I'm writing again. These letters to you, aren't much I know.

So it's been almost a week. Busy busy busy, that is what I seem to be all the time. Most of my time seems to be filled with preparation for G&S (sewing lots and lots and lots and lots). The show starts tomorrow and I still feel like there are more things I could do to prepare but I only have so much time, like the rest of you =).

I've started working on the score for the summer show as well. I'm copying up the music into Sibelius so our Musical Director to be can arrange it into the ensemble we have. That is going to take a lot of time to do but I'm already most of the way through the opening chorus number. It's something I'm pretty good at. I can copy music into Sib so fast now. Something that is really awesome is is that I am playing flute and piccolo in the summer show and not just acting. I enjoy being in the chorus and being on the stage but ultimately I don't like acting at all. I can stand and sing a song for you, that's fine, but ask me to act and I feel ill. I just don't enjoy it. So being involved almost purely in the musical aspect of the show in summer will be bliss. We're doing a reduced company version of HMS Pinafore. Or at least that's what it was, we may have too many people in it now to classify it as that =p. Aaaaand when I am on stage I get to be a sailor! Win =D.

So aside from G&S stuff, of which that has been the majority of my week, I haven't really done that much. EXCEPT! I did go out to the My Chemical Romance gig last night =D. It was awesome.

First off, we apparently missed the opening support act, which I didn't mind missing really because I have no clue who they were and standing at gigs is really tiring. The second support was Blackout, some Welsh band. That's about all I know about them. Their music was ok. Nothing that really held my interest very much. UNTIL! They decided half way through their set that they would ask everyone in the room (at least all the people standing anyway) to kneel. On the ground. For MCR. Now I was in a miniskirt but even without that I sure as hell wasn't going to get on the floor at the Arena. The floor is covered in muck! So Danzel and I stood whilst all these scene/emo/indie kids got down on the floor. I'm not even kidding, they actually did what they were asked to do. It was genuinely hilarious. The best part was that they could see the two of us laughing at the whole situation. Danzel was wearing a red version of the Black Parade jacket (kinda, it's not an official one but it does look pretty good) and they spotted that.

One of the guys in Blackout: Hey you, you there in the jacket! Yeah you. You're a fan of MCR!

*Danzel shakes head whilst still laughing loads*

Same guy: Kneel for them!

Or something like that. It was pretty hilarious. It was pretty much "Nah mate, we ain't kneeling for anyone!". Although our respect for them increased again when to someone else they shouted:

"Get on your knees or get the fuck out!"

It was so funny, but you probably had to be there. I think they almost became a good band for that. Their music didn't get any better but we certainly we still impressed by the end of the gig with that and the fact that there were a lot of scene kids doing stupid stuff just coz they were told to. Like I said, you probably had to be there =p.

The actual gig was... a little slow to start off to be honest. I mean they opened with Nanananananananana which was really good but then it tailed off for a while. It picked up again pretty soon which was good. They played one track from Bullets, a couple from Three Cheers and the rest was from Black Parade or Danger Days. Here are the tracks I remember:

• Helena, I'm Not Ok, The Ghost Of You
• Welcome To The Black Parade, Cancer, Mama, Teenagers
• Nananananananananananana, Bulletproof Heart, SING, Planetary (GO!), The Only Hope For Me Is You, Summertime, Destroya, The Kids From Yesterday, Vampire Money

I have a feeling I am missing a couple there but that's still a lot of tracks. I was certainly impressed with how long they played for. The only other even that happened was that someone in one of the front rows fainted and it took about 10 people to deal with it. She must have been well out of it. They had to climb in and carry her out through the crowd. The band looked really concerned and Gerard even had to stop everything and say that they had to just wait a minute and afterwards asked everyone to applaud the security and medical people. It was quite sweet how concerned he looked whilst it was happening. He's so sweet.

MCR: SING played live at the BBC

Onto Wednesday things:

A standing ovation.

Ok it doesn't need to be that much but it would be nice. I just want the show to go well. So many people have put so much effort into it that I would really like it to go well. I would like people to applaud and to laugh at the right parts and to enjoy it. It would just be nice is all =)

I want to be that person.

I would like to get some proper sleep at some point. I had only just caught up with my sleeping patterns and then I went to see MCR and now I'm all out again. I'm going to be wrecked for a while. Really I just want to curl up and have a nap right now but I have a feeling that if I did that then I would not wake up in time for the dress rehearsal.

MONEY!

Or more precisely I would like a job. It's not just for the money it's also so my days are broken up better. But some more money would be really good... really really good. Money and a more structured week. Just some little things really.

Aaaaaaand finally!

 Finch: What It Is To Burn

This album is ooooooooold! Or at least it is to me. I'll find out what year it was released... 2002?! Man that's 9 years ago. I don't know if it feels like this album is really old or if I'm feeling old. I got that at the MCR gig. I felt so old comparatively to a lot of the audience. But that was then and this is now. This album is the better of their two albums (the other being Say Hello To Sunshine). It's very... rock bandy with loud vocals. Good loud music. There are some quieter tracks and some more interesting tracks (like the 13:30minute Ender with some interesting effects) but ultimately it's quite similar in style all the way through. =) It has some really good tunes that you can belt, some lovely harmonies (What it is to burn (track) right at the end = nom). They're a bit whiny but it's nothing too much that can't be handled.

