#so liking 100 gecs was always in my future

[tbzhub]

time flew by

[portlandwithyou]

My Favorite Releases of the Year

I've been thinking a lot about my favorite albums of the year. This is a collection of the releases that infected my brain this year. Now, there are very good, even great, albums that didn't make the list, but I wanted to bring only what truly touched me this year.

Without further ado, the list in no particular order:

GUTS- Olivia Rodrigo: In a year of many good pop albums, this one stands above the rest. The edgy lyrics manage to embody so much of what it means to be a woman in an honest way that feels authentic. It doesn't hurt that the music is catchy as hell. On "bad idea right?" the guitar, in particular, gets a moment to shine in a solo reminiscent of the Guess Who. Another track, the stripped-down "Lacy", allows a simple acoustic guitar to accompany the harmony-soaked track. Sophomore albums are never easy, but this one exceeds all expectations, and Rodrigo has carved a special place for herself.

Check Out Track: Lacy

10,000 gecs- 100 gecs: Another sophomore album that shows the band's talent was not a fluke. When the album was announced, we were treated with the song titles-- "Frog on the Floor"? "Doritos & Fritos"? What could these things possibly be? And when the album arrived, it did not disappoint with the answers to our questions. The songs range from nu-metal-inspired ("Dumbest Girl Alive") to ska-influenced ("Frog on the Floor") and beyond while continuing to push the pop boundaries with every track. Their growth is immense, and their pop sensibilities have only increased in the intervening years since their last album. At a scant 27 minutes, though, the album does leave you wanting more.

Check Out Track: Doritos & Fritos

So Much (For) Stardust- Fall Out Boy: If you've been following me for any appreciable amount of time, you'll know I have Fall Out Boy brain rot of the highest degree. But I am happy to tell you that this album is good even without the rose-tinted glasses. Stepping back into a more guitar-focused sound, the band returns to what they do best. The rocking opening track "Love From the Other Side" sets the tone for the album, with driving drums that constantly push the song forward and a taste of the grand orchestral sound they were so famous for in their first post-hiatus album, Save Rock & Roll. "The Pink Seashell", which features an Ethan Hawke speech from Reality Bites, serves as a thesis statement for the album, preaching the beauty of the everyday. This album was well worth the years-long wait, and their obvious joy when I saw them perform some of the album live this year filled me with the same jubilation.

Check Out Track: What a Time to be Alive

Freak of Nature- Heart Attack Man: This is the album on the list I have the most mixed feelings about. Initially, I must say I was disappointed in the shift into solidly pop-punk territory. I was a huge fan of their sound on Fake Blood which, while pop-punk at times, did show more of their emo influence. But Freak of Nature retains so much of what makes Hammy special- the unabashed anger of the human soul, laid bare for all to see. It took time for me to warm up to it, but songs like "C4" and "Like a Kennedy" have wormed their way into my brain. Having seen them live several times now, I can say they are refining themselves with every release and growing into a confidence that I'm sure will continue.

Check Out Track: C4

always cloudy- saturdays at your place: This EP was one of my highly anticipated releases of the year, and it lived up to all of the hype. The opening track, "Future", draws in the listener with a rough voice accompanied by strong harmonies before the song drops all vocals in favor of showing their ability to produce an amazing groove. The well-med "Tarot Cards" is a highlight, an emo track easily rivaling the greats of Modern Baseball. Every track is killer, showing the full potential of the band while furthering their sound. I do not think I am out of line saying I believe this will easily go down as a classic. You cannot look me in the eye and say that "Hospital Bed" is anything other than a classic of the genre. The band is finally heading out west early next year, and I am eager to see the EP live.

Check Out Track: future

Frame & Canvas (25th Anniversary Edition)- Braid: Is it cheating to include an album that is already a classic? Perhaps. But few remasters manage to do what the Frame & Canvas 25th Anniversary Edition has done. By now, the story of how this album came to be is well-worn, so I will not spill ink to repeat it, only to comment that we are all the better for it. This version of the album allows more space to breathe; no longer is everything muddled together in a jumble of sound. I want to highlight how well you are now able to enjoy the individual parts, such as the drums. If you haven't revisited this emo classic in a minute, this release is a sign to delve back into Braid and appreciate their sound.

Check Out Track: First Day Back

Medium Gnarly- Swiss Army Wife: Coming out just a few days into the year, this album set the tone for all emo coming out this year. The guitar work is phenomenal, the lyrics come hard and fast, and the two together simply demand your attention. Like others in this wave, the band deploys the use of screaming throughout the album to great effect, elevating the emotional level at select moments. Throughout the album, I was impressed by the restraint in the twinkle. You and I both know how vital The Twinkle is for emo music, but Swiss Army Wife earns every riff. I was recommended this album by @t---w, who shared a music video of their track "Halloween" and I was instantly taken. They're a delight who I expect to see end up on many year-end lists.

Check Out Track: CBS at 7:00

Southeast of Somewhere- Kerosene Heights: This is the most recent addition to my list. In the heat of FOMO, I decided to try Spotify in December despite my better judgment. The AI DJ dished up their track "Kathryn" for me, and instantly I was in love. When I listen to the album, I can't help but bob my head along as I yearn to hear the songs live. The songs demand to be heard loud in a sweaty bar as everyone screams along to the lyrics.

Check Out Track: Kathryn

Why Would I Watch- Hot Mulligan: Any follow-up to the much beloved you'll be fine was going to find itself under a spotlight, but the band managed to deliver another album of heartbreaking bangers. Much as before, their guitar work is sublime, and the lyrics demand to be memorized and poured over again and again. I had the pleasure of seeing the full album performed live, and I can confidently say they've grown so much from even when I saw them last year. Why Would I Watch is proof they were not a flash in the pan and easily cements the band as a leader in the much discussed fifth wave scene. I do wonder what comes next for the band. Is this the set sound? Will they branch out on the next release? Only time will tell, and I will be first in line to hear what they have in store.

Check Out Track: Gans Media Retro Games

Miracle- Equipment: Now, why am I putting an EP on this list when the same band released a full-length LP this year? Great question. To begin with, this EP is perfect to me. Not a single note or lyric was misplaced. Four perfect tunes that I listened to on repeat for months. I think I might actually have the opening of "Talk to Strangers" tattooed on my brain by this point. Meanwhile, I am still digesting the album, carefully picking it apart. I guess this makes it over its younger brother simply because it's tight. Not that the album is bad, but the EP is just that good.

Check Out Track: Talk to Strangers

[andyislistening]

since the latest developments of argentinian politics, besides being grieving the future of our country these past few days, I've been thinking of how many great live music I've managed to experience this year and how grateful I am for that.

this list of my favorite ones is not exhaustive and not in any particular order. there are many indie acts i can't remember the name of, but here's a few:

Barbi Recanati in #1, i saw her 4 times this year and was in the top 5 people in my soundtrack this year.

Marilina Bertoldi

Los Besos

Lucy Patané (solo this time, want to see her with the full band)

Mujer Cebra

Barullo (duet)

Tototomás

Gala (with band)

Fraxu

Mora y los Metegoles

Feik Taxi

Viktoria Jáuregui

Marina Fages

Burdas

💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

also, a moment of silence for those artists I couldn't see this year and I probably won't be able to see in the future (international who probably won't be back in latam soon, or just expensive at that time):

Rosalía (I saw her during the El Mal Querer tour, and it was incredible, but I really wanted to see her during the Motomami era)

Tove Lo (her latest album made me a fan)

100 Gecs

Kali Uchis (I can't stress enough how important this woman was in my life during the Isolation era, she never misses in her releases)

Fred Again.. (well technically didn't know the guy when he played here, but I wish I would've stumbled upon him there)

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Nenagenix (def will try to see them next year if I'm not completely broke)

Paramore (I especially regret not going to this one, but I was too broke at the time, and getting in debt to see them wasn't the best idea)

Black Midi

Dorian Electra

Weyes Blood

Domi and JD Beck

Lesbian Drama

Miranda! (this one pisses me off bc I bought a ticket for the end of the year months in advance, but I had another event come up that was impossible to cancel, so I sold it. later I found out that the other event is probably going to be rescheduled !!! and now I feel like dying)

💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

I wish in the future there are smaller festivals for international artists because megafestivals like Lollapalooza or Primavera Sound are incredibly expensive for people who like only a few bands that won't play in other venues. I know it's pretty impossible bc of monopoly and capitalism and our economy being so fragile, also it's a huge risk for artists to go on tour anywhere.

for the time being, I'm very happy I took one of my friends' advice and went to see more local music. if you are a music fan, I'm sure you'll enjoy going to local venues and finding out some new music. always support local artists!

if you want to share some of your favorite music shows this year, add them in the replies, I'm always open to new recommendations

finally, a huge hug to my fellow argies out there. dark times are incoming for us, community is more important than ever, and culture and art are a huge part of it. we'll be out on the streets to defend our access to education and culture (and many many other rights which are about to be chopped). if for any reason you can't go out, remember we can always chat, and I'll be out there with my friends for all of us.

talk to you soon! - Andy ＼(^^)／

[always-andromeda]

hi !! first, i just wanted to say congrats on ur follower milestone !! i’m so happy to have discovered ur blog and the paul fics u write are my favorite 🫶

second, yay that the Strange Trails request is live !!! if okay, i’d like to request Joby Taylor for “Until the Night Turns” and for “Hurricane” 🤍

again, congrats on ur followers milestone !! i can’t wait to see the upcoming works you have 🫶 !!!

Author's Note | thank you so much for the lovely words, Tiger!!

✨ Until the Night Turns ✨

This is the party playlist I would put together for him. The one that would make him side eye me by the end. One that's part music he would probably listen to and part music he would see as a personal slight to his personality, but he'd find a way to work his stripper moves in regardless.

Bad Boys Running Wild by Scorpions

All or Nothing by Whitesnake

I Don't Care by Fall Out Boy

Die for the Hype by YUNGBLUD

money machine by 100 gecs

✨ Hurricane ✨

Joby Taylor has no clue how to act. No clue how to show his feelings in a way that isn't physical. That's why you think he's just using you. Using you to get his mind off of his music, his band, his label. And that's okay. You just keep yourself detached. You try not to let it get to your head when he actually makes you finish. You try not to put much thought into the mindless conversations you have in bed with him; try not to think about the drinks he buys you or the dinner he offers to go with those drinks.

Because he offers to get you dinner all the time. Even though you know full well that he struggles to pay rent as it is. He just wants an excuse to talk to you more. That's how you learn that he put most of his money, time, and energy into his band.

You discover that's what he cares about more than anything. It's the most tangible hope for his future. And he's sunk in too much time for him to turn back now. So sometimes you catch him strumming on his guitar or humming a little melody in the middle of the night. He begins to like it when you wake up with him.

He purposely strums a little harshly, making the strings squeak so that you'll have a greater chance at waking up. He apologizes quickly before showing you what he's working on. His lyrics are simple and fairly blunt, not prose in sight. You like his voice and you tell him as much.

But you're constantly stuck in limbo with him. A continuous rotation of going to his shows, getting dinner, getting drinks, going home with him, waking up and doing it all over again. Without any sort of guidelines, it's like you're just on autopilot.

Does he even like you? Does he even care at all? He won't say.

So you pull away. You turn him down a little more often. You pull your shirt back on and rise from the side of his bed that you usually keep warm for him.

"Where are you going?" he turns around, voice clouded with a post-climax rasp and squinting at you.

You hesitate, sighing until you can think of an excuse. "I've got work tomorrow."

"Like that's ever stopped you before," He scoffs, "I can take you in. Come back to bed."

His calloused fingertips graze your side, barely brushing over the waistband of your underwear. And for a few seconds, you picture yourself being convinced. You could always just fall back into his arms and fade into whatever routine he wants. It can always be this free. But you remind yourself why that idea drove you away in the first place. Guys like Joby Taylor don't commit. They use people up until they don't have a purpose to serve anymore.

You look over your shoulder, "What are we doing?"

"...Laying in bed?"

"No," you roll your eyes, "Right now, with this," you motion between the two of you.

Joby chuckles slightly, cocking his head to the side and cracking a lazy grin, "We're hooking up. Isn't that enough?"

Getting up from your place on the bed you say conclusively, "I don't think so. Not anymore, at least."

And that's when he can't take it. Because if he let you walk away, he wouldn't forgive himself. He has no idea how it happened, but you managed to burrow your way into some gnarled part of his heart. Some part that he thought had drowned itself in cheap beer and been laid to rest in divorce papers.

He pulls you back to him, breathless as he holds onto you. The position is awkward and you start to feel a cramp in your neck from where he holds you in place on his chest.

"Please, don't go," he whispers. "Not yet."

"But-"

"I know. We can..." he searches through his head, willing himself to just say it, "...we can talk about it tomorrow. But tonight...please just stay."

You wrench yourself out of his grasp just a little bit. And you adjust so your head rests on his shoulder.

"Just for tonight," you reply and place a chaste kiss on his cheek. As you settle into the side of his bare body, your finger traces the snake head just below his collarbone.

