#soundtrack to a headrush

[emanuelarchive]

Senses Fail / Silverstein / The Bled / Emanuel Cervantes - Denver CO - 09/28/04

[captainnait]

HC:

Bob gets earworms often. Nearly every commercial jingle, a bunch of Barney songs, movie soundtracks-

-it drives everyone in the Headrush studio bonkers

1:40 pm, 6/17/2024

REAAALLL

Everyone in the studio is annoyed with it and says that to Bob himself, buuut he can't really help it 💥

[conarcoin]

ur talk about tge sonic soundtracks in general has got me listening to sonic headrush which is a mashup album of sonic rush songs

I LOVE SONIC HEADRUSH I LISTEN TO BACK 3 BACK ALL THE TIME

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Songs of the School Year, 2021-2022: #9

Dover Beach by Baby Queen (Sept 3, 2021)

Yeah, yeah, here's the obligatory Heartstopper song. I hadn't even graduated high school when the show first came out, but watching Heartstopper on Netflix reminded me how far away I really feel from my real-life experience with the kind of heavenly, youthful school-age infatuation depicted, the way evenings of watching sunsets together and reading too much into every flirty joke are tinged gray in my memory now. I've been somewhat emotionally frozen over since then, but I doubt I could ever be icy enough to escape the influence of Heartstopper's whimsical take on romance, the highlight of which is a soundtrack full of sincerity and momentum.

"Dover Beach" is one of my favorites, an unstoppable pop track that forces me to re-experience the fizzy headrush of love while being written and performed with enough nuance to make me feel schoolgirl-crush nervousness coiling in my stomach, too. I love the little everyday details in the lyrics, like the line "I swear I'm going to lose it if I keep playing your music", and the way they contrast with a beat-driven instrumental that represents a momentous, legendary love.

This is one I can't listen to all that frequently, what with the tidal wave of emotions it brings on--hope and dread, affection and exhaustion, impulsivity and anxiety--but I couldn't appreciate more the skill with which it draws so many distinct feelings out, and each of my experiences with this song is intense enough to stand in place of a whole year of listening. "Dover Beach" is truly awe-inspiring, and I think it's a perfect match for Heartstopper, both as a webcomic and as a show, in its commitment to capturing the humor and gaiety of being a teenager without sacrificing emotional impact.

[x3stellar]

We give it all, we all just fade away

[wariofranchisefanblog]

In Wario Land 4, what's your favorite level soundtrack and CD from the Sound Room?

Palmtree Paradise and Crescent Moon Village for levels, as obvious as they probably are. Toy Block Tower is also very high up there.

With the Sound Room CDs I find it hard to really have a favorite, but Beyond The Headrush is one that I'd cite as especially, amazingly surreal.

[vinyls-and-valentines]

Heyyy maxx bestie what new music have you been listening to lately?

Heyyy joy bestie, not much really. Mostly just looped:

Soundtrack To A Headrush by Emanuel

What To Do When You Are Dead by Armour For Sleep

Worship and Tribute by Glassjaw

The Silver Scream by Ice Nine Kills.

Go Get A Tattoo by Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes

Plus some additional hopeless scouring through the the New Punk Tracks playlist from which i came out empty-handed like some fucking music snob 😔

[chongoblog]

Do you ever feel as though you're a slave to what you've already done? Like you have to keep up what you're doing or you'll be less successful or less fulfilled?

I feel like the phrasing of the question is a little bit pessimistic, but the baseline answer to it is “yes, but also no”

After all, as an artist, I want to make sure that I’m always improving, and knowing that I’ve never truly reached my “magnum opus” is honestly a very very great feeling because you know that you’re going to do even better as your skills increase.

Now I’ll admit there’s flaws in this way of thinking. For example, Sonic Headrush is not going to be as good as Super Smashup Ultimate. I mean, the Sonic Rush soundtrack has, like, 13 songs, and Smashup had 87 and an ENORMOUS original composition. When it premieres I won’t feel nearly as fulfilled as I did when Smashup premiered. But there’s still joy in knowing that I’m still making things that people enjoy (and it also helps that I’m working on other things in the background that will surpass Smashup).

