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aci32 · 3 months

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MACHINE HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey folks, sorry for running two days late but better late than never, here is my 1st review of 2024, Machine Head!!!!!!!! It was my first gig in 2 months as the last one I saw was Cattle Decapitation and Immolation last December, I was going to see Exmortus but I decided against it due to pre holiday stress getting to me. This was the first time in 4 years I had seen MH as I last saw them when they did their evening with tour, and it was the first of two shows I saw that year a month before covid took a stranglehold on the world, second show was Vader two weeks later. Plus when I saw them 4 years ago it was when they played Burn My Eyes in it's entirety in the 2nd half of their set after they played the first half of their songs from all their catalog, which to me is a show that won't get topped.

Let's begin the festivities!

First band up was Gates to Hell. I had looked them up on metal archives and they looked like a band I wouldn't be into, sure enough my point was proven as I found them boring like I do with a majority of metalcore and deathcore bands and it was all the more reason to save my headbanging energy. I then said to my pal Alex "Stogie" Stojanovic in a joking manner "I at least didn't get splashed with water in my face twice".

Next band up was Orbit Culture!!! Compared to Gates to Hell, these guys were better as their songs were more groovy since they are a mix of Melo Death and Groove Metal and plus they had great stage presence. When I heard them live I was hearing some Dark Tranquillity vibes off of them. At one point during their set frontman Niklas Karlsson had said "Of the shows we've played in Canada, I think this is the biggest? But it's also the weakest" which elicited boos from the crowd but he did give them a pep talk to start moshing and crowdsurfing more, which they did and he would then compliment Toronto's energy and efforts.

After Orbit Culture it was time for Fear Factory!! This was my 3rd time seeing Fear Factory as it had been almost 11 years since I last saw them which was also the last time I would see them with Burton C. Bell as he had acrimoniously left Fear Factory as the previously squashed beef between him and Dino Cazares had ignited almost 4 years ago and it came as a shock to all of us, especially when it was at the height of covid at that time. So they got a new singer from Rome, Italy in the name of Milo Silvestro and his growls and cleans almost sounded identical to Burton's vocal style, which was scary in a sense but I was otherwise pleasantly surprised with that performance. I'll also point out I've now seen Fear Factory three times with three different drummers and three different bassists respectively: 2010 was Byron Stroud and Gene Hoglan from Strapping Young Lad so it was ½ FF and ½ SYL. 2013 was Matt Devries who is also rhythm guitarist for Chimaira and Mike Heller formerly of Malignancy and who now plays for Raven, so ½ FF and ¼ Chimaira and ¼ Malignancy. This year was Tony Campos from Static X and Pete Webber from Havok, so ½ FF and ¼ Static X and ¼ Havok. Also when Dino Cazares had finished introducing the band members he said "I think I speak for all the fat dudes here how many fat guys we got *many raised their horns and yelled* we got some XXL shirts at the merch booth or as I call them Dino size" which had Stogie and I cracking up. Here's FF's setlist:

1. Shock

2. Edgecrusher

3. Powershifter

4. Disruptor

5. Fuel Injected Suicide Machine

6. Linchpin

7. Slave Labor

8. Demanufacture

9. Replica

After FF it was time for MACHINE HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was my 7th time seeing Machine Head and first time in almost 12 years I see them play at a large nightclub as last time that happened was when I saw MH at Rebel as direct support for Dethklok, in which looking back on it MH stole the show. This was also the first time in 12 years I had seen MH on tour with opening acts as I last saw that on January 28th, 2012 at Rebel then known as Sound Academy with Darkest Hour and Suicide Silence on the Unto the Locust tour. Each time I've seen them live they just get better with each performance. Before Aesthetics of Hate and then dedicating it to Dimebag Darrell, Robb Flynn had said the following "Holy Shit Toronto! Goddamn! We got some rowdy motherfuckers for a monday night here in Canada, lemme hear you make some noise Toronto *crowd roars* nah nah nah let me hear you make some NOIIIISSSEEE *crowd roars louder* fuck. I tell you what, it is awesome to be back now, so awesome to be back. We got here, actually we got here last night, yesterday afternoon, I went walkin around, it totally brought back all these crazy memories of the first time Machine Head played in Toronto. So the first tour we did was opening for Napalm Death and Obituary and we played over at the Opera House so I walked by the Opera House and then we came back with Slayer a little while later and we did a little show called umm.. I think it was Much Music or something like that? They had us come on and play Davidian and I walked by that building and I was like 'oh shit' and all these killer memories came back and I just wanna say man it feels good to be back in your fuckin city man thank you". Also at the end of Aesthetics of Hate, there was a silhouette of Dimebag on the screen, which was a touching gesture. As MH were performing Unto the Locust Robb had made commented on the weed being smoked and he admired the smell of it as it made him say "woooooo". Before their last song Halo and opening band acknowledgements, Robb Flynn did another speech "Like I said earlier, we got some rowdy motherfuckers on a monday night in Toronto fuck! How's everybody in the balcony doing man, you guys doing alright back there? Fuckin eh, ragers ragers over here man. And how's all my motherfuckers in the circle pit doing, you guys doing alright? Where's the captain? I love all the masks, everyone's wearing the fuckin ram skull masks I love it, see people go *makes horn crashing sound with his fists punching together* where's the captain at? I need your captain's hat man, I need that no no no, bring it up here, I need that captain's hat, that's some good shit *Adam Cooper brings his hat to Robb Flynn* Slayer captain's hat, thanks Toronto". I'll also point out that Wacław "Vogg" Kieltyka wasn't on this tour due to his commitments with Decapitated so instead Reece "Babyface" Scruggs from Havok was in the band on lead guitar duties, so this tour was definitely linked with Havok members. Here's MH's setlist:

1. Imperium

2. Ten Ton Hammer

3. CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE

4. Aesthetics of Hate

5. Old

6. Locust

7. The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears (Robb Flynn renamed the last part Beers)

8. NØ GØDS, NØ MASTERS

9. SLAUGHTER THE MARTYR

10. Bulldozer

11. From this Day

12. Davidian

13. Halo

Overall, an awesome metal show and a great way to kick off the 2024 concert season for me.

HEAVY METAL FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#heavy metal #machine head #fear factory

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wykart · 2 years

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when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite blogs (positivity is cool)

This has been sitting in my inbox for a while, but hey let's do it. I love music and my ears have been blocked for like a week so everything's muffled and I miss Sound!

Here are 5 songs I've been listening to a lot at the moment:

Cleaning out the Rooms - Sea Power

I actually started listening to Sea Power (then British Sea Power) before I started playing Disco Elysium, but when I started playing the game the other week, I realised parts of the soundtrack were very familiar... This is such a beautiful song, and since I'm enjoying the game I've been listening to it a lot.

2. The Race is About to Begin - black midi

This is short-hand for the entire Hellfire album, but this track in particular is just So Much. Definitely 2nd favourite album of the year (behind Ants From Up There). Jordie Greep can sing so fast it's insane.

3. There's so Many People That Want to be Loved - Sorry

New Sorry album came out the other day! This single came out earlier and it's still my favourite on there. So neat.

4. S.D.O.S - Alex G

This song is soooo catchy. It's only really that one hook, but it's just so good I've been listening to it on repeat. The whole new Alex G album is great as well.

5. Bellarine Ballerina - The Murlocs

This album came out a few weeks ago and it's brillianttt. This is the song I've probably listened to the most. The sound of this song kinda reminds me of Squid or Terra Melos, but with the sweet vocals of my dear Ambrose :)

This was pretty hard, I've been drowning in good music over this last month-ish with all the recent releases.

Thanks for sending me this ask! I love talking about music and pushing my tastes on other so :)

#music recs

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thisaintascenereviews · 3 days

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Lightworker - How The Beautiful Decay

With all of the bands today that are being influenced by 00s heavy music, especially metalcore, one subset of metalcore I’m not seeing too much of is melodic metalcore. Bands like Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, and many others reigned supreme in the 00s, but they balanced catchy hooks with brutal metalcore. I call some of these bands “At The Gates-core,” because they take influence from the 90s melodic death scene. Their melody comes from both their melo-death influence and the melodic choruses they employ, but these bands faded out of favor in the early 2010s when “Risecore” became really popular. Breakdowns and generic clean choruses became more popular, and flashy and melodic guitarwork and riffs became out of favor.

It’s rare to find bands like that anymore, especially when a lot of those bands turned into hard-rock / butt-rock, so hearing a melodic metalcore band that harkens back to that era is really cool. That’s exactly what I did, too, with Lightworker’s sophomore album, How The Beautiful Decay. I found this band randomly while looking at the new releases, and I saw that they’re signed to Solid State. Greyhaven just dropped their new EP on there a couple weeks back, so I figured these guys might be worth looking into. Sure enough, they ultimately are, as this record is a really fun ride through nostalgia-inducing melodic metalcore that took me back to the genre’s heyday but feeling a bit more modernized.

These guys balance catchy hooks, solid riffs, and brutal breakdowns quite nicely, and nothing ever feels out of place or bland. The clean vocals sound like they came from a butt-rock band, but they aren’t bad, and they kind of add to their 00s sound. Otherwise, I love this band’s really heavy sound, and they have some super awesome breakdowns that scratch that itch quite nicely. The riffs are really cool, too, and they’re utilized well. These guys are very talented musicians, despite being a relatively new band. I hadn’t heard of them before finding this album, but these guys were a great find.

These guys don’t necessarily have a unique sound that I haven’t heard before, but this album is so well done that if you enjoy that sound, you’ll probably really love this album. I didn’t know I needed this album until I heard it, but it’s one of the best heavy albums I’ve heard all year so far. I’ve been having a total blast with this record, especially since I’ve coincidentally been in the mood for hard hitting metalcore and this past week has given me some solid releases to sink my teeth into, so it’s been great, and this album is no exception. If you want some melody with your metalcore, this is a great album to listen to.

#lightworker #how the beautiful decay #solid state records #underoath #killswitch engage #as i lay dying #Norma Jean #metalcore #metal #heavy metal

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grimelords · 4 years

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So since the last time I posted one of these the entire world has changed dramatically and hopefully 4 hours of music will tide you over in quarantine for a bit longer. Strangely I’ve been busier than ever, and what started as a personal challenge to listen to a new album every day in February turned into me listening to 116 new albums in March and 124 in April. I’ve got a stacked google doc full of star ratings and dates now and it’s really been a lot of fun, I highly recommend trying it yourself. This is my March playlist, because I accidentally took a month off, and I’m thinking of either switching these playlists to weekly to make them a little more digestible or just dropping them whenever. Who knows. Let me know what you think and drop album recommendations in the comments please.

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0k1JjT8fXcUFO6VpM3kaez?si=gWSv88vdShKSnHhLJ_80pQ

If you’d like to receive these playlists in a more digestible email format, please subscribe to my tinyletter here: http://tinyletter.com/grimelords

On A Slow Boat To China - Bing Crosby & Peggy Lee: Ok first off it’s amazing this song isn’t more racist. I don't remember now how or why I came across this. I think I was just thinking about crooners and how as a genre it's now existed in common popularity as a nostalgic idyll of a mytholigised past far longer than it was ever actually popular which is interesting. The origin of this song, according to wikipedia, is also one of the most 40s ideas I've ever read: "I'd like to get you on a slow boat to China" was a well-known phrase among poker players, referring to a person who lost steadily and handsomely. The idea being that a "slow boat to China" was the longest trip one could imagine. Loesser moved the phrase to a more romantic setting, yet it eventually entered general parlance to mean anything that takes an extremely long time".

Fight Night - Migos: I saw that Offset had some new show on Quibi the extremely fake sounding streaming service and I thought "how did Migos get so world conqueringly large that they get to make 10 minute shows nobody will watch for a $2 billion venture capital funded app that will never make any money?" They seem to have this massive reputation without having much to back it up. The last thing I remember everyone talking about was how Culure II was two hours long in order to game streaming numbers and was simply not good. They seemed to have sort of settled into making background music for scrolling instagram. But then I remembered Fight Night and I thought: "oh wait, that's right, Migos are fucking great". Where their other big hits like Bad And Boujee and Walk It Talk It have this sort of laid back vibe where they've comfortably nailed the formula and relax onto it, Fight Night commands your attention. StackboyTwan killed the beat - it has this propulsive momentum where it feels like it's constantly ramping up, moving up from the sidesick and bassline in the verse, up to the claps on the beat, and the big gang chants on the offbeat once the full instrumentation kicks in - then it just goes around and around and around with the constant bassline the whole tim. It's a perfect all-rise production because it never actually explodes, it's all building tension held down by an unchanging bassline.

Do It Puritan! - El Hombre Trajeado & Sue Tompkins: I am extremely delighted to announce that Sue Tompkins of one of my all time favourite single album bands Life Without Buildings has broken a nearly 20 year musical hiatus to appear on this song by El Hombre Trajeado. It is so nice to hear how her voice has changed and her approach has stayed the same. Her style is so unique and so good and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

5 8 6 - New Order: Before 'the incident' I had tickets to see New Order at the end of March and so I embarked on a big listen through of their discography, which has now unfortunately made it feel even worse that live music is cancelled indefinitely.

Oom Sha La La - Haley Heynderickx: First of all I love songs where they talking about how they're writing a song halfway through. And I love songs that seem like a pretty normal singer songwriter indie thing where someone just starts screaming near the end. I love this song. A great staring at the wall and absolutely losing your mind because you haven't done anything with your whole life anthem.

Elektrobank - The Chemical Brothers: Can you believe I've never listening to a full Chemical Brothers album before this month? Can you believe big beat ever went our of style? It feels insane that we ever swapped this sort of energy for the beige algorithm of EDM. I think there's a real triumph in this album, and in this track especially of replicating the live feeling in studio. Giving it this much space to grow and change and get very hairy near the end is amazing, it feels like it was just recorded live.

My Mind's A Ship (That's Going Down) - Katie Pruitt: It feels very rare to me that this sort of extremely smooth Nashville prduction actually makes a song better. It has a habit of strangling the life out of a song and making it blend into a boring paste of soundalikes, but with Katie Pruitt it works amazingly. Her songwriting is so distinct and clear and her voice, especially near the end where it punches hole in the sky, is so strong and so her own that it doesn't need anything else.

Water - Ohmme: "What if Tegan And Sara were a noise band instead?" is a question I didn't know I needed an answer to. I love any band that has the guts to write songs like this that sound like pop from an alternate history, so off kilter and odd and noisy but with this undeniable pop heart that the duo vocals make sound like schoolyard clapping chants remixed by Lightning Bolt.

Lions, Tigers and Bears - SLIFT: A friend put me on to Slift and described them as French King Gizz and really, I'm inclined to agree. This is the traditional long last song at the end of their new album, and as usual I am advocating that every song should be the long last song at the end of the album. I love this style of jam where everyone else goes to space but the rhythm section just digs in and works hard as fuck for ten minutes. Then the whole last 3 minutes of the song are just fat drone riffs. This song's got everything.

The Pines - 070 Shake: This 070 Shake album is unbeleivably good and it warms my heart to see the dark energy of The Pines live on through another century in yet another permutation. I have more to say about it later in the Jackson C Frank version coming up but it feels like this 070 Shake album kind of came and went but I implore you to listen, it’s an aoty contender for sure.

Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On - Funkadelic: If you can stop thinking about the intro, which I certainly can’t (Hey lady won’t you be my dog and I’ll be your tree and you can pee on me.) there is so much goodness in this song. For a while now I’ve been thinking about how, for lack of a better word, ‘positive’ music is consistently underrated in the critical canon. Dance music, disco and funk especially are derided as empty sugar music, while every cookie cutter metal band absolutely demands to be taken seriously. In dance music this manifests as genres like tech house sucking all the fun and individuality out of music until it’s just an endless parade of producers working to a schematic of the barest essentials. It feels like you can’t have fun and be taken seriously at the same time, which feels like an obvious contradiction but shouldn’t be!

Spoils - Dry Cleaning: Dry Cleaning are my Lock Of The Month Band To Watch In The Future Because They’re Gonna Go Off. They have such a great sound and I’m desperate for an album because I just need more. This song absolutely knocked me down when I first heard it. I love any band where it sounds like the singer has just wandered in while the rest of them were rehearsing. There’s a very good talking-songs movement happening in the UK right now between these guys, Do Nothing and Fontaines D.C and i’m excited to see where it progresses. I might put together a playlist a little later to show you what I mean.

As - Stevie Wonder: I finally listened to Songs In The Key Of Life this month, which is an experience I would recommend to everyone. This shit goes for 21 songs over 105 minutes and absolute bangs the whole way. The original release of this album was a double LP plus a 7", which is yet another reason I am grateful for streaming that I don't have to buy a damn box set to hear this thing.

Sleep Now In The Fire - Rage Against The Machine: I am working on a very niche playlist called Songs Where The Guitar Amp Accidentally Picks Up A Nearby Radio Station For A Couple Of Seconds and it's only 3 songs so far. A Man A Plan A Canal Panama by The Fall Of Troy, Melody 4 by Tera Melos and Sleep Now In The Fire by Rage Against The Machine. In every single one of those songs it feels like a critical component even though it's just an accident that's been left in because it sounds good. Here it's the perfect ending as the rage dies down and the commercial world fades back in. Anyway, my other question about this song is about the great Michael Moore directed video where they famously shut down Wall Street for an afternoon. There's a shot of a guy for a second holding a sign that says Donald Trump For President in 1999. Which is odd but not out of the question, he's been famous for a long time and there's always been freaks. My question is why the fuck did he have that sign that day? Was he amongst the Rage Against The Machine Fans that showed up? A counter protestor? Was he, perhaps most chillingly of all, just walking idly around Wall Street with his Donald Trump For President sign like usual and stumbled upon this whole hoo-haa accidentally?

Applause (Purity Ring Remix) - Lady Gaga: Did you fucking know that Purity Ring did a remix of Applause? If there’s something I’d love to know more about and it’s Purity Ring’s forays into pop production. After their first album they did some production for rappers like Danny Brown in the great track 25 Bucks, which is a good fit really - their sound is witch house with the tempo pushed back up, witch house of course just being chopped and screwed reinvented by tumblr users. So it’s a natural fit to take that new perspective back into the world of hip hop. They also did this fantastic remix of Applause after their first album. Then, after their second album they produced 3 songs for Katy Perry’s Witness album, and one Katy Perry song for a Final Fantasy mobile game soundtrack (?) and feel like the long silence and delay between their second and third albums is because of more behind the scenes pop production work - but if that’s true, where is it? Is it, as I suspect, part of my own personal Pepe Silvia, Katy Perry’s scrapped 2019 album that has vanished into thin air? Or is it part of Chromatica? I think Purity Ring have solidified an interesting place in pop, paving the way for Billie Eilish and Kim Petras’ dark anti-pop and so i’m excited to see where they go after this new album now that they’re the architects of the new wave.

React/Revolt - Drahla: The smartest thing you can do is add a saxophone to your band. The whole first half of this song could go for 20 minutes of growling screaming saxophone post-punk and I wouldn't mind. Then when the second half of the song kicks in it's fantastic in the way this whole Drahla album is: it's tight and sprawling post-punk at the same time with a complicated structure that seems to just pile onto itself instead of ever circling back.

And I Was Like - Porridge Radio: I'm seemingly having a real thing this month for songs that open with a bizzare acapella chant. Between this and the Funkadelic one it's a genre I'm very interested in hearing more of. Isaac Newton was a virgin and it's important to recognise that. The thing I love about this song is how it's in 3 distinc sections: Isaac Newton was a virgin, she's a birthday girl in a birthday world, and mum no please it's grunge, and they all feel like the concentrated energy of a 14 year old's thoughts. She sounds like she's almost crying when she sings 'she's a birthday girl in a birthday world'. The concentrated confusing teenaged energy of this song is just overwhelming.

Dirty Mattresses - Mama's Broke: So much of contemporary 'traditional folk' either exists as pure nostalgia music or as music that's trying too hard to be 'authentic' and evoke a mythology of a bygone time, but Mama's Broke manage to make it feel new and modern but honest and authentic at the same time. The super close harmonies and modern approach remind me of House And Land who I also love, but the songwriting is in another class entirely.

Building A House - CHOPCHOP: I don't know if you've ever seen Bad Boy Bubby but CHOPCHOP feels a little like the band that he ends up joining at the end. A musical ensemble built to enable the will of a very strange man. I think the band is from the UK and I'm not sure where the singer is from, but he has this incredible deeply accented voice that brings such a gravity to everything he sings in the way that anyone speaking english as a second language accidentally brings new weight to common turns of phrase.

Universal Soldier - Jay Electronica: It feels fitting, looking back, that Jay Electronica finally released his album right before the world ended. It was literally now or never. Some how Jay-Z is the breakout star of this album for me. He's got some of his best verses in years on here and he's a great opposition to Electronica's flow when they trade verses. I would also, as an aside, like to know the origin of the kids cheering sample throughout this, because it's the same one from AM//Radio by Earl Sweatshirt and Wish You Were Gay by Billie Eilish. So what's that about.

Sticky Hulks - Thee Oh Sees: I've been very slowly getting into Oh Sees and I love them a lot so far. Their unweildy, huge discography spread across a lot of variations of the same name makes digging into them very rewarding as well. There's a great line on their wiki detailing all the times they've changed their name that goes: Orinoka Crash Suite (1997–2003), OCS (2003–2005, 2017), Orange County Sound (2005), The Ohsees (2006), The Oh Sees (2006–2008), Thee Oh Sees (2008–2017), Oh Sees (2017–2019) Osees (2019) to give you some idea of what we're working with here. Basically it's just everything you could want from a pychedelic band like this: a history and discography as shaggy as the songs themselves.

Knife On The Platter - BODEGA: In reading about Bodega I learned that they don't have a drummer in the traditional sense. They have someone credited as a 'stand up percussionist', and in listening back I realised that's they key to the groove in their music. He's not playing a kit he's just slamming at a tom and a snare on a rack, while one of the singers plays hi-hat here and there. So all the drumming has this barebones caveman feel to it and I absolutely love it. The band feels a lot like The Fashion, and that whole mid-2000s dance-punk movement that I've been desparate to come back so naturally I love it a lot.

Against Gravity - Horse Lords: Horse Lords are one of the most incredible bands I've heard in a long time. Somewhere between a more analogue Battles and Laddio Bolocko, they make a kind of churning math-jazz that sounds like huge intersecting squares of rhythm slowly overlapping. It feels like there's an infinite depth in these songs, you can listen and focus on a single instrument and see it shifting in and out of place with everyone else, before you lose it again and it retreats back into the swirling mass.

Plain To See Plainsman - Colter Wall: I've been listening to this Colter Wall album a lot, and it's really beginning to rank among my all time favourites. I grew up around the flattest place in the southern hemisphere, so I love the plains and it's very nice to have a cowboy song I can relate to like that.

The Nail - Sarah Shook & The Disarmers: Sarah Shook has so much character in her voice I completely love it. She is also a fantastic songwriter that manages to make outlaw country punk that sounds authentic and doesn't have the rockabilly posturing that a lot of the genre suffers from.

Inner Reaches 慾望的暗角二 - Gong Gong Gong 工工工: The best thing about Gong Gong Gong is you can listen to this whole song before you realise they don't have a drummer. They're a guitar and bass duo that play and sing with such a layered rhythmic intensity between the two of them that they really don't need one. A drummer would just clutter the space already taken up by their ferocious rhythm.

Country Pie - Bob Dylan: I'm a big fan of Bob Dylan's dumb songs. He has a lot where if it's the first song you ever heard from him you would be mad at whoever told you he was the greatest songwriter to ever live for trying to trick you like this. What I especially love about this song is how abruptly it ends, like dad just came home and everyone panicked cause they're know they're not supposed to be staying up that late.

You Did It Yourself - Arthur Russell: It seems hard to believe that I've only just found out about Arthur Russel. He seems to be a mainstay of Music Guy lists and somehow I've only heard of him this month. I've been obsessing over the Iowa Dream album, which is a compilation of a lot of different (mostly extremely high quality) demos from the late 70s to mid 80s and what really shines through other than the singular strength of his songwriting is how readily and easily he bends from country style folk to romantic piano ballads, to groovy post-punk like this. What I love so much about this song is it's a great lesson in songwriting: sometimes a song can just be a vague review of a middling movie and still have emotional resonance. Incredible. There's a great NPR article about Arthur Russel and the process of assembling half-takes and demos into complete recordings that you should read if you're interested. https://www.npr.org/2019/11/20/779721417/which-arthur-russell-are-we-getting-on-iowa-dream

The Dogs Outside Are Barking - Arthur Russell: I love this song because it's such a perfect distillation of a teenaged moment: trying to find a moment alone with someone when you have no freedom at all to create one. The song cycles through potential situations but leaves the problem unresolved, existing in the moment of nervous romantic tension preceding an unasked question and it's just beautiful.

Men For Miles - Ought: I love the vocal melody in the verse here so much. Spiking up unnaturally at the end of the lines like a nervous and strange version of The Strokes. Even the way he cramps his words in in the chorus is so good, switching registers randomly like he's impersonating someone else.

Mister Soweto - Lizzy Mercier Descloux: https://pitchfork.com/features/from-the-pitchfork-review/9828-lizzy-mercier-descloux-behind-the-muse/ Pitchfork has a great article about Lizzy Mercier Descloux detailing how she is continually undervalued and underappreciated. I found her though my Discover Weekly and became immediately obsessed with this album - a perfect mix of off-kilter 80s bass and brass that is so colourful and seems to move in a million directions at once like the songs can't even catch up with themselves sometimes. I'm excited to dig into her discography more and try to understand her more because she has a truly unique approach that I can't get enough of.

Sweden - Marilyn Crispell: I've been looking for a while for other pianists of Cecil Taylor's calibre, rare type that it is and I am so glad to have finally found out about Marilyn Crispell. She plays free jazz like Taylor, but in much less percussive and disonnant style. There's a New York Times quote that seems to follow her that says "Hearing Marilyn Crispell play solo piano is like monitoring an active volcano. She is one of a very few pianists who rise to the challenge of free jazz." and it's really very apt. She will move with seemingly no warning at all from mediative, colourful stokes to a mad descent unto uncertainty and beyond, then back again without a moments hesitation. Her music moves like a dream, linking a stream of unlinked images with an ease that only seems incongruous on reflection.

Twins - Gem Club: I have loved this song for a very long time and I come back to it over and over and appreciate it anew. What I appreciate about on listening to it this time is the strangeness of it's structure, following up the verse with an instrumental break, and then a long instrumental intro to the chorus gives it so much space to spread out and breathe, giving the beautiful gravity of the song even more weight. Then after the chorus it moves straight to a bridge and then the intro and first verse again. It's a fantastic song that makes it's small parts so large, where another songwriter or another producer would pare them down.

Grand Central - Paul Cauthen: Something I've learned in listening to a lot of cowboy music is that the number one thing that cowboys hate and fear is getting hanged. They hate it worse than cats hate getting sprayed with water. I found out about Paul Cauthen combing through Colter Wall's similar artists looking for more of this brand of new old fashioned country and I really found it here. Paul Cauthen comes from four generations of preachers and left the church to pursue country music instead, which feels like an extremely old fashioned position to be in here in 2020 but I guess lots of people in Texas still live like that, and thank god they do or we wouldn't have Paul Cauthen's big mournful Elvis voice to sing us songs about the railway.

Serafina - BAMBARA: I love this sort of spoken word leather jacket rock and roll. It's so extremely Cool in an old fashioned way. Like a more rock and roll version of Enablers.

So 4 Real - The Hecks: I love love love this song that sounds like a sped up Prince demo. The strange thinness of the mix and the way the vocals are buried just makes it sound so strange and great, like it was put together on some ancient 4 track recorder that can't handle the pure energy of the song.

In The Pines (Version 2) - Jackson C. Frank: There's a very good 3 hour compilation of Jackson C. Frank recordings that came out a few years called Remastered And Unreleased that I listened through the other day. It's just magnificent. This version of In The Pines is one of my favourite I've ever heard, the mournful vocals coupled with his churning rhythm guitar really brings out the darkness of it in a way I've never heard.

(Tumble) In The Wind (Version 1) - Jackson C. Frank: Another favourite from this compilation that is slightly hard to listen to. I don't know if there's a date on it but I'd guess this was recorded near the end of his life. It is so beautiful, but you can hear in his voice and breathing that he's unwell. In Horseshoe Crabs by Hopalong she sings a story from his perspective this song really seems to fit in the second half of that. "Woke from the dream and I was old / Staring at the ass crack of dawn / Walked these streets up and down / Looking for Paul Simon / All I found was myself, lost in time / I tried singing my songs / But I lost my mind"

Sludge - Squid: I'm thinking of putting together a playlist of all the great Black Midi-adjacent bands I've found out about recently and Squid is at the top of the list. This new breed of art-punk is so fantastic and goes in a million different directions. I'm just so excited it exists.

Straight Shot - Quelle Chris: I love this song and Guns is a phenomenal album but there’s one thing bothering me. The ‘who are you, what are you’ part at the end sounds so incredibly familiar to me and I can’t figure out why. As far as I can tell it’s not a sample, but googling reveals that the english voice on it is fucking James Acaster the standup comedian. So what’s going on? Quelle Chris himself is less than helpful: “Straight Shot is one of those ideas that reached out to me, we got along and I simply showed it around town. The chorus, poem at the end and basic piano progression literally came to me in two separate dreams”. Who knows. Great song though.

Levitation - Dua Lipa: What I really like about this song is that she says sugarboo. This whole album bangs and Dua is really reaping the benefits of being the only pop star with the guts to release an album while everyone’s in lockdown I also have a half-baked theory about the way this song is almost interpolating Blame It On The Boogie in the ‘moonlight, starlight’ part as a sort of aggressive takeover of Michael Jackson’s cancelled legacy. Which is smart really. The same way Taylor Swift is re-recording her albums, let’s just get The Weeknd in the studio for a couple of days and give the world back it’s bangers.

Another Crashed Car - Nine Inch Nails: I am so glad Trent Reznor put out another two volumes of Ghosts. Ghosts I-IV from 2008 seems to have been the bridge from his Nine Inch Nails work to his film score work, and now that he’s had such success with that it’s nice to hear him writing in this style without telling anyone else’s story again. It’s also interesting for him to go back to this project now that Ghosts I-IV has paid dividends in the form of the sample at the centre of Old Town Road but that’s neither here nor there. It’s hard to pick and individual track from these, because they work so effectively as long form albums and not individual tracks, but I chose this one because I put the album on as background ambient while I was doing some boring data entry at work and this track is the point at which I realised I was going out of my mind with stress from doing the simplest tasks because of Trent’s Damned Chords.

Lilacs - Waxahatchee: This is a perfect song. It makes me want to like, draw charts about it and go through it bar by bar to figure out how she did it. It’s perfectly put together. It feels like she uses every trick in the book and it just comes together flawlessly in 3 minutes. Amazing.

Cool Water - Hank Williams: I decided to properly listen to Hank Williams because his shadow stretches over so much of country music, and while a lot of his music really alienated or bored me, and a lot of his songs feel like they would read as novelty songs today (like Hey Good Looking), this is the song that made me understand why he’s so revered.

In My Bones (feat. Kimbra and Tank And The Bangas) - Jacob Collier: Jacob Collier generally irks me. He makes brain music for redditors that lose their mind when someone shows them chord inversions or odd time signatures. Youtubers whose whole personality is ‘y’all heard Giant Steps?’ But he killed it on this song. It’s great despite him. There’s still a lot of corniness to work through, mostly in the big yuck funky lyrics, but structurally it’s a kaleidoscope and a big chunk of its success I’m putting down to Kimbra and Tank who understand that performance is a bigger part of a song than composition in a way Collier maybe doesn’t yet. He can overload the bassline and stop-start the rhythms as much as he likes but without actual personalities driving it it’ll just sound like a Peter Gabriel midi played at 200%.

Earthquake - Graham Central Station: I learned something wonderful in researching this band. The leader, Larry Graham, who was in Sly And The Family Stone is credited with inventing slap bass. He himself refers to the technique as "thumpin' and pluckin' ".

Quand Les Larmes D’un Ange Font Danser La Neige - Melody’s Echo Chamber: Once again furious that I’ve known of Melody’s Echo Chamber for years but never listened to them until now. I have been missing out. This is a perfect sprawling psychedelic jam punctuated with a bizzare cut-up recording about shitting yourself when you die and being declared brain dead in the vatican. It’s got everything. I had to look up who the drummer was on this song because he’s just nailing it, and it turns out it’s Johan Holmegaard from Dungen which is really a perfect fit.

Murder Most Foul - Bob Dylan: I was thinking the other day about how Bob Dylan is doing in quarantine. The man who hasn’t stopped moving his whole life and who’s been on a never ending tour since the 70s is now, I assume, just pacing a hole in a hotel carpet somewhere and jabbering to himself. The strangest part of Bob dropping this 17 minute song about JFK out of nowhere is that he hasn’t put out any original music since 2012. So a gigantic song like this is an even bigger surprise. I, already a huge fan of gigantic songs and Bob Dylan, unsurprisingly love it. I love the slow stirring of the instrumentation, like he hired Dirty Three as a backing band and I love that nearly the entire second half is just listing good songs that he knows. It’s a remarkable song and unlike anything i’ve heard before from Dylan or anyone else. It’s interesting to hear Bob Dylan step into being the great chronicler of the 60s like he’s been told he already was his entire life almost 50 years later, finally accepting the fate foisted on him. The other thing I love about this song is the line when he for some reason praises Lee Harvey Oswald’s shooting “Greatest magic trick ever under the sun / Perfectly executed, skillfully done”

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0k1JjT8fXcUFO6VpM3kaez?si=gWSv88vdShKSnHhLJ_80pQ

#playlists

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nctinfo · 4 years

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[TRANS] WayV’s interview with Vogue Korea December 2019 issue!

The reason why idols of 2019 differ from idols of 10 years ago, apart from fashion and music, is because they are from another generation. Rookie idol group of the newest generation. I realized this again when I interview WayV (Kun, Winwin, Ten, Lucas, Xiaojun, Yangyang, Hendery). They answer questions about dreams or people they admire differently. Before we continue on this, we need to know what exactly their team name 'WayV (Weishen V)' stands for. WayV is a Chinese group that made its debut under the Chinese label 'LABEL V' after going through SM's systematic production system. WayV is 威神V in Chinese. 'V' stands for 'Vision' which means 'to grow into global artists through music'. WayV, written in English, is a shortened version of 'We are your Vision'. The team name is explained in three languages.

They debuted in China on January 17 with their first digital album <The Vision-The 1st Digital EP> setting a record for 'firsts'. The title track ‘理所当然(Regular)’ came in second on the Chinese music website QQMusic popularity chart upon the release, third on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart in the U.S and 4th and 16th on the Social 50 chart and the Emerging Artists chart, respectively. This being the best result ever for a Chinese boy band. On May 9th, their first mini-album <Take Off-The 1st Mini Album> topped the QQMusic popularity chart and 30 local iTunes charts, making them the Chinese boy group with the most no.1 ranks on iTunes Album charts. On October 29, the title track 'Moonwalk' of their second mini-album <Take Over The Moon> topped the Chinese music site QQMusic's popularity chart and topped the iTunes Albums chart in 16 regions.

They also sang Chinese songs on a Korean stage. 'Moonwalk' was introduced on MBC Show Champion on October 30th. For Lucas, who is also a member of SuperM, it was the first time to sing a Chinese song on a Korean stage. "It was amazing. Since I had never been on a Korean stage as a Chinese idol. There are not many stages in Chinese to show our performance, so the members were very happy and nervous." (Lucas) "Around two-thirds of the audience were Korean fans. I was very happy to see we're liked in Korea too." (Winwin) Already, WayV is forming fandoms not only in China but also in Asia. On November 22nd, they will start their Asian Fanmeeting Tour, starting in Wuhan, China.

Their beginnings were all commonly K-Pop. Except for Xiaojun, who naturally dreamed of becoming a singer as both his parents and brother were involved in music and Ten, who danced from when he was young and after his grandmother introduced him to artists, he went on the path to become a singer after seeing K-Pop stars. "EXO is very popular in China. I dreamed of becoming an artist after watching Hyung's music videos". (Winwin) The same goes for Yangyang who grew up in Germany from 11 to 16 years old. "I saw EXO sunbaenims stage of 'Growl' in Germany and took part in SM's world audition. Now, I want to become an artist who is good at anything like Taemin sunbaenim." (Yangyang) "I wanted to be an artist who plays the piano and sing ballads. As I entered the company I dreamed of dancing and performing while watching EXO sunbaenim." (Kun)

As expected, the classic idol formula 'let's try our hardest everything' is common to them. They continue learning and upgrading themselves. Language is fundamental for those who dream of a global stage. Although there was an interpreter during the interview, the members spoke basic Korean. "At first, there were trainees who gave up because it was so hard. In fact, I cried a lot when I was a trainee. Since I didn't know how the future would look like, rather than studying hard. So that's why I thought I needed to learn more and build on my skills." (Hendery)

With the same mindset, Hendery learned to play the drums. "My roommate, Ten, suggested to look up different fields, saying that dancing and singing are basics for idols. There already are members who play the guitar and keyboard, so I chose the drum. Although we have a busy schedule, I'm constantly learning." (Hendery) "For me, I open my dictionary and watch Korean dramas. Recently, I watched < Melo Is My Nature> and although there are a lot of lines they talk fast, I try to keep up." (Ten) "Korean idioms like 오장육부 [human organs], and proverbs like '내 코가 석 자 [something like: I have my own problems and can't take care of others]' are fun. I'm learning it to use it someday." (Winwin)

The most impressive part of WayV is the unique 'me' orientation of the new generation. They don't specifically mention the ones who they admire, want to resemble or a stage they want to stand on. In older interviews with idols, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake were often mentioned as icons and [idols] wanted to stand on the Super Bowl stage or Tokyo dome stage. Favorite music genre and songs were also shared without hesitation. But rather than wanting to be like/envy someone special, [WayV/the new generation] wants to choose from and combine numerous cultures that eventually create their own 'me'. The most important thing is to find and perfect your own style.

