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mst3kproject · 3 years

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The Ape

In the vein of movies that should not be confused with eerily similar previous entries, The Ape is distinct from The Ape Man... but not by much. Both feature a slumming horror superstar, glandular secretions, and a stupid gorilla suit. All these things also showed up in early seasons of MST3K, of course, and The Ape Man also has a surprise bonus. Apparently, the guy in the gorilla costume is none other than Crash Corrigan, of Undersea Kingdom!

Long ago, Dr. Adrien lost his daughter to polio, and ever since he's been obsessed with finding a cure. That sounds pretty noble, but unfortunately, Adrien is a mad doctor, so the cure he comes up with requires killing healthy people to drain them of their cerebralspinal fluid! In order not to arouse suspicion, he kills and skins a gorilla that escaped from a circus, and wears its hide when he murders people... you know, as one does. To nobody's surprise but his, he ends up getting shot, but hey, at least he cured beautiful young Frances' paralysis!

This is a weird, dumb movie but one thing I can say in its favour is that everybody seems to have given it a good try. This material was far beneath Boris Karloff but he takes it seriously and actually gets a couple of decent moments, as does Maris Wrixton (who was also in The Face of Marble) as Frances. Nobody else is even close to Karloff's level, being just bland 40's actors who talk too fast, but none of the main cast are phoning it in, either.

Conversely, the worst thing in the movie is its truly horrendous gorilla suit. The puppet face shows the actor's eyes and can curl its lip, which is cool, though the features don't look very gorilla-ish. The rest of the suit, however, is terrible. It's way too shaggy and in order to give it a gorilla-like silhouette, they stuck a big hunchback on it. This might have worked if Corrigan had tried to walk on all fours like gorillas actually do, but instead he waddles along upright like a toddler with a full diaper, which ruins it. The people who made the movie also appear to think gorillas are nocturnal which, for the record, they are not.

Gorillas were kind of a big thing in movies of the 40's and 50's. The species had been scientifically described a century earlier, but hadn't really been studied until the 1920s and most people had never seen one outside of King Kong. Films of the period were not kind to the gorilla. One of the first gorilla movies was 1930's Ingagi, which purported to be a documentary about gorillas kidnapping women as sex slaves. That kind of set the tone, and subsequent movies depicted gorillas as creatures prone to violence and rape. Examples from this blog alone are numerous: The Ape Man (1940), Panther Girl of the Kongo (1955), and Bride of the Gorilla (1951) for starters... Robot Monster (1953) might also count.

The Ape has a slightly more nuanced approach to gorilla behaviour. Yes, its gorilla does maul people to death... but the first victim is its trainer, who has been shown mistreating it. Another circus employee even tries to tell him that he'll catch more flies with honey. When the ape batters its way into Dr. Adrien's house, it does so in order to get at the trainer's coat, which Adrien left draped over a chair when the dying man was brought to him for treatment. We see far more fear of the escaped ape than we do of the animal itself, and it does not commit near as many murders as Adrien does while dressed in its skin!

So that's halfway progressive for the 1940s. We can also look at the treatment of Frances, the wheelchair-user partially paralyzed by polio. She is clearly meant to be an object of the audience's pity, and Adrien is obsessed with making her able to walk again – as he could not do for his own daughter. To some extent the movie infantilizes her, as she is clearly dependent on her mother, unable to have much of a social life, and her boyfriend Danny professes his willingness to 'take care of her'. When she regains movement in her legs at the end of the movie, she and her mother immediately burn her wheelchair. Apparently she's not allowed to build up her stamina slowly... if she walks ten minutes from home and then can't continue, she's just gotta sit there until she recovers or somebody finds her.

On the other hand, Frances' family aren't trying to force Adrien's possible cure on her, but let her choose it for herself. Her mother doesn't mind looking after her, and Danny is happy to accommodate her by, for example, hiring a cart so she can accompany him to the circus. Danny in particular is very suspicious of the fact that the injections Adrien gives to Frances are causing her pain, and takes the doctor to task for it, telling him he would rather have her disabled and happy than walking but in pain. “I'd rather carry her around all my life!” he says. Her loved ones are willing to try for the cure, but it doesn't seem like anyone will be miserable if it fails. Frances herself wistfully admires the acrobats at the circus, but shows no anger or bitterness that she cannot be like them.

Frances is even allowed some initiative, as she hurries down the road in her wheelchair calling to Dr. Adrien and trying to warn him that the gorilla is in the area. This, ironically, is what leads to Adrien getting shot, as it attracts the attention of the posse hunting the animal. But as Adrien lies dying, he gets to see Frances standing for the first time in ten years, so I guess we're meant to think this was all worth it.

But was it? Several people died in order to provide the spinal fluid that helped Frances heal. The movie shows them as terrified of Dr. Adrien and/or the gorilla, but other than that it is oddly uninterested in their fates. None of the deaths are presented as tragedies, with families left in mourning... the only family we hear about for the gorilla trainer is a father who is already dead, and another one of the victims was an asshole who told his wife if she didn't like him cheating on her she could always drown herself(!??). So... are we supposed to think they don't matter? That their deaths are acceptable because they helped Frances – who was not dying or even deteriorating, and was satisfied with her life as it was – to a cure?

It is notable that we do not see what happens when Frances finds out that people had to die for her to be able to walk. She would have to reassess her opinion of Dr. Adrien, whom until now she has thought of as a loving father figure. She would have to figure out what this means for her future and perhaps need reassurance that she is not culpable. Her unconcerned happiness at the end suggests that nobody bothered to tell her, and that she has not yet made the connection herself. This is really quite unfortunate, because it deprives Frances of her only real chance to be a character rather than a plot point – which is ultimately all she is here.

Nobody else is shown dealing with the aftermath, either. The town has long mistrusted Dr. Adrien because of rumours that he was experimenting on his patients, and a recent spate of missing dogs is shown to be his fault. An early scene shows a group of boys bothering the doctor by throwing rocks at his house (which made me wonder if toilet paper hadn't been invented yet. According to Wikipedia, it dates to 1857, so there's your Fun Fact for the day). Seeing their worst fears realized really ought to have some effect on the people. Even if nobody bothers to tell Frances how her miraculous cure was effected, others will surely figure it out and have to weigh up what he achieved versus the crimes he committed to get there.

Yeah, I know: this is a movie about a guy killing people while wearing a dead gorilla. I'm thinking too hard.

Finally, I want to note some interesting possible connections between The Ape and a number of other movies I've seen. Both The Ape and The Ape Man appear to have been inspired by the 1932 movie Murders in the Rue Morgue, which also features a gorilla and injections of bodily fluids in the name of mad science, and did not feature very much resemblance to Edgar Allen Poe's story of the same name. I don't know if these films directly inspired each other, and it's been ages since I saw Rue Morgue... but the combination of plot elements here seems weirdly specific to be something different people came up with independently. I should watch all three again and see if I notice any more similarities between them.

There are also interesting likenesses between The Ape and another Boris Karloff movie, 1945's The Grave Robber. The latter is the story of a doctor who needs fresh corpses as part of his research, which culminates in surgery to allow a paralyzed girl to walk again. The doctor in this film is more a victim than a villain, himself, as he finds that the man he's been paying to rob graves for him is actually murdering the homeless, and he can't expose this criminal without jeopardizing his work and incriminating himself. It's been a long time since I saw this movie, either (as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've had some shit going on and I haven't had a lot of time for movies, bad or otherwise), so I can't actually say if it's better than The Ape, but it's definitely less silly.

Anyway, the moral of this story is vaccinate your fucking kids or a gorilla will kill you.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #the ape #40s #guys in gorilla suits #tw: rape #allow me to recommend a better movie #we're running out of plots

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botslayer · 4 years

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Fantasy and Scifi “Racism,” an opinion piece:

This whole thing is gonna be a slurry of politics, hot takes, nerd shit, some pictures to make it not a snooze fest on the eyes, and me asking the lot of ya to consider both sides of an argument. If you have a problem with any of that, please leave. All that said, let's get on with it: Let’s take three gentlemen for an example. One is from Poland. One is from Angola, one is from South Korea. What does that tell us about them? We can infer averages. For example, The average Polish man’s height is about five feet, ten and a half inches, so the Polish gentleman’s height might be in that ballpark. A very well known Korean dish is Kimchi, so it is moderately safe to assume the Korean man has, at some point, eaten it. Two of Angola’s largest provinces happen to be “Moxico” and “Cuandocubango” and one of it’s most populated is called “Huambo” So it would be a moderately safe bet to assume the man from Angola is from one of those areas. Their countries/continents of origin don’t directly tell us much though. Hell, we could be dealing with a Polish little person, a Korean who has bafflingly never had kimchi and an Angolan from Lunda Sul. We also don’t know about their outlooks, their lives, mental conditions they might have. Hell, we may not know what race these guys are. There’s a slim chance the Angolan Gentleman is Chinese (1.4% of the country’s population) Or that the Polish guy is ethnically German. We just don’t know. What we do know for a fact is that they’re all human men. They have (most likely) similar psychology, anatomy, dietary need to not starve to death or dehydrate, etc. And that’s about it. Now let’s take a sample from three fictional species off the top of my head: Starting with a Furon from Destroy all humans.

