Music: Seven Lions "Worlds Apart" EP

Good Afternoon folks!

Today I'd like to talk about an artist I just got into recently, and his newest EP!

I was scrolling through Facebook one day, and while scrolling one of my favorite artists, Kerli, had made a post.  She talked about collaborating with another musician.  I was excited for new music from her, so I decided to look into it, and that's how I found out about Seven Lions.  The project she was talking about was the title track of his new EP, Worlds Apart.

Now I'm still very new to the Electronic Dance Music scene, as Kerli has been the only artist of the genre that I closely followed, just listening to a track or two here and there from other artists.  I had been wary of looking into the genre because of a lot of the music majors at my University.  Some of them at least, have a stuck up attitude and are convinced that electronic music isn't real music.  After listening to this EP over and over again, I can say without a doubt that they are so wrong!

This EP as a whole has an ethereal feel to it, and it transports you to another world inside of your head.  To me, when I listen to it I feel like I'm floating.

Before I go into more detail track by track, here's a little background information on Seven Lions:

The man behind Seven Lions is Jeff Montalvo, a producer, remixer, composer, and DJ from Santa Barbara.  He found the name Seven Lions from a character in the fantasy novel Latro in the Mist by Gene Wolf.  Seven Lions released his debut EP, Polarize, in 2012 and caught the attention of Skrillex.  He signed with Skrillex's record label, OWLSA (owned by Warner) in 2013.  He then released his next EP, Days to Come, on that label.  He released one other single with OWLSA before signing with Casablanca Records (also owned by Warner).  Worlds Apart is his first EP with Casablanca Records.

Now, let's get to the music, shall we?

This is the EP in its entirety from Seven Lions's official YouTube channel, so you can listen as you read.

The first track is called "Don't Leave" featuring pop singer Ellie Goulding.  I do have a few tracks by her already, so it was nice to have a familiar voice to start of the EP with.  The track starts off with something sounding like white noise which escalates into a steady pitch.  Next, you hear a melodic beat that sounds like something I'd imagine you'd hear at a space station.  The music then drops to provide ambiance for Ellie's vocals, then builds into its own melodic line under her.  I think this track has a very interesting give and take with the vocalist, since the EDM tracks I've heard usually go one of two ways:  they either give way to the vocalist, or the vocalist provides the ambiance and fades in and out.  In my experience, it usually goes with the latter of the two, but this track has a good balance of vocals and back track with intertwining melodic lines.

The second track on the EP is the title track, "Worlds Apart" featuring Kerli.  Before I even heard the song I knew I would like it just because it had Kerli on it.  That may be my bias showing, but I love her vocals and her songwriting is superb.  This track has a similar slow build up that "Don't Leave" had, but when Kerli joined in the music there wasn't a huge stop as if to say "here's the vocalist!"  Throughout the entire track, it sounds and feels as if the vocals and back track are one entity moving along with itself.  There is a great sense of movement with this track, almost as if you could see muscles moving with smooth choreography, or like water flowing in a river.  I think this smooth sense of oneness and movement is what makes this track stand out from the rest on the EP.  Truly an amazing track.

The third track, "Nepenthe" is the only track on this EP where Seven Lions is by himself.  This track is the hardcore dance floor track where you can lose yourself in the music and go nuts!  I do like listening to this by myself, but I'd love to hear it in a live setting where it's at its full potential to get people moving.  I can just see all the glow sticks and brightly colored outfits in my head!  Although this is a dance floor track, there is a certain restraint in it.  It still fits in with the rest of the EP in that it has that otherworldly, floating feel, and while you can dance to it, it's not the kind of track that would blow out your speakers, and I can definitely appreciate that.

The fourth track is "Strangers" featuring Myon and Shade 54 & Tove Lo.  Now I've never heard of the featuring artists before, so I'll have to look them up in the future.  This track is the shortest on the EP at three minutes and twenty four seconds, so I have a hunch that this is meant to be a pop single in a way.  Unlike the other tracks, the vocals hit you immediately and continue throughout the track without any long breaks.  I believe this track is meant to highlight the vocals, and the vocalist does have a very strong voice that's pleasant to listen to.  I can definitely imagine myself dancing like crazy to this one, and this is arguably the most upbeat track on the EP.  If you don't know too much about EDM but are a pop music junkie like myself, I think you'll like this track.

