Listen and weep. Thank you so much PaulGMashups XD
Currently Bumping
It’s been a minute since I posted, but I’ve been itching to share songs and artists I’ve had in my sonic rotation recently and remembered I have this blog which is specifically for that XD So without further ado here are some artists and songs in no particular order I think everyone should give a listen too and make me very, very happy~
Artists
RIIZE
SM’s latest non NCT boygroup wasn’t initially a favourite, but they’ve grown on me, especially after watching their amazing visual album. If you’re new to the group or would just like a suggestion, I’d like to bring to your attention “Impossible” and “Another Life“. I enjoy their dance tracks and with “Impossible” that love hasn’t faded, but I was especially impressed with the closing song of their album Odyssey. I love a good mellow bop you can groove to and RIIZE delivers on that every time. I haven’t really met a SM group I don’t like so far XD.
Ziarra
Oh Ziarra, I can’t tell you when exactly I discovered their music but when they released the album Human Form I of course had to give it a listen and loved it immediately. I love all kinds of music, but find Rock to be a genre I can’t help but be particularly picky with so finding artists in the genre I actually enjoy is always a delight, and of course I love being able to support Black folks in a scene originated by us. XD While songs from the album didn’t make it onto my public Saturn Return playlist (mostly because I felt the album was too recent to include) it has definitely been keeping me company as we move through 2025. Two of my favourite songs on the album are “Granny In the Pit” and “I Love You, Say It Back“.
The Halluci Nation
The Halluci Nation is another new-ish group to me. I remember when they were still going by A Tribe Called Red, but very shortly after I found them they became The Halluci Nation. I’ve been enjoying their pro-wrestling themed albums and the punny messages within the songs. I love figurative language and wordplay so of course I’ve been eating up this storyline between the “Halluci Nation” and “Alie Nation” 😏😏😏 No idea at all what these songs could posibly be talking about~ None at all~~~ “The Place” is an amazing song that gets me going and gives me happy vibes, so I’d like to throw that one in the ring for your listening pleasure.
A bit of an aside, but I’ve always said that pro-wrestling is an amazing vehicle for storytelling and is a part of the modern American mythology catolgue as well as super heros. I’m hoping more artists take inspiration and explore wrestling as a vehicle for retelling myths and sharing stories.
TSHA
Sad Girl came out last year and I loved it. After discovering TSHA a couple years ago, I’ve been eagerly awaiting every new drop and Sad Girl definitely didn’t disapoint. For various reasons, last year I went on a Dance kick, rediscovering my love for the genre, and especially, DnB. you can imagine my happy surprise when TSHA had a DnB heavy song on the album. I’ve been bumping “Can’t Dance” like I’m being paid for it. XD
Monsta X
Daddy’s home! XD As a Monbebe I’m thrilled that (for now) every one is back from the military and doing things once more as the full group. To celebrate, some songs from while Shownu was gone were rereleased with Shownu’s vocals added in. I for one was very excited to see Lone Ranger made the cut. I don’t know who at Starships keeps deciding the American 1800 – early 1900s is the vibe for the group, but I love every time they’re dressed up as cowboys, civil war reenactors, and giving us Country adjacent bops. XD
As a long time fan of Monsta X (they turned 10 this year and I’ve been there since the beginning), it was especially fun seeing how they rearranged the songs. There were definitely moments where I’d go, “Oh, if Shownu was on the track he would have had this line,” so seeing where my monbebe ear matched with their decisions was fun to experience on my first listen through the album. They do say this is volume 1, so I’m curious what volume 2 will be? Maybe they will have a part 2 for I.M. when he’s back from his time in the military?
YUTA
Now, if you’re familiar with the concept of “biases” in Kpop, you’ll understand me when I say I am one happy NCT fan these days now that my bias is releasing solo music~~~💗💗💗 I’ve been a Yuta fan (quietly lmao) for a long while but it’s hard to keep my love for him contained. XD I don’t actually like to wear my love on my sleeve, but I think everyone should listen to Yuta’s album and recent EP! I was immediately taken back to my Naruto Christian Rock AMV days and am thrilled with Yuta’s music direction so far. A voice that great is a shame to keep quiet.
