#so so good and the lyrics are so intense and this performance is insane | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

leprosycock · 10 months

Note

pls educate/ advertise f0b / peterick yaoi to me. i know nothing about it but i want to.

uhhhhh okay this is gonna be really fucking long and deranged because i've been into them for like? nine years and i promise you from the bottom of my heart that nothing i will tell you is exaggerated or made up, their relationship really is this twisted and intense and insane. a lot of this is gonna be under the cut for obvious reasons

faII out boy are officially formed in the summer of 2001 when p4trick stump overhears joe tr0hman talking about music in a boarders bookstore and feels the need to jump in and correct him because patrick is extremely pretentious and insane about music, having grown up around it due to his blues-performing dad. joe is personal friends with pete w3ntz, a legend in the chicago music scene that patrick has personally admired for ages. joe invites patrick to come try out for a band that pete wants to start on the side next to his other projects, something just for fun. patrick intends on just becoming a drummer- until he meets pete. then his life is changed forever.

to really put things in perspective, pete is 22 years old and patrick is barely sixteen when they meet. pete is an unstable college kid with unmedicated bipolar disorder and kind of a huge sex freak who's very mean to girls and patrick is a loser virginal high school kid. pete is short and covered in tattoos and his hair is buzzed and he has whiskey-colored eyes and bright big teeth and a smirky smug pouty mouth. patrick is shorter and pasty and a little chubby and he has choppy strawberry blond hair and a big pink mouth and big baby blue eyes. both pete and joe show up to patrick's house to hear him audition and patrick is wearing shorts, black knee-high socks, and an argyle sweater. we know this because pete has repeated this story of their first meeting many, many times.

patrick insists that he wants to play drums and has never thought about singing before, but pete bullies and pokes and prods until patrick finally gives in and sings for him and joe as long as pete promises to be the actual frontman and lets him sink into the background because he's unbelievably shy and insecure. pete is immediately taken with patrick and calls him "the kid with the voice" and a "golden boy" and he gives him a knit cap so he can hide his face in front of the microphone. patrick is wearing this same hat on the cover of their first official debut album, take this to your grave.

their tentative first album, evening out with your girlfriend, is a rushed slapjob full of embarrassingly delightful fruity pop punk hits that patrick today is ruthlessly ashamed of. this was recorded with two other former members, tj and chris, who eventually leave in pursuit of other projects that they believe will be more successful. they continue to be friends with the other boys for a while until pete tries to convince chris' girlfriend to use sex dice with him and this causes a rift and leads to chris cutting pete off and, by extension, the band. after these two leave, pete brings in a permanent drummer, andy hurley. andy is a pacifist and a vegan and has a voice like a kitten and is an all-around good guy and well-rounded adult who's around pete's age. they record take this to your grave. during the summer, pete takes his pet high schoolers and his fellow hardcore music scene buddy around on tour in joe's mom's shitty old van so the boys don't have to miss school. (or, more accurately, he has joe do it, because pete does not have a valid driver's license at the time.)

one of the singles on tttyg is called saturday. pete and patrick write a lot of lyrics together for this album and saturday is another joint effort. here are some lyrics:

and here is the description for the music video:

The video features all of the band, but particularly frontman Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz. Pete is killing the other band members and their friends, leaving a Queen of Hearts playing card with each of the bodies. Patrick is a detective tracking the "killer". During the bridge of the song, Patrick and Pete are seen in the same position, sitting on a bed with a wall of pictures of Pete's victims in the background, suggesting that Patrick and Pete may be the same person. In the end, Pete kills Patrick, but because Pete and Patrick turn out to be the same person, Pete dies as well.

they perform this song at the end of every show and they have since 2002. pete spent their entire tour in 2015 grabbing his dick during this song for some reason ?? idk but i have pictures:

during the tttyg era, pete and patrick become VERY fast and VERY intense best friends. patrick is extremely temperamental and impatient and has a short fuse and pete has routine breakdowns and is a general violent, obnoxious asshole who likes to torment patrick for fun, so a lot of their interactions tend to ignite like throwing a match on gasoline. he once famously strangled pete with a gas pump, has thrown punches at him in the studio, and cursed him out over small disagreements. for those curious, this feisty little sweaty golden firecracker of a boy looked like this:

just so you know what we're dealing with.

the rest of them looked like this ^ andy, pete, patrick, and joe respectively. patrick did that gay little wrist flick in photoshoots a lot for some reason

it's important to note that pete was a genuine creep around patrick and was VERY WEIRD WITH HIM. during this van days era, pete tried to carve a peephole into his bedroom door when they all shared a shitty apartment together in roscoe village and never left his side. he talks about him frequently on livejournal and their website and i will quote some of these incidents here: 04/16/05: patricks birthday is tommorrow. i am in love with him so give him presents. 06/09/05: when i want patrick to sing in my ear i call him on the phone and he does it 06/16/05: that kid is my best friend and the rest of the world could blow up and fall out boy can break up and he still will be 10/11/05: i dreamt him. q&a incidents from the official fob website:

pete fucking adores this kid with everything in him. patrick is routinely frustrated with pete and his inability to grow up, but he's still just as maddeningly in love and still maintains a sense of hero worship for him and considers him a tragic figure that needs to be protected. they become very codependent.

during van days, they record and release an acoustic album called my heart will always be the b side to my tongue. they also release a dvd called release the bats, which is a hideous nightmare clusterfuck involving a lot of pete doing really gross shit for attention such as vomiting on the floor, pissing in garbage cans, and hurting himself and his friends alongside showcasing some of their live shows and performances with other friends in fueled by ramen, a borderline incestuous record label where everyone knows each other and is constantly collabing and doing shows together. included on this dvd is a short film that pete and patrick make called bedussey. they film this while sharing a dirty disgusting mattress in an even smaller apartment than the last during their writing sessions. it's fucking awful, watch it

just before the release of their second studio album, pete overdoses on ativan in a best buy parking lot while hallelujah plays on the radio. the first person he calls is patrick, who doesn't pick up, and then he finally tries his mom and his doctor. he writes two songs about this, 7 minutes in heaven and hum hallelujah. he also talks about this incident in his book, grey, but that comes much later. not terribly long after this, his nudes get leaked and it's ambiguous for a while as to who posts them, but it's theorized that it was actually chris or a friend of his. i can't honestly remember how much of this was confirmed. pete's life is surrounded by tragedy and flashbulbs constantly popping in his eyes and it's a mix of him bringing it on himself and not finding the help he needs and having terrible, terrible luck in love and in himself.

during this time, he's in an incredibly twisted and unhealthy relationship with a seventeen year old named jeanae white. she cheats on him five million times and vise-versa and they're very mean to each other. she also plays a pivotal role in his book later on. they break up for good in 2006. there's also a vague theory that he had a brief fling with mikey way in 2004 which is referred to as "the summer of like" by those invested. it may very well be true but i couldn't give a fuck about that if i tried; i'm a peterick loyalist. he marries ashlee simpson in 2008 (most likely due to her unplanned pregnancy, even though he was pretty in love with her at the time) and has a baby boy named bronx with her. during this era, patrick is in a committed relationship with a girl named anna who eventually cheats on him and it tears him apart.

jumping back a bit, from under the cork tree is their third official studio album (if you count b side, which i do) and it contains a lot of very interesting music.

the original lyric was meant to be "just friends" and for some reason, patrick changed it to "best friends" in the final cut. the name of this song is 'i've got a dark alley and a bad idea that says you should shut your mouth (summer song)'. pete LOVES to use the idea of summer in his music, which is so interesting, because fall out boy's first tour was in the summer, he and patrick have spent the fourth of july in a beach house together (REMEMBER THIS), and their biggest projects have been produced over summers. it's also worth mentioning that pete has kissed patrick on the neck more than once during shows. even more worth mentioning that pete is REALLY fucking clingy with patrick on stage.

