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McSponge

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Posts posted by McSponge

    McSponge's Spotify 2020 Wrapped Review

    in K-BLUB

    Posted

    Ho boy, 2020 has been quite the year. Musically speaking, it was a very enlightening experience for myself, given the multitudes of artists and genres I’ve listened to. If you look at my 2019 Top 100, you’ll see I had a very narrow range of artists and taste. But 2020, oh look out, we still have ⅗ of the same artists in my top 5.

    5.) Prince

    In 2019 I listened to every album Prince ever released. This essentially made him my number-one artist of the year and subsequently, the decade. Around the anniversary of his death was the only time I heavily relistened to his work. Subsequently, my personal favorite albums from his are 1986’s Parade and 1987’s Sign O’ the Times.

    4.) Beck

    Beck had a lot of impact on me this year, Guero is still one of my favorite records and Colors and Hyperspace have really grown on me as pieces of art. Sure, they might not be the most lyrically defining works from Hansen’s catalogue, but man do they have some great tunes; Seventh Heaven, Square One, No Distractions are all particular favorites on my behalf.3

    3.) KISS

    KISS played a huge role in my musical experience in spring 2019; around February my interest in them rekindled, fizzling out by the start of quarantine. Only a few select songs remain personal favorites of mine that still get the occasional replay.

    2.) Eminem

    Music to be Murdered By came out in January and absolutely fascinated me. I began listening to a lot of his older stuff more, and finished binging him around March/April.

    1.) Red Hot Chili Peppers
    Absolutely not surprised by this, they’ve held a heavy presence in my setlist throughout this entire year.

    Now let’s look at my Top 20 most-listened to tracks, according to Spotify.

     

    20.) This is the Place- RHCP (2002) 4/5

    Kinda surprised to see this so high on the list, considering the numerous other RHCP songs I’ve jammed out to over the year. This is the Place is the chilling third track off of 2002’s By the Way, an excellently layered album full of lyrical and sonic variety. I definitely respect this song more than I enjoy it, it’s a result of constantly shuffling my RHCP playlist over the year and naturally this one happened to arrive in the top 20.

    19.) Not Afraid- Eminem (2010) 4.5/5

    This one was more of my favorite in December 2019, but that love sort of carried over during the early weeks of 2020. Not Afraid is an incredibly uplifting song with an intensely catchy melody. It’s one of my favorite hits from Marshall Mathers, arguably the best of the 2010’s, second to the Monster.

    18.) Baby Be Mine- Michael Jackson (1982) 5/5

    Kinda surprised I listened to this song that much, and it still sounds incredible. I’ve loved this song for years, and frequently revisiting Thriller around Halloween definitely elevated this to the number 18 spot.

    17.) E-Pro- Beck (2005) 4/5

    Early 2020 was dominated by Guero and it’s crunching opening track, E-Pro. It sounds unlike any other Beck song, yet simultaneously sounds definitively Beck. It’s one of his heaviest, best songs with the layered guitars over his intricate flow, you have just an incredible start to an incredible album.

    16.) Minor Thing- RHCP (2002) 4.5/5

    One of the most underrated tracks from the RHCP. That’s all I’m gonna say. If you wanna listen to how beautiful it sounds, check it out yourself.

    15.) Stressed Out- Twenty-One Pilots (2015) 4.5/5

    I used to loathe this song as a young seventh grader, due to radio fatigue. But hearing this song as a Senior really elevated this song to higher standards in my viewpoint. Fall 2020 was dominated by this song, it truly resonates with me as a reflection of age and growth as a person. Not to mention the production is incredible.

    14.) Heartless- The Weeknd (2019) 4.5/5

    I hated it when it came out, but by the time After Hours released, I was in love. Heartless is such a joy to listen to, the Weeknd’s delivery is full of flair and charisma and I have the utmost respect for this song.