Now, Furons are pretty much universally shorter and physically weaker than humans, so it is safe to assume our single Furon has these qualities. He's also likely a psychic as that's a common attribute of his people. Also common would be the perception of humans as cattle, his possession of advanced force field technology is also pretty much a guarantee. Outliers exist and all that but something worth mentioning: This Furon is a Furon. In other news: The sky is blue, yeah? The problem is though: The Furons are very much not humans. And there aren't too many "races" in that equation, either. Just the populace of the Furon Homeworld. It's also worth noting that we don't actually know what Furons eat, their water intake any of that. We know only so many details but with just those, it's obvious that Furons and humans are too damn different. For species two, let's look at Mind Flayers from DnD.

Mind Flayers, otherwise known as "Illithids," are generally humanoid creatures born through a process known as "Ceramorphosis." See, Illithids are anatomically asexual, as in, they self inseminate and produce eggs from their mouths. They put the eggs in with an entity called "The Elder brain" which is a conglomerate of other Illithid brains, the tadpoles eat one another or get eaten by the brain for about ten years before being selected and implanted into a sentient creature (Humans, elves, etc) From there, the tadpole eats the brain of that creature, replacing it with its own and slowly altering their anatomy until you get a malevolent microcthulhu with potent psychic powers and the need to eat one entire human-level brain every month. Mindflayers start their lives as parasites that literally consume your entire sense of self and mutate you into an unrecognizable husk with a cephalopod for a face. And they have the gall to consider humans lesser? How bloody dare... an entirely separate species of sentient creatures come to that conclusion. For our last example, let's talk about a species from a setting best described as Technomystical: The Skakdi from Bionicle.

For those who don't know what that species is, The Piraka from the 2006 toyline are all examples of Skakdi. Now, Skakdi look, and they are, absolutely brutal. For example, the species was beset by an army of large and lethal creatures called "Zyglak" after becoming what they are today, the lot of them being mutants. The Zyglak were completely wiped out. Skakdi are savage in the best of ways. They aren't just beasts, they're berserkers with the powers of the elements, however, it does require two of them to activate such powers. Thing is though, they're all like that. The entire species has been mutated from what it once was into a legion that knows little else other than slaughter and subjugation of others... Generally speaking, at least. The problem with all three of these species, or "Races" (As I do NOT prefer to call it), and in fact most species from almost all settings is that they're a monolith. Illithids, for example, generally all follow the same societal structure, living in large groups wherever they can under the "guidance" (as in "Hivemind link") of elder brains, some strike out on their own, but for the most part, they live under elder brains, no matter where in the world they are. There aren't competing Illithid Nations or sub-species with things that makes them distinctly Korean or Aztec inspired unless the DM adds those things. And even then, when settings do that, say, Warhammer, there are some groups that are a national proxy (The Empire is Germany, Bretonnia is France, etc) and then some proxies are just an entire species. (See the Lizard Men, who went from Native American-coded to Aztec over the course of some years.) Adding to these things is a slight elephant in the room. Alignment systems. See, humans in games like DnD can be anything from neutral evil to chaotic good, true neutral to lawful evil, etc. But then some species are stuck as inherently good or evil or inherently lawful or chaotic. The problem with saying that about a sentient species is that it smacks a bit of actual, real racism/racist ideas. The idea that this group of beings that just lives differently to the rest of us is inherently almost anything is clearly bad, right? Well... Maybe if we didn't do that IRL, that would feel more genuine. The hell am I on about?

We, as humans, understand that other species of everything from primates to insects are naturally more aggressive, more gentle, more poisonous, more endowed with certain senses, etc. All except for other groups of humans. Because save for pigments of skin, general height, and elements of culture, pretty much all human groups are the same. That said: Point me to the the race of humans more naturally endowed with psychic powers. Or the human race that can only go on by implanting itself in other humans and slowly making people lose their minds until only they take over said body.

I can show you examples of animals doing the whole “Eating you from the inside out” thing. But not humans. Hell, even cannibals have to get a cut off of ya first. But that’s just how beings like Mind Flayers operate. I can show you examples of more aggressive insectoid life vs ones that just want to be left alone. Generally speaking, a wasp is more aggressive than a ladybug. But that’s because they evolved differently to one another. Like Mind Flayers have from elves. Or like Furons have from Blisk. Or like The Skakdi had from Matoran, even before being mutants. Does that make them (wasps) “Evil” though? Well... No. The problem is that wasps took on the various scary attributes they did because that was the hand nature played for them. A wasp does not choose to start life by eating it’s way out of a living tarantula and then spending the rest of it angrily defending whatever it considers to be it’s “territory” only to lay another one of its kind into another tarantula, that’s just what the little bastards do without thinking because that’s how they adapted to the world. I would say though that Furons are evil. They view an entire species they consider intelligent (Even “Loosely”) as cattle to harvest DNA from and otherwise use as playthings, killing them en masse just for shits and giggles. Mindflayers, I would say much the same of unless they willingly find violent/genuinely harmful examples of intelligent life that will do the world no good and then eat only them. But no, these freaks bred an entire species of creatures to have massive brains and be super passive just to make eating their brains easier. That’s pretty damn evil.

(Pictured above, an Oortling from Forgotten Realms 2e) Creatures like the Krill from Seth Macfarlane’s “The Orville” believe all other sentient species are lesser than them. The galaxy is for them and them alone to conquer and do with as they please. Such is the Will of their god Avis. They started stabbing a human head live in front of other Krill in an episode as part of their religious practices. But then the species has some nuance. This fundamentalism and extremism is how they cope with being so damn small in the face of an uncaring, unfeeling void. So are the Krill evil? No. They’re afraid.

Coming back to the Skakdi, They started out as relatively peaceful until a creature from the Makuta species showed up and mutated the lot of them into the magabadasses they are now. All of them now have, fighting skill equal to, if not greater than most Toa, and even elemental powers. But they aren’t all evil. They’re just aggressive, angry, and furthermore, also probably hurting. A peaceful existence was just taken from these poor bastards, all they know now is conflict with one another. So are the Skakdi evil? No. Some of them might be but it ain’t because they’re Skakdi.

See, Skakdi and Krill are important things to remember here because they, while still being monolithic as cultures, have a little more depth than just the myriad ways in which they’re evil bastards. But Mind Flayers? Not really. Not unless the DM adds that. Furons? I mean... Sometimes they become friends or mate with humans but not usually. And what of the big old elephant in the room? The Orcs of D&D? Orcs as a species were recently described as only having limited capacities for things like empathy... If raised outside the violent and chaotic madness that is living with other orcs.

This is the thing that sparked this post, so I will now, at the near end, address it specifically: People find the wording here to be reminiscent of things actual racist propaganda and ideas perpetuated about pretty much specifically black people as I understand it. Which, I genuinely wouldn’t know. I never really grew up around that stuff and I do my best to avoid racists/racism in my day-to-day. But to me? This just makes a depressing kind of sense. The species that evolved/was made or whatever to be this big, hulking set of warrior badasses. has a limited ability to understand what it is to be the other guy. Seems legit. Especially when you remember that even if Orcs are just another group of primates, they aren’t human and would likely have psychological differences to humans.

This is a baby chimpanzee. Look at it. It’s cute. You want one, don’t you? Well... That’s not advised, honestly. Chimps can be fucking monsters. Don’t know what I mean? A. I’m surprised. B. Just google “Chimpanzee attacks” if you have the stomach for it. Not all Chimps will do it, but chimps can and do, do it. Some Chimps hunt monkeys for food in their territory. It’s royally fucked up, but its a thing they do. And you know how different human DNA is to theirs? About 1%. I personally don’t see anything wrong with saying “An entire species is evil” in any setting other than that being shallow as fuck. I also personally don’t see anything wrong with suggesting that a species has limited empathy because honestly...? Just look at nature and even humans. Fantasy and Scifi often entertain the idea of “What if we are not the only living things smart/naturally equipped enough to build a society?” But the sad reality is if we weren’t? Most other species wouldn’t act a damn thing like humans, most other species probably wouldn’t give a shit about us, and a large number, even if they can and do act like us in some ways, will not in all ways. So, to bring this ramble to something resembling a conclusive point: Fantasy/Scifi “Racism” (As in just being prejudiced, although it should just be Xenophobia, IMO) is way more understandable and even more easily believable than the real thing because we stopped talking humans the second we brought in the crazy dudes with octopus heads. Or who are just naturally, by virtue of their species (not “race”) psychic. And even if it was just between groups that didn’t exist, nature proves that it would most definitely happen. But those are just my thoughts, anybody wanna weigh in? I’m all ears.

