#except for that part it’s unfortunately really catchy

[ansu-gurleht]

i’ve got a fucking k*nye song stuck in my head and it won’t go away

#it’s the fucking poopity scoop song #except for that part it’s unfortunately really catchy

[mikunology]

Mikunology Reviews: Boku wa Hatsune Miku to Kiss wo Shita (2013) (Pt.2)

Alright, here we are with Part 2, where I will chat about the album's second half! Let's get to it!

Part 1 here

Ii, Er Fanclub: I think anyone who vaguely knows of Mikito has heard this one, if it's not ROKI. XD This is another more goofy, fun track about Rin and Gumi being fans of Chinese culture. And I love it! It's a great song, the back-and-forth between Rin and Gumi is so fun to sing along to - the inclusion of actual Chinese words is really fun as well. The drums are great here too. There's not really much I can say on this one that isn't just regular praise?? I highly recommend checking out it's PV by the wonderful Yori and Ryuusee! (Actually, I do have one comment I want to make: unpopular opinion, but I like this original Rin & Gumi version a lot more over Giga's Miku & Len mix. The goofy charm of the original song just jives with me more, although Giga's tuning is stellar.)

Wednesday Blue: This is another remaster, this time of one of Mikito's much older Miki originals. This is more typical rock'n'roll-style track, and it's a bit noisier than Mikito's usual fare. Unfortunately, I do think it's my least favorite on this album: it's a bit…all-over-the-place, compared to Mikito's later work? The Miki vocals are clearer and a bit better than the original NND upload, but they're still notably clunky in some places which can kinda take me out of the song. That said, the song as a whole isn't bad or anything, and it's actually pretty catchy after a few listens - it's just kinda clear this song was written by a less experienced Mikito. (Not to poke fun - everyone starts somewhere!)

Setsuna Plus (Momentary Plus): And here we are, back to Miku Dark again. This song is a bit more abstract in terms of lyrics, I think, but I still find myself coming back to it. There's not much I can say about this one either, honestly? Other than that it's good and that I like it - it has that usual great atmosphere again. However, I do have a slight criticism, I think - as much as I love the way Miku sounds here, I think this song could have done with a bit more powerful vocal instead, after hearing a few covers with characters like Amaga Eru (who can be pretty loud in her base voicebank).

Sarishinohara (Distant Fields): I remember not being too keen on this track at first for some reason? I don't know what was up with me because this song is really lovely XD This is a rock song about the forbidden love between a boy and his best friend and classmate, who has become an idol (and since idols can't date, she can no longer see him). There's such a tragic, melancholic feel to this song that really gets across the pain the boy is in, both in that he can no longer be with the girl despite her being "everywhere", in a sense, both in the instruments and in Miku Dark's vocals. Personally, I find this to be my favorite in the "Sarishinohara" trilogy, since 1) I think the melody is a bit easier to get into compared to the others and 2) just the sheer vibes.

Secret DVD: Ah, this one…the spicy one. A more straightforward rock track with a bit more "vanilla" Miku voice instead of Miku Dark, about doing sexy things. I actually like this one quite a bit despite the mature subject matter - it is pretty catchy, and the guitars are really good here. There's a part in the second verse where there's a harp-like strum and it's really satisfying. I also gotta say, something I always appreciated about Mikito's more sexual songs is that they're usually written in a manner that actually makes the act sound romantic rather than…well, you know. XD (*looks at REOL and Umetora*) I recommend this one for the music alone even if you're not into the song lyrically.

Salad Banya Cauda: Now for something completely different! XD This is one of the very few completely album-exclusive tracks, since I believe all of the tracks on this list have been released with PVs with the exception of this and Gariben Hirose no Shouri. This isn't really a rock track at all - it's a cute little folksy-type song with more acoustic instruments and simple Miki vocals (with the exception of some electric guitar between verses). I like it, though! It's a cute song, it makes you feel like marching through some sunny trees to find some berries or some adventure. However, I do think it can come as a surprise given the vibe of literally everything else. I think you might enjoy it, still!

Gariben Hirose no Shouri (A Geek's Huge Victory): OK, back to rock - this is the other completely album-exclusive track, and honestly? I've come to like it quite a bit. It has that signature nice Mikito J-rock vibe, with some lovely Gumi tuning to go with it. There's not much I can say about it that I haven't said for other songs on this CD, though? Just more of the same good stuff, I suppose. XD However, I really like the end part, where Gumi starts singing some "lalala"'s - something I like about Mikito's rock songs is that some of them feel like they could be played at the end of movies or as ending themes to anime episodes, and this is definitely one such song with the way it plays out.

Sayoko: Ah, this is another famous one. Sayoko is a soft J-rock track about severe depression, and once again uses Miku Dark - I think this is a really brilliant use of her, though, it really fits the song's theme since Miku sounds so melancholic and tired here. The melody is again a bit more understated, but it also really fits. I'm running out of things to say about the music itself XD I really think this song has a great calming vibe to it, despite the sad lyrics…I think someone could find it a great comfort, especially if you relate (like me!).

kiss: Finally, the last track, and the single collaboration on this CD: featuring the great Vocarock producer keeno! Together, he and Mikito form Mikeeno! (I love it when producers do that.) Predictably given their respective work, this is a slow, calm rock ballad about love. Now, I'm not the hugest fan of rock ballads? But I really love this one: the lyrics are really sweet and wistful, the lead guitar is perfect and Miku Dark returns to the gentle sound usually associated with both these producers. If you really like songs like "glow" or the slower songs I've already talked about on this album, you'll definitely love "kiss".

And that, my pals, is the whole CD! Yeah, all in all, for a first album, I think this is an amazing start for Mikito-san and an absolute must-listen if you are an enjoyer of Vocarock. Sure, he isn't the hard-rocking 164 or Utsu, but the soft and atmospheric yet fun and lively tunes by Mikito are incredibly worth hearing. Thanks for reading my first album review, please let me know if you enjoyed it ;v;

now if only I could get this album physically orz

#vocaloid #album review #hatsune miku #mikitop #mikunology reviews

[gerogerigaogaigar]

The Pretenders - s/t

No one sounds as dismissively cool as Chryssie Hynde. Somehow the blend of new wave, power pop, and punk manages to be catchy and aggressive. On the first half of the album the lyrics are confident, often sexual sung in a matter of fact way. She wants to fuck, and you'll do, but you're not special baby. By the second half the music calms down a bit and we get a few new wavier tracks. It's a tight little snapshot of the unique change that rock music was going through in 1980.

George Michael - Faith

Whenever I listen to this album I really wanna like it. And I do like it! Sorta. It opens with three extremely strong tracks. Faith and Father Figure are bangers and I Want Your Sex is the nine minute funk jam of my dreams. But I kinda lose interest over the course of the whole thing. It always loses me on side two for some reason and by the time Kissing A Fool starts I really just want it to be over. The good bits are just bursting with sensual vanity though so it's obviously worth a listen. And who knows maybe this one will grow on me if I listen to it a few more times.

Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska

I can't describe this album in any way that would do it justice. Nebraska will pick away at your brain until it unearths an emotional scab that you thought was long healed. Its stripped down lo fi acoustic songs are so personal yet so universal. I think I put on Nebraska hoping that this time it will tell me everything is going to be ok. It never does, but I listen to it anyway. Because at the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe.

John Prine - s/t

John Prine is so unassuming at first glance. Oh a few cheeky folksy tunes some sorrowful country ones yes that will fit in nicely with the 70 adult contemporary scene. But it's impossible to really listen without realizing just how biting the cheek is, just how genuinely sorrowful those tunes are. You notice that he isn't just someone cobbling together popular musical styles. That mix of folk rock, country, and Appalachia is so uniquely Prine's. He can turn a phrase with the sophistication of a poet, but without a hint of self satisfaction or irony. And the disarming humor of songs like Illegal Smile or You Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore make the tragic songs like Sam Stone or Six O'Clock News hit even harder. He's unfortunately overlooked everywhere except for on lists like this and in other musicians record collections.

Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

This album is what the entire neo soul genre was building up to. A sorrowful meditation on love, fame, and money with intensely introspective and personal lyrics. Ocean battles with his feelings over some of the most perfect instrumentals ever created. There's a little funkiness here and there, some strings at times, but mostly stark emptiness accentuated by cold synths and distant drums. This production is what makes it all come together. The way that Thinin Bout You is almost acapella pushes the tenderness to it's extreme. The church organ sound on Forrest Gump evokes Motown in a way that is fitting for his ode to his first love. Super rich kids plods along, with a constant thump as it dispassionately reaches its tragic conclusion. Pyramids is a nine minute prog soul epic that describes the diminishing of black women's role in society using Cleopatra as a metaphor. Every song has some particular quirk that makes it perfect while also feeling like a cohesive part of the album. Channel Orange might be the best album of the 2010s. Channel Orange might be my favorite soul record (top 5 at least). This is required listening for all humans and probably some other animals if they're into music.

Jeff Buckley - Grace

Jeff Buckley is primarily known for his cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. And the sweeping beauty of that song is just a sampling of what the album Grace has to offer. There is no end to the flowery flourishes, falsetto'd vocals, and fiery guitar that inhabit these songs. Some, like Hallelujah itself stay well within the confines of delicate art rock. But much of the album lulls you into a dreamlike state before crescendoing into soaring electric guitar solos. It's an extremely dramatic album filled with excesses both emotional and musical. Buckley's only fault as an artist is that he died before he could record another album.

#the pretenders #george michael #bruce springsteen #john prine #frank ocean #jeff buckley #500 album gauntlet

[starshineandbooks]

To have and To Yearn

Part of the whiteday/valentines day exchange run by @ninjago-valentine-exchange. Zane/Kai

Warnings: Cursing

Rating: G

Pairing: Glacier

Summary- After a six month mission apart, Kai and Zane get to reunite and have their little gay hearts make poetry in Zane's case

The evening is well past sunset- really more of a night time as Kai sits in the driver seat, knuckles white as he drives along the neat empty road that stretches endlessly before him. His mind focused on getting home as fast as he can- without getting hurt or causing a problem.

The world is quiet except the music playing at a low volume from the stereo. Some pop song about partying if Kai had to guess. Maybe a Kesha song? He dosen’t know. 

The evening is still and hot to an ungodly temperature. But he’ll be fine, the AC is on full blast. And- And Kai has to get home. He needs to see Zane after the last sevral months. He just needs-

He just needs to make sure his lover is in one piece. Whole, memories and all.

Really- you would too if you knew your lover was prone to being hurt, disappeared with magic, and losing memories. Too many times to count if Kai wants to stay focused on the road.

Kai isn’t insane for being worried! Okay? Zane- has a savior complex that occasionally makes him reckless with his own life. Fucking sue Kai for worrying!

He isn’t sure why he’s arguing with himself either. If he’s perfectly honest even he is done with his longing for Zane. He’s just glad no one is here with him to see him so worked up over something that really doesn't matter. (Especially Nya and Lloyd, those two are the worst about making fun of Kai.)

He knows Zane is going to be okay. Mostly because if the nindroid isn’t Kai might just burn the whole world down. There’s only so much a guy can take. Okay? 

Okay.

The radio turns to static as he goes through a particularly dead stretch of road, and that’s worse than the love song station he had to switch off of.

Ugh- he’s being ridiculous.

Nothing bad has happened. He’d know. There’d be some impending monster to fight or shadow clouds destroying everything. It’s fine.

(Totally).

Like- obviously there’s no catastrophic doom. And Zane is okay.

Totally.

He just-

Kai just wants to hold him. He just misses him.

A lot.

And it’s really hard to be away from the team in general, his little siblings are there for First Master’s sake! As well as his best friends. Not to mention his boyfriend.

Headlights from an oncoming car pass Kai, and the fire ninja realizes the radio is on again. Huh.

Nice.

The popstation is on again, playing a song kai sorta knows.

He turns the volume from ‘four’ to ‘twenty’, able to hear the music much better this time.

The song is catchy, something about calling someone when you want, when you need, that the singer will be on the way.

Nifty.