^ they sing this at each other. i don't really know what else to say

their next album, infinity on high, is slightly more artsy and, in my opinion, a fucking masterpiece. one of the most valuable tracks on this album is g.i.n.a.s.f.s. (gay is not a synonym for shitty) and i will explain why

"trade baby blues for wide eyed browns" alongside literally walking in someone else's shoes and physically trying to become them or embodying them is just following a theme that pete and patrick have been portraying for years, about how the two of them are inherently the same person, two sides of the same coin. pete says they experience cryptophasia, an implicit, intimate language that can only be used by twins. their next album is even titled folie a deux, "the madness of two". pete later writes about a character named martin (patrick's irl middle name) in grey, who he talks about saving the main character's (pete's) life on the roof of a hotel. "some nights it gets so bad i almost pick up the phone" = pete has said multiple times that patrick has sang to him on the phone to calm him down or help him fall asleep because patrick's voice really is that healing for pete. also possibly another reference to pete's suicide attempt and how his call to patrick failed ?

lastly, here's a quote from pete's livejournal in 05 when he was babbling about patrick:

"i know i am sal and i feel damn lucky to have the wind blowing in the thru the windows as he keeps us at 80mph. make no mistake, there is a difference between a parlor trick and true blue magic. i will remember this til the day i die."

fuck you

2007-2008 is full of massive, massive drama. alongside pete's ongoing war with the media and his almost immediate marital issues with ashlee, he's ALWAYS fighting with patrick inside and outside the studio, both physically and verbally. the band is constantly getting called sellouts and posers and were heckled very badly during the tours they did to promote folie a deux. it's kind of the beginning of the end.

for folie, pete writes a song called what a catch donnie. this is a ballad that pete writes from patrick's perspective that he is very, very nervous to show to him and almost doesn't. showing him something so heartfelt and vulnerable is dangerous given the current nature of their relationship. this is that song.

the music video stars patrick as a sea captain who's lost and lonely and trying to get home and he's eventually rescued by many of his irl close friends through fueled by ramen. but pete never appears.

after the round of tours for fad ends, they release a greatest hits album called believers never die and the coffin lid starts to slide closed. the band is well and truly dissolving; the reception for fad was very poor and miserable and pete and patrick truly cannot work together anymore and both joe and andy are tired of trying to put up with them. pete tells the boys he's going to leave and the breakup is mutual, to say the least. pete has his head shaven on stage as a ritual of mourning during 'saturday'. pete says in interviews that he thinks his name and his marriage and all the drama that saturates his life became a hindrance to the band.

fob is on hiatus from 2009 to 2013. during this time, pete forms the band black cards and seeks out a female vocalist specifically because he doesn't want to "replace patrick". he writes grey, opens nightclubs, divorces ashlee, abuses prescription drugs, and wants to die. patrick loses a bunch of weight and produces a solo pop album called soul punk. it has a very poor reception and he's bullied and tormented by fans who go to his shows just to tell him he sucks and he wants to die just as badly as pete does. he also gets married, but whatever

he bleaches his hair and dresses like this the whole tour because he's a massive faggot:

i have this whole theory about how his song run dry is about gay sex. a lot of the album is about infidelity too. he claims that this is because it's a "concept album" but it .. really kind of isn't. patrick is not very good at lyrics. (SOMETIMES. we'll come back to this too.)

pete and patrick do not talk to each other for a bulk of the hiatus. pete says that the hiatus felt like a breakup and hurt just as badly. closer to the end of this painful spell, pete calls patrick to say "i helped buy your house and now you don't even know my kid, that's messed up" and they have to learn how to be friends again. there are vague statements from the band about how they had a series of work meetings before seriously discussing the idea of reuniting. patrick also sends pete a postcard, telling him he has music he wants to show him if he's willing to see it.

in 2013, out of fucking nowhere, like a couple weeks after pete assures the media that fall out boy will never reform, they drop an album called save rock and roll and the band is back for good. as they release this album, they also release a massive and incredible series of eleven music videos for the entire album called the young blood chronicles. essentially, fall out boy plays a group called the members of the faith and they have to essentially defend music from courtney love, who plays a nazi-esque dictator leading a group of leather-clad women who want to establish a dystopia where music doesn't exist. music = faith. the women steal patrick away and put a demon in him and chop his hand off and he turns evil and starts to murder the rest of the band, including pete.

the most important track on this album is miss missing you.

pete wrote a good chunk of the lyrics for this album, as he is wont to do (this changes later on but it's still mostly pete for now), but this song is all patrick. this was a song he wrote for soul punk, but he never recorded it because, in his words, "it sounded too much like a fall out boy song". this particular installment in the ybc involves solely pete and patrick, separated from the rest of the band after joe and andy have left. this entire music video is about patrick trying to kill pete and struggling to do so, at war with his own humanity that keeps slipping through the cracks. pete has said that this is his favorite music video that the band has ever made.

relevant quotes:

"pete's my best friend. i was the best man at his wedding, i love that man to death. i'd take a bullet for him."

"[patrick is] probably my best friend in the whole world. this is one of the only people in the world that i would take a bullet for."

also! summer! summer summer summer! summer never dies!!!

2013-2014 are essentially a honeymoon phase. fob do tons of interviews, immediately make plans for a brand new album to follow srar up with, and they record an insane ep on a whim called pax am days. they do it while ridiculously drunk. it's REALLY good and SOOOO underrated and some of the most interesting music they've ever made. pete and patrick record a commentary track for the ybc. they're best friends again- admittedly less physically clingy, but they're older and more grown up and pete is more secure in his relationship with patrick. they're easygoing and comfortable and they love being around each other again and they're irrevocably in love.

late 2014-early 2015 birth their next album, american beauty/american psycho. i have a lot of emotional attachment to it because i was old enough to witness this release in real time and this was the height of my obsession. there are a LOT of fascinating things to pick apart in this album, but here are my favorites (tumblr won't let me add more than 30 images per post for some reason ?? i didn't know there was a limit but alright. Sure):

And in the end I'd do it all again I think you're my best friend Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright? I'll be yours When it rains it pours Stay thirsty like before Don't you know that the kids aren't al-, kids aren't alright?

very obvious. the kids aren't alright was more or less confirmed to be about patrick and pete tended to get very lovey-dovey on stage whenever they performed it.

Do you, do-do you remember When we drove, we drove, drove through the night And we danced, we danced to Rancid And we danced, we danced And I confessed, confessed To you riding shot-gun Underneath the purple skies And we danced, we danced With windows down And we danced, we danced (Spin for you like your favorite records used to) (Spin for you like your favorite records) You were the song stuck in my head Every song that I've ever loved Play it again and again and again And you can get what you want but it's never enough And I spin for you like your favorite records used to And I spin for you like your favorite records used to

And I can’t, I can’t I can’t remember just how to forget Forget the way that we danced We danced to Danzig And we danced, we danced And when you ask, you ask me how I’m doing Like you know, you know how much better off I am And when we danced, we danced With windows down And we danced, we danced (Spin for you like your favorite records used to) (Spin for you like your favorite records)

favorite record is a big one because of pete's "patrick is an ipod full of my favorite songs" and "you ask me how i'm doing, like you know how much better off i am", a possible reference to the hiatus and their inability to communicate. i'd also like to firmly call back to pete's quote about driving with patrick and remembering that day until he dies.

and, lastly, fuck me:

I'll be as honest as you'll let me I miss your early morning company If you get me You are my favorite what if You are my best I'll never know And I'm starting to forget Just what summer ever meant to you What did it ever mean to you?

Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean any of it I just got too lonely, lonely, whoa In between being young and being right You were my Versailles at night

It was the fourth of July You and I were, you and I were fire, fire, fireworks That went off too soon And I miss you in the June gloom too It was the fourth of July You and I were, you and I were fire, fire, fireworks I said I'd never miss you, but I guess you never know May the bridges I have burned Light my way back home on the fourth of July

My 9 to 5 is cutting open old scars Again and again 'til I'm stuck in your head Had my doubts but I let them out You are the drought And I'm the holy water you have been without And all my thoughts of you They could heat or cool the room, and no Don't tell me you cried Oh, honey, you don't have to lie

I wish I'd known how much you loved me I wish I cared enough to know I'm sorry every song's about you The torture of small talk with someone you used to love

fuck!!!! fuck!!!!!!! summer again!!!! we're back to summer and back to the fourth of july i told you that would be important later. finding your way back home on the bridges you burned. memories of squandered youth trapped in these moments from years back and viewing someone as this grand monument worthy of worship and posterity. "my nine to five is cutting open old scars", pete's job, what he's been filling his life with for years, the music that he makes for a living. "i'm sorry every song's about you" = doesn't have to be literal. i believe it's more so about the idea that so many songs are about patrick and it's more tongue-in-cheek, despite how melancholy it is. i believe this song is a grand release for pete and a way for him to reconcile his feelings after years of confusion and longing and torment. but that's all just a theory

it's also worth mentioning twin skeleton's, which a lot of peterick truthers theorize is about pete and patrick having flings in hotels during tours throughout 06-09. it's not really definitive and it's very conspiratorial, but i do enjoy thinking about it

there's a three year gap between albums this time and then we get mania, which is by all accounts awful. people can defend this album all they want, but i think it's fucking terrible and patrick admits that it was rushed and he doesn't like it and he's right and he should be ashamed. i hate this album. it sounds terrible and there are very few good songs on it. they did a ton of promotion for this record and did a pop-up event where they had rooms you could go through based on each track of the album. they really, genuinely tried, but it was a miss. i was so frustrated with this album that i really don't have much to say about it peterick-wise, but this tour was the first time that i was actually able to see them live, so i can't really stay mad at them. they played thriller and opened with disloyal order <333 (which, by the way, is also about patrick, confirmed by pete himself! he said that "half-doomed and semi-sweet" is a literal description of himself and patrick.)

i do like young and menace, hold me tight or don't, and wilson, but none of them feel like fob. moving on.

they release the lake effect kid ep in 2018 and believers never die volume two. lake effect kid is a BEAUTIFUL fucking track and it made me actually ache for what mania could've been if they'd just returned to their roots. that'll come soon though.

Boomerang my head Back to the city I grew up in Again and again Forever a Lake Effect kid

Oh, I got the skyline in my veins Forget your nighttime Summer love on a gurney with a squeaky wheel And joke us, choke us 'Til Lakeshore Drive comes back into focus I just wanna come back to life Spark my crazy head to keep you warm at night

summer love :))) it never ends :))))))

2023 saw the release of so much (for) stardust. this is one of the strongest albums they've had since the hiatus and i really, really love a lot of it. as New as it feels, it's still very fall out boy at its core and it's full of heart and it's passionate and it's pure.

