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#there's artists whos music i want to explore more.. but id say ive explored these ones pretty much
naenaex0xx · 6 months
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meh, maybe I'll just add it to my carrd later, no post. I'll start compiling the artists here then teehee (list to be added to and edited later)
ujico/snails house
coffv
takeo onuki
aves
sharou(bgm)
dystopian tanuki
ANRI
Lamp
inabakumori
laufey
ichiko aoba
After the Rain (mafu&soraru)
erm..erm.... that's all I can think of for now ^^;
Can't believe I forgor siinamota!!
that's it fr for now !!
Update:
Liana Flores
potsu
honorary mention kazuha ily I'm sorry I haven't properly played genshin in a while T^T
Tsundere Twintails
kikuo
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librarycard · 2 years
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would love your country music recs!! been trying to get into the genre but haven’t really listened to a whole bunch and would love some suggestions <33
YAY thnk u for reaching out. um most of these artists i havent trawled their entire discog but each has some things i really really love. many of them explore serious topics such as addiction, discrimination (racism, homophobia, sexism, classism, etc), and more (like a lot of less commercialized and more traditional country music does).
its important to note that there is a lot of crossover in country, soul, blues, americana, and folk, so some artists might be more leaning to one of the other genres but their relation to the country style compels me to include them.
i will also say that afaik these are mostly modern artists because nothing makes me fucking angrier than people saying that new country music isnt good. please pull yourself out of the country billboard top 100 for the love of god.
ok here it is: > yola (one of my faves, lots of crossover with soul in her style) > brandi carlile, maren morris, natalie hemby, and amanda shires are all good individually and are part of a collective called the highwomen (theyve collaborated with yola several times!) > robert finley (i could cry with how much i love his work, sharecropper's son 2021 is just fucking. perfect) > john fullbright > rhiannon giddens > gillian welch > shakey graves > charley crockett (his work all feels so fresh and unique to me, i never get sick of it) > courtney marie andrews > brown bird (one half of this duo has passed on so they havent made any new music since then, but i still suggest checking them out) > mary gauthier (drag queens in limousines is a total classic) > the war and treaty > sturgill simpson > allison russell > paul cauthen (he's collabed with orville peck, who im sure a lot of people here know! if not i rec him too ofc) > emily nenni > john r miller > lucette (shes had work produced by sturgill simpson iirc) > the secret sisters (very dear to me) > katie pruitt > shovels & rope (<3) > parker millsap > margo price ( i love her i love her i love her i love her what can i say. thats how rumors get started 2020 changed my life) > kaia kater > robert ellis (less familiar w him but i like what ive heard) > jaime wyatt > arlo mckinley (another artist i havent checked out extensively but ive heard good songs from him and like his voice) > the chicks (forever and ever <333333333) > amythyst kiah > mercy bell > justin townes earle (who has unfortunately passed away in recent years, i think 2020) > waylon payne > the devil makes three > evil > jason isbell and the 400 unit
i also dont want you to think i dont want people to listen to classics, i do. i love classic country music — if you havent checked them out, id especially recommend john denver, charley pride, dolly parton, willie nelson, hank williams, johnny cash, the carter family, glen campbell, kitty wells, robert johnson (hes blues, but hes mississipean blues and has influenced country music through and through), patsy cline, judy collins, waylon jennings, and marty robbins.
this isnt comprehensive but its what comes to mind right now. i hope it was helpful!!! <3
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musicarenagh · 10 months
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Unveiling Tzion's Lagoon: A Dive into Shoegaze, Garage Rock, and Post Punk" Tzion's lagoon is a creative artist who has spent years perfecting his craft to near perfection and with every production he leaves a mark to cement his prowess when it comes to music making, and in a recent interview with Mister Styx of Musicarenagh, we got the chance to delve into his mind to explore his musical journey, inspirations and future plans. Before following his dream Tzion used to be a dance but with the help of his dance teacher who motivated him to start making music and later taught him how to play the guitar. Tzion is well known for known for his unique blend of shoegaze, garage rock, and post-punk. The name Tzion’s Lagoon is a combination of his given name and a metaphor to emphasize on his dense and dark production style, reflects their artistic vision. In the interview Tzion’s Lagoon was asked about his main ispiration and his response was mind boggling, this is what he had to say “Im a Christian so id really say God and how i seen him everyday in my life and the world around me is my biggest inspiration, within that id say things ive experienced good and bad, stories ive heard good and bad, and the human experience inspires me and helps me create things.” His latest single Evergreen 01 has a lot to say about his musical style and his persona, join us as we get to know the man behind the pseudonym Tzion’s lagoon Listen to Evergreen 01 below https://open.spotify.com/track/6w3mFzLo5R9k1Pu4uQb5gH Follow Tzion's Lagoon on Spotify Instagram What is your stage name I am tzion's lagoon Is there a story behind your stage name? Tzion is my name, the lagoon part is because i wanted the production part to sound really dense and dark, like a swamp more than a lagoon but lagoon sounds better i think. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? It's something thats always been a part of my life honestly, since i was a kid ive always been making songs, kind of, they haven’t always been particularly good though. Are you from a musical or artistic family? Somewhat, my mom and dad sang in the choir at church, but my family generally wasnt full of music artist in the sense that i am. Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? I used to be a dancer, and my dance teacher got me started making music and playing guitar, so thats really were a started on the road of being in the music industry. [caption id="attachment_52829" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Unveiling Tzion's Lagoon: A Dive into Shoegaze, Garage Rock, and Post Punk"[/caption] What musician do you admire most and why? I think my favorite artist is King Krule, i like the way stands out in indie music. From his voice to his production, and it also cool how different his live sound is from his studio releases. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? Yes my style has changed a lot, i started out making really lofidelity indie music, like a really muddy and washed out, and now i make shoegaze and garage rock stuff, still somewhat muddy but id say in a more tasteful way. Who do you see as your main competitor? Honestly no one, i think competition particularly in indie/alternative genres is super counter productive. What are your interests outside of music? I skate a little bit sometimes, but music is a pretty invasive hobby. It comes into alot of different aspects of life. If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? I used to dance, and i used to box, so maybe one of those, but i'd probably be at some corporate job or something, maybe id be a missionary. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? Honestly myself, figuring out how to navigate overthinking and underthinking music. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? I dont really know, i think everything comes with good and bad sides regardless. But i think the way that genuine art is sometimes very under appreciated sucks, so maybe that somehow.
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jamietung · 6 years
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The Marías
ASK ME ANYTHING // CONCLUDE
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Oh how this assignment has been so much fun yet stressful at the same time. BEFORE i get into the GUTS of how i used my hands to make things, i’d just like to congratulate everyone for making it through these 12 weeks and how amazing everyone's ask me anythings look. Im really blown away by how our cohort can produce so much creative work. M I N D B L O W N
ALRIGHT! 
