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Taglist/General Writing Taglist: @flowersarefreetherapy @oddsconvert @siren-of-agony @gottawhump @winedark-whump

The click of boots against damp concrete, the sound metallic, was the first noise to pierce her consciousness, quiet but out of place and therefore startling. Her eyes didn't want to open, heavy like lead. The pounding in her head certainly didn't make the idea of moving appealing. She swallowed, throat impressively dry and clicking. Her tongue sand papery and limp in her mouth, feeling out of place.

“Smile for the camera!” Shorty chirped. 

Kestrel blinked, head swimming once more, and pulled against the ropes that secured her to the chair. The restraint had grown too tight to move, but the shield could still shake her head – for the time being. They responded to her struggle by tightening further.

“No, no, no,” the torturer chided, in the tone of talking to a child. “You have to keep still, or it’ll come out blurry.”

“Smile, Ms. Diaz."

Darkness for me is all I know

because music people are weird

~Normal party music: light rap, bops, i dont remember exactly, it was fine

~Songs that the guy’s group have sung in the past couple of years              lots of singing along by both groups. sent snapchats to the members                   who had iconic solos in the songs

~German beer drinking music. Yes. Really.             “why are we playing this? Michael who gave you the aux cord?” *2                         songs later, still listening to this music* “No for real, someone should                   turn this off why are we listening to it?” *nobody turns it off for 10 more                 minutes*

~Songs the girl’s group has sung in the past couple of years             “did we sing this”; “oh hell yes this is such a bop”; “can we bring this                    arrangement back”; “yall got to listen to your old songs. gimme the aux                cord”

ATBT Tuesdays: Harry Styles Album Review!

Hello! Today’s review will be on Harry Styles’ new self-titled album. I’ve always loved Harry tbh and I was excited yet skeptical of how this album would fare, especially since Zayn has already proven that his solo sound is a worthy one. But this album is already breaking barriers, making waves, and soaring on the charts.

Harry’s debut album shows his old soul for sure. I got heavy 60s and 70s classic rock vibes. His inspirations - like Elton John, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones, for example - are channeled through this album with a modern twist. This is an era of rock that many people haven’t replicated in today’s popular music because it is so unique and might come off as inauthentic if not done carefully. But I believe Harry respectfully draws inspiration while still making the music his own. 

I’ll go through my thoughts on each song, highlighting my favorites, things he did well, and things he should improve on:

1) Meet Me in the Hallway

This one has such an eerie vibe to it that I love. It definitely reminds me of the The Beatles, especially with the warped bass guitar. The guitar is definitely the highlight of this one from a musical standpoint. From the lyrics, I like how he’s characterized his feeling for this person as an addiction, because it’s something that people - especially teenagers - can relate to. But this is not the teeny-bopper Harry Styles that we’re getting. This is a mature voice, one that’s really expressing a longing for someone. I love that the song doesn’t follow a strict structure, similar to the ones they were bound to in One Direction. This one just flows and changes with each emotion and action he describes. This is a solid opener to me. It shows his style and it showed his ability to convey emotion lyrically.

2) Sign of the Times

I’ll be honest, when I heard this was his debut single, I was not impressed. I liked the vibe of the song and even his vocals at the end. But should it have been the debut single? Not in my opinion. I do love the instrumentation. There are so many layers and it sounds like a classic rock song. I loved the addition of the choir accompanying his emotional belting toward the end. But you have to listen to the song for like 3 and half minutes to get to any sort of climax. The objective of the song is kind of cloudy too. At first listen, it sounds like he’s talking about the end of the world or some kind of ending that affects a multitude of people. But in an interview, he says the song is from the point of view of a mother that is in labor but was told that she’s going to die from complications from birth? So yeah, lyrically this one is not strong on conveying whatever message he’s trying to send. I love the Bowie and Queen inspo on this one but it just isn’t a strong one for me.

3) Carolina

This one is a fun one. I love the funky run in the background and the melody is not a typical one, but very reminiscent of  late 60s rock. Out of all of the songs, this one is the cute one about the “girl next door.” The closest thing to a One Direction song if there was a trace on the album. I saw the Behind The Music video, and when they recorded this song, they used actual pots and pans, so I thought that was cool. Musically, this one is very rich and I especially love the chord progressions in this one because they are not typical. The music meshes very well with the lyrics and creates an easy going song that is nice to listen to honestly. This is a good one!

