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Rebel the Wolfgirl

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  1. Rebel the Wolfgirl
    Ladies and gentlemen, the final character sheet (for now) in Majikarubasuto.
    ----
    Human name: Diane Dahl
     
    Magical Girl name: Smile Princess Pinkie Pie
     
    1. What kind of girl are you? (Bright and Cheerful.)
     
     
    2.   What convinced you to make a pact (“Heroes make everyone happy, and they give us something to believe in!”)
     
     
    3.   What is your wish? (“I wish people didn’t have to suffer and could smile all the time.”)
     
     
    4.   Magical element (Joy)
     
     
    5.   Magical weapon (Cannon)
     
     
    6.   Magical power (Resourceful Purse)
     
     
    7.   Magical Girl Costume:
     
     
    A)   Costume Style: Harlequin
     
     
         B )   Costume Colors: Pink and Black
     
     
       C)   Costume Accessories/Motifs: Heart and star motifs
     
     
    8.   Magical Attributes (Heart: 7, Fury: 6, Magic: 7)
     
     
    9.   Normal Attributes (Charm: 7, Insight: 9, Tenacity: 9)
     
     
    10.   Base Resolve (18)
     
     
    11.   Magical Specialization (Witch)
     
     
    12. Magical Talents (Common Talents: Teleport and Speed Burst; Witch Talents: Amplify Magic and Marionette)
     
     
    13.   Crisis (“There’s a youma that looks like me, and I think it wants me dead.”)
    -------
    As you can see, I maaay or may not have taken inspiration from one of my favorite DC Comics characters for Pinkie's costume, hehe. Anyways, now that the primary characters have been dealt with, next time, I'm going to answer what might be the most crucial questions in the setting:
    "What are the Oblivion Seeds, and what is their true purpose in the grand scheme of the war against the youma?"
    Heads up - spoilers ahead, and they ain't pretty.
  2. Rebel the Wolfgirl
    Human name: Andrea Irwin
     
    Magical Girl name: Pretty Healer Fluttershy
     
    1. What kind of girl are you (Insecure)
     
     
    2.  What convinced you to make a pact? (“I’m tired of being pushed around. I want to stand up for myself.”)
     
     
    3.   What is your wish? (“I want to be like my girlfriend Ashleigh.”)
     
     
    4.   Magical element (Flowers)
     
     
    5.  Magical weapon (Bow)
     
     
    6.   Magical power (Summon critters)
     
     
    7.   Magical Girl Costume:
    A) Costume Style: Kimono
     
    B ) Costume Colors: Yellow and Pink
     
    C)   Costume Accessories/Motifs: Ribbons, Angel wings, Butterfly motif.
     
     
    8.   Magical Attributes (Heart: 8, Fury: 3, Magic: 7)
     
     
    9.   Normal Attributes (Charm: 7, Insight: 5, Tenacity: 3)
     
     
    10.   Base Resolve (18)
     
     
    11.   Magical Specialization (Priestess)
     
     
    12.   Magical Talents (Common Talents: Heal and Empower; Priestess Talents: Healing Magic and Remedy)
     
     
    13. Crisis (“I have severe anger issues that no one else knows about, not even Ashleigh. I need to keep this part of my personality under wraps not only for my own sake, but everyone else’s.”)
    -----------
    If you recall, it was Rarity, and not Fluttershy, who originally had the bow as a weapon. But one of my friends suggested that Rarity get a rapier instead, and Fluttershy the bow. I liked the idea of Rarity becoming a sort of swashbuckling magical girl, and switched the bow from her to Fluttershy.
    Anyways, last character sheet (for now) will be Pinkie's, and then I'll post a few worldbuilding entries (specifically on the tsukaima and the nature of Oblivion Seeds - spoiler warning ahead for the latter).
  3. Rebel the Wolfgirl
    Human name: Jacqueline Smith
     
    Magical Girl name: Holy Paladin of Justice Applejack
     
    1. What kind of girl are you? (Holy Avenger)
     
     
    2.   What convinced you to make a pact? (“There ain’t no justice in this town. In th’ name of our Lord, Ah am gonna bring justice.”)
     
     
    3.   What is your wish? (“I want my ma and pa back so m’family can be all together again.”)
     
     
    4.   Magical Element (Earth)
     
     
    5.   Magical weapon (Flintlock)
     
     
    6.   Magical power (Illusions)
     
     
    7.   Magical Girl Costume:
     
      A) Costume Style: Longcoat
     
          B ) Costume Colors: Red and Orange
     
          C) Costume Accessories: Cowboy Hat, Boots, Hero Scarf
    8.   Magical Attributes (Heart: 5, Fury: 6, Magic: 7)
     
     
    9.   Normal Attributes (Charm: 5, Insight: 2, Tenacity: 7)
     
     
    10.  Base Resolve (18)
     
     
    11.  Magical Specialization (Priestess)
     
     
    12.   Magical Talents (Common Talent: Inflict; Priestess Talents: Battle Sorcery and Guided Strike)
     
     
    13.   Crisis (“Mah granny’s missin’, leavin’ me and my brother Mac in charge. Ah’m thinkin’ a youma’s got somethin’ to do with it.”)
    -------
    Fun fact: Applejack's original planned outfit was going to be based on a Showa-era Kamen Rider (for reference, this is a picture of Kamen Rider 1:
    )
    ). But I realized that didn't fit in with my intention for the girls' costumes, which were themed around their personalities and character traits. And when I think "Applejack", I don't think of "tokusatsu hero". So as I was reading Stephen King's The Gunslinger, I began to get a newer and clearer idea on the sort of magical girl  AJ should be. Thus, the gunslinger motif of her outfit, which I feel compliments her choice of weapons far better - the only thing left unchanged from the original idea is the scarf - because come on, the image of a badass cowgirl wearing a scarf as she makes a stand is awesome.
    Anyways, next characters on the list are Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.
  4. Rebel the Wolfgirl
    These next two character profiles (Rainbow Dash and Applejack) are respectively dedicated to two of my close friends: @Lucky Bolt and @Misty Breeze, for essentially being those two ponies in human form
    -----
     
    Human name: Ashleigh Mercury
     
    Magical Girl name: Prism Valkyrie Rainbow Dash
     
     
    1.   What kind of girl are you? (Blazing Heroine)
     
     
    2.    What convinced you to make a pact? (“I’d rather go down fighting.”)
     
     
    3.   What is your wish? (“That bitch Gilda hurt Andrea. I want her to get what’s coming.”)
     
     
    4.  Magical element (Rainbows)
     
     
    5.   Magical weapon (Sword)
     
     
    6.   Magical power (Flight)
     
     
    7.   Magical Girl Costume:
     
    A) Costume Style: Greek heroine
     
     
           B )   Costume Colors: Rainbow and Iridescent
     
     
           C)   Costume Accessories: Chains, Boots, Cape, Omega motif
     
     
    8.   Magical Attributes (Heart: 4, Fury: 8, Magic: 6)
     
     
    9.   Normal Attributes (Charm: 4, Insight: 7, Tenacity: 7)
     
     
    10.   Base Resolve (18)
     
     
    11.   Magical Specialization (Knight)
     
     
    12.   Magical Talents (Common Talent: Speed Burst; Knight Talents: Aura of Strength and Second Wind)
     
     
    13.   Crisis (“The police are after me for some reason.”)
    ----
    Next up - Jacqueline Smith, the Holy Paladin of Justice -'APPLEJACK! 
     
  5. Rebel the Wolfgirl
    Human name: Tabitha Stone
     
    Magical Girl Name: Enchanted Maiden Rarity
     
      1.  What kind of girl are you? (Driven Artist)
     
     
    2.  What convinced you to make a pact? (“I am an artist, darling, and artists need inspiration!”)
     
     
    3.  What is your wish? (“I do not mean to be vain, but I wish I were popular.”)
     
     
    4.   Magical element (Spirit)
     
     
    5.  Magical weapon (Rapier-Wand combination)
     
     
    6. Magical power (Wardrobe Change)
     
     
    7. Magical Girl costume:
    A) Costume Style: Opera Diva
     
          B )  Costume Colors: Violet and White
     
         C)  Costume Accessories: Gems, corset, beret/cap
     
     
    8.  Magical Attributes (Heart: 5, Fury: 4, Magic: 9)
     
     
    9.  Normal Attributes (Charm: 6, Insight: 5, Tenacity: 3)
     
     
    10.  Base Resolve (18)
     
     
    11.  Magical Specialization (Witch)
     
     
    12. Magical Talents (Common Talents: Shield and Teleport; Witch Talent: Magic Detonation)
     
     
    13.  Crisis (“I’m hopelessly attracted to someone I probably shouldn’t be.”)
  6. Rebel the Wolfgirl
    As the first step in a long journey to introduce a very large cast of characters, let's start with our main protagonist, Tara Sparks, AKA Twilight Sparkle. Seeing as I intend to incorporate as many of the mechanics from Magical Burst as possible, I will use the character templates provided by the game's rulebook.
     ----
    Human Name: Tara Sparks
     
    Magical Girl Name: Arcane Sorceress Twilight Sparkle
     
    What kind of girl are you? (Bookworm)  
     
        2.     What convinced you to make a pact? (“I want to be a magical girl just like in my favorite anime.”)
     
     
    3.  What is your wish? (“I wish I could have friends.”)
     
     
    4.  Magical element (Lightning)
     
    5.  Magical weapon (Magic staff)
     
     
    6. Magical power (Analysis)
     
     
    7. Magical girl costume:
      A) Costume Style: Witch
     
          B ) Costume Colors: Violet, Pink, and White
     
          C) Costume Accessories: Tiara and Runes
     
     
    8. Magical Attributes (Heart: 9. Fury: 6, Magic: 9)
     
     
    9. Normal Attributes (Charm: 7, Insight: 2, Tenacity: 5)
     
     
    10. Base Resolve (18)
     
     
    11. Magical Specialization (Knight)
     
     
    12. Magical Talents (Common Talent: Fight for Friends; Knight Talents: Create Barrier and Aura of Strength)
     
     
    13. Crisis (“Every night I dream of a powerful youma that will destroy the world.”)
    ---
    Next up: Tabitha Stone, The Fabulous Diva Rarity!
  7. Rebel the Wolfgirl

    An Introduction

    By Rebel the Wolfgirl,

    AN INTRODUCTION
    Greetings all, Renegade here, and I welcome you all to the first entry to my newest blog, where I intend to talk more about a fanfic that has been several months in the making now: Majikarubasuto, my attempt at the magical girl genre (and more specifically the darker takes on such). The primary inspiration for this fic is twofold - one being Friendship is Magical Girls by the late MythrilMoth (the fanfic is dedicated to his memory as a result; may he rest in peace) and the independent tabletop RPG Magical Burst, from which a lot of the main elements of the setting are lifted - the title itself is a Japanese transliteration of "Magical Burst", in fact. I'm planning for this story to be my attempt at a magnum opus, totaling 93 chapters in all. Call me overambitious if you must, but I have the entirety of the story roughly plotted out, so I'm well-prepared in taking on a tall order like this. With that out of the way, let's get down to business, shall we?
    -----
    PREMISE
     
    Based on the RPG Magical Burst, this fic takes a premise that has been done quite a few times (MLP reimagined as a mahou shoujo series), and infuses the Madoka-style deconstruction of the former into it. Further mix in mythological and biblical motifs, and you have this fic in a nutshell.
     
    Tara Sparks has always felt like an outcast; her only passions being her studies and anime. However, this all changes when she encounters a small, wingless dragon named Spike. Spike explains he is a tsukaima, a creature with the ability to grant magical powers, from the shining astral city of Armonia, ruled over by the benevolent and wise Celestia. Spike has sought out Tara for a specific purpose: there are creatures known as “youma”, creatures who feed on the innocent in eldritch planes of reality known as “Nightmares”, lurking in the shadows of Canterlot City. Tara must make a pact with Spike in order to battle the youma, and in exchange she will be granted a single wish if she collects 13 “Oblivion Seeds”. Teaming with five other girls with whom Spike has made similar deals with, Tara accepts her role as the magical girl Twilight Sparkle and is determined to become a hero.
     
    The saying “too good to be true”, however, is readily apparent as Tara finds out. Being a magical girl means encountering and experiencing horrors no mortal was meant to know, and carries a certainty of death. Adding to that, Spike isn’t exactly truthful about his motivations for recruiting the “Elements of Harmony” as the team is dubbed; in fact, things may be far more sinister than they realize. And why is Tara having strange dreams of an apocalypse, and a being calling itself “Discord”?
     
    --------------------------
     
    Does this all sound familiar? It should; like Magical Burst, this fic is primarily inspired by Puella Magi Madoka Magica, along with other magical girl anime such as Yuki Yuna is a Hero, Kill la Kill, Pretty Cure, and Sailor Moon. However, it also incorporates elements of works ranging from Kamen Rider Ryuki to Neon Genesis Evangelion, with just enough original elements to keep things fresh; after all, no idea is truly original, but it takes creativity to make it your own.
     
    Structure-wise, this fic is organized into 7 “arcs”, which are divided into 13 “episodes” each, and bookended by a prologue and epilogue (totaling 93 chapters in all). The “episodes” themselves are structured on a MOTW (Monster of the Week) basis, divided into a four point formula:
     
    Introduction: The Elements are introduced doing something, and the episode’s conflict is set up.
     
    Investigation: The main “meat” of the episode, if you will. The girls investigate the episode’s main threat further, most often discovering a youma behind it. Along the way, the overarching plot is furthered, usually through character exploration and discovery of “secrets” relating to the conflict between magical girls and youma. And these secrets are far from pretty.
     
