#dotw

Dawn of the Worm webcomic update!

(i mean dolls though, esp those that include the instrument as a physical prop. not any instruments she might've played in a movies or series)

This is a super interesting question, and Barbie has had a bunch of different musical instruments. I feel like the term "ethnic" is not the most appropriate here: here's an article that summarizes better than I can why.

There are no examples of didgeridoo, and I think it's highly unlikely that there would be. If you look, there's different takes on the subject of women playing didgeridoo; some sources will tell you that it is forbidden for women to play, while others indicate that there is no prohibition on women playing informally but only men play in ceremonial contexts. I'm not Aboriginal Australian and I'm not from Arnhem Land, where the didgeridoo originates, so I won't speculate on what the most correct take is; but I think Mattel would steer clear of showing Barbie as a white woman with a didgeridoo.

But that doesn't mean there aren't a variety of musical instruments in Barbie's repertoire: in addition to pianos, keyboards, drums, guitars and (as you correctly noted) violin, Barbie has had (for example) several doll releases with a harp.

Harpist Angel and Legends of Ireland: The Bard both feature this instrument, for example.

And on the subject of angels, Angelic Harmony has some kind of brass instrument - a horn or trumpet. (It's actually kind of hard to see in the picture, though, because it blends in with the accents on her dress. Or is that just me?)

One of the Barbie Rewind dolls (Dolls Night Out) features Barbie with a pretty cool looking keytar.

And one of the Doll of the World Scotland dolls features Barbie with a set of bagpipes.

1. So What - 10/10

the outro makes me ascend every time!! i love the piano and the synths and the production

2. Buzzkiller - 10/10

what can i say i love a devastatingly sad ballad about being unlovable. feels akin to the stuff you’d find on the first two records

3. Dancing on the Wall - 10/10

truly such a great lead single, perfect, no notes!!!

4. Why Do I Get a Good Feeling - 10/10

adore the vibe and production of this one, it’s incredibly MUNA to me

5. Eastside Girls - 10/10

great vocals and the bridge is so fun

6. Big Stick - 10/10

this one really really grew on me and i love how they integrated all the different ideas because everything really is so interconnected so true bestie

7. Girl’s Girl - 10/10

so fun so gay, laughing living loving breathing. of course they manage to use the word ‘menagerie’ in a song.

8. It Gets So Hot - 10/10

also grew on me a lot, i think the sound and production of it is v cool and sets a vibe for the whole album

9. On Call - 9/10

sad & desperate bop, ‘if you wanna set yourself in fire!’. just slightly not my taste idk but i do still like it

10. Mary Jane - 8/10

the bridge is really good (also love naomi’s background ‘give me pain!’) and it’ll be good live but the lyrics could be more interesting to me

11. Wannabeher - 4/10

i’m sorry… i tried to like this so hard. i like the more melodic parts okay, but then the lyrics don’t give me much. i appreciate that they’re trying on this vibe, but in terms of party/going-out hype songs i prefer ‘what i want.’ i think it’ll be very fun live but i do skip it when it comes up

*interludes excluded but I do think …Unless is cool

overall: ⭐️ 9.75/10 album for me

it feels very them while also exploring some new sounds and energies. i love how they (as usual) have boppy fun songs that are actually extremely sad, lonely, and full of longing. also incorporating the music videos and visuals of the album release into this, they really did a great job curating a look and vibe that meshes with and reflects how the album sounds and feels, which really helped sell me on it even more. as a personal preference i wish there had been maybe one more song similar to so what/buzzkiller/wdigagf that was in the moodier range, but i think i just love when a MUNA song makes me incredibly emo. but generally i do love how they’ve captured this multifaceted element of ‘desire’ and how that can be joyful, yearning, mournful, and powerful.

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