And those three words echo in his head. Just for tonight. He has no idea why that phrase unsettles him. But he wants to change it. He doesn't just want tonight. He wants every night he can possibly get and perhaps even more.

[emo-gremlin]

Me, @ravenpoefan, my bff (you know who you are), and my F/os as memes (feat my bffs f/os)

🥰

Bailey: stop dating attractive women

Thunderhoof: Alright, bet. Where all the fine men at?

🥰

Bailey: stop dating women

Me: no. *dabs*

🥰

Bailey: Stop dating women

Ravenpoe: yes I 100% agree, leave us alone, thank you

🥰

Steeljaw: *picks up a visor masquerading as sunglasses* how much is this?

Me: 9.99

Steeljaw: *puts it on* you think I can get some bitches with these

🥰

Me: you radiate the same energy as a 100 gecs song and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing

My bff: I like to think its both

🥰

Me: I just realized something

Jack: what

Me: every single odd number has an e in it

Jeff: oh dear god what have you done

Me: Listen-

Strade: not all of them. 30 and 50 aren't spelled with the letter e in it

Jeff: oh father god

Strade: if you can split a number in half evenly, it's even. 30 and 50 are odd.

Jack: *questions life choices*

Strade: *scoffs* 15+15=30 and 25+25=30

Atlas: 25+25=30? You sure about that?

Jeff: lord have mercy

Me: ok bye

Peter: 3 days into 2020 shaking my fucking head

My bff: *probably dying from laughing so hard*

Ren: one, three, five, nine. And since everything else after is a variable of these numbers, then all odds have the letter e

Jack: you forgot seven

Jeff: it just keeps getting worse

Ravenpoe: WHA- WHAT IS GOING ON *laughs* I can't even-

Thunderhoof: you whole ass forgot about eight - a number with an e and it's pretty fucking even

Ren: why would 8 be brought up if its EVEN in a conversation about ODDS?! Emo said 'every single odd number has an E in it' not 'every single number with e is odd' WHAT THE FUCK

Me: 3 days until 2021 and we're still here

My bff: happy new year's eve

Steeljaw: I'm going to bring this flaming dumpster into 2022 so future generations can see what a mistake this entire madhouse was

John: uh, guys. 2 is odd and doesn't have an e, just saying

Thunderhoof: did you just deadass try to tell me 2 is odd? I'm fucking crying throw this whole household away

Bff: Dying from the last one

Viren: the one thing I notice is no matter how much you want to throw this whole household away you just...can't

Ravenpoe: TWO IS ODD?! PFFT IM SCREAMING

Gabriel: wait what about zero that's an odd number no?

Jack: *intense regret*

Strade: ok but hear me out, 30 and 50 make up for the fact they have no e by the way they're pronounced third e fifth e

Booker: WHY DO 30 AND 50 FUCKING MATTER THEY'RE FUCKING EVEN

Alan: what the actual fuck is happening

Robin: one is an even number

Me: I'm gonna smack you

Steeljaw: -30 and -50 have an e in them

John: zero isn't a number

Guzma: it can't be divided by 2 though can it?

Ren: it can??? 0/2=0???

Both Jack and Jeff: *in sheer awe of all the stupidity*

Me: OD NUMBERS 1, 3, 5, 7, 9

Gabriel: OD NUMBERS huh?

Elijah: anything that ends in 0 2 4 6 8 is even and the rest is odd 1 3 7 9 stop freaking out yall

Atlas: YOU FORGOT 5

Dimitri: WHAT ABOUT 4

Elijah: what about it

Dimitri: that doesn't have an e in it

Elijah: THATS BECAUSE ITS EVEN

Me: are you guys ok

Bff: IM FUCKING SOBBING RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD

Alan: I'm honestly so confused right now

Ravenpoe: what is going on

Jeff: this is the height of our stupidity, it has to be, or future generations cannot exist

🥰

Ren: you need to stop thinking that you're ugly.

Ren: you are but stop thinking about it

🥰

Strade: 2 tickets please

Bff: what movie?

*camera pans to Strade dressed up as a whole ass minion*

🥰

Alex: I'm so alpha, that I drink BULL'S MILK for breakfast. Keep crying betas.

Lawrence: Shiiiit, look out betas, we got ourselves a badass over here. This motherfucker swallows 🌟 Bull Semen 🌟 *cackles*

🥰

Vegeta: don't expect me to chase you, I'm dominate.

Slappy: *looks at a picture of him* is this him? Now who the hell is this salt and shaker sized man dominating? I don't understand why it's always the men who can't reach the top shelf who try to be all macho macho. Imagine, now you're being dominated by someone who needs a step to climb into bed. And you know I really thought maybe I shouldn't throw insults at this shoebox sized man, maybe I should try to rationalize some of the problematic things he was saying. But then I realized, he literally can't reach that level.

Strade: *walks in the middle of shot* Leprechaun sized ass

Slappy: now imagine being dominated by a man whose feet dangle when he sits in a chair. Why is it always people who cannot reach the overhead compartment in an airplane that have trouble with self worth?

🥰

Me: sorry first time being kidnapped, kinda nervous

Me: so like, why did you pick me? Do you think I'm cute?

Strade: I'm gonna kill you

Me: ok daddy vibes, we love abad boy king and I wanna die ;P

Strade: there's something wrong with your generation

Robin: freeze! Police! You're safe now ma'am

Me: ok we police it's not that deep, chill and did you assume my gender? Because that's offensive

Robin: but I'm here to-

Me: THAT'S OFFENSIVE

🥰

Bff: show me one tiny small object that you pointlessly have

Bailey: ...

Atlas: *cackles* Small dick mother-

🥰

Jak: Are chicken tenders vegan?

Jack: No, Jak, chicken tenders are not vegan

Jak: *goes to speak again*

Jack: chicken wings aren't vegan either

🥰

Jak: *filming a great forest view*

*Lawrence appears in frame*

Jak: hi

Lawrence: ok

🥰

Bo: I love you bitch *strums guitar*

Me and my bff: oh my god

Bo: *strums guitar* I ain't never stop loving you....bitch

🥰

Strade and Jak: yo Gabriel!

Gabriel: *quickly dabs*

Strade and Jak: OOOOOOOOOOO

🥰

Slappy: *screams*

Jack: STOP! I COULD'VE DROPPED MY CROISSANT!

🥰

Whitney: you got something to say clown?

Jack: your mother has a job and is a respected member of the community

🥰

My bff: just think about it, Emo. All the control, all the power, all the FREE CHICKEN

🥰

Jeff: how come every time I take you to the mall it burns to the ground?

Spamton: I blame the economy

🥰

Kylar: I'll be anything you want me to be!

My bff: *whacking him with a huge stick* I WANT YOU TO BE DEAD

🥰

Elijah: why do the good die young?

Strade: mostly because I get impatient

🥰

Jack: I love helping kids, Jeff! I love kids. I LOVE KIDS!

Jeff: Jack, uh I really would not be screaming that at the top of your lungs

🥰

*trying to give Lawrence a makeover*

Lawrence: how do I look, guys?

Ren: o.0

Peter: you look like you just told your friends not to come to school tomorrow man

🥰

Jack: more espresso, less depresso

Robin: *downs 3 iced coffees* I'm still depressed but now I'm fast.

[bristolvinylguy]

1st Annual Bristol Vinyl Guy Awards Ceremony

Part 3

Honourable Mentions:

These albums had to be noted as they were all excellent. It’s been an incredible year for music and the amount of great records that I’ve included proves that.

Atomçk - Towering Failures

Jeff Rosenstock - HELLMODE

Somnuri - Desideratum

Top Ten Albums Of The Year:

This list can include EPs and Live Albums.

10. But Here We Are - Foo Fighters

The legendary rock band channel their thoughts, feelings and grief into art. R.I.P Taylor Hawkins & Virginia Grohl

9. Mizmor - Prosaic

I never thought that Black Metal could work with songs being this long but I’m very happy to say that Prosaic proves me wrong.

8. Benefits - Nails

The jagged mirrors of political identity are meant to be scrutinised. If no one knows what to stand for then what is there to stand on? Nails is an example of what good anger can do within music sounding like Merzbow meets The Streets.

7. Black Country, New Road - Live at Bush Hall

Black Country, New Road are a band that have made such a name for themselves in such a short period of time creating two magical records. Since then it feels like that their world came crashing down after the departure of key member Isaac Wood, a person who’s input had such an effect on the band. Live at Bush shall shows Black Country, New Road moving on and showing that no matter what happens they will always continue to have fun and amaze people. Look at what we did together BC,NR friends forever!

6. Warrior Pope - Papal Bull-Shit: Live at the Louisiana

Warrior Pope are for me one of the most exciting bands in Bristol at the moment. They’re unique approach to conceptual metal brings intensity and hilarity in equal value which makes for something to take notice of. I was so glad that I was at this gig to witness the performance.

5. 100 gecs - 10,000 gecs

100 gecs are the definition of Hyper pop, there are no two way’s about that. They have again innovated with 10,000 gecs turning up the ridiculousness factor more than ever before and introducing more natural instrumentation. This is no longer a project, this is now a band.

4. Mondo Generator - We Stand Against You

Mondo Generator continue to not only be the flag bearers for Stoner Rock but one of the most underrated bands in the scene. This record for me stands right up there with some of their best including Cocaine Rodeo and A Drug Problem That Never Existed and proves that they can still offer so much at this point in their lengthy career. We Stand Against You hints at more experimentation involved in Mondo Generator’s sound than every before and makes me excited for their future!

3. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - SCARING THE HOES

The weirdos of Hip Hop JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown come to celebrate all things obscure and bring an listen that is truly scatterbrain.

2. Queens Of The Stone Age - In Times New Roman…

The Queens Of The Stone Age make a triumphant return with the band being on top form and doing what they do best! They take elements from every single album they’ve released and blend them together making for a record that’s both familiar and new at that same time. This all makes for a very cinematic experience, it feels like you’re watching a play. Everything I listen to In Times New Roman I love it just that little bit more, one of the many reasons why I’m revising my original score from the album from an 8.5 to a 9.

1. Fawn Limbs & Nadja - Vestigial Spectra

I will still stick to my guns and say that this is the best and most unique album I’ve heard this year, very deserving of the 10 out of 10 rating that I bestowed onto it. Within what this piece of art is trying to do, it truly reaches perfection. One of the very few releases out there which goes far beyond the collaboration tag. This isn’t Fawn Limbs and Nadja coming together to make a collaboration or a split album no, this is its own creation and stands on its own merits. Vestigial Spectra is a terrifying spectacle.

[taiwan3000]

2023

ALBUMS

Maps Billy Woods Kenny Segal (FaceTime, Year Zero, Hangman, NYC Tapwater)

Heavy Heavy Young Fathers (I Saw, Tell Somebody, Ululation)

Radical Romantics Fever Ray (Tapping Fingers, Even It Out, Shiver)

The Infinite Spine Lauren Auder (730kingfisher, 118-madonna, hawthorne81, we2assume2many2roles)

Erotic Probiotic 2 Nourished by Time (The Fields, Soap Party, Quantum Suicide)

Wallsocket underscores (Cops and robbers; Locals (Girls like us); Geez louise)

Javelin Sufjan Stevens (Goodbye Evergreen, Will Anybody Ever Love Me?, So You Are Tired)

10,000 Gecs 100 Gecs (Hollywood Baby, I Got My Tooth Removed, Mememe, Frog on the Floor)

Love in a Vicious Way Mother Tongues (Worm Day, Dance in the Dark)

Hellmode Jeff Rosenstock

Cartwheel Hotline TNT

After the Magic Parannoul

The Comeback Kid Marnie Stern

Aperture Hannah Jadagu

Live At Bush Hall Black Country, New Road (Dancers)

trip9love...??? Tirzah

Raven Kelela

Sundial Noname

The Ones Ahead Beverly Glenn-Copeland

12 Ryuichi Sakamoto

All of This Will End Indigo De Souza

SONGS

Strong; Enjoy Your Life; Loveher; She's on my Mind Romy

Pink Lemonade Blockhead RXK Nephew

Mindful Solutionism; Pigeonometry Aesop Rock

I See Myself; Mysterious Love Geese

Pet Rock L'Rain

It Must Change; Scapegoat ANOHNI and the Johnsons

Avalanche of Love WITCH

I've Got Me Joanna Sternberg

Can I Talk My Shit? Vagabon

Workin' on a World Iris DeMent

Vampire Empire Big Thief

Paint the Town Red Doja Cat

Oral Bjork + Rosalia

Mama's Eyes Mette

With the Other Hand Lost Girls

Scaring the Hoes Danny Brown + JPEGMAFIA

Squid Pangaea

Halo Flip Vegyn Lauren Auder

Dickhead Blues Kara Jackson

Sandrail Silhouette Avalon Emerson

So Hard to Tell Debby Friday

We Gon Eat Living Legends

Found Fucked Up

Make U 3 Me Alice Longyu Gao

What We Were That What Wept for the Sea Colin Stetson

Andy in Stereo Hand Habits

Blackbox Life Recorder 21f Aphex Twin

Quiet Moves Che Noir

Crumbs Rebecca Black

Lo Siento Princess Nokia

Djennaration Liturgy

FILMS / TV / VIDEO

Adrianne Lenker Ruined (music video)

