#with some actual banger song compositions

[eggwishing]

[hellspawnmotel]

remember when I did this?

well I did more

[lil-tachyon]

For the last couple weeks I've been drawing logos / designs for local-ish (mostly NJ, some PA and NY) bands as warmups in the morning. Here's what I've come up with! Massive post below the break explaining each logo + where to find each band and listen to their music.

Teenage Halloween- a staple of New Jersey basements for probably about a decade now and finally getting wider recognition in the last couple years. Pop punk / power pop with a killer horn section. First time I saw them was in New Brunswick playing with Walter Etc. and Blowout. They played a killer cover "Build Me Up Buttercup" and my wife got a black eye in the pit. Recommended tracks: "Brain Song," "666," "Clarity." Their first EP is on a separate bandcamp page btw, check it out here it's great.

Sweet Pill - They will call themselves a Philly band but in my heart they'll always be from Glassboro. Definitely one of the more recognizable names on this list. Emo revival - early stuff is more twinkly, more recent stuff is heavier. All of it's great. Recommended tracks "Nephew," "High Hopes."

Shark Club - Central Jersey's finest. I'm very biased because I actually know these dudes and they did the music for my wedding. Some of the best pop punk you'll hear and the nicest people you'll meet. Recommended tracks: "Game Theory," "Bill Murray," "Heavens to Betsy."

Rest Ashore - My favorite band for the last (oh God I'm old now) eight years. From gut-wrenching emo ballads to virtuoso math-rock instrumentals they do it all. One time I got to sing vocals on "Lucy's Theme" at a house show- thank you Erica! Recommended tracks: "Hjarta," "Chinese Opera," "Devotion," "Soyuz Sweetheart." Too many bangers to name honestly, just deep dive their discography.

Morus Alba - First band I ever went to see at a house show and still one of my absolute favorites. Their music feels like the bridge between the best pitchfork, /mu/ alt rock bands and high energy basement emo. I mean that as a compliment and I hope it comes off as one lol. I should note that since 2019 Morus Alba has morphed from a band into an experimental hip-hop project so later releases sound radically different and basically disconnected from the earlier stuff. Also my favorite release from them, Live at Isabelle's, has been scrubbed from the internet but if you'd like the files just email me. Recommended tracks: "Skyscraper," "Human Resources," "The Goodnight Waltz."

Have a Good Season - another Jersey mainstay that's still going strong. Emo revival in their earlier releases, now with more 70s power pop influences in their newer stuff. See them live, they put on a fantastic show and usually play some great covers in addition to their original music. HaGS guys if you're reading this, please put your version of "Since You've Been Gone" online, I'm begging you. Recommended tracks: "Joseph / Shel Silverstein," (you have to listen to them together for the drop, so good) , "Gum, "Gleaux / Scab." Also, frontman Nic Palermo interviewed me once.

Elephant Jake - If you see any of these bands live make it EJ, they put on such a damn good show. Electrifying indie punk from the Empire State. Recommended tracks: "F.D.C." "Sarah Moyer," "Goodness to Honest," and of course you gotta learn "Sebastien Bauer" for the singalongs.

Blind Lion - Sadly one of the greats that we lost along the way. Defunct since about 2017. I only got to see them once but it was a great performance. Alongside their own stuff they played some killer covers of "Bad Moon Rising" and "Moonage Daydream." I had trouble doing a logo design for them because I actually really like the composition, if not the "Ed Hardy-ness," of their existing logo so what you see here are two separate attempts, neither of which feels entirely satisfying to me. Frontperson Larry Flately currently plays in Nematode and also handled production of Bradley Gardens joke hiphop group The Breakfast Boiz under the moniker "DJ Ova EZ." Recommended tracks: "Brumous," "Dinner."

Fighting Seasons - A band that I sadly found out about too late (via a sticker under the bridge in my town which has since been painted over). 2010s pop punk that packs a helluva punch, especially considering that I'm pretty sure the members were high schoolers for most of the band's existence. I think some members may have gone on to form Sawce (FFO Chon, Polyphia, that type of music) but I can't remember where I read/heard that so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Recommended tracks: "Fighting Seasons," "Oil on Canvas"

Milkmen- Another fallen giant, officially disbanded in 2019. Like Morus Alba, they played the very first house show I attended and their few releases remain on constant rotation in my home. Used to put on a great show and were one of the bands I always thought would make it big until suddenly they weren't around anymore. Frontman Ben Thieberger contributed guitar and vocals to Covid quarantine project Kin if you're looking for a bit of an extra fix but beyond that I don't know what these guys are up to these days, sadly. Recommended tracks: "Ramus," "Johnny Dangerously," "how sieves catch breeze," "K.O.T.H."

Stand and Wave - New York (now Philly) pop punkers delivering instant dopamine hits with every track. Another great live act, see them with EJ if you can! They often play shows together. Recommended tracks: "Convos," "Mrs. Dash," "Splashton Kutcher," "Michael Collins."

My Chemical Romance - You know who they are. While I was drawing all these other logos I ran a poll on Patreon to decide which famous New Jersey band should also be graced with a drawing from me. MCR won the poll by a hefty margin so unfortunately you won't get to see me do an illegible black metal take on Hoboken's Yo La Tengo. I ended up doing two versions: the one with the halo is the first, the one with the bats was the second. I tried to do something kind of thin and elegant with the first one and I don't think it's terrible but I also wasn't quite satisfied with it. For the 2nd attempt I tried to lean into the kind of pulpy, almost horror punk aesthetic of early MCR and I think that one looks better even if it's less original.

Anyway if you took the time to read through all this, thank you very much! And please support these bands! Also If any of the links aren't working please let me know.

-Logan

[bestgameostcrownduel]

Round 1, Side A: Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (2019) vs Kingdom Hearts 3 (2019)

FFXIV | Kingdom Hearts

Campaigns under the cut!

Campaign for FFXIV:

oh my god where do I start. Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV) is an MMORPG that's been going on 2013, or 2010 if you count the trainwreck that the current FFXIV replaced (the 2010 version's music was composed mainly by Uematsu, 2013 onwards is mostly Soken). Thus its OST is FUCKING HUGE and spans a whole lot of genres. If you like any kind of music at all you can probably find at least one track that speaks to you in this game. FFXIV has a category of incredibly difficult fights called Ultimate, comprised of multiple short phases that each have their own music. Because of the nature of how Ultimates are structured, they're the only fights in FFXIV where the music can actually be timed to the mechanics. If you're not afraid of story spoilers, look up any ultimate's BGM and you can see how cool this effect is. (I can't listen to Under the Weight without also hearing the sound of every mechanic and tankbuster.) (My personal favorite ultimate, music-wise, is The Epic of Alexander. Back when I was progging the fight I used to fall asleep listening to the BGM.) To The Edge is so so special to everyone who loves FFXIV. It's the theme of a boss in Shadowbringers; I can't give details without also giving major spoilers, but I will say that the story and this song deal with the themes of death and loss. If you look up the lyrics, which aren't too spoilery without context, you'll get what I mean. What makes this extra emotional is that FFXIV's main composer, Soken, was in the hospital fighting cancer when he composed this song. (To be clear: he kept working because it provided him with a desperately needed sense of normalcy, not because he needed to.) No one on the dev team knew aside from Yoshi P, FFXIV's producer + director as well as Soken's personal friend; the rest of the team found out the same time the fans did, months after the fact when Soken was in full remission, at the 2021 FFXIV Fan Festival (FanFest). To The Edge was already widely beloved prior to this because it's an incredible banger tied to an incredible story moment, but knowing what was going on behind the scenes during its composition, in addition to the story and song's own themes surrounding death, turns it into a piece that no one can listen to without getting wildly emotional about it. At the same FanFest, before Soken announced that he fought cancer and won, he performed this live: https://youtu.be/aBt4zT_PBmw?si=SgzTV9BvINfA0b-U Absolute king shit. With Hearts Aligned is also so so so special to me because it's the song that plays in the 'victory lap' second phase against the final boss that caps off a nine year long story arc. It features a leitmotif from The Maker's Ruin, a song from 2013, that represents the player and is often used when we overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. There are no words that can describe the sheer fucking emotion of fighting the final boss of a nine year long story arc while listening to the leitmotif that represents YOU, a leitmotif that you first heard however many weeks or months or years ago when you first started playing this game. The ultimate triumph, and the ultimate song of hope. Also if you like leitmotifs, FFXIV has /so many leitmotifs/. Have a spreadsheet of them: https://x.com/EENlX/status/1686043012353396736?s=20 Also also, Alex Moukala on youtube does more in-depth analysis of some of the best tracks in FFXIV! Great videos, I highly recommend checking them out.

I would put the entire game's soundtrack if I could but there's a LOT. The album I listed is for the "postgame" of Shadowbringers. Of particular note is the song "To The Edge" which was written while the composer, Masayoshi Soken, was battling with cancer.

Campaign for KH3:

yoko shimomura, the GODDESS, the LEGEND, her composing skills never fail to amaze! kh music is so so goodddddd

I’m not good with propagandizing but the OST for this series is so good. For KH3, I love so much of the soundtrack. The Disney worlds have some great tracks, but the endgame and dlc has almost nothing but bangers.

[beevean]

🔥 for... Sonic music. :]

It's good.

Well, what other opinion could you have? :P

Alright, let's see...

I think SA2 unfairly overshadows the OSTs of the entire Adventure era. While SA1 still gets a lot of love, it pains me that Heroes is rarely considered - I think it has an unique soundtrack that takes a lot from SA1 but puts its own spin on it, a vibe that IMO only Colors matches.

ShTH's music is better than most give it credit for. Yes, a good chunk of it is generic butt metal. But then you have beautiful tracks such as The Doom, Sky Troops, Digital Circuit, The ARK, Lost Impact, GUN Fortress... The latter two are, no joke, some of my favorites in the whole series.

3D Blast has my favorite soundtrack among all Genesis games. You can feel that the composers know the console chip from the inside out by now, and those compositions hit the nail with the melody, the soundfont and the complexity.

Spinball has my second favorite soundtrack among all Genesis games. No I'm not trolling :P yes it uses the dreaded GEMS sound, but I think it fits the grittier vibe of that game. Lava Powerhouse, The Machine, the boss theme and the option themes are especially bangers to me. (yes again I'm not trolling)

I think people are too mean with the "alternative" soundtracks. I still play CD with the American soundtrack, both out of habit (I first played the game on Gems Collection) and because I think it fits the surreal, alien style of the game more. And I appreciate a lot how the Saturn soundtrack of 3D Blast incorporates the game's leitmotif, and sounds as deliciously '90s as Sonic R :P (plus You're My Hero is one of my favorite songs in the series)

Mortar Canyon is one of the best tracks Ohtani has composed in his career and y'all sleep on it because you got convinced that Forces' OST is made of nothing but Faded Hills >:( in fact, I feel about Forces' soundtrack the same way I feel about ShTH's. Yes, it has some stinkers, but a good chunk of it is great.

Actually, you know what: this is the reason I don't hate Superstars' music as much as most do. It's perfectly in line with the series. It has some duds but it has many more bangers (Lagoon City <3 Pinball Carnival <3 Press Factory <3 Special Stage <3), and I hope that Rintaro Soma has joined the fray in the same way Tee Lopes did.

[supercantaloupe]

happy sleepover saturday! any thoughts about Beetlejuice the musical (positive/negative/etc)? I've really liked what I've seen/heard but I'd be interested to know what you think. additionally, as a guy who rarely listens to any kind of classical music because he is bad at remembering the titles 😫 what are some bangers i should put on tonight while i assemble a gerbil cage? (preferably the smaller... songs? numbers? please no longer than 10 minutes per. concerto???? idk what they're called im so sorry. last thing these are my three beautiful boys im adopting tomorrow!

OHH THREE BEAUTIFUL BABY BOYS. i like that that two of them appear to have airbender arrows on their heads

i! don't have very strong opinions on beetlejuice the musical, to be honest. i haven't seen it and it's been a few years since listening to the soundtrack. i remember it being decent, a few clever lines and composition moments here and there, there was clearly some creativity and heart put into it. it didn't seem to have like the kind of lazy cashgrab project vibes that other movie-to-stage musical adaptations sometimes, like sure the original movie here was a cult classic already but the team turning it into a musical seemed really interested in making into its own thing that adds to the creative idea. it's not really my cup of tea these days but it seems like a fun time, and you can absolutely do worse

HMM...well i am very much at heart a symphony girlie and symphonies tend to be quite a bit longer than ten minutes, But i shall try to come up with some shorter selections...

the overture to die meistersinger is genuinely a work of genius. i regret having to recommend a wagner piece because philosophically (and also at times musically) i disagree with the man intensely, and he was a massive piece of shit. but damn could he write an overture. he should have been a symphonist. and left it at that.

in that vein actually opera overtures are gonna offer a lot of great options for exciting classical music pieces that don't go on for too long. rossini has a ton of classics to choose from, many of which are very famous and also might be recognizable, like the barber of seville, la gazza ladra (the thieving magpie), l'italiana in algeri (the italian girl in algeria), la scala di seta (the silken ladder) and william tell.

some of my other personal favorite overtures are mozart's le nozze di figaro (the marriage of figaro) and the magic flute, weber's der freischütz, donizetti's la fille du régiment (the daughter of the regiment), and bernstein's candide.

also! the dance of the hours is a classic, it comes from the ballet la gioconda and also was featured in the original fantasia so it might be familiar!

finally i'll recommend some concert band music which i think is often overlooked in the classical music world. and no one does concert band better than brits and americans. holst first suite in Eb and second suite in F are both great, same for vaughan williams' english folk song suite. and william walton's crown imperial coronation march.

