#to jam out to another banger on the radio

[rabdoidal]

tag game! 🎧🎶 tagged by @theocannibalism shuffle your music library and share the first 10 songs that come up.

Thanks bud! Shuffling my liked instead of my playlists for fairness ✌️

Waiting For The Weekend by San Cisco: a decent song! I liked it more in uni but it's certainly still musically pretty - it's a little trite to write a love song about drugs being personified, but San Cisco can make anything a sexy indie jam (7/10) Favourite line: And when she's standing right next to me / She's never quite as close as I'd like her to be

Your Dog by Soccer Mommy: a STELLAR song by a band truly so close to my heart - my fav combination in music is a clean voice and dirty bass. also this song also has a fucked up relationship dynamic and its. very Izzy Hands to me sorry (10/10) Favourite line: Forehead kisses break my knees / And leave me crawling back to you

Pulaski at Night by Andrew Bird: another top tier banger but also (shout out to artificial ghost radio listeners) this is my NBC hannigram song its so. like the classical instruments and delusional sweetness makes it feel like a candlelit waltz in a blood splattered suit (10/10) Favourite line: I write you a story / But it loses its thread / And all of my witnesses / Keep turning up, turning up dead

Paint It, Black by The Rolling Stones: truly wild that this is in my likes because its a great song but its like. I don't think I've ever intentionally listened to the rolling stones apart from this? anyway bangers only I always love how dramatic and goth it is (8/10) Favourite line: No more will my green sea / Go turn a deeper blue

Androgynous by The Replacements: this song honestly makes me tear up sometimes, even tho its purely joyful, because it makes me think about how its a song from the 80s that has more kindness and love for genderqueer people than most people do 40 years later. It makes me love being t4t (9/10) Favourite line: Now, something meets boy, and something meets girl / They both look the same / They're overjoyed in this world

Cinnamon Spider by Jack Off Jill: nothing wrong with an alt/goth song about revenge and guilt with weird voice modulated screaming and creepy whispering (7/10) Favourite line: Consumed by hate and guilt, she'll never retire / Too old to fix, too dead to ever acquire

Human Fly by The Cramps: I've been listening to a lot of rockabilly/oldhead goth rock recently and I'm loving the cramps! I've only really heard the big hits until recently, but Human Fly is definitely my stand-out favourite, I love songs that are kinda nasty and maggoty or more conceptual or goofy! It makes it stand out to me (10/10) Favourite line: And baby I won't care / 'Cuz baby I don't scare / 'Cuz I'm a reborn maggot using germ warfare

The Price Is Right Theme Song by Antarctigo Vespucci: I'm a little over listening to indie emo at the moment so I do frequently skip this when it comes on shuffle, but the lyricism is honestly heartbreaking (5/10) Favourite line: Oh my lord, I wish that I didn't know they'll still make TV shows long after I go.

Big Bird by AJJ: I have thoughts feelings comments and critiques of AJJ, but I can't deny that if you want to be in a dangerously bad mood it hits. it completely hits. and I think its interesting that they make songs about taboo intrusive thoughts and criticisms they have of the world, even if i dont always love the song they make in the end (6/10) Favourite line: So I bought a knife / I am a knife / I am a Knife Man

Arty Boy by Flight Facilities ft. Emma Louise: a real vibey party song about being inexplicably into the guy taking photos and smoking at the function instead of dancing - to me it reads as a little comphet, or a little bit bisexual, because the way Emma Louise is singing about the ladies is a lil sus (7/10) Favourite line: And all the girls must be models here, sipping up on margaritas / Twist their bodies so beautiful, making shapes with the music

idk who to tag but if you want an excuse to do this, go with my blessing and pretend I tagged you

[flash-the-readies]

Pink Floyd Songs I recommend that are not “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2″, “Money”, “Wish You Were Here”, and so on

So I was inspired by @afemalesebastian​ ‘s post about the Kinks and decided to do the same with a band that I have spent extensive time with and feel confident saying that I know their catalogue fairly well. Anyways, go check out all the Kink’s bangers they mentioned.

This is my personal list and isn’t based on anything other than “I really love this song”. I tried to stay away from the big four concept albums of “Dark Side”, “Wish You Were Here”, “Animals”, “The Wall”... the only advice that can be given for those is: listen to the whole album. One last thing, all songs are best experienced through headphones.

The Entire “Hour With Pink Floyd” KQED radio set

Setlist: Atom Heart Mother Suite; Cymbaline; Grantchester Meadows; Green is the Colour; Careful With that Axe, Eugene; Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun

I Attached a link to the Youtube playlist because I don’t think Spotify has these versions, and also it’s great fun to watch. This setlist includes a. lot of early 70s Pink Floyd concert staples. Early 70s live Floyd was unmatched, the studio versions do not compare. You never realise how beautiful a song Green is the Colour is until you listen to it live. I have so many words for this set nghhhh. Also, Grantchester Meadows is one of my favourite songs. It’s straight up pastoral poetry and is steeped in nostalgia. I like this version best, and I love when Roger and David share vocals

If - Atom Heart Mother

Here’s a theme for you: I’m a whore for Roger’s folksy songs, whoops. The three “solo” songs on the album are so worth it (If, Summer ‘68, Fat Old Sun), but I personally have to pick this one. It’s so fucking tragic and simplistically beautiful. Got some of that introspection and isolation, good tea. Inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s poem by the same name. Also the slide electric guitar is a real treat... also, Roger’s voice is so soft ;-;

Point Me at the Sky - Single

I like it, okay. It’s like a little novelty song, okay, back when Pink Floyd was still trying to write singles. Also holds some themes on the passage of time and blah blah which is seen extensively in Pink Floyd’s catalogue

Biding My Time - Relics

Okay.. It’s kitschy, I know. It’s got that jazzy feel (curtesy of Rick and his trombone) and that blues feel. Once again with that wacky jam session in the middle that defines early Pink Floyd. Also go off Nick with the drums!

Pow R. Toc H. - Piper at the Gates of Dawn

I’m a whore for weird mouth noises, and this has an abundance of them. Once again with the quintessential Floyd jam session. I’d say mono is best here since stereo is a bit mind-fucky (y’know early stereo is a struggle.. although I wouldn’t say it was too horrible with Pink Floyd), anyways, if you’re in the mood for weird sensory stuff, then stereo is great... this song is just a sensory nightmare, so tread carefully.

“The Pink Jungle” from their “Man and the Journey” suite, 17. September 1969 Amsterdam show, is EXTRA demonic and chaotic. Warning tho, there’s some slurping noises at the end. Nick carrying the band fr

Pillow of Winds - Meddle

although to be honest, the entirety of Meddle is where it’s at. Considering I listen to this song every night I had to include it. A love song :D, and it’s really pretty and drowsy. Again with the pastoral poetry, a very ambient piece (that’s just Pink Floyd in general) and the ever present themes of anxiety

Here’s some definitions since I’ve been asked a couple of times:

eiderdown: a quilt filled with down (originally from the eider) or some other soft material.

eider: small, soft feathers from the breast of the female eider duck

Wot’s...Uh the Deal - Obscured by Clouds

Another fan favourite. It’s just so beautiful. The whole album is really pleasant listen and has so many hidden gems. Again with the passage of time, steeped in a deep sense of melancholia with a sprinkle of wistfulness. The steel guitar solo is also a real treat. I also like Burning Bridges, Stay, Childhood’s End, Free Four a great deal and,... I’m giving Free Four it’s own spot on this list. 

Free Four - Obscured by Clouds

this is the cheery song about death an the passage of time. The Hand-clapping just gets me, y’know. And the EMS VCS 3 synth is so crunchy, It’s great. If you you’re one of those people tired of Roger “whining” about his dad, then here’s an alternate take on that. Me? I’ll take any number of songs about Roger’s dad and trauma though

Nobody Home - The Wall

Okay okay, I chose a Wall song, BUT I would call this one a Wall Deep Cut, and It’s one of the most beautiful songs in their catalogue. There’s just this overwhelming sadness to it. You’ve got your nods to Syd, you’ve got your empty comforts, isolation, a non-ending, just a beautiful string of words

What Shall We Do Now - The Wall

THIS song. Yep, the one most people prefer to Empty spaces and... It rocks SO HARD. Added a link to the audio on Youtube since it’s not on spotify. Roger has a version of it from his Wall tour, but I prefer the one from the original Pink Floyd shows. The drums are phenomenal, the aggressiveness (not often associated with Pink Floyd), the flow of the lyrics, the deep growl of the guitar and the vocals (particularly in “shall we drive a more powerful car”). The animation that accompanies it in the film is one of my favourites. Talk about coping in unhealthy ways 

The Gunner’s Dream - The Final Cut

Yes yes yes it’s that infamous album...I get it.. love it or hate it, I personally adore it. If there’s one song on the album I think you should listen to, it’s this one right here... I’d also say it’s one of THE SADDEST songs in their catalogue. This bloody song has made me cry multiple times. Again with the dissolution of the post war dream and an anti-war anthem. Makes reference to the famous lines:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England

 from Rupert Brooke’s poem, “The Soldier”. 

I’ll say, Roger’s vocals really go with this one, they’re so raw and oozing of emotion. Also that sax solo??? mmm yum

Not Now John - The Final Cut

Another uncharacteristically aggressive song. But oh man, the field noises in this are SO GOOD it makes me cry (in a happy way this time). You have to have to have to listen to this with headphones. Whoops I included two Final Cut songs, but I love that album

Poles Apart - Division Bell  

I’ll say, this is my favourite song on the album. Also David talking to Syd and Roger, so hey. I love his voice on this album, and the wistfulness in this song speaks to my heart. There’s also this chaotic instrumental ambiance bit in the middle that’s giving haunted merry-go-round lost childhood kind of vibes, and I love that.

Take it Back - Division Bell

Big fan. It’s like a tragic, wistful environmentalist love song. Note the nurse rhyme “Ring a Ring O’Roses at 3:02).

Embryo

specifically the 30. September 1971 BBC Radio session. But “Picnic” is also a classic version, and shorter. The jam session goes so hard!  And then you feel like you’re just chilling, floating in embryonic fluids. I can’t stress enough how much I love this song, I have been working on learning it on bass. This other version includes children laughing and such as well as the same feedback on Echoes (16. July 1970) ... wow, turns out I just like creepy haunted children field sounds.

Okay, this was a lot longer than I was expecting and it took ... way too long to complete. But that’s my list! ... I have concluded that I just like sad songs, whoops. Here’s a spotify playlist. Not all of the versions I mentioned here are available, so I put alternate picks.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Now That's What I Call Music! 9 2002 Pop / Hip Hop / R&B / Teen Pop / Alternative Rock / Latin Pop / Southern Rap

Alright, folks, it's time for another fun trip down memory lane, and today we're going back to 2001 and 2002, with the help of the 9th volume from the most pervasive contemporary pop compilation series that's ever existed in US history: the one and only Now That's What I Call Music!

But first, before we..."Dig In"...let's get a dose of some of that good nostalgia with the ad for this release, shall we? Did you know that if you ordered it over the phone by credit or check/debit, you'd also get a free multi-purpose picture frame-mousepad too?! Wow, so cool! 😎

Anyway, being that these sets more or less serve as documentations of what the pop music landscape was like during a pretty specific time period, what this CD seems to demonstrate, in retrospect, is that the teen pop that had really dominated the late 90s was on a bit of a downturn in '01 and '02, and its status as the most prominent type of pop music was being usurped by hip hop and R&B.

But that's also not to say that all of the teen pop on here is of a low quality either, because *NSYNC's "Gone," which was the first track of theirs to ever be fully led from start to finish by Justin Timberlake, is really one of the greatest boy band tunes that's ever been made. Minimal, but emotional, and its bridge, specifically, is spectacular 😍.

Outside of that bit of brilliance, though, the R&B and hip hop tunes are just a lot better. And to me, the song that really stands out among the rest within this whole collection is Ginuwine's "Differences," a terrific slow jam that featured some incredibly shimmering and ringing keys. Normally, I don't go for slow R&B ballads, but this one in particular was really something special.

And there's also some bangers on here that you might've just flat out forgot ever existed too. Like, remember that New Jersey co-ed R&B/hip group, City High, that gave us "What Would You Do?" back in 2001? Well, do you remember their follow-up hit that featured Eve on it, "Caramel"? Its remix, by prolific New York duo Trackmasters, seems to be on that vague South Asian fad that so much mainstream hip hop and R&B was on at around that time, and it received a considerable amount of radio play. But looking back on it, I think it's actually been pretty memory-holed!

Also, we gotta give it up for Petey Pablo's ode to his home state of North Carolina too, with "Raise Up," because the Egyptian-sampled beat on that thing was absolutely bananas. And I can't say that I'm all that fond of much southern rap, in general, but Petey's debut hit was an absolute monster. Rather than him having to sacrifice any of his rawness in order to reach a pop audience, he was able to bring his rawness to a pop audience instead. And clearly, it resonated with a whole lot of folks.

And lastly, I think we all know that Ja Rule wasn't the greatest rapper out there, but his contributions to the turn-of-the-millennium pop landscape were pretty important. He got clowned on harshly by the likes of 50 Cent and Eminem, et al, and, as a result, his career was pretty much eviscerated, but songs like his Stevie Wonder-sampled "Livin' It Up" were straight-up party jams that really deserve more love and respect.

So, another highly enjoyable rush of radio and music television memories here. A bunch of commercial classics and a smattering of jams that are a bit more forgotten too. It's pretty much all you can ever ask for out of one of these Now CDs 😊.

P.S.: I'll provide a link to it, but for the love of god, under no circumstances should you ever subject yourself to the first track on this album, which is a remix of P!nk's "Get the Party Started" that features Redman and tries to mesh itself with "Sweet Dreams," by The Eurythmics. Apparently P!nk thought that her hair gave her enough power to also possess the essence of Annie Lennox or something, but good lord, was that calculus completely wrong 🥴. Such an excruciatingly bad song! Don't click on it!

Highlights:

Mary J. Blige - "Family Affair" Jennifer Lopez - "Ain't It Funny" Ja Rule feat. Case - "Livin' It Up" Ludacris - "Rollout (My Business)" Mr. Cheeks - "Lights, Camera, Action" Petey Pablo - "Raise Up (All Cities Remix)" City High - "Caramel (Trackmasters Remix)" Nelly Furtado - "Turn off the Light" *NSYNC - "Gone" Ginuwine - "Differences" Lenny Kravitz - "Dig In" Incubus - "Wish You Were Here"

[separatist-apologist]

rank acotar characters by how long you could stand to be in a car with them? important factor: they decide what music is playing

Ranking ACOTAR characters based on an 8 hour roadtrip where they control the aux. Don't forget that I alone have the only right opinions in the fandom and therefore will be taking 0 feedback.

17. Beron- AM talk radio the WHOLE way with the most HEINOUS opinions a person can have. Loudly agrees and at times is arguing back with the guest through the speakers. Is he aware they can't HEAR HIM?

16. Amren- Doesn't like music. No road games, please.

15. Jurian- Dad rock. There is only so much Every Rose Has It's Thorns we can hear before its time to drive this car off a bridge. Pour exactly NO sugar on me, I am afraid of ants.

14. Gwyn- I'm SORRY, but she's giving very strong show tunes vibes. Spends the whole time singing, and yeah her voice. is beautiful but this is not American's Got Talent. This road trip is about classic jams, not showing off.

13. Nesta- Gruesome murder podcasts. Listens without flinching as the night grows darker. Thinks we should turn down that dark road as a short cut. Why is she cutting cheese with a hunting knife?

12. Tamlin- Country music, but it's like, pop-country and not country with feeling or country for murdering men. Barefoot blue jean night? Sir we're in New Jersey.

11. Eris Vanserra- Listens to The History Of Rome podcast the whole way. Jesus Christ man can we choose another point in history? NO. We will hear of these ancient battle tactics and we will be grateful. Only upside is Mike Duncan is a great story teller. Definitely asks for a sexual favor half way through, like I'm not DRIVING HELLO SIR?

10. Azriel- 2004 best of emo jams. Its a playlist he made himself, with all the classics. Become increasingly concerned when MCR's Helena comes on and he turns it up to belt with clear, obvious feeling. You okay, bro? Want to pull over for a taquito?

9. Vassa- Whatever is on the radio, like this isn't cornfield country. There is NOTHING but the sound of me mooing at the window ("cow") or the static as she flips station to station. Occasionally finds the most banger radio station filled with songs you forgot about, only for it to vanish right at the climax of a song you're both belting. Still, the spontaneity is fun

8. Rhys- NPR podcast. God it's informative and yeah it's interesting and the conversation it opens up keeps you both busy for hours so it's hard to completely complain. Spends a lot of time staring at his phone and fact-checking guests

7. Tarquin- Apple Music? I mean...I GUESS. He did his best, but his best is questionable. It's his own playlists and his taste in music if fun, if not eclectic. No one vibe- and he brought snacks.

6. Mor- Nothing but gossip. How does she know so much? Terrified to tell her about personal life, but have to admit hearing what disasters everyone else is really fills the time.

5. Emerie- PREPARED. Downloaded a mix of playlists AND podcasts, rotates them when the mood starts to flag. Never lets her finger off the phone, but also does not take requests, so stop asking. You get what you get.

4. Elain- It's pure pop and nothing else. Bouncy and upbeat, she came to have a good time with nothing in between. Outdoes Tarquin in snacks, and has a list of road games ready to go for when everyone is burned out with music.

3. Lucien- A playlist for every mood. Oh it's raining? It's sunny? Everyone is hungover and needs quiet? He's got you covered. The vibe never drags and is always appropriate, reading the room before you even know the tone has shifted.

2. Cassian- King of the excursion. Roadside America memorized, Cassian knows where every biggest wind chime, ball of yarn, and rocking chair is located. Somehow manages to keep everyone mostly on time. Stops for snacks instead of bringing his own because everyone knows the best food is at a rural gas station. Ranking jerky flavors for fun, and in between, keeps it easy with a steady jam of road trip faves.

1. Feyre Archeron- High Lady of the Road Trip herself. Turn off that podcast, turn up the music. Feet on the dash, gossip ready to GO. Can tell a story for HOURS, knows all the deets on everyone's messy lives. Planned ahead and found a hotel with a pool AND a bar. Playlist absolute perfection, based on the friends in the car.

[srorgana1]

Into the Reverb (Kylo Ren/Reader)

Chapter Nineteen

Kylo puts his turn signal on as he waits at the red light as he ponders. He has already been on the phone with Hux for over an hour today, confirming album release details and current streaming numbers. Miracle has been out for only forty-eight hours and there are already over three million streaming downloads.

The band had decided to drop a simple video with the song, calling in a favor. Even though this isn’t their first PR tour, it’s been distinctly different from prior releases. The team at D’Kar is so different from First Order, not overwhelming the band and letting them set the precedence.

His car pings at him, notifying him of another message adding to the already excessive list. He hoped it was from you since you had not responded to his morning text. It was unlike you to not but he told himself that you were just busy. You said you had an important meeting with the Sand Scavengers today before this afternoon’s meeting. Kylo rubbed his mouth subconsciously, still able to taste your kiss from when he dropped you off earlier.

He tapped the screen to open the message. His heart dropped a bit seeing it was not you, but he quickly smiled when he saw it was from Noah. Dude the song is bomb! Congrats!! He already knew the song was a banger, but it made him happy it met his friend’s high standards. Thanks man. As the light turned green, he began merging onto the I-5. Traffic in LA was brutal as ever for a Wednesday morning. As he idled, he turned up the radio, hoping to drown out some of his swirling thoughts.

That was “Life” by Small Wars. Their newest album Explosions is rocking up the rock charts. It’s a bomb ass song isn’t it Kay? Hell yeah it is. Their tour dates have already been released too. It's amazing to see these bands who recently departed First Order really excel. But now the most requested song of the day, Miracle by The Knights of Ren. This song broke the frickin’ internet when it was dropped Sunday night. We can’t wait for the new album…

Kylo huffs as his car creeps forward. While the guys in Small Wars were assholes, he was happy to hear of their success. He smirks at the thought of old man Snoke looking over his dropping sales, red faced and forehead vein pulsing. You deserve all of it you asshole he thinks, pushing that man out of his head.

He clicks the screen sending you a quick text. Hey baby girl hope you’re doing okay. Lemme know if you want me to pick you up something. See you soon. He wants to say more but he knows he can’t. He can tell by your eyes you aren’t ready yet.

He knows how he feels, and he has caught himself more than once to not say those words. He’s never said those words to another person before, but he knows he wants to with you. He’s not scared by your anxiety disorder. It makes you you and he has accepted that. He has lost his heart to you, and it hurts sometimes to watch you not be in the same emotional place as him.

He can only hope that when the time comes, when it does come out of his mouth you will feel the same. He is stronger with you in his life, a more complete human with you by his side. He sees you two becoming a power couple in the music world. But to do that he has to make sure you’re protected until you’re ready to face the media. The only thing he’s nervous about is your response to it all.

As the traffic picks up, he switches the radio to his Spotify account. He smirks to see you have added some playlists. He will gladly let his music and Netflix algorithms be altered if it means you stay in his life. I’ll just get her favorite smoothie even if she doesn’t respond, he decides as the well-known picking of Texas Flood flows through the speakers.

—

“Bala, guys stop stop” you say through the microphone. The Sand Scavengers were in the studio and just were not listening. They thought this was apparently just a random jam session, but you knew their contract was hanging on by a thread. Phasma herself had a video conference with them about how they are not fulfilling their end of their contract and had to buckle down. Maybe that’s why they are not listening, you think, because they know they will get dropped soon.

A stress headache pounds at your temple. “Guys, c’mon start from the top please” you say, trying to keep the frustration out of your voice. You hit the record button as they start to play. You keep one eye on them as you check your phone. You smile at the text from Kylo. He’s so thoughtful but your stomach turns at the thought of consuming anything right now.

Even though he’s been so busy the last two weeks, you can tell he is making a conscious effort to make sure you knew you were still a priority. You think back to the day last week when the band were busy filming their music video. You stayed at your own place, claiming it would be too difficult to coordinate between your schedules. He called you immediately after filming wrapped up, wanting your opinion while editing was done. You ended up staying on the phone until three in the morning.

You hear laughing come through the speaker. You look up to see the guys behind the glass laughing like fools as their bass player humps his guitar. You sigh exasperated. “I think we are done here guys. C’mon back and we can review.” You say curtly, shutting off the recording.

You didn’t notice Vic had joined you until you turned in your seat. “Hey, you’re early” you say, attempting to hide a wince. His eyebrows crinkle a bit as he looks at you but his eyes shoot up to the recording room door as it opens. “Fucking bitch” one of the band members grumbles as they file into the lounge space.

You fight rolling your eyes, knowing that it’s unprofessional. You’re better than that. You shift yourself in your chair, taking another sip of your water. As the band settles, your eyes shift to Vic.

A glower paints his face, matching his tense body posture. You could see his muscles twitching as crossed his arms over his chest. It wasn’t often you have seen Vic angry but seeing it on your behalf made you feel a bit special.

“Ok guys, I know you talked with Phasma. We have a deadline we need to meet. I’m going to set up an editing session for tomorrow and recording sessions Saturday and Monday. Does this work for you all?” you ask, wanting this conversation to be over.

Bala looked between his mates, Vic and you and sighed. “We can make it work” he says, his eyes shifting “but you know we can’t just crank out bangers like them.” Your breath hitches as he nods his chin at Vic. You look over at him, hoping your look alone makes him not make a scene.

You could have a pin drop in the room. Your eyes shift between them uncomfortably. Vic smirked maliciously. “Well gentlemen, that’s the difference between us then” he says as he walks out the door.

You fight a smile as you see the sullen and shocked looks on their faces. “Ok, well see you all tomorrow at 10 then. See you then, yeah?” you say trying to defuse the tension. You get nods in response as they leave the studio room. You rub your temples as you hear the door shut.

You shut your eyes, focusing on your breathing. You rub your neck, hoping to bring down the tension. You jump at the feeling of a large warm hand covering yours. You know who it is instantly based on his smokey spiced cologne. “Hey Ky” you whisper. “Hey baby girl” he whispers back, his hand moving yours to your lap. “You ok?” he says as he starts to massage your neck and shoulders.

You instantly melt at his touch. “Yeah, just a rough session” you say, fighting back a hiss as he hits a tender spot. “Yeah, Vic told me” he says, his fingers continuing their magic. “Don’t worry about it Ky, it’s over and done with. Plus, I think they are jealous of you all” you say, turning to look at him. You see his plush mouth tip up slightly. “Well, we are pretty bad ass but it’s their fault if they don’t listen to your brilliance” he croons. “Hmm always such a charmer” you snark, gaining a chuckle from him.

“Well baby girl, I bought you a smoothie whenever you are ready for it” Kylo says as he helps you out of your seat. “Thanks babe, but not right now” you say pointing at your temple. He hums, grabbing your bag and tossing you the ibuprofen bottle. You smile at his thoughtfulness.

He smiles down at you, eyes crinkling and dimples out. His expressive amber eyes are full of something you can’t quite name. He moves slowly, tipping your chin up to him and placing a soft kiss on your lips. It's simply amazing how this hard core rockstar can be so sweet with you. “How ‘bout I take care of the recording room and you take the lounge so we can go to the meeting together?” he says, giving you another soft kiss. “Sounds perfect” you reply, running your hand through his messy waves.

You hear him hum at your touch as he steps back from you. “Damn these men are pigs” he grumbles as he looks around. You laugh at his dramatics. “C’mon big guy get working” you say smacking his bicep as you grab the trash can. “Yes ma’am” he says, tapping your ass as he walks into the recording space.

[thegenderdruid]

Took me a bit longer than I planned but I got there eventually. 2023 music awards time! As always disclaimer, this is awards for the music I personally listened to this year, if your favorite song or album isn't here it might be because I don't like it but much more likely I didn't know about or listen to it, this is a very self indulgent project about reflecting on the music I listened to this year.

With that said, I have been told by multiple different people that I have great taste in music and I truly stand by everything mentioned here being great music so I highly recommend checking it all out.

Also I will be providing minimal to no commentary because I'm bad at that sort of thing.

For album categories I've included each album's JAMS score which is a system I use to rank my favorite albums based loosely on the baseball JAWS statistic, currently the highest JAMS score for any of the 47 rated albums is 2.84, the lowest is 1.40, and the average is 2.07. Bear in mind that this is out of the albums I like enough to bother rating so a lower ranking within the rated albums is by no means a condemnation, all 48 albums are albums I like.

Standard categories:

Non-metal song of the year (songs that came out in 2023):

Winner:

Madeon - Gonna Be Good

Honorable mentions:

Gorillaz - Cracker Island

Dirty Heads - Rescue Me

100 gecs - Hollywood Baby

Tessa Violet - You Are Not My Friend

Portugal. The Man - Dummy

Dizzy - Close

Dizzy - Knock the Wind

Quite frankly this category was stacked as fuck, any of these songs could have won in a different year, there were multiple songs that could be here but I left off to keep this from being too long, absolutely great year for non-metal music I like. Speaking of which:

Non-metal album of the year:

Winner:

Dizzy - Dizzy (4/47, 2.6)

Honorable mentions:

Gorillaz - Cracker Island (10/48, 2.23)

Tessa Violet - My God! (23/48, 2.13)

Portugal. The Man - Chris Black Changed My Life (27/48, 2.04)

Metal song of the year:

Winner:

Gloryhammer - Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost

Honorable mentions:

Gloryhammer - Keeper of the Celestial Flame of Abernethy

Within Temptation - We Go To War

Delain - The Quest and the Curse

Angus MCSIX - Master of the Universe

Metal album of the year:

Winner:

Gloryhammer - Return to the Kingdom of Fife (2/48, 2.84)

Honorable mentions:

Within Temptation - Bleed Out (19/48, 2.16)

Delain - Dark Waters (13/48, 2.20)

Gloryhammer sweep, new album is GOATed

Music discovery categories:

2022 album I missed:

Winner:

Alec Benjamin - (Un)Commentary (20/48, 2.16)

I loved this guy's first album but was not into his second album and kinda forgot about him but one of his songs came on the radio and I gave him another look and it turns out he released this absolute banger of an album last year and now I'm a fan again

2022 song I missed:

Winner:

Alec Benjamin - Older

Honorable mention:

Lil Nas X - STAR WALKIN'

It turns out League of Legends released 2 all-timers last year instead of 1 like I originally thought 😅

Pre-2022 discovered album of the year:

Winner:

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (16/48, 2.19)

Honorable mentions:

Lorde - Pure Heroine (22/48, 2.13)

Gorillaz - The Now Now (25/48, 2.08)

Pre-2022 discovered song of the year:

Winner:

Gorillaz - Rhinestone Eyes

Honorable mentions:

Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Californication

Phil Ochs - The Bells

Bonus categories:

Best concert I saw live:

Winner:

Tessa Violet

Honorable mentions:

Dizzy

Gloryhammer

Bloodywood

Disappointment of the year:

'Winner':

ANGUS MCSIX - Angus McSIX and the Sword of Power (35/48, 1.88)

I had such high hopes for the former singer of my favorite band starting his own band in the same style and the singles were good but the rest of the album was such a disappointment, hopefully he keeps going and can improve though.

Top 10 albums by JAMS on this date:

Gloryhammer - Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex (2.84)

Gloryhammer - Return to the Kingdom of Fife (2.84)

Gloryhammer - Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards (2.69)

Dizzy - Dizzy (2.60)

Dizzy - Baby Teeth (2.58)

Porter Robinson - Nurture (2.38)

Alec Benjamin - Narrated For You (2.36)

Blackmore's Night - Ghost of a Rose (2.33)

Batte Beast - Circus of Doom (2.24)

Gorillaz - Cracker Island (2.23)

Link to last year's edition:

[igarbagecannoteven]

uno reverse for the spotify wrapped ask!!! 7, 13, 42, 72, & 88 - claire 💜💜 (queenclifford99)

@queenclifford99 hiya claire! thanks for the uno reverse! hope you're having a happy spotify wrapped :))

7. Savior by Rise Against

yes my songfic for this came out on the 5th day of january and yet that is 100% the reason this song is this high up i looped it a LOT while writing this fic lol altho i do listen to it regularly as well bc it is a banger! fun fact i first heard this song walking home from high school while listening to the local alt radio station on my mp3 player

13. Heaven, Iowa by Fall Out Boy

i guess everyone who sends me an ask gets a fob song lolll well this is a very good song with tasty lyrics and vibes and just *chef's kiss* (SCAR! CROSSED! LOVERS! FOREVER!)

42. END OF THE WATER (FEEL) by Waterparks

IF YOU FEEL IT THEN I FEEL IT TOO!! this was another album i listened to a lot this year (esp when it first came out) and i think the album with the second most amount of songs at 7! and this is probs my 2nd or 3rd fav song off this album :)

72. Haunting, Haunted, Haunts by Against Me!

WHAT a banger!! gosh this playlist really is showing how good my taste is lol. anyways great punk song that's hella catchy and fun to jam along to

88. Chinchilla by TTNG

so. i had a bit of a math rock phase this year lol and this is one of the ones i listened to the most! if you wanna jump into the genre of math rock TTNG is a good starting place imo but it's def not for everyone lol

[yegormirnov]

British certified hitmaker makes a comeback with a new jam

It's been already 3 years since Dua Lipa’s phenomenal sophomore release, marked by shocking production decisions and extravagant performances by the artist. There was a lot of speculation and rumination about Dua preparing something new and big. With the brand new single, “Houdini,” we are finally entering the new stage of Dua Lipa's discography, which looks fascinating but at the same time concerning.

“Houdini” is a banger. It is catchy, funky, radio-friendly, and ignites dance in your body; however, it is conventional and predictable. Do not get me wrong, Dua has always been nailing this pop branch, despite not being able to demonstrate desired eclecticism, but “Houdini” sounds like the unreleased track out of “Future Nostalgia”.

The problem that I had with “Future Nostalgia” was that I felt like Dua hadn’t fully reached her potential or, in other words, “plays much safer” and neglected her strong sides. I had a strong hope that this time Dua would try something and get out of her comfort zone, but it seems unlikely for this record.

Back to the track. Production is fun, light, and vivid. It is not one of my favorites that Dua has put out, but it works. Nevertheless, I must acknowledge the distinguished synth outro and exquisite touch by Tame Impala at the end. The artist comfortably flows between pitches with the help of magnificently executed vocals.

To sum it up, I’m still looking forward to Dua’s new LP, but just from another perspective.

7.4/10

[smartphonetrust]

Foreigner album covers

And if this album’s ballads slipped Cain’s mind, it’s hardly surprising. As keyboard player Jonathan Cain said: “If people want to hear ballads, they can certainly find them on other records.”īut aside from the opening track, the mighty anthem City Of Hope, there is nothing on this album with the melodic power of a classic Journey banger like Separate Ways (Worlds Apart). Eclipse was by design a heavy, guitar-focused album. Journey got off to a strong start with Arnel Pineda on 2008’s million-selling Revelation, but the follow-up was an outright flop. Despite the album’s title, the sound is stuck in the 60s. The other tracks run like a loose jam session, veering from prog to psychedelia, jazz to heavy rock. Tellingly, the catchiest number on Look Into The Future, the band’s second album, is a cover of The Beatles’ It’s All Too Much. In the credits to Journey’s 1979 album Evolution, the band stated, gratefully: “Columbia Records stands alone in the field of developing new artists.” The company’s ‘tough love’ approach certainly worked for Journey, who couldn’t buy a hit record until Columbia ordered them to find a proper singer and write some tunes. Journey: Look Into The Future (Columbia, 1976) And when he quit again two years later, he was gone for good.ġ8. But the pressures of fame led Perry to quit the band in 1987, leaving Journey on hiatus until his return in 1995. Perry also had a huge hit in 1984 with his first solo album, Street Talk. In the 80s, Journey became one of the biggest bands in America, with the Holy Trinity of AOR albums: Escape, Frontiers and Raised On Radio. The album promptly went platinum, and from there, the only way was up. His first album with the band, 1978’s Infinity, reinvented Journey as a mainstream rock act. With a richly expressive voice, Perry could hit high notes that other singers could only dream of. Guitarist Neal Schon and vocalist/keyboard player Gregg Rolie had previously played in Santana, but Journey’s early music, mixing Santana-style jazz fusion and progressive rock, was a hard sell, and Rolie’s voice wasn’t the strongest.Įverything changed when Steve Perry joined the band after they’d tried out another singer, Robert Fleischman. And what would Duran Duran’s 1982 Rio album be without Nagel’s cover art (below, bottom right)? Not all sophisticated ladies of the ’80s were cartoons.At that time, the San Francisco-based band had made three albums for Columbia Records, and all three had stiffed. Perhaps the artwork for the Motels’ 1982 album All Four One (below, left) was foreshadowing Robert Palmer’s later videos… We think it’s “simply irresistible!” And speaking of Robert Palmer, many compared his slick-haired video mavens to the paintings of artist Patrick Nagel. It was the ’80s, people! Big hair, even bigger jewelry, and plenty of bold lipstick combined to create the look of the high-fashion woman, a gal that graced many an album cover in all of her sophisticated glory. I’d frame these and hang them on my wall!. With examples from the cover art for both albums and hit singles of the 1980s, we give you three visual styles that continue to hold up over time. Oh how we love ’80s cover art! In honor of Album Cover Week, Mirror80 takes a look at three trends that put their stamp on the decade’s canvas. '80s album covers by New Order and The Motels

[stinkysam]

Yuji Itadori - 2 AM bangers

Warning : none

Genre : crack / fluff ?

Synopsis : this youtube “playlist”

Reader : gender neutral (you/yours)

Despite wanting to sleep, you didn’t feel tired as you couldn’t seem to stay still in your bed. You couldn’t stop shifting and turning around.

So you took your phone and shot a text to your boyfriend, asking him if you could come to his room. He quickly answered for you to hurry up. So you did.

You sighed and you laid against him, pressing a few kisses to whatever was the closest and he snuggled against you. You thought it was nice and comfortable but within a few minutes your body was itching to move again. No matter the position, it never seemed like it was enough.

It didn’t help that Yuji was moving around just as much as you. And apparently he was more upset than you as he started complaining that he couldn’t sleep. You shared your annoyance as he grabbed his phone and you looked over him to get a glimpse of the time.

Yuji whined as he plopped back down on his back and you took your phone out to play some game. As you clicked on the screen a lot music suddenly started, startling the both of you. You turned it down a little bit and started playing.

It took you a few minutes to notice that something kept bouncing lightly and as you looked at Yuji he was lazily dancing and bopping his head to the music of your phone, occasionally imitating the special sounds it made.

You laughed quietly and started doing the same as you turned the volume up, watching as his moves got more noticeable and exaggerated. You looked at one another as you made random moves and finally stopped, laughing.

You laid back down and turned off your phone but the silence felt weird to your ears. You guessed Yuji felt the same as he was now the one on his phone, scrolling on Youtube.

He asked you if it was okay to put some music on, one that could maybe help you two sleep. You agreed and watched him navigate on the screen. He clicked on a few videos but each time you changed to another one, not being able to listen for too long until Yuji stopped you from skipping a song he wanted to see the video clip of.

Not even a minute in and you had asked him to turn the volume up just a little bit more as you wanted to enjoy the song completely.

By the end of the song you were both jamming to it, hands moving to the melody and quietly mouthing the lyrics. Another one started and you continued on enjoying yourselves.

Yuji grabbed his phone to put it to his lips as if it was his mic and mimicked the artists on stage. After another song you were not lip syncing anymore, singing face to face as if you were a duo performing some intense song.

Those songs sparked random memories in you. Every little simple thoughts you had thought of when listening to those melodies. The radio-station playing them all the time, listening to a song in secret, being obsessed with that artist for a full week before jumping on another music genre, having no earphones so you pressed your ears to your phone with a very low volume to listen to it while bothering no one.

Even if you had heard those musics in a really long time, you had heard them so much your lips, mouth and tongue moved on their own, letting almost every -if not all- words out.

You didn’t care if you sang too fast, didn’t articulate well, or skipped a few words, you were both singing your heart out.

After a few minutes you both slipped out of the bed to have more space, allowing you to jump and spin and replicate bits of random choreo you saw. When you looked back at your boyfriend you couldn’t help but laugh when you noticed Sukuna. He seemed to be screaming for you two to stop and turn the music down.

You could barely hear him over your own and Yuji’s voice and the music. He was just making even more noise at this point, forcing you two to go harder. Yuji noticed you staring at him so you pointed at his cheek.

Not understanding and visibly forgetting about the curse, he looked behind him. You laughed again and this time you pointed at your cheek before pointing at him once again.

You thought he had finally got it, but instead he got closer and kissed your cheek. You threw your head back, half laughing half frustrated. You gave up.

Instead of moving away, Yuji grabbed you to dance closer and jump with him, holding your hands to swing them up and down.

After a few songs you finally started to grow tired, or at least your body did. You refused to abandon the stage. At this point you had stepped on each other’s feet, hit the side of the bed, almost ran into a wall and kicked the chair and the desk. You were sweating and breathing louder than in the beginning.

Your boyfriend was not better. His movements were a little bit wobbly and less accurate as you had to dodge accidental punches or elbow hits. He had tried to sit on the bed but ended up falling on the floor with a yelp. 

He laid down there, catching back his breathing while you tried not to laugh. You already had trouble breathing so laughing wouldn’t help.

He raised his hands in the air for you to help him get up but in that state, your muscles only allowed you to fall at a weirdly slow pace. He laughed at you when your knees hit the floor and you let out a tired grunt. You let yourself fall to the side as Yuji pulled you to make you sit between his legs.

Once seated he had thrown his hands back in the air to continue jamming to the songs. You would have done the same if it wasn’t for the door that suddenly sprung open, hitting the wall at the same time. You could bet that would leave a mark.

Before the two of you could even realize what just happened, the music stopped only to be replaced by Kugisaki and Fushiguro’s voices.

You turned around to look at them, not understanding why they were here, and angry.

Kugisaki loudly screamed she deserved at least a night of peace to deal with such brutes while Fushiguro “asked” if you were aware of the time it was. Even if he wasn’t screaming he really sounded just as mad as her.

You noticed that Yuji’s phone was in Fushiguro’s hand, clenching it hard in his palm. If they stopped talking, you could probably hear it crack very lightly.

It was probably better than if it had been Kugisaki with it as she had her nails and hammer with her. Was her first intent to kill you ? Did Fushiguro stop her from doing so ?

Your boyfriend helped you get up as you both tried to apologize, only to be cut off by more voices.

Rapidly, everyone was gathered inside and outside of your boyfriend’s room, either complaining or asking what was all the fuss about. You repeated your excuses, bowing your head down as you heard Panda and Gojo discreetly asking you to invite them next time, followed by a “Salmon salmon” from Inumaki.

Your phones still got confiscated each night for a whole month after that incident.

[jaskiersvalley]

I absolutely love your writing!! It's so very enjoyable and your au's are absolutely delightful. I just thought you should know.

Thank you so much, Nonnie! AUs are something I really enjoy and to hear that others find them fun makes me so very happy. As a little thank you, here’s another AU feat Kaer Morhen Radio and a Jaskier driving an 18 wheeler.

Life was a lonely one on the road. There were many acquaintances and other drivers Jaskier had a passing friendship with, Valdo Marx had the annoying habit of having similar routes to him - they did say mimicry was the highest form of compliment. Alas, nobody was a steady presence in Jaskier’s life. Well, nobody who was aware of him. Though there was the Kaer Morhen Radio family. They were the closest Jaskier had to everyday friends, as sad as that sounded.

“Good morning fuckheads.” Such a declaration could only mean it was 6am and Lambert had taken over. Instinctively, Jaskier was smiling as he sat up with a yawn. Most radio stations liked to gently rouse listeners with swelling music that got more up beat as the day went on. Not Kaer Morhen Radio. They had Lambert as their morning DJ, there to wake sensitive ears in more and more creative ways. He had become known for his unique way to wake listeners up; from bringing in pots to bang to trying to imitate the mating call of a moose at full volume. The only thing listeners loved more than Lambert being a general prick was his flirtation with Aiden who did weather and traffic announcements.

“And, in those four famous words: and now, the weather,” Lambert announced gleefully. After a long moment of silence, he snickered. “We shall have to give Aiden a moment to climb out from under the desk and rinse his mouth. In the mean time, here’s a banger.”

The banger, Jaskier was surprised to find, was quite literally a recording of someone (possibly Lambert) attempting to play drums (badly) on some kitchen pots. By the time the piece reached its rather boisterous end, it seemed that Aiden was no longer preoccupied.

“The weather today-” Jaskier tuned Aiden’s words out in favour of figuring out whether he was messing around or whether he really did sound so husky and gravelly thanks to having his throat fucked. It was quite the conundrum and Jaskier spent the start of his morning drive wondering how many complaints Lambert and Aiden will get now. Their record was 36 for the game of “identify that noise” wherein they stuck their fingers in various containers and made them squelch. To that day, nobody knew whether the last one really was, in Lambert’s words, “Aiden’s well used hole and my come”.

Afternoons were much more peaceful. Eskel took over at 2pm and he was laid back, played soothing music and gave the impression of being a very calm and reliable member of society. Jaskier always maintained it was an impression because, among all the chat, Eskel would sometimes drop a strange little fact that made him do a double take or two.

“This next song,” Eskel had once said, “was written while under the influence of cocaine.” It was a reasonable enough fact to share, Jaskier had been listening while stuck in a traffic jam along a motorway. “How they managed to write it though, I have no idea. Cocaine is terrible for your focus, I could barely scratch an itch before being distracted by something else. So kudos to the writers for creating a whole song while off their face.”

Which was something Jaskier had never thought Eskel would know anything about. He always seemed to demure, the solid rock of Kaer Morhen Radio. He balanced out Yennefer’s news updates perfectly. It was probably why Jaskier liked him so much, now that he thought of it. The surface innocence mixed in with hints of a very colourful life lived beneath the steady exterior. Well, hints other than the incident where Eskel somehow managed to not turn his microphone off and had a conversation about going to a rave with someone who worked at the radio station. Nobody knew the man’s name and his answers were half muffled but listeners swore they heard him suggest something along the lines of a collar and leash - which Eskel had hummed in agreement to, sounding all too happy. When questioned, Eskel resolutely refused to name the mystery man but conceded that there had been a rave. Jury was out whether Eskel had grumbled about being ‘in ecstasy’ or ‘on ecstasy’ for it. And there was definitely a picture of floating around the internet of him in a collar at what definitely looked like an underground rave.

The real reason Jaskier listened to Kaer Morhen Radio was the late night DJ. 10pm on the dot, Eskel would flick the switch and a prerecorded intro played, announcing that it was Late Late Nights with Geralt. Between 10pm and 6am, Geralt manned the station. The only reason Jaskier knew his name was because of the intro. Otherwise the man was silent other than a few hums between songs. Sometimes, presumably when he knocked something over, there would be a growled “fuck” that listeners lived for.

As little as Geralt said, Jaskier was in love. The music was eclectic and death metal could be followed up by electro swing or grime. There was to way to predict just what Geralt would play next, he didn’t take requests, didn’t talk to his listeners. But, somehow, he still drew them in. Jaskier had made the mistake of looking Geralt up online and swooned a little at the few pictures available. It seemed Geralt was an elusive man, somehow managing to turn away from cameras with an uncanny ability. Though a few pictures did exist of Lambert and Eskel on either side of him, quite literally holding him down for a photo.

Truthfully, Geralt was one of the main reasons Jaskier chose to do overnight hauls. Not only did they pay better, he also had Geralt’s nonverbal grunts and hmms to look forward to. He was well aware that it was an infatuation and nothing more. He’d never met Geralt before, Geralt wasn’t even aware of his existence. So, really, Jaskier could daydream all he wanted but had no intention of doing anything more.

Except, Jaskier couldn’t help but wonder. Geralt had such range in his musical taste, maybe he would like what Jaskier wrote. It was a rare night off and Jaskier was well into the bottle with Valdo when they got talking, egging each other on about who was the better musician. It ended with Jaskier drunkenly posting a CD of his music to Kaer Morhen Radio, addressed for Geralt. When he woke up in the morning, on the floor next to his couch which was occupied by Valdo, Jaskier groaned.

Thankfully, there was never a mention or even a single note of his music in the next week. Slowly, Jaskier relaxed, only a little disappointed that his music hadn’t even been acknowledged by Geralt. He almost had a heart attack when eight days later, Lambert came on air with a mad cackle.

“Morning fuckheads!” Lambert sounded more cheery than ever before. “You’ll never guess what I found. Geralt has been hoarding new music. Good music. Said it was for him. Well, I have decided he cannot hold this back from us. If you’re listening, Jaskier, your note was hilarious. I hope your hangover was worth it. Thanks for the CD!”

There was a growl that sounded like Geralt storming into the booth but the microphone was cut and Jaskier’s song started playing. Jaskier almost crashed his truck in shock. Especially when Lambert declared it so good, they would play it again and, sure enough, the song went back to the beginning to play twice in a row.

If it had just been Lambert, Jaskier would have quietly died of shame, accepting that he was being mocked. But Eskel got in on it too. That afternoon he introduced Jaskier’s song with the promise that management were looking into getting in touch with him about the music. Even worse, a listener even requested the song later that evening. Jaskier was both in heaven and hell at the same time. That night, Geralt didn’t play his song and Jaskier was only a little disappointed.

His phone rang the next day.

“Good afternoon, my name is Vesemir, I’m calling from Kaer Morhen Radio. May I speak to Jaskier?”

Jaskier promptly choked. He got an invitation to the studio. It was a good seven days of driving away and Jaskier searched for a contract that would take him across the continent. While he drove, he got a bit braver and started e-mailing the radio station on his breaks.

His written request for songs were acknowledged by a hum and the song coming on next. When he asked Geralt for a shout out, he got obnoxious pop music playing instead. So Jaskier asked for two hums if Geralt wanted to meet and three if he didn’t. Thus, there was a “fuck” on air and the Beauty and the Beast theme song started playing. It was safe to say Jaskier didn’t understand it but he wasn’t deterred.

By the time Jaskier got into town and made his delivery, it was almost 6am. There was no time he had been specifically invited for and he ended up approaching the building at the same time Lambert showed up with Aiden and three large cups of coffee in hand.

“Excuse me,” he called out, “I’m here to see Vesemir.”

“Bit early for that.”

“He never gave me a time so I figured an early start would be appreciated.” It wasn’t exactly a lie but Jaskier kind of wanted to meet Geralt who would be finishing up soon.

For some bizarre reason, Jaskier was led into the radio studio, no questions asked. Surely it was a security issue but then again, Jaskier checked out Lambert and Aiden, they would no doubt be able to handle any issues. Then there was Geralt, stepping out of the booth, Lambert’s intro queued up. He froze when he spotted Jaskier and, curiously, glanced away, seemingly all shy. The curious response was explained away all too soon. There, on the wall, was Jaskier’s CD and a polaroid of him and Valdo, helpfully labeled “The Talent” with an arrow to Jaskier and “The Fake” pointing at Valdo.

“You here for Vesemir?” Geralt asked eventually, sipping at one of the cups Lambert had brought.

“Amongst other things,” Jaskier replied.

“He won’t be here until 10. Why don’t we go grab breakfast while you wait?”

Aiden wolf whistled at that and Lambert whooped, arms in the air.

“My dear fuckheads,” he purred into the microphone, “we have a date between our local cryptid and our mystery siren. Please wish them luck.”

It turned out that, in person, Geralt was a bit more talkative than on air. And Jaskier helped fill any silence without any problems. He ended up being later than planned to meet Vesemir and Tissaia who had a very handsome cheque for him for playing his music and also his phone number with the promise of passing it on to some connections who had expressed an interest in his music.

Never before had Jaskier thought he would thank Valdo Marx for anything. But, one drinking session with him had landed Jaskier with not only a contract with a record label but also a boyfriend. With his first pay, Jaskier send Valdo the biggest bouquet of flowers humanly possible.

[starf]

StarF’s Top Ten Albums of 2020

Another year, another list. Let’s not even bother with the preamble this time around, you get what it is.

10. I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME - RAZZMATAZZ

Let me tell you right now, I struggled with this tenth spot. There were about four albums that were pretty much tied once I narrowed it down this far because it was a jam-packed year. Ultimately though I had to give it to iDKHOW for their smooth brand of piano rock-pop. This is their debut album and it brought the heat. While it didn't dazzle me immediately, with every subsequent listen I feel a little more of that promised razzmatazz from the title. I also absolutely love the ballad "Nobody Likes The Opening Band," which will certainly be a fun song to hear them perform some day whether they're the opener or not.

9. The Front Bottoms - In Sickness & In Flames

The last offering from The Front Bottoms, Going Gray, left me feeling a little lukewarm. In Sickness & In Flames, however, is a much stronger return to form for the band in my opinion. Some people say all of The Front Bottoms' albums sound the same, and maybe that's a little bit true. But maybe 2020 is the year that we needed to hear some new Front Bottoms material. It was a strange time for all of us, and in these times this kind of album just hits different. From the optimistic opening of "everyone blooms" to the infectious singalong moments of "Fairbanks, Alaska," this album is a good time all around.

8. The Used - Heartwork

Did you know The Used is still around? Not only still around, but apaprently they never went away! When I saw that they had released a new album early in the year I assumed it was a comeback, but I was wrong! For me there was a 12 year gap since I had personally listened to a new Used album, and this one blew me away in a big way. They're still going big, going hard, and rocking their signature sound - but updated for the modern age. This is a band that has managed to hold on to their roots while successfully adapting and progressing into the future.

7. Oliver Tree - Ugly Is Beautiful

Where do you even start with an artist like Oliver Tree? An absolute master of internet marketing, the release of this album was a tortured and dragged out experience, like a person chasing a 20 dollar bill on a string and having it constantly pulled away over and over again. By the time it came out it was a little disheartening that an entire half of the album had already been released via single, but overall it is undeniably a powerhouse of a pop album and a strong showing from Oliver Tree. A strange character, but an impossibly catchy album with earworm after earworm.

6. The World/Inferno Friendship Society - All Borders Are Porous To Cats

I pretty much always enjoy any offering from this band, but to varying degrees. Their last few albums have certainly been good to my ears, but for whatever reason just didn't resonate enough with me to earn a spot in my top ten. This album is clearly different though, and keeps me enthralled the entire way. With their unique brand of punk-jazz-cabaret, All Borders Are Porous To Cats tells the story of one Mr. Cat In The Hat, and it's a wild ride that you're going to want to hear.

5. Run The Jewels - RTJ4

One of the most biting and necessary releases of the year, RTJ4 dropped right when we needed to hear it most, and for free no less. It's my personal opinion that Run The Jewels continue to get better with every release they put out, and their fourth showing is easily my favorite so far. El-P and Killer Mike come through with some of their sharpest bars and heaviest beats yet. It's just a shame that for how much history repeats we as society still haven't learned some of the lessons that an album like this continues to attempt to teach us.

4. Aesop Rock - Spirit World Field Guide

Spirit World Field Guide is not a typical Aesop Rock album, but then again what is? Back in 2016 I fell in love with the album The Impossible Kid, an accessible (by Aes standards) album that hooked me in immediately. Spirit World is a different beast that took me off guard the first time I heard it, and left me a little bit lost - but that almost seems to be the intent. An absolute monster of an album coming in at 21 tracks and over an hour, this thing wasn't necessarily meant to be ingested all at once, or even in the order presented. The more I revisit it the more I put the pieces together and enjoy it more and more.

3. Poppy - I Disagree

Let's take a journey all the way back to January before the world entirely fell apart. I discovered Poppy for the first time through this album and was quickly intrigued. Going back through her older music, and then her YouTube, and slowly unraveling the mystery that is Poppy was perhaps some of the most fun I've had experiencing an artist's work in years - all topped off with seeing her perform live that month, the last large live music show I've been to. I Disagree is an eclectic blend of pop, metal, and strange curiosity. It starts off right away with the oddball banger Concrete and promises to weed out those who aren't prepared to take the mental trip through this album right away. It's not for everyone, but it's definitely for me.

2. Jeff Rosenstock - N O  D R E A M

Well here we are! The number one spot! You guessed it, it's Jeff Rose- what? This isn't number one? Well that can't be right, hold on. Nope, I guess that's correct. The new Jeff Rosenstock album, N O  D R E A M comes in at number two this year, a fact that will probably shock and confuse anyone who knows me. This is the proof that Jeff doesn't automatically get my number one spot if he releases an album, but with all of that out of the way, let's talk about the album.

In a Post-Post- world we see Jeff returning to a more traditional take on putting together an album, rather than simply rushing through it to get the feelings out of his head (both perfectly valid approaches). N O  D R E A M continues to explore themes of being lost and confused in such a soul-crushing and increasingly overwhelming world - all while attempting to find the silver linings and be optimistic about where we're headed. Whether it's the world at large or a personal journey, this album is an anthem to a year that saw most people holding their head in their hands and saying "please, just, let's all get through this, okay?"

1. Will Wood - The Normal Album

Wow. Just wow. Okay, where to begin? I was listening to a random Spotify radio when it started playing a song by Will Wood & The Tapeworms called "Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In!" Intrigued by the style of the song, as well as the title, I clicked through and listened to their most recent album which was 2016's "Self-Ish." I thought it was really good! I enjoyed it a lot and continued to listen to it for about a week. At that point when I started digging further into the band I learned that there was actually an even newer album entitled The Normal Album, categorized on Spotify under just Will Wood, which is why I hadn't previously found it.

I enjoyed Self-Ish, but hearing The Normal Album took it to an entirely new album and blew me away in a way that I haven't experienced in years. This wasn't just a great album, this was one of those musical discoveries where you think "oh wow, this is something I can't live without going forward." Will Wood is exactly what I needed in the back half of 2020 to keep my sanity, and even now I still listen to this album usually at least once a day. It's perfectly crafted in every sense of the world. Not a single second is wasted or out of place. The technical skill is in full display without muddling the pure enjoyment of the melodies or taking away from the overall vibe of the songs. The writing is some of the sharpest and dense I've ever seen, without being undecipherable or inaccessible. This is an album that truly does it all.

The feeling I have when I listen to this album and attempt to get people to listen to it is identical to how I felt about Jeff Rosenstock in the late 2000's, back before he had sort of blown up. Will Wood certainly has a following, but his music is definitely niche at the moment and somewhat obscure. Much in the same way that eventually people listened to me about Jeff, I hope they will find out about Will. Everyone should hear this album. It's breath-takingly perfect.

[fuyupersimmons]

Ou yeah top 25 of 2021.... guess I'll go on some thoughts ......

• man that orange juice album. untouchable. Easily one of my new all time faves

• I do quite like I feel safe with u trash and listened to it a bunch EARLIER in the year for like a month straight & it has a lotta tracks so that's why that's up there. Same w/oh no... of montreal and xiu xiu are kinda mainstays for me at this point I'll always check out what they put out

• disco inferno a new fave discovery!!! Check em out if u haven't,,, psychedelic kinda post punky lots of samples. Very ahead of its time and p unique!!! Its a kid's world is such a jam + the long dance is like. so great. Almost new ordery??? Also the technicolor title track .Check em out!!!

• mmm wide open spaces is another new all timer I think!! A live set !!! With samples sourced from country radio... it's like. Ambient country plunderphonics + some bangers. Some really beautiful moments and also a lot of humor! Can't recommend enough if u like weird sample based music

• new black dice album so sick. so so sick . Gnarly dance vibes. Def their most immediate album ever !

• replica falls into the same kinda category as wide open spaces! but instead of a fucked up country radio its like. Fucked up 90s aesthetics! + rad skeleton album cover

• katie von schleicher my indie rock hero I love her music so much!!! I think shitty hits is my most scrobbled album lmfao.

• as for the rest of the stuff!! All just really good ! Specific shoutouts to lanquidity & reward ... both so lovely. Also steely dan

But yeah I don't know if i can declare my AOTY shits still sinking in LMFAO that's my thoughts on all this.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Tyler, The Creator Album Review: Call Me If You Get Lost

(Columbia)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The transformation of Tyler, The Creator from skilled, but transgressive shock jock to soulful, sincere auteur was one of the more remarkable music storylines of the 2010s. Flower Boy and IGOR showed a side of the rapper that you knew was always there but which he was perhaps hesitant to show, the sensitive, heartsick person who really just wants to love and be loved. His latest studio album, Call Me If You Get Lost, continues on the path of the previous two, but it’s also the most wholly self-aware album Tyler’s made to date. On a record that acts as an homage to other early 2000s DJ Drama-hosted mixtapes that influenced him just as much as N.E.R.D. and Eminem did, Tyler’s honest about his past self and his relationship with music, others, and his surroundings. He addresses some of his past ills. The character he inhabits, Tyler Baudelaire, a reference to French poet Charles Baudelaire, is sophisticated and worldly like its inspiration but can’t seem to find himself in a good relationship; Tyler has Tweeted it’s his most personal album yet, suggesting Tyler Baudelaire is not even really a character.

Whether he’s flowing in his trademark baritone or pitch-shifting to the higher end of the vocal spectrum, bragging about his wealth or vulnerably revealing an unrequited crush, Tyler’s being himself. You’ve heard this version before, and he goes back and forth throughout especially the first half of Call Me, sharing anecdotes about his social life on upbeat piano bounce “CORSO” and flashing his bravado on the warped trap of “LEMONHEAD”. On the Gravediggaz-sampling “LUMBERJACK”, he’s proud of his success: “Rolls-Royce pull up, Black boy hop out,” he raps, before expertly ad-libbing the white establishment reaction of “Man, what the fuck?” It’s that quintessential Tyler sense of humor, again without the cringe of some of his earliest material.

By the middle of the album, though, Tyler dips his toes into reflective confessionals. “MASSA” details various aspects of his life, from his early breakthroughs to “Yonkers” dropping while his mother was in a shelter to having the financial ability to get her out. The song’s title--another word for “master,” as in “slave master”--is provocative, but Tyler likens the subject to a different struggle, being free with sexuality. “Everyone I ever loved had to be loved in the shadows,” he raps. His delivery grows increasingly intense in the final verse, as he’s simultaneously mad at and affected by his doubters. On the flipside, money spending anthem “RUNITUP” looks back on the “social outcast” status that preceded the initial forming of Odd Future, wherein his confidence and originality allowed him to stay true and get where he is. It’s a risky one-two punch, since Tyler was known to use homophobic lyrics, but he’s taking the good parts of his previous selves and combining it with his current perspective. “MANIFESTO”’s where he fully dives into his controversies, from protesters outside his shows to the gross things he said to Selena Gomez on Twitter, admitting it was “back when I was tryna fuck Bieber,” Gomez’s partner at the time. Funny enough, on the same song he points out the hypocrisy of social media addicts who were criticizing him and other rappers for not explicitly saying “Black Lives Matter” on Twitter during the George Floyd protests despite him showing up at protests and donating money. His message? He’s changed, and perhaps grown, and is still growing and learning, but it’s all the same person. It’s what you get with Tyler.

Eventually, after lovers rock-sampling R&B love jams (“SWEET/I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE”), family pride not-quite-diss tracks (“MOMMA TALK”, “RISE”), and a radio ready banger (the Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell Williams-featuring mammoth “JUGGERNAUT”), there’s the album’s 8-minute climax “WILSHIRE”, a slow-rolling story of the relationship hinted at throughout Call Me. Significantly, it sees Tyler once again pondering the idea of the public eye. At first, he details the high of showing the good life to someone he’s infatuated with, imagery chock full of luxury and warmth (“Dirtyin’ my bakin’ pots, tennis at my mama’s spot”; “Parks playin’ chess games, givin’ wigs pet names”). It’s not entirely clear why the relationship ends, but Tyler eventually admits, “I’m mad private with this side of my life ‘cause people are weirdos / I just try to keep anyone I care about in the shadows.” It’s the ultimate full-circle from the line on “MASSA”, a brilliant illustration of a society that brings you back to the subdued gloom for one reason or another. Unflinchingly honest, Tyler wants you to call him if you get lost, mostly because lost is where he’s already found himself.

[randomvarious]

Today’s mix:

Club Mix 99 by St. Peter & Heaven 1999 House / Trance / Progressive Trance / Big Beat / Nu-Disco

This double-disc mix has a lot of pros and a lot of cons, so let's break them down, starting with the pros. First off, the selection on this thing is pretty great. When you have the backing of a major label like Universal to make a mix, you're not gonna run into much trouble getting access to the tracks that you want. And it's for mostly that reason that this mix is a good one. It has plenty of bangers: some bonafied, surface-level classics (I will never, ever tire of Alice Deejay's "Better Off Alone"), some sweet remixes, and a bunch of tunes that should definitely be revisited again. Disc 1 consists of mostly house tracks and Disc 2 has lots of trance and progressive trance jams, and a common theme that seems to unite them both is an overarching feeling of warm bliss, with the second disc especially encouraging you to engage in some fancy-free fist pumpery. So if you wanna try to re-experience some of the sublime feelings of what the house and trance worlds were bopping to in the clubs in 1999 (or maybe experience 1999 for the first time), then this thing'll do the trick.

Now for the cons. As far as the mixing goes, it's really not great. Universal got a couple randos, a brother and sister duo who call themselves St. Peter & Heaven, to put this thing together. Looking at their Discogs profile, they'd done plenty of mixes before this one, but only for major labels, which leads me to believe that they just knew the right people and had never been awarded a major label mix assignment based on their skill or popularity among dance music fans.  As a result, the transitions tend to be weak, often sounding like your most basic crossfades, and placements of certain tracks are questionable at best. Another thing that Universal appears to have skimped on was the audio quality. With tracks like these, especially the epic and euphoric trance ones, you want stuff that's at a premium sonic quality in order to get a full, immersive experience; the type of sound that makes you feel like you're actually sitting in the decked-out studio that produced it. And the tunes on here don't come close to that standard. But if you're not much of an audiophile, it probably won't bother you that much.