***All Light, Everywhere

***American Factory

Arrested Development S4

***Barbie

The Bear S2 E6, E7, E10

The Beautiful Colors of Jeremy Sicile-Kira (short)

***Beef (TV)

Big Fish

***Black Mirror S3 E4 San Junipero

Bottoms

Bourne Ultimatum

***The Boy and the Heron

Caballerango

***Chewing Gum S1 & S2

***Colossal Youth

Contact

The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future

***Creamerie S1 & S2

Crestone

A Dangerous Method

***Decision to Leave

***I Didn't See You There

Disintegration 93-96 (short)

Enjoy Your Life MV Romy

***The Entire History of the Louisiana Purchase

***An Epistemological Analysis of RXK Nephew's "American Tterroristt" (YouTube)

Fogareu

Free Chol Soo Lee

Groundhog Day

***Hail Satan?

Harm Reduction Center Chapter 5 (YouTube)

***The Hole

***Horse Money

***How to Blow Up a Pipeline

***I May Destroy You

I Think You Should Leave S1-3

I Was a Simple Man

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S16 E8

John Wick 4

Joy Ride

Killers of the Flower Moon

Last Week with John Oliver: Israel-Hamas War

Liquor Store Dreams

Live at Bush Hall by Black Country, New Road

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx

Malni: Towards the Ocean, Towards the Shore

Nettles (short)

No Reservations S8 E5 Lisbon

October Country

Parts Unknown S9 S8 Porto

***Perfumed Nightmare

Puparia (short)

Robocop

Sheng Wang: Sweet and Juicy

Shortcomings

Somebody Feed Phil

Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse

The Square

Star Trek

Starfuckers (short)

***Survivor Australia S10 E7

Talk to Me

A Thousand and One

Three of Us (short)

***Time

TomDNYC (YouTube)

***Triangle of Sadness

Tuesday (short)

***underscores Wallsocket (album video)

Untold Story of Keetley Valley (short)

When You Left Me on that Boulevard (short)

WHOKILLEDXIX 9mm (music video)

A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here (short)

***The Wire

***Wisdom Gone Wild

The Worst Person in the World

You've Never Been Completely Honest (short)

Yox_Rick (IG)

***Zodiac

LIVE SHOWS

***Billy Woods Kenny Segal

Hiss Golden Messenger

***Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord

***Peter Pan Goes Wrong

1776

***Sloppy Jane

ART EXHIBITS

Cecily Brown

Luna Luna

VIDEO GAMES

Closing Doors

***Cohabitation

***Coming Out Simulator 2014

I Had Another Dream About You Last Night

Mimic

Opossum Country

Six Cats Under

Sofia?

Super Jacked Up Tomato Face Johnson

That Lonesome Valley

***Time Is Solid Here

BOOKS

Why Do I Get All the Kisses?

[crimedawgbylaw]

2021 FAVS

RAP SONGS

DJ Lucas - “Comfort of My Car”

Yeat - "Sorry Bout That”

42 Dugg - “Maybach (feat. Future)”

Pi’erre Bourne - “HULU”

Babyface Ray - “Real Niggas Don’t Rap”

Veeze - “A and W”

Peezy - “Build A Bear”

Capolow - “Unwind (feat. Cypress Moreno & Kalan.FrFr)”

Remble - “Rocc Climbing (feat Lil Yachty)”

RXKNephew - “American tterroristt”

Chicken Boyz - “Milwaukee Buckz”

Chicken P - “Money Counter”

Babyface Ray & YN Jay - “Rich Ugly MFS”

Rico Cartel - “2 Pills (feat Toosii)”

DJ Lucas & Papo2oo4 - “TLC”

Cico P - “Tampa”

Shordie Shordie - “Networth”

Bru-C - “Mesmerised”

Bootleg Baby - “Sleep Sleep Sleep”

Mariboy Mula Mar - “fly in”

Juice WRLD & Young Thug - “Bad Boy”

Midwxst - “Made It Back”

CEO Trayle & Babyface Ray - “Percocet Pain”

Mike Mike - “Go Down”

AlGotit - “Clover Letter 27”

Mach-Hommy - “Kriminel”

Meek Mill - “On My Soul”

Drakeo the Ruler - “Exclusive”

Pimpin Pat & 9ina - “Robbing Givens”

IUR Jetto - “Oh Boy (feat. Babyface Ray & Icewear Vezzo)”

Dawyonn - “Back Home”

Kankan - “X & Oxy (feat. Yeah)”

Stunnaman02 - “Big Steppin”

Smino - “Rice & Gravy”

Key! - “I Know”

Headie One - “Siberia (feat. Burna Boy)”

Larry June - “Intercepted (feat. Money Man)”

Shy Glizzy - “Ay Ay Ay (feat. 3 Glizzy)”

Moneymade Eli - “Ah Ah”

DB.Boutabag - “Mac Dre”

p4rkr - “and most importantly, have fun”

Monaleo - “Beating Down Yo Block”

Babytron & RMC Mike - “Dookie Season”

vamp leek - “Homicidal . Suicidal - Live”

Chief Keefe - Something I’m Best At”

Icewear Vezzo - “5 Mill”

Gabe ‘Nandez - “223”

6 Dogs - “When I Was a Baby”

Slayter & ABG Neal - “Royce”

Big Wan & Lil Trav - “Designer Drugs”

The chaos and absurdity of the beat on “Comfort of my Car”--my #1 rap pick--always brings to mind my continuing, frantic attempt at navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. But DJ Lucas sounds in control; undaunted, exuberant, hopeful? Makes me feel good. The only times I really remember forgetting about the pandemic involved smoking weed and listening to Lucas and Papo2oo4′s Dirty Designer. Babyface Ray, Yeat, and Veeze seem to be the best rappers right now, although Veeze didn’t release much this year. Mach-Hommy’s record was phenomenal. Big Wan in the 50th spot because it seems so senseless to “rank” his music. So much death this year, but his hit me harder than most. 

NOT RAP

kmoe - “gloves”

A. G. Cook & Charli XCX - “Xcxoplex”

Pictureplane - “Avalance”

Caroline Polachek - “Bunny Is A Rider”

Blackwinterwells - “Omen”

dltzk - “52 blue mondays”

Erika de Casier - “Busy”

DJ Seinfeld - “Walking With Ur Smile”

PinkPantheress - “Last Valentines”

Linkin Park - “One Step Closer (100 Gecs Reanimation)”

Aventura & Bad Bunny - “Volvi”

Doja Cat - “Need to Know”

CIZA - Bank Notification (feat. DJ Maphorisa & Madumane)”

BR DA TIJUCA & MC Kevin o Chris - “Senta e Nao Para”

Club Eat - “Sticky”

RANDOM OLDER SHIT I FUCKED WITH

1. Vistoso Bosses - “Delirious” 3. Bad Boy Chiller Crew - “Don’t Watch That” 3. Sophie - “Reason Why” 4. Serani - “No Games” 5. Jacka - “Inhale The Dirt (feat. Kazi)” 6. Sophie B. Hawkins - “As I Lay Me Down” 7. Dramarama - “Anything, Anything” 8. Johnny J - “Love’s the Way” 9. laura les - “dumb pics” 10. Rich Kids - “100 Dollar Autograph (feat. Young Thug)” 11. UNIT KAI - “departure (feat. accounta)” 12. Arthur Russell - “A Little Lost” 13. Lil Keke - “Ballin in the Mix (Chopped and Screwed)”  14. Kid Trash - “The Music Tried to Play Me” 15. Jonny L - “Ooh I Like It - Original Sin” 16. Prefab Spout - “Bonny” 17. Luca Lozana & Mr. Ho - “2UBU (snare drum sound mix)” 18. Loose Ends - “Stay A Little While, Child” 19. TKZEE - “Mr. and Mrs. Fake (feat. Gwyza)” 20. Love Inc. - “You’re A Superstar”

[voguingtodanzig]

THE CELESTIAL JUKEBOX, PRESENT TENSE - 250 SONGS

Again, some of this is personal and sentimental, linked to time and place and experience.

50 Cent, “Many Men (Wish Death)”

100 gecs, “800db cloud”

10,000 Maniacs, “Candy Everybody Wants”

Bryan Adams, “Everything I Do”

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, “Spanish Flea”

America, “Sister Golden Hair”

Julie Andrews, “My ​​Favorite Things”

Animal Collective, “Brother Sport”

Aphex Twin, “Tha”

Fiona Apple, “Extraordinary Machine”

Louis Armstrong, “What a Wonderful World”

Ash, “Shining Light”

Atlantic Starr, “Always”

Atlas Sound, “Washington School”

Autechre, “Vose In”

The B-52s, “Deadbeat Club”

Bananarama, “Cruel Summer”

The Beatles, “All My Loving”

Beck, “Girl”

Belle & Sebastian, “Seymour Stein”

Benoit & Sergio, “Boy Trouble”

Beyoncé, “Countdown”

Bikini Kill, “Alien She”

Bilal, “West Side Girl”

Bjork, “It’s Oh So Quiet”

Black Dice, “Pigs”

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, “Stop”

The Black-Eyed Peas, “Imma Be”

Blast Off Country Style, “Cutie Pie”

Blondie, “Heart of Glass”

The Bloodhound Gang, “Your Only Friends Are Make-Believe”

The Box Tops, “The Letter”

Brainiac, “I Am A Cracked Machine”

Michelle Branch, “Everywhere”

Laura Branigan, “Gloria”

The Breeders, “Off You”

Danny Brown, “Gremlins”

James Brown, “Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine”

Jackson Browne, “Somebody’s Baby”

Vanessa Carlton, “A Thousand Miles”

Harry Chapin, “Cat’s in the Cradle”

Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”

The Carpenters, “Yesterday Once More”

Julian Casablancas and the Voidz, “Human Sadness”

The Chemical Brothers, “Free Yourself”

Chixdiggit!, “My Restaurant”

Cibo Matto, “Sunday, Pt. 1”

Ciara feat. Missy Elliott, “One, Two Step”

Clipse, “Dirty Money”

Jim Croce, “Operator”

Crosby, Stills, and Nash, “You Don’t Have To Cry”

Christopher Cross, “Ride Like the Wind”

Cryptacize, “Mythomania”

Crystal Castles, “Air War”

Culture Club, “Karma Chameleon”

Terrence Trent D’Arby, “Sign Your Name”

Daft Punk, “Around the World”

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, “Hold Tight”

Dead Kennedys, “Kill the Poor”

DeBarge, “The Rhythm of the Night”

Deerhoof, “+81”

Deerhunter, “Octet”

Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”

Dial, “Helium”

The Diplomats, “Dipset Anthem”

DMX, “Stop Being Greedy”

The Doobie Brothers, “Black Water”

Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, “Nuthin’ But a G Thang”

The-Dream, “Love King”

Duran Duran, “Hungry Like The Wolf”

Bob Dylan, “Positively 4th Street”

The Eagles, “Lyin’ Eyes”

Eat Skull, “Cooking a Way to be Happy”

Elastica, “Connection”

The Everly Brothers, “All I Have to Do is Dream”

The Ben Folds Five, “The Battle of Who Could Care Less”

Eleanor Friedberger, “Stare at the Sun”

Eminem feat. Dido, “Stan”

Brian Eno, “Cindy Tells Me”

Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”

Extreme, “More Than Words”

The Fall, “Glam-Racket”

Roberta Flack, “Killing Me Softly With His Song”

Flipper, “Ha Ha Ha”

Dan Fogelberg, “Longer”

The Free Design, “The Proper Ornaments”

Fur, “Devil to the Lamb”

Garbage, “Only Happy When It Rains”

Judy Garland, “Over the Rainbow”

Kevin Gates, “Paper Chasers”

Ghostface Killah, “Shakey Dog”

Freddie Gibbs, “20 Karat Jesus”

Godspeed You! Black Emperor, “The Dead Flag Blues”

Gorillaz feat. De La Soul, “Feel Good Inc.”

Go Sailor, “I’m Still Crying”

Granddaddy, “A.M. 180”

Colleen Green, “I Want to Grow Up”

Green Day, “Basket Case”

Grimes, “REALITi”

Gucci Mane, “Break Ya Self (Brrrussia version)”

Guided By Voices, “Teenage FBI”

Harvey Danger, “Flagpole Sitta”

Helium, “XXX”

Keri Hilson, “Pretty Girl Rock”

Hole, “Malibu”

The Hollies, “All I Need Is The Air That I Breathe”

Michael Jackson, “Rock With You”

Jay-Z, “Hard Knock Life”

Henry Jacobs, “Guitar Lesson”

Jawbreaker, “Fireman”

Jeremih, “Oui”

Jewel, “Standing Still”

Jimmy Eat World, “Sweetness”

Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”

Scott Joplin, “The Entertainer”

Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin’”

Juelz Santana, “Mixin’ up the Medicine”

R. Kelly feat. T.I. & T-Pain, “I’m a Flirt (Remix)”

Kool and the Gang, “Celebration”

Lana Del Rey, “Off to the Races”

Lagwagon, “May 16”

The Libertines, “Horror Show”

Limp Bizkit, “Re-Arranged”

Lindstrom, “Where You Go I Go Too”

Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, “Lost in Emotion”

Lit, “My Own Worst Enemy”

The Lonely Island feat. T-Pain, “I’m on a Boat”

Lotus Plaza, “What Grows?”

Lower Dens, “Candy”

Courtney Love, “I’ll Do Anything”

Love As Laughter, “Idol Worship”

M.I.A, “Bamboo Banga”

Madonna, “Hung Up”

Madlib, “Mystic Bounce”

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, “Ramp of Death”

The Mamas and the Papas, “California Dreamin’”

John Mayer, “New Light”

Meek Mill, “Dreams and Nightmares Intro”

Men at Work, “Safety Dance”

George Michael, “Faith”

The Modern Lovers, “I’m Straight”

Modest Mouse, “Heart Cooks Brain”

The Moldy Peaches, “Nothing Came Out”

Chris Montez, “The More I See You”

Alanis Morissette, “Head Over Feet”

Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat, “Lucky”

MXPX, “Party, My House, Be There”

My Bloody Valentine, “You Never Should”

Nas, “The World Is Yours”

Johnny Nash, “I Can See Clearly Now”

Neu!, “Hallogallo”

New Order, “Subculture”

New Pornographers, “The Laws Have Changed”

Wayne Newton, “Danke Schoen”

Harry Nilsson, “Jump into the Fire”

Nine Inch Nails, “Wish”

Nirvana, “About a Girl”

The Notorious B.I.G., “Warning”

Maura O’Connell, “Summerfly”

The Orb, “Little Fluffy Clouds”

Panda Bear, “Mr Noah”

Pavement, “Harness Your Hopes (BBC Evening Session)”

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”

Liz Phair, “Shane”

Pinhead Gunpowder, “I Am An Elephant”

The Platters, “Only You (And You Alone)”

The Pointer Sisters, “Jump”

Michael Praetorius, “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen”

Elvis Presley, “A Little Less Conversation”

Primal Scream, “Keep Your Dreams”

The Prodigy, “Breathe”

Propaghandi, “Anti-Manifesto”

Brian Protheroe, “Pinball”

Psychic Graveyard, “No”

Public Enemy, “Fight The Power”

Aileen Quinn, “Tomorrow”

Radiohead, “A Wolf at the Door”

Gerry Rafferty, “Right Down the Line”

Bonnie Raitt, “Something to Talk About”

The Ramones, “Chain Saw”

Otis Redding, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “In Motion”

Lou Reed and Metallica, “Junior Dad”

Rihanna feat. Jay-Z, “Umbrella”

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, “Islands in the Stream”

The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil”

Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, “Somewhere Out There”

Rosemary Krust, “Private Amber”

Diana Ross, “Theme From Mahogany”

Roxy Music, “More Than This”

A Savage, “Eyeballs”

The Shangri-Las, “Leader of the Pack”

Shanice, “I Love Your Smile”

Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”

Sightings, “Yellow”

The Silver Jews, “Blue Arrangements”

Alan Silvestri, “The Back to the Future theme”

Paul Simon, “Kodachrome”

Ashlee Simpson, “Pieces of Me”

Slade, “Cum On Feel the Noize”

The Smashing Pumpkins, “Here’s to the Atom Bomb (New Wave version)”

The Soft Pink Truth, “Do They Owe Us A Living?”

Sonic Youth, “Jams Run Free”

Jordan Sparks and Chris Brown, “No Air”

Spoon, “The Mystery Zone”

Starving Weirdos, “Land Lines”

Stereolab, “Plastic Mile”

The Strokes, “12:51”

Swell Maps, “Let’s Build A Car”

Taylor Swift, “Style”

Stylophonic, “R U Experienced”

Jazmine Sullivan, “Mascara”

Suicidal Tendencies, “Institutionalized”

Taco, “Puttin’ on the Ritz”

James Taylor, “You’ve Got a Friend”

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”

Throwing Muses, “Not Too Soon”

TLC, “Baby-Baby-Baby”

Tortoise, “Djed”

The Toys, “A Lover’s Concerto”

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, “Summer Nights”

A Tribe Called Quest, “Can I Kick It?”

UB40, “Red Red Wine”

Joe Walsh, “Life’s Been Good”

Scott Weiland, “Paralysis”

Steely Dan, “Do It Again”

Stiff Little Fingers, “Suspect Device”

Stylophonic, “RU Experienced?”

T.I., “What You Know”

Mary Timony, “Blood Tree”

that dog., “I’m Gonna See You”

The Tymes, “So Much In Love”

Ultimate Painting, “Out in the Cold”

The Unicorns, “Child Star”

The Velvet Underground, “The Gift”

Waka Flocka Flame, “Hard in da Paint”

Ween, “Even If You Don’t”

Weezer, “Endless Bummer”

Kanye West, “Devil in a New Dress (G.O.O.D. Fridays version)”

WHAM!, “Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go)”

White Hassle, “Oh, What a Feeling”

Matthew Wilder, “Break My Stride”

Bill Withers, “Lean on Me”

Wolf Eyes, “Human Animal”

Stevie Wonder, “My Cherie Amour”

Wye Oak, “Siamese”

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Maps”

Yo La Tengo, “My Heart’s Reflection”

Zaimph, “Removing Bits of History”

The Zombies, “Time of the Season”

[lovejustforaday]

Album Review - Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides by SOPHIE

OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES - SOPHIE

Main Genres: Bubblegum Bass, Post-Industrial, Experimental

A decent sampling of: Art Pop, IDM, Ambient Pop, Glitch Pop, Wonky

Trailblazing edm/pop producer and LGBTQIA+ icon SOPHIE died unexpectedly last week at the age of 34. The world has lost a hero, a pioneer, and a true visionary. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so personally affected by the death of a person I never met before quite like this. SOPHIE has had a profound impact on the lives of so many young music nerds and queer people alike, and likewise being both of those things, her art really meant a lot to me.

If I was already writing these music reviews back in 2018, this most certainly would’ve been at the top of my year-end list. I pretty much knew this one was going to be an AOTY the first time I heard it, and it still wears that crown for me almost three years later. I feel like the word “futuristic” gets thrown around a lot when people talk about electronic music, but pretty much everyone myself included who knew about SOPHIE when this came out agreed on one thing, and that was that this album was truly going to be the sound of the future of pop. Sure enough, SOPHIE’s influence can be heard all throughout the emerging hyperpop scene and other alternative pop scenes today between acts like Charli XCX, 100 Gecs, Rico Nasty, Dorian Electra, Kero Kero Bonito, and Rina Sawayama who have all taken inspiration from SOPHIE’s groundbreaking work.

SOPHIE helped pioneer the bubblegum bass/pc music sound and her early work was very formative to her PC Music label contemporaries with whom SOPHIE often collaborated but was never officially affiliated. She shared a somewhat kindred vision with producers A.G. Cook and Danny L. Harle, but SOPHIE’s signature sound had always been a bit more metallic, hard-hitting, daring, and experimental than most of the things being produced by the PC Music gang.

I was really only somewhat familiar with PC Music and the bubblegum bass sound at the time this dropped, and I wasn’t savvy enough to be an avid fan until this came along and totally blew my mind. I knew about Hannah Diamond and QT, and I casually liked a song or two by each of them, plus I had already at least heard SOPHIE’s “Lemonade” from my brother’s spotify a couple years prior. That being said, I definitely remember not really ‘getting’ it the first time I heard a SOPHIE song.

It was really only after hearing this for the first time and then learning about her collaboration with Charli XCX on “Vroom Vroom” that really convinced me of SOPHIE’s genius and her unparalleled gift for bizarre, uncanny electronic timbres.

At it’s core, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides feels like an idealized future, like a pride parade in the year 3000 where the Earth is an aqueous rogue planet populated by a sexually liberated and cybernetically enhanced human race.

Two major themes dominate the album: the first theme is the interrogation of identity, and the second theme is the allure, mystique, uncertainty, and fear associated with the unknown future. Both of these themes are primarily explored through the lens of SOPHIE’s gender identity, with songs like “It’s Okay to Cry” and “Infatuation” questioning who she really is, what will she become in the future, and how will expressing her gender authentically change her life. Other songs like “Ponyboy” and “Whole New World” explore these themes through a different set of lenses or in a more abstract manner.

The album starts out soft with the lead single “It’s Okay To Cry”, a stripped-down electronic ballad about embracing the vulnerability of finally showing the world who you truly are. It’s an incredibly tender coming out anthem made all the more significant by how it was presented - SOPHIE used the music video to come out as a transgender woman and the track features SOPHIE’s own vocals for the first time in the artist’s career, having avoided photo ops and exclusively featuring guest vocalists on her songs up until this point, shrouding the artists in relative mystery. The rest of the album features gorgeous vocals from Cecile Believe.

The lighthearted track ends in a sudden flash of sonic lightning which quickly plummets the listener from a heavenly bliss down into the dark cyberpunk sex dungeon of “Ponyboy”, a kinky industrial bubblegum nightmare track that sounds like the sweetest pounding migraine. Lyrically, “Ponyboy” explores sexual roleplay as it relates to one’s self-perception and how it bleeds into the identity of the role player. This track sounds absolutely sickly and I love it, and the transition between “It’s Ok to Cry” and “Ponyboy” might just be my favourite track-to-track transition on any album ever with the way it just utterly sledgehammers you the first time you hear it.

Following “Ponyboy” is the equally dark but even more experimental “Faceshopping”, a thrilling, surrealist, industrial assembly line kind of song about body image and body modification, with scraping synths that create a sort of sonic body horror. The track stops its clanging beats of surgical sounds in the middle of the song for a brief interlude of angelic R&B vocals and laser-y synths that lifts the song to a state of nirvana before hitting you again with the industrial beats. You’ll find that this LP succeeds at constantly subverting expectations and surprising the listener at the turn of every corner, which I think ties in really nicely with the themes of uncertain future.

“Is It Cold In The Water?”  is a dancefloor apparition without any beats, featuring more laser-y synths, an ascending melody that plays with polymeter, and a beautiful lyrical metaphor about the growing pains of trying something you’ve never done before.

“Infatuation” is the crown jewel of Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, an ambient pop song that stretches to the ends of the universe with echoes of a robotic heaven and lyrics concerning a search for the intangible true self. I feel something so incredibly profound when I hear this song, like I’m listening to the sound of the deepest parts of my own soul calling out to me and making themselves known.

The next couple of tracks “Not Okay” and “Pretending” are very abstract and experimental so it’s hard for me to say much of substance about them, but “Pretending” sounds like what I imagine it probably felt like to leave the womb.

”Immaterial” is the one true pop song of the LP and it sounds the most like her previous work. It’s a bubblegum bass pride anthem with a level of heartfelt sincerity that escapes most of what her post-ironic PC Music label contemporaries were putting out at the time. It’s also just a really fun banger to put on, and probably the only song off this album that I would play at any normal people party if someone passed me the aux cord.

The LP closes with “Whole New World/Pretend World”, a nine minute glitchy IDM breakdown, and also potentially a benevolent computer virus that’s meant to infect the listener’s mind until their consciousness is uploaded to an ethereal plane of existence. The track has such a y2k pc gaming aesthetic that I love, like some kind of low-polygon AI supervillain like SHODAN from System Shock is trying to take over my body, or maybe even GLaDOS from Portal for a slightly more modern example.

It’s a tragedy that SOPHIE’s life was taken so soon, and it’s a tragedy that the world will never get to hear exactly whatever type of album it was that the artist planned to follow up such a monumental piece of art with. Still, it’s a miracle that we got this.

I’ll never be able to thank her in person for making an album that’s so special and close to my heart, an album that challenged my perception of pop music so spectacularly, but for what it’s worth, I wanted this review to be my official “thank you” to SOPHIE. So please, if you’re looking to expand your horizons and you haven’t already checked it out, do yourself a favour and listen to Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides and familiarize yourself with some of the many other projects that the greatest electronic producer of the last decade was a part of.

10/10 highlights: “Infatuation”, “Faceshopping”, “It’s Okay To Cry”, “Immaterial”, “Is It Cold In The Water?”, “Whole New World/Pretend World”, “Ponyboy”, “Pretending”

[macbetha]

So very excited to share this! It’s a playlist for my upcoming Free! fic, This Heart of Mine, the rewritten sequel to Eyes Wide Open All the Time. You can listen to the playlist on YouTube; this list simply helps define who or what a song represents to me. This list also includes some lyrics that you may want to pay special attention to. I recommend reading the lyrics by themselves before listening to the playlist. Mind you - some of these lyrics only act as symbolism. Some mean more. Some songs have connections. Some don’t. ;) *go girl give us nothing* List below! 