The fifth and final track is "Keep it Close" also featuring Kerli.  The way this track starts, it sounds like an electronic music box of some sort with a repeated melody, then it melts into an ethereal vocal with a pulsing line behind it.  Montalvo said that this was his favorite track on the EP since it was less about getting people to dance and more about the songwriting itself.  This song is written in 3/4 time and you can definitely feel that, since it's much different than the other tracks and feels almost like a waltz.  There is use of piano in this track, and it's refreshing to hear a midst all of the electronic sounds.  Kerli's vocals here are more differentiated from the back track than they are on "Worlds Apart," though there is some sort of effect added to them that blurs them a bit, and it sounds like she's melting into something, or sinking down slowly.  Her vocals are in a floaty soprano although because of that melting effect, it feels grounding to listen to.  The song closes with the slow piano and the music box sound again, like it's winding down.  I think it was a brilliant idea to end the EP with this track, as it shows off Seven Lion's experimentation with a new sound, and because it's different than what he's done in the past, it gives the listener a taste of possibly what's to come.

This EP has quickly become one of my favorite albums for the Summer, and the more I listen to it, the more different things I hear each time.  If you're skeptical about getting into the EDM genre, I think this would be a good starting point, and for you seasoned EDM fans, this is a taste of something new within the genre that I think you'll enjoy.  

Do you like Seven Lions?  What do you think of his newest work?

Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading, and see you in my next post!

xoxo

Martha

Kira Kira Transformation at Texas Comicon

So this past weekend, the Kira Kira Maids and I went down to San Antonio for Texas Comicon, and the most amazing thing happened! 

There was a lot of negative energy going around on Friday, and a lot of venting going on behind each other's backs, and it made for a tense day.  When the pattern continued on Saturday and impacted our performance somewhat, I desperately wanted to leave.  I just wanted to go to bed, do the show the next day, and drive home in peace.

Though when we all got back to the hotel that night we all sat down in a circle in the little living area of our room, and we all started to talk.  The conversation started out as some silly things, then we all just started to air our grievances with each other.  That conversation then turned into something different when we started talking about the company as a family.

Many entertainment companies like to market their idol groups as this one large family, and it's a fantastic marketing tactic.  Unfortunately, a lot of the times, that's where it ends--as a marketing tactic.  As I was talking, I started to tear up, because Kira Kira Entertainment (and the Kira Kira Maids) are really a family.  I don't really hold auditions for the company, and all of my members came to me of their own volition.  I wanted to keep that family feeling genuine, not only for the benefit of our audiences, but for our own benefit as well.  

I started to tell my members about my disappointments with the company, as well as my hopes and dreams for the future, all through tears and snot and jumbled words.  Miraculously, the other members started to cry too.  We were all finally on the same page.  We went around the circle and each member told me why they initially joined the group, and then why they decided to stay even after other members chose to leave.  Hearing each of their stories brought even more tears to my eyes, and touched my heart so deeply that I felt that we had something truly amazing going on.

Many of my members told me that Kira Kira is their home, their family of choice, and the one place they feel that they can be themselves.  Through being in Kira Kira, the members found their confidence, their drive, their dreams, and their passions...what started out as something so small has turned into a safe haven for so many people.  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own ambitions for the company that I forget that my members love it just as much as I do.  Being open with them that night helped me connect with them on an even deeper level, and I'm so proud of each and every one of them.

After that part of our talk, each member then said the thing they love most about me.  Strangely enough, my eyes were dry through the whole thing.  I had run out of tears to cry, and I felt so warm hearing their words, and knowing that my members--my sisters (and brothers)--look up to me so much made me feel that all of my efforts weren't in vain, and that all of my mistakes weren't as bad as I thought they were.  I then told each member what I thought was wonderful about them, and my first impressions as well, and how amazing it felt to have each of them with me on this journey.

That night, my members told me that they wanted to show me that they would live up to my expectations.  And that night, I realized that by working together, we could all make a bright future for our company and for ourselves.  I feel so lucky that I have such an amazing team that supports me and all of my huge dreams.

Sunday's performance went over better than the previous one.  We had so much positive energy to give out to our audience, and I think they loved it!  We had a lot of children in the audience, so I think our positivity attracted the most positive people in the world!

The maids are preparing for our next big convention, Delta H Con, in August, and they are being so proactive!  Schedules are being made, panels are being planned, a concert set list is up with two original choreography pieces, and love is being shared!  There are still some who are sore on the issue of certain Kpop companies, but they have all decided to respect my decision and not use music from those companies while working within Kira Kira Entertainment.  We are all working to cultivate an environment where we can all express our opinions and create art in a healthy, respectful, and ethical environment.

It's a beautiful thing.

It's definitely a process getting used to all of this change, but after this past weekend, there is no doubt in my mind that my members and I can handle it.

Anime Review: Is the Order a Rabbit? (Update)

Hello everyone!

Back in April, I did a review for an anime called ご注文はうさぎですか? (Gochūmon wa Usagi Desu ka?) or "Is the Order a Rabbit?"  You can read that post here.

 I went over the general plot and talked a little bit about each of the characters, though I wasn't able to review the character Syaro because she hadn't appeared in the series yet.

Now that she's been on the show for a while, I'd like to talk about her and how the series is continuing.

Syaro lives next door to Chiya and the two are long time friends.  She goes to the same school as Rize but is younger than her, so she calls her 'senpai.'  She really looks up to Rize and always wants to impress her, which leads to some pretty hilarious scenarios.  Syaro works at a cafe that specializes in different types of tea, and the cafe uniform is a bunny maid outfit.  There's this ongoing gag that the other characters think that Syaro comes from a wealthy family because of how cold she can be sometimes, and she desperately tries to keep up the act, even though in reality money is tight for her.  Another funny thing about Syaro is that she gets flustered easily.  Once the cold image is broken, she's a little awkward and goofy, and it's so cute.  It took me a few episodes to warm up to Syaro, but I do like her character and she fits in well with the group.

As the series continues, there are always more cute things and silly scenarios as one would expect from a slice of life anime, but there are a few more fun characters added as well.  The new character who is most interesting to me is an author who follows the girls around.  She seems to take inspiration from them and just so happens to be where they are a lot of the time.  She's a little bit out there and air headed, but is always kind to the girls.  Apparently she has some sort of past with Chino's grandfather...and she has the most hilarious name:

Aoyama Blue Mountain

When she introduced herself to Cocoa I couldn't help but bust out laughing!  Seriously, who comes up with these names?!  I was definitely not expecting that.  Anyway, she's a very enjoyable character and I'd love to see more of her.

I believe I stopped at episode eight, and there is a total of twelve episodes.  I'm so excited to watch them but I don't want the series to end!  I'm wondering if they'll leave it open for a second season...we'll see!  

I won't be doing a review of the ending of the anime because I don't want to spoil it for you!  I'm hoping my anime reviews will give you a taste to get you interested enough to watch the series, but not spoil anything for those who are currently watching.

For those of you who are currently watching this anime, who are your favorite characters?  Which cafe would you work in if you got a chance to?

Discuss down in the comments!

Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you in my next post,

xoxo

Martha

My Exhaustion with Idols and a New Creative Start

I don't even know how I feel about idols anymore y'all.

I feel like the more I look into idols, whether Kpop or Jpop, I just find more problems.

Not only the unethical working conditions, but things like shadeism, racism, misogyny, sexism...the list goes on.

I just feel like recently liking idols has made me mentally exhausted.  I can't ignore the issues going on anymore, and when I try to just enjoy the music, there's still this heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can't shake.  

I know there are also Western artists with the issues mentioned above.  I don't support them.  I don't buy their music.  I don't look into them.  I'm beginning to think that's what I should do with idols now.  I may stop in every now and again to look at a new song or two, see what's going on with the fandom...but it's time for me to step back.  I think being a casual listener is the best option for me at this point.

This doesn't mean I'll stop listening to music from other countries, it just means I'll be on the lookout for music that isn't idol music.  More artists and bands instead of idols.  There will still be music reviews on this blog, but if you're looking for idols, I suggest you look somewhere else.

It's tough for me, because idols have been a huge part of my life for about six years now.  There's a part of me that feels like a piece of my identity is gone, because I completely immersed myself into idol culture.  I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about it, and it leaves space to fill with something new, something that's more suited to the current Martha.

As far as Kira Kira Entertainment goes, I'll have to brainstorm some new ideas.  Of course I can still use songs from popular anime series (including idol anime like Idolm@ster and Love Live, because those are characters and not real people), and other Jpop and Kpop music, but the other maids are still so immersed in idol culture that I can't take them out of it alone.  There will probably still be maid performances from KKE that involve idol songs, I just won't be dancing or singing in them personally after the Summer is over.

I'm trying to find the best creative mix for myself and for my Entertainment group, and that may involve me losing a few members...I already lost one this month.  It sucks, but different people have different creative outlets, and I'm not going to keep someone against their will.  I'm hoping I can continue to find new people who share my creative ideas and beliefs.

There's going to be a lot of change over the next few months for me and for Kira Kira Entertainment, and hopefully this new found freedom from my idol obsession will lead me to some great new adventures.

See you in my next post

xoxo

Martha

Review: Bodyline Purple Seifuku

Hey people!

Today I'm back with another review, and it's SEIFUKU TIME!

For those of you who don't know what a Seifuku is, a Seifuku is an abbreviation for "Seira Fuku" or "Sailor Uniform" in Japanese.  Seifukus are what Japanese girls wear to school as their uniforms.  In the past few years, Seifukus have taken off not only as required wear for school, but as a fashion trend!  They not only come in the tradition patterns and colors, but they can come in bright colors with tons of different accessories.

I already have a pink Seifuku, but I decided to get another since I love them so much.  This time, it's purple!  I ordered my Seifuku from Bodyline, and it cost me $22.  There was a free shipping thing going on around the time I bought it, and it's always best to buy from Bodyline when those things happen, or else you'll be paying $10-$20 for shipping, at least to the US where I'm from.

Onto the pictures!

It came in one of those plastic mailing sleeves, and this is how it looked when I unfolded it.  It was on a hanger and in a plastic garment bag.  The hanger was broken, but there was no damage to the garment itself.

Here we have a close up of the ribbon--tag still attached--no loose threads or anything.  It's in good shape!  Its length is adjustable to however you'd like to wear it.

And the skirt!  It's wrinkled from being folded up in its parcel, but the pleats are very well intact and held together neatly by the white thread at the bottom.  When you receive your Seifuku, you have to gently pull out the thread with a pair of scissors, and then your skirt will be properly flippy!

I got my pink Seifuku around three years ago I think, so they've added a few updates to them, one being these hanger loops on the skirt!  Convenient for when you don't have one of those skirt hangers with clips, you can just hang it on a normal hanger!

Another update is the design of the white stripes on the back of the top.  The lines on my pink Seifuku are just normal and straight, while these have a little loop at the corner.  Not a huge difference, but I think it's a cute little touch.

I've posted photos of myself in full Seifuku, but let me show you an example of how I coordinated it with something else!

Seifuku Top:  Bodyline

Shorts:  Target

Kandi Bracelet:  From a friendly raver :D

Here I used the top of the Seifuku as a crop top, then put on my favorite pair of pink shorts with it, and just a simple kandi bracelet for a little jewelry.  I think the outfit in itself makes a statement enough, so it doesn't need too many accessories.

Seifukus are very versatile in that you can mix and match the top or bottom with multiple different pieces to make a super cute outfit!  Not many people notice that the individual piece came from a school uniform design anyway, especially if your Seifuku is in a bright color like this one!

This product is well made, has great color, and has some nice little updates from its previous version, so I'll give the Seifuku a 5/5 stars!

I was a little disappointed with the broken hanger in the packaging, but since the garment itself had no damage, and I have plenty of hangers, I decided not to take any points off.  

Do you like Seifuku fashion?  Do you have a Seifuku?  Where do you like to purchase yours?  Let me know in the comments!

I hope you enjoyed the review, and I'll see y'all in my next post!

xoxo

Martha

Sweet Spirits Review: Suzy Cat

Hey there everyone!

