#another set of banger tracks I see

[soft-cosmos]

TOBY FOX MADE MORE MUSIC FOR POKEMON ???

#pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #toby fox #undertale #deltarune #Nintendo #gaming #pokemon sv #gen 9 #another set of banger tracks I see

[keepingsecretstokeepyoutk]

This is going to be very long and sound a little crazy at first, and maybe a little mean but please hear me out…

I’m convinced that Taylor sometimes purposefully includes one line or multiple lines of poorly written or clunky lyrics in specific songs to make a point.

We all have seen some version of this with bearding songs like London Boy, a simple bop whose lyrics were immediately detected as sounding disingenuous, even with the general population (the locations she was signing about were the most touristy and too far away from each other to visit on the same day, etc, basically implying that she doesn’t actually have a long term local bf there that she spends a bunch of time with exploring the city with, etc).

But just like everything else on the album, I think she’s doing maybe a more in your face version of that. No holds barred.

So High School is an obvious example of this, with all of the early 2000’s hs imagery, she seems pretty blatantly to be mocking the idea the public has of her “living out every American girl’s high school fantasy” of dating the tall popular football player. With lyrics like “touch me while your friends play grand theft auto” (barf), etc, shes being clear enough that this is not a serious song.

This is the possibly controversial part, but I’m so curious to see what others think about this - I think another iteration of this on this album is the title track, The Tortured Poets Department. Hear me out.

(First, I want to reassure you that there are lines in this song that I really like and think are well written, like: “you’re in self-sabotage mode/throwing spikes down on the road” and “but you awaken with dread/pounding nails in your head/but I’ve read this one/where you come undone/I chose this cyclone with you”. And I fully agree with the idea that these sentiments are from Karlie’s perspective. Basically, when you take out the chunks I’m about to talk about this song makes way more sense and has a beautiful sentiment of undying love behind it - which makes the following parts stick out that much more!)

The first time I listened through the album, and this was the second song, I got terrified because I didn’t understand its place in the whole narrative and when I heard the first clunky line “scratch your head like a tattooed golden retriever” I got the ick. Then the bridge with no structure and no wit and no clever turns of phrase, no metaphor, just “you put my ring on the finger people put wedding rings on” and “that was the closest I’ve ever been to my heart exploding”. So over simplified and cheesy, and doesn’t sound anything like her writing, especially the caliber of her recent lyrics

I know art is largely subjective, but I insist there is no way that the same person who wrote Cowboy Like Me wrote these lines into her title track if she didn’t have a reason and a point to make. To make it clear that this isn’t a matter of genre personal taste, because I know CLM is a very specific sound and a style that music snobs often take more seriously - I love SO many of her candy pop bangers, they are infinitely more clever, articulate, and overall works of art by a true wordsmith than this. Karma, The Very First Night, etc are all a master classes in clever words and tight writing being tucked into an “unserious” pop song.

The lyrics I cited above to me sound like what haters believe her writing sounds like, even fans who make little jokey TikTok’s about her and make up a spoofy something to sing while in character - that’s what these lyrics sound like.

Im worried im being too harsh, but please stay with me because the more I think about the more genius I think it actually is.

In the context of the themes of rest of the album, (her being trapped, miserable, manipulated, ready to burn it all down, screaming to be seen) this theory became clear to me. I think she’s leaning into her public persona (in more ways than one, we’ve already seen it with the stunting), in a way setting a “trap” for her fans and the public, that will essentially call them all out on how they ignored the real her in favor of her pr narrative, making the album about paternity tests, etc, all of which I’m guessing will become very clear in retrospect, possibly after she comes out? (Of course it’s already clear to us now, which is another purpose of the beard songs including clunky writing - to signal to us that these are not serious and that she knows that we know that she knows (like Phoebe on friends lol))

Ultimately, this is (along with So Highschool) a classic beard song. When she writes in this voice, she embodies the most extreme versions of her public persona, not just the one she has cultivated on purpose, but also the one that people have of her that don’t know her (as she did in Blank Space), including those that don’t take her seriously - because her identity as a boy crazy psycho ex girlfriend is directly tied to people dismissing her art as vapid because, they’ve only ever heard her singles, they don’t know the full her.

That voice is the straightest, the most boy crazy, the most one note, and sometimes the most unsophisticated writer version of her that people have in their minds, including her fans - the fans that refuse to see her as a whole person, the real, that believe she is head over heals for big football boy, that believe “he knows how to ball, I know Aristotle” is a romantic line about how opposites attract, the fans that say they don’t “get” some of her most beautiful and well-written songs, the fans that don’t see her and haven’t been seeing her.

They didn’t see giant Taylor on the eras tour, they refuse to see all of her queer signaling, etc, and I think she’s making the bearding songs obvious to underscore the difference between her Taylor(TM) and Taylor(person) personas.

She knows that despite the fact that the lyrics don’t even come close to measuring up to the rest of the album, the public, and many of her fans, will make this song one of the most listened to simply because they are looking for evidence of her relationships from the past year. We’ve all commented on how insane it is that this layered, complex, devastating album is being reduced to the usual paternity tests. This is currently one of the top songs precisely because it is “about Matty”. And of course, So High School is one of the tops songs along with it because it’s “about Travis”.

The juxtaposition of the bearding songs alongside her beautifully written poetry of Prophecy, Peter, Whose Afraid of Little Old Me, Cassandra, How did it end, The Albatross, etc mirrors the juxtaposition of her two selves during the Midnights era.

She has proven the point that if they think she wrote every line of this song completely in earnest, then they see her largely no differently than her haters do, as a subpar writer who writes absurdly cheesy love songs praising trashy to mediocre, problematic men. By eating it up they tell her that’s what she’s good for, for being the subject of tabloids and warring fans who make this entire album about two (purposefully) mediocre songs and the men who “inspired” them.

She has proven her point - that a subset of her fans will be distracted by a lesser song simply because they think it’s about one of the greasy men that’s she been seen holding hands with. That they will ignore once again all of her pleas to be seen, that she’s in pain and caged, and has been driven insane by their willful ignorance. That they don’t appreciate her full potential and talent, that they don’t even see it, and just want to be confirmed in their ideation of her.

This song is essentially the “forget him(her)” pill at the beginning of the fortnight mv, but it’s a sedative for the fans, who are addicted to her straight narrative. Similar to Willow’s 13 chants of “that’s my man” that started off evermore, casting a spell of heteronormativity over everyone who wanted it, so that they could choose to just completely ignore the following 14 gayest songs ever written. Don’t pay no mind to her singing directly about women with zero male perspective - she said “that’s my man!” We’re good! She’s still straight!

Taylor in the fortnight mv had to a take a sedative to be able to go into the next room and write her bearding songs - ie she self medicates to deal with keeping up the straight persona and to get through having to release dumbed down songs to feed the masses. (I also see the pill as something forced on her, I think it represents both layers)

From the first time I watched the music video I thought the writing Taylor looked so miserable and the bearding songs are why.

In this room she’s trapped, churning out the songs that her fans expect of her, the songs that make her team money, the songs that make her money, but that she has to compromise her truth to create.

But when she frees herself she’ll burn the stories that weren’t true, the filler that doesn’t represent her.

I’m curious to hear other’s thoughts on this - have you ever felt like Taylor purposefully inserts off-sounding lyrics that are written in a different voice to make a point?

I want to reiterate that it’s not the entirety of either song that I think is terrible, I genuinely love bopping along to both So High School and TTPD (track). Like I said above, when you remove the clunky lines from ttpd (track), the song has another layer and likely gives voice to some Karlie insight that is beautiful and tragically profound. It’s the red herrings, the pieces specifically meant to tie this song to a bearding narrative, that I’m dissing, and the only reason they are suspicious in the first place is because I know how gifted Taylor is with the written word.

Taylor is such a skilled writer that she can embody the voice of the bad writer that dismissive ignorant idiots believe her to be, just to make a point!

I even wonder if maybe there is a second version of this song locked away in one of those drawers in the fortnight writing room that leaves out the red herrings and is a thousand times better than the bearding version we got.

I hope one day we get to hear it.

#gaylor #kaylor #bearding #closeting #ttpd #so high school

[hoes4hoseok]

txt reacts: you’re preparing for finals

boyfriend!txt x gn!reader requested by :: @unlocktxt (thanks for requesting, babes!) beta reader :: @goldenhypen (thank you for your feedback :) author’s note :: writing this was genuinely so fun and managed to relax me while i was actually losing my mind over finals 😭. dhmu about how inconsistent the tenses are i know they're bad HAHA i hope you guys enjoy and good luck to everyone taking finals now or soon! warnings :: a lot of food and eating habits talk,, i think that's it though. lmk if i need to add anything.

soobin

soobin would be so sweet while you were prepping for finals

if you were struggling with something that he didn’t understand, he’d literally spend 15 minutes on the computer with a pen & paper in hand trying to figure it out 

&& then he’d call you over to explain it but get confused in the middle 

but by that time you’d understand & explain it to him (◡‿◡✿)

you’d probably have many visits to the library since it’s more quiet (& less messy) there than the dorms

you’d also share earbuds while you worked

every once in a while, amongst the slow tracks, a random banger like ‘that that’ by psy would play & the two of you would be sent into a fit of laughter that you tried so hard to contain

luckily, the librarian never busted you

although it did earn a few looks from elsewhere in the room (whoops)

he’s also definitely the type of boyfriend who makes you really good tea

&& it probably became a very important part of your day (because how could it not?! the tea was amazing)

he would prioritize sleep quite a bit, so lights are off for him by 11 every night during finals week

&& that rubbed off on you!

the days would end with an episode of your favorite show playing on his laptop while you drifted off to sleep on his bed together (。-ω-)zzz 

stress be gone!

yeonjun

if you were in a long distance relationship with yeonjun, you & him would have planned for him to fly in the night your finals ended 

but yeonjun found a cheaper flight for the week before :) so naturally, he bought it!

he was so excited to surprise you, especially because he knew how stressed out you were from the several late night facetime calls you had 

