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x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 5 months

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Evanescence, ‘Fallen’ | The Album Story

RS: Listening back, it is striking just how bold and ambitious it is for a debut album. Not many bands come out with a full choir and string section on their first album. Did you have to fight for those elements at all?

AMY: “You know, it helps when you have something that you really want to do that you’re gonna fight for. But that you have the ability to do. If I had a crazy idea of Gregorian chants or an all-boys choir, something that I couldn’t actually make happen, it would be a lot harder, because we’re gonna spend all this money on finding somebody to create the sound and then find the team. At least with choirs, specifically, in high school I was the choir president. I loved choir, I was inspired by a lot of that old Celtic and Latin hymn stuff. And I took Latin. So I was like ‘I’ll write it, I’ll do everything, all you gotta do is help me put together a small team of vocalists, it’s not gonna be that expensive’. We can make this happen. I think just having the moxie, or whatever it is, to go ‘I’ll put this all together, all you have to do is just trust me artistically’. It’s still a fight. It was harder to fight for real strings, because that’s just expensive. That’s just something that cost a whole lot of money. But to me, that was so key to what our sound was. The whole idea was that it was if a heavy band with riff-driven, pop hooks could get in a head-on collision with a dark film score. If it didn’t have that film score part of it, it would have felt like so much was missing. I do remember having a discussion with the label about ways we can make it sound real with pads and stuff – they’re better than they used to be. But I just always said ‘No, whatever it is, we’re on the hook for it. In the end, I promise we’ll get the money paid back. We have to have real strings. It has to be real’. And then we ended up with David Campbell who is one of the absolute best in the industry for that, and we’ve had a lifelong, career-long partnership now that I’m so grateful for.”

RS: The ‘Bring Me To Life’ demo was the first taste people got of this reissue. It’s remarkable how fully formed that track already was even at that early stage.

AMY: “There’s probably 10 demos of that song. The label had fixated on it and decided it was going to be the single we were going to focus on. So it was just constantly changing, we felt like we were in this demo forever. But they all happened over the course of just a couple of years. So the very first demo, before the chorus was what it was, I don’t even know where that is. I don’t even have that. It started without the rap but also the ‘Wake me up inside’ part wasn’t there. It was the verses and the chorus was like…I could sing it for you but that’s not going to translate into your magazine. But the one you heard that’s on there was sort of in the middle. That wasn’t the last one.”

RS: It is still the song we know, it just needs a few tweaks. It’s interesting to be able to see the process behind that.

AMY: “I always remembered that little sample in the beginning that became the piano part. That was always still in my head because we listened to it so many times before making the song. We wanted the piano so it would be like a film score starting out.”

RS: How big a role did your cinematic influences play in creating the album?

AMY: “We were really inspired by film and would go to the movies all the time. Part of that is just the age we were in high school. But it also felt like research – ‘Donnie Darko’, ‘Edward Scissorhands’. It was like I was really learning from it. My favourite part about film was the music, not so much the soundtracks, that’s great too, but the score is what makes you know how to feel. There is a whole sub story going on underneath. You are feeling things that are deeper than just the words and actions of the characters. So that’s when I started getting really inspired. I wanted to be in a band, but I would really like to score film and was going to school for that when we got signed.”

RS: ‘Everybody’s Fool’ is a track you have discussed a lot in the past. It seems to express some frustrations around the idea of fame and success but, again, it was written so early in your career. Once you found that success, did the song take on any new meaning for you?

AMY: “At the time, I was the teenager, a big sister, and my siblings were younger in elementary school. My two little sisters, who are very close in age, were in their boyband and pop girl moment. I was like ‘Oh my god, you guys are totally dumb. Listen to real music, I’ll show it to you’. I was always trying to influence them with Green Day, and Nirvana songs that didn’t have horrible things in the imagery. But at the same time, like they were going through this time where it was not just about the stars but school cliques and what you look like seemed like a really big focus. Who liked you, all that stuff, everybody goes through that. I think what I really wanted to say was that what I respect is authenticity. That should be the thing that we’re trying to win, not the beauty contest. Just be yourself. But then, strangely, soon after I found myself in the spotlight really fast in a really big way where you are on a stage for people to just look at you and talk about you like an object and that was hard. That was a weird time for me, because I was really young and really never bought into all that. But when it’s happening to you on a really large scale, you can’t just tune it out and leave the cafeteria. You have to actually face it – ‘There’s my career, how do I be the most of myself and show all the parts of myself that I really want to be seen and not be misunderstood?’ I just felt really misunderstood. But I think the lesson really is that you have to keep on, look at yourself, look at your real friends and the people around you that really know you. Remember who you are apart from it. It’s always been good for me to take breaks from this. I don’t think I need to anymore the way that I did. I know who I am. I know we’re gonna be here. But it was always important for me to step away and go ‘I’m not Amy Lee. I’m just Amy still’. I still have hold of my identity which is ever changing. It still has room to grow. I’m not stuck as that album cover picture forever, even though that is still a perception in probably millions of people’s minds. So you just have to give yourself the freedom to keep growing.”

RS: In terms of what may come next from you, how has looking back and reflecting on your early days affected how you want to move forward?

AMY: “I think it’s always a positive thing to remember your roots, even if it just means you’re going to branch really, really far away for them and do stuff that you’ve never done. I think you have to know who you are and know where you’ve been, because this is just the next chapter in that story. I’ve been doing that all year to where I just kind of never want to hear it again. Not really, but it’s definitely a little bit of what I said before about recognising those innocent moments where I’m not trying to be ahead of somebody’s criticism or anything. Write something without feeling any fear. That’s really sweet. I don’t know how I could recreate that. It’s hard to say because I dearly, dearly love our band, my guys and now Emma (Anzai, bassist). I’m most interested to hear what her new dynamic brings into the situation when we get together. I’ve wanted to be in a band with her for a really long time and it just finally worked out.”

#amy lee #evanescence #2023 interviews

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reflections-in-a-critical-eye · 8 months

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Another day/week/hour of accumulating thoughts which haven't marinated enough.

That Zzinu guy (I can't remember his actual name) is really hanging out with everyone relevant in the industry, he's everywhere 👀 I saw him with RM on IG and at some concert, had no idea they were buddies.

Why did Jungkook come back just for a few days? What was that damn urgent to fly to Seoul only to go back to US in no time? I thought someone would enlist, but nope.

I took the bus downtown twice today instead of calling for a car. I have to stop being delusional and accept that I'm not rich.

I'm not gonna write a review of Tedros' album cause I don't feel there's a point, but I do have like a few things to say. Why is it being talked about like he started working on Layover 3 years ago? I mean, he started working on music, yes, but this thing that came out? That's like some team who probably put together the music a lot more recently. But hey, I'm just babbling so what the fuck do I know? Slow Dancing sounds good. I mean, nice enough to have it in the background in a playlist. All the songs feel too short, like they're some samples and they just decided to release them that way. Since his contribution was mostly singing the actual songs, it feels like he gave Min Hee Jin a pinterest board of who is Taehyung and from that entire thing, she created the Kim Taehyung artiste aesthetic. It's her vibe all over it. Just as it's her entire shtick all over NewJeans. It screams more MHJ than the actual idols.

I tried so hard in the past 30 min to stop myself from being bitchy, but I can't help it. To those who think that they got out of the jikook cult and now they're smarter and feel the need to still use the tag to post their bullshit? Wake up, you're still in a cult, you just switched to another. Absolutely pathetic. I wish I could fuck with pjms cause I admire the way they stand up for Jimin and they're like the most organized fanbase. But the moment they started using cult/tkkr narative and making Jimin sound like a puppet, I just knew they're not better. And a sign that I cannot affiliate myself to any group in this fandom, I'm riding on my own like I always have.

You know what's ironic though? Jikookers are basically the only ship fandom within bts who since the beginning and especially in the latest years, should have just sat back and relax cause they're so damn privileged. No other pair in bts is giving what dumb and dumber (I call them that with all my love) are doing together, but there's not a day in which I don't see stupid anons or jikookers fighting and bringing arguments. Waste of time!

And in that vein, pjms would only have to learn from their god damn classy bias who is no doormat and act accordingly. Fight for him without acting so damn stupid. In terms of artistry, he's the best out there out of this group and others in his generation. Isn't that fucking cool? And look at his behavior. Let army and kpop stans get frustrated thanks to Jimin's achievements and how you can contribute to that, not using the same foul language which only trashy stans are using. Do better ffs. Fix that attitude. And stop believing you know Jimin's brain and soul inside out. No one does. It only makes you sound like any other delusional kpop stan.

Key's Good & Great is out. I only had time to watch the mv once during actual work hours (fitting) and I can't get into anh details, but I liked the idea of workaholism tied to a simulation. There's tons of layers and stuff to be analyzed there, perhaps some other time.

#m thoughts #also I do not need harassment and informants going around and spreading stuff based on what I write #these are literally opinions #not universal truths that I impose forceably #leave me alone #do I have to repeat every single time that it's not that serious?#I don't care about others #but it's not for me #the minute I press post and leave the app #my mind is somewhere else #chill #do I have to give a warning every single time?#no I don't hate Tae #no I don't hate x and y member #no I don't hate everyome #at least on twitter people have more balls #that's the difference here #we're chicken shits on tumblr

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randomvarious · 2 months

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Underworld - "Born Slippy" Essential Selection, Volume One by Fatboy Slim & Paul Oakenfold Song released in 1996. Mix released in 2000. Techno / Experimental

Plays: N/A on Spotify // 84.3K+ on YouTube

If you're someone who at least dabbles in electronic and dance music from time to time, then you absolutely *must* know the utterly strange and totally unique enigma that is Underworld's "Born Slippy." This is a tune that, against all odds, somehow managed to totally captivate the UK public in the mid-90s, reaching #2 on the country's singles chart, while also serving as the theme song to the Scotland-set Danny Boyle-directed film, Trainspotting. Plus, as what's likely to be the most popular techno song ever made, it's also probably the only piece of techno to ever so thoroughly penetrate the 'hip' and 'alternative' English-speaking music cognoscenti of the western hemisphere as well.

Now, there's a lot I could say about this provocative, mid-90s defining work of art, but I think the best way to describe it is thusly: essentially, there are two distinct, yin-and-yang modes to "Born Slippy." One is heaven, which consists of some iconically euphoric synth work and no drums, and the other is just pure fucking chaos, which chiefly contains hard and intense bouts of totally bugged-out and pummeling percussion 😵. And throughout both modes, Karl Hyde provides this mantric, barely sensical, partially improvised, and completely intoxicated stream-of-conscious narrative that seems to maybe be describing a very long and eventful night out. But a very important thing to remember with the studio version of this song in particular is that the two modes that are contained within it don't really overlap with one another; that is to say, outside of like, two small seconds, the synth melody that opens up the song and then returns somewhere in the middle doesn't touch any drums at all, and it's not until much, much later in the fullest version of this more than eleven-and-a-half-minute epic that you'll actually hear any sort of synth in a chaotic part, and those synths that do eventually manifest in one of those parts don't sound anything like the one that soothes in the beginning anyway.

But guess who went and totally fucked up this whole arrangement almost a full quarter-century ago? Fatboy Slim. Back in 2000, he and another piece of dance music's Mount Rushmore, Paul Oakenfold, put out a double-disc double-mix called Essential Selection, Volume One, and while Oakey's sublime trance set totally outshined Fatboy's less-than-stellar big beat and breaks sesh, there was still a three-song run nestled within Fatboy's set that was pretty damn killer, and it consisted of the following tunes, which were all pretty popular in the UK at the time:

Scanty Sandwich's "Because of You," a big beat banger that samples a young Michael Jackson and sounds like something that Fatboy Slim might've *cooked* up himself 😅;

"Born Slippy";

And my favorite downtempo track of all time, the Groove Armada classic, "At the River," which samples an old Patti Page tune and comes with some soul-piercing trombone on it too 😌.

So if you haven't clicked play at the top of this post, or you still haven't figured it out yet, what Fatboy Slim did with this section of his mix is he paired those heavenly synths from "Born Slippy" with the chugging snare-end of "Because of You," giving the opening part of this Underworld classic a great dimension of bounciness that it hadn't really had before. Fatboy raises the BPM on "Born Slippy" to make it match to those drums—and he's ticked those up a tad as well—and then after fading out of the Scanty Sandwich track and fucking around with the effects, he waits until a stacked-up drum part from "Born Slippy" arrives, in order to completely and effectively counterbalance it with the opening bars from the maximally relaxational "At the River," which had never had that level of percussion intermingle with it before either.

Fatboy Slim's probably not the greatest DJ in the world, but what he did with this mass-appealing trio of UK electronic tunes on this otherwise underwhelming mix of his from all the way back at the turn of the millennium definitely deserves more credit and attention than it's received over the years. Pretty nifty little section here, I think, with two great songs bleeding into and out of one of the most remarkable tracks of the entire 90s, "Born Slippy" 😋.

#techno #dance #dance music #electronic #electronic music #music #90s #90s music #90's #90's music #Youtube

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thesinglesjukebox · 2 months

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BEYONCÉ - "TEXAS HOLD 'EM"

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Maybe the colossal discography of Beyoncé -- which now includes country music -- might lend a clue?

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Dorian Sinclair: Rhiannon Giddens’ banjo is the first thing you hear on “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and it’s both a lovely introduction in its own right and a suggestion that Beyoncé is undertaking this genre shift in a smart, informed way. The banjo work isn’t the only standout on the track, either. Beyoncé, as always, knows how to wrap her voice around a melody line, and the backing harmonies are frequently gorgeous. I just wish the song that this is all in service to felt a little less slight. “Texas Hold ‘Em” is undeniably a real country song — but a middling one. [6]

Rachel Saywitz: Beyoncé’s long-awaited country turn is a bit lackluster, if only due to the nonsensicality of it—I find it hard to believe that the rumored Vegas Sphere headliner has been to a grimy Southern dive bar, drinking bad whiskey out of Solo cups, even once during the past few decades of her career. “Texas Hold ‘Em” sounds like what a pop star thinks country sounds like: stomp claps, echoing vocals, the word “hoedown.” Even with Rhiannon Giddens playing a banjo riff ready-made for the barnyard dance hall, the song is a bit too commercial to be fully believable. Yet as on even the most lackluster Beyoncé songs, her vocals and intonation save the track from diving into pure pop country slop. Her growls in the chorus fit the song’s overstated twang, and while the second verse’s depiction of a heatwave seems totally devoid of Beyoncé’s material reality, she rises to meet the drama with a tenor that sounds almost believable. [7]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: Beyond the camp appeal of listing country apparel (“boots! spurs!”), this is shockingly half-assed stuff from Beyoncé. Lyrically and sonically, it’s the type of inoffensive pablum engineered to soundtrack a commercial for the new Lexus TX, with nothing spiky to distract from how its three-row luxury treats every seat like the best seat. [3]

Aaron Bergstrom: I understand that country songs are not required to be true-to-life first-person narratives, but I would believe that Johnny Cash actually shot a man in Reno before I would believe that Beyoncé has ever set foot in a dive bar. [5]

Brad Shoup: She's jumped right into the vibe of a country singer on the gentle downslope: the easygoing, modest gem that tips its hat at contemporary songwriting but is mostly an excuse for a nice hang. It's here for a good time, not a long time. The banjo's loping; the acoustic has a nice percussive affect. We're here to do a little stepping, not watch the band cut loose. The text itself is about a rich couple dabbling in the honky-tonk lifestyle—the image of perhaps the most in-control pop star of the century popping into a dive bar on a lark is pretty funny. The sampled piano and whistling at the end suggest another kind of dive; suddenly, it's the aughts and she's checking out Grizzly Bear with her sister. [7]

Jackie Powell: Beyoncé's decision to release the instrumental to "Texas Hold 'Em" and its a cappella versions accentuates her desire to remind those who love her, and those who might not, of the innate musicality that she has always possessed. She’s not just great because she’s Beyoncé. Her knowledge of music history—which has been a motif in her solo work since 2016—and also her vocal tone and ability to emote through her four-octave range are essential to her greatness. Between her intonation of each hook of “Texas Hold 'Em,” which captures how bouncy a hoedown feels in person, to the stunning two-part and sometimes three-part harmonies in the verses, Knowles gives such a memorable and fun vocal performance. Those overdubbed harmonies are so bright. They give off a warmth that feels like a much more enjoyable morning alarm. The banjo, which is heard throughout, is played by Rhiannon Giddens -- yet another example of Beyoncé’s methodology when it comes to using her platform. Her modus operandi as of late has been to use the attention she attracts to bring the mainstream public to those who have been doing the work and under-recognized in the genres she’s making music in. This willingness to uplift artists continues to be noble, but I question how self-aware Beyoncé is when she mentions parking a Lexus in the hook. While this is a reference to her partnership with the luxury car brand over the summer that provided half of a million dollars to small minority-owned businesses, it still comes off as a bit out of touch with the communities she’s paying homage to. [8]

Jeffrey Brister: I’m astounded that Beyoncé released a song that sounds so dilettantish. The beginning really gets me—I’m getting ready for something incredible. And then it just…keeps going and going. It sounds marginally more country than “You Should Be Sad." [4]

Nortey Dowuona: The difficulty in writing music, especially popular music, is that when composing songs, the most catchy, acceptable, understandable sounds become so overused that anyone who's spent a lifetime paying attention to popular music in all its forms could start noticing the similarities. Megan Bulow, a German singer who lived in Texas at 14, is credited as a songwriter on this song, as well as Lowell, a Canadian singer who briefly tried to share the good news of her involvement and later took down the video. They both have written lyrics such as "I'm going all white at your funeral/if you think I'm gonna cry, you're delusional" from bulow's "Boys Will Be Boys" and "but not me, I'm free/by the wings on my back on my shoulder blades" from Lowell's "Runaways" -- two songs I picked from their discography at random that have lyrics evocative enough to jump off the page but empty enough for a stronger, more defined voice to take ownership. This is hopefully a reason they were chosen to work with Beyoncé. Raphael Saadiq, Killa B, and Nathan Ferraro are listed as producers alongside Beyoncé; Rhiannon Giddens is playing the banjo and viola, Khirye Tyler is playing the piano alongside Saadiq, Ferraro and Lowell as well as the bass, Saadiq is credited for piano, organ, and bass alongside Tyler and Ferraro and drums alongside Killa B. Hit-Boy is playing the synthesizer and contributing to additional production work as well as Mariel Gomerez and Stuart White. I'm just saying -- if any of these people watched Franklin when they were young and interpolated it, it was definitely an accident. The deeper one goes into making one little song, the spiderwebs of avoiding even partial similarities to existing songs is becoming less charming and more sinister. It is so difficult that I can list all of these veterans of the industry allied and united in creating this great, if only slightly vague song, but a random person can notice a similarity to a kids' TV show's theme song, and it can gain enough steam for the composer to gently and firmly deny it. Don't be a bitch, just take it to the floor now. [8]

Hannah Jocelyn: Props for rendering Noah Kahan redundant, but bettering one of Mumford’s sons isn’t saying much. The song is cute -- I won’t mind hearing it in every sandwich shop for the next year or so -- but of the two songs Bey released, this is by far the less engaging one. [5]

Taylor Alatorre: The difference between this song and "16 Carriages," and "Daddy Lessons" as well, is that it doesn't feel like either of those two songs expects me to be impressed by the mere fact of its existence. "Don't be a bitch," as the eternal anti-critic refrain goes -- what, were you expecting a reverent, sepia-toned tribute to Bob Wills or something? Just accept the thing for what it is, turn off your brain, and have some down-home country fun, dammit! And as a born-and-bred Texan who's unduly excited for the upcoming Twisters film, I so wish I could. But those mechanical stomps, those painfully forced "woo"s, the "dive bar we always thought was nice," and the chirping cricket sound effect that someone probably put in as a joke and then forget to remove: all of this is laziness dressed up as genre-busting. Rhiannon Giddens is called up to add more subtextual fodder about the Black roots of country, but with the anonymized production she's given, it comes across as just more stats-padding for next year's Grammys. Only in the outro does Beyoncé suddenly remember that she can do Beyoncé things with her voice, sprinkling some belated shards of personality onto a stiff composition that wouldn't be out of place on a filler episode of Phineas & Ferb. If Bey still has Diplo in her contacts, it may have been worth giving him a ring for this -- feels icky to say it, but he can at least make the appropriation go down smooth when he tries. [3]

Katherine St. Asaph: Has anyone done a tally of the number of country songs that mention the word "hoedown," versus the number of pop songs? Would the hypothetical person who'd do so not be among the most tiresome people in the world? "Texas Hold 'Em" (and companion single "16 Carriages," to a lesser degree) is an argument as much as it is a song. As on Renaissance, Beyoncé and her team have done careful, purposeful curation to showcase Black women in country -- and it's earned those women actual streaming boosts (if maybe not literal streaming dividends), which is pretty cool. But the thoroughness and fervor with which she proves this song's authenticity has inevitably -- and deliberately, I should add -- invited Discourse. And as usual, that Discourse keeps missing the most obvious points. There's no use arguing how properly rootsy this sounds or how storied its session musicians are. The country purists object because of the usual respectability politics -- i.e., Beyoncé says "bitch" and has her boobs out in the video -- and those politics form an auricular plug in them that is so strong that this could sound like literally anything and still be dismissed as pop. There's not much more use digging into the whys and why-nots of its country radio airplay. Country radio is playing this because country radio is dominated by iHeartMedia aka Clear Channel, who have the playlisting power that comes with monopoly and the inclination to support fellow megabrands. (Aside: According to Hits Daily Double, after the iHeart execs made their airplay decree, "[they then excused themselves as they were due to have their Stetsons blocked.") While the historical context and broken barriers are undeniably worth taking seriously, they've also kind of led people to make more of the song than what it is. "Texas Hold 'Em" is mostly frivolous, and that's fine! The melody is a grin put to sheet music. It's also a pop song, and that is also fine! If it's a country song about nothing more than the fact that it's a country song, then so are enough country-radio hits that not even I can write a sentence long enough to do the one-YouTube-link-per-word gag for them all. (And "Texas Hold 'Em" would probably be delivered as much more of a gimmick if it was instead given to Lennon Stella or Hailee Steinfeld or Madison Beer, or any of the other B-minus-listers that co-writer Lowell has sold songs to.) Any holdout doubters are advised to listen to the end, where the genres stop competing for views space and start to truly simmer together, with all the heat that implies. [7]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Fulfills the promise of Beyoncé-fied country only in its last 45 seconds – the house pianos interwoven with finger-picked guitars are almost psychedelic in effect, emerging out of the stomp of the rest of the song in a dazzling clarity. There, she's fragmented and lucid all at once, singing individual words and phrases each laden with strange wells of meaning. Everything else is just slightly too chipper, the joy of those whoops and whistles and nonsensical lines about various bars coming off like strange procedural imitations of authentic human experience. [6]

Isabel Cole: The song reveals itself as more of a fluffy little nothing with each listen, and while it’s carefully assembled it feels perhaps too careful—this is very well-mannered for a song about greeting life’s disasters with reckless abandon. Still, I love the way the melody twists on the pre-chorus, and I’ve always tended to favor the Beyoncé songs where she relies more on her unbeatable vocal charisma than the ones on which she flexes her sheer power. The way you can almost see her drawl Don’t be a bitch, come take it to the floor now keeps me coming back. [7]

Alfred Soto: I don't care whether it "sounds country." It sounds like Beyoncé, just like Madonna made Madonna music and Bowie made Bowie music: they absorbed genres, reconstituted their DNA, and discarded the ephemera. "Texas Hold 'Em" treats contractions and banjos like Madonna did acoustic guitars on the chopped salad mix of "Don't Tell Me": an excuse to express whatever she damn pleases. A fab radio track that reduces The Weeknd's latest to a puddle, "Texas Hold 'Em" is a challenge, a provocation, no more and no less. [6]

Mark Sinker: Reacting against the discourse™? froth up just as you’d expect round this light, slight, likeably McCartney-ish near-fragment of a song, it’s time to turn to sometime TSJ-er Frank Kogan in his essay ‘Roger Williams in America,’ the first superwords essay, as collected here, on the decades-old problem of authenticity, or actually the problem of the problem: “The discussion never seems to go anywhere, since the tendency is for people to debunk ‘authenticity’ without first trying to understand it (…) Rather than debunking it, I would want to explore the power of the real, why the search for the real has such a hold on rock. It’s not a problem to be stopped. I think this is one of the good things about rock (…) Even when the manifestations are stupid, rock’s uneasiness is profound. Great rock thrives on insecurity (…)". Even back in 2006, the word "country" couldn't always just be switched in anywhere to replace "rock" as an obvious identity — though the reason there’s a kerfuffle going on right now (or part of the reason, as ppl enthuse or recoil) is that the search for the real does also have a powerful hold on country. So you can swap words in and sometimes still get sense. Switch more words in and out of these sentences and (by the transitive properties of equality!) we will reach this: “Beyoncé’s uneasiness is profound.” And suddenly this seems much less of a slam-dunk. It surely isn’t the case in this song; to me it’s not much the case elsewhere either. Quite the opposite, in fact. She does not usually come across as (to quote Frank again, it’s a very quotable essay) “born in flight, chased by fear”. And you could — or I could — happily argue that this superb confidence is one of the great things about her. Take it all back out of algebra, though, and the upshot here is yes, of course, Beyoncé can be country, if and only if (of as logicians write it, “iff”) country both is and isn’t rock; when it’s bothered about the real yet at the same time not at all uneasy. I like this as a conclusion, because it has also to mean a whole bunch of stuff is going to be gently churned up — less by the song itself, to be sure, than by all the panics and chatter around the song. It’s an unstable solution, and even if you turn to the extremely solid undergirding supplied in this nice long interview with banjo-scholar and picker Rhiannon Giddens, complete with all kinds of detail you’d need to firm up several arguments (details that include Yo Yo Ma), you’re acknowledging that authority and justification are going at some point and in some places to need ruggedly repositioning or reclaiming, immediate catchy unruffled serenity notwithstanding. [8]

Ian Mathers: I think it's both good and interesting to discuss the broader genre considerations (sonic, political, aesthetic, emotional, etc etc etc) of this, but I am neither qualified to do that myself nor interested in doing it. So let me just say that, while I have not looked up how it's actually doing, "Texas Hold 'Em" feels like it ought to be a hit, not in some overdetermined four-quadrant you'll-take-it-whether-or-not-you-like-it sense, but just because... it's so much fun! It feels like the kind of song all sorts of people will find entertaining and might catch themselves singing along to. Beyoncé is clearly prominent enough it's got a shot, and god knows all sorts of cultural factors might boost it or hold it back, but a world where this is blasting out of everyone's radios just feels nice and somehow correct. [9]

Dave Moore: I don't like admitting to myself that I find Beyoncé more exhausting than Taylor Swift (in part because everything Beyoncé does actually works). It's some real coolest kid in school is class president and valedictorian and the lead in the school play shit. Once again, the song's credits are impeccable, and the song itself is fine. [5]

Will Adams: Much like the Verizon Super Bowl ad that kicked off her new promo cycle, this on-the-nose genre dress-up feels beneath Beyoncé. Renaissance proved she was willing to put in the research. Synthesizing that into something exciting requires more work than this. [4]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: I want Beyoncé to break barriers making country music as much as the next queer, but please god, I hope the album is more interesting than this Lumineers-sounding fluff. [6]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

#beyonce #music #country music #pop music #music writing #music reviews #music criticism #the singles jukebox #Youtube

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things-about-cars-in-posts · 6 months

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favorite band/artist?

Sheesh. Complicated one.

You see, my music tastes are, to put it mildly, rather varied. I think it showed in my music recommendation post and the post that further explored one of those artists, but to further illustrate, my library includes:

Earth, Wind & Fire

New Kids On The Block's Jordan Knight's first solo single

Dubstep band Hadouken!’s Lana Del Rey cover

A mashup of Wham! and a fishing anime

A Japanese bilingual melodic punk rock band's two songs about bowling

80s remixes of Justin Bieber songs

A Japanese "punk ska and melodic hardcore band"'s cover of Scatman’s World

A 140+ song Beatles remix collection, featuring such gems as "Octopus's 3D Garden", "I Saw Her Yankin' There" and "Help!" (suspicious)

A eurobeat female duo of rotating Italian and British members’ Abracadabra-sampling track about falling in love with a banana

A remix of Azumanga Daioh’s Sata Andagi scene I retrieved from a porn site reupload

Moldovan folk punk band and folk musician duo’s collab about celebrating the reopening of a railroad

The soundtrack of Pictionary for the NES

A mashup of AVICII, Rick Astley and Chumbawumba

An 80s pop Linkin Park remix

Black Sabbath covers by The Cardigans (of Lovefool fame)

JT's solo debut

A Flock Of Seagulls (of I Ran (So Far Away) fame)

One (1) DJ Khaled song

A 2011 My Little Pony-themed song by then commentary youtuber

(And I beg each and every one of the people who read this list and thought "Okay that one cannot possibly be good" to hop in my askbox and allow me to prove them wrong.)

But let's go through bands and artists I've not posted about before.

Two Door Cinema Club Just out of statistics. I can prove I played I Can Talk over a hundred times and I can tell you any number under two hundred is underselling it. There is genuinely some problem with my brain that that intro slots into perfectly.

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Oh also all the rest of their first album this comes from is this great too, and if you ask me what a perfect album sounds like I will tell you it's not that far off their second album.

OK Go Now, I like the music. Actually, I'd left my two guitars alone for years until an easy OK Go song made me think "Oh, maybe I can play this" and realize that rather than -as I had prior- just play the music I'd been taught I could actually teach myself to play the music I was listening to, which snowballed into playing more OK Go songs and then it expanded and now I have a ukulele, a bass, a third guitar I need to merge with that bass (it's complicated), a fourth "guitar" (it's complicated) on the way, a Casio calculator/synth (it's complicated), a melodica, a launchpad and a kazoo. Whoops. But really, all you need to be sold on OK Go is see two of their videos. One to find out what they're like (and you're already good on that front because you have visited the internet ever and have thus seen Here It Goes Again aka "The Treadmill Video" aka what when posted to YouTube upon its CEO begging them became the biggest video of all time) and another to find out that no the first one was not a one-off fluke. I am serious, go click that link, it takes you to a playlist of their videos and each one is crazier than the last. I mean they played a song with a car. A song. That has a guitar solo. With a car. Have you seen the name of this channel.

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Ah, right, the name of this channel. I guess I have to say a thing about that car now. Uhhh this video was sponsored by Chevrolet to promote the Aveo which, despite being badged as a Chevrolet, like many of the more Europe-oriented Chevrolets was made by the automotive branch of Daewoo, brand General Motors picked up after the Daewoo conglomerate (then the second largest in South-Korea which may as well be called Samsungland) went bankrupt in '99 over almost $90B modern dollars in debt. Its founder Kim Woo-chong (because Lord knows the "woo" in Daewoo did not stand for "woo what a great car") earned a ten year sentence, but I feel they focused too much on the wrong guy. The REAL criminal is whoever penned Daewoo cars.

A good person doesn't do this on purpose.

Owl City I have too few of his songs, but I absolutely love how comically upbeat he is. He is so precious. If c: walked this Earth. I mean "Golf and alcohol don't mix and that's why I don't drink and drive / Because, good grief, I'd knock out my teeth and have to kiss my smile goodbye". Protect this man at all costs. Also one time I saw the Fireflies video after what must have been a good decade and you know when you feel near crying? I adored that song when I was a kid and I was right.

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Liquido European one-hit wonders - and not even "people know them just for one song", not even "people don't know them and just know the song"; I found you can tell people the name of their hit and they won't know what you're talking about. But hum the riff and infallibly, invariably any single person in my country (and, in my limited experience, the rest of Europe) will go "Ooooooh, that one". And to be fair, those guys did stumble on one of the most memorable riffs in modern history.

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Not saying this is a hidden gem of a band, I am sure some bigger music nerd would stamp a big fat "SEEN BEFORE" on all their stuff, beyond some enjoyable splashes of "I wonder how much of this is them leaning into it" cheese (yes, even more than that video) - but I've still got their whole discography including all the B-sides, because to me, so what? It's good music and I'll treat it like it. What's the point of praising "groundbreaking", "genre defining" works and then glossing over those inhabiting the ground they broke and making the genres they defined? When I eat bread I don't complain that it doesn't innovate or set itself apart from the rest of the genre, so as long as my music doesn't bore me why should those be problems there? I feel like people have a problem in general separating their enjoyment of a work from its artistic merit. I'm digressing.

The Beatles If you ask me "What's your favorite number of pant legs?" I'm not going to answer five because two would be cliché.

And now we get to the final answer, the real answer, in such a league of its own it deserves to be separated from the rest via a Read More.

I lied, this is under a Read More because it's an entire fucking dissertation. Your fault for asking.

Caparezza I've spent well over a decade of my life mulling over his lyrics to the point me and my ex-flatmate played this game where she told me a random word and I'd try to find it in his lyrics (e.g. the first word of your ask, "favorite", was used in the second verse of the sixteenth track of his sixth album, yes I am neurodivergent why do you ask), and still it happens that as I am going through my everyday life I happen to accrue some information and slam my forehead going "Oh my God THAT'S what he meant there". His songs are more layered, more deep, more thoughtful, more cutting, more witty, more clever than most prose you see around and still he manages to play with his words and rhymes with incredible dexterity.

Take his last record, Exuvia - actually, take the previous record Exuvia picks up from, Prisoner 709:

Its name not only introduces the theme of imprisonment, but also of dilemmas and juxtapositions, since the prisoner's number, 709, stands for the dilemma about the number of the record: it's the 7th in his discography as Caparezza, but the 9th if one also counts the two shit records he made under his previous name Mikimix (we don't talk about those). Its tracklist, indeed, while being as typical for him incredibly varied in topics (from religions to his affinity with Ludwig II of Bavaria to "I'm not [x], BUT-" types) is arranged as chapters of a journey through an imprisonment (The Crime, The Punishment, The Weight, The Psychologist, The Letter, The Visit, The Yard Time, The Torture, The Revolt, The Guard, The Infirmary, The Window, The Evasion, The Hiding) and associated to dilemmas - for instance, as the record is about his feeling imprisoned in his body and in his role, the first song -and first chapter, The Crime- is indeed Prosopagnosia (i.e. face blindness), a track about him no longer recognizing himself in the artistic reputation he built himself, with the dilemma being between "Michele", his name, and "Caparezza", his rap name. Oh, and if you also want a taste of the impressive wordplay, well, count the letters of those two names. Yep. Every single one of the 16 tracks is a dilemma is between a 7 letter word and a 9 letter word. Because of course it is.

So now, let's get to the last record, Exuvia.

Nah, the pop-up edition's cover fucks way harder.

That's more like it.

Exuvia is the exoskeletal remains left behind by ecdysozoans after ecdysis, i.e. when creatures like insects and crustaceans develop a new exoskeleton and crawl out of their old one, as this record starts from his escaping from the anguish compounded through all his previous records and through a deep analysis of his past, his self, his surroundings, his fate, condensing it all and moving on to a new self, a new birth, a new shell. (Understand how I feel when people say the greatest rapper of all time is one whose greatest record is called "Damn" because the songs made him go "Damn" and whose biggest song is "Biggie Smalls' Juicy but this time about me".)

Well, in the second track of it, about running away from the dire situation of hatred, decay and persecution described in the first track, he says, and I paraphrase,

I give it all up, I'm dying, I retreat - Caporetto plus Waterloo Dripping and smelling like my head was in a station's toilet- oh.

introducing the desperation and hopelessness of military defeats and immediately following it up with an image whose comedic nature makes a contrast so stark as to surprise even him while still, being a reference to the military's hazing and bullying, latching back to the line before. While the prose I represent it with is deliberately poor, the concept behind the words is brilliant enough that it would be a good line if it didn't rhyme at all. And yet the original lines rhyme for twenty syllables. TWENTY.

Thing is, you can be as clever as you want, but the underlying music, you know, it can't be clever, it can just be good or bad. One would think. And yet the music is not just good but full of clever, witty samples and ideas that don't just reinforce the track's mood but tie the instrumental inextricably into the lyrics' themes, like Larsen (the track about his tinnitus, which he calls by audio feedback's technical name of Larsen effect) using high-pitched synths and emphasizing cymbals, Prisoner 709's title track being 79bpm (I wager 709bpm was a bit non-doable), House Credibility's instrumental featuring intercom buzz and cowbells reminiscent of cookware, or, well, everything in Exuvia's second single. See, that song is about the choice he faces between the story of Beethoven, who despite all his challenges kept devoting himself to music until the day he died, or that of Mark Hollis, lead of Talk Talk, who despite all the fame peaced out to focus on his private life - and the entire instrumental is devoted to that concept: the verses' reference Für Elise, the chorus Such A Shame, and the bridge I Believe In You; and when you tun into the background choirs you find they are rhythmically repeating "I don't know".

You start to get a clue why there's three years between his records.

So if his songs are so fucking good, why is he not famous? Well, he is! Except for his first album which no one really noticed (fairly so in my opinion - while I like a few songs I feel he really got going in his second one), the following records did really well for someone with such dense content: his third record has been certified gold! And all the others platinum. Some twice. Never since the first one did a record of his peak under 5 in the charts, and he's got 8 gold singles, 3 platinums and a double platinum. And don't get me started on the shows.

(That's me in the background!) Hell, he's even been on the cover of Billboard! So why've you never heard of him? Well, see the word next to Billboard.

Yep. The man, Michele Salvemini, is an Italian born and raised and, like any proper Italian, doesn't speak a whole lot of English, so pretty much all the English you'll hear in his music are the handful of English features, like Michael Franti, DMC (!) and Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley, with which he made a song about Italy's emigration crisis.

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Emigration that is also internal, from the underdeveloped, falling aparty and criminality-run south of Italy to where all the industries are, the richer and we-pretend-it's-not-criminality-run north. And since he's from Apulia, Italy's heel (his rap name in fact means "curly head" in Apulian dialect), he's made a song about its woes too, featuring the music of the tarantella, Apulia's traditional dance. (I don't know why y'all add an A in front. It's fucking "Puglia", y'all.) Here's an imperfect translation with a couple of helpful explainers to the asterisked terms over in the video's description.

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It depresses me every time I think about it that all the English speakers I know will never be able to fully appreciate his lyrical brilliance. But oh well. At least y'all can appreciate the music... so fuck it, have that song whose music I yapped about so much. You'll hear the choirs in the background say "non so" (I don't know)... and a bunch more Italian words (translated here for those on desktop who want to follow along).

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Links in blue are posts of mine about the topic in question - if you liked this post, you might like those!

#does it show #does it at all show #that you happened to tap into another one of my passions #music #chevrolet aveo #daewoo tacuma

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lacrimosathedark · 5 months

Text

Song recommendation for Jason Todd lovers

I'm one of those dumb bitches who likes to watch animatics on Youtube. I used to love watching amvs. Kinda cringe, but it was like seeing someone else externalize the music video made in your head, right? Which my brain likes to do all the time but I have neither the skill nor the equipment to make that myself.

Which is to say there's a song that is the most Jason Todd song I have ever heard and I've seen no videos for it and it's astonishing.

It's REVIVED by Derivakat.

This is a Dream SMP fan song, but don't let that deter you because idk shit about Dream SMP (I actually have tags for it blocked because it kept coming up on my tumblr page and I Was Not Interested) and I found this song randomly and it took me a hot minute to realized this song WASN'T about Jason Todd.

The first line of the song is literally "White streak in my hair, but no stress now" like excuse me????

Here's a choice sample of some of the most Jason lyrics.

I've seen hell, but this is a bit more my style

I'm alive, I'm revived, I survived, you surprised? Gonna cry about it? You should see the other guy

Am I the bad guy? I'll be the bad guy again, just like last time And we all know how that ends No one came to help, so I'll help myself instead

There's nothing wrong with me, I'm better now that I'm free 'Cause I've seen the other side and now I'm back where I wanna be

On that platform in hell, but I've come back hell-bent

And now I see the causation of all this pain and frustration It's everything that I've taken, oh, yes, I blew up the nation!

White streak, white streak in my hair And I'm not going, not going back there And if there's one thing, one thing that I'll swear I'll be back for a while, kid, so go ahead and smile

Does this NOT sound like a Jason Todd anthem???

And THIS is the cover art for the song on Spotify and Youtube. I dare you to tell me that doesn't look like Jason at a first glance.

Anyway yeah go check out this song cuz it sounds great and always makes me think of Jason when it pops up.

#Jason Todd #Red Hood #Music recommendation #Derivakat

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nogoinghomegame · 9 months

Text

Noel Gallaghers Reddit Absolutely."

NG: "You can send it to my management address, which is Number 54 Linhope Street, London, NW1 6 HL

Ask for Ray

Laughs evilly"

Question 2:

Steamedhams: "Do you ever get tired of those idiots who yell "Slide Away!" at your concerts?

If so, I'm sorry in advance for Monday night."

NG: "HA! Yes. I do."

NG: "I accept your groveling apology. And I still won't be playin' it."

Question 3:

Fagdrew4l: "hey noel, can you give me your favorite smiths song or songs?"

NG: "Ooooh! "Rusholme Ruffians." "The Queen is Dead." "There is a light that never goes out." "These Things Take Time." "Rubber Ring." And "Asleep." Amongst others."

Question 4:

Ericms: "Hey Noel, did the Japanese fan obsessed with your pants actually get to meet you in the end?"

NG: "No."

Question 5:

Thefeb83: "Hi Noel! Do you like classical music? Any favourite composers?"

NG: "ponders

Ennio Morricone is the only one that springs to mind. I've seen 'im twice in the last five years. And his music does bring a tear to my eye. I think he's a genius. Like me."

Question 6:

NoelyGFan: "Hiya Noel. Tayto or Walkers? Curlywurly or Double Decker? And a thank you to your wife for being such an inspiration for me to get fit. (Hence I don't eat any of those much anymore! :) )"

NG: "Tayto

Curlywurly. From the fridge

Oh wow! Well, I would high-five you back on 'er behalf. She's a fitness fanatic my wife. She's fucking gorgeous."

Question 7:

Aman50k: "I'll be attending one of your gigs for the first time this summer? Any advice, aside from not shouting out "LIAM!"?

Also could you please play an acoustic version of Go Let it Out sometime soon? It's one of my favourite tunes of yours!"

NG: "Eh - do I have any advice for you attendin'?

If you could find the time to buy some merchandise, that'd be great. A t-shirt preferably, maybe a poster, ideally a t-shirt AND a poster would be GREAT

Other than that, just clap in all the right places, and you know, don't shout out stupid fucking song titles."

Question 8:

Kyuzwafu: "Hi Noel, quick question. What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to music?"

NG: "Tears for Fears."

Question 9:

State_from_jakefarm: "Hi Noel

Your'e commentary on all of Oasis's music videos is possibly the best thing on Youtube and one of the funniest things ever

So I'm hoping that your stance on videos hasn't changed so we'll see some High Flying Birds commentary down the road. Right?

Also, if you play "All around the world" at the Sony Center on Monday I will dedicate a shrine to you in my closet"

NG: "Oh yeah. Absolutely

Then what better reason for not playing it? Hehehehe."

Question 10:

David_J_Huggins: "Hi Noel

Do you remember where the chant in the demo of Columbia was sampled from?

Sounds like a Hare Krishna-type chant to me, but would love to know where it was actually from. Thanks!"

NG: "None of us know. It was just - we switched on the radio - it was recorded in the middle of the night, about 3 or 4 AM, and we just... it was something that was on the BBC World Service I think or some fucking radio station. None of us know what it is. No idea."

Question 11:

Pottersground: "Hi Noel, fan since the Definitely Maybe days here. Thanks for doing this AMA. My three questions are:

1) If there had been one more Oasis album after Dig Out Your Soul, what do you think it would've been like? Which songs of yours or the other three would you have put on it?

2) What's your maddest Oasis story?

3) What lead to Lock All the Doors being dug up and rerecorded for Chasing Yesterday? And,while we're on the subject, are there any odds in any other old and unreleased songs being redone for future releases? I would love to hear a finished version of Gotta Have Fun from the '89 tape

Cheers Noel!"

NG: "1.) Okay. It would've been half of my first solo record, so "Record Machine" would've probably been on it... "Stop the Clocks" would've probably been on it, and "Dream On" and maybe "Stranded on the Wrong Beach" and then the rest of the guys would've put on some of their own songs

2.) Hah. Wow. Maddest Oasis story. Just the fact that we existed AT ALL and became the biggest band in the world is bizarre enough. I'm not going to share any Oasis stories with anybody online for fear of litigation and libel

Although needless to say - there were oiled midgets involved. grins

There, I've said too much

3.) "Gotta Have Fun?" What led to "Lock All the Doors" being resurrected was just the fact that I kept the chorus in my head all those years... and I just happened to be comin' out of the local supermarket, on a Sunday evening... and snaps fingers it fell out of the sky

That's it

There are no more hidden gems to be regurgitated

Good word. Regurgitated

"Gotta Have Fun?" Don't remember that one."

Question 12:

Ruben122: "Hi Noel. Huge fan from Montevideo, Uruguay here. Any plans on coming to South America? Thank you!"

NG: "Yes. I believe... it's pencilled in... although don't quote me on this... for March 2016."

Question 13:

FootballDropout: "Wow... I can't believe you're finally doing an AMA!

I've been a huge fan of your work for years, and Live Forever is my all-time favorite song. I love the new album, and I can't describe how happy I am that you finished Lock all the Doors. Your music, especially the Masterplan album and your first solo album has been the amazing soundtrack to my teenage years and helped me through some really rough times

Do you have any plans to release songs such as "Bye Bye My Family/Don't Stop Being Happy," "She Must Be One of Us" or "Just Let it Come Down Over Me"?

The Mustique Demos are something of a "Holy Grail" among Oasis fans. Will they be released with the Be Here Now reissue?

To get a response from you would be incredible, and again thank you for all the incredible music."

NG: "Okay

There will be a "Be Here Now" reissue

The Mustique Demos will be on it

Indeed

The 3 songs that you mentioned - "Bye Bye My Family" is called "Don't Stop..." - the other two will definitely be released at some point - not sure when."

Question 14:

Thefatronaldo: "Should City sack Pellegrini this summer and if so who would you like to see in charge next?"

NG: "Should they sack 'im, I don't know

Who should they get? I don't know that either."

Question 15:

*Unknown question*

NG: "Someone asked if I would ever be on Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld:

In a heartbeat

I would fucking pay my own AIRFARE to do that

I'm a HUUUGE fan of Jerry Seinfeld. HUGE."

Question 16:

Laurakd7: "Do you get up to Manchester much these days and do you prefer London now?"

NG: "Eh - I go to Manchester to see my football team, Manchester City. When I go there, I love it. I usually spend about 2 or 3 nights there, at a time, and it's great, but London has become my home. And it's where I will probably stay from now on."

Question 17:

Danniboi1Derz: "What's your favorite thing to eat in the states?"

NG: "Ooooh!

Burgers

Burgers. Mexican food, 'cuz we don't get good Mexican food in England, and there's great Mexican food in America

And hot dogs."

NG: "The hot dog sandwich."

Question 18:

DannyBoi1Derz: "I know your son Donovan and you are pretty big WWE fans. Who's your favorite Wrassler??"

NG: "nods

At the moment - Donovan's favourite wrestler is Brock Lesner. Because he's mean, and evil

My favourite wrestler at the moment is Bray Wyatt. Because we met him when they did a show in London, and he was a really fucking nice guy. And we met Hulk Hogan, and he was a REALLY fucking nice guy. He asked if I was one of his Hulkamaniacs, and I had to say "yes, of course!" He came into this room, and I was going "Look Donovan, it's Hulk Hogan" and he goes "Look BROTHER, are you one of my Hulkamaniacs?!" and I said "Yes, of course!"

Question 19:

SuperT15: "Hey Noel, been a huge fan for years

What do you think is the most underrated Oasis song? Listen Up would be my choice."

NG: " "She is Love."

"Idler's Dream."

"Let's All Make Believe."

And... and... "Part of the Queue."

Question 20:

Frankm95: "Noel, do you consider a hotdog to be put under the category of a saddwich?"

NG: "Hahaha!

YES

Frequently

I frequently consider the hotdog a sandwich."

Question 21:

Lizzibarnes: "Also, forgot to ask! The ring with the red stone that you've always worn, what is the significance of it? I've always wondered! Thank you for being a rock-god."

NG: "gestures with ring

Thank you very much

I bought this ring in a pawn shop in Tokyo in the 90's. It's a US college ring that I believe people get when they graduate from college in America. It was given to somebody. I'm assuming a G.I. stationed in Tokyo, from Ruston High School in Mississippi (I've looked it up)

It has started many a boring conversation with some of the American armed forces in airport lounges across the world, when they'll say to me "Where'd you go to school buddy?"