Best tracks:

• Letters To You (blog title) But I'm not sleeping, you're not here // The thought stops my heart
• Post Script The worst is over for now // Take a breath, now let it out
• Perfection Through Silence Fold the corners, break the silence // Fold the corners, just for tonight.
• Three Simple Words With my hands around your neck // Who will stop me now?
• Ender And here we are to sing you a song // And there you are asleep again
• What It Is To Burn She's the only one who knows, what it is to burn

 36/100

I think that's all for now

I'll let you know how the show goes later =)

Love Buttercup xxx

Girlie, girlie you're at your best when you're sober.

So for those of you who aren't on my facebook and I haven't already shouted gleefully at I got 62% for my exam in January. I put a link there because that is when I told you guys on here about the exam. Ooh look, interlinking! =3
I'm really happy with that mark. Some people would probably tell me I could have done better, many people will have done better but it's a 2.1 and that's really the main thing. I seem to be heading for an overall 2.1 mark which is nice. My average at the moment is 61.3 which isn't too shoddy really =)

It's strange because lots of people tell me that I am intelligent, that I can do all the work and understand it and stuff but I often feel that I'm not as clever as the rest of the people on my course. I genuinely feel stupid a lot of the time. I'm good at the art of "annotation" also known as bullshitting. I'm very very good at it but then I wonder if maybe there is some intelligence within that somewhere. It's just hard for me to access that part of my brain. I'm not that egotistical, I'm too self depreciative for that. I know that I have some good points. For instance Ralph told me I should audition for the summer show with our G&S society but I know that I am not a role person (being a soprano that would generally involve being the lead and in HMS Pinafore which is the summer show there are only 3 females: the lead sop, and alto role and a bit part female role) also there are people who are much better at singing than I. I am a very good chorus member. I am loud and generally in tune. I know where my strength is and that is in belting a tune. I feel faily at acting although I can act pretty ok at being chorusy and flocky. Having the main focus on me is scary, learning lines is really hard. I don't remember words very well. I remember music not words.

I know I am pretty enough (when my face isn't covered in spots and I'm not being an idiot) and can take a pretty good photo (especially when Blue is photographing because she's really good at getting my best). But I certainly wouldn't say I was anything special. Being able to say that I think I'm not bad to look at has taken me a long time and that is pretty good going for me really =D

It helps when enough people tell you something to make you believe something. Although I suppose that doesn't work for religion and stuff for me. Man I come up with something and then shoot myself back down again with my own logic. I should stop playing Devil's advocate, especially against myself, it just makes me look really indecisive. Or should I? =p

Cute Is What We Aim For: The Same Old Blood rush With A New Touch

Punk pop how I love you. These guys are pretty good, they stand out a little bit more than your average and I don't think that's particularly because of their sound. They're good, technically. The mix is well balanced and their lyrics are nice.

On the topic of lyrics I LOVE: Risque, The Fourth Drink Instinct (blog title), Newport Living and The Curse Of Curves.

Actually their sound isn't too heavy. I think that's what I really like about them, it's a nice light sound, not too much going on. It makes a change from a lot of music right now. It's open and spacey and gives room for the singer to come through easily. There is, from what I can tell, the standard rock set up: singer, guitar, bass and drums but it's mixed differently to usual and that's nice.

It's real nice.

If you don't know these guys check out one of those four songs I mentioned or check out a track called I Don't Care If It's The Moon. A beautiful unreleased track that I think is just wonderful and is a favourite of mine. I don't know where it came from either. There have been lyrics put up for a band called Cherry Bing who seem to have had some link to CiWWAF but I can't find out that much about them.

35/100

Also in case you were interested after the previous blog:

That is a small section of my new shoes. It's from my flickr so if you haven't already you should head over there and check it out! I take some ok pictures =D

Off to bed with me =)

Nanight

Love Buttercup xxx

Turn it on, make it strong, a good beat never hurt no one

So it's wednesday and I am totally on the ball but I have an issue... I just bought a pair of shoes that was going onto my wishlist but now they are in my room... and shiny =D

So... umm

Live long and pink it up.

Ok so Spock wasn't what I was really looking for but it's a good picture =D. My pink hair dye came in the post today and OMG it's soooooo bright/dark with that hint of uv reaction. It's so nommy that I want to smother all my hair in it but I have to wait until next Sunday before I can do it. It's so annoying but I will wait. I've missed being a bit outrageous. Really it's amazing that I am ok with doing things like this. A few years ago I wouldn't have been able to do anything with my hair except try to hide it or straighten it to make it less but you know what? Pink curly hair is pretty awesome really =D

I'm also a trekkie... the series is pretty funny and Picard is awesome =p

Felicia Day

Ok I'm not implying that I want her but she has a beautiful smile and that was what I wanted to show you. See those smiles? That's how I feel today. I feel really effin' good for no reason. I mean yes I went shopping and that was really good but still, today is a good day. I want to feel this happy more often. I also wouldn't mind being a pretty as Ms. Day. The mood will probably have faded by the end of the day but I'm really happy right now and that's important to me. I also just wanted to have a photo (or three) of her in my blog =p I like having photos of pretty people for you all to look at.