So I always feel a pressure to one-up myself and continue to do better and better mostly for the sake of my fulfillment, but I don’t worry too much about my level of success. If success was my metric, I wouldn’t have gotten over the fact that Smashup is only at 35K hits.

[washed-brain]

Been proudly re-embracing my emo age as my 30's come closer.

I feel safe by this.

[emanuelarchive]

Promo photos, 2006

[thesinglesjukebox]

DUA LIPA - PHYSICAL

[7.50]

It's okay! Move that boogie body!

Leah Isobel: It is a dark and stormy night. In a sinister science lab located somewhere in Carmen Sandiego's plush pomo lair, a pop singer plugs in a neon light, shrugs into a next-season Gaultier lab coat and gets to work. In the reflection of her gold-tinted goggles we see her add one (1) part Extract of "Into You," one (1) part Juice of Newton-John, and four (4) drops of Synthesizer Spice into a contoured beaker. She turns on the flame of a Bunsen burner; stream gushes from her concoction like a geyser, emitting a high, keening refrain. She whispers a few luscious words into the steam -- "diamond," "sssimulation," "adrenaline" -- but her experiment still lacks a certain something. Then -- BOOM! -- in a thundercrash of lightning, it hits her. Eureka! She turns and sees her reflection illuminated in the glass of an emergency axe container, kept onsite in case of fire. "Well," she chuckles to herself as she breaks the glass with a four-inch stiletto heel, "I am creating something... hot." Axe in hand, she chops the neon light into pieces and stuffs the shards, now glittering like a million sequined dancefloors, into the beaker. With the addition of this Decoction of Disco, her potion bubbles... it burbles... then KABOOM: it explodes the entire building and half of the surrounding city! She stands in the wreckage as thunder splits the sky above and sirens wail in the distance. We see Dua's eyes glow green before she throws her head back to the sky and screams: "GAY RIIIIIGHTS!" [9]

William John: Probably the best example of what parts of the Internet's stan culture would facetiously refer to as "gay rights" from a mainstream musical artist since... the last Dua Lipa single, or, failing that, "Into You." Like those precedents, "Physical" is camp but magisterial; playful but extremely melodramatic; sweeping, dance floor ready, and dripping with an exultant swagger. Her reminder to "hold on, just a little tighter" at the bridge is, truthfully, a hollow gesture; at that stage, the listener is so deeply embroiled in her glorious disco caprice as to not really be capable of gripping anything at all. [10]

Jackie Powell: It couldn't be clearer that Dua Lipa had something to prove not only to herself, but to the pop music intelligentsia on her sophomore offering. What has struck me most about the Future Nostalgia cycle is how Dua is executing every facet of it with confidence. On this track, she's not afraid of hitting notes that eclipse the breadth of her previous singles, especially on the bridge. "Physical" is a representative offering of exactly what she's aiming to prove. Each track we've heard so far reflects a different decade accompanied with a modern polish. I don't think I'm the only one who believes Olivia Newton-John's '80s exercise sexual metaphor smash "Physical" deserves the tribute it's getting here. There's a clear homage paid to her and to Patti LaBelle on Lipa's own "Physical." I'm going to interpret her lyric "We created something phenomenal" as a bit of a double-entendre. Not only is it about sex in the narrative of the track, but it's a comment on Lipa's approach to this era and her confidence on every single part of it. The sexual symbolism isn't just in the lyrics, but also in the track's composition and the narrative communicated in the visual treatment. The vocal highs that she hits on the bridge represent a climax musically and sexually. She has so much confidence in the visual treatment, she spends most of it braless. That takes guts. [9]

Tobi Tella: Dua Lipa's perceived lack of personality has turned out to actually be lack of a schtick preventing her from artistically evolving, something many of her peers are plagued with. Also, I've died and gone to gay heaven. [9]

Alfred Soto: The way Dua Lipa's unexpected bon mots and smoky sultriness ride the beat and compete with the strings compensate for a production too dressed up in leg warmers and headbands for my taste -- I mean, her exhortations are more fearsome than erotic. [7]