    Climax: The main threat is confronted, and more often than not, battle ensues. This part of the “episode” is often the most brutal, emotionally and physically.
     
    Aftermath: The denouement of the “episode” often wraps up the conflict, but at the same time leaves new scars and leaves the girls asking more questions than they started with.
     
    Not all episodes will follow this exact pattern, and more often than not, things are switched up in order to create variety; in some cases, the MOTW battles are at the start of an episode, and in some there are no MOTWs at all, and in those cases, the plot (both overarching and of the specific arc) takes center stage.
    -----
     
    SETTING
     
    Canterlot City is, for all intents and purposes, a fairly normal (if vaguely defined as a setting) bustling metropolis. People go about their daily lives, facing the problems that everyone in the world does. Under the surface, though, lies a world of eldritch horrors and danger, one where secrecy, manipulation, and betrayal are as commonplace as anything else. This is the world that Spike drags the Mane Six into. The world of magical girls.
    Beneath the shiny and glitzy surface, however, the Elements soon find out that life as a magical girl is dangerous and horrifying. The  youma are Lovecraftian monstrosities, born from the corrupted desires of people who have made deals with Discord - some are truly selfish, driven by hatred and avarice; others have simply reached such a threshold of desperation that they will simply do anything to get whatever it is they desire. As such, the youma act as foils to magical girls, the two sides caught up in a vicious, never-ending cycle of battle.
    It isn't just the youma that the girls have to face, though - other threats are all too human, and some magical girls aren't as nice as others. Some are so driven by their goals that they've let their own magic corrupt them into something neither magical girl nor youma.
    The psuedoyouma.
    In spite of these obstacles, however, the Elements only have good intentions, and together, they believe that friendship and love conquers all.
    ----
    As one last stop, let's look at the youma themselves.
    -----
    YOUMA
     
    The youma are the enemies of Armonia, and by extension magical girls. They are eldritch monstrosities that seem to defy any sort of logic or reasoning, and their appearance can range from simple, if highly unsettling humans to utterly bizarre and abstract forms ranging from multi-eyed living dodecahedrons to things resembling the Elder Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos. The first and greatest of the youma is Discord, a being of malice and hatred who is said to inhabit the very center of the universe. The motivations, like appearance, vary wildly. The only constant among the youma, however, seems to be an utterly incomprehensible yet harmful form of morality not dissimilar to most tsukaima. Youma are divided into four types: standard, imps, psuedoyouma, and shadows.
     
     
    Standard: The most common kind of youma, even the weakest of them are able to kill, or at the very least severely injure, magical girls with ease. They tend to come in two varieties - “natural” forms born from the Darkness, or normal humans that have been corrupted via magic taking hold of their inhibitions and negative emotions, stripping away any morality they may have had and transforming them into youma. Ultimately, this loss of humanity (or lack thereof in the former case, and even then some of the corrupted youma barely had any humanity to start with) is what separates them from the psuedoyouma; the latter are fully aware of what they do, while youma generally don’t.
     
     
    Imps: The most common mooks that magical girls face, imps are actually immature youma, albeit ones that can be taken out with relative ease. While youma can spawn individual imps, most tend to be of a hive mindset; they are still inherently dangerous, and given enough time, they can and will become full youma.
     
     
    Psuedoyouma: If the youma can be considered the “Angels” of this story, then the Psuedoyouma can, to some extent, be considered similar to the Witches. Like the Witches, they are corrupted magical girls, but that’s about where the similarities end. The psuedoyouma, like regular youma, have the power to create Nightmares as well as lesser minions known as “shadows”. But these are pale imitations of those things, since psuedoyouma only emerge under incredibly specific (but not uncommon) circumstances. Psuedoyouma’s appearances derive from extreme magical mutations rather than being their “natural” forms, and as such, they exude a sense of humanity (albeit a twisted one). Most psuedoyouma are fueled by perverted forms of human emotions rather than the abstract morality of regular youma, but there are (somewhat) exceptions.
     
     
    Shadows: Minions of psuedoyouma, similar to imps. Unlike imps, however, shadows are just puppets of the psuedoyouma, acting out their masters’ wills and cannot become “full” youma. As such, they are far weaker than imps, their danger coming from numbers rather than strength.
    ---
    And with that, I bid you farewell. Tune in next time as we begin our look at the main characters - all 24 of them.
  8. Rebel the Wolfgirl
    The Beatles are often considered to be one of the, if not the, greatest bands of all time, and for very good reason: they broke new ground on both sides of the pond with their techniques in the studio and experiments in pushing the boundaries of music; their greatest works in that regard are Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. But, even in their earliest days as the Fab Four and playing teenybopper rock and roll, they were still remarkable artists. As a longtime Beatles fan, I have long wanted a chance to listen to their American releases; I recently got a chance to when I discovered the YouTuber That Squirtle You Know, who has taken the liberty of taking songs from the Beatles' "Topic" YouTube channel and organized them into a playlist of songs recreating those albums. The first two of these I listened to were Rubber Soul (which I consider to be superior to the UK version due to its more uniform folk rock/acoustic sound) and the album this review focuses on, Meet the Beatles!. The process behind both of these albums is well known: taking select songs (in this case from With the Beatles and one song from Please Please Me), rearranging the order in which they played, and adding a hit single (I Wanna Hold Your Hand), and creating a new album out of it in order to increase profits. But does this make the Beatles' American debut "weak" in comparison to their UK one? Well, ladies and gentleman of MLPF, let's look at Meet the Beatles, and find out.
    -----------------------------------------