    13.) Heart and Soul- Huey Lewis and the News (1983) 4/5

    Heart and Soul miraculously ended up so high due to the amount of times I listened to it in February. I didn’t listen to much at the time, but Huey Lewis and Men at Work dominated my airwaves. Heart and Soul is one of the best of Huey Lewis, it’s probably my favorite track off of Sports, and is general one of the catchiest, danceable songs of the 80’s.
    12.) Can’t Stop- RHCP (2002)

    June-July 2020. That’s when this song received a second wave of love from me. My first wave happened quite a while ago, sometime around spring 2019, but last summer definitely saw me jam out to this banger on multiple occasions.

    11.) American Idiot- Green Day (2004) 5/5

    One of the most poetic songs for me this year, I dub it the anthem of 2020. Not a reflection on Trump or Biden, rather the entire US government for their ineptitude on handling this pandemic. Also it’s a kickass song with excellent instrumentation. I’ve cranked this on multiple occasions throughout the year, it’s really aged like fine wine in a sense.

    10.) Starboy- The Weeknd (2016) 5/5

    For some reason around August/September I really latched onto this song; and I haven’t gone back since. Starboy is just a top tier-Weeknd song; the lyrics don’t make any sense, and they don’t need to. The beat and vocals sell this song alone.

    9.) Never Love Again- Eminem (2020) 3.5/5

    I’m surprised this reached number 9; it is one of the better songs off Music to Be Murdered By, but I suppose it only reached this level because I frequently replayed throughout early 2020. It’s not a bad song, I still find it quite good, but it’s definitely not in my Eminem Top 20.

    8.) Hey- RHCP (2006) 3.5/5

    I suppose this showed up because of simple playlist shuffling. It is a really tranquil track, I’ll give it that. If you just want to zone out and relax, definitely tune into this track.

    7.) Island in the Sun- Weezer (2001) 4/5

    Yes! This deserved to be #7; when I first realized this hit I’ve heard on the radio for years was by Weezer, my heart exploded. From March through August this was a song for the car. An excellent tune when you’re cruising along with friends, or even solo it’s a great track. Island in the Sun is one of Weezer’s greatest hits, and I will continue to defend it to this day..

    6.) Money- Michael Jackson (1995) 3.5/5

    I’m surprised this reached so high on my list, I honestly did not realized I’d listen to it this much. It peaked my interests in February, and honestly it still really holds up. It’s not my favorite MJ track for sure, but Money is definitely one of his most well-written. It dissects the greed that consumes the rich and ultimately has aged incredibly well. Also, Jackson opens up his lower register on this track and I find it just phenomenal.
     

    5.) Juicy- The Notorious B.I.G (1994) 4/5

    If it weren’t for Covid, this would probably be my defining song of the spring. Juicy is a glamorous look into the life of the late Christopher Wallace. I adore the production on this song, Biggie’s smooth and iconic flow over the funky bass is excellent. It doesn’t even feel like Wallace is trying to flex on his audience, he remains grateful in his presentation, humbled at the life he’s been granted because of his success. It’s one of hip-hop’s finest moments of rappers presenting their wealth and luxury.

    4.) Blinding Lights- The Weeknd (2019) 5/5

    It may be overplayed, but damn do I love this track. It’s one of the biggest hits of the year, and rightfully so. It’s retro, yet modern synthline, and hauntingly profound vocals make for a sonically atmospheric experience. 

    3.) Dani California- RHCP (2006)  4.5/5

    If there’s any song I’d love to represent my top band of the year, it’s Otherside. However, if I had to choose a second song to represent my love for the Chili Peppers, Dani California is excellent in that regard. Symbolically, it’s the song that got me into RHCP in the first place, and it still remains one of their greatest jams in their discography. I adore Frusciante’s guitar work on this song, he and the band are just killer on this track.

    2.) Godzilla- Eminem (2020) 4.5/5

    I have no regrets enjoying this song way more than it rightfully deserves. A posthumous feature from an artist I don’t even listen to, a beat that was incredibly annoying first listen-through, and everybody’s favorite “Eminem flexing his rap capabilities to the point of being overbearing.” And it’s still amazing, it came on recently for me and I saw no problem with my constant listening of this track from February through April. 

    1.) Buddy Holly- