Like Rebel Diamonds
As I listened to Time to Pretend by MGMT at work during those wee hours in the morning, I realized, 16 year old Smokey wouldn’t have given these cats the time of day. At the height of my obnoxious MTV, High School, days, I was a resounding hood. I literally only listened to hip hop and I lived that “thug life” as it were. In retrospect, I was ridiculously narrow sighted about culture and what could be considered “good” music. It was abused but I was product of my environment. Fast forward some 17 years later and I feel like I’ve matured a bit, my tastes have expanded. In that spirit, I wanted to jot down my top 10 records of all time and a little blurb as to why I enjoy each. It should be interesting to see where I land on everything.
1A and 1B - Read My Mind and Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Bro, these records are what music IS to me. I couldn’t really differentiate between the two because, whichever one I’m actively listening to, that’s my all-time favorite song. I can’t really tell you why but I think it has everything to do with the emotion in each record. I FEEL these songs and they legit make me happy. Stress just melts away as those melodies and vocals take me to a warm ass place.
Between Brandon Flowers uncanny ability to emulate the late great Freddie Mercury with his smooth ass vocals and Ronni Vannucci’s god level skill on them drums, it’s hard NOT to put these records on top. The Killers are also my all-time favorite band, if you can’t tell.
3 - Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Speaking of the great Freddie Mercury, there’s no way Rhapsody doesn’t make this list. Look. The things Mr. Bad Guy could do with his voice are transcendent and this record puts all of the prowess on display. Never mind the fact that he wrote every lyric and every note of this song. Bro was what every artists should strive to be.
4 - Sleepyhead by Passion Pit
I am a huge fan of this cat’s catalog. His sound is so eclectic and unique. Cats just don’t make music like him and Sleepyhead, for me, is the quintessential Passion Pit record. It’s his magnum opus. It feels very technical, like he meticulously put this thing together like a puzzle. All of that time, energy, and detail produce one of the most profound sounds I have ever heard.
5 - Through The Wire by Kanye West
Way back in 2004, when this song dropped, I was 20. At that time, in my youth, I was kind of transforming into an adult. I was tired of all that bling rap from the late 90s into the early 00s. Don’t get me wrong, I adore me some Back That Azz Up but it was all just too much. I was tired of hearing about chicks getting f*cked and how hard a cat was and how many bullets/ounce of coke some studio gangster moved. I was tired of that Def Jam bullsh*t. And then I heard Through The Wire. Sh*t was a revelation. This was a legit record, with dope ass lyrics, on a dope ass beat, telling me a story about the artist’s most harrowing life experience. It didn’t involve coke or cops or thugs or whatever. It was an honest to goodness classic hip hop record, without all the hip hop stereotypes. I was a fan of Ye for life at that point. For me, The College Dropout is a goddamn classic and it was Through The Wire that introduced it to me.
6 - Killing Me Softly by The Fugees
Roberta Flack dropped this record way back when but Lauryn Hill got her hands on it in 96 and she transformed it into a goddamn masterpiece. Don’t misunderstand me, what Ms. Flack pressed, too, was brilliant in its own right but this is one of those rare circumstances where a cover exceeds the original. It’s rare but is it dope! Lauryn pours her soul over this record and you can feel the heartache on it. I was flabbergasted the first time I heard this long but then she hits that long note. Oh My…
7 – The Less I Know The Better by Tame Impala
Yo, this song hits hard. I was absolutely enthralled with the music itself but Kevin Parker's vocals compliment that instrumental with such precision, I was absolutely enthralled. The first time I listened to this song felt like the first time I hear Mr. Brightside, just a little less. If you don't listen to Tame Impala, you're doing yourself a disservice. Joint also has a dope as video.
8 - Juicy by Notorious B.I.G
It was all a Dream! BIG is the greatest lyricist I have ever heard. He wasn’t crazy prolific, I think cat released 2two albums before he was killed, but you’d be hard-pressed to find another rap record that stands to-to-toe with his catalog. The way dud abused wordplay while taking you on a journey with his storytelling was amazing and Juicy is perfect example of that. He makes you feel like your right there with him as he became the GOAT, before he was declared the GOAT.
9 - Hurt by Johnny Cash
Truth be told, I love old timey country. All of this, modern sh*t is whack as f*ck but you throw some of that Grand Ole Opry on and I’m good to go. Conway Twitty and Dolly Parton are immediate favorites that come to mind but it’s the Man in Black, all day. I love all of his music. Cat is a damn fine storytelling and his distinctly gravely voice caters to those tales perfectly. I remember seeing the video to Hurt when I was young and it devastated me. It made me remember a lot of stuff I didn’t want and I ended up crying by the end. Like, sobbing. It was cathartic. I was carrying so much, for so long, and this record broke that dam like it was nothing. Music is amazing that way but to have such a profound reaction to this song? I don’t know, man but it’s in my list forever now.
10 - Pressure by Milk & Bone
I first heard this record at the end of a Letterkenny episode. Side note, if you’re not about Letterkenny, you corny as f*ck. Anyway, the second those vocals hit, i was awash in a warmth i can’t describe. This record makes me think of my chick. It soundtracks the highlights of us. It’s absolutely found it’s way into my being and i adore every second of it’s melodic, delicate, affectionate melody.
It’s a rather eclectic list, if I do say so myself. Good sprinkling of genres in there. I feel mildly proud of myself. I thought for sure it would be all post punk and 80s revival because, I mean, I am an 80s baby but I like what shook out. I feel like there’s a solid nine songs there. As much as I love Journey, there’s probably fifty songs that could take that ten spot. Honestly. It was actually mad easy to get through this list, too, which surprised me. Outside of the first three records, I figured I’d be more conflicted but nope. The heart wants what it wants I guess.
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Want me to ruin your days? Okay, sure.
Azz actually can’t leave the Underground for very long. The longest he’s managed is twelve hours at a time before he literally Falls Down right here. It’s pretty terrifying, since it’s not even a quick death. He gets more and more lethargic and weak before simply turning to dust.
On the plus side, it’s the quickest turnaround time for him coming back, as he’ll ‘respawn’ in the flower patch in the Ruins within a few minutes of him doing this guaranteed, but it still angers him to no end. He genuinely cannot leave this hell he’s created (at least not for long.)
So just remember, every time you see Azz outside of the Underground, he’s very slowly dying before your eyes!
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@kncwsbest
Asriel didn’t like flowers anymore, especially after... all of that. Despite that, he did his best to keep the flowers around the home lively. So he did his best to remember what he’d learned and keep them healthy. He was doing a good job, thankfully, pouring water from the watering can onto one of the potted flowers. He nodded, assured that was the right amount and turning to go about his day-- freezing on the spot and staring.
“. . . howdy? You, uh, forget something...?”
He’d nearly dropped the can in shock at seeing her, having expected nobody would come back to the Underground-- especially all the way to the Ruins-- after the barrier was broken. Of course, the one person that would come here would be the person that lived here...
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