Happy Saturday!

I hope you're having a good day today.

Since my last few posts were related to the music industry, I decided to change it up today with a review!  I've had this product for a few months already, so it's way overdue!

So back in April, I was looking through my jewelry box and after getting rid of some things I didn't wear anymore, I decided to look for some new things.  Other fashion blogs like Pastel Cubes had shown products from a store called Sweet Spirits.

Sweet Spirits specializes in pastel accessories that are in a Fairy Kei 80s style.  Fairy Kei is something I've been interested in for a long time, so I thought I would give this shop a try.  The item I bought is the Suzy Cat brooch, which also doubles as a hair clip!

Here's the stock photo!  

Now, onto the unboxing!

There were little doodles all over the package in pastel colors.  I thought it was a cute touch.

Inside the package, I noticed some extras wrapped in pink bubble wrap!

Stickers!  They say "Sweet Spirits" in Katakana.  I'll put one on my laptop with the rest of my stickers.

A magical unicorn magnet!  It's pretty big!  It's now on my freezer.  It keeps the ice cream safe. XD

And another magnet, this time a small one.  It has a pastel rainbow planet with a ring around it!  I love the look of this magnet, since galaxy themes, especially in pastel colors, are something I've been into recently.

Now, onto the actual product.

The brooch was in this little plastic bag tied up with a pink ribbon!

And inside the plastic bag was a cloth bag, also pink, that you can see though.  The product was well protected, and I think the cloth bags are darling.  I felt like I was opening a present instead of receiving something I bought online.

Here's the brooch finally unwrapped!  Isn't it adorable?  It's more delicate than I thought it would be.  The wings are made from a very thin material, so I have to be careful not to bend them.  Also, you can see the purple alligator clip through the wings if you look closely.

Taking a look at the back, you can see both clips firmly attached to the cat base, and the base actually has a very clean finish on the back.  Some shops don't put as much care into the back of their clips since they aren't seen, but I appreciate the attention to detail that Sweet Spirits put into this.

Going back to the front, this brooch looks just like the stock photo!  The resin is made well, it has a wonderful sparkle, and the little heart on the front is glued down and sturdy so it won't fall off easily.

I like how there are even ridges in the resin for the whiskers!  Too cute!  It's smooth and lightweight, so whether on a shirt, your bag, or in your hair, this brooch will stay put without being too heavy, and you'll look super cute!

Here's how it looks in an outfit!

As you can see, I used it as a pin on my shirt, and I think it complimented Pikachu well, don't you? XD

I used it as a pink accent with my hair, my striped earrings, and my Sailor Moon cap!  It was a character kind of day.

Since this product is well made, versatile, and easy to coordinate, I give it a 5/5 stars!  The team at Sweet Spirits also sent it well packaged, in a timely manner, and were kind enough to send along cute extras!

If you'd like to get your own Suzy Cat clip, you can get it here for $15!  We can match!

I'll definitely shop at Sweet Spirits again in the future, as my experience with them was a good one!  Make sure you check them out!

I hope you enjoyed the review, and I'll see you in my next post!

xoxo

Martha

I'm Divorcing Kpop

Good Evening lovelies!

I apologize for the long absence, but I was off in Germany studying abroad!  It was amazing, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Now unless you've been living under a rock, you already know that EXO's Kris filed suit against SM Entertainment to have his contract be terminated with the company.  Fortunately, since I was in Germany for the past two weeks, I could stay away from the internet and from most of the crazy fan wars that were circulating.

Unfortunately, that left me to obsess in my own head.

And after thinking about this for a good long while, I had to ask myself something.

Is the escape really worth it?

Kpop, specifically EXO, has been my escape for the past year.  Whenever something would go wrong in my life, I'd turn to these pretty, shiny idols to make me feel better and push away the real world.  In doing so, I did something that I told myself I would never do.  I somehow forgot that idols are people too.  And I'm incredibly disappointed in myself for doing so.  These idols work so hard and in such terrible conditions to make their fans happy, and a lot of fans seem to think it's all sunshine and rainbows for them, or they just don't care either way and just want the shiny costumes and catchy music.