When we asked lead vocal Kun which vocalist he wants to resemble he replies "I want to continue finding my own style". After majoring in practical music, he is studying composition, and often plays his own songs to his team members and receives feedback from them. "I learned music theory in school, now I'm trying to find my own thoughts, my own style in music." (Kun) The same goes for Ten, who all members acknowledge as being an artist. Starting with breakdancing to popping, hip-hop and auburn dance, Ten says there isn't one particular choreographer he especially admires. "I just want to learn all kinds of great choreography, I don't want to resemble someone. A creative choreography needs to have your 'own identity'. It's important to find that first." (Ten) All his actions are linked to self-expression. "One part of my identity/self-expression is the silver accessories and piercings I'm wearing right now. I also draw to express myself. If I weren't an artist, I would have had another job that would allow me to express myself, for example, a fashion designer or photographer." (Ten) Idols of this generation don't hide their other dreams. Gone are the days when other dreams could only be hinted at during booming popularity. “I want to stand on a musical stage. Whether it's as a singer or for a musical, the stage is precious to me." (Xiaojun) "If there is a chance, I would like to act. I saw almost all of Ha Jungwoo's work." (Winwin)

Another strength of WayV is their unity. Among them, leader Kun, nicknamed 'Kun-ge', is the one who the members go to when they have concerns. “The members have a lot of concerns about music. Not long ago, I talked with Xiaojun on how to express emotions while singing. Although my nickname is Kun-ge, I often feel comforted by our youngest Yangyang. Yangyang is someone with a lot of bright energy. The goal is to deliver great energy to the fans and this guy is already doing it naturally." (Kun) During their Korean activities on <Show! Champion>, Winwin, who is a detailed member, let the other unfamiliar members know where the restroom could be found. "We always get together to eat and also go out together. These days, we often go to the Han river on the electric kickboard that are popular in Korea now." (Winwin) "We go to schedules together and are together in the dorm too. We play games, watch movies and do everything together with the seven of us. It's nice, I like it." (Xiaojun) Lucas describes WayV in one word 'family'. "We understand each other, help each other, point out what we lack and hug/care for each other when we're sick. There were struggles when we were trainees, but that only made us stronger. WayV is not just someone I met through work, they are family. You have no idea how fortunate that is." (Lucas).

Translation: Esmee @ FY! NCT (NCTINFO) | Source: Vogue Korea — Do not repost or take out without our permission!

#NCT #wayv #kun #ten #winwin #lucas #xiaojun #hendery #yangyang #t:interview #t:trans #vogue korea #Vogue Korea: December 2019

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dustedmagazine · 3 years

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Jonathan Shaw 2020: Another Year of Pissed-off, Bone-tired but Resilient Music

I’ll forego the exercise of noting in any sort of detail what a shitty, shitty year 2020 was. Stipulate to the point.

But there has been some really terrific music, both new and old, to sustain us. Given the unrelenting tides of awfulness and misery, the music has been especially crucial, and I am even more grateful than usual that we have such brilliant, talented and courageous artists among us. They can channel our anger, respond to our sadness and create moments of transcendent joy — even in the teeth of all the feckless fascists, the capitalist criminals and an earth ball increasingly struggling for its breath.

I will take a moment to repeat my customary EOY-column disclaimers: This isn’t a “best-of” list, so much as an accounting of the records that refused to leave the rotation of sides that moved through my life in 2020. As ever, there were too many records to listen to, too many more that I had committed to reviewing, daunting stacks of songs that needed my attention. But the releases listed below kept turning up when I pressed play — and I kept turning them up, louder.

SUMAC’s May You Be Held and Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou’s May Our Chambers Be Full were the records that I played most often this year, even though they were released fairly late into 2020. Maybe there was something in the wishful invocations of the record’s titles that variously touched my moods. Through 2020, I did a lot of wishing for other and very different circumstances. So I list those two records first. The rest of the records appear in alphabetical order. I listened to all of them a lot.

SUMAC — May You Be Held (Thrill Jockey)

May You Be Held by SUMAC

A prayer. The record’s integration of improvisation and rigorously heavy song forms has an unusual power, both meditative and propulsive. The players are uncannily in tune with one another’s talents and vibes. They’re all talented musicians—don’t sleep on Brian Cook’s bass playing on this record. The band makes and stays in a tight pocket. You listen to their performances, and to this record from end to end, and you feel like you’ve come through something. Exhausted, thrilled and transformed.

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou — May Our Chambers Be Full (Sacred Bones)

May Our Chambers Be Full by Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou

A collaborative record that issues in gloriously intense and beautifully excoriating music. Rundle’s voice in full song with Bryan Funck’s is something to hear, and the players’ musical sensibilities prove complementary in any number of interesting, aesthetically effective ways. It’s been kind of fun watching the metal blogs and press attempt to label the music: “atmospheric sludge”? “Post sludge?” What’s next? Melo-sludge? In this case, the inevitable label-wrangling seems especially irrelevant. The songs and the sound demand your attention. They’re really good. The record never neglects the heaviness of life’s gloomy difficulties, but the songs still find ways to soar.

Decoherence — Unitary (Sentient Ruin Laboratories)

Unitarity by Decoherence

There were a number of really good black metal records released this year (see Botanist’s and Shaidar Logoth’s recent sides for some evidence of the music’s underappreciated diversity). Unitary is clearly a black metal record, but it doesn’t sound quite like anything else. It hisses, hums and crackles with industrial atmosphere, and sometimes there’s a lot of dissonance to listen through, in order to discover the band’s powerful gifts for riffs and propulsive rhythm. And while the tones and textures are transfixing, the songs are really strong as songs. Twisting, extruding, hammering: is this the black metal of physics?

Fuck the Facts — Pleine Noirceur (Noise Salvation)

Pleine Noirceur by Fuck The Facts

Okay, okay — so I’m cheating a bit. This record was released way late in 2020, so technically I have played some other records a bit more often. But this one is too good not to get a shout here. Fuck the Facts is classed as a grindcore band, and they can rage and sprint along with the best of them. But their music is a lot more than speed and fury. Melodic invention and emotional atmosphere are crucial components, maybe on this record especially. I’ve only played it about a hundred or so times so far. I’ll let you know.

Mamaleek — Come & See (The Flenser)

Come and See by Mamaleek

This record was released in late winter, but its fury and themes made it a strangely prescient soundtrack for the summer months of protest. George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Many more whose names we don’t know. The grinding misery of life in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing projects provides the socio-cultural focus of Come & See, and the record’s righteous indignation is in tune with the sounds of voices raised, and cops buckling on riot gear. Mamaleek is frequently tagged as a black metal band, but their questing sensibility always exceeds the genre. There’s some noise rock, some punk and even some blues in the music’s volatile mix. It’s deeply angry.

Primitive Man — Immersion (Relapse Records)

Immersion by Primitive Man

Less massive and noisy than their previous LP Caustic (2017), Primitive Man’s Immersion is a focused gut punch—or more properly, a deliberate battery of them, delivered with the patience and precision of a trained fighter. Primitive Man’s sludgy doom (doomy sludge?) lends fresh credence to terms too often trotted out in writing about this sort of music: “crushing,” “punishing,” “pulverizing.” Applied to this record, those words regain their relevance. And Ethan McCarthy’s vocals may be the heaviest sound in contemporary metal. Yikes.

Raspberry Bulbs — Before the Age of Mirrors (Relapse Records)

Before The Age Of Mirrors by Raspberry Bulbs

The phrase “blackened punk” really bugs me: blackened as opposed to what? Taupe? Raspberry Bulbs give the phrase some meaningful bite with this terrific record—the latest in a string of them from the band, which started as a solo project for Marco del Rio. He may be more familiar to some Dusted readers as “He Who Crushes Teeth,” longtime member of Bone Awl. For Raspberry Bulbs, he moves to guitar, and slashes and tears at these songs, now with a consistent full band behind him. The songs have a punky tunefulness, even as they burn with black metal’s cold fire.

Special Interest — The Passion of (Thrilling Living)

The Passion Of by Special Interest

I got to this one way too late. Special Interest’s first record Spiraling (2018) seemed to me overly enamored of its own casual nihilism, and all the hype accompanying the release of The Passion of put me off. Then I listened to the record (always a productive practice for the music critic…). Holy shit, it’s good. There’s still a lot of creepy sexual violence and druggy dissipation. But the songs’ socio-economic critique is incisive and never preachy, and it contextualizes the rest of the grimness and gruesomeness with sharp and a coherent politics. An excellent punk record.

The Stooges — Live at Goose Lake, August 8th, 1970 (Third Man Records)

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For listeners deeply engaged with the Stooges — a game-changing band and a total mess — it’s hard to overstate the importance of this record. It’s a recording of a Stooges live set that actually sounds great; and because the recording is so clear, you can hear Dave Alexander’s bass, a crucial piece of sonic evidence that counters the long-established story of the band’s set at Goose Lake and Alexander’s subsequent firing from the Stooges. History is revised, right there in your ears. Mostly, though, it’s a good live set by the band. Ron Asheton’s scorching guitar and, eventually, Steve Mackay’s sax stylings fire up the pyrotechnic intensity. Punk? Free jazz? Why choose?

Sun City Girls — Live at Sky Church, September 3, 2004 (2182 Recording Company)

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The Girls were always way, way out ahead. Post-everything, pranksomely funny and deadly serious, their wit existed in tremulous balance with their inexhaustible curiosity about music’s arcane power and their equally inexhaustible rage. Their 2004 set at Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival focused largely on the rage. 2182 Recording Company’s release includes a DVD of the performance, and it’s essential. The Bishop brothers and Charles Gaucher, Jr., fill the stage with politically charged images and props: a Saddam Hussein mask, a portrait of Osama Bin Laden, copies of Mein Kampf and Brother Number One. They pour and hurl various forms of invective on and at the festival audience, and the band plays with passionate ugliness, seizing the opportunity to draw connections between art, entertainment and ideology. A vital document of a uniquely American event.

Thanks for the tunes, y’all, and smell you later, 2020.

Jonathan Shaw

#dusted magazine #jonathan shaw #sumac #emma rundle #thou #decoherence #fuck the facts #mamaleek #primitive man #raspberry bulbs #special interest #the stooges #sun city girls #metal #punk #yearend 2020

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j-rock101 · 4 years

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Ohh I just found your blog, it's great! And I need to know, which j-rock bands do you like? Any good recommendations? 👀

Hey Anon! Thank you for your lovely message!

Ooo music recs! It’s kind of hard to narrow down, and not all of them are really “rock” recommendations per se… But here’s a few of my obsessions!

Utada Hikaru (宇多田ヒカル) is by far my favorite Japanese singer. Her English and Japanese are both super clear, while she tends to use more everyday vocabulary, so she was one of the first artists whose Japanese I was able to understand. She also has a lot of ooo’s and ahhh’s so there’s a lot to sing along to even if you don’t know all the words! But the words man... Her lyrics really feel like they get your deepest, most hidden emotions before you realized you were even feeling them. Her roots are 90’s R&B, but she explores all kinds of genres, so she’s never as simple as just “pop.” Her album Deep River was my first and a good intro to her stuff; Fantôme imo is an absolute masterpiece.

X Japan is a heavy rock band that should have been as world famous as Queen or the Beatles if the world weren’t so English-centric. They are half crazy speed metal and half piano power ballads. They’re the original visual kei, and their music is raw and powerful, violent and erotic, and despairing with just enough hope to keep you going on. The recent documentary We Are X is a great introduction to the band’s history and their music. Even though I love them so much, I still haven’t done a proper translation because so many of their songs that I like are already in English! “DAHLIA” is perhaps my favorite song because it’s the perfect mix of heavy and ballad, but 「紅」 (“Kurenai”) is always a karaoke favorite!

L’arc~en~Ciel is a band that I’ve loved as long as Utada Hikaru and X Japan, but I haven’t been listening to them much recently… I think because their songs are too low for me to sing along with comfortably. D: The vocabulary is usually a little more difficult, and the vocals aren’t always very clear, but Hyde’s voice is soooo sexy, and I don’t normally feel that way about singers, haha! They do a lot of anime intros so just about any of their stuff is easy to listen to. Smile was my first album, and it has the classic “READY STEADY GO” from FMA!

If you’re not into heavier stuff, Spitz is a band that I’m recently getting into because it’s everyone’s favorite band. One of my former students was infamous for always playing them during the lunch broadcast at school. The first CD my partner ever bought was Spitz. My best friend loves the band, and even married a guy who’s in a Spitz cover band! Spitz is as long-lasting as X Japan, but with a softer, folksier melodic sound. Sometimes it seems like their lyrics have a hint of some deeper symbolic subtext about death or sex, but even just on the surface level their lyrics are gorgeous. 「チェリー」 “Cherry” and 「ロビンソン」 “Robinson” are probably some of their most-well known songs.

Wednesday Campanella (水曜日のカンパネラ) is one of my recent faves! Also not rock and more alternative/electronic/rap? But their music videos are always so surreal, while their lyrics always feature some weird combo of a literary/historical character meeting something completely random… Melos meets horse racing, Ra the Egyptian sun god meets microwave curry, Jeanne D’Arc meets bus tours. The raps are all crammed so full of wordplay and puns that probably even your average Japanese couldn’t pick them all out. You definitely have to memorize the songs entirely if you want some chance of keeping up at karaoke, but if you have a good one or two up your sleeve you’ll impress all of your Japanese coworkers! My karaoke go-to’s are 「桃太郎」“Momtarou” and 「一休さん」 “Ikkyu-san.”

Akai Ko-en and School Food Punishment are some lesser known, female(/female-led) rock bands that I also love! DO AS INFINITY is easily recognizable from Inuyasha, but all their songs are fun to listen to! If you like idol pop, Perfume is top-notch dancing/costumes/videos with LEGENDARY live shows. If you like visual kei, the classics like Luna Sea and Malice Mizer are great, but I’m also fond of an all-girl group called exist†trace!

I feel like my music tastes tend to skew older since it’s so much effort sometimes to find new songs, but if any other followers have some good recs I’d love to hear more too!

#ask #anon #recs

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violacello1001 · 4 years

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06.08.20 Architecture 101 (건축학개론)

This movie is a classic that shaped the reputation of South Korean cinema. For the longest time I have heard and seen references to the most nostalgic films of all time on variety shows and other dramas and movies. Curiosity got the best of me and I ended up watching it and in the end loving it.

Yes, it is a melo-film with the typical cheesy romantic dialogues, however there is more to the plot than I expected. Look up the synopsis of the movie online if you want, but that’s not why I’m here :p

I was mainly blown away by the actors in this work, especially the leads Lee Je Hoon and Suzy. They captured the contrasting innocence and complexity of what it is like to have a first love. It was definitely frustrating at times whenever the love lines were simply not working out or whenever misunderstandings caused by side roles got in the way, but I think that these all contributed to the very accurate portrayal of the first love experience by this film.

It was great to see my favorite actors appear with comedic personalities, such as Jo Jung Seok and Yoo Yeon Seok who both were leads in Hospital Playlist which is another incredible drama you should check out!

Another reason that this film is famous besides the iconic cast and scenes, is the soundtrack! Kim Dong Ryul’s “Etude of Memories” is worth listening to with Kim Dong Ryul’s honey vocals.

Promise, promise, promise me that when you see this that you give this classic film a chance and watch it~ ^^

#kmovierecommendation architecture101 classicmovieiconic

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doomedandstoned · 4 years

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Chrome Ghost Give Emphatic Close to the Decade with ‘The Diving Bell’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

There's always been something endearing to me about the sound of Roseville, California's CHROME GHOST. Their last two EPs are decades-long favorites of mine, chiefly due to the bittersweet comingling of earnest vocal harmonies with punishing low-end. Each of their releases has brought unique and unforgettable moments and I've long contended that they would stand up well as openers for the likes of Alice in Chains or Tool, Yob or Bell Witch, in terms of how they compliment and contrast elements of both bands.

'The Diving Bell' (2019) opens in classic Chrome Ghost fashion, with a steadily unwinding ballad with a Lovecraftian twist. "Waltz in the Shadow of the Hillside" will hook you for the long haul. It definitely passed the "hum test" for me, in any event, as I've been thrumming the main vocal theme for days now. "Halo" follows this by unleashing a torrent of pent-up tremors, followed by a calming mantra accompanied shortly by an ascendant guitar lead.

"The Diving Bell" presents a solitude and stillness that is rare, even in genres like depressive and funeral doom. Sadly serene, the song is like the calm leading into a storm, for minutes in a march-like rhythm and growling vocals announce the approach of something awful. Then like intermittent patches of downfall, the storm clears and gives way to a warm, confident stride with dreamlike lyricism. I dare say you don’t need to know the words (at least not on first hearing) to get the full effect of this 14-minute wonder, for on a sonic plane it taps into that mysteriously intuitive musical language we all seem to relate to emotionally. On a compositional level, I’m quite impressed (and satisfied) by how the band has developed to this point in their career. Like I said, deserving of much more mainstream attention.

From ascendant to transcendent, the record closes with the cavernous "Visions." There's something about it that reminds me of Gregorian Chant. Certainly the layer-upon-layer effect of the complementing vocal harmonies aids in its sacred vibe. Unexpectedly, the tempo quickens towards the end of the song, as though a great window to the heavens had opened and Jacob's dream of angels ascending and descending like an escalator is before us.

Regardless of how you interpret it, revelations abound in The Diving Bell, which releases this Saturday, November 30th (pre-order here). And now, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to present the worldwide exclusive debut of Chrome Ghost's most accomplished effort to date. A triumph.

Give ear...

The Diving Bell by chrome ghost

A Listener's Guide to 'The Diving Bell'

We're grateful for the opportunity to visit with Jake Kilgore (guitar, vox), Jake Hurst (drums), and Joe Cooper (bass) of Chrome Ghost, who recently gave us the low-down on their most accomplished effort to date, taking us on a tour from the inside-out.

Art

The cover art was painted by Sacramento artist Molly Devlin (@devlinmolly on Instagram) She has an incredibly sensitivity to her work, and the way she works with elements of nature and organic stuff blew my mind. We are extremely lucky that she was into the idea, and honestly the album cover influenced the way I felt about the whole process. I like to have art done before the recordings are done for that exact reason.

Recording Process

The Diving Bell was recorded in May 2019 by Patrick Hills at Earthtone in Sacramento, California. Patrick has recorded all Chrome Ghost releases to date, as well as CHRCH, King Woman, Tera Melos, and more. We have developed an extremely strong working relationship with Pat, and we tend to understand each other with minimal discussion. Half the time we’re not recording, we are getting through the day by watching stupid youtube videos while files are rendering.

The album tracking was spread out over three days, drums, bass, and guitar, with vocals tracked at home. No click tracks were used throughout the process in an attempt to give the record a more organic feel, and to give us the ability to push and pull the tempo as needed. It goes without saying that this method is way harder, and we definitely punished ourselves with long work days trying to get things right.

We were originally slated to track the album in February 2019, but I (Jake Kilgore) ended up breaking my wrist right before we were meant to go into the studio. The injury not only delayed our plans, but sent me into a spiral. Unable to work, I spent most days on the couch, feebly trying to find positions to hold my guitar so I could keep practicing. In some ways, this benefitted the band by really narrowing our focus. We would rehearse with no guitar, only bass, drums, and vocals. I’d stand there and sing the guitar parts when necessary and it became something of a thought exercise for all of us to stay in sync while only imagining what we were supposed to hear.

General Themes

This record was meant to be personal and introspective, but I also wanted to incorporate more classic gothic themes. Instead of being as blatantly autobiographical as Chrome Ghost has been in the past, I got a little more abstract and started to incorporate images and moods that resonated with me in some way.

Jacob and I share a fear of deep water, and I couldn’t shake the image of a primitive Diving Bell from my mind for months. The idea of being totally submerged, surrounded by a small pocket of air, was so claustrophobic yet serene, and it helped direct the mood of the album quite a bit. Always contrasting the heavier and suffocating music we make with the lighter, more reflective stuff.

Photo by Kevin Carpio

"Waltz in the Shadow of the Hillside"

The opener was inspired by a Lovecraft story called Whisperer In The Darkness, which starts off with reports of massive floods sweeping away strange alien bodies. I was struck by the thought of bodies washing through floodwaters, and it sparked from there. That idea met with this mantra I'd had cycling in my head; Wild Rose, Dog’s Blood. Something beautiful and something terrible, side by side. That sense of duality might be cliché at this point, but it seemed to fit very well in the sense that the water in this song is an element of destruction, but obviously water is an element of life.

We built this song around that clean fingerpicking guitar part after the heavy intro, which I originally wrote while I was still in high school. Everything else was added to accent those voicings and melodies present in that sequence. Exploring that very primitive and repetitive 3/4 rhythm, and twisting it around in different contexts, was a lot of fun to figure out. The droning, experimental part in the middle is probably my favorite because we got to use a bunch of studio tricks on the drums, and I got to use some rad guitar pedals to get those washy reverse guitar parts.

LYRICS

night falls shadows bloom rise slow dance in the hillside

shifting earth hums below outstretched arms drag through the water

soft glow of eyes that shine dark cold shrouds all who wander

obscured shapes draw near long black hair drags through the water

hark! now comes the flood slow rain crushes the hillside

pray they will rest well see them all dragged by the water

wild rose dog’s blood pray all rest well

all that once was is gone from here whispered laments fall on deaf ears

washed clean of all but memory swollen in death and revery

wild rose dog’s blood pray all rest well

"Halo"

Halo was a strange one to write, because the lyrics kinda just came to me in a flurry and I wasn’t aware of what they meant until after the record was made. I sometimes suffer from debilitating panic attacks, and Halo ultimately became an ode to my wife, who in these moments has shown compassion and cared for me to the best of her ability. The song is about that paralyzing feeling of sickness that can render you temporarily dead to the world, but more importantly it’s about the debt that we owe to those who are there for us.

This is our attempt at a pop song. It’s the only song on the record with a chorus that repeats, and it loosely follows a verse-chorus-bridge-chorus formula. Other than that, we got to stretch our limits a little bit by making this the fastest song we’ve written.

LYRICS

healer weakened by the dark

wild rose cloven from the torn gently as the wind had blown resting high upon your crown

frail in your arms aching from the warmth bound to remain here suffer evermore

suspended in this moment of loss every nerve severed and raw the door’s nailed shut chained to the bed i’m so tired my eyes shut again

halo

"The Diving Bell"

The mantra Breathe Deep anchors this song, returning multiple times to reinforce that claustrophobia. This song explores the peak of a true panic episode, catatonia, helplessness, etc. The feeling of being out-of-body, and calling out into the void for help.

Obviously this track is a sort of centerpiece for the album, musically. There are repeating phrases and motifs that let you feel like you’re hearing something new, but in actuality you’re just hearing a different version of something from earlier in the song. This track was meant to showcase the most extreme distance between the heavy and light elements of the band.

Pat Hills also did the dual guitar lead part with us, and that is one of my favorite things we’ve ever recorded.

LYRICS

breathe deep the only way out espaces me

sinking lower in a slow dive

lay here motionless alone

breathe deep in waters of purity lungfuls of what is to be

sinking in waters of purity lungfuls of what is to be

lay here in waters of purity lungfuls of what is to be

quiet weightless catatonic eyes unblinking mute and empty bury me in silt

the pain comes in distant waves echoes of what once were hidden wounds voices cast out through still air listen for me calling home

breathe deep

"Visions"

The lyrics to Visions were meant to give it finality, as the end of the album. It’s about accepting death, and the darkness that follows some of us throughout life. It’s also about holding on, even in our final moments. Asking to be “buried slowly”, to let us all have time to think and work through some shit before we have to call it a day.

This track is a sort of mashup between a spindly clean riff that King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard might use, and a powerful seasick drone that a band like Yob might use. Visions has a very chant-like, almost Gregorian element to the vocals, and when that’s laid over almost tribal drums, we knew we had something interesting on our hands. That sorta didgeridoo-like sound during the choruses is an electric bass with two strings being played with a bow. That was 100% Jacob’s idea and he executed it perfectly.

LYRICS

sickness floating in the eye of all men

fallen tears in the well poison the crumbling earth rose in bloom thorned red and gold baby’s breath like cancer, grows

fading light casts a glow over my face alone when I go bury me slowly when I go bury me slowly

visions

Shallows by chrome ghost

Reflection Pool by chrome ghost

Choir of the Low Spirits by chrome ghost

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#D&S Debuts #Chrome Ghost #Roseville #California #Doom #Sludge #Metal #Atmospheric #Doom Metal #D&S Interviews #HeavyBest19 #Doomed & Stoned

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nctdaoying · 5 years

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190819 GRAZIA Magazine September Issue - Interview with Doyoung

Translation by @nctdaoying (Twitter) / take out with credit.

Editor’s note: “I sat face-to-face with NCT’s Doyoung, a person who wants to sing for a long time, and during the time (I sat facing him), I saw a new face which I have never seen before.”