We were a hammer to the statue of David We were a painting you could never frame and You were the sunshine of my lifetime What would you trade the pain for?

^ love from the other side. pete has likened patrick to sunshine, sunsets, sunlight, and the color gold many, many times while talking about him. there are a lot of songs where he uses the sun as a metaphor for longing, something he can never reach because he's eternally eclipsed in shadow.

My moodboard is just pictures of you, but I'm not sad anymore So make no plans and none can be broken, no plans and none can be broken But I didn't take the love when I had the chance, but I swear I'm not sad anymore So make no plans and none can be broken, no plans and none can be broken

Do you laugh about me whenever I leave? Or do I still need more therapy?

Love is in the air, I just gotta figure out a window to break out Buried alive inside my dreams, but it was all a fake-out And I don't care, I just gotta figure out a window to break out Buried alive inside my dreams, but it was all a fake-out, fake-out

Oh-oh, we all started out as shiny dimes But we all got flipped too many times We did it for futures that never came And for pasts that we're never gonna change

fake out makes me want to die in the most intense way, mainly because there's something so utterly familiar about it. it's SO fob and it's one of the best tracks they've put out since the hiatus. it's also .. so ..... it's very similar to fourth of july for me. this is recovery from the pain and finally coming to acceptance while acknowledging the past, love that was never reciprocated. it's not something that ever really goes away. it'll linger, especially when you still see so much of that golden boy that you first fell in love with the second he opened his mouth and began to sing to you.

i will state emphatically that through all my speculation, none of this is meant to be taken at face value aside from the direct quotes and irl incidents. most music comes from anywhere and everywhere within an artist. artists draw from their real life and nothing has to be literal, but pete writes about a lot of real people. grey is about as subtle as a sledgehammer when it comes to his representation of people he knows irl. sometimes he's writing about exes and sometimes he's writing a story. sometimes he's writing about patrick. we never really know for sure. but it's fun to think about!

i'm really passionate about them and i adore their relationship inside and out. a lot of it is really fucked up and weird and twisted and crazy and a lot of it is genuinely so beautiful and tragic. even if they're not fucking and never have and have never thought about it, they're undoubtedly soulmates in any way you feel like interpreting that. they love each other massively and endlessly and it's a fire that has refused to really die for over twenty years. i love them a lot and i hope you enjoyed this essay!!!

#this is also just the tip of the iceberg i hope you know. this isn't even half of it .#i have so many fun facts about them locked away in my head forever and they're fucked up and sick and twisted.#bunnyaskz

52 notes · View notes

judeiscariot · 4 months

Note

ive been thinking abt that post u made abt will’s line delivery in sinner…… do u have any other favorite line deliveries specifically, not necessarily lyrics??

im so glad you asked i actually have a whole list but here’s some highlights:

- yeah like you said the ‘she’ll open her mouth and eat me alive’ at 4:14 in sinner gives me chills

- the ‘i love you i love you i love you’ at the very end of the ballad of the costa concordia always gets me, he says it so softly :( also the ‘i give up’ refrain right before that last verse is so good

- the whole refrain in the second half of beach fagz but especially the ‘i wish i was a kid with an adult boyfriend’ at 4:40 into the ‘i wish i was dead / i wish oh i wish’ refrain all the way through the end

- the ‘i am love / i wanna sleep naked’ part in the live version of cute thing!!!! and the ‘like some excommunicated priest casting demons’ part at the very end

- the second pre chorus in destroyed by hippie powers, very specifically the live version from their pitchfork music festival performance

- every ‘i feel so haaauuuunnnnteddddd’ in boxing day

- the ‘i hate you’ refrain in kid war. enough said.

- sooo much of the gun song but esp the ‘i want you to fuck me in your sleep / it’s the only way i’ll ever knowwwwwwwww that you love me’ and the whole ‘i remember i was walking around outside talking to you on the phone’ verse

- the ‘i will go to heaven / you wont go to heaven / i will go to heaven / i wont see you there’ and ‘it’ll be alright (FUCK)’ parts in cosmic hero

- THE BRIDGE OF TIMES TO DIE….. especially the ‘hey man we listened to your demos’ in the background at 3:11 and 3:20 good god

- the ‘i don’t want to go insane / i don’t want to have schizophrenia’ and the ‘there are lots of fish left in the sea there are lots of fish in business suits’ parts in beach life-in-death

- the ‘we gotta go back’ refrain in famous prophets (stars) starting at 3:12 the way the vocals mount in intensity and the yell at the end is orgasmic to me. also the whole end part starting with the ‘descend into cliche / if you’ve found your holy grail’ verse and ending with the last ‘did they tell you / did they tell me’……… the way he uses polyphony is one of my favorite parts of his music and this is such a good example. ANDDD the screams starting at 13:24 omg. like i can literally taste the catharsis

- the ‘they were connected / at the back of the head’ part at 3:20 of twin fantasy (those boys). also the whole ‘when i come back you’ll still be here’ part but an absolute all time favorite is the ones in the background at 5:39 and 5:47 . makes me feel physically sick every single time no matter how many times i listen to it

#thank you for giving me an excuse to talk about this #answered #csh

13 notes · View notes

louisupdates · 9 months

Text

Louis Tomlinson in New Jersey. Finally.

Alyssa Rasp | August 4, 2023

To any Louis Tomlinson fans, it’s not news that he has phenomenal music taste. Andrew Cushin, a singer-songwriter from across the pond in Newcastle, is no exception. Andrew joined Louis for almost the entirety of the North American leg of the Faith In The Future World Tour – and the fans loved him.

Last Friday, the tour stopped at the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, New Jersey. A show that is basically on the beach? Who could complain? Andrew took to the stage in a pair of sunnies with a guitar in hand to the sound of 3,000 screaming fans. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a concert where the crowd shows as much love to the support acts as they do for the headliner, but after hearing Andrew play, I totally get why (and I missed that sound).

His voice is incredible with so much power and a beautiful tone. The narrative he is able to get across in his lyrics are one of the best parts of his music. New fans and old fans agree, because much of the audience knew every single word to his songs, including his latest single, “Wor Flags.”

Despite the 95º heat this night, the energy never dipped. The following act, supporting act Giant Rooks, were up next and brought the sound of Berlin to New Jersey. The alternative rock band were dancing all over the stage throughout their entire set and hyping up the crowd. Frontman Fred Rabe even showed off his percussion skills with a tambourine and floor tom in addition to his usual guitar.

Again, the fans who came out were showing so much love. They knew lyrics, had posters, and were dancing along even in the scorching weather. (It was the perfect set up for the headliner and their own single that dropped just a few days later: “Somebody Like You.”)

When Louis Tomlinson hit the stage, the crowd was electric. Many of his fans have been around since his early days in One Direction, but it was clear that a lot of the crowd were solo Louis fans through-and-through. Following his debut album Walls (which was one of our Top Albums of 2020), the English artist grew further into his own with the release of Faith In The Future. (This sophomore record of his also ranked on our year-end favorite albums, even with its late 2022 release date.) The singer-songwriter has officially found the rock sound that he has been striving for. I love it. We love it. The fans love it.

Full of big guitars and intense drums, his live show is insanely good and so much fun. His touring band is incredibly talented, but it’s no question that he surrounds himself with the best. Listening to the record before this night in Asbury Park and then hearing the songs in person, it’s clear that Louis wrote them for a live setting. Even with a pared down stage setting (this was the smallest stage he played on during this amphitheater run), he still put on an amazing show. It’s so obvious that this Brit-rock star loves performing.

Delivering reimagined rock versions of One Direction classics “Night Changes” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” on top of deep cuts of his own beloved originals, he made sure to pay homage to his single era of 2017 with “Back To You,” which featured Bebe Rexha. Those moments prove that his musical instincts are still there and are able to adapt to his current style while also showing love to fan favorites. Louis Tomlinson is truly an artist to keep an eye on if you’re not already. One of the best shows I’ve ever been to from start to finish. Although he’s off to tour the rest of the world after a short break, we are looking forward to the next time he’s back in town.

Louis Tomlinson, FITFWT23: Asbury Park, 28.7.2023

#fitfwt23: asbury park #louis tomlinson #28.7.2023 #louis press #maison mihara yasuhiro

33 notes · View notes

mrsfezziwig · 4 months

Text

KQ - The Reason Ateez Don't Win Awards: (Pt 1)

n.b.(Good God I am actually scared of what reaction this may get from other Atiny but I feel like it is something I really need to address!)

Ateez are incredible;

as humans, as a group, as vocalists and as rappers, but their stand out ability comes in the way they perform and dance. I have never seen a group like these eight men when it comes to their star power; all of them could probably be in The Demon Line now they have matured, especially Yunho, who feels more relaxed on stage, more intense and he is most definitely not holding himself back anymore (That YunGi clothes grab in the Wonderland tour version, anyone? This Mrs Fezziwig was fanning herself like a Georgian Regency lady with a hand fan and blaming it on her age - hot flushes, you know... Oof! ). But anyone with a braincell can look at the lack of acknowledgement of their talents in terms of end of year award show nominations and wonder what the hell is going on?! It is incredibly irritating when people who deserve to have their hard work and talents celebrated are passed over again and again.

Now, this is where I just know I am going to be side-eyed, possibly bombastically, because I need to make comparisons in order to make my points as this is only about my opinion, and things I see other Atiny discussing on socials. In addition everyone knows how close the members of these two groups are as friends, hence why I am risking my sanity to say it:

The Comparison - Stray Kids

What makes Stray Kids so well awarded isn't just their agency, which has absolutely helped, with their money, organisation and longevity in the idol industry, but there's also the fact that they have practically carte blanche when it comes to the music they make. No body on this good, green Earth can ignore the sheer genius that is 3RACHA and their most common producer, Versachoi, when it comes to their abilities to write, compose and produce their songs.

Every emotion in the human pantheon of feeling is out there in a song available for fans to discover from their catalogue. Their forte is the musical freedom all the members contribute to the group.

SKZ hits harder because they are performing their own emotion out in song and dance, having three geniuses in one group is fated, no one can ever tell me otherwise... However, Ateez doesn't have that extra layer of connection even though the boys are still insanely versatile and make it work.

That's not the fault of the members, BBTrippin or even on some level the collective Edenary, they're all being told the same thing by the agency. It lies in the fact that those at the top want it to be this way.

I don't say this as a diss against Edenary, and I have yet to find a skip song on their albums. It is all impactful, musically, there is nothing but hit after hit on those but the lyrics just aren't up to par. Guerilla was about a fictional revolution, Halazia was about a fictional revolution from the outsider perspective, Bouncy was about an, um... fictional revolution and Crazy For-... Yeah, I am going to stop here.

KQ CEO-nim, I respectfully say:

Holy Fuck... Drop the fucking storyline into the b-side! Yep, you heard me right - Drop. The. Fucking. Storyline. From. The. Title. Tracks! Plllleeeeaaaaasssseee?

I am pretty sure all the inhabitants of Dimensions A and Z, and how ever many other of these buggers are hiding in the mind of the planners, shall collectively gasp dramatically 'Blasphemy!'

What a cardinal sin to suggest such a thing!!! Pre-debut Atiny are clutching their pearls and Diary Version albums as I speak such foul utterances, wondering how I could possibly have the very cheek of it to say such a thing! Do you think the boys will be proud of the dramatic delivery here? 😂

Yes, there are some moving and heart-wrenching b-sides on Ateez albums that are ignored for the scale of interdimensional time Pirates, which makes it increasingly, painfully obvious that those emotions are rare in their title tracks. So, I will make the point I've been moving up to with the comparison:

KQ need to let loose the reins

I first encountered Ateez in my initial journey with kpop in 2021 and I was in my 'BTS got me hooked, Stray Kids toppled them with Hellevator from my focus, and Ateez seems interesting...' era

Being 38 I felt kinda like some sort of sicko for finding guys I could have birthed attractive and I still have twinges of this feeling occasionally. Thankfully, none of the 5th Gen children are anything other than cute little babies to me, ones that I want to tut at, throwing appropriate clothing their way and ground them for going out in such tiny skirts and dresses. As you can imagine, finding Deja Vu as my first Ateez song sent me screeching dramatically away from the group, hands flapping and looking for a man my age to hide behind [thank you, Rain; you were extremely helpful during my mid-life-ish crisis].

So I continued on my way along up the endurance hike that is the Stray Kids path, again feeling slightly creeped out at myself for buying Oddinary, but also in absolute awe at the music these eight guys made. I still don't have a fucking clue what their storyline is, although it is coming more into focus thanks to the most recent SKZFLIX but that's kinda positive as it allows for their flexibility in terms of what they say and how it's performed and perceived.

At the core, I like their lyrical content better than Ateez, purely due to the fact it's visceral in its emotional impact. With a leader like Bang Chan, I haven't been surprised to find so many amazing fans out there too. Older STAYs I chat with on Discord have been my rock and support as I admitted my feelings of discomfort at the age thing and we figured out it was my STBX husband and his reaction to my new found hobby and likes that left me feeling so icky.

With their help, I finally got the courage up to accept that we were done after 20 years and I haven't missed him except for one occasion [I was facing a general anaesthetic to have a massive abscess on my jaw drained, all alone in a hospital about an hour from home with nobody at all to hold my hand] since he left in March. Every time I faced a backwards step emotionally because of my Ehler-Danlos Syndrome and my limitations, they were there to check on me.

This community is what makes Kpop the best rabbit hole I ever plunged into - stay away from Twitter (No, Elon, it isn't called 'X', it's called Twitter!) and the fans are such magnificently, genuine hearted people who just get me! For the first time in my life my sense of humour wasn't misinterpreted and rather slotted into place like this was where I was meant to be all along. When I found this tribe I was so lonely it was frightful, and it's only by being who I am today with their love and support I can look back at that version of myself and cry for her desperation and black-fog draped soul.

99% of the people in that chat are actually StayTiny, and they were discussing Halazia, insisting I really need to watch the MV. So I did, and as thankful I am for BTS getting me into Kpop and Stray Kids for finding me at my lowest then giving me my coping song in Voices, Ateez overtook them all in one MV. There is something about these guys that I connected with. That began my twisted path in April 2023 in learning names, songs and personality types that lead me to December and the drop of Crazy Form. Yet they may now be my Ult group, Stray Kids are my foundation in the world of idols. And no, I still can't handle Deja Vu no matter how many times I have tried to make it happen. So far I can get to the end of Yunho's opening but I can't take San with that haircut and eyebrows without cringing and backing out, which means I've progressed beyond the sexual feel of the song and am now firmly entrenched in 'Second-hand Embarrassment Station'.

Ateez could be much bigger if...

Despite the connection I found with these seven crackheads plus Jongho, instantly was thrown off by the incessant focus on the story of Ateez and dimension hopping, wondering where they were, as in where were the personal stories; the freedom of expression and grounding focus of reliving your experience in music?

If the story came in the form of a novel, I would be pre-ordering that shit off Amazon faster than I pre-order SKZ and Ateez albums. And I am not alone in this sentiment. After five years in the industry, these guys aren't newbies, they have the experience to handle the responsibilities of writing their own songs with guidance from Edenary and creating their own choreo alongside BBTrippin.

Hearing how the agency weaves the lore into every single MV and title track, I felt angry. I still am and am likely to always be, because if they let up and allowed the boys to display their joy, sorrow, happiness and agony in their songs and choreo, Ateez would be even greater, they'd be a force to be reckoned with particularly in the international market where they just work already. This is where BTS and Stray Kids have Ateez beat.

international fans have come to expect that the music is written and produced by the members of a group. Sure this could be argued as being a side effect of BTS getting so big, it's also a factor no one should discount.

Now, I shall move onto the part I love most: 'saying shit 'people who don't have a genetic pain disorder and who still have two flying fucks to give' won't...

The agency is responsible for the lack of mainstream recognition in terms of awards and fans because that oomph 3RACHA pour into their music is where the disparity lies.

With performers like the eight men in Ateez imagine them being up there on the VMAs stage getting all the praise... And the viral Taylor Swift reaction to match... Her reaction to Chan was just so relatable after all (be still my Swiftie/STAY/Atiny manic heart). I can't lie, the thought of them never being recognised in the mainstream before it's too late and they disband to focus on solo careers makes me tear up. Oh, that's so dramatic of me is what people who don't know Ateez will think,

'Ewwww... it's not that deep 🙄! Go touch some fucking grass and stop being so saesang coded' { Bitch, if I could go outside without dislocating my hip, I'd still be an Archaeologist! Is that enough grass and mud for you all?}

With a massive 'Wooyoung-thicc, baby-girl-twerking' ass BUT(t):

The thing is, it actually is that deep.

I am sick of spending comeback day piecing together the story point instead of looking at the video and lyrics and it's meaning. Which invariably is about the destruction of the dystopian universe. Don't Stop did the story telling in a way that made sense for what the video portrays and it works real fucking well (plus Mingi? Oooh, damn boyyy!). We understood it because it was all there to be found!

Imagine having that every comeback day, the 'falling out of bed at 5am to match KST' would be so much more enjoyable because there isn't any depth to plunder, it would be a {most definitely not} straight shooting banger or bopper or tear-mopper of a track, ALMOST ENTIRELY written and produced by the members for us to enjoy on repeat. Then a few days later the Edenary b-side/s with all the storyline desired would drop and we would be mentally prepared to disect every second of it because our thirst would have diminished to the 'reasonably manageable when those eight beautiful men plus San's chocolate bar abs are in the world' level.

Whilst I intended to make all my points in one post, I will split it up because of the length it's going to be... To be continued...

7 notes · View notes

raylazuko · 26 days

Text

So I listened to every Eurovision 2024 song and here are my rankings and reviews!

1. Slovenia: Veronika-Raiven 10/10

Holy shit, my jaw is on the floor! This is easily my favorite song this year with only Mustii coming close. This girl’s voice is insane. I am obsessed with dark songs and…this climax. It’s actually insane. The background vocals had me climbing up the walls, this is INSANE. I JUST WISH THE SONG WAS LONGER! It’s so good that my only complaint is wanting more of it!