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codetrainwreck · 5 years

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2 part ask

From @midnyghtmadnes

This response is kinda long, so it’s hidden behind a read more lol.

As I said in the summary, I haven’t seen the movie. All of the summary stuff and info is from 2 people who’ve seen + the movie pamphlet. But I’m still interested in seeing it. I’m going to Japan in April and I’ll be seeing it as many times as I can if it’s still in theaters. My reasons for wanting to see it, however, are because of Cute Boys.

My attachment to Geass has nothing to do with Lelouch or the setting or the story or [whatever]. I have been 110% completely invested in this series ever since Schneizel turned around in the first opening of the first episode. I’m pretty weak to cute blonde dudes w/nice bangs. CLAMP designs are truly powerful. He appears in the movie in glasses and he looks pretty hot so uhhhh regardless of story, plot, etc things, the movie somehow has something for me. As an added bonus, there’s also this green haired pretty boy voiced by one of my favorite VAs. 👀👀👀

However, compared to the original TV anime, honestly I’m just rolling my eyes. “The Gate that CC uses is below the prison that Suzaku JUST SO HAPPENS to be held at”. Is there only one fucking prison in all of Zilkhstan? Then Chamna’s Geass is to rewind time by 6 hours when she dies. Uhm, so like, why can’t she just daisy chain that shit? Also, “Shirley used her status as a normal college student to take Lelouch’s corpse to France w/o being monitored” except accompanying her was Schneizel, who is the recently appointed #2 of the UFN and was probably already relatively famous?

Stuff like Lelouch and Nunnally’s relationship really makes me scratch my head as well. I get that they were trying to make a comparison between Chamna/Chalio and Lelouch/Nunnally - “Wow Chalio is completely dependent on Chamna but Nunnally can live without Lelouch“. Him leaving her doesn’t bother me - his plan in the TV show was pretty clearly to leave her side one day. It’s the speed and way that it happens in the movie that is seriously “wtf”. Like, your little sister watched you fucking die and held your hand as you died and witnessed you take your last breath and she was probably traumatized as fuck and you’re just bailing 5 seconds after she wakes up? Dude, Lelouch, can you maybe chill and wait at least a day or something?

And then, about world building and setting and such... The plot of the movie largely feels without consequence. No one talks about Zero Requiem. Not as in, “no one talks about how Emperor Lelouch was a big dick and then he died”, but like, “what was happened to the world since then” isn’t really expanded upon. We go from Kallen’s ending narration where she says, “Of course, there are still problems in the world, but people are working on fixing them”... to a 2 year time skip where Everything is Awesome except in Zilkhstan apparently.

I don’t even know what to assume happened off-screen: Did Kaguya, Nunnally, the Chinese Empress, and their presumably European friend make a 4 girl idol band that went to tour to different countries and got other countries to join the UFN? Did Schneizel, who now isn’t allowed to blow up the capitals of all first world countries, have to Do Things the Hard Way and in 2 fucking years he just fixed like 80% of everything?

One of the things Taniguchi has mentioned in Re;surrection interviews is about using the recap movies + Re;surrection universe as a jumping off point for new Geass. To be completely honest, I am kind of “meh” about that whole idea.

Fictional stories typically revolve around a conflict. Sometimes it’s an internal character conflict which requires the characters to grow, sometimes it’s a conflict that involves the whole world. Every single Geass spinoff has been about Some Form of Conflict. The one that seems to have been adopted into canon the most is Oz the Reflection, which is a story told parallel to the main conflict of Lelouch of the Rebellion.

The elements of Geass that people like have become very obvious over the years: “Give us Lelouch dicking people and waving his hands fabulously and pressing a single button to blow up All the Ground.” Every single fucking Geass spinoff has a Lelouch clone (Dash in Renya) or just Literally Lelouch (Akito) and I think it’s annoying.

So, how would they even make something else in this setting? The world becomes Even More Awesome because Papa Eyebrows has Zilkhstan joining the UFN at the end of the movie. Having more made up countries who are not part of the UFN presenting a challenge(?) for our heroes just to become friends with everyone at the end would be the same shit repeated again.

I feel like a, “10,000 years in the future” setting would largely be a repeat as well: “Oh no, peace was destroyed over time, let’s fight until the world is at peace again”.

Meanwhile, Lelouch. Well, let’s see: Lelouch’s internal conflicts with his parents have looooooooong been resolved. He has removed himself from the world stage and leaves the Zero identity in Suzaku’s hands. @touchreceptors noted that even his personality seems completely different in the movie. Lelouch hints about him and CC going off to “find the fragments of Geass” at the end of the movie. (This is potentially a reference to the web series which is also called “Fragments”, but who knows.)

And that’s like... the biggest expanded universe hook we have? What are they gonna do - show Lelouch -- who’s personality got neutered since he got revived -- and CC -- who’s personality got rewritten in the recap movies to be a 1 dimensional object orbiting around Lelouch -- traveling somehow w/o Lelouch being recognized and finding ~Fragments of the Geass~ while occasionally running into old characters? I would absolutely still watch that hoping for the occasional Schneizel cameo but I wouldn’t be thrilled about it.

Personally, if I were in charge of making a new Geass thing, I would skip this stupid Plot Extension with the Geass fragments and just make Code Geass: Fumoffu or Code Geass: Carnival Phantasm...

#asks #code geass #lelouch of the resurrection

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rametarin · 2 years

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Mostly it's cause you post about a lot of really cool science stuff, so I thought you might have an answer to my burning question. I do specifically recall a lot of clean fuel stuff making headlines back as a kid, though. I guess it just takes a lot of time to get that stuff out of the lab.

It's all those reasons and more, depending on what it is.

My personal opinion? One of the reasons we've yet to fully transition has always been the state of battery technology. We can speculate from now until the 33rd of May just why research and development has lagged so hard, for so long, on the electric car. But my personal opinion is that it's related to belligerent state actors all but requiring oil and natural gas to be factors in their plans to control other, neighboring nations.

Yes, I am implying such powers as Russia and Saudi Arabia. Because what have we seen happen? Petro-republics cashing in on the worth of their national product as a source of revenue. Oil rich places either enslaving the world, or being enslaved as oil producing nations with contracts and shit deals by places like China, where they get robbery fees from Venezuela to pay loansharking and shitty deals and the bad deal perpetuates from the poverty.

Russia went all in on oil and natural gas as a petty, direct and authoritarian way to economically cuckold Europe. And what happened? Germany went so bananas that it SHUT DOWN clean nuclear power plants and tried to do everything with renewables. Which didn't work, because even with solar panel prices plummeting, solar is good for when the sun is out, but not for base loading, and absolutely horrible when you have no ubiquitous, cheap storage medium like molten salt reactors to turn turbines when the sun isn't out.

So what happened? Germany re-opened its coal mines and doubled-down on buying Russia's natural gas and oil. Wow. The Greens of Germany, for some reason, heralded this as an environmental win. Knowing full well the bullshit that goes in environmentally in Russian industry.

Almost as if there's some element in the Green Party, in every nation, that harbors more than their fair share of tankies.

Meanwhile, France continued erecting nuclear power plants, and what happened? Their air became CLEANER, their energy prices were HALF that of Germany, and their carbon footprint for the power produced became negligible, as opposed to the depleting air quality, higher energy costs and now dependence on a hostile, belligerent imperialist ethnostate hankering to start swallowing up parts of Europe it considers its sovereign territory. Which is.. effectively.. Europe.

And same with the Petro Islamic nations, using seemingly infinite oil and petro-dollars to finance global Jyhadism and Islamic fundamentalist supremacism. It is Saudi and Quatari and Iranian oil, minerals, gas, all the extreme cultural disparity between sheiks and peasants that incite religious fanaticism and cultural, theological romanticism. The wealthy create a histrionic bubble of tribalism to Islam and then point the wound up impoverished at non-Islamic communities and say 1.) "Destroy the heathens" 2.) "Go forth and multiply." State sponsored multi-ethnic ethnosupremacism as well as theosupremacism. All sponsored by oil.

But the thing about oil is, eventually, it runs out. And the thing about doubling, tripling, quadrupling down on making oil your biggest industry and export and source of revenue for your rapdily expanding country?.. It becomes a bubble, where you better HOPE you don't start running out of it. Or the entire civilization built on it comes tumbling down.

So you're the United States. You want to disrupt and bring those countries with belligerent ideas to heel, but you want to avoid nuclear war or armed conflict. You aren't afraid to fight, but you'd rather not kill millions of people in a senseless, expensive, bloody conflict and get depicted like a bloodthirsty savage in history- any more than you already have. What do you do?