Kai is so done. He’s thinking words like ‘nifty’. That is so uncool. Kai is an eternal flame, a magnet for fans- he dosen’t do ‘uncool’. He needs a major mood reset.

He needs to stop and crash in a bed- any bed would do at this point. But that unfortunately means finding a bed. 

Stupid middle of nowhere road. 

Kai loosens his grip again, and looks for signage declaring an inn, or a hotel. He does need to sleep to avoid a car crash.

How embarrassing would that be?

So tired and stressed he crashes into nothing? Ugh.

He’s better than that. He simply refuses to crash that bad. But he does still need to sleep and maybe eat something. So Kai keeps looking for a sign that will help him.

Three or four miles pass before he sees a sign indicating a small hotel off the next exit. 

He takes the exit, turning right before pulling to the lot of a small hotel called ‘The Sleepy Swan’.

He parks in the rundown lot before getting out of the car and locks it. His keys in hand as he walks towards the entrance.

Entering the hotel, Kai finds himself in the lobby. As is expected of course.

“Welcome to the Sleepy Swan.” A woman yawns, “Are you checking in?”

“Yeah. Do you have any rooms open?” He asks, walking forwards.

“Yes. Eighty a night, checkout is noon.”

“I’ll leave before then. Just a second.” Kai says, stopping in front of the counter as he reaches to get his wallet.

Pulling out his wallet, he hands his card to the woman- who is probably in her mid twenties. He dosen’t know, and it probably dosen’t actually matter.

The woman taps a few things on the tablet computer screen before her, not bothering to look up at him.

“Name?”

“Kai, Kai Smith.” He says evenly.

She enters his name and then swipes his card. “Thank you, enjoy your stay. You’re down the hall to the left.”

The woman hands back his car, reaching for a hotel key card before hanging that to Kai as well.

“Thanks.” he says as he takes the card.

Kai takes a deep breath before he goes to the left hallway, the sleeve of the keycard reading ‘105’. He looks for the room, standard ugly hotel carpet below his feet.

The room is the third on the left.

Kai has to try five times before he gets it open grumbling meaner things each failed attempt. When it finally opens he finds himself nearly cheering.

The room is nothing out of the ordinary. A small bathroom with the sink outside of it to his right. A bed, a desk, a few lamps and an old television. The window is covered by old curtains he’d rather not touch.

Kai shuts and bolts the door before he goes to the sink, splashing water on his face before he crashes. He still hasn’t turned on any lights. He doesn't want to- he just wants to flip the tv on, kick his shoes off, and crash.

He turns the tv on as he flops onto the bed, kicking his shoes off to the void that is the floor in the dark room.

He sets his alarm for five thirty, knowing if he passes out quickly he’ll get maybe six hours of sleep. He still has a good couple hours to drive tomorrow, he should start early.

The tv plays some old game show rerun from when Jay was a host, and Kai just moves to be comfortable so he can pass out as fast as possible.

Sleep overtakes him slower than he wants- but faster than normal. The dreams are nonexistent as he sleeps away from exhaustion.

—----

Zane has done nothing but pace since he arrived home last night. Kai is still not back, and it is nearly seven in the morning. What if the hothead got hurt? What if he has chosen to never come back?

Okay that last one is incredibly unlikely. Thank everything that it is. He really can’t handle that.

But still, something must have happened. And Zane is not going to rest until he knows that Kai is safe, and home.

He just wants to know that his beloved fire ninja is okay. And also to spoil the life out of Kai. Just normal boyfriend things. Honest!

He hasn’t seen Kai in six months, and with exactly three phone calls over that time it’s safe to say Zane is anxious. He just wants to hold his lover in his arms.

Wants to feel the hearthfire of his soul seeping through his skin and into Zane. To feel equilibrium in every sense of the word.

Zane knows it’s ridiculous, but he still feels all of that. Feels as if he could write pages of poetry about how he longs to have Kai back in his arms.

And knows that it still will not compare. That-

“Zane.” Jay’s voice says, cutting through the swirling thoughts in the nindroid’s mind.

“Jay?” He asks, turning to stare at his friend.

“Have you been pacing all night?”

“Oh- Yes. I suppose so.”

“You’re wearing a path in the woods. You need to take a break.”

“I am fine. I am just-”

“Missing kai? We know.”

“I do not mean to bother you.”

“Buddy- it’s fine. We all miss our partners when we’re apart. Just- take a break. You want to be fresh for when Kai gets back. Don’t you?”

Zane blinks. Jay is right of course, he wants to be nothing but fresh when Kai returns! But he has yet to even clean off from his own travels… Perhaps he should. Surly Kai can wait if he manages to arrive in the next ten minutes.

“I do. I will freshen up. Thank you, Jay.”

“Anytime.” Jay says, moving towards the kitchen in search of coffee if Zane had to guess.

Zane walks to his own room, changing into a new gi before cleaning his face gently. The process is tedious, but it is also familiar. And those two things together keep him preoccupied enough to distract him for a little bit.

He turns to his bed- seeing the sheet a little rumped from where he tossed his bag quite literally onto it when he first arrived home.

He had then immediately started pacing the living room. Writing.

Maybe.. Zane should wait on Kai outside. To better intercept him?

Yes. That is a wonderful plan!

So he makes his way outside, trying to keep his pacing to a reasonable five foot line.

The grass is quick to be trampled into submission as he paces. He knows it is silly- but he just needs to move. He might very well combust of he dosent- okay that’s an exaggeration but still. It feels that way at least.

Oh- he can not wait to see Kai again.

—----

Kai makes it onto the grass the Bounty has weighed anchor on a little after eight in the morning. His body is full of energy that he has no idea where to put. It doesn't matter really-

He parks the car beside the others before getting out and locking it.

“KAI!” Calls a voice- calls Zane's voice.

Oh- Kai has missed the fuck out of that voice. 

“Zane!” He calls, turning to see Zane sprinting at him.

Not one to be out doen- Kai sprints towards Zane right back.

The distance closes rapidly.

Before either one can think they’ve collided, Zane picks Kai up and stumbles back with the force.

The ice ninja doesn't stop moving, pulling Kai closer and spinning him in a hug that is so dazzlingly wonderful after so long apart.

ZAne swears it’s better than any other reunion he’s ever had- at least it feels the way in the moment.

He can feel the hollow cracks that being apart from Kai left in his being fill with the fire that the other wields so easily. THe swears that he feels himself mend all the lonely hours simply by holding the miracle of a man that he is lucky enough to love.

Kai laughs, holding Zane as close as he can. The chill of his boyfriend is welcome after months of being a furnace alone. The arms of his lover are stronger than ever and twice as perfect.

“I missed you.” Zane says, stilling but still holding Kai tightly.

“I missed you too Zee.” 

“I do not think I can stand a separation that long again- not without more calls at the very least.”

“I don’t plan on doing that again.”

“Me neither, if I am to be honest.”

“When did you get back?”

“Last night, around dinner time.”

“I’m sorry, I wanted to be home so bad- but I also had to crash in a hotel so I didn’t crash the car.”

“I much prefer you safe than with me. If I really have to choose.”

“Yeah. I know. But it still really sucked.”

“Oh, I absolutely agree with my beloved.”

Kai flushes- like he always does when Zane pulls out the classic nicknames. 

“You’re still so fucking pretty, Zane.”

“And I am nothing compared to your beauty, my darling.”

“You just want to  see how much I can actually blush in the span of five minutes.”

“That was not my plan- simply an added bonus.”

“Awful.”

“But you love me.”

“I do.”

“And I love you.”

Zane’s words are true, startlingly so even after so long. Because every day he realizes how much deeper in love he’s fallen with Kai.

It’s unreal.

It’s perfect it’s own imperfect way.

#ssb writes #ninjago #lego ninjago #kai jiang #kai ninjago #kai smith #ninjago zane #zane julien #ninjago valentine exchange #oppositeshipping

[a-moth-to-the-light]

Most-Listened of October 2023

(via stats.fm/spotistats)

[last month]

What a sleepy month... as in, I've been sleepy and haven't had much interest in new releases. (Except IVE. I have been listening to wayyyyyy too much IVE.) Hopefully I'll have some energy back in time for the RV album, and to really enjoy the Weeekly comeback (finally!!!) that just happened!

1. Lux Aurumque -- Eric Whitacre, Eric Whitacre Singers

Eric Whitacre (and a song from the same album as the last one, too??) on the top of the list two months in a row! Deserved. This is basically the same song as "Sleep" for me, but they both have just so much emotional value so I don't really mind!!

2. Invisible String -- Taylor Swift

This ended up being a theme song for my big creative writing project this month--I really don't think I've gone a day without listening to it, and I'm still not tired of that soft guitar. It’s so perfectly cozy :)

3. Either Way -- IVE

Another theme song for the writing project--I love how this song proves that sounding ‘gray’ doesn't have to be unappealing. If you liked this, you’ll probably like Dvwn’s “Yeonnam-dong”!

4. Siren -- Taeyeon

I hate that this song perfectly captured my mood for more than half of October, but thank the gods I had a song that described that mood perfectly!! If I’m stuck feeling stressed and glum (a REALLY weird combo), at least I have Taeyeon to keep me company :)

5. Chili -- Hwasa

This was GREAT. I mean it’s me, so I'll listen to Hwasa sing anything, but this instrumental really hits, especially compared to the abomination of an instrumental that was "I Love My Body". With the killer combination of Hwasa & the beat, “Chili” was an instant 'leave on repeat until I can no longer physically stand it' classic.

6. Here We Go Again -- Jini

I talked about this album, right? It carried my month!! It's not my favorite of the year--there are definitely some really messy parts (that I think will get worked out in Jini’s discography over time)--but the commitment to making catchy, energetic songs that feel mature but still youthful, and to keeping a consistent aesthetic throughout the album, is something I really appreciate. This is my favorite song from it--Jini does a great job with such a fun chorus! Can I call this my favorite NMIXX song?

7. Bad Reputation -- Jini

MORE JINI !!! The way the piano in the instrumental reminds me of Katy Perry's "Roar" is unfortunate, but "Bad Reputation" is too genuinely sweet for me not to enjoy. I LOVE TOO LITTLE JUST A LITTLE TOO MUCH <3

8. Thursday's Child Has Far To Go -- TXT

Sorry, new TXT album. I'm happy with my comfort song!!

9. Psycho -- Smyang Piano

Writing project soundtrack! This has been on one of my favorite lofi mixes for forever, but I never bothered to seek it out on its own until this month--I'm so glad I did!

10. Teenage Dream -- Olivia Rodrigo

Writing project soundtrack! A solid 3/5 for good atmosphere + some standout lyrics!

11. Quimera -- Alba Reche

One of my favorite songs of all time, here to make the cold-season days a little bit softer, as it always does. At this point, "Quimera" is a seasonal tradition for me.

12. Biriken -- Creepy Nuts

Creepy Nuts!!! Okay, so… I don't enjoy this song, like, at all, but I keep finding myself drawn to just how intensely it makes me feel. I find it so viscerally terrifying and unpleasant that it's much more compelling than a lot of other songs this month! And I think that's what really made me a fan of Creepy Nuts in the first place--I find their music so interesting, even when it isn't pleasant. I can’t look away, and that’s what happened with “Biriken” this month.

13. Mr. Blue Sky -- On The Rocks

This a cappella arrangement is so glorious. Like oh my GOD if I still did arranging, I would be taking notes on every second of this. (I'm still probably taking subconscious notes, anyway, considering how many times I've listened to it this month.)

14. Pink Venom -- Blackpink

I really don't remember listening to this one that much? But I do love it--it's my takeout cheeseburger of songs, and it's always a good fast-food meal.

15. Big It Up -- Ailee

This song is fine! I like it a LOT more than the title track, at least.

Five-Star Songs This Month:

Chili -- Hwasa (yep this is back! favorite release of the month, sorry IVE & Sunmi I STILL LOVE Y'ALL I PROMISE)

Holy Moly -- IVE (had me from the moment that low drum kicked in. even the weird glitch sound in the chorus doesn't faze me anymore!!)