    ALBUM NAME: Meet the Beatles!
    ARTIST NAME: The Beatles
    RECORDED: February 11-October 23, 1963
    RELEASED: January 20, 1964
    LABEL: Capitol Records
    PRODUCER: George Martin
    GENRES: Rock and roll
    PERSONNEL: John Lennon (vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica, acoustic guitar, tambourine on "Don't Bother Me"), Paul McCartney (vocals, bass guitar, piano on "Little Child", claves on "Don't Bother Me"), George Harrison (backing vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, lead vocals on "Don't Bother Me"), Ringo Starr (drums, percussion, lead vocals on "I Wanna Be Your Man")
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    TRACK LISTING:
    1. I Wanna Hold Your Hand - 2:24
    2. I Saw Her Standing There - 2:50
    3. This Boy - 2:11
    4. It Won't Be Long - 2:11
    5. All I've Got to Do - 2:05
    6. All My Loving - 2:04
    7. Don't Bother Me - 2:28
    8. Little Child - 1:46
    9. Til There Was You - 2: 12
    10. Hold Me Tight - 2:30
    11. I Wanna Be Your Man - 1:59
    12. Not A Second Time - 2:03
    TOTAL ALBUM LENGTH - 26:43
    ------------------------------------------
    1. I Want to Hold Your Hand: The opening track of Meet the Beatles is important in both a music history context and the context of this album in that it not only introduced the world to a band that would set the standards that we see today in the modern music industry, but also re-introducing American audiences to a genre of music that was, by 1964, almost dead in the water thanks to a myriad of factors - rock and roll. While I may be exaggerating just a bit with that statement by my own admission, rock and roll was ultimately viewed as just a curious artifact of the 1950s and not much else by the time the Beatles hit America's shores. In any case, however, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is the song that really kickstarted Beatlemania and caused a lot of pubescent fangirls to start squealing when Ed Sullivan introduced the nation to them on his variety show. Now that we have the context squared away, let's get into the song itself.  Written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon in order to court the American markets, it's a fairly simple 4-chord song in the key of G major, with the verses having the progression I-V-vi-iii and the choruses having a IV-V-I-vi-I progression. Lyrically, the song exemplifies bubblegum, being inspired by Tin Pan Alley and Brill Building standards and is fairly innocent. This might (and has) understandably turned some crowds off from the Beatles, painting the four solely as a proto-boy band, an image that was most famously capitalized on by the Monkees. Along with the b-sides "I Saw Her Standing There" and "This Boy" (all three make up this album's first 3 tracks), "I Want to Hold Your Hand" lays down the bedrock on which the rest of Meet the Beatles stands.
     
    2. I Saw Her Standing There: Although it was originally the opener to the Beatles' first UK album Please Please Me, "I Saw Her Standing There" was ultimately made the B-side to "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by Capitol Records when released in America. While on its own it works as an excellent opening track, when combined with "I Want to Hold Your Hand", it delivers an excellent one-two punch and really kicks Meet the Beatles into high gear. One of the first songs written by McCartney for the band, it was written as a sort of rock and roll version of "Seventeen Come Sunday", an English folk song (something I found out while doing research for this review) and performed during the group's time in Hamburg. A blues-influenced song in the key of E major, "I Saw Her Standing There" is built almost exclusively around the chord progression I-IV-V and concerns a guy who watches a girl dancing at a club, falling in love with her at first sight. The song's opening lines of "She was just seventeen/And you know what I mean" has a slightly more risque stance in counterpoint to the innocence of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and might raise a few eyebrows until you consider that the age of consent in the UK is 16, so from the point of view of the protagonist, his 'wink wink, nudge nudge' commentary on her age is perfectly normal. An unusual aspect in this song (later revisited in "Little Child", the eighth song on the album), as well as Please Please Me, is John Lennon's use of harmonica; this is something I assume is left over from the band's days as the skiffle group The Quarrymen. Nonetheless, I think it adds to the blues influence of the song with a bit of flavoring.
     
    3. This Boy: The other b-side to "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (in this case, the UK version) is John Lennon's attempt at doo-wop, more specifically Motown's own Smokey Robinson. Building on a fairly standard 50s progression of I-vi-ii-V in D major, the song is actually pretty complex musically. First of all, the time signature is in 12/8, which was (and still is) progressive for a pop tune, especially at the time. Secondly, the harmony vocals revolve around a middle eight of G-F#7-Bm-D7-G-E7-A-A7 and back again. Given that John was, in his own words, inspired by Smokey's own "I've Been Good to You", it's no surprise that there are similarities, especially in the melody and arrangement. Lyrically, there isn't too much in the way; yet for all the song's simplicity, it's actually fairly dark, being inspired by the domestic abuse John's mother Julia Lennon suffered from her common law marriage to a man named John 'Bobby' Dykins. The resulting effect is not only a successful and moving first attempt at a ballad, but also showing a glimpse of the personal issues that would dog Lennon up until his death and proving that the Beatles were just as musically and thematically complex in their beginnings as they were post-Rubber Soul.
     
    4. It Won't Be Long: Following the soulful doo-wop of This Boy is another fast-paced rocker - It Won't Be Long, featuring another lead vocal from John. In a similar case to I Saw Her Standing There, this is another example of an opening track being transplanted to another point in the album. While it works as an amazing opening to With the Beatles, here it acts as an opposite to This Boy, which I feel is more fitting since both have the same Beatle singing one after the other. Whereas This Boy is a moody, Motown-inspired ballad, It Won't Be Long brings us back to the upbeat and fun tone of the album's first two songs, lyrically centered around the worldplay of the words "belong" and "be long". Musically, the song is al over the place (and not in a bad or distracting way); since all of the four were self-taught musicians, they were never taught music theory and how songs were "traditionally" supposed to work. As such, the song contains non-standard chords and going into multiple keys, including a combined D and Bm.
     
    5. All I've Got to Do: Yet a third Lennon-fronted song follows It Won't Be Long, again inspired by Smokey Robinson. With Paul playing actual chords on his bass and singing in harmony with John, All I've Got to Do is sweet and soulful, albeit too short in my opinion.
     
    6. All My Loving: After three Lennon-led tunes, McCartney takes center stage again with All My Loving, a country/rockabilly-inspired tune. Backed with harmony vocals from the other Beatles, McCartney illustrates a story about a man who has to be away from his girlfriend, but he promises to write letters to her every day until he returns (lyrically, All My Loving follows a similar format to P.S. I Love You in that the song takes the form of a love letter). Unusually for McCartney. the lyrics came first in the form of a poem, then he wrote the music shortly afterwards. In an unsettling coincidence, this song was playing in the hospital where John Lennon died mere minutes after being shot by Mark David Chapman. With that in mind, you could also see the song as Paul talking about his friendship with John, and that no matter what, they would always have each other.
     
    7. Don't Bother Me: George Harrison's first song (in the sense that he both composed and sang lead on it), Don't Bother Me is (unlike a majority of the songs on this album) a glum tune, focusing on a man lamenting on his recent breakup with his girlfriend, blaming himself for the incident. He becomes anti-social and aloof, not wanting to see or speak to anyone until he (hopefully) improves himself and gets his girlfriend back. While (much like all the songs on this album) it is a love song, Don't Bother Me establishes a common theme for Harrison: dour moods and the low points in a man's life. Short, simple, and most importantly catchy, this song is a major first step for Harrison, whose songwriting would (within a few years) propel the Beatles into the mysticism of the psychedelic era.
     
    8. Little Child: Paul McCartney has often described Little Child as album filler, and it's easy to see why. On a technical and lyrical level, Little Child is incredibly simple; a piano and harmonica-driven track with John and Paul on vocals, the song is built around the chorus of "little child, little child/Little child, won't you dance with me?/I'm so sad and lonely/Baby take a chance with me". Adding on to this simplicity was the original intended vocalist being Ringo Starr, who was often given "simpler" songs to sing in order to compensate for his self-confessed subpar vocal abilities. In my honest opinion, however, Little Child doesn't feel like album filler at all. It's a fun rock-and-roller, with John's harmonica and Paul's piano playing going together like peanut butter and jelly, complimenting the lyrics perfectly.
     
