#to be fair... it is my favorite track on the ep...

[saturday-is-so-two-years-ago]

A Dramatic Breakaway from Pop-Punk: the Unexpected but Brilliant Soul Punk

I have been working on this post for very, very close to a year (the original timestamp says 5/16/24). I’ve wanted to write about Soul Punk for a while, but I’ve struggled to find the right words to get my point across. I’m not making much of an attempt to be “fair” or “unbiased” here because quite frankly, I wouldn’t know where to begin if I did. So, I’m going to be extremely unfair and biased, because I just love Soul Punk, and I refuse to pretend I’m about to give this thing anything but an absolutely glowing review.

This album is unlike anything else I’ve ever heard, and all it takes is one objective listen to find the massive amount of artistic merit that it has. I stumbled across it maybe two years ago after being a Fall Out Boy fan for a long while; I slowly fell in love with it without even realizing how much I adored it until I found myself grinning every time I turned one of the songs on.

I can hear echoes of Take This to Your Grave in the lyrical style, but it’s a natural evolution of that style that draws from more life experience than Patrick Stump probably had at the time of the former’s release. It’s like “Saturday” and “Reinventing the Wheel…” grew up, became slightly jaded, and wrote these songs in the minivan while they were waiting on the kids’ soccer practice to end. (I don’t know if that analogy makes sense, but I did my best.)

There are elements of 80s new wave and R&B in there musically, which is a combination that is executed masterfully on this album. I listen to a lot of 80s synth-pop and early alternative, so my love of this release was kind of a foregone conclusion.

But there’s something so unique about the musical style, too, and I’d say that it’s Patrick Stump himself. The combination of his vocal range and musical sensibilities—some of which feel like an extension of the production of Folie Á Deux, I might add—makes this album into a near Twilight Zone version of new wave. I mean that in the best way; it’s a new take on this classic sound, and it feels like a fairly logical next step given the style of his and the rest of Fall Out Boy’s production on Folie.

I can’t talk about Soul Punk without highlighting what is quite possibly my favorite track off the album (and also the Truant Wave EP), which quickly and suddenly became one of my favorite songs: “Spotlight”. Again, there’s not much of an attempt to be objective here. Both the album and EP versions are phenomenal, and I can’t say that I always prefer one over the other. “Oh Nostalgia” (the EP version) is a slower version with a slightly more open sound to the synths and significantly less production, while “New Regrets” (the album version) is faster and full of expertly executed, sleek production. I do really like the addition of the extra lyrics after the chorus of “New Regrets”, but I also like the warmth of his lower octave in the verses of “Oh Nostalgia”; that’s why I’d say I don’t think I definitively like one better.

All I can really say, though, is that this album is amazing, and I would highly recommend listening to it. I would listen to it in order, but if I had to pick the highlights, I’d say my most-played songs are “Spotlight”, “The ‘I’ in Lie”, and “Coast (It’s Gonna Get Better)”. I confess, this is not the most articulate or descriptive I’ve ever been, so if you want to formulate your own opinion, you really should listen to it yourself. I’ve barely scratched the surface of what Soul Punk really is.

[andthekitchensinkao3]

People I’d like to get to know better tag game 😀

Thanks for the tags @lavender-tea-fling and @mercars-musings!

Last song: The Trap, by Jason Graves, from the The Devil in Me OST. (Sorry! It's creepy!) Because I’m writing that Lokius horror fic, and I love the game, and Jason Graves is just generally SUCH a great composer. Check him out if you haven’t. Coincidentally, the Moss OST has become my background soundtrack for writing Emmrook, just because it’s so lovely. I mean, if we want to talk range - The Dark Pictures Anthology versus MOSS. Epic.

Favorite color: Ooh, tough choice. I’ve had so many in my *mumble mumble 40+* years on this planet, but if I have to pick just one I’m gonna say orange is my current fave. You know, the bright, happy orange associated with the citrus - rather than the 70’s dirty brown orange.

Last book: On my TBR or one I actually started reading? XD The last book I finished was one of Chris Carter’s, The Crucifix Killer. I cannot warn against it enough. Or, perhaps, I’m just not the intended audience. *eyeroll* The last book I started is Dissolution by C.J Sansom. 

Last film: Deadpool & Wolverine - haven't watched the whole thing, but I love Deadpool AND Wolvie, AND it's featuring the TVA! And Variants, and and and... Yeah. I love it.

Last game: Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I have created and discarded so many Rooks by now just to daydream about the myriad possibilities I would’ve had if I’d played the game on PC. THREE character slots, Bioware, for fuck’s sake! I’m on my second actual playthrough, mostly for reasons of That Other Fic I’m writing that’s taken over my life.

BTW, if anyone wants to be tagged when I update either Stories Told and Forgotten, or The World's Fair Hotel, let me know!

Last show: I’ve started rewatching two shows, actually. That’s gotta count for something? Star Trek TOS, and The Mentalist. I had never seen the pilot ep of ST! It’s so good to bask in the nostalgia of the late 80’s reruns.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: I love spice, but since I’m a Scandi, we tend to use spices Very Liberally, and in all kinds of things the rest of the world doesn’t. But if by spicy you mean hot? Yeah, I love hot food. (If we’re talking fic… I tend to write sweet and spicy in kinda equal amounts. Lots of angst, some h/c and smut.)

Relationship: Single, don’t wanna mingle. Happy Catdaddy to my soon-to-be ten-year-old lapdog disguised as a tabby.

Last internet search: shapeshifters in Norse mythology. For Reasons. The reasons are fanfic. I’m a one-track kinda person.

Tags under the cut - feel free to participate if you haven’t already :3

@ghoulehhh @natendo-art @in-my-loki-feels @kusakichan15

@devilbearingtrouble @impulsemuppet @mirilyawrites @scifikimmi @silentxsymphony

@rin-love-is-green @confetti39x @stillwanderingflame

@insert-witty-user-name-here @blackbirdofasgard @dreamycloud @distracteddream

@mobius-m-mobius @dilfmobius @adorbspotat @lgwilt

 @redheadsramblings @starfleetteddybear @mercars-musings @starrose17 @holyglassbone @genocidalfetus @wolfpup026 @elodiah @lokimobius @thosegayoldmen @kcscribbler

[baronessblixen]

Been catching up on Frasier; and I've been meaning to drop in here and tell you my thoughts on each episode but I get sucked in and lose track of details because I have to watch more more more but Niles just proposed to Daphne while Frasier was clearing the room and tackling the trumpeter and carrying the chef and what it was SO, SO GOOD. (And Frasier being worried he's one year older because his parents married after his mom got pregnant; and Niles already knowing-- both excellent twists.)

Season 9's really been putting out great, great episodes. ...Y'know what? I'll look up IMDb and put some quick thoughts down here because why not???

Don Juan from Hell part 1 and 2: it's been so long since I've seen these two, but I remember really, really enjoying them.

The First Temptation of Daphne Moon-- an intriguing glimpse into Daphne's insecurities and Niles's staunch ethics. It's good to see how they handle rocky moments in their relationship, too.

The Return of Martin Crane-- LOVED THIS ONE. It's so good, every part. (His memories, and the juxtaposition of Niles-- with more hair-- in the past and Niles in the present; and how miserable they all were then and how happy they all are now; and the kiss at the end. Perfection!)

Love Stinks-- I had fun with this one. (Frasier owning up to his snobbery, lol.) Though I don't know if Roger and Roz will last (well, I know they won't; but I don't know if I truly buy into their relationship.) Poor Roz, she keeps trying.

Room Full of Heroes-- again, Marty's speech at the end grabs me. Marty's my favorite, I must own; and that's been growing as the seasons progress. (Niles is second; and I adore their scenes together.)

Bla-Z-Boy-- the CHAIR being accidentally tossed out the window, WOW. Hilarious. XDDDDDD

The Two Hundredth-- I... feel called out. XDDD But, to be fair, at least I'm an archivist, not a sycophant, by nature. ;)))))

Sharing Kirby-- Tisk Tisk Tisk, those Crane boys always shoot themselves in the foot with their greed. Kirby's sloooooowly growing on me. Kenny keeps sinking in my estimation, though-- his comedy doesn't really hit this season, for me.

Junior Agent-- BEBE!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely killer scene, every single one she's in. And her shark replacement is gonna be fun if the writers use her well (I thought the same of Kenny, at first.)

Bully for Martin-- again, loved this episode. The comedy was top-notch all the way through; and it's good to see Marty back on his feet. (and talking, but not complaining, about the challenges of a new hierarchy.)

Mother Load, Part 1 and 2-- It's fascinating to watch how much Niles has grown, and how his growth then highlights (in a good way) how much Daphne still has to go. It makes both of them human. :DDDDD And I liked how the ep. paused to give each main and side character as much depth as possible.

Juvenilia-- This was actually fun; and I love how Roz was sick and tired of Frasier's preening routine at the beginning. Those kids were sharks, man; but they're gonna get far. Kirby's growing on me.

The Proposal-- sweet all the way through. Marty and Niles were standouts, but I'm biased. ;)))) And Marty's excuse to Daphne's mom, and Daphne arriving sick, and Frasier interfering then saving the day by getting all the staff out, and Niles being interrupted from his question by Daphne honking her nose-- hiiiiiiiiiilarious.

Having so much fun! :DDDDDDDD

So happy you're still having fun watching the show! You still have two seasons to go 😁 season 9 definitely has some great episodes. I must admit though that I find Kirby pretty annoying.

Still, Bla-Z-Boy is super funny and I also really love The Return of Martin Crane. The proposal was so cute! He had planned this huge thing and in the end they didn't need any of it. Great season. Much better than season 8 😅

[airenyah]

People I wanna know better tag meme

was tagged my @lurkingshan <3

Last song?

ok so there's actually a story behind the last song i listend to: earlier i was revising some stuff we did in my thai class before christmas (bc our new course is starting tomorrow) and one of the words was "earthquake" and i saw the thai word written down in my notes and somehow i heard the word as a melody in my brain?? instead of my normal reading voice?? and so i went to look up the song and sure enough the word is there

actually i heard the melody of the word "earthquake" from this song in somebody's very specific voice and i wish i could say that you can win a prize if you're able to pinpoint who and where exactly i got this song from but alas i don't have a prize, so you'll have to do with my highest admiration lmao . yes i've linked it on my blog before some time in the last few weeks

Favorite color?

blueee i really like blue, esp a nice shiny dark blue

Currently watching?

cooking crush

last twilight

the sign (i'm like 2 eps behind tho)

and i know i just got done with my bad buddy anniversary rewatch only yesterday, but i was thinking of doing another rewatch next month when i'm on semester break bc i wanna track all the times an instrumental version of "just friend?" plays as background music

Last movie?

*gaily* Überraschung!

no, i will not elaborate. this one goes out to all my german speakers. if you know you know 🤭

or actually, i'll let calvin and habs do the explaining

Sweet/Spicy/Savory?

totally depends on my mood and the dish

(unpopular opinion but savory strudel >>>>>>>>>> sweet strudel)

Relationship status?

trying to get over a crush single. bc i'd rather be caught dead than tell anyone how i feel about them. can't let people know we have, you know...

running away and denial is a healthy coping mechanism i know lmao

Current obsessions?

what am i if not a bad buddy blog in its joongdunk era

Last thing you googled?

"100 usd to euro" bc of this poll

Selfie or another pic you took?

enjoy this picture from that one time when boy cat INSISTED that he too needed to go on a walk when my mom took the dog outside and then got really angry when there was, well, snow on the ground

the world sure is not fair, huh

tagging:

@dimplesandfierceeyes @nongnaos @greenteadumplings @sunnenfinster @visualtaehyun @moonkhao @newyearknwwme @gaym3bo1 @ranchthoughts @mommyzhilla @callipigio

[scribeofred]

ALL(H)OURS ALL OURS album analysis

thanks to a fun little convergence of dashboard shenanigans, @boxersver and I ended up listening through ALL(H)OURS's discography a few weeks ago. jury's out on who's more infatuated with their music. we've had enough dm discussions about their music that we've decided it's public analysis time.

I prefer listening to an artist's discography in order if I can swing it, and I'll typically prioritize listening to new albums/eps before watching the corresponding MV(s). in the case of ALL(H)OURS, I ended up blitzing all three EPs before touching any of their other media, and wow did that end up being the right decision.

Drift

"Drift" is a minute-and-a-half instrumental introduction to the album. I love the inclusion of introduction tracks like this, they always give me the sense that someone on the production side is cognizant of how important tone-setting opening tracks truly are. not every album needs any sort of instrumental opener! but in the case of ALL(H)OURS's EPs, which are a deliciously painful five tracks each, the inclusion of an opener is a brilliant move, both because it gives each album that extra bit of much needed run time and because it instantly sets listener expectations.

my first impression? was Y E S. the engine soundbite at the very beginning transitions into an industrial EDM–flavor track that made me snap to attention. I cannot hearing recall any other instrumental (or story) opening track in kpop that grabbed me with the same level of instantaneous aggression. I distinctly recall thinking, If this EP is even half as good as this opener, I'm in for a treat.

less treat and more fifteen-course feast. but we'll get there in due time.

sitting down to listen to "Drift" with a more analytical ear, I find myself noticing the tempo and the time feel in particular. the actual bpm is a rather casual 117, but due to the rapid higher-pitch percussion dividing each beat in half, I'm simultaneously moving to the 117 bpm while also consciously registering the 234 divisions. it feels fast, driving, intense in a way that I'm sure instantly makes or breaks for new listeners.

I know it made for both of us because I distinctly recall you spamming me with messages raving about how good it was 😂😂

also, fair warning, I'm going to talk about tempo and time feel a bunch as we make our way through these EPs because it's such an integral part of the way their music is constructed and the way it shapes the perception of each section of each song. time feel and high bpms my beloved <3

the inclusion of the choral voices is also incredibly fun and tickles my ear specifically. I've gone through phases of listening to Gregorian chants, and I've listened to hundreds of hours of production/trailer music and movie/game/show scores with prominent choral elements. I'm weak for a good chorus. it's a little detail here in "Drift," only appearing a few times, but it adds a dimension that I'd definitely miss if they'd omitted it.

as a general rule, I like my music fast and aggressive and loud (but masterfully, intentionally produced; we'll get there). "Drift" firmly checks all three boxes. it's also hands down my favorite of the three album-opening intros, and I'm pretty sure it's @boxersver's favorite too, y/n?

[metalhead-brainrot]

[Album of the day] World Eaters - Demo MK-1

Guelph, ON // 2020

[Genres] death metal, war metal

[Themes] In the grim darkness of the far future, there are only riffs...

[FFO] Warhammer 40K*, Bolt Thrower, Chainsword

[Thoughts] You can't traverse the waters of death metal for very long without encountering Warhammer 40K in some form, and I'll confess I count myself a fan.** But you don't need to be a capital-G Gamer to appreciate this ripping demo, a solo project from multi-instrumentalist David Gupta. World Eaters's riffs are as violent as its namesake***, guaranteed to have you itching for the mosh pit. The first two tracks, "Devour" and "Baneblade," will pummel you with energetic rhythm, an auditory siege culminating in the death/doom hellscape of "The Warp" (my very favorite World Eaters song to date).

I picked this demo because I think it's rock-solid, but I'd like to talk about World Eaters's other releases as well. Grinding Advance (2021) is their second EP, doubling down on everything in Demo MK-1. "Armoured Spearhead (Hellhammer)" is six minutes of unbridled energy; "Expedition / Tomb World" is nearly nine minutes, the latter half containing clarinet-infused Nile worship;**** there's even a cover of "Running Up That Hill."

World Eaters's new split, Mothman and the Thunderbirds vs World Eaters, adds two new great tracks to the WE catalogue. It's also the first release without drum programming; joining as the second permanent member, Winter Stomp***** adds ass-kicking blast beats to the bands repertoire. I'm very excited to see more future releases with her style.

Now that Winter Stomp has pledged her gory chainaxe to the sonic blitzkrieg of the World Eaters, the duo have been able to play live. Living outside Ontario I can't say I've been to one of their concerts, but I bet they split skulls; if you live near Guelph, check them out.

Also, I would be remiss for not mentioning that World Eaters has always been very charitable with the profits from their music, leading several donation campaigns for Guelph Pride, an LGBTQ+ nonprofit local to World Eaters's hometown. Winter Stomp has also designed and printed some booty short merch reading, "Be Gay Do Heresy," which tempt me every Bandcamp Friday.******

Thanks for reading the long post today. Keep on killing, maiming, and burning.

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* If you're unfamiliar, Warhammer 40K is a popular tabletop strategy game played with painted miniatures and rolling dice. It's popular with metalheads because the lore is so metal. Indulge me in a quick tl;dr.

It's the 41st century, and the Imperium of Man has spread through the Galaxy under the tutelage of the God Emperor. Though once great, the empire was split 10,000 years prior due to infighting from his übermensch sons, the Primarchs. Now the empire is spread thin across too many star systems, losing the fight against three main threats: the Xenos (other alien civilizations), the Heretics (those who question the authority of a fascist theocracy), and Chaos itself (arcane beings from the Warp, the non-space between wormholes).

The God Emperor sits as a corpse upon his throne on Terra, every ounce of his psychic abilities maintaining the Astronomican, a beacon guiding spaceships throughout the Warp. Every day an increasing number of psychics are sacrificed to fuel his powers, for if the beacon fails, the Imperium collapses and humanity falls.

There are no good guys, and there is no hope. For in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.

** Never actually played anything Games Workshop except Necromunda, though I've read a fair few novels. I prefer wargames that won't bleed me for money and bury me in rules, so I mainly play Mantic Games's Kings of War and Firefight. One book for all the rules and force lists at a fraction of the price.

*** The World Eaters are a faction of heretical Space Marines worshipping one of the four Chaos Gods: Khorne, the Blood God, who sits upon a throne made from the skulls of those slain in battle. They are also my favorite faction; he kind of has a Conan-esque backstory of fighting in gladiatorial slave pits. And we all know how much metalheads like Conan.

**** The Egyptian musical themes are themselves referential to the content of the song: Tomb Worlds are the hidden domains of the Necrons, a xenos race that conquered the Galaxy aeons before humanity even gazed at the stars. Annoyed by the emergence of other upstart civilizations, the Dynasties of the Infinite Empire transferred their consciousnesses into mechanical bodies, intending to slumber in hidden tombs until the juvenile races extinguished themselves.

But occasionally something wakes the soulless early, by delving too deep in ancient ruins or experimenting with ancient and unknown tech. And what they find is always ruthless extermination, for the destruction of a Necron's artificial body does not kill a mind capable respawning eternally into an army's worth of mechanical warriors.

***** She's apparently from the Netherlands. Neat.

****** I already have one of their patches on my metal jacket. Very stylish.

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[From the band/label]

Thought for the day: A coward always seeks compromise.

David Gupta: Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Drum Programming Psychic screams from the Immaterium are: Adam Ujhelyi (Teleportise, Hellbreather) Justin Krawczyk (Frank Reynolds, BatBoy) Derek Prince-Cox (Wakeless, Yuzun, ex-Arise and Ruin) Stuart Charlton (First World Famine, Inverted Serpent) Nik Wever (ex-The Story Of..., Time the Destroyer) Recorded, Mixed and, "Mastered" by David Gupta at Doyle House. World Eaters logo and Demo MK-1 artwork by Meytheus Rexy, @meytheusrexy_art

[mercuryvalley]

This year's wrapped (on Tidal instead of Spotify, but same thing) is very predictable for me, but maybe you'll find it interesting.

Starting with songs:

So, uh, I listened to these two albums a lot this year. Hyperdrama especially, because going and seeing Justice live had me hyped for months leading up to it. Get Off The Internet isn't my favorite album or anything (although 404, the remix album, is on repeat for me rn lol), but it has some excellent bangers on it for sure.

So, ok, you can definitely tell who two of my top five artists are, but who are the others?

So. Justice is not a surprise. Woman Worldwide is one of my favorite albums, period. Hyperdrama is decent, but the tracks like Incognito and Generator (my 4th and 5th most listened to tracks this year, mind you), just don't hit as hard as their earlier work, especially coming off of WWW. I'll still listen to this album from time to time from now on, but the hype I had for it definitely died off after I saw their live show. Now, the imminent live album for their current tour, that could become a mainstay for me 👀

I have a LOT of deadmau5 interspersed in my playlists, Random Album Title is my favorite house album, and he did put out a few things this year that I listened to a fair bit (Some EP, Re_Jaded, etc). Seeing him at #2 is both surprising and not surprising, since I don't feel like I go out of my way to listen to specific tracks of his all that often these days, but at the same time, he's in almost every playlist I have, so I can only expect so much.

Grabbitz is my favorite artist right now, Time Isn't Real is another contender for my favorite album, and I finally realized there's a deluxe version this year, soooo yeah, that plus Let Them Only See Butterflies and In the Dark means I'm honestly surprised he's not #2.

Eliminate is one of the most unique producers in bass music, and his shift towards more 150 BPM hardcore shit pleases me greatly. Twisted (aka MOREPWR VIP) is living in my head rent free as we speak. This is the year I finally dug into his back catalogue a bit more too. Wasn't super sure he would make the list, but I guess I listened to Get Off The Internet more than I thought lol

And to round out the top 5, we have Noisia. Closer from 2022 has become my favorite drum and bass album, which probably constitutes about 80% of my Noisia listening from this year. They have plenty of wacky and fantastic bangers, but that album is something I can throw on whenever and be pretty happy.

Honorable mentions who did not make the list:

Porter Robinson's album SMILE! :D is great, but it hasn't been the type of album I've gone back to over and over (so far at least). Cheerleader is #7 on my track list, just behind yet another Justice track from Hyperdrama, lol

Pendulum is a band I really only started to dig into this year, but I haven't picked out a specific album I jive with yet. Mostly because all they've done is EPs and singles since Immersion in 2010. As you can tell, I tend to listen to a fair amount of albums, so that hurts their chances a bit.

Au5 is probably the producer I respect the most in the EDM sphere. Bridges Between was a fine album, but if it didn't have the cheesy, breathy, reverbed out female pop vocals on nearly every track, I would've liked it a lot more.

Reaper is one of my favorite drum and bass artists, but with him, I tend to pick a few tracks to hyperfixate on. This year, the two winners by far were Black Fires and Monster.

Zonderling put out Variant, which I listened to a LOT this year (the track and the EP). Unfortunately, I only have one other Zonderling track in my collection at the moment, but I have plans to change that, for sure.

And last but not least, Infected Mushroom is actually nowhere to be seen in my entire top 100 tracks. Which is WILD to me. They've been in my top 5 artists for several years in a row, even being the number 1 slot, so I'm very surprised that I apparently fell off the hype train for them. I guess the next time they put out a true album, they'll probably creep back up, but as much as I love Converting Vegetarians II and More Than Just A Name, they apparently can't carry those two enough to make the list.

[awhitewomansinstagram]

Okay here we go

My Unreal Unearth Debrief

This is the best I have ever heard this man sing. My god. His resonance and strength. The high notes. The power and energy. I’m still fucking processing his belt and flips and range holy shit.

My absolute top songs based on combo of sound and lyrics: De Selby 1 & 2, Who We Are, To Someone From A Warm Climate, Anything But, Abstract, and First Light

Honorable mentions: Butchered Tongue, Nth, Son of Nyx, Icarian

I think the strongest song in terms of album cohesiveness goes to Who We Are, but First Light is the one that pulls everything together.

Vocally, the best songs are Anything But, De Selby (2 in particular), Abstract, First Light, and Who We Are for me but all of them were the strongest vocals I’ve ever heard from him

My favorite song was Abstract (Psychopomp). Paired with his explanation I think it’s absolutely gorgeous and I love the musical storytelling they did with vocals and production. Same praise for First Light but there’s just something about Abstract that takes the top spot for me.

I, of course, loved the pre-released tracks but genuinely think he saved the strongest stuff for release night. That may be because I’m just familiar with the pre-released stuff. I thought Francesca and All Things End worked really well within the larger album structure in particular. Eat Your Young has to be my favorite of the pre-released albums but was really jarring to hear right after I, Carrion. Which, to be fair, is a cool effect of that ordering and furthers the song’s message.

BRANDI. CARLISLE. enough said.

Butchered Tongue. Just incredible. It was carefully written and in typical Hozier style, made interesting parallels out of different colonialisms and genocides. I won’t say much more here because I think the lyrics just speak for themselves so beautifully.

Son of Nyx was not at all what I expected but the production is incredibly creative, the instrumentals were gorgeous, and between De Selby(s) and First Light, it’s one of the storytelling pillars of the album and the hell narrative

I, Carrion (Icarian) was interesting and I thought the lyrics were gorgeous. Both of the “softer” love songs on the album (Icarian and First Time) are gut-wrenching and beautiful. I also love the stripped down feel to Icarian and I think he wrote it with his girlfriend? which having heard the song has to be the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.

Anything But is some of the funniest shit I’ve ever heard

Stylistically, I’ve always liked the rock and acoustic feeling pieces but I loved that he added some of the funk influence to the album. All of the production felt different from his normal work in a cool, good way and I really think he pulled off the multi-genre concept incredibly well.

I have only one criticism of the album and it’s that I think he should’ve included Through Me. But, there’s always at least one good song that gets lost on the EP in the album cycle (rip NFWMB 🫡)

First Light and the “moral,” if I can derive one takeaway from the whole thing, which will be oversimplified because holy shit these songs, is that there is beauty in meaning in the cycle of light and dark, and that destruction and death are not something to be feared but rather something that can deepen how we understand the world. It is in turmoil that we can look to and understand our obligations to others and it is only by fully embracing all components of existence, including death and nothingness, that we can understand the art of being. We also must confront when death and destruction are objectively wrong and out of balance and reach out to each other in a work of communal preservation, which ultimately becomes our best way of self-preservation.

Favorite lyrics:

No closer could I be to God/or why he would do what he’s done

Allow the ground to find its brutal way to me

Once I had wondered/What was holding up the ground/I can see that all along, love/It was you all the way down

To hold me like water/Or Christ/Hold me like a knife

And the hardest part/Is who we are

Uiscefhuaraithe

As natural as another leg around you in the bed frame

The rains of winter seemed to never leave the walls

There are some things that no one teaches you, love/ That God in his awful wisdom just programs in

It was the place names/Singing at me as the first thing

You may never know your fortune/Until the distance has been shown between/What is lost forever/And what can still be known

In some town that just means/ ‘Home’ to them

The moment I knew/I’d no choice but to love you

Your tear caught the light/The Earth from a distance

All my love and terror/Balanced there between those eyes/See how it shines

If I had his job/You would live forever

And I am never going back again

[writingmochi]

an honest review of romance: untold purely from musical observation (not proofread because i'll post the proofread on rym n aoty)

opening remarks: hiyya! so i'm only posting this here cause i know that if i post late then it will not be relevant lol just make this an outlier. live update: it's going well. pretty productive when it comes to writing and others so i think not posting is a good thing in a way that it calms me to focus on other things.

okay, so, i'll be starting the opening remarks by genuinely saying that this album concept is all over the place. from the action concept short movie, to the romance reversed-to the boys i love before concept, to the title track being produced by jvke. yes, the golden hour singer jvke that i heard that song so much i'm actually tired from hearing it (sorry...) i actually have a theory as because two of the last covers made by enhypen are jvke songs and it's a weird coincidence that they decide to have a song produced by jvke after it and they all took time to coordinate, so maybe it is planned? hmm

anyway, i've heard the snippet of the song in two times speed when i listen to the medley on youtube + the first 10 secs of xo. so i have some sense of what it will be. honestly, i don't have that big of expectation for this release cause i'm tired of seeing kpop idols making comebacks, especially with enhypen cause they still haven't finished the fate+ tour :( also it's ridiculous just how many of the songs are under 3 minutes istg at least make it sound completely like aespa's supernova

cause i don't wanna be a debbie downer, let's get to it!

1.moonstruck: the title is actually beautiful like ngl it's surprising that there is not a kpop song with this title (another one of my favorite song titles this year is ten's nightwalker and i have expectations about that song.) good first impression on it imo

sonically, i actually expect this type of song when remembering the concept trailer they did. a love song that seemed to transcend space. this song is the type of song i expect from the dark blood album, especially with the regality concept and this sounds regal. that fading ending is such a cop out honestly. should've just finished with like a big outro to make a better first impression of the album (cause it is an lp, not an ep). i can acknowledge that it is captivating, but the beat is too stagnant for it to capture and hold my breath in a way. good song but could be better especially towards the ending, like making it a reprise of the intro is good enough, not a fade out :( on second listen, the beat reminds me of a much ethereal version of closer by nine inch nails and i think taking the electronic elements of closer to make the ending much more intriguing could be good, or just a guitar solo at the end cause i hear a few guitar melodies a few layers down the instrumental

2.xo (only if you say yes): hug and kiss, huh? good to know that they consider my consent lol

this is a title track? what? no, really i'm genuinely baffled. okay, also funny that i mentioned consent in the line before to then be met with a lyric of "don't say no" from the song *eyes*

i can hear the jvke influence on the song, the bedroom synth-pop type of song that is played in that 24/7 chill playlist live stream on youtube, especially with the synth color. they seem to try to mimic a vocoder effect by splicing the os in xos. i do like the vocal mixing of the members here but i think how rhythmic the instrumental is makes it fade back until there is a few punches of the synth melody line. heeseung's vocal timbre tho fuck yeah fucking sexy. and it seems that all members have a pretty fair distribution cause i can catch every voice.

but what is that fade out at the end? istg this song is made to loop or some shit (which is the way i'm listening to it currently) but ngl, for a song that is a love song that is trying to convince me to kiss them, it hasn't convinced me fully. gosh i would love to hear more of the synth breakdown at the end and make it like a full bridge before another chorus enters; embrace the electronic jazz feeling of the song! imo this song has the same premise of replay by shinee but it's anti-climactic. like for real, you don't convince me to allow you to kiss me @ enhypen. also on the fourth listen, i am actually already getting tired of this song, fuck me.

3.your eyes only: "for your eyes only~ only for y-" sorry ekhm i had to sing the james bond theme out loud cause it is one of my fav bond intro song lol. i'm straying. let's continue lol

wow, this song is SHORT! 2:20 wow. i'm laughing cause i love the vocal inflections that they are doing. like their half-ass direction for the vocal is making it more fun for even a short song. but the mixing, for real, it's messy like the high eq on that drum can be lower so that it doesn't create friction when i'm listening to the song. like i think there is an interesting thing at the back of the instrumental, especially with the guitar and bass but the drum mixing is too loud that it doesn't let me hear the string sections and instead just makes this wall of instruments. i can imagine this song going places ijbol but hmm... okay. also a proper outro not a fade out! that's a plus for me

4.hundred broken hearts: ooh the 80s new wave synth is back, tho a bit slower than the usual new wave like a flock of seagulls or tears of fears.

the song feels quick even with the slower bpm, maybe because it's just repeating the verses and choruses. it is a definitely sadder version of blind from their dark blood album. i like that the bass in th songs has this wrap effect (it creates this womp womp type of effect). the guitar strumming with the high synth sprinkles creates this funk aura to it. i also like the vocal mixing here and i can hear every member's voice perfectly without it sinking into the instrumental. though, this is something with their b-sides recently, and what i believed that they've been inheriting more and more by making a song that feels incomplete especially that freaking fade out outro like ughh make a good impression about the outro ffs. unless the album is a concept album with in between song transitions that make sense, fade out on a track doesn't make sense unless the song told me it makes sense and it is not. stop :((

5.brought the heat back: from the title, it seems like a summer song. from what info i got from a billboard video promoting this album, it seems to be a disco song. let's see how accurate it is.

ooh this song's good. this song's good! i like how it is mixed, the headphones panning of the instrumental and on sunghoon's voice in the bridge. tho i don't consider this as disco, i could consider more as synth funk in a way. the producer really told them to have fun with this song and, genuinely, i am having fun, especially with those little synth breakdowns in the post-chorus. i know that it is possible for an under 3-minute song to still make it completely. they also are doing the vocal chopping that they've done in xo but this one has a purpose in being a substitute of the synths and guitar as the percussion beat change to be a bit of trap beat.

that sudden stop in the last chorus. i love that it was spoiled between the post-choruses and verses, so the listeners aren't surprised. and then a more emphasis on the bass in verses to increase those funk feelings. i also love how the song gradually rises towards that explosion of the last chorus and outro. truly, one of the best b-sides of theirs from their past 3 releases. this song is like a combination of upper side dreamin and go big or go home, but mixed better.

6.paranormal: okay a hyper-pop-punk-trance hybrid about paranormal love what the fuck?

the synth of this song's verse has the same color and textures to the ones i heard from disasterpeace (especially since i just finished hyper light drifter and it is eerily similar to the synth used in its soundtrack), which i like so much cause it has that certain crunchiness to it. i also like how this song has a freaking outro yay! that's a chant-like outro in the end that seemed to be led by sunoo cause that's the voice that seems to be put in the middle. the percussion seemed to take the lead during the chorus that it stacks on top of the guitar line, which i would love to hear more. but with how it is made. i do think the pop-punk aspect of the song is meant to be dimmed so it can make it more trance. imo, it's a good text painting to the song especially with the idea of paranormal as something outside of normal. like the guitar is meant to be that paranormal thing that is trying to seep into the normalcy of the trance beat, especially since i have also associated the synth color used in the verse with fantasy and supernatural courtesy of disasterpeace who makes soundtracks to a horror supernatural movie like it follows.

7.royalty: we are getting the funk back with this song, though more upbeat than hundred broken hearts and it returns back to the songs like your eyes only.

i do like the guitar chords, but when you hear the same 4 chords in varying volume levels, i'm gonna feel bored. idk why but this song reminds me of a maroon 5 songs as it has the same poppy type of vibes to it, especially with it having a bit of tropical essence to it. i also don't like the repeating part in the chorus like it feels forced imo. other than that, i don't have anything to say cause it is a pretty typical summer-like song that is meant to be a piece of background music when you ride a car or something. it doesn't electrify me like brought the heat does as it is a bit more mellow.

8.highway 1009: okay fan song with anniversary dates (i see you too star 1117)

ngl i don't really like a song that is forwardly promoted as a fan-song cause, honestly, they're gonna sound the same. the same sappy type of song. and this song perfectly captures the sappiness of what i mentioned. i also heard the engene surrogate part for the song. i know this song is meant to be put in concerts. but, tho i don't like sappy fan songs, sometimes they have this hopeful undertone to it (think bts' we are bulletproof: eternal and svt's thanks). but i think the song is sappy for the sake of it being a fansong. good and complimentary in lyrics but mediocre in instrumental. like, i don't think that this song could stand alone as a song without mentioning that making it a fansong is the thing that makes it special.

and of course for the fansong, every member participates in lyrics. but i didn't expect to see heeseung in the producer seat in this song. so a round of applause to him cause producing a song is hard and i acknowledge it. i could hear a few of hee's types of music and i can interpret what he meant by fansong through this. so yeah...

9.xo (only if you say yes) (eng. ver) ft: jvke [long-ass title]: so as i'm writing this, it is day 2 of me listening to the song since it's release yesterday, and where i hear xo for the first time. the xo ooo part got stuck in my head, but only that part. so i can be addicting but only that part, idk about the other so...

of course, with jvke being here, he has the verse to himself. of course, it is his song tho cause he gets the royalty of it. tho i like the english lyrics better especially the difference between "don't say no" to "don't let go", which is in the same vein of "uh you say that you only do that when i say yes? but here you are pushing my boundaries" and it is not forwardly pushy like the korean version. it actually makes me wonder if kpop idols could make a song outside of love songs or flex songs cause that's the only song (especially hybe artists) can only make...

also, i'm not one for music videos anymore (unless it captivates me like the new aespa mvs), so i've seen gifs on it on tumblr and the choreography scenes seem so out of place like it is just a place to showcase the stage outfits they're gonna wear throughout promotion eras.

closing remarks: when i think more about the concept and how it, along with the songs, seems to scatter around and only have little cohesion with it mostly have romantic songs. i realized the reason why it makes me think that way: pandering.

this comeback is trying to pander to every type of engene out there. from those who like soft songs, the ones who can't move on from dimension: dilemma (aka me), to those who likes dark blood with a song like moonstruck, one of the concept photos, and the concept trailer. in a way, it makes every fan feel seen yet it makes their artistic integrity much looser, especially with their concept hopping. and it's interesting that the most pandering comeback they've done has a main theme of romance.

having been on tumblr as a writer and looking from a helicopter view of the kpop sphere, i do believe that engene is one of the most delulu 4th gen kpop fandoms out there and it's pretty creepy to think about that belift sees that and decide to "yup, let's make a come back pandering to that. let's each and every type of engene delulu" but it loses the sense of cohesion between the songs. like what does the comeback want it to be?

in my humble opinion, xo is the weakest enhypen title track i've heard (currently a tie with blessed-cursed). the inclusion of it as a title track is ridiculous. i rather let this comeback into the same model as what aespa and newjeans did: make xo a pre-release to the album and make the title track different. or make xo its own single like txt's back for more. i think that because it has the inclusion of jvke aka #325 musician in the world based on spotify, makes it title track worthy and, i hate to break it to you, it's not. it's also interesting how enhypen's song is also trying to pander to the 5th gen fans, making it more dreamcore where many of the fans i know would love to hear more of the artists who don't chase trends like kiss of life or riize.

i also think that the enhypen brand is also losing its sense of self with the last few comebacks. it especially saddens me knowing that they have one of my favorite debuts of all time yet they still seem to change the foundation of what their group wants to be. enhypen brand is to connect with people, and then what? i think the word "pandering" that i mentioned plays a lot of role in enhypen as they seemed to pander to what the fans would like, they seem to pander for western validation like what hybe artists are doing, they seem to pander to any concept that seems to benefit them and is trying to tie up the vampire concept into that, like make it make sense. is the vampire concept supposed to be set in a world like real life? if they have powers in their webtoon, why do they use guns to fight their enemies?

overall, i think is a pretty okay comeback. lots of the songs feel like fillers but heeseung tho. heeseung's vocals are so sexy like he is rising to be my favorite enhypen vocalist besides jay. like hmm scrumptious.

final ranking:

8.xo (only if you say yes): underwhelming as fuck (mid 4/10)

7.your eyes only (low 5/10)

6.moonstruck: promising yet doesn't reach its maximum capability (low 5/10)

5.hundred broken hearts: embrace the new wave ffs (mid 5/10)

4.royalty: we want more funk! (high 5/10)

3.highway 1009: like the instrumental, very stagnant tho (low 6/10)

2.paranormal: good to know i have a enhypen fic with a playlist including disasterpeace *eyes* (high 7/10)

1.bring the heat back: more of this! omg omg omg (mid 8/10)

overall release score: 6/10

small conclusion: i sure do have expanded my music palatte so much that i could pinpoint the genres they're doing

so here's more songs you might like if you like these certain tracks:

moonstruck: closer by nine inch nails (mature and sexier and very much explicit)

xo: replay by shinee (same premise lyric-wise), velours by anomalie (the song has a bit of jazztronica influence to it and, ngl, heeseung will devour this type of music)

hundred broken hearts: the killing moon by echo and the bunnymen (pretty slow new wave)

brought the heat back: cosmic girl by jamiroquai (i realize that the synth in brought the heat has some acid jazz influence so here is a funky acid jazz song)

paranormal: title and the last general by disasterpeace (for the synth texture), space mulan by bebe yana (for the hyperpop trance), pluto by xdinary heroes (for the pop-punk)

highway 1009: moving on by bts (ngl pretty similar imo)

[missroserose]

album game!

Massive thanks to @klove0511, @spice-and-lemonade, and @zombiejunk for tagging me (it's like y'all know I'm really into music or something). Apologies for the delay in responding, rewrites on the WinJess novel are eating my face but I feel like I've made enough progress today to take a quick break.

The Game: post your ten favorite albums of all time and tag ten people. My usual disclaimer to this sort of thing applies—there's no way I'll ever be able to pick ten all-time favorites, but here are some of them:

Poe - Haunted

Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die?

Garbage - Garbage

Alanis Morrisette - Jagged Little Pill

Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice - Jesus Christ Superstar

Lady Gaga - The Fame/Monster

Bitter:Sweet - The Mating Game

The Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (Live)

In This Moment - Ritual

Florence & The Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

UGH at first I was like "will I be able to think of ten?" and now of course I'm like "but...there's at least twenty more I need to put on here..."

Also, this really made me reflect on how my listening habits have changed in the Spotify era. I think the newest album on here is from 2015? and most are from the 80s and 90s, a couple from the 2000s. I actually listen to a fair amount of current stuff too, but I mostly hear it through Spotify recommendations and occasional bangers people play at the pole or yoga studios, so there's much less impetus to seek out and listen to a whole album. I've noticed a lot of current artists releasing their work almost entirely as singles or EPs, probably for that reason—or they release regular albums but only one or two tracks on each one really stand out (Poets of the Fall, I'm looking at you).

No pressure, but if you'd like to play: @blahblahblahcollapse, @introvertia, @trashcangimmick, @sirsparklepants, @skybound2, @ihni, @degenderates, @sugaraddictarchangels, @spnyuri, @keziahrainalso, @soulless-puppy

[shadowonyourwall]

Heavy winter vibes on this new track... I really like it.

Sample extracted from We're All Going to the World's Fair, directed by Jane Schoenbrun.

One of my favorite movies from these recent years.

This one might be one of the last I put out while I work on re-remaking my first EP that came out last year. I'll re-upload it as soon as I'm done with it... The songs are finally sounding like I wanted them to and that makes me very happy.

Then we'll meet up again October 1st. for the re-release of my second EP, Halloween Is Coming.

Very excited for you all to hear how the songs sound now!

[newmusicradionetwork]

Young Country traditionalist Alex Miller is diggin’ his new music video, “She Makes Dirt Look Good,” which premiered today on DIRT ROAD COUNTRY. A companion piece to Miller’s latest single, the clip was directed by Alex’s ally Steve Kinney, and filmed over two days in Bowling Green and Hodgenville, Kentucky. “Man, I can’t tell you how much fun this shoot was,” Alex exclaims. “We had drones, pickup trucks, back roads, and some big equipment. We also had a sweet, beautiful girl and my favorite John Deere dealership, Wright Implement, featured. They’ve been around since 1936, and they take good care of us.” The video, shot in mid-September, stars Miller and Nashville actress Ayla Demirci, who plays Alex’s love interest in the clip, navigating days filled with sunshine and blue skies and nights awash in gorgeous sunsets and giant harvesters. Demirci’s portrays a gear head repairing the gargantuan Deere machines – and Alex is a hard-working, good-looking farm boy who picks her up after work. The two share great on-screen chemistry and some tender moments on tape. Additional filming took place at Freshstart Farms (Hodgenville). “I’m a farmer and so I wanted to depict agriculture in an accurate way. It was important to me to use local places in this video and Freshstart is one of the oldest farms in the area. Beautiful, too,” Alex adds. There are jaw-dropping shots of the big equipment in action after dark (a common practice nowadays) and grain silos that equal any amusement park ride in height, while drone footage adds an upscale flair. “She Makes Dirt Look Good” is from Alex’s five-song Billy Jam Records’ EP,  MY DADDY’S DAD, produced by hitmaker Jerry Salley. Miller is making hay while the sun shines. Since moving to Nashville in May, he has debuted on the Grand Ole Opry, kept a busy schedule of touring, radio station visits, TV/media interviews, and expanded his songwriting circle. Select upcoming dates include:   Nov 13 -15 – Louisville, KY – North American International Livestock Expo Nov 16 – Tulsa, OK – Hard Rock Casino Nov 18 -19 – Louisville, KY – North American International Livestock Expo CONNECT WITH ALEX MILLER Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | X (Twitter) ABOUT ALEX MILLER This now 21-year-old, 6’ 6” entertainer from rural Lancaster, Kentucky is a natural fan favorite. When Alex hits the stage he owns the spotlight – and the hearts of those in the crowd. He can be a wild man onstage with his high-energy performances – ala early Garth Brooks – or he can bring nuance and deep emotion to a tender ballad. American Idol Season 19 brought him fame and totally changed his life in 2021. Alex’s well-received debut album for Billy Jam Records, MILLER TIME, released in 2022, generated three high-impact singles. His second release for the label, COUNTRY (2023), brought more hits: “When God Made The South,” “Girl, I Know A Guy,” and the smash single, “Puttin’ Up Hay,” which spent three weeks at #1 on the CDX True Indie Chart and graced the Top 50 on the Mediabase Activator Chart. He’s toured the State and County Fair circuit heavily (KY, MO, NY, WA, WI, IL, IN, OK, WV), and opened for Brooks & Dunn, Hank, Jr, Josh Turner, Lee Brice, Jamey Johnson, Chris Janson, Ian Munsick, Justin Moore, Alabama, Chapel Hart, Drake Milligan, Noah Thompson, Dillon Carmichael, HunterGirl, Emily Ann Roberts, Neal McCoy, and Tracy Byrd. Alex has also made sure to carve out time for his songwriting, and in the last 12 months he has collaborated with hitmakers Kent Blazy, Larry Cordle, Byron Hill, Carl Jackson, Kirsti Manna, Wood Newton, Emily Ann Roberts, Jerry Salley, Josh Shilling, and Bill Whyte. Closing out a spectacular 2023, he received the American FFA Degree for Excellence, the organization’s highest accolade. Miller’s current five-song EP, MY DADDY’S DAD (Billy Jam Records), produced by Jerry Salley, was released in April of this year. The EP’s title track was a hit at Country radio, and its companion music video enjoyed a premiere on Taste Of Country. Alex moved to Nashville in May and made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry in June. Read the full article

[w04hxo]

🎶✨when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)🎶✨ ! (totally okay if you don't want to do this tho!! but i love your posts<3)

Hi nonnie, Im going to use this ask as nx zero propaganda

So this entire ep is so incredible but I never give this song any hype even though Im fair sure its my most played. I just think of it as the intro to the next track which is so incredible anyway.

The lead singer he uh. He sure makes some noises.

This song is everything to me, especially the lyrics. Hmu in dm for a translation if you also don't speak portuguese.

(and you may say Ramble all of this is in portuguese and you dont speak it? To which I say, what're you, a cop?)

I love how they play this song live, it goes so hard.

So this song is a letter to the guitarist's father who died when he was very young. The vocalist wrote it at his request.

Thanks again anon, Im so annoying about this band

[daggerzine]

Blind Terry- The Beautiful Youth and Everything That Follows (cloudberry)

(cover art- Matilda Flodmark)

It’s been a long time coming for these Blind Terry tracks to be released. I loved their first EP:

I searched for more songs, but only a few live songs turned up on YouTube (great songs eventually released on this new release). So, I contacted Roque Ruiz of the fine cloudberry records label about them after hearing the first EP. He said they had more music and was hoping for a full length, but little did I know it would take fifteen years to release some more. These “new” tracks were recorded in Stockholm, Sweden’s Panic Room Studio back between 2008-2010. The band consists of Kristina Bergström on vocals, piano; Henrik Burman on vocals, guitar; Isak Ekblom on bass; Björn Andersson on drums; and Josefin Carlén on trumpet. Numerous additional musicians add guitar, choir, saxophone, flute, trumpet, including Jon Bergström, who produced and mixed the tracks. All of the songs are written by Kristina Bergström and arranged by her and Henrik. The bouncy piano ballads from the first EP take a slight backseat, but the songs are still catchy indie pop. “Hundred Years Too Old,” kicks off side A with jangly guitars upfront, but Kristina’s vocals and piano add to the beauty. The addition of the angelic backing vocals, the soaring brass, and the gorgeous flute truly add to the emotion of the lyrics, “Everything, I wanted it to be a symphony that would sound like solitariness, of a fair, after closing time, no single moments, just noise, all noise to surround me, perfectly. I sit in silence and think of the matchbox trick, the beauty and perfection almost makes me sick. I must be a hundred years too old.” Next up is “I Dream of Contracts.” Another beautiful, somber song that has punches of guitars, until the rest of the band joins in. Kristina’s piano technique and heartfelt vocals are in tip-top shape here. It’s a great one to sing along to (if only I could figure out all of the lyrics). I got a taste of this song from this live version from 2010, but the studio version absolutely soars:

The last track on side A is “Train.” It’s back to Kristina and her detailed piano skills up front. “I am broke, and I’ve been on the train all day.” Throw in some subtle touches of horns, cymbals, and beats that eventually build with the band rocking in full throttle. In trickles sax, bass, flute, and guitar. The mix of instruments here is unbelievable, great production by Jon. Here’s another live version from 2010:

The B-side starts with “How Love is Fast,” a jangled guitar assault that’s another beauty with a beat and horns. The drums enter center stage in the middle for a nice segue back to the beginning melody filled with a beautiful vocal arrangement. Next up, “Close, Closer, Closer” starts with a pounding drum attack until Kristina’s beautiful piano enters front and center. A slower, softer tune that shares the emotional vocals the melody emits. A throbbing bass guitar over piano and background vocals leads to razor-sharp guitar solos. The album ends with “Headspins and Bad Dreams,” a “hidden” track that is possibly my favorite in this batch. Amazing piano, jangly guitars, blasting horns; it’s everything you could ask for in an indie pop song. “Readymade, it's all in your head, grieve the discomfort you've had. It somehow makes you proud though if no one will ever see. You just begun to imagine how you would feel.” It’s another beautiful song from the heart that builds and builds with the additional sounds from the rest of the band. It’s one of those tracks you just don’t want to end. And that’s a perfect way to close this album. If you’re quick enough, you're going to want to snag the limited pressing of the 10” on the cloudberry website. (I can't stop playing it. Excellent production!) Just so you know, everything sells out quickly there so don’t wait too long. ERIC EGGLESON

(photo: Viktor Sjödin)

https://www.cloudberryrecords.com/

[falloutbradreviews]

Sam Barber - Million Eyes

The rise of Zach Bryan within the last few years, especially last year, means that we’re starting to see some clones pop up on other record labels. I’m sure every other label saw Warner making a lot of money with Bryan, namely “I Remember Everything” with Kacey Musgraves going to number one and staying in the top ten for a long time, and got money signs in their eyes. We’ve gotten a few artists in this vein that have kind of popped up, but they haven’t gotten the same level of success (at least not yet). The two artists that I’ve seen mainly are Dylan Gossett and Sam Barber.

I’ve been hesitant on listening to them, simply for the fact that they’re kind of just Zach Bryan clones. If you know me, you know I love Zach Bryan and his last album was one of my top favorites of last year. It’s inevitable that we’re going to get artists that sound like popular ones, essentially to capitalize on a certain trend or something that’s popular. Whether they’re good or not is the real question, and while I really like Dylan Gossett, I’m going to focus on Sam Barber here, because I don’t know how to feel about his stuff. I’ve enjoyed a few songs he’s put out, such as “Straight And Narrow,” but I wasn’t sure how an EP or album would fair.

As for right now, we do have an EP that he put out last year, entitled Million Eyes, and despite only listening to it now, I wanted to talk about it because I’ve been in the mood for some country and Americana. I just haven’t found a whole lot that’s new I’ve wanted to get into, minus the new Dustin Kensrue and Oliver Anthony albums, so I’ve spent some time looking for some country, folk, and Americana albums I missed last year. Barber’s an artist that’s been on the rise for the last couple years, so I thought now would be as good of a time as any to dive into Million Eyes.

It’s weird, because I don’t quite know how I feel about this album. Sam Barber is a good artist, all things considered, but I feel as though a few things hold him back from being truly great. I will say that he’s only 20, so I shouldn’t be too harsh, as he’s got time to grow, but there are some issues I have with not only this album, but his music at large. Nothing on here is outright bad, but the album works on a few songs, versus as a whole. “Straight And Narrow” is a good example of that, where the lyrics are quite compelling and the music is catchy and energetic, especially compared with his gravelly and weathered voice. It’s just that not much else even competes with that “lightning in a bottle” song.

Barber’s vocals are good, despite how he does remind me a lot of Zach Bryan throughout this album, and a few other songs are pretty solid, such as “Drowning,” and the title track, but other songs just feel bland, forgettable, or not that great. “Dancing In The Sky,” while being a cover, is really boring (musically and lyrically), and the song is a slog to get through. It’s a weirdly religious song, too, and not in a way that has anything to say other than “I hope you’re having a good time in Heaven.” I suppose that isn’t a bad message, but there are tons of country songs like that, despite this being a cover.

Where the album kind of loses me, at least in a lyrical way that shows Barber isn’t as lyrically adept as his peers is “Ghost Town.” I don’t like the lyrics of this song, because they sound like the musical version of “old man yelling at cloud.” The song is Barber’s way of saying “remember the good old days,” while using generic imagery of small town life, and saying that the world has lost its way. He never explains how, as most of these songs don’t, but this just feels so conservative coded, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The song could have been interesting, especially diving more into the titular ghost town, as I thought the town he’s referring to became that way from economic hardship, but he just talks about how beer and baseball games were “common ground” for people back in the day. Barber’s 20, so how does he remember the good old days? Does he mean like a decade ago?

I don’t know, that song in particular irritates me, but the rest of the record is kind of bland, uninspired, and not just that memorable. I’ve been going back to it a lot, hoping that the next listen will stick with me, but this record just fades into the background, especially compared to some of the other rising stars in this vein. He just sounds like the Zach Bryan we have at home, and that’s not necessarily a compliment, because I already love Zach Bryan, but at least stand out in some way. “Straight And Narrow” is a cool song, but that’s the only song on this record that I keep coming back to.

[minty-marshmallow]

Physical 100: S2: Ep 7

Ah, Yami's technique is great! While the others are kicking with both feet at once, he's moving faster by alternating and basically just moving it along like walking.

Not to be funny but they really look like monkeys. I mean that nicely though, like not in a bad way. It's really neck and neck though omg!

Uh oh, looks like the comeback team is gonna lose this round. Omg, that sucks that the thing got stuck. I'm glad everyone is fair about it though and are going to let them redo it. I think that's one thing all these athletes have in common, they don't want to win because of a faulty situation. They then feel like they didn't really earn their win.

Oh no, he got too fast and slipped! I just feel so bad for this team in general omg! How did Won Hee push it so far! This is wild! Oh, they won second place. Wow, this almost puts everyone on a level playing field right? I mean it really just comes down to this last round. Bruh, I'm so anxious watching lol. It's funny because I don't have a favorite like I don't really care who wins haha but I'm still so nervous for them.

Aww, Won Hee's face though, he's so worried. "It's not over until it's over", I like that quote. So it's Amotti, Won Hee, and that other guy. Let's so who wins this thing. Yes, everyone wants to come in first lol that's their only surefire way to survive right now.

Ah, I'm so afraid someone is gonna fall again! Over here biting my nails bruh! OMG IT'S NECK AND NECK! AH IS SOMEONE GONNA FALL!? *I just sighed relief lol from holding my breath haha* I really thought Amotti was going to fall. This means Won Hee's team is eliminated though. That's so sad. I mean I know someone was going to be eliminated because that's the game but I would be sad with any of them losing. [I wonder if he really fell or if they did that for the show, but Won Hee really does seem exhausted though] I'm even more sad that he didn't finish it.

Man, having to smash it in front of everyone is tough. I'm glad they let them say some words before leaving though.

"I figured it would be a real struggle." You sir are correct. Bro, how you gonna forget to get the cart on the track first? Well, this took an interesting turn. I wonder who is going to lose, the big guy is strong but not good stamina. OMG I'M BITING MY NAILS AGAIN LOL! Like bro this is so intense how you gonna stop 10 steps away!!??

Oh hearing Jae Yoon speak English is shocking, I didn't know he knew English. [I just looked it up apparently he's Canadian..I didn't even know lol]

Ah, work smarter not harder lol pushing them and making all the wheels come off the tracks just gives you more work. Splitting it up, I don't think that's the best idea. Well, it wasn't a good idea. It needed to be in one go or you were gonna lose. Woah, what a turn of events. Basically almost anyone's game now.

Wow, he really turned it around. I'm surprised. Now it's just down to if everyone is going to tie or not and the other two teams are neck and neck. They did that shit for show...ain't no way they both fell like that. Especially when he was almost at the end and hadn't been struggling at all. [I forgot this show was rigged lol]