BAEKHYUN
Speaking of biases and great voices…Baekhyun isn’t mine in Exo (that’s D.O.) BUT he is one of my favourites XD I love his solo music and or course can’t get enough of the most recent album. “Lemonade” is a favourite of mine.
WayV
WayV is one of my favourite groups, period (though these days whether or not they’re my favourite NCT group is a hard choice to make) and so every new album I like to play on repeat. “Invincible” helped get me through my Saturn Return so I need to especially shout it out here. XD I joked in my video that it’s basically a Gospel song for me. It’s a must have for any hype playlist.
Songs:
- Chill Baby – SZA
- This whole album is a delight to listen to, and this song would have made it onto my Saturn Return playlist if I’d listened to the album sooner, but SZA is a more recently consistent artist in my catalogue. She’s definitely carrying me into 2026 XD
- Stunner – Ten
- I tend to like every other Ten release, but this most recent album was very fun and got me excited for the Summer. Stunner is an amazing song, but I wish they’d kept the overall vibe/theme of the Korean version for the English one. The English parts already worked, but for some reason they alter it completely in the English version of the song 🥲🥲🥲
- Creme Brulee – David Archuleta
- I’ve been a David Archuleta fan since day one. I’m excited every time he releases something new and I can’t wait for his next album! Seeing his growth as an artist has been such a joy to watch. XD I feel like we’re growing up together.
- Tilt – Irene & Seulgi
- I love this Red Velvet sub-unit and am tickled pink they released this in June lmao The promo pics alone had me losing my queer little mind.
- Life We Live – Project Pat
- Oldie but a goldie. This song kept me going through my Saturn return, but didn’t make the cut for the playlist because, tbh? I was being greedy and didn’t want to share lmao Sharing now because the moment has passed. Sometimes you don’t have to share everything XD I’ve been luxuriating in keeping my most precious enjoyments to myself lately, but am willing to open the vault of what I enjoy so others can also have some fun this Summer. XD
- No Show – Haquin
- A new artist to me found through finally looking up who did the vocals on a Dance track I like. Not the same person, but finding that person’s Instagram lead me to this person and I like the song and eagerly look forward to their next work. XD
- Tidal Wave – Got7
- I know I said these aren’t in order…but I had to save the best for last. If you’ve seen my karaoke streams you know I love Got7 and I love BamBam’s musicality. Is there a song he’s written I don’t like? Tidal Wave is the perfect Summer song, the way Got7’s voice blend together and the sweet lyrics full of youthful romantic yearning just get me. I actually cried listening to it the first time because I was so touched. The whole album is amazing but this song is my favourite, even before Python (which BamBam also wrote lmao). If you listen to only one song or album on this whole list…let it be this one! At least for this lovely Summer season. XD It’ll keep you sane, I promise!
Ok, that’s my song suggestions for the season! This wasn’t exactly meant to be a list of listenings to indulge in during these hottest of hot months, but that’s what it came out to be. I hope you are doing well and would love to know what you’re listening to, what you’re working on, and how you plan to get through these upcoming dog days of Summer?
– XOXOX
Ok Spotify?
The Daylist is both the worst and best thing Spotify has down recently with their randomly generated playlists. XD I’m still not really sold on a lot of these mixes…but I gotta admit, they got me on this one. XD
Some songs it’s suggested to me:
I def can’t say I don’t mostly enjoy using Spotify more than I dislike it. XD
I Can’t Beleive
Everyone decide to drop music made specifically for me these past few weeks. XD When I say I’m obsessed I mean obsessed. Hozier, Mette, and Key have all released music that are definitely going to end up on my Spotify Wrapped. They’re on my Autumn playlist, my birthday playlist, my playlist for one of my upcoming Amp shows…I can’t get enough!