4) Two Ghosts

Ugh. This one is definitely one of my top, if not the top, favorite songs from this album. The lyrics are emotional, believable, and relatable. This one reminds me of something John Mayer would make. Especially with the guitar riff during the chorus. It kind of has a country twang to it and the catchy hook makes it memorable. This one has been the one that sticks in my head. In my opinion, I’m glad this is one of the singles on the album, but I could have seen this one being the debut, easier than “Sign of the Times.” He said in his Behind the Music video that this one was an easy one to write and that it was a song that just unraveled. And it really shows.

5) Sweet Creature

This would have been such a strong debut single, which again just makes me upset that it wasn’t. The vocals and lyrics are impressive to me. This one is lyrically and vocally believable to me, compared to some of the other songs on this album. Even though it’s pretty much just an acoustic guitar and vocals, it doesn’t feel this stripped down. It still feels so full. This song is definitely a powerhouse.

6) Only Angel

This one gives me serious classic rock vibes and I’m into it. Lyrically, he’s talking about a girl that he believes is an angel even though she tends to have “devilish” tendencies - being crazy in bed and wearing short skirts, for example. It’s rumored to be talking about Kendall Jenner, maybe indirectly referencing her as a Victoria’s Secret “Angel.” But I don’t really care about that. I love the guitar chord progressions in the chorus as well. This song was lower on the list for me personally, but I really appreciate it at the same time.

7) Kiwi

If Harry ever did a collab with the Artic Monkeys, this would be their baby. I’m sure any of their fans probably jumped on this one hardcore. The “I’m having your baby, it’s none of your business” refrain during the chorus is obviously cheeky, so it definitely helps his edgy “bad boy” vibe that he’s trying to encompass. I vibe with the groove in the bridge and I love how the tempo kind of slows down. Otherwise, this song doesn’t do much for me aside from letting me know that Harry is into bossy chicks lol.

8) Ever Since New York

I attached to this one as soon as I heard it. I love the melody in the chorus and the verses and how it bounces right with the instrumentation and the soft drumming pattern of the song. It is a very comfortable, calming song that you kind of listen to during a long drive or when you’re just in your own thoughts. However, after listening to this one after a while, I noticed that it’s a pretty weak one lyrically. I think that maybe when he wrote it, he was trying to just convey a feeling he had in that moment, but it doesn’t come across well to the listener, and they can’t really piece together the message of the song and relate it to themselves because of it. 

9) Woman

I get heavy Elton John vibes from this one. Musically, this one impressed me a lot. I loved the woozy bass during the pre-chorus and the weird “uh” sound that recurs in every measure. The chord progressions are so boomin’ and the vocals are nice. I kind of cringed at the opening Netflix reference though. However, this song lacks in a lot of things. Because of the music, you almost assume it’s going to go somewhere big, but the song is pretty anti-climactic. The chorus is not creative and it doesn’t make sense to me in the context of the song honestly. The song just kind of fades out and leaves me feeling like nothing is resolved as far as what he’s feeling. I loved the lyrics in the verses, but everything else was just not given the same effort. There’s so much that he could have done with this one. But I love the music and the vocals so much that I just try to ignore it. In the future, he definitely needs to master bringing out a song’s full potential.

10) From the Dining Table

I absolutely love the lyrics on this one. They feel the most personal, emotional, raw, and real. You can feel his frustration and he translated it so matter-of-factly that it almost feels cut and dry (in a good way). His vocals are so close and soft. Compared to Sweet Creature, which pretty much has the same amount of instruments, he successfully made this one sound stripped down. Which is ironic, because the girl he’s talking about seems and feels far away. Additionally, I love the strings because they fit with the vibe of the song and help it grow to a climax. This one contrasts with Meet Me in the Hallway nicely because it seems that he’s in withdrawal. So it’s kind of cool that it ended this way. But in the same token, I feel like this shouldn’t haven’t been the ending because nothing seems resolved. But this one is definitely a fave.

So what’s my conclusion?

If you get to the end of this novel, thank you lol. In conclusion, I really like this album. I love that he didn’t just sell out and make a bunch of structured pop hits that would guarantee him album sales. He went for the sound he wanted. He crafted each song differently. He’s one of the first artists in a while that have embraced rock and have now brought its sacred sound to a popular audience. The instrumentation was great on this album and it clearly embodied his influences while still creating a fresh take on them. Lyrically, there were some good spots and there were some bad ones. Hopefully in his next album, he’ll really make sure he’s driving each and every song to their full potential.