You let them hoist themselves by their own petard, don't interrupt them as they set themselves up to hang from their own society by becoming overly dependent on a fuel source before ripping the rug out from under them and using the transition as leverage. Once they're set up to make the BIG bucks. Because they know, the thing that will fuck up their plans to force the wealthier nations to capitulate to them, is if the wealthier nations no longer require their scarce and cheap third world resource anymore in order to keep the gears of the modern world turning.

And hey, look. It appears like we're.. doing just that. Hm. How strange. Almost as if the relationships fostered between US oil men and the Saudis, experiments nation building in the middle east and modernizing Saudi Arabia were preludes to diplomatically recommend they consider liberalizing, modernizing and not trying to conquer the world through petrochemical scarcity anymore, now that access to energy would likely come from uranium, plutonium and thorium.

The Middle East took some convincing, but it's looking like the OPEC nations are begrudgingly acknowledging the inevitability. Electric cars and pure electric industry comes out, and petro fuel is no longer the trillion dollar a year industry it used to be with guaranteed market in the richest nations on earth; nations that dry up and stop being successful if their energy is cut.

And then we have Russia. Poor Russia. As a result of Crimea, the US flooded the market with oil for a bit. Which caused the Russian economy to fucking nosedive. I'm to understand it hit them hard enough it's still bruised. And then Putin pulled THIS shit.

I think Putin has done this, because he knows he WILL NOT get a chance to entrench any deeper into Europe, will not be able to bully Europeans any harder than he already has for fuel oil for heat and lights. There's officially a date by which Russia's near monopoly can no longer be subtle, but the bias domestically towards steering European nations towards forced dependence on Russian gas and oil from corrupt internal actors, has to surface now. The alternatives will be too cheap, with too many perks, if they're but flexed.

So he took a chance and got hamstrung by his own nutsack. Like a bear that tried to bully a porcupine den by sticking his entire dick and ballsack into it. And paid the price for it.

And what has Putin been hollering about during all this? Threats to nuke if anyone interrupts or intervenes or fights with them. It was always going to come down to this. They just needed to be given an organic opportunity to show their true colors and proactively make fools of themselves. The CIA didn't make Putin attack Ukraine and dribble on about how Ukranians as a culture don't exist and they're just more Russia. The mask has slipped away. The pretenses spoiled like moldy bread. He has to take responsibility for his actions and statements and you can't blame the magical mystical CIA for it, now.

Once Putin's Russia is too emaciated to function and, hopefully, disarmed of nuclear weapons, and falls in line with the OPEC nations, you may just see an absolute revolution of technological honesty and progress. And a revealed powerlevel of where technological progress in DARPA and deep black American projects have taken it over the last 50 years. As well as things that seemed like no-brainers suddenly finish coming to the table where we thought they should've been since 30 years ago.

That's my little ole take on it.

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chorusfm · 6 years

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The Top Albums of 2018 (So Far)

