#starts off with a couple fun light-hearted eps to get you in the mood

[slyandthefamilybook]

Wolf 359 may not be horror but it is without a doubt the best example I've seen of how to pace a build-up and disseminate a mystery

[starcrossed591]

KDrama Year in Review 2023

While I watched more KDramas this year than CDramas, none of them consumed my heart and soul quite like this year's crop of CDramas did (CDrama review post here). And I dropped KDramas more readily than I have in years past, in part because there were so many more things to watch than I had time for (also I had to finish my dissertation and graduate, etc etc). Still, there were definitely some that I really, really enjoyed, so here's this year's KDrama round up:

16. My Lovely Liar: Started strong, got boring real quick. Dropped for homophobic murder plot. Still, glad to see that Hwang Min Hyn can actually act (although full disclosure, I did still enjoy him in Alchemy of Souls, wooden as that performance may be). Hoping Kim So Hyun can catch a break and get a role in a drama more worthy of her in the near future.

15. Crash Course in Romance: Excellent performances and chemistry by the ML and FL. Romance between two middle aged people instead of youths is also a treat. Dropped around ep 12 because of the unnecessary, homophobic murder plot. Pass.

14. A Good Day to Be a Dog: Surprisingly stronger than the goofy premise suggests, largely on the basis of Park Gyu-Young's performance as the FL who turns into a dog upon being kissed. Pacing problems in the third act around the origins of the whole dog curse thing. Can't say I recommend unless you're really in the mood for some shenanigans, but largely inoffensive if a little silly. (Also it turns out Cha Eun Woo *really* leveled up his kiss game for this one!)

13. Love to Hate You: Perfectly serviceable rom com. Nothing too special, but a nice weekend binge if you're in the mood for that. Also a good way to see Kim Ji-Hoon's v handsome face and that *hair* without having to deal with everything involved with his rather murderous run in Flower of Evil.

12. Joseon Attorney: A Morality: Perfectly serviceable law procedural/Joseon historical. If you don't like either of those genres your mileage may vary, but I had missed having Bona on my screen, so it worked well enough for me.

11. Welcome to Samdal-ri: I seem to like this one more than literally everyone else I know, and I fully admit that my enjoyment of this drama is more vibes-based than plot-based. I guess I have a soft spot for Shin Hye Sun yelling at people at Ji Chang Wook going a bit unhinged over a woman who ran away from him (see also: Lovestruck in the City).

10. My Demon: Very much enjoying Song Kang as a cranky demon falling in love with a human. Very tropey in the best way, and feels like a return to form for the supernatural romance genre. Remains to be seen if they'll land the ending as of this writing, but enjoying as it goes.

9. Doctor Cha: A contribution to the slate of divorce comedies I watched this year (see also: Strangers Again (KDrama) and Let's Get Divorced (JDrama)), a surprisingly touching story about growing older when you've devoted your life to someone who has not done the same for you.

8. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow (Part 2): While Ko Joon-Yung never quite managed to replace Jung So-Min as the FL for me, I definitely still enjoyed the closer to this fun fantasy series. Special shout out to Shin Seung-Ho as Prince Go Won and his pet turtle

7. Strangers Again: I didn't see a ton about this one on tumblr as it was airing, but I found this rom com? melodrama? divorce procedural? makjang? story about relationships and why they end unexpectedly profound. I tuned in expecting mindless makjang hot mess, and instead got a thoughtful meditation on divorce. Left me feeling unexpectedly melancholy at the end, but glad I watched it.

6. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse: Very fun sageuk! Probably won't knock your socks off, but it does what it does very well. Bonus points for a B couple as compelling as the A couple. I've also been a big Kang Hoon fan since Little Women, and there are a couple of other actors in here that I'm always glad to see working.

5. Perfect Marriage Revenge: Tour de force makjang. Came out of nowhere and blew me away. Hits all the right beats, and unexpectedly fun (and was a nice break from the heaviness of My Dearest for me). This was a good year for jaded and slightly unhinged transmigrated FL's back for their #revenge (see also: Story of Kunning Palace in CDrama land), and I was here for it. Also features one of the spiciest make-out scenes of the year, 10/10 recommend

4. See You in My 19th Life: Absolutely loved this haunting, melancholy, and sometimes unexpectedly goofy reincarnation drama. I loved the webtoon and had high expectations, and this drama largely met them! The continuing relationship between sisters Ji-Eum (Shin Hye Sun) and Cho-Won (Ha Yoon Kyung) was a special highlight for me, and while Shin Hye Sun is already a never-miss for me, I'm especially looking forward to whatever Ha Yoon Kyung does next. I prefer the ending of the Webtoon to the KDrama, but I'm still delighted this drama exists and am glad I watched it.

3. The Interest of Love: Look, I loved this drama. Even though it seemed on the surface like nothing but *mess* in the interpersonal lives of these characters working at a bank on the border between a rich and poor neighborhood in Seoul, it nonetheless had some of the most searing class commentary of the year for me. I also love an FL who will (spoiler) pack up her things and disappear at the drop of a hat, even if no one else will understand her decision to do so, because she just cannot deal anymore (see also: the FL in Lovestruck in the City, whom I also love but everyone else hated). This drama kept me gleefully coming back every week in a year where not a lot of others did.

2. Call It Love: A revenge slice of life melodrama that I found unexpectedly touching in its deep melancholy. Loved not only the main couple, but the relationship between the siblings and their pharmacist bestie. A lovely character study. (Also I somehow ended up watching this at the same time as Till the End of the Moon and Li Susu as Ye Xiwu's hidden identity/revenge plot, which was unexpectedly stressful! Had a very "it's the same picture" moment despite two dramas in two genres that could not be further apart.) If you missed this one (and since it aired on Disney+, you might have--Disney+'s effects on the KDrama streaming ecosystem will be the death of me), it's worth seeking out!

1. My Dearest (Parts 1 and 2): Kind of feels like everyone has said everything there is to say about sageuk of truly epic proportions, but it blew me away as well. Epic romance? Check. Twisty political machinations? Check. Heartwarming friendships between women? Check. Strong ensemble cast? And my top FL of the year, Lady Gil-Chae, played to perfection by Ahn Eun-Jin. I've adored her since Hospital Playlist, and am delighted that she's getting the attention and the roles she deserves. Namkoong Min also a top contender for ML of the year as Lee Jang-Hyun. Part 2 dragged for me a bit in places after a nearly perfect Part 1, but such a great drama overall.

Favorite Drama of the Year: My Dearest. See above.

Favorite Female Character: I mean, it's gotta be Gil Chae from My Dearest, right? She starts out as such a spiteful, spoiled noblewoman, and then turns out to have a core of pure steel. Turns out all her conniving and strategizing, which went towards causing mischief in the village, really just needed a proper outlet. While I would never want to be in the circumstances in which she found herself, if I did, she's exactly who I would want on my side.

Favorite Male Character: Everything's coming up My Dearest this year, because this one is Lee Jang-Hyun in My Dearest as well. Checks the box for my competence kink, and has a knack for showing up just when Gil-Chae needs him, even at great personal cost. Also a smart-ass, which I probably like a bit too much in a man.

Favorite Secondary Female Character: Cho-Won from See You in My 19th Life. Her relationship with her reincarnated older sister was almost more compelling to me than the main romance sometimes, and really helped develop how the ties that bind us are not just romantic ones. Also she was just super cute

Favorite Secondary Male Character: Could have picked anyone from Team Himbo in Alchemy of Souls, but gonna have to give this one to Go Won, himbo prince of my heart

Favorite Ship: Again, it's gotta be Gil-Chae and Lee Jang-Hyun in My Dearest. Sometimes, there are drama couples that nearly cause me pain when they are apart, and these two quickly became one of them. Though their relationships is hardly functional for much of it, through all that push and pull, they ultimately learn how to show up for each other. Also, their *chemistry* is insane!

Favorite Secondary Ship: I loved Hye-Seong and Sung Joon, the B couple in Call it Love. Seeing the SFL grow more comfortable with herself after a truly shitty ending to her previous relationship was a nice respite from the hidden identity stress of the A couple in this one. I'm also a sucker for a good romance where you start to see someone you've long taken for granted differently. (Close Runner Up: Cho Won and Do-Yun in See You in My 19th Life)

Favorite Platonic Relationship: Gil-Chae, Eun-Ae, and their maids, Jong Jong and Bong Doo, in My Dearest. I loved loved loved the relationship between these women in this drama, and part of the reason the second half of the drama suffered a bit for me is because of how far it moved away from this core relationship. They were ride or die for each other more than the majority of the men in their lives, and I loved that for them.

Trope that Needs to Die: While I find murder plots in rom coms tedious at the best of times, homophobic murder plots are really not it. Quit it, y'all. It's not cute.

Dramas I Missed: Moon in the Day, The Story of Park's Marriage Contract, and Tell Me That You Love Me (grrr Disney+ on this one) are on the list for next year. I'm probably missing others.

Non-2023 Drama Spotlight: Finally went back and watched Do You Like Brahms? for a hit of Park Eun-Bin. A lovely, if also melancholy, slice of life romance that's just as much about what to do when a (career related) dream that you've worked really, really hard for just isn't going to come through as it is about the main romance. Also made me fall in love with Kim Min-Jae and his lovely deep voice, enough so that I also then went back and finally watched Dali and the Cocky Prince, which was also a treat. Recommend both.

Most Looking Forward To: I continue to yearn for a Yumi's Cells 3, and who's to say if that one will ever come through, but I'm putting it out into the universe anyway. More realistically, I'm looking forward to the surprisingly stacked line-up of sageuks coming up, including Captivating the King and Love Song for Illusion.

[chorusfm]

Liner Notes (February 3rd, 2024)

The first newsletter of February is here. Some thoughts on music, entertainment, and other random stuff. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here. If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here. A Few Things * Last weekend, I had some time to work on fixing embeds on the website. I rolled out a new feature for our forum where members can pick whether they want to have automatic embeds. And there’s an option to disable them on mobile devices. With the feature on, which I now highly recommend on mobile, you can still tap/click to view an embed in a post, but they don’t load automatically. With this feature on and ads disabled, the forum is extremely fast. I’ve had it on (for mobile) all week and have noticed a massive difference. I have two other, relatively minor, projects to work on next, and then the big one: moving this newsletter completely off Substack. * A few years ago I bought a bunch of these NFC tags when the iPhone introduced the feature. I never found a great use for them, but I liked playing around with the feature and how it integrated into Shortcuts. This week, I finally found a fun use for one. I put one in the bedroom closet, and now, when I wake up and go to get dressed, I can set my phone on it. The automation will wake up my scale, turn on the kitchen light for coffee making, and turn on my office and desk lights and set them to the correct brightness and temperature: minor things, but a collection of events I do every single morning. In Case You Missed It * Review: Incubus – A Crow Left Of The Murder… * Hot Hot Heat End Reunion Early * Spanish Love Songs / Oso Oso Announce Tour * LCD Soundsystem Announces New Tour * Knocked Loose Announce Tour * Jesse Rutherford Starts Hardcore Band * Liner Notes (January 27th, 2024) * States of Nature – “Papered News” (Video Premiere) * Blink-182 Reach 15 Weeks at Number One * Albums in Stores – Feb 2nd, 2024 Music Thoughts * This week had me on a fun New Found Glory kick at the gym. Their faster pop-punk albums are perfect gym music and the two podcast episodes breaking down their biggest hits inspired the discog dive. I still haven’t been able to get into their latest full-length, but the EP on the deluxe version is fantastic. I’ve also really come around on Radiosurgery and that entire album has found a resurgent life for me these past couple of years. Resurrection is still easily at the bottom for me, but Makes Me Sick and the live release are a blast to revisit. * Paramore’s cover of “Burning Down the House” is awesome. Just a perfect spin on the song with Paramore’s After Laughter flair and Hayley knocking the vocals way out of the park. It’s up there with my favorite vocal performances from her, for sure. * The Young Hearts’ new album, Somewhere Through the Night, came out in late December during the holiday music lull, so I never actually wrote about it here in the newsletter—time to rectify that. If you like bands like The Gaslight Anthem, The Menzingers, and Cold Years, but with a little more pop-punk flavor thrown on top, this is absolutely worth checking out. I can see this getting a lot of play this upcoming spring and summer. * Dave Hause re-worked a bunch of old Loved Ones songs to fit more in with his solo singer-songwriter sound, and the outcome is pretty great. They were great songs before, and they’re also great songs in this format. * I didn’t spend enough time last year with Noah Kahan’s album, Stick Season. I knew it blew up, but I couldn’t find the right mood for it to latch onto me. It turns out cold January nights work a lot better. There are a few places where I get Andy from Manchester Orchestra vibes with the vocals, and the songs pack an emotional punch in the gray doldrums of late winter. * Emily Wolfe’s The Blowback is one I flat-out missed last year but caught on someone’s end-of-the-year list and added to my listen list playlist. An… https://chorus.fm/features/articles/liner-notes-february-3rd-2024/

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket Manga Review , ch 112 & 113 (part 2)

I hate that this chapter is cut... mainly cuz it deals with the most “ horribly presented” theme in furuba anime.... grief.

-The shame of grieving: “ Rarely discussed theme in Literature”:

When a love one dies... ppl differ in how they deal with it. Some cry their hearts out, some become depressed & painfully lonely, others get angry or cynical, some might deny it, some move on quickly, others move on but years after the realization crushes them, others stay still... Above all, you feel ashamed of yourself if you didn’t move on or if you DID move on.. “ Sometimes ppl around you judge you for it... for your grief”

The later is the theme of these two chapters. Rarely discussed themes & it saddens me that it is cut. You see, Furuba anime doesn’t get grief  at all. To them, it’s a small part of the generic protagonist after she finishes her job of nurturing the real main protagonist. Mothers are strong, they help us cross the bridge between childhood & adulthood. Tohru, the show’s mom, did it so thoroughly & in slow visual & narrative details for yuki. Afterwards, the anime brushed whatever is left of her character, which the anime viewed as sheer suspenseful drama, & collected it thro 3rd person story-telling techniques in one ep “ se3, ep6″ & excessive monologue for 10 minutes in se3, ep9.