OH and arturo márquez's danzón no 2. okay love you bye

[ask meme]

[couldbebetterforsure]

It's here!!!!!!! The Ryuseitai Trip Album cover is finally here!!!!!

Ahh, my sweet boys, they all look so pretty and cool and handsome! And I love how their outfits remind me of their Comet Show oufits! Tetora, Midori, and Shinobu are all up front, taking center stage in the shot while Chiaki and Kanata are to the sides and more to the back. But they're all standing together, as one unit! Five incredibly and wonderful individuals who make up the brilliant Ryuseitai!

And here's the preview for Ryuseitai's new song, which we'll get an MV of once we get the album release on March 6th, New Daybreak! Once again, Ryuseitai refuses to release any bad songs, it's banger after banger after banger with them!

Looks like the lyricist is Maori Kodama. I can't find any information on them other than they're also the one who wrote the lyrics for Bokura no Stella from Ryuseitai's Stella Maris story. And that song is the current love of my life, so I totally look forward to hearing what lyrics they came up with for New Daybreak! EDIT: Okay, turns out Google Translate and the Enstars Wiki was just lying to me...The lyricist's ACTUAL name is Saori Kodama. In which case, there is PLENTY of info on her! She has a long history of song writing under her belt, with plenty of anime being graced by her music. And, from what I'm seeing, it looks like she was especially involved in magical girl anime! She also has written prior stuff for Enstars other than Bokura no Stella and New Daybreak. So yeah, how fun that Ryuseitai's new album will have both tokusatsu AND magical girl influences!

The arrangement of the song is being done by Shuhei Naruse. He's done compositions for several Kamen Rider series and some Mega Man anime as well!

And the composer of the song is Hironobu Kageyama. A singer and composer who has done a TON of music for a variety of tokusatsu series as well as several anime, including famously being the singer for Dragon Ball Z's first, and honestly most well known, opening theme "Cha-La Head-Cha-La".

Having two people who are known for their work on tokusatsu shows working on a song for Ryuseitai is perfect! And from the preview alone I am already loving the feel of this song. Can't wait for the full version.....Especially when we get the MV!!!!

So yeah, I've already preordered the limited edition version of the album. So I am ready for that Ryuseitai musical goodness! Especially since we will be getting full versions of Bokura no Stella and Relax Paradise too! Aaaaaahhhh!!! I love you Ryuseitai!!!!!

[weed-ols]

Reviewing Every UKISS Release: By Unpopular Demand ~ NEVERLAND

This release, by no exaggeration, permanently altered the direction of my life. This album is just hit after hit, and oscillates between adrenaline rush and sobbing loudly from the abrupt mood swings between songs, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

And yeah, this was supposed to be posted months ago but when I was grabbing screenshots, the post glitched and never saved and I rage quit writing this, but I'm back now!

NEVERLAND - 2nd Studio Album | 2011.09.01

This was so big when it came out, like I think if you were an international fan of K-pop at the time, you'd 100% know this song. Like there were download links for it everywhere, dance covers, fan uploads, it was crazy. We were so sure they were going to get their first music show win, but in classic UKISS fashion, they overlapped with another titanic comeback and had to settle for second.

So there was a little docuseries about them in 2011, when exactly it took place, I'm not entirely sure, but I'm fairly certain it was during NEVERLAND promotions. It was technically about all of the members, and the work that goes into being an idol. Some funny bits I remember about it -

Kevin accidentally stomping on Soohyun's foot during practice

Worrying about their future because groups that don't win a music show in their first 3 years usually disband (lol we're in the big old year 2024 now)

Dongho eating cake in the bathroom like a gremlin

Eli's alleged bachelor pad

I actually don't remember if this was in this documentary or from something else, but Hoon saying Kevin was the meanest to him when he first joined because he would tease him over not knowing how to dance

About the actual album now, I think that this, like Bran New Kiss, is another real turning point for them. We get a good mix of dance songs and more emotional songs, we have their first unit songs, and first real self-written song (albeit just lyrical composition with some help, but still baby steps!!)

Intro | YouTube Music 7.1k | Spotify 31k

It's 56 seconds long and basically a NEVERLAND remix

What is there to review?

7.5/10 I don't hate it though

NEVERLAND (Audio) | YouTube Music 26M | Spotify 2.5M

This went triple platinum in my bedroom I was so in love with this song (still am a bit)

One of the few songs where everyone is an active and roughly equal participant

Soohyun, Kevin, and Dongho get a bit more though but that's fine

"Money love fashion fame and all that's in between" what a banger line from Eli for once I'm not laughing at him

"And we stay forever young" Dongho, the most babyfaced baby to ever baby says

"Ggeuteun eobseo never end/Yeogin Neverland" part of the chorus? Batshit so good I love it

Some interesting vocal/rapper combos - Kevin/Kiseop/Eli; Hoon/AJ/Dongho; AJ/Kevin/Kiseop; Hoon/Eli/Kiseop/Dongho

Chorus is basically Kevin/Soohyun + Hoon for the second one

It's not very deep, but I am a sucker for the eternal youth and hedonism themes

Makes a fun dance track just slightly dark, like we're having fun at the club but also a little scared

I also like that while the vocals have clearly been processed for stylistic purposes, you can still really hear the differences in their voices, and the power in Soohyun and Kevin

9.5/10 it's just so iconic

NEVERLAND (MV) | Official upload 23M

Just realized it's been years since I've actually properly watched this MV but good god if it isn't permanently burnt into my brain

I have so many questions about who this mysterious DJ is and his purpose

Is he the reason they're seemingly trapped in this wintry apocalyptic-esque space? Is he why the party never stops? Is he even human?

Iconique this was my laptop's wallpaper for like a good year in middle school (which is a super long time)

These tinsel tops are both questionable and perfect, love the way the fabric and fringes move

This was like peak male fashion in 2011 where copious amounts of guyliner can give untold confidence

Like guyliner so thick it removes the need for eyeshadow

That's deadass gotta be like an entire bottle of liquid liner right there

Also I really like that hair colour on him

Peak male hairstyle in 2011

Like I think this was almost universal where if a guy in middle/high school had this haircut, he was automatically the coolest guy

Or in my experience, every Asian guy had either this hair, a buzzcut, or a bowlcut, those were the only hairstyles from like 2008-2012

Not the statement necklace

OH BABY WE'RE BACK IN THE ABANDONED WAREHOUSE

This is honestly one of my favourite parts

Also someone please let them out of the freezer the floor is cold and hard

FREE HIM

Love the obligatory smoulder and brood shots of the members so angsty for no reason

I like to think that this ice sculpture actually ate up majority of the budget along with the plethora of arts and crafts baubles attached to their outfits and eyeliner

Love love love this bit of choreo

I was so obsessed with this water set as a kid and still am

So obviously there isn't much to talk about the MV since it's basically a bunch of dance videos in different sets spliced with some brooding solo shots and smouldering group shots

But you know what? It works the song has enough going on that if the MV had more it would feel like too much