 THIS HEART OF MINE: PLAYLIST GUIDE 

Theme: Bring Me The Horizon feat. Halsey - In The Dark (MTLT / amo version) Oh so tall, it broke the fourth wall Guess our fairytale had a few plot holes Don’t you know you’ve lost control ↳ Honorable Mentions: ✧ grandson - Bury Me Facedown When I go into the ground I won’t go quietly I’m bringing my crown I won’t get tired Set the town on fire Thinking that they’ve won It’s only just begun  ✧ Lorde - Everybody Wants to Rule the World ✧ Ry X - YaYaYa ✧ Rihanna - Goodnight Gotham

CHARACTERS

✦ Haruka ✧ WDL - Monster vs Angel Got my own monster Nobody but me  Got my own angel  I would never call him enemy He’s the good god I need  But both of the sides Fight for me  ✧ Mumford and Sons - Broken Crown I’ll never be your chosen one In this twilight  How dare you speak of grace But in this twilight Our choices seal our fate I’ll crawl on my belly till the sun goes down I’ll never wear your broken crown  ✧ Lia Marie Johnson - DNA Dark as midnight 6 Pack Coors Light You don’t look the same Past my bedtime Blue and red lights come take you away I won’t be like you Fighting back, I’m fighting back the truth Eyes like yours Can’t look away But you can’t stop DNA 

✧ Cat Power - Sea of Love Come with me, my love To the sea, the sea of love ✧ Al Green - Love and Happiness (side note: this if my favorite song of all time) Love and happiness Something that can make you do wrong And make you do right 

✦ Makoto ✧ The Oh Hellos - Soldier, Poet, King There will come a soldier Who carries a mighty sword He will tear your city down Oh ley, oh lei, oh lord ✧ Labrynth - Still Don’t Know My Name I took your heart I did things to you only lovers would only do in the dark I made you a god Priests, popes and preachers would tell me I did wrong ✧ The Civil Wars - Devil’s Backbone Don’t care if he’s guilty Don’t care if he’s not He’s good and he’s bad and he’s all that I got Oh lord, I’m begging you, please Don’t take that sinner from me  ✧ Sleeping At Last - Make You Feel My Love (Cover) I could make you happy Make your dreams come true There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do Go to ends of the earth for you To make you feel my love  ✦ Sousuke ✧ Angel Haze - Detox You dance in a cage with some rats in it I’m about chemistry, you just react to me God might turn us to ash, baby I might just taste your last stars tonight  We were gods in a world that did nothing but doubt us But fuck it, I got us, from the dirt with the flowers Put in work in the shower ✧ Kaleo - No Good  You better start runnin’ When you hear the man coming It won’t do you no good Kiss your baby goodbye Come on love, it’s all right Heaven knows they wanna break you apart  ✧ The Oh Hellos - The Lament of Eustice Scrubb Brother, forgive me We both know I’m the one to blame When I touched the water They told me I could be set free ✦ Rin ✧ Halsey - Young God (Lullaby / Music Box Intro, Live from Webster Hall) Running, running, running And we’ll be running, running, running again ✧ SZA - Good Days Tell me I’m not my fears, my limitations I’ll disappear I gotta keep from losing the rest of me Chasing a fountain of youth that’s in the present I’ll await my armored fate with a smile Still wanna try, I still believe in good days ✧ Lola Blanc - Angry Too Does it get your blood boiling? Does it make you see red? Cause it gets my blood boiling It would eat you like poison if you knew what I knew I don’t wanna drink the venom they made me I don’t wanna be controlled by the past But boy, if you were me Could you really blame me?  ✧ Kendrick Lamar - u And if this bottle could talk: I cry myself to sleep, everything is your fault Because you shook as you knew confinement was needed I know your secrets Don’t let me tell them to world  About the shit you thinking  And the time that you - I’m ‘bout to hurl  I’m fucked up But I ain’t as fucked up as you ✧ Halsey - More Wooden floors, little feet Flower bud, concrete A little screen, a photograph Mine to take I still believe it won’t be like before I’ve loved you for all of my life ✦ Nao ✧ Johnny Hollow - Worse Things Anger grew like ecstasy And Leda threw the swan on me There are worse things, perverse things You should answer when the phone rings There are worse things I could do ✧ Young Heretics - Bones of a Rabbit You play with wolves But you sleep with the bones of the rabbit  You have conquered cities And torched the mighty sea You may keep yourself afloat But you cannot outswim me  ✧ Phantogram - Black Out Days (Future Islands Remix) Hide the sun  I will keep your face out of my mind  I’m hearing voices all the time And they’re not mine  Haunting my mind ✦ Natsuya ✧ Gang of Youths - Achilles, Come Down Remember your virtue  Redemption lies plainly in the truth Where you go, I’m going When you jump, I’m jumping There is no me without you  Today of all days See how the most dangerous thing is love ✧ Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Love The stars, the moon They have all been blown out You left me in the dark ✦ Ikuya ✧ Penelope Scott - Cigarette Ahegao So like, I guess I call it the sophomore slump Always crying and always drunk A few dead, more gone, the rest well on their way Thanks! I hate it Everyone that I love is stuck Because this, that, the other, and the state fucked up We covered it in a class that I’m about to fail  ✧ 100 gecs, Laura Les, Dylan Brady - Money Machine Tell me what's the deal, I've been trying to go to bed I've been up for days, I've been trying to get ahead Said it all before, and I'll say it once again I'm better off alone ✧ Halsey - Clementine  Through a breakdown or a blackout Would you make out with me Cause I don’t need anyone I just need everyone and then some ✦ Hiyori ✧ Florence + The Machine - Seven Devils Holy water cannot help you now A thousand armies couldn’t keep me out I don’t want your money I don’t want your crown See I’ve come to burn your kingdom down ✧ Michael Buble - Feeling Good (Cover) It’s a new life for me This old world is a new world And a bold world for me Freedom is mine And I know how I feel I’m feeling good ✦ Asahi ✧ Sam Henshaw - Broke If I wasn’t broke Would you spend more time with me Like you said you’d do Tell me what I’m supposed to do Cause the only thing I need Is to be loved by you  ✧ Mikky Ekko - Smile Smile, the worst is yet to come We’ll be lucky if we ever see the sun ✦ Aki ✧ Aly & AJ - Church I did bad things, can’t you see it on my face? I get caught in every lie I need redemption for sins I can’t mention For all the things I can’t reverse For all the places where it hurts ✧ ZZ Ward - Ghost Here the devil call out my name I’ve broken promises, burning flame God knows, darling God knows I gave Now the truth cuts like a knife ✦ Nii ✧ Of Mice and Men - My Understandings  Keep in mind that I’m a sore eye With blurry vision  ✧ Neoni - Outlaw They say that I’m wanted Hear the whispers in the street You better start running Cause nothing scares me  Faster, faster You’re the one I’m after  You built a fortress But I’ll never kiss the ring I’m my own king

✦ Gou ✧ Melanie Martinez - Lunchbox Friends We can be friends if you wanna be But only till the clock hits three I don’t want no lunchbox friends, no I want someone that binds the ends, no Come to my house, let’s die together Friendship that will last forever ✧ Maroon 5 - Come to the Water Come away little light Come away to the darkness Away from the life that you always knew Come away little lamb Come away to the water To the arms that are waiting only for you ✦ Isuzu ✧ Jessie Reyez - NO ONE’S IN THE ROOM  Spent my whole life being graded, being told I’m not enough Being told go find the one and sit and wait for death to come I don’t want to I need to talk to God There’s things I just don’t understand Like who am I when no one’s in the room EMI - Bad Friends Yeah, I got some bad friends No you cannot have them If you wanna talk to them  You talk to me, yeah We don’t fuck around with just anybody, yeah

✦ Takuya ✧ Imagine Dragons - Ready, Aim, Fire Off in the distance, there is resistance Bubbling up and festering Here in the casing Shaking and pacing This is the tunnel’s light Blood in the writing, stuck in the fighting Look through the rifle’s sight ✧ Billie Eilish - you should see me in a crown (acapella) Bite my tongue Bide my time Wait till the world is mine, ocean eyes Count my cards Watch them fall  Blood on a marble wall You should see me in a crown I’m gonna run this nothing town Watch me make ‘em bow One by one ✦ Kinjou ✧ Urban Country - Knife and Stone Tell me, have you ever seen a mirror Mirror in the middle of the forest Just waiting for the rain or the crown I’ve been up for thirty days Someone point to lost and found Ain’t no blood in the temple Just a knife and stone

✦ Mikhail ✧ Elsie Lovelock - Friends on the Other Side (Cover) The cards, the cards The cards will tell The past, the present, and the future as well I got voodoo, I got hoodoo I got things I ain’t even tried And I got friends on the other side I hope you’re satisfied, but if you ain’t Don’t blame me You can blame my friends on the other side ✦ Ryuuji ✧ elbow - Grounds for Divorce I’ve been working on a cocktail Called Grounds for Divorce Down comes him on sticks but then he kicks like a horse There's a hole in my neighborhood Down which of late I cannot help but fall ✧ Mumford and Sons - The Enemy I am not the enemy It isn’t me, the enemy I came and I was nothing So why did you choose to lean on A man you knew was falling? ✦ Nadia ✧ Halsey - Castle (Orchestral Version) They wanna make me their queen  There’s an old man  Sitting on the throne  Saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut I’m headed straight for the castle

THEMES: GROUPS

✦ FREEBIRD ✧ Kaleo - Way Down We Go Oh father, tell me Do we get what we deserve They will run you down Down till you fall They will run you down Down till you crawl Till you can’t crawl no more And way down we go ✦ ROUGH RABBIT ✧  Imagine Dragons - Who We Are Up on the mountain Down in the king's den  It's who we are Doesn't matter if we've gone too far Doesn't matter if it's not okay Doesn't matter if it's not our day ✦ DIAMONDBACK ✧ Florence + The Machine - Bedroom Hymns This is good a place to fall as any We’ll build our alter here  In the wine, the women, the bedroom hymns Such selfish prayers, I can’t get enough I’m not here looking for absolution Because I’ve found myself an old solution

✦ HONEYBLADE ✧ Megan Thee Stallion and Normani - Diamonds I love me this much My pear-shape all dripped up He want me to be a little more lady-like? Come through with my girls and beat your ass on ladies night ✦ BLOODHOUNDS ✧ Angel Haze - The Wolves Nothing left out there for me  I left my fucking heart out at the sea This shit sounds like the danger zone  I’m the big bad wolf  Gonna take the throne 

THEMES: PAIRINGS 

✦ Makoto + Haruka ✧ Phoebe Bridgers - Smoke Signals One of your eyes is always half shut Something happened when you were a kid I didn’t know you then and I’ll never understand why It feels like I did ✧ Radical Face - Welcome Home Peel the scars from off my back I don’t need them anymore I’ve come home ✧ The Track Team - Heart Chakra ✧ Blackmill - Redemption ✦ Sousuke + Rin ✧ Kaleo - Bang Bang (Cover) Seasons came and changed the times I grew up, I called him mine He would always laugh and say: “Remember how we used to play? Bang, bang.” ✧ Zayn - Good Guy I’m not a good guy But I know you’re mine (bang) I know you’re mine (bang, bang) ✧ L'Orchestra Cinématique - Crazy In Love (Instrumental Cover)

✦ Natsuya + Nao ✧ Cosmo Sheldrake - The Moss But have you heard the story Of the rabbit in the moon? Halsey - Colors Your little brother never tells you But he loves you so I hope you make it to the day you’re 28 years old 

✦ Hiyori + Ikuya ✧ Elvis Drew - Where Are You  I been trying to figure out where you from Is it the moon? Is it earth? Is it this place, where nothing is worse?  Nothing can compare to the life we had My dear just grab my hand and let me take you To my wonderland ✧ Swae Lee - Sunflower Some things you just can’t refuse I’m not tryna lose

✦ Isuzu + Gou ✧ Snow Patrol - The Golden Floor I’m a peasant in your princess arms Penniless with only charm

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Alt-pop newcomer LVRA (pronounced loo-rah, real name Rachel Lu) has shared her first new track of 2021, ‘DEAD’. Following up on 2020’s debut EP LVCID, she explains: “There’s a unique power you gain when you stop caring about what people think of you. It’s an ongoing battle, though, and ‘DEAD’ is about the conflict between the fantasy of not caring and how you feel in reality. The video captures that, with a version of myself who has her shit together and another that is fighting to survive.The use of red represents fear in the human condition, but in Chinese culture it also symbolises happiness. One rarely comes without the other.” The track – a cultural mix that matches LVRA’s heritage with bleeding edge ultra HD pop – is the first taster of a second EP, which is set to follow later this summer. You can check out an Oscar McNab (Lacuna Common, Oscar Lang). directed video above. [via Dork]

Los Angeles artist Wallice follows debut single 'Punching Bag' with new coming of age anthem, '23'. Wallice finds herself caught between two places on fresh cut, '23'. “Too old to be a runaway”, but also too young to consider herself as grown up, the 22-year old yearns for a past that still has not happened yet. Working with producer David Marinelli since her return to California, Wallice has crafted a sound that is unique without taking itself too seriously. An angst-driven remonstration at the powerlessness of her age, '23' is also the clearest stamp of her musical identity to date. The expression of this purgatory is a cathartic garage-rock headbanger complemented beautifully by Wallice’s playful lyrics. “I just can't wait to be / all grown up and 23,” she admits in the song’s irresistible chorus. “Tell me what is wrong with me / I miss my Ohio fake ID”. In artfully portraying the limbo state of the age, Wallice describes the events in her life that have led to her own disaffection. “It’s hard not to compare your own professional success to that of your similarly aged peers. I dropped out of university in New York after studying Jazz Voice for a year, and my dad was VERY disappointed, to say the least, so it was hard not to feel like a loser in that sense. “The specific age 23 doesn’t have any milestones associated with it, but it’s more the idea of just looking forward to the future,” Wallice continues on the meaning of the track. "Much like how people ‘reset’ every new year, it’s comparable to be ‘older and wiser’ with each birthday, but instead of constantly looking to the future, it is important to be happy with where you are”. [via Line Of Best Fit]

Coach Party have shared their new single 'Everybody Hates Me'. The Isle of Wight group are gearing up to release their incoming EP, with After Party pitting their potent indie pop influences against bittersweet lyricism. Out shortly, the EP is teased by new thumper 'Everybody Hates Me', with Coach Party adding a neat gloss to their guitar pop sound. Out now, 'Everybody Hates Me' comes equipped with a neat video steered by Daniel Broadley. Vocalist Jess Eastwood comments: “‘Everybody Hates Me’ isn’t a metaphor for anything; it’s literally about those times when you convince yourself that everyone, including your best friends don’t actually like you, and your self-confidence is so low that you don’t even blame them. Disguise that sentiment in an up-beat singalong, and there you have the third single from our new record. The video is a direct extension of the song. It swings between the insecurities of feeling like you’re not good enough amongst your friends, and the sense of unity you get from those same people when you finally wake up from your rut. Everyone feels that way from time to time, but you gotta remember that sometimes your irrational self is going to take over. And when it does, try to remember that you’re awesome, and your friends really are your friends.” [via Clash]

Pussy Riot have gone hyperpop on their latest song 'Toxic'. The Dorian Electra collaboration features glitched out production by Dylan Brady of 100 gecs and tackles a relationship gone bad. Written, directed, and edited by Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova, the music video features jarring, bloody imagery matching Brady’s production. “Care about yourself, cherish your mental health, and stay away from relationships that poison you!” Tolokonnikova writes in the YouTube description. “Amen.” In the song’s lyrics, Tolokonnikova tells off an ex. “You are my daily poison so annoying,” she sings. “You’re even more toxic than my employer.” The hook continues the theme. “This combo is deadly — ’cause we used to be friendly,” Electra laments. “And now my heart is a weapon / You made me… toxic.” [via Consequence of Sound]

Baby Queen has dropped a brand new track, ‘These Drugs’. Bella Latham’s second new track of the year – following up on the anthemic ‘Raw Thoughts’ – she explains in an Instagram post: “This is a story I really needed to tell you and I didn’t know how to for a long time. When I first wrote this song, I honestly didn’t think I was going to be allowed to release it or that releasing it would be a particularly good idea. It just felt really important and that’s all I’ve ever wanted music to be; so I knew I had to share it with you.I was in a very bad place at the time… very depressed and convinced I wasn’t a good person and didn’t deserve good things. Life is different now. I’m happy. I’ve learnt that the antidote to my misery is gratitude and caring about myself even when I don’t want to, until it becomes a habit. It’s natural to look for escapism but there’s more freedom in working to build a life you like… and by that I literally just mean learning to love yourself. You, with all your scars and all your regrets, are home to an actual life! You’ve been through so much and you’ve come out the other side stronger because of it – it’s remarkable really. You’ve got to invite the sad parts of yourself in to have a tea party with you. Don’t ignore them and cover them up. If you don’t look at them, they’ll make themselves seen! You are so worthy of love and I hope that if you don’t see that yet, you will learn to in time. Anyways guys,” she finishes, “this is all very intense. I love you very much and I hope you can understand and relate in some way.” [via Dork]

Greentea Peng has shared her new single 'Nah It Ain’t The Same'. The UK neo-soul voice is an outstanding talent, someone who pushes herself further into that hip-hop / jazz nexus with each release. Produced by Earbuds, new single 'Nah It Ain't The Same' is out now, one that reflects the chemistry she has with her live band The Seng Seng Family. Dipping into drum 'n' bass, her vocals have a calming, beatific feel, with 'Nah It Ain't The Same' tugging at matters personal. She comments: “Deliberations of a (hu) MAN, subject to the pendulum's swing, I give you ‘Nah It Aint The Same’ off my album MAN MADE. An expression and exploration of my utter confusion and inner conflicts amidst shifting paradigms.” Greentea Peng stars in the new video, with Machine Operated sculpting the video. [via Clash]

renforshort has debuted a brand new single, ‘virtual reality’. The first taster of a forthcoming second EP, the track sees her “connect” with Kellen Pomeranz (Pom Pom), Jesse Fink and Beabadoobee collaborator Pete Robertson. “’virtual reality’ is a song that tackles many topics. But at its core, it really is about anxiety, routine, boredom, isolation, loneliness, and fear,” she explains. “I think a lot of people have a very unhealthy relationship with technology because it’s never really been restricted enough to consider mental health and overall health, and that has fucked so many people up, now more than ever. Ever since I was young, social media has played a major role in my mental wellbeing, and I became so accustomed to it, it became a part of my routine and it came before everything else. The moment I wake up, almost instinctively, I check my phone. Depending on what I see in the morning, basically determines how I’m gonna feel for the rest of the day. I hate it. But I can’t stop. And what’s most ironic about this all is you’re likely going to read this on social media or listen to the song on some sort of electronic device…” [via Dork]

Flock of Dimes has shared the second single from her forthcoming album Head of Roses, out April 2 via Sub Pop. Following recent single, 'Two', 'Price of Blue' is another standout from Wasner’s second solo LP, an album that showcases her ability to embrace new levels of vulnerability, honesty and openness, combined with the self-assuredness that comes with a decade-plus career as a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and prolific collaborator. It comes accompanied by an unearthly new video filmed in black and white, co-directed by Wasner with Graham Tolbert. Wasner says: “This song is about trying, and failing, to connect. It’s about the ways in which, despite our best efforts, we misunderstand each other, and become so attached to stories that we’re unable to see the truth that’s right in front of us. And it’s about the invisible mark that another person can leave on your body, heart and mind long after their absence. It can be difficult to make sense of the memory of your experience when the reality on the surface is always shifting—when the story you’re telling, or the story you’ve been told, unravels, leaving you with a handful of pieces and no idea how they used to fit together.”

Berlin-based indie-soul five-piece, People Club, announce their new EP Take Me Home, which is due May 7 and the band are sharing the title-track and new video. The title track 'Take Me Home' is a song about the realisation of mortality in old age and the cynicism that often plights the elderly after losing their loved ones and being left alone with their regrets. It is accompanied by a music video shot by long standing collaborator, Felix Spitta. Speaking of the process the band say, “Once again we worked with our very talented friend, Felix Spitta, who also shot the video for our last single Francine.  We basically spent a day fooling around at his house with a smoke machine and an old tape TV camera with a red filter.  The result is hazy and disorientating, just like this year has been so far.”

Introducing MARY., the dreamy alter-ego of musician and songwriter Stef T. The self-produced debut track, ‘Day to Day’, interlaces elements of electro-pop and R&B with a voice that enchants, along with an official video filmed, edited and directed by David Risdon and Charlie Rose Creative. Reading like a page in a diary, ‘Day to Day’ offers a candid and emotionally raw glance at being overlooked as a woman in a man’s world. She is put together, glamorous and poised on the outside, but on the inside she is simmering like a pot ready to boil over, fed-up and on the brink of snapping. Speaking of the track, Stef T explains, “’Day to Day’ is a reflection on what it is to be a woman in a role where you are always unseen; constantly giving yet never receiving. As woman, we are often undervalued for our day to day work in all aspects - as mothers, in relationships, in our careers; having to push extra hard to get the basic recognition and thanks that we are entitled to. This song is a commentary of a large part of my life where I settled, sacrificed and worked, only to be used and taken for granted. It is about learning to survive a toxic relationship, discover your own individual worth again and reclaim the power that you gave away to someone else. Producing this song myself is the only thing that made sense in context with the intention of MARY. as a project. She is an entirely self made, independent woman, who does it all and doesn't need a man to confirm that she's doing a good job. This is something I have personally struggled with, so I created the MARY. persona to feel more empowered in my storytelling as an artist, in an industry without a large visible number of female-identifying producers.”

Los Angeles based dream pop trio Tashaki Miyaki have just released a single and video of the title song from their forthcoming second album, Castaway, which will be released on April 23 via Metropolis Records. Singer, drummer and producer Paige Stark states that the song “is about the challenges of romantic love and how we are all bad at it in one way or another. The idea of a castaway in all this is that no one understands the relationship except the people in it, so you really are stuck on an island alone together there. Maybe you make it back to the mainland, or maybe you stay on the island.” Stark also shot the Sofia Coppola-inspired video on film, adding: "I wanted to tap into all the feelings that can come up in love relationships: anger, sadness, loneliness, vulnerability, stillness, joy, romance, longing. The actress in it has a beautifully expressive face and I've known her for a long time. I knew we would be able to create those moments together. I wanted it to feel like the camera was her lover, capturing her in various private moments, moods and feelings.”

With her Vanilla Shell EP celebrating its one-year anniversary last month, Danish-Chilean composer Molina is back with another abbreviated record in the form of the new single 'Cold,' featuring vocalist Jonas Bjerre, arriving with a pair of B-sides. The brief collection of songs continues her simultaneous journey inward toward the roots of Chilean music and outward into her own unique vision of the future. The project lands with a video for the A-side, which dreams up bizarre fantasy iconography in the tradition of Grimes and Björk to complement her subdued take on these artists’ out-there recordings. Blending ambiguous electronic sounds with the familiar drone of cello and Bjerre’s backing vocals, the track’s distinct persona may have more in common with the experimental soundscapes of artists like Jenny Hval or Julia Holter. [via Flood]

Maisie Peters has debuted her brand new single, ‘John Hughes Movie’. Described as the first single from her soon to be announced debut album, it’s a song about unrequited love, inspired by the legendary film producer and his classic coming-of-age teen comedies like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. The track comes alongside a video co-written by Maisie and director Louis Bhose (Loyle Carner, Arlo Parks, Lewis Capaldi). Maisie explains: “I wrote ‘John Hughes Movie’ when I was 17 about a house party that I had gone to. It’s a really honest depiction of being a hopeless, melodramatic teenager, being awkward and drunk and getting your heart broken by people you don’t even remember anymore. John Hughes films encapsulate that foolish romantic energy of high school and everything that I, a small town English wannabe Molly Ringwald wanted to be, but was not.” [via Dork]

Chloe x Halle have shared the music video for their song 'Ungodly Hour.' The video was debuted on Wedneday night's episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and shows the Bailey sisters going underwater for a sci-fi-style visual filled with choreography and elaborate adventures at the bottom of the ocean. Watch the Alfred Marroquín-directed video above. [via The FADER]

South London's Josie Man has returned with sentimental new single 'Cuts & Bruise', marking her first release of 2021. 'Cuts & Bruises' follows October 2020's 'Grow' single, and is accompanied by a Andrea Mae-directed video that shows couples enjoying tender moments, including Josie Man and her boyfriend. [via Line Of Best Fit]

Jessie Ware has shared a new short film for her song 'Remember Where You Are'. Her album What's Your Pleasure? arrived last year, a disco-fuelled missile that presented some much-needed good vibes amid lockdown. The songwriter returns to the record for her song 'Remember Where You Are', a soulful and uplifting slice of UK songwriting. There's now a full video for the song and it's steered by BAFTA winning director Dominic Savage. Starring British actress Gemma Arterton, it opens on Valentine's Day and finds the star wandering through deserted London streets. A glimpse of hope and renewal, it taps into the growing feeling that this time, lockdown might be coming to a permanent end. "It was a real pleasure to collaborate with Jessie and Gemma on this short film that is inspired by Jessie Ware’s beautiful music. It was also inspired by the real feeling that was felt when we filmed in the deserted streets of eerily strange lockdown London on a Saturday night/Sunday morning,” Dominic said. “The feelings and emotions in the film are a true reflection of what that felt like, and what this time invokes. Sadness, nostalgia, pain and defiance. But when we climbed Primrose Hill and the sun started to rise above the city, there was real hope and joy for a future that will surely be ours. Listening to Jessie’s music. There is no doubt of that." Jessie adds... "This song has always meant a lot to me and I was determined for other people to hear it and for it to be single. I am so touched by how many people have embraced this song, particularly when it's one of your favourite actresses and an acclaimed film director. Working with Gemma, Dominic and their team has been an absolute joy. To have them realise my song with a beautiful ode to London and the longing for human touch and interaction couldn't be more of a compliment. It's a truly cherished piece of work." [via Clash]

Jaguar Jonze has shared her new single and video 'CURLED IN' ahead of the release of her second EP ANTIHERO on April 16, both via Nettwerk Records. 'CURLED IN' presents all her best qualities at its outset. From the track’s rip-roaring, slicing guitar to her perfectly forceful, omnipresent vocals, 'CURLED IN' is a pure cathartic release. "Tear me apart, just tear me apart," she all but demands: "I've never seen wrong be done right." She's fulfilling her simplest needs, and it's freeing. "It's a bit of a twist for me to be a masochist." As a survivor of abuse, these words' unafraid power is all too apparent and an engaging statement to hear expressed.

Following the release of eclectic and impressive debut singles 'ASOS,' 'Right Time,' and 'Papercut,' rising left-of-center pop singer and songwriter Dava returns with a fresh and bold new single 'New Ceilings' available now via Sony Music's Disruptor Records. The moody anti-pop record was co-written by Dava and Mike Adubato (Del Water Gap, Grace VanderWaal) who also produced the track, and is the latest off the Los Angeles-based musician's forthcoming debut EP, Sticky, due out later this year. On the inspiration behind her new single, Dava shares, "This song was written about survival and staying true to yourself. I was having a hard time financially after moving to LA and my phone was shut off while on my way to this session. I was upset with myself for prioritizing music when I really needed the money from driving Uber to stay afloat." She continues, "The day I wrote 'New Ceilings' I was angry and I wanted a song that felt empowering and validated all the work I had put in up to that point. I ended up choosing different songs for my project but when I revisited this one year later, I felt it needed to be heard because of how authentically it embodies my struggle."

London-based Fifi Rong, a multi-talented avant-pop songstress, has shared the video for her stunning single, ‘Another Me’. Directed by Rok Pat, the video for ‘Another Me’ is stylistically simplistic, as Fifi Rong uses her own body as a medium of art, painting herself and inviting the simple imagery of waterside reeds and plants. A tranquil mysticism embraces the single as Fifi Rong acts as a gentle siren, luring the unsuspecting in yet known the inevitable outcome of the relationship. Speaking of the concept behind the single and video, Fifi Rong tells us: “In any doomed romance, timing is always mysteriously wrong. This is my first full CGI music video and it visually portrays the elusive nature of the character surrounding the key message: 'you won't find another me'. The undertone of the song displays a sense of pride and confidence in the character’s melancholy. Dressed in nothing but petals, I wanted my character to symbolise purity, nature, truthfulness, vulnerability and the divine feminine form. Acting as a rotating statue, I wanted to mark the passing of time and seasons as if a unique and lonely piece of art on display.”

[theoriesontheory]

Pause: Basquiat and 100 gecs, name a more iconic duo I’ll wait.

In the process of researching a topic, sometimes a random thought will come into my head. Often, they are flights of fancy, a random rabbit hole that will distract from my work. Alongside this though, they occasionally add some extra context or a new way of understanding that I keep in the back of my mind while I work. This is one such flight of fancy. 

Jean Michael Basquiat is an African American artist who rose to popularity at the forefront of the neo-expressionism movement. 100 gecs are a music duo who rose to popularity at the forefront of the hyperpop movement. 

Image 1: Basquiat painting In Switzerland, 1983

Image 2: 100 gecs on stage in Wisconsin, 2020

Neo-expressionism was an art movement that arose at the start of the 20th century, depicting real and recognisable subjects (like heads and bodies) ways that rejected traditional standards of composition and design, were brittle in emotional tone – reflecting the world in which they were created, and an inherent tension between fun playful presentation of objects with a sense of inner disturbance, tension, ambiguity and alienation. (Britannica, 2019) 

Hyperpop is a genre that arose in the early parts of the 21st century, using real and recognisable forms (pop hooks, 808 drums, love songs) in ways that reject the traditional standards of composition and production, are extreme in emotional tone – reflecting the world in which they were created, and an inherent tension between fun playful presentation of lyrics with a sense of disturbance, tension, ambiguity and alienation. Or at least I think it is. Listening to the music I hear so many things I recognise and am familiar with like samples from well-known and niche TV shows and video games. I also hear songs that I understand and resonate with, more so than in other genres. I hear songs about love, loss, victory, rock bottom, drugs, sobriety, partying, crying, friends and isolation. I hear something that I can resonate with. Obviously while the genre is rooted in pop the production and construction of the songs is far from any ‘normal’ pop I have come across. A reviewer for pitchfork described the music as genre blending, a stacking of genres and sounds at their peak and extreme in it relatability, nostalgia and hookiness. (Patel, 2020). The nature of this taking elements from elsewhere at their peak results in a sound that in some way is always peaking, even in the quiet moments the auto tune or 808s are usually there or there is an unnaturally fast rhythm in some percussion which is reflective of the world we live in now. Content is getting shorter, tik tok and Facebook memes are the primary way we not only get entertainment but learn about more longform entertainment and so every second of a hyperpop track can in theory be in that small clip because it’s all so full of energy. The inherent tension is the most interesting part for me, while the production and musicality and performance and general feeling of the songs is often a party at the end of the world, the lyrics and stories being told are often at the extremes of emotion, a place I think all can acknowledge is not a healthy place to be all the time. While the songs feel light and fun and funny some of the lyrics are so infused with passion or anger or sadness that the two can almost exist in a harmony, one extreme balancing and highlighting the other. 

Looking specifically at Basquiat I learned that he took much inspiration from the things he was fascinated with as a child, comic books, textbooks, walking around museums, all of which he carried with him mentally and physically to use as reference for his work. In one video of the artist his work was describes as a cutting up and remixing of materials, informed by his current circumstance. (Saggese, 2019)

100 gecs described themselves in an interview as archivist fans, (Patel, 2020) fans who take all the pop culture and references that they like and cut them up and put them in their music. From the genre shift to hardcore at the end of ‘Money Machine’ to the use of a guitar riff from another popular tik tok song (Scotty Doesn’t Know – Lustara) the sounds and inspirations heard in a single 100 gecs track tells a story about the artists and their experiences. 

In closing this thought experiment, seeing hyperpop as the neo-expressionism of the 2020s, I can’t help but look at what happened to neo-expressionism after its rise in popularity. I found a newspaper article from 1986 declaring the death of neo-expressionism. Essentially what it came down to was an oversaturation of the market and many practitioners were seen to be trying to cash in on the popular media of the day. (Brenson, 1986) I think that the same worries could be held about hyperpop today. Now more than ever we see major labels and corporations trying to cash in on the hot sound of the moment and as a result many young producers are trying to make music to get on the right playlist and get signed. At the same time there are producers who are just making the music they like and trying to find communities of people who like what they do. Basquiat once said “I don’t think about art when I’m working I try to think about life.” (Saggese, 2019) and Laura from 100 gecs said “What we try to do is be honest, give ourselves to the thing that we're doing and not feel like we have a persona as much as just being ourselves.” (Moen, 2020) 

While the same dangers of commercialisation and oversaturation exist, I choose to remain hopeful. That while in the current, late-stage capitalist, internet age, commercialisation is unavoidable, but that doesn’t discredit the art that is being made because it is a honest reflection of the artist’s lives. 

References:

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2019, November 7). Neo-Expressionism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/Neo-Expressionism

Moen, M. (2020, June 24). Skrillex Interviews 100 gecs About the Future of Music. Paper. https://www.papermag.com/100-gecs-skrillex-pride-2646244919.html?rebelltitem=140#rebelltitem140

Patel, P. (Interviewer). (2020, November). Pitchfork Review: 100 Gecs and the Mystery of Hyperpop. [Audio Podcast]. Get Wired. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1UnB4gNxTsInfjur0iVXEP?si=NXGfknGtTqSId4z-XhKNeg&dl_branch=1

Saggese, J., M. [TED-Ed]. (2019, March 1). The Chaotic Brilliance of artist Jean-Michael Basquiat – Jordana Moore Saggese. [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX02QQXfb_o

Images:

Image 1: Basquiat in Switzerland, 1983  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-jean-michel-basquiat-masterpieces-close-online-exhibit-180975416/

Image 2: 100 gecs on stage in Wisconsin, 2020 https://www.emmiemusic.com/concerts-2/100-gecs-the-sett

[asbcblog]

TOP SONGS OF 2020 WRITE UP!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6WDeuRMOV8neAhU2zd193d?si=lZ9gDIp0TsCCEOeCS7_QGw

1. I remember everything - John Prine

I was going to write an incredibly earnest and long review of this song that outlined just how much John Prine meant to me. I can’t really do it and I think this song probably says enough alone. With only a few chords he always manages to express all the little things that make love what it is, all different kinds of love. Long lasting, short moments, love with places, sounds, going places and staying home, endless family ties, and the often fragile but in the end tenable love between all human beings in the face of catastrophe. The pandemic stole a lot of things from a lot of people this year, including John Prine, but he will remain one of the greatest songwriters of all time and his songs will live on forever.

2. Dream Palette - Yves Tumor

I can’t drive but let’s pretend I’m driving, I’m in LA and it’s night time or something, my elbow’s out the window, don’t know why I’m wearing sunglasses, this song comes on the radio, I’m the coolest person alive.

3. Boylife in EU- Yung Lean

Not to repeat my review of Garden but when the chorus comes I feel like I’m on top of a really big hill and its pouring it down with rain and im screaming but this time its because of a no-deal Brexit.

4. Garden- Joseph Futak

My review was already used as part of Joe’s promo campaign and it said: “feel like im on top of a really big hill and its pouring it down with rain and I’m screaming when the drums come in x x”

5. Circle the Drain- Soccer Mommy

I like this song because I too, am often alone in my room, and I have also become obsessed with subtle breakbeats to an extent where people around me have become very bored of the subject.

6. The Brothers William Said- The Innocence Mission

I listened to this song over and over when I was travelling round London in January just after my birthday, it felt like I’d been listening to it for years, like it was in a movie I’d forgotten. It felt at the time like I was saying a lot of goodbyes, recognising that things weren’t really like they used to be.

7. On the Floor- Perfume Genius

Say it with me ladies: I CROSS OUT HIS NAME ON THE PAGE!!!!

8. Shameika- Fiona Apple

She may not believe it but I bet Fiona Apple looked tough with a riding crop.

9. Song for Our Daughter- Laura Marling

Everything about this is fantastic, mellow and bright at the same time. Every part is brought forward individually and no part of this song gets left behind. A stunning vocal from Laura Marling and purposeful lyrics set to a cinematically emotive instrumental. Pure magic as always.

10. Building site outside- Piglet

Not going to lie, I was in a very vulnerable emotional state when I listened to this song for the first time, but I think that makes it no less powerful and just, sad. The lyric ‘she smiled at me so much last time’ is just so simple and devastating that you forget this would’ve been on every indie film soundtrack from 2000-2008 if Piglet was an industry plant.  

11. I wonder- Shamir

One word: EPIC

12. Crimson Tide- Destroyer

Listened to this every time I came on my period this year.

13. In the Dining Room - Joe Pera talks with you

Adam showed me Joe Pera when I really felt incredibly sad at the very beginning of this year. It’s a show that’s made me feel good, no matter the circumstances. This moment in the show made me smile, and I love hearing Gene come in a bit too early.

14. Stupid Love- Lady Gaga

Shakin my little booty in the kitchen to this x

15. Might bang, might not- Little Simz

Livid we didn’t all get to go to End of the Road and see all the hot dad’s loving Little Simz.

16. Fire- Waxahatchee

A truly insane vocal. I listened to this song on my way to work almost every day from September to December and fantasised singing back up at some kind of outdoor gig in the summer and it made everything significantly less bleak.

17. Hannah Sun- Lomelda

This song is too nice and genuine for me to say anything other than, “really lovely song :)”.

18. Scroll of Sorrow- Machine Girl, guayaba

Listened to this a lot this year while sitting on my kitchen floor staring into an empty oven, wondering if I was ever going to go to a party again.

19. Build a nest- Jeff and Ruby Parker

Have put this on in the flat because the guitar solo reminds me of everything my dad listens to at home. A really great piece of music that kicks off a really exciting album.

20. Kiss me thru the phone- That Kid

Ned said yesterday that he thought it was funny how much the original of this song is so foundational to hyper pop and I agree. Also I’ve started saying ‘Bitch’ like That Kid does every time I stub my toe.

21. Cuckoo- Sam Amidon

I am punting down a creek, looking in the branches that hang over the water for the bird that shall lead me to my next clue.

22. Places/ Plans- Skullcrusher

Used this song to comfort myself in moments where I also just don’t understand why I’m not famous.