In this chapter, Kakeru, a side character, sheds light into this theme. Kakeru didn’t lose a parent by death, didn’t grieve, has no dependent familial bonds with either dead parents “ kyoko & komaki’s dad”. Yet, kakeru stood & judged tohru on how she “ should” grieve. Harshly tearing her down while she’s standing there lonely, trying to hide her shock at the loss of her only pillar in life, broken & traumatized, dealing with the pushed down traumatic feelings from her past where her mom abandoned her as a child..now her mom did it again, this time thro death.. & kakeru, rightfully not knowing all that, but wrongfully lecturing her on how to behave... kakeru isn’t a monster, but he only saw what he wanted: komaki & how the world should grieve with his lover, how he should be the hero protecting her. So self-centered, insensitive, horribly cruel & unbelievably conceited, but above all... what he did is so sadly common... it hurts.

-Judging Grieving People:

As I said many times.. grief is so personal, so unique to the person & as common as it is, so misunderstood. According to kakeru & many ppl I’ve sopken to lately, tohru should have acknowledged komaki. Komaki, the not-traumatized version of tohru, did the right “ tohru-like” thing. Not only felt sadness at the loss of her own dad, but found it in her heart to visit the other orphan, tohru, & give condolences & respect to the dead mother. Such kindness & purity. Very deserving of applaud: To not only see your pain but others’ as well. Tohru has always done the “ right, kind” thing to other ppl. When she can’t now, the author brought another “ tohru” to do the “ right, kind” thing.

Kakeru is so many ppl. During my brother’s funeral. I’ve heard so many gossip on how my mom should’ve stood tall & greeted the visitors.” Being silent , emotionless & non-responsive is not how you show visitors you value their kind words”, they said. How his widow should’ve collected herself & acted properly, respected his memory by taking proper care of herself & her kids. “Being a broken mess is not how you “ honor” loved one”, they said. Kakeru is indeed many ppl & that’s how you discuss a theme by creating characters who sin, screw up & be cruel, even if momentarily.

Kakeru is wrong. There is no “ you should have” in grief. There is no ounce of truth in his demeaning lecture to tohru & I respect komaki for her reaction to him so much. Kakeru did learn & grew from it, apologized to tohru even if he didn’t actually sought her to do so & even if she herself started the apology. But you see, these two chapters are 90% focused on kakeru as a character, his growth, thoughts, the mini focus on his relationship with komaki as an example of healthy relationship & all that is another lesson for yuki to observe & learn. He learned abt tohru’s past, kakeru’s personality & growth & got to observe another example of romantic relationship so yuki can grow as a man & approach machi healthily. But then again... nothing at all stops yuki/machi from being healthy, no past issues, no contradicting personalities “ they’re quite similar” & yuki is the only furuba character that doesn’t screw up big. He learns & teaches. He’s the personification of the author.

-Tohru.. stays a “ tohru”:

Tohru’s part is 10% of the this chapter which is fine as I think/hope it will lead into more tohru depth in the following chapters. But It is for this reason I’m glad this chapter was cut in the 13 eps season of furuba anime, cuz tohru doesnt have much depth in the anime due to the quick wrap up & the la~~~~st  thing I want is another 3rd person story-telling flashback abt tohru in the anime. Honestly, one of the most frustrating aspect to me of the anime & I’ll hold judgement abt manga- tohru till I reach its end. So far~~~ Tohru’s depth & character exploration gets better one chapter, then regress the next one, then moves on, the... it’s a fluctuating process. It has nothing to do with tohtu’s feelings.

you’ see ... kyo himself as a character with issues fluctuates a lot, he does sth good, then does sth bad, chooses right words, then makes a horrible mistake & chooses wrong! which is one of the most well-done aspects of character exploration that is rarely attempted by authors! I highly respect Takaya-san for what she’s doing with kyo in the manga so far. Other authors show us a character doing one big mistake & then he/she learns from it in a dramatic way. But Takaya-san, nope! she decided to approach it in a very human way, making us be frustrated with kyo’s repeated mistakes yet understands where he’s coming from! kudos to her!!

But I’m not yet satisfied with how tohru is portrayed in the manga & this has nothing to do with tohru’s character. Takaya-san is discussing rare themes thro tohru’s character. But what I mean is how tohru is approached thro the viewers/readers eyes. I wont judge until the last chapter. but this is the part that is frustrating to me.

Side Notes:

The flow of the 2 chapters is little off. We go back & forth between the past & the present, between yuki-machi & komaki-kakeru. Again, I’m so glad the anime cut it cuz, nope! they can’t handle such narrative. they’ll reorder it in a such heavily monologing way & insert the comedy abruptly to lighten the mood. Just look at how the comedy is inserted in momiji’s se03 ep!

Komaki is such a tohru with a sprinkle of kagura’s very softened outbursts. lol. she’s fun!

I’m liking yuki-machi interactions a lot. no drama, which is why the anime cut it -_-’, but it progresses healthily. Machi is yuki’s third-stage growth after (1) leaving tohru’s nest (baby yuki), (b) making friends with kakeru/someone who gets him (young boy yuki), (3) finding romantic love (being a man). The anime was so interested in the 2 stages above cuz that’s where the drama is & cut the third. Honestly, the anime didn’t have to include everything as there is never a space in 13 eps, but they certainly could’ve squeezed few panels or even made brand new very short yuki-machi scenes. but the anime weirdly decided after yuki “ saved” machi from her trauma by talking with her in her apartment, he should just marry her.... lol.. that’s why next scene is ep 5 momiji’s ep intro montage where yuki was abt to confess!!! making yuki-machi the least developed couple in the anime!

I love all furuba’s characters, but yuki, tohru, kyo & akito carry the big themes, therefore, I not only analyze their characters, but how the themes are presented thro them & how their presentation affects such themes. This might make it sound as I hate them or am harsh on them. not at all. It is the anime director/ manga author that I’m positively or negatively criticizing most times. Most importantly, my criticism is not the law. It’s just my perspective & my consumption of the material. Feel free to differ with me. I dont mind it. It brings interesting discussions!

When it comes to tohru’s issues... his chapter introduced nothing new. We have seen/read in canon repeatedly that tohru hides her pain behind a smile (heck! even kisa knows that & told us), that she cant stand up for herself much, that she smiles for other ppl not for herself. All this was presented thro so many characters already, which is why I understand the anime’s decision to cut it. What’s new? that yuki didn know tohru’s smile is mostly a mask & that kakleru has depth.

I love this chapter for the grieving themes it discussed that are rarely touched upon in literature, but since such themes are rarely presented, the anime’s decision to cut it, ironically proves my point! lol . They don’t get grief & so, they reduced it to se03 content & two eps worth. sad.. but expected. The anime is indeed another form of “past” kakeru: seeing one side of grieving person. The happy side.

[chicgeekgirl89]

The Hoodie

Fandom: 911 Lone Star

Characters: Carlos Reyes, T.K. Strand, Mateo Chavez

Summary: “...hoodies are what you wear when you want to be comfortable and feel at home. So I thought you needed one, considering the circumstances.” A little post-ep for 2x13.

A/N: I found it VERY interesting that Carlos was the one in a hoodie at the end of 2x13 since hoodies are definitely a T.K. thing. Isn't it amazing how one, teeny tiny detail can be enough for me to write an entire fic?

AO3

                                    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Carlos had been on the phone for six and a half hours. Six hours and thirty-four minutes if you were being exact. And that wasn’t including the other two hours he’d spent online, trying to search up insurance information.

There had been a long call with the arson investigator, then the insurance agent, then his bank, another hour with the arson investigator, his mortgage lender…he was exhausted.

“Hey babe!” T.K. said brightly as he and Mateo returned from their shopping trip, bags in hand. Mateo had offered to drive and T.K. had taken him up on it. It was all well and good to borrow t-shirts and sweatpants, but underwear and shoes were a whole other matter. T.K. stopped and pressed a kiss to the top of his head where was sitting at the kitchen counter.

“Hey,” Carlos said scrounging up what he hoped was a convincing smile. “Looks like you were successful.”

“We got everything,” Mateo assured him. “And I mean everything. I didn’t know T.K. was a shop until you drop kind of guy, but I think he bought out the entire men’s department at Zara. And J Crew. Honestly we kind of emptied out the whole mall.”

“Did you see the texts about tonight?” T.K. asked as he rooted through a bag from Aldo.

Carlos shook his head. He’d felt the continuous buzz of the group text as he’d slogged through his conversation with the insurance agent, but hadn’t had time to look. 

“We’re hanging at the firehouse. You down?” Mateo asked.

Just the thought of it made him tired, but Carlos tried to rally. He’d fallen apart enough, it was time for him to move on, even if all he wanted to do was curl up in T.K.’s arms and cry. Again. “Yeah, sure, sounds good,” Carlos said, careful to keep his tone bright and cheerful.

T.K. shot him a quick look but didn’t say anything, so Carlos assumed he’d been successful in hiding his exhaustion. A night out with friends would be good for T.K., a distraction from all the stress of the last two days.

“Come upstairs and try some of this on,” T.K. said, gathering up all the bags.

“I’ll be up in a minute,” Carlos said. “I have a couple emails I need to send.”

It was more like half an hour than a minute because the insurance agent called back again, but eventually Carlos made his way to the guest bedroom. T.K. was standing by the bed, a new button-up hanging open as he held up and compared two belts. “That’s all yours,” he said, nodding toward a pile on Carlos’ side of the bed. “Just figure out what fits, we can take the rest back.”

Carlos was definitely not in the mood to put on a fashion show, but he took a quick look through the clothing and pulled out a polo shirt and jeans to try on. “How did the calls go today? Any progress?” T.K. asked.

Carlos sighed as he stripped off his borrowed t-shirt. “Not as much as I would like. Turns out having your home and all your worldly possessions burn up in a fire isn’t exactly the easiest insurance situation. They want copies of all the paperwork, proof that the home is burned beyond repair, a copy of the police report, the fire report, and I have to secure the site so nobody loots it. Not that there’s anything left to loot.” 

T.K. had gone over in the morning with his dad and Judd to sort through some of the wreckage, while Carlos started his calls. There had been very little that was salvageable and everything that was had been sent off to be professionally cleaned. Yet another phone call Carlos had had to make. 

“We’ll get it figured out,” T.K. said. “I can stay home tomorrow and help.”

Carlos shook his head. “No, it’s kind of a one person job. And my name is on everything so they probably won’t talk to you anyway.”

T.K.’s face softened as he took in Carlos’ frustration. “Are you sure you want to go tonight?”

“To hang with the 126? Yeah of course,” he said.

“Carlos…”

“I’m fine, really. It’s…just been a long day. It’ll be good to blow off some steam,” Carlos told him. 

T.K. didn’t quite look convinced but he let the matter slide for the moment. “That looks good,” he said, nodding toward the polo Carlos had put on.

“Yeah, it fits fine.” Carlos reached for the next thing in the pile. “Oh, here, this must be yours,” he said, holding out a blue sweatshirt.

T.K. looked up and shook his head. “No, that’s for you.”

“You bought me a hoodie?” Carlos asked.

T.K. set down the pants he’d been refolding. “I know they’re not really your thing,” he said. “But hoodies are what you wear when you want to be comfortable and feel at home. So I thought you needed one, considering the circumstances.”

Carlos ran his fingers over the soft fabric. It was touching gesture and he felt tears prick at his eyes again for the thousandth time in the last day. “Thank you.”

T.K. smiled and nodded toward him. “You should try it on.”

Carlos slipped it over his head and pulled at it until it fit around his waist and hips. “How do I look?”

T.K. reached up and fixed a few of his mussed curls. “Hoodie hazard,” he said with a smile. “You look great.”

An hour later they headed over to the firehouse, coolers and snacks in hand. Carlos felt good, ready, maybe even a little excited to be out and put the day behind him.

But he was not prepared for how sense memory would assault him. The firehouse smelled like smoke and fire and destruction, causing his shoulders to tense immediately. And the gentle teasing about their lack of home to hang out in stabbed a sharp blade into his stomach. Marjan was just trying to make light of a bad situation, but it still hurt.

But T.K. looked so happy surrounded by his friends and his dad that Carlos couldn’t bring himself to ask to leave. Instead he smiled, sipped his beer without tasting it, laughed when it was called for, and answered any questions thrown his way. He and Paul even went a round together at the foosball table. Mostly he stayed by the counter, shifting food around, refilling bowls, getting people drinks, and just generally keeping up the pretense of being a good party host. 

He thought he was doing a pretty decent job hiding it; of pretending that he didn’t feel like the walls were closing in on him with their dark, smoke stained plaster. He was trying very hard not to think about the fact that being in this space felt like being back in his burning bedroom, absolutely certain that he was about to not only die, but also lose the man he loved with all his heart. 

He was rearranging the snack bowls for probably the twelfth time when he felt arms go around his waist and T.K.’s lips found his neck. “Let’s go back to my dad’s,” he murmured.

Carlos frowned and continued his very important cheeseball work. “It’s only eight o’clock.”

“But you’re tired and don’t want to be here,” T.K. said softly.

“I’m fine.”

“Carlos.” Lips pressed against his neck again. “You can say you’re not okay.”

“You’re having a good time,” Carlos tried again.

“If you’re not having fun, I’m not having fun,” T.K. told him.

Carlos turned in his arms so they were facing each other. “It’s just been a really long day and I—” he swallowed hard. “Being here is kind of like reliving the fire all over again.”

T.K.’s eyes clouded. “I am such an idiot. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think about that.”

“It’s fine,” Carlos told him. “I’m fine. Really.”

But T.K. was already on the move. “Hey guys?” he called to the group. “Carlos and I are going to call it a night.”

“T.K. we didn’t drive,” Carlos reminded him. They’d caught a ride with Mateo since his Camaro was toast.

“You can take my car,” Owen offered.

“Yeah I’ll drive the Cap home,” Mateo volunteered as he defended his goal against Nancy.

“See?” T.K. said. “All good.”

“Who’s going to clean up the mess?” Carlos asked as T.K. tugged him toward the door.

“Any of the other five people here at the moment. Just because you never let them help doesn’t mean they’re not capable,” T.K. informed him. “Night guys!”

“Night!”

“Goodnight!”

“Drive safe!”

“Stop feeling bad,” T.K. ordered as he climbed into the driver’s seat of Owen’s car. “You’re not making me leave, I chose to leave.”

“I don’t want to pull you away from your friends.”

“They’re your friends too.”

“I know but…I just thought you needed this. To get your mind off everything.”

“The only thing on my mind is making sure you’re okay,” T.K. said as he flipped on the blinker and turned them left, streetlights ghosting over his face. “I knew something was going on. I shouldn’t have dragged you out tonight.”

“You didn’t drag me out.” Carlos shook his head. “I thought maybe it would be good for both of us. I didn’t realize…I didn’t know that being at the firehouse would make me feel this way.”

“I’m just so used to dealing with fire and smoke I didn’t even think about how it might take you back,” T.K. said. “But I should have. I’m sorry.”

Silently T.K. reached for his hand, threading their fingers together over the car’s console. The small gesture made Carlos’ throat grow tight. 

They finished the drive to Owen’s in silence. The place smelled blissfully free of smoke and Carlos felt the muscles in his back loosen just a little bit. “Come here,” T.K. said, pulling him toward the couch.

Carlos ended up sitting between T.K.’s legs, back pressed against his chest as T.K. flipped on a Netflix documentary. He’d just gotten settled when T.K.’s fingers slipped inside the neckline of his hoodie. “T.K. you don’t—”

“Shh,” T.K. said softly as he began to work loose the knots in Carlos’ neck and shoulders. “Just relax.”

Slowly Carlos felt his shoulders begin to unwind, his body relaxing into T.K.’s as his boyfriends fingers dug deeply into his muscles. “Better?” T.K. asked a few minutes later.

Carlos nodded, eyes feeling heavy. “The hoodie helps too,” he mumbled.

“Yeah?” T.K. pressed a kiss to his curls.

“It feels like you,” he said, semi-aware that his words were slurring as sleep pulled at him.

He could feel T.K. smile against the top of his head. “I’m glad it’s working.”

As Carlos drifted off, sweatshirt and boyfriend cocooning his body in comfort, he felt the deep, reassuring sense of home.

[ainosk8]

EP 10 ADAM WATCH

I’m not going to pretend Adam isn’t still the creepiest character on this show, but Tadashi...this was a choice

This ep was Adam-lite, but what this episode lacks in Adam it makes up for with Tadashi! Who is of course, integral to Adam’s story, so I’m focusing on him this ep.

We start with this lovely flashback summarizing Tadashi and Adam’s whole situation. Tadashi saw Adam suffering, so he introduced him to skating, which became “his lifeline”. But since skating is a broke bitch hobby, Papa Shindo had to put a stop to it. He took away the one good thing in Adam’s life, which Tadashi believes set him on the path to becoming the messed up, unhappy person he is now.

This is clearly why Tadashi chose “Snake” as his skating persona. As we see in the above screenshots, Tadashi beckons Adam to come deeper into the garden (of Eden), and partake of the Forbidden (broke bitch activity) which in turn leads to his downfall. His kindness led to Adam’s misery, and he blames himself.

Even though Adam was physically and emotionally abused by his aunts, had a distant but shitty father who denied him happiness, and was saddled from birth with the societal pressure that comes with his family name, somehow Tadashi believes it’s all his fault that Adam is That Way. Not to mention the fact that Adam is now a grown ass man who is responsible for his actions regardless of his past. Maybe it’s Tadashi’s servant instinct to cover for his master’s shortcomings, or it could be because he’s the only one in Adam’s life who gives a single shit about him as a person he feels compelled to try to “fix” him.

Realistically, I don’t know what Tadashi expects to happen after he “takes skating away” from Adam though. It’s not like some spell will be broken and Adam will suddenly 180 into a happy functioning human being. He needs therapy for that! Does Tadashi not think Adam will simply fire him and find a new butler who lets him skate? But I guess there isn’t much else Tadashi can do at this point.

Other than hit Reki with his car and drag him into...

According to my friend who has been to Japan, love hotels are super discreet and there are even places where you don’t have to speak to anyone face to face in order to check in (which, by the way seems?? not great??). So I get why it would be convenient for Tadashi when he’s trying not to let his little whoopsie trace back to Adam. But also...if LITERALLY ANYONE saw him, the optics of a grown man silently carrying an unconscious teenager into a private room with mood lighting and a rotating bed? It’s a bad look my dude!

Also, do I wanna know why he knows the location of the closest love hotel? He gets Reki there before he comes to, despite Reki apparently not having been hit very hard. Either this love hotel is mad close to the hospital or this is not Tadashi’s first visit.

Also he took Reki’s shoes off???? 

Anyway, it’s awkward but it allows the two characters to have this nice little chat about skating. Tadashi, clearly bitter over the way his love of skating ruined his relationship with Adam, tries to convince Reki to quit. 

But Reki’s speech about how fun skating is reminds Tadashi of the fun he and Adam used to have together. In the end, Tadashi echoes Joe’s words about “all skaters” (himself included, I bet) being idiots, but seems to concede to Reki’s enthusiasm.

The choice of setting lends itself to a layered reading of this scene. You could sub in “love” for “skating” and it kinda sorta works. 

What Tadashi lists off as the detriments of skating are rational points. It’s dangerous, you can’t earn a living off it, good instructors are hard to find, etc. He ignores what skating feels like. Which is the whole appeal.

Similarly, love isn’t rational or logical. There’s no guarantee that anything good will come out of it. Rejection and heartbreak are some of the most painful things anyone can experience. When you’ve had your heart broken, it’s hard to look at a happy new couple and not see two morons headed for inevitable pain. So why bother loving anyone?

Because love is an amazing feeling.

So maybe people are stupid to fall in love/to love skating, but maybe it’s okay to be stupid. Maybe it’s worth it to have had that feeling in your life, even if you wipe out afterwards. I think Tadashi is opening up to this idea. Idk if that means he’s going to back out of racing Adam, though.

Adam’s little remark at the end here is sad, but true for his experience with love. Love has never not been painful/complicated for him so he’s taught himself to embrace those painful elements of love, to be “fired up” by them. The man is truly just one big coping mechanism.

I guess he’s gonna challenge Reki to a beef....I hope Reki says no :/ But the next episode is titled “King VS Nobody” soooo :/// I wanna see an Adam/Tadashi skate before the show ends, and if the next episode is Adam being kicked out of his own damn tournament bc Reki uses the power of friendship on him I won’t get to see that. But the alternative is that Reki gets his ass beat again. Man idk

[youcanblogifyouwantto]

Biff’s Year in Music

2020 what can I say… I feel like this meme summed up the first half of it pretty well.

https://cheezburger.com/12209157/ant-man-meme-gives-a-recap-of-all-the-horrors-of-2020-so-far

Then to top it off this last week my son developed a spontaneous pneumothorax which basically is a collapsing of his lung for no apparent reason other than he is a tall thin white adolescent. To make matters worse he is 18 and COVID is raging in all the hospitals.  Thankfully my wife is an RN and should have been a lawyer as she was able to argue her way into staying with him.  Good thing she did because one the doctors fucked up so bad she gave him another Pneumothorax by turning a valve a wrong way.  Needless to say it has been a very rough year and especially rough week for me and my family.  Music has been and always will be the only constant positive release for me.  2020 had some great music and being home for almost an entire year now has led to a lot of music consumption.  The only other thing I did almost as much as listen to music was drink and cook food to match what I was drinking.  I’ve always loved beer and wine and dabbled in Whiskey but this year was the year of the cocktail for me.  I would discover a new alcohol type and then plan crazy elaborate dinners that cocktail would either be an aperitif of digestif for. Fun yes, healthy? …That is yet to be determined. I did take up running again to counter the amount I was drinking and eating and I would say that I have consistently worked out more this year than any other year so my liver might be fucked but my heart and lungs are strong.

So to start it off, this year saw releases from some of my all-time favorite musicians that I found nice and good even but never clicked or haven’t yet.  I had been eagerly anticipating Matt Berninger’s solo release all year and I dig it but strangely not enough to return to it unless I purposely tell myself to.  The same goes for Bright Eyes, Real Estate, Sylavan Esso, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever minus Cars in Space (I played the shit out of that song), Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Car Seat Headrest, Dirty Projectors, Sufjan Stevens, Laura Marling (on first listen I thought easy top for the year then Fiona Apple came out and I haven’t returned to Laura Marling since), Damien Jurado, Jason Isbell, Neil Young (Homegrown had a special place in my heart for a month but again haven’t returned since August), Future Islands, Kevin Morby, and Busta Rhymes. All of these albums I do not hate or even dislike in fact some I liked a lot at first but just didn’t have staying power.  The following list are albums I loved that some stayed all year in rotation. Not in particular order but kinda like a Coachella poster if it’s near the top it’s one of my favorites of the year. I can be very longwinded on paper and very brief in person so I will try my antisocial tendencies to describe these albums. I will say for the most part the albums that hit this year are like comfort food music for my soul.

Waxahatchee  - St. Cloud – Home, comfort, introspective

Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher – Witty, production, great voice

Run The Jewels – RTJ4  - best running album ever. My favorite from these guys and best rap album I’ve heard in a while.

Jeff Tweedy – Love is the King. Maybe blasphemy but I like better than Warm. Perfect example of music comfort food. His biography is great too and so is the Summer teeth deluxe reissue.

Fleet Foxes – Shore – Beautiful, peaceful everything I needed from them and more. Side note Helplessness Blues was the first album review I ever wrote for ATR and I’m so glad I found those guys! Thank you for continuing the tradition.

Jeff Rosenstock – NO DREAM There was some good punk rock this year but this was the best also great running music. Rosenstock is now my go to for punk

Taylor Swift- Folk Lore- Story Telling, Sweater music, more music comfort food. And now Evermore continues the greatness. Dorothea might be my favorite track from both records. If you would have told me a Taylor Swift album would be in my tops for the year a couple of years ago I would have laughed you out of my face and now she has two albums in my tops. 2020 is one crazy year!

The Avalanches- We Will Always Love You- I’ve loved every single and was waiting for this to drop before posting this.  Well Worth the wait. I like it better than the Gorillaz release and that is saying a lot. It’s hard to have this many spot on features and keep a cohesive vibe! Johnny Marr meets MGMT is another need more of this collab.

Loma  - Don’t Shy Away- If 2020 could be articulated through music disorienting but also working from home has some perks. Good balance of weird and comfort

Adrienne Leckner – Songs- She writes great songs and performs them immaculately

Muzz- ST – The last show I went to before shutdown was Morrissey with Interpol opening and I forgot how much I love Bank’s voice.  This album is highly underrated in my opinion especially Evergreen.

Gorillaz –Song Machine – Best since Demon Days and Robert Smith/Damon Albarn Collab was never anything I thought I needed but now want more of. When Tony Allen died I went through a deep Tony Allen dive that was quite enjoyable. Great Drummer!

Dinner party – ST – The title explains it better than I can

Against All Logic – 2017-2019 – Kelly Lee Owens and this were the only electronica to stay all year both great running albums and If you can’t do it good do it hard is worth the price of admission alone

Hamilton Leithhauser- The Loves of your life- I love this man and I loved the walkmen. I feel he for me is like Frank Sinatra was for my mom. Not as sweet as a voice but can sing the hell out of a song.

Walter Martin – The world at Night- Another Walkmen member, this is another comfort food album it just feels right in my soul

Ka – Descendants Of Cain – Criminally underrated for too long this dude paints lyrical mood pictures like GZA.

Perfume Genius – Set My Heart On Fire Immediately – Beautiful Authentic Elegant

Fiona Apple – Fetch The Bolt Cutters  - Lyrically and sonically slays me. You have to like spoken word and weird rhythm texture but she nails both of those.

Bonny Light Horseman- ST – Great folk indie I just knew this was an album for me on first listen

Rose city band - Summerlong – Best new discovery, feeds my jam band meets indie soul

Strokes - The New Abnormal – I don’t know why this didn’t get more love? I loved it and The Adults are Talking is top five best Strokes songs.

Pinegrove- Marigold – More indie comfort food music

Bartees Strange – Live Forever – Second best new discovery. This dude is all over the place but in a good way. If you like this check out his singles where he covers many National songs.

Kelly Lee Owens – Inner Song- My Friend Antony described this better than I can at the current moment. Inner songs indeed.

The Killers – Imploding the Mirage- Most surprised album of the year, I’ve never been a big Killers fan but this one just wrapped it hooks inside me and didn’t let go all year

Young Jesus – Welcome to Conceptual Beach- Avant-garde or experimental music stretches me in ways that are very good for my soul and this one was such an album

My Morning Jacket – Waterfall II – Took a trip up to Humboldt in Early August and this was the soundtrack of the trip. Very much needed social distance return to nature vacation.

Hum- Inlet – I rocked out to this many a summer early fall evening sitting on my dock fishing and drinking beer.

Haim- Women in Music Pt. III – Best Haim yet and yes they are maturing into great song writers

Nation of Language- Introduction, Presence – Third best new discovery.. My friend Spencer at Shadows and Noise (a blog I’ve contributed to on occasion) accurately describes this album nicely. My wife loves Depeche Mode, New Order, and Erasure so this album is a new version of that genre that she and I can love together.

Coriky- ST – Half of Fugazi with a female drummer that sounds like classic Sleater Kinney in fact Fugazi meets Sleater Kinney is how I would describe this and that can’t be wrong!

EP’s Singles

James Blake- Before (Great marriage of his old and new)

Kruangbin & Leon Bridges- Texas Sun

Local Natives – Sour Lemon

Radio Dept – The Absence of Birds

Leon Bridges – Sweeter

Tom Berlin – Projections

Father John Misty – To S/ To R

Rostam- Unfold you

 Mank is one of the only great movies of 2020!

[cyoza]

adrenaline

okay so we can all agree that ep 5 has been the best one so far of the season so I tried to something from that 

I did try to get a little dirtier but honestly I couldn’t get in the mind frame, even after 2 glasses of scotch so aqui estamos! that being said, i feel like my last couple of chapters were focused on big horny Kory energy so I’ve at least tried to flip that around.

as per, please like, comment reblog if you like it! thanks!! 

part two 

part three 

part four 

part five 

part six 

*******************************************************************************************

The mood back at HQ was indescribable. Somehow electric from the residual energy but sombre due to everyone’s exhaustion yet triumphant from their win. Safe to say the drive back was tense and silent. Arguably due to Jason being passed out in the backseat meaning he couldn’t fill the car with his nonsensical babbling.  That being said, the relief over him being okay was the premier emotion, everyone knowing how badly this could have ended. 

Dick and Hank had taken responsibility for him, carrying him from the car to the infirmary. They settled him with what was essentially a baby monitor so that they could keep an eye on him but still recuperate; any movement or change would send an immediate alert to Dick’s phone. He had sustained a lot of injuries, which meant that the night ahead could potentially be a long one; everything would be touch and go to make sure he didn’t succumb to any injuries from his fall. Though Jason would probably never admit it, the trauma of the night would more than likely haunt him for a very long time to come. 

Dick knew that more than anyone.

He had insisted Rachel and Gar go to bed, having to nearly twist Gar’s arm to leave Rose to get some rest ensuring him she would be okay now that everyone was back. Kory had been in the shower for the last 15 minutes, meaning she would be out soon but for now Dick was alone in the living room, bar the miserable company of the glass of whiskey in his hand. He let out a deep sigh before gulping down a mouthful, the liquid leaving a burning trail down his throat. He hoped more than anything it would at least allow him to unwind a little, the remnants of adrenaline still coursing through him fiercely. 

Tonight had been a cyclone of pure shit and he had no one to blame but himself. He couldn’t seem to make the right decisions no matter how hard he tried. Because of him Rachel was in crisis, Rose and Jason were in the infirmary, not to mention how tumultuous the rest of his relationships were and if it wasn’t for Kory, they’d probably all be dead.

Kory..

The thought of her had him instinctively taking another sip, swigging the last of it. He prayed that it would slow down the leap in his heart rate but all it was currently doing was aiding in raising the heat that was stirring under the collar of his navy t shirt. He’d never seen anyone move so fluidly and so effortlessly with such power. Donna had once joked that he had a ‘thing for dangerous women’ and after tonight it would be difficult to deny it with vim. He felt himself slide down his chair slightly as he remembered more from the fight, allowing himself to do so now he knew everyone was safe and sound; at least for now. He allowed himself to remember how strong her arms looked blocking the bullets from Deathstroke. Allowed himself to think about how powerful and lithe her body looked as she flew out of the window after Jason to catch him in her arms. How positively ethereal she looked as she lifted him back to safety. He always knew Kory was exquisite but tonight was something else, something he could never hope to imagine. 

‘Comfortable there, Grayson?’ 

Kory’s voice jolted him back up to a sitting position, causing him to almost drop his glass. He glanced up at her to scold her jokingly but found his mouth too dry to speak at the sight of her. She wore nothing but one of his button up shirts, her hair freshly blow dried to maximum fluffiness; all in all, she looked utterly irresistible

‘Dick? Hey, are you okay?’ Her voice broke his revere, summoning his gaze back her eyes where he met her worried gaze. 

‘Yeah, yeah. Sorry, its uh, it's been a long night.’ He apologised, setting down the glass on the coffee table next to him. 

He watched as she took the seat opposite him, trying to ignore how the light from the lamp highlighted the muscular shape of her thighs as the shirt lifted. 

‘No pyjamas?’ He inquired. 

‘No, I was kind of in a rush to get back so I didn’t have the time and this is the first thing I could find when I came out of the shower. You don’t mind do you?’ She raised an eyebrow, as if she was daring him to object. 

‘No, of course not. You’re good.’ He cleared his throat before speaking again. ‘So..’ was his marvelous start. 

‘So…?’ Kory continued, questioningly. 

‘Uh, long night. And you can fly! When, um, did you find that out?’ 

‘Yeah, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that actually. I got a...jump start in getting my memories back recently and that was one of the things that I remembered.’ She shrugged it off as if it were nothing, as if she hadn’t saved multiple lives tonight. ‘That was the first time I’ve done it since. I don’t know, I saw Jason fall and next thing I knew he was in my arms. Call it instinct, I guess. I was as surprised as you were. But you - You’re not Robin anymore but you sure still have his moves.’ 

‘Yeah, you think so? Well, I try.’ He responded, her praise sent a warm prickling sensation all over his body. 

‘I’m sure you do.’ She smiled at him as she held his gaze, a smile of a siren, sultry and downright enticing. ‘You know, I forgot how good of a team we are. How well we work together. It was nice to be reminded.’ 

The air surrounding them seemed to be static, the electricity between them palpable in the room and the voltage seemed to ascend exponentially the longer they looked at each other. Kory was the one who broke the bubble, standing to make her way over to him. Dick could feel the typhoon of desire rising within him, like tumbling clouds and he knew it was only a matter of time that the feeling would tsunami him. Especially if Kory kept moving the way she was moving. Thankfully, she placed herself on the arm of his chair, far enough that he could at least form some relatively rational thoughts. But then she leaned over him, stupefying him as the sweet, rosy billow of her shampoo and conditioner. Kory grabbed the glass he’d been drinking out of and filled it halfway before throwing it back in one swallow. 

‘It’s no fun to drink by yourself. You’re not going to get in your head tonight, Grayson, I’m gonna make sure of that.’ She announced with conviction. 

Dick looked up at her, the alcohol making itself known at this point and giving him the liquid courage he needed to do what he did next. In all the recent events and tribulations, Dick had forgotten who he was. Kory frequently rendered him powerless to her but it was time he reminded himself and her of the attractive, tactful man he was. So he wound his arm around her waist and pulled her down into his lap, prompting a surprise squeal from Kory as she tipped backwards, her legs now placed over the arm of the chair. 

‘Oh? And how do you expect to do that, Miss Anders?’ He whispered, pulling her closer to him so she was flush against him. 

‘Why don’t you give me some suggestions...Mr Grayson.’ Kory’s face couldn’t have been more than a few inches from his, giving him perfect access for his following move. 

Dick seized her lips with his own in one swift move, revelling in how velvety they were and Kory matched his energy, kissing him back with just as much enthusiasm as he gave her. She lifted her arms to drape them over his shoulders, her hands landing at the nape of his neck to sieve through the tufts of hair there. The slight tug she gave them evoking a pleased grunt from him, his hips jerking instinctually. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to take her right there and then on the spot. 

Normally Dick was more patient, more explorative in his ministrations, but with the way the Kory was shifting in his lap and the exhilaration from the night coupled with the whiskey, he rushed to undo the buttons of the shirt she was wearing. 

It was Kory again who broke their mutual trance, pulling back from the kiss to halt his hands before he opened more than the two buttons he’d unclasped. 

‘Ah, we can’t do this here. I can’t have someone walking through here and catching us.’ 

And much to his dismay, she slid off his lap and stood towering over his position in the chair. He began to protest but was cut short when she continued to liberate the rest of the buttons, drawing open the collar of the shirt and permitting him a peek of the supple curve of her bare breasts. 

‘So? Shall we continue this in the bedroom, Mr Grayson?’ 

Well, he didn’t need to be asked twice.

[whalohs]

i’ve put the entire conversation off for long enough. we’re going to talk about nott, her humor, and episode 50. i’ve seen a lot of really good posts the last few weeks that put it in ways i never could!! but this episode was a little new in terms of what sam did at the table, and i want to yell somewhere. so here we go. warning for length.

as always, my ask box & messages are wide open if you wanna talk about nonsense.

preface: a theory i like to subscribe to is something laura bailey taught me: no one can really be ‘out of character’ in fiction -- no person can always act according to expectations, so who’s to say that characters should? half the fun of fiction, especially in d&d, is exploring character traits and plots that you don’t normally see in reality. and if your character can be a little more human while doing so, then that makes your story that much better!

( what’s important is providing justification for why they acted the way they did; things start getting muddy when you do whatever you want without being able to explain yourself after word, imo!! )

“j weren’t you going to talk about nott” look this was important

so, here are some ways nott was hilarious this ep: 

@ fjord: “... but my husband. we spent 3 months searching for your backstory”

@ caleb: “shut up” / “fuck you” / [ jokingly ] “your people did this”

@ spurt: “YES, MOMMY”

i’m still not sure if this episode was real, i’m forgetting half of it.

but while sam’s good at making light of heavy, tense situations with some really pointed humor that still manages to get us to laugh ( which i think helped all the jokes land ), nott’s humor is different.

her humor plays up how much of a goblin she is, how strange she is, how much she likes stealing or doesn’t like water or how “out of touch” she is with society in exandria ( eating babies, her relationship advice, etc ). these are quintessential nott the brave humor material, and while it’s still funny because there’s a new twist on it each episode, there’s definitely a pattern to it.

this isn’t to say that she lies back and takes every insult hurled at her, but how she tends to joke about herself, ftr!

also note how self-deprecating her humor is. i didn’t really notice until i started throwing this post together, but oh boy.

and then, episode 50 happened. take a second to read my list of nott jokes this episode, then come back.

her jokes were still made her at her expense / their current situation. but ( starting with “your people did this” to caleb ) this episode her jokes... stopped blaming herself? she started calling people out in ways that weren’t insulting, but were still much more bold than nott normally is. 

like she made a mother joke literally after telling the entire party that she had a son. 

i don’t know about you but i was absolutely appalled and losing it when she used “your people did this” on caleb again, or when she pretty much called fjord out the moment he jokingly asked to turn back. like holy shit nott?! you’re fuckin savage?!

she really lightened what could have been a tense mood instead of actively worrying about yeza ( having jester send a message every night probably helped! ). but her humor wasn’t about how much of a goblin she was, but instead it started pointing at the people in her party. 

like, guys, she told caleb to shut up. she thinks caleb is the leader. but she told him to shut his mouth!!! 

i love it, i love this.

was sam suddenly shitposting a lot more often? i mean, sure that could be it, but again i subscribe to the theory that being “out of character” isn’t... really a thing. the beauty of d&d is that everyone has to be constantly “on”, all the time! and while no one can do that perfectly for 4-5 hours straight every week without a script, i do love linking those grey areas back to big character moments.

so why did she do this?

i don’t think this is a sudden boost in nott’s confidence. it’s no secret she’s particularly happy with who she is now. she hasn’t suddenly accepted her goblin body over the course of 3 episodes. 

so, what is it? 

think about how much nott has had to tell the party. in tal’s words - the riegel shoe has dropped. the biggest part of nott’s backstory has been revealed to us, and nott doesn’t have much left to hide anymore. this is it. this is her big secret, the reason she needs caleb, why she hates goblins. 

this isn’t to say everything is out there, because that’s something only sam and matt would know! but i do think her big picture is out there.

and with so little left to lose around the mighty nein, she almost has ... no choice but to get comfortable? she’s stuck with these people, who know why she’s a goblin, in a tunnel that goes straight into “enemy territory” in a couple of weeks. to rescue her husband. they’ve made it extremely clear they’re not leaving her despite all that’s on the line. 

i don’t know if i’d go as far as to say this is nott’s “real” humor? but i do think it is a result of her becoming more comfortable with everyone else.

good old physical proximity coupled with some serious heart-to-heart, y’all.

for the record, i think there’s a difference between caring for the people around you ( which nott is good at ) and being comfortable around them ( which nott really started leaning into this episode ). it’s like how the closer you get with someone, the more you can push your boundaries on humor. 

tl;dr what i’m trying to say is if nott wasn’t ride or die before, she’s definitely ride or die now. she trusts these people with the biggest secret she’s carried with her, and she really would want no one else to rescue her husband with her. she’s more comfortable with the mighty nein than she ever has been, and i’m so happy!!!

am i reading way too much into stupid jokes, i sure fuckin am.

[soundrooms]

Soundrs: DJ CYBERDAD

My name is John Verchot, I’ve released music under several names: J-chot as well as DJ CYBERDAD. Locally, I’m usually just billed as DJ Verchot. I feel like the first thing I should tell you about myself is that I have severe ADHD, which seems to be the single most consistent force guiding my art and existence. I often get distracted and always get ahead of myself when I try to explain things. DJ CYBERDAD started out as a funny pseudonym to release more profane songs that I didn’t want my son to hear, but changed into an outlet for my smoother dance jams as well as more introspective music. 

What are your inspiration sources?

It varies from project to project. Often times with tracks, the inspiration to work on them comes in two or three different phases. Inspiration to create sounds is one thing, as inspiration to finish and structure tracks, create moods/themes, or even package them into a finished project, all feel like different driving forces/processes that need to happen in order for me to get anything done. However, whichever one of those forces I am able to utilize when I sit down at my laptop often seems to be beyond my control.

Most times I’ll hear a sound, loop or phrase, I’ll start to wonder what I can do with it, or how I can change and manipulate it. It might be the timbre of an old instructional video’s narrator, or an odd metallic sound I’ve managed to coax out of some equipment. Occasionally I’ll think of a concept, either of overall sound or thematic content and before I know it, I’ve got half a track planned out in my head. Many times I’ll hear other tracks or songs, and want to use just one part/concept/sound or re-do the whole track differently. With “Emotional in Destin”, I was trying to convey moods or feelings I felt during an unexpected trip to Florida in the middle of a crushing depression. It sounds bizarre, but I've never channeled personal experiences into my music before.

Overall what inspires me to create different sounds is the novelty of technology and bits and other people’s music.

What makes me want to sit down and make music is personal or professional success.

What inspires me to finish tracks and projects is the distant white noise of overwhelming anxiety and dread setting in as the ennui of the imminent collapse of western society fades giving way to the dark, almost imperceivable thrumming of the void drawing nearer, and is definitely getting louder. Your “time” is almost up John. Did you even do anything, or are you too skiddish and feeble of heart and head to make any clear decisions, impulsively flitting from one animal urge to another bad habit, clogging the chemical receptors of your brain for simple stupid pleasure. It’s night now and your eyes and fingers grow weary…

What was the question again? 

Tell us something about your workflow.