The sets are standard vaguely apocalyptic wastelands, and I really like the blue snowy one and the orange water one in particular

Three outfits -- the black tanks with the silver mesh/tinsel loose tank over; the black short-sleeve/sleeveless tops with metallic accents, and the white outfits at the end, and they all look good still and in motion

The hairstyles were all fine, with Kevin and Kiseop really embodying Peak 2011 Male Fashion, and Dongho with the most bowlcut to ever bowl

9/10 so iconic so good so 2011

NEVERLAND (Stages) | Highest viewed 765k (Music Core)

I was so obsessed with this when it came out like how could I not? Also incredible that they've brought The Box, which was not one of the sets used for the MV, to the music show absolutely incredible

It's like they gotta hit all the second gen tropes they can

Can't tell if I love or hate this motion sickness-inducing camera work

I can't take this part seriously anymore because I keep thinking about that charades game they played in Japan where they all mocked Kevin for this

The lines his arms make are very nice though, sharp and straight

That hair is ahead of its time

Another personal favourite part of the dance

Love that the smaller group work

This is more on the camera, but those background dancers integrated in seamlessly

Also love that everyone gets a chance to be centre I think that's really cute and everyone gets some time to shine

RIP to this arm pumping movement that disappears in like 2012 and the fact that AJ kept doing this last year

This part is so good

Everyone crowding around Soohyun while he belts, the turns, so good

Kinda like he's sucking up their energy to sustain his singing lol

Firstly, outfits

Love that they're all wearing the same basic black vest and pants, and have their own gold accents for the vests. Super simple but interesting to look at, moves very nicely

Nobody has hair crimes against humanity, just the standard 2011 hairstyles

Singing-wise, oh this was absolutely live and it's kind of insane they did all of this?

Like yeah of course there's the backtrack, but it's obvious when they're singing live versus letting the backtrack take over for the moment

I completely get why they were constantly talking about having to improve their health and fitness for this comeback because wow they sound really clean, both the vocal and rap lines

Also get why they said this was dangerous for their health, I remember trying to learn the dance and it was hard. I can't imagine having to train the dance and sing cleanly like that

On the topic of singing while dancing and the fitness and skill required for it, I think the NEVERLAND choreo is really interesting in that regard

There's a lot of up and down movement, lots of arm and footwork, but the torso stays relatively intact

Not static, but very shoulders-ribs-hips connected, and a lot of the interesting shapes and lines in the dance are mostly illusions created from arm, leg, and head placements

Which makes sense because while I don't sing, I'd imagine that keeping the torso straight and connected would help with maximizing airflow

Overall, they all did great. Everyone got their little moments to shine, though of course Soohyun shone the most, and nobody was super eyecatching, which is really good for this kind of dance

10/10 this is definitely one of those songs where the live stages are just insane to watch (*cough cough* SBS Chuseok water stage *cough cough*

Anyway, lookbook time

These feathered monstrosities with the rhinestoned tops

I swear they brought it up during UKISS On The Block when they were bemoaning second gen fashion

I think I see the vision of drawing attention to the upper body and arm lines, but it just makes their shoulders look perma-hunched

Love the skinny jeans, combat boots, and black jacket look

The individualized jackets with gold embellishments never misses

The dangly bits really help draw attention in a good way without ruining the overall lines

The white ensemble is nice, cuts a clean silhouette

But I don't like that Kevin and Hoon have theirs unbuttoned I get why, but I think if some of the others were also unbuttoned, or if they just had a different cut it would look better

The flopping vest is just a bit weird

So these outfits are from a 2011.12.30 special performance

Love love love it why did they tease a vampire concept like this if they weren't ever going to do it

Also really love reusing these vests with white skinny jeans, it's such a clean look

Shiny silver trashbag vests and blazers with white jeans

Not loving the cut of the blazers though I do think vests are probably the way to go for the dance

I do love these blazers though the slimmer-cut is definitely more flattering

Baby Don't Cry | YouTube Music 661k | Spotify 250k

I genuinely think this could've been a title track of its own it's so good

Another staple of my tween years - it's sad and angsty and moody

I like how the song song builds by letting all these sweet-toned singers do the first half before the second half is basically dominated by Soohyun and AJ + Kevin backing

Those first two verses honestly sound so pretty, and fit very well considering it's just them being sad boys

Second half is being slightly angry and petty, so of course Soohyun fits it perfectly

It's a genre-crossing "baby I love you please come back" to "baby you broke up with me :(" to "I'm gonna fight this other dude and I hope you become miserable >:c"

So so petty "I'm going to wish for your unhappiness"

Also went triple platinum in my bedroom

9.75/10 I would've given it a 9/10 for the first two verses alone they were that good

SOMEDAY (audio) | YouTube Music 1.5M | Spotify 336k

I'm fairly certain this is their first real slow song?

This was and still is such a comfort song

I love that it's a weepy song, not because it's sad in any way, but just because it's literally a comfort song

Another great collaborative effort for the first half before letting Soohyun and Kevin take the second half

Kinda surprised Hoon doesn't have more individual lines

Again, NH was kinda cooking by accident when they put them together like their voices all work so well

It's a shame we don't get to hear Dongho sing more I like his voice

The chorus is single-handedly responsible for getting me through middle school

10+ years later I still get a bit misty-eyed from this sometimes

8.5/10 I think it's a great foray into softer and more emotional songs, not their best especially compared to their JP ones, but a fantastic first go

SOMEDAY (stages) | Highest viewed 130k (Fan upload)

I don't remember them promoting this song that much yet there's so many stages?

I remember this Wave Kpop one but not the others

There's not much to really talk about since it's just singing, but it is crazy to hear Eli sing here versus even just a couple years later like he improved a lot

Super funny when Dongho sings his part and when Kevin's harmonization comes in, you completely lose Dongho's voice lol

These outfits are fine, simple, but gets the job done

Also lol Kevin wearing full smokey eye makeup here

Ooh these outfits are cozy, love the earthy palette

But also peak preppy 2011

Hoon in a full winter jacket is super funny though like everyone else is just dressed for autumn

More cozy fits, but this time in black/white/grey

Lol Dongho's little newsie cap

And Kevin's poncho like can we talk about how in ponchos were in 2011-2012?

They also sound super on in this performance. Probably the best version of the Dongho-Kevin bit I've heard

You can also pick out all the others singing during the chorus, which is pretty rare

Black jackets over white shirts with white pants, hard to go wrong

The blazers over graphic tees was so in at the time

Oh I love this very cohesive look

I don't love the jackets but the aesthetic is so consistent I don't hate it?

Different looks but very similar, very well done

Take Me Away | YouTube Music 1.3M | Spotify 272k

The goddamn faint emergency siren is literally both the worst and best part of this song because it adds ambience, but I hate the possible implications of it

Hoon/Kevin duet?!?!?! The first and last they literally just did this one song together and never again

It's like they knew this couldn't be topped and just had to pack it up

Love that every part of this song is so simple and understated so that their sweet and slightly teary voices can shine love that for them

Lyrics are hella depressing, which is why I actually don't have this on a lot of playlists because I can and will cry

I think the lives of this are way better (unsurprisingly) they really hit you with the full brunt of everything

8.5/10 simple, depressing, and understated for all the right reasons

ON THE Floor | YouTube Music 246k | Spotify 166k

I love that that's literally the official title like why is it capitalized like this

So we're just gonna completely change the mood with a fun dance song now

Soohyun/Kevin duet featuring AJ, Hoon, and Kiseop in roughly equal parts

Kiseop gets a whole verse to himself?!?!

Really is just a party song with a dash of "girl we in love"

8/10 it's a fun song that does its job, it's just not a standout in any way

Love Of A Friend | YouTube Music 434k | Spotify 68k

Back to slow and emotional again

This song doubles as both a friendzone anthem and a situationship anthem like what do you mean "we're not friends, we're not lovers"??

Another song where everyone gets a little part I love it

Opening with Soohyun/Hoon/Kevin? Goated I love the slowly increasing sweetness

Third verse with the entire vocal line stuffed in there? Incredible

I also think that verse is just so sweet lyrically

It's such a sappy love song it almost feels out of place in their KR discography like this would 100% work for a JP release

I think they all sing the chorus? Hard to tell because Soohyun and Kevin are always loud as hell and drown everyone else out, but I can hear Hoon and AJ pretty clearly at times

The bridge confuses me greatly because Soohyun clearly sings the second line, but the first line sounds like it's split between Hoon and Kiseop

I wish there was a live of this so I could confirm it

Why is there no live for this??? A travesty I say an absolute travesty

The last chorus though? Incredible

Soohyun belting his little heart out like rent's due, Kevin fighting for attention, and AJ randomly busting through

10/10 I can't even put into words how much I love this song it's one of their best slow songs

Story of April | YouTube Music 68k | Spotify 43k

Soohyun landing their first collabotration with a female artist good for him

It's a weepy love song, which is basically his forte

I think it's nice, not my favourite, but I do like their voices together

7.75/10 I don't have much else to add, but something about the song makes me feel like it's missing something?

Obsession | YouTube Music 692k | Spotify 192k

2SEOP 2SEOP 2SEOP

The chokehold this had me in was insane

I think this was one of the most listened-to song on my iPod throughout all of middle school and part of high school

I was so not normal about this song and I'm still not how could I be when I was so completely in love with the both of them

And it's so cute they cowrote this

"Love which is effable" AJ that was such a banger

Remember when they performed this for their 2012 tour and when AJ sings "tears are falling down" he just starts tenderly carressing Kiseop's cheek???

I really do like their voices paired together

Also does anyone remember if this came out before AJ's whole obsessive lover bit started or was it after, because either way I'm impressed he stuck to it at least until 2014

Like I'm sorry but that one Q&A game they played where the others were all like "being clingy/having a clingy lover is too bothersome :/" while AJ is just stomping his foot and shouting "love equals obsession!!" is soooo funny to me

Anyway when are we getting our Siyoon/Kiseop-produced UKISS album?? Like the chances of this actually happening now are significantly higher than when this idea was first floated

9/10 literally altered my brain chemistry

TOP THAT | YouTube Music 294k | Spotify 110k

Okay so now we're back to Bad Boy™ UKISS with another arrogant dance track

And the autotune is back babyyy

That persistent 'lalala' synth is both super annoying and infuriatingly catchy

Also lowkey kinda anxiety-inducing

So this is basically Soohyun's song since he's basically singing like half of it himself

AJ and Kevin get the next most lines, with AJ getting a whole rap to himself and Kevin coming and going throughout the entire song

Hoon, Dongho, Eli, and Kiseop are fighting for scraps lol

Honestly I don't remember feeling like AJ ever got so many parts, but this journey is proving me otherwise

Aggressively arrogant song

So I think that this is an angry post-breakup song where they're bitching at their ex?

7.5/10 I don't hate it, but the synth sound is so annoying. Otherwise, very normal uwukiss song

Tell Me Y | YouTube Music 88k | Spotify 81k

Rap line song??? Kinda sorta it's just Dongho and Eli with Swin PD doing the singing

Surprisingly slow and mellow song for what is ostensibly the rap line song

If you guessed this song is another "baby I miss you please come back" song, you'd be right

A very even three-person collaboration everyone got lines yay

I really like the instrumentation for this song, very chill and easy to listen to

8/10 I feel like I always forget about this song when I make playlists it's really nice

Let's Meet Again | YouTube Music 17k | Spotify 9.4k

Group project with Paran to cover a Paran song lol

Thank you Eli for the elephant impression, truly don't know what we'd do without you

So yeah it starts with a long group chat for the first few minutes while the 9 of them are stuffed in that recording booth

By the way, there's a making of album video of this and it's super adorable

The Paran guys are just teasing and babying Soohyun like that's exactly what he deserves

It's a bit difficult to sort through the voices because I'm not familiar with Paran, but it sounds mostly like the vocal line + the Paran guys

I think it's Paran who starts off, followed by Hoon and Kevin, then the vocal troika dominating the first chorus

Second verse sounds like Eli, who sounds very nice, followed by an equally nice Kiseop, then AJ, then the second chorus that's dominated by AJ and Kevin

Then SooHoon helping build into the very pretty last chorus that's mostly the Paran guys + Soohyun

I just kind of wish there was something else to help resolve the ending since it just kinda comes down, but the payoff doesn't feel super satisfying?

It's very pretty I love the instrumentation and how well it builds

You know, I've always wondered where AJ got his singing style from, like it's super distinct compared to the others, and he must have learnt/mimicked it from his Paran bros 🥺

It's such a mushy 'let's meet again' type song I love it

God I'd kill to hear a proper live of this done it'd be so good

8.75/10 god the buildup is so good and I love vocal-heavy songs

So yeah, after a very long time, I'm finally done with NEVERLAND, and we're entering their JP era next, yay!

Not a fun fact, but just a general observation, but this whole 2011-2014 period is so insane to me? Like they basically work nonstop for those 3 years doing constant promotions in Korea and Japan, international tours/concerts, all while members are coming and going? Honestly more surprised they didn't all crash and burn, considering how middling the returns were, but I guess that's why they're all batshit

[bellsrung]

𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝟬𝟬𝟭 : an intro to elinor .

the room felt so daunting — something strikingly different than the previous interview rooms they've stepped in before. aside from the camera, one singular lens pointed at the chair she currently occupied, and the blinding white - hot LEDs, there was something to it elinor just couldn't seem to shake. it wasn't about their work, no genuine storytelling could ever come about something like this. they wanted dirt, drama, intrigue ... anything to bring in the views. they could only do so much. honesty was the only thing she could allow herself to give. a musician didn't mean she was a performer, too.

              hands smoothing over her pants, pulling the sleeves of their cardigan over their hands despite the radiating stuffiness of the room, they began.

question     #1     …

" i'm elinor. twenty seven. i'm a musician. i was born in louisiana, a week earlier than my original due date, ain't that funny ? " you could hear the accent that bled through, one that seemed to only come out when talking about her family or on louisiana soil. moving a lot - whether it be boston or los angeles - has since watered down what used to be a slow, southern drawl. the pace has remained, but the pronunciation can only be offered in few and far between tidbits. " born at ochsner baptist hospital in new orleans. was supposed to be a vacation weekend, actually, something my parents did to de - stress. they seemed to stop doing that when i reached school age. work got to be a lot 'n their schedules didn't match up anymore, plus me in school 'n all ——— anyways. all's to say, i grew up in baton rouge. "

question     #2     …

" i'd like to say it's 'cause i'm qualified, but i'm sure there's gotta be some nepotism in there. my parents aren't a list celebs - you have to wait a minute or so for their names to finally show up on the credits, but they had friends, of course. there's also some good timing in there. fate, if you really wanna get all superstitious about it. " she could only shrug. " i originally thought i'd get into the production side of music - y'know, doing scores 'n shit for movies. i loved move scores as a kid. the one for atonement has to be one of the best ones to this day. everyone says it's intersteller and, don't get me wrong, 's good, but it's not my favorite. i adore danny elfman, trent reznor and atticus ross, john williams. pissed me off that they're all old white dudes, though. but, god, can they make a banger of a composition. " elinor laughed, a real, genuine laugh, one that contorted every feature upon their face into a knitted scrunch. it took nearly a minute for her to compose themselves.

" i love music. i love when music makes me feel things. i hate that i have to be a businessperson as well. i don't know jack shit about marketing, but i'm in too deep now to do anything else. " she picked at the skin surrounding her thumb, a nervous tic that seemed to manifest now more than ever. " where i am now is all because of chance. i posted a snippet of me lip syncing in my room to one of my songs i made on garageband — heart shaped smokes — y'know, one of those stupid songs you make when you have a crush on someone. tiktok loves music that has an okay - enough beat and something you can post an edit of your celeb crush to. 's kind of been an uphill battle from there. "

question     #3     …

" it sure helps that i don't have to do much heavy lifting to get the bills paid. my parents are those traditional pick yourself up by your bootstraps people, or whatever that person said, so it wasn't like i was born with a trust - just a college fund that i'm obviously grateful for. i worked as a barista for a few years post grad, some small cafe in boston. it kept the rent paid, but god, i hated smelling like coffee afterwards. i was exhausted, though, between that and studio sessions. i also did music lessons for a few kids, so i was kind of running on fumes for a while. that's the nicest part about where i am now ; i have my me time back. "

they adjusted themselves, shifting around while the chair suddenly felt very uncomfortable. " it sucks being recognized. i hate it, actually. i know that sounds dramatic, and i definitely don't want to lump in people who are genuinely nice and want to meet me — i still can't believe that aspect of it. it'll never be normal, i think. people feeling things because of my lyrics, my compositions, it's fucking insane i just ——— you fuck up once and it follows you like this demon, and somehow it overshadows all the good stuff that comes with a gig like this. i don't want to live like that. "

question     #4     …

" i needed a change of scenery, and moving to la for a reality show might have been the best opportunity i could get. i just have to be myself and then i'll get paid ? why the fuck would i not do that ? " their answer was suspiciously short, dichotomous to the length of their previous answers.

" melody seems cool. celebrity lawyer ? kind of sick. we get along fine. i don't expect us to be the best of friends, but it doesn't hurt to just be in good spirits with someone. daisy's also nice. tooth - rotting sweet sometimes, but i feel like she means well. plus, she's got one hell of a voice. i hope she does more with it — would be a shame to just tuck that talent away forever. maverick and kit are kind of in the same general category ... either fun as hell or a pain in my ass. mostly the former, thankfully, but god, can those two speak for hours. "

question     #5     …

" problematic to me ? " their hands itched, pulling their bottom lip between their teeth. a knee jerk reaction, something that mixed with the resounding grudge she still held against lola, urged her to mention the dancer by name, but she couldn't. not to her. eyes dropped to the floor, staring at the way their boot shifted against the tufted rug. " everyone's got their own shit going on, i dunno. kit might be physically problematic. he already nearly blew up a toaster. otherwise, i feel like xander's got his head far up his own ass. might be like pulling teeth to get anything out of him. "

question     #6     …

" you're really gonna make me answer this, huh ? " a chuckle, bordering on more of a scoff, head shaking in disbelief. " i don't know, uh ——— " visible discomfort, nothing serious, just the awkwardness that came with it. even so, they truly tried to think, nearly popping a blood vessel on mental fortitude alone. " maybe kit and melody, if he doesn't scare her away with how fast he could possibly talk. maybe she's into that, i don't know her too well yet. but she's nice, good head on her shoulders. both of 'em have really good teeth ... perfect ' hollywood couple ' smiles, y'know ? "

question     #7     …

" anisa's got that influencer personality you can see right through ... trying to be everyone's friend, making sure everyone is an ally. she's cute, i'll give her that. when shit hits the fan, though - and it inevitably will, whether it's our own doing or someone else's - she seems like she'd be the first to try to run away or do anything to save face. "

question     #8     …

" i don't have much to say, really. just ... i don't know. uh, leave me the fuck alone when i'm at the pool ? "

[metalsongoftheday]

Friday, August 4: Iron Maiden, "Judgement Day"

Iron Maiden spent the better part of a year writing and recording The X Factor, putting upward of 16 or so originals and covers to tape before settling on the 11 that made the album proper.  “Judgement Day” was one of the tracks left off the record, perhaps because it bore some similarity to the other Bayley/Gers composition “Man on the Edge”, which became the album’s first single.  But it, along with the other two originals subsequently released as B-sides, had much more energy and life than most of the songs that made the frequently turgid X Factor: the track was loud, clattery and a little unfocused, but the entire band- especially Blaze Bayley- sounded engaged and energized, and attacked the tune in a way that obscured the terrible production.  “Judgement Day” was an actual high octane metal banger that would’ve painted this iteration of Maiden in a much better light had it been placed on the album to balance out the slower numbers.  Of course, there was no getting around the mess that was Steve Harris’ production, and the dueling caterwauling solos were likewise sloppy and were completely counter to Maiden’s usual approach.  But nonetheless, “Judgement Day” stood out as a lively tune that painted the Blaze Bayley era in a much better light and with a touch more thought (and much better production) could’ve been a gem.

