HAPPY BIRTHDAY SLASH YOU SLUTTY MF!!!

HEYYY IT’S MY FAVOURITE AWKWARD GUY’S BIRTHDAY

Okay real talk rn though. As cringe and corny as it may sound, Deftones, and Chino in particular, were a literal saviour for me at some point. Again, I know that so many people say this on a daily basis, but I mean it when I say that these guys saved my life. I would not have survived had it not been for something I started to love this much, developed such a passion for. I fw Deftones on another level. Did 1.5 years ago and still do now.

In most interviews, Chino is described as an overly emotional guy. He’s a little weird (in a good way), sometimes awkward (specifically off-stage), and, especially at the beginning of his career, has some trouble explaining his line of thought or what it is he means when he says something. At least that’s the impression you get when you listen to him speak in an everyday setting. Needless to say, when I saw this dude talking so softly and with so much purpose and yet still getting lost in what point he wanted to get across, I was like “oh yeah that’s my guy.” He also made the best music that ever graced my ears, but that’s beside the point yk.

What I’m trying to say is that despite all of his faults, no matter how difficult other people find him to work with or how many questionable decisions he makes, I will always cite him as an inspiration or at the very least as someone that has made life significantly easier for me, letting me see a little of myself in someone whose talent and work I admire so much.

I know it seems like I just made a point of shitting all over Chino for no reason, but I swear that’s not true. Again, on a weird level, I relate to him and that makes his music mean even more to me. Thank you Chino for Deftones and thank you Chino for being such an amazing guy. Love him sm.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHINO!!!!

I FUCKING LOVE CHI IN LIVE PERFORMANCES

credit to @bm2brad on tiktok

does he ever jump into the crowd normally or no

Songs of the Week (4)

1. Hooker with a Penis (TOOL)

I know I already talked about Aenema on here (please don’t come for me I don’t know how to type out the AE character), but I really rediscovered it recently. In my opinion, this is TOOL’s best album, and Hooker with a Penis is definitely a highlight for me. I don’t even feel like I have to say that musically it’s amazing, mostly because I don’t think I’ve come across a single bad TOOL song, but I’ll mention it anyway because the chorus is absolutely stellar. What really drew me to this song, however, were the lyrics. Definitely some of their best work.

2. 4th of July (Soundgarden)

I don’t know what it is about this song but I’ve been listening to it nonstop for the past week. And by nonstop I mean at least 4 times a day. I’ve never been a big fan of Soundgarden and Superunknown was the only album of theirs I was actually familiar with (because of Black Hole Sun and Spoonman only to be honest), and I never thought I’d ever be this into any of their stuff, but this song did a complete 180 for me. I don’t know what it is about it that makes it so addictive, but it literally takes me to another dimension. I don’t know how to describe what I feel every time I listen to 4th of July, but I HIGHLY recommend it.

3. Сука Любовь (Antoha MC)

I don’t usually recommend Russian music on here because this obviously isn’t a Russian-speaking blog, but I’ll be making an exception for this one. The beat is absolutely heavenly, the vocals are a perfect fit, and the flow of this song is just insane overall. And yes, I know it’s a cover, but I would much rather listen to this version because the original, while not necessarily bad, is a kind of a confusing mix between reggae and 90s Russian pop (at least that’s how I would put it). You don’t need to know the language to enjoy this song, it’s absolutely magical either way.

4. Roads (Portishead)

I don’t think I’ve spoken about my love for Portishead on here yet, so I feel like Roads will be a great place to start. I’m going to be honest and admit that Dummy is the only record of theirs that I actively listen to but I feel like that’s enough because there’s nothing wrong with liking an artist’s most popular album because most of the time, it’s also their best one. Roads is beautiful all around, as is the entirety of Dummy, and as lately I’m increasingly drawn to calmer music, this is currently a perfect fit for me.

5. Heaven or Las Vegas (Cocteau Twins)

I don’t think I’ve spoken about Cocteau Twins yet either, so here’s Heaven or Las Vegas. Personally, I believe it’s the best song off the album, but to each their own. It’s such a summer song for me, and I listen to it whenever I want to be taken back to less stressful times. It’s so kind and weightless, I absolutely love it. I wish I could go into the technicalities of what makes this song as glowing as it is, but I’m not really a musician so I’ll just settle for saying that it overwhelms you in the best way possible; it feels like everything is happening all at once but it just makes the soul feel so light.

6. Reptilia (The Strokes)

Some will say the production sucks but I say it’s a creative decision. The mixing just adds to the ambience, which is amazing, so let it be. I like The Strokes quite a lot, but this song is just something else, it’s just so raw. I’ve already said that what I value most in music is genuineness, and Reptilia is nothing if not genuine. You can say that it’s simple musically, but in this case I, quite frankly, don’t care. The chorus is out of this world and the vocals in it are so beautifully fitting it makes me want to cry. This song also has one of my all time favourite lines on it (“the room is one fire as she’s fixing her hair”) so I will not be taking any criticism.

