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likealarkYour turn!!!
I think you're my only friend who I feel totally comfortable reccing high pop to. This mix sprawls all over the place. We go from like gothic island pop to minnesota hip hop to lady gaga. If I thought you might get something out of it, I put it on the mix without thinking too hard about it. I haven't been working on this mixtape for as long as others! This one only took three years.
I'm not usually picky like this, but for this mixtape I strongly recommend headphones. There are some songs for which that's way more important than others, and I'll note it again on those specific tracks. In general, I picked songs that I thought would reward a close listen that searched for technical details. That's something I like to do, and I think you may also like to do, but not many others in my friend circle do.
All my mixtape covers are from rhythm games. I remembered that you liked sound voltex. This cover is from REDO the NIGHT, which I picked more due to the image than the song itself. I saw a pink haired musician with a guitar, and it reminded me of you, for some reason. Who knows why. It is a mystery. (I recolored the guitar so it was blue; sorry if I got the exact shade wrong.)
Anyway...thank you for everything.
If you are not Aran but also like music, you're welcome to give this a listen too?
> DOWNLOAD <
( Youtube Playlist ) ( Deezer Playlist )
01. Jade Bird - Love Has All Been Done Before
I'm a sucker for powerful voices with a little bit of rasp. Her delivery is intense and powerful, and I love how it builds over the course of the song. On the chorus, the sharp articulation of notes she does on the word "Nice" scratches my brain just right. Also I think she's like, peaking her mic on this? Something is happening to make her brassy voice sound even harsher on the post-production and I'm kind of fascinated by it.
02. Ryokuoushoku Shakai - Be a flower
This song needs headphones. This is an anime opening and it sounds like one. The series is called The Apothecary Diaries, and I think you might like it, because the protagonist is an aroace whip-smart little slip of a girl who solves fascinating mysteries. But I didn't pick this song because I thought you'd like the anime, or because the opening animation is stunning, or because the song is beautifully intricate with dense layers of instrumentation. I picked this song because the bassline is sick and I wanted you to hear it, lol. Especially in the chorus, it just pops off, but it's almost always doing something interesting.
03. Kesha - Backstabber
I guess she doesn't use the dollar sign in her name any more? This song came on when I was eating lunch in a ramen shop this summer and it made me lift my head and listen. This is from her very first album, and so there's a high chance you've heard this song before, but it was new to me. I'd never listened to her first album all the way through before, so I did after hearing this track and honestly I didn't like any other song on it as much as this one. I even dug through all the songs this producer has made and didn't like any of them as much either. There's something about this track that's unique to my ear. The swing in the rhythm definitely helps, but more than that, it's kind of a send-up of the "wall of sound" technique? With the usage of the echo? That and the usage of the rewind sound (it has a technical name. I do not know what it is) both give this song a retro feel that's fascinating to me.
04. Stomach Book / Razaplays ft. Kasane Teto - Fukouna Girl
The inclusion of this song on the mix is slightly reliant on the assumption that you've listened to the original version of this song before, which Rax included in a mix here. We both found the song independently; Rax found it through their usual impeccable taste, and I found it through vocaloid, because of course I did. I've included both versions of this song in the raxmix for your ease of comparison. The original is sung by the human composer, and the delivery leans hard on a sense of failing strength/exhaustion to convey despair. This is a remix of the song that uses the Kasane Teto voice bank, and it goes in the opposite direction—the delivery is reliant on excruciating levels of vocal control. They even tune the vocaloid to use an opera technique for the long melodic runs in the chorus, and the overall impression is of a doll that's tightrope dancing over an abyss. Where the original interprets the verses (starting at 1:08) to be marred and flattened by gasps for air, this version interprets it as these intentional, sharp accidental notes that add interest and also sound kind of alarming. I think it's amazing how different the two interpretations are.
05. Lady Gaga vs. Metallica - Enter Telephone (DJs From Mars Club Remix)
I really like mashups. This is probably the only song on this mix that isn't benefited by headphones - the actual mix itself sounds harsh in my ear? I don't know enough about music to articulate why, but to me it all sounds really forward, and it lacks depth? But, the matching of the two songs is done very well, aside from that. I first heard this mashup in a club in 2012 and it was by far the best mashup of the night, and I've been terribly fond of it ever since. The concept itself is cheeky, and the way the chorus opens up at 2:07 feels great to move to.
06. CG5 - 4Get
After five intense songs in a row, we need a break. I often add a "vanilla ice cream" track into my mixtapes - something not as technically impressive or compelling but pleasant just the same, something that I think could harmoniously be mixed in with a range of other tracks. The way he sings over the hook is so cute. I like songs that have a dissonance between the lyrics and the sound, and the way the song talks about anxiety/depression, while also trying to musically sound calm and upbeat, resonates with me. I thought you might also get something out of it.
07. Police Picadilly ft. Hatsune Miku - Beat Eater
This is one of two songs with the goal of trying to show you the breadth of the Vocaloid genre. I mean, I don't think vocaloid is even really a genre, because any genre slots in as long as you make a vocaloid sing over top of it. It's true that there's a "vocaloid sound," but hashtag not all vocaloid songs. Anyway. Police Picadilly is a very mysterious vocaloid producer, we know nothing about them - every couple of years they show up, drop a fire song, and vanish again without a word. They don't even bother putting most of their songs on spotify or streaming services. Based on the quality of their music, there's some suspicion that they're a professional in the industry who does this as a side hobby, but we don't know! It's interesting. Anyway, this song is so good that I don't need to tell you what it's about for you to know exactly what it's about, just from the sound. The song is about stepping out with self-confidence and feeling yourself. But you could tell that already, right? The song has so much swagger to it, and a polished, k-pop-like sound. I love how the rhythm drives forward. This song was commissioned by that mobile gacha rhythm game I used to play very intensely, Project Sekai: Colorful Stage. I like the original version with Miku, because it has a sleekness to it, but I also like the game version with human singers because it has juicier chords and I like the texture of the different voices. I honestly couldn't decide which one to include, so I just gave you both. Pick your own favorite!
08. FLAVOR FOLEY - rawdog ft. Hayden
If you're not already listening to Flavor Foley, please please please listen to Flavor Foley, every single song they've released so far is incredible. This song makes me laugh every time it comes on, and I think it might make you laugh too. This particular voice bank was meant to imitate Ed Sheeran...it is diabolical what we can make vocaloids say, lmao. I love gay music. The music video for this song is really fun as well. Flavor Foley is comprised of three separate producers who realized they synergized really well - Jamie Paige, Ricediety, and Vane Lily. I think they're probably the best in the American vocaloid scene right now. Stomach Book is also obviously influenced by vocaloid music, even though she doesn't use any voice banks in her music. I think it's really interesting how the American vocaloid(-adjacent) scene has developed into its own sound and has its own favorite types of themes, distinct from the Japanese scene. Anyway, no I'm serious, please listen to Flavor Foley, all of their stuff is just amazing.
09. Kikuo ft. Hatsune Miku - Hole-dwelling
Please wear headphones for this one. The youtube video has the english translation in the closed captions, if that helps. Also, please don't just play this song in the background the first time you listen to it, please actually focus in on it. I really, really wanted to include this song on a mixtape for you, and it's also one of my favorite songs period. Kikuo is a self-taught musician who finds a special fascination in found sounds for his music—another track of his is almost entirely composed of sounds he recorded off of swishing water around in his bathtub. His sound is often described as baroque pop. Steel drums in my vocaloid song? It's more likely than you think. This is one of the very few songs I've heard in the last ten or so years that takes you on a journey as you listen to it. It feels like this song has a thesis statement. Listening to this song in headphones feels a little like a full body sensory experience. Here are the lyrics, in case you don't want to use the youtube video. The drowning scream at 4:15 always sends a shiver down my spine; Kikuo is a master at making vocaloids sound alive. I don't know what else to say about this song, I love it so much, please listen to it.
10. Mitski - Stay Soft
This was the first track that made me want to start building you a mixtape. Mitski's famous now and I've recced this song to you before, so maybe you already know it. Regardless, here it is again. The lyrics of this song always remind me of your own approach to lyrics. Something about the way it talks about the intersection of intimacy and fury. "Open up your heart / like the gates of hell" has the same kind of feeling in my head as the lyrics of Murderer.
11. Nostraightanswer ft. Hatsune Miku - Room For A Fantasy
Continuing to take you on a mini-tour of the American vocaloid scene, Nostraightanswer has the unique position of being elevated into the canon, as it were—he's a vocaloid producer whose voice was used for a professional Yamaha voicebank called DEX. (He's also a furry.) Somewhat unsurprisingly, he is widely considered to be the best DEX tuner alive, considering, uh, it's literally just him. His own voice is also quite lovely, and the voicebank doesn't do it justice at all, lol. This song doesn't use DEX though, or his own voice. It's still Miku hours on this mixtape. This is a brand new song, like it was released two days ago new. Nostraightanswer has been quietly plugging away in the vocaloid/american online music space for like a decade and he finally won the song contest to be the theme song of Miku's next world tour. I'm thrilled any time American producers get breakthrough into the Japanese scene, which is not easy. I also just like this song! It makes you want to groove. I don't really have deep thoughts about this one, I liked it and thought you also might like it.
12. P.O.S. ft. Justin Vernon - How We Land
P.O.S is from the Minnesota rap group Doomtree - I assume you've heard of both him and the larger group, but I wanted to put this on the mixtape even if you were familiar with it. There are so many moments in the lyrics that stand out in sharp relief. "Worse things have happened to better people," "Offered if you ask, but only if you ask." I wondered if you might have a complex relationship with medication like I do, which this song captures. The song walks this line between sounding despairing and sounding kind of grit-your-teeth inspirational which is hard to describe, and I admire that it was able to capture that feeling.
> DOWNLOAD <
( Youtube Playlist ) ( Deezer Playlist )
I think you're my only friend who I feel totally comfortable reccing high pop to. This mix sprawls all over the place. We go from like gothic island pop to minnesota hip hop to lady gaga. If I thought you might get something out of it, I put it on the mix without thinking too hard about it. I haven't been working on this mixtape for as long as others! This one only took three years.
I'm not usually picky like this, but for this mixtape I strongly recommend headphones. There are some songs for which that's way more important than others, and I'll note it again on those specific tracks. In general, I picked songs that I thought would reward a close listen that searched for technical details. That's something I like to do, and I think you may also like to do, but not many others in my friend circle do.
All my mixtape covers are from rhythm games. I remembered that you liked sound voltex. This cover is from REDO the NIGHT, which I picked more due to the image than the song itself. I saw a pink haired musician with a guitar, and it reminded me of you, for some reason. Who knows why. It is a mystery. (I recolored the guitar so it was blue; sorry if I got the exact shade wrong.)
Anyway...thank you for everything.
If you are not Aran but also like music, you're welcome to give this a listen too?
|
( Youtube Playlist ) ( Deezer Playlist )
01. Jade Bird - Love Has All Been Done Before
I'm a sucker for powerful voices with a little bit of rasp. Her delivery is intense and powerful, and I love how it builds over the course of the song. On the chorus, the sharp articulation of notes she does on the word "Nice" scratches my brain just right. Also I think she's like, peaking her mic on this? Something is happening to make her brassy voice sound even harsher on the post-production and I'm kind of fascinated by it.
02. Ryokuoushoku Shakai - Be a flower
This song needs headphones. This is an anime opening and it sounds like one. The series is called The Apothecary Diaries, and I think you might like it, because the protagonist is an aroace whip-smart little slip of a girl who solves fascinating mysteries. But I didn't pick this song because I thought you'd like the anime, or because the opening animation is stunning, or because the song is beautifully intricate with dense layers of instrumentation. I picked this song because the bassline is sick and I wanted you to hear it, lol. Especially in the chorus, it just pops off, but it's almost always doing something interesting.
