And for a film shot in New Zealand, it feels distinctly American, a quality that helps.

WEST SIDE STORY

Audiences may not be coming in droves, but the pedigree here — both of Steven Spielberg's team and the property's legacy as a winner of 10 Oscars — is strong enough to make this one a force. Ariana DeBose's electrifying supporting turn may generate heat for the film's overall chances.

DUNE

The first half of Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic delivered on grandeur (if not on conclusions) and will almost certainly dominate the craft categories. Purely in terms of numbers, it will be the one serious contender seen by the most voters, which can't hurt.

On The Bubble

DRIVE MY CAR

THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

NIGHTMARE ALLEY

A version of this story appears in the February issue of Entertainment Weekly, on newsstands Friday and available to order here. Don't forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

Remember when something was conspicuous by its absence? As recently as 13 January, EW ranked it #1 for Best Picture. 🤷🏻‍♂️

https://ew.com/awards/2022-oscar-predictions/

[phanfictioncatalogue]

(TW) Suicide/Suicidal (2) Masterlist

Links Last Checked: April 6th, 2022

part one

24 Floors - phangirlingforphan

Summary: 24 floors, up in some hotel room, feeling solo, thinking of jumping soon. All he knows is that Phil doesn’t want him anymore and his heart is so painful that he’s wondering why he isn’t dead already. One more step, and it’ll all be over. The blur of cars zooming twenty four floors below him won’t know what’s about to hit them - until he does. One more step.

Absolutely Lovely - autumnkismet

Summary: His friends and family think he’s acting strange, they’re worried that he’s depressed again, but Dan doesn’t see it. The only thing he sees is the new guy at school, the quirky one with the black hair and stunning blue eyes, and that’s bad. So bad… because he likes him, and Dan can’t like him. Dan can’t be gay. He’ll lose his family, he’ll lose his friends… he’ll become just like his father, and that’s the last thing that he wants in the entire world. It’s a scary thought that he doesn’t think will ever go away and if there’s the possibility of that happening, of him becoming the disgusting monster that his father was, or is, then maybe the world is better off without him, regardless of what PJ’s dad, his mum’s new husband, has to say.

Bellis Perennis, Myosotis - daeguk

Summary: Dan doesn’t think love exists, and he’ll do anything possible to stop himself from falling into it - but when he meets Phil Lester, a boy who loves plants and latin, Dan’s coming close to the edge.

Bluebird (ao3) - lvckyphan

Summary: An AU that follows the lives of orphan Dan and orphan Phil as they struggle to deal with their feelings towards themselves and one another, from children to late adolescents.

Haunted Thoughts - crescendohowell

Summary: Phil works at a music store where he meets Dan.  Piano is the only thing that makes Dan feel better but eventually it’s not enough and he commits suicide.

I’ve Got Troubled Thoughts (And the Self-Esteem to Match) - six-foot-two-phanchild

Summary: Dan attempts suicide, but Phil finds him. This is the story of the two years that follow.

Let Me Feel Your Heartbeat - velarisstars

Summary: (Soulmate AU) A year after the death of his parents, Dan finds that the only reason he’s able to get up in the mornings is because of the ring on his finger - the one that beats to the rhythm of his soulmate’s heart. Soon enough, Dan finds another reason to wake up in the mornings. And he supposes that’s due to a kind stranger who keeps invading his thoughts.

Let’s All Just Move to L.A - camisadan

Summary: Dan has a code word for when he’s feeling sad.

Our Tongues Are God’s Failed Invention - embarrassing-myself

Summary: Phil’s not really into the underground music scene. Charlie is though and he’s desperate to see his favorite local band play. Which is how Phil finds himself pleading with the obnoxiously cool bouncer to let them into the club. Somehow, Dan manages to tangle himself into Phil’s life. Phil can’t figure out why somebody like Dan would want to hang out with somebody like himself. Dan’s the bad boy who smokes cigarettes and listens to bands Phil’s never heard of. Phil is the self-loathing loser who’s too afraid of disappointment. It turns out though that Dan has more issues than Phil could ever keep track of.

Sixty-Two ☼ Phan (wattpad) - cuddlephan

Sixty-two.

That’s the number of days the summer-long dedicated Camp Sixty-Two promises they can give any teenager the best time of their life.

Sixty-two.

That’s also, coincidentally, the number of days it takes for Dan Howell to fall in love with Phil Lester while he’s there.

The Pain Caused By Unrequited Love - sleepylittlephil

Summary: Dan is hopelessly in love with Phil, who doesn’t have a clue.

