Lurker > Seginustemple

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You bow to no one, azuarc

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You bow to no one, azuarc

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You bow to no one, azuarc

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You bow to no one, azuarc

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You bow to no one, azuarc

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You bow to no one, azuarc

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You bow to no one, azuarc

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You bow to no one, azuarc

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You bow to no one, azuarc

Overwatch because the capture point mode is so tedious. I still have friends that play and every so often I give the game another chance but then capture point happens and it reminds me why I quit
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You bow to no one, azuarc

I gotta see some real evidence that anti-white racism is actually being pushed in schools, I've heard a lot of cry wolf about this without any backing
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Kenri posted...

My favorite part was how he didn't let students attend unless they locked their phones away

That's been his policy on shows for a while now, I saw him in '17 at the Palladium and had to lock my phone in a little purse
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You bow to no one, azuarc

I can never decide between Royal Scam, Aja, and Gaucho. Their later period is such a goldmine
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Well I'll tell you Steely Dan is one of America's finest bands, and all of their records are good. Can't Buy a Thrill isn't actually my favorite but it's probably their most widely known release, owing to a pair of radio-saturated singles (or trio if you include Dirty Work) that remain dad rock staples today. It's surprisingly well-formed for a debut, with a host of seasoned musicians punching in tasty solos over catchy 70's tv-show theme songwriting. It's not as jazzy or polished as their later records (The Dan's sound gradually progresses from beer at a jukebox to wine on a yacht) but the musicianship is apparent in the performance and arrangements. It's a classic for a reason. I think the only flaw is that 8/10 of the songs use a fade out ending. It's like they can't pick a chord to end on!

10. Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me) - It's a dip in energy late in the record, one of the two tracks sung by David Palmer and I think it shows why his more sensitive voice was ultimately not the right fit for this band, even if he turns in a capable performance. Jeff Baxter's lap steel solo is probably the sleepiest on the record, though he adds a lot of nice touches in the verses. There's still a solid core of a tune here but it's played so straight it doesn't stand out much on an album this good.

9. Fire in the Hole - The Vietnam protest song, or at least a song about draft-dodging. Fagen takes a rare piano solo with some angsty flare to prove he has some chops. But there's only a sketch of drum, bass, and lap steel guitar outside of that so the rest of the instrumental feels a little thin to me.

8. Midnite Cruiser - The only Steely Dan album track sung by *checks notes...* drummer Jim Hodder. He actually works on this one, his voice isn't too dissimilar from Fagen's and they all jump in on the chorus anyway. It's another nostalgic dive bar anthem, but far from the best one here.

7. Dirty Work - I'm just not into Palmer's soft vocals in the verses. But I dig the instrumental - that intro with the rhodes/guitar arpeggios and organ lead into the horn line is butter. And I'd be a fool to deny that the chorus is a groove. The random break for the sax solo is totally unnecessary though.

6. Kings - This one is catchy as heck. The crunchy guitar and stack of hype background singers give it a lot of energy, and the subtle addition of congas in the chorus keeps it moving (even if you don't think you notice, you notice). The liner notes cheekily include a 'no political significance' disclaimer under this track, which almost certainly means they were alluding to Nixon.

5. Turn That Heartbeat Over Again - Perhaps the strangest song of the bunch, there's a lot of silence as punctuation between sections so the mood feels very flexible. I really enjoy the way the vocals shift between speaker channels as the music shifts gears into the chorus. The 'solo' is almost played for comedy, as the tune suddenly gives way to a slowed down jugband section before switching back to a proggy interlude. The minor key twist at the very end is a nice touch to close on. "oh Michael, oh Jesus..."

4. Change of the Guard - Perfect simplicity right here, never stops rocking. Has my favorite 'na na na' section this side of a hey hey goodbye and the bluesy guitar solo is a whole jam unto itself. That's Jeff "Skunk" Baxter ripping it up, now he's a respected missile defense advisor to the Pentagon. How's that for a change of the guard!

3. Reelin' In The Years - One of those songs that's built to get more nostalgic every time you hear it. The vocal harmonies make this one shine, and that becomes a Dan trademark as Donald Fagen assumes lead vocal duties despite his lack of range. I'll always remember that Joe Satriani admitted he ripped off this song on his solo for "If I Could Fly" in a 2006 issue of Guitar Player magazine, and then later he successfully sued Coldplay for ripping off that same song. Sneaky bastard!

2. Only A Fool Would Say That - Plays as a cynical response to "Imagine", which was released a year earlier. It's never totally clear when Steely Dan is being sarcastic but I tend to read this one at face value. How smooth is that instrumental though? It's tightly written and the jazzy latin style is rendered so convincingly, it never sounds like a costume the band is putting on. Bonus points for ending the song neatly instead of fading out.

1. Do It Again - "In the morning you go gunnin' for the man who stole your water" Steely Dan has so many songs involving gunplay and gambling it becomes a whole mythology, the theme of cyclical mistakes and indulgence is like their lyrical north star. The tune is full of flavor, congas/guiro set a mellow salsa mood and electric sitar/plastic organ solos send it to vibespace. An excellent song to drive to, it's too cool for its own good.
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You bow to no one, azuarc

The multiplayer in 007 Agent Under Fire had really satisfying grappling hooks, made for some dynamic shootouts
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Haven't listened in probably 15 years, I actually like it more now than as a kid. The emphasis on delta blues/gospel/spiritual samples adds a lot of character to the crisp electronic production (I gotta say his drums are always on point), in some ways Play feels like an end-of-the-century retrospective on popular music in the recording era. Maybe the energy fizzles in the second half but there's a solid core of danceable grooves and that closer is a gem. Sounds great on headphones.

