CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE I DISAPPEAR MV BECAUSE KIRK LOOKS SO DELICIOUS THERE IM TIRED OF DENYING

ALMOST FORGOT it was the 24th anniversary of White Pony yesterday as well. My second favourite album of all time and definitely the most well-produced Deftones album. A masterpiece that I’m sure I’ll continue to love deep into my adulthood. Also one of the sickest album covers to date, but that’s secondary.

Wes Borland was such a blessing to Limp Bizkit. I’m not saying Fred Durst being such a character didn’t play a role in their success (I still absolutely despise him as a vocalist and lyricist though), but literally the only redeeming qualities about their music (at least to me) are Borland’s riffs and talent. The only reason Rollin or Break Stuff were such big hits was because he has the ability to play guitar in a way that makes you jump up from your seat and go insane.

All I’m saying is that there’s a reason Results May Vary sucked so bad.

I think I’m gonna start a little rubric with ‘songs of the week’ or something along those lines. I’ve been loving some artists a lot lately and need an outlet to share my favourites.

So starting this week, every Sunday I’ll be making a little post with 7 of my most listened to songs of that week. Hopefully I won’t abandon it and maybe some people will even find new tracks they’ll like.

Idk if it’s a good idea but I guess we’ll see.

HEYYY IT’S MY FAVOURITE AWKWARD GUY’S BIRTHDAY

Okay real talk rn though. As cringe and corny as it may sound, Deftones, and Chino in particular, were a literal saviour for me at some point. Again, I know that so many people say this on a daily basis, but I mean it when I say that these guys saved my life. I would not have survived had it not been for something I started to love this much, developed such a passion for. I fw Deftones on another level. Did 1.5 years ago and still do now.

In most interviews, Chino is described as an overly emotional guy. He’s a little weird (in a good way), sometimes awkward (specifically off-stage), and, especially at the beginning of his career, has some trouble explaining his line of thought or what it is he means when he says something. At least that’s the impression you get when you listen to him speak in an everyday setting. Needless to say, when I saw this dude talking so softly and with so much purpose and yet still getting lost in what point he wanted to get across, I was like “oh yeah that’s my guy.” He also made the best music that ever graced my ears, but that’s beside the point yk.

What I’m trying to say is that despite all of his faults, no matter how difficult other people find him to work with or how many questionable decisions he makes, I will always cite him as an inspiration or at the very least as someone that has made life significantly easier for me, letting me see a little of myself in someone whose talent and work I admire so much.

I know it seems like I just made a point of shitting all over Chino for no reason, but I swear that’s not true. Again, on a weird level, I relate to him and that makes his music mean even more to me. Thank you Chino for Deftones and thank you Chino for being such an amazing guy. Love him sm.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHINO!!!!

I FUCKING LOVE CHI IN LIVE PERFORMANCES

credit to @bm2brad on tiktok

I absolutely love Musora, but especially these two videos. They show that a good song is good outside of genre or form. I just love these interpretations sm, it’s so refreshing to see such creativity and talent. If you have like 15 free minutes give at least one of these a watch, you won’t regret it.

Favourite song atm. Literally can’t stop listening. There’s something so undeniably transcendent about it, and this isn’t even me trying to be fancy. I legitimately think of this as a masterpiece.

Before ever trying out their music, I read up a little on tool (by that I mean I saw 3 20-minute YouTube videos). I didn’t understand what could ever be so magical about a bunch of guys that release 1 album every 10 years or so and let themselves actively hate on their fans more than any other artist I’ve seen. I also interacted with the fanbase a little bit, and that wasn’t a piece of cake either (it’s a cult guys no joke). But after actually trying them out, I immediately understood why the members get away with so much more than should be allowed and why fans are willing to pay $10,000 for a piece of merch (actually no this number is still crazy to me). I legitimately think their music is worth it.

Despite being a little too heavy (not in the musical sense, more in the emotional sense) for daily listening, tool remains one of my favourite bands. Genuinely can’t think of a better song than parabola off the top of my head, it’s just that good.

if it wasn’t obvious that I fucking love bassists yet, here are cliff burton and jason newsted because I believe they deserve so much more recognition than they get. even though I am admittedly not the biggest fan of metallica (I don’t hate them dw, their music and actions just aren’t always my thing), I can recognise the fucking powerhouses that both cliff and jason were as part of the band.

first of all, like half of the members wouldn’t know basic music theory and chord progressions if it wasn’t for cliff. if I’m not mistaken, he had to teach lars and james what sixteenth notes were. that was how bad things were. like this guy literally MADE metallica, they would legitimately be lost without him.

not to mention cliff’s fantastic work on bass and just insane abundance of musical talent. I personally consider him to be the best musician in metallica, period. rip cliff I fucking love you.

and jason newsted, despite receiving a less than warm welcome after joining the band, managed to build a reputation as one of metallica’s greatest live performers and the unarguable soul of the band. again, fucking love this dude, wish his potential wasn’t crushed and he was allowed to express creatively. what they did to his sound on justice is upsetting to this day.

love these guys.