Wonderland -- Aimer (okay this is late. i've loved the walpurgis album since it came out, but i didn't appreciate this song specifically until a walk a few weeks ago--and now it feels like a crime not to give it five stars.)

Dalala -- Yuju (can't believe i missed this when it came out?? this is my "off the record." yuju makes every song feel so high-class, so impeccably put-together, just by being on it.)

#honorable mention for me finally liking the jihyo album this month ? #also can you tell i hate the cold #being cold is one of my major emotional crisis-causers #hence all the comforting music i need to get me through it lol #music chats

[lexpressobean]

Help I'm suddenly plagued with thoughts of Popstar Sensation!Shino AU. It's so dumb.

He can sing. He can dance. He can play guitar and piano. Dude's all kinds of popular. He always seems to be so poised and mysterious in interviews, yet on stage he's, like, crazy athletic with his showmanship and his presence makes itself known. His main asset is his Grade A Coolness. But surprise! He's actualy a Tripple Threat Musician! He's also a talented actor! But, no one really knows about the last one. Why? Because there's always a camera in his face in public. So he's always acting.

On stage he goes by simply Moritaka (play on source material). In reality, he's still the same old Shino Aburame we know. He's still a huge nerd and Insects are still his special interest. He plays many instruments due to his upbringing but keeps that on the DL because his Record Label has this Image for him. He sings lovely sweet nothings and danceable anthems on stage, but when he pours his soul into his writing, it's more raw and sad, usually very cathartic and often with a hint of bitterness. Not something that can rake in the success as easily as the Pop Music he adapts to as it's given to him, but it helps him cope. He loves his layers goddamn it, and sometimes he feels like a clown on stage with these "fashion savvy" outfits they pick out for him. He especially misses his glasses on stage but he can manage well enough with his contacts, though they do really irritate him sometimes.

Shibi had made the choice to hide Shino from the public eye as much as he possibly could from a young age, so very few people could figure out what he looked like as a kid, especially after he chose to start wearing prescription sunglasses specifically.

He lives a sort of Hannah Montana double life with a "Lucky" by Britney Spears flavoring. Except he started as a young adult, 20's sensation, so he's also unfortunately sexualized to a much higher degree right off the bat and the heavy emphasis on his looks can be very tough on his skin, let alone his nerves and insides. But he's not blind to his own attractiveness. Plus he'd be damned if the constant dieting and working out didn't amount to anything. His day job is less of a job and more he acts like a nerd about his beloved bugs and is very active as Shino in online communities dedicated to Insect love and information. In fact, days off for Moritaka include Shino being secretly Philanthropic and he's always furthering his education in one way or another. He didn't become a sensation over night, his family's been in the Music Business, but the Label would have you believe he was a nobody who made it big of course. He probably did this against his family's wishes tbh and the secret identity was to give the name Aburame absolutely no credit. Spite is such a motivator you guys, and selling his soul for sum amount of years means he can do what he realy likes in his free time. When he has it, anyway.

The fun part for me, the main part for me, is that all his old classmates don't recognize him as Moritaka. But, they're all fans to some degree. Especially Ino and Naruto, the two who were the meanest to him for no good reason lmao

Ino thinks he so unbearably handsome and can watch the same dancing clip over and over again. Naruto genuinely likes his music, who cares if it's Pop!? It's super catchy and super good, that's the point!!

Just... imagine Ino and Naruto winning two VIP tickets to one of Moritaka's Bigger Concerts and they're going feral the whole time and Shino has to refrain from reading them to absolute filth and revealing his true identity during backstage access and dinner and an after party or whatever the winners of the contest win because they're all over him now when from K-12 they literally wanted nothing to do with him and went out of their ways just to shut him down or bother the hell outta him with complete disregard for his feelings hahahahaha

Well, mostly Ino tbh, but adding Naruto specifically as her plus one because he was that big of a fan just makes it funnier lol

#naruto #shino aburame #aburame shino #lexsramblings #lonely popstar sensation!shino seems like a very appropriate au version of him imo #this is definitely an indulgent as hell post but it amuses me and that's all that really matters haha #i like to pretend that shino in this au #is somewhere between Harry Styles with his fame and little outfits he wears all the time #and Gregory Dillon with his musical style and fun aesthetics #it's already hannah montana flavored but I'm adding a dash of Clark Kent to that as an enhancer #i actually really love gregory dillon for real tho he's so fun and ahhh <3 #miley and harry are fine lol

[thisaintascenereviews]

The Popularity (And Lack Thereof) Of Selena Gomez

About two weeks ago, actress and singer Selena Gomez dropped a new single entitled “Single Soon,” and I hope this single does well, because it’s her first new song in a few years (at least a solo single / album, anyway). This song came out at the perfect time, whether it’s during the end of the summer, or with the new season of Only Murders In The Building airing, it’s time we got some new music from her. Around this time last year, I got heavily into her last album, 2020’s Rare, and I found it to be a very catchy and clever little pop record that was a bit more interesting and darker than her contemporaries. The album showcased her best qualities, such as her low-key and subdued voice, versus having her belt like on previous projects. Both she and her songwriting partners and collaborators know what works for her, and the album ended up working a lot more than it “didn’t.” Nothing on that album was even bad, some songs just stood out better than others. I will also admit that I enjoy the deluxe edition of the record, which has some of my favorite songs that aren’t on the standard edition, but that does make the album a bit too long in spots.

Rare came out at an unfortunate time, which was the beginning of 2020, and if you weren’t living under a rock at that time, you might recall a little thing called COVID happened, and everything was shut down for a couple of years, especially touring, concerts, and music in general. Any release from 2020, even throughout the pandemic, was forgotten about, or at least sidelined, Rare being no exception. It seems like a lot of people forgot about the album, despite how “Lose You To Love Me” became her first number one single, and for good reason. It’s one of the best songs on the record, but the whole album isn’t shown the same amount of love, or at least, the love that it should be shown.

Selena Gomez occupies a space in which she is somehow simultaneously extremely popular and beloved, while also extremely underrated. I don’t understand how that’s possible, especially when she is one of the most popular people on Instagram, if not the most followed person on the platform. Rare is a surprisingly good album, so I wonder why it wasn’t as successful as it should have been, although part of it was due to the pandemic. Aside from that, though, I don’t know what else it could be, other than that people maybe don’t care as much about her music, rather than her acting and love life (she did have a very public on and off again relationship with Justin Bieber for years, as well as dated The Weeknd for a brief time).

Who knows what the reason is, because what’s more important is that people should listen to Rare. That’s why I ended up writing this piece, just to say that people should listen to that album. It’s one of the best pop albums of the last few years, and has some wonderfully poignant songs about loving and accepting yourself, especially when things are really hard. It’s an album that really seemed fitting at the time, only no one knew it yet. I’d listen to Rare if you want a good pop record, especially if you want to hear what she’s been up to prior to releasing the relatively solid track “Single Soon” a couple weeks ago.

#selena gomez #single soon #rare #lose you to love me #pop #kid cudi #6lack #wizards of waverly place #disney channel #only murders in the building #hulu

[skywitchmaja]

okay let’s try this: here’s some disney song sorted into somewhat formal categories and ranked.

oh sweet that seems to have worked!

disclaimer i guess: i hate disney as a corporation for a lot of reasons, but i love movies and music and animation and talking about music and movies and animation. so here we are

“i want” songs: a term taken from broadway by ashman and menken to describe the song towards the beginning of the movie where the protagonist sings about their goals at the outset of the story. this is the only one with a top ten instead of a top five, and even a couple honorable mentions

10. a dream is a wish your heart makes— cinderella. it’s memorable and sweet!

9. one jump ahead— aladdin. it’s catchy and energetic and fun, and a better world builder than the actual opener (what with that one revised racist line)

8. for the first time in forever— frozen. i think it does really well to showcase anna and elsa’s conflicting feelings about opening the castle, how their wants and needs are at odds with themselves and each other, and i love how the musical motifs from “let it go” are introduced here.

7. reflection— mulan. it’s so beautiful and evocative, you can really feel mulan’s inner conflict

6. i just can’t wait to be king— the lion king. fun catchy and with a bitter ironic twist

5. repunzels daily routine— tangled it’s sweet it’s fun it’s catchy, i like repunzel

4. how far i’ll go— moana. i love how the melody reprises in “i am moana” it’s just so good

3. almost there— princess and the frog. it’s so fun and energetic, and it’s more ambitious than wistful which is a welcome change

2. belle & belle reprise— beauty and the beast. this serves sort of a double purpose as a world builder and an “i want” song and really elegantly contextualizes how what belle wants is at odds with the world she lives in. would be number one except it feels like cheating to give an ensemble number and a two parter that spot.

honorable mentions: when you wish upon a star— pinocchio. not a classical “i want” song because pinocchio isn’t singing it, but disney uses it as their brand leitmotif so. there’s that. go the distance— hercules. it’s good. like other girls— mulan TWO?? the only song from a sequel i remember even a little bit, it’s such a bop.

1. part of your world— the little mermaid. THE “i want” song. i also have a special place in my heart for this one because it was the first song i ever learned when i took voice lessons as a kid (which is. i won’t get into it.) but anyway, ariel’s curiosity and earnestness is touching, it’s no wonder this song kicked off the disney renaissance.

villain songs: people love villain songs and they love to talk about how much they love villain songs. here are some of them.

5. hellfire— hunchback of notre dam. grandiose and scary, this is a killer song about religious intolerance and hypocrisy.

4. gaston/mob song— beauty and the beast. would be ranked higher except i can’t rightly separate these two. “gaston” particularly serves a duel purpose as a “fun-and-games” song FOR the villain and the villagers, and also sets up gaston’s power of popularity and just how he can sweep the whole village into a mob at the snap of his fingers. also they’re both in a major key (in the movie. in the musical it says mob song is in a minor. does this happen a lot with broadway adaptations?)

3. mother knows best— tangled. so insidious and manipulative i love it.

2. be prepared— the lion king. this is not a hot take this is like everyone’s favorite disney song. honestly the hottest take is not giving it the number one spot.

honorable mention: cruella de ville— 101 dalmatians. it’s got a recognizable melody and it’s so funny that roger hates his wife’s coworker so much he wrote a whole song about it. friends on the other side— princess and the frog. it’s a bop!

1. poor unfortunate souls— i love how the lyrics are ursula talking about how “helpful” she is while the music itself sounds so sinister. honestly this ranks really close to “be prepared” in my head but i think it’s just slightly under rated while be prepared is just slightly over rated.

“fun and games” songs— this is a term im borrowing from film school, but probably musical theatre has its own name for it. anyway these are big, danceable ensemble numbers.

5. under the sea— the little mermaid. great example of this song but over rated if you ask me.

4. friend like me and prince ali— aladdin. i think they go together alright because friend like me is the genie introducing himself and his powers to aladdin, and prince ali shows him using his powers. robin williams is great!

3. zero to hero— hercules. so fun and catchy i love the muses.

2. hakuna matata— the lion king. it means no worries for the rest of your days!

honorable mentions: bare necessities— the jungle book. a cute proto hakuna matata. human again— beauty and the beast extended edition. it’s not even in the original movie but it’s so good! love a waltz!

1. be our guest— beauty and the beast. maybe a predictable number one choice but it’s just so funny and charming with this infectious energy, and such a creative animation sequence, (or dance & costume sequence in stage adaptations) i love lumiere’s little boo hoo moment.

world builders— this is a term im taking i from sci fi fantasy media criticism i guess. kind of a weird vague category that can include anything from big ensemble numbers to un named narrators. actually, there aren’t that many examples of this, so i only have a top four.

4. meet the madrigals— encanto. i keep forgetting to include this movie because it’s so new, but this is a bop and a good introduction to the characters.

3. the gospel truth— hercules. i think it’s so interesting to do a gospel music homage in a movie about greek gods and i’ll be damned if the muses aren’t wonderful to listen to. what fun exposition!