So the The Marías are a band who formed in LA late 2016. The members include Maria, Josh, Carter, Jesse and Edward. Their unique style of music fits under the genre psychedelic-soul. I was introduced to them last year by a friend and fell inlove with their dreamy like composition. The reason why i decided to do a band instead of a Graphic Designer or Illustrator was because i realized that music plays a major part in my everyday life. The amount of music i consume some would say is unhealthy but i just find so much inspiration through what i listen. So when we were given the assignment of Ask me anything, The Marías was immediately on my list.
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The creation of this small publication was probably the most fun ive had designing something. Since this task was driven on more interest in your artist rather then criteria, i knew this would be a great way to explore and really experiment with various medias. I started of searching my local thrift stores for items that could be of use. I happen to come across a few old books which had wonderful hard covers. I was lucky enough to find one that was red! This started the ideas flowing on how i could construct everything.
I had also found myself very interested in cassettes and cassette players. Growing up i never got to really experience the period where cassettes were booming. I found the concept of having physical music to be fascinating and oddly satisfying. Also i had no idea how tape worked so im pretty sure it was magic. Since The Marías had only one album out, (Superclean vol.1), I was determined to record it onto a cassette and find out how to do it. (with their permission ofcourse). After some research on how to record onto cassettes, i borrowed a old stereo player from a friend which enabled me to experiment with recording ontop of old cassettes from spotify. I experimented with different recording settings and Type 1 & 2 cassettes. After some frustration, i recorded the album onto a cassette and sliced the tape so it would only be the duration of their album. With 6 songs in their album, i split 3 and 3 and recorded them onto both side A & B. mmm quick math
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The second medium i tried for the first time was Embroidery!!! After having difficulty finding a method to create a foil on my hardcover, i decided to give embroidery a try. With the help of a few youtube tutorials and Matilda’s wisdom, i recreated The Marías logo (which was already an embroidery but on a larger scale). and stuck it onto the front of my cover. Embroidery was alot of fun but it was definitely a risky pathway as it was my first and anything could have gone wrong. It also took a long time so a few ghibli films passed the time :’)
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Designing the content within the booklet ran pretty smoothly. I knew i wanted to implement this psychedelic theme into the design aswell as their signature red. What was slightly stressful was the replies coming in 2 days before the deadline. It was another very risky gamble however it was all worth it. Since i had designed everything else, all i had to do was plonk the answers into the slots and rush to dinkums. Note to self, if ever creating another booklet, set up your documents as individual half pages instead of two pages on one piece of paper. Deciphering the correct order on what goes where is a nightmare. 
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The whole concept of my project was that while you listened to the music, you would read through the booklet and create a connection between the two. I found that the experience of sitting infront of a stereo and having to listen through each song and then flip the cassette, a very warming and meaningful experience. I guess you cant really skip a song forcing you to listen to what the artist has to express. I shrink rapped everything together at the end to give the user (Andy and Karen lol) a real experience of something you would purchase from an artist. 
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Overall it was SO MUCH FUN creating this and learnt so many new things from it. Id like to thank everyone who helped me with feedback and advice on making this and ofcourse, The Marías for giving me this opportunity and answering my questions. 
If you were curious on what they sound like:  https://soundcloud.com/themarias/sets/superclean-vol-i
Much much love
-Jam
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create-ninety · 6 years
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Wednesday 20th February, ’19. 10am.
There’s nothing quite like going to a gig at a small venue in a trendy part of town to make you feel like a geriatric.
While I was getting ready for the event, I was wondering if I was going too casual – I was wearing a plain t-shirt with black jeans and an oversized floral blazer. Turns out I should have gone in what I normally wear as pyjamas! There were kids (I say kids, because while there were definitely a few ‘older’ people in the crowd, the majority looked like they were born this side of the century) wearing what I can only describe as their dorky mum’s clothes from the seventies. It was bizarre. Lucie and I stood to the side in a somewhat demure fashion by comparison, me sipping on non-alcoholic beer, and Lucie overheating from a temperature brought on by a nasty cold.
We both agreed that, if we were born when they were, it’s this kind of crowd we probably would have found ourselves in. Perhaps it’s because they were wearing exactly what we were wearing, once upon a time. I can imagine this isn’t a unique experience for people who find themselves looking over their shoulder at the next generation and wonder what the hell is going on.
The show itself was great – the band were amazing. I’ve seen them three times now and each time they’ve got better. The audience loved the performance and it was actually quite inspiring to see people passionate about their art in action. And it was obviously the kind of crowd that didn’t bat an eyelid that I was draped over completely over Lucie, which is always a plus.
When we got home, we lay awake talking about it the performers. I wondered what the process is that gets a person to the point where they feel confident enough to get on stage and perform in front of others. Essentially saying, “I am confident enough that my work is good enough to not only subject you to, but I am compelling enough to perform it in front of others.”
That’s a pretty brave thing, for anyone to do. To be inviting open criticism and to stand up and project vulnerability. I do, genuinely, marvel at musicians and stage actors who have to suspend what can only be described as ‘normal reality’ to sing, move about, and create a large amount of sound – something that in any other situation would be wildly inappropriate and strange. And yet there we all were, gathered around a stage, making noise for individuals who were inhabiting that space of vulnerability. I’ve decided that, for me, it’s actually less about hearing the music of the artists when I see the live show, and more about watching and observing the emotions that they’re going through, as they do it. And you can see it on their faces. The nerves, the little shakes, the awkward chatter between songs when the polished performance of practiced routine is paused.
Lucie pointed out to me that writing a novel isn’t so different to that.
In some ways, perhaps not, but by and large I think there are some key differences.
I think that if you’re a creative person by nature, then creativity has the opportunity to express itself in several key ways: as an actor, a musician, a visual artist, or a writer. Each of those could be called spheres with smaller subsets breaking off (stage actors vs film actors, painters vs photographers, poets vs fiction writers, and so on). I suppose it just depends what vehicle you ultimately are drawn to and prefer as your mode of expression. Because ultimately, the point of anything creative is fundamentally the same: it’s just that, expression. You are expressing something emotive, experiential, a message, something others might relate to. And each of those spheres give you the option to do it, but with completely different methods of execution.
When I was growing up I played with all of the different spheres and I can see them all, now, as different sizes and at varying distances from me. At certain points in my life I’ve actually valued them and explored them in different orders. Some have increased in resolution and texture while others have stayed smaller and smoother.
The smallest of my creative spheres, the one most under-developed and child-like, is visual art. I’m not bad at basic sketching or copying something. And I can stare at a piece of art and try and pull out its meaning. But when I was young, the pleasure I’d get from mixing paint or translating an emotion onto a canvas or something else just wasn’t very high for me. So I didn’t spend time doing it. There were moments where I’d develop a surge in interest (this still happens) – I’d go and buy watercolours and start painting for fun, or I’d be obsessed with sketching raccoons or something. But it’s always fleeting, and ultimately, not really something that I have been able to use as the best means of my expression.
I found a lot of joy in stage acting and performing when I was young, right up to my teenage years. I would include public speaking in this. I found it exciting. I liked playing characters with interesting stories, and I liked to turn different emotions on and off to create scenes with others. I liked finding mirrors of myself in characters, and ‘becoming them’, for a short time, was a small reprieve from myself. But sometimes it was hard to occupy the emotions of a character when my own were trying to take centre stage, so to speak. In my last year of high school when I was arguably involved in the most theatre I’d ever done – I was the lead role in my drama class’ final show, I was in a speech finals competition, I was sitting a speech and drama exam that had multiple theatrical components, I was in our school production, and in an improv team – I was stressed as hell. I realised, ultimately, I didn’t like standing up in front of others to be scrutinised as a version of myself that wasn’t me. I didn’t like that there was a ‘right way’ to act, and a ‘wrong way’. Because, well, there’s a director telling you what to do and how to do it. And so when I left school, I stopped any form of acting. I thought about joining a theatre company but I didn’t. I almost studied Theatre at uni, but I didn’t. It just wasn’t the creative vehicle for expression for me and I dropped it all together. I think, as a result, that acting is now my least valued and explored sphere.
Music, on the other hand, was something I discovered in my late teens. I’d tried piano earlier but didn’t like it, because I was taught classical, which to me was basically mathematics with your fingers. I wasn’t good at translating the written music to something that requires you to be so profoundly dextrous. Years later I would discover tab, and learn the general principles of music accidentally. I realised that chords are the foundation of all music, and that chords translate across all string and wind instruments, including the piano. Once I understood that, and once I was able to master basic dexterity and rhythm, music became the most wonderful tool of expression. I was able to write lyrics, write melodies, and then later on, piece them all together to make a song on my computer. I must have made hundreds. I did struggle to ‘finish’ one, though, and my desire to perform them never became overwhelming enough to take it to the next level. For me, it really was just means to express something. I liked the personal nature of it. I liked the different emotions that could be conveyed through the different sounds and instruments. Sharing the songs with anyone was always a profoundly terrifying experience: the music was an extension of myself, as if I had translated my own identity and ‘suffering’ into sound – and for others to hear it, and to judge it, would be for them to judge me.  And so the music sphere for me has grown large, but it has stayed at the same size for some years now. I pick up the guitar when I’m feeling emotional. Or when I want to put music to a poem. And when I see musicians perform, I see love for the vehicle. I often dream about writing an album to compliment a film. I suppose that now, there is actually the option to actually produce music without having to perform at all – you can do it all digitally. But I don’t think that I love it enough to put it out there. There is so much music available. I don’t think that what I create would be contributing to anything other than my own creative expression. And so, it’s for that reason, while it’s fun to dream, I think – unless I suddenly have unlimited free time and money – that it’s something I’ll never take further than just tinkering around when I fancy.
Writing, for me, is the perfect mode of expression. It’s a completely internal process. With music there is this external component, which I think is ultimately what turns me off about it, but with writing, it can be done completely behind a veil. When it is released into the world, it’s consumed by a reader internally. You are not the work. The work is as separate from you as possible (perhaps in many ways like visual art). This is what appeals to me so deeply. That I get to have a personal, raw, emotive and transformative experience writing something and exploring it in a depth that has so many layers of meaning. And when someone reads it, the work becomes a personal experience for them. You are just a a vehicle for the expression. My physical form, my personal likes and dislikes and expressions, are not relevant to the ideas being put out into the world. And I love this. Writing also carries with it the highest possibility for profound connection: books take a long time to be read, and upon each separate reading, new meaning can be found and uncovered. The same can be said for all the spheres, absolutely – I’ve certainly spent hours listening to the same song and attached various meanings to it, and felt connections to musicians I’ve never met  – but there is something unique about a narrative with a character who goes on a journey. I would argue that in a book you can still experience all five senses, but in an abstract way.
I don’t like the thought of who I am as a person getting in the way of the message. I want to place the art and the ideas at the centre of the experience. When you involve yourself – in a way that musicians and actors have to do – then you become consumable. And that is a scary concept for me. One could argue that the person performing is actually, themselves, part of the art - I would imagine this to be true - but I think this is what differentiates the spheres.
And, more than anything, writing is as automatic and as essential to me as breathing. Or eating. It’s just something that’s part of my day and necessary for normal functioning. For people who master the other spheres, you can see that they have this feeling about their own medium. I saw it on the faces of the performers last night. They live and breathe music. Their instruments are extensions of their identities that they have to exorcise. When I scroll through the Instagram profiles of visual artists, their dedication to the craft is demonstrated through the picture after picture after picture of their creations.
And, finally, I am now – perhaps like the musicians – confident enough to think that my work is good enough. I also think it’s now good enough for others. So yes, maybe I am more like the musicians than I think.
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animmania · 7 years
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Bendy and the ink machine sorta review.
bendy and the ink machine. alot of people have props been seeing its name going around lately and might not know what it is. sum up. its a horror indie game about a cartoon chacater coming alive though ink and you the player have to find out why everything thats happening is happening. thats the basic sum up.
i very much like this game alot and im really happy  to see it getting so much love. but alot of people dont like it and seem confused on why its getting so much praise . and i think thats an intersting point. one day it just showed up and got populaor. but why is that?? well i think its for a few reasons but ill get to them. ive been wanting to make this for a bit so im bascally going to cover as much about the game as i can. from story to game play. so lets start with a better look at the story. note the game is in chapters and i will be spoiling most things in the game so just a heads up to stop reading now if you dont want to be spoiled
CHAPTER 1 MOVIING PICTURES your name is henry a cartoonist who is coming back to his old animation studio after getting a letter from an old friend saying he wants to show you something you look around and find an ink machine. not knowing what it dos or what its for you of course decied you need to turn it on and see what it dos. after finding some iteams to "sacrafice to the gods". once you get them and turn on the machine the place starts to flood with ink and bendy appears. an old cartoon character that used to be famous. think mickey mouse and such. but someone trying to bring him to life made him into a inky black monster.. you run away and make it to the exist but you fall for the floor. after finding an axe you break some boards then reach a demonic circle and pass out after seeing some images.
CHAPTER 2 THE OLD SONG After passing out you wake up and and pick back up your axe. after some more wood chopping you find your way to the music department of the animation studio.here you find another exit but since the ink machine is going the exit is flooded and you cant get in. afetr some exploring and puzzle solving you eventually find out about sammy. the head of the music department and how the exit flooding was something that happened alot becuase of the ink machine. so they installed a ink pump in the exit that would get rid of the ink in the exit. you go to his office press the switch and as your about to leave your hit on the head and knocked out. turns out its good ol sammy. after being locked down there for so long and trapped by the ink machine he has gone mad. he wishs to be free and he thinks giving you as a saccrafice to bendy will do it. he ties you up and is about to sick bendy at you when suddenly bendy turns on him and off screen kills him. you get loose and grab your axe and start running until you run into the ol fool him self BENDY. he gives chase and you outrun him locking him the door. so now your safe but just as things get calm you hear a noise around a conor and behold. its boris another cartoon character that was made for bendy but he is more finished and not as monsterish looking as bendy thos in the game. then it cuts to black and it ends
and thats it for now. no other chapters are out.
now the story isnt anything ground breaking yes but its also not horrible. its a basic plot and it gets the job done. there are a few more characters i could have mentioned but they really dont matter all that much to whats going on. they are mainly for lore and to make it seem like this place used to be well run. ill let you guys find out about them if you decied to get the game your self
ok with the story done lets talk about the look of the game which i think is the best part about bendy and the ink machine.
given its about cartoons and such every thing has a very old cartoony look to them. from the walls to projectors every thing screams classic cartoons and its great they did a great job mixing the cartoony style  with 3d objects making it all seem natural. the lighting is also very good. using alot of yellows i noticed and using it to highlight things like doors or places that you might want to check out. the game also has a bunch of posters every were of bendy the main character and other cartoon characters. now there isnt alot of them so your most likly going to see alot of the same ones alot which isnt the best but it dos have a plus side ill get to later . the only thing id say is an issue with the look of everything is. stuff like the floors while do look good are pretty flat. most of the ground is made out of floor boards and it all looks flat. i think having some stick up from the ground slitghy would have been a bit better but its only a nit pick
but now what would a good looking game be without good looking characters to such as bendy. a small lil demon cartoon character. he was the face of the whole animation studio and boy it shows. his desgin is really simple yet really nice to look at and from an artist stand point very fun and easy to draw. he also has all the classic cartoon things. the big cloves. the dot eyes with the cut in them and  a bow tie. something else to note is he has no neck. not really sure why that is but its honestly nice. makes him stand out honestly which is good for a main character
the next character is boris. very goofy like being a doog person...thing. hes very cute and you see him from time to time in the game in full 3d. his model is very nice and he fits very well into the look of everything else.
finally we have the new cartoon character that was added in chapter 2 alice angle. her disney is meant to be a sorta oppiste of bendys i think. being an angle instead of a devil she has a slightly different look and is actually a human instead of a cartoon animal . her disgn seems very betty boob and minny mouse inspired. having some boob but still maintaining her cartoon look.with bendy arms and gloves and all. its worth to note she has a hole in her hand which i dont really understand but sure it looks nice
every other character in the game dosnt have a look besides from sammy. sammy being a person covered in ink wearing a bendy mask. there isnt alot to say about him other then i think he needs a bath.
now were onto game play. this is where i think most people start to spilt into the two groups of loving this game or hating the game. each with good points
the game is first person with the basic controls walk and look around. its worth to note that in chapter 2 they added a jump button and a sprint button. dont know why they didnt have them in chapter one but what ever. also on a short note the jump in this game dosnt really do much but it dosnt have alot of sound which makes it seem off. you dont need to jump so its not a big deal but its something that bothered me . you also have a attack button which is for swinging your axe at things in your way and enemys which is where issues start to come in. swinging the axe is fine but hitting things is another story. when ever i swing it i can never tell when im going to hit something. ive been right next to objects and swinging and it would not break and id have to start aiming at them in different angles till i found the hit box. i havent played chapter 2 but after watching a few people play it it seems the same goes for the enemys but not as much. now the enemys i think are the weakest part about the game so far. for 1 they arent really scary and dont really fit in with the world. they are just geniric looking sludge monsters  with no real features. and fighting them seems really unsatisfying. they go down with one hit and the sound effect sounds like your stepping in a puddle. also they arent really something you have to worry about. it takes like 12 of them to be able to kill you and even still as long as you dont run head first into them they will never kill you. but do be careful becuase if they do kill you you gotta start the chapter all over again . that is pretty bullshit.
then we have the other part of the game play which is looking for iteams and solving some puzzles. now alot of people hate these and i do understand. looking for iteams isnt that fun  but i dont think its all that bad. you get to look at all the details and find some secerts along the way. plus the areas you have to look in arent even that big so it wont take very long to find what you need.
now thats pretty much all the game play but theres another thing i want to talk about which is the music. now for as much as id love to say buy the soundtrack i really cant. besides from one track which i liked called *Hellfire Follies* all the songs seem like genirc horror music youd find anywhere. Hellfire Follies is the best mainly becuase its so different from the rest of the songs and also fits really well into the cartoon aesthic thats going on. the only other song id say is really good is the one that plays when your next to the projector playing a small animation of bendy in chapter 1. but its not in the soundtrack for some reason and i cant find its name any where.
so thats bendy and the ink machine. so what after all that is said and done those bendy desver to get all the praise it gets?? or is it just a over hyped game that isnt that good. me persnoally i really like. despite all its issues i still had fun playing chapter one and looking at all the detail and watching all the play thoughs of chapter 2 just made me love it more. if you came into the game with high expctaions thinking your going to shit your pants in fear your going to be dissapointed. a common issue ive seen come up with the game from people is that theres no real looming fear . no monster constally chaseing you or enemys that really make you scared. and those are fair complaints. but i think thats not all that bad of a thing. bendy and the ink machine is more of a game that wants you to get sucked into its world and wants to scare you with its tone and setting rather then with monsters or the fear of dying. i think the best way of looking at bendy and the ink machine is. dont think of it as a action horror game. but more as a puzzle horror game.
also despite it not being that scary its such a unique horror game. a game with such a cute cartoony style clearly taking insipation from old school disney. not alot of horror games like that out there which is way i think people like it so much. its just so nice and new. plus it not being that scary i think opens it up for alot of people.
its sorta like a lite horror game. something i think which could be a good start for people that want to get into horror games or horror genra as a whole but cant handle big things like lets say outlast or something.
but i think the best part about the game and what made me so in love with it is the commmuinty. the meatly the maker of the game trys so hard to be active in the community and dos so much for people who enjoy his game. even to the point in letting them chip in with art contest for the chance of getting thier art in the game with posters or so many things. and even reaching out to youtubers who have taken the time to write whole songs for the game and added them into the game as easters eggs which is just so cool. taking part in it is honestly is nice and seeing all the nice cool people in it makes it such a joy to be apart of . if i played the game and never even looked at fan art or all the community events id  honestly not be that intersted in this game and would have worte it off.
if you dont really care about that kinda stuff then it wont really matter and the game might not leave that much of an impact but for me it makes me want to get more into it because its just fun.
so thats my kinda review of bendy. hope i made some sense haha. and meatly if this some how finds your way. thanks for making such awesome games. keep up the work man
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ensorcellogical · 8 years
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Tag Meme Thing
Thanks @pincurlsandpixiedust for tagging me!
1) Coke or Pepsi? Coke
2) Disney or Dreamworks? hrr thats hard. I like them for different reasons.
3) Coffee or Tea? tea
4) Books or movies? movies
5) Windows or mac? mac 
6) D.C. or Marvel? i dont really have a preference
7) Xbox or PlayStation? xbox
8) Dragon age or mass effect? Idk im not familiar with these
9) Night owl or early riser? night owl, ive screwed up my sleep schedule so bad.
10) Cards or chess? hm.. chess
11) Chocolate or vanilla? usually chocolate
12) Vans or converse? vans
13) Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar? ????... idk
14) Fluff or angst? its close, but i can’t resist some good angst
15) Beach or forest? i love the forest
16) Dogs or cats? im more of a dog person, but why cant I have both?
17) Clear skies or rain? definitely rain
18) Cooking or eating out? just depends on my mood
19) Spicy or mild food? spicy
20) Halloween/Samhain or solstice/yule/Christmas? the hardest question ive ever been asked. I could never choose
21) Would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot? lil too cold, I love the cold and bundling up.
22) If you could have a superpower what would it be? I bring a wave of drama in my wake but never actually get involved. Everyone around me is having a melt down but i just sit back with my popcorn. ok no for real Id want transformation, because that comes with other perks like turning into a bird to fly and also its just super rad.
23) Animation or live action? animation, but im majoring in it so im biased
24) Paragon or renegade? what are all these questions i dont understand.
25) Bath or shower? shower, i only ever take showers.
26) Team Cap or team Ironman? Cap
27) Fantasy or sci-fi? hhrg i cant decide.
28) Do you have 3 or 4 favorite quotes if so what are they? gosh probably but i cant think of them now that im being asked. the only thing coming to mind is that one Gandalf quote. 
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
29) YouTube or Netflix? Netflix
30) Harry Potter or Percy Jackson? Harry Potter. Classic. My childhood.
31) When do you feel accomplished? not often but im feeling pretty freakin good about life right now. The animation program here is really hard to get into and Ive been working super hard and I think I have a good chance.
32) Star Wars or Star Trek? star wars
33) Paperback books or hardcover books? hardcover makes me feel fancy
34) Fantastic beasts or Cursed child? definitely fantastic beasts. Not a fan of cursed child
35) Rock or pop music? probably rock
36) What is the most important thing in your life? my family and friends and being happy
37) Mountains or sea/ocean? I love both but i have to say mountains. Ive lived by mountains most of my life and I love hiking and camping. Theyre majestic and beautiful.
38) How do you express yourself? mostly through my sketchbook. Im pretty individualistic but not very expressive about it
39) What’s the first book/film that really counted to you? harry potter is the first thing I can remember being really invested in. It was the first time I experienced a work of fiction really personally and intensely.
40) What’s your element (air, water, etc.)? air
41) If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? hm, i went to paris and florence and rome last summer but it went way too quickly. Id like to go back but with a lot of time to explore and experience everything. Or id like to rent an rv and roadtrip across the US, i love roadtrips.
42) If you had any job in the world, what would it be? Ideally a concept artist or animator for like dreamworks or disney or something. 
43) If you were granted three wishes, what would they be? 1) every dog; pet 2) i can shoot cookies out of my hands 3) a fairy godmother ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
44) If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?    mocha icecream
45) If you could only have one, which social media platform would you use for the rest of your life? tumblr : / i hate it but i love it
46) Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor? Ravenclaw
47) What’s your favorite food discourse guilty pleasure? pineapple on pizza is great you filthy heathens
48) (Ash’s question) is there something that you regret not doing, or a chance you regret not taking? what is it and why do you regret it? I really like this question, i guess i regret a lot of my high school experience. I fell into the trap of thinking that my grades and how i measured up to others influenced my self worth. I was kind of caught in a limbo state where i really cared about how successful I was but also didnt care or try at all because I could never measure up no matter how hard I tried. Moral of the story; you do your own thing and achieve your own personal best.
49) Andrea’s question: what’s something that never fails to make you nostalgic? certain scents I cant quite describe. usually seasonal, like fall leaves or sunscreen and chlorine
My question: what does your favorite clothing item or outfit look like?
I tag @astral-mechanical @larimonium @nostradamus-was-right and really anyone who wants to do this!
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watahbufala · 8 years
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these questions are from @classesandaspects and are from this post
Aspect questions:
Which aspect(s) are you drawn to?: well im drawn to a few and i thought i should actually explain them. first off im probably drawn twords void allot just cuz i really love the void aesthetic, like big dark rooms, or like dystopian future style dark almost unimaginably big buildings (theres also the fact ive loved all the void players and thought they were rad), im also drawn twords the space aspect of course. space is something i really like in general, like its this huge dark lonely vacuum thats both comforting and makes me not feel so great about life. im also a creative person who tends to have issues with dimensions, and i love to explore things (i do a bit of urban exploration stuff allot) also the colors would look great with most god tier outfits. im drawn to time as well for its connection to mechanical things and death. i mean i think everyones a bit connected to death but im pretty numb to the idea and such. i dont really get to depressed when people i love die cuz i know its their time and everyone has to pass at some point. i also tend to connect with the heart aspect allot cuz it has to do with self image and such (but i think self image has to do allot with space as well). im also kinda drawn twords breath and mind just because i get breath allot on tests and love the pyropes
What drives you? What motivates you?: this is a big question for me. i tend to think that the future and what it holds motivates me but i think its allot deeper than that. i guess i look at the future as what i can become in the future an how i can like...up my skill?? idk. but i tend to think people motivate me, and the thought of getting things done and not having to stress anymore motivates me. first of all i think everyone could use a friend saying "you can do it!" every now and then. i tend to put out my emotions just to get feedback from people telling me that it will all be alright and that they care about me i guess. theres also the whole getting things done thing, i tend to stress out and just avoid doing things allot. like i just tend to procrastinate. i love to just do talk to people on the internet, read a book or just enjoy a story, and just enjoy doing nothing all day. so i mean getting done with things sorta quick motivates me but i also tend to put stuff off ALLOT. another thing that motivates me is me is like, what i can become in the future. like once i get done with all this i can be the artist of my dreams and be good at art and writing all that. i practice to make myself better i guess. my biggest drive for the last year or so (ive kinda been having depressive episodes) is the fact that one day i could write something that will inspire people and i guess make me important? like maybe make the world better for me and other people. i could write something amazing one day and couple it with amazing art. so uh yea. (all these answers are too long jeez)
How do you view the world?: man. this is kinda a deep question for me, i kinda dont think life has much meaning. like i think the point of life has been cemented in reality as like, enjoying it? thats the main goal people have. i think that we were put on the earth to make a better life for the people coming next tho. like create the new generation of the world and such.
Which aspect matches your personality?: man thats a good question. i would say space but im not sure. i think either mind or space. my personality is kinda wierd imo. cuz on the internet i act allot more analytical and in real life i usually do stuff and act random just to make people laugh. id say im like allot different than almost everyone i know, i have different hobbies and interests, have different sense of fashion, have a different music taste, etc etc etc. like i tend to just be different in general. i tend to do weird things just to make people laugh. like ill scream just to have a reaction. i tend to attribute these qualities to mind sorta? i also act very uncaring and unemotional irl, when online i can easily come out with my emotions and tell people how i feel (this is probs cuz i have more confidence online and think my online friends would listen more). i also think i sorta act motherly? maybe not really. i tend to have like a thing where if someone says "hey im gonna do this stupid thing!" ill say "no stop thats stupid" an nag them about it until they wont do that stupid thing. im also sorta protective. like ive been with someone and i was walking across the street and i almost got hit by a car, but i pushed the other person out of the way so i could take the hit and theyd be ok. but i tend to say i act like a space or mind player. possibly a breath player cuz of my uncaring attitude
Class questions:
How do you relate to your aspect?: personally i think my aspect is space, but its kinda hard to answer this question without being sure. and well i sorta look at space as what i want to be and what i am. like im creative, i love to do art stuff, i tend to deal with allot of problems that have to do with distance that can destroy me emotionally and thinking about them can ruin my day at times, and i like science. but across the board i act differently with different types of space. like i think im better than most creatively and have allot of knowledge on the creative process, i think i deal with allot of shit dealing with distance, and i tend to think im not the best at science (not doing the best in school science but i love science as more of a hobby. like not something i have to be good at. just something i enjoy. like i love allot of science youtubers and thinking about what i know of science). so i think im a bit different all across the board. i think i sorta just do whatever i feel like with space, which is usually just using it or learning how to do it better. like i wanna be the guy that does the space and does all the cool shit, but im not sure if i fit that role perfectly. i think im more of an observer that does things when they feel like it. or just someone that really likes space if that makes sense. so i tend to think i sorta feel the good and bad of space, and use it.
What is your role / archetype / character arc?: uh ive been described as the main character but thats not much of an arch. i think i need to kinda improve in skill an knowledge mostly, maybe i need to learn to be myself a bit more and come out about who i am more and stop sorta following others? im not exactly sure what my character arc is. i probably need to learn to be content with who i am, or maybe grow in skill and knowledge like i said before, maybe i need to learn how to grow in skill and knowledge. i think those are the 2 main things that plague me. 
What do you struggle with?: i think i mostly struggle with internal issues, and insecurities. i also worry about whats to come quite a bit. i struggle with putting things off to the last minute allot. but it mostly comes down to the fact that i think im not the best and need to be better. ive gone through a few aspects and i always think "wow im not really good enough at this to be this aspect" i do the same with space but people tell me i fit it super well. i also tend to be quite depressive and lonely at times. i dont leave my house to go see friends too often and i mostly just sit inside and talk to people on the internet (which i find fun) but it gets me down because i feel pretty lonely. ive also moved allot over the course of my life and left allot of people behind (some without even telling them im leaving) and that really gets me down. when i think about that it can sometimes ruin my days. 
Which class matches your personality?: this is a bit tricky, i tend to say knight because of how insecure i am and how i tend to conceal my emotions irl. but i also think im not insecure enough to be a knight (like dave and karkat had DEEEEEEEEEEP issues). i think im more akin to a seer, rogue, or maybe mage. ive been told i act like a seer a few times by friends. i tend to act a bit like terezi, so possibly. i also tend to relate to the mage characters being stubborn when it comes to space, and sorta having a sollux kinda mood most of the time. i say rogue because i tend to act a bit like roxy but that one is more meh. any of these 4 i sorta act like but im not sure which
(also keep in mind i typed this out pretty quickly if theres any spelling mistakes)
this was a private post. but im making it public cuz someone was using it as an example
also i came out with mage of space by the end of this if your curious
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lmm17ca · 8 years
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Lasse Milling Madsen Letter of Intention for The Animation Workshop 2017
Hello my name is Lasse, I'm currently 23 years old, and I would like to apply for TAW's Character Animation course.
Creating characters and imaginative worlds is something I find very fulfilling and fun. Its very enjoyable to me to play around with shape language, and the unique expressions that you can get from animation, that you cant get from traditional film media. For these reasons I’m very interested in working with animation, and would like want to apply for TAW to expand my skills and eventually open up opportunities to work professionally with animation within the industry or independently. I have applied to the course 3 times before, but I'm not deterred from applying again.
Ive always enjoyed animated media, and never really ”grew out of it”. Drawing has always been something I greatly enjoyed doing. When I had trouble concentrating in school, I would always be doodling in my school papers instead. When asked what line of education I wanted to pursue, I wasn't sure, but I mentioned I liked drawing and was sendt to try out the animation course at Odense Fagskole. Here I tried out animation for the first time, and within a week of being in a creative environment and working seriously with art, I was hooked.
Later I attended the same course along with a 10th grade course at Odense Fagskole, and learned all the basics of animation, this year was very important to my development as an artist and person, and I look fondly back at it. Working with animation on a daily basis, was a really positive experience, it makes me want to seek out similar environments and possibilities of working creatively on a daily basis, other than as a hobby. I later took a 3 year HF course with special classes in Art, Design and Media, here I learned a lot about different creative media, and gathered a wide range of skills. I've also taken courses in film, and media design.
Last year I attended Mercantecs Digital media course, which included a 4 week drawing course in collaboration with The Drawing academy, and 2 weeks of computer graphics in collaboration with The Animation Workshop. These courses really expanded my drawing skills, and made me consider new ways and methods of working creatively.
I have taught animation at Odense Fagskoles børneskole for 3 years, where I taught children and young adult from the age 8 to 16 in the basics of animation. I was in charge of a new class every semester and taught 2 hours a week, and had to plan the lessons myself and help the students understand and finish the assignments, at the end of each semester the school would hold an open house, where my class presented their work, this included a show-reel of the students animations which I organised. Last year I substituted the daily animation class at Odense Fagskole everyday for a month, I taught aspiring animation students from the age 16 and up in basic animation and animation techniques. I had to collaborate with the regular teacher, as he had lessons planned, which I had to organise and execute, I also had to plan relevant lessons, to fit with their other classes.
For 5 years I attended amateur theater. Here we had to work as a team to set up a play once a year, we worked on acting techniques and improv workshops when not rehearsing a play. Before theater I was very introverted, but felt I have really grown through theater. Many of the skills learned here, I feel translate very well into animation. I have used the skills and lessons learned here to organise theater lessons and improv workshops myself. Id like to continue to work within theater, and I want to continue to run improv workshops, since I find acting and expression  in that way very fulfilling and a constant growing experience, and I want to keep sharing these experiences with others.
In the future I see myself continuing to work creatively, preferably with animation.  Creating, unique personal animated short stories, games or maybe even feature length movies is something I strive to do. I see myself working at a smaller studio, perhaps start one myself. I want to continue to bring imaginative worlds to life through animation, and develop new expressive media. I could see myself working at Cartoon Saloon, their incredible works have inspired and shaped my art, especially their amazing work with shapes and stylized line-work really speak to me. Working on animated features which such interesting art-styles, and explore the limits of abstract and creative art-styles in animated media would be something I would enjoy. I also want to continue to work with theater as a hobby, and use it to guide my creative work. I could also see myself continuing my teaching profession, perhaps also within animation. If I am not applied to the animation workshop, I have aspirations to apply for the teacher bachelor, I enjoy working in a class environment, and inspiring students and seeing them develop new skills.