OH MY GOOOD I ALMOST FORGOT HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF THE BEST DEBUTS OF ALL TIME!

Appetite for Destruction, released on July 21st 1987, is what I would personally consider a perfect debut for a band such as GNR. From the lifechanging opening of Welcome to the Jungle to the concluding chord of Rocket Queen, this album is EXACTLY what it wants to be: it’s mean, it’s dirty, it’s unpredictable, and it’s completely unapologetic. While I personally don’t think any of their other material is interesting enough to dissect, I find Appetite to be engaging enough to literally grab you by the balls and keep you listening, singing, dancing, screaming, and doing whatever else this monster of an album pushes you to do. While the musical side of this record is obviously quite primitive and doesn’t reach for any new or groundbreaking heights, it’s still effective as fuck (seriously though, try to put on It’s So Easy and stay in one place). The energy it brings is unlike any other, it’s so beautifully and uniquely messy that I struggle to find the words to describe how much I love it. I wish I had a vocabulary wide enough to explain what I find so bewitching about the 80s-LA-SexDrugsAndRockNRoll vibe it creates but oh well. Happy birthday/anniversary Appetite!!

Songs of the Week (3)

1. Junkhead (Alice in Chains)

This was definitely an Alice in Chains week for me. Seasonal depression or whatever people choose to call it had me playing Dirt on repeat, and Junkhead is such an obvious standout (for me personally) that I just had to include it here. This song is so confident in what it wants to be that every listen feels different and it’s impossible to get tired of. Lyrical content and context aside, it’s a positive and enjoyable listen every single time.

2. Fist (Deftones)

Since Adrenaline’s 29th anniversary was a couple weeks ago and I forgot to make a post about it, I’m honoring it here. Besides, it was about time I added a Deftones song to one of these; just because there’s less of them in my daily rotation doesn’t mean I love the band any less. Fist is technically a hidden track, meaning that many forget about it when talking about Adrenaline, which I think is incredibly unfair. Fist is absolutely bewitching, a beautiful track that doesn’t really fit with the rest of the album, but it’s such a gorgeous addition that I could never have the heart to critique it.

3. Mic Check (Rage Against the Machine)

Is it obvious that I love the Battle of Los Angeles yet? I love how inventive this song is, what is done with the guitar and the vocal effects. It’s a little too out there to play in the car or public places, but god is it beautiful. One of the best tracks off the album.

4. Riders On The Storm (The Doors)

I’m switching it up a little this week. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s the weather, but for some reason this song easily made it into my daily rotation. I don’t listen to The Doors much so this feels like a very welcome change. It’s so charming and confident and beautiful that sometimes I put it on just to calm myself down.

5. I Know Something (Alice in Chains)

I fucking love Facelift and this song is one of the main reasons why. I adore the bass on this one and the way it blends with Jerry Cantrell’s guitar is insane. It’s weirdly positive and upbeat for this album and Alice in Chains in general but in the best way possible; it brings a kind of funkness (is that even a word) to their work I really appreciate. An overall amazing listen, so captivating.

6. Jimmy Recard (Drapht)

This song was introduced to me by my stepdad and it’s actually one of the biggest reasons I love it so much. Music is one of our main bonding points and it’s just always so beautiful to have people you love give you a glimpse of their music taste (especially if the taste is stellar). I tend to gravitate towards music that’s a little different from Drapht, which only makes songs like these all the more interesting to me. Absolute banger.

7. Sober (TOOL)

Sober is this week’s TOOL song because apparently I need to have one on every single one of these. If I’m being completely honest, I haven’t checked out any other tracks from Undertow, but if Sober is anything to go by this album fucking rocks. As always, the lyrics are amazing, the vocals are as intense as can be, the atmosphere is transcendental, and the passion is out of this world. I have such a deep appreciation for this track because let’s be honest, there’s nothing like TOOL out there and this is an integral part of their origins.