Yes more pink, no I'm not obsessed =D

I would love to be able to apply make up well... and for it not to get ruined within about 5 minutes. I love this photo for the make up. I found it on a blog/tumblr type site: Eyeshadow Lipstick but it may well be from flickr or dev. But I love makeup I'm just terrible at applying it or even remembering to apply it. Also I think my skin hates it but I guess most people's faces don't really like make up. You are just clogging up your pores with pasty dust. Pretty coloured pasty dust though =D

A very girly wishlist... aside from Leonard Nemoy. 

Aaaaand.

Pixie Lott: Turn It Up Louder

I can see this music growing on me a lot. It's more pop. Very pop and dance. All the songs could quite easily be heard in a club, coloured lights, dancefloor, packed, everyone moving. There are some nice slower songs that are good. All the tracks are good but I don't think I can listen to her album on repeat unless it is in a mixed playlist. The music is fine but the lyrics are all a bit the same. It's ok but having 22 songs about how much you love that person that has just left you and you just can't help it, or being all "yeah I'm single and it's good that you aren't in my life anymore"... I think I need some different lyrics in my listenings.

I'm glad that I got the rereleased album with its 10 bonus tracks. Seriously that's just stupid. I'm all for fitting on as many tracks as you can but why didn't you make the original with about 17 tracks instead of 12 and then it wouldn't be such a huge difference between which album to buy. It's ridiculous. Another reason why I generally hate rereleases, they're just silly sometimes.

The album is nice enough and her tracks will slot nicely into my playlist of higher rated tracks so it'll be nice. I don't regret spending £4 on it =p

I quite like: Catching Snowflakes, Turn It Up and Use Somebody.

34/100

I totally forgot to mention, it's a really nice day today. The sun has been shining loads and it feels more like April than February at the moment. I really love days like this, it's been too long since I saw such sunshine so lovely change! Also, as promised (it's a terrible photo but shush, I'm not used to hats):

The Hat!

I am watching you! =D

Wow a relatively short post... maybe I'll blog when I get back from Tai Chi Chuan.

Laters

Love Buttercup xxx

We are the Supernumaries!

So the show that I am in is in just over a week away and I'm still learning the words to the songs. I can learn the notes really quickly but I have a mental block when it comes to learning the words to songs. I can normally pootle along quite easily without knowing them but then it's not tidy. The diction gets thrown out of the window and I have a slight delay whilst my brain takes in what everyone else is saying and making the right sort of sounds with my mouth. It is a very useful ability except when you are performing a show and you really really should know all the words by now. Especially as it is G&S which means that the people listening need to know what we are saying because it's the plot.

Now one thing I am impressed with is the fact that I have been learning the lyrics seriously since Sunday afternoon and now know most of them. It makes me wonder what I could actually do if I tried hard enough all the time. I know I have abilities that I shouldn't waste. I can learn things rather fast when I put in the practise. Like in my first year of university when I had to do a performance module. So after some lessons and stuff I had a couple of pieces that were coming along nicely and one piece I just could not play. I was told off quite a lot and a week later I could almost play the piece fully. How? I practised over an hour every day. For those of you who are musicians this was a grade 8 standard piece. All I did was some good solid practise and I was away. In fact my teacher was shocked and couldn't understand why I hadn't done it sooner.

Maybe I should blame anime. You know when there is a big battle, or sometimes even just a small battle, where one of the people within this battle realises something or improves through it or sometimes is just a battle? And they are all:

"You shall never defeat me!"

*Starts getting their ass kicked*

"I guess I should start taking this seriously!"

*Is still getting ass kicked*

"Now for my super special final attack that will actually do something!"

*Wins*

Ok sometimes they don't win but if they are following that line and they don't die but also don't win it's because they make a revelation just before they should win and realise that they are fighting for the wrong team or whatever. Now I always wondered why they didn't just go *super awesome shiny attack of win and less death* but I think I might actually understand a little now with this ramble (yes I think I've just had the revelation moment!). I'm the same just not at fighting. I totally put off having to do the practise until I really have to and if I had done it sooner it would have made the rehearsals I attended easier. I have been wondering the things I could have been if I had only practised more. A ballet dancer, a dancer in general, flautist, west end chorus member, a singer, an artist. Yes everything is creative and that is what I exceed in the most. I'm not saying I could be the best at these I'm just saying, mostly to myself, that I have let myself down a lot. The dancing ones are now really not practical. Lead dancers have normally practised from practically birth for most of their lives and have had a lead role by now. Or at least have been in professional shows by now. I'm just too old to actually be able to make anything of that. There is still time for the other things though =D

I do miss ballet. One of my few regrets is that I never learnt how to go en pointe. I stopped dancing just before I got to that stage. If I can fit it in I might go back to the dance school I was at and try to get that achievement. *checks website* It's on straight after my Tai Chi class... with no travelling time to spare. Guess I'll have to wait until I've finished uni first then.