03. Kesha - Backstabber
I guess she doesn't use the dollar sign in her name any more? This song came on when I was eating lunch in a ramen shop this summer and it made me lift my head and listen. This is from her very first album, and so there's a high chance you've heard this song before, but it was new to me. I'd never listened to her first album all the way through before, so I did after hearing this track and honestly I didn't like any other song on it as much as this one. I even dug through all the songs this producer has made and didn't like any of them as much either. There's something about this track that's unique to my ear. The swing in the rhythm definitely helps, but more than that, it's kind of a send-up of the "wall of sound" technique? With the usage of the echo? That and the usage of the rewind sound (it has a technical name. I do not know what it is) both give this song a retro feel that's fascinating to me.
04. Stomach Book / Razaplays ft. Kasane Teto - Fukouna Girl
The inclusion of this song on the mix is slightly reliant on the assumption that you've listened to the original version of this song before, which Rax included in a mix here. We both found the song independently; Rax found it through their usual impeccable taste, and I found it through vocaloid, because of course I did. I've included both versions of this song in the raxmix for your ease of comparison. The original is sung by the human composer, and the delivery leans hard on a sense of failing strength/exhaustion to convey despair. This is a remix of the song that uses the Kasane Teto voice bank, and it goes in the opposite direction—the delivery is reliant on excruciating levels of vocal control. They even tune the vocaloid to use an opera technique for the long melodic runs in the chorus, and the overall impression is of a doll that's tightrope dancing over an abyss. Where the original interprets the verses (starting at 1:08) to be marred and flattened by gasps for air, this version interprets it as these intentional, sharp accidental notes that add interest and also sound kind of alarming. I think it's amazing how different the two interpretations are.
05. Lady Gaga vs. Metallica - Enter Telephone (DJs From Mars Club Remix)
I really like mashups. This is probably the only song on this mix that isn't benefited by headphones - the actual mix itself sounds harsh in my ear? I don't know enough about music to articulate why, but to me it all sounds really forward, and it lacks depth? But, the matching of the two songs is done very well, aside from that. I first heard this mashup in a club in 2012 and it was by far the best mashup of the night, and I've been terribly fond of it ever since. The concept itself is cheeky, and the way the chorus opens up at 2:07 feels great to move to.
06. CG5 - 4Get
After five intense songs in a row, we need a break. I often add a "vanilla ice cream" track into my mixtapes - something not as technically impressive or compelling but pleasant just the same, something that I think could harmoniously be mixed in with a range of other tracks. The way he sings over the hook is so cute. I like songs that have a dissonance between the lyrics and the sound, and the way the song talks about anxiety/depression, while also trying to musically sound calm and upbeat, resonates with me. I thought you might also get something out of it.
07. Police Picadilly ft. Hatsune Miku - Beat Eater
This is one of two songs with the goal of trying to show you the breadth of the Vocaloid genre. I mean, I don't think vocaloid is even really a genre, because any genre slots in as long as you make a vocaloid sing over top of it. It's true that there's a "vocaloid sound," but hashtag not all vocaloid songs. Anyway. Police Picadilly is a very mysterious vocaloid producer, we know nothing about them - every couple of years they show up, drop a fire song, and vanish again without a word. They don't even bother putting most of their songs on spotify or streaming services. Based on the quality of their music, there's some suspicion that they're a professional in the industry who does this as a side hobby, but we don't know! It's interesting. Anyway, this song is so good that I don't need to tell you what it's about for you to know exactly what it's about, just from the sound. The song is about stepping out with self-confidence and feeling yourself. But you could tell that already, right? The song has so much swagger to it, and a polished, k-pop-like sound. I love how the rhythm drives forward. This song was commissioned by that mobile gacha rhythm game I used to play very intensely, Project Sekai: Colorful Stage. I like the original version with Miku, because it has a sleekness to it, but I also like the game version with human singers because it has juicier chords and I like the texture of the different voices. I honestly couldn't decide which one to include, so I just gave you both. Pick your own favorite!