I was wary to get into Kpop for that very reason, but somehow when EXO came along, I got sucked in.  The logical part of my brain was screaming about the JYJ lawsuit, and being a conscious consumer, but the part of me that somehow needed an escape was much stronger than logic.  

I had gotten so sucked in that when the news of Kris's lawsuit broke out, it hit me like a bomb.  I actually cried.  And not just getting teary eyed like a Morning Musume graduation, I mean like the ugly cry.  It was bad.

But at the same time, it was the perfect wake up call.  Reading accounts of his poor health and other such things that I will not mention to give him some sort of privacy, set alarm bells going off in my head.

This is wrong.  This whole system--this machine.  That's the thing about Kpop.  It's a machine, and the idols are just cogs to work it so that their companies can profit from it.  After thinking about it and writing my thoughts down repeatedly, it made me sick to my stomach.  These companies take these young, passionate, talented people and turn them into puppets...

Some fans are calling Kris a traitor and other such things, but can you really blame him for leaving?  When you aren't respected as a human being, let alone an artist, something has to be done.  Humans aren't meant to be kept in cages, whether a literal cage with iron bars, or one shaped like an entertainment company.

Then I decided to look beyond Kris and SM.  I remembered articles I had read in the past and brushed off.  B.A.P's constant promotion cycles with no rest, Secret only allowed one meal a day, T-ara members only getting two to three hours of sleep a night, not to mention Hwayoung's ugly departure.  And so much more, too many horror stories to count.

I had let myself become a part of the machine, supporting the grind of its gears, and I couldn't let myself do that anymore.  The night before I left for Germany I deleted every single Kpop song I had off of my iPod.

Every. Single. Song.

Let me tell you, I have a good chunk of space available now...

It's bizarre really, seeing how this one thing took over my life.  Kpop affected how I thought about the world, about music, and about myself.  I was so obsessed and in so deep it was unhealthy.  I've only been away from it for two weeks and I already feel so much better.

I'm not constantly comparing my looks to girl groups, I'm not trying to make art conform to anyone else's standards but my own...it's like I've found my true self again.

Though as I'm writing this, I did add a few groups back on.  Namely JYJ and Block B.  Those two groups have made names for themselves with companies that treat them fairly (as far as we know), and have found a way around the most hideous parts of the Kpop machine.

It's tough though.  I'll find myself looking for a song and realize I deleted it, and the fact that a large majority of my friends still listen to it makes me a little uncomfortable.  I just don't want to talk about it anymore, and whenever I see someone post something about their favorite Kpop idol, I have to scroll past.

After all of the emotional ups and downs, what I have it down to is this:

I will not listen to Kpop music unless it's from a company that treats its artists well.  So far, that comes to JYJ, Block B, U-Kiss (though that may be debatable for some), and any independent musicians that I can find.  The groups that I loved for so long I now have to push away.

It's not like I don't want to support the idols.  I do.  I think they're all talented and wonderful.  I just can't support them because their companies profit off of them.  And the only way things are going to change is if those companies lose money.  That's the only language they know.

But this change can't start with me.  It can't start with international fans.  It has to start in South Korea, with South Korean fans, since those fans are the ones with the power, and the ones paying most of the money.  Unfortunately, those are the fans that are most loyal to the companies.

I have a feeling it will take a great many years before we see any change to the machine, but until then, I'll be hoping that these idols can survive.  That they can be okay, even though their careers are in the hands of greedy businessmen.  

I think about the members of EXO still.  I hear about their injuries from friends, and I hate to know that they let themselves be treated so terribly.

But then I think of Kris.  It's bittersweet, but I know he has a chance for a new beginning.  He has another chance to define himself as an artist, to pave his own path.  I'll be waiting to see what he does, and whatever it is, I'm sure it will be great.

Thank you, Kris.  Thank you for the wake up call that I so desperately needed.  Thank you for standing up for yourself.  

I hope that young Kpop fans who read this will have a few second thoughts before they choose which companies to support.  I hope that this decision I've made with Kpop can transfer to all music, to all companies.

This situation has helped me start on a path to being a conscious consumer, and a better person.  It's time for the idols in shiny costumes to go away, and to be replaced with something real.