 Ballet photos: Swan Lake, Swan Lake, pas de chat (step of the cat, a ballet move).

Having potential is quite bothersome when you are lazy.

I wouldn't be bothered about this so much if it wasn't for the fact that my life has potential to be long and so I still have many years to do things. What if it isn't? What if it's short and it isn't just nothing after you die. What if you have to sit there and consider how much you messed up. How much you didn't take advantage of your self and actually did something with you life? It's just a bit scary. I don't like the word potential very much which is why it's in red... although I don't dislike the colour red.

I'm trying to be more active. To do more things in my life so that I can't complain too much when it gets to the end. Morbid, a little, but very practical. I don't want to have regrets. They suck. I'm trying to make it not an issue.

I guess a counter argument is is that if I had started on some of these things from an early age I wouldn't be right here right now. Depending on how dedicated I probably wouldn't have the friends I do now, certainly not as close as we are and I certainly wouldn't have my G&S friends who are all wonderful people. I don't make new friends easily. I'm shy and overly self conscious but the friends I do have I wouldn't change for the world. Although I would have other friends I guess =p but that is beside the point. I'm here now with the people I know now and it's all pretty good.

I'm not complaining, I'm just saying is all =)

So... stuff

Kate Voegele: Don't Look Away

Something I haven't listened to before but have on my computer. First track seems fair, a hint of country and blues but pretty much generic singer songwriter pop. It's not bad but there is something about her voice that is a bit weird. You know Shakira? Think of her voice. Got it? Well it doesn't really matter that much either way, it's just that Voegele seems to have a similar effected deepness and accent that Shakira has. It's not throughout but there is some of that, I don't know if I'm just making leaps into a connection there but it makes me think of the song Underneath Your Clothes. It's a little perturbing but like I said it's not throughout, it just happens sometimes. Not a bad thing just definitely weird.

The music seems to be inoffensive. It's really generic. Think of Taylow Swift, Amy Studt and the ilk. It's nothing bad just much of a muchness.

It's borderline 3.5ish but it's really inoffensive so it can be 4. It's not the most interesting thing I've listened to but the tracks are ok by themselves. I can see it growing on me a bit but it definitely won't be one that is a favourite and I certainly won't be hunting for a track by her to listen to specifically. Mostly because I don't really remember any of them. It's just not very catchy or interesting but it isn't bad. Meh is a good term.

33/100

Something different!:

Markus Zusak: The Book Thief

OMG I FINISHED IT FINALLY! I haven't been reading much but then I was all like "why not?" and I couldn't remember why not so I decided I was going to finish this one. Ralph P.Watch (pronounced Rayf just so you know) lent it to me. In fact he pretty much handed me the book knowing that I had over 100 books by then of my own to read as well and told me to read it whenever but to definitely read it. So it stayed on my bookshelf for a year or two making its presence felt, a bit of an elephant. Then around November ish(?) I started reading it (I've just realised I enjoy giving the back stories of things in my reviews... I'm rather self-centered and like telling people stories =D just go with it I will get to the actual book soon enough).

Now it hooked me instantly but for some reason I took over 3 months to read it. I'm not the fastest reader in the world but I'm not that slow either I just kept putting it down and not picking it back up for a few weeks. When I did I was reminded of how awesome it was and so things continued. Later, around the 150pages to go mark I found a copy in a local Oxfam shop for £2 so I picked it up and gave back Ralph's.

Ok so the book. It's different. It's very good. I can see that it will be joining all those "modern classics" that are in the "x amount of books you must read before you die". You know what? It's worth of all that. It's different like I said.

You follow the story of the Book Thief who is a girl named Liesel in Nazi Germany of WWII. I don't normally care for war fiction. It's like history but too modern to be really history. The focus is normally on the horror of everything and how people can survive under the greatest of bad times and all that other stuff that accompanies war. This is the story of a girl of about 11-14 (I think, I know she was young-mid teens for a lot of it). She was sent off to a couple to live with them whilst the war was going on. It's just the little things in her life. It's narrated by Death.

The horror that does happen is done so well that it's not all samey. It's actually quite well done. I fell in love with Liesel (something that I haven't had in a while, I don't normally care that much about the characters because I haven't been able to get into them recently. Not sure why but they've always seemed a bit artificial). I wanted to be her friend. To know her. To know her mama and papa. Everything just seemed to hook me in and when I came out the other end (with almost tears but I was reading on the bus and I don't like crying in public =p) I wanted more. I wanted purely more but was satisfied with everything I was given. It wasn't that I felt like I had been let down. I wasn't. It's just I had a thirst for this writing now.