I listened to the first song on the new Hozier album and cried, then I just couldn’t stop. XD By the time we got to Nth/Unknown…chile I still cry listening to it and that doesn’t really happen for me much. I feel like each song means something different every time I listen. I know people say that about a lot of media, but I’ve really only ever had that experience with music. Every time I listen I’m hearing something different and being moved in different ways.
Honestly, I expect this year to end on a rough note for me, or at least this month to be rough because whew…I didn’t think these retrogrades would retro the grade so hard but starting off the month with the visit from the Crimson Fleet is a sorry way to begin when everyone around you is losing their gadtdamn mind. I’m just gonna beleive in the seemingly divine timing of artists to make the right thing at the right time. XD I’ll be having these songs on repeat while I avoid jail.
Trying Something New
So, I recently found out about an app called Amp. It’s essentially where you can listen to or host your own online radio shows. It’s music selection isn’t as thorough as I’d like, though that makes sense because it’s owned by amazon and I moved to Spotify for a reason XD but it is quite fun so far!
As I’m typing this I’m actually live right now. I think this will be a great way to debut my new playlists, talk about music I’ve been listening to, and generally connect over great tunes. I’m a bit excited to keep exploring and listening to new shows. I plan to do a proper one in October once I’m done with my Starfield streaming. If you follow my other blog, then you know I’ve been on a big Astrology kick and just finished a longer project and stream with that, so I’m going to take a break after I’m done with Starfield. XD I also have…a lot more projects in the pipeline 👀👀👀. Also, more music to share!
Anywho, that’s my update today. Hope you all are having great weeks, and will have an even better weekend! Stay breezy!
Hewwo
Just popping in because I’m trying to do better abt putting everything on Twitter where 1. Not everyone can see and 2. I don’t like the site anyways…Just to say I’m still alive! I’m still listening to music, new and old. XD I’m even still learning tin whistle…though I’ve not had chance to practice much this Summer like I usually do 😭😭😭.
Some music I’ve been enjoying since my last post:
MXFRUIT is my new favourite group! Their songs are so fun and I love their MVs. In truth, music videos is what’s gotten me into A LOT of artists. If you’ve seen my early internet days you might remember me mentioning often at the time that I got into Kpop because I loved the music videos. MXFRUIT have such fun and fresh videos. I’ve also been enjoying a lot of other music videos these days, though I don’t seek them out like I used to. MXF just showed up in my YT suggested one days so I decided to check them out. I’m glad I did.
…Now y’all know I love me some Shownu. XD In general I love MonstaX. Funnily enough I’ve also become more of a Hyungwon fan this year so this duo is really top tier for me. XD I can’t wait for more MX, but am very glad for this unit. The EP is great and I definitely think it’s one I’ll return to. I’ve found that MonstaX as a whole and individually often have songs I return to again and again for very specific vibes and moods. I may not listen to them as much as others, but when their music hits there’s really nothing else comparable for the moment. MX makes music you NEED to listen to rather than you just feel like putting something on. I often want to pay attention and just sit there and let the music rock…I also am glad they keep creeping towards Country. One of these days they’re gonna give us a full Country album. XD They keep going there but it’s not enough for me lmao
I’ve been an ExoL since day one! I’m never going to stop being an ExoL. Their newest album is, honestly? Just another great set of songs. XD There’s nothing really more to say. EXO is an excellent group and I’m so glad they’re almost all done with their service so we will be back to having everyone on for good for the rest of the time they’re active. XD Kai will be missed!
I’ve been listening to a lot of 70s and 80s as well. L.T.D. and The Gap Band are almost on every new playlist I’ve made. XD I’m…OBSESSED. Don’t even ask me why. XD Also Patti LaBelle XD
Anywho!
That’s what I’ve been up to musicwise so far! What have y’all been listening to these days?
Gosh Darnit She Did It Again!