Most times, it starts with just noodling around. Sometimes, it’s with synths and sequencers, either recording sounds or looping notes and tweaking/loading patches (virtual or real synths), sometimes I’m browsing potential sample material, but what happens next is the same regardless of how I’m making sounds or what I’m doing:

…I think hear something.

…And I STOP noodling. Basically, I either hear something I like, or I hit a riff or whatever and it’s like a tiny, tiny light bulb that blinks barely. Occasionally it’s like a hundred watt, and other ideas quickly fall into place. Most times, it’s a process of trial and error, but I’m making sure to document or isolate the little pieces that click and then attempt to refine or improve on those ideas. Ideas can quickly diverge, multiple sets with different names get saved, and I often jump around and get lost. I use color coding on clips and pieces in Ableton to help me sort those ideas. Some ideas form by running one sequence I’ve had already through a whole different synth/patch.

Very rarely, I’ll get a concrete idea while I’m driving, maybe I’ll make some notes on my phone (text to speech notes, voice recording).

When I get a spark that makes me imagine a full concept (“Charles Nelson Riley”, or that “My P**sy tastes like Pepsi Cola” remix for example), the track is formed VERY quickly (four to eight hours working time) and I finish the mix, structure, everything. This is rare, but these tracks are almost always my better material.

The next step is always the same: Let the track “cool-off”. Leave it alone. Do something else for a few days, or weeks… or in some cases, years… Then I’ll fuck around with it even more, or move on to:

STRUCTURE & MIXING: 

I look for/experiment with arrangements that compliment my DJ style, or allow someone to do a rough edit if they want, (breakdowns at the end), or I’ll load a track that I like to DJ that’s similar enough and I will STRAIGHT UP copy the song structure in terms of intro, (drums or keys?) repeating bits, breakdowns, outros… Most times I fuck with it until it sounds okay, which is kinda bad because I end up drastically overscrutinizing it.

When it comes to mixing, something that I should do more often but don’t is load a reference track (someone else’s track) and try to get my mix to sound like theirs… This technique REALLY helps stop “nasty surprises” when you listen to it on a big system, or in the car.

Most of the time, I’ve been tweaking the mix the entire time I’ve been working on the project. 

TL;DR

The “Emotional in Destin” EP is almost entirely soft synths, but lately my flow is:

1. dick around on hardware

2. “oh that sounds good, let me make another sound to go with it” (see step 1)

3. record a few pieces to an Ableton project.

4. “I don't know what to do now.” …maybe mixing or structure…

…almost ALL THE TIME, however I jump around and do everything very non-linearly. Hardware helps me not spend so much time tweaking patches or EQ-ing a snare drum for an hour. Texture is SUPER important to me, so I’ll often get hung up on EQ and compression before I even start on structure or mixing. 

How would creative rituals benefit your workflow?

The hardest part for me is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS getting started, or shifting gears from other activities (resting after work, reading tumblr, goofing off…) and going to sit down at my desk and start music stuff. I’m certain it’s an executive dysfunction thing. The less I think about doing it before I do it, the better.

Animal sacrifice SIGNIFICANTLY speeds things up. Try not to get blood on the gear/laptop, and make sure never to clean, but regularly sharpen the ceremonial dagger (VERY important). 

How do you get in the zone?

I don’t really try…

As soon as I start to approach a task as “a thing” I get nervous and anxious. If I go “okay, I’ve got this task to complete…” my subconscious hijacks my higher functions to make me look at memes or tumblr for three hours instead of do what I “should” or “want”… The problem with me in the past has been how do I get OUT of the zone? 

How do you start a track? 

Oh jeez, I really jumped the shark with that question earlier, didn’t I? A technique I’ll sometimes employ is load up an old track, keep the drum sounds/patches but delete all the data, and make an entirely different genre of track… or one that's very similar… That’s kind of a fun exercise if nothing else. Also it often winds up getting tweaked and adjusted to hell and back. 

Do you have a special template? 

Nope. I make TONS of drum, EQ, and effects presets though. And they all have terrible names like “gooddrums”, “$GOODrums” and such.

Even though I’ve started with carbon copies, they ALWAYS end up sounding completely different by the time I’m finished with the track, because I can’t leave em well enough alone. 

What do you put on the master channel? 

Sometimes EQ, but always a phat ass compressor (limiting). I’ve been thinking about investing in a nice non-free one lately, but for some reason I am not comfortable with purchasing software plugins… I also have learned recently, that I’ve been using compression on the individual tracks way too much… which makes final-mixing a pain in the ass. 

How do you arrange and finish a track? 

DAMN IT. I really did go too hard with the first couple questions. The “finishing” of a track for me (arrangement, mixing) is usually done much later than the rest of the process. I try not to force stuff, but lately I’m realizing more and more that I need to not do this as much.

I can’t stress enough how using a reference track for structure or mixing can very often break up stagnation on a project. 

How do you deal with unfinished projects?

Several ways. The first step is to judge an old file and see if it's worth finishing. If there is ANYTHING of creative/sonic merit, I put it in a folder with the other “sketches and ideas” (project graveyard). Otherwise, I have been trying to delete the “junk” projects… this can make it easier to focus. Another thing I often do is to make presets/patches/Ableton instruments from the parts I like, then drop it in a folder called “meh”. Or I drop them into several categorical folders, i.e.: “uncircumcised electro bangers”, “abrasive techno”. 

How do you store and organize your projects?

Aw jeez. Oh gosh-oh darn. (See above answer.) 

How do you take care of studio ergonomics? 

Trial and error, trial and error, trial and error. This year alone my studio has been restructured and moved about my downstairs room at least five times. I’ve finally settled on something that feels very useful and productive. I am also this way with my work station at my job. CHANGE IT UNTIL IT WORKS GREAT. This can also help with creative stagnation, or can trigger it, so be careful. I keep my “electronics laboratory” close at hand so that more of that tinkering can find it’s way into my music… no such luck, YET.

I’ve currently decorated my space with all the crap I’ve saved up over the years, that for some reason, I’ve looked at this and thought: “This makes me happy” …SUUURE, my studio now looks like a fourteen year old decorated it, but I gotta say, I feel pretty phenomenal. Soon I’m gonna try to put this “stars and space” wall paper on my ceiling… I’ll update with a photo when that’s done.

Also I would like to say:

Minimalist spaces and studios are bullshit, y’all look like sick baby birds in empty shoe-boxes.

I mean, NOBODY LIVES THAT WAY, right? Maybe some boring rich people do, but damn… I mean, I try to clean and stay organized… and it helps, but I also try not to get to hung up on it. 

Tell us something about your daily routine, how is your day structured, how do you make room for creativity?

**LOUD SUCKING SOUND THROUGH TEETH** I don't… at least, not very well at all… but I’m working on that.

I am not the person you should ask this question, because THIS RIGHT HERE is the BANE of my existence… 

Share a quick producing tip.

MAN, I’ve already dropped like… seven, but okay, here goes:

BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY, FINISH THE TRACK. For me, this means ghetto-rigging, DIY, using the same goddamn audio interface from 2002 for f****ng fifteen YEARS… (recently fixed) don’t get hung up on “proper” ways, or ways that are outside your current means. Also, get a set of decent monitors… or use several pairs of headphones/speakers to double check mixes.

Recently, I’ve had less time, but a little bit of money, which is the opposite of how I’ve ALWAYS operated… it’s been difficult to unlearn “time consuming but cheap”. Also difficult not to impulse buy synths. 

Making music with just a mouse and keyboard may be the least sexy thing ever… it works tho… cheap MIDI controllers CAN work faster however. 

Share a link to an interesting website (doesn’t have to be music related).

My son just showed me this ➜ https://dddance.party/ and I have to say, this is an outstanding achievement of mankind. 

List ten sounds you are hearing right this moment : ) 

Traffic outside my window, gentle hum of laptop cooling fan, dog snoring, fingers typing, birds chirping… that’s it.

John has a lo-fi house EP out on UltraBold Records as DJ CYBERDAD. It’s called ‘Emotional in Destin’. Stream it ➜ here, audio cassettes are available ➜ here.

Thanks John! If you want to get featured next, send a message here on tumblr or email soundrooms@icloud.com.

[uclaradio]

The God Himself, Omar Apollo // Show Review

article by Adrian Tapia

There were two lines: one for the smart people who reserved tickets and the other for the idiots waiting in standby. I was one of those idiots.

Both lines shared something in common though. The two were both eager and desperate to see the Indiana born and raised god himself, Omar Apollo.

I had only listened to Omar a couple of times, with most of them being with my die-hard fan girlfriend. I found his songs to be lovely in having the ability to get the listener in a very lustful mood. So, when I saw that he was going to be at UCLA, and FOR FREE, I knew I had to go. I just ended up waiting in a line with my fellow Bruins, unsure if we were going to get in.

After the reserved ticketholders all got in, taking all the good seats in the small Northwest Auditorium, us in standby practically ran in trying to get the seats closest to the sunken stage.

Alms was first to the stage. The 4-person band just walked on, announced themselves, and started playing. Right away the drummer took the lead. His quick and loud pounding took me in. He switched from rhythm to rhythm throughout individual songs. Changing his speed and aggression constantly. His drumming was different and not the same consistent repetitive drumming in songs that we have come to expect from those who play this instrument.

The other members, however, did not take me in. The singer had this no fucks attitude when singing, sort of like Kurt Cobain. The guitarist and bassist played well, but there was nothing unique or different in their style strumming or play.

Overall, was the band bad? No.

I did enjoy them actually. Alms’ mellow songs that slowly picked up speed and got louder were pleasant. It got me in a dancing mood. After their set was over, I pulled out my phone, looked them on Apple Music, the superior streaming service, and found that they weren’t there. So, then I went on Spotify, found them, and followed them. They have a new EP coming soon, so please check it out and support this band. You know I will.

After a short 15-minute intermission, the guitarist, bassist, and drummer of Omar’s band appeared on stage. They pick up their instruments and just started playing. Immediately, they started off with this synchronized hard, aggressive, fast-paced playing of their instruments that brought some fans to their feet. It hyped us up and got us instantly engaged. THEN HE RUSHED OUT. OMAR JUST RAN ON STAGE JUMPING AND SWERVING AND TURNING. Everyone just got up from their seats and started screaming. His stage presence was strong and filled with fun energy. He constantly encouraged the crowd to sing along and dance. He would talk to us between songs and respond to our “I LOVE YOU” comments. He told us stories, introduced us to parents, and brought forth Latinx pride. He wanted us to feel as if we were friends and I loved that.

And this man can sing. Omar was able to reach falsetto with ease numerous times, turning on everyone in that auditorium. No struggling, no croaking, this man is a straight fucking god. His low, rich, and beautiful voice, that accompanied the slow beats was something I had never heard live before. And it’s something that not everyone can so easily replicate.  

His band also deserves equal recognition too. They had this chemistry that made every song louder, more riveting, and straight sexy bro. The guitarist, who also doubled as the pianist, was an astonishing musician. I wished I hit the gardening club up before because he played these psychedelic guitar riffs that had me going.

I believe that Omar Apollo’s best attribute is his relationship with the audience. His dancing, moments of messing around, and engagement with the crowd make him an amazing, entertaining performer. Fans screamed for him to play his bass-heavy song “Heart” and Omar attempted to. He was going to alter his planned setlist just for the fans. But because of some technical difficulties, he couldn’t. But still, his attempt at it shows how much he loves and appreciates his fans.

Then in his final song, fans rushed the stage and jumped and danced with him. And you could see that he loved it. He enjoyed being with them in celebrating an amazing set with the people that love him. We love Omar Apollo and he loves us.

Well, the heads of the show freaked and ended it right there. The lights were turned on and people were being pulled off, BUT HIS BAND KEPT GOING. THEY STRAIGHT KEPT PLAYING WITH BEING EVEN LOUNDER AND MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN BEFORE. God, I fucking love them.

I wasn’t able to stay for the post-show meet-and-greet with Omar, but from what I heard, it was wholesome. He hugged and smiled at and with every single fan that approached him. He truly does care, and it is not a gimmick he pulls. He genuinely loves us.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 26/12/2020 (LadBaby, Boris Johnson, Ed Sheeran)

It’s Boxing Day in the UK as I write this and I’m pretty tired but we still have to review those charts regardless, especially this chart as this is the Christmas chart – at least it’s being paraded around as such – and hence we have a Christmas #1. For the third year in a row, family vlogger, pseudo-comedian and amateur musician, not to be confused with DaBaby, Mark Ian Hoyle – more commonly known as “LadBaby”, has bagged the #1 for the holiday season. Every time I’ve covered the Christmas #1 it has been this guy and, yeah, I’m tired of it. At least this year he felt some stiff competition, and hey, the songs’ proceeds do go to charity. Oh, yeah, and this guy is the third act to have three Christmas #1s in a row, putting this nobody from Nottingham with a barebones Wikipedia page and a couple million YouTube subscribers on the level of the Beatles and Spice Girls. God, the UK Singles Chart never fails to amaze me. Anyway, that’s arguably not even the biggest story here so let’s start REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

