The Killers have announced a new best-of collection, Rebel Diamonds, which will be released on December 8 via Island. It marks the band’s second greatest hits album, following 2013’s Direct Hits, and it spans 20 tracks that are presented in chronological order. A new song called ‘Spirit’, which a press release describes as an “anthem ready to be sung at festivals across the world,” closes the album. Check out a trailer for it below.
“See it’s been said that what’s remembered lives, and we’ve racked up stadiums full of memories the past twenty years, enough to fill lifetimes,” lead singer Brandon Flowers reflects in the clip. “Twenty songs for twenty years – Rebel Diamonds.”
1. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
2. Mr. Brightside
3. All These Things That I’ve Done
4. Somebody Told Me
5. When You Were Young
6. Read My Mind
7. Human
8. Spaceman
9. A Dustland Fairytale
10. Runaways
11. Be Still
12. The Man
13. Caution
14. My Own Soul’s Warning
15. Dying Breed
16. Pressure Machine
17. Quiet Town
18. boy
19. Your Side of Town
20. Spirit
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Julia Holter is back with a new single, ‘Sun Girl’, out today via Domino. It arrives alongside an accompanying video by the artist and animator Tammy Nguyễn. According to Holter, the song lyrically evokes “being brought out of my comfort zone—into the unknown, playfulness and chaos.” Check it out below.
‘Sun Girl’ marks Holter’s first proper single since releasing her album Aviary in 2018. In 2020, she composed the score for Eliza Hittman’s film Never Rarely Sometimes Always.
Movies have always been a significant part of our culture, offering entertainment, insight, and a way to see the world through different lenses. Writing a movie review is more than just sharing opinions; it’s about conveying a comprehensive understanding of the film’s elements to potential viewers. Here’s a detailed guide on how to craft an insightful movie review.
Plot Summary
Start your review with a brief plot summary, ensuring not to give away any major plot twists or endings. It provides readers with context about the movie’s storyline without spoiling the experience.
Introduce the Main Characters
Briefly discuss the main characters and their roles in the story. Understanding their motivations and development throughout the film gives readers a clearer picture of the story’s dynamics.
Analysis of Key Elements
Direction and Cinematography
Analyze the director’s vision and how they’ve brought it to life. With the prominence of online reviews, many viewers turn to these feedback forums to understand different perspectives on the director’s choices. Discuss camera angles, lighting, and how they enhance or detract from the storytelling.
For instance, long, drawn-out shots indicate a film’s contemplative nature, while rapid cuts might suggest tension or action. Online reviews often highlight these nuances, providing a broader context for audiences worldwide.
Sound and Music
Consider the film’s score, background music, and sound effects. How do they complement the scenes? Sometimes, a well-placed song can elevate a scene, making it memorable.
Performances
Talk about the actors’ performances. Were they convincing? Did any actor stand out? Strong performances can sometimes redeem a weak plot, so it’s essential to give credit where it’s due.
Themes and Messages
Every movie tries to convey specific messages or themes. Reflect on what the movie is trying to say. Was it successful in getting its message? Discussing this will provide readers with deeper insights into the film’s purpose.
Personal Opinion and Recommendations
While the majority of your review should be objective, it’s also crucial to include your perspective. Did you enjoy the movie? Why or why not? Conclude with whether you’d recommend the film to others and who its ideal audience might be.
Concluding Thoughts
End your review by summarizing your main points. You can also compare the movie to other films in the same genre or by the same director or actors.
Tips for Writing an Effective Review
Stay Objective
While personal opinions are important, it’s essential to approach a review objectively. Avoid letting personal biases cloud your judgment.
Provide Examples
When making a point about a particular scene or actor’s performance, provide specific examples from the movie. It supports your claims and gives your review more credibility.
Know Your Audience
Understand who you’re writing for. If your audience is more casual moviegoers, avoid using technical jargon. If you’re writing for film enthusiasts, dive deeper into the intricacies of the film’s production.
Edit and Proofread
Ensure your review is free of grammatical errors and flows smoothly. A well-written review is easier to understand and more enjoyable to read.
In conclusion, writing a movie review requires a balance of objectivity and personal insight. By following this guide, you’ll be well on your way to crafting reviews that are both informative and engaging, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of the film in question.
The intersection of cryptocurrency and online gaming has spawned a novel ecosystem where blockchain-based casinos are carving a niche for themselves. These platforms are leveraging the unique attributes of blockchain technology – decentralization, transparency, and security – to reinvent the wheel of online slot gaming.
The Advent of Decentralized Gaming
Traditional online casinos are centralized platforms where the gaming outcomes are processed on private servers. The shift to decentralized gaming means that the results of each spin in a slot game are now computed on a blockchain, which ensures that the process is transparent and verifiable. This is a significant stride towards addressing the long-standing issues of trust and fairness in online gaming.
Blockchain casinos are not just altering the underlying technology but are also revolutionizing the player experience. The integration of cryptocurrency as a medium of exchange allows for faster transactions, anonymity, and reduced fees, making it an appealing option for tech-savvy gamblers. Thus, you can play a microgaming pokie in NZ with a cryptocurrency deposit, enjoying all the benefits of using crypto as a payment method.
Enhanced Security and Transparency
Security is a paramount concern for online gamblers. Blockchain technology mitigates these concerns by providing a system that is nearly impervious to fraud. Each transaction and outcome is recorded on a distributed ledger, offering an unprecedented level of transparency. Players can verify the fairness of each slot game themselves, fostering a trustless environment where the “house” can no longer hide behind the curtain.
Expert voices in the industry have underscored this advantage. Michael Gordon, an online casino expert from Clash of Slots, remarks, “Blockchain technology has introduced a paradigm shift in online slots. Players are not just passive bettors anymore; they are auditors of their own gaming experience.
The Rise of Cryptocurrency in Gaming
Cryptocurrencies have gone from being a niche interest to the mainstream in just a few years, and their foray into online gambling is a natural progression. Here’s how they’re making an impact:
Anonymity: Players can gamble without revealing their identity, which is a significant draw for those concerned about privacy.
Lower Fees: Traditional banking methods often come with hefty fees. Cryptocurrency transactions, in contrast, can be significantly cheaper.
Fast Transactions: Deposits and withdrawals using cryptocurrencies are much faster compared to traditional banking methods.
Global Access: Cryptocurrencies provide a universal means of exchange, allowing players from various parts of the world to participate without the need for currency conversion.
This confluence of cryptocurrency with slot gaming has resulted in a diversified market for players. They can choose from Bitcoin slots, Ethereum slots, and even games based on smaller altcoins, each offering a unique gaming experience.
Cryptocurrency Bonuses and Rewards
To entice players, blockchain casinos are offering lucrative bonuses and rewards in cryptocurrencies. These can range from deposit matches to free spins and even cashback rewards in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. The inherent divisibility of digital currencies means that casinos can offer bonuses as small as a few thousandths of a coin, making it easier to offer a wider range of bonus sizes.
The Future of Blockchain-Based Online Casinos
The proliferation of blockchain-based casinos is not just a trend but a glimpse into the future of online gambling. As these platforms mature, they are expected to offer even more advanced features like smart contracts that automate payouts, further reducing the need for human intervention and enhancing the integrity of the games.
With industry analysts predicting that the global online gambling market will continue to grow exponentially, the fusion of cryptocurrency and slot gaming is poised to become a significant segment of this booming industry. The flexibility and resilience of blockchain-based platforms, combined with the growing acceptance of cryptocurrency, are likely to propel this market forward.
Final Thoughts
Blockchain-based online casinos represent a significant evolution in the gambling industry. By harnessing the benefits of cryptocurrency, these platforms offer a level of transparency, security, and convenience that traditional online casinos struggle to match. As regulatory landscapes evolve to accommodate these technologies, the sector is set to expand even further, bringing with it a new era of digital gaming that is fair, fast, and accessible to a global audience.
The synergy between cryptocurrency and slot gaming is not just an innovation; it’s a comprehensive solution to age-old problems in online gambling. As this space continues to evolve, it could very well redefine our concept of betting and gaming online, one spin at a time.
If you’ve been involved in a bus accident, finding out how to get compensated for the costs associated with it can feel like an uphill battle. This often involves navigating complex legal systems and understanding your rights as both a passenger and a victim. But while this process may seem overwhelming, it is possible to secure fair compensation by taking close account of all potential losses suffered due to the incident. In this article, we take a look at the steps and strategies you should consider when seeking payment following a bus accident so that you can get fair compensation after an accident.
Understand your rights as a passenger on public transportation
As a passenger involved in a bus accident, it’s crucial to be aware of your rights in this situation. Public transportation systems are subject to regulations and safety standards to ensure the well-being of passengers. You may be entitled to compensation if you’ve been injured due to negligence or the fault of the bus company. It’s prudent to take the time to understand these rights thoroughly, which can empower you to navigate the process of seeking compensation more effectively. Be sure to research the specific laws and regulations in your jurisdiction that pertain to bus accidents to gain a clear and comprehensive understanding of what you’re entitled to.