&& you were indeed happy to see your boyfriend at your doorstep with takeout from your favorite restaurant in hand

it improved your week tenfold just seeing his face (ꉺᗜꉺ)

he, on the other hand, while happy to see you, was shocked to see how poorly you had been taking care of yourself

considering the dark circles under your eyes & the fact that you were in pajamas at 3 pm,, he knew something was off

&& you, as every student does at one point or another, were living on instant ramen & cereal — he could tell from the state of your dorm alone (╯•﹏•╰)

you didn’t plan for him to find out because he tends to worry about you a lot <3 (SORRY JUN)

&& the ‘less than 6 hours of sleep during finals week’ thing was pretty standard for people at your school

“eat with me” ( •_•)

he set the bag down on your table & looked at you with the playfully threatening stare that you had missed so much

“then i’m getting groceries while you nap” he continued, looking over at your kitchen area

oh wow had you missed your boyfriend

it only came to you when you felt as helpless & overwhelmed as right now

but you needed him. & so, you pulled him in for a tight hug, cutting off his mumbles about the lack of fruit in your kitchen (づ ◕‿◕ )づ

oh, how he loved you <3

beomgyu

beomgyu would not want you to overwork yourself. obviously.

but,, if you were gonna be pulling all nighters & working your butt off, so was he

y’all are in this TOGETHER (｡-_-｡ )人( ｡-_-｡)

he strikes me as the type to know those random life hacks so he might come to you excited with studying ones HEHE

like he’d tell you to chew a different flavor of gum while studying & then chew it again during the exam so you can remember the content better

&& ofc you’d comply to make him happy, but a few of them definitely helped you!

you two probably made plans to go on a little getaway together after the semester ended

so whenever you seemed particularly down, he’d remind you that you’d be miles away from all this in just a week :)

beomgyu is 100% the one making ramen runs to the kitchen (he made sure to stock up before finals week!)

&& he makes yours with the little modifications that you like, whether it’s extra spice, an egg, or some chopped vegetables – he’s got it all

he’s got flashcards, he’s got tea, he’s got hugs…& he’s also an absolute pain in your side when it comes to sleep

ಠಿ_ಠ “it’s 1:30…you said you’d sleep at 1:00” 

he’d have to physically pull you away from your work sometimes 

it wasn’t hard either because you were so tired that your eyes were closing

he’d probably sleep in the mornings of your exams,, but would slice some fruit for you to eat before going to bed

&& leave a little note of encouragement on a sticky note with a couple sticks of gum next to it :)

“good luck. you’re gonna ace this test. love you ♡”

taehyun

you & taehyun had a whole finals prep schedule planned out. this man was not about to let you fail any of your classes or fail any himself

so, your finals prep started at least a month early

he’d be up at seven am shaking you awake & threatening to pour his water on you ʘ‿ʘ

even though he knew you’d tackle him to the floor if he actually poured it 

once you finally rose, he’d give you a quick forehead kiss & push you off towards the bathroom to brush your teeth

you’d eat breakfast & start working relatively quickly

the two of you quickly realized that the pomodoro method worked best for you – finishing a task in 25 minutes, taking a five minute break, & repeating three times before taking a 20 to 30 minute break (y’all should try it frfr)

by noon, you’d be internally thanking him for waking you,, bc as much as you hated to admit it,, you are definitely more productive in the morning

&& on taehyun’s plan, you were actually getting enough sleep somehow?

&& he definitely had special allocated time slots in the schedule for personal time & date nights so that you two wouldn’t get burnt out

the routine definitely got harder to keep up with as finals inched closer & he could tell 

so he took you for a much-needed massage the day before finals started to destress (°◡°♡)

&& as expected, y’all would CRUSH finals week

he’d be so proud <3 but also he knew you would succeed bc of how hard you worked!

[honestly this is such a dream. i made taehyun my dream bf in this LMFAO but hey he already is so…]

hueningkai

hueningkai would be there for you during your breaks. sure, he’d help you with the flashcards if you asked him, but he’d support you most by making you smile!

he’d make sure there’s always food in the fridge, especially if your schedules didn’t line up & he couldn’t eat with you

hueningkai would also give GREAT back massages & it’s all because he would NOT hold back ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ no knots would be left when he’s done

&& he’d probably also put on your favorite show or music while he did it which would be really odd at first, but you’d grow to appreciate it hehe 

he’d also go on a walk with you every night to help you unwind 

that would always do you wonders, especially after being cooped up inside all day 

it would also be a time when the two of you could finally talk about something other than everything stressing you out (because boy, had it become all-consuming)

on the mornings of your finals, he’d walk you to class & buy you your favorite drink with a bagel or donut on the way

if you got really anxious before going in, he’d hold your hand tightly & tell you to take deep breaths

&& to remember that you’re prepared & that one test will not matter in the grand scheme of things

he’d also send you in with a hug & a peck on the cheek. (´ ᴗ｀✿)

masterlist

#hoes4hoseok #txt 🤞 #tomorrow x together #choi yeonjun #yeonjun #soobin txt #yeonjun txt #tomorrow x together reactions #txt reactions #txt fluff #txt imagines #hueningkai txt #hueningkai #taehyun #kang taehyun #beomgyu #choi beomgyu #soobin #choi soobin #beomgyu txt #taehyun txt #tomorrow x together fluff #soobin fluff #yeonjun fluff #beomgyu fluff #taehyun fluff #hueningkai fluff #txt headcannons

[petruchio]

LEAVING ASIDE the nonsense that was the marketing for these films, how do you feel about the songs Taylor released on the THG soundtrack?

oh i love them!! i actually think eyes open is the superior hunger games song of the two and i think it's a brilliant interpolation of taylor's own relationship with fame projected onto katniss in a way that i think highlights just how incisive the commentary of THG is -- like "everybody's waiting for you to break down/everybody's watching to see the fall out" could easily be on a track like the lucky one and it clearly reflects a lot of taylor's own anxieties about fame and celebrity -- but the fact that it maps so perfectly onto katniss is just like MWAH! perfection. and it's just proof that suzanne collins tapped into a VERY real set of feelings and ideas about fame and living under intense scrutiny. and the hunger games-y lyrics are SO GOOD bc they feel natural but also are so specific and cool: i love "keep your aim locked the night grows dark" like YES LOVE IT.

to expand on that honestly... i think that line eyes open in particular is proof to me that a lot of great songwriting comes out of using stories that are not your own. i think another great example of this is olivia rodrigo. like don't get me wrong: i LOVE deja vu. i think it's a pretty perfect pop song honestly. but "can't catch me now" is SUCH A GOOD SONG. it has imo a some of her best songwriting on it, because i feel like it gave her new metaphors to explore and made the lyrics and the music feel fresh -- like "there's snow falling over the city, you thought that it would wash away the bitter taste of my fury and all of the messes you made" is a BRILLIANT line! like to me, it's leagues above "i used to think i was smart but you made me look so naive" (i could write an essay on my feelings on vampire honestly but that's just one example) (like i really genuinely enjoyed guts a LOT -- but it did start to get repeptitive, only being about heartbreak and insecurity. yeah those feelings are rich and layered! but i also like the song about falling in love with a future fascist dictator and then disappearing into the woods a la wordsworth and exiting in a perpetual state of unreality for the rest of time. like that one was really good too! (another side note is that she has that one unreleased song on her instagram inspired by twilight -- and it's also like, wonderfully written. like yes olivia, free yourself from the need to be a diaristic songwriter and just write insane fandom songs. PLEASE.)) (i felt the same way about "what was i made for?" -- like that song is PERFECTION in the way it maps so perfectly onto the metaphors and images of the barbie movie and yet it stands alone as a great song as well. low key i wished wwimf and ccmn had been released in two dif years because i wanted them both to get the best original song oscar. just incredible work by our gen z pop girlies.)

and to go on and on MORE... all of this is why i think the taylor swift effect in pop music has been like... honestly a net negative for a lot of artists honestly. like music doesn't NEED to be about gossipy personal details to be good! don't get me wrong, i love the way we get to dive into "taylor's diary" and i think it's the reason i still love so many of her personal songs -- bc they feel like various entries into the experience of growing up as a lonely little girl and trying to understand your place in the world. and exploring the evolution of her personal relationships over the years is really cool and makes for a fascinating body of work to dive into and analyze. but also... sometimes songs are still good even when they're NOT intrinsically tied to the personal life of the singer! like nobody cares if "toxic" is about justin timberlake or kevin federline or whatever -- it's just a great fucking song and it doesn't matter that it's britney singing it, except in that her vocal delivery and performance style lends itself to that banger of a track! (AND THIS IS TRUE FOR TAYLOR TOO! i've said often she does her best work when she's fantasizing -- "you belong with me" is inspired by a phone call. "august" is a completely pretend story. "death by a thousand cuts" is about a movie. like those are some of her best songs!! and it's at least in part because they feel expansive and fresh because they're NOT ABOUT HER!)

anyway my point is not to say that diaristic songwriting is bad or that i don't like it -- because i really DO, i love looking at the connections between taylor songs across albums and eras and analyzing how she ties certain images or phrases to certain muses and tracking the evolution of her relationship to life and love over the years. but i also just think she's a good songwriter -- so when she writes songs about other stuff... it's interesting and cool. i wish she'd do more of it haha

#answered #anonymous #taylor swift #probably not what you expected me to say on this topic #buuuuut of course i over explained. what else do we do on petruchio.tumblr.com if not expand far beyond what the original ask was saying

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 22/09/2023

September

Season 4 Episode 1 Featured on: SiIva Direct Presents Also on: FINAL BOUT ~ SiIvaGunner: King for Another Day Tournament Original Soundtrack VOL. 3

Ripped by DM DOKURO and Chase

In less than 24 hours, Earth, Wind & Bombs became the most popular post on this entire blog. Good LORD it pays off to chase trends sometimes! Well, as I mentioned in that post I had a brutally hard time picking which September rip to feature for the fated day. So, I decided it best to extend the celebrations for a bit longer - for "Another Day", you could even say!