2. honor to us all— mulan. closer to the style of “belle” the “prologue”, this tells us the world mulan lives in and we really get a sense of the pressure she’s under.

honorable mentions i guess: prologue— beauty and the beast. i don’t like that it’s just talking over music, but it introduces some beautiful musical motifs that are used later. “belle” with the villagers is also kind of a world opener but it’s so heavily contextualized with belle reprise, belle’s i want song, that i won’t put it here. arabian nights— aladdin. EXACT same situation with one jump ahead and it’s reprise doubling as a world builder and an i want song, except instead of my issue being talking over music, my issue is the orientalism.

1. the circle of life— the lion king. rip to the zebras and gazelles but this is one hell of an opening number.

love songs— self explanatory!

5. once upon a dream— sleeping beauty. i just think it’s pretty and i love how it takes the melody from the ballet.

4. beauty and the beast (a tale as old as time)— beauty and the beast. i’ve already doubled up belle and belle reprise, and gaston and mob song, but for this one i’m actually going to take up two spots in my top five with beauty and the beast songs! it’s just a beautiful song with a beautiful animation sequence. it’s lovely!

3. something there— beauty and the beast. hot take to put two beauty and the beast songs in my top five, an even hotter take to put this non oscar winning song above beauty and the beast, but i love this one. i like that belle and the beast actually sing, but the castle staff still have a few lines to gossip about them lol. their trepidation about falling in love makes their relationship feel so well built. it’s just very sweet.

2. a whole new world— aladdin. i actually don’t have a lot to say about this one, i just think it’s really good.

honorable mention: at last i see the light— repunzel. pretty song and a good storytelling “want vs need” moment where repunzel accomplishes her goal of seeing the lights and realizes it evens more to see then with eugene, and eugene realizes his goal of selling the crown for riches or whatever isn’t as important to him as being with repunzel. that considered, it should be higher, but the music just doesn’t stick with me like some of these others, idk. love is an open door— frozen. a cute little pastiche of fairy tale “love at first sight”, way better than the terrible troll song about kristoff, the actual love interest.

1. won’t say i’m in love— hercules. susan egan. the muses. the concept of this jaded, love spurned princess fighting her feelings until that last soft, reluctant “at least out loud i won’t say i’m in love”. this song gives a lot of much needed depth to the hercules-meg-hades conflict (which i say because herc and hades are more distant from each other and more closely connected to meg) i digress, good song.

#disney tw sorry #disney #um #beauty and the beast #hercules #aladdin #the lion king #the little mermaid #mulan #tangled #i think those are the ones that show up the most so that’s probably fine

[natsubeatsrock]

Fairy Tail Opening Tier List

In addition to talking about Fairy Tail for seven years, I have two music degrees. I know what I'm talking about. Worst to best.

Bottom Tier

OVA Opening 3

Give me five? Sure. You get the fifth-lowest tier. Somehow might be one of the worst things about some of the worst episodes in the series.

Opening 2

Can you imagine going from Snow Fairy... to this? The shots of the Strongest Team throughout the OP are the only reason this isn't rock bottom.

Opening 13

Thank GOODNESS there was another opening before the first season ended. Could you imagine ending the season with this as your last OP?

Low Tier

Opening 17

This would have been higher if it didn't feel like a filler opening. Like, this could have been the OP for the rest of the season, except Zero, and no one would have figured anything was wrong.

Opening 11

I like the song just a bit more than the ones before it, but I'm not going out of my way to listen to this. At least it ties in with the arc it's part of?

Opening 12

Same as before, but a slightly better song.

Opening 25

This is the worst opening in the last season. A bit too much Gruvia/Nalu for my interpretation of the events. Nice touch adding the seeds, though.

Opening 19

When I first saw this, I thought this was a great OP. Then I saw Haikyuu and realized this song is a better opening for that show. We went from Break Out to this...

Opening 15

Well, there are worse ways to start a new season. The song is catchy, and the symbolism could be worse. I'll never understand why they added a connection to Future Natsu fighting dragons by himself in the anime and this opening.

Mid Tier

Opening 14

This might be a lower ranking than it deserves. If only we got more episodes of this opening. 

Opening 23

This would be higher if I didn't like another sync song better. I also don't love the part where characters are showing their skills off. Or that weird moment where the sign is clear.

Opening 5

Yeah, I almost forgot to add this one. We got introduced to Wendy a few episodes early. It does a good job of introducing the people who were part of the Nirvana mission. That's all I got, honestly.

Opening 1

Don't get me wrong. This is definitely a good song. It absolutely brings on the nostalgia. I just don't get the hype surrounding it. I was hyped when it came back during the last episode.

Opening 20

Another one that's soured on me. It's not bad, but there's definitely better from the same arc. Really wanted to like this one more.

Opening 26

I have a soft spot for Bish as a band. They make good songs and this isn't an exception. More than fitting for a send-off for this show. If only it had better visuals.

Opening 24

Sadly, this is the highest-ranked opening from the last season. I don't know if it's nostalgia or something else, but this crop of songs wasn't particularly pleasing to me. Way too many spoilers.

Opening 10

This is what Opening 15 wishes it was. A catchy song with cool visuals. If only it was as good as its corresponding ending.

Opening 6

This might have been higher if I cared more about this particular arc.

OVA Opening 1 

Natsu's VA singing a song gets extra points for me. That is all there is to this ranking.

High Tier

Opening 18

This is an amazing opening. Many people would definitely put it higher. Unfortunately, it's wasted on the mess that was the last few episodes of the anime before Sun Village. Really good for what it is.

Opening 21

This is almost the best Natsu & Gray opening in the series. I've fallen out of love with this one. It would be higher if I liked the full song, which is the case of all openings after this point.

Opening 8

This is my favorite song in this tier. I don't love the visuals of this opening as much as its counterpart. This song is part of the reason I got back into the anime after reading the manga.

Top Tier

Opening 4

This just misses the top 5 of my ranking. Easily has one of my favorite opening images in Mira's transformation. Almost the best early opening. This loses some points for spoiling events for the Fantasia arc during the Tower of Heaven episodes.

Opening 3

Do you know how fans are all nostalgic over the first opening? This is where I transfer those feelings. This is actually the best early opening. It also loses points for spoiling the events of an arc it's not supposed to be about.

Opening 7

A Nali shipper ranking this among their favorites? Shocking. This was the opening I first saw when I got back into the anime. If you look far back enough, you'll see my attempt to translate this opening and a visual edit of this opening with another song higher up.

OVA Opening 2

Gratsu fans, rejoice! THIS is the best Natsu & Gray opening. Not just because their VA's sing the opening. If you actually look at the lyrics, they're singing the song in character. If the visuals were better... I'd still feel weird putting an OVA opening as my favorite.

Opening 22

I'm ignoring the second version of this in my analysis. I know this might shock long-time followers. This is the only opening I've warmed up to over the years. I was always a fan of the instrumentals for this. The visuals for this contain many clever references to the ZERO manga.

Opening 16

The best blend of visuals and music in the series anime. This starts with my favorite visual in an FT opening: the clock hand twitching for Last Ages. I say that even though I don't like Last Ages at all. I could knock this OP for carrying over to episodes after the Grand Magic Games, but they're the fallout of that arc.

See you in about half in an hour!

#fairy tail #fairy tail anime #fairy tail month: i rate 8/8 #we will have eight of these! #i can't say i planned to #but it works out i guess

[byrnt-out-music]

Review 1: Blink-182 - California (Deluxe)

I have a.... complicated relationship with California by Blink-182. I got into Blink around 2015. Just after Tom left for the second time and Matt Skiba was announced to replace him. I remember Bored To Death coming out and losing my mind. I was so excited for this album, sharing the singles on Facebook as they came out and hyping the album up to be a "masterpiece", much to my mother's chagrin. She liked them, but had called me out on a post doubtful of the "masterpiece" comment. And, as time has gone on, I realized something: She was right.

Now, don't get me wrong, this is a good record. But upon my first revisit of the album post-NINE (their followup record), the cracks started to show. I'd bought the album on CD upon release and then ordered the deluxe vinyl the moment it was announced, so that is gonna be the album I cover, as I believe the bonus tracks deserve to be included. If I posted this review as soon as I'd gotten the album at the naive age of 17, I would've given this a glowing review. However, I'm 24 now. And unfortunately for this album, my opinions have started to sour towards it. Then warmed up again. But still. Hopefully that makes sense. Let's get this goin' then, shall we? Track 1 - Cynical: A great opener, I absolutely adore screaming the outro along with Matt. I still love this song, one of my favourites on the album.

Track 2 - Bored To Death: First single. I still love this song as well, still feels the same as it did 8 years ago (fuck I'm old). The chorus on this is great, honestly for most of this album, even the stinkers have great hooks.

Track 3 - She's Out Of Her Mind: Overall decent song. Hated the music video from the start. Not so much from a "this is problematic" perspective, moreso the fact that it showed something that I've realised more and more in the years since: These guys are desperately trying to remind you that they are, in fact, Blink-182. It feels very tryhard, as if they're holding a sign the entire video that says "Hey! Remember how much you liked What's My Age Again? Remember?? Yeah that was us!!". It just feels... fake, I guess. Sorry I have more to say about the things I dislike.

Track 4 - Sober: Honestly, this used to be my least favorite song on the album. As a young elitist idiot, I hated the "going pop" aspect of it, it reminded me of 5SOS, and I did NOT like them. It's grown on me though. I like it a whole lot more, mostly for the fact that it sounds different. That's rare for the album in my opinion.

Track 5 - Los Angeles: Remember how I said I didn't like Sober cause of how different it sounded compared to normal Blink? Remember how I then said that I now love the "different" sounding tracks? Yeah, this is an exception. So experimental it sounds more tryhard than natural to me. It sounds interesting but nothing to really grab me.

Track 6 - Built This Pool: The first joke track of the album, and unfortunately the only good one. The joke isn't exactly funny to me (haha get it it's funny cuz gay), but it's short, catchy, and Travis' little remark at the end of it? Makes it worth it.

Track 7 - No Future: My biggest regret in my initial assessment of this album. This song is what made me think "masterpiece". In case you can't tell, I don't think that anymore. It's a largely forgettable song to me now, the only thing I remember is the hook. And even that is just "meh" to me. It's repetitive and not in a way that works for me. It just gets annoying and falls flat.

Track 8 - Home Is Such A Lonely Place: A nice little slow ballad. It's a very sweet song, and I love playing it on guitar and singing it. Blink has always done great ballads in my opinion, and this song is further proof that even at their worst (to me), they can still hit.

Track 9 - Kings Of The Weekend: Now here's the worst part of the album for me. Not this song, it's a nice little fun song but from this point till maybe track 13, just feels too "Blink-By-The-Numbers". Like I said earlier, this album feels less like a "Hey, we're still around and even without Tom, we can still make good shit", and more like a "Hey, Tom's gone but don't worry here's more of the same". For the songs in this stretch, it just feels like each song was done better in an earlier Blink song, or even worse, just generic. Not that I expect every Blink song to reinvent the wheel, but it at least shouldn't sound like the most average song imaginable. The next few tracks will probably be much shorter as I share these same opinions.

Track 10 - Teenage Satellites: Ugh. Do not like this song. The most "Hello, fellow kids" thing they'd done (up until Darkside's video, shudder). It's just... so tryhard. I can't. Even when I loved this album, this was one of the worst songs for me.

Track 11 - Left Alone: Good chorus. That's about all I can think of.

Track 12 - Rabbit Hole: Used to love this song so much. Probably the only one in this "stinker" stretch but still kinda mid honestly.

Track 13 - San Diego: Another good chorus. The best one of this stretch, probably the most memorable thing about it. It just sounds really good. The way Matt just slides into it ("I can't sleep/Cause what if I dream of/Going back to San Diego"). Honestly this is probably my favorite chorus on the standard edition.

Track 14 - The Only Thing That Matters: A more punky sounding track. I like to imagine this originated from the same sessions with Fat Mike that birthed Punk Rock Cliche (which Blink scrapped and NOFX later recorded), as it sounds vaguely NOFX-ish. I really enjoy this song.

Track 15 - California: Another "different" track, but I loved this one from the first time I heard it. Something about it just makes me feel good. A nice little closing track (shh) that feels like a neat credits sequence for the album.