[afpwestcoast]

Colony, Woodstock, NY, 9/1/23

In a virtual repeat of last November, the Dolls did a three-night stand at Colony in Woodstock, followed by a Patreon brunch on Sunday. Unfortunately I was only able to make two of the shows this time around, so this was the first show for me, but the second for the band. The band actually came out a little uncharacteristically stiff, like they were playing from rote memorization rather than actually feeling the songs. But that didn’t last long (2 or 3 songs, tops) and they torched through the rest of the set with verve and glee. Annotated Set List:

Sex Changes

Modern Moonlight

Gravity — During the lyrics Down at work, I'm getting too familiar with the floor Trading in my talents by the mouthful I mimed fellatio by moving my fist next to my mouth and poking my tongue into my cheek. Afterwards Amanda said, “I saw you putting that cock in your mouth, Tom; it was great. IT’S GONNA BE A GOOD NIGHT!”

Bad Habit

At this point the Addams Family theme suddenly appeared, but I honestly don’t remember why.

My Alcoholic Friends

Welcome to the Internet (Bo Burnham cover) — Before the song Brian start tapping on the rim of his drum in an irregular pattern and tapping a cymbal occasionally. Amanda expressed befuddlement but someone in the audience figured out that he was simulating typing. Like you do. On the Internet. (Except computer keyboards don’t ‘ding,’ but whatever.)

Night Reconnaissance

At this point Amanda recounted the story of the first time she was ‘canceled’ in Boston. Apparently she had randomly seen Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte on TV and thought he was hot, so at a show in Boston she proclaimed from stage that she wanted to fuck Andy Pettitte, to which the general response from the crowd was, “That’s not funny.”

Astronaut: A Short History of Nearly Nothing

Mrs. O — Before the song Brian held up his hands to make a circle.

Amanda, confused: “What are you doing?” Brian: “…” Amanda: “O?” Brian: “…” Amanda: “Oh!” The crowd, catching on: “OH!”

Slide — After the song Amanda said that she wrote it when she was 15 and it was the first song she ever wrote that she thought was Good. She nervously and reluctantly played it for one of her teachers and his response was, “You know what’s gonna be amazing, Amanda? When the music of your songs achieves the maturity of your lyrics.” I yelled out “FUCK that guy!” To which Amanda replied, “I know; fuck that guy. It’s a really good song.”

Only 3 Chords — An impromptu composition in response to her high school teacher the entire lyrics of which were:

Music does not have to be complicated to be good You know it’s true Listen to The Ramones: Every song is good and it’s only three chords

Whakanewha (pronounced Fuckin-A Fa)

Boyfriend in a Coma — New(ish) song previously known as Tom’s New Favorite Song. It’s actually a very old song that has been recently resurrected and finished.

Mister God — Brand New Song! This is a great banger of a song that definitely fits in Dresden Dolls canon, but there’s a section that really reminds me of Olly Olly Oxen Free.

Houdini — Another Brand New Song!! This is a slower contemplation of death. Mostly.

Mein Herr (cover from Cabaret; music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb)

Coin-Operated Boy — as has become tradition lately, a little of Metallica’s Enter Sandman snuck in there at some point.

Happy Birthday to Leah someone in the crowd yelled out, “Can we sing Happy Birthday to Leah?” Amanda said, yes, but in a minor key, and then added the lyric “We hope it’s not long before you DIE!” to the end. Then she said, “That’s what you get when you ask the Dresden Dolls to sing you Happy Birthday!”

Good Day — Traditionally the opener, this song was pushed to the end of the set tonight.

War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover)

— —

Girl Anachronism

Sing

Photo Gallery:

There were reports that the venue had aggressively enforced a ‘no photo’ policy at the Thursday show (which seemed odd) so I didn’t take many pictures and they were all from a low angle so as to be inconspicuous.

The official set list. It was not followed to the letter.

The Dresden Dolls!

Mein Herr

After the show many in the crowd headed across the street to Amanda’s pop up venue Graveside Variety to see John Coons’ BLEAK!, featuring catchy, upbeat show tunes about how the world is ending and we’re all doomed.

[honeybabymp3]

I was tagged by patri @zorrxchicle to do some fun song things but ended up overthinking it waaaay too much and only posting now so here we go. Last five songs :

jai cherche by amir . sorry for starting this with french this is xavier dolan's fault. the TRIBULATIONS i went for to find out what this song is called.

true love by p!nk. so true

last stardust by aimer.... is this one from a fate thing idk. either way banger

ocean size by goldfinger (ft. bert mccracken) i LOVE this song. also ocean song for patri.

taylor's acoustic version of king of my heart she played at that one engagement party <3 do people still know about that. i actually watched this one on tv in a celebrity show thing my mom was watching. good thing cause i don't think i was that deep into fandom those days

5 songs mini playlist :::

bastille’s rearrangement of Happier for mtv unplugged is out on streaming this weekend🥰 this version is both very good and really funny (idk if this is Known but marshmello got sued over the remix for copyright infringement HFJDJDJDJD so they had to make their own arrangement of dan's original composition to play live it’s. a Very funny situation. but this version is so good). anyways in honor of that let’s go mini playlist of rearrangements/covers I love

the used’s version of paralyzed from live and acoustic at the palace (this entire set is great but lunacy fringe->the bird and the worm->paralyzed are my favorites)

ramin djawadi’s cover of exit music (for a film) for westworld (you knew this was coming)

glee cast version of smooth criminal. OF COURSE.

i actually didn't mean for so much of this to be ~orchestral-esque rearrangements so Uhhh.... the 1989 version of wanegbt that is, of course, iconic, but not on streaming. soooo the young professionals' cover of video games (this one used to be a Staple of my friend's 8tracks playlists in highschool sdfljssf)

this was fun. sorry for overthinking this SO much. mwah

[cerastes]

What is your opinion of 31 minutos? How do you think a show simmilar to that could occuron terra? Which operator do you think would be very into the show?

Well, I'm Chilean, so of course I fucking love 31 Minutos -- I actually spent my 18th birthday with the creators, the band Chancho En Piedra, thanks to my brother -- and can quote episodes off the top of my mind. That was Formative.

From what we know of the entertainment biz of Terra, they have social media (Hearts of Surging Flame) and plenty of endeavors like music festivals (HoSF again) and actions movies (FEater), plus it's implied Rim Billiton had its own version of Popeye that instilled into the majority of Cautus that spinach makes you strong (Integrated Strategies 2). In other words, we can safely assume there's a certain familiarity between our entertainment and that of Terrans. A show like 31 Minutos, with its really good comedy, puppet play, and jokes here and there that aim for the more adult audience watching this with their kids, I think it'd be a hit.

Off the bat, I think A6 would be big fans. Orchid and Midnight would have a hoot with the Tulio segments and relate to being super overworked, but also find it funny when things go wrong for him because Tulio is also kind of a jackass and it's funny when things happen to him.

Dusk would take some convincing to watch it, but would jam out to the musical numbers, and overall, going by her voice lines, end up appreciating the puppetry and art put into it. She would then put Bailan Sin Cesar on repeat in her painted world (she wouldn't get the pun until Thorns or Irene explains it to her, though). Nian unironically loves it and doesn't make any secret of it.

Speaking of, Iberiagang would dig it. They actually understand it. Elysium would try to play himself too cool for it, for sure. Weedy would tell him to shut the hell up while Freddy Turbina belts out a banger.