08. FLAVOR FOLEY - rawdog ft. Hayden
If you're not already listening to Flavor Foley, please please please listen to Flavor Foley, every single song they've released so far is incredible. This song makes me laugh every time it comes on, and I think it might make you laugh too. This particular voice bank was meant to imitate Ed Sheeran...it is diabolical what we can make vocaloids say, lmao. I love gay music. The music video for this song is really fun as well. Flavor Foley is comprised of three separate producers who realized they synergized really well - Jamie Paige, Ricediety, and Vane Lily. I think they're probably the best in the American vocaloid scene right now. Stomach Book is also obviously influenced by vocaloid music, even though she doesn't use any voice banks in her music. I think it's really interesting how the American vocaloid(-adjacent) scene has developed into its own sound and has its own favorite types of themes, distinct from the Japanese scene. Anyway, no I'm serious, please listen to Flavor Foley, all of their stuff is just amazing.
09. Kikuo ft. Hatsune Miku - Hole-dwelling
Please wear headphones for this one. The youtube video has the english translation in the closed captions, if that helps. Also, please don't just play this song in the background the first time you listen to it, please actually focus in on it. I really, really wanted to include this song on a mixtape for you, and it's also one of my favorite songs period. Kikuo is a self-taught musician who finds a special fascination in found sounds for his music—another track of his is almost entirely composed of sounds he recorded off of swishing water around in his bathtub. His sound is often described as baroque pop. Steel drums in my vocaloid song? It's more likely than you think. This is one of the very few songs I've heard in the last ten or so years that takes you on a journey as you listen to it. It feels like this song has a thesis statement. Listening to this song in headphones feels a little like a full body sensory experience. Here are the lyrics, in case you don't want to use the youtube video. The drowning scream at 4:15 always sends a shiver down my spine; Kikuo is a master at making vocaloids sound alive. I don't know what else to say about this song, I love it so much, please listen to it.
10. Mitski - Stay Soft
This was the first track that made me want to start building you a mixtape. Mitski's famous now and I've recced this song to you before, so maybe you already know it. Regardless, here it is again. The lyrics of this song always remind me of your own approach to lyrics. Something about the way it talks about the intersection of intimacy and fury. "Open up your heart / like the gates of hell" has the same kind of feeling in my head as the lyrics of Murderer.
11. Nostraightanswer ft. Hatsune Miku - Room For A Fantasy
Continuing to take you on a mini-tour of the American vocaloid scene, Nostraightanswer has the unique position of being elevated into the canon, as it were—he's a vocaloid producer whose voice was used for a professional Yamaha voicebank called DEX. (He's also a furry.) Somewhat unsurprisingly, he is widely considered to be the best DEX tuner alive, considering, uh, it's literally just him. His own voice is also quite lovely, and the voicebank doesn't do it justice at all, lol. This song doesn't use DEX though, or his own voice. It's still Miku hours on this mixtape. This is a brand new song, like it was released two days ago new. Nostraightanswer has been quietly plugging away in the vocaloid/american online music space for like a decade and he finally won the song contest to be the theme song of Miku's next world tour. I'm thrilled any time American producers get breakthrough into the Japanese scene, which is not easy. I also just like this song! It makes you want to groove. I don't really have deep thoughts about this one, I liked it and thought you also might like it.
12. P.O.S. ft. Justin Vernon - How We Land
P.O.S is from the Minnesota rap group Doomtree - I assume you've heard of both him and the larger group, but I wanted to put this on the mixtape even if you were familiar with it. There are so many moments in the lyrics that stand out in sharp relief. "Worse things have happened to better people," "Offered if you ask, but only if you ask." I wondered if you might have a complex relationship with medication like I do, which this song captures. The song walks this line between sounding despairing and sounding kind of grit-your-teeth inspirational which is hard to describe, and I admire that it was able to capture that feeling.
( Youtube Playlist ) ( Deezer Playlist )