Take pictures of the scene and any visible injuries
Immediately after a bus accident, it’s essential to document the scene through the lens of your camera. These pictures can serve as valuable evidence later on, helping to illustrate the circumstances of the accident. Capture the condition of the bus, the accident site, and any visible injuries you or other passengers have sustained. Visual evidence can be instrumental in proving the extent of the damage and injuries, which can be crucial when seeking compensation to cover medical expenses and other losses.
Make sure that you get medical attention
Prioritizing your health is of utmost importance after a bus accident. Even if your injuries seem minor at first, it’s essential to seek immediate medical attention to ensure your well-being and safety. Some injuries may not manifest symptoms right away, and prompt medical evaluation can both address any hidden issues and create a medical record that can be useful for your compensation claim. Documenting your injuries and the medical treatment you receive is a critical step in the process of building your case for compensation.
Contact a personal injury lawyer
Navigating the complexities of seeking compensation for injuries sustained in a bus accident can be daunting and intricate. That’s why it’s often advisable to engage the services of a personal injury lawyer. If you live in California, you can find certified personal injury lawyers who specialize in bus accidents and are well-versed in California’s laws. For individuals residing in Irvine who’ve been involved in such incidents, contacting local Irvine bus accident attorneys can be particularly beneficial, as they are familiar with gathering, evidence, building a case, and negotiating a fair settlement for their clients. They can advocate effectively on your behalf. By seeking their counsel, you can significantly increase your chances of securing the compensation you rightfully deserve.
Gather contact information from witnesses if possible
If there were witnesses to the bus accident, it’s essential to make a concerted effort to collect their contact information. Eyewitness accounts can be instrumental in supporting your claim for compensation, as they can provide valuable details and perspectives that may strengthen your case. Witnesses can corroborate the events that unfolded, further solidifying the narrative of the accident. Their involvement can be pivotal in establishing the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident.
Report the incident to the bus company or local police department immediately
Reporting the bus accident to the relevant authorities should be a priority in the aftermath of such an event. You should promptly inform the bus company about the incident and ensure that it is officially documented. Additionally, filing a report with the local police department is a crucial step. These reports serve as official records of the accident and are essential for your compensation claim. Timeliness in reporting is crucial, as it can help ensure that the details of the accident are accurately documented, preserving the integrity of the incident’s records.
Public transportation accidents can often be overwhelming. It’s important to take action immediately following an accident. Knowing and understanding your legal rights as a passenger can go a long way in protecting you and getting the fair compensation you deserve after an injury. If you or someone you know has been injured in public transportation, it’s important to take photos of any visible injuries and of the scene, seek medical attention if necessary, and gather contact information from witnesses. It is also essential to report the incident to the bus company or local police right away. When in doubt, reach out to a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer for help filing a claim for compensation. Don’t wait; make sure your rights are protected and you get the payout due to you.
Weddings are one of the most special days you’ll ever experience, so it’s natural to want to make sure it goes perfectly. That’s why most people put so much time and effort into planning it out. It’s also why they’ll stress out a lot, too.
With everything that needs to be sorted, it’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed. To get through this, and even avoid it, you might need to use a few wedding planning secrets.
These will help you plan your wedding while avoiding a decent amount of stress. At the same time, they’ll let you make it a day you can look back on fondly. If you’re about to start planning your wedding, it’s worth diving into a few notable tips and hacks.
Nine of these can help you make it as easy as possible.
Wedding Planning Secrets: 9 Top Picks
1. Stick To Your Budget
You’ll need to come up with a budget when you’re planning your wedding. Make sure you spend a decent bit of time and effort on this before you make any decisions. It’ll play a vital role in everything, so it’s one of the first things you should focus on. Take the time to figure out exactly how much you have to spend.
It’s also worth breaking your budget down into different categories. Catering, vendors, and similar areas will all need to be paid for, after all. Some of these will be more expensive than others, so they could be worth focusing on first.
Spend some time researching roughly how much each of these areas will cost and plan accordingly. It’s also worth making sure you stick to this as much as possible.
2. Keep It Personal
You’ll have seen quite a few weddings online before. You could have even been to a few weddings before, as well as seen some on television. These could all have given you a few ideas for your wedding day, and they might be quite appealing. That doesn’t mean you should copy them outright, though.
Remember that a wedding is supposed to be personal for you and your partner. No matter what decisions you make, they should be tailored to what you and your partner want and need. You’ll end up creating a much more memorable day once you take that approach.
3. Focus On The Ceremony
When you’re planning your wedding, you’ll naturally spend a decent bit of time and effort on the reception. It’s when everyone will get to enjoy and relax, so it’s easy to see why you could focus on this. It’s far from the only area you’ll need to focus on, though.