2. Belgium: Before the Party’s Over-Mustii 10/10

Holy shit, this is incredible! I have a strong affinity for dark pop and songs that build in intensity over time. It starts out as a fairly by the numbers ballad but gains a lot of momentum. Mustii has incredible vocals and the atmosphere is insane. The lyrics aren’t anything special but the delivery and mood of the song more than makes up for it. That final chorus with the choir legitimately gives me chills.

3. Norway: Ulveham-Gåte 10/10

Okay, this is incredible. Mixing old Norse folk songs with a hard rock vibe is excellent and the vocals are incredible! This is the perfect blend of beautifully traditional and kickass! This is another band I’ll definitely be checking out after this!

4. Switzerland: The Code-Nemo 10/10

Seeing a nonbinary artist making a song that’s blatantly about queer joy makes me absolutely thrilled, and the blend of rap and opera is insane. Their vocals are absolutely insane and I really hope this wins.

5. San Marino: 11:11-Megara 10/10

This is my first introduction to Megara and wow, I’m obsessed lol. I love hard rock especially female-fronted and I’ll definitely be checking this band out. This is just a really kickass hard rock banger with some electronic elements! There’s not much else to say expect the flamenco breakdown was really cool and actually fits well.

6. Latvia: Hollow-Dons 10/10

Yeah, I love dark stuff with this kind of vibe, it’s right up my alley. (Daylight and Arcade do this sound BADLY) this song does it WELL and I give a lot of credit to Dons for this insane performance. I could see this shrinking on me but for now, it’s hitting the spot! Anthemic shit like this is my cup of tea!

7. Serbia: Ramonda-Teya Dora 10/10

As far as ballads go, this is about as perfect as you can get. Teya’s voice is gorgeous, and the instrumental is perfectly spare leading up to a big crescendo. The final chorus gives me chills with the incredible layered vocals.

8. Czechia: Pedestal-Aiko 9.5/10

We love pop punk girlies! This song is so fun. It’s a great kickass self empowerment anthem about not needing no man! I’m a big fan of this sound and Aiko has a nice voice. The only reason it’s not a 10 is because I find the song a bit short.

9. Luxembourg: Fighter-TALI 9.5/10

Welcome back, Luxembourg! This is pretty much a perfect pop song and totally how you do a pop song lol. It’s catchy without being annoying, has all the production elements in the right place, a mix of languages, and a great performance by TALI. This one won’t get out of my head!

10. Croatia: Rim Tim Tagi Dim-Baby Lasagna 9/10

This song is very fun and peak Eurovision to me. The energy reminds me a lot of Kaarija last year. It’s extremely campy while still sounding pretty awesome and having that hard rock chorus. The anxiety of growing up and moving out is real so even if the lyrics are cheesy I enjoy them quite a bit. It’s just a bit cheesy for me to listen to regularly but it is such a banger.

11. Poland: Grito-iolanda 9/10

I’m not much for ballads but this one has some nice swell to it and a really pleasant melody as well as great vocals! What’s not to love?

12. Finland: No Rules!-Windows95Man 9/10

As goofy as this is, I can’t help but love it. It puts a huge smile on my face and it has a nice positive message. Also the whole Windows95 aesthetic is awesome lol.

13. Ireland: Doomsday Blue-Bambie Thug 9/10

Okay, yeah, thanks for the discovery! This gives me BIG Ashnikko and TeZAtalks vibes and I am here for it. Also more nonbinary representation! Definitely the most unique song of the year! I love the aggro rap and hard rock juxtaposed with the acoustic chorus. Very cool!

14. Estonia: 5MINUST, Puuluup-(nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi 8.5/10

This title is way too long lol. I had no idea how to rank this, but yeah, this is fun and just embodies Eurovision for me! It’s such a bop!

15. Albania: TiTAN-Besa 8.5/10

I love everything about this from Besa’s vocals to the anthemic mood, to the handclaps to the synth explosion of the final chorus. My only problem is how the first part of the song is kind of boring and the lyrics are woefully generic.

16. Azerbaijan: Özünle Apar-Fahree, İlkin Dovletov 8/10

This song is really gorgeous. The vocals are beautiful, it has a relaxing ethnic vibe, I love the stings and backing vocals, and this definitely strikes me as a unique entry!

17. Moldova: The Middle-Natalia Barbu 8/10

I’m not really sure why people hate this one. It’s really unique and has a great orchestral vibe to it. Sure, the lyrics are generic, but the vocals are great and I love the combination of the more orchestral vibe and the dance beat. It’s a really nice vibe!

18. Australia: One Mikali (One Blood)-Electric Fields 8/10

I like this one a lot. It has a nice message and a really great crowd pleaser vibe. The vocals are great and it’s an electronic sound with traditional and ethnic elements. I really love the synth riff, that’s some delicious stuff. I just find it a bit cheesy to be one of my top choices.

19. France: Mon Amor-Slimane 8/10

I’m not usually much for ballads, and this isn’t something I’d listen to all that often, but this man has some pipes and his vocals absolutely carry this song.

20. Italy: La Noia-Angelina Mango 8/10

This is a really fun ethnic song with good vocals and a nice instrumental that makes me want to dance. I like these type of songs a lot.

21. Cyrpus: Liar-Silia Kapsis 8/10

This one is strange for me, since it has tropical house elements and is extremely generic which I both hate. This kind of reminds me of Solo from last year, but better. Idk what it is about this girl and the song but it’s so catchy and I have a lot of fun with this despite its shortcomings.

22. Armenia: Jako-Ladanavia 8/10

This is probably the most ethnic sounding song on the list and I find it to be quite repetitive. This seems more like a novelty song than one I’d listen to a lot, but I can’t deny how fun and upbeat it is! This is a very unique entry in the lineup!

23. Greece: ZARI-Marina Satti 8/10

I was not feeling this at first, but it’s really grown on me. It’s incredibly infectious. Yes, it can get annoying after a while, but I listen to a lot of noisy music so I’m sort of immune. I like the ethnic sound and party vibe but I do think it has the potential to shrink on me really fast.

24. Malta: Loop-Sara Bonnici 8/10

This is a really solid and fun pop song with nice vocals, there’s not much else to say about it!

25. Georgia: Firefighter-Nutsa 7.5/10

I really wish I liked this more. Iru was absoltuely robbed last year and I can’t help but feel that this one also has very generic lyrics and messy production. However Nutsa is a good perfomer and I really like the “I see it in the air” chanting and the song has a nice build to the chorus. Considering I listen to a lot of K-pop with similarly messy production, this doesn’t bother me nearly as much as it would for some.

26. Netherlands: Europapa-Joost 7/10

This one has grown on me a lot since I first heard it. It kind gives me similar catchy energy to “Who the Hell is Edgar” from last year and it’s a fun song about Europe with a fun beat that I enjoy.

27. Ukraine: Teresa & Maria-aloyna aloyna, Jerry Heil 7/10

I think this song has a great message and an absolutely gorgeous chorus, however I find the rap to be very out of place and it sounds like an entirely different song to me and really takes me out of the experience.

28. United Kingdom: Dizzy-Olly Alexander 6.5/10

This is one that I can see a lot of people liking, and it isn’t bad! It’s not a nice chill electronic vibe and I wouldn’t turn it off if it came on. I just don’t find it all that interesting, sorry!

29. Austria: We Will Rave-Kaleen 6.5/10

Austria went with 00s eurodance this year and the song is pretty decent. The title is certainly accurate as this would go off hard at a rave. I think it will be a crowd favorite. I don’t find the vocals to be that interesting and the song is incredibly repetitive, however.

30. Poland: The Tower-LUNA 6/10

This one is also really boring for me. It’s a nice synthpop song, but not much else. It’s not dark or exciting enough for me to latch onto. Also LUNA’s vocals remind me of Halsey which is cool I guess.

31. Germany: Always on the Run-ISAAK 6/10

This feels like a very generic Imagine Dragons-type song. ISAAK has a good voice and the song is very anthemic and uplifting, but I don’t like how generic the lyrics and melody are.

32. Denmark: SAND-Saba 6/10

Another woefully generic but well-produced entry. Saba’s vocals are quite good, but yeah, it can’t get much more generic than this.

33. Sweden: Unforgettable:-Marcus & Martinus 5.5/10

I unfortunately find this song very forgettable. It’s just generic evil woman lyrics, the vocals aren’t anything special, and while the beat is fun, there’s just not much to come back to.

34. Spain: ZORRA-Nebulossa 5/10

This song sounds like early 2010s schlock and is just not that well produced and the performer doesn’t do much to elevate it.

35. Lithuania: Luktelk-Silvester Belt 5/10

This one is just pretty generic to me. I could see why people like it or find it fun, but I’m not getting much from this.

36. Iceland: Scared of Heights-Hera Björk 4/10

Man, this is so generic. I don’t even know what to say other than that this sounds like a 2009 song and that’s not a compliment. Yes her voice is good, but you can’t get more generic than this shit.

#eurovision #eurovison song contest #eurovision 2024 #ranking #song review

4 notes · View notes

mending-up-your-fences · 8 months

Text

Alright, Cuyahoga “mending finally went to a full length show and will never stop talking about it” post show breakdown. Also my eye didnt attempt to blind me. And the weird voice thing I heard at bourbon and beyond was a weird festival amp thing that was not present here.