The Power of Friendship (ao3) - phanburnhamizzard

Summary: Something is not right with Dan. Years after tragically losing his best friend, Rick, Phil has finally let his guard down and found a new friend in Dan Howell. But, lately, Dan has seemed unwell. What is going on with Dan? And if the unthinkable were to happen, could Phil survive another tragic loss?

What A Catch, Donnie (ao3) - starrywrite

Summary: And for years, he contemplates just doing it because at the end of the day he’s just a boy who’s got troubled thoughts and the self-esteem to match. What a catch. But he can’t do it. Because there’s a part of him that tells him that everything will get better one day.

[thepermanentrainpress]

RACING DAYS: SUMMER MOVIE CLUB

Summer Movie Club – Racing Days Release Date: June 3rd, 2022

Track Listing:

1. Summer Movie Club 2. Rearview 3. Horribles Parade 4. Chameleon 5. Buzzkill Bill 6. Jackals 7. Momentary Floods 8. Malt Shoppe Meltdown 9. Friends Come Back 10. Bible Study Hand 11. I Used to Be Your Cowboy 12. The Midnight Bird 13. Post-Credits Scene

Racing Days’ Summer Movie Club is cinematic and catchy indie-synth pop. Quintessential summertime scenery with faint lingers of sadness. A creative and dynamic expression of life’s ups and downs.

Boston-based Racing Days, also known as Brian Engles, created Summer Movie Club to grapple with family loss, dualling identities, the pressure we place on ourselves, and self-acceptance. After the passing of his sister Molly, Engles struggled to find motivation for music. But after he bought a new MIDI keyboard, which had track limitations, a new spark of inspiration was born for Racing Days.

He started to create music again, finding strength in his memories about Molly, who always believed in his music. He hopes Summer Movie Club can comfort those who feel they’ve lost themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lead track off the album, “Summer Movie Club,” slips into deep electro beats and bass. Decals of piano and strings sounds interweaving with Engle’s processed, indie vocals. Engles intended the “Summer Movie Club” to be an idea: a series of films, a popular clique, or an unattainable dream version of yourself. Cool comfort and concern crashes into one another in a narrative that feels both familiar and mysterious: “The buck moon blaze / The morning haze / The cherry stains / The clothesline sway.”

“Rearview” drifts in the periphery with revving reverb. Diverging needs and separation on the vivid horizon. “Just say you'll never let me go one time / And I won't check the rearview my whole life.” Engles’ vocals gliding over light echoing notes and steady percussion. The introspection of a life quickly lived: “I can't even keep up with your photos / Every night you tear up the globe / Nobody better ask what you're running from.”

Racing Days finds a motivation march in “Horribles Parade.” Deep electric guitar rings out like bells, as steely bass hammers in. “Cause when you wake up in a rabbit hole / Going down's only way get through / And even when the music's left you, babe / You gotta find some way to groove.” Callback instrumentals trudge through trenches on the road to inner strength.

“Buzzkill Bill” begins with magnetic intergalactic sounds. Sonic reverb adding an ice-cold tone to grungy sounds. A heavy and haunting foundation balancing the pressures of the world “Buzzkill Bill's slinging free advice again / So we can all end up just like him / I make this music 'cause I can't make friends / I'm bad on paper, I'm ignorant.”

My favourite song off the album, “Jackals” is stark and sinister. Los Angeles scenes highlighted by razor sharp melodies, crisp rap, and hollow drums. Dark experiences occasionally softened by pain and piano. “Big shots they did me bad / A-list abuse a blast / I got an Arclight past / She still owe me for gas / When I was stuck out on Olympic running late for class / 'Cause out here baby all your big dreams they will never last.”

The disappointment of unsuccessful romance roams in “Friends Come Back.” Light, bouncy synths fold into dynamic buzzing bass. Sporadic clapping beats tangle with piano harmonies and runs in the soundscape.

“Bible Study Hand” mixes classical rock strings and cursive vocals. Echoes of electric synths are delicately placed. A wholesome and warm introduction with the charm of innocent meetings and discouraged desires: “And can't we tell the man upstairs / To go out for a break / And can't we see just how this feels / Even for today.”

Understated, wavy synths and bass float through “The Midnight Bird.” Joined by quick, percussive taps, lyrics etch the bitter sting of absence and the fortitude needed to withstand: “You don't have to explain / You don't have to make sense of pain / When the midnight bird sings.”

Racing Days’ Summer Movie Club is fresh, stylish, and sincere. Its earnest and clever lyrics sort through the biggest challenges and contrasts in life. Maintaining healthy focus and friendliness, Racing Days creates a comforting, luminous experience.

Written by: Jenna Keeble