So, in conclusion, while this is a pretty ample mix for its selection and the fact that it reflects well upon 1999, there's still probably better mixes out there that contain tracks of a similar caliber and are both sonically superior and have more authenticity.

Listen to Disc 1 here (minus track 1 for some reason). Listen to Disc 2 here (minus tracks 3 and 16 for some reason).

Highlights:

Disc 1:

Moloko - "Sing It Back (Boris Musical Mix)" Eclipse - "Makes Me Love You (Morning Star Mix)" Groove Armada - "At The River (English Riviera Mix)" Supakings - "Back & Forth" Basement Jaxx - "Red Alert (Jaxx Club Mix)" MAW Presents India - "To Be In Love (MAW '99 Mix)" Supercar - "Computer Love (Olav Basoski Remix)" Pete Heller - "Big Love (Eat Me Edit)" Powerhouse Featuring Duane Harden - "What You Need (Full Intention Power Mix)" Blockster - "Grooveline (Blockster Club Mix)" The Wiseguys - "Ooh La La" The 3 Jays - "Feeling It Too (Blunt Radio Edit)" Phats & Small - "Turn Around (Norman Cook Remix)" The Three Amigos - "Louie Louie (The Wiseguys)" Yomanda - "Synth & Strings" Disc 2:

Sasha - "Xpander" Chicane Featuring Maire Brennan Of Clannad - "Saltwater (Original Mix)" ATB - "9pm (Til I Come) (Sequential One 1999 Remix)" Alice Deejay - "Better Off Alone (Vocal Club Mix)" Lost Tribe - "Gamemaster (Signum Remix)" The Morrighan - "Remember (To The Millenium) (Lange Remix)" Liquid Child - "Diving Faces (Tom Wax & Jakarta Remix)" DJ Sakin & Friends - "Protect Your Mind (For The Love Of A Princess) (Lange Remix)" Lustral - "Everytime (Mike Koglin Remix)" Gouryella - "Gouryella (Original Mix)" Blank & Jones - "Cream (Paul Van Dyk Mix)" The Space Brothers - "Legacy (Mash Up Matt Mix)" Veracocha - "Carte Blanche (Original Mix)" Binary Finary - "1998 (Matt Darey Mix)" Ayla - "Ayla (DJ Taucher Mix)" System F - "Out Of The Blue"

[2o2o-kit]

An American’s Thoughts on Horrible Histories Songs

Born 2 Rule: Iconic, really set the stage for Horrible Histories, not my favorite George III song though that prize goes to Hamilton, (also I was always taught George III was mad in an angry way)

Wives of Henry VIII: This song walked so Six can run, still iconic

Making a Mummy: Kind of forgettable, but if we are going by the pattern as seen in the first two, I predict the next big history musical will be about making mummies

The Tudors: I don’t know why but I love this song’s intro, but I find the dance moves cringe worthy

Georgian Lady: It’s great when you can read along to it, but Martha is still iconic

I’m a Knight: I love the whole Monty Python inspiration, this always makes me smile, just pure wholesome knight energy, one of my favorite season 1 songs

Caveman Love: It gets better the more you listen to it

It’s Not True: Probably my least favorite Horrible Histories song, still better than most songs on the radio

The Plague: The plague was made for musical theatre, besides this check out Spamalot and Something Rotten

British Things: Drags on a bit, but haha Britain, you are not perfect, (but America is far from perfect)

We are Greek: It’s king boring, but lyrics are still pretty clever

Burke and Hare: I’m not a fan of this TBH, maybe it’s because I’m not a huge fan of true crime and stuff like that, it’s not that catchy either

Literally: Nothing like an 80s rock parody, it’s also one of the funniest songs

Charles II: This was the first HH song I listened to and I’m glad, because it’s a banger, and this is probably the closest you will get to a kid friendly Eminem

Spartan Musical: This is so camp and just you have to watch to understand

WWII Girls: Katy Wix needs to be in more songs, I love the costumes in this

George IV: I’m obsessed with this one, Jim’s vocals in this are perfection, definitely one of my favorite of the whole series, I wish I could belt like that

Blackbeard: The acting in this is perfection, I still laugh while watching it

Victorian inventions: I’m not a big fan of this type of music, but it’s still funny

Hieroglyphics: Idk why Mat did a Texas accent, and I’m not sure but it’s not bad, but it’s not as great as the other songs

Cowboys: The accents are good but I could go without all the farts

Boudicca: This is an inspiration

Funky Monks: I’m not a big fan of this one, it’s funny but I wish they had more singing in this, but Terry is great as always

Pachacuti: At first I was bit nervous to watch it because of the brown face, and yes it’s in there and I also thought it would be too cheesy but that’s the point and makes it so much fun, also what’s a northern accent

Dick Turpin: For most people it’s the guyliner that makes this a thirst trap, for me it’s all the tricorn hats 😍. When I first watched this video I recently developed my tricorn fetish and this song was just... The music to this is great too, I listen to this daily. And imagine me learning that this thirst trap’s name is Dick

Monarchs: Iconic, super helpful, now I can name all the English monarchs, thanks

William Wallace: Better than Braveheart, seems like a lot of fun to film

Work! Terrible Work: Hey look theatre reference, this so is definitely not a mood booster, but those sideburns (and I’m not really into sideburns)

Ra ra Cleopatra: Martha is killing it, and I love all the Lady Gaga references

Richard III: Thanks for talking about the horrors of Tudor Propaganda and the lyrics in this are amazing

Evil Emperors: If you claim your bad, don’t make such a catchy song that can easily be confused as another thirst trap, love the parody and Caligula and Nero and some of my favorite HH characters

Suffragettes: This song proved how hard these ladies worked, also I want to sing this song with others, who’s in?

Ain’t Stain Alive: Okay just like Pachacuti, I’m sure this song can’t work today, but it’s great, so catchy and the screams, also the behind the scenes of this is iconic

Age of Stone: I like how it explains the time periods but I’m not really a big fan of how it was presented

English Civil War: The choreography is on point, Lawry needed to be in more songs and I love the song they parodied, it’s Cool from West Side Story

Celtic Boast Battle: I don’t know, I find it a bit too much but the ending is perfection

RAF Pilots: Now I’m not big on war history, epically WWII, but song is perfection, I love the coloring used for this, the music is just awesome, and this along with The Captain from Ghosts and Molly McIntire are proving the WWII is gay

Nature Selection: I’ve been using this phrase a lot during the pandemic,

The Thinkers: Alright, no strong opinions

It’s a New World: A jam, love the shade of how the pilgrims treated the natives, and it’s a great parody altogether, also I need a New New Castle now

Mary Seacole: So catchy I love it, and the dancing is great. I wish they didn’t cut out that one lyric about Florence because that’s important

Victoria and Albert: It’s kind of slow, but I can see why others like it, maybe it’s just because I’m alone

Blue Blooded Blues: I don’t really like Blues music, even though I’ve lived in cities known for their blues, but James Cape™️, GAAAYYYY!!!

The Luddites: Definitely one of my favorites, I love the cinematography, the costumes are my type, and nothing like historical heavy metal, ironic right, and Jim has the vocal range

The Borgia Family: I love everything about this, the music, the accents, costumes, this is better than the Showtime series, wish Ben got a solo in this song though, (also is it just me or do the Borgias remind you of the Trumps expect the Borgias are more like able)

Mary I: It’s okay, Sarah in this is great and it’s a great parody but I always thought of Mary having a deeper voice (I know weird)

William Shakespeare and the Quills: I love Shakespeare, but I’m not a big fan of this type of music, also I low key wish Shakespeare was sexy in this one

Georgian Navy: Please forgive my star spangled ass, but I’m not a fan of the British military during the Georgian era, and yes I know Nelson didn’t really fight in the American Revolution, but I’m not a big fan of war history

Flame: Will get stuck in your head, but who cares it’s an awesome parody, Jesse Owens in amazing, we love Jim’s Nero, and Mat you said you were all nude (I feel cheated)

Death’s Favorite Things: Hilarious, and a mood for me

Rosa Parks: Now Rosa’s story is something we get drilled in our heads in America, which is good, this song is so catchy and I love the costumes, but the ending did say ‘segregation was ended in America,’ but technically...

Vikings and Garfunkel: Aww so peaceful,

Charles Dickens: I love the music on this and the cinematograph, but there is something about it that I’m not a big fan of it, but I’m not sure what

Crassus Minted: A freaking underrated banger, just like the real Crassus

Joan of Arc: I’m sorry but this song is a bit cringe worthy but still way better than the new seasons

Alexander the Great: I mean is there any other song that can truly depict Alex

Owain Glynwr: Wish they had more Welsh history on the show but Tom Jones parody I never knew I needed

Transportation: The dancing in this is amaze, and I’m obsessed with Ben’s accent in this, how is his Midwestern accent better than mine, and I have a Midwestern accent, (stop making me like Henry Ford!) and I love whenever they do musical parodies

Henry VII: This song makes me want to be Henry VII, he made the monarchy great again

Matilda Stephen and Henry: There are more ABBA references in this than a production of Mamma Mia, and it’s brilliant,

Australia: I’m surprised they got away with saying Hellhole in this, but still very catchy, low key wish Thomas sang this in Ghosts

Cousins: It’s silly and I like it

Love Rats: Lyrics make me want to remain single, video is having me crush on actors that are old enough to be my parents

Final: Supersweet, but I can only watch it once because it makes me emotional