You shouldn’t overlook the ceremony itself. It’s the most important part of the wedding day, as it’s when you’ll actually get married. Make sure this is as magical as you want it to be. While that could mean spending a little extra time on it, it’ll be more than worth it.
4. Hire The Right Photographer
You’ll naturally hire a photographer to take pictures during your big day. They’ll help you remember the day for the rest of your life, so it’s worth making sure you pick the right photographer for your needs. Spend some time comparing the options you have so you can come to the right decision.
J&A Wedding Photography can be a great choice for this. Compare various factors when they’re doing this, like their previous experience, how their previous photographs have come out, and more. It’ll make your decision much easier once you’ve seen examples of what they can do.
5. Be Honest
Your wedding day should be perfect for you, and you’ll have to go out of your way to make sure that’s the case. Vendors will give you countless options for what they can do during the day, and you’ll have to choose between these. Make sure you’re honest when you’re doing so.
If something isn’t to your standard or the way you want it, make sure you say so. It’s your big day, after all, so it’s worth putting the time and effort into it. You’ve no reason not to be honest about what you want and don’t want.
6. Make Your Guests Comfortable
You’ll naturally be focused on you and your partner when you’re planning everything out. One of the more overlooked wedding planning secrets is to make sure you keep your guests in mind, too. You’ll want to make sure they’re comfortable throughout the entire wedding ceremony and reception.
You’ll want them to have a good time during your wedding, after all. Don’t overlook that fact when you’re planning everything out. It’ll make sure the day itself goes off without a hitch. From the chairs they’ll use to making sure they can get there easily, there’s a lot to keep in mind with this.
7. Go With Your Gut
You’ll need to make countless decisions when you’re planning your wedding. While some of these could be relatively easy to make, others wouldn’t be. No matter what, it’s always worth going with your gut. You’ll make better decisions because of it.
Sometimes, something could seem off about a vendor, despite the fact that everything looks good on paper. If your gut’s telling you not to do it, then you might want to walk away from it. Go with the options where your gut tells you it’s the right thing to do.
8. Take Your Time
You could want to get as many areas sorted for your wedding as quickly as possible. If the big day is relatively close, you might feel like you need to rush through everything. That isn’t always the case. Instead, it might be better worth taking your time with your decisions.
You might end up in a better position because of it. By taking time with your decisions, you can make sure you make the right ones for you. It’s never worth making a decision just because you have to make a decision. Take your time, and you’ll end up with the right options for you.
9. Practice Self-Care
Planning your wedding can be stressful, no matter what. You’ll have quite a bit to get through and countless decisions you’ll need to make. It’s easy to see why so many people can get overwhelmed because of this. You could find yourself in that position, too.
If you do, it’s worth taking some time and effort to look after yourself. Practicing self-care helps much more than you’d think when you’re planning everything out. It’ll help even when you’re not feeling too stressed about it.
Have days or nights where you and your partner don’t talk about anything related to the wedding. Take the time to de-stress and relax to avoid you getting burned out by everything.
Wedding Planning Secrets: Wrapping Up
Planning your wedding can be one of the most stressful things you can ever do. While the day itself could make it worth it, it doesn’t mean you’ll want to go through all that stress. You’ll want to avoid it as much as you can.
With some wedding planning secrets, you can do exactly that. At the same time, they’ll help you make sure the day itself is as magical and amazing as possible.
You’ve no reason not to put some time and effort into them. While there’ll still be quite a few things to get through, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. There’s no reason not to take all of the stress and hassle out of it.
Sen Morimoto is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter who was born in Kyoto, Japan and grew up in Western Massachusetts, where he began studying saxophone at an early age. After moving to Chicago in 2014, he spent the following years connecting with the city’s music community and honing his skills as a genre-blending producer, washing dishes for a living before deciding to focus on music full time. A co-owner of Sooper Records alongside collaborators NNAMDÏ and Glenn Curran, Morimoto put out their first two albums, 2018’s Cannonball! and 2020’s self-titled effort, via the label. Now, the musician has returned with his third album, Diagnosis, released by Sooper in partnership with City Slang. Marking their first time recording in a professional studio, it’s an urgent, dynamic collection of songs that nevertheless possesses a quiet and self-aware sensibility, easily enjoyable on a musical level but richly rewarding and nuanced at its core. Lyrically, Morimoto weaves in day-to-day observations with memories from childhood in an effort to unpack American identity and the ways in which late-stage capitalism commodifies it – all while trying not to let it taint the honest feeling and collaborative nature of the art itself. “The sun went down as I searched/ Every inch of the earth/ Not for a place but for a memory,” they sing nostalgically on ‘Surrender’, and arduous as the process might be, landing there can feel like a revelation.
We caught up with Sen Morimoto for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about the outward-facing nature of Diagnosis, the cognitive dissonance of creating art under capitalism, and more.
There’s a certain pressure that comes with releasing a self-titled album, which is supposedly meant to serve as a representation of the artists themselves. What were the challenges, in your mind, that came with following it up?
Ultimately, it just ended up being self-titled because it felt like a continuation of what I’d been working on in my artistic practice as a solo artist for the past five years before that. It was very much the same process I had been using to make music since I started doing it by myself; I was making beats in my room, it was a very isolated experience and very much just about my own psyche. A lot of those songs from the first two records are just psychoanalyzing myself, and with this one, it kind of felt like I had gone as far as I could in that direction. When the album is just about you, then you have to flip the lens around and investigate other things. Both lyrically and sonically, I think I was trying to pivot intentionally, and I wasn’t sure exactly where it was going to go, but just knew that I wanted to do things differently. So I invited my bandmates into the studio, folks I’ve been touring with past 6-7 years, and that alone was a huge transformation for the music – giving it some live feeling, actually playing with each other in the room, and also it just being a studio record, in a sense, was different. Everything just sort of turned outward, and then I did the same thing for the lyrics. It’s a lot less about analyzing myself and more so about the world around us.
So you feel like there was a direct relationship between how your musical approach and lyrical perspective developed?
Yeah, totally. I think that’s usually how I start figuring out that an album is being made. Especially now, a lot of artists make such genre-defying music, because everybody’s making music that’s influenced by like 20 different things, so it’s hard to know, when you’re making songs, if you’re making them in the same universe. And once I start feeling like there’s a few where the sonic element is doing the same thing as the lyrics are intending to do, then it’s like, “Oh, this could be a record.”
You talked about the outward-facing nature of the record being a natural reaction to what you had been writing about in the past. Outside of thinking about the trajectory of your albums, how did it allign with your headspace and the things you were preoccupied with at the time?
It definitely was written in reaction to what I was experiencing and learning at the time. After touring for a handful of years, and then everything being shut down during the pandemic, shows being canceled, and then coming back to touring as venues reopened, and finding that it was a totally different landscape – expenses for everything had inflated so high that it’s impossible to tour. Experiencing a year of trying really hard to do that, and also having gone through a couple of years of being at home and engaging in constant political unrest while we were experiencing lockdown and economic shutdown, just made it feel so different. Coming back to what you had been doing with it a totally different perspective was eye-opening. And I think a lot of people probably experienced this in whatever field they’re in; getting the sense that they had new eyes for the ways in which their industry works, and the different ways in which capitalism affects every aspect of our life. I think these have been things I always thought about, but always carried a lot of guilt for, in the sense that there’s no ethical way to engage in a capitalist-driven world.
It’s been really hard to even discuss, because a lot of what went into the record was just trying to figure these things out, and then realizing that there’s not really a good answer; there’s just other people that are experiencing the same thing. And ultimately, that was what I came to, is that the reason the album is so outward-facing – both in my critique of capitalism and the systems that govern us, but also outward-facing in a way that it reaches out to connect with people who are feeling similarly – is that the only answer I could come to was that being in community and connecting with folks experiencing the same thing seemed to be the only thing that helped.
Aside from coming into it with a different perspective, was there also a shift in confidence that allowed you to articulate these questions in a more clear and intricate way than you previously felt able to?
Yeah, absolutely. It’s not something I’ve discussed with anyone about this record, really, which I’m so glad you brought up. I feel like so many artists probably felt similarly, where you’re considering the ramifications of being involved in an industry about marketing yourself and marketing this art that you hold so pure, and there’s a dissonance within yourself about participating in that. But it’s hard to discuss and create the art at the same time. It’s almost like if you’re admitting that it’s a corrupt industry and that you’re partaking in it, then you can’t really engage in the art the same way. It becomes difficult to, like, write a love song that someone’s just going to run the numbers on for streaming or something. I think a lot of what went into starting the record was feeling like if I didn’t focus on that discomfort, and I just let it stew while I was trying to make music about something else, it would sort of tear me apart, and I wouldn’t be able to make art at all.
Once I had made the record or the the bones of it and realized what it was about, it was difficult to feel confident enough to share it in that way, because I’ve always just been a person in a room making beats. I’m not a political activist or an academic mind in this, so there’s a feeling a lot of artists share that maybe you don’t want to say the wrong thing or seem uninformed about these larger topics. But part of what’s really exciting to me about putting out the album, which is kind of the scary part but also the good part, is that I hope it makes people more comfortable discussing these things without feeling like they have to know every aspect before the conversation starts. I think just normalizing the idea that you’re thinking about it is such a good step.
The song ‘What You Say’ begins with the lines, “Don’t go making metaphors out of/ Seemingly meaningless moments/ Parables out of friendship patterns/ Picking at scabs won’t heal them faster.” That sounds like stream-of-consciousness, but I wonder if it’s also specficially being self-conscious about the writing process.
There’s often a couple ways I’m thinking about a lyric in a song. Sometimes I’m thinking about the way that you could interact with it if you’re hearing it for the first time and projecting your own life onto it as a listener. And then I’m thinking about, for me, words have so many double meanings, and that line is definitely a jab at myself about the ways in which I interpret things. I think less than a definitive “This is the correct way of thinking” or “This is the answer to these questions” on the album, it’s more so about sharing my experience in a way that hopefully feels somewhat relatable, so leaving those moments in where I’m unsure of things, or even some opposing views on the record, I feel like fit into it. Even a song like ‘Bad State’ is about trying to still have some joy in your life and think less about the thing, and then the rest of the album is like, Think about it, think about it, think about it. Some of it’s just about documenting both sides.
Did you struggle with having the album adhere to any kind of coherent philosophy as you were assembling the songs?
I think some people can, and it’s really admirable and cool, decide, like, “This is what my album’s gonna be about, the story’s gonna go from A to B.” But I just let things come out and then take a look at it afterwards, and it sort of tells me, “Oh, that’s what this is about. Interesting.” And I’ve had that experience with other records like in the past – sometimes you even think you know what your album’s about, and then you release it, and after a year of seeing what it does in the world, how people react to it, you’re like, “That makes so much sense, I was going through this at the time and I just couldn’t see it because I it was my own shit, and that’s the hardest shit to see.” Because it’s an album that’s a little more specifically about one thing and not just sort of exploring my own thoughts, though, I did feel some pressure, mostly self-inflicted, to wrap it up in a bow and have an answer. Ultimately, showing it to friends and sharing it with peers was where I found the answer, in just that folks were responding in a way that was like, “I’m so happy to hear these things said this way, because I’ve been feeling them myself but sort of unable to articulate it.” So that was my answer, that we’re both feeling it, and that’s as far as I care to take it, really.
You’re also being quite intentional about encapsulating these thoughts in the title track. You frame that line, “You live a long life doing what you have to do,” as the diagnosis, but at the same time, it also feels like what we’re prescribed to do.
Yeah, that’s a really good point. It’s the prescription and the diagnosis. It’s funny, I guess that’s sort of the “catch-22” of it – you can figure it out and you can have these thoughts, but you still have to live your life through it. That whole song starts with the idea that you’re at the gas station thinking about all the carnage and monstrosities that had to happen for oil to reach your car that you need to fill your tank up to get to work with to pay your rent this month, you think about how awful it is, and then you just have to continue on with your day. There’s a certain dose of reality that kind of pushes in the opposite direction of your radical thinking, and there’s a place in the middle that you end up having to live in, because we just live under capitalism and you have to pay your rent and feed your family.
You showcase a lot of stylistic versatility throughout the album. I’m curious if it was easier or more difficult to find the right musical language to express these ideas, or if it came the other way around.
It felt really natural on this record, more so than usual. I think I was feeling this unrest within myself, and discomfort that we talked a little bit about, but also anger and frustration with the world. A lot of songs start instrumentally for me, so naturally the music was pushing in a way that was different than music I’d made before. A lot of my older music is very kind low-key beat stuff, and these beats that I was demoing were just pulsing in a darker way. Also, a big part of my practice is just exploring different instruments, and for this record it was definitely so guitar-focused, which is funny. It’s kind of the most basic – I mean, not to hate on guitars, but guitars have such a, like, shitty dude energy. [laughs] There’s definitely some sense of humor in that. But it really helped me express a certain rage than in my past albums.
For a record that seems so lyrically and conceptually packed, ‘Pressure on the Pulse’ feels like an example of that kind of track where the music leads the energy behind it.
Yeah, I think that probably is the most music-centered – it could have been an instrumental and sort of felt the same way, which I don’t feel about the rest of the songs. They’re so like lyrically dense, and that one totally is more, you just feel it in the urgency of the horns and the lopsided beat.
I’m interested in how the two most intimate and introspective songs on the record, ‘Naive’ and ‘Forsythia’, are both tied to nostalgia. For you, how are they connected to each other and the album as a whole?
There are definitely moments where I’m considering how my humanness still engages in this sort of radical and rebellious thought. There’s such a lack of humanity, I think, in a lot of cycles of thinking – which is natural, because there’s so much work to be done, so it’s like, when you start thinking about all the things that you would like to make positive change in, it gets to a point where you feel selfish or unable to think about your own life and your own feelings, which are real. And even to sort of not trust them, because especially as an artist, your feelings become art, which becomes product. I feel like nostalgia in both of those songs is written about in a way that is trying to encapsulate how the feelings are real, but the sense of nostalgia is almost, potentially a manipulation, the way in which we’re indoctrinated with nostalgia.
‘Naive’, even in the sonic elements of it, but also lyrically, is so Americana in a certain way, and the lyrics are about feeling free and love. It’s sort of balancing the ways in which those are real emotions and real memories and things that I hold dear, but I’m also considering how much of that is tied to the way I’m brought up and the way culture and media shape my sense of nostalgia, and sort of poking fun at how labeling your emotions that way can leave you vulnerable to being manipulated. Feeling naive, or the intention to feel free, in this almost patriotic sense, can kind of contaminate the real feeling, the pure feeling. ‘Forsythia’ is similar, although that’s a song that I feel like branches out in a complicated way lyrically.
It’s easy to be cynical about even just the existence of that pure feeling if it’s so manipulated, but I don’t feel that cynicism in your music. You treat it as something precious.
Yeah, I think the record is more so protective of that real feeling as opposed to questioning it. It’s more so questioning the environment of your feelings, so that the real feeling can live. Even the first track, ‘If the Answer Isn’t Love’, it’s figuring out what’s going on in the world, asking what the point of it all is and what will remain, but ultimately feeling like if it’s not that real feeling – whatever, love, God, sort of the same thing – then I don’t know if it’s worth it.
Given that the album revolves so much around societal issues, what do you feel like is the biggest thing you’ve learned about yourself while making it?
I think most significantly, specifically in my thoughts to making art, which is part of what I’m exploring on the album, is how to continue doing that – ethically, or just sanely, or with love still, and without becoming cynical. I’ve found that just exploring these topics but continuing to release music in the same way didn’t change how I felt about the music industry or participating in it or marketing myself. I think it helps because I’m being honest, and that sets me free in a certain way and helps with that cognitive dissonance issue while creating art under capitalism. But, it’s funny because it’s so simple. Something I had been thinking about and discussed a lot once it was done – I had finished the record and I was working on promoting it, talking to the labels and engaging in the music industry, and I would come home at night and just be like, “I don’t know what the point is anymore.” Because I work on a record that’s about freeing yourself from that, and then I go engage in it again, or feeling like I don’t have a choice. And obviously, you always have a choice. I can unplug, and I can go back to working in restaurants or whatever, and it’s fine. But I think I would feel the same thing anywhere I work, as every industry suffers from the same condition, which is ultimately the diagnosis.
But just taking a moment to appreciate the ability to make art and feel gratitude for the space to do that, and the ways in which the album creates more space for me to be creative in with my community – you know, I get to work on this record with my friends, I get to make music videos with creative and like-minded artists, I get to play the music live, I get to engage in the creative process. That is the prize you get. That’s the real payment for doing this, is continuing to get to have a space where you do the thing that you know you’re supposed to be doing, and everything else is just the work you have to put in to be allowed to do that. It feels like something I should have known a long time ago, that it’s not about the record reaching as many people as it can or people even resonating with it – it’s almost like the concept of the album and the lyrics are secondary to just the space it creates for people to do something that they love with. That’s the reward.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Pillow Queens have shared a new single called ‘Suffer’. The track was produced by Collin Pastore (boygenius, Illuminati Hotties, Lucy Dacus). “We wrote it in the depths of winter at our rehearsal studio in Dublin, and the cold really penetrates the song,” the band explained in a statement. Check it out below.
Yaeji has released a new single, ‘easy breezy’, alongside an accompanying self-directed video. Check it out below.
In a statement about the song, Yaeji explained:
“Easy Breezy” feels like a sequel that weaves a thread through my past releases (and my past selves).
“Learning to let go” – something i learned from “For Granted”
“진정한 변화는 (true change) it’s not so easy, it’s not so breezy” – from “Submerge FM”
“한장 한장 기록으로 채운 나의 20대의 일기장을 펼쳐서 (I opened up my diary filled with memories of my 20s)” – from “I’ll Remember for you, I’ll Remember for Me”
“시간이란게 점점더 빨라지며 (time keeps moving faster and faster)” – from “29”
“isn’t it so crazy how we pass down what we didn’t want to” – from “Done (Let’s Get It)”
Sonically, the song connects a thread between me now and me back in middle school —when I discovered bossa nova, drum and bass, and house through Korean and Japanese pop electronica. “easy breezy” is a thread, a tribute, a recollection of memories, and an encouraging push for us to bring forth change with courage and laughter. we hold the power in our hands, and we should never doubt that. change is now.
Yaeji’s debut full-length, With a Hammer, came out earlier this year.
Gaming is much more accepted as a pastime now compared to not too long ago. But it can still receive criticism from some people for being a waste of time or childish. There’s no need to have any excuse for playing games other than it’s fun, but there are also plenty of other benefits. From video games to tabletop games and even casino games, one of the things you can get out of them is building new skills. Playing games can teach you things without you even realising it. If you want to actively and consciously build skills through playing games, there are various ways to do it.
Try Out a Wide Range of Games
There are so many different types of games you can explore. Even if you like video games, you have a choice of different platforms. From consoles to PCs and even mobile games, you can play however and even wherever you like. If you want to learn as much as possible, try exploring a broad variety of different games. Look at games on different platforms and games that require varying skills. Some games are based on strategy while others are all about being creative. Find the ones you enjoy and that help you work on skills you want to prioritise.
Explore Different Gaming Strategies
Whenever you’re playing a game, you can find there are certain approaches and strategies you can try out. This is particularly true for a lot of table games, board games and even casino games. If you’re playing roulette, a seemingly fairly simple game, you can take a number of different approaches to try and get the best outcomes. If you want to learn to play chess, there are thousands of strategies and moves you can learn to improve your game. It’s a good way to learn how to look at things from different angles and explore various perspectives.
Game with Others
Some people see playing games as an activity for loners, but they couldn’t be more wrong. While there are plenty of games you can play alone, many people love to play with others. In fact, there are lots of games that require at least two people to play. Gaming with others is a great opportunity to be social and build certain social skills. From conflict resolution to public speaking, playing games of all types can help us keep our social skills sharp. And as a bonus, it also helps prevent loneliness and enables us to maintain a healthy social life.
Mix Win/Lose with Sandpit Games
Some games are competitive and based on whether you win or lose. Other games just focus on playing and don’t necessarily have an end goal or any particular narrative. Mixing these different types of games is a good way to grow different types of skills. Playing competitive games helps you learn how to win or lose graciously. It can teach you how to take risks in a safe environment where it doesn’t really matter if things go wrong. Playing more sandbox type games gives you the opportunity to be creative, explore new things, tell stories, and much more.
Be Creative
Games where you have to create something yourself can be amazing for exploring new skills. Studies have actually shown that these design-based games are the best type of video games for learning new things or improving existing skills. There are lots of games like this, where you might spend time designing and building a house or developing a story within the game. You can even create your own games, whether it’s by coding a video game or developing your own board game.
Run a Business
Some games can be surprisingly helpful if your aim is to learn how to be a successful entrepreneur. Sure, you’re not going to gain an MBA from playing games but you can pick up some handy skills that are useful in business. Games where you create a simulation of a business or where one of the key features is having to earn and manage money can be really good at teaching you real-world business skills. Without realising it, you’ll be learning skills that could help you be a better entrepreneur or might teach you skills to manage your personal finances.
Learn to Be a Leader
General communication skills are one thing you can pick up from playing games, but you can also learn how to be a good leader. Leadership skills are something you could pick up from being a D&D dungeon master or taking the lead on a raid when you’re playing a video game. In some games, you could be in charge of dozens or even hundreds of players at the same time. When you have to take responsibility and give people directions, it helps you learn to be a better leader and build skills like planning and strategizing.
Improve Your Focus
Games of all kinds can be fantastic for helping you improve your focus and concentration. You have to focus on one thing, whether it’s playing a card game or getting through a round of a video game. Having to focus on completing a goal in a game could mean you build your ability to concentrate in other situations. Not only that but it can help you prioritise tasks and know when it’s time to switch your focus. Finishing a game might be important in the moment but sometimes you have more important things to do.
Manage Stress
Stress management is one of the best things you can get from playing games. Games can sometimes be stressful but they can also be stress-relieving. When you do experience any kind of stress when playing a game, whether it’s good or bad stress, you can take the time to learn to manage it in a safe and relatively risk-free environment. Then you’re free to take those stress management skills into other areas of your life.
Playing games of all kinds will help you build various skills, even if you don’t really realise it. You can also seek out specific gaming experiences to build the skills you want to work on