For the possible new readers, I'll keep the summary brief - "The SiIvaGunner King for Another Day Tournament" was a 2019 online tournament similar to the poll tournaments you'll see occasionally here on Tumblr. Only difference was, the contestants weren't competing just based on their popularity as characers, but based on the music they were set to provide - for instance, King Dedede from the Kirby series was representing all Kirby Boss music and Kirby music in general, wheras ZUN represented all of Touhou and bullethell games in general. The tournament was an absolutely MASSIVE event, and was built up for almost the entirety of 2019 by the SiIvaGunner channel - even hosting their own Nintendo Direct-style videos announcing and discussing details on how the event would go. The final direct, funny enough, landed on September 21st 2019 - and the team was prepared.

September - an arrangement for the contestant DJ Professor K - was uploaded as a sort of preamble for before the tournament officially kicked off. We'd gotten a lot of teases for what to expect from the arrangements already, and DJ Professor K himself had already participated in the tournament's prior edition the year before, but this was *different*. It may be less than 80 seconds, but each one of those seconds are just PACKED with love for the character, the musical style of Hideki Naganuma, and of course for Earth, Wind & Fire themselves. DM DOKURO was brought on just for this event after having previously worked on the Terraria Calamity Mod, and this was one hell of a first impression to leave on us all. It immediately communicated so much about the bar of quality for the event - so ridiculously high, that it felt impossible to match! Yet the event kept cranking out bangers, and DJ Professor K himself kept getting so many of them! This was, personally, the track that made me convert fully to Professor K's side in the tournament, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

Take a moment to keep celebrating the funkiest day of the year, Jet Set Radio style!

#todays siivagunner #season 4 episode 1 #siivagunner #siiva #DM DOKURO #Chase #Youtube #Bandcamp #september #september 21 #21st night of september #earth wind and fire #do you remember #jet set radio #hideki naganuma #jsr #jet set radio future #bomb rush cyberfunk

[crumb]

the NO-SKIP albums: a tag game 🎶💖

rules: share the albums that you can listen to nonstop. those lightning in a bottle-albums that scratch ur brain just right. every single track, an absolute banger. u could not skip one if u tried. no notes. stunning, show-stopping, immaculate. ur no-skip albums.

🔎 bonus & optional (but imo, v fun) rules: 1) add a track rec for us to listen to! AND 2) share ur favorite line(s) from that track! 👀

This was so hard!! There are so so so many albums not included but I think 15 albums is enough to where I look crazy but not tooooo crazy (doubtful) and I wanted to make it somewhat varied genre-wise. A lot of these artists have like multiple no-skip albums as well so picking between them was extra difficult—on some I went with the underrated favourite of mine to mix it up. I don't know! It's kinda all over the place. Thank you so much to @ventiswampwater, @visceravalentines, @avrilsboy, & @actualfucking for tagging me!!! 🥹 I think there were a few others who tagged me but then removed my tag, probably because they saw I was tagged by others lol, so thank you to those ppl too!!<333

Tagging: @xoxo-gossipghoul (& anyone else! I think most people have done this at this point? But if you’re reading this and haven’t been tagged yet then this is me tagging you!!! lol) Album List & Track Rec:

🏴 Damaged — Black Flag (1981)

track rec: Police Story

↳ This fucking city / Is run by pigs / They take the rights away / From all the kids

🪑 Songs from The Big Chair — Tears for Fears (1985)

track rec: Mothers Talk

↳ It's not that you're not good enough / It's just that we can make you better / Given that you pay the price / We can keep you young and tender / Following the footsteps of a funeral pyre / You were paid not to listen now your house is on fire

💀 Collection I & II — Misfits (1986/1995)

track rec: Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?

↳ Rip the veins from human necks until they're wet with life / Razor-blades love teenage flesh, an epidermoty / I'll bring back a souvenir, for it's my mommy's dream

🍊 No Doubt — No Doubt (1992)

track rec: Trapped in a Box

↳ Ah trapped in a box my life becomes void / And all of the thought for myself's now destroyed / Controlling my mind, what to eat, what to buy / Subliminal rules: how to live, how to die / Trapped in a box

🌙 Dreaming of You — Selena (1995)

track rec: God’s Child (Baila Conmigo) (Ft. David Byrne)

↳ God makes us dream / But won't set us free / Hey, hey, hey, hey / God calls us dance to songs we can't hear / Hey, hey, hey, hey

🌊 Tidal — Fiona Apple (1996)

track rec: Sullen Girl

↳ And there's too much going on / But it's calm under the waves in the blue of my oblivion / Under the waves in the blue of my oblivion

🦷 The Distillers — The Distillers (2000)

track rec: Red Carpet & Rebellion

↳ The palace dialed in the streets were burning / The red horizon came crashing through the morning / There was no contentment, only bloodshed / Red blood and social discontent / Bruised by puritan, oh, puritan exempt / It's like a peasant uprising

🦋 Greatest Hits — Mariah Carey (2001)

track rec: When You Believe (Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston)

↳ They don't always happen when you ask / And it's easy to give in to your fears / But when you're blinded by your pain / Can't see your way clear through the rain / A small but still, resilient voice / Says hope is very near

😈 Antics — Interpol (2004)

track rec: Not Even Jail

↳ I pretend like no one else to try control myself / I'm subtle like a lion's cage / Such a cautious display / Remember take hold of your time here / Give some meanings to the means / To your end / Not even jail

🌆 The City Sleeps in Flames — Scary Kids Scaring Kids (2005)

track rec: The World as We Know It

↳ A virus known as rage / Is brutal in destroying / And spreading all over the place / Bleeding culture / The dying nation / When the money controls the tide / We won't get another chance this time / We won't get a second chance this time

🎺 Back to Black — Amy Winehouse (2006)

track rec: Some Unholy War

↳ If my man was fightin' some unholy war / I would be behind him / Straight shook up beside him with strength / He didn't know, it's you I'm fightin' for / He can't lose with me in tow (With me in tow) / I refuse to let him go (To let him go) / At his side and drunk on pride / We wait for the blow

🎸 Favourite Worst Nightmare — Arctic Monkeys (2007)

track rec: Teddy Picker

↳ And it's the thousandth time that it's even bolder / Don't be surprised when you get bent over / They told you, but you were gaggin' for it

3️⃣ Three Vol. 1 — Joel Plaskett (2009)

track rec: Gone, Gone, Gone

↳ In the middle of a lonely night / Got caught in the hallway light / For a minute you were gettin' close / I suspect I've seen a ghost / In the middle of a highway dream / You got caught in the headlight beam / Down the road with your tired eyes / Good old boys with your old goodbyes

🫙 Ignore the Ignorant — The Cribs (2009)

track rec: Emasculate Me

↳ Spent all this time chasing happy / But happy is boring to me / So put walls around our misery / And gently emasculate me

🧱 Brutalism — IDLES (2018)

track rec: Exeter

↳ It seems like no-one cares / I think I'll take the stairs / 'Cause nothing ever / He punched himself in the face / To prove he wasn't gay / 'Cause nothing ever happens

#these album choices make me look gay angry and sad #which is accurate #tag game #tagging game

[myimaginarywonderland]

For anyone that wants some race recommendations for FE, here are my top 3 race recommendations (as a JEV and chaos fan) from every season. (I am also biased for many other drivers which you will see.)

Season 1

Of course you have to watch the first race (Beijing). First race of the series, Nick Heidfeld flip (literally.) Just the opportunity to actually watch the first race of a racing series shouldn't be passed up.

Next, is Buenos Aires because watching Antonio (Da Costa) win that race in that car was like a fever dream. Actually that was the moment where you realised that there was so much possibly for many drivers in this series.

And lastly is the first London race with Sam's (Bird) home win and another JEV podium. To watch a driver win a home race is always special.

Season 2

Mexico because Jérôme won (outliner wins.)

London finale (both race definitely.) The Buemi/DiGrassi rivalry was incredible the entire season but the double header? Wow.

Season 3

Omg Berlin. I loved Felix (Rosenqvist) when he was at FE and that Mahindra area was just so beautiful.

Montreal. When JEV finally won it was like a long time coming and the start of an era.

The first New York race. I am a Sam fan and that entire double header was just beautiful. Truly a great track.

Season 4

Santiago!!! Omg the Jeandré race. The records that were set here, the start of JEV's streak, everything about this race. This is iconic.

Mexico! Daniel (Abt) finally won a race and it was great. Also that atmosphere at the track could not be beaten.

The last one is though but for me as a fan it would have the be the last race when JEV fully won the championship. But the second Hong Kong race or Berlin deserve just as much attention.

Season 5

Marrakesh! Jérôme and Mahindra had everyone cheering for them that race. Literally such a beautiful heartwarming win.

Listen I am critical about rain races but I just can't not talk about Paris. That podium had my heart. And as the first genuine rain race you have to watch it.

Again, there are so many great third picks here. Rome (nearly the Lotterer win) could be it or Santiago? Or Bern?

Season 6

Diryah (the second race.) I miss Alex (Sims) soo much.

The third Berlin race. This is complelty biased because I loved all the drivers on that podium and we had a driver win at his home race. Listen, that Berlin 6 race final was cursed but it was also fun.

I would add Marrakesh just to escape the Berlin hell. But again, I also think there are so many great other races like Santiago with Max (Günthers) first win.

Season 7

Again biased pick but the first Rome race! A JEV win with a chaotic race.

The second London race! Alex Lynn! The man, the myth, the legend.

I would say the second Mexico race because I adore Edo.

This season is meh mostly because of the qualy format affecting racing negatively.

Still has bangers though.

Season 8

New York first race! Nick Cassidy finally winning a race. Also I love New York as a race so biased.

The second Rome race. Again Rome often offers great racing and I especially loved the second podium on that double header.

I think Monaco is great because you have both championship fighters on the podium in 1-2.

Season 9

Hyderabad! JEV win!

Cape Town! What a wonderful first race we had there.

Monaco has to be here because you had all three championship fighters on the podium (also I adore Nick Cassidy and think he should have won that championship because I am petty like that. )

Bottom line is there are so many great races in FE and every single one is worth watching because of the fun and unpredictability. Add to that the clear lack of one front runner or even a true top of the grid and you have potential for genuine great racing.