I don't know if it was the story or the writing that had me hooked more. I just wanted more and more and more. That is a satisfying feeling. That is a good book feeling. I get it from my favourite books. Not the feeling of, "well that's that done, what next?" but "wow, that was wow and I still want to read more". I could quite easily reread it already, which is also pretty different for me. It has been put under my loved books on shelfari. I only have 29 on that list (I have 445 on my list of books that I have read to put my list into perspective). Although that list only has one book per series that I loved. So only one of the Dragons of Pern series, almost all of whom could go on there but that would be ridiculous, I use my listing system differently to that =p. Actually I'm a bit weird in that regard but I understand it and that's the main thing.

Anyway. Excellent book that I would recommend to pretty much anyone. I will go and force my mama to read it... actually one minute.

Hahahaha she's going to start it tonight =D awesome. See I recommended it like I said! You should be able to pick up a copy from a charity shop pretty easily if you fancy reading it. It's been in a lot of 3 for 2 offers in Waterstones because it became a bestseller pretty quickly so it isn't hard to find.

3/52 yeah I'm behind but I've already started my next one =) I'll catch up.

Such a good read =D

It's tea now and then I have a rehearsal so I should probably do things other than just blog today... maybe I'll play some more HeartGold (Pokemon - DS game). More sewing tomorrow and a wishlist! Awesome.

Catch you all later

Love Buttercup xxx

Yes it's all false love and affection. You don't like me, you just want the attention.

So I've been making costumes today for the show I am in at the end of the month. 4 of 6 skirts are done. It's quite scary work because I get worried that I haven't done something right or that I should have done this or that. It's because it's not something for me, it's for my Gilbert & Sullivan society. It's their money. Scary. We're doing The Grand Duke this year as our main show. I don't really understand the plot too well but there are weddings, plots, overthrowing of power, confusion and lots of singing. Thankfully G&S doesn't change very much regardless of what you are doing. It makes me happy. It's all rather silly and that is awesome. Those who read this and know me should come see it. Those who read this and know me but are in the show already... good, make sure you are there =p

Back to costumes, I'm only doing the pinning sewing though, I've got mama doing all the cutting for me. I'm way too scared to cut things out. Things go wrong at that stage and that's the scary part. I'm terrified of cutting fabric. It's very permanent. I like sewing though. I like taking, in this case, two pieces of fabric sewing down a side and doing a couple of hems, wack a piece of elastic in and voila! A skirt! It's so easy and wonderful and there is that sense of satisfaction you get when you've done a thing and it looks as you wanted it to. It can be stressful and horrible when it goes wrong but when all is going well it's marvellous.

Something I did see this morning, whilst settling in front of the sewing machine (I'm not that slow at sewing ,I just like to take lots and lots of breaks), was an interview on T4 with Gerard Way. Now this was good because it reminded me on the matter that I am going to see MCR very soon =D but something that was really sweet as they were asking him on if he was good at wooing people and how he would woo them (as it's valentine's day soon and their band is MCRomance ¬¬ it was bad jokings) and he went practically the same shade as his hair. Guys who blush are really cute =3. He got all embarrassed and said 1. They would have to ask his wife and 2. it is a secret.

Some images so you know who he is in case you don't.

I personally find him a bit tasty =) nom.

Linking in from his beautiful red hair, I have, of those who were following previously, finally been able to order my atomic pink hair dye from special effects. Never used these people before and it was more money than I normally spend on hair dye (£11.70 inc. p&p) but hopefully it will be good. Mind you though red is rather tempting. Red looked good on me when I used it last time but no, pink for now and then we shall see where we go. I promise to put up some nicely camwhored photos on here when it's done.

I am yet to show you my new hat. Damn, and my hair is nasty today. I'll try and remember to take a photo tomorrow with it on. I personally think it's rather cute anyway and I am a major fan of the things in life that are cute. ^_^

I should really get on with sewing but a review before I go back to the grind.

La Roux: La Roux

Ok there had been a lot of hype around this lady. This album was released at a similar time to when Lady Gaga was making waves in the industry and people were really into the electropop side of the charts. Now this is not such a bad thing in my opinion. I love electropop and the genres surrounding. It's up beat, dancey, generally pretty happy (at least in the sound) and makes me think of summer. These are all good things.

This album isn't bad, it's just it's nothing special to me. I wouldn't skip the tracks if they came on during a playlist or on shuffle but there wasn't anything that instantly jumped out at me and said "play me now and again later and again soon!" it was all nice enough but nothing that made even the artist stand out to me.

It was a shame but like I said, it wasn't bad. There were a couple of tracks that I really enjoyed (Tigerlily, Bulletproof and I'm Not Your Toy) but maybe it needs more time. I'm mostly doing these reviews without the time aspect that it takes for an album to become great. Over time the new MCR album has become even better than my first reviewings. But I enjoy doing my first impact review, how the album hits me the first time I hear it properly. I like knowing that I have listened to an album all the way through and then when it comes on again being able to hear things I didn't before.

Anyway. Good album if you like electropop.

32/100

Until later my petals

Love Buttercup xxx

p.s. eeeeeeeeee blog #30 already! =D

May you always be, may you always be, may you always be loved.