"Manchester?"

"I see you got a ring there. Where'd you go to school?"

"I went to Ruston High School in Mississippi, as you can tell by my accent.""

Question 22:

Keepit_creepy: "Hi Noel, I have always wondered what your vocal warm-up consists of pre-gig?. Since your vocals are always on point!."

NG: "Eh... I sing "The Macarena." I do some yodelin'. And then I finish with "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce

Chuckles"

Question 23:

Gusrodlopez: "How was life before Oasis? did you had any life goal or something?"

NG: "No, where I came from, and the times that I grew up in, it was best not to have any ambitions. It was quite a bleak time

I never had a life goal until I wrote "Live Forever." And then when I wrote "Live Forever," I wanted to be in the biggest band in the world."

Question 24:

Riceomatic69: "Hey Noel, always wanted to ask this....back in the 90's you worked with Epiphone on your signature model "Supernova" guitar

However it didn't have any of the details of the custom shop Union Jack Epiphone you were most famous for at the time & have never seen any footage of you playing one

Did you have much involvement in the design or was it just a nice big bag of cash handed over for the use of your signature? :)"

NG: "chuckles

Okay, FIRSTLY, there was no big bag of fucking cash

Secondly, I was involved in the design

Thirdly, I can't fucking remember what my involvement was

Fourthly, I do have one, somewhere. But... I shouldn't have made them sonic blue color

It's disgustin'

Tell her I was high on the time, on drugs."

Question 25:

Bonojour: "Will there ever be a song featuring Boots? I think the meows would be a great harmony."

NG: "chuckles

Eh...Boots is an arrogant little shit

Yeah

That's my cat. He's been ignoring me for the last fucking five years

Me and Boots could never work together. There would be too many "artistic differences."

Question 26:

Venomousvillainy: "Hi. My Dad reckons he tested your eyes as a kid, do you remember going to an Opticians in Gorton?"

NG: "Gorton?

Yeah...kind of. Well, I know where Gorton is, and I know where my eyes are, and would I have had them tested in Gorton? I don't know

Gorton is like, an area of Manchester near where I used to live."

Question 27:

Jyhwkm: "Noel, you’ve always seemed dismissive of Oasis' Be Here Now - Heathen Chemistry years. Why is that? It was the ascots, wasn’t it?"

NG: "I dismiss "Be Here Now" because it's shit. And I'm allowed to say that because I fucking wrote it. "Heathen Chemistry" on the other hand, has its moments... "Force of Nature," "She is Love," "Little By Little," "Stop Crying Your Heart Out," etcetera

But yeah - "Be Here Now." Hmmm."

Question 28:

JamJam21: "Hi Noel! will you be adding anymore dates in the uk to your tour?"

NG: "I think there will be more dates, but not 'til 2016."

Question 29:

LordSifter: "You're still great mates with Gem - what's next for him? Will we see the 2 of you play together in the near future?"

NG: "I was with Gem about 4 weeks ago. Didn't get a chance to talk about anything really. It was at a party I was having in my dressing room, and there were too many people there. But if I needed on a track or a gig that thing that Gem offers, then I wouldn't hesitate to call him because I'd still like to think we're good friends and musical partners

As for what he's going to do in the future... I have no idea."

Question 30:

PraetorianGuard14: "Have you seen the new documentary on Kurt Cobain?"

NG: "No."

Question 31:

Jamesh134: "Hi Noel, what ever happened to the Oasis version of "The Roller"?

Also, I wanted to say thanks for all the music over the years. Been a source of inspiration all my life!"

NG: "Oh, thank you very much

The Oasis version of "The Roller" is... in somebody's... demo CD collection CD, somewhere. Not mine, I might add

Somebody will have it. Gem will probably have a copy of it. As has Liam, no doubt."

Question 32:

Sterlingavenueband: "Hi Noel. First of all- thank you for the many years of great music and leading me to my first guitar 18 years ago. Forever indebted to you for this

What are your thoughts on the songs 'Let's All Make Believe' and 'Roll It Over' and what are the chances of ever hearing them live? They're amongst two of my favourites of many which have never been done live before. Thanks in advance."

NG: "Eh - "Roll It Over" probably will never be performed live. But on the other hand, "Let's All Make Believe" I was messing around with it before this tour started, so I wouldn't be surprised if I play it in the very far distant future."

Question 33:

ZeppelinYanks: "Hey Noel! I'm a huge fan of Oasis and your solo work

A lot of what made Oasis great was the rock and roll attitude of "Fuck you, we're the greatest band in the world." What do you think about the current state of rock and roll? Is it alive, dead, or dying?"

NG: "ponders

I think that rock n' roll has turned into - or been turned into - a thing that is now referred to as "modern rock." Which is an awful title to give any kind of music. I think - I just think that the attitude, and the spirit, that we had is definitely disappearing."

Question 34:

Rodoalo: "Hi Noel, it's Rod from URUGUAY

My question has always been this:

Do you have any knowledge of music theory or did you learn songwriting by ear?

Cheers, your new record is amazing."

NG: "I learnt song-writin' by ear and instinct. I've never studied musical theory. I would never allow myself or any of my children to study musical theory. Because if you study musical theory, you will eventually end up soundin' like...shit

Hahaha."

Question 35:

Riceomatic69: "You have always spoken very highly of Ryan Adams & his version of Wonderwall, have you ever encountered anybody else that covered one of your tracks & thought it was as good as your version or maybe even better?"

NG: "No."

Question 36:

Look_who_it_isnt: "Hi Noel! I'm a huge fan. Your music has brought me so much enjoyment over the years - I can't even put it into words. I have major respect and love for you and wish you all the happiness in the world! I have two questions for you:

1) I love your sense of humor. You always make me laugh :) What's your favorite comedy, either from TV or movies?

2) A lot of us ladies think you're just the hottest thing ever. Does it bother you to be considered a veritable sex god? ;)"

NG: "1.) SEINFELD. The greatest thing that's ever been on television

2.) It's a cross I have to bear. And unfortunately... you know, it's a long road that I will have to carry this cross down. But I could think of worse things to be. I.E... a French person in Montreal."

Question 37:

Loulou96: "Hi Noel

I heard on radio 1 you perform shows wearing no underwear, can you confirm?"

NG: "Yeah, well, clearly that was a joke."

Question 38:

Super2goten: "Hey! Whose names were written on that napkin, Noel?

Thanks for being a legend! Think The Dying Of The Light/The Right Stuff/While The Song Remains The Same may be your best work yet, so thanks for that too! CTID!"

NG: "The names on the napkin was yours and your family's."

NG: "And I agree with those songs being my best work, and I admire your taste."

Question 39:

GiovaniGuizzo: "Hello Mr. Gallagher. Thanks for doing this AmA. I am a huge Oasis's and NGHFB's fan and I actually have several questions, but I will contain myself and ask just 3:

Which music is this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5mYMKfuUYc ? It sounds pretty amazing. Would you consider recording it eventually? Can you give us the name of this tune at least?

Have you met the girl of "Talk Tonight" after you wrote the song? If you have, how was the meeting?

I loved your new album, specially the "Lock All the Doors" track (what a blast from the past). Can we expect other reworked songs from the past in your future albums?

PS: You would like to take a look at /r/oasis. There are some interesting and insightful posts there from some mad fans."

NG: "1.) That song is called "Don't stop..." I've already recorded it. The reason it didn't make it onto "Chasing Yesterday" was because it didn't fit the vibe of the album. Needless to say, when I finally get 'round to releasing it, I think it will be one of my best ever releases. The sound of it is more akin to the first album, and I felt like "Chasing Yesterday" had moved on a little bit. But it's a great song, and I love it, and when I finally release it, you're going to love it (fans, that is)

2.) Eh - no, I haven't. I struggle to remember her name, to be honest

3.) No. That's it now, I'm afraid. The cupboards are bare."

Question 40:

Rak86t: "You're a great story teller and have such a way with words. Would you ever consider writing a book?"

NG: "looks around room

No."

Question 41:

Supersonic5: "Hey Chief! Never in a million years thought I’d see you do an AMA

You mentioned that you regret the name ‘Chasing Yesterday’, would you change it if you could, and what would you change it to?"

NG: ""Regret" is too strong a word. I don't think it's the greatest title I ever came up with. But then again, neither was "What's the Story, Morning Glory." If I could change it now, I'd probably change it to... eh... "Dark Side of the Room"

OR "Wheat is Murder." Hahahaha!"

Question 42:

Chenredditdude: "Hey Noel, I've noticed that in many songs you play E MINOR... Is it a heavenly chord?"

NG: "Hmmm

I guess it must be."

Question 43:

Govt_cheeze: "Hello Noel

How does it feel to be one of the last true rockstars?

What do you think of the new Blur album?"

NG: "It feels good to be one of the last rockstars

If in fact, that's what I am

And from what I've heard of the new Blur album, it sounds pretty good."

Question 44:

Rpm959: "What do you think it will take for guitar music to make a comeback?"

NG: "Somebody to write some fucking great songs

That's all it'll ever take

That's all it takes. People can talk about "attitude," and "spirit" and fucking good-looking guys in bands, and vibe, and fucking blah-blah-blah. I dare ANYBODY from the next generation to write one decent chorus

Yeah

Just one."

Question 45:

Justsomepersononredd: "Hi Noel, huge fan of most of your work

1) Do you ever get tired of people asking you all kinds of questions about Oasis? I've watched a few interviews with you post-Oasis and pretty much everyone's asked you a question or two about Oasis, I suppose I'm really not being different but do you ever feel like people should just move on?

2) How has touring and your creative process changed over the years? I mean, the music you put out now is quite different from the start of your career and I'm guessing there isn't as much partying behind the scenes as when you started

3) Which modern-day bands do you listen to nowadays? I discovered Kasabian by watching an interview of you and I think they're amazing, so thanks for that too

4) Any musicians you'd like to collaborate with?

5) I read that you had another brother, Paul, but I've never actually heard anything about him. What's he like?

6) What do you think of all these new forms of music distribution? Itunes, Spotify, Tidal, etc

Thanks for your time, hope you enjoy your AMA, and keep being an awesome musician"

NG: "1.) Yes. I do feel like they should move on. But I don't mind answerin' the questions if they're from fans, because i know how much that band meant, and continues to mean to people. So in my head, and my heart, I've moved on. So it's cool

2.) There's certainly not as much partying in front of the scenes, that's for sure. Everything changes as you get older in life. You know, you don't attempt as much as you did when you're 47 as you did when you were 27 - whether that be length of time on the road, or partying, or amount of songs that you write, or the places you're willing to go to write those songs. The life of a musician in regards to gettin' older is just the same as everybody else's life as they get older. Your fucking shit changes. Not literally

3.) Eh - yes, Kasabian would be one of my favourites. There's a band called Neon Waltz that you should check out. I'm not sure... there's a band called Jungle. Fucking hell, they are amazin'. Other than that, I'm still discovering old stuff from the 60's, I'm afraid

4.) Dave Gillmore, Jeff Beck, Davie Bowie would be - fucking hell, that would blow my mind if he would even shake a maraca for one tune, that'd be great. Yeah

5.) Heh. He's a fucking idiot - I'm only jokin' - haha! He's a dj. He - when I'm on tour in the UK - he does my official after show parties. And he's a funny, funny dude

6.) I don't agree with streamin'. I certainly don't agree with the lack of royalties that I receive from streamin'. I realize that the world is changin', and the way that people receive music - and even the fact that I use the phrase "receive music" is a fucking disgrace. I would rather that people own it. But I'm not sure where it's all going to end, if I'm being honest

I'll try."

Question 46:

Pheelip: "Hey Noel, huge fan. What do you think has been your greatest musical achievement?"

NG: "Whooooooo

I couldn't say with any great sense of certainty, because it changes every day for me, but I'm going to say the song "Rock & Roll Star" because it sums up everything about bein' young, and bein' in a band, and the hopes and dreams of, you know, a young land from Manchester

And it's a fucking great song."

Question 47:

MadferitNYC: "Do you think a rock band in 2015 can reach the level of popularity that Oasis reached? Or do you think that the music industry is too dead for there ever to be a rock band that reaches those heights again?"

NG: "I think that the days of a rock band explodin' out of a council estate in the north of England and going on to connect with so many people in so many countries around the world... I think the chances of that happenin' again are very, very slim

But we live in hope."