Julian Axelrod: Pop's '80s revival arms race has escalated to its natural endpoint: the accidental exhumation of Olivia Newton-John. I wish Dua Lipa had used "let's get physical" in a more literal iteration; singing it over hyperdrive synths guarantees it'll be never played in its intended setting, especially when she has half the energy of ONJ. But she hit the mark where it counts: This is going to rule spin classes for the rest of the year. [6]

Brad Shoup: A throwback training-montage track that suggests sex but is really about dancing and Olivia Newton-John erasure. This is Stranger Things pop. [5]

Thomas Inskeep: Sex is natural, sex is fun, sex is best when soundtracked by throbbing '80s synths. [6]

Ashley Bardhan: Okay, fine, I enjoy horny music. Sue me! This song is what would happen if ABBA was brought back to life as a bunch of hot 20-year-olds in little shirts from Fashion Nova. The "let's get physical" chorus feels a little lazy since it's a direct lift from Olivia Newton-John's 1981 hit, but this is a great song to listen to while thinking about that video of Charli XCX holding poppers. No complaints here. [7]

Alex Clifton: I've underestimated Dua Lipa. Her first album had some hits and misses, but Future Nostalgia is shaping up to be one of the best pop releases of 2020 based on the strength of its singles. "Physical" is a cascade of rainbow lights in a roller rink and makes me long to go out to a club, one where I can get down in a huge crowd of people and dance my white-girl ass off poorly. I'm an extreme introvert, so anything that makes me want to leave the house and be around strangers is powerful stuff indeed. It's a little cheesy, but who cares? It's a love letter to the '80s with all the campiness a song citing Olivia Newton-John should have. I'm desperately in love with Dua Lipa after hearing this, and I have a feeling "Physical" will be one of my favourite songs of the year. [9]

Stephen Eisermann: Dua Lipa has quietly become the pop superstar that so many of us wanted Carly Rae to be. Both women make incredible music, but it is Dua who has found commercial success; after hearing "Physical," it seems pretty obvious why. It's a retro-laden, power-pop track that is extraordinary only in the way Dua delivers it. What should be pedestrian instead is hypnotic, infectious, and oh so delicious. [8]

Lauren Gilbert: I promised a friend I'd blurb this song, and now that I've sat down to write it, I have nothing to say. It is a perfect pop song -- Dua knocks it out of the park on this record. I keep getting distracted from writing jamming to the track. I'm dancing while lying down on my couch. She created something phenomenal; we are left with no choice but to stan. [10]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: I've justified Dua Lipa's dearth of personality in years past, but this is where things don't add up: her dead-eyed singing makes no sense during the chorus, whose synths lack the fervor to make up for clinical vocal melodies. Around this time last year, we had Lizzo's "Juice"; now we have "Physical" as an example of '80s pastiche that only feels like it exudes energy and passion and charm. [2]

Will Adams: It's neat to have a single that's its own Initial Talk remix, but the synthpop revivalism is a bit too literal, to the point of putting all its chips on an Olivia Newton-John quote. It's not until the bridge -- "keep on DANCING!" -- where the drama locks in and starts, but only starts, to feel real. [6]

Kylo Nocom: Dua Lipa, determined more than ever to win the Popjustice £20 Music Prize, accidentally transforms into Alice Chater in the process. [5]

Katherine St Asaph: If "Physical" being by Dua Lipa wasn't hypertargeted enough to the Popjustice set, is that the synth progression from Saint Etienne's "No Cure for the Common Christmas" in the intro and beneath the chorus? It's certainly the same height of drama. The track attached isn't quite so charged: a little too Lady Gaga circa "Applause" and a little too Peloton instructor quoting Olivia Newton-John for absolutely no reason besides the culture deciding at some point to make the phrase a permanent, meaningless meme. (The song doesn't even sound particularly '80s; the disco strings are the decade prior, and the vocal squiggles on the verse are so specifically 2016 a time traveler's on their way to erase them.) Dua Lipa only betrays a personality on the spoken-word bridge; ironic how that and the vaporous intro, the least physical things on this track, are the most thrilling. [7]