Hopefully animated movies continue to thrive in the public media and art scene. A hand drawn 2D animation renaissance would be amazing. Although 3D CGI movies are great, I would love to see major animated movies have a wider range of styles and mediums and it would be really interesting to see major studios like Disney deviate from their style and experiment more. Disney movies are good, but very ”safe”. Other studios like Pixar are suffering from the same mentality by not deviating from their established style. I’d like to see more animated media targeting adults specifically, having interesting and deep stories and well developed characters, and not just crude jokes.
I have a wide range of software knowledge after my history of different digital courses.
Photoshop & Ilustrator- well acquainted
Flash - Well acquainted
Premiere & Aftereffects - Intermediate
Paint tool Sai - Expert
Maya – Basic knowladge
Aseprite - Well acquainted
What I enjoy most is watching animated media and playing video games. Some of my favorite work is Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke and Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series. I like them for many of the same reasons. I would say that Princess Mononoke is the closest we get to an animated Zelda movie and the newest installment of The Legend of Zelda resembles a Ghibli movie in video game form. To me, there’s just something about the magical world painted in both, which takes place in our real world. Exploring the beauty of nature, in a world that invites for adventure, exploration and magical discoveries. The magical creatures seen in Princess Mononoke are somewhat relatable to real life creatures, but just has that extra push of surreal features, it almost feels like I could encounter similar creature, if I wandered too deeply off path in a forest. I am also a sucker for classical heroes Journey stories, and I feel Princess Mononoke and Zelda executes them very well.
I've grown up with the Legend of Zelda, and I feel a close bond to the series, and the way that it manages to explore different art-styles while maintaining the same sense of adventure and wonder, impresses me. I can only aspire to creative as iconic designs and concepts as appear in the Legend of Zelda.
Another favorite work of mine is Tove Janssons Moomin Troll. I grew up with the Moomin anime from the 90s, but have since fallen in love with Tove’s original comic strip and books! The Moomin universe delivers something I don’t find in similar childerens media. Perhaps because there’s something about the Moomin characters that I can deeply relate to, but also because of Tove’s ability to put deep emotions and themes in her work, like melanchony and poetry, despite its target audience being all ages. When people ask me what fictional world I would like to live in, I always answer Moomin Valley. During the colder seasons, I get the urge to rewatch and reread Moomin, like it’s part of my winter hibernation.
Tove Jansson is definitely one of my biggest inspirations, her unique ink work has inspired me so much and made me challenge myself to replicate her unique almost crude style. Another one of my favorites is the musician Tom Waits, his crooked music style with glorification of imperfection inspires me a lot. His musical The Black Rider is one of my favorite creative works and I dream of animating it someday! Tom Waits has also inspired one of my favorite band Kaizers Orchestra, who in turn have also inspired me. They have a special way of telling stories through their songs and by banging all sorts of items together they make metallic sounds. They have an unique stage presence which feels like a form of theater at times. Tyson Hesse is one of my favorite comic artists, ive been following his work since his early beginnings and his comics still capture me with his fun style. Shmorky is also an artist I look up to a lot, they mostly do cutesy drawings of small blobish characters, but their unique mix of cuteness and edge, really speaks to me. Some of my other favorite artists include Scottie Young, Emmy Cicierega, Niel Cicirega ,Ken Sugimori, Justin Chan, Rebecca Sugar, Temmie Chang, Jamie Hewlett and many more.
There's a few works that I just cannot relate to. Worst of all is Sausage party, Seth Rogan's adult animated movie. Its a shame that a lot of animated work targeted to adults, ends up being nothing more than a children movie with dick and fart humor, no real substance to them. I'm all for some dirty humor once in a while, but sausage party just is non stop stupid food puns and sexual innuendos, its story makes no sense, and none of the characters are likable. For some of the same reasons I hate sausage party I also dislike Family guy, and similar shows. Family guy to me is the worst kind of humor, its often offensive, and very sexist or problematic in other ways. Its animation is boring and stiff, and is streamlined down to a point where its so drained of creativity that its barely even ”animated” at all. I also dislike animated movies targeted for children, that just feel like a marketing ploy, and the movies usually don't have much more substance than some funny random jokes. The worst offender being Minions, and the despicable me movies. I don't think minions are interesting characters, and their gibberish language, makes them very unrelatable.
Traveling isn’t something I have done often, since I come from a fairly poor family, vacations abroad wasn’t a thing I had the luxury to grow up with. I have been to Lyon, France and Berlin, Germany during schooltrips. My trip to France was my first real experience outside of Denmark. In Berlin I had some interesting experiences with underground art, took a street-art tour throught the city and went to see the museum of bizarre objects! Such fun and inspriring experiences! During the holiday season, I visited my wonderfull girlfriend in The Netherlands for the first time. It was my first time travelling alone so it was all very exciting. I stayed for a month and saw a lot of the country. It’s fun to see a culture that’s so close to my own, yet so much more urban and international! I’m going back to The Netherlands in April and I plan to visit more often. Now that I know what it’s like, travelling is really fun and I would love to visit Japan and Australia someday.
I plan on financing the education with the danish SU system, and taking an SU loan.
I look very much forward to hearing back from you, Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Best regards
Lasse Milling Madsen
Grønnegade 11. 1st th 8800 viborg
+45 28 21 17 56
(coke as in cola but with a zero instead of an o)
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viralhottopics · 8 years
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From Joni Mitchell to Laura Marling: how female troubadours changed music
Singing about drugs, politics and disappointment was once seen as a male pursuit and almost half a century after female artists began to defy convention, many are still trying break the mould
In the summer of 1969, Newsweek published an articleunder the headline The Girls Letting Go, charting the burgeoning careers of a group of young musicians it termed a new school of talented female troubadours. They sang about politics, love affairs, the urban landscape, drugs, disappointment, and the life and loneliness of the itinerant performer subjects that, hitherto, had largely been the preserve of male musicians. What is common to them to Joni Mitchell and Lotti Golden, to Laura Nyro, Melanie, and to Elyse Weinberg, the writer, Hubert Saal, observed, are the personalised songs they write, like voyages of self-discovery what they celebrate is the natural, preferring the simple joy to the complex, the artless to the artful and, rather than the holding back, the letting go.
There have been many new female troubadours in the years since fromPatti Smith to Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris and Carole King all of them writing and singing across aperiod in which womens liberation made great strides. Today, almost 50 years since Saals article, womens lives are markedly different from the way they were in 1969, but has the world of women in song evolved as markedly?
We are at a peculiar point in the music industry: female artists such as Taylor Swift, Beyonc and Katy Perry have been among the industrystop earners in recent years, yet womens presence elsewhere in the industry is sparse, and female performers are thin on the ground at the summer music festivals. While this has generated much media discussion, how have female songwriters responded?