If you were in schools during the 2010s, then you know the chokehold “If I Die Young” by the Band Perry had on the youth the moment it came out. I was in one of my Country phases at this time…lmao I’m always listening to Country actually and was living in the South on top of my predisposition for folksy-tunes, and this song went triple platinum on my phone. It seemed like The Band Perry appeared out of nowhere and dropped thee song of the youth, then dipped never to be heard again.
In fairness, I don’t follow artists as closely as I could, and I especially didn’t follow artists like I do now, back then. I was happy enough to have the perfect Country-Emo bop to sing at the top of my lungs and sob to thinking about all the other teens in the world taking the song to heart. It’s a song everyone wanted played at their funeral in the case of their untimely death. It’s a song I thought of many times over the past few years, as Covid became something all young ppl felt was just another ploy to endanger our lives thanks to the carelessness of people who we’re told to look up to and respect.
If I Die Young, felt like a protest song to me. It’s something I defiantly sang loud and proud. I didn’t actually want to die. That sort of depression wasn’t really my thing as a kid. But I could relate to wanting to do something drastic to get people to realise how ridiculous and hypocritical they are. The song felt ironic and too real to how many of my friends felt and I could see younger kids would also feel. Maybe if we all just dropped dead adults would finally do something about all the things killing us. If we just cut out the middleman and do it ourselves, that would show them.
Every time I hear the song I’m taken back to those days. If you’ve followed my other blogs over the years, I’m sure you’d have an idea of what teen me was like. XD She was a trip. Very intense and prone to extremes, but what’s youth for if not exploring the dramatic in life?
Recently Kimberly Perry from The Band Perry released a second part to the iconic song. Once again, proving the cosmic perfect timing of song writers. The second part to the song calls back to the attitude of the past narrator and lovingly, if a bit sardonically reflects on how they’ve changed their stance since. It’s almost an apology to their younger self, “Sorry for the angst, I’m actually really happy I didn’t die so young after all. I’ve found so much to live for since!”
Age changes so much. We often look back on things we enjoyed as children and can’t help but shake our heads and laugh at the direness of it all. Everything seems so great and insurmountable as a child. Your highs seem mountainous, and lows feel like trenches. You have nothing to compare it to, nor the wisdom to understand it.
Growing up is so hard, many people seemingly find themselves stuck at certain ages. Aging is harder for some than others, with so many trials and blocks coming in the way of people becoming the best them they can be.
Personally I’m someone who believes no one is here by accident. In the grand scheme of things, of course. I think everyone has a purpose. Not all world altering, but in life it is the small moments that make it worth living, so it’s those so-called nobodies who really make our time on Earth worth the experience.
I do believe If I Die Young (part 2) is a song that shows us how we give meaning to our own lives. That’s how we survive the seemingly unsurvivable. We plant the roses we want to smell, why wait for our own funeral, which we won’t even get the chance to enjoy?
Like Ms. Perry (I assume), I also had a change of heart as I grew older and grew past my dark days. It does get easier with time. I like to think of different times of your life as seasons. That’s a common way of viewing life I enjoy. We can’t have a good Summer without sometimes a harsh Winter. Spring eases us into Summer, but it’s no less important, bringing us to the harvest of Autumn thanks to all we sowed then. Everything has a rhyme and reason, even when we don’t always see the purpose. Sometimes even what has no purpose, can be given purpose. It’s all about how we choose to interpret our world and what happens in it.
I’ll definitely be playing the mess out of this new song. It’s just as enjoyable to listen too and is just as impactful as the last.
That Time of the Year Again
The year comes to a close, and for once I’ve completed my top X of 20XX playlists early! While I’m still looking forward to what new songs will squeeze their way out before the year officially is over, I’m pretty satisfied with all the new music I’ve listened to so far. There are some regular faves of mine that have made the list again, but there are also some new artists and groups. My Spotify Wrapped varies a bit as far as what new I listened to that I actually enjoyed like that, but I think overall it’s pretty similar.