Vikram Joseph: The intro feels like a prickling at the back of your neck, the one-line pre-chorus feels like plummeting six floors in a broken elevator, and the chorus is such a headrush you can practically smell the poppers: "Physical"'s thrills might be straightforward, but they're visceral as fuck. There are vintage Lady Gaga vibes, the "come on!"s are surely a nod to "We Are Your Friends," and the whole thing reminds me, inexplicably, of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life." But Dua Lipa is starting to make this all seem effortless, and the panache with which she delivers "Physical" easily pulls it clear of the gravitational field of its forebears. [9]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: "Physical" dares us to be the boldest versions of ourselves. It finds itself at the perfect intersection of confidence and lust. Dua Lipa is flirting with you with a playfulness she can only possess because she already knows you're going home together -- and she won't let you leave until the dancing is done. Dancing here is instinct, it's synths that sound as sweet as they do sinister, it's salty like the sweat that rolls down your forehead after you've been, well, physical. Dua Lipa is crushing the Confessions on a Dance Floor album that I've long been waiting for Lady Gaga to make. Dance floor music has long been my site of refuge and catharsis, so it's refreshing to be reminded that it can still sound so immediately, eminently thrilling. [9]

Kayla Beardslee: This doesn't quite reach the heights of "Don't Start Now," but damn it comes close. "Physical" should, in theory, be a cookie-cutter pop girl release, but Dua proves once again that she is the most important element in her music. The producers are doing everything right too, but who else could pull off her endearing smirk in "common love isn't for us" or that wonderful growl in "follow the noise"? And Dua takes us through a transcendental bridge that highlights the best qualities of her voice: singing simple lyrics that say everything they need to, she's breathless yet confident, desperate for touch yet satisfied with the musical world she's helped to create. Something phenomenal, indeed: this rollout has been a joy to follow. [9]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: "Physical" takes the opposite approach to "Don't Start Now" -- while that song's studio version swallows up its singer in a beautifully constructed, sterile disco pastiche (the live versions and remixes are much better), turning her into just one more retro cog, "Physical" makes her the center of attention. The production around her is good enough (the synth preset change right before the chorus starts is especially nice), but not particularly coherent or hooky on its own. In the vacuum left, Dua gets to have more fun, charismatically switching between vocal styles and walking around like she owns the place. [8]

Jibril Yassin: A powerhouse vocal colliding headfirst with production that's neither plodding nor limp. It's a song that's meant to feel like a blockbuster and after a few failed tries, it's thrilling to hear Dua Lipa finally nail the landing and sound like the superstar she wants to be. [7]

Michael Hong: "Physical" is magnetic. Its pulse is unrelenting, its atmosphere is shadowy and captivating, and Dua Lipa gives possibly her best vocal performance. There's no sense of the up-and-coming performer who delivered everything with stolid execution, instead, "Physical" is a sly wink of a pre-chorus leading to a forceful command: "baby, keep on dancing like you ain't got a choice." Dua Lipa is at the helm, all thoughts and any other desires are out the window, and the night is neverending. [7]

Joshua Lu: Several of Dua Lipa's past hit songs have relied on a marketable veneer of cool: "New Rules" works because she's the straight-talker friend giving advice, "Don't Start Now" necessitates a stoic character who can't be bothered to fret about her ex, and even on collaborations like "One Kiss" does Dua employ a rather unemotional voice, like she's a blank canvas for Calvin Harris' more playful and engaging production. "Physical" feels like such a departure for Dua not just because of its obvious throwback sound, but because this veneer of cool is completely torn down when the song reaches its rushing chorus. She sounds more and more desperate as her voice climbs and the synths soar above her, and her cries of "come on" ring as desperate instead of dominant. The song is indebted to pop titans of yesteryears (Olivia Newton-John obviously inspired the title, but the theatrics of the song feel more indebted to Bonnie Tyler or Patti Labelle) to the point of it not really feeling like a Dua song, but she sells it all so convincingly that it feels like a natural fit. It's part pop song, part epic showdown, and I look forward to Dua continuing to push herself to the forefront of mainstream pop music greatness. [9]

Scott Mildenhall: Little wonder that Lipa's so keen to get physical, given that she's "dreaming in a simulation" -- her focus seems to be on the former, since the latter exemplifies the aimlessness of the verses in comparison to the locked-and-loaded chorus. That has its thrills, yet never feels as loose as seems intended. "Physical" comes across too in love with the idea of being a kind of Perfect Pop to actually be it; an anthem for kinetics developed via science textbook. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[truce2headrush]

Track 10, Album 1: "Old2thaNew"

I’ve had two primary collaborators over the 20-plus years I’ve been writing and performing hip-hop. The first, who most people associate me with, is my cousin and co-frontman for Heroes for Higher, Jim Frazier (aka Skooch Mc). Except for iterations that appeared during the Midnight:30 fallout, Jim has been by my side in every act I have been part of.