23. Sweetjoy- Jam City

Finally….. HAIM for dudes.

24. Clean Living- Slow Weather

I saw someone listening to this on the side of my Spotify so I decided to give it a go and it was a fantastic decision. It’s mental that half of this song is an outro.

25. Summer All Over- Blake Mills

Along with the music video visuals and the dampened piano tone, this wins the competition for least summer-y song with the actual word summer in the title.

26. Ready Cheeky Pretty- CHAI

All of my joy this year has been brought to me by CHAI. I have nothing negative to say about CHAI. If you have anything negative to say about CHAI you’re gonna have to go through me.

27. Diaphanous- Land of Talk

This band was recommended to me by a guy I was trying to flirt with at rough trade east but everything closed before I could impress him by saying ‘I think they’re really cool’.

28. Anything - Adrianne Lenker

Anyone who has ever attempted to write a song with me knows how much I simply love rhyming. Seriously though, every thing rhymes, brilliant stuff. (It’s also such a brilliantly full and constant song that still manages to move and remain exciting from start to finish. I imagine this is partially due to Adrianne Lenker’s almost nursery rhyme- esque structure and also due to her beautifully colloquial approach to family dynamics.)

29. Blow- Dj Gigola, Kev Koko

This song makes me wish I was Jason Bourne- just wanna jump really far while something explodes behind me.

30. Money Can’t Buy- Yaeji, Nappy Nina 

‘Well I’ll buy some Yaeji tickets, they’re for NOVEMBER, there’s NO WAY they’re gonna get cancelled’.

31. Only the Truth- Johanna Warren

When I first listened to this song I felt like I was floating in the ocean looking up at the stars as the drums came in on ‘what more can I do’. An incredibly beautiful and careful song.

32. Gasoline- Haim

2020 could probably be summarised with the phrase ‘WHY AM I NO LONGER IN CALIFORNIA? WHY DID I LEAVE CALIFORNIA?’ And this song is the 3 minutes 13 seconds seconds of escapism I needed to not topple into a full spiral.

33. Mapuu - Ic3peak

No one can convince me that Ic3peak are real people. They are a collective made up of child ghosts.

34. Don’t Worry- Bladee

Whenever I have an anxiety attack in the night I wake up and see Bladee’s ghost of the future over my bed, he says ‘Don’t worry’ and mumbles for a bit as I fall back into a peaceful sleep.

35. The biggest tits in history- The magnetic fields

The most relatable magnetic fields song imo.  

36. Sand Castle- nijuu

Yujin is a genius and my answer is yes, I do want to just walk for a while.

37. Curl Up- Darren Hayman

Ned reminded me how much I used to love Darren Hayman, and both of them have been a pretty big part of my year.

38. When Will Death Come- Sarah Mary Chadwick

‘Wow, mental voice’ - Ned, while doing the washing up.

39. Dear Dad - Sylvie Wiley

‘But I didn’t cry, you’d be proud’ Sylvie, I’m weeping forever.

40. 34+35- Ariana Grande

Hehehehehehehehehe

41. Garden Song- Phoebe Bridgers

Phoebe Bridgers is a pretty unparalleled lyricist and this song feels like a disconnected series of thoughts that somehow all make sense together and come to create something that doesn’t build, but all just kind of sits? What I’m trying to say is that I don’t really know what she’s talking about but like, I get it.

42. Ringtone (remix) - 100 gecs, Charli xcx, Kero Kero Bonito, Rico Nasty, 

I love the way it sounds like everyone got just one take and had to improvise all the lyrics but it still bangs.

43. Changer- Andy Shauf

Thank you lord for another album about a smaller than average man overthinking all of his social interactions with lots of lovely clarinet parts.

44. What’s your pleasure - Jessie Ware

My pleasure jessie? Probably just sitting by the fire with a tough crossword and a glass of merlot x

45. Slime- Shygirl

Shygirl’s series of singles this year made me even more livid that I had to take out my eyebrow piercing for my new job this year.

46. Sears Tower- Salem

Perfect halloween release.

47. Title track- happyness

Ned turned to me and said: ‘so is their new thing that they sound like Elliot Smith’ and I said: ‘and that’s a bad thing?’

48. Cross-sound ferry (walk on ticket) - Hamilton Leithauser

Have found unbelievable joy in chopping veg and shouting GREEEEEEEN PORT, NEEEEEEWWWW YOOORK alone in my kitchen.

49. Lowswimmer- Hailaker

I’ve loved hearing Jemima’s voice when I haven’t got to see her much this year. I normally take the piss out of the Hambledon line but I haven’t seen that this year really either. I guess we find sentimentality in strange places.

50. XS - Rina Sawayama

This song made me feel very decadent on those days where I didn’t wash.

51. Emily- Clem Snide

Let’s be more kind and brave in the face of it all.

52. Building a fire- Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy

P.O.V you’re doing bushcraft in the garden with your husband Bonnie Prince Billy and he’s here to protect you.

53. Asexual Wellbeing- Okay Kaya

This song absolutely bangs but I am truly bewildered by the way they singled out the line ‘if they could put a pulse into a spinach leaf, can they turn the two of us into a tree?’ in the production as if that was a true piece of genius. As I say great tune tho.

54. Anthems- Charli xcx

The soundtrack to couch to 5k

55. Never Better- Kitty Fitz

A SE London queen bringing us huge pop tunes in 2020. So so excited to see what 2021 brings us from Kitty, she’s gonna be a real force!

56. Deep in Love- Bonny Light Horsemen

This is such a delightful song which (mainly due to the time I actually got around to listening to the whole record) for me really rang in the spring. A beautifully recorded testament to the feeling of love getting stronger meaning you have a lot more to lose.

57. Malibu- Kim Petras

My song of the summer, made me feel like I was at the beach when really I was in Lewisham.

58. Like I’m Winning it- Girlpool

I’m so delighted that the turn girlpool have made this year is towards dramatic goth music with breakbeats. Their voices both sound amazing and they look simply incredible.

59. Azad- Frazey Ford

I have no idea what she’s saying as always but I love it.

60. Helio- Charlotte Dos Santos

I’m literally so excited for what Charlotte Dos Santos is gonna put out next. The production is fantastic and her aesthetics are flawless.

61. Lost in the Country- Trace Mountains

‘I checked my email twice as I cried’. Safe to say we’ve all been there this year amirite girlies x

62. Unfold You- Rostam

I hated this at first, I thought, what’s this lo-fi beats to study to shit, but it’s now my classic ‘I’m just gonna pop to the shops, anyone want anything? x’ song. Huge.

63. Oh Yeah- A.G cook

One of 2020s realisations is that me and A.G Cook kind of look like we could be cousins.

64. Can’t cool me down- Car Seat Headrest

I would like to personally thank will Toledo for giving me a tune that got me off my ass when I was too warm to do exercise this summer.

65. Take back the radio- Katy J Paerson

In love with Katy J Pearson’s voice and the way this song builds. Just pretty flawless and feel good in my opinion. I think she’s such an exciting new artist who’s gonna be around for a very very long time.

66. Good Woman- The Staves

‘I’m a good woman’… speak for yourselves.

67. A Little Love- Jack Francis

Feel like I’ve been singing this song for about 5 years! It’s amazing and I’m so excited about what Jack’s going to bring out in 2021, he’s a genius and also the nicest man on the planet.

68. Lullaby No.4 - Snailbeach

This song makes me feel like I’m being hypnotised on a haunted carousel in a very relaxing way.

69. Boyfriend in every city- Roma Radz

Sucks that she can’t see any of her boyfriends cos of covid :(

70. Jaja ding dong- Will Ferrell

Get back in there and play Jaja Ding Dong !!!!

71. Highway- Jonatan leandoer96

Man, would be pretty sick to have 20 boys outside the club but alas the clubs are dead and I’ve only regularly texted about 4 people this year.

72. De nadie- Kali Uchis

Felt v sexy listening to this for the first time in a Morley’s in Honor Oak.

73. Weird Fishes- Lianne La Havas

This album was a pretty triumphant return for Lianna La Havas and me teenage self simply couldn’t be happier.

74. Micro Creature- Aya Gloomy

Love that despite everything about this song telling me otherwise, that the artwork for this single looks like Aya Gloomy is just chilling in the fields by my family home in Hampshire.

75. Si Ella Sale- Bad Bunny

Better get on the duolingo now if I’m gonna know what this guy’s saying at Porto next year.

76. Through my sails- Mountain Man

Truly gentle reimagining of an already incredibly beautiful song, mountain man make every word seem new!

77.Christmas Day (get me outta this funk) - Baggio and Blue 5 Years- Bath days

In joint 77th place are two banging Christmas songs that have soundtracked a pretty bleak Christmas period and have made me feel pretty joyous in their ways, despite one literally being called Blue Five Years.

[unholyywine]

tagged by @alabasterstoned to share 10 songs im currently obsessed with (also sharing my favorite lines)

agust d - strange feat rm

wealth creates wealth and tests our greed // the rich get greedy even for poverty // covetously

agust d - so far away

dream // the beginnings will seem humble // so prosperous will the future be

rm - moonchild

we are each others nightscape // we are each others moon

rm - everythingoes

it all passes // someday // for sure // certainly

100 gecs - ringtone

it's my way of trying to let you know // ive got a little thing for you // ive got a little crush or something // maybe im just drunk as fuck // i customize my ring tone // but it's always you // it's always you

100 gecs - 745 sticky

i can do anything i want first try // you take like ten tries // hurting my eyes

glass animals - heat waves

usually i put something on tv // so we never think about you and me // but today i see our reflections clearly in hollywood // laying on the screen

glass animals - melon and the coconut

off-white air force ones in boxes // youre a fucking coconut // cant even put them on // even if you could // you couldnt even pull them off

grimes - oblivion

cause when youre running by yourself // it's hard to find someone to hold your hand

lincoln - saint bernard

theres really just one thing that we have in common // neither of us will be missed

tagging @chaotic-genius and @mizuganei, only if you want to of course

[seasidefallenangel]

music shuffle tag

task: it’s easy! put your music library on shuffle and list the first ten songs. give a few personal liner notes, if you’re inclined.

i use a shitton of spotify playlists along w my itunes, so i did one song from my five most listened to playlists (except for one which i keep secret 🤫) and the rest from itunes! ty to alice and anmitsu for tagging me<3

1.) future style - honoka kousaka, umi sonoda, kotori minami

I LOVE THE µ'S SECOND YEARS SO FUCKING MUCH YALL future style is so good and the master beat map on sif is so fun i love this song sm everyone go watch the love live movie right fucking NOW this franchise means the absolute world to me

2.) 絵空事 (esoragoto) - nano.RIPE

i hate shoujo okay i’m not gonna lie about that. HOWEVER. sankarea is very good bc it isn’t mainly shoujo and the whole concept of it is so different also fuck rea’s dad i hate that bastard so much. this is such a good op i love it so very much

3.) defragmentation - guy

LITERALLY THE BEST SONG A3 COULD EVER PUT OUT there is not a DAY that goes by where i don’t go absolutely apeshit to this song. absolutely nobody is doing it like him...the vocals the beat the music the lyrics EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SHIT IS GODLY!!!!!!

4.) white prism - kouya ashihara

before i found black board this was it </3 i love aoi shouta so much this song is literally so good i don’t care if it’s not actually by him and it’s a cover he perfects every role he does go stream every actors song 

5.) money machine - 100 gecs

THE SONG THAT STARTED IT ALL one of my best friends showed me this on a road trip we took and it was fucking over. “hey you little pissbaby” is one of the strongest song opening lines ever i will not falter on this. not my fave gecs (hand crushed by a mallet takes that) but still a banger

6.) kurayami shinjuu soushisouai - kamiya hiroshi 

MY ALLTIME FAVE SEIYUU i love this man more than any of you could ever understand oh my fucking god he is mod r bait it’s not even funny i care about him so fucking much literally when he says “mon amour” i want to put my hand through my laptop screen and choke him out this man makes me feel so many things and this song is so fucking good thank you all for coming

7.) the city - kyle gabler 

i am suck a sucker for a good video game ost i like little inferno so much even though it was such a simple game and this is one of my fave tracks (probs my fave tbh) from the ost i would rec everyone play it if you have the money for it i loveee little inferno

8.) iolite - shuu sakamaki

.... don’t look at me okay i had a phase. this song still fucking bangs i will not sit here and lie to myself also i love toriumi kousuke he sounds like god in this song

9.) the heritors of arcadia - bonnie gordon

i don’t fuck with fire emblem EXCEPT for echoes that game is so fucking good also as far as i’m concerned this is the best fire emblem song that will ever exist do not try to contradict me i could die happy listening to that song

10.) always with you - nordic five

I CAN’T FUCKING BREATHEEE OKAY I LITERALLY. DO NOT DELETE SONGS OFF MY PHONE OK YOU GUYS CANT JUDGE ME FOR THE SHIT I LIKED WHEN I WAS LIKE....14.... even though it’s hetalia this song slaps ok!!! i will give credit where credit is due