Question 48:

Karmarghh: "Hey Noel, been a huge fan of yours almost all 20 years of my life. I have been lucky enough to see NGHFB twice recently and just want to tell you the new album is f***ing incredible! You, among the likes of Bacharach and Macca, are my absolute inspiration for pursuing a life in Music, so thanks for that. Anyway - couple questions for you:

1) As a songwriter, could you let me in on your approach to melody? I listen to yours and ask myself "why the bloody hell didn't I think of that?!". Do they really just pop into your head or do you find there is a lot of trial and error?

2) Reckon you can give me a kick-start and replace Mike Rowe with me on keys? He's a cool guy, but I'll do it for nothing. That gives me the edge right? Oh and I won't f*ck it up - I promise!!

Take it easy Noel, and keep doing what you're doing. Riverman blows my mind."

NG: "1.) Eh - it depends. The great ones usually just pop into your head. And seem to just fall out of the sky. And then some of them you have to work at. There is no golden rule or any rule set in stone for songwritin'. No matter what anybody might tell you, it seems to change from song to song for me. But I guess... I always, always, ALWAYS let the melody dictate the rest. I don't worry about the chords. I just let the melody dictate where the song's going to go and sometimes they're great and sometimes they're not

2.) Well, you're in! Cheap labor is my forte, haha."

Question 49:

Sally_cinnamon_: "Hi Noel! First of all, thanks for giving us so much great music. You truly are a godlike genius

My question for you is: where did your sense of humor and talent for storytelling come from? Because I think you are genuinely one of the funniest people in the world seemingly without even trying

Also, do you still think dogs in hats and sunglasses are hilarious?"

NG: "Well - dogs in hats and sunglasses - there is *NOTHING* funnier than a dog in a hat

Ehm - I don't know. My sense of humor, I don't know. It's Irish, it must've been passed down to me from somebody in Ireland."

Question 50:

Jeavo: "Hi Noel, thanks for doing this AMA

If at all any, what video games do you play?"

NG: "I don't play video games

I have a life. And that life is too short for video games

Some of my band play video games on tour. It drives me up the fucking wall. And it's one of the main reasons why I'll probably fire the fucking lot of them on this tour."

Question 51:

Shivan21: "Hi Noel! I've always wondered about the meaning of D'you know what I mean video, and especially the fact that there is Be Here Now and D'you know what I mean written in czech language. The video has very 60's atmosphere for me and they are also alluded by Beatles references. Considering the military choppers, could be the video understood as refering to the Prague Spring in 1968?"

NG: "No. Okay. The video for "D'You know what I mean" was shot on the deserted set of FULL METAL JACKET, which is still - you can still visit it in London - so it's an old, disused gasworks in London. The Czech writing, I'm not sure what that's all about, I thought it was Vietnamese writin'. The choppers was a reference to Vietnam. What any of that has to do with the fucking song is beyond me. I don't even know what the song's about, never mind the video!"

Question 52:

Brutalful: "Hi Noel

I am curious what (if anything) is still on your bucket list?

If you have done it all, what are your top 5 moments in life, and is playing with Johnny Marr on that list?

Cheers!"

NG: "Okay. First of all - a bucket list is the most fucking ludicrous fucking term I've ever heard, in my life

BUT

I would like someday to record an album in New York. I would also like to have Dave Gilmore play on a track for me. And Jeff Beck. I think that's about it

Oh, actually, I also still think that one day I'm going to write the greatest song in the world."

Question 53:

Nathanoasis: "Hello Noel! Your music is incredible, all 20 years of it, and it has changed my life. Thank you for that and thank you for doing this AMA. I have a question about the song that is going around the Internet under the name "Bye Bye My Family" (and "Don't Stop the Happenin'" and "Hold Back the Night"). From what we've heard, the song sounds amazing. Will this song ever be recorded and released? Thank you again and keep on being an absolute fucking legend!"

NG: "chuckles

I pretty much just answered that question about 20 minutes ago. It's a song called "Don't Stop..."

I've already recorded it. It didn't make it onto "Chasing Yesterday" because it sounded a bit too much like what was already on the first High Flying Birds album

But it will be released, in, you know... soon!"

Question 54:

MidnightPizza: "Hello Mr. Gallagher! I'd like to thank you for all the music you wrote. I hope to see one of your show soon and maybe pay you a beer. Here are my questions:

1) Are you still thinking about doing an album with Damon Albarn? What do you think about The Magic Whip, Blur's latest album?

2) What's your opinion about Dave Sardy's input on your work? Some people think that your latest work (especially your first solo album) could've been better without him and that producing Chasing Yesterday yourself was refreshing. I personally enjoy the Dave Sardy produced albums as much as any other album you wrote

Anyway, congratulation on Chasing Yesterday. It really is a great album."

NG: "1.) Ehm - the thing with Damon was a flippant comment as casually thrown around as "We should go for a drink." As for makin' an album, I would be amazed if either of us ever had the time to make that work. As for "The Magic Whip," I like the tracks "Lonesome Street" and "Ong Ong" - I haven't heard any of the rest of it, but if those two tracks are anything to go by, sounds like it's going to be good

2.) Ehm - his input was fantastic. And at the time, invaluable. And I couldn't have got my solo career off the ground without him. All that being said - you know, my record, this record, "Chasing Yesterday," sounds that good. With any producer, it's all about the relationship, as opposed to the skills that they can bring. But me and Dave, you know, still to this day we remain good friends, and maybe we'll work together again in the future."

Question 55:

SnakeArms: "Hi Noel! In ALL of your interviews you've said that the original verses to 'Lock All The Doors' went to The Chemical Brother's 'Setting Sun’, which is weird, because the 1993 demos we have suggest that the songs original verses were instead used in 'My Sister Lover' and the verses that went to 'Setting Sun' came from a different demoed song 'Coming on Strong'. Have we missed something or does any of this sound true at all??

Oh, and what happened to 'Slow' and 'The Red, White & Blue'?!"

NG: "You should bear in mind that my memory's not the best

If you're telling me it's from a different song, then I would probably agree

I'd like to think that the Chemical Brothers story is a better STORY though

So let's keep that between us."

Question 56:

LittleWoodstock: "Hey Noel, big fan of all your work!

Is your work any different with the High Flying Birds than it was with Oasis? Are there any aspects from the Oasis days you miss?"

NG: "I miss... the camaraderie of being in a band, in the studio. That is to say, there are massive benefits - by makin' a record on your own, you can change direction very very quickly. And you don't have to run things by "the committee" of band members

On the other hand, it's great to share, you know... to share the greatness with other people, d'you know what I mean? If I can give you an analogy, you know, the more people at a party, the better

Shrugs

Although it's sometimes nice to party on your own."

Question 57:

MONTREAL_COME_ON: "WHY TORONTO AND NOT MONTREAL? we've got a better hockey club and our football team is getting better every year."

NG: "Because I went to a fucking donut shop once in Montreal, and all the staff spoke French! And last time I looked - France was on the other side of the fucking world

So I say to the people of Montreal - au revoir

Hahahaha!"

Question 58:

ExtremelySexyMan: "Hey Noel, first off, huge fan, thanks for doing this

My question is, after writing great songs for more than 20 years now, where do you get your inspiration for new material? I imagine it to be the most difficult part of being a musician, and I am continually blown away by your work

Cheers, and go City!"

NG: "Ehm... I guess I'm a product of my record collection, which is ever-expanding and gets ever-more eclectic. And I don't ever sit down when I'm writin' a song and feel like I've got anything profound to say to the universe... I just - to coin the phrase from that godawful film FROZEN... I just let it go... let it go!

Smiles"

Question 59:

Stevie_j: "Noel, thanks for many years of amazing music. Please don't stop

Have you ever thought of doing a comedy tour? Seriously."

NG: "HA!!!!

Fucking hell - NO.”

#noel gallagher #my stuff #my drafts

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lovejustforaday · 4 months

Text

2023 Year End List - #6

Red Moon In Venus - Kali Uchis

Main genres: Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B, Psychedelic Soul

A decent sampling of: Synth Funk, Smooth Soul

Coming out as a Kali Uchis stan.

But for real, the Colombian American singer/songwriter seems to be the one artist that music hipsters, the English mainstream(ish), and the Hispanic mainstream can all collectively agree upon. Part of this is most definitely owed to Kali's versatility as an artist, with a primary basis of sound rooted in R&B (particularly neo-soul) but regularly dipping her toes into the waters of reggaetón, hip hop, bolero, and afrobeats.

Kali is also a definite lover of retro chic, given her clear appreciation for mid 20th century easy-listening pop and old Hollywood glamour. She cites artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Celia Cruz, and Curtis Mayfield as some of her biggest influences. At the same time, she modernizes these influences and aesthetics with a post-sexual revolution ethos of overpowering feminine-centred eroticism and fiercely wielded confidence and self-love.

Her voice is pleasant, mature, and strikingly womanly, in that same kind of way when you first discover as a child the sensation of being struck by the awe-inspiring beauty of a grown woman. Even as a gay man, I can confidently say that I think this is a sort of universal childhood experience, right?

Actually, I think a lot of Kali Uchis' success as an artist can be attributed to just how likable her musical persona is. I think that deep down, many of us want to be a Kali - completely liberated, in touch with our sensuality, and going through life as a warm and confident optimist. She makes music that isn't just well-written; it makes you feel good about life.

After making a big splash with her stellar 2018 LP Isolation and following it up with the success of 2020's Sin Miedo which was more invested in her Latin American roots and corresponding following, I was very curious to see where she would take things next with her career.

In the end, as it would turn out, Kali Uchis' 2023 record didn't really amount to anything that surprising. Instead, we were treated to a progression and evolution in her sound that feels very natural to her, culminating in an album that makes good on the typical promises of a Kali Uchis project.

That is to say, Red Moon In Venus exists in a rose-tinted world bedecked with lush palm trees and populated by curvaceous mermaids. The record is a creamy cocktail of smooth and funky soul jams with the sweet taste of cinnamon kisses and strawberry wine. A true musical oasis of the richest fruits.

Kali really is at the top of her game here. Everything is a subtle improvement on what already mostly worked for her on past projects, with a little more psychedelic flavour added into the mix, resulting in a final product that just sounds and feels really gorgeous and summery to listen to. Not all great music has to be challenging; this just does incredibly well at what it is already comfortable doing.

The record's first song proper is the lead single "I Wish You Roses", a beautiful parting gift to an ex-lover she holds no grudge towards. Petals flutter past the mind's eye as the world of this neo-soul paean springs to life with all the shades of a summer's rainbow. This song is a soft sigh of relief, heard quite vividly in the actual noticeable sighing melodies of those psychedelic keyboards in the chorus. A very classy song, expressing a sentiment not nearly heard often enough in most music about breakups.

"All Mine" is a lights off "wah-wah" slow jam describing a greedy lover's fantasy of having someone completely to themselves. The sound of the passionate id taking over the superego's domain.

Fans of the big city pop explosion that happened on the internet with the surge of Mariya Takeuchi's "Plastic Love" a few years ago may get a lot of mileage out of "Endlessly", a synth funk track that captures a similar kind of metropolitan utopianism. Kali really knows how to bring the kind of riding-passenger-in-a-red-convertible energy that a track like this one needs to really all come together.

"Moral Conscience", in mild contrast to "I Wish You Roses", is a cautionary tale of karma hunting down an ex-lover who hurt her. Even still, there's more of an air that she's simply warning the wrongful party here - it's not a threat, she's just stating a fact about how the world works (as she sees it anyway). Still keeping it classy. Musically, this is thick and fleecy, lounging languidly in a boudoir sofette with low humming synths.

"Deserve Me" is an elegant and drip-droppy hip hop soul duet with Summer Walker, who is now officially my new favourite random feature after previously popping up on last year's Kendrick Lamar record. Very killer refrain on this cut, almost as addictive as the track that follows it. Speaking of which...

"Moonlight" was quite possibly my SOTY for 2023. A lot can be said for how erotic round shapes are for basically all genders and sexual preferences, and I don't know how to explain this but the song simply sounds ROUND in every possible way. The funk bass is so bubbly and horny and sopping wet that it's probably illegal in many parts of the world. Kali is giving it her ALL on those verses. Absolutely luxurious production. The chorus has that subtle air of mystery that really ensnares the erotic imagination. I can't even remember the last time I heard a song that positively oozed sex like this, while also describing such a clearly healthy relationship. Is it possible to be getting drunk off of flowery bubble bath fumes? Because this is precisely what it would feel like. Interstellar spa getaway for two in the neon pink galaxy of Aphrodite. Perfect fucking song. A++ goddamn.