As I said before, this is the “Christmas week” so throughout the UK Top 75 there are a lot of holiday songs re-peaking or reaching new peaks, before dropping off entirely the next week. Let’s start as we always do by listing the drop-outs from the chart, of which there are quite a few notable ones. Most of our top 40 debuts from last week are gone, like Taylor Swift’s “champagne problems” and “no body, no crime” featuring HAIM, as well as “Show Out” by Kid Cudi, the late Pop Smoke and Skepta. We can also say goodbye to “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)” by Post Malone and Swae Lee, finally after 54 weeks and a surprise return earlier this month, in addition to other top 10 hits like “you broke me first” by Tate McRae, “See Nobody” by Wes Nelson and Hardy Caprio and “What You Know Bout Love” also by Pop Smoke, as well as some more minor hits like “Wonder” by Shawn Mendes, “Lonely” by Justin Bieber and benny blanco, “Train Wreck” by James Arthur, “Golden” by Harry Styles and “Plugged in Freestyle” by A92 and Fumez the Engineer, but I can see almost all of these rebounding hard next week so I don’t think there’s much to worry about here. For fallers, since Christmas has really consumed everything about this chart this week, we have some big ones that’ll find themselves back in the top 10 or at least top 20 next week like “positions” by Ariana Grande at #19 (the first non-Christmas non-debut song to appear on the chart, by the way), “Sweet Melody” by Little Mix at #20, “Whoopty” by CJ at #22, “34+35” by Ariana Grande at #28, “WITHOUT YOU” by The Kid LAROI at #31, “Prisoner” by Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa at #35 alongside “Midnight Sky” also by Miley at #36, “willow” by Taylor Swift off the debut to #37, “Get Out My Head” by Shane Codd at #38 and “Paradise” by MEDUZA and Dermot Kennedy. We also have “Therefore I Am” by Billie Eilish at #43, “Really Love” by KSI featuring Craig David and Digital Farm Animals at #45, even “HOLIDAY” by Lil Nas X at #49, “Mood” by 24kGoldn featuring iann dior at #54, “Loading” by Central Cee at #59, “Head & Heart” by Joel Corry and MNEK at #60, “Monster” by Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber at #64, “Blinding Lights” by the Weeknd at #66, “Dynamite” by BTS at #67, “Lemonade” by Internet Money and Gunna featuring Don Toliver and NAV at #72, “Levitating” by Dua Lipa with the biggest fall down to #73 and finally “No Time for Tears” by Nathan Dawe and Little Mix at #74. To put the dominance of holiday music on the charts in perspective, if we take the songs that are not either explicitly Christmas-related or a clear Christmas #1 campaign (i.e. LadBaby), the song at #38 would be at #10 and our #1 would be “positions” by Ariana Grande at #19. “Whoopty” by CJ, that entered the top 10 last week and dropped to #22 this week, would be at #3. There are 11 songs in the top 40 that never made an effort to take advantage of the holiday season. When we get into some of our debuts, it’ll be even clearer how big Christmas is in British pop music. Anyway, let’s skim through our gains and returning entries, most of which are Christmas or Christmas-related. For returning entries, we have the comically awful “Lonely this Christmas” by Mud at #71, last year’s scam attempt at a Christmas #1, “River” by Ellie Goulding at #69, “The Christmas Song (A Merry Christmas to You)” by Nat King Cole at #63 (which I’d appreciate more in the top 20 like it is in the US every year – this is a classic), “2000 Miles” by the Pretenders at #62 (again, incredible song that deserves a higher holiday peak each year), “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love at #58, “Santa’s Coming for Us” by Sia at #55, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Sam Smith at #53 and for whatever reason, “Holy” by Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper at #41. In terms of notable gains – and I stress notable, since a lot of higher-up Christmas songs had small gains but still good performance - we have “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by the Jackson 5 at #57, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” by Frank Sinatra at #56, “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby at #52, “Baby it’s Cold Outside” by Brett Eldredge and Meghan Trainor at #51, “Forever Young” by Becky Hill at #50 (both off of the debut), “Baby it’s Cold Outside” AGAIN by Michael Bublé and Idina Menzel at #47, “Love is a Compass” by Griff at #46, “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano at #44, “Cozy Little Christmas” by Katy Perry at #42, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” AGAIN by Dean Martin at #39, “Sleigh Ride” by the Ronettes at #34, “Christmas Lights” by Coldplay at #33, “Santa Baby” by Kylie Minogue at #32, “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber at #29, “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms at #27, “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney at #26, “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Michael Bublé at #25, “All You’re Dreaming Of” by Liam Gallagher at #24 (thanks to a Christmas #1 campaign that crashed and failed), “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams at #23, “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band featuring the Harlem Community Choir at #21, “One More Sleep” by Leona Lewis at #18, “Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade at #17, “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson at #15, and finally, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Justin Bieber illegitimately notching a spot in the top 10 at #8. Finally, we can get onto the new arrivals, although something about this next one tells me that we won’t be in line for anything all that good.

NEW ARRIVALS

#70 – “I’ll be Home” – Meghan Trainor

Produced by Meghan Trainor

...for Christmas. She’ll be home for Christmas. I guess she just can’t finish sentences, even though her cover art has the full title. Anyway, this is a 2014 original Christmas song that went nowhere except Sweden. It’s not anything like the Bing Crosby and wasn’t nearly as successful, mostly because it’s a jingly, inoffensive ballad tacked onto a silly Christmas EP that also features Fifth Harmony and Fiona Apple of all people – who probably should have charted her track instead – as well as the deluxe edition of that debut record Title that nobody liked. At least in this, she’s not going for a faux-retro style, or at least one that I can find the inspiration for, and is just singing over this oddly jaunty piano melody – which sounds pretty albeit bland – as well as some swells of strings and acoustic guitar that do work sonically. The content implies that Meghan Trainor is in contact with Santa Claus personally, and that he gave her the advice to be home with her lover this Christmas and... that’s why this charted, isn’t it? Well, it’s not her fault – it’s not a “stuck with u” moment, but it is dodgy that she decided to put this on her own Christmas record that was released in October of this year, which can’t seem unintentional. I’d be lying to say this isn’t a pretty little tune from Trainor and her voice does fit this instrumental, but a jazzy rendition from someone with a deeper, smoother voice, would work wonders with the content. Oh, and that Christmas record features guest appearances from both Earth, Wind & Fire and Seth MacFarlane, as well as her dad, because, you know, sure, 2020.

#65 – “Gnat” – Eminem

Produced by d.a. got that dope

I can’t tell if I’m underestimating Christmas or overestimating Eminem when I say I expected an album bomb – or whatever that equivalent would be in the UK and our land of silly chart rules – from the deluxe edition of his pretty damn terrible album, Music to be Murdered By. This 3/10 trainwreck consists of two hours I’ll never get back of either great beats wasted by Eminem’s corny, stiff flows and painfully unlikeable delivery or obnoxious, unlistenable beats that are dated enough for Eminem to start going on his Relapse “killing women in funny accents” shtick, which was awful then and even worse now when he tries to replicate it. Marshall, you’re 48, and I know that you’re just “messing around” but if you’re going to treat the album as a cinematic masterpiece within the album and its thematic Alfred Hitchcock interludes, you have to understand that the audience will see it as that way as well, so you having fun and being painfully unfunny in the process over cutting-room-floor trap instrumentals cannot slide. At least Kamikaze had some genuine anger and dare I say some actual balls in how it tackled controversy and dissed everyone he could think of off the top of his head. The last record was angry and bitter, this one’s just tired and lazy, and that’s before we get into some of the ugliest bars, instrumentals and cadences Slim Shady’s ever put on record, which is especially present on “Gnat”, a lightweight trap banger with some acoustic guitars not dissimilar to those that would appear on a Lil Baby mixtape, complete with questionable bass mixing and really bad hooks. On the verses, he sends a death threat to Mike Pence, but on the chorus, his bars are “like COVID” because “you get them right off the bat”. I don’t know about you, but in 2020, I don’t want to hear Eminem harmonising with producer tags, making topical and insensitive pandemic references, or spitting sex bars with coughing ad-libs. Before the beat switch, his flows are some of the sloppiest and drawn-out he’s ever used, and yes, I’ll admit, that second beat is a lot better and Em kills it over that instrumental – but only for a brief moment before we have a third beat, which Eminem is pretty great over, especially with that sax and sweet piano keys overlaid with hard 808s and Eminem’s rapid-pace, quick fire flow... and then he raps the chorus again and I want the song to end as quickly as it started – thankfully, it does end rather abruptly. Just wasted potential all throughout – if that beat switch and flow was a guest verse on damn near anyone else’s record (Em has made tracks with Don Toliver of all people, and he could work), this could be great. For now, Em, you know Kris Kristofferson? I think you should Piss Pissofferson. Forever. Look that up, by the way, that’s a lyric on the record because of course it is.

#61 – “In the Bleak Midwinter” – Jamie Cullum

Produced by ???

I had only briefly heard the name “Jamie Cullum” before this, but he is an English jazz-pop singer and pianist who’s basically useless and uninteresting but, hey, at least he has a radio show on BBC Radio 2. Sure, I mean that might have been the reason that Amazon Music picked him up for an exclusive project for which this is the biggest single. It’s not on Spotify, it’s not even on Genius, and it’s barely on YouTube but since it is, I should tell you that this is his first charting single since 2009 and it’s a remarkably uninteresting rendition of a Christmas carol done a lot better by Jacob Collier – and that one’s on Spotify – so yeah, your sleepy piano arrangement and tone that makes you sound like Robbie Williams half the time and Beck the other, doesn’t interest me. Goodbye.

#30 – “Afterglow” – Ed Sheeran

Produced by PARISI, Fred Again and Ed Sheeran

If we inexplicably remove everything Christmas-related on the chart, Eminem’s “Gnat” would have debuted at #20, and this new track from Ed Sheeran, already stunted from being released on an unconventional day, would have hit #5. Regardless of chart position, Ed Sheeran’s back with his first solo single since Divide. Yes, I’m purposefully ignoring that collaborative project he put out in 2019 because as far as I know, it doesn’t exist. At the end of the year, when things are looking as if he could start touring again, Sheeran predictably releases his lead-off single. This song in particular is a heartfelt ballad from Ed to his wife, who he wishes to be there forever and even if they aren’t together at any moment, whether he’s touring or they separate for whatever reason, he’ll “hold on to the afterglow”. I won’t lie, it’s a really sweet and convincingly sold love song from Ed, even if it’s not anything new, it does feel like a different approach since he’s a newly-wed man now. Although I’m not a fan of this somewhat muddy mixing that somehow messes up just a guy and his acoustic guitar, making what should be a really pretty, ethereal and mellow track sound almost ugly, which doesn’t flatter Ed and his limited delivery at all, especially when he starts getting multi-tracked in the second verse and whooshing sound effects of strings pop up in the mix, and, yeah, it just sounds cheap and gross at this point, which is really a waste of incredible content and a great performance from Ed, who sells everything as well as he can. I understand how this is supposed to be down to Earth, so a perfect mix wouldn’t make sense, but if you’re going to make him harmonise with his own background vocals and even show signs of belting, give him some more grandiosity and go full out instead of restraining him so that it just sounds jarring. With a different mix this could be one of Ed’s best tracks since the melodies are on point, the song feels really heart-warming and sincere, especially coming from Ed to his wife, but we won’t get a remaster anytime soon, I imagine, so for now this is just pretty damn good. I love the cover art as well, painted by Ed himself, and released alongside the single as a bit of a Christmas gift to fans, as well as the start of what I’m pretty sure will be a promo cycle. If this is a good peek into what that album will sound like, it’s safe to say I’m more than excited than ever to hear from Ed Sheeran.

#5 – “Boris Johnson is a Fricking Jerk” – Kool & the Gang

Produced by ???

Okay, so the song’s calling Boris Johnson something stronger than a “fricking jerk”, and the song is decidedly not by soul legends Kool & the Gang, although I’d love for that to happen sometime. This is a family show, of course, so we have to take some liberties. This track originates from a comedian from Basildon, Essex of all places, and whilst we don’t know his name, the songwriting credit on Spotify is given to contemporary British poet Wayne Clements so maybe he’s behind this, who knows? Whether he is or not, I can tell you the history behind this comedian’s music, as he has been making crude short singles about controversial topics in British society and politics for a while, including some about Nick Clegg that charted, although never higher than #63. He retired in 2016 but after writing an autobiography, the guy’s back and he released a compilation of punk rock tracks, all of which are small and profane, with a “band” of puppets that I also can’t name. State-controlled Russian television networks – because, sure, again, it’s 2020 – say that he will start touring in 2021, mostly because he’s finally reached that mainstream audience with this family-friendly tune about Boris Johnson. Here’s how Vick Hope and Katie Thistleton introduced it live on air during the mid-week chart reveal.

Now at #19, we've got a track about Boris Johnson that has so many bad words in it, we can't play it on daytime Radio 1.

Ah, you cowards. Wait... Anyway, I’m pretty happy that the British public can stick it to Boris and the heartless Tories that follow him and currently rule the country, even if it is all a bloody stupid joke from an anonymous punk rocker. We can dig into Boris for his failures on Brexit, mishandling of the pandemic, disgraceful reality-star-esque personal life, that he wasn’t even born in the UK yet is basically a nationalist, his history of Islamophobic commentary, his crap excuses for journalism back in the 2000s or even his clown-nose, blonde bowl-cut “hair style” he adopts whilst addressing us on live television feeding us lies and misleading statements that turn into retcons the next time he has to address the nation, whether it be on Brexit or COVID-19 tiers and regulations, both of which are a confusing mess to both sides of Europe that exist to drift us away from where we should be going as a nation, and further into the realm of political party tribalism that we know absolutely does not work in the States and that we mock the Yanks for. We’re more than the sick man of Europe, we are the America of Europe. I guess you could say Ireland is our Canada, but we don’t even have a Mexico to make us look better, we just have other western, central and northern European countries that may be flawed but are far ahead of whatever the hell this shell of a union is in 2020, less than 80 years after the creation of our National Health Service. People will look to pundits and newsreaders like Piers Morgan, entertainers like Phillip Schofield, war veterans and charity-givers like Captain Tom Moore, and even politicians like Boris Johnson, as the “heroes” of Britain’s 2020 but it’s increasingly clear that absolutely no-one is a hero, and it’s the people’s right to be upset. Hence, nearly exactly a year after Boris Johnson cheated his way into power by smear campaigns and elitism, we have this song debuting at #5. Unfortunately, the song doesn’t go into any of that. It just repeats the title in an anthemic – and considerably agreeable – refrain that is an undeniable punk hook. The riffs and guitar work here isn’t of any interest, but the guy’s delivery is powerful and furious, so I’ll give the song credit: it’s not just correct but it’s really good, especially for a one minute runtime. He also released some satirical MIDI-level synth-pop remix with gross Christmas sleigh bells and hi-hat skitters, because, say it with me, it’s 2020. I wouldn’t recommend the album though, it overstays its welcome by the time you get to “Jesus Died of a Stranglewank”.

#1 – “Don’t Stop Me Eatin’” – LadBaby

Produced by who cares?