    9. Til There Was You: The sole cover that was kept from With the Beatles on this album by Capitol Records is also one of the best. An oddity among what one might expect from the Beatles at this time, Til There Was You is something unexpected - a Broadway showtune, specifically from the 1957 musical The Music Man (something Paul admitted he didn't find out until later). Having first heard the 1961 version by Peggy Lee from a cousin of his, Paul McCartney incorporated it into the Beatles' setlists at Hamburg clubs and eventually into their failed audition at Decca Records before signing to EMI. Taking a more acoustic and intimate approach to the song with Paul, John, and George playing guitars, Til There Was You can be considered a predecessor to songs such as "And I Love Her" and more importantly "Yesterday", as well as proving to the older generations that the four lads from Liverpool could do more than just rock and roll.
     
    10. Hold Me Tight: Just like with Little Child, both Paul and John said that Hold Me Tight was just a filler track, statements that underestimate how good both songs really are. Written and initially intended by Paul for Please Please Me, the song captures the live sound of the band perfectly - loud and wild, with the bass and guitars working together perfectly to create a rocker that could have been a potential hit single.
     
    11. I Wanna Be Your Man: The history of this particular song is rather interesting, as the Beatles were the primary songwriters, but not the first to record it - that honor goes to the Rolling Stones, who saw it as a potential hit single, and asked Paul and John (who had been finishing the song in the same room as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards). As such, the early hard R&B influence of the Stones is particularly prominent, only boosted by the energetic vocals of Ringo Starr. The title and some parts of the song (both musically and lyrically) also bear a resemblance to I Want to Hold Your Hand, so it's likely the former influenced the latter in some way.
     
    12. Not a Second Time: The final song on Meet the Beatles is a piano-based track sung by John, once again showing the soul influence he had during this period. Much like This Boy, Not a Second Time deals with an abusive relationship. Unlike that song, however, this is told from the point of view of the abusee, who basically tells their abuser to go screw themselves, and thst they aren't falling for their tricks anymore. Not only does it flip the perspectives on This Boy's premise (although the lyrics are ambiguous, I feel they talk about not only male-on-female domestic violence, but abusive relationships in general), but also gives a positive message that is still socially relevant today - you still have power and equal ground in an abusive relationship. All it takes is help from others, and the willpower to stand up for yourself.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    FINAL THOUGHTS
    Meet the Beatles is a perfect album in every sense of the word: all the songs are catchy pop/rock tunes, and there is absolutely no filler whatsoever. It's a record you can play over and over again and not get tired of. In fact, it's far superior to the first two British releases since Capitol chose to do something unique for the time and focus almost exclusively on the band's original material. As a result, it brings out Lennon and McCartney's strong points as songwriters who can craft rockers as well as softer, less intense songs, something the British releases didn't start doing until A Hard Day's Night later that year. This albums reputation as the powder keg for the British Invasion is well-deserved, and I'm glad I can surely say it's in my Top 10 albums list.
     