I could say a few words as to how this is a back-loaded record, but I think y'all have heard me call something front or back loaded at least a dozen times and I'm struggling to find original ways to express this sentiment. Either way, this is a milder case - more just that the second half is so consistently brilliant that it kinda blows the first half out of the water, particularly that early-mid section. The weakest moments here are the least imaginative ones.

But a very good chunk of this record is just pure gold. Red Moon In Venus is a vibrant and aesthetically immaculate R&B record, possibly the best of the new decade thus far.

As I publish this review, Kali has already dropped another album in the first few weeks of 2024 and it sounds almost as good as this one. I don't know how exactly she's doing it but she makes exploring a variety of genres and killing it at every one of them look so easy. Kali Uchis is the queen of her medium right now.

9/10

Highlights: "Moonlight", "I Wish You Roses", "Deserve Me (with Summer Walker)", "Moral Conscience", "All Mine", "Endlessly", "Not Too Late (Interlude)", "Love Between", "Happy Now"

#album review #music review #list #aoty #year end list #2023 #aoty2023 #neo-soul #soul #psychedelic soul #R&B #contemporary R&B #Kali Uchis #red moon in venus

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nightmaremp · 2 months

Text

Weremayhem: Song of Beasts. Ch 19: The Shop of the Wolf

The flashbacks show a young Dr. Teeth. He was flossing his teeth. The ginger haired male was 16. He had his glasses but they were normal glasses, no purple tin to them. Teeth was wearing a Jacket that had a tooth patch on it. The jacket was gray and red with white buttons. He was also wearing some blue jeans with some old sneakers that were red and white. The young doc had no scars on his body except for some on his thighs and his lower back.

“All aboard the Molar Express. Who wants dental floss?” asked Tina as she was at the entrance of the bus. She had no gray hair in her beehive hairstyle. The ginger haired female was wearing a white dentist coat with a big smile face pin on it. A pink dress shirt was under the coat and she was wearing a black skirt with some black high heels to match. Yellow toothbrush earrings hang from her ears.

“Right, Gerald?” she added.

“Yep” replied Gerald. His dark brown hair was fluffy and not bald in the middle. He was wearing a white coat like his wife with a light blue bow tie. Also some black dress pants and shoes. The dark haired male still had the scar on his cheek. Gerlad pulled on a rope that made the horn toot.

The kids look unhappy or bored out of their minds. “But first, time for floss-toss” said the ginger haired female. She threw some floss at the kids. “Floss-toss” said Tina as she threw them.

She peaks her head around and looks at her son. “Junior,” the mother said. He looks at his mother.

“Go nab me some more free samples. These kids are loving ‘em!” she added.

He rolled his eyes. “All right, mama,” he replied in a nerdish, shy, quiet voice. His voice wasn’t like his voice now which was loud and had a deep growl to it.

He walks to the back of the bus that had one of the doors open. “Why I got to be here while Luna is off with her friends, Liam is at home sick” he mumbles under his breath. The ginger haired boy stops as he hears a guitar strumming from a shop that was nearby.

The shop was called “Jerry’s Tunes” and it was where the sound was coming from. Teeth walks into the shop. He make sure that his parents weren't looking.

Inside, it was filled with instruments. There was a guy there that was playing the guitar behind the table of the check out area. It was young Floyd. He was 19 at the time. His red long hair was on his shoulders. He wears glasses like Junior. He was wearing a white t-shirt under a blue jean jacket. Floyd had a few mustache hair growing, looking like whiskers or like one of those show dogs after getting a groom.

The ginger haired male comes over to the guy. “Say, that’s a catchy tune.” said Teeth. Floyd left his head up to see the young male. He could tell the kid was at least 16 but boy, was he tall for his age. He was taller than Floyd.

“Oh! Well, thank you. I’m still learning” replied the red haired male.

“Yeah, I cannot seem to get my finger around the little string there, but, say, do you play?” added Floyd.

“No, no. Hey, but you know what I like to do?” replied Junior.

‘What’s that?” replied Floyd, curious.

“I sneak into the clubs on Bourbon Street” replied the young doc.

“Yeah?” replied the red haired male.

“And peek through the windows” added the ginger haired male.

“Yeah?” replied Floyd. He chuckles as the teen reminds him as his younger self when he used to tell his father random things that happened.

“I always get caught. But, hey, it’s free” replied Teeth with a soft smile.

“Yeah” replied Floyd.

“Hey, well, you can pop in here anytime to hear the tunes I’m tinkering on,” he added.

“You know, if you want. Like, this one I’m working on goes like this” said Floyd as he started to play his guitar riff.

Teeth looked at the bowl on the table, it was filled with harmonica. He took one out and slowly started to play it. The red haired male stops and looks in shock as he sees the teen playing the harmonica great. The young doc stops and looks embarrassed.

“Yeah!” chuckle Floyd.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself” replied Junior as he tried to put the instrument back with the others in the bowl.

“No, no, no! Hey, consider it a gift” replied Floyd. The teen stops as he holds the harmonica.

“You know, because you slobbered it up and all,” he added.

“No, no. I can’t” replied Teeth in a nervous tone. He knew his mother would kill him if he kept it.

The red haired male laughs. “Sure, you can. You’re a natural” replied Floyd with a smile.

“And thanks to you, I think I got my bridge,” he added.

“Hey! What do you say we take it from the top? Come on, now. Two, three, four” said Floyd before he started playing again.

They start playing a type of blues music. “Ha-ha! I love it!” chuckle the red haired male. Suddenly, Tina came in and gasped in shock and horror.

Junior jumps and looks scared to death. “Junior. What are you doing?” asked the ginger haired female in a stern tone with her hands on her hips.

“That mouth toy’ll blow the enamel right off your teeth '' she added. “Tell him, Gerald” said his mother. His father came up behind his mother.

“Yep” replied Gerald.

“That’s my fault, ma’am. Yeah, he was just holding it for me” said Floyd. He didn’t want the young teen to get in trouble for having fun.

“Well, you best take it back, Cause this fine boy is gonna be a doctor one day.” replied Tina with a hissed like tone. As she said this, her eyes flashed a gold yellow color.

The red haired male realized she is a wereanimal like him. Actually he could smell their scent. They were in the feline family of wereanimals but the young teen smell like a hybrid of two species from the family tree.

“Yes, ma'am,” replied Floyd. He doesn't know why but this mother is making his werewolf self fear in terror just by her tone of voice.

“Let’s go, baby” Tina said to Teeth before leaving the shop with her husband.

“Y’all have a nice one” said the red haired male. Junior softly chuckles before laying the harmonica on the table next to the bowl.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Yeah. Hey, don’t worry about it” replied Floyd. “Future Doctor Man” he added.

“See you around” the young Floyd said before the flashback ended.

Teeth jump and let out a sound that sounds like a demonic cat. “Flashback” he said with his eyes wide.

“Are you okay?” asked Nora in a worried tone.

“Who’s feeling gumbo?” asked the good doctor. “It’s crawdadding time!” he added before letting out all these exclaiming sounds and weird feline sounds as he run out of the room.

Moog’s eyes go wide in fear and shock. “Wait, crawdadding? No. I just got you guys back on track” replied the black haired female.

“And now, we’re off again” replied Floyd.

“See, every decade or so, Teeth’s parents roll into town and get him all spun out about taking over the family dental practice,” he added.

“But like, don’t worry,” said janice.

“We just have to wait for him to cycle through his emotional rejuvenation journey,” she added.

“What?” asked Label Lady with her eyes wide.

“Yeah. But eventually, he tells them no, and things go back to normal in no time” replied Floyd Pepper. The blonde female nods her head.

“Uh-huh. And how much is “no time” ?” asked Nora.

“Could be a week, sometimes a month.” replied the red haired male.

“One time, it was a majority of the aughts,” he added.

“Ooh, wow.” replied Janice. “That was, like, such a wild time. The naughty aughties” she added. Floyd Pepper raises an eyebrow.

“Fun stuff. We can’t lose our lead singer for a week to a decade” replied the black haired female.

“Okay, no. I’m gonna go talk some sense into him” she added as she got up to chase after the band leader.

“Teeth!” Nora yelled.

“Hold on. Come back!” yelled Floyd as he and Janice run after Label Lady.

“Wait. There’s a lengthy process!” said Jancie.

“What you don’t know is nothing,” said Floyd Pepper.

“Hold on!” said the blonde female as they chased after Nora. Moog gets up but get stopped by Animal.

“Nora!” said the drummer.

“Oh, my God.” he said before he clears his throat. “Yep. That’s her name.” replied the black haired male.

“Nora” replied the wild man.

“Yeah. We got her back, you and me” replied Moog.

“Nora,” replied Animal.

“Is there any reason you keep repeating that?” he asked the drummer.

“Nora” whispers Animal.

“And now, you’re whispering it.” replied the black haired male.

“Nora” the drummer whispers it again.

“Okay” replied Moog. The wild man laughs.

Meanwhile with the good doctor, he got ready to go crawdadding. He got everything from baits, nets, and waders. “Boat’s ready. Got my waders. Last call for crawdadding, y’all” sais Teeth as he walks out the back door.

“Wait, you can’t just go…And, he’s gone” said Nora as the door slams shut.

“Oh, like, that just means that phase one of his process has, like, officially begun” replied Janice.

“The good news is, it always ends with a delicious jumbo gumbo.” added Floyd as he can’t wait to eat the gumbo.

“Bad news is, then comes phase two.” said the red haired male.

“Wait, phase two?” asked Moog.

“Creative malaise” replied the blonde female.

“Creative what?” asked Nora.

“Creative mayonnaise,” replied Animal.

“Creative what?” she asked again.

#the muppets #dr teeth and the electric mayhem #dr teeth #weremayhemau #lips muppet #muppet mayhem #zoot muppet #floyd pepper #animal muppet #gerald teeth #tina teeth #nora singh #Luna Chirp #Liam Teeth #janice muppets #moog muppet mayhem

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lorz-ix · 9 months

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More "reviews": the music arc

The Offspring - Self titled (1989)

The punk band's debut album, I'd say this isn't particularly special in the grand scheme of things, but it can be interesting for some fans to hear where a band started, how their sound came to be. It's also just over 30 minutes long, a fairly short affair, a very small time investment.

A particularly notable track is the closing act, Kill the President, which was predictably controversial and was omitted from several reprints of the record, as well as current-day streaming services like Spotify. You can skip the rest if you want, but I can recommend that last song simply because of its significance.

Avril Lavigne - Let Go (2002)

I wanted to listen to the whole album some very popular hits like Complicated and Sk8r Boi, and what I got was somewhat disappointing. Lavigne's pop-punk brings me straight back to my childhood in the early 2000s, and I do like the personality that she brings to her music, but while the first 4 or 5 tracks had me thinking "this stuff is so fun, I wish it was still popular today", by the second half I was getting tired of all the songs sounding very samey and less energetic. Mixed recommendation for this one.

Rage Against the Machine - Self titled (1992)

Here's one that I barely need to introduce. The debut of the revolutionary band, featuring some of their most popular songs to this day, it's a must-listen for anyone interested in anything punk/alt-metal or notable left-wing art in general. Killing in the Name is of course very well-known, but my personal favorite is definitely Know Your Enemy, so those are the ones to hear if you want a sample.

One downside, albeit intentional, is that the song composition is left very simple and can feel repetitive when listening to all of it front to back. The intent was to have strong, catchy riffs that would kill it on the radio and would stick around in your head, and in my opinion the best part are the powerful vocals, which are thoughtful and inescapably very political. Great energy coming from this one, a ton of emotion.

Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire (1996)

Last one for this post, I'll keep it simple since it's a relatively straight continuation from the previous entry, as the second studio record from Rage. Anything good I said about their debut can be said about Evil Empire: still delightfully aggressive, still undoubtedly political, but arguably better and more varied in the composition department. Fully recommended.

My personal favorite is Bulls on Parade, to which I was introduced at the ripe young age of 12, when I first played through Guitar Hero III on the PS2. Perhaps it's the nostalgia speaking, but I easily find it to be the most memorable track in the whole project, and possibly one of the band's all-time greatest.

#lorz mediapost 2023 #music #long post

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nebuvoid · 7 months

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well. time to play some more ffx2. im gonna be honest here. i get what they were going for, and in theory it makes sense that things are more lighthearted, people enjoying the eternal calm and things changing.

but its just so jarring when you visit 1:1 reused locations (not all but many)(new kilika is great) but it has completely different music that doesnt reuse any motifs and sounds more like it belongs in kingdom hearts. its jarring and honestly not the best at times.

like i really wouldve wished for rearrangements, boppier happier versions of the original osts, or at least callbacks via samples from the old songs. again i get that the old leitmotifs were specifically tied to the melancholy and yevon and all the big big sad.

but when i go to mihan highroad and the music doesnt go SPROING BOING BOING but some boppy generic kh knock off, while im walking the exact same map as in the first game, it just feels wrong.

and then of course you have the new battle mechanics. im starting to get the hang of it but im just not sure im feeling it. it feels like i cant take a moment to think, which would be fine if you do action fighting, but its essentially still rpg menuing where casting x thing is essential to not getting your ass kicked.

but now you constantly feel rushed and like you gotta act NOW or else. if you dont cast silence in time those three magic enemies will blast your ass with fire. you want to steal but youre not wearing the right hotpants so you gotta wait for the outfit change to cast first before you can steal.

and ive heard people actually love this new fighting style. hell ive seen it praised as peak FF fighting. i disagree. it feels like two different things mashed together that just dont work well.

this is just my opinion of course. to the people that like it, good on them. i just dont know if ill want to finish this game.

#ffx talk #ffx2 talk #ff talk

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vitaminwaterreviews · 2 months

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Taeyong - TAP

I’m listening to this immediately after the Twice album, and I’ve gotta say, I massively preferred this. The songs all sounded totally different, Taeyong himself really impressed me with his vocal ability, and the production was top-notch. I called Twice’s music too perfect, and this is a great example of music that isn’t quite too perfect, in a good way. The samples were a bit off, a little bit jarring, and they were that much better and more musical because of it. The title track is probably the weakest song on the album, but I even enjoyed that one. Average score of 8.2, really solid, good stuff from Taeyong.

- Tap

Lol, Taeyong moment

“Sweet and spicy kpop like noodles” lol

Bro he just shouted out Tempo and Hype Girl in one line lmao

I’ll have to check out the lyrics to see whether those are capitalized, I think they were

Also I have no idea what this song is about

7/10, but a high 7. I have no expectations for the next five songs. Impress me.

Moon Tour

Woah okay let’s go

Haha I know I said I had no expectations, but I did not expect an uptempo ballad

The audio sample at the beginning was really neat though

I feel like he just said “you’re my Gaia” which is BIG if true

Actually no I need to see

He totally did omg

9/10 because I did not expect this at all and he totally delivered

Run Away

His choice of samples are always just so good

I dunno about the song though, I’m not sure this one is quite as interesting

Oh and right then the guitar comes in, fine

8/10

APE

Lol what

Okay, he is saying “vaping”, I thought so

“My pony lonely in the parking lot” like bruh

I’m really enjoying this, I know I’m not typing much but it’s because I’m reading the lyrics

And the lyrical content is actually really interesting

8/10

Ups & Downs

And then of course after that, we get chill guitar vibes

His singing voice is so much … calmer than I’d expected

Like he’s a main dancer and a main rapper, and those two things together suggest that he wouldn’t be a particularly adept singer

But clearly he is

Whatever this section is at 2:30, I love the vibes

Like is it a bridge? An outro?

Lol the random violin might be a bit too much for me?

Very melodramatic ending but I buy it

8/10

404 Loading

Yes I do see the runtime thanks

Here we go

This better be some Loud shit

God that guitar sample is just So … something

Lol wait wtf is this soundscape

Well it certainly gets loud

9/10

#album #kpop #Taeyong #NCT #NCT 127

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dontlookdown · 1 year

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Nick’s Favourite Music of 2022

Those who have followed my work for a while know that I usually start the new year with a collection of reviews looking at my favourite songs of the year. This year, I’m only doing the one post. If my experience with burning out halfway through last years’ list taught me anything, it’s that I can’t commit to the traditional series of twenty-plus blog posts when I know full well that I don’t have the time or the energy to see it through. Maybe things will be different next year. For this year, I’m happy to compromise.

Below, you’ll find the list of my 20 favourite songs of 2022 (YouTube links in the headings, Spotify embed at the bottom), along with a few words about why I love each particular one. Let’s go!

Röyksopp – “Speed King”

I started putting this playlist together with the first and last tracks already in mind, due to their lengthy runtimes. Normally, I’d kick things off with a true opener, something loud and driving. Despite its name, “Speed King” is not that. It’s a slow, electronic burn that builds into something truly formidable. My immediate reaction upon first hearing it was “This is the Daft Punk track I’ve been waiting for since 2005,” but that backhanded compliment ignores how the way the bassline steadily bubbles away in the background is pure Röyksopp, a hallmark that you’ll find throughout their work. The duo released three albums over 2022 and, while there’s great songs on all three (especially the tracks featuring Alison Goldfrapp and Susanne Sundfør), they saved the best for last.

††† (Crosses) - “Procession”

We’re going to stay in a low-key mood for a bit with the next two songs. Considering how I fell in love with Deftones in 2020, it seemed right that I should check out Chino Moreno’s side project when they re-emerged with their first new material in nine years. The PERMANENT.RADIANT EP turned out to be the perfect taster for this group’s softer, more atmospheric sound. I particularly loved “Procession”, which is the perfect showcase for Chino’s distinct voice and a show-stopping bassline that kicks in at 2:40.

The 1975 – “About You”

I find it difficult to pin down my feelings about the 1975. They’re a band I always want to keep at arm’s length, and yet they’ve ended up my year-end lists three times now. That’s an achievement in itself, but doing it with three songs that sound nothing like each other is something else. “About You” is the most U2-ass sounding song of the year. And I like U2 a lot.

Asunojokei – “Diva Under the Blue Sky”

Here we fucking go. Asunojokei are a Japanese band that have picked up the “black metal but happy” torch from Deafheaven and ran a mile with it with their album Island. I keep getting Undertale vibes from “Diva Under the Blue Sky”. Something about the main melody feels very reminiscent of the excellent work Toby Fox did on that game's soundtrack.

The Beths – “Silence Is Golden”

A bit of blistering Kiwi indie rock to get the pulse up.

Phoenix – “After Midnight”

I was not expecting this. A beautiful reminder of what Phoenix are capable of, absolute masters of a slick, twisty pop-rock style that’s very much their own.

Fred again.. – “Jungle”

A true club banger. Turns out you can do an awful lot with a chopped vocal sample, a savage beat and a great sense of dynamics and timing.

Ibibio Sound Machine – “Protection From Evil”

I’ve got a lot of love for tracks that find ways to keep building and building upon themselves. Having a truly magnetic presence like Eno Williams front-and-centre on the microphone would’ve been enough, but having her vocals and the rhythm behind her slowly rising in intensity before colliding together with horns for the climax is downright magical.

Beyoncé – “Pure/Honey”

Never bet against Bey. There’s a reason RENAISSANCE was the near-unanimous critic’s pick for album of the year, that’s because it’s just so damn fun to listen to in full. “PURE/HONEY” splits the difference between the album’s two moods: hard-edged house to start, with shiny disco as a chaser. The way the songs shifts between those two gears makes it the perfect pick for this playlist.

The Weeknd – “Take My Breath”

I remember first hearing “Take Me Breath” and thinking “this needs something extra”. That something extra turned out to be the extended version on the Dawn FM album. Almost twice as long as the single version, it allows the backing beat room to stretch out, with the chugging muted guitar and arpeggiated vocoder properly setting the scene for song to make more of an impression. It doesn’t just benefit the song, but the album as a whole. The three-song-run of “How Do I Make You Love Me?”, “Take My Breath” and “Sacrifice” is a thrilling moment from an artist with a career full of them.

Spoon – “Wild”

“Wild” is my favourite song of the year. I knew that the second I laid ears on it. Spoon have been one of my favourite bands for a long time, and the fact that they can still come up with songs this good after 25 years is awe-inspiring. “Wild” is such a perfect Spoon-esque song, it’s honestly incredible that they hadn’t written it already.

Alvvays – “Belinda Says”

A blast of aural sunshine, with a key-change befitting of its namesake.

Camp Cope – “Running with the Hurricane”

This was a late discovery for me in December. While making my way through all of the hyped releases I’d missed, it was refreshing to come across music that was so direct and earnest. A true breath of fresh air, which I assume a hurricane would also have plenty of.

Shamir – “Reproductive”

By contrast, this was an early favourite that I rediscovered while combing through my existing collection. It always takes me a few plays to properly acknowledge the lyrics of songs. Once I noticed the streak of self-loathing running through this one, it just made the deep sadness of the music hit harder.

The Smile – “Free In the Knowledge”

Choosing my album of the year was tricky. This and the next four acts on the list were all contenders for the crown, though none jumped out as instant picks like previous winners have. In the end, I gave it to A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile (the new band featuring Thom and Jonny from Radiohead, and Tom Skinner from Sons of Kemet), simply because I had a nice little moment to myself while listening to it for the first time. Relaxing alone in the park, in the warm sunshine, feeling at peace with everything. By the time I’d gotten to “Free In the Knowledge”, I felt a calmness I hadn’t felt in months. Other albums just can’t compete with those personal moments.

Big Thief – “Change”

One last quiet moment before things pick up again. “Change” is a cool breeze of existentialism on a warm day, the kind of vibe Big Thief have been very good at for some time now.

Black Country, New Road – “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade”

I’d said in the introductory post for my 2021 blogs that, after being slightly disappointed by their debut, I was looking forward to Black Country, New Road delivering on their next album. And boy, did they. Ants From Up There is a record that was fascinating on first listen, and keeps revealing hidden layers on repeat plays, especially when digging into the lyrics. “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade” (it’s about cooking, not killing) is a rich portrait of domestic malaise, the kind Jarvis Cocker used to dabble in. It’s sad that vocalist Isaac Wood has decided to move on, but I’m glad he’s putting his mental health first. That can’t have been an easy decision. And, once again, I’m very interested to see where the band goes from here.

Black Midi – “Sugar/Tzu”

I’d lumped Black Midi together with BC,NR and Squid (or Black Midi, New Squidi, as I liked to call the grouping) in that 2021 post, but they really couldn’t sound more different from each other. While BC,NR spent the year chasing a deliberately pastoral sound with strings and all, Black Midi made a record that sounded like an arson attack at a Cole Porter recital. Hellfire is Black Midi’s most accessible record yet (not a high bar, admittedly), and it’s helped grow my appreciation of their previous work too. If you’re in the mood for hearing three musicians (plus a brass section) playing the ever-loving shit out of their instruments, “Sugar/Tzu” is the song for you. I’m a very big fan of the little guitar break at 3:20.

SpiritWorld – “Relic of Damnation”

My ferocious appetite for metal and hardcore did not diminish in 2022, and SpiritWorld’s DEATHWESTERN was the best the genre had to offer this year. It’s loud as hell, yes, but there’s a buoyancy to this band’s music that harkens back to the thrash metal of the late ‘80s. A song like “Relic of Damnation” isn’t just interested in pummelling your ears, it also wants to propel you forward, smashing through whatever boring chore you have to finish. This band is almost single-handedly responsible for me processing as many invoices as I did this winter. I’d listen to Randy Moore make that demonic horse neighing sound with his guitar all fucking day.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “The Dripping Tap”

This isn’t the longest song I’ve featured on these year-end lists, and it sure-as-shit won’t feel like it either. Of the five (yes, five) albums worth of music Oceanic overachievers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard released this year, “The Dripping Tap” is the crown jewel. While I’ve found some of the band’s other work to be somewhat meandering, this song is 18 minutes of pure, focused, fast-paced psychedelic rock. It’ll take you on a wild ride without even leaving your living room, and the time flies by whenever I put it on. The way the opening verse returns with a vengeance (and the full band behind it) for the final minute feels like a real gift, and the perfect way close out both this playlist and 2022 in general.

Thanks for reading! I enjoyed writing this! If you fancy reading more from me, I’ve done similar series for every year going back to 2011 (and basic lists for 2008-2010). Just copy and paste this link (https://dontlookdown.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-20xx) and edit the year to see them!

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