7. Aenema (TOOL)

I’m closing this week off with the best song off of Aenema. It’s just great, I don’t know what else to say. The repetition of “learn to swim,” the drumming, the flow from section to section, the palpable frustration, the tension buildup throughout the song, the vocal work, god it’s all just perfect. Songs that are this well-balanced and flow this organically are very hard to come by, and I’m endlessly happy I had the opportunity to come by it and the album altogether. This is one of those songs that is literally life-changing, crush-your-soul-and-take-you-to-another-dimension kind of deal. Absolute standout of this week.

Never got the hype for jagged little pill. Maybe im just from the wrong generation to understand the impact of this album or maybe im overlooking something, but is it really good enough to be considered a top 100 album? Yes, its fun, but i feel like there should be more to it for it to be considered impactful for music as a whole. Also how is it possible that the lyrics to this song are absolutely DIABOLICAL but still come across as superficial?

Songs of the Week (1)

1. Bodies (Sex Pistols)

Really got into Sex Pistols this week, can’t get this song out of my head. Questionable messaging aside, this song is brilliant. I rarely find myself able to separate the music from the lyrics, so being able to enjoy this so much is a big deal for me. Indescribable energy.

2. Whale & Wasp (Alice in Chains)

The Jar of Flies EP is a goldmine that just never stops giving. I don’t know what Jerry Cantrell did to make his guitar sound like an actual whale, but this song really takes me places. Breathtakingly beautiful.

3. Disintegration (The Cure)

One of the best songs off this album. I’ve wanted to make a separate post on Disintegration (the album, not the song) for a long time now, just because it’s one of those rare records that I consider to be genuinely flawless. Cried to this song multiple times, I just don’t know how to put into words what it makes me feel.

4. Estranged (Guns N Roses)

I feel like this is an obvious one but out of their entire discography, Estranged is definitely one of my favourites. Absolutely adore Slash’s solos in this one, especially the fact that at some point the guitar becomes a second voice on equal standing with Axl’s vocals. Heartbreaking. Could cry to this for hours, no joke.

5. Guerrilla Radio (Rage Against the Machine)

One of my favourites off of The Battle of Los Angeles. Had the whole album on repeat a lot recently, but this song especially is a godsend. There’s something so special about finding music that you can really call yours, that really fits you. Guerrilla Radio is definitely one of those for me.

6. Problems (Sex Pistols)

I don’t know what it is with me and Sex Pistols this week but I feel like Problems is another song that translates their energy best. It’s provocative and dirty, I’m absolutely in love with it. Anything sporting raw emotion or genuine sentiment is an instant yes for me.

7. Halloween in Heaven (Type O Negative)

The first Type O Negative song in my playlist ever, mostly because I never really liked them much if I’m being honest, but the female vocals somewhere around the middle of the song really won me over. I’ll check out some more stuff from Dead Again, we’ll see where it goes.

ALMOST FORGOT it was the 24th anniversary of White Pony yesterday as well. My second favourite album of all time and definitely the most well-produced Deftones album. A masterpiece that I’m sure I’ll continue to love deep into my adulthood. Also one of the sickest album covers to date, but that’s secondary.

I think I’m gonna start a little rubric with ‘songs of the week’ or something along those lines. I’ve been loving some artists a lot lately and need an outlet to share my favourites.

So starting this week, every Sunday I’ll be making a little post with 7 of my most listened to songs of that week. Hopefully I won’t abandon it and maybe some people will even find new tracks they’ll like.

Idk if it’s a good idea but I guess we’ll see.

if it wasn’t obvious that I fucking love bassists yet, here are cliff burton and jason newsted because I believe they deserve so much more recognition than they get. even though I am admittedly not the biggest fan of metallica (I don’t hate them dw, their music and actions just aren’t always my thing), I can recognise the fucking powerhouses that both cliff and jason were as part of the band.

first of all, like half of the members wouldn’t know basic music theory and chord progressions if it wasn’t for cliff. if I’m not mistaken, he had to teach lars and james what sixteenth notes were. that was how bad things were. like this guy literally MADE metallica, they would legitimately be lost without him.

not to mention cliff’s fantastic work on bass and just insane abundance of musical talent. I personally consider him to be the best musician in metallica, period. rip cliff I fucking love you.

and jason newsted, despite receiving a less than warm welcome after joining the band, managed to build a reputation as one of metallica’s greatest live performers and the unarguable soul of the band. again, fucking love this dude, wish his potential wasn’t crushed and he was allowed to express creatively. what they did to his sound on justice is upsetting to this day.

love these guys.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHI

Nobody knows how much I love this dude. It’s probably visible in my other posts but I genuinely believe that Chi Cheng is incredibly underrated in terms of his impact on Deftones’ music, especially in white pony and the self titled album. Somehow I get the impression that people usually perceive him as more of a nu metal-y, unsophisticated bassist when in reality his baselines are just gorgeous. He also brought something to Deftones that I can’t quite figure out; sometimes it literally feels like he was the soul of this band but hey I wasn’t there yk. AND HIS BACKING VOCALS LORDDD!!!! In a way it’s bittersweet to write this post, mainly because while death is always a touching subject, it’s especially tragic to be writing a happy birthday post about someone who will never celebrate a birthday again and hasn’t in 12 years (in reality it is more, of course).

Chi Cheng was such a bright presence in Deftones and in this world in general. Rest in peace Chi.