    FINAL SCORE
    10/10
  9. Rebel the Wolfgirl
    So, in returning to the site after so long, I've decided I'm going to try something I started on another forum - reviewing music. Music has been a passion of mine for several years, so it makes sense that I take a look at various albums and give my overall thoughts on them. And with that out of the way, let's get into how each individual entry will be organized.
    Intro - Where I give a bit of history on the album/band in question.  
    Information - Album name, date released, recording length, track listing, and personnel.  
    The review - I look at the album track by track, giving my thoughts and scoring each track on a 10-point system.  
    Final thoughts - I give my final thoughts on the album as a whole.  
    Final score - I grade the entire album on a 10 point system, with 1 being "absolutely hate it" (a rarity, since I try and be objective) and 10 being "excellent"
  10. Rebel the Wolfgirl
    DISCLAIMER: This blog entry discusses sensitive and potentially controversial and/or triggering subjects such as dubious consent, cult mentality/brainwashing, sexism, homophobia, racism, and overall things people would consider "yikes", especially nowadays. Viewer discretion is advised; approach with caution.
    Robert A. Heinlein. Considered one of the most celebrated and important authors of modern-day science fiction, Heinlein is primarily known for a number of things - staunch libertarianism, deep philosophical and political themes in his work thereof, and not afraid to push boundaries of good taste and the medium of writing itself. 
    And, unfortunately, his penchant for controversy (and more importantly, how our perspectives on media can change over decades) is what we're talking about today. Heinlein's most important novel within the popular culturesphere is 1961's Stranger in a Strange Land, primarily because it helped inspire that decade's counterculture movement and its' values. As someone who has always found kinship with the hippies of the sixties (whether it's my strong advocacy for libertarian socialism, love of animals and the environment, or more relevant to this blog entry, polyamory and sexual freedom), I quickly became enamored with this book and the ideas it put forth. That was, until rather recently. You see, one of my favorite YouTube channels is Overly Sarcastic Productions, who specialize in discussing literature, history, philosophy, mythology, and related topics. They put out a video discussing the novel and brought to light a number of things that are equally as controversial about the book as its central focus. Namely, discussions of homophobia, sexism, and most importantly, Heinlein's assertion that his way is the "right" way, and that nothing (especially not a couple of minor things like society reacting-fairly appropriately, I might add-with shock and horror to the values put forth, or consent (no means no for a reason; not everyone is secretly sex-starved and repressing inhibitions, Heinlein) will get in the way  of humanity embracing the HETEROSEXUAL (emphasis here) polyamorous sex cult that is the "Church of All Worlds" .
    So, without further ado, I'm going to discuss the problems with Stranger, which can be boiled down to four or five points: 
     Cult mindset, and how Mike Valentine Smith's movement checks off most of not all the boxes in regards to it. How Heinlein, for all his progressive thought, still advocates for reactionary attitudes towards non-heterosexual people. Heinlein's hypocritical views towards organized religion. How Heinlein not only exploits, but objectifies women in order to "set them free" of inhibitions. Disregard for the idea of consent. ---------------
    The "Church" of All Worlds: Thou Art God A Cult
    Within the context of the novel, the Church of All Worlds is a new religious movement founded by the novel's protagonist Michael Valentine Smith in an effort to elevate humanity into a new state of being. Built on the principle of "Thou art God" , the Church advocates for sexual freedom and indulgence of desires so that humans can "grok"; that is, to understand and become one with not only each other but the universe itself. However, as OSP point out, the Church reads more like a cult from a modern day point. But what, exactly, defines a cult? According to Dr. Michael Langone, cults are defined by thirteen characteristics:
    , how do the Church fit into these 13 characteristics?
    1. The group sees Michael as a father, leader, and lover who knows what is best for them.
    2 and 3. The Church is intent on recruiting all of mankind, and making money off of them via rankings and initiatory circles.
    4. No one even dares to think of questioning Michael's authority lest they "disappear" .
    5. The Church uses mind numbing techniques under the pretense of gaining psychic powers.
    6. Michael dictates how the Church's members should act and think.
    7 and 8. The Church has a very elitist mindset, claiming the humans who do not join them will eventually die out.
    9. Michael, as a near literal god, claims that no one on Earth has authority over him; the Church's members even go as far as commiting (and advocating) murder to justify themselves.
    10. The Church insinuates that all (heterosexual) humans are inherently sexual, and that inhibitions are tantamount to guilt.
    11, 12, and 13. The Church's members are encouraged to cut off any past ties with non-Church members, devote themselves to the organization, and live in polyamorous, communal "nests" with their fellow water brothers.
    So yes, the "Church of All Worlds" is, indeed a cult. Given Heinlein's ties to L. Ron Hubbard, I am not shocked that he had a similar (albeit fictional) religion.
    ---------------
    Heinlein and Homophobia
    Now, as stated earlier, Heinlein, in spite of his advocacy for polyamory, actually made it clear (in no uncertain terms) that the polyamorous sex cult of the Church of All Worlds was explicitly heterosexual; as OSP (again) point out, he says that love should be free...unless you, in any way, are homosexual; he further says that masculine men are disliked by homosexuals (which goes hand in hand with the stereotype of gay/bisexual men being effeminate), and Jubal encourages Michael to think along these lines. This not only runs contradictory to the otherwise progressive themes about sexuality (more on that later) of the book, but also shows that Heinlein was very much a man of his times even when he was going against the grain in terms of societal norms. That certainly does not excuse his homophobia, but it goes a long way towards explaining it.
    ---------------
    Meet the New God, Same As the Old God
    The world of Stranger in a Strange Land is a post-WWWIII Earth, one where organized religions have taken on a megacorporation -like status.  Of particular note are the Fosterites, a megachurch where vices are encouraged and only considered "sin" if done outside of the church's authority. 
    Does that sound familiar at all? If you guessed "The Church of All Worlds" , you win! This oxymoronic portrayal of religion is a hallmark of the book's inherently contrarian viewpoints and serves to paint Heinlein as a hypocrite. Michael Valentine Smith basically tears down the old world order in an mission to "save" humanity, only to put an almost-exact same system in its place and ensure humanity becomes a ruthless race of elder gods, leaving it far worse than when he found it.
    Did I mention this is portrayed as a good thing?
    In essence, Michael (and therefore Heinlein) imply that no matter what, the system will never change and that things will likely be worse; but in their view, that's perfectly fine so long as your goals and viewpoints are accomplished! /s
    ---------------
    Heinlein and Women
    One of Stranger's central themes is that of sex-positivity, and the idea that women should enjoy sex openly and freely. While I am apt to agree with Heinlein on these viewpoints, he and I differ in opposite directions as to how to go about it. And suffice to say that Heinlein goes about this idea...rather poorly. Namely, in how one of the novel's main characters, Jill, is "converted" into these views by Mike and Heinlein's self-insert Jubal. A prudish and conservative woman, Jill is portrayed as a rather reactionary figure towards Mike's views of free love and sex as the ultimate expression of understanding and closeness. A strawwoman, if you will. So how do Mike and Jubal get Jill out of this mindset? By pressuring her to become a stripper, of course!
    Uhhhhh...  Come again?
     She's, in essence, PRESSURED to become a stripper to "free her inhibitions". And now here's where my problems come into the forefront - Jill doesn't do this of her own free will; at the very least, that's how I read it. She does this because Mike, the supposed savior of humanity tells her to. This not only runs contradictory to what Heinlein was intending, but if anything, it shows Heinlein objectifying women in the name of feminism. This is actually a common criticism of Heinlein's work - he writes strong female characters, and yet gives into pandering misogynistic stereotypes at the same time. It's a symptom of the larger problem - hypocrisy and contradiction. And this is clearer nowhere else in my final criticism of Stranger: a disregard for consent.
    ----------------
    UIN - Unsafe, Insane, and Nonconsensual
    Ultimately, my problems with this book boil down to one idea and one idea only - the idea that there isn't such a thing as consent. Mike tries to impose his radical ideas by forcing them into humanity, without understanding that a majority value their own freedoms of choice. Thus, it's no shock when humanity reacts through an equally extreme measure - violence. Jubal, by the end, is himself a stranger in a strange land - he still values his own individuality in a world that has gone down a path of free love and peace - albeit not one of their own choosing. 
    In short, Heinlein certainly has a number of good ideas...he just advocates for them in the worst way possible.
     
    ----------------
    My Own Opinions
    Now that we have my big issues with Stranger in a Strange Land out of the way, I'd like to discuss my own personal viewpoints on the subjects presented; each of them will act as a counterargument to one of the five issues above.
     1. My religious beliefs, and the seven core values I try to live by.
    2. My views on polyamory and free love.
    3. My views on organized religion.
    4. My views on voyeurism and exhibitionism (per site rules, I will not go into explicit detail, just an overview of my general thoughts).
    5. Why I place a crucial emphasis on consent and differing opinions in my relationships with my partners.
     