ISAC

Q: I heard that you took part in the recording for Idol Sports Athletic Championships (ISAC) yesterday?

A: Yes, I competed in the archery competition.

Q: Actually, aren’t you the member who doesn’t like to move the most? You made a huge decision (to participate in ISAC).

A: At least I was in a sport that required me to move the least, hahaha.

Q: Can we look forward to an outstanding performance then?

A: Previously, we won the silver medal for archery in the ISAC New Year Special. This time round, I practiced a lot for archery whenever I had the time, so I think it’s worth looking forward to.

Q: So you actually practiced.

A: All of the idol group members who participated in ISAC practiced. Personally, I really looked forward to it as we specially practiced a lot this time round. And the archery teacher felt that it was a pity that we got silver the last time round so she/he put in even more effort to teach us this time round.

NEOCITY Tour - learning point, memorable moment, time spent on flights, favourite shows

Q: Since January this year, you have been touring round the world, from Seoul to North America, then to South America, Asia, and even Europe. Since you have been touring for over 6 months, did you learn a lot?

A: Personally, I think that our team has grown a lot. I have been busy for more than half of the year. Especially for our U.S. tour, I performed once every two days so it was physically demanding for me. However, I believe that this sort of difficulty is a process for growth. Also, thanks to the support of the fans, I was able to overcome this period of difficulty, both mentally and physically. Through this world tour, I felt just how precious the fans are once again. I really thought of them as great comfort which helped me to endure.

Q: Please share with us if there was an especially memorable moment during the tour.

A: The Atlanta stop was especially memorable. The venue where we had our concert was the venue where many pop artistes, whom we recognise just by hearing their names, have held their concerts, and their photos were hanging on the wall of the corridor (where the waiting rooms were located). Among them, they only give the “SOLD OUT” sign to the artistes who have sold out their concerts. So thankfully, we sold out our concert as well and had the sign on our photo too, and because of that it felt really strange (to me).

Q: While you were on tour, the distance you travelled must have been really long and you must have spent a lot of time on the plane. What do you do during the flights?

A: I love watching dramas so I downloaded a lot of movies and dramas. But because we didn’t have a lot of time to rest while on tour, I spent most of my time on the plane sleeping.

Q: Are there any necessities that you’d bring along?

A: (My) iPad and airpods to watch dramas. Other than those, nothing else (laughs)

Q: What are the works (movies/dramas) that you like watching recently?

A: Not too long ago, I really enjoyed watching <Search: WWW>. And also even though I might sound like I am promoting my brother (actor Gongmyung), he’s appearing on a new drama recently. I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I thought that it’s not interesting, but I think <Melo is My Nature> is really interesting (laughs).

King of Masked Singer (KOMS), thoughts on his own voice/singing, and cover videos

Q: We can’t go without talking about how you recently became a hot topic after appearing on KOMS and winning 3 rounds with over 70 votes, to go straight to the final deciding round against the Masked King.

A: While on tour, I was preparing for (my performance) even though I was really busy and often lacked the energy as well, but I felt that it was a special experience. Because I love singing originally, so I felt really happy throughout this whole process. To be truthful, KOMS is a programme which I have always wanted to appear on since I was a trainee. Since that was the case, I also had the desire of getting good results. However, as the filming date neared, I started thinking that it was more important for me to truly enjoy the process. So mainly with the songs I love and sing well, I appeared on the show.

Q: Usually, before you appear on KOMS, you will have to keep it a secret, so how was it? Did you keep this a secret from the NCT members?

A: Because I had to prepare, there were members who saw me going out in the wee hours to practice, and asked about it. There were times I replied them truthfully, but there were also members who didn’t ask about it till the end. So those friends will find out for the first time when the show broadcasts, hahaha.

Q: How did the members react after watching the broadcast?

A: To be honest, as compared to my singing, the members paid more attention to the sexy dance I did as my personal talent. Maybe because it had already become a hot topic, so they were busy teasing me about it (laughs).

Q: From the recent interviews I saw, I can tell that you really love your own voice.

A: When I was young, I always wanted my voice to sound unique. I felt that it wasn’t that special and wished that I had my own (vocal) colour. So I’d imitate those singers whom people could recognise after just hearing a small verse - those people their own unique vocal colour. But as time passed, I came to think that the voice should be something like mine, one that people wouldn’t hate or love at first listen, but rather a voice that people can listen to comfortably. Now, I like my voice (smiles).

Q: Your singing ability is one that has been recognised by all. After looking through the NCT Music YouTube Channel, it seems to me that you mainly cover female singers’ songs? Is there a special reason for that?

A: There is no special reason. I just wanted to showcase something that is different from the original singers - I think the beauty of a cover is that I get to add my own colour (to the song). When I cover female singers, I can choose to lower my range or add my own colour (to the song) freely, so that’s why I choose to cover them frequently. And also because they simply are my favourite artistes.

Q: When I watched your cover videos, I discovered that you have a lot of different concepts for them, and it seems like you put a lot of thought into them.

A: I am the type of person who will prepare a lot if I have something that I want to do. For example, I will contemplate a lot over things like whether or not to use a mic when I’m singing, or what type of mic I should use, and whether I need to film the video after recording my singing. Although the song is very important as well, I’d also actively express my opinion on what sort of video would suit me best.

Travelling with Gongmyung

Q: Not too long ago, your brother Gongmyung mentioned that travelling with you is something that is on his bucket list. Did you know about this plan of his?

A: Even though my brother always talks about travelling together, it is really hard to find a day where the both of us are on break. But regardless of when the time comes, I definitely want to go someday. I also think it’d be interesting to show our trip through a reality show.

Q: If the two of you can travel together, where would you like to go to?

A: Actually, it doesn’t matter where we go. Although my hyung and I don’t particularly like to drink, we’re the type who would still drink a little (laughs). So I think travelling together to find the specialty liquors unique to different areas will be fun.

Life Motto & photoshoot

Q: I heard that your motto is “let’s live like myself”. So how is it like to be living like Doyoung?

A: I’m the type who firmly believes that I can do well and lives while thinking positively. For example, I would think of things like “I am doing great now” or “I am cool” when I have a photoshoot. I strive to do my best in believing in myself.

Q: So what sort of thoughts did you have when you had your photoshoot just now?

A: Hahaha, to be honest, I was a little embarrassed just now. The staff’s cheers were amazing… (laughs)

Something special to Doyoung

Q: What is something that is special only to Doyoung?

A: It may be the same for other singers, but I really love singing. I have come to the conclusion that when I am going through a hard time or feel tired, I am only able to overcome them simply because of my love for singing, and because of the fans’ support for me.

Ultimate goal in life & artiste he envisions himself to be

Q: This may be a big question, but what is Doyoung’s ultimate goal in life?

A: There are people who I have acknowledged as the artistes of my life since I was young. I have been listening to the songs of Park Hyoshin, Adam Levine, Oasis, and Taeyeon sunbae-nim since young, so if I become a great vocal in the future, a great deal of credit has to go to them. Even though I may add more people in the future, I think to sing like them is my iron rule and goal in life.

Q: What kind of artiste do you envision yourself to be?

A: Rather than doing music that (only) I like, my dream is to do music that people who listen to it also like. I wish to perform in many more places, with many more songs, and have an enjoyable time with many more people.

Next dream?

Q: The person whose dream since young is to become a singer has already realised his dream. What is your next dream?

A: Maybe not to the extent of directing, but I would like to challenge planning a concert. Even though I am still lacking now and I am still not at the level of being able to lay out something concrete, I hope that one day I can be someone who can express and share my own opinions when I am preparing for my own concert.

(END.)

#nct #doyoung #dongyoung #nct doyoung #kim doyoung #kim dongyoung #nct u #nct 127 #nct127 #grazia #interview #translations

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grrrlsoverdramas · 5 years

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Actresses who debuted in my HEART in the past year (or so)

While there is a real drama debut or two on this list, I just wanted to amalgamate some of the amazing performances I’ve been seeing from young women in past few years. There’s an excellent crop of young, up-and-coming women who feel like actresses right now, not simply idols or grown up child stars (though those exist too and I also love them, genuinely, it is nonetheless a different vibe). These are women at the start of careers and I cannot wait to see the performances they have within them!

Jin Ki Joo

Jin Ki Joo has all the charm and sparkle of a Suzy, and then there’s so much added depth and emotion that she pulls beneath the surface. I first saw her in Wednesday 3:30, and I must say webseries are my new go-to for discovering new female faces. Because of her charisma I finally sat myself down to watch Come and Hug Me. I’ve talked her before, but that show was made by its performances, especially of the two leads. Jin Ki Joo made a weepy female lead able to also carry the strength and vibrancy of a human being -- I was never annoyed by how much she cried, never confused by why she did (how often are those feelings present in dramas, particularly melos!!). She’s also gorgeous, and incredibly intelligent (a previous Samsung employee and announcer!!)

What I hope she does next: honestly, I think she has it in her to do anything; a bad ass businesswoman in a corruption show, a sweet main in a family drama, the baddie in a sageuk... I would love her in a fantasy drama done well, too, especially since I think she has the ability to ground any narrative.

Park Se-wan

Of course, she really first caught my eye 2 years ago in School 2017 and then I’m Not a Robot, but she’s barreled on and made a name for herself in her debut lead roles this year. She seems so be typecast in this nerdy role, which must have something to do with her vocal tone or acting style, because she is very traditionally beautiful. Yet, I love her dorkiness and expressiveness. Even from her time in small roles, she’s been able to pull attention and steal scenes -- I’m really looking forward to her future work.

What I hope she does next: fingers crossed for a scientist-falls-in-love romcom from her!!!

Lee Soo-kyung

Although I absolutely remember her as very good in Hogu’s Love, it wasn’t until Where Stars Land that I realized she is positively dripping with girl crush. While Kim Kyung-nam deserves some of the credit (if I were making a male version of this list he would be ON IT!!), it is incredibly difficult for two side characters to actually build the palpable chemistry they were able to build. And while she doesn’t seem the type to catch the Korean public’s eye, she does seem poised to become our next great side-character actress a la Park Hee Von, and that means pseudo-main roles may soon be in her future!!! Anyway, I love her.

What I hope she does next: she would be a great 2nd lead, particularly the kind that befriends our main instead of cat fighting, and I look forward to the day when she is on a family drama paired with some jerk who she tears apart and makes fall in love with her

Won Jin Ah

I’m pretty sure anyone and everyone who watched and enjoyed Just Between Lovers fell in love with Jin Ah. Very rarely do I understand what k-netz are talking about when it comes to vocal tone and pronunciation (generally just reads like Korean version of, “I don’t know, her voice is just annoying”), but Jin Ah’s deep voice!!! the understated way she speaks!!! It’s excellent. She’s incredibly naturalistic and therefore that lends itself to more somber, serious roles, but I do hope she gets to explore a little.

What I hope she does next: I would love to see her follow Jung Ryeo Won or Seo Ye-ji’s (another actress I might include in this pack, but who I have been aware of for longer) leads. A serious but spunky lawyer? A sarcastic woman in a somewhat surreal romcom setting?

#kdramawomensweek #park se wan #jin ki joo #kdramanetwork #won jin ah #lee soo kyung #I also wanna do shin ye eun!!! but I'm busy so #myedit

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throughdigitaleyes · 6 years

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Rainbow Kitten Surprise Shine in Providence Debut

Rainbow Kitten Surprise brought The Friend, Love, Freefall Tour to Providence when they made their Rhode Island debut at The Strand Saturday night (10.6.18).

No introductions were needed when Rainbow Kitten Surprise hit the stage, opening with ‘Fever Pitch’, one of the singles off their newest album, ‘How to: Friend, Love Freefall’, though. The packed (if not quite sold out) house was well acquainted with RKS, chanting for them as the house lights went down and singing along with every word from the moment lead singer Samuel Melo first opened his mouth.

RKS is a band that’s extremely difficult to describe. In terms of genre, it’s probably easier to point out what they’re not than it is to put a finger on what they are. In terms of influences, they proudly wear them on their sleeves, weaving vocals heavily influenced by the likes of Modest Mouse and Bon Iver into songs that, at once, manage to elicit vibes reminiscent of both Kings of Leon and Lana Del Rey. Whatever their music is, it’s made with complete and utter passion; Melo almost never stops moving around the stage, dancing through each and every song, both with his bandmates and by himself. But he’s never really dancing by himself, as the crowd is right there with him, constantly dancing along… even the ones seated up in the balcony.

The highlight from Rainbow Kitten Surprise’s set probably ended up being ‘Devil Like Me’ into ‘First Class’. Bringing those two fan favorites to life back-to-back with their insane energy levels being matched beat by beat by the crowd was exhilarating. However, it was ‘Cocaine Jesus’ that just might have had me dancing along the most all night.