I think I say this every year but fuck it – the music 2018 has blessed us with in its first six months has been extraordinary. With all the insane shit happening around us and to us in this day and age, it feels like music is the only sane thing we have. So below we have our top 20 favorite releases of the year thus far. If you can’t find something to love on this list then you just aren’t trying hard enough – this is an eclectic list that encompasses multiple genres and styles. I can’t wait to see what the next six months brings to our ears. Note: You can share your own list in our music forum. The Top Albums of 2018 (So Far) 1. Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers Brian Fallon came up in the New Jersey punk scene writing nostalgic rock songs about ferris wheels and that old house in Asbury Park and sleeping on the beach. He did it all so damn well that his band, The Gaslight Anthem, famously earned the Springsteen seal of approval. Fallon is a Jersey boy through and through, which makes the idea of his new departure of a solo record—an organ-led, British-invasion-influenced solo record recorded in New Orleans—so fascinating. That he completely pulled it off, continuing his incredible hot streak of albums that began with 2008’s The ’59 Sound, proves that Brian Fallon is among America’s greatest living songwriters. Following his solo debut, 2016’s great if slightly by-the-numbers Painkillers, Sleepwalkers feels far more confident and mature, as Brian Fallon stretches his skillset into a dozen interesting new territories. The NOLA flavor shows up when Fallon experiments with sultry new rhythms in “Come Wander With Me” and the horn-driven title track. “Forget Me Not” references the Beatles in the bridge to signal to listeners that, yes, this is a ‘60s pop song. There is a sizable dose of Pearl Jam in the grungy guitar tones on “My Name Is The Night (Color Me Black),” and there is just enough Barry Manilow flavor in stadium-sized ballad “Etta James,” which sounds like if “Mandy” were performed by a guy with neck tattoos. Still, despite the rampant experimentation, Sleepwalkers is as cohesive a record as we’ve come to expect from Fallon over the past decade, making it one of the most exciting moments in his impressive discography and one of 2018’s most well-crafted records. [JB] 2. The Wonder Years – Sister Cities “I feel like if you’ve been following The Wonder Years, this is where it’s been going,” frontman Dan Campbell states in the teaser trailer for Sister Cities, and he’s spot on. This is the band’s most dynamic album yet, which says a lot considering how much the band has grown with every release. “Raining in Kyoto”, one of the heavier songs the band has written, introduces the central theme of the record, which is that no matter how far apart we may be physically, we’re all connected by our shared humanity: “an older man stood close by and smiled at me / I rung the bell like he did, I told you I’m sorry / a makeshift funeral, I tried setting you free.” On the other side of the world during his grandfather’s funeral, Campbell found solace in a place that didn’t share a spoken language, but a language of grief and love. The album’s closer, “The Ocean Grew Hands to Hold Me,” is The Wonder Years at their most vulnerable: “when I was in shambles / when I got too weak / the ocean grew hands to hold me.” The song, and the album as a whole, is about darkness and loss, but it’s also triumphant. It’s about realizing that our individual struggles are our collective struggles. At our lowest points, our humanity—the ocean—lifts us up and carries us home. [SS] 3. Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour While Kacy Musgraves is a country artist, it’s hard to characterize Golden Hour as a strictly country album. She’s been bending the genre since her release of Same Trailer Different Park in 2013. Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me what genre Golden Hour is placed into because it’s just a good album. Some song on the record (“Slow Burn,” namely) require warming up to them before you can enjoy them in the full context of the album, but I didn’t mind giving this a few spins before it sank in. “High Horse” is a catchy tune and it’s not the only one on the record. With each song, you get the sense that Kacey just wants to do her own thing without focusing on what it’s going to be labeled as. Her personality shines through and that’s what makes this album a fun one to listen to. [DC] 4. Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz Spanish Love Songs are a band that play a particular brand of denim-jacket-punk that feels informed in equal parts by Against Me!…As The Eternal Cowboy and “The Authority Song” by John Mellancamp. Many of their songs contain lyrics where lead vocalist Dylan Slocum fears out loud that he will be killed in an act of random gun violence. This is to say that Spanish Love Songs are an American rock band. Schmaltz is greater than the sum of its parts. At first take, Spanish Love Songs sound a lot like The Menzingers, but that comparison is far too simple to leave unexamined. Compared to the Americana-influenced punk bands that preceded them, Spanish Love Songs’ choruses are more immediate with a notable to well-crafted vocal melodies and the inclusion of synthesizers to punch up the pop elements. The vocals are more frantic and anxious, as Slocum agonizes about the intersection of the aging process, the death of loved ones, and the definite timeline of his own life. Sure, the music Spanish Love Songs make may sound familiar, but the band have nailed the execution to the extent that Schmaltz is handily one of 2018’s most exciting releases from a new band. [JB] 5. Now, Now – Saved Every once in a while the perfect album seems to come along at the perfect time for me. I hear it, it just clicks, and it becomes not only my soundtrack for a few weeks, but my soundtrack for the year. Right now, that’s been the newest album from Now, Now. I find myself returning to Saved when I’m looking for a pick-me-up, when I’m looking to get into my feels on a late night, and when I’m just trying to zone out after a long day at work. The kind of album that just feels perfectly made for where I’m at and what I’m looking for from a record right now. I’m a sucker for pop-music that retains a strong emotional resonance. For music that is full of huge choruses and melodies while maintaining an emotional core. By and large, I think that’s the thread that’s followed me through my entire musical journey. It’s what really draws me to music in the first place. As we reflect on the albums that have made the first part of the year so special for us, I think about what’s going to stay with me through the rest of the year as well. I’ll be playing “SGL” while the sun’s out all summer, listening to “Knowme” as the leafs start to change colors, and have “P0WDER” on repeat in my headphones by the fire this winter. It’s an album for all seasons, for all moods, and it’s been my runaway favorite of the year so far. [JT] 6. Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love After spending the last three Pianos Become The Teeth records recounting the life, love, pain, and loss of his father from multiple sclerosis, the band’s latest album Wait For Love features frontman Kyle Durfey exploring his own fatherhood, as he got married and had a child after finding some sort of closure on 2014’s Keep You. Wait For Love isn’t a happy record nor a sad record – it’s a realistic one that beautifully and painfully captures all the intoxicating highs and devastating lows of being a husband and father. The record is as emotionally complex as you’d expect from a Pianos record, but Durfey’s melodies have never been more powerful, surrounded by the band’s increased gracefulness in their musicianship and enhanced by David Haik’s pulsating and brilliant drumming. From the initial euphoric wave of “Fake Lighting” to the gorgeously intense closer “Blue,” Wait For Love is bursting with some of 2018’s most heartfelt, vulnerable tracks as Pianos Become The Teeth earnestly march into the next exhilarating phase of their career. (DB) 7. Pusha T – DAYTONA It’s been a long season for hip-hop, filled with new releases and controversy in equal measure. While many have taken Kanye West to task for his inane infatuation with Trump and a number of right-wing pundits, there was a certain curiousness ascribed to the announcement of his ambitious Wyoming Sessions. West set out to release five G.O.O.D Music albums within a month, and while ye may be polarizing enough to finally keep some listeners from buying into the producer’s schtick, the first release of these sessions, Pusha T’s DAYTONA, may be the best of the bunch. DAYTONA is as close as it gets to an instant classic, and the publicity surrounding the release, for better or worse, fuels that fact. In some ways, DAYTONA is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Pusha T – that is, luxury drug raps – but in another way, the album pushes new boundaries for the rapper. From the melodicism of opening single “If You Know You Know” to the stunning guitar samples on “The Games We Play” and “Santeria,” King Push manages to mix more braggadocio and quotables in just seven tracks than most rappers are capable of in an hour-plus. [AM] 8. Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog There is no voice in modern rock and roll as unique and indescribable as Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan. A constant see-saw between something beautiful and ugly, she undertakes a variety of different approaches, as if her voice is assuming a different character each time. And it’s so very apparent on the band’s incredible third album, Bark Your Head Off, Dog – a record that encapsulates a catharsis in the most imperfect yet perfect ways. Tracks like “How You Got Your Limp” and “Not Abel” prove that you don’t need to be abrasive to be impactful, each song channeling the tender yet spastic density of the band’s music. Bark Your Head Off, Dog may be the most visceral record of 2018, innately sticking with you long after the final track has finished playing. [DB] 9. Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer Josh Tillman is one of the most divisive voices in indie-rock, for reasons that are clear, but also somewhat silly. It seems many can’t stand the performer’s growing penchant for satire and theatrics, and if that’s the case, many will rejoice upon hearing his shortest and least ironic offering under the moniker yet. Taking sonic cues from his entire discography, God’s Favorite Customer is a piano record, a comparatively minimalist affair that often bursts into lavish compositions that would make a Beatle blush. Rooted in heartbreak and isolation, Gods Favorite Customer offers the unique songwriting chops fans have come to love as well as an unbridled and often bleak look at this particular songwriter’s process. An album of pleas, Tillman chastises himself on “Just Dumb Enough to Try” (“But I’m just dumb enough to try/To keep you in my life/For a little while longer”), but also switches places with his partner on standouts “Please Don’t Die” (“And honey, I’m worried ’bout you/Put yourself in my shoes/You’re all that I have/So please don’t die, wherever you are tonight”) and “The Songwriter.” Saving its least performative bits for the B-side, God’s Favorite Customer is the unfortunately common high point of an artist’s career mirroring a low point in their personal life. [AM] 10. Jeff Rosenstock – POST- If Jeff Rosenstock’s We Cool? is about the internally-directed disquiet that comes when an anxious person starts noticing the aging process, and if WORRY. is about the externally-directed disquiet that comes when an anxious person decides to get married and settle down in a troubled political climate, POST- is about that same anxious person trying their absolute hardest to keep it together in the era of Donald Trump. While POST- doesn’t shake up the WORRY. sound all that much (discounting some experimentation with longer song structures in the opening and closing tracks), Rosenstock has clearly gone through significant changes since Inauguration Day. Specifically, he’s writing from a much lower place. While Jeff postured himself as the flag-bearer in the movement against all that is fucked up in the world on WORRY., POST- finds the singer full of anxiety and paranoia with nothing but questions to offer. Did my friends and neighbors vote for him? How can I speak out against this? Is there really any point in doing so? Can I start a new life in Australia or something? And while “Let Them Win” doesn’t begin to start answering these questions, it does present the only possible conclusion, the only mantra that feels within reach: no matter how bad things get, we’re not gonna let them win. [JB] 11. Fall Out Boy – MANIA If you could put me in a time machine that looks like a DeLorean and shoot me back to the release of Fall Out Boy’s Take This To Your Grave, and let me tell myself that in 15 years the band would still be going strong, and, in fact, may have just released their best album? I’d probably believe time-traveling-Jason. I’ve always believed that this band is special and it’s thrilling for me to watch their career unfold. The constant has been the band’s ability to write very good songs. They’ve walked through a variety of different genres and branched out their sound, but I’d argue that the the underlying “Fall Out Boy-ness” has always remained. (Uh, ditto for people arguing about them on my forums.) MANIA has quickly grown to be one of my favorite Fall Out Boy albums. I’m drawn to this brash confidence I can feel in the songs. It’s got a pulsing soul that reverberates through a razor-tight 36 minutes. Between foot-stomping choruses and soul-baring ballads, it’s the amount of pure fun that I find in the album I’m drawn most to. In a world that feels more hellish each day, there’s a comfort to this record. I’m not surprised this band is still cranking out great songs all these years later, but I’m always pleasantly surprised when I not only find something to like, but something I genuinely want to listen to. Well done you little pleasing purple record you. [JT] 12. Lord Huron – Vide Noir Lord Huron, the indie rock group from Los Angeles, have had quite a few years to grow into their trademark sound of atmospheric landscapes and wandering journeys. Vide Noir, the third studio album and their first on a major label, was mixed by Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, The Flaming Lips) and self-produced by front-man Ben Schneider, in which he has crafted his early career masterpiece. Schneider recently credited this album to a new habit of taking nighttime drives around LA and the “search for meaning amidst the cold indifference of the universe,” according to his recent social media posts. This album in particular speaks to the late night journeys that Schneider had become accustomed to and takes the listener on a rewarding path of self discovery. Lord Huron are at their most comfortable when they experiment with these sonic landscapes and there’s plenty of this apparent on this LP. [AG] 13. Caitlyn Smith – Starfire Some artists just have those voices that you can’t deny. You might not usually listen to the genre they hail from, and you might not even love the songs, but you can hear them sing and understand why people love their music. Adele is one of those artists. Chris Stapleton is one of those artists. Jeff Buckley, when he was alive, was one of those artists. And Caitlyn Smith is one of those artists, too. For my money, Smith’s debut, titled Starfire, is one of the two or three most well-sung LPs of the decade so far. I’m guessing that one listen to the theatrical tour-de-force “East Side Restaurant” will be enough to tell you why. While Smith’s voice is the centerpiece, though, Starfire is what it is because of the songwriting. Smith has been waiting for this moment for a long time, releasing a series of EPs and writing songs for everyone from Garth Brooks to Dolly Parton to Meghan Trainor and John Legend. Starfire encapsulates that long-haul story into a record about chasing a dream until it breaks your heart—and then chasing it even harder. Songs like “Don’t Give up on My Love” and “This Town Is Killing Me” ache with the sting of everything you sacrifice when you gamble your life on a fool’s hope of music industry success. “They buried my granddad without me/’Cause I was out on the road at some one-off show in Tupelo/And I can’t take that one back,” Smith sings in the latter. Starfire is an album built on a lot of miles, a lot of lonely nights in shitty motel rooms, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. You can hear every ounce of what the journey cost in the