My other primary collaborator is Dan Stevens. Dan, likewise, has been part of nearly every group I’ve been in over the years; I believe the only exception is Blue Sky Research. I have literally watched Dan grow up before my eyes — we started making music together when he was a skinny little 16-year-old Billie Joe Armstrong wannabe with a haircut you could surf on. He played guitar on the first song I ever recorded — a tragic prisoner of the moment titled “Hippie-Hop” — and he’s been by my side ever since. While it’s true that Brian Twigg was uniquely influential in my musical development, Dan has literally provided the soundtrack to that development — and for that, I am infinitely grateful.

Not only has Dan been a musical partner, he’s proven to be one of my most faithful friends. At various times over the years when I felt particularly alone or isolated, Dan has always been there, and he’s always been supportive. I count him as one of my best friends to this day.

“Old2thaNew” is an example of Dan and I at our best. Our main method of collaboration is pretty simple: I’ll put on a beat that I’ve been working on, and Dan just riffs over it. Sometimes I’ll have an idea of what I want him to play, but more often, Dan gets a feel for the song and jams to it. There won’t really be any idea or structure to what he’s playing. It will be a random collection of riffs and chords; later, I’ll go back and listen to it and find the best parts, loop them, and cut the rest. It isn’t uncommon for 30 minutes of recording to be whittled down to one or two five-second guitar loops; such is our creative process.

“Old2thaNew” marked the first time we employed this process. Dan came up with the guitar parts and the bassline, however, when he left my basement that day after recording, the song was nowhere near its final version; it was just that random collection of notes. I believe that when we both heard how the song turned out, we were very pleasantly surprised, and realized this partnership had some legs.

The back and forth between Jim and I still works pretty well. I sampled drums from the Counting Crows “Hanginaround”, but this song is completely driven by the guitar. I absolutely love what Dan came up with and the way it’s layered, and that ending outro is so smooth and warm — it’s probably my favorite part to any track I’ve recorded.

Dan has moved far beyond me in the local music scene; at this point, he’s inherited the title of Hardest Working Musician in Allegany County, and it’s not uncommon for him to be booked for three or more shows in a weekend. In addition to his solo career, he’s been in some of the most successful bands in the area — Grill Body 5, The Trend, Heroes for Higher, and Jaded., to name a few. And not for nothing, he’s a pretty decent golfer as well.

Despite his increasingly packed schedule, Dan always finds time to pitch in when my tracks are sorely missing some guitar guidance. I’m lucky to have such a talented friend to lean on, and I’m sure there are plenty more collaborations in our future.

[drafthearse]

here are some artists that i think you all need to listen to, in no particular order

worriers

self-described “melodic punk” band. album to listen to: imaginary life. fun fact, the lead singer is nonbinary, and imaginary life was produced by laura jane grace. 

the struts

modern glam rock???? they call themselves “the future with the flavor of the past”. album to listen to: everybody wants. fun fact, i saw them live in chicago the night before halloween and they opened for themselves as an oasis cover band. also they fucking rule PLEASE listen to the struts 

mother mother

weird ass pop-rock/new wave? the vocals especially are so fucking wild, it rules. album to listen to: no culture, and very good very bad thing. but honestly you should listen to all their albums. please listen to all their albums. fun fact, they’re canadian.

pansy division

punk/qcore. album to listen to: quite contrary. fun fact, they were the first openly gay rock band. their songs cover an IMMENSE amount of topics from political issues to bad one night stands, and i love them. PLEASE LISTEN TO MY GAY UNCLES. 

the interrupters

ska. album to listen to: say it out loud. fun fact, the lead singer’s voice is AWESOME!! i only love ska when the band is fronted by a woman tho so i’m biased.