So Blue brought a band back to my attention. The wondrous Aereogramme. They had three studio albums and after their album "My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go" they split. One member now is now a tour manager for Biffy Clyro, another is the same but for The Temper Trap and the remaining two members (Iain Cook and Craig B) have created another band as a duo known as The Unwinding Hours. Who, from what I can glean from Amazon samples, is basically the same as aereogramme so that is good =D

I added it to my amazon wishlist for later purchasing because I really like this band but how I found them was almost completely by chance. It was a track on a mixed selection CD by Rock Sound. Rock Sound is a music magazine and is... well it's not that bad but I stopped buying it because like most magazines it costs money and money can go on other things... like cds =).

So it was the track "Nightmares" from MHHaWTYWNG from no.93 and remembering this as a fact I wondered how many artists I discovered by this system:

• Amusement Parks On Fire: Out Of The Angeles (86)
• 36 Crazyfists: Felt Through A Phone Line (86)
• Billy Talent: Covered In Cowardice (86)
• Stone Sour: Reborn (87)
• Alexisonfire: Boild Frogs (88)
• Red Sparowes: Like The Howling Glory Of The Darkest winds, This Voice Was Thunderous And The Words Holy, Tangling Their Way Around Our Hearts And Clutching Our Innocent Awe (89) (stupid title)
• Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.: Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. (89)
• Senses Fail: Calling All Cars (91)
• Aereogramme: Nightmares (93)
• Explosions In The Sky: Catastrophe And The Cure (94) (awesome artist and will be reviewed later)
• Madina Lake: Again And Again (105)

So as you can see that's a lot of music that they introduced me to. Although it was normally only one or two tracks that I liked on each month's mix I've been introduced to some very awesome bands. So clearly it was worth that if nothing else.

But reviewing time and I'm just listening through all of my Aereogramme music so here is a batch review =D

Not quite the right order but close enough L-R:

Sleep and Release (2003), A Story In White (2001)

My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go (2007), Seclusion (2004)

My favourite is My Heart etc. most likely because it was the first album I listened to and I listened to it a lot. In the second half of my final year of ALevels this was something I listened to if not constantly then within my general playlist on my mp3 player. I remember listening to many of the tracks whilst walking to and from my bus stop, headphones in, in step with Danzel. There was a lot of walking done during Alevels to get to and from school, especially in the mornings. Walk further and be on time or walk less and undoubtedly be late. I hate walking that route now but it also has some fond memories, I'd just prefer not to do it ever again =p.

The music is rather progressive rock. It's generally nice and chilled with an almost lazy vocal line that is beautiful. Some wonderful instrumentation, more than just your standard rock outfit. They certainly enjoy their effects pedals and it's all good, you know? It's bad when an artist seems to just use effects because they can and for no other reason. These guys seem to have listened to what sounds good as well as using them because they can. It's all good.
Something I should mention though, some of their songs on their earlier works get rather shouty. They've kind of mellowed through the days that they have existed. So when I say these guys have a lazy laid back sound I'm referring to their more recent work and the one I know best. Just give them a listen and see what you think for yourselves. I'm just providing a small platform from which you can take a leap into something unknown and possibly good =)

Fave tracks?

A Story in White: Hatred

Sleep And Release: Black Path, Yes and A Winter's Discord

Seclusion: I Don't Need Your Love and Alternate Score (you're right Blue it is awesome!)

My Heart Has A Wish: Exits, Trenches, Nightmares and You're Always Welcome.

Here is an awesome quote from wikipedia from Craig B (vocalist) in 2010:

"By the time we got to My Heart Has a Wish, I just didn't feel like screaming anymore. I think I wasn't as angry by then and it would have felt slightly dishonest to continue trying to have screaming songs just for the sake of it. I mean, when I unfortunately stumble upon a Linkin Park song on the radio I can't help but think that guy sounds like a dick. What's he angry about now? Slayer at least still sound genuinely pissed off."

Just an awesome quote. I don't feel as angry or as hurt as I used to either Mr. B.  


So in the order that the images were in:

28-31/100

Yeah... okies I need to do other things... like sleep

or tidying my room

or... stuff

Love Buttercup

Mr. Charming don't come home anymore

So let's get this thing going =D

That was the most decent photo I could find. It was either this or small children or contortionists/hookas.

So I was in tai chi today and my teacher (I would say master or whatever it is meant to be but we are so informal that I wouldn't know what to actually call her) decided to be nice. Today I would be attempting that age old problem; the splits. I guess I can count myself lucky, we weren't revisiting the cartwheel (which I also can't do). Now I have a conundrum, I want to get more flexible and have better balance (splits don't help with balance that I do know =p) but practising to do the splits is hard work and it really hurts.

When I used to do dance on a regular basis we used to attempt splits on an infrequent basis and I couldn't get far enough to doing it. It was just one of those things that I wasn't really good at. I know it just means I should practise more and then I can do it but *procrastinates!*

I've decided I want to see if I can do it though. That would be pretty awesome to be honest. I would actually be so impressed with myself so here I go... well not right now, but over the next while I will see if I can actually do the splits... even if it is just once. Then I can say I've done it.