songs, so when Smith belts something like the rafter-shaking key change at the climax of “Tacoma,” it feels like nothing less than a triumph of the human spirit. [CM] 14. Camp Cope – How To Socialise and Make Friends There’s a renaissance of primal, emotionally-charged punk rock coming out of Melbourne, Australia right now (roo-rock?) and the all-female Camp Cope is leading the charge. Lead singer Georgia Maq started as a solo artist, but added Kelso Hellmrich and Sarah Thompson to great effect on their second studio album, How to Socialize & Make Friends, a loose reference to the classic Dan Carnegie self-help book published in the 30’s. Maq is equal parts sincere, sarcastic, bitter, and brazen singing about gender politics (“And all my success has got nothing to do with me/Yeah, tell me again how there just aren’t that many girls in the music scene”) and just surviving in a world not built for sensitive people (“But sometimes it’s hard to go outside/And I’ve been driving way too much/I’ve been too lazy to fix my bike”). Her beautiful banshee scream is reminiscent of Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan’s, but nothing about Camp Cope is purely derivative. Now in their prime as a band, they have created a place for themselves all their own. [DK] 15. Underoath – Erase Me The first time I heard “rase Me, I was let down—but somehow totally vibing with album standout “No Frame.” And then I listened again. And again. The songs started wiggling their way into my head. And then I listened again. The next thing I knew, I was belting every song for weeks on end. I’d trusted Underoath for fifteen years, and they delivered again, despite my initial reaction. Listening to an album “freed from religion” was listening to the catharsis of a man not afraid to address God from a place of vulnerability and honesty unafraid of how he was perceived in the asking, conquering the addiction demons of his past, and coming to a new sense of identity—all while exploring new avenues of sound for the band. Some defined these new sounds as selling out—and while I would’ve preferred more “Hold Your Breath”-type songs to “Rapture”-type songs—I’m all for bands writing what they want to write. This will never be remembered as their greatest album, but with enough time, it becomes an intensely personal album if you let it. The soaring chorus of “In Motion” or the absolutely crushing bridge of “ihateit” spoke directly to my life experiences. Spencer sang words echoing the thoughts I’ve kept on scraps of paper only I see. When I come to music, I just like to be seen. Thirteen years after “Young and Aspiring” changed my life, Underoath still makes music that sees me. And I still see them. I’m so happy for the continued success and happiness they’ve found along the way. Erase Me is an album about the journey, and I’m already excited for what the destination of a next album promises. [GL] 16. Soccer Mommy – Clean Perhaps no other artist understands coming of age in the 2010s the way Soccer Mommy’s Sophie Allison does. Her first proper full-length, Clean, displays her knack for chronicling the uncertainties of young love, feeling misunderstood, and avoiding one’s parents in a way that feels far more mature than the subject matter would suggest. Take “Flaw”’s honest retelling of a relationship gone sour, culminating in the self-aware line: “I choose to blame it all on you, ‘cause I don’t like the truth.” Or listen to the rollicking, defiant single “Your Dog,” a screed against a controlling boyfriend that turns into a positive affirmation of her autonomy. It’ll be exciting to watch Allison grow, but for now, Clean is a hell of a first step. [ZD] 17. Animal Flag – Void Ripper Animal Flag’s latest full-length, Void Ripper, is aptly named. It’s the band’s darkest and heaviest release yet, and the music is every bit as crushing and apocalyptic as Matt Politoski’s lyrics behind it – lyrics like, “everyone I know will die” and “life is short, it always ends.” While Politoski’s lyrics are admittedly depressing, they’re also his most personal and thought-provoking yet. He and the rest of Animal Flag have torn through the void, and what they discovered on the other side was something beautiful. [ZD] 18. Frank Turner – Be More Kind Frank Turner is an Englishman, dutifully touring his way around the world and then back again, racking up a whopping 2,202 shows under his belt. So if anyone knows what might help our country right now, it’s probably the very world-weary Frank Turner. On Be More Kind he prescribes one part decency (“Be more kind, my friends/Try to be more kind”) , one part rage (“Let’s make America great again/By making racists ashamed again.”), and one part persistence (“Put on your brave face, honey, your brave face/It’s funny how fear can bring your focus in tight”). It’s a winning formula and the subject matter forces Turner to slow down in way he’s never done before. He leans in hard on the end-of-the-world theme with titles like “21st Century Survival Blues” and “Making America Great Again,” but mostly gone are the fast guitars and punk power chords, replaced instead with sensitive acoustic strumming and even, on standout track “Blackout”, a clubby dance beat. Turner crafts a surprisingly mellow, insightful album, one that feels, more than ever, like one he’s been wanting to make. And if takes an Englishman with four chords to save our country, well, we’ll take it any way we can get it. [DK] 19. The Republic of Wolves – Shrine After my first listen of Shrine I knew that this was a very special record. On their 3rd LP The Republic of Wolves return to their roots. This record delivers an album full of dynamic dark alt rock songs that are sure to fill a void for some. Lyrically, Shrine is a concept album that centers around Japanese folklore while still touching on relatable themes such as heartbreak (Birdless Cage) and spiritual conflict (Bask) . One of the album’s highlights is the centerpiece “Dialogues,” which takes the listener through a musical journey of both loud and soft dynamics, while also containing a call back a track on the bands first LP “Monologues.” The production on shrine is fantastic and contains some of the best guitar tones I’ve heard this year. This record delivers on many layers and is a must listen for fans of dynamic alternative rock. [Teebs41] 20. Turnstile – Time & Space If you’re looking for 2018’s most wild ride look no further than Turnstile’s Roadrunner Records debut, Time & Space. Blending the perfect mix of shout-along choruses, super groovy musicianship, and just the right amount of heavy to get the pit moving (thanks to Will Yip’s crisp production), the Baltimore quintet is the most exciting and unique band to emerge from the hardcore scene in years. “Generator” flows like an out-of-body experience, elevating above any and all distractions, while the fuzzy crunch of “Moon” features a guest turn from Sheer Mag’s Tina Halladay and the blistering “Right To Be” features added production from none other than Diplo. Clocking in with 13 tracks at just under a half hour, Time & Space proves that the tired ideas of what hardcore should be will not stop Turnstile from getting freaky and releasing one of the best albums of the year. [DB] Contributor Key * [CM]: Craig Manning * [JT]: Jason Tate * [AM]: Aaron Mook * [SS]: Scott Surette * [ZD]: Zac Djamoos * [DC]: Deanna Chapman * [DB]: Drew Beringer * [AG]: Adam Grundy * [GL]: Garrett Lemons * [JB]: John Bazley * [DK]: David Kallison Contributor Lists Jason Tate * Now, Now – Saved * Fickle Friends – You Are Someone Else * Fall Out Boy – Mania * Half Waif – Lavender * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * Dessa – Chime * The Neighbourhood – The Neighbourhood * Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour * Natalie Prass – The Future and the Past * Pennywise – Never Gonna Die * Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer * Soccer Mommy – Clean * Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz * Nathan Gray – Feral Hymns * Illuminati Hotties – Kiss Yr Frenemies * The Republic of Wolves – Shrine * Lykke Li – So Sad So Sexy * The Longshot – Love is For Losers * Annie-Marie – Speak Your Mind * Tonight Alive – Underworld Drew Beringer * Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer * The Wonder Years – Sister Cities * Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog * Turnstile – Time & Space * Petal – Magic Gone * Self Defense Family – Have You Considered Punk Music * Beach House – 7 * Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love * Sleep – The Sciences * Tiny Moving Parts – Swell * Jeff Rosenstock – POST- * Culture Abuse – Bay Dream * Rolling Blackouts C.F. – Hope Downs * Dance Gavin Dance – Artificial Selection * Wax Idols – Happy Ending * Now, Now – Saved * Hurry – Every Little Thought * Drowse – Cold Air * Wye Oak – The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs * Anthony Green – Would You Still Be In Love Adam Grundy * Lord Huron – Vide Noir * Middle Kids – Lost Friends * The Aces – When my heart felt volcanic * CHVRCHES – Love is Dead * The Neighbourhood – S/T * Moon Taxi – Let the record play * Car Seat Headrest- Twin Fantasy * Kendrick Lamar/VA – Black panther soundtrack * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * Senses Fail – If there is light… * Dashboard Confessional – Crooked Shadows * Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night sweats – Tearing at the Seams * Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino * The Voidz – Virtue * Underoath – Erase Me * Superorganism – S/T * Ben Howard – Noonday Dream * Pennywise – Never Gonna Die * Father John misty – Gods favorite customer * The Longshot – Love is for Losers Craig Manning * Caitlyn Smith – Starfire * Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour * Tenille Townes – The Living Room Worktapes * Dawes – Passwords * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * Donovan Woods – Both Ways * Field Report – Summertime Songs * Brothers Osborne – Port Saint Joe * Steve Moakler – Born Ready * Dierks Bentley – The Mountain * LANCO – Hallelujah Nights * Ashley Monroe – Sparrow * Brandi Carlile – By the Way, I Forgive You * Courtney Marie Andrews – May Your Kindness Remain * Parker Millsap – Other Arrangements * The Dangerous Summer – The Dangerous Summer * The Church Sisters – A Night at the Opry * Snow Patrol – Wildness * Ashley McBryde – Girl Going Nowhere * American Aquarium – Things Change Scott Surette * the wonder years — sister cities * the republic of wolves — shrine * pusha t — daytona * dance gavin dance — artificial selection * hop along — bark your head off, dog * jeff rosenstock — post- * pianos become the teeth — wait for love * turnstile — time and space * cardi b — invasion of privacy * soccer mommy — clean * jpegmafia — veteran * tiny moving parts — swell * the dangerous summer — the dangerous summer * senses fail — if there is a light, it will find you * pennywise — never gonna die Deanna Chapman * Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour * Hidden Hospitals – Liars * Marian Hill – Unusual * Caitlyn Smith – Starfire * Brothers Osborne – Port Saint Joe * The XCERTS – Hold On To Your Heart * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * Hurry – Every Little Thought * Elder Brother – Stay Inside * The Longshot – Love Is for Lovers Zac Djamoos * Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz * The Wonder Years – Sister Cities * Soccer Mommy – Clean * Animal Flag – Void Ripper * Camp Cope – How to Socialise and Make Friends * Long Neck – Will This Do * awakebutstillinbed – what people call low self-esteem… * Pianos Become the Teeth – Wait for Love * illuminati Hotties – Kiss Yr Frenemies 1 * Mighty – Mighty * The Republic of Wolves – shrine * No Thank You – All It Takes to Ruin It All * Black Foxxes – Reidi 14. Runaway Brother – New Pocket * Speak Low If You Speak Love – Nearsighted * Jeff Rosenstock – Post- * Toy Cars – Paint Brain * Late Bloomer – Waiting * Barely Civil – We Can Live Here Forever * Casey – Where I Go When I Am Sleeping Aaron Mook * Caroline Rose – LONER * Porches – The House * Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer * The Sidekicks – Happiness Hours * Pusha T – DAYTONA * Beach House – 7 * American Pleasure Club – A Whole Fucking Lifetime of This * Donovan Wolfington – Waves * Kraus – Path * Mount Eerie – Now Only Chrisanne Grise * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * Franz Ferdinand – Always Ascending * Lord Huron – Vide Noir * Florence and the Machine – High as Hope * Leon Bridges – Good Thing * David Byrne – American Utopia * Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer * Frank Turner – Be More Kind * The Longshot – Love is for Losers * Kate Nash – Yesterday Was Forever David Kallison * Camp Cope – How to Socialize and Make Friends * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz * Sorority Noise – YNAAT * Frank Turner – Be More Kind * Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog * illuminati hotties – Kiss Yr Frenemies * Coach Phillips – Learning How To Swim EP * Pelafina – Sorry In Advance * Wonder Years – Sister Cities * Tiny Little Houses – Idiot Proverbs * The Penske File – Salvation * Childish Gambino – “This is America” single * Juice WRLD – Goodbye and Good Riddance * Pllush – Stranger to the Pain * Nahan Gray – Feral Hymns * Animal Flag – Void Ripper John Bazley * Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz * The Wonder Years – Sister Cities * Staten – I don’t want to be alone anymore * Now, Now – Saved * Pusha T – Daytona * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * Kevin Gates – Chained to the City EP * Kississippi – Sunset Blush * Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer * Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog * The HIRS Collective – Friends. Lovers. Favorites. * Jeff Rosenstock – POST- * A Will Away – Hear Again EP * J Cole – KOD * Saba – Care For Me * Tiny Moving Parts – Swell * Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel * Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy * Animal Flag – Void Ripper * Zaytoven – Trap Holizay Garrett Lemons * Underoath – Erase Me * The Wonder Years – Sister Cities * Beyonce & Jay-Z — Love Is Everything * Jeff Rosenstock – POST- * The Weeknd – My Dear Melancholy * Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy * Frank Turner – Be More Kind * Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes * Dashboard Confessional – Crooked Shadows * Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love * The Dangerous Summer – The Dangerous Summer * Senses Fail – If There Is A Light… * The Republic of Wolves – Shrine * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour * Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer * Migos – Culture II * Now, Now – Saved * Justin Timberlake – Man of the Woods * Pusha T – Daytona Ryan Gardner * The Wonder Years – Sister Cities * Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz * Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour * Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love * Now, Now – Saved * The Sidekicks – Happiness Hours * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * The Dangerous Summer – The Dangerous Summer * Underoath – Erase Me * Turnstile – Time & Space * Soccer Mommy – Clean * Harms Way – Posthuman Tommy Monroe * Pusha T – Daytona * Anne-Marie – Speak Your Mind * Charlie Puth – Voicenotes * Cozz – Effected * First Aid Kit – Ruins * Vance Joy – Nation Of Two * Princess Nokia – A Girl Cried Red * Fall Out Boy – Mania * Camila Cabello – CAMILA * Jay Rock – Redemption * Beyoncé & Jay-Z – Everything Is Love * Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer * Cardi B – Invasion Of Privacy * Royce da 5’9 – Book Of Ryan * Migos – culture 2 * J. Cole – KOD * The Dangerous Summer – The Dangerous Summer * Julie Bergan – Turn On The Lights * Kids See Ghosts – KIDS SEE GHOSTS * Kanye West – Ye Aj LaGambina * Now, Now – Saved * Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait for Love * Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour * Animal Flag – Void Ripper * Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * Jeff Rosenstock – Post- * Tiny Moving Parts – Swell * Fall Out Boy – Mania * MGMT – Little Dark Age Eric Wilson * Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour * Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers * Mayday Parade – Sunnyland * Camila Cabello – Camila * Mike Shinoda – Post Traumatic * Fall Out Boy – MANIA * Mat Kearney – Crazytalk * Dashboard Confessional – Crooked Shadows * Tonight Alive – Underworld * State Champs – Living Proof --- Please consider supporting us so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/features/articles/the-top-albums-of-2018-so-far/