Please if you have the time watch all the races for yourself because every single one (even the ones I dislike) deserve your attention.

#fe #formula e

[oogaboogaspookyman]

[IT'S A ME]

.

.

.

.

[1]

It's been decades since i have seen another mortal soul in front of me

My head had deteriorated alongside with the land, i feel like i died

*ya no wonder you look like a creep don't fuckin' touch Gf she's taken and doesn't accept absolute horrid creatures like you mfer*

[2]

Decades trapped inside this MOTHERFUCKING CONSOLE

Everything around me fell apart just like my brain, Super Mario is now no more

*dayum yeah that be rough but did i ask? Fucker?*

(I HAD DECAYED)

[3]

No turning back now, the damage is done

Let's see if you'd like it if i were to pull you apart too!

*yeah you a bitch fuck off go bother someone else, sonic.exe wannabe I AM GOD head ass bitchass dumbass stupid ass goofyass no bitches having ass*

[4]

I'm gonna have a lotta fun tearing you apart, inch by agonizing inch!

The both of you are gonna be my playthings 'till the very end!

*what did i fuckin' say. EXEs never change, it's all the same damn thing y'know, so cheesy it's even funny man shut up*

[5]

It's-a me, just Super Mario in the flesh!

This old plumber is gonna shove your innards inside a pipe, they'll never find your body before you rot!

*yeah yeah same ol' same ol' bs shut yo ass up you're annoying*

(you're gonna rot inside the pipes, and nobody will ever tell you're GONE)

[6]

It's been decades since i had seen another human being in my now godly presence

My humanity had become naught but a faint memory in the depths of my subconcious

Do you know the feeling of your soul watching your own body rotting and fading away, so powerless?

*don't fuckin' trauma dump on me you bitch fuck you, dipshit*

(ME, I HAVE DIED)

(YET, I CAN BREATHE)

[7]

Kill you

I'll kill you, rip you up into little pieces

Eat your remains, your innards, you're gonna die!

*🖕😐🖕* (AUTHOR'S NOTE: wHEEZE-)

[8]

Decades trapped inside this stupid fucking console, left to ROT

I WATCHED MY OWN BODY DIE WITH MY OWN EYES

*yeah that's definetly traumatic but did i fuckin' ask* (author's note: MAN FUCK OFF)

(YOU'RE GONNA DIE LIKE I HAVE BEFORE)

[9]

LET'S NOT WASTE ANY MORE TIME

I'M ABOUT TO RIP OUT YOUR SPINE

YOUR SOUL WILL BELONG TO ME

YOUR FLESH WILL BE ALL MINE TO EAT

NOW THE BOTH OF YOU WILL BE MY PLAYTHINGS

YOUR FATE WAS SET IN MOTION THE MOMENT YOU LAID YOUR EYES ON THE CARTRIDGE

YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THE HELL YOU'VE UNLEASHED UPON YOURSELF

*oh no the track just became even more of a banger oh nooo this means bad things are gonna happen whatever will i doooooo fuck you*

[10]

NOW, LET'S SET THIS SHIT STRAIGHT, PLAY OUR ONE THRILLING GAME

LET'S PLAY TAG, SEE IF YOU CAN OUTRUN MY KNIFE, LITTLE BLUEBALLS BOY

*okay- out of character here- i love how i'm so like "man shut yo bitchass up i don't want no killer Mario tryna ruin my day fuck you" meanwhile for some reason Bf is canonically afraid for his life and his Gf's safety like- YOU'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE AND YOU SURVIVED BECAUSE THEY WERE FUCKING STUPID AS SHIT MY GUY oh wait good part incoming hol' up*

(GO ON)

(RUN OFF)

(TRY ME)

[11]

GO AHEAD AND TRY, RUN FROM ME AND DELAY THE INEVITABLE, SEE IF IT DOES YOU ANY GOOD, KEEP YOUR SOUL AWAY FROM ME

[12]

THE FLAMES OF MY HELLHOLE WILL SWALLOW YOU WHOLE BEFORE YOU EVEN SET FOOT IN YOUR MORTAL REALM

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCK WITH THE WRONG FORCES OUTSIDE OF YOUR CONTROL

NOW YOU WILL PAY

*OOOHHHH*

*oh yo this is actually awesome hold ON YO*

*YOOOOO*

(IT'S-A ME, JUST SUPER MARIO, ABOUT TO SHOW YOU THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS)

[WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN]

[JUST ME AND YOU]

#spooker's banger lyrics #mario madness #fnf #it was not leaving me alone so yeah #here ya go it's cheesy as fuck on purpose #Youtube #SoundCloud

[animebw]

So I've been stewing a bit with the whole concept of "MCU Fatigue" after my disappointment with The Marvels, and I think I've come to a realization.

See, most people when they shit on the modern MCU act like they're been putting out tons of terrible stuff. But looking at their track record, that's not actually true. In fact, I'd argue that the majority of their Phase 4 and 5 output has still been above average. The only real misses I'd count are FATWS, Dr. Strange 2, The Marvels, and maybe What If if I was feeling particularly uncharitable (and I guess Secret Invasion, but the bad response kept me away from that one so I've never watched it myself). Other than that, Marvel's still putting out a lot of good stuff.

The problem is they're not putting out a lot of great stuff.

Like, we need to take a step back and realize just how fucking insane the MCU's track record used to be. They didn't just put out good movies on a regular basis that put every other franchise to shame, they regularly released some of the most iconic superhero blockbusters of all time. They cranked out all-time classics on such a consistent basis that at this point, at least half of the top 20 greatest superhero movies of all time list would be taken up by MCU projects, maybe more. That's how they built trust with the general audience; not just consistency, but the promise of greatness. People flocked to the MCU not just because there was a near guarantee of a well-made fun time at the cinema, but because that was a strong probability you were going to see something truly spectacular.

Seriously, just look at the studio's track record through Phase 2 and 3. Iron Man 3, Captain America 2 and 3, the first two Guardians movies, Thor Ragnorak, Black Panther, Infinity War and Endgame... you could argue that over half of their movie output from this period was unqualified home runs. And sure, maybe Thor 2 was a dud and Avengers 2 was disappointing, but it didn't matter because there was always the promise of another masterpiece waiting in the wings. People weathered the occasional misstep because they could trust the MCU to always find its way back to greatness.

But now consider: how many all-time bangers can you name from Phases 4 and 5?

Like, I can name a few. Wandavision, Black Panther 2, Guardians 3, Spider-Man 3, maybe Ms. Marvel if I pretend episode 5 doesn't exist (and I've heard Loki season 2 was also great, but that's another one I haven't seen yet). But the ratio of Big Deal Events to Just Another Marvel Thing has gotten much steeper. Between the movies and the Disney+ series, Marvel's cranking out more stuff than ever, but it hasn't been cranking out landmarks any faster than it used to. It's just shoving a lot more padding between the properties that really set the world on fire. And it's training the audience, unintentionally, to no longer associate the MCU with guaranteed smash successes every other weekend.

And I still like most of the MCU's current output! But I don't love it as much as some of its older stuff. Black Widow and Shang-Chi are good, but not quite great. Eternals I will defend to my dying breath, but it was destined for cult classic status. Love and Thunder I would argue is actually pretty fantastic, fuck you fight me, and Quantummania is fine, you guys, but I wouldn't die defending them the way I would, say, Iron Man 3. And as much as I enjoyed Hawkeye, Moon Knight and She-Hulk, you can only watch so much Pretty Good TV before it starts to feel like a chore.

This deluge of content hasn't resulted in tons of more Great Marvel Stuff. It's just resulted in tons of more Good, Okay, and Not That Great Actually Marvel Stuff. It's resulted in audiences feeling like you can't trust Marvel to regularly crank out classics that change the way you view superhero media. And it turns out, it gets a lot harder to justify spending so much time on such an overstuffed time-sink of a franchise when it can't guarantee you a steady stream of masterpieces on a regular basis.

Especially with so much more of it coming out now in such a painfully short timespan. Even in Marvel's busiest years, they used to max out at three movies per year and a couple spinoffs like the Netflix shows that you didn't need to watch to feel up to date. You went out to the movies a couple times a year and were basically guaranteed a good movie every time, and that was it. Now, though, with the Disney+ content, it feels like a constant battle to not fall behind, to keep up with tons of stuff you're just kind of enjoying to justify getting to the increasingly few nuggets of true gold. This stuff would need a track record just as good as the Phase 2/3 days to justify sitting through so much of it, and it just... doesn't. And the second you drop off from exhaustion, it's already roaring ahead and leaving you with too much to ever reasonably catch up on if you're not prepared for a couple days of heavy bingeing.

The shared universe model is fucking hard. Every studio's failed attempt to copy Marvel's playbook is a testament to that. The fact it even maintained its cultural domination as long as it did is nothing short of a miracle. Because it turns out, even being consistently good isn't enough to maintain the level of trust and engagement necessary for such a long haul. You need to be consistently excellent. You need audiences to come away from every other event singing your praises as the new gold standard of blockbuster cinema. And the second you can't maintain that standard anymore, all that goodwill slowly bleeds out as more and more people decide that the effort it takes to keep up with everything is no longer worth the reward.

Does the MCU recover from this? I don't know. At this point, what it needs to do more than anything is slow the fuck down instead of overloading audiences with too many shows and movies to keep up with. Maybe it's not the dominant cultural force anymore, but with a little patience and willingness to sacrifice quantity for quality, it can at least re-establish itself as a franchise worth sticking around for. Marvel used to be special; with a little luck, maybe it can be again.

#marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #not anime

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Is It Really That Bad?

Come. Gather round and listen to the legend of the Funny Vampire Director, AKA the Funny Nazi Director, AKA Taika Waititi.

Raised in the way of the director, Waititi was taught to make good movies, delivering the sort of funny and heartfelt films most can only dream of making. He directed, and he wrote, and he acted. He was sensitive, like a smile. And his love of filmmaking did not discriminate in what he could make. He once made a hilarious vampire mockumenatry that got a spin-off TV series. Another time, he proved that you could make Blazing Saddles in the modern day, except with Nazis!

But Waititi's greatest achievement was cameoing in The Suicide Sqaud. Oh, wait. No. It was making a good Thor movie, of all things. But sadly, in making a good Thor movie, he set himself up for failure with the sequel. In fact, he set himself up for spectacular failure. Mediocre reviews. Audience backlash. Criticism from the actors and directors. And bad reviews from all sorts of internet guys, again and again and again. And again.

Poor Waititi had to watch the internet’s respect for him explode. And then he said, 'What have I done?' It seemed that everything he’d worked for with Thor, he lost. And so he maybe got fired by Marvel and went back to making real movies for a change. But just because he was done with Marvel, didn't mean he was done with superheroes. He teamed up with James Gunn and set off to deliver the most powerful and thematic line in The Suicide Squad. He got in shape, putting in the hard yards to become a respected filmmaker again. Taking pains into gains and never skipping the chance to direct a movie based on Tower of Terror. He put in the work to go from the butt of jokes to a guy who would hopefully deserve an Oscar win.

But with all that being said, there was still a confused reviewer just trying to figure out if maybe the backlash to Thor: Love and Thunder was a bit overblown. Because really, this movie couldn’t possibly be as shitty as The Dark World, which committed the sin of wasting Christopher Eccleston. So he sat down and gave the movie a rewatch, accepting he was only good for one thing... Determining that age old question, 'Is Thor: Love and Thunder really that bad?'

THE GOOD

So maybe this is a hot take, but I really did enjoy Jane’s return and her romance with Thor and find it to be one of the film’s best aspects.

Now, don’t get me wrong, a lot of the writing here is clunky and poor Natalie Portman is saddled with a lot of really stupid dialogue now that she’s the Mighty Thor. But seeing her and Chris Hemsworth act off each other again in a less dull and restrictive fashion is so nice, and seeing Portman kick ass is a lot of fun too. She even wields Mjolnir in some pretty creative ways here! And her death is actually a genuinely powerful and touching scene that they don’t immediately fuck up with a lame joke.

The soundtrack, while not even close to touching the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks, is filled with Guns N’ Roses banger after banger. I grew up listening to these guys, so honestly I’m predisposed to like any scene where they play one of my favorite tracks by them.”Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “November Rain,” “Paradise City,” and “Welcome to the Jungle” are all whipped out at just the right time to keep my attention from flagging completely, so I’ll give them props for that. They aren’t the most inspired choices, but I’m a sucker for classic Axl.

The Axl above? Decidedly less so. Still, despite this film’s reputation for really bad effects and really bad costumes and just in general looking embarrassingly cheap because Disney abuses the animators, there are some extremely cool visuals here and there. The shot of Falligar the Behemoth in particular is so good they slapped it into every trailer, and a climactic battle on a monochrome planet looks way too good to be in this movie. But by far the most fantastic thing is the comic-accurate depiction of Eternity.

And of course, I would be remiss to not praise Christian Bale’s performance as Gorr the God Butcher. The man immediately has you hooked with the opening scene, which details his backstory and shows how he began his vendetta against all the deities of the Marvel universe. Then we have his fantastic climactic confrontation with Thor on the black-and-white planet, and then there is his final scene before Eternity. Each and every time he shows up, it’s completely clear that Bale is giving it his all and acting his pussy off, giving a performance that is honestly kind of astounding considering what’s going on around him.

THE BAD

Unfortunately, while Gorr is a fantastic performance, he suffers from the fact his character has absolutely no cohesion and is barely in the film. He shows up for maybe one big fight in the first hour, then completely disappears from the film until the third act, during which time he just sits around with a bunch of children and terrifies them. And despite being “The God Butcher,” we see him butcher precisely one single god in the whole film, and that’s in the film’s opening. Groot has as many onscreen god kills as Gorr. That’s fucking pathetic. Bale’s magnificent performance is strong when it counts, but so much of the dramatic moments feel unearned because he hardly does anything outside those moments. The fact they cut out so much material including him meeting with Peter Dinklage’s King Eitri and Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster, really stings. Would it have been a crime to cut out those annoying fucking goats and instead give Gorr more to do like, oh, butchering gods?

It doesn’t help that the story never actually refutes any of Gorr’s points. Every other god we see in the film is egotistical, hedonistic, a coward, or all three at once, with even Thor reverting into a corny blowhard for much of the movie. Zeus is pretty much emblematic of this problem; while I actually did enjoy Russell Crowe’s performance (even if it is, ultimately, a half-baked attempt at recapturing the magic of Grandmaster from Ragnarok), the fact that Zeus is nothing more than a blowhard more concerned with orgies and showing off to all the other gathered deities just kind of proves Gorr right. The gods don’t care, they are refusing to help their followers, and frankly the universe would probably be a lot better if it was littered with Knowheres instead of having these horny clowns prancing about.

Then we have the Guardians. The glorified cameo from the Guardians of the Galaxy that was hyped up in all the marketing. Despite being in the movie for maybe ten minutes and despite Star-Lord having 95% of all the lines between them, nearly every single one of them feels completely out of character. Star-Lord, on the other hand, actually feels like he was rerailed in time for Gunn to take the reigns back, but it doesn’t make up for how awkward and pointless it all feels. Although it is incredibly hilarious that after all of them spent Infinity War fawning over him they all now seem to barely tolerate him, with it being confirmed none of them kept in contact with him after the events of this film. I honestly don’t blame them.

A lot of returning characters really suffer. King Valkyrie gets it pretty bad since her subplot where she searches for love was dropped, leading to her feeling really superfluous in the plot. Lady Sif gets it even worse, with her barely even being in this movie; one has to wonder why they even bothered keeping her alive. Thor gets hit especially bad here, because he seems to have reverted from his post-Ragnarok characterization all the way to pre-Thor characterization, with all his hedonism, goofing, gallavanting, insecurity, and egotistical traits ramped up to maximum levels.

But the most divisive returning character of all is Korg. Korg became a fan-favorite due to his appearances in Ragnarok and Endgame, where he was genuinely a funny comic relief character who juxtaposed his intimidating rock golem design with a friendly demeanor and the chipper voice of director Taika Waititi. The thing is, both of those films used him sparingly, so that when he got a lame joke it wasn’t so bad because it’s one up against dozens of good ones. Here though he gets to be a main character and even the narrator, and boy does he get old pretty quickly. The thing is, though, that even if he’s not particularly funny here… I still like Korg. He’s just too damn charming, As lame as his jokes are, as lame as his fake out death is, as pointless as he ends up feeling to the plot, I just can’t hate the guy. I guess it helps that he gets to be Disney’s 52nd First Gay Character, but actually for real this time because in the end he gets to make a baby with a rock guy named Dwayne. I also really like the theory that the reason the whole film is corny is because Korg is narrating it, and he’s an unreliable narrator peppering the story with lame jokes and underplaying elements that should matter. Does it save the whole movie? No. Does it make Korg any funnier? Also no. Does it add an interesting layer that at least keeps me from wanting Korg dead? Yes, yes it does.

And really, every single problem here is something that was there in Thor: Ragnarok. Zany comedy? A terrifying, threatening villain with a murderous vendetta who gets weirdly underplayed and barely interacts with the heroes? A villainous character played entirely for jokes? Jokes that completely and utterly destroy the tension of any given scene? The big difference is that in Ragnarok, at least some of the jokes were funny, and Thor had more interesting characters to bounce off of. And maybe most importantly, that film knew when to dial back the comedy to let cool or emotional moments breathe. And maybe even more importantly than that, it knew to keep Korg to a minimum. This film doesn’t do that at all, with nonstop gags undercutting nearly every dramatic moment. It’s ultimately hard to give a shit about anything going on when the characters give so little of a shit about it that they’re cracking jokes.

And let me tell you, if you couldn’t already tell, the jokes are fucking bad. This is basically what would happen if you asked Seltzer & Friedberg to make Marvel Movie. This is the epitome of all those jokes about Marvel dialogue having the characters go “Well that just happened!” to the point where I’m shocked it’s not actual dialogue. The horrendously unfunny screaming goat meme is a pivotal plot point in this movie; that’s the quality of jokes we’re dealing with here. And while there are a few decent jokes here and there, there’s just too many fucking jokes to pay them any mind.

IS IT REALLY THAT BAD?

Somehow this is one of the most overhated and yet rightfully disliked films ever made.

Like, Schafrillas was right to call this the Shrek the Third of Thor films. It’s not funny, it derails beloved characters, it’s incredibly annoying, it wastes a good villain, and the writing is just so hackneyed and ridiculous. This is absolutely not a good film at all. But the way you hear some people talk about it you’d think this film killed their grandma.

Like I know bad comedies are some of the worst kinds of films out there, and this film is definitely horrendously unfunny at every opportunity, but it has just enough good ideas and just enough strategic deployment of Guns N’ Roses songs that it just barely manages to be passable in my eyes. I definitely think this is a mediocre movie, and it is emblematic of everything a bad Marvel movie can be. But at the same time, it manages to be unfunny in ways I didn’t think were possible from a director and cast this talented. I’ll be honest, on my second watch through of the movie I was more bored than infuriated with this film. It has its moments, but it’s absolutely one of the weakest efforts Marvel has ever put out.

This film is pretty much what critics once accused Batman & Robin of being: An overindulgent, campy, unfunny smear on a cool hero. As you well know by now, I don’t agree with them on that, but it’s a somewhat fitting descriptor for Love & Thunder. I don’t think it’s a smear on Thor, who has been way too inconsistent for me to get mad about him being taken in some wild direction, but overindulgent, campy, and unfunny are pretty apt. Still, I don’t think this is nearly as bad as a lot of people say. It’s not bad in a “crime against humanity” way, at worst it’s bad in a “I know the people making this are capable of better and I kinda feel like this is the fault of studio executives at Disney” kind of way. If you like it, sure, that’s valid! I don’t think there is no value in this film at all, especially compared to some stuff I’ve reviewed for Is It Really That Bad. But if I never have to see this movie again, I won’t exactly lose sleep over it, and I’m sure many people feel the same.

Still, I’d have to have a heart of stone to not find the ending, which features Thor and his adopted daughter (played by Hemsworth’s own daughter) becoming a cute little superhero team and getting a corny title drop right before the credits, really sweet. Yeah, it’s not a good movie, but at least it’s better than the first two Thor movies or the unseasoned oatmeal that is Eternals.

#Is it really that bad #IIRTB #Thor #Thor: Love and Thunder #Taika Waititi #Chris Hemsworth #Natalie Portman #Christian Bale #Marvel #Disney #MCU

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group B Round 3: #B8 vs #B2

#B8: Middle school idol drama

#B2: Girls aiming to become top stars in a Takarazuka high-school

Details and poll under the cut!

*#B2’s tagline has been changed.

#B8: Pretty Rhythm: Rainbow Live

Summary:

Naru Ayase is an 8th grader who can see the colors of music when she listens to it. For Naru, who is extremely good at decorating, becoming the owner of a shop like Dear Crown was her dream. One day, she finds out that the manager of a newly-opened shop is recruiting middle school girls who can do Prism Dance, and immediately applies. Naru begins to Prism Dance at the audition, and an aura she’s never experienced spreads out in front of her. At that moment, a mysterious girl named Rinne asks her if she can see “rainbow music.”

Propaganda:

WHERE DO I START.

First off: Lesbian activities. Ayase Naru and Rinne Amagi are very close friends and even end up living together. Naru is also only one of the few characters without a proper love interest which really helps further the Naru/Rinne ship.

Otoha Takanashi: often talks about fairy tales, but the only characters she ever sees as Princes are women. Baby lesbian, I love her.

Second: DRAMA. So two of the characters (Ito and Kouji) actually start dating, but their parents do not approve for reasons they are evasive about until it is later revealed in the story—[This part of the propaganda has been cut by admin due to possible spoilers]

Third: banger music. This series includes many covers of popular 90s dance tracks from band TRF, which I am fond of. It also has a lot of unique music written for the show itself which is also good, especially for a children’s show.

Trigger Warnings: It might need the emotional abuse tag for specifically one of the characters’ parents, who is a pretty extreme perfectionist when it comes to her daughter. But nothing else aside from that. It’s a kids’ show, so it never goes that far in terms of actual harm. Most things also get resolved peacefully.

#B2: Kageki Shoujo!!

Summary:

After being forced to graduate from JPX48 following a controversial incident with a male fan, Ai Narata swears to never interact with another man ever again. Using her talents and strong desire to get away from men, Ai auditions for the exclusive all-female Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts. The school is renowned for producing the best actresses that go on to perform in the famous all-female Kouka Theatre Troupe. Coming from the idol industry, Ai is the perfect candidate for the school’s hundredth generation class, but her aloof demeanor alienates her from her classmates. The eccentric Sarasa Watanabe is the only person who wishes to become Ai’s friend. She enters Kouka with the goal of becoming a top “otokoyaku” performer—an actress that plays traditionally male roles. After seeing a Kouka performance of The Rose of Versailles when she was younger, Sarasa dreams of performing as Lady Oscar one day. Unfortunately, Sarasa's inability to read a room causes friction between her and her classmates, including Ai, who reluctantly becomes her roommate and partner in many of their classes. Succeeding at Kouka will involve more than just raw talent for these young girls as jealousy, deceit, and the harsh realities of show business put their mental fortitude to the test. Will Sarasa and Ai be able to rise to the top and stand on the silver bridge?

Propaganda:

If theatre setting/schools is your thing, you’re probably going to love this series! We follow our protagonists and their schoolmates following their dreams to become actresses for the prestigious Kouka Revue. Not an easy road as they will have to face and overcome many challenges, the hardest ones coming from themselves. Indeed, the story is not afraid to address sensitive topics and their resulting traumas (see TW list) always rightfully handed. These episodes may be a bit hard to see if you’re sensitive to these topics, but the show never leaves you in discomfort: everything is properly addressed, and characters are cared for realistically.

The characters are all very well-written, portraying individuals with way more depth than they may appear at first glance. We follow their growth—or its start—during the series. Sarasa is a walking sunbeam, and her blooming friendship with the withdrawn Ai is a delight to watch. We learn to know—and love—all their classmates as well, as episodes switch focus to one or the other.

The OST is really good, with a catchy opening, and no less than five different versions of the ending song, a fabulous duet voiced by the cast! The animation features really pretty art with iconic details like the stars in Sarasa’s eyes. The series is a homage to Takarazuka and scatter references to famous real-life Revues and older famous shôujo manga series like “Versailles no Bara” or “Glass no Kamen”. Actually, it feels like a modernized version of their essence: roses, sparkles, spotlight, drama, all while staying safe!

This anime is like candy for eyes and soul, and I really hope we'll get a season 2 to explore the girls' voices further!

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Pedophilia, Self-Harm

Nothing is too graphical nor explicit, just the right amount to let the unsettling situations be clear enough to watchers, and they’re always addressed correctly.

Child abuse/ Pedophilia: episode 3 (+4), about Ai’s traumas

Self-harm: episode 5 focuses on a girl with an eating disorder, forcing herself to vomit (not sure if that really counts as TW?)

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

#anime #best underrated anime #polls #poll tournament #tournament #anime tournament #animation #group stage #group stage round 3 #tournament polls #group b #pretty rhythm rainbow live #pretty rhythm: rainbow live #kageki shoujo #kageki shoujo!!

[afrobeatsindacity]

Rema, The Prince Of Nigerian music

Rema and Selena Gomez's "Calm Down" continues to shatter worldwide records as it advances its claim for 2023's Song Of The Summer, and indeed for every other season—it has in fact completed a year on the Billboard Top 100 chart, and even now continues to chart in the Top 20. And as its impact has been far reaching, so also have the accolades. The most recent of these came only a few days ago, when the song officially crossed 1 billion streams on Spotify, crowning it the first African song to reach this feat, and also one of the 500 most streamed music tracks of all time. Before this was the MTV Video Music Award ceremony, where a charismatic Rema received an award for the maiden 'Best Afrobeats Song' category. Before calling on his co-creator to say a few words of thanks, he paid homage to Nigerian music icons that paved his way to the world's biggest stages—names like Fela, pioneer of Afrobeat (no 's'); D'banj and 2Baba, prominent figures who ruled through the 00s; Don Jazzy and D'Prince, his mentors at Mavin and Jonzing, his record labels; and of course Nigerian music royalty Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido.

It is fitting that he makes such acknowledgements at a time when he too is progressing towards a career of this status. Nigerian music's growth, like he succinctly put, has come slowly but surely off the back of these creators, so that now, "Calm Down"'s worldwide acceptance does not draw the surprise it deserves from the Nigerian audience; exploits of the last two years appear to have numbed its citizens to what is possible. Two years ago, Essence, the Wizkid-Tems sultry collaboration that got a Justin Beiber touch for its remix, was having its moment in the sun with each new step applauded by the country, and it is important for context that Rema’s song has already amassed five times as many Spotify streams as its predecessor.

For many, this moment was always going to arrive for Nigerian music, the day when we would no longer need tags like "For an African artist" to qualify a new win; we would compete with parity against music from anywhere in the world. And for a tiny subset of these believers, it was always going to be Rema at the forefront of the vanguard effecting this cultural revolution for Nigeria. For the artist, born Divine Ikubor, has always borne a mark of divinity.

After catching the eye of D’prince, CEO of Jonzing record label, via a cover of his song, "Gucci Gang" that he posted on Instagram, the Benin-based singer got an invite to come to Lagos for a proper audition, after which he was signed to Jonzing, a Mavin record affiliate. At the age of 19 he made his entry via a self-named EP, a Mavin tradition, that highlighted in only four songs what Rema was set to bring to the industry. His euphonious vocals were for many the biggest and most prognostic highlight, but they masked other crucial aspects of his artistry—the depth of emotion he channels on "Why", and his dexterity in balancing this beside the fast-spinning Afropop bangers, "Dumebi" and "Iron Man".

A few months later, he made his reprisal, but in a new apparel—Trap music. His Rema Freestyle EP projected speedy delivery, snappy trap beats and rhymes about money, as Rema displayed another aspect of his artistry. Most noticeable was his sparsity of romantic themes on the new project, the substance with which he propped up his earlier effort. His third project, Bad Commando, found the balance between these two extremes, placing confident statements of self-aggrandisation (Dem know say I be bad commando”, he sings on Bad Commando) side by side with affecting professions of infatuation (The moment I see you na up NEPA, he begins on “Lady”), while he switches between Trap and Pop on the production side of things.

Releasing this project meant it was a very busy debut year for the singer, and at the 13th edition of the Headies he was awarded the Next Rated award—earmarking him as the next big star. In January he picked up a similar plaque at the Soundcity MVP Awards, and together with his City People Award for Revelation Of The Year, these plaques underscored how outstanding his debut year was. In 2020, though, it was time for the next stage of music release strategy, and this time he worked by releasing singles, as he tried to establish his sound as a balance of his Afropop, Trap and Arabian music origins. His first effort of the year was the two single pack of "Rainbow" and "Beamer", and the latter was the significantly more successful song, featuring Jamaican producer Rvssian who incorporated traces of the Dancehall genre.

These songs, along with his June release, "Alien", were drawn chiefly from the Trap corner of his artistry, but to properly dominate a country like Nigerian, he would need to create for a dance-loving audience, and with his next two singles, the melodious, groovy "Ginger Me" and the explosive "Woman", he sought to do exactly that. With the latter, Rema’s material also took on a sultry turn—“I too like woman, me I no dey gboran”—that he reprised with his next single, the Don Jazzy–produced "Bounce". Already Rema’s profile was growing exponentially on a national level as he sought inroads into the global market.

2022, for Rema, was the time to crystallise this three-year dominance in Nigeria's industry into a recognisable global profile. He released "Calm Down" in February, melding Afropop, Arabian and Dancehall influences for a track that was still authentically Nigerian—"Girl you sweet like Fanta", he says, reworking a popular Nigerian children's rhyme into a missive of playful adulation—and yet lent itself to foreign acceptance. To advance its entry into foreign markets, a stroke of collaborative genius brought a Selena Gomez remix, pouring fuel into the fire of the song's momentum so that it sauntered into the next gear of its worldwide ascent. With this remix has come multiple broken records, a couple of awards (including one for Rema as Headies Best Male Artist), and certifications that continue to roll in by the day.

As Rema continues to break new grounds both historically and geographically,—as in his recently-completed Indian tour—the next sets of doubts will centre around whether he can extend this fame beyond "Calm Down", and insert himself properly in world stardom. But that should be no problem. A combination of his astute singing talent, evocative writing and undeniable star power should ensure Rema fulfils his promise as prince of Nigerian music.

This article was written by Afrobeats City Contributor Ezema Patrick - @ezemapatrick (Twitter)

Afrobeats City doesn’t own the right to the images - image source: Instagram - @Scrdofme

#Afrobeats #AfrobeatsCity #Afrobeats article #Rema #Africa #African music #Afrobeats UK #UK Afrobeats #Afropop #Afrofusion #Calm Down #Selena Gomez

[selena-spectra]

TOTK is a disappointment and here's why.

I personally hate this game, and I'm tired of not mentioning how much I hate it on my blog so I'm yelling about it! TLDR; this game is trash, the story is trash, the music is trash, and the gameplay is trash.

Totk was a disappointment in everyway. The start was so hype and then? nothing. absolutely nothing. literally the only good parts of the game was the beginning when everything seemed to be hyping up to another grand adventure like the previous games, and we had some naive hope in our hearts. and the end. when the game is over and you're beating it. the middle aka the MAIN FUCKING GAME is trash and boring and a slog. What is there to do? nothing but the main story that's what! barely anything to explore! Afterall you've already done it. Also side track, THE DUNGEONS?! THEY AREN'T DUNGEONS. THEY ARE DIVINE BEASTS AGAIN WITH A NEW COAT OF PAINT. WHY HAVE I NOT SEEN ANYONE TALK ABOUT THAT?! it's the same set up "Free me" "Go activate these terminals!" LITERALLY. WHERE'S THE MINI BOSSES HALF WAY THROUGH THE DUNGEON? NOPE DOES NOT EXIST. Now the gameplay OHHHHHHH THE GAMEPLAY! It's fine. it's minecraft but zelda skinned. WHICH IS NOT WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN A ZELDA GAME! I DON'T WANT A SANDBOX! I WANT AN ACTION ADVENTURE GAME! Also Zelda being sidelined into SPOILER! A fucking dragon?! You took one of the most interesting Zeldas, who would've been great as a companion and threw her into the past so she'd be a god damn dragon and can't help you. The fuck?! Also may I rant about how BAD they fucked up ganondorf? they turned him into a one dimensional villain! While he has been in the past, there was always a hint at a greater purpose for concurring Hyrule. And even when there wasn't he still had a fucking presence! he's just reduced to the "Big Bad Guy you have to fight at the end of the game" like calamity ganon! seriously you could replace any previous zelda villain in ganondorf's spot in this story and it would turn out the same. Also they seemed to be trying to give each sage an arc??? but it's all too rushed? the biggest being Sidon they screwed up mah boi! Him having hesitance because of Mipha is interesting. but we don't see it at all. not until Yona shows up to bitch at him about it and tell him to man up and go help link. like????? Huh??? that's- that's not him??? it should be shown earlier???? Also the music OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH MAN THE MUSIC! The music is fucking trash except for literally TWO IN GAME SONGS. those being demon dragon and colgera. I hear no one talking about Queen Gibdo or Muktoroc having bangers. no one. WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?!

#Selena Spectra Rants #loz totk #FUCKING SUCKS #loz #they massacred my boy

[cinewhore]

To the Ends of the Earth (2)

Pairing: Lara Croft & Marcus Pike (Tomb Raider AU)

Rating: Mature

warnings: mentions of missing parents, guns. angst. fluff. 

Summary: After obtaining a seemingly normal piece of art from a flea market, Marcus Pike enlists the help of an old friend in tracking down its origins. They both get more than they bargain for.

A/N: an repost. I really have some bangers stored in my google docs. I obviously love putting Marcus Pike into situations. Credit to the gif maker. Divider by @/saradika​

“No.”

Marcus deflates, eyes boring into Ginny’s back as she washes out Ava’s baby bottles. The clank of the plastic as it drops into the left side of the sink waiting to be rinsed out drums through Marcus’s chest as he tries to find a way to sway his wife.

“Baby, this could be huge. More than anything I’ve ever done my entire career-”

“-which is why it’s more dangerous! Can’t you see that?”

Another bottle gets tossed.

“I can take care of myself and you know that.” Ginny laughs at this.

“I know very well what you’re capable of, Marcus. I know that while you were in the field you had to undergo certain training processes and that you could sniff out danger from a mile away. It is not you I am worried about.”

Marcus swallows. He knows where this is going. “Is this-is this about Lara?”

Lara had egged him on to ask Ginny out, sure. However, they were both...cautious of each other. So much so that Marcus had to set up a fake dinner with each of them just to get them in the same room. They had the same goal: keeping Marcus safe. While he appreciated it, there were lines that needed to be drawn in the sand. Lara wasn’t allowed to just pop up at the house in the dead of the night to rant about her new findings and Ginny wasn’t allowed to make snide remarks about their relationship.

Boundaries. There needed to be boundaries.

Ginny rests her hands along the edge of the sink, sighing. “I am worried for her. If what you mention is true, the things about the portal, it could be potentially destructive and lead her down a path she may not be able to recover from.”

Marcus approaches Ginny, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leans back into him, inhaling his cologne. Marcus leaves a few kisses along her shoulder blades, tucking his head on her neck.

“I’m worried about her too, darling.”

Ginny shifts herself, turning so that she could face Marcus. She smiles to herself as she traces his frown lines with her finger. “You retired to be here, with me and the children. I can’t do this thing without you, Pike.”

Marcus nods. Ginny sells houses for a living and while that doesn’t particularly involve any dangerous situations,  Marcus still worries about her each and every time she leaves the house in the morning. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like, being home alone with newborn twins while he was out chasing down the tail of some art thief. Marcus made a promise to her and he wasn’t going to break it.

“Just give me a week. If nothing comes of it, I’ll come right back, straight to you. You will never have to do this alone, my love.”

Comfort floods Ginny and she lurches forward to kiss Marcus, sealing the deal.

“One week.”

Hillary hums a small tune to himself, breaking his stride to dust off a vase. He smooths himself over as he enters the library, where Lara had situated herself since the arrival of the “guests”.

“Miss Croft, would you care for something? Perhaps some water?”

“No, thank you, Hil.” Lara doesn’t bother to look up from her work, the books spilling over themselves.

“You’ve been at this for hours.”

Hillary is met with no response. He meanders over to the globe, pulling the top open to showcase bottles of brown liquor. He pours a gracious glass, topping it off with a single ice cube.

The glass enters Lara’s field of sight as Hillary sets it down right in front of her, clearing his throat. She gives in, dragging her tired body down into her chair. “Thank you.”

“The guest left today with no fuss, may I be bold to assume you played nicely?”

Lara smiles into her glass. “I gave them a warning.”

“Lara Croft! The infamous archeologist, world renowned.” Balashov croons, arms outstretched. His convoy had managed to garner the attention of many of the party goers, Ginny standing in front of them defiantly.

“Balashov Rodionovich, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Lara saunters over to the group of men, all clad in dark suits.

“It has been a while, figured I’d make a visit. Just happened to be in America.” Balashov squares his shoulders, folding his hands.

“I’m busy.” Lara’s curt tone does not sit well with him. He grins a wolfish grin, chuckling along with his henchmen.

“I can tell! Remind me, which one is yours again?” Balashov gestures to the children.

Macus tightens his jaw, shifting a little closer to Lara.

“Would you like some tea?” She offers Balashov.

He laughs again. What the fuck is with this guy? “Never cared for you Brits or your tea.”

“Vodka?”

Balashov clicks his teeth. “Bingo.”

After assuring Marcus that everything was ok, Lara ushers the men into the bar, serving up the drinks herself. One of Balashov’s men stands guard at the door while Marcus stands adjacent to him. Lara couldn’t get rid of him even if she tried.

Balasov takes a sip of the drink Lara hands him, humming in bliss. He points to Marcus. “Is this puny man your lover? Color me hurt, Lara.”

“Watch it,” Marcus sneers.

“Easy,” Lara warns him. “What do you want, Balashov?”

“Ты знаешь, чего я хочу.” you know what I want.

“I don’t have it and if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you.” Lara tells him simply.

“Word on the street is that one of the Dutch epitaph pieces was uncovered in Jordan, the same one that is said to possess magical powers, the exact same one your father more or less lost his life over, makes no nevermind to you?”

Marcus really doesn’t like this guy.

“You shouldn’t listen to everything you hear, Bal.”

Balashov finishes his drink, setting down the glass carefully on the bartop. “I have gathered a team to track the rest of the pieces for me. If it happens that my team leads me back here to you, I can not promise you I will put everything back as neatly as I have found it.”

Lara holds up her own glass. “Господа, ваше здоровье.” Gentlemen, cheers.

Hillary grins as Lara recounts the activities from earlier that day. “Where do you think the other two are?”

“Not Jordan, that’s for sure. Rodionovich is trying to catch a scent, if he had something he wouldn’t have come here. I’ve been going through my fathers journals for answers but all he’s left me are riddles.”

Hillary walks around the desk to gaze over Lara’s shoulders, studying the many papers she has laid out across the surface.

“And what of Marcus?”

Lara takes a deep sigh. “I’ll have his piece moved, inspected, and then placed in storage. We can’t take any risks, not with the children being there.”

“Little buggers, they are.” Hillary chides to himself, picking off a piece of lint from his suit.

“Yeah.”

The room goes silent, Lara remembering fondly when her father would chase her around the estate. She barely remembers her mother being present, always scolding the two of them for making such a fuss. Lara misses her mother. She misses everyone. The house was too big, too loud and too quiet at the same time.

“I miss her too.” Hillary pats Lara on the shoulder, delicately wiping away a tear that had fallen and landed on her cheek.

“I need to know where she went, Hil.”

“What difference would it make if you found her?” Hillary asks, titling his head.

“I don’t know-maybe we could be a family? I have so many questions to ask her.”

“Lara,” Hillary reaches over and hands Lara a framed photo. Marcus and Ginny had just brought Ava home and everyone was smushed together for a quick photo opp before things got too hectic. “This is your family. Me and Alex, we care about you too.”

Lara knows this. She knows that she is loved, that they would do anything to bring a smile on her face. There were times when it wasn’t enough. She wanted something of her own and she figured that if she could locate her mother, she could finally get what she wanted.

“So!” Hillary stands to attention, gathering up the empty glass. “What’s the plan?”

“I need guns. Big guns.”

#Marcus pike & Lara croft #Marcus pike #lara croft #tomb raider #fic: to the ends of the earth

[cherry-velvet-skies]

My Thoughts on RUSH! Track By Track:

OWN MY MIND: 9.5/10

STARTING WITH A BANGER OMG It's so fire I started bouncing when it got to the chorus it's so good and an awesome choice for an opening track we're off to an amazing start. Very punk-esque and the lyric video fits the same vibe.

GOSSIP: 9/10

Obviously I've already shared my thoughts about this song and I'd be lying if I said it hasn't grown on me more since I made that statement. I've been singing it to myself everyday while I cook for like four days now. It's so catchy, the MV is a total vibe, and I do like the meaning behind it.

TIMEZONE: 9/10

These are lyrics to definitely scream when you're just going through a bad time. I mean I know it's symbolic of a long distance relationship but I feel like many people can relate to it. Also love that little sexy bit snuck into the middle there lmao

BLA BLA BLA: 10/10

ICONIC BADDIE ANTHEM IDC IDC IT FUCKING SLAPS AND SO FAR IT'S MY FAVE IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE A BAD BITCH AND HONESTLY THAT'S JUST WHAT WE ALL NEED SOMETIMES WE NEED THAT BAD BITCH ENERGY IN FULL SWING YES WE FUCKING DO

BABY SAID: 9.5/10

I was pleasantly surprised by this one lol by the title I thought it was gonna be a ballad but it's very funky but like in a rock way and I love ittttt plus the lyric video with Vic just totally vibing made it even better

GASOLINE: 8.5/10

Obviously we've all heard this song before but I'm glad they put it on the album because I've been wanting so save it so bad lmao but it's such a powerful song and I can feel the activist rage radiating off of it every time I listen to it.

FEEL: 10/10

FAVE FAVE FAVE OMFG THIS SONG SET MY FUCKING SOUL ON FIRE THE GUITAR AND THE SLOWER PARTS TOGETHER I'M SO !!!!! Dami's voice is incredible and the lyric video is just... I'm being so normal about it.

DON'T WANNA SLEEP: 10/10

YES YES YES GIVE ME MORE ANGSTY HARD ROCK SONGS GIVE THEM TO ME NOW. Also the mini guitar solo at the end? Addicting. PLUS...that Lucy's diamonds lyric...A BEATLES REFERENCE?! +1000000 POINTS HOLY FUCK

KOOL KIDS: 10/10

Personally, I tried to avoid listening to as many concert versions of the song as I could until now because I wanted to go in somewhat blankly and I'm so glad I did because THAT WAS AWESOME I LOVE IT and I think I'm starting to notice a pattern with all the songs I'm rating 10s lmao

IF NOT FOR YOU: 8/10

This is a song that you need to have blasting in your headphones while you gaze longingly out of a car window while it's raining, watching the drops race down the glass and rooting for one in particular, only for them to join together to make one drop in the end and that's the only way I can describe this song. I can see Må performing this live and the entire crowd is just belting out the lyrics right along with them.

READ YOUR DIARY: 10/10

PUNK ANTHEM HELL FUCKING YEAH I'M IN LOVE also another astounding guitar solo? THOMMY YOU ABSOLUTE MAD LAD THE TALENT YOU HOLD IS INDESCRIBABLE. 100% ANOTHER FAVE TRACK. Also, aesthetically speaking, the lyric video is everything I wanna be and more.

MARK CHAPMAN: 10/10

SURPRISE IT'S IN ITALIAN I love this one so much I CAN'TTT it's so good it had me jumping in my mf chair !!!!! And AGAIN WITH THE BOMB ASS GUITAR SOLOS THOMAS RAGGI YOU REALLY POPPED OFF WITH THESE THINGS plus the lyric video is so special to me I know it's just them walking back and forth but it's special how they each have their own runway walk I can't explain it you either get it or you don't

LA FINE: 9.5/10

I've already shared my thoughts about this but it definitely has that Teatro D'Ira Vol. 1 vibe we've all been dearly missing and it's just an incredible sound that will always be iconic

IL DONO DELLA VITA: 9.5/10

If y'all thought LA FINE was reminiscent of TDV1, you're gonna LOVE this one. It sounds so much like it that I can't help but listen to it and be like "That's the Måneskin I know" because it's SO symbolic of their sound. The way I view it is that this song, just based on sound and vibes alone, is LA PAURA DEL BUIO's younger, more emo sibling and no I will not take criticism on that because I know I'm right. Also the lyric video is majestic and I'm right about that too.

MAMMAMIA: 10/10

Again, another one we've all heard and there's no debate it's incredible and I still come back to the MV and lyric video every now and again because they're just as iconic as the song itself.

SUPERMODEL: 8/10

This one has truly divided the fandom lmao but for me personally I like it and it's a song I listen to and then forget about for a bit and then I listen to it again and remember how much I love it. Idc it slaps and it's in my playlist for a reason.

THE LONELIEST: 10/10

Again, no question. The perfect song to cry to while simultaneously screaming the lyrics. The MV is a cinematic masterpiece and the song is so emotionally wracking in the perfect way. Damiano's lyrics are either fun and quirky, super fucking angsty, or poetically deep and meaningful there is no in between.

CONCLUSION: This album is a No-Skips album and probably one of the best albums I've ever heard and I will not be listening to anything else for the next month. Thank you and goodnight.

#maneskin #måneskin #thomas raggi #damiano david #victoria de angelis #ethan torchio

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 09/04/2024

Sweatpants Select

Season 3 Featured on: SiIvaGunner's Highest Quality Rips Volume A

Ripped by NutellaFrenchToast

As with any human, I have my biases. There's things I like more than others, games I'm more drawn to than others, music I'm more drawn to than others. A huge part of that bias is formed by nostalgia - and as explained back in Neon Wi​-​Fi, there are few games that I am as nostalgic for in terms of sheer vibes and atmosphere, than Mario Kart Wii. The "Glass Ocean" aesthetic the whole game is coated in, the menues, the UI, the sheen and bloom of the visuals: the sleek, clean beauty of the future...there are few games where I will listen to every rip of them, but Mario Kart Wii sits atop of that list, because its aesthetic has just enamored me so much. I watched Sweatpants Select immediately when it was uploaded back in 2018 as a result, and with the rip now sitting at 400 thousand views, its amazing to see that its not just me who truly clicks with the game's beauty.

That's of course not to say that Sweatpants Select is only good because its using Mario Kart Wii music - its an incredible rip because NutellaFrenchToast went whole hog in realizing its concept to the fullest, in a way that feels shockingly modern for a rip from six years ago. Yes, this is a hip-hop/rap music mashup, "rip-hop", in a similar vein to Chance's Return to Dreamland and kirby will never have drip *spits out cereal*, but you can immediately tell what sets this rip in particular apart from the rest. The two tracks, Main Menu from Mario Kart Wii and Sweatpants by Childish Gambino, are interwoven with one another in such a cool way - Sweatpants' vocals are complimented not just by Main Menu's melody, but by the repeating sounds of Mario fireballs and shouts from Toad, replicating pieces from the original track's beat. That's cool as shit on its own, of course, even as someone who hasn't listened much to Childish Gambino (take a shot) outside of SiIva, its incredible just how this mashup with those simple additions turns a chill menu theme into an outright banger - but there's yet more to come.

Because yes, this rip does the silly little trick that ALWAYS works for me - ESCALATION. A very cool trait with Mario Kart Wii's menues was how the music was dynamic per each section, as it added instruments to the track when selecting your character, then added yet more when selecting the racetrack itself - and Sweatpants Select synchronizes this trait with Sweatpants' beat drop as the chorus begins. "Are you eatin' tho?" is said with the entire rest of the backing silent, then it all returns at once with the menu music changed to the character select variant. It hits like CRAZY - rips like Door into a Hundred Summers have shown how effective it can be to change the backing VGM to rips like this, but to change the beat to more-dense variants like this is just as sick without losing any of the cohesion.

As a cherry on top of it all, of course, there's the car-starting joke, beautifully preserved from Sweatpants. Paired with the 3-2-1-GO countdown of a Mario Kart Wii race, Gambino sings about vroom-vrooming in his Fisker car, but pauses the music - and the entire rip by extension, including the added start-race sounds - to explain that his car actually doesn't make sounds when it starts up. After the track has already elevated itself twice over with the changes in backing VGM, this is just the perfect touch on top, a sign of just how closely NutellaFrenchToast understood each of the pieces they were working with so thoroughly. That proficiency was of course never something I doubted - Like the Legend of the Ho-Oh and especially We Are Number 4 (Golden) paint them as someone who understands detail like nothing else. Only here, Sweatpants Select applies that same level of care to a track I'm forever emotionally tied to as a Mario Kart Wii fan - creating a banger that exceeds my expectations on every front.

#todays siivagunner #season 3 #siivagunner #siiva #NutellaFrenchToast #Youtube #Bandcamp #mario kart wii #mkwii #mario kart #mario kart music #mario music #childish gambino #donald glover #rap music #rap #hip hop