    ---------------
    Luci(fer) in the Sky With Diamonds
    I make it no secret (at least on here, anyway) that I am a Luciferian. But what exactly does that mean? Is it the same thing as Satanism? ...Well, yes and no. Luciferians and Satanists have generally similar views, but have differing ways of approaching them. Wikipedia explains it better than I can.
    In short, Satanism focuses on indulgence and rebellion not only for its own sake, but only in the short term. Luciferians focus on indulgence not as a form of going against the grain, but as a path to enlightenment. And being nondogmatic, Luciferians have a wide variety of beliefs and interpretations: some see Lucifer in a literal sense, others see him as purely symbolic. I myself am in the agnostic camp. Could Lucifer exist as a literal being? Possibly, but whether he does or not is irrelevant. What matters is learning from him, and applying the teachings to one's own life and self. My values as a Luciferian can be broken down into seven statements and values. 
    In opposition to my virtues are corresponding sins.
    As you can see, my beliefs (like many Luciferians) are rooted in secular humanism and encourage appreciation of the arts and natural world, as well as acknowledgement of the natural human condition. We are not inherently "sinful" but freethinking, flawed human beings.
    ---------------
    All You Need Is (Free) Love
    Let me get this out of the way first: I have no problem with monogamy itself (though I did a few years back, when I was first discovering the ins and outs of what being "polyamorous" meant). If you want to have a single partner, then more power to you. I will fully understand and support you on that. What I do have a problem with is monogamy as an enforced construct: socially, religiously, and legally. Speaking from my sociopolitical standpoint as an anarchist, I see the construct, not the concept, of monogamy as an infringement on an individual's right to have personal and intimate relationships. Boundaries and ground rules should be respected above all else in a relationship. No one-not religious institutions, not government institutions, and especially not societal norms-should be involved; so long as all parties involved are consenting adults, who cares what happens behind closed doors? Certainly not me, that's for damn sure.
    Now, free love and nonmonogamy are, in the popular imagination, heavily associated with promiscuity. This is due to a combination of factors - namely, a skewered view of the counterculture (certainly not helped by its "mainstreaming") and dozens, if not thousands of young people either losing sight of their ideals and falling into drug and sex-fueled hedonism or not sharing the counterculture's values at all and hopping onto the bandwagon of psychedelia. 
    There is a big difference between nonmonogamy and promiscuity. Nonmonogamy simply means having multiple simultaneous romantic and/or sexual relationships, with all parties consenting. Promiscuity is just sleeping around. My views on promiscuity are that it is only dangerous when all involved don't use protection and common sense. Thanks to our broken educational system's insistence on "abstinence-only" sex ed, this is an unfortunate reality.
    But what of marriage? In order to make my views on the socioreligious institute known as "marriage" more clear, allow me to relate a small anecdote.
    So I'm reading the TV Tropes page on Glory Road (another Heinlein novel), and...holy shit, I think I've found something he and I can actually agree on.
     See, I have very similar views on marriage as Star's society does; in my ideal world, the legal and religious aspects of marriage are done away with in favor of a mutual partnership that can include as many men and/or women as one likes. For instance, my main partner (my "girlfriend" of almost four years now) and I consider ourselves married even if we are not legally recognized as such. Were we to extend that mutual partnership to others, we would need to set ground rules and respect/acknowledge each others' boundaries and limitations.
    I believe in polyamory because I believe in its purest form, love should be shared with others. And if you were to ask me what unites us as a species, it's love. Plain and simple.
    ---------------
    (Don't) Give Me That Old Time Religion
    Like Heinlein, I am critical of organized religion for a number of reasons: its hypocrisies, its influence towards shaping how society, and most importantly it's insistence on blind obedience and unquestioning dogma. Either you revere Mohammad/Jesus/Yahweh, or you hate them and are sentenced to eternal damnation. In my view, that encourages not only anti-intellectualism and groupthink, but also fearmongering. But does that mean I hate practitioners of the Abrahamic faiths on a personal level or religion in general? No, and especially in the latter case, no. I don't hate religion as a whole. In fact, I think religions can and should have a place and positive impact on people and society. And I certainly don't hate Jews, Christians, and Muslims on a personal level (fundamentalists aside). If anything I find Jesus' original message to be something that I can completely understand and relate to: we don't suffer because of some original sin, but because we are human; so long as we accept that we suffer, we understand the universe on a deeper and more personal level. That original message, however, has been lost under the centuries of violence, persecution, and games of political chess perpetuated by those ostensibly meant to carry on the teachings of Jesus and his disciples.
     
    ---------------
    Let's Go Sunning
    Hooooo boy...I've been dreading these particular topics, both out of fear of being reprimanded, potential ridicule, and because they're generally uncomfortable topics to talk about. But if my buddy @Kyoshi has taught me anything, it's self acceptance. And if there's anything I need to accept about myself, it's that I'm pro-voyeurism, pro-exhibitionist, and pro-nudist. All three of these have fair amounts of controversy, and it's easy to see why: potential privacy issues (voyeurism), slut-shaming/exploitation (exhibitionism), and a whole host of ethical and legal issues (nudism). To which I've thought a lot about. Take these as general suggestions on how society could approach these issues and not exactly how they should. I'm not here to preach the gospel, I am here to make you think.
    -Voyeurism: The best way to approach voyeurism is through the same way I've been discuss throughout this blog. Through explicit permission and consent. Depending on if it's in private or in public, the consenting parties would have to either discuss the terms and conditions between themselves, record such (either through video, audio, or both) and frame it as a binding contract that can be voided at any time. If such occurs, criminal charges would be able to be filed (depending on circumstances).
    -Exhibitionism: I am of the opinion that men and women should be proud of their bodies, and not be afraid to show them off however they see fit. However, some are not comfortable with this idea, and for good reason. That is why the solution lies in optional dress codes. Have different establishments cater to the exhibitionist crowd by outlining what constitutes a loose dress code that respects their right to express themselves while also respecting the rights of others.
    Nudism: I cannot tell a lie, I would very much like to practice a nudist lifestyle within private. My girlfriend and I have even discussed it in our potential future plans. Unfortunately as I live with family, I cannot do so. And let's not even go into public nudism and its legal/ethical can of worms. My solution? Follow the European model - designate places where clothing is optional (for added protection, ensure these are 18+ places: you'll need to show ID before entering). This way, everyone wins.
    ---------------
    Let's Talk About Consent
    Consent. What is it and why is it so important to me? Consent, by its traditional definition, is permission for something to happen or agreement to do something. Within the specific context of sexual activity and freedom, consent is voluntarily allowing oneself to engage in such activities without threat or authority. So why is it such a big deal to me? One, it's common sense. Two, I used to be a person who didn't take how others would feel about certain actions; most notably, this is why and how I got myself banned for four years in here (2015-2019). There's good reason I keep bringing my ban up from time to time. It's not in order to draw pity, nor is it a badge of dubious honor for me. If anything, it's a badge of shame, and one I keep bringing up to show that I made a huge mistake; one that, for better or worse, helped shape me into the person I am today. Thirdly, how can I respect my partners as lovers if I don't respect them as people first? The answer is I can't. Sure, sex is great, and I'd be a fucking liar if I said I didn't enjoy it (even if it is only cyber). But to me, sex is only one half of being poly. The other is laughing at your partners' dumb jokes, telling them things will get better, and most importantly telling them you love them as much as possible. Because no other words mean the world to them.
    -----
    This has been the inaugural entry in Tales From the Punchbowl. I'll see you next time.
    Discuss below your thoughts on polyamory and free love, or relationships in general.
  11. Rebel the Wolfgirl
    Sooo...how can I preface this? Well, let's start off by saying that the Unswept's debut album, in spite of almost entirely being covers, was an excellent beginning - it's clear the O'Brien trio have a wide variety of influences and are able to cleverly work them into their Beatlesque sound with no effort at all. That isn't to say the few originals are slouchers in that department either; I could see songs like "Inside Out" and "Certain Flowers" appearing on a Herman's Hermits or Dave Clark Five record, and think that they wouldn't feel out of place at all.So what happens when the sophomore effort, The Unswept Today! (a clear reference to the Beach Boys and their similarly-titled album The Beach Boys Today!) reverses that trend - a stronger emphasis on original material, with only 2 covers? A year after the release of their first album, the O'Briens returned to the recording studio with 9 original songs in hand, bolstered by covers of Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians' "Another Bubble" and Teenage Fanclub's "Mellow Doubt", to create this 11-song album. But does it hold up to the first album in terms of quality? Well, let's look at The Unswept Today!, and find out.
    ----