thursday

post-hardcore. album to listen to: a city by the light divided. fun fact, thursday is the ultimate new jersey band and geoff rickly is my  real dad. also, no lie, i think that thursday songs have the best lyrics of any band i’ve literally ever listened to. for real, look that shit up on azlyrics.

semi precious weapons

glam/alternative rock. album to listen to: you love you. fun fact, they toured with lady gaga from 2009 to 2011 and they have a cameo in the telephone mv. if you’re gay and you like rock n roll you will love this band. also the singer is bi, idk about the other members. 

emanuel

emo/post-hardcore, but MAN are they a fun time. album to listen to: soundtrack to a headrush. fun fact, they covered “search and destroy” by the stooges for the tony hawk american wasteland soundtrack.

the damned

punk, gothic rock. album to listen to: damned damned damned. fun fact, i want to be dave vanian. these guys practically formed british punk rock, then got sick of that in the 80s and decided to pretty much create gothic rock instead. i love them and they’re iconic. 

house of heroes

alt rock? album to listen to: the end is not the end. fun fact, ok i don’t actually have a fun fact for them besides the fact that the drummer from 21 pilots was in this band for like 6 months, but i don’t think that’s gonna make people want to listen to them. please just trust me, they’re super good.

x-ray spex

punk. album to listen to: germfree adolescents. fun fact, lora logic, their saxophone player (YEAH, A PUNK BAND WITH A SAX PLAYER) was only fifteen when they recorded their first album. poly styrene, the singer, is also incredibly fucking iconic, u should google her. also i lied when i said that the damned formed punk rock, because ACTUALLY it was totally x-ray spex. 

[tcookies]

Crimes of Grindelwald - Nonspoiler Review

Contrary to what many fans and critics are saying, I didn’t think CoG was as bad as they were making it out to be. Of course, there were definitely some flaws and the major flaw was the plot itself.

Everything starts out fine at first but then, towards the end, it gets pretty convoluted and rushed. A lot of details and reveals are shoved in at the last minute and it gave me a bit of a headrush trying to tie everything together in my head while watching the remainder of the film.

Leta is definitely one of the highlights of this film and her character and backstory are explored but mostly for the sake of the plot. She is a tragic character and represents the more positive aspects of a Slytherin. I was pleasantly surprised to like her as much as I hoped to but, again, there are some confusing moments that the end just doesn’t clarify enough.

The end of the film will leave you with more questions than answers and, yes, there is a particular scene at the very end that reveals something that retcons something that's been canon for ages. While many are understandably upset at this certain retcon, I do believe that it will be explained more in future films.

Music was as beautiful as always and I actually enjoyed Leta’s pieces the most out of the entire soundtrack. Leta’s theme, which you can listen to on the WaterTower Music channel on Youtube here, is my favorite piece of all but, ironically, is not used in the film itself. If you listen to Leta’s pieces, you can definitely get a sense of who she is and what her story is like even if you have not seen the film yet.

The battle scenes were too short in my opinion and were mostly just eye candy and for the sake of having some action. Don’t expect any spell locks. There was also less focus on actual magical creatures but there were still some scenes with them.

There are a few new background characters. I say “background” rather than “side” characters because they had very few lines in comparison but I know they are definitely going to continue appearing in the future films.

Johnny Depp, being a stellar actor, was amazing as Grindelwald and he came off as very menacing and serious. One of the first few scenes of Grindelwald instantly demonstrates how villainous of a character he is. He doesn’t do bad things because it is necessary for his goal; he can be evil just for the heck of it.

I would give Crimes of Grindelwald a ‘B’.

[wrappedinchocolateblanket]

tagged by @sindar-princeling (the rest is coming up tomorrow(?) thanks hon

Rules :: list ten song you're currently into and tag 10 people to do the same

dazzle, oh wonder

killing spree, logic

lethargy, bastille

keep it to myself, zebrahead

victoria - the suite, victoria original soundtrack

all we do, oh wonder

headrush, zebrahead

black spiderman, logic

broken crown, mumford and sons

no angels, bastille

i tag... everyone who wants to do it tbh :* have fun!