I can’t get mad at this lazy “parody” of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” about sausage rolls, or even its Ronan Keating remix, which is LadBaby doing a favour to Ronan Keating, if anything. Sure, my blood boils with the idea that this incompetent Internet personality from the East Midlands – which I think I’m sadly also able to describe myself as – got the #1 over Mariah Carey, or even that Boris Johnson diss track, but it’s going to the Trussell Trust and it’s ultimately an inoffensive, vaguely happy track that even gets the vegans involved. I, for one, prefer “Boris Johnson is a Sausage Roll”, a version of our #5 you can – and should – play on the radio even after Christmas. I don’t have anything more to say about this guy so piss off, LadBaby, you can’t even get the album cover right to the song you’re parodying, thrice in a row.

Conclusion

Best of the Week is definitely going to the Somethings for “Boris Johnson is a Something Something”, with an Honourable Mention to Ed Sheeran’s “Afterglow”. I can’t bring myself to give a charity single Worst of the Week so I’ll spare LadBaby the honour and grant it to Jamie Cullum for his greedy Amazon exclusive trite, with a Dishonourable Mention for “Gnat” by Eminem, for just being wasted potential all across the board. Next week, everything Christmas-related will be gone and we’ll get a bunch of returns and hopefully some new, interesting returning entries. We might even get the impact of Playboi Carti’s long-anticipated album – and I hope so because it’s fantastic – but that’s wishful thinking. Anyways, I hope everyone had a happy holiday season. Here’s our top 10:

Thank you for reading. You can follow me @cactusinthebank for more rambling about pop music and occasionally politics, and I’ll see you next year.

[positive-stress]

top 10 albums of 2017!!!

10. diet cig - swear I’m good at this

idk how much there is to say about diet cig. they’re just so cute and fun and good. semi-angsty indie pop for semi-angsty millennials. I should save the words anyway because these are definitely just gonna get longer as this goes. thanks, diet cig! tummy ache

9. charan-po-rantan - mirage collage

a duo of sisters, older sister koharu plays accordion while younger sister momo sings and for some reason carries around a stuffed pig. idk. charan-po-rantan’s music is a blend of all kinds of world music, from klezmer to polka to cabaret to balkan brass, and it’s good as hell. they put out two fantastic albums this year, and this is the more... traditional one, I guess. we’ll get to the other one shortly. ikku yo!

8. björk - utopia

I don’t think it’s possible to describe this album without using the word “lush” so there’s, it’s out of the way and I don’t have to say it again. described by björk as the “tinder album” to follow up her breakup album vulnicura, this album is just... fucking beautiful. the flutes, man. the FLUTES!!! it’s a dense album and I have no idea where it’ll fall in my björk rankings once I’ve spent more time with it but I have a feeling this might be top 3 for me. utopia

7. seiko oomori - MUTEKI

I feel weird putting this in my top 10 because it’s not really an album but... god damn it I love it so much. with the exception of the first two tracks, the absolutely gorgeous “ryuusei heaven” and the catchy as hell “mix juice”, everything here is a re-recording, mostly on acoustic guitar, occasionally piano, of one of her older songs, going all the way back to her 2012 EP PINK. this album is basically pure fanservice but... it’s the best fanservice. a blend of greatest hits and deep cuts, that sweet tape hiss, those voice cracks, the one song where gets too into it and has a coughing attack. who else would release this? thank you based seiko. ryuusei heaven

6. charan po rantan - toritomenashi

oh hey! good to see you again. here’s the, uh, less musically consistent one. most of these songs could easily fit in with mirage collage but then you’ve got a couple with... loud synths? what? why? why am I listening to japanese electro polka? what is HAPPENING and why is it so GOOD? unfortunately none of those songs are on youtube so here’s an incredibly good jazzy song with tokyo ska paradise orchestra which showcases momo’s good as hell voice and also that fucking stuffed pig she’s always carrying around. otakebi

5. blanck mass - world eater

benjamin power of fuck buttons solo project blanck mass takes all of the raw, heavy noise of fuck buttons and channels it into a sound that is less drone, more dynamic. it can still be as much of an assault on your ears as ever (and I mean that in the best way) but it’s more, uh. for lack of a better word I’ll say “accessible”. this album rules. rhesus negative

4. you’ll melt more! - youtopia

I first started listening to YMM! about two months ago after being vaguely aware of them for a while from ano’s collaboration with seiko oomori on kitixxxgaia (foreshadowing!) but I never really felt inclined to listen to them since, you know. idol music. gross! I just happened to come across a thing talking about their recent EP, disco psychedelica, and the album cover immediately caught my eye. what the hell, why is this idol group mimicking the cover of screamadelica by primal scream? it was too weird to not listen, and hey, it turns out that’s just YMM! in a nutshell. idol pop influenced by bands like primal scream, too weird to not listen. looking back in their discography I found a whole bunch of stuff with heavy new wave vibes, and sure enough almost immediately after I started listening to them they put out their TALKING HITS EP, this time with an album cover mimicking that of talking heads’ remain in light. (it’s not on youtopia but their song NEW WAVE STAR is very reminiscent of the great curve and I love it.) they also have collaborated with the lead dude from POLYSICS as well as mariko goto formerly of midori which if you know either of them, you should be interested. anyway tl;dr youtopia is their latest album, just out, gotta love it. a handful of tracks from those two EPs and a bunch of great new shit as well. YMM! are the fucking best. music san, yon bu de owacchimau yo ne

3. neil cicierega - mouth moods

this album was a huge hit on the online so it’s very likely you already know about it, and basically impossible that you don’t already know who neil cicierega is, so I’ll just cut to the chase. this is meme music, a mashup album full of IT’S BEENs and someBODYs and [tim allen grunt]s. it’s an album of legitimately great mashups, but it’s also a comedy album that has some moments that genuinely caught me off guard and made me laugh out loud. if you haven’t listened yet, I won’t spoil those moments, I’ll just urge you to check out mouth moods, because it really is the most 2017 album and it’s very near perfect. everything comes together so well, and there’s very often moments where I’d be listening to a song and look at the title and something would click and I’d realize the joke of the song goes even deeper than I’d originally thought. there are layers here. basically what I’m saying is, this album is like an onion. smooth

2. seiko oomori - kitixxxgaia

hey, we’re back to seiko! there’s a reason I say she’s my beyonce. in a lot of ways, this album is the biggest departure yet from her older folkier style of music (thank god she later put out MUTEKI, almost to reassure fans like me that she hasn’t forgotten). every song here is a banger. from the explosive “gutto kuru summer” (oh hey ano) to the slow and beautiful ballad “orion za” to the more straightforward j-poppy “IDOL SONG”, it’s all so fucking good, and it says a lot about seiko that I’d say this is one of my least favorite albums of hers. the star of the show though has to be the incredible “dogma magma” where seiko really shows off her most dramatic, art-poppiest side. leave it to her to put the thematic centerpiece of the album as the first track. thank god it’s all so good anyway. dogma magma

1. terror pigeon! - we will never run out of love!

terror pigeon has never been one to shy away from getting personal in his music, and this album is arguably his most personal yet. in the past his music has been mostly love songs in one way or another. songs about being in love, songs about loving your friends, songs about loving your life, whether you’re happy or sad, songs about feeling so full of love your heart could burst. as the title suggests, this is no exception, but in a lot of ways this is his darkest and saddest album yet. there is a sense of regret and loss throughout this album, but still a definite message to try to keep that feeling of love and positivity in your heart even when things are fucked up. there’s no better example of this than in the heartbreaking “arms”, where neil sings about losing a close friend: “I don't get it / I will never understand / how the good are taken from us / when I'm still only a half a man. / if there's no justice to it / and no bracing ever works / then how do I explode with love / despite all of this hurt?” if his previous releases were about the joy of love, this is a recognition of the realities of love. it doesn’t always last forever, and it can’t always protect you from pain. but even at the darkest moments, the love is still there. the final song on the album, “friends”, is one of the most heartfelt love songs I’ve ever heard, a love song dedicated not to the standard topic of romantic love but to friendship and the simple joy of hanging out with people who you care about and watching TV and eating pizza. a perfect end to a perfect album. chamber of secrets for 1 / more songs with keyboard solos

[onestowatch]

Versatile Songwriter Mark Diamond Elucidates the Unspoken Magic of the “Hummingbird” [Q&A]

Photo: Aleigh Michelle

Seattle-native Mark Diamond is fascinated with hummingbirds. After his project Hummingbird One was released earlier this year, he dropped a bright track a few months later named after the majestic fluttery bird. Now, he has a music video that reflects the glittering haze of the winged beauty.

“Hummingbird” is a new mood for the singer, who finds himself typically falling under more somber, acoustic sounds. The track is filled with falsetto, upbeat percussion, and funky electronics. The video for the track is submerged in pastel colors, with dancers clad in luminescent outfits and Diamond in a Pharrell-esque hat. His nonchalant expressions adds an extra wave of playfulness to the upbeat track -- a serious attitude contrasting with the light-hearted tune, showcasing the artist’s more comical side.

"Hummingbird” is hard not to love and the video makes the track that much better. 

We had a chance to talk with Diamond about moving to LA from Seattle, the meaning behind his newest song, and more. 

OTW: So you’ve been making music for a long time, with songs on Spotify dating back to 2013 and 2014. Could you describe your journey moving from then to the release of your recent EP Hummingbird One and now your track “Hummingbird”?

Mark Diamond: Yeah, I know it's crazy to think that I was kind of putting stuff out in 2013 that was kind of at that point where I was like, “Okay, I'm going to give this every possible thing I have.” I had always loved music my whole life, but it's kind of a realization that I had like, even a week ago, I was with a friend of mine and it kinda dawned on me that pretty much nothing in my life on a musical standpoint has gone as I planned it or as I thought it was going to. But yet here I am, and I'm making music, and I'm absolutely loving the journey and having the best time. So that's like, I feel like the best way to sum up my life as an artist, as a songwriter, and as a singer. I feel like I've been very lucky.

I've definitely put in loads and loads of time, like everyone does who starts to get a bit of success from it. I continue forward with this, and need to expect the unexpected sort of thing and go into it with my eyes open. It's funny, it's just the way it all comes together and in hindsight, I've kind of been a bit more reflective. I feel like the past couple weeks actually I’ve been thinking about it all ,and I'm very excited for what's to come.

OTW: How did moving to LA from Seattle impact the way you tackled your music creating process?

Mark Diamond: It has on a major level. I feel like I'm always going to be a bit more of an emotional Seattle songwriter. I think that's always going to be home base for me. Not necessarily Seattle specifically, but that sort of mentality when it comes to writing songs. I think I tend to dig deeper into the emotional side. I think moving to California has taught me that it's important as a writer and a creative person to not have a routine. It's important to kind of write when you're inspired. For me personally, I don't write when it's forced and I've definitely been inspired here in a lot of different ways at both good and bad at times. I am inspired here because it's a beautiful place to be, in Los Angeles. For the first time in my life I kind of have a community of people around me, and I feel like things have been kicking off.

At the same time, being away from Seattle, I have this feeling, there's like a sense of emptiness a little bit being away from Seattle and all of that. It’s definitely influencing and encouraging me to write some special songs right now. I mean location in general, whether it be a move from Seattle to LA or Seattle to Cincinnati. It's like you're going to feel new things, and in turn, as a writer, and as a songwriter specifically, you're gonna want to get that out because otherwise it's just going to kind of build up.

OTW: I saw you tweeted a picture of one of the dancers from the “Hummingbird” video with the caption, “Hummingbirds are referred to as glittering fragments of the rainbow.” Do hummingbirds hold any symbolism or deeper meaning to you?

Mark Diamond: Yeah, it's a lot deeper than that. I think it all started with this idea, maybe more and more of a question really that I started asking, because I've always loved hummingbirds, but I kind of was looking at a hummingbird and had this ridiculous idea like – “Oh, I wonder if the flower gets sad when the hummingbird leaves.” And it's kinda like, “Ph, that's a stupid thought,” and then you just stop thinking that for a second. And I was like, well, wait a minute, you know, how did I feel in my life when I felt stuck and, someone came into my life, and kind of took what they needed and then left. They kind of flew away on a literal standpoint. They got on a plane and left, and it didn't feel too good.

So how does that flower feel? Here's this flower that has potential and so much to offer the world, but yet it's stuck and, well, does the flower actually feel stuck? Does the flower feel content with where it's at? ... I'm kind of relating myself to the flower and relating hummingbird to the previous relationship I was in with this girl, and then kind of trying to just work through these things. It was a way for me to tell a story without it saying, “Hey, look, this is me.” It's still my story, but I'm telling it through the lens of something else, which makes it easier to tell my story.

I’m more willing to be honest about the story because at times I can be this honest because I'm playing this character. It's a little bit roundabout, and it’s still me being a hundred percent honest, but it's just a way in my head to make it feel a bit more freeing to tell a story through a different light. I love hummingbirds. I feel like there's this unspoken magic about hummingbirds. They're quite mysterious. They're special, and they kind of follow me around everywhere, but it's sort of one of those things, it's like once you think about them all the time, you start noticing them places. They're very special creatures.

OTW: What does that track “Hummingbird” mean to you?

Mark Diamond: It’s freedom to me. As a writer, I think I blocked myself into a kind of sadder acoustic sound. And I love that, that's who I am. And this track is just a different side of me. It's not necessarily a different side of who I want to be, it's literally a side of who I currently am. We made the song in London and when we started playing the chords, I just started laughing. Myself and the producer just started laughing because we were like, “What is this?” We had been working on all these other songs that were around this idea of hummingbird, and I just started singing, it was like, this is so funny that it just came together. We were in London wrapping up some songs, and this song just kind of appeared. We weren't necessarily looking for it, and when we first started I was like, “I'm not going to show anybody at the label this because it's like a joke, like singing in falsetto the whole song pretty much.” I think that's why I also fell in love with it cause it was like this self-expression right now. This is how I feel. It's a story of heartbreak, confusion, and frustration, but at the end of the day it has to be okay. It's not anything to be sad about, it's something to maybe celebrate and say, “Look, yeah, things didn't work out.” It was just a moment. But that moment was all we needed.

OTW: What was going on in your head when making the video for the track, and did you have a big picture vision that you wanted to portray to further its meaning?