I actually thought I listened to a lot of old artists this year, but I ended up listening to a lot of new people, and really enjoyed it! I even made a playlist this year just so I could keep track of all the new artists/albums I was listening to, but weren’t exactly new this year. Spotify features that allow you to make shared playlists with others also ended up introducing me to a lot of new music. Looking forward to next year and what all else will come!
My Top 21 Songs of 2021:
My Stop 21 Albums of 2021:
Belated Update
Ah, I was supposed to post something once a month, but July got away from me. XD (it is now October when I actually post this lmao)
What I wanted to post then, and am posting today is a lil tidbit of my tin whistle playing. It’s definitely been a rough thing learning. It’s not as intuitive as some other instruments I’ve played, but it’s quite fun learning and figuring things out. I’ve always wanted to play the uilleann pipes so I’m very excited to learn the tin whistle, then on to the next thing!
The two audios I have to share are The Sally Gardens and The Foggy Dew. A few starts and stops, some awkward breath, but it’s all a work in progress. XD I hope the next time I share me playing these, it sounds much better. I’ve been playing out of Irish Songs for Tin Whistle and Christmas Songs for Tin Whistle, both by Thomas Balinger. I got them from Amazon. I’ve been playing on my Clark’s Celtic Sweettone tin whistle, and practicing a bit on a Walton’s, both in D, but the Walton’s has proven to be more difficult for me to handle. XD Breath is definitely a hard thing to figure out. Getting into those highs is a lot of work, and I’m trying to figure out how to play quietly.
It’s definitely awkward playing a breath support instrument as a singer. I’m so used to using my breath and diaphragm for other things. Creating a sound with my mouth usually is a much different beast than letting an instrument do the work for me, and I do be frustrated by wanting to make sounds one way, then remembering that’s not how a pipe works. XD I’m curious if anyone else has played any other instrument before picking a tin whistle up, and how has that affected their learning? The violin is very simple…You just stand/sit there and strum or glide! Now, the arm strength…the flexibility, that’s another thing. I do appreciate how little effort I need to put into holding my whistle. I can even comfortably sit and play it at any angle I see fit. The violin is unforgiving when it comes to angles and postures, but I dare think I could play my whistle lying down flat on my back!
I also recently got a viola! Another instrument I’ve long wanted to play. I’ve yet to really start up my self lessons for that, I’m learning the viola is a bit more complicated…or at least treated a bit more complicated than the violin, but I really love it. It’s such a beautiful tone…Ah! I’m so excited to get some books and print outs, and really get into it! I might even call up my old teacher and see about taking lessons online or getting whatever glimmers of teachings I can. XD
I’ve got to learn a new type of staff; new notes, new keys, new theory, so much to learn! In that respect, the tin whistle is much more simple. I find folk music is a bit more forgiving, and sure, you can be classic with a whistle…but it’s much more fun to do things are your own pace, and that’s definitely allowed in folk music territory. I also enjoy playing with music too much. I don’t want to constrain myself to one way of playing. I’m sort of looking at my viola as simply a larger, deeper and richer toned violin/fiddle. XD We’ll see how it goes.
Well, without further adieu, my tin whistling:
It’s Here!
My whistle (Pipe? Flute? Slightly easier to play than a recorder, recorder?) came in a couple days ago, now begins my lessons. XD Already learned something…I might have under-anticipated how “little,” “little breath needed to play,” actually means. I’m so used to having big breath support, I now have to lesson my breath in-take. XD
It’s all a learning curve. Instruments are so specific to their player, we’ll see what sort of techniques I’ll end up having to use to play. There are also so many different types of tin whistles, I may end up picking another up and really enjoying it. There are actually two whistles in the house now, but I think that other is my mom’s. We ended up getting the Clarke Celtic Sweetone tin whistle in D, and a Waltons whistle in D. I went with the Clarke Celtic because I liked it’s low tone more than some others I heard in my price range. Looking forward to learning to play!
Whalien Notes 