Seriously?

Ok so I was looking for a photo of an alto-flute because I am a bit pretentious. Also I really want one. That and a cello, as I have a love for the bassier sounding instruments (yet I play piccolo, how contradictory!). So I typed it into google and what did it show me? Well some pictures of some alto flutes and then the lady on the left. I was like wtf? It's a contrabass flute. I don't even understand how you play it. I knew of their existences but I never really looked into it. That's what they look like. the woman to the right owns all three of the metally bendy things that she is so proudly showing off... the smaller being the contrabass flute, then the subcontrabass flute and the doublecontrabass flute. Now my friends this is ridiculous! I was thinking "ha and alto flute! how ridiculous am I?" and there are people with these monstrosities! I would be happy if I could just play one once (although imagine how big your lungs would have to be!). Some people are ridiculous.

There are even bigger ones, normally made out of pipes that you stick on the side of houses called hyperbass flutes (although sometimes the name changes slightly as someone makes one a couple of feet longer or so). *Sigh* I think that's just called compensating (although what a sound it must make!)
I still want an alto and then possibly a bass flute... nothing too extreme.

Sara Bareilles: Little Voice

Review time. I received this album in the post today. I like it. She does some lovely tracks on it but a lot of them sound very polished. Too clean. I have some of her live tracks and she sounds so much better. She's giving it some welly and really putting some awesome bluesy styles in. Seriously, have a listen to some of her live stuff, it's really good.

Not saying that this isn't good, it's just not where her best work lies. But I really like Gravity and Fairytale and Love Song and stuff. It's poppy and happy and rather summery so it's nice and light. It's the kind of music I'm generally in the mood for. If I can't tell what to listen to then put on some light pop or alternative pop and away we go. It's all good. It's also quite a bit empowery in places and sometimes I just need that, you know? A little bit of  "yeah well? Screw that I'm better than that now!" and that's always nice for a little bit of a pick me up.

Oh and Undertow from Careful Confessions is really nice =)

 

27/100

Aereogramme may be done tomorrow because Blue just reminded me how awesome they are! I had forgotten. The downside of too much music!

To tomorrow!

Love buttercup xxx

You sing the words but still don't know what it means

So the cold is now in full swing, which is a shame because I've just bought a nice new hat and would love to show it to you guys but I have unkempt hair and look terrible so maybe later. It is a pretty cool hat though =D there will be a photo up soon enough when I don't feel like my nose is five times larger than normal and stuff.

I could just give you a picture of someone else wearing the hat or just the hat itself but that's not the same so I won't and you will have to wait... not like it will really make that much difference but oooh suspense =p

I also got post this morning (yay =D) and as we all know, I LOVE GETTING POST! Yes it was from amazon and yes I was expecting it but that doesn't make it any less awesome! So inside this package was:

• Wrist weights: 0.5kg each. Starting off lightest so that I don't wreck my body or anything. They're cute in sky blue and grey and by Reebok. Just something to build up some upper body strength.
• Two books: Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Rachel Vincent's Rogue (second in the Shifters (werecats) series).

I'm still waiting on three (I think) cds so that's nice and will be a nice surprise when it gets here =D

My Chemical Romance L-R

I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love

Three Cheers For Sweet Romance

Ok a double whammy because I listened to them both whilst trying not to die of illness. There is an easy way to sum up this: I don't care that much for the earlier MCR. In fact we have a progression! IBYMBblahblahblah is pretty meh to me and Three Cheers has some pretty good tracks on it but isn't as consistent for me as their two more recent albums. The tracks I like are, unsurprisingly, mostly released singles. The sound isn't very different, they just haven't quite worked out what they were doing at that point. I know, I know to the "real" fans they "sold out" with Black Parade but I stand by that they did a really good job on it. They made lots of fans, lots of records and lots of money. Who cares if that seems to be the logic of the words "sell out"? They probably enjoyed making all their albums or else why bother on doing it?

Whoops being argumentative... my bad.

 

25&26/100 (respectively)

I feel bad giving a three star rating but it really was a meh album for me. =\

'Til next time

Love Buttercup xxx

It takes the pain away but could not make you stay. It's way too broke to fix no glue, no bag of tricks

 Just as an edit, I've made it so anyone can post a comment, even if they aren't on blogspot. Just put something so I know who you are otherwise I might get confused... or don't. Just letting any nonblogger readers know that they can comment if they feel so inclined =). Or at least... I think I did... tell me if I didn't do it right please x

So I was cataloguing earlier and I got to the stage where I needed to see the row of books behind the row I was looking at. Shuffled some books around and then got a bothered that some books weren't in quite the right order because they had been acquired later and after pulling out some books discovered a lovely layer of mold (and a spider but that was just there for the fear factor) on quite a few books.

Currently 73 books are in quarantine, and the shelves are empty. I moved all my books out to another room so that people could look at the shelf. It is rather distressing.

I had wondered what I would have done if there was mold on lots of books and it was really really bad. Would I replace them? Would I try to salvage what I could and just look through the discolouration along the page edge? What if all the books were damaged? Could I justify rebuying everything? Would I make sacrifices and just think "well I've already read it and owned it once, should I bother getting it again?"?