Mark Diamond: Yeah, I was lucky enough to have some really awesome dancers who kind of represented hummingbird in that way, with what they're wearing; it was that glittery sort of vibe. When you see a hummingbird, and you see a picture of a hummingbird up close, they do have this glittering effect to them. As far as the idea and the concept of the video that was all put together by myself, and the director, we kind of put this together with loads of other people, like the amazing set designer, the whole team, who were absolutely killer.

The idea for me was more like, I want to show you that I'll be the first person to make fun of myself. I'll be the first person to not take myself too seriously. At times I have taken my career so seriously to the point that it has lost a bit of its fun. I think the most important thing is the balance of it. I wrote a song like two weeks ago that is probably one of the most emotional songs I've ever written, and I just played it the other nigh at my first headlining show at Hotel Cafe, and I craved the difference, that contrast, between a song like hummingbird and then an acoustic song. I think both are needed.

And the wardrobe for this music video, was put by myself, which was a fun thing. It was a bit nerve wracking. I realized that it was a bit harder to do, and I understand why you pay other people to do things like that, but I gave it a shot and it worked out really well. I lucked out on cool pieces.

OTW: Did you have any particular impact in mind for listeners to pick up?

Mark Diamond: Yeah, I think I wanted people to just kind of see who I am. That's separate just from the song, it's like as a whole, I kind of want them to see my personality, and this video feels like it shows my personality. I like having a good laugh. I like having a good time, but at the end of the day, the song is still very meaningful. If you listen to the lyrics, it is an emotional song. It is about heartbreak, it is that whole story. It was wrapped up in a way where it's like all of this is true, but yet it has to be okay, and that's kind of just a personality. That's who I am. And overall impact, I would say is, I think this video is really balancing on this line between people won't know if I'm being serious or not at certain points, and that's what I love. I kind of love playing with people's emotions a bit, where they're like, “Wait a minute, is he being serious or is he just being funny?”

OTW: Tell us a little bit about what you’re working on right now.

Mark Diamond: We have loads of songs right now that are ready to go. I'm just making sure that we surround it with all the fuel that it needs and proper content for me to tell the story to the best of my ability, and then beyond that. To be completely honest, I'm already writing for what comes after this. We have an album's worth of material done and there's lots ahead.

I've just been writing the last couple of weeks and kind of made the decision that every night on tour I'm going to be playing these songs. I think when I did that at the Hotel Cafe, a lot of people connected with one song in particular. I kind of like the thing where it's like, if you want to hear it, you gotta be there for it because it's kind of special. I’ll just hopefully hit the road here soon and just start playing these songs and then unreleased songs and see how people feel and what they connect with.

OTW: Would you mind sharing one thing that fans might not know about you?

Mark Diamond: That's a tricky one, especially in today's current climate of social media and everybody knowing everything. I would say my like go to and would be that I would say, is I absolutely love playing golf, but I'm pretty sure at this point everybody knows that because I talk about that all the time.  I don't know how to swim, maybe that's a good fun fact. I'm a horrible swimmer. I hope people still listen to my music knowing that. If I'm in a pool like, okay, cool, that's alright, I'll be okay, no big deal. But if you were to drop me in a lake, I probably wouldn't make it out.

OTW: Who are your Ones to Watch?

Mark Diamond: Who I've been listening to a ton actually, I've been listening to Matt Corby a lot. I’m a big fan of Matt Corby and also Shawn Mendes, I love him, I really do.

Stay tuned for new releases from the growing singer/songwriter, and jam to other releases from Diamond while you wait. 

[hollywayblog]

April Soundtrack

Oh boy, so much wonderful new music has come out since my last playlist. It’s like a bunch of my favourite artists got together and decided I deserved a present, and I don’t take it for granted.

April has had me transitioning to more upbeat tracks, a bit of rock, indie pop and good sing-along tunes. I’ve been loving starting my mornings with a good lil dance to prep a good mood for the day. I’m going through a phase of both self-care and intense productivity, so relatable lyrics are great but I don’t want anything too slow or wallowing. I think this collection of songs will do nicely.

While you listen, here are some words about a few standout tracks…

 “Lust for Life” by Lana Del Rey, featuring The Weeknd – I never thought a line as simple and seemingly shallow as “take off all of your clothes” would bring tears to my eyes, but this song is just so sonically beautiful and lyrically soothing that it’s hard to listen without getting emotional. Lana and Abel’s voices are heaven together; I’ve wished since “Prisoner” that they would do an entire album as a duo, but I’ll take what I can get.

Favourite Line – We’re the masters of our own fate // We’re the captains of our own souls

Feels Like – Dancing on the H of the Hollywood sign

 “Hard Times” by Paramore – Paramore haven’t released music since 2013, and clearly there was a good reason for the wait; they’ve reinvented their sound once again and I absolutely love it. This song is relevant, quirky and fun, as is the music video. Hayley and the gang have adopted an 80s pop rock flair that suits them perfectly, and I’m excited to see how that’s manifested on their new album (whose release is hopefully not too far away).

Favourite Line – Hit me with lightning // Maybe I’ll come alive

Feels Like – Everyone fuckin’ gets it

 “The Boys (Acoustic)” by Lisa Mitchell – I’ve never been a huge fan of Lisa Mitchell’s music, but this song, however, makes my heart hurt. It’s the sharpest painting of an Australian suburban summer I’ve ever encountered, coupled with a spare and soft melody that stings with its simplicity.

Favourite Line – The boys buy a case and we sit in the backyard // Our hair and our skin is all salty and starched // The air is soft and reminds me of ending days

Feels Like – Teen train trips to the beach, cruisers on the sand, avoiding the jellyfish

 “Deleted” by Amy Shark – I’m writing this on the heels of Amy’s “Night Thinker” release, so I haven’t had a lot of time to listen or absorb the whole EP, but this track definitely stood out as my favourite off the bat. I’m over the moon to have more Amy Shark in my life.

Favourite Line – I was in a hurry and I never seem to get him alone

Feels Like – Two trains passing in the night, never stopping at the same time

 “Low Blows” by Meg Mac – I think anyone who has had to learn how to stand up for themselves can relate to this song, and with Meg’s soulful pipes and funky vibes, it’s the perfect empowering tune to remind yourself that you’re actually a fuckin’ badass.

Favourite Line – Don’t wanna be anyone again

Feels Like – I deserve better

 “Green Light” by Lorde – Apart from her collaboration with Disclosure, this is the only Lorde song I’ve ever really liked. I adore the sad disco drama that this song embodies. I’m not sure if this means I’m going to like this era of Lorde since I wasn’t a fan of “Liability” but hey, we’ll see what happens.

Favourite Line – Did it frighten you // How we kissed when we danced on the light-up floor?

Feels Like – Teardrops on the dancefloor

 “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles – Another first for me; I’ve never liked One Direction or Harry Styles, but I decided to give this one a go since everyone was raving about it. This is a good, proper rock ballad with a real and timely message, and I’m optimistic about his solo career if there’s more of this to come.

Favourite Line – You look pretty good down here // But you aint really good

Feels Like – The whole world is stuck in this feeling

[toogoodmusic]

INTERVIEW: Dustin Hensley

From growing up in bars with his dad to moving to Nashville for music - Dustin Hensley has learned to create his own sound and not care what anyone thinks about it. Read below to learn more:

TOO GOOD MUSIC: So you’re based in Nashville — how long have you lived there?

DUSTIN HENSLEY: I grew up 2 hours from Nashville, so essentially forever but have lived in Nashville since 2010. I moved right after school.

TGM: What’s the back story of how you got into music? I know you started going to bars with your dad and he was performing right?

DH: Yeah. Music was just always a constant - I really didn’t know any better. My dad was in a band all growing up and I grew up in all the honky-tonks and stuff around Tennessee. I just thought everyone went to the beer joints with their daddy every weekend (laughs) I didn’t know it was a weird thing. And this was during the whole line dancing craze so I was boot scoot boogin’ with the best of ‘em!

Then dad started preaching and I was singing in choirs and it was a very kind of hoop and hollerin’ kind of church. That’s where I learned to just jump into something and play. And I had decided that I was going to be a singer, yah know, whatever that means. There was never anything else.

TGM: How’d you initially break into the mainstream then?

DH: So I moved to Nashville and got a job in the business side — did radio promotion because I felt like so many people get “into the business” and it’s nothing like they think it is. They think it’s just the singing and the lights but that’s just part of it in addition to the press and interviews and everything. I wanted to make sure I knew every aspect of it before I started down this path. It helped me a lot especially with meeting people, cause its not who you know but who knows you.

TGM: That’s exactly it - I say that all the time.

DH: Yeah exactly, it’s so true. And here we are now…that’s kind of the beauty pageant answer but I just knew I was going to do it and we’re still trying to do it and figure it out

TGM: What was the most shocking thing you learned from being on the business side of it?

DH: How many other people are trying to do the same thing. Ya know? Cause I grew up in a small town of 800 people and I was the singer - it was a very concentrated thing. But then I moved to Nashville and your dentist is trying to give you a demo (laughs).

TGM: So does being surrounded by all these people motivate you or intimidate you?

DH: So while that was kind of the biggest shock that’s also the blessing because you’re surrounded by all these talented people and they make you step up and be better. It put a fire under my butt. It also helps because starting out you may not get paid for a show so you have to rely on friends to be your band because you can’t afford what the actual bands’ cost is. You know I’ll go sing background vocals on someone’s demo, so it’s definitely motivating.

TGM: Right and probably helps with the creative process right?

DH: Oh of course. Normally we’ll have writing sessions during the day and then all meet up at night and act a fool and that’s where you get most of your material.

TGM: So how’d you end up discovering your sound? Because you started with a very country song, called “Don’t Call It A Night” but have evolved from there especially with “Nobody But You.”

DH: When I first got into town it was driven in my head that you have know who you are and that you have to find your lane. And not that I was being fake about but I had this idea in my head cause you know, I sound like NASCAR announcer, come from a small town, did rodeo and so I’m like, “Oh yeah, I’m a real country guy.” But I also loved Usher and Chris Brown.

So I ended up doing “Don’t Call It A Night” and it did what it needed to do - it got us out there. But then I ended up having some other meetings and they were like, “You’re great, you can sing and everything, but you’re not having any fun.” And I was like, “Screw you, this is my life.”

TGM: Yeah, like it’s my life, I know if I’m having fun or not.

DH: Exactly. But then I realized I wasn’t having any fun. So I had that meeting and decided I was going to do new things and get new people around me. And not starting over but so I say this all the time, “If it feels good, do it.” And I ended up meeting this guy Keller and he doesn’t know anything about country music or top 40 pop. But we went out for a couple drinks and I was like “I have this idea, I don’t know what it is, but I wanna work with you. If it works then it works if not then we tried. After a week we had 14 songs. It felt good and it felt right and I got excited about music again.

So I went back to the same publisher and threw this CD on his desk and he was like, “What’s this?” and I go, “My record.” I’m finally to the point where I’m okay with not being okay. If just you and my mama like it then I’m tickled, cause my heart is in it and I love it and I’m so proud of it.

TGM: And that kind of goes back to that fact that so many people are doing it that if you’re fake about it and you’re not feeling it then someone’s going to call you on it because there’s so many people in it to win it with their own style.

DH: Oh absolutely

TGM: What would you say is the most personal  or favorite song off the EP?

DH: I mean all of them are true stories oddly enough.

TGM: And they all seem to be about relationships so is this one relationship or multiple?

DH: Uh I’ve been fortunate enough and unfortunate enough to have some crazy women in my life. The EP is titled SHIPS since they are all about relationships. I didn’t plan to write only relationship songs but that’s whats so funny about this EP is that they’re all about relationships.

My favorite song is probably “Our Town” cause it was the first one that we did and so I guess it’s kinda special to me. But so that song and “Nobody But You” are about the same girl.

TGM: I saw on twitter that you were trying to get a camel — did you ever end up getting that camel?

DH: No and I’m really pissed about it. I mean, obviously I have no where to keep a camel, but I really wanted it and I feel like for $3,500 that’s a steal.

TGM: They’re basically giving you the camel right?

DH: I mean yeah, they’re pretty much paying for you to take this camel at the end of the day. And how baller would that have been if I could walk up to the bar on a camel.

TGM: Do you think you can get a DUI from riding a camel drunk?

DH: Well I know you can get a DUI from riding a lawn mower cause my uncle got one! He was driving it to the post office and got a DUI on it. And he was real pissed because it was a brand new lawn mower and they kept it. He didn’t care about the DUI but he cared about them taking it (laughs).

TGM: Yeah, I mean that’s heartbreaking...so who would be your dream collaboration?

DH: Lee Ann Womack…and Ciara. At the same time.

TGM: You could get a little honky tonk, 1, 2 step?

DH: I mean how great would that be? And we would definitely need to get a camel for the music video.

TGM: That’d be wild...so if you could only listen to 5 artists for the rest of your life, who would they be?

DH: The Avett Brothers — I love them that’s who really got me into song writing. Lee Ann Womack, obviously. John Mayer. David Nail. Patty Griffin. And I’m gonna add 6, Chris Brown.

TGM: I mean yeah just looking at that list, that already speaks to your whole musical bandwidth.

So one of my favorite lyrics from your EP is the beginning of “Whatever Happens”…”I don’t know your name, but you look like I want to.” How’d you come up with that one?

DH: I mean I can’t really take credit - so I had this buddy who just broke up with this girl and he was in a very “I gotta go out” mood. And he pointed out this girl when we went out who I kinda knew and he goes, “What’s her name?” I said, “I don’t know but do you want to?” Cause I knew her enough to introduce him and then I got thinking, that’s actually kinda good.

TGM: Have you ever tried to use it? As like a real line?

DH: Oh I have the worst luck with relationships. I probably should just start off with something ridiculous and maybe that’ll work out for me.

TGM: But hey, if you got good, where would all your inspiration come from?

DH: (laughs) So true!

TGM: So before I let you go, is there anything you want your fans to know about you or your music?

DH: I just want them to have fun. I want them to hear a song and take them to a moment. And that there’s someone in your corner.

Check out more on Dustin Hensley HERE and be sure to check out his full EP HERE.