Opening the show was Caroline Rose. Always reliable for a great time, Rose brought her razor-sharp wit and fun-at-all-costs stage presence to Providence for the first time with a set full of her insanely clever original material, a kazoo solo, the chugging of beers (and the crushing of beer cans) and a wildly bizarre, yet totally authentic cover of Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’.

MORE PHOTOS from the show can be found on Flickr: RKS; Caroline Rose.

#rainbow kitten surprise #rks #caroline rose #live music #concert #music #providence #the strand #2018 #Concert Review #concert photography

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thisaintascenereviews · 5 months

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Dying Wish - Symptoms Of Survival

Two years ago, metalcore band Dying Wish dropped their debut album, 2021’s Fragments Of A Bitter Memory, and I really enjoyed it. I first heard of them through Knocked Loose’s 2019 masterpiece, A Different Shade Of Blue, where their vocalist was featured, but their debut album was a great mix of modern metalcore with an early 00s “Gothenburgcore,” or metalcore bands that were influenced by 90s Swedish melodic-death metal bands like Entombed or At The Gates, but it had its own slight unique edge to it. Dying Wish helped to bring that nostalgic sound of metalcore back into the fold, and it was cool to be influenced by the early 00s again. The album wasn’t super unique, despite being influenced by something that wasn’t popular (especially when nu-metal was huge in metalcore at that same time), but it was good. It was one of my favorites of the year, and I was excited for where this band would go next.

Well, in a move that doesn’t shock me much, the band pretty much made the same album twice with Symptoms Of Survival, although they tweaked their sound just enough to make it stand out, and I always love when bands do that. This album is still very heavy, including some sick breakdowns throughout its 32-minute runtime, but they do utilize more melody and catchier moments here. Vocalist Emma Bolster uses her clean vocals a lot, and they sound even better here than they did on the debut, although they were quite good. The album has a lot of really cool riffs, too, that harken back to the early 00s metalcore scene where bands were influenced by melo-death, and they use that to their advantage. This record has just enough death metal oomph that I could see a death metal fan getting into this, even if they typically go for metalcore.

The only real issue I have with this record is that it does sound like their debut. They only slightly expand on their sound, but they do it enough to make their new one stick out on its own, albeit very barely. It’s enough to make this one worth a listen, but if you were expecting more from the debut, you may like this one more, although it’s barely an elevation. I enjoy this record a lot, because I enjoy their brand of metalcore, but it did leave me feeling slightly disappointed. Not enough to say that this album is bad, or not worth your time at all, but I haven’t spent much time with this for that reason.

#dying wish #knocked loose #metalcore #metal #melodic death metal #heavy metal #rock #death metal #Emma bolster #sharptone records

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grimelords · 6 years

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I realised I finished writing up my January playlist and then forgot to post it, so I’m doing it here and now at the tail end of February. It’s 3 hours of good music, complete from A$AP Ferg to ZZ Top. Please enjoy.

Dream House - Deafheaven: I started the year off with extreme mental anguish at the realisation that Sunbather is five years old this year and that I am thusly one million years old and have wasted my youth. That aside, Dream House is still an incredible song. It does what the best songs do and speaks directly to the teenaged part of your brain that thinks nobody will ever understand you like this song does right now. It is an overwhelming experience, the whole album is, and very good for having an embarrassing amount of emotions while you're driving alone and it's very loud.

Hold My Liquor - Kanye West: When this song came out I remember someone said the best musical moment of 2013 was when you couldn't tell the difference between Chief Keef and Justin Vernon on this song and I'm inclined to agree.

Melody 4 - Tera Melos: I've talked about this album at length in these playlists and probably featured almost every song at this point but I'll just say, what I like so much about this song is how it moves so effortlessly between a very melodic almost pop-punk type chorus before disintegrating into stop start mathematics and back again before you even notice.

B Boy (feat Big Sean & A$AP Ferg) - Meek Mill: I don't know how the fuck he did it, but somehow Meek Mill got a bunch of rappers who are normally nothing amazing (Meek included) to operate at the absolute top of their game for whole verse each. Highlights especially are 'I got commas on commas on commas, and I ain't talkin about a run on sentence!' 'put my P up on her head like that bitch is reppin Philly, and I wheelie in the pussy like my n**** meek milly' and the immediate about turn of A$Ap Ferg saying 'You thinkin' Khloe don't know me, I'm in the car dashin' haters/I'm in the Kardashian, get it? I'm lyin', can't I pretend?/They say fake it 'til you make it, well let the fakin' begin!'

Shabba REMIX - A$AP Ferg, Shabba Ranks, Busta Rhymes, Migos: This song's a good example of how many different flows you can get to work over one beat, and how much it improves the song. Ferg is so fast and so varied, then Migos even it out with straight triplets for most of their verse before Busta kills it by just doing absolutely everything. Great job everyone.

Attak (feat. Danny Brown) - Rustie: I normally can't stand Danny Brown but he kills this song. I still have a lot of feelings about Rustie, who showed so much promise for being the weirdo that dance music needed before presumably watching HudMo make a million producing for Kanye and friends and deciding to remove every interesting element from his music to make it palatable for rappers. That is, at least, my theory. This song is great, but every other song on this album is an example of this approach not working and instead producing boring, half assed songs where nobody's at their full potential.

Ultra Thizz - Rustie: Compare it to this, the busiest song in the world. The way the melody of the bassline that sounds like it's about to swallow you whole contends with the synth melody AND the pitched up vocal melody for your attention, they all come it at once and trade barbs before being superseded by a fuzzy, inscrutable guitar solo which fades out and leaves us back at the start. What I love about this song is the absolute maximalism and hypercolour sounds, combined with the only simple melody being the big chord stabs that centre the piece combine into a total sensory experience. Not to mention the rhythms, where absolutely every part of it seems to be slightly stranger than you expect, constantly dropping one beat before or after you expect - your first clue is the snare build at the start suddenly splitting into triplets.

If I Were A Carpenter - Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash: My girlfriend showed me this song and it unlocked a third of the triangle in my brain where this song, Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell and The Engine Driver by The Decemberists make a sort of trinity of songs about having a job and thinking about Wife. They're all very very good too.

12 Bricks - OG Maco: Outside of the famous video, which is very good, this song is also incredible. Another in the pantheon of songs with extremely minimal instrumentation where the vocal performance is so good it doesn't need anything. The slight delay makes all the screaming and wooing toward the end just pile on top of each other in waves building the texture up until it finally levels out.

Requiem Para Um Amor - Toquinho: I really cannot get enough of the organ in this song. I don't think I've ever heard a classical guitar/electric organ duet before and now I'm hungry for more.

You Can Be A Robot, Too - Shintaro Sakamoto: This song appeared on my Discover Weekly playlist and I'm not really sure why but it's very good. I can't tell if it's actually a children's song or just playful like one but I appreciate it either way. When it started playing from the playlist the album cover was a cartoon of a kid surrounded by robots, but when I tried to add it to a playlist the art changed to a green picture of a skeleton playing a lap steel guitar with an explosion in the background, which felt very cursed to me.

Raver - Burial: This song has always stood out to me on Untrue because of how straightforward the beat is. Under anyone else's control this would be a normal song but instead it's this incredibly detailed, messy piece of work that feels like looking at a house song through a dirty window. I also have no proof at all to back this up but in my mind the xylophone line is sampled from Donkey Kong 64 or possibly Banjo Kazooie.

Cavalettas - The Mars Volta: I remember reading a bad review of this album when it came out that was mad because it pulled 'the most egregious studio trick in recent memory' by having the whole mix except for one guitar get sucked down into a wormhole multiple times, including the bass getting physically detuned until you can hear the strings slack before resuming as normal a second later. In my opinion it's incredibly funny and it sounds good so more bands should do it. Also the other day I saw the drummer Thomas Pridgen comment on Omar Rodriguez's instagram 'check ur dms bro'. Imagine being in a band with someone for a decade and not having their number, insane.

Flash Back - Rustie: Honestly I cannot get enough of this bassline. This song is another good example of what I was talking about with Rustie dumbing his melodies down after this album, the main line in this winds around and around itself in this loping confused rhythm and against the bass that's also syncopated it just ends up sounding like hypercolour, which is a feat for a song that's basically just those two melodies against each other for the bulk of it with some plastic choir stabs throughout.

Heaven - DJ Sammy: What an absolute perennial banger. Can you believe this AND Boys Of Summer were on the same album? Incredible stuff DJ Sammy. I've been meaning to make a playlist of all the 90s/2000s lame rave songs that are secretly very emotional and have definitely inspired absolute emotional turmoil in ravers the world over like this Better Off Alone and Heaven Is A Place On Earth, but for now just enjoy the Bryan Adams classic as reimagined by DJ Sammy.

Stalking To A Stranger (Planets Collide Remix) - The Avalanches: I owe this song a lot because it not only for me into Hunters And Collectors, who it turns out have far better and angrier songs than Holy Grail, but it also turned me onto Vertigo/Relight My Fire by Dan Hartman which is sampled at the start. When this song came out it was the first new Avalanches song in a decade or so and nobody knew what to make of it because suddenly Avalanches songs just have screaming men in them, which was very good.

Miracle - Kimbra: I think that very soon everyone is going to figure out that Kimbra has been the pop genius the world needs and she's been here all along.

Wayfaring Stranger (Burial Remix) - Jamie Woon: Jamie Woon got a raw deal in my opinion. He had a song remixed by Burial, and then Burial co-produced Night Air for him and he was the king of dark and mysterious British dubstep wave, but then James Blake and everyone else came along and sort of overshadowed him totally. Now that whole movement is sort of clouded because of how quickly 'dubstep' came to mean 'skrillex', and for some reason the only place this song is on Spotify is a compilation called The World's Heaviest Dubstep, Grime & Bass.

Chanbara - At The Drive-In: A lot of writing about At The Drive-In focuses on how they never really captured the ferocity of their live shows on record until Relationship Of Command but the absolutely big screams on this working against the salsa bongo rhythms is an amazing thing. I also kind of prefer the weedy half-clean guitar sounds on this and their first album especially to Relationship of Command's crunchier sound, it feels like it gives a lot more space to the weird noodling melodies that come and go.

All Medicated Geniuses - Pretty Girls Make Graves: The intro of this song absolutely blew my 15 year old math rock mind with how simply it transitions from the snare on the beat to the snare off the beat. It is endlessly fascinating to me because I am a dummy. Every part of this song is amazing to me, from the big swing band bassline behind the guitar that's sort of just screaming through the verses and absolutely on its own journey through the chorus to the drums for the reasons I already mentioned but also the way they keep everything straight and absolutely refuse to indulge the guitar's worst math impulses.

Dangerous - The xx: I really love the horns in this song, and the big air raid sirens toward the end. It is still shocking to me that The xx transitioning to making upbeat bangers worked out for them but I'm so glad that they did.

Running - Bully: I was listening to a podcast about water management policy and infrastructure called Water You Talking About because I am young and cool and for some reason they were using the chorus of this song where she goes 'I'LL ADMIT IT! I GET ANXIOUS TOO!' as their theme song in an episode which is I suppose appropriate but also really made me laugh.

Simultaneous Contrasts - Warehouse: The singer in this band has my new favourite voice, it's amazing. She sounds like she's eaten a belt sander or something. I love the way the guitar line follows her vocals up in the chorus and also just how extremely busy the whole band is around her. They remind me of some kind of alternate universe Life Without Buildings where she's pissed off instead of just beguiling.

Light Up The Night - The Protomen: There's no reason this band should be good. They wrote a rock opera based on the story of Megaman inspired by Queen and Bruce Springsteen and it actually turned out incredible somehow. Unfortunately since this album came out almost a decade ago all they've done is a couple of live albums and covers albums, so I may never get the resolution I crave on the story of Thomas Light and Joe and whoever.

Tonto - Battles: Here's what's so good about this song: it spends 2 and a half minutes winding up to a huge centrepiece that's over way too soon and then the next 4 minutes slowly slowly slowly winding down to absolute zero. It's like the opposite of how to write a good song but it's absolutely enthralling.

Wall Street - Battles: Around a minute into this, there's two snare hits where it sounds like it's part of a roll that got digitally muted that I am obsessed with. Every part of this song is incredible, but the drums throughout alternate between sounding like he's desperately trying to keep up and sounding like pure power and total command. I especially love the big brassy snare sound that comes up from underneath occasionally to pull the brakes. The performance of this song that Battles did for La Blogoteque is one of my favourite videos on youtube.

Every Single Line Means Something - Marnie Stern: For about a week this month I developed a quiet mania about John Stanier from Battles filling in on drums in the Late Night With Seth Myers Band (for some reason), and then I found out that Marnie Stern is apparently in that band as well and it really threw me for a loop. I don't really know why this was such an incredible thing or why I focused on it so much, maybe something I need to figure out, but it reminded me of this great song so that's a positive. This is some of my favourite work Zach Hill has ever done because he's being forced to play pretty much a normal backbeat for a lot of this song and it feels like he's been cursed by a witch. The amount of power he's putting out for such a straightforward idea is incredible. Of course because it's Zach Hill he's also doing the absolute most in every other part of the song. I haven't even mentioned how much I love Marnie on her own song! Anyway, listen to this whole album.

Hacker - Death Grips: I never got into the hype around Death Grips when they were the thing, and haven't really investigated their discography past this album, but this song is an absolute masterpiece and probably everything you ever need to know about them. Lyrically between this and 'I've Seen Footage' there's a pretty neat summation of their worldview, paranoid because your existence is inextricably linked to the internet and everything that entails, 'having conversations with your car alarm'. 'make your water break at the apple store,'

Pass The Word (Love's The Word) - The Mad Lads: I was looking up where the sample's from in Hilltop Hoods' Chase That Feeling and it turns out it's this song. Try to listen to this whole intro. He's trying to give a sermon but his dumbshit friends simply will not shut the fuck up for fully three whole minutes. Other than the intro the song is very, very good.

Monkey Time '69 - The Mad Lads: I also found this other song by the Mad Lads called 'Monkey Time '69', which to me is the definition of comedy.

She's Got Guns - The Go! Team: New Go Team album! Unfortunately nothing on it sort of lived up to the promise of the first two singles Mayday and Semicircle song, but this song is still a hit. The way this is mixed is so good, the brass behind the massive bass and spacious drums and the vocals sort of backgrounded within it all, very appealing.

Coast To Coast - Tune-Yards:It feels weird that a Tune-Yards song can be this smooth. A sort of apocalyptic, politics is ruined, new york is sinking, funky smooth jam.

Cattle And The Creeping Things - The Hold Steady: I've never listened to much of The Hold Steady outside of this album because I don't feel like I really need to, it's got everything I'd ever need. Sorry to always to talk about drums but the amount of reverb on them in this song makes them sound absolutely huge and I really love it, especially in the last verse they just become massive. Also I went through a long period of being obsessed with the lyrics of this song, it's a good distillation of this whole album's christian cult/drugs in middle america story and it is completely my shit.

Losing All Sense - Grizzly Bear: There's something about Painted Ruins that's impenetrable to me. I keep listening to it and only absorbing about one song at a time, totally loving that song and then ignoring the rest of the album. Now it's Losing All Sense.

Blue Cheese - Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile: This song is like Kurt Vile in his purest form, just sort of strumming and talking about whatever the fuck. The best part of this song is when they go 'woo hoo!!!' then he whistles a little bit and then says 'here come the lone ranger!' in an elvis voice and plays a solo that sounds like he's tuning his guitar. Also right at the end you can hear someone's phone message tone going off.

Catch Me If You Can Theme - John Williams: John Williams didn't have to go as hard as he did with the Catch Me If You Can theme. I have this in my head all the time. I love the rapid shifts in this recording, because I guess it's functioning as the overture so he's just cycling through every different variation he's got in his aresenal.

I've Seen Footage - Death Grips: It's good that Death Grips' most popular song is about how the internet melts your brain There's a good quote from Zach Hill about where the title came from: 'The line “I’ve Seen Footage” was from a conversation I had with this street-person dude in Sacramento named Snake Eyes. A friend of ours recorded him on the porch in a conversation– he didn’t know he was being recorded. He was all fucked up on drugs and shit, just rattling off all this crazy information. He was talking about structures on the moon. I mean, I talk about those things, too. So we were talking about moon structures, and Snake Eyes says, “I’ve seen footage! I’ve seen footage of it!” And I was like, “That’s good!”

The Bucket - Kings Of Leon:It seems impossible that Kings Of Leon were a really good band at one point but here's the proof.

Standing Next To Me - The Last Shadow Puppets: I'm a truther for Muse ripping off Knights Of Cydonia from The Age Of The Understatement by The Last Shadow Puppets but that's a post for another time. This is a perfect song in my opinion. The absolute pace of it, the minimal drums that are just sort of accenting the strumming, the huge sweeping strings elevating the whole thing, the fact that it's over in just over two minutes. Incredible.

Jesus Just Left Chicago (live) - ZZ Top: Nobody believes me when I tell them but ZZ Top are very good. I have a fantasy about this song that ZZ Top were ringleaders of a sort of revival blues cult and this song is gospel to them. Jesus did really leave Chicago and he's heading towards California and we will be here waiting for him. You may not see him, but he sees you and he loves you. This and the La Grange recording are absolutely furious for live recordings, I love how much crowd noise there is in it throughout, they are truly fucking loving it.

La Grange (live) - ZZ Top: Especially here, my god they love it. La Grange is a good song because it's just a good riff and one verse of nonsense lyrics that are just an excuse to go the fuck off for the remainder. The huge drum fill and the 'have mercy everybody!!' is massive, the solos are ferocious, and somehow this song that feels like it could jam out for 15 minutes is reined in and tightly structured and has somewhat abrupt end.

Barracuda - Heart: Hey remember Guitar Hero? Cause I had ptsd flashbacks when this song came on during I, Tonya.

Bloodmeat - Protest The Hero: I don't know how exactly Protest The Hero pivoted from a concept album about a goddess(?) being executed(?) and bringing about a new genderless utopian age(?) to their second album opening with this very bicep emoji classic metal song about the mongol hordes slaughtering all who oppose them, but good for them I suppose.

Born On A Day The Sun Didn't Rise - Black Moth Super Rainbow: The drums in this song have no place being that huge. Black Moth Super Rainbow are good and I can't believe I hadn't listened to them in years until I woke up with this song in my head one morning, like an omen.

Been Drinkin' Water Out Of A Hollow Log - Mississippi Fred McDowell: Literalyl every Mississippi Fred McDowell song sounds exactly the same which is good because if it works why change it. In my understanding this song seems to be about a man dying of hunger and thirst on purpose to meet god, which is very good to me.

Listen here.

#playlists

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nctinfo · 5 years

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[TRANS] Doyoung’s interview with Grazia September 2019 issue!

Q: I heard you participated in the recording for the Idol Sports Athletic Championships <ISAC> yesterday? A: Yes. I also competed in archery.

Q: Actually, you are considered a member who doesn't like moving. It must have been a big decision. A: At the very least, I participated in a sport that requires the least movement. hahaha.

Q: Can we look forward to an outstanding performance? A: In last year's New Year special of <ISAC> we won the silver medal in archery. This time, I practiced a lot whenever I had time so I think it's good to look forward to it.

Q: So you actually practiced A: All the idols who participated in a competition practiced. I especially practiced a lot this time so I was personally also kinda looking forward to it. The archery teacher too thought it was a shame we just won the silver medal last time, so he also put in more effort into teaching us.

Q: Since January this year, starting in Seoul, you've been around the world from North America to South America, Asia, and even Europe to hold concerts. Since you had been touring for over 6 months, you must have learned a lot? A: I personally did, but I also think our team has grown quite a bit. We've been really busy for almost half a year. Especially in the case of the U.S. tour, we performed every other day so it was physically demanding. However, I think this difficult process made us able to grow. And thanks for the fans' support, I was able to overcome the difficult times mentally and physically. I felt the importance of the fans once again during this tour. I really thought of them as a big support to help me endure. I really realized they are a huge comfort for me to help me withstand.

Q: Please share any special memorable moments that happened during the tour with us A: The show in Atlanta was especially memorable. It was where pop artists, who we know just by hearing their names, have held concerts before and all their pictures are hanging in a large hallway. Among them, only artists who sell-out will be given the 'sold out'-sign. Thankfully, our show got sold-out so we got the sign on our picture too and because of that I felt very strange.

Q: The distances you traveled during the tour were huge. You must have spent a lot of time on the plane. What do you usually do (during the flight)? A: I like to watch dramas, so I downloaded a lot of dramas and movies. However during the tour, since we didn't have much rest, I spent most of it sleeping.

Q: Then, what do you always have to carry with you on board/ A: an iPad to watch dramas and AirPods. There's not much more than that (laughs).

Q: What do you, recently, like to watch? A: A while ago I had a lot of fun watching <Search: WWW>. Also, although it might sound like I'm doing a promo, but my hyung (actor Gongmyung) is starring in a drama nowadays. I wouldn't have mentioned it if it wasn't a fun drama but his drama <Melo Is My Nature> is pretty fun.

Q: We can't miss talking about your appearance on <King of Masked Singer>. You made quite a hot topic after receiving more than 70 votes in three consecutive rounds and going to the finals. A: I was preparing (for my performance) while we were on tour and although it was busy and hectic, it was a special experience. I was really happy during the whole process as I originally always loved singing. Actually, since my trainee days, <King of Masked Singer> has been a program I wanted to compete on. My desire to receive good results were, as expected, big. However, as the recording day was nearing, I thought it was more important to have fun with myself. So I sang songs that I like and do well at.

Q: Usually, when you appear on King of Masked Singer you have to keep it a secret until you reveal yourself. How was it? Did you keep it a secret from the NCT members? A: Anyhow, because I had to prepare, they saw me go out for practice at dawn so then I honestly told them. Although there were some members who didn't ask me until the very end. They saw me for the first time during the broadcast hahaha.

Q: How did the members react after seeing the broadcast? A: Actually, the members were more interested in the sexy dance I showed as a personal talent than the song I performed. It created quite the buzz so I was teased a lot (laughs).

Q: After seeing (your) past interview, I can really tell you love your voice A: Since I was young, I hoped my voice would be a bit more unique. Since I felt it wasn't really special, I wanted to have my own vocal color. So I tried to follow people whom you can recognize after just listening to one bar and who has special tones. But as time went by, I realized it's nice to have a voice like mine, one that people don't really dislike and is nice to listen to. I really like my own voice now (laughs).

Q: Doyoung's singing skills is something anyone will acknowledge. When I look at your NCT Music YouTube Channel, you especially cover song of female singers, is there a particular reason? A: There's not really a specific reason. But I think it's the beauty to paint the cover with your own color that will set you apart from the original artists. When I cover a song by female singers, I can lower the vocal range or color it with my own voice and I'm free to choose what I want to do. I think that's probably why I often pick (female artists songs). And it's also simply because they are my favourite artists. (laughs).

Q: When I watch your cover videos I can tell you use a lot of different concepts and put a lot of thought into them. A: I'm the type to prepare many different things when I do something myself. For example, I think about where to use a mic or not, and if so, what kind of mic and also if I should shoot a video separately or not after recording (the cover). The song is important but I'm one to actively comment on what would go well with the video.

Q: Not long ago, you brother Gongmyung said that traveling with his younger brother was something that was on his bucket list. Did you know of this plan? A: I knew because we always talked about going on a trip together, but it isn't easy for us to find a when we're both free. I really want to go someday. I think it would be fun to show you our trip through a reality show..

Q: Where would you like to go if you were to travel together? A: Actually, the place doesn't matter. My brother and I don't really enjoy drinking much but we would still drink a bit (laughs). So I think it would be fun to travel around to find the local sake of each region.

Q: I heard your personal slogan is 'Let's live like myself'. So how is it to live as Doyoung? A: I'm the type to believe that I can do well and lives thinking positively. For example, I think to myself, ‘I am doing well right now' and 'I am cool' when I'm shooting a pictorial. I try to believe in myself.

Q: Then, what did you tell yourself during the shoot earlier? A: Hahaha. Actually, I was kinda embarrassed but the staff's support is really amazing... (laughs).

Q: What is something special to Doyoung only? A: Although the same might go for other singers, but I really love to sing. I realized it's my love for singing and the fans' support that helps me overcome the hard times when I'm tired.

Q: It might seem like a big question, but what is Doyoung's life goal? A: Since I was young I had chosen artists who are the artists of my life. Because I've been listening to Park Hyoshin, Adam Levine, Oasis and Taeyeon sunbaenim since I was young, I will be able to say a lot of credit will go to them when I become a good vocalist in the future. Although I might add more (artists) in the future, but I think it's my life goal and iron rule to sing like them.

Q: What kind of artists do you dream of to be? A: It's my dream to do music which people who listen to will love rather than just doing music only I like. I hope to experience many more places, with many more songs and have a great time together with lots of people.

Q: The dream of someone who wanted to be a singer since he was young has already come true. What's is your next dream? A: Maybe not to the extent of directing, but I want to challenge producing a performance/concert. Although I'm still lacking and am not at that level yet, I hope to be become someone who can share and express their opinions during the preparations for my own performance someday.

Translation: Esmee @ FY! NCT (NCTINFO) | Source: Grazia Scans — Do not repost or take out without our permission!

#NCT #doyoung #Grazia #Grazia: September 2019 #t:trans #t:interview

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