First: Cuyahoga is a stunning venue. Absolutely great. I don’t know how I lucked into face value seating so close and central to the stage but I did.

Second: katie pruitt has a new song that talks about wanting to be Superman and I cried as she was performing it for the first time, so good luck to us all when that’s released. Also, Out of the Blue was freaking incredible live. Her voice rocks.

And now for the meat and potatoes:

Starting with Stay Gentle is a war crime. Plain and simple. I think I’ve experienced every emotion possible listening to this song, so I did not cry at this point, but the swell of the strings when she sings “be amazed by the sky”. Also, the linked arm thing is cute.

Over the Rainbow: her voice. Overall what a mood set.

Broken Horses: hahahaha wtf. It absolutely rips. Also, went on a side quest to the rock and roll hall of fame and they have where she wrote the lyrics, and you can actually see where she gets more intense as her writing goes along.

Things I Regret: fun song and good little sneaky vocal warm up for Brandi. Also slaps. Very fun song.

You and Me on the Rock: boy she loves an amphitheater of her fans. Chauntee, Kyleen, and Monique have very tight harmonies now! And so fun seeing all the lesbians dance together.

The Story: RIPS. Absolute carnage. It takes a special talent and focus to sing a single song thousands of times and make it still sound special. But then at the end, this wild thing happened where the applause went on for two minutes? Just one of those magical live performance moments, but Brandi genuinely seemed touched and overwhelmed by it (for reasons we will get to later).

The Eye: see this is where they got me. I have never once in my entire life cried to this song. But tonight? Wtf. The harmonies are so good, and the lyrics are so pretty and so yeah, I cried. Tim and Phil are the goats. If they don’t get memorialized together when they make the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I’ll riot.

After that cute moment I got emotionally assassinated: that’s right. It turns out cath and the kids are at home and one of the anniversaries was yesterday so Brandi has been in an extra “I’ve been touring all summer and now everyone’s at home without me funk.” And she referred to herself as a human casino thursday. So what does that mean?

It’s time for The Mother. Fuck my life. I cried. I thought about my mom, I thought about future kids. I thought about the gay parents in the audience. I can’t believe she did it. I think she’s performed it one other time this summer at a not solo show or special event. Was sure I was gonna live vicariously forever. But here we are in this new world where I’ve seen the mother performed live.

Acoustic mood? Sounds great. Now we’re gonna do Right on Time two ways (for real this time). ITCH was as great as on Thursday. But immediately followed by my first time hearing Right on Time (ITSD) which holy shit. Absolute banger. And vocally insane (featuring her demon laugh when she knows she’s just done something vocally wild).

Time to rip into My Song/they were too small of a band for U2 to nail them at the time for plagiarism but lol. She sings and performs this song in a way that makes her almost visibly time travel to being a sixteen year old busking her heart out.

Solidly into the rock part of the show? Wrong. It’s Mama Werewolf time. The concert version of it is perfect. It’s a perfect song and they sing it perfectly. Did not cry because I was emotionally exhausted at this point and could not dwell on the cyclic trauma of it all, but GD her and the twin harmonies.

So now foot’s off the pedal and we’re on cruise control right? Wrong. Because this is the moment I think the people surrounding me realized I am not a casual fan At All, the way I physically reacted to them playing the intro to Again Today. Another bucket list song checked off. Her voice. It’s just another “this song could end the whole concert and it’d be a great concert but this is Brandi carlile band so this is what our discography is like.” Fuck them, this song slaps, still mad it’s not a standalone track that I can loop.

Banger city now because it’s time for Raise Hell which absolutely blew the roof off the place. It was so loud and raucous at this point. Side note: but is insane that Raise Hell is so good and that the discography is so deep that it’s a special occasion now??? Anyway, no one has sat this whole show. I had been told we were a concert sitting people, but it seems like that era is over. People are bouncing, yelling, riled up… So naturally what song is next?

Remember this?

Party of One. LMAO. This concert was sequenced by an insane person. But whatever, I got redemption to see it twice. And it was awesome. The applause for the string quartet went on forever. I cried. Standard stuff.

Mainstream Kid! With Katie Pruitt! That is a girl that spent a lot of time singing along to that track in her car during college. But it RIPPED. That voice combo is crazy. And Tim got to do his best ever guitar solo. Brandi so clearly invests emotionally into these artists that repeatedly open for her, I just have a lot of BoB thoughts.

Sinners, Saints, and Fools aka “we do not deserve Sista Strings but Chauntee and Monique have decided we get to enjoy their gifts for this moment in time”. Fun fact is that they apparently saw a symphony concert at the venue as children! Other fun fact: Geraldo Rivera was at this performance. Kinda wanted to say “Hey this whole thing is about grifters like you.” Anyway, it slaps.

The Joke: nothing groundbreaking to report. I cried. Her voice is stupid. People should stop trying to cover it. Forever thankful that this song finally got BCB the recognition they’ve deserved the whole time.

Hold Out Your Hand: it’s so fast and so fun. It’s also another moment that amplifies the band a part of what makes them so special. They are just people. There’s no tight corporate control, no musical director/concert choreographer dictating every movement. It’s just a bunch of talented adults playing music together, and occasionally being a bit goofy.

Live and Let Die/We Are The Champions: Adam Lambert and Brandi Carlile could pull off this tandem. End of list. All you should need to convince anyone of how great Brandi is right now is to say “She has the stage presence and vocal ability to kill this cover as an encore at all her shows”. It absolutely works live.

Anyway, this was my favorite concert I’ve ever experienced. Hope my ramblings made you laugh a little. They’re mostly for me here so I remember as much of tonight as I possibly can. Love to y’all. Good night.

#brandi carlile #gotta go sleep before my plane #maybe my brain will be quiet now #Brandi carlile band

7 notes · View notes

halemerry · 8 months

Note

you know how the instrumental version of the show must go on plays in the background while the metatron orders his coffee right? the first thing it made me think of is the moulin rouge movie where during that song satine prepares herself to go and break christian's heart to protect him from the duke. it fits nicely with the interpretation that azi isn't completely sincere and is doing what he's doing to protect crowley. but I don't know if moulin rouge is something that would inspire neil and co?? do you think it's at all possible or am I just reaching?

Ohh this is a very fun question for so many reasons, but it’s a bit hard to answer directly. I can’t speak for where any of the folks involved in the making of Good Omen’s is coming from beyond what they’ve answered themselves, but If I had to gamble on it, I’d lean toward the assumption that it’s not a direct inspiration like that.

That being said, I’m not sure how much that actually matters because whether or not people on the team making this movie sat down and said ‘oh we can do this like Moulin Rouge does’ or not there is value in looking at commonality.

And in this context especially I actually think it says more about the lexicon of culture the two pieces of media are pulling from than anything else. Because in a lot of ways they're pulling from the same one.

Both the Red Curtain Trilogy and Good Omens had their first installments release at around the same time. Good Omen's was published in 1990 and Strictly Ballroom released in 1992. They're pulling from similar palettes and touchstones which is why you get the Queen overlap. Baz Luhrmann's films, including Moulin Rouge, all lean very heavily on camp aesthetics. (It's worth noting this is partially thanks to Catherine Martin who is his go to production designer who has a heavy hand in the way his films look and is also Luhrmann's wife.) Queen is a natural choice in Moulin Rouge because the band also operates in camp spaces and is arguably the most famous example of camp from the era (which frankly have stuck around and continued to define what camp looks like to this day) and because the movie is wanting to pull big recognizable songs into it's soundtrack. Queen is camp and yet insanely popular and well received.

The joke with Queen in Good Omens also operates as a nod to the popularity of the band. I know a lot of folks that think of Queen in the context of Crowley liking the band but originally anything being left in the Bentley turning into Queen was a joke poking fun at how everyone who has any kind of physical music likely has a Queen's Greatest Hits CD.

I won't go off on a whole tangent trying to define camp here as much as part of me wants to but camp has always been tied to queer culture and queer history. Its campiness is why films like the ones in the Red Curtain trilogy (especially Romeo + Juliet imo) have had the impact they have on queer media. And Good Omens even in its original state was always something queer people looked at and thought that's me. They're both queer adjacent at minimum, they're both pulling from similar cultural touchstones which also happen to be queer and camp.

They also both operate in spaces - as camp often does - more concerned with emotional impact more than realism. And the Show Must Go on is a very emotional song. Even outside the context of the lyrics itself. The album it is on was recorded during the last year of Freddie's life and was a struggle to record both physically and mentally. It's an intense song. It's over the top and unapologetic.

It's a song about soldiering through the tough times with a smile. Of carrying on the performance under pressure even if it's hard on you to do so because it's worth it. Which is basically Aziraphale in a nutshell. It's also what Satine does in the scene you're referencing. And I quite like the idea of it as evidence that Aziraphale is putting on some kind of a performance here, even if I suspect it's less taking inspiration from Moulin Rouge and more the song being well suited to these two stories operating in similar spaces.

#answers #good omens #rambles #camp #moulin rouge #queen #mild death cw #mine

16 notes · View notes

blvckdress · 2 years

Text

𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐤 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐔

The 1970s was a great decade for music. The diverse musicality of rock took the world by storm with bands such as The Beatles—who’s psychedelic blues, mop top haircuts and Cuban heels garnered the attraction of many audiences— The Who, Led Zepplin, Queen and AC/DC. But there was one group out of the bunch that stood out as one of the most popular acts of the punk rock era. They embodied everything that made the genre what it was. Crude, vile, filthy were words used to describe their music catalog and attitude. Raw and stripped down, everything about them was pure punk.Formed in 1971 the band, Diabolik Lovers, played gigs as the rising punk scene caused by economic crisis, anti authoritarianism, and unrestriction helped them build a loyal audience as they performed in pubs, garages, bars and clubs. It wasn’t until their third album, Silver Rose, did they blow up in popularity with their hit song, “Haunted Dark Bridal”, topping national and international charts.

Shu Sakamaki:

Bassist of the band

Bro is actually a decent player and has a good grasp of music theory, producing iconic, yet simple riffs that become of staple of their music

But

With him there is always a but

He is lazy as shit

Genuinely a terrible performer

During one of their t

ours he was so coked up and played for three days straight absolutely blacked out

like fully - kinda - functioning and everything

It was impressive on his part though ngl

Though that's pushing it

He barely plays in shows and often plucks the same string over and over while moving his fingers and acts like he did something smh

for the most part he is a visual element

However the complete lack of motivation and "I don't give a fuck attitude" made him insanely popular and it drove fans absolutely crazy

like this dude didn't care about anything and something about it was just so appealing

he didn't have to try

him being hot as hell also helped so there's that

his blue eyes became a common staple of his beauty

Reiji Sakamaki:

manager of the band

absolutely hates their fucking guts

but not really tho

except for this onesonofabitchwhocan'tplayfor- !

anyways

this guy genuinely has the hardest job in the world

having to play not only manager but babysitter to drugged up, hormonal, angry teenagers is the equivalent to being in the fifth circle of hell

he would often have to chain them to their beds so they wouldn't go off and do something stupid

but where there's ayato there's hope

alas he is a pretty great manager

the way he promotes them and capitalizes off their image is actually pretty insane

their albums as a whole, except Silver Rose, pales in comparison to other artists at the time but Reiji basically gaslights the public into thinking it is the epitome of musical and lyrical genius

makes their lunches and reads their fanmail to try to get them to go to sleep

occasionally helps with the song writing bc his prose kinda be hitting

Ayato Sakamaki:

lead guitarist of the band

okay only guitarist the band but same difference

this guy is a natural attention whore and when he gets on that stage it becomes his bitch

he's honestly not that good of a guitarist but he just flails about and strums like he never strummed before

overall he gets the job done

what he does is make up for it with his electrifying stage presence and is testament to the creative youth culture prevalent at the time

he is unapologetic as he will ad lib completely different riffs in songs and rips off his shirt during performances

happily catches bras with laito when they are thrown on stage

makes a game out of it as he catches them with the neck of his guitar

with his fiery red hair, complete and total arrogance he expressed a raw and thrilling intensity that added that little je ne sais quois in the band

considered the face of the band

reiji deduced that he is the most 'marketable' and is what would be used to get people interested in the band in the first place

he obvs loved this bc hello

wanted to be a singer but that request was disrespectfully declined by Reiji

Kanato Sakamaki:

where to start with this one

he is super camp

main vocalist obsv (F2-F5 is his range)

his voice matches their songs perfectly

there is no other way to describe it

the man was a straight up menace

heckle at him??

he will fight u to the death and feel no remorse

but he has a good voice so his other quirks are not really a problem

no one can do it like him

he is 162 cm, has heavy as shit bags under his eyes and carries a teddy bear around with ashes inside

oops nvm no one was supposed to know that

anyways this guy has the personality of a ticking time bomb and is always ready to throw a bitch fit

to his credit tho, ppl get to see a wwa match while listening to songs with his voice so its a win win situation

this guy sneers at his audience, is needlessly angry, and has so much contempt for society there is no way one could genuinely think how he thinks without being unironic

radiates vitriol and no one even comes close

thats what makes him iconic

likes the sugar

if u know what i mean

Laito Sakamaki:

keyboardist

goes without saying but girls salivate over this man

he is never not not seen with a girl backstage

gets upset with reiji when he is not allowed to go over double digits

bro is like genghis khan

has offspring left and right

like ayato he is a big ad lib-er

both on the keyboard and vocals

ayato and laito are like two peas in a pod

if ayato embodies the crude

laito embodies the lewd

if ayato was fire

laito was gasoline

kisses fans in the audience while on stage whenever he plays the keytar

was actually a pretty big contributer in the making of 'Silver Rose' which was the only song in which every member of the band actually pitched in

Subaru Sakamaki:

drums

obvs

when the band inevitably breaks up he is the first one to sneer on their legacy

his fingers bleed from his agressive drum playing and his sets frequently have to be replaced

the only member he tolerates is Shu

thinks their lives and career are completely pathetic

but does it anyway cause he's an emO bOY

his feelings need to be heard

and seen

if kanato was the voice of punk

subaru was the attitude

so there's that

honestly tho

despite his raging anger issues

he mostly just keeps to himself and has little to no interpersonal relationships with anyone in the band

the fashion really suited his

dr. martens, tattoos (his most iconic one being a white rose on his bicep), leather jackets and occassionally spiked hair were his go to

Yui Komori:

groupie

she is very much a product of her environment

her whole life she has been sujected to purity culture and the strict rules of growing up with the church

so when one of the girls in her school was able to sneak in a cheap CD of a random L.A sunset strip band she was in awe

she was obsessed with the freedom and anti-establishment ideologies that were prevalent in what she thought was loud, agressive music

it became a sort of catharsis for her

it was the forbidden fruit that she needed to have a bite of

At 14 she saw the growing punk scene was in NYC and that is where she had to be

she worked many odd jobs

growing up with second hand clothes her whole life she was able to mend things pretty easily which made her fit in with crowds that looked down on consumerism and corporations

surface level she did not 'look' the part

it was when she styled her hair and accentuated her natural curls, went braless, wore crop tops, bell bottoms and chunky shoes that she became a top groupie and a fixture in the new york rock scene

her feminine style mixed with elements of punk subculture made her very popular

she would visit gritty, grimy clubs like CBGB and would do anything to get access

she would decide to go by the name Eve

she followed multiple bands on their tours

it was when she saw DL perform did she know that was the band for her

she would catch the attention of the boys and soon be a prominent figure in their sets

#diabolik lovers #headcanons #band au #diabolik lovers headcanons #i added yui last minute bc why not

85 notes · View notes

jeju-tangerine · 3 months

Text

my top 10 kpop songs of 2023 :-)

after putting much too much thought and time into it, i have finally sorted out and written a list of my favorite kpop releases of 2023 ^_^ this was such a great year for kpop in my opinion, for full albums especially, and i hope 2024 will live up! in creating this, i decided to only include 1 song per artist, so as not to have the whole list be just one group. the songs often stand as representations of the entire albums, though. now here's my list :-)

a very special honorable mention goes to: "WOULD YOU RUN - Original Version" by TRI.BE, "LEFT RIGHT" by XG, "welcome to MY world" by aespa, and "loving me" by fifty-fifty (released in 2022 but i only got into it in 2023, but it's a masterpiece and deserves a shoutout)

NOW!!

youtube

10. super shy - new jeans i'll tell you one simple trick to ensure that you never grow to dislike a song from it being overplayed on tiktok: don't use tiktok. "supershy" is THE song of my summer. it's light, it's breezy, it's fun, and its repetiteveness only lends itself to it being so incredibly catchy. despite their questionable background as a group, newjeans and their team keep delivering music that feels like a breath of fresh air in the k-pop landscape, and i'm glad for it.

youtube

9. i want that - g-idle g-idle dominated this year with "queencard", which is not on MY personal list of favorites, but i would never deny its impact. however, though "i want that" was less successful, it hit so much harder for me - probably because of its actually enjoyable and catchy english lyrics (especially the verses), the dark undertones of the song, the dark… well, overtones, of the mv, and the masterful combination of the intense beat and the sweet bridge, nailed by miyeon's lovely vocals.

youtube

8. bye my neverland - kiss of life the initial soft, sugary, fairytale atmosphere of the song is soon elevated when a distant sound of a bell leads us through the prechorus right into an explosive chorus - not unlike the clock striking midnight and forcing cinderella to leave the ball. the emotional impact of this entry for me lies not really in its musical qualities, but in them being combined with the lyrics. "bye my neverland" is titled perfectly. it's an ode to making hard choices and to refusing to stay in your comfort zone, even if it seems crazy to throw it away - and at the same time, the song acknowledges that doing this is difficult. there's a sense of deep melancholy in it, but also comfort and hope. i guess that's growing up.

youtube

7. bouncy (k-hot chilli peppers) - ateez i am not a noise girlie at all, but i could not escape the siren song of ateez this year. "bouncy" goes so damn hard it's kind of ridiculous. every part is a joy to listen to, the members' deliveries are energetic and full of genuine passion - or sometimes nonchalant, when they should be -, and their live performances impressed me immensely. i might have to look more into their discography after this. "bouncy" doesn't need much description - it speaks for itself.

youtube

6. but sometimes - boynextdoor this is FUN music. i mean this more for this song than any other on this list: every single line, every sentence is deeply enjoyable and memorable. you know how some songs are nice and have pretty choruses, but when you try to remember what the verses sound like, you somehow just can't recall much? this is the opposite of that. such an incredibly fun song structure - and it's not even especially unusual. still, it's skillfully written in a way that seems to follow the phases one goes through after a breakup (or at least a teenager would). i also adore the choreography, and i'll be paying a lot of attention to boynextdoor from now on. especially jaehyun and his frankly insane charisma on stage.

youtube

5. mine - ive ive was my top artist on spotify this year, and for a good reason. in my humble opinion, they DOMINATED 2023. their first full album was absolutely killer, there is not a song on there that i dislike and "i am" is a masterpiece of a title track. however, because this is a deeply subjective list, i decided to go with "mine" as a representation of ive on here. it's my favorite track on the album, it was my 3rd most listened to song of the year as well and i love it so much. it scratches such a specific itch in my brain with its rhythmical tempo and dreamy soundscape. this song just sounds like what love feels like.

youtube

4. menow - fromis9 another perfect album of 2023 was in fact fromis' "unlock my heart". it seems like fromis have a fully realized musical identity now, and it's lovely to experience. there are better songs on the album, namely "attitude" (man that goes crazy), but "#menow" is still the heart of it, in my opinion. it feels genuine, fresh but cozy. there is a deep yearning for living life authentically to the song, and authenticity is one of the very main themes of the full album as well. "attitude" is phenomenal, but it lacks that wonderful casual girl-next-door vibe that fromis' body of work has to it, in my opinion. "#menow" captures it so well - while still being extremely fun! that prechorus? come on. other standouts on the album: "bring it on", "what i want", "eye contact".

youtube

3. rising - tripleS now here is my number 1 most listened to song of 2023. tripleS have released some super interesting-sounding stuff. i'm a big fan of "new look", and of "girls' capitalism" too, despite the title, but "rising" dominated. that second verse absolutely kills. i also love the first title-drop in the first verse, for some reason. the song is really catchy and fun, the mv looks kind of silly but gets you in the right mood, and i'm especially enamored with the last 2 lines. some songs have weak or underwhelming endings, but this is the opposite of that - i LOVE the very ending. what more do i need to say about tripleS? they were literally so right when they said la la la la.

youtube

2. farewell neverland - txt maybe i'm cheesy for it but i cannot resist a good acoustic guitar, especially when it goes as hard as it does in "farewell neverland". such a beautiful, beautiful song. deeply emotional, deeply mournful, DEEPLY atmospheric. AND it was the culmination of a gorgeous EP, which also featured such bangers as "sugar rush ride", "devil by the window" and "tinnitus". i don't know how to express how much i love this song. it's tragic, it's regretful, it's intense but measured. it sounds stunning and it is aging like a fine wine.

youtube

underwater - red velvet it's so difficult to pick just one song off a red velvet album. "chill kill" is perfection, everything i could expect from my favorite group and more. they never disappoint - they just keep surprising me with their music's longevity instead. among flawless bsides, "underwater" managed to slightly stand out. from first listen i felt there was something transcendent about the song, so it is here representing red velvet on my list proudly. there are few tracks that embody the 'velvet' of red velvet as completely as this one does. sensual, ethereal, a tiny bit dangerous. "underwater" gets you simultaneously submerged in the deep end and levitating in the air. i won't stand for ignoring "chill kill" the title track, though - it's perfect as well. the more positive-sounding melodies elevate the uncanny mood and really make it a classic red velvet title. and, okay - let me talk about the mv quickly. killer. literally. so creepy, so disturbing, so hopeful, so artfully made. and the vocals on the entire album are stunning, by the way. one other bside standout for me: "nightmare" - it literally has a musical structure which corresponds to the experience of having a nightmare and freaking out and then waking up and realizing it's all okay and it was just a dream. my GOD!!!! i come back to their music all the time, and the reason is simple: noone else does it like red velvet. they are a one of a kind kpop group and i'm so thankful for them.

thanks to anyone who's read this and have a great rest of 2024 guyz ^___^

#veltalk #red velvet #ive #fromis 9 #Youtube

2 notes · View notes

stormblessed95 · 2 years

Note

Heeey Storm....so today I listened to declacomania on a loop because I'm sad and I don't think I've ever paid attention to the lyrics before....but damn...I've tried to search if you talked about it in your masterlist but I can't seem to find it...

The lyrics of declacomania and his raw voice makes it so intense,intimate,personal....basically my ask is if you can talk about it..I'd love to hear your opinions and if you think it's related to MinGukkie😊

I haven't talked about it before, no. But it is insanely beautiful and the lyrics are so sad honestly too at times. I think the song is incredibly personal and honestly I don't think it has anything to do with anyone other than himself. He said he wrote the song for himself too, so I'm pretty sure he was speaking to himself with those lyrics. We don't know for sure, because he has never told us, so it's just interpretations at this point.

He posted the song on Twitter under his selca. His selca (above) was captioned "thank you for making me happy" and the song was posted captioned "please look forward to it"

During Seasons Greetings 2020, Namjoon gave JK the award and talked about how he wrote Decalcomania by himself and for himself during the year 2019:

Decalcomania, for those who don't know, is a decorative technique by which engravings may be transferred to pottery or other materials. In Korean, it can also mean two people who look a lot alike.

So if we get into what my possible interpretation is of these lyrics, I'd say it's him dealing with the possible insecurities he has being the "golden maknae." And trying to live up to that image all the time. I think the lyrics are him talking to himself. In the Break the Silence documentary, Jungkook said "People call me the ”Golden Maknae”, but that’s not how i feel, so i have to try harder to make myself appear that way." He also talked about those feelings during Festa 2019, the same year he wrote and released Decalcomania. He was asked to differentiate between him as an individual and his on stage persona, and he said:

I think a lot of this song might be him trying to deal with his thoughts and own inner conflicts of being Jungkook of BTS, and Jeon Jungkook, the person from Busan. And even just the pressure he feels from outside sources and himself to live up to that Golden Maknae title. I think a lot of these lyrics that address someone, is him talking to himself.

"When I see you smile in the screen. You're good at everything. You're just perfect. Feels like I've never been you."

It very much feels like he is talking to himself, the JK of BTS who he watches on playback screens or in videos they do or in recordings of their stages. He strives to always do better than his best, giving 120% to everything he does because he never wants to disappoint anyone. But perhaps feeling like it's not enough anyways and it's not always who he truly is. In the Bring the Soul docu series, he also spoke about how JK the performer and JK the person feel very different to him. And how he is now trying to reconcile those differences, and bring those 2 halves of himself closer together. To be the same on and off the stage.

"Do you even see me? Do you know who I am? Or how do I look now? You don't like me like that."

I personally interpreted these lines as his worry and fear over how this merging of his true self into his stage persona, into how he presents himself to the world, into this journey of figuring out exactly who he is as a whole, would be accepted by their fans. Would people still love him as he changed aspects of himself to be more true to who he feels like he really is? The hair changes, the tattoos, his clothing choices, being more expressive about his personal choices, etc. Earlier in 2019 too, he posted some of his art, including the statement "I'm Still Me" that he drew into it. I really think 2019 was a big year of self discovery and growth for JK as he leaned into being as true to him as he could be.

I think being true to himself is something that is very important to him, as it should be. Later on in 2019, he started his tattoo sleeve, he started living a lot more unapologetically. I think a lot of this was him acknowledging his fame, everything they did to achieve all the amazing things they have. And wanting to make sure he doesn't lose himself either. Finding who he is as a person in the midst of all the idol fame too. He wants to be the same person he is on the stage, that he is off stage. Basically I think the song lyrics hint at JK addressing the different sides of himself, who he feels he truly is, the more vulnerable side and the perfect side you would often see on stage.

Part of me likes to think that the reason he never released the full song officially and deleted the files is because he doesn't feel like that as much anymore. Because he does feel more like he is living authentically and being accepted for it. Not caring as much what people think or say about him. Feeling for the most part like he can be his true self on and off the stage, that he is perfect and is golden, even if he messes up and can embrace human "imperfections" as part of what makes him amazing. I think we saw an example of that when he was able to laugh off and still enjoy himself after making a mistake in the butter choreo during PTD Concerts. He didn't seem to be upset about it at the time at all. Which is something we know used to really beat himself up over too.

It is a very intense, intimate and personal song. JKs voice is beautiful and emotional and really gets that across well along with his lyrics. This is honestly really just my personal opinions and interpretations over the song. I do think that it seems clear the song is for him though, not anyone else. What he meant or was wanting to say, what emotions he was feeling, well only he knows. This is just my rambling thoughts, not confirmed fact. Maybe one day JK will share more over it, who knows. Until then, everyone is free to relate to/interprete the song in a way that makes the most sense to them I guess too. So you are all free to agree or disagree here as you will. Lol

Thanks for the ask! Hope my thoughts all made sense even if it was rambling a bit.

#my thoughts over JKs decalcomania

56 notes · View notes