Track 16 - Brohemian Rhapsody: Yeah. Another "joke" song. Musically it sounds good, but the joke of it? I still don't get what's funny about it. I get the joke. Haha it sounds like I'm talking about sex but I actually meant coffee haha get it haha sex funny. Yeah. It's not.

Track 17 - Parking Lot: And now the album is saved! The bonus tracks arrived and honestly, if you replaced tracks 8-12 with these, I would love the album so much more. It's a classic sounding Blink track, but without sounding too tryhard. Feels like they made these after they got Matt more settled in and it helps SO much.

Track 18 - Misery: Another absolute banger! Not much to say and I wanna try to keep the rest of these short I am so sorry. I love it so much though.

Track 19 - Good Old Days: Yet another banger, yet another chorus I love to belt at the top of my lungs.

Track 20 - Don't Mean Anything: This is probably the weakest chorus of the bonus tracks but the middle part saves it for me. I love the whole "It's a long way back from the middle of the road" part just feels so satisfying and makes it work so much better.

Track 21 - Hey I'm Sorry: This was from the Japanese version of the original album but I'm so glad they included it here. I love it so much, that chorus is up there with San Diego for one of my favorites on the album.

Track 22 - Last Train Home: A neat little more emotional track. That main guitar riff in the verses is so smooth-sounding, and the second part of the hook ("The only time I feel alive is when I find something I would die for") is my favorite lyric on the album.

Track 23 - Wildfire: Probably the most forgettable track of the bonuses. Still much better than any of the "stinker stretch" tracks by a MILE though.

Track 24 - 6/8: The heaviest Blink song??? Matt's screams on this are amazing, and I love the A Day To Remember energy they channel on this but I guarantee I am the only person who thinks that.

Track 25 - Long Lost Feeling: The ballad of the deluxe tracks, I love this one so so much. Another one I love singing and playing on guitar.

Track 26 - Bottom Of The Ocean: Whoa, it's like they finished Los Angeles and went "What if it was good?". Seriously though, this song is like a hint of the direction NINE would take, and what kickstarted my reevaluation of the album as a "masterpiece", as after I grew to like this, the album suddenly just felt so... bland.

Track 27 - Can't Get You More Pregnant: Of course it had to end with another "joke" track. The joke is masturbation, in case you couldn't tell. I wanna say I have no problem with jokes like the ones they make on this album, but these aren't funny to me. There's no "joke" to it, they're just going "haha gay, haha sexual innuendo, haha jacking off". The music is still good tho.

----

Overall, this is probably one of my least favorite Blink albums. Thankfully they followed this up with NINE, one of my favorite ones. I would give this album a 6.5/10, but only because of the bonus tracks. Standard edition would be a 4.5/10 honestly. Funny, considering this was a 10/10 at one point for me. Mom, I'm sorry. You were right.

----

Next album in my vinyl collection is The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New, so get ready for a much more positive review when that comes.

#blink 182 #review #album #music review #pop punk #california #deluxe #vinyl #records

[asidesandbsides]

Starts With P, Part 2

Gary Lewis and the Playboys - (You Don't Have to) Paint Me a Picture / Looking for the Stars

The A-Side is a jaunty little tune that serves the pop function of having catchy words the listener can remember easily, but doesn't do much more than that. The B-Side is mostly a comedy sketch featuring celebrity vocal impressions, coming out swinging with a John Wayne right off the bat. I never knew this before, but Gary Lewis is actually the son of Jerry Lewis, and I think that might explain this. Both sides are in pretty good shape.

Popeye - A Whale of a Tale (Beginning) / A Whale of a Tale (Conclusion)

Well, I wasn't expecting that. This is a children's book on record, featuring the voices of characters like Popeye, Olive Oyl, and their associates on an adventure involving none other than Moby Dick Mopey Nick? The copyright date is 1973, when my mom was in high school, so I'm not exactly sure how this disc came to be in her collection. One of those curiosities of life. I found it on youtube, if you're interested.

The Poppy Family featuring Susan Jacks - That's Where I Went Wrong / Shadows on My Wall

There is some interesting stuff going on in the refrain of this psychedelic torch track, I kind of dig it. But my jam is the B-Side, which foregrounds the tabla drum for a truly spooky, haunting sound. Should have been the A-Side, I say.

Elvis Presley - Kentucky Rain / My Little Friend

A classic from the King's country era, both sides are a little marred by the ravages of time. "My Little Friend" is no hit (at least I've never heard of it being one), but it's a pleasant tune, though it skips a little. "Kentucky Rain" is an epic, and really shows off the power of Presley's voice.

Elvis Presley - I Can't Help Falling in Love With You / Rock-A-Hula Baby

This song, on the other hand, demonstrates the exceptional lightness and grace with which Elvis could sing. It's a shame the disc is so crackly, because it's an exceptional song, truly deserving of its place in the King's legend. The B-Side is *squints* "Rock-A-Hula-Baby." well, the King sure had quite the varied career.

Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds / You'll Think of Me

A little faint and distant-sounding, unfortunately. I've certainly heard "Suspicious Minds" sound more vital than this. Still a good listen though. I kind of forgot that it had that false fade-out, you got me good Elvis! Sure enough, the B-Side sounds a lot more present and the room, with a fuller sound. And it's not a bad song, either! "You'll Think of Me" isn't an Elvis classic necessarily, but he sings it well.

Elvis Presley - Burning Love / It's a Matter of Time

Now this disc is, comparatively, in excellent condition. Listen to those drums! "Burning Love" is a great example of latter-day Elvis in rock form, with a good portion of the energy of his earliest days. The B-Side is a little more sedate. Well, a lot more sedate. There are a lot of sides to this guy, you know? One side just likes to sing pretty little tunes with low stakes.

Billy Preston with Syreeta - With You I'm Born Again / All I Wanted Was You

Not the sound one typically expects from Motown, or from Billy Preston, for that matter. Lots of strings, and it builds in ecstatic fashion to what might be described as a big feathery climax. The side minus Syreeta, on the other hand, is just straight disco-funk. Put that on when the party is getting crazy and some one is putting a lampshade on their head.

#gary lewis and the playboys #popeye #the poppy family #susan jacks #elvis presley #billy preston #syreeta

[pika2482]

AOTD 1/2/2024 - The Heights (Knox Hamilton)

[All albums are rated subjectively based off my own enjoyment]

7/10

This album's genre is Indie Pop-Rock: Not quite Indie enough to get on some Hip Local Millennial/Gen Z Restaurants playlist, but not quite Pop or Rock enough to get onto Mainstream Radio. It's that weird middle ground between the three genres, the type that you would hear in a Bar Salon while you get your hair cut.

That's not to say the music is soulless or bad. It was fine, even great at times. The production was up to chops, the choruses were catchy in the majority of songs, and the vocalist sounds pretty damn good. It just feels like this album is a case of a Copy-Pasted formula from song to song. Not nearly as bad as Imploding The Mirage was, but noticeable enough to turn me off to the album towards the end.

The Highlight song for me Has to be How's Your Mind, taking place half way through the album. While it's the same formula as the rest of the album for the most part, it feels like the math just... clicked better with this set of chords, melodies, and lyrics. The production is fantastic, the instrumentation choices are perfect, and it's chorus is among the most catchy in any of my playlists; with it's massive open and airy sound and smoothly layered vocals, but keeping it's pulse moving forward even while it's bass and drums are pushed out of hte spotlight. Give this one a listen by all means! Back Porch also stood out for being the only song to really catch me off guard with it's 90's style guitar riff that I feel I'll be coming back to.

The downfall has to be the aforementioned Formulaic approach to each song. Yes, it makes each song feel like they're part of the same whole, but I feel that Knox Hamilton just stuck to it too closely thorough each song (With the exception of Back Porch). He played it safe, and doing so created a collection of Good songs. North of "Alright" and "Meh", but unfortunately south of "Awesome" and "Amazing".

Overall, not a bad listen. I can recommend one or two songs but there was only one song of True note, and even then it was only an 8.5 standing out of mainly 6's and 7's.

Favorite Songs: How's Your Mind, Back Porch

Least Favorite Songs: We Get Back, Never My Love, Rightfully So

#album review #song review #knox hamilton #the heights #album of the day

[dreamdripdistance]

ok im gonna do my album rating of 5 star by skz. anthony fantano eat ur heart out. this is very long winded lol.

hall of fame: BANGER i always love skz's opening tracks and theyve always been my fave, and this one carries on that tradition, that lil synth in the bg reminds me of phobia? maybe? smth like that but it rules. banger. love chans "hear the people call my name-" line, it just gets u so fucking HYPEEEE.... some if it reminds me of like. scifi movie soundtracks?

s-class: ok this rules and exemplifies the kinda annoying kpop that i Love. cant wait to put this on the car stereo and torture my siblings with it :) i love the lil breakdown with changbin and han's rap, its kinda off but its saur silly i like it. hate felix's delivery in his pre-chorus line though, it sounds weird? lmao... love them bringing back the hiphop influences to their stuff, it just works with their vocals and Vibe so well!!! seungmin looks so fiiiine in the mv too <333 augh <3333

i dont really see this sticking around for very long unfortunately, like a lot of skz title tracks? its just a lil out there compared to majority of kpop title tracks out at the moment which is a good thing and is why i love the group, but its probably going to get swept up by smth else :(

item: ok this is annoying as fuck in bits but a BANGER in others, "ITEM! ITEM! ITEM! ITEM!" is gonna be stuck in my head, and the lil post/mid chorus thing absolutely rules, its very catchy lmao (reminds me of smth? itll come to me at some point)!! chan and seungmin <333 AND minho rapping ??? augh <333333333 have i mentioned this is catchy as all fuck? it really gets stuck in ur head lmao, like it got stuck in my head from the fuckin teasers lmao... the prechorus melodic bit is a bit forgettable but it serves its purpose lol

super bowl: why is an nct song in this album? also i haaaate whisper vocals and the concept is kinda.... idk, its like gods menu but a bit more try hard? i understand the kinda darker sound theyre going for and its a banger !!! but ough the lyrics make me wanna shrivel up i cannot. i Cannot. im so sorry i cant even listen to this ironically, and i Religiously listen to regular (english version) by nct127. work.

topline: ok this slaps im sorry like FUCK!!!! WHAT A BANGER !!!!!!!! the prechorus line "we dont give a fu-" is so funny to me please let these fully grown ass men swear jyp its gonna be okay lmao... i also Love tiger jk's feature, wish he was in it more lol. BANGER. fave song so far, its so cohesive to me and it works so well with their sound and vibe im obsessed, i feel like i need to fucking blast this over some loud ass speakers. best song of the album

dlc: im so sorry . i dislike this. lmao. this sounds like some kinda 2018 radio shit. i have no other words, i p much skipped it a minute in. i cant handle the Quirky piano sample in the "we're only going to dance like crazy" part and the breakdown is so mid

get lit: THIS REMINDS ME OF ANOTHER SONG that i cant exactly name (ill figure it out n edit it in) but ITS P GOOD, i love minho's higher range he has such a fun vocal texture <3 the breakdown is kinda boring especially since we have such Good examples from skz already but its still a banger, if they have a choreo to this ill be excited to see it. this absolutely wouldve been a main track if this was a different group tbh, and i LOVE the overall more lines given to lee know in the album im so !!! he finally gets the lines he deserves <3

collision: i never particularly like the slower tracks from skz??? theres some exceptions but most of their voices lend to their normal gig which is fast paced and hype shit, and this is an example of that. idk, its alright. i like it ig, i didnt skip it halfway like dlc, so. lmao HFBDKDB. its fine lmao, defo a b-side

fnf: this almost sounds like its trying too hard to be Sincere and Emotional ??? idk. same kinda deal that dlc had, its not like skz CANT do emotional (phobia my beloved) but its just kinda? idk? it falls flat.

however, i havent seen the lyrics translation but i heard this song (and the mv coming out) is dedicated to the recovery and the victims from the 2020 australian bushfires, which is really sweet and personally i know people in my life who would be really touched by that, so maybe the mv and lyrics will change my opinion, but on the surface from an eng speaker it falls kinda flat instrumentally

youtiful: im sorry i cant listen to this im so sorry i respect and love the people who think this song is so meaningful and great and whatever but im sorry i Cannot. i didnt even get a minute in. godbless. thank you saur much.

the sound (korean version): this song always reminded me of like district 9 lmao. my opinion of this song stayed the same from the og jpn version, except maybe i like the flow of the kr ver. raps slightly more? their jpn releases and lyrics have gotten a lot better in 'the sound' tho lmao

mixtape: time out: 90's movie ending song??????? sure! very different for skz, i have to respect it tho lmao. kinda just reminds me of day6 HRBDKDHS

AND THATS IT!!!! overall a W of an album, i havent been hyped for a release since go live, since noeasy was where i kinda dropped off with their albums, and that continued on until case 143 (which is imo. worst skz main track. sorry.) but yeah! love these guys very much and im excited for this album to absolutely destroy my spotify wrapped like go live/in life did ! YIPPEEEE

#i fear tagging this with the main tags so i will not but yeah overall it was p good!!!! #words #kpop #actually fuck it #stray kids #skz #also edit: went into town real quick to drop my brother off. i can confirm topline NEEDS to be blasted loud as fuck #same with hall of fame. God that song is so fucking good. skz intro tracks NEVER MISS

[anyways-wonderwall]

Album of the Week #32

Outside

(2021) '

by BTOB 

Overall Rating: 5/10

TL;DR: Aggressively mid filler songs with two good songs. 33% success rate isn’t too good bud. 