One of the books effected was a particularly nice and rather old and lovely copy of "Little Meg's Children" which as far as I can remember involved an older sister trying to care for her siblings when their parents were gone/at war etc.The book was Mama's. It has damage and I still feel pretty bad, even though it wasn't my fault.Worse than damaging my own stuff is finding damage on someone else's stuff that was in my care.

I also wondered what I would do if there was a lot of books damaged and there was a perfect book shaped clear zone where the bible I own is. I wondered on the possible religious things that could occur. Like God was trying to destroy all books but that one? Is he trying to tell me something. As it is the book isn't damaged (any further than a previous spillage of chocolate milkshake on it) but then the majority of my books aren't damaged either. Also that would be a pretty mean way of showing that "he" exists, destroying my books like that. I would be well sad, and a bit impressed... but mostly just disappointed. As it is that is not a question, there was no bible shaped clean zone.

Would have been impressive though.

"Liffy! I am God! Stop buying things you don't have the bedroom space! Srsly mans!"

heheh

I don't know what I think on the whole matter of God or Gods/Goddesses/Jebus etc. I think I am apathetically agnostic but I'm open to ideas *looks up and then down to let everyone know that she is cushty with anything people/beings/aliens have to offer*

Seriously, if we were the most "intelligent" life forms (yes that is open to debate I know but dolphins haven't made bad TV or generic music so shu'p!) in the universe it's a little disappointing do you not think? Does the universe wonder if it has failed a little bit in not being able to improve. Did it get a C+? Some good ideas but could have improved a little in places or tried out some other plans for life forms? Just wondering is all. It would be nice to think that we aren't the most intelligent or whatever out there. That there are other beings just somewhere else and they haven't bothered to find us... or don't want to. Or are there other beings wondering exactly the same? Who knows... really.

It would be creepy cool if there were other humanoid forms somewhere. I wonder if they would have any good music.

An added smiling L-chibi. Just to break up my talking with a happy picture. I found it earlier today on google so I thought I would share. It makes me smile =)

I've been thinking a lot recently. Like a and lot. I haven't really sorted out my thoughts yet. Like quite a lot of thinking on my identity, who I am, all that jazz. I've been to a few different counselling sessions and quite often they start with this question:

"What is it that you want to get out of this?"

Or at least something similar. How do you answer that? I thought it was pretty obvious. Why am I here? I want to be happier, feel better, not be so miserable? Any of those work? Apparently they don't want those kinds of answers. I think about it a lot but It's rather important, to everyone really. What is it that you are wanting? Some people suss this out fast, some never do. I know Ralph P.Watch has asked about this but it has always been somewhere in my brain. I think because it goes hand in hand for me with "what is wrong with me?".

I actually ask these two questions a lot to people. Not what is wrong with them, what is wrong with me. I process questions and thoughts better by asking out loud. I do it in films, to the annoyance of my family. They turn over the channel and a car explodes and I ask "what is going on". It is met with the answers of "we/I know as much as you do". Now this was like a rhetorical question, I just talk out loud too much.

Like right now. I'm talking too much. Just processing I guess. I started out with the idea that this blog would just be about superficial stuff, music and clothes and stuff I want to buy or have bought but I've started processing on here. I've started wondering about some stuff and I'm being much more open about stuff to, possibly, people I don't even know. Where are we headed I wonder?

Apparently my waffling is good. Oh I said something about that last night...

Oh yes. I waffle all over my blog, Belgium, potato or otherwise. =D

So... I don't like giving too much about myself out there in one go, I like to believe I make you work for these things. I might move onto my album reviewing now =D

Placebo: Without You I'm Nothing

I love this album. It's so wonderful. The title is from The Crawl which is a wonderful song. Pure Morning is a song that Blue gave me a long time ago. We used to groove to it in art years and years ago when she had black, gelled, spiky hair. She was a proper goth, I so worshipped her for her balls to being someone who stood out. Actually I generally worship Blue, you've probably all noticed. She's my besty.

But yes so this album is really awesome. Placebo are being their usual rockish selves, it's their early sound which is where I think I prefer them although I do really like some of their later tracks so maybe I just haven't sat and listened to their later music enough yet.

Again it's an album from the time of my life where I was trying to get through a lot, like everyone else. It's the really impressionable age. Make or break. Like practically everyone else on the planet I was bullied a lot and this was something I listened to in that period of my life where I was trying to recuperate from that. I don't know where my point was going. I was going to say it is the time of life that I remember best but that would be a lie. It's just from a time of life that was there and listening to this music clearly made a mark. Otherwise it wouldn't be something that I come back to with open arms.

I wonder what I would be life if I had broken out of my self imposed prison I had set myself by that point and not tried to blend in. Hmmm...

 

Seriously give Placebo a listen if you haven't before, they're pretty interesting if nothing else.

24/100

Omg too much talking and openness but I'm leaving this...

You guys are like my therapy or something

Loves as always, Buttercup xxx