Honey
Run On
Find My Baby
My Weakness
Natural Blues
South Side
Porcelain
If Things Were Perfect
Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?
7
Down Slow
Inside
Bodyrock
Everloving
The Sky is Broken
Rushing
Guitar Flute & String
Machete
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Enter the Gungeon is great, maybe not as hardcore as Isaac but it's got a surprising amount of variety/depth/secrets and the whole love letter to pop culture side of it actually works really well.
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Paratroopa1 posted...

Actually, I think The Simpsons, South Park's closest contemporary, is DECIDEDLY ANYTHING BUT THIS, at least during its golden years. The Simpsons has always had cynical takes but they're always couched in a deep level of optimism, empathy, and respect for others, which is the magic ingredient that I think South Park is sorely lacking. I don't think The Simpsons is even remotely 'enlightened centrist.'

Simpsons is totally enlightened centrist and a staple of anti-nuclear propaganda. In terms of impacting climate change it's arguably worse than South Park.
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Feels kinda gross to use Tolkein characters for this

but if that's the way it's gonna go then fuck it, give me Paul Atreides vs. Shaggy
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You bow to no one, azuarc

I'm the foot fuckin' master
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You bow to no one, azuarc

pelt him in the nuts with it
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You bow to no one, azuarc

oh shit duh... I'd put it right above Synthesizer
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Slump
Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 2)
Return of the "G"
Chonkyfire
SpottieOttieDopaliscious
Da Art of Storytellin' (Pt. 1)
Synthesizer
Liberation
Y'all Scared
Skew It on the Bar-B
Rosa Parks
Mamacita
Hold On, Be Strong
West Savannah
Nathaniel
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Imma go see Dune and then I'll come back and listen to this again. Might be a little late on it
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Yikes, the context makes it even worse. Three accidental discharges before this happened is unforgivable.
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You bow to no one, azuarc

I'm fifteen years late but finally getting around to the Daniel Craig era. James Bond doing parkour into a Texas Hold 'Em tournament is the most 2006 thing ever
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You bow to no one, azuarc

were any of you dudes back when you were in school?
and they blame it on marilyn, and the heroin
where were the parents at? and look where it's at
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Surprised nobody said the Geico gecko yet

that thing needed to die like ten years ago
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Cleopatra was closer to the moon landing than we are to the Gamecube
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Chris Pratt Mario
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You bow to no one, azuarc

I'm surprised how quickly people are getting worried, has it even been half a day yet?
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You bow to no one, azuarc

it's not all rosy-tinted glasses, the 1996 telecommunications act turned the top 40 into a homogeneous blob
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You bow to no one, azuarc

we could build the wall to Florida's coastline and call it 'The Filibuster'
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Idk why but I really want the big bad to end up being Joe Pantoliano somehow
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Cloudkicker - He Would Be Riding on the Subway...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM0McSwOrrc&list=OLAK5uy_kHldERrEOztXfmnsbGUKNaRLxq929hVX4&index=9
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You bow to no one, azuarc

You'll appreciate the Twin Peaks influence throughout. Speaking of which - the PS1 game Mizzurna Falls finally got an English translation, that one looks even more Twin Peaksy (I haven't tried it yet)
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You bow to no one, azuarc

1. Le voyage de Pnlope
2. Talisman
3. Ce matin l
4. Sexy Boy
5. Remember
6. La femme d'argent
7. You Make It Easy
8. All I Need
9. A New Star in the Sky
10. Kelly Watch the Stars

A lovely blend of R&B, lounge, and easy listening styles with electronic textures and elements to create a romantic retrofuturist voyage. Space is sexy! AIR's music has a cinematic quality and it's fitting that they moved into soundtracks, eventually coming full circle with their last release - a rescore of A Trip To The Moon.

edit: oh fuck I missed the cutoff, oh well. I would just like to say Le voyage de Penelope is the same progression as Just the Two of Us but it works so well
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Guys the third one is called Revolutions

Revelations does kinda fit though
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Yeah that cover is impressive man, it's hard to sing+play at that level! Totally nailed that bebop line at the end
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Raetsel_Lapin posted...

No way, Ben Folds was actually involved on that album? That's one of very few albums that I listened to and "It Hasn't Happened Yet" has been one of my guilty pleasures for forever.

Yep, that's a Folds arrangement. They first collaborated on the Fear of Pop record - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BH2Dzp5NaE
No guilty pleasure necessary, spoken word can be legit! Shatner's persona works well with Folds' tendency to mix irony with vulnerability.
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You bow to no one, azuarc

oh and I gotta shout out the Ben Folds/William Shatner record "Has Been", that one is a gem
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You bow to no one, azuarc

I'm a Ben Folds enjoyer but never listened to this one, three spins later here's my impression

1. Boxing
2. Underground
3. Where's Summer B?
4. Philosophy
5. Alex Childress
6. Best Imitation of Myself
7. Last Polka
8. Sports & Wine
9. Uncle Walter
10. Jackson Cannery
11. Video
12. Julianne

Ben's voice is in full amateur slacker mode here but his songwriting palette and piano skills indicate a serious academic musician, convincingly blending idioms of classical, jazz, rockabilly, soul, and musical theater into a pop record that attempts sincerity as much as sarcasm. The rhythm section is raw compared to their later releases, grounded in a lo-fi garage band zone that doesn't let you forget how 90's it is - nostalgia mileage may vary. It's a decent debut, never really dips into 'bad' territory. The better half showcases Ben's ambition and pop sensibilities, the lesser is average to forgettable pop rock.
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You bow to no one, azuarc

Madisons have to coordinate but if they can lay seven hands on him at once I think they can over power him
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You bow to no one, azuarc

wth I was just watching their DnD campaign a few months ago

damn bro rip
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You bow to no one, azuarc