Joaquin Phoenix being the Joker we deserve.

JOKER (2019)
Written & Directed by Todd Phillips.

~talk's a waste of time~

JOKER (2019)

Written & Directed by Todd Phillips.

~talk's a waste of time~

let's talk FANDOM

so i've already made a post talking a little bit about my first impressions upon listening to the album twice. i've listened to it a couple more times, and i kinda went to sleep thinking about it, processing it, because i didn't really went too much into lyrical content before. so i'm gonna do another track by track, getting a little bit more in depth in each song, because i feel like i need to talk about it a little more. the album is so fucking good; i just need to keep talking about it.

Cherry Red

this song starts big. it sounds like it belongs in an OST. like, it truly feels like it could easily live in the "Labyrinth" (1986) soundtrack, like i've said before (i'm talking David Bowie here, kids; it's a huge deal). it's a little too short for my taste, i would've loved it to go a little longer but, it is what it is. lyrically, i like the mention of the color red, since it was the original main color from the lost 'Friendly Reminder' era. and i really like how he links it with green, which is the color of the new era, the 'Fandom' era. it's a very nice (too short) song to begin the album with. i think it's a very strong beginning. like, it feels like the beginning of something big.

Watch What Happens Next

the transition between these two tracks is impeccable. the opening riff to this song is really great, i like it a lot. it's super simple, but it just sounds so cool. Otto's drums in this song reminds me a lot of Not Warriors, which looks hecka difficult to play, to be honest. lyrically, this song is a fucking kick in the nuts not just to the fandom in general, but to the music industry too. it's a big 'fuck you' to everybody who wants something from them without giving anything in return. and also to everybody who thinks they're entitled to tell them how to create their art. i love this song to bits. i loved it since the day it came out. i think it's great.

Dream Boy

so, first time i heard this song i was like, "meh." because i'm not much into this kind of sound, which i realize is ironic since i'm such a Backstreet Boys fan. and i don't necessarily think the song is bad, i think it just clashes with the idea i have of them, of the music i'm used to hearing from them. which fits perfectly into the theme of the album; because here i am, not liking a song because it's not what i would expect from them. and i hate to admit it, but i kinda fell into the category of 'All the fans that like us need an easy fucking format', as he says in Watch What Happens Next. but with a few more listens, Dream Boy grew in me and i eventually came to like it. i don't think i'll ever love it, but i think some of it it's cool. like the ending riff, and the melody of the second verse (RIP Glitter Times, you were loved). lyrically, i really like the verses, mostly the second one. the line 'build-a-boy pick my pieces' paints such a pretty picture and it's also so fucking accurate. i really, really like the concept of this song. not so much the way it sounds, but we already stablished that's a personal issue.

imma take a moment to plug in the drawing i made for this song, here you go:

Easy To Hate

so, musically, it has like a 2009-alternative-pop vibe, but the melody of the voice has such a late 90's punk rock vibe going on, which if you think about them separately they shouldn't make sense together, but they work and i fucking love it. i love this song so much. i think it might be my favorite off of the album. but i don't know, because i'm sure when i'm listening to it but then i get to Never Bloom Again and it's like, is it though? oh, that tiny solo! go Geoff! the chanting in the chorus, love that. lyrics are really good, as usual. lately, in interviews, Awsten has been saying that he's trying to be more direct with his words, leave less room for interpretation; and judging by the singles they've released, i thought he might have went and 'dumb himself down' so that people would get the metaphors the way he intended them to. so, it was a nice surprise finding beautiful pieces of lyrics, like, 'Frustrate me backwards into bed' (which is the opening line, btw, and if this was a book, that's a killer opening line. like, that line is gonna get you hooked! you just gotta keep reading), or 'I'll change the colors on my head / Worn like a mood ring past my neck'. i mean, this song is a gem and it's gonna age like fine wine. i feel like it's one of those songs i'm gonna keep going back to and falling deeper in love with it even when i thought it wasn't possible for me anymore.

High Definition

this song came out with Awsten promoting it as the best thing he's ever written. and i understand  that it's very important to him on a personal level-- i mean, i can't relate, but i understand why it's so important to him. but, to be honest, i don't think it's even close to be the best he's ever written. i'm gonna be completely honest with you, i do not like this song. i mean, i do, just-- i don't like listening to it. bear with me: i like the melody of the vocals, i love the lyrics, i like the idea of the song. i just don't like the way it's executed? exactly? does that make sense? like, you will hear me singing this song, but i'm probably gonna skip it while listening to the album because there's something about the way it sounds as a whole that i cannot stand. and i don't know what it is, i just know that i don't like it. really love the restaurant room sound in the background. that's nice. and probably my favorite lyric from this song is 'alone is safer than with you'.

Telephone

oh, the 80's vibe is strong in this one. this song sounds like it could be in a musical movie. like, yes. i fucking love this song. it think it's great. it has a cute Summer vibe. another Geoff solo, too! YES! fucking love it. dude! this guy is such a good performer, he deserves more solos. like, i know Awsten said that if they ever tried to play solos people were gonna be like, "ugh! who are they trying to kid? they're not that good..." but they are! and they should be playing all the solos! give Geoff more solos!!! also, i'm pretty sure Otto's gonna lose an arm in this song, the drums go so fast. lyrics are crazy and cute as fuck. i also really like that it ends with someone saying, "Losing his mind and I'm reaping all the benefits," which i'm guessing is Zakk Cervini, the producer, but we might never know. unless Awsten tells us.

*EDIT*

so it's actually a line from the movie "The Wedding Singer" (1998). i hadn't seen that movie in so long i didn't even noticed until Travis pointed it out here. here's the bit:

Group Chat

adorable as fuck. also, great transition to the next song.

Turbulent

that early 2000's vibe the guitar riff has gets me everytime. i don't know if it's the chord progression, or the tempo, but it sounds like your regular early 2000's punk rock favorite song and i love it. i fucking love this song so much. it's dark and creepy in the best of ways and there's so much going on. i love the last bit of lyrics: 'You had a taste of the life / But you grew complacent and my sanity laced itself / Up in the back of your mind / And that's where you left me to die'. and the outro is so good! it's like, overwhelming and then it comes to a sudden stop. i love it. Turbulent is great.

Never Bloom Again

i love the way this song is quiet and stripped down. i was kinda waiting for it to blow up at the beginning of the first verse, but it doesn't. it kinda does a little bit for the second chorus, but it's still pretty stripped down. and i love all the ahs and ohs. and the way he goes back to stripped down for the first half of the second chorus, but then breaks into strumming for the second half; i love the difference between the picking and the strumming, because the strumming of the whole chord kinda gives it a twisted sound to it, which i think goes pretty well with the lyrics. and then it ends quiet again, and i just love it. all the lyrics in this song are so good; i cannot pick, they work perfectly as a whole. this song is perfect. see what i meant earlier? it's really hard to say Easy To Hate is my favorite when i get to Never Bloom Again.

I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don't Wanna Die Anymore

i don't know what i was expecting from this song, exactly, but i know it wasn't what it is. and it's so much more and better than anything i could've ever imagined. i really like the way he delivers the chorus, like that little nervous laugh he does like he knows just how fucked up what he's saying is but he's already saying it and so he's sticking to it, making the best of it. i also love the ending, when he starts repeating, 'But I think it's fine, it's cool', and it gets progressively more frustrated and agressive, like he's trying to convince himself that what he's saying is true. like, if he keeps repeating to himself that he's fine and that things are cool, he might end up actually believing it. lyrically, like Awsten said, it's the least relatable song because it's so fucking personal. and it is. like, it's definitely about him, you can't be like, "Uh, me!" because, no, kid, it's not. and i really love the fact that it sounds so happy but what he's saying is so fucked up. but... you know? we were warned: 'I like happy songs with titles that don't match at all'.

War Crimes

this song is so fucking tight. i think the thing i love the most about this song is that it doesn't follow a conventional structure. it's not verse / chorus / verse / chorus / bridge / chorus, or whatever. it has like, four different verses, you wanna call the 'I play alone / I love it all, love it all...' bit a chorus? knock yourself out, but it's not necessarily an actual chorus. btw, the melody of that part, like, the vocals and the music, reminds me so much of something but i can't pinpoint what exactly. maybe it doesn't sound like anything i've ever listened to, but it hits all the nostalgic cells in my brain in the best of ways. generally, also, the bass line. fuck. the build up. FUCK. i love the lyrics, i love the Zakk/Jawn/Travis shout out. and i really liked Zakk's and Jawn's parts; it's a nice touch. and-- ah! i just love this song so much! it's so fucking tight. it's... AH! it's GREAT.

[Reboot]

nice transition from War Crimes to [Reboot]. i still don't like this song. the chorus voice melody is catchy, and you'll find me singing it from time to time. honestly, i don't find it as annoying to listen to as High Definition, but i don't particularly like it either. i do like that Sleep Alone reference though. i really like the reverse build up to the last chorus. i say 'reverse build up' because it kinda quiets down instead of progressively getting bigger. i just kinda wished the following chorus would've blown up more. like, after that much expectation building, i was kinda bracing myself to be blown away somehow, but it just kicks in in the same energy the other choruses hold, so. that was a little disappointing, i guess. i don't know, i kinda wished he entered that first chorus with the high harmony. or maybe a change of key? that would've been nice too. and such a shock, to be honest. kinda like LA Devotee by Panic! At The Disco, you know that i mean?

Worst

absolutely loved the transition here. i'm a sucker for stormy sounds in songs, and i think it suits both these songs pretty well. also, i really like these two songs together because, like, [Reboot] kinda states the way he feels about the relationship 'now', and Worst is like, "And this is exactly how you broke me." i already liked the original version of this song, and they pretty much kept it the same. i really like all the little additions they made, because it feels natural. like they just filled the song in a very cohesive way. the bass line in this song is awsome. and i really, really love the way he gasps for air at the very end of the second verse. ugh! i love it when he does that. also, that "Pretty cool!" at the end was cute as fuck.

Zone Out

more like Dream Boy Revisited. almost Dream Boy 8-bit. yo! that would've been sick! anyway... this song could've easily not been there and it wouldn't have changed anything. to be perfectly honest, when Awsten talked about a reprise in ‘Fandom’ i kinda pictured it more like Men Are All The Same by The Used, or What A Catch, Donnie by Fall Out Boy, goodbye by Billie Eilish if you’re feeling lucky. but it’s just a different version of Dream Boy’s chorus, so...

I Felt Younger When We Met

fuck. i mean… fuuuuck, what a good way to finish an album. i mean, Waterparks never had issues finishing albums on great notes, we all know that. I’ll Always Be Around and Sleep Alone are fucking gems, you just had to hit replay, because they both left you wanting more. now, I Felt Younger When We Met literally demands you to hit replay because it fucking ends where Cherry Red starts and I FUCKING LOVE THAT SO MUCH ASDLKJASDLKJASDLKJASD!!!!!!! sorry for the freak out, it had to be done. it’s just so fucking good! i feel like 'I said I loved you to death' is a missed reference from a song that died with 'Friendly Reminder'. i really like the way the overdriven guitar riff blends perfectly with the synths sounds; it just sounds so good. i love the sudden end. i love the clock ticking sound, i find it very distressing, but i think it's really cool. and as i said before, i really, really love the fact that it ends when Cherry Red starts.

so i guess overall, this album is the best thing Waterparks has ever released. yes, i said it. it is better than 'Entertainment'. it sounds more genuine, it sounds more mature. like, 'Entertainment' sounds cool and it's amazing; but after listening to 'Fandom', 'Entertainment' kinda feels like they were trying to prove that they could do 'Double Dare' better, whereas 'Fandom' sounds like they're doing exactly what they want to be doing. does that make sense? i hope it does.

i think what i love most about it is that it doesn't get boring. it happens to me a lot that after track like, six or whatever, i get tired of albums because the last songs never excite me. but this album has so many good songs towards the end that, i'm excited all the way through listening to it. it happens to me a lot with albums like, 'Double Dare', like, after Dizzy i don't really love any of the following songs, particularly. or like, even with 'Vessel' from twenty øne piløts; after Car Radio it gets kinda boring to me. but like, if you go to albums like, 'Blurryface' or 'Trench' even, like i'm super excited to get to Hometown and Goner, and Bandito and Leave The City, and they're like track 12, 11 and 14, you know? those are albums i have to listen to in their entirety. even 'Entertaiment', but it is a very short record, so. like, it ends quickly, doesn't even count.

what i was on about? i'm digressing so much... but, like, bottom line: it's a really cool album, and i can't imagine anyone not liking it. it feels very complete, it feels very loved. like, in the process of making it. it feels like everything was carefully thought out and planned and like, each track serves a purpose. i don't know. it's really, really good. i like it a lot. both musically and lyrically.

i just really fucking love it.

~talk's a waste of time~

‘Fandom’ first listen.

well, technically, second. because first actual listen was with the lights out, headphones on, eyes closed. didn’t understand half the lyrics because Awsten can’t enunciate for jack shit, but that’s how we roll in this house. (i always listen to albums for the first time like this and in general- but no one asked me).

moving on, second listen is reading lyrics. and here goes my take on every track!

so, Awsten said each song on the album sounded like a movie. and, to be completely honest with you, Cherry Red actually sounds like it belongs in the titles of a coming of age rom-com. it wasn’t what i expected it to be, but it was a nice surprise. like, the very beginning sounds like it could easily live in the soundtrack of 1986′s “Labyrinth”, which was scored by absolute legend David Bowie, no less.

and i really love the way it connects with Watch What Happens Next, which i thought it might be my favorite from the album, but it has been kicked down to fifth, maybe sixth place?

the outro to Dream Boy still reminds me of Crave. and i still don’t know what to do with that information. loved that he recycled the pre-chorus melody of Glitter Times (RIP) for the second verse here. i think i haven’t said that before.

ok. i’m just gonna put this out there: Easy To Hate sounds like it could’ve been a Big Time Rush song and that makes me so fucking happy. i mean, obviously not lyrically, but- anyway. this song… man. you know when you hear a song that’s so good you cry and you can’t stop smiling? no? just me? holy. shit. everything about this song is so fucking good. i literally don’t know where to start praising it.

i know High Definition is the song that’s most important to Awsten, and he said he felt like it’s the best thing he’s ever written. but i strongly disagree. i like the song just fine, i just don’t think it’s the best thing he’s ever written.

oh my god, Telephone sounds like everything that’s ok in the world. same feelings than with Easy To Hate minus the crying. i just can’t seem to stop smiling. it’s just– good, man. it’s really good.

Group Chat is… definitely something. hahaha. loved that.

fuck. i hadn’t listened to Turbulent for a while, and when it came on i fangirled hard. it’s so good! it’s creepy in the best of ways and i had forgotten how much i loved that. it was the only other single (apart from WWHN) that i instantly liked. (and the acoustic version slaps so bad!)

Never Bloom Again. HOLY SHIT. i’ve tried looking for a way to say this in English but i couldn’t find the exact words, i’m sorry, pero Lucky People: la tenés adentro. this is probably one of my favorite songs from the album, like top 3 for sure. Awsten’s vocals are so heartfelt. i fucking cried my eyes out (both times i listened to it- and i doubt that’s gonna change with multiple listens.)

when they were talking with Fish about I Miss Having Sex But At Least I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore, Fish asked Awsten, “Who hurt you?” kind of ironically, but like… boy! apparently e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y hurt him. who the fuck sends Awsten death threats? i just wanna talk– all jokes aside, that’s really fucked up. i can’t believe we’re almost in 2020 and kids still send death threats to people on social media. it makes me want an apocalypse so bad. humanity needs to be destroyed- some people are too fucking mean. anyway, back to the song. i kinda feel bad for liking this song, but i think it sounds really cool. i like the way he laughs in the chorus, like he realizes how sad what he’s saying is but he’s already saying it and he’s sticking with it.

shout out to Jawn and Zakk in War Crimes, dude! also shout out to that badass bass riff in between whatever those two verses are? that’s simple but effective AS FUCK. like the song has zero structure but it works so fucking well. BOY. War Crimes is tight as fuck.

i still don’t like [Reboot]. i’m not sure what it is about it. i really enjoy the break down/interlude, though, right before the last couple of choruses. i think by the way the build up sounds, i was kinda expecting he’d hit the high harmony when the chorus kicks back in, or maybe a change of key…? mmm, that would’ve been nice. but, you know… this is me talking out of my ass. i don’t know shit.

wait! i also love that it ends with storm sounds that carry on to Worst. oh. and i absolutely love the bass they added. yes. also, love the way he gasps for air at the very end of the second verse, because i’m weird as fuck and i love it when he does that. and that “Pretty cool!” was cute as Hell too.

so, Zone Out is basically Dream Boy again… but like a ‘go to sleep’ version. i woul’ve been totally ok with them calling it Dream Boy Revisited, to be honest. when Awsten talked about a reprise in ‘Fandom’ i kinda pictured it more like Men Are All The Same by The Used, or What A Catch, Donnie by Fall Out Boy, goodbye by Billie Eilish if you’re feeling lucky. but it’s just a different version of Dream Boy’s chorus. and i guess that’s fine but also… if it wasn’t there it wouldn’t be much of a difference either…? i don’t know.

fuck. I Felt Younger When We Met. fuck. i mean… fuuuuck, what a good way to finish an album. i mean, Waterparks never had issues finishing albums on great notes, we all know that. I’ll Always Be Around and Sleep Alone were fucking gems, you just had to hit replay, because they both left you wanting more. now, I Felt Younger When We Met literally demands you to hit replay because it fucking ends where Cherry Red starts and I FUCKING LOVE THAT SO MUCH ALSJDKLASJLDAKLSJDKL. sorry for the freak out, it had to be done. it’s just so fucking good!

Overall. i really enjoyed the album. i think it’s amazing. i think it’s even better than ‘Entertainment’. and trust me, i never thought i’d say that either. i think maybe i was a little scared to listen to it because of how strongly i didn’t like the singles (except for Turbulent and WWHN) and i really wanted to like the album. i mean, if i didn’t, it wasn’t the end of the world, of course. but, i don’t know. i just wanted to like it so bad.

like, every previously unreleased song is so fucking good that you can’t help but love the album. it’s a really good album. i fucking love it. i love it. and i can’t picture people not liking it.

~talk's a waste of time~

while listening to “The End.” by As It Is, i couldn’t help but to think of Chester and how many times he described feelings of suicide and depression in his lyrics (mostly in the early years), and how ‘nobody is listening.’ which, by the way, Chester said so himself in Nobody’s Listening.

but i also realized that the first time i was exposed to Hybrid Theory, i was ten years old. as a child, i didn’t understand the meaning of the lyrics. Even if now, at 29, when i listen to them, his cry for help is clear as day. also, i didn’t quite understand English yet. so, there’s that.

it wasn’t until five or seven years later when i started understanding the language, like, actually understanding. but still, i wasn’t aware of the meaning behind his words. and i’d know and sing all the lyrics to all the songs. i guess my brain wasn’t ready to process those kind of thoughts yet.

i hadn’t been exposed to suicide, or depression, or any other kind of mental illness.

it wasn’t until very recently, around the time i turned 23, when it finally clicked, and i understood what he was going through when he wrote those lyrics. only i didn’t get that he was still going through it.

it angries me that i didn’t see how “One More Light” was his suicide letter. or at least that’s how it feels to me. i can’t even begin to understand how it must feel to the people actually close to him. well, we had a little bit of an insight with Post Traumatic, but still.

i guess what i’m trying to say is ‘sorry’? sorry because i didn’t understand exactly how much one of my favorite people in the whole world was suffering, even if i couldn’t do anything to help him.

i’m sorry Chester, i’m so sorry. i hope you know i’d loved you since i was ten years old, just as much as i love you now, and as much as i’ll love you forever.

~talk's a waste of time~

this is the most adorable thing i’ve seen in my life.

the way she’s looking at him 😍

~talk's a waste of time~

let's talk Trench

as i mentioned before, i didn't like Trench at first listen. actually, i didn't like it at second listen either. i was even angrier over the second listen. but it's been a few months (like five months) and i changed my opinion- as i said i would.

the thing is, i was finally ready to listen to Trench and not think of it as a concept album. because that was my main problem with it. that Tyler had built this whole universe that needed, demanded even, to be explored and in reality, over the course of fourteen songs, he barely made a dent in it.

i wanted him to explore so much more of the story. i wanted for him to talk a lot more about the characters. i was thinking about this one day and realized that the problem wasn't that Trench didn't actually turned out to be a concept album. the problem was that i expected something from it that it was never going to be; and that affected the way i felt towards it.

so, i gathered all the courage i had and decided to give Trench another go. and boy was i surprised.

let's do this track by track.

Jumpsuit

this song came out on my birthday, so i fucking love it. haha, no. but in all seriousness, the bass line for that song is incredible. Josh mentioned that Tyler came up with it during the EMOTIONAL ROADSHOW TOUR, which makes sense, because Jumpsuit is the song that's closer to what Blurryface was, music-wise. i absolutely adore the piano over the bridge, Josh's build up to the last chorus and the fact that Tyler screams. it's a strong beginning to the album. it hypes you up in the best way.

Levitate

i used to think this song was annoying. and honestly, i'm not crazy about it still. but that has more to do with the fact that i don't particularly enjoy rap all that much. i love how Tyler makes it work in his music when he shoves it in with a nice melody surrounding it and stuff. but just rap it's not my thing (somehow Car Radio is different to me- i fucking love that song with all my heart). i appreciate the lyrics, amazing as always. and Josh's beat is sick as fuck. like, that has to be a bitch to play, it's super fast.

side note: i love how they're playing these two songs back to back in the BANDITO TOUR. they work so well together, it just makes sense that they open with Jumpsuit and play Levitate right after.

Morph

first thing i noticed about this song was Josh's solo, and i thought the verses were boring. musically, the verses are really nice, there's a couple of layers there that i hadn't noticed before. which is nice, layers are always nice. there's so much production on this song, it's great. Tyler's falceto is fucking beautiful, i have no other words for it. also, worth mentioning how every single bit of auto-tune he used serves a purpose. he didn't use auto-tune just because it sounds cool, he used it to enhance the meaning of the words he's singing and i think that's brilliant. not that Tyler didn't do that before. he did it quite a lot in Blurryface to give him a voice. another thing worth mentioning: JOSH DUN.

My Blood

this song means so much to me now. i was so focused on the music over the previous listens that i didn't pay much attention to lyrics. Tyler's writing style has always been surprising to me, because he writes journal-style but fancier. and he comes up with such tattooable lyrics. it's not news that Tyler takes family very seriously, and that's one of the main reasons why i look up to him as a human being. because i'm just like that, too. so when he sings if you find yourself in a lion's den / i'll jump right in and pull my pin, i really felt that (i'm getting that tattooed). musically, again with the bass riffs. man, i love how much Tyler loves playing bass, is such a sexy instrument. it really lays a beautiful ground for the song to grow real big. and it's a hell of a contrast against Tyler's falceto. it just makes the song sound so full. i love it.

Chlorine

i said this song sounded like Imagine Dragons, bitch they wish. anyways, i'm still trying to grasp at the meaning behind the lyrics. to me, obviously. we'll never know what it means to Tyler, he'd never tell. and, honestly, i like it that way. but, generally, i like the lyrics. i like that he goes to half a rap over the second verse; classic twenty øne piløts move. and i really like that it has an outro instead of just ending with a chorus. and the harmonies during that part are flawless. also, love that drumless bridge. yes boi! give Josh a breather, he's been working so hard.

Smithereens

"Excuse me, can you please leave?"

i can't help but thinking about this everytime i listen to this song. he's so soft. i still think Tear In My Heart and We Don't Believe What's On TV are better love songs. but Smithereens is different. it's cute. also, love the drums at double time. fucking Josh. he could've wrote something simpler, but he just can't. he's unable to. he's too talented.

Neon Gravestones

this song fucks me up. not in a good way. it's too raw and too real. don't get me wrong, i'm glad Tyler braved himself into saying this outloud. because everything he says is so fucking true. he's talked about suicide before, but never this way. he talked about it from a personal perspective. he's talked about it from an artist standpoint and how the media twists everything in a direction they find convenient. but this take he did on suicide is so much more real, and objective somehow. i mean, at the end of the day it's his opinion, but he's so right it feels objective. musically it's beautiful. i love the piano. i love how Tyler's voice breaks in the most vulnerable lyrics. it's just so good. it's such a good song.

The Hype

this song is nice. it's nice to listen to, musically. it's catchy. it's easy to sing, and it's easy to get yourself loose and dance to it. the lyrics are uplifting and i like the fact that he's referring to the clique directly. that's nice. besides, he's playing the uke, and that's also nice

Nico And The Niners

this song (which also came out on my birthday, thank you very much for that Mr. Joseph and Mr. Dun) used to be one of my favorites. but honestly, now, listening to the whole album, it's kind of off-putting. lyrically at least. because there's so many references to Dema that you don't need for the rest of the album; and if you haven't been paying attention to that, lyrics kinda don't make any sense at all. they mean something to me, because i had been paying attention to the Dema thingy, but- if you can't decode it, it kinda doesn't make sense. i find that funny. but alas, musically, pretty bass, sick drums, nice piano (or effects, not sure what he actually used). worth mentioning the bridge is amazing, we'll win but not everyone will get out. damn.

Cut My Lip

reggae based with bass. yes. i don't like reggae music, i just like it when Tyler does it. lyrics kinda touch the same ideas as Chlorine, and i like that. 

Bandito

god i hate the word 'bandito', mostly because i know it's a mistranslation from the word 'bandido'. and it's annoying because it's so fucking close to the actual word. regardless, harmonies are on fucking point in this song! begin with bullet now add fire to the proof, if that's not a Guns For Hands reference, i don't wanna hear about it.

Pet Cheetah

just to get this out of the way, i am never not gonna listen to this: I've got a pet cheetah down in my basement / I’ve raised him and bathed him / and named him Jason Statham and think is not ridiculous as fuck. but generally, i like the song. 

Legend

to be honest, i can't listen to this song without crying. everything about this song is great. they're probably never gonna do it, but i hope they play it live someday. i feel like Tyler would appreciate thousands of kids singing these words back at him.

Leave The City

of course the album ends with a sad ballad. that's probably the only thing Tyler and Josh had kept constant over the years. Leave The City is no exception. if Neon Gravestones didn't fuck you up, this song for sure will.

overall, lyrically, i like how Tyler is constantly saying that he very much wants to stay alive, but that sometimes he still finds it hard to keep that strength close to his heart. he struggles, and he's letting us know that even if sometimes things are more than OK, you can still feel hopeless. but he's also letting us know that when everything is dark, there is always hope. it may be harder to find, but it's there.

the album ends in a sour, but still hopeful, note. because he's talking about the inevitable end, whether is soon or not and how hard it is to keep going. it's bittersweet, but we know what he means.

~talk's a waste of time~

i can't stop thinking about this...

No, I don’t know which way I’m going
But I can hear my way around
Nice to know my kind will be on my side

~talk's a waste of time~

neon gravestones try to call for my bones

~talk's a waste of time~

this song fucks me up. in a bad way.

~talk's a waste of time~

pattyxwalters

last year . crying in the vocal booth , physically and mentally exhausted , listening back to finale of ‘the end .‘ for the first time . i recorded the vocals late the night before , overanalysing my performance , critical and resentful of every note i was singing . the performance became authentic , as desperate and defeated as the poet is feeling in that moment . crushed . this is me , entirely overwhelmed , when it all started becoming real .

📸 @ashleyosborn

i’m really sorry he actually felt that way while recording the song, but honestly i’m glad they kept that one performance because it’s fucking everything.

i’m still hoping they make The End. the music video for stage iv. it’s so powerful on every way you can possibly imagine.

~talk's a waste of time~

Awsten's self-references: Entertainment

~talk's a waste of time~