La Pluma is literally Terra!Chilean so obviously she's a massive fan and can sing all of the songs off the top of her mind. Tequila isn't too much of a TV guy but he sits in anyways. She instinctively S1s if you shit talk Bodoque.

Ceobe and Sesa don't get a damn word of what's being said without subs (well, Sesa does, but he pretends he doesn't) and they love the absolute hell out of it. You can spot them midst the younger Operators when a new episode comes out.

Doctor.

Blaze watched a few episodes just to keep Rosmontis company but she ended up loving the hell out of it. Same with Ascalon in relation to Projekt Red. It's their innermost secret.

Kal'tsit doesn't have any opinion on it, but she knows a new episode came out the moment it comes out because Mon3tr glues itself to the TV and there goes her spine. However, she knows all the lyrics and has encyclopedic knowledge of the songs in the show, on which she has highly academic conversations on music theory and composition with secret superfan, Gladiia.

[theamericanfriend1977]

phil ochs greatest hits for the ask game!! :)

hiiiii lucy ty for the ask!!! the first phil album i ever got <3

• The best song on the album - no more songs

this one is just orchestrated beautifully it's so emotionally overwhelming and the absolute perfect way to end an album... let alone his last. it's frighteningly acute and poetic and cinematic phil i love you forever and ever...

• My favorite song on the album - jim dean of indiana

i think my actual favorite is no more songs but this is a top 3 for sure. i love phil for a lot of reasons and feel that i relate to him in many ways, and his love of film and actors is one of those things abt him that just gets to me. like that anecdote where bob dylan took him to meet brando (one of his heroes) and dylan and the other guy they went with were making fun of brando after and he just kind of stood there... like he took the medium of film as art very seriously and like idk i feel like i get him. if i got to meet my favorite director or actor and my friends made fun of them after i'd be upset too... no matter what happened. so writing this really beautiful and empathetic composition on piano... and of course him playing it on piano often before he killed himself. it's mourning someone you could never save

• My least favorite song on the album - my kingdom for a car

honestly i dig the lyrics but it just doesn't land for me...

• The most overrated song on the album - n/a

i don't really think you can say any phil songs are overrated

• Most underrated - boy in ohio

i feel like no one talks about this one!!! what an incredible song about what we don't know we'll end up missing from our childhood... what we've lost and how we can't ever have it back.

• The banger of all bangers - gas station women

this is the song that really fully got me into phil ochs, i blind bought this album thinking it was an actual greatest hits album and as soon as gas station women hit, it was over for me. 4000 scrobbles later... and this song really got me deep into artists like faron young and buck owens etc.

• Rate from 0-10 - 8.5/10

there's some filler going on but jim dean of indiana and no more songs and boy in ohio are among some of his all-time greatest songs, and gas station women is a personal favorite and i wish we had gotten a straight country album... would have loved phil covering something like live fast or your time's coming by faron young or studio recordings of johnny cash covers that he did at later gigs like give my love to rose, or more merle like keep me from crying today. :(

[wolfgabe]

Probably gonna be an unpopular opinion but I decided to give the Sonic Superstars OST a bit of a listen and frankly I think the hate for the soundtrack is kinda overblown. Some pretty great bangers in there and I will say I have found a good number of Jun Sunoe's compositions surprisingly enjoyable.

Sky Temple might be one of Jun's best songs for this game IMO. Genesis instruments blend well without feeling too obnoxious.

Press Factory Act 1 isn't half bad once you get past the ear rape of an opening. Although this track could benefit from being a bit longer.

Frozen Base Act 1 isn't too shabby either. I think the one big improvement Superstars OST has over Sonic 4's soundtrack is that there is far less emphasis on cat synths and a far better base melody.

How the heck does the mini boss theme end up being better than the actual boss theme? This is a definite improvement over what we heard in the pre release demos.

[loeewenzahn]

So I finally decided to rank the UMK songs. None of them stood out phenomenally but they grew on me after a few listens. I had a really hard time ranking these

Sexmane - Mania: It’s a strong song, I could listen to it on loop. I love his voice and how the meaning is mirrored in the intensity and desperation of the music and singing. I can’t get enough of it. Extra points for Finnish language. I wish this could go places in Eurovision but unfortunately I can’t see this in the contest. But the ranking is not about that. This is by far my fave

Jesse Markin – Glow: I would have placed this way lower when I first listened to it because it sounds a bit more bland at first glance, but it’s because it’s a bit more subdued than the other songs. The artistry is in the details. I actually quite like his voice and the rap flow. The chorus sounds like a few songs I’ve heard before, not that original to my ears unfortunately. There are some unconventionally pronounced verses and words as well as some dissonance within the melody which add to the vibe.

Sara Siipola – Paskana: I LOOOOOVE her voice so much! Same as with Glow, I like the verse on this one more than the chorus, which doesn’t feel that unique musically, unfortunately. It falls a bit flat for me because of that and leaves me a bit more disappointed than I want to be. Powerful lyrics, also +1 for Finnish language.

Cyan Kicks – Dancing with Demons: The genre is very much up my alley and I couldn’t get the song out of my head after I first heard it. I just wish they’d left a bit more grit in the song. I’m not MAD mad at the pop-ification of it, but it makes it less memorable to me. Sadly the song faded a bit for me as time went on.

Windowsman95 – No Rules: The song that screams Eurovision to me! For a parody/joke/fun entry it’s surprisingly good!! I don’t know what it is but the composition feels a bit flat to me at points I think.. or rather the transitions between different parts of the song? Can’t put my finger on it. I also can’t say no to hairy sexy thighs and a good amount of homoeroticism. I put it that low because I can’t see myself listening to it on loop, it gets a bit tiring and repetitive. Also -1 for only English

Sini Sabotage: I love her presence and sass, I could look at and listen to her all day. I don’t mind the song, but it’s nothing groundbreaking. Unfortunately, I don’t like the lyrics and it cheapens the song for me, there’s just nothing clever about it imo. Nothing wrong with singing about food and sex, I just don’t think it’s well done. It has meme potential though. I saw someone’s comment along the lines of ‘if they light the piano on stage I will vote sini’ and I can agree with that

Mikael Gabriel x nublu - Vox Populi: It pains me a bit to put this last, but what I heard of this guy through the grapevine just confirms the unease I had about the lyrics from the start. I love this musically and I want to put this higher because of the Estonian and Finnish, but I can’t. I hate the lyrics. Vox Populi – ‘we are the voice of the people’ yet you don’t really say anything and what you say could be some really misguided take on politics. It’s just not that clever and doesn’t tell me anything. This song disappointed me the most.

Now don't ask me how I think they will do at the competition, I have no clue. But I imagine it could be a tight race between a few songs. I'm curious to see how all the artists are live tho. I think I would love to see Windowsman95 & Cyan Kicks at Eurovision, but literally any of the songs could surprise with a banger live performance.