    ALBUM NAME: The Unswept Today!
    ARTIST NAME: The Unswept
    RECORDED: 2015
    RELEASED: April 21, 2015
    LABEL: Draco Records
    PRODUCER: Bert Fern
    GENRES: Merseybeat, power pop, jangle pop
    PERSONNEL: Charlie O'Brien (guitars, vocals), Ryan O'Brien (drums, vocals), Liz O'Brien (bass, vocals)
    ----
    TRACK LISTING:
    Super Sad: 02:19
    Peace of Mind: 02:01
    Please, Please Look My Way: 02:21
    Another Bubble (Robyn Hitchcock): 02:24
    (You Can) Do the Math: 02:17
    Unimpressive: 02:28
    Magnet's Coil: 02:17
    Mellow Doubt (Teenage Fanclub): 02:40
    Cheater: 02:53
    Surf Song (I Wish I Was a Beach Boy): 02:38
    Get Away: 03:26
    TOTAL ALBUM LENGTH: 27:49
    ----
    1. Super Sad - Opening the album with a jangly, 12-string guitar chord (the influence of A Hard Day's Night is readily apparent), "Super Sad" is anything but. An upbeat rocker of a first track, the lyrics are straightforward, playfully mocking overly cynical and dramatic people who feel the need to make others miserable just because. It kicks the album into high gear from the word go, and is something straight off of a Replacements or even R.E.M. record. While it is one of the few songs on the album to not deal with relationships, "Super Sad" is all the better for it, proving that Ryan and Charlie can write more than silly love songs; they can also write more straightforward, anthemic power pop tunes that give off airs of positivity and good vibes all around.
    2.  Peace of Mind - Another upbeat track, "Peace of Mind" focuses on a narrator who reflects on a love from his last whom he still lines for; thinking about her eases him and gives him peace of mind. Featuring Liz on to-lead vocals, this song (at least melodically) reminds me a bit of "I Saw Her Standing There" almost; thematically, it deals with similar themes of pining for someone from afar. Speaking of...
    3. Please, Please Look My Way - While this one's not an upbeat song like the previous two, it's still an earworm of power pop goodness. Lyrically, "Please, Please Look My Way" is a more somber look at unrequited love. The narrator of the song admires a fashion store worker from a safe distance, imagining some clothes from a mannequin looking good on her, and the two of them going shopping together; all the while, he tries working up the nerve to just go up and talk to her, but his nerves prevent him from doing so. Not to fear, though; there is a sense of hope at the end when our protagonist finally decided he's going to do it. Musically, I'm reminded of Big Star's ballads; this wouldn't feel out of place if this was on #1 Record with Alex Chilton on lead vocals.
    4. Another Bubble - The first of only two covers on this album, "Another Bubble" was originally by Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians. The lyrics, as per usual for Mr. Hitchcock, are abstract, enigmatic, and open to interpretation. At first, it seems to be a standard song warning someone that their lover is trouble and that their just "Another bubble" waiting to burst. Then it takes a sharp left turn and explains that the girl is a delusion of some sort, and that the narrator has experience with this. But then it ALSO says that there IS another person, and...yeah, it's confusing when you actually read the lyrics. Nonetheless, it's a fun, happy sort of cover, and you can clearly tell the band is trying not to laugh themselves while singing.
    5. (You Can) Do the Math - A country-influenced tune, "You Can Do the Math" focuses on a man who talks about his admiration of a close female friend. He admits he likes her in that way, but he understands she's her own person and not an object, and that's OK. She goes on her own path, and he goes on his, and while their paths intersect, he's perfectly content to just be friends. Certainly not a conventional love song, but a love song nonetheless; the band shows that they have an understanding of platonic love just as intimately as they do with romantic love.
    6. Unimpressive - "Unimpressive" is a song I can deeply relate to, and for good reason. It's all about anxiety in a relationship, and how one (or even both partners) can feel that they're not good enough for the other. The singer expresses doubt to his partner that he can fulfill his or her needs, insisting he isn't impressive at all and will manage to somehow screw the whole thing up. While this may look like another one of the band's standard boy-girl love songs on the surface, digging a bit deeper reveals a surprisingly mature theme of self-doubt and low self-esteem.
    7. Magnet's Coil - Following from the example set by "Unimpressive" , this song deals with a deeper theme in regards to relationships. In this case, the failure of communication between partners. Lyrically, the song focuses on how a man and his girlfriend don't seem to talk out their feelings with one another, resulting in stress and high-strung anxiety because of it. There's also a neat bit of experimentation here, with a brief synthesizer melody being played in the middle of the song.
    8. Mellow Doubt - The second (and last) cover on this album, originally by Teenage Fanclub. In spite of this, the song adds to the overall maturation of themes found in the second half of this album. It focuses on the idea of a loved one dying, and dealing with the grief that follows. As the lyrics note, grief just doesn't go away. It never really does, and all you can really do is try and come to terms with it.
    9. Cheater - In offset to the melancholic tone of the previous tune, "Cheater" returns to an upbeat, Beatlesque melody...but is by no means a feel good song, as evidenced by the title. The song's narrator calls out his ex-girlfriend for her laziness and infidelity, especially since they were living in squalor. She made her cheating on him fairly obvious, as the narrator points out. As I keep bringing up, the band keeps maturing thematically throughout the second half of The Unswept Today, and this song is no exception. While the band did focus on the subject of a relationship ending in "You're Going Home" from their debut, this is the first time they've confronted the subject of cheating directly and bluntly. And their brutal honesty makes the message very clear.
    10. Surf Song (I Wish I Was a Beach Boy) - The Unswept decide to take a breather from the darker themes present in the last few songs, and decide to pastiche the Beach Boys. While this song stands in stark contrast to the other songs on Today's second half by being lighter, it continues in the idea of musical growth by the band deciding to do a take on an American group as opposed to an English one. And boy, they do it well. This song is a dead ringer for the classic Beach Boys, including the Four Freshmen-derived vocal harmonies. In terms of lyrics, it's replete with references to the Beach Boys' classic period of 1962-1966 such as "Surfer Girl", "Fun, Fun, Fun", "The Warmth of the Sun" , and "God Only Knows" .
    11. Get Away - The Unswept continue the experimentation for the final track of this album in two notable ways: it's their first song to be over three minutes, and adopts a "harder" rock sound akin to the Rolling Stones or the Who. Lyrically, you could see it as a continuation of the story in "Cheater", with the narrator kicking out his girlfriend for her misdeeds. With that said, the album reaches a satisfying conclusion with this song.
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    FINAL THOUGHTS: So, does the Unswept's second album live up to their debut? It does more than that - it's better. With more creative freedom in their sophomore effort, the O'Briens not only refine their ears for sugary sweet melodies, but also step out of their comfort zones by exploring relationships more in depth and (to a certain degree) new soundscapes as well. If I could recommend any power pop album of the 2010s, it's this one.
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    FINAL SCORE:
    10/10
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