This early stretch of the year brings releases by several songwriters who might fall into that troubadour category. Artists such as Laura Marling, Courtney Marie Andrews, Julie Byrne and Nadia Reid are writing songs that capture the pulls of both domesticity and the road, and what it means to be living a life that does not entirely tally with convention.
Marlings sixth album, Semper Femina, follows last years Reversal ofthe Muse podcast series, in which she spoke to musicians such as Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Marika Hackman, as well as women elsewhere in the industry, such as guitar shop owner Pamela Cole and recording engineer Olga FitzRoy, to explore femininity in creativity from the challenges of writing, recording and touring, to the masculine design of guitars and the fact that women hear differently from men.
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I would say that feminine creativity is inherently different from the masculine, says Marling. Even at its beginnings, she suspects that womens musical impulses have different motivations from those of their male counterparts. I had a lot of chats with Blake [Mills, Semper Feminas producer] when we were making the record, about how we started playing guitar, she says. And he was like: I started playing because I wanted to impress girls. And that was obviously so different from why I started playing guitar that was never in my brain, toimpress boys. So even that crucial difference makes for a different musician. For me, playing guitar has always been tied up with my identity rather than enticing people in, its always been involved in myself.
This album emerged after a time inwhich Marling felt that she had become increasingly masculine determinedly touring alone, lugging her own gear, stepping away from ideas of feminine dress. While this stretch was not long-lived, she believes it gave her an ability to look at women in a different way and consider how Id been looked at. She is resistant to being pigeonholed. I think, when Iwas a teenager, in my head you were either this delicate tragedy or you were a muse, she says. And theyre both such horrifyingly subjugated roles.
She was struck, too, by an old edition of Desert Island Discs in which Marianne Faithfull was the castaway. The presenter said: So, tell me, you must have felt very hard done by that all the Rolling Stones deserted you? And she said: Can you stop trying to make a tragedy of me? Im not a tragedy! Ive lived my life. Obviously, I was a drug addict, but I was always going to be a drug addict. I had an amazing time! And its true, by any other masculine name, all those experiences would be clocked up as experiences and nothing more.
But ideas of what women in music should be are hard to shake. There is animpulse to make an easy tragedy of female musicians who have spent their lives on the road. There is something, too, that expects women to be static, indoor, domesticated and confessional songwriters. As the late John Berger put it: Men act, women appear.
Crucial to this is the idea of women and movement women stepping outside the safe confines of the home and domesticity. For Julie Byrne, the compulsion to keep moving has run intandem with her career as a songwriter. I was always fascinated by thatlifestyle, she recalls. When I was living in Buffalo, New York, where Im from, there was a huge contingency of freight-train hoppers. There was a pretty legendary house in Buffalo called the Birdhouse that was well known in that network. So there was this huge influx of travellers in the summertime, and thered be really glorious parties with music until the early hours I think this was probably where this sense of wonderment camefrom.
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In her teens, a year after she began playing music, Byrne toured with some friends, travelling through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee and South Carolina. She remembers the joy of that time the new landscapes, playing live, trying to navigate their way to the next city in the days before Google Maps and smartphones. I think it just strengthened all the curiosity I had, she says. I wanted to continue to learn through my experiences that way.
This is not to suggest it was without problems. We were in my friends old Volvo that had a leak in the gas tank, she says. We ended up running out of gas and were stranded on the highway somewhere outside Memphis. That was my first experience of being outside New York state and everything was enchanted. Breaking down, all of it. There was poetry in everything for me then, and I think a lot about that time, how moving just the most mundane aspects were for me when I was younger.
Her experience of the touring life has changed with the years while she retains some of that early wonderment, she also sees its limitations. Her most recent album, Not Even Happiness, was written largely in the time that Byrne was touring its predecessor, Rooms With Walls and Windows, when she gave up the place she had in Seattle, along with her furniture and most of her belongings, because I couldnt afford to maintain a room somewhere while I was on the road constantly.
That weightlessness brought a new quality to her music. A lot of these songs come from the power and the beauty of travel and of relying on the generosity of other people, she says. But also the pain of not having any privacy and not having anywhere to goto weep for the condition of the world or the condition of my own heart, so that was a time of extreme vulnerability. But I think that brought on some meaningful realisations in my life that you carry your burdens wherever you go, and they dont just fall away just because youre across the country or in a different setting. They stay with you until theyre resolved in some way.
Courtney Marie Andrews left her home in Phoenix, Arizona, when she was 16 and began busking along the west coast of America. I just fell in love with the lifestyle, she says. At that time I was so young and so ready to get out of Phoenix I just felt trapped there, and I realised there was so much more to the world. I loved making music with my friends every day, and being in different cities. I thrive on change, and I really felt drawn to the constant movement.
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She soon found work, first as a backing singer for other artists, then playing lead guitar for Damien Jurado, and her life on the road ran on. It was only more recently, after the end of aserious relationship, that she began to consider the drawbacks of a rootless lifestyle. It is a subject she addresses on her latest album, Honest Life, setting all the nights of travelling, playing, eating alone in diners and sleeping in vans against the pleasures of a home and community.
I wrote those songs because Irealised Id spent pretty much my entire later adolescence and early 20s on the road, she says. Id come home and people had cultivated these really in-depth relationships, and I started topine for that. Id be home just for amonth and that would be it. The pluses are playing your songs every night with your friends you cant really complain. But the thing you missis the human connection. That canbecome really hard. You say: Hi, my names Courtney! 500 times on atour.
The trials of life on the road is not an unfamiliar subject for songwriters, but for female musicians there are additional weights: centuries of women being expected to stay at home, as well as the constrictions of time and biology; the music industry is not set up to accommodate parenthood, let alone the physical demands of motherhood. There is also the suspicion that greets women who dont quite conform.
For Byrne, life in freefall is something that can grant womens songwriting extra force and insight. Ithink that women living lifestyles with no fixed home and really having to be at the mercy of that experience will probably transcend that [more traditional] mould, she says. I think women have a certain vision that is so deeply connected to their interior lives, and I think women are inherently willing to be very vulnerable, and have an honesty that theyre willing to share with other people. And thats the most powerful thing there is.
Andrews is similarly hopeful that these songs of the road will still have the capacity to affect their listeners. Its so funny, I always thought, Well, this is just how it is, she says. But its very true [traditionally] men touch on this life in their songs and women talk about domestic issues or their husbands. But I hope that women, or just people in general, can empathise with those stories coming from a woman. Because anybody can live that kind of lifestyle.
Nearly half a century after that first wave of new female troubadours, it seems women songwriters are still muddling out a way to be. But however gradual, what we are witness to is stillan evolution, a slow bucking of convention, women singing songs that tell of a new life and its possibilities; 50 years on they are still letting go.
Not Even Happiness by Julie Byrne andHonest Life by Courtney Marie Andrews are both out now. Semper Femina by Laura Marling is due for release on More Alarming Records on 10March.
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from From Joni Mitchell to Laura Marling: how female troubadours changed music
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