(Okay this is a banger album cover. I'm a sucker for geometrical patterns and fun fonts 10/10)

Overall Thoughts

This, like 99% of the albums I review, I added to my list because I loved one song off of it and wanted to know if the artist had more where that came from. Unfortunately this one falls into the common trap of none of the songs being good except the one I originally liked. I really wish this cycle would end. 

I also feel like Kpop isn’t doing it for me like it used to, that new songs have fallen into a cycle of mediocrity. Sure there are some masterpieces, but most breeze by as cash grabs, which is what most of this album feels like. There were only two songs that stood out as good out of the 6 on this EP, and one of them was the title track which was made to be catchy, so I kind of feel like that doesn’t count. More and more often when I listen to a full kpop album it seems like filler for a title track, and nothing makes me more frustrated than that. 

In this album specifically, most of the songs were aggressively eh. The album starts with “DREAMER” which in turn starts with Peniel saying “ey listen up” which honestly? Kind of a banger way to start an album. Also very funny. The song itself is a forgettable piano pop song that sounds like an ost. 

But Peniel this whole album did kind of annoy me. I feel like kpop helps itself out by not being in English, so most people have no idea what they’re singing about (especially since its usually really stupid and cringy). Most of the time when Peniel raps he does it in English and as its his native language its so weirdly confident when hes saying the dumbest lines. I feel like it makes it clear how unthoughtout the lyrics are and it just makes the whole experience feel even more cringey. (He is also a lyric writer for most of these songs so he is probably the one writing what he is saying, which makes it all even worse)

“Can’t Breathe” is a slow song that tries to pick up the pace and just feels confused, “Traveler” has crappy autotune rap, and “Finale (Show and Prove) just hurt to listen to. The last one is uniquely bad, which is funny because its about proving to the haters that they are good. (Just a side note, I never got songs addressed to hater because they’re never going to listen to that? You’re preaching to the choir buddy) It also has final battle vibes which makes the terrible rap lyrics hurt even more. 

The two gems of this album were “Waiting 4 U” and “Outsider,” both offering something unique and not including those weird cringey bits you find in the other songs. “Waiting 4 U” is an acoustic song with a great riff and has such a chill atmosphere while showcasing their voices well. “Outsider” is a straight up masterpiece. The fake bari sax carrying the baseline through the whole song keeps it driving and they even put an organ in the bridge and a hidden killer guitar part in verse 2. The vocals are great, its catchy, its truly a perfect single, which I should have just listened to without wondering what the rest of the album is like. 

Final Verdict

I don’t like being mean but this whole album is just so mid. There are two songs in here that are actually worth your time, and the rest are throwaway pop songs to pad out the EP. It hurts to say that BTOB peaked at the perfect song “It’s Okay” but it seems like they did. 

#album of the week #album 32 #album review #album recommendation #music review #kpop #btob #btob outsider

[cinnamonest]

Albedo idol girl darling thoughts M A N I F E S T E D

----------

Well, to be entirely honest, he thinks the whole idol thing is a little dumb.

For someone like him, at least. He's a PhD student in his final semester, lots of work to be done and all that. So, you know, he's a responsible, accomplished adult. Not the kind of person who gets into "that stuff," as he calls it in his head.

Nor does he even know how he encountered it... He just takes the occasional break from work to mindlessly open whatever app first pops into his vision and scroll through the feed. He's never watched anything like it in his life, so he's not exactly sure why he gets recommended some idol girl thing, and even less sure why he taps it without really thinking. Probably one of those videos that gets recommended to everyone. Well, can't be that, it doesn't have that many views... Probably loosely connected to some video game he's searched before or something. He's familiar with idols and what they are, and the subculture surrounding them, but he's never really cared about it.

Honestly, it's kinda pathetic that a bunch of grown adult men get so obsessed over these girls, he thinks as he watches. He's seen the type. Lonely, asocial dudes, most definitely virgins whose only female attention in their entire life is their mother, well into adulthood with no real social group to speak of.

...Not that he's much better off, but he hasn't quite sunk down to their level. The only reason he doesn't talk to people much is because they're busy, and he's even busier. He managed to make a few friends in undergrad years. Well, study partners who mooched off his notes since he was one of the top students, but same idea. They were people he spoke to more than once, which is what constitutes a friend, right? And for the record, one time in high school a girl in his class said she liked his hair. He hasn't changed the way he wears it since. Whenever he's sad, he thinks about that compliment from 10+ years ago, and it makes him feel a little better. But now, he's constantly slammed with work and research.

And his acquaintances are also all busy. He sees notifications every now and then from social media he never checks. Everyone is getting married at this stage in life, both friends and even other PhD students in his department. Not that he's ever been invited to a wedding, he just overhears a lot of conversations, sees notifications of posts. And he will too, eventually. He just has to finish up his degree, and then... Meet a girl. Well, that's actually the second step, step one would be finding out how to go about meeting a girl. He's... Never done it before. Probably does not happen sitting in the research lab at 11:30 pm on YouTube. He's talked to one of the other PhD students who's a girl before. And only stutters sometimes. He was even able to look her in the face while he talked to her once. That's a good start.

Ok, so maybe he is a little bit pathetic, but not as bad as... These guys. Reading the comments of the video actually make him feel a little better about himself, because frankly, they're kinda wild. The worship and fawning over girls is one thing, but they even have timestamps referring to various members like "she's super cute here!" Or "you can kinda see her thigh at 3:12!" Etc etc. Yeesh, creepy. And they get into comment fights over who is the best member, as if it even matters. It's fascinating in a human-social-experiment sort of way, the manifestation of a subculture and how humans interact with each other. On and on it goes, hundreds of commenters. He pays more attention to the comments than the actual video, but the song is kinda catchy in that annoying sort of way, and the girls are cute, just kinda... The typical thing he'd expect from idol groups. But the building will close soon, so he taps back to home screen and swipes the app closed.

Unfortunately, the algorithm remembers.

And he's not certain why he clicks the next one either, the following day. The lunch breaks he takes are usually pretty rushed. Not that he has specific class times at his level of academia, but he likes to get his work done. He intentionally eats either a bit later or earlier than the lunch crowd to avoid crowds and interactions. Finds a nice secluded little table tucked away. So when he opens it back up, what do you know, several more videos get recommended. It's absent minded when he taps on one, the kind of numb-brained entertainment every modern person indulges in, videos you wouldn't really be interested in but just watch because they're there.

Ok, this is really creepy. These dudes have made compilation videos of close ups of each specific girl. It's the same group as the video he saw before, same little lewd costumes. Admittedly the girls are kinda cute. He can kinda understand the appeal. But he's not like those guys, he would never become like, obsessed with them.

The song is actually really catchy. The kind of mindlessly addictive, repetitive pop music that's the same four chords over and over, each song is so similar you can't really tell them apart, but it gets stuck in your head anyway. This group has... nine members. Who needs that many singers in one group? It's not like a band or anything, they all just sing and do their little choreography. Guess that's a form of talent, even though he doesn't really get it.

Some of the groups he sees in recommended videos are cute and wholesome, and while this group is cute too, there's a very... Blatantly intentional lewdness to their poses and costumes. A hypersexualized sort of cuteness. Clearly marketed at lonely losers who have nothing better to do with their time than obsess over a girl who will never even know they exist.

He taps another video.

So many compilations, yikes. He has to give the guys credit, they're insanely loyal to the individual member that they decide to fixate on. Oh, and they even make official figurines and posters for these girls, that's... Something.

And a few days later he can kinda recognize the girls. They have color themes, you know, identical costumes except each girl's is a different color. This lead one is red, this main backup is blue, etc etc. Lots of bright colors. Kinda hurts his eyes to be honest.

And he's seen compilations of every girl except... The pink one. The pink one is always kinda off to the side. Well, these groups do have their favoritism, there's apparently one or two lead singers in all of the major idol groups, and the rest are basically backups and dancers. Still, a lot of dudes get super devoted to the non-main girls. So yeah, he's never seen a compilation for the pink one... He can't always exactly remember which one is which but now he's seen enough to know the other girls' names. He's not sure what hers is though. So he googles it and gets the name.

Wonder why she doesn't have as many videos...? Oh, it's because she's the newest member. Only been around a few months. There's... A whole board dedicated to the group, which he's getting this information from. Wow, pathetic. What kind of person spends their free time browsing a forum for an idol group? Well, he's just doing it to find information, not for fun or anything. He was just curious. Now he knows and he can forget about it and never look at anything related to them again... after he types her name and group name into the YouTube search bar and checks the results out, that is.

Oh, so they do have some compilations for her, just not many. "(Name) thigh compilation." Fuck, these people have no limits to how creepy and pathetic they can get, he thinks... as he watches the video. Ok, admittedly there are some good thigh shots there. There's a comment. "At 4:26 you can see her panties." Pathetic. They're not wrong though. Just to be sure, you see, he tapped the timestamp, and you can, in fact, see them. Stripes. Cute.

But he still has to do his work. Can't get too invested in watching mindless videos all day. He's got a thesis to work on.

That makes him curious, though, he thinks as he goes about his research. Do these girls go to school? Do they like, skip college, or do they join some kind of performing arts school or...? So he googles it. He can remember the pink one's name now, so he just finds her Wikipedia page. Oh, so she joined right out of high school and has been in various groups ever since.

Wait, various groups? So she has more groups she's been in? What are those? Before he typed her name into the search along with the group name, but if he just searches her name he gets... A lot more content from earlier years. Huh. Didn't know some of them did group-hopping like that.

Still, no education. Must be all smiles and body and no brains. Guess that's all you really need. Yeah, looking at that whole act they do... All giggly and childish and lewd... She's probably not too bright. At least she's pretty and sings nice. And the thighs are rather good. Smooth looking. They have a sort of jiggle when she jumps up and down on stage. The thigh highs they make those girls wear have that nice little dip where the skin is compressed by the fabric. Like... right there at that closeup. He takes a screenshot.

It's readily available, he's already seen the video and knows the best parts, whereas searching for porn would take time. The sooner he can get the daily stress relief out of the way the sooner he can work on his thesis. So this way is faster. That's why he's jerking off to the thigh video and not taking the time to look for porn. Plus, it makes him cum faster. Which it probably shouldn't since it's just thighs, but... Probably has something to do with the tease of it all maybe. That makes sense.

Or maybe it's that cute little giggle he can hear at some parts. She smiles and jumps and spins and laughs.

...It makes him wonder what she'd look like crying. Scared. Whimpering. Covered in bruises and bite marks. The contrast between that state and the one on the screen. The process and the things he could do to get her from one to the other. Yeah, he realizes, it's that thought, rather than the happy giggling on video or tease aspect, that makes him cum.

He's aware that his... tastes... are a little on the fucked up side, but hey, there's plenty of bastards out there far worse than him.

One day he discovers she has social media platforms. He... Doesn't really have any. He doesn't have Twitter or Instagram or any of that but... He downloads the app and makes an account for each. Just to follow her. Ooh, they even have the option to get a notification every time she posts... That's good. Otherwise he might check too frequently. He sets a special sound effect for notifications for her socials. The first few times, you see, he would get super excited when his phone went off, only to be disappointed when it was just a work email. Thus, he made the separate sounds.

He wouldn't say he has a favorite, that sounds really cringey you know? He just... Likes her more than the others. ...Dammit, that's what a favorite is. Ok, maybe he has a favorite, that's not that bad. He's not obsessed. He hasn't bought any merchandise at all or anything, especially not member-specific merchandise. Which they do have, because he visited the store page for a while and spent all his willpower physically restraining himself from buying something. It's not that he's biased, he just thinks she's objectively better than the rest of the group. Which can be backed up with evidence, anyone with eyes could tell by watching the performances.

As to what specifically draws him to her... he's not certain, to be honest. Maybe it's because she's the least appreciated out of the group, new and all. The less popular one. Or maybe her personality... She seems so sweet, even though he knows it's probably just an act for the fans. Or maybe just those thighs. That's also a valid possibility.

He cracks and buys some of the merchandise. Only about $300 worth. But honestly, he gets more invested into just printing out pictures of you. Pasting them onto the wall above his desktop. It keeps him going when the nights are hard.

But he refrains from ever commenting on anything. Some of these losers are just... so embarrassing, he can't stomach the thought of being associated, even if it's just an anonymous comment online. It's still pretty... Distasteful. He still browses the boards every day. You're his lock screen now. And home screen. And also your solo is his ringtone. He only sets his phone on sound when he's alone at home, though, when he's at work he puts it on vibrate. He... doesn't want anyone hearing that. No offense. He has some appropriate amount of shame, unlike the other bastards.

And the girls probably know that most of their fans are these kind of loser men, right? She'd probably be surprised someone nearly graduating with a chemistry doctorate is sitting around watching these dumb videos. Is that more or less pathetic? He thinks less, hopefully.

In fact, the other fans kind of irritate him. They're really cringy and annoying and it gives him secondhand embarrassment. And something... Deeper. Something about seeing the comments upsets him on a visceral level. It's gross. Sure, he's grateful for the dudes who sit around and make a list of timestamps for upskirt shots and the like, but... It kinda bothers him, feeling like there's some other dude out there sitting around, watching these long videos with his gross eyes and recording the times of shots that get him off. It feels gross. But more like... A violation against you. Sure, your group is very blatantly sexualized and intentionally risque in clothing but... Still, it feels wrong for someone to go through and get to see all of that.

Well, someone else. It's ok for him, since he's not a gross degenerate like the rest of them. He does genuinely see himself as... Above them. You know how like, back in the day, how the nobles used to sit around and watch plays from the far back while the peasants gathered around the stage? It's like that. He's not a gross loser or a NEET or anything like that. He's got a life. Well... Not a social life, but he's doing better than them, at least he has a degree, and soon a higher degree, and a job. He has a lot of things they don't. Basic hygiene. Student loan debt. And uh... Well, he's probably more pleasant to interact with, at least he's not gonna be frothing at the mouth like an animal if he saw you in real life. He would certainly freeze up, but that's preferable, isn't it?

And one day there's a video circulating in the idol community - not that he's a part of it or anything, he just keeps getting the dumb videos and watching them for mindless entertainment - where some girl group had an attempted kidnapping. Not her group, but some other group. The video has gone viral. Some dude tried to rush the stage and pull one of the girls away. Apparently the cops found he had an obsession with her.

What an idiot. If you're gonna kidnap someone, put some effort in, jeez. It's not hard to figure out how to do it right.

If that were him, he wouldn't be that stupid, he'd just look for an interval where she's alone. They have those solo or breakout group songs where some of the girls are backstage, just get her then. Memorize the concert schedule, wear something over your face, chloroform her, and stuff her into something and walk right out. Easy.

....

He catches himself in the thought and realizes that might have been a bit creepy, but he was just thinking in terms of hypotheticals. If he was the kind of crazy to do that, that's what he'd do, that's all.

He's always enjoyed entertaining strategic thoughts, really. He's had a couple fantasies about how he would commit murders of this or that person before, and he's never murdered anyone, so thoughts don't lead to actions. He just... Really doesn't like those people, and the fantasies help him... Deal with it. He just likes to strategize about methods, and how he'd get away with it... Stuff like that. Actually, he's convinced it's a very normal thing, but no one wants to admit it. Everyone has detailed murder fantasies every now and then.

Which is why this is no different. He's just strategizing because it's fun. He has no intentions of doing anything for real. He just plans out the details like a game. And tells himself to just never think about it again.

Until one specific night that he's staring down at his screen. Lying in bed. He should be asleep, he needs to be up early tomorrow but... He's just checking to be sure he's reading this correctly. You're coming to his town? He wouldn't think so, since it's not too big, just your average college town. But still, you'll be right here, right in his general vicinity, not far away at all.

Not that he'd ever actually go to such an event. No way. He hates crowds with a passion. He hates loud environments even more. A concert is like his worst nightmare. Besides, knowing the general audience of your group, it'll be a bunch of sweaty NEET dudes who haven't showered in a month and haven't crawled out of their house in even longer. No thank you.

But.

That's when the thought pops back up. It's been a few months since that night he had that strategizing fantasy, and, well, he tried to forget it but... It kinda lingered in the back of his mind. And now it's back in full force.

He shrugs the idea off. It's crazy. He'd never actually do something like that. It was just a fantasy.

...But he could get away with it if he wanted to.

He's not scared or anything, no, he's confident in his strategizing. He knows he could. Totally. It's foolproof. There's no need to carry it out to know that, besides, what would he even do with you?

Well, he's pretty certain he does know what he would do with you. He's watched that thigh video maybe a hundred times now. And even if he won't admit it, he's jerked off to the exact same fantasy for like, several months.

He doesn't really... Think about it. Just kind of slips into subconscious actions. Autopilot. One click and well, there goes $400 on an amp case. His eyes gaze over the dimensions... And then there's your height on the Wikipedia page... Yeah... That should work. He gets it sent to the address a few doors down just in case, and snatches it from in front of their door, but he finds himself backpedaling. What the hell is he doing? He would never actually go through with this, what a waste of money... But he still opens it. Sets it beside his front door. Tests the wheels to make sure they work.

He knows how to make chloroform. He doesn't need YouTube tutorials (unlike a certain someone else), he knows exactly how to do it, even alternate methods besides the usual acetone and bleach combination - so long as you end up with the same chemical makeup, it's all the same. He just goes with the traditional way though... Doesn't really know why he does it. Just mutters as he stares down at the concoction wondering why he wasted his time... But he pauses before pouring it down the sink, and instead puts it in a container and keeps it on the counter. Your weight is on Wikipedia too. Taking into account your height and weight you would need about... Yeah, a very specific amount to knock you out for about three hours.

The concert day draws closer and closer and he can't sleep very well. His mind keeps running what-ifs. Just, hypothetically, what if he did go through with it? What then? What would he do long term? How would that all work out?

Well, you'd probably hate him for a while, right? But that changes. Stockholm syndrome sets in. He would know, he had to take Psych 101 back in undergrad, and the professor talked about it for a full 10 minutes, so he's basically an expert. It's been like, 7 years since then, but he still kinda remembers it. He remembers that it's supposed to set in at about 2 weeks, and solidify with time. If the captor is nice, that is, which he totally would be. ...Maybe not in bed, but most of the time. He would be nice to you, and you would start to like him. Besides, they said Stockholm syndrome set in faster if the abductor has good qualities, so, he could also reason with you, remind you that you're lucky you got abducted by someone with money - or, well, he will have money once he graduates! - and isn't some ugly gross slob. He's clean and neat. Sorta... He'll clean up all those dishes that have been sitting there a few days now, pick up all those clothes off the floor... Ok, now he's clean and neat. And, uh, what else would girls care about... He's smart. He's pretty sure he can say that with confidence, if nothing else.

Ok, so, it would work. He could... Keep you kinda... Tied up here... If you started complying within that two week period, he could get you up and walking before atrophy set in. You'd probably have to get used to the lifestyle... Right now he's kinda on a budget, but, he can get you things to keep you occupied... And so, yeah, it could work. It's simple, just keep you with him and isolated for a few weeks and uh, you'll transform into some kind of hypersexual obedient cumslut and never want to leave. That's... How Stockholm syndrome works right? Maybe he should have paid more attention in that class... Oh well. He never liked psychology.

So the day draws nearer and nearer and he starts really getting into the right... Headspace. It's a sort of manic state that he's in. Operating without really thinking, all inhibitions removed by simply refusing to think about it. He lets the subconscious take over and do all these little things to prepare, until finally that day is tomorrow. And then he kinda snaps back to full awareness and questions, again, what the hell is he doing? He can't just... Kidnap a person! Normal people don't do that... It's illegal, he'll get caught, it'll ruin his life and....

What life does he really have to ruin?

That's the thought that sort of solidifies the decision. He realizes why he's even on this path in the first place. Sure he's got a lot of academic accomplishments, but his life is... Rather empty. He doesn't really have anyone. Maybe that's why he's slowly become... Consumed by this obsession that yes, he's now willing to admit to himself is indeed an obsession. It's kinda slowly taken over his everyday life without him even noticing it was happening. He's... Kinda miserable. And very lonely. And... If nothing else... This one girl makes him feel kinda happy.

... Which is why he's going to go through with it.

And he slips back into autopilot, ends up standing outside the building. It's every bit as loud and headache-inducing as he knew it would be. Ugh. He can't wait to get out of here. If this doesn't work, well, he'll be forced to turn around. The plan is a very simple one, actually... Act like he's supposed to be there. And he does. Dresses in all black like stage technicians do, dragging his big amp case behind him, holding a bunch of cords from random things he grabbed in his house, and tries not to look nervous, keeps a neutral face and walks straight forward and... He slides right in. The security guards off to the side don't even bat an eye.

And then he has a moment of "well, I didn't expect to get this far." Pauses. So uh... what now? Well, probably should find you first. He memorized the setlist, so he knows when you'll be off... And alone. Right now there should be three of the girls backstage. It's pretty easy to find where you are, but he's paranoid that the amp case is too loud as he's dragging it around. It's necessary, though. And then, finally, he stumbles upon the room... Opens the door, half expecting to be immediately stopped, but... He can just kinda waltz right in here, some open backroom, a person here or there coming through, a lady that looks like a makeup artist doing something over there, and an actual, real tech guy over there... And over to the far back corner... Oh. That's you. He takes a moment to revel in the sight, unable to move or even breathe, and has to mentally prepare himself before moving forward. He's... Not sure exactly what to do at this point... It's kind of perfect, to be honest, there's no one around you, and you're right out of sight, where he could turn the corner and not be seen. But he's not sure how to... Approach? He thinks about it as he walks, but again, autopilot is on in his brain and he's just numbly walking forward. Does he just... Keep walking until he's right at you and just... Or...?

And a miracle happens. You hear someone coming and you turn and smile and ask are you the tech guy here to fix my mic? You point to the little microphone attached to your face. They told you someone would be coming to fix it before your next song. You presume that's him, since he's dressed in all black like all the other stage techs. He hesitates a moment, wide eyed, but then nods. Yeah, that's him, he says. His voice cracks when he says it. It's kinda cute.

You smile at him. It's wide and sweet and genuine and it almost makes him pass out on the spot. He has to swallow for a second before continuing.

But, uh, he can't do it right here he says, because fiddling with it could disrupt the uh, frequencies, cause that really shrill sound you hear sometimes. So, um, come over this way a sec, over in this dark corner of the studio conveniently out of the view of all people and security cameras. You don't know how any of that stuff works, so you trust him, it's his job after all. So you get up and straighten your little skirt out - wow those are even more revealing in person - and walk over it the dark corner where he's waiting and... it's the last thing you remember.

He does a quick look left and right to ensure no one saw you collapse in his arms, but sure enough, this area is empty. You fit into the amp case with ease. Just curl your body up and pop the lid on. Wait, can you... breathe in there? Well, it won't take long to get outside. He just rolls the case right out the door, right past the guards again, and no one stops him, no one suspects a thing. Puts the case in the backseat, opens the lid, does a quick check go make sure you're breathing alright. So he props it open by keeping a book in between the case and lid as he drives home.

Once he does get home, he just does the same thing he did before - close the lid, roll you into the elevator and up the stairs and into his place, looking back over his shoulder over and over. And once he gets you inside he just kinda... falls to his knees. Shivering. Disbelief. Because holy shit he actually did it. He actually went through with it and it worked. He sits there and stares at the case and - oh, fuck, gotta open it again for you to breathe. Actually, he might as well... take you out... when he first shoved you in, he was so high on adrenaline he didn't really process any of it, but now... he almost can't bring himself to take you out. That means he has to, like, touch you. He's gotta take a moment to mentally prepare for that. So he does. Deep breaths. And finally, with trembling hands, pulls you out, carries you on shakey legs over to the bed and sets you down.

You know, you're a lot... Smaller... Than you looked on screen. Sure, he knew your height and weight but... somehow you still seem so much smaller than he expected. That's good. Will make everything a lot easier, since you're easier to restrain. And your thighs. They're... so soft. This is so much better than the video. They're so... fleshy and warm in person. Perfect. And wow, that skirt thing is... scratchy. Actually, up close, that whole outfit thing you wear looks super uncomfortable. It probably is. ...Well, guess he now has a reason to take it off.

The rest of your skin is... also fleshy and soft. Warm. Your face... chest... stomach... everything. Your tits are really cute, too. It occurs to him that all those rabid commenters on all those boards and videos would probably kill to be him right now, pinching and squeezing at your nipples. He's seeing something they will never see. It gives him an ego boost, to be honest, makes him feel proud to get a sort of one-up on them. He gets you naked, but refrains from pulling your legs apart. He probably... wouldn't be able to control himself, and he's aiming for some self-control right now.

So he waits. Breathes deep. Restrains himself with every ounce of willpower he has. It occurs to him he has no fucking clue what he's gonna say to you. Unfortunately, that thought occurs to him as you're starting to twitch and mumble, so, he doesn't have too much time to think. Oh, fuck, you're not restrained... well, he bought some duct tape and handcuffs and blindfolds off of amazon too, so he quickly puts those in place as you're starting to wake up, and then finally, you come to full consciousness -- that telltale jerking at the restraints, the muffled little cry of confusion and fear. It's kinda hot to be honest. Well, fuck, very hot actually. You're so scared. It gives him a rush of power. Said rush goes straight to his dick.

He's got a mixed twist of guilt and arousal at the whole thing, but... he's still trying to have some self control... and if you start begging and pleading and crying, it would be too much. Oh, no, not that it would be too much in terms of guilt, no no, just that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from fucking you if he sees you cry. So he leaves the restraints on for now, so he can't see your face emote.

Then, he does something really, really mean. He knows it's cruel, honestly, it's just... so cute. What that is, is that he does nothing. Says nothing. He goes about his work, typing away, knowing you can hear, but doesn't say a word. He knows you're awake, he just wants to see how long you can sit there scared out of your mind before you finally make another noise to draw his attention. Right now, he thinks, you're probably debating, you're probably questioning whether you should keep quiet and make him think you're still out or make a noise... but eventually you will. He can see you trembling. You're probably thinking so many horrible things right now, wondering what will happen, what he'll do to you... it fills him with a sort of sadistic glee that overrides the guilt it comes along with. Sure, the guilt is there, but fuck, he could almost cum just watching you shiver, and that's more important.

And you finally make a noise. A little whimper. He stops typing, and swears he sees you tense when he does. And when he stands up, walks over to you (making sure to stomp hard and walk slow for extra effect, watching the way you curl in on yourself with each step he takes), and stops right in front of you. Finally, tells you not to scream. He's gonna give you water, ok? You nod. And, surprisingly, you don't make any move to scream or anything, you let him give it to you. You don't move a muscle besides your shaking and sucking the straw and swallowing the water. You must be really scared of him. He knows that's technically not what he should want, but... it feels nice.

He spent that time of silence coming up with what to say to you. He says that for now, you're going to stay right here. Don't ask questions. Don't make any attempt to escape. If you really need something, tap the headboard until he hears. Understand?

You're... Surprisingly receptive. You give a twitchy smile and stammer out an o-okay. He's almost pleased, but quickly realizes what you're doing.

You've been trained for this, you see. This kind of thing is attempted rather frequently in the industry. You received training for this situation - comply, don't fight, prioritize your safety, because in 99% of these cases, the missing idol is found and recovered within 48 hours. So you do what you were told to do -- smile, pretend you're ok with it, don't do anything to anger your captor.

He knows that too. He doesn't do much in that 48 hours, in fact, he even tells you he's waiting to "see what happens." He knows he can't control himself very well, so he stays in his living room for the most part and works on research, it might be pointless if he's in jail a few hours from now, but oh well. Sleeps on his couch. He offers to feed you, but you say you don't feel good. He understands.

See, in his mind, if he gets to fuck you once or twice and then be hauled off to prison and never touch you again, well, that would be actual, literal torture, so much so that never fucking you at all would be more bearable. So that's why he forces himself to wait now. He feels like he can't breathe, he's so nervous, like any moment police are going to come knocking on his door. Every little sound makes him jump. He can't sleep.

But 48 hours pass and... nothing happens.

He breathes a bit easier. Finally dares to go online, which he's been avoiding, and check on your situation... Oh, wow, social media has exploded over your disappearance. But... They have no leads. Nothing. Says she basically vanished out of thin air. Situation is, quote, "looking hopeless." Huh. He did an even better job than he thought he did. There's videos from loved ones begging the captor to let the girl go, offering to give him money even. A lot of money. But, you're more valuable than any monetary measurements could ever conceive. And he's happy. It really worked out. Everything went right, and for once, he has something that really, really makes him happy.

Likewise, the 48 hours are even more torturous for you. You start out telling yourself it'll be fine. Hopeful. But that hope in your chest slowly, gradually dies out as you realize you've hit the 48-hour mark. Even for a normal missing person, you've always heard that if they don't find them within 48 hours... the chances of ever finding them goes down significantly. But, that's because they're usually dead, right? And this guy won't kill you, so, your chances are better, right...?

He comes back after that 48 hours and finally, for the first time since you woke up, crawls onto the bed, touches you, grabs your hips with his hands. Tells you that, well, they haven't found anything yet and it looks like they aren't going to, so you're officially his now, and he's no longer worried. You should accept it. It'll make things easier for both of you if you do. You'll get adjusted in no time, you'll see.

Unsurprisingly, you're a bit less compliant than you were when you had hope. You whimper and and struggle, but it's really weak. So much so it's cute. You ask who he is. No one important, he says. Just... A fan of yours. You can hear clothes shuffling. He doesn't waste time, he's already waited two whole days suffering, so he gets his dick in you pretty quickly. Manages to make you cum. It horrifies you and kinda surprises him too to be honest. You must kinda like pain, huh. Well, that works out well.

As time goes on, what hope you had left dies completely. Weeks pass. You realize they're not coming for you. In an attempt to get you to accept it, he even shows you that you've been replaced. They're rather quick to fix the absence. They have a new girl in your spot by the end of the month. He quickly realizes maybe he shouldn't have told you, from the way your face falls and you get all hysterical. Sorry. It's the way the industry is. Don't worry. She's not even half as cute as you.

He shows you the announcement when they close the investigation, too. This also earns a rather hysterical response, but he thinks it's important you see it, so you can finally come to terms with your fate, the way things were always meant to turn out. He gets a bit frustrated. Just accept it. It's not that hard. The sooner you do, the happier you'll be. It's for your own good that you accept it.

And you do. Try as you might. You begin to make conversation. He's the only source of interaction you have. You learn about him and his life. You become invested in it. You start to cum more easily. When he's sitting on the opposite side of the bed typing away, you find yourself slowly wiggling your way over and pressing yourself against the warmth, and he certainly doesn't mind. You ask him about his research just to hear a voice talk.

And sometimes you sing. It's absent minded, soft and quiet, when you have nothing else to do. He likes that a lot. You get sweeter. Nicer. Fight less. It does take a bit longer than two weeks to set in fully. But it does in the end.

He can't be with you 24/7, as much as he would like to be, so sometimes he has to tell you to just hang on a little while. Be good and sit still for just a bit. He'll be back soon. Just give him an hour. You're just really distracting and, well, his progress report is due tomorrow morning.

And you keep getting upset over the new member, bring it up a lot... It must have really bothered you, huh. Well, don't feel bad about being replaced. To him, nothing could ever replace you... you're still his favorite.

#.al #.idol

[therealvinelle]

Do you or Muffin have any thoughts on the twilight soundtrack? It's usually the one aspect of the movies that gets praised

I unfortunately have Full Moon by The Black Ghosts on my Spotify top 100 of 2021, so I can't claim it didn't have bangers.

My general opinion on the songs, as songs, is that some are good and a few are full on great. I have esoteric taste and a lot of the songs aren't my style, though. But, the soundtrack did suit the atmosphere the films were going for, so kudos for that.

But I am a difficult person.

I don't think it's the soundtrack of the gods, not necessarily because the songs themselves are lacking, but because it never really makes a scene unforgettable. There are no moments like the "Immigrant Song" moment in Thor: Ragnarok, or "To Die For" in Lion King (sorry about the audio quality in this clip! But it is a great example, since we have the live action version to contrast with, and that version toned down the music as much as possible. The result was so very mediocre, and really highlighted how vital the music was to the stampede scene). Nothing like the shark theme from Jaws, or the ET bicycle scene, or the montage in Rocky. The songs are there, and... well, with the exception of the baseball scene (which, one scene in five films is... not good), they're never more than that.

Watching Victoria be chased in New Moon to a catchy soundtrack (I think "Hearing Damage"?) makes for a good bop, and it definitely made the scene better, but... I'm difficult enough that I still find it all to be rather "meh", because the film as a whole had failed to be engaging, and so a good tune can only do so much, just as "Immigrant Song" wouldn't have made for an iconic scene if it had played in the Breaking Dawn Part 2 battle.

Much of the soundtrack is great, but when the movies themselves are so mediocre, we'll never reach the zenith. There's just never a scene where I'm losing my mind because I'm so taken in with what's happening.

The other problem I have with the soundtrack is that I think Twilight in the long run was worse off for not having its own composer. I've mentioned this on the blog before - basically, by having different directors, different styles, different everything, from movie to movie, there's no internal consistency. The actors stay the same, at least, but even then their costumes, makeup, and hair change and the characterization changes. Compare the gloomy, kind of awkward, human-looking Edward of Twilight to the jokey, suave, and more inhuman looking Edward of Eclipse.

I think a soundtrack with reoccurring themes and leitmotifs would have gone a long ways towards giving the movies a brand, something recognizable that made the audience feel "this is Twilight" the way "Hedwig's Theme" and "The Imperial March" makes their respective franchises feel like Harry Potter and Star Wars. Look to how Lord of the Rings and Star Wars uses music to communicate with the audience, and then look to how Twilight-- doesn't. Well, apart from the obligatory one Muse song per film, but that's a nod to Muse, not the producers thinking "Let's give these films a feeling of consistency".

For the first film I understand the choice made, as it was the kind of indie film where indie music felt organic to go along with it. And the other films then had to follow suit, I get that. But this is a failing on behalf of planning the series, that the producers did not think "There will be more movies and we should have reoccurring musical themes to bring it together".

Of course, I say all of this, but I would still have made merciless fun of them because they would still have been bad movies. And the angsty sountrack does feel incredibly on brand, so my gripe is on a deeper level about me wanting the films to have been different from the get-go.

In a nutshell - I have complaints, but am impossible to please.

#twilight #twilight soundtrack #twilight renaissance #twilight meta #twilight movies