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luobingmeis · 7 years

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hawk in the raven nest, chapter thirteen

A/N: hey guys what’s up, i’m jordyn, i turned eighteen today, and i never fucking learned how to properly treat fictional characters

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Nathaniel found himself swallowing guilt every time his eyes fell upon Jean Moreau. Nathaniel, for such a long time, only felt guilt towards his mother, the life she never got to have, and the apology she never got from him for fucking up her life. But now that guilt had reached out its claws and dragged Jean down with it, and Nathaniel was consumed by it. Despite the fact that nothing had happened, the twist in Nathaniel’s gut got worse and worse each time he saw his roommate to the point where he was choked by it. Even his self assurances that Jean was being watched by Andrew, Andrew made no promises but he was still keeping an eye on Jean, and that Riko would have to get through Nathaniel and Andrew before he got to Jean only sedated his nerves for a short span of time.

And while sitting on his own bed while Jean sat on his, the span of time was running out. Jean was sitting with his back against the wall and his knees bent. A book was propped open and Nathaniel was amazed with the calmness of his roommate. Nathaniel, who could probably count how many times he had truly been content on less than ten fingers (most of which involved a certain blond goalkeeper), had one knee pulled up to his chest with his chin resting upon it.

Apparently, while reading, Jean picked up on Nathaniel’s gradual decline of stability, because he said, “You… doing okay?”

“Fine,” Nathaniel said, definitely lying.

“Would you like for me to pretend that I believe you?”

Nathaniel turned his head to look at Jean and rested his cheek on his knee. “That would be greatly appreciated.”

Jean nodded. Nathaniel expected him to go back to his book, but instead Jean closed it and shifted his body to face Nathaniel. He said in French and with a quieter voice, “You never told me how Kevin was doing.”

Nathaniel paused; he hadn’t expected Kevin to come up. Kevin and Jean’s relationship was similar to Kevin and Nathaniel’s in the way that they were once friends, but time and circumstance and Riko Moriyama pulled them apart. While Riko and Kevin rose to stardom, Nathaniel and Jean stayed behind as punching bags and property. Nathaniel then nodded to the place on his bed in front of him, and Jean understood the cue and moved to sit in front of Nathaniel.

Nathaniel then thought about Kevin. How was he doing? How was adored Kevin Day reacting to being out of his element, surrounded by people leagues behind him, with a father that didn’t know he was a father? Nathaniel remembered Kevin’s clutched hands and white knuckles at their game against the Foxes. He remembered his drunk franticness when he found out Riko and the Ravens would be in the same district. Kevin had left the Ravens to get away from Riko, and Riko, ever the lurker, followed Kevin straight to his doorstep.

“He’s frustrated,” Nathaniel finally decided upon, also speaking in French. It was an understatement, but anything would be in describing what Kevin was going through. “His entire life did a complete one-eighty. He lived knowing that one day he would rule the world of Exy with Riko, but Riko ended up being the one to take that away from him. He went from being a star to an assistant coach for the Palmetto State Foxes.”

Jean nodded, his eyes staring ahead instead of at Nathaniel. “Do you really think the Foxes will win?”

Nathaniel looked down at his bedsheets and scrunched them up in his hands. He had faith in Kevin to get the Foxes to where they needed to be, but the cold, harsh reality that Nathaniel had always known still whispered worst case scenarios in the back of his mind.

Then he thought of their game against the Foxes, and how for the first time he felt the relief of finally trusting someone completely. He thought of the Foxes getting three goals past Andrew, the best goalie in the ERC against the currently lowest ranked team. He thought of Kevin helping govern that team, and he realized that perhaps he wasn’t so scared of the new player Kevin was bringing it. They would be debuted in a week, and Nathaniel found himself more curious than apprehensive. And, most of all, when Andrew told him that the Foxes would win, Nathaniel believed him.

So yes, he did have doubts speaking to him in the back of his mind. But between Kevin and Andrew’s voices, the doubts were quieter than usual.

“I think if everything goes as planned,” Nathaniel finally said. “They can win.”

Jean nodded again, turning his head towards Nathaniel. “And then, if that works out along with everything concerning… loose ends, we’ll be free from all of this?”

“If everything works out, we will at least have no more Riko and Tetsuji,” Nathaniel said. “We want to show the world what the Ravens truly are: fucked up. We live in an abusive, manipulative hivemind, and we’re trying to end it all. It’s risky, to say the least.” He sighed. “It requires a lot of careful planning and secrets and…” He trailed off, looking up at his ceiling. “And I think it might actually work. Andrew, Kevin, and I have the plan laid out in front of us. It’s just putting it all together.” He nodded. “So yes, if everything works, I believe we can be free after this is done.”

When Jean said nothing, Nathaniel looked back at him and was surprised to find him with a small smile on his face. “If we do get out of here,” Jean said, his voice soft. “I would like to see France again. Not where my parents are, as you probably understand why, but just to see it again.”

Nathaniel and Jean were both bought by the Moriyamas. However, even then, some of the circumstances behind their purchase were different. Nathaniel was bought because, otherwise, he would have been a loose end and would have been executed. Jean was bought because the Moreaus couldn’t afford the debt they owed the Moriyamas. Nathaniel didn’t have much of a move to make; Jean, on the other hand, came all the way from France. Nathaniel remembered him barely able to speak English, and then him being forced to not use French at all, since no one else could understand him, while simultaneously learning English and Japanese. Jean still taught Kevin and Nathaniel French in secret, though.

Nathaniel wondered what it felt like to have a home to go back to.

“It would be nice to be able to live in the outside world again,” Nathaniel murmured.

“It would be.” Jean then sighed. “Listen, I know you haven’t told me the entirety of your plan. You probably can’t, because from what it sounds like, you’re dealing with life and death. I still… it’s very frightening to hear about what you’re doing. No one has ever fought back before, and you three are going straight for the core of everything. Even you can’t say this plan is foolproof, can you?” Nathaniel hesitated before nodding. “Exactly. It seems like things are very particular. And when things are particular and need to be done a certain way or else they don’t work, it’s very easy for things to go wrong.” Jean paused. “If things do go right, and you manage to actually take all this down and reveal what has been going on, I hope you find a life outside of here.”

Nathaniel nodded again. I hope you find a life outside of here. For months, all Nathaniel had been thinking about was destroying the Ravens. He thought of taking down Riko and Tetsuji, and revealing the hivemind that has governed the team since Tetsuji started it. But this was the first time he found himself thinking of what happened after. If he was in one piece after all of this, or at least alive, and things had managed to fall into place, he had endless possibilities, it seemed.

The thought of a future was overwhelming. It took him three tries to manage out, “I hope you do, too.” He then coughed around the feeling in his throat in an attempt to revive his vocal cords. “Just, steer clear of all of this, okay? I know you said you can’t sit back and watch us do this, but please, Jean. Me and Andrew are currently the ones here involved in all of this. We are the buffer between you and Riko. He goes after whichever one of us he can get his hands on first, so don’t let that be you. Let us either live or die through this while you keep your head down. You shouldn’t be the one getting hurt because of us. You and I both know that I can’t make any promises, but just stay away from all this shit and let me and Andrew take it.” Jean looked as if he was about to disagree, so Nathaniel continued before he could say anything. “I think… I think you can get out of this okay. Or, well, as okay as a Raven can be.”

Jean didn’t say anything. Nathaniel received no cues from him as to whether or not Jean even believed him. But, finally, after staring at his hands in his lap, Jean gave a small nod, stood, and went back to his book.

#aftg #tfc #neil josten #kevin day #jean moreau #stuff i write #hawk in the raven nest

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douchebagbrainwaves · 6 years

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THEY SOLD THEIR SOFTWARE ON EBAY FOR A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF STOCK WILL NOT, EXCEPT IN SPECIAL APPLICATIONS, BE MASSIVE PARALLELISM

So the rate of a successful startup, the valuation number is just an artifact of the respective contributions of everyone involved. Why don't more people use it, and 50% of those you start with to be wrong that everyone would do this. We're going to let hosts rent out space on their floors during conventions. Because they begin by trying to seem corporate, or pretending to know about stuff you don't—you may just conceal your talent. In the real world, VCs regard angels the way a startup does. But Balzac lived in nineteenth-century France, where the Industrial Revolution that wealth creation definitively replaced corruption as the best way to convince investors is to make a record. You could try to decrease the risk is too. It's hard to predict what will; often something that seems interesting at first will bore you after a month. This article is derived from a talk given at the 2001 Franz Developer Symposium. That will require some diplomacy if you follow the advice I've given here, because the advice I've given here, because the top VCs skim off all the best deals. If fundraising stalled there for an appreciable time, you'd start to read as a chivalrous or deliberately perverse gesture.

There hasn't been a lot of people who wish they'd gotten a regular job is the default This leads us to the last and probably most powerful reason people get regular jobs: it's the default thing to do. In this article I'm going to use a simple data structure called a list for both code and data. The other thing that's going to be different: just as the very most popular kids don't have to worry about and which not to. The evolution of languages differs from the evolution of programming languages is more like it. Work for a VC fund? With an apparently inexhaustible sum of money sitting safely in the bank, the founders visit the VCs they have introductions to. That sends two useful signals to investors: that you're doing well or badly. The puffed-up companies that went public during the Bubble didn't do it just because they were living in the future to say this is the truth.

On, noise. So here is an even more striking statistic: 0% of that first batch had a terrible experience. Once you take money from the state government to renovate a vacant building as a high school kid writing programs in the languages we use now? In architecture and design, this principle means that a building or object should let you use it how you want: a good building, for example, allow founders to cash out. There seem to be a picky search expert to notice the old algorithms weren't good enough. And we have to rely on. Be nice.

Starting a startup is just a convenient way of trading one form of wealth for another. Kenneth Clark is the best source of rapid change. If you judge by the median startup, the other two classes have effectively disappeared in industrial societies, and their terms should reflect that. Whatever job people do, they naturally want to do a deal with you just to lock you up while they decide if they really want to. What you can do what all the other big companies are doing. In theory this sort of micromanagement. After all, they're just a subset of lists in which the elements are characters. All you're doing is wasting your own time riding it down. The other thing that made him different was that he did not know a single startup that got funded this way. And it can't have been heredity, because it means that if you have genuine intellectual curiosity, that's what you'll naturally tend to build things that are impossible to predict, I think, without macros? You're also surrounded by other people trying to write systems software on multi-cpu computers.

Others skip phase 1 and go straight to phase 2. If there is enough demand for something, and if you searched for Lisp on our Web site, all you'd find were the titles of two books in my bio. Some of the worse ones never actually do say no; they just stop replying to your emails. Preferably with other students. It's a cliche to call World War II a contest between good and evil, but between fighter designs, it really was. This situation is constantly repeated when startups present to investors: that you're doing well or badly. The real question is not what will make your company successful. You won't have it driving you if your stated ambition is merely to start a startup if you've crossed this threshold, whatever your age.

Garbage collection, introduced by Lisp in the early stages. They were helpful in negotiating deals, for example. Hell if they know. But that prescription, though sufficient, is too narrow. Don't realize what you're avoiding One reason people who've been out in the world for granted. One of the advantages of seed firms is the advice we give them. We didn't even know when we started that our users were called direct marketers. They had to buy a computer of my own. The only defense is to isolate yourself, as communist countries did in the twentieth century.

The problem here is not to change anyone's mind, but to starting a company, that makes him unique is his sense of design. But what label you have on your stuff is a much smaller matter than having it versus not having it. At first there's a list of my heroes. Transposing into our original expression, we get editorials saying this is wrong. They didn't do anything fancy. Every day new shit happens in the Google empire that only the CEO can deal with, and he never tried to turn it into one. And I admit that it is, because since meeting Robert I've tried to make each link unbreakable. They raise enough money to buy it. At YC we're always warning founders about this danger, and investors are probably more circumspect with YC startups than with the top firms.

But in fact you shouldn't. Similarly for Microsoft: Basic for the Altair; Basic for other machines; other languages besides Basic; operating systems; applications; IPO. If you think of using Lisp in a startup, you're probably happiest on the main branches of the evolutionary tree pass through the languages that have the smallest, cleanest cores. I didn't have to be generated. Maybe successful people in other industries are; I don't know exactly how many users they have now, but Kuhn was onto something. Languages evolve slowly because they're not really interested. Our hypothesis was that if we wrote our software in a weird AI language, with a definite family resemblance to the eval function defined in McCarthy's original Lisp paper. That's not absolutely necessary Jeff Bezos couldn't but it's an advantage.

#automatically generated text #Markov chains #Paul Graham #Python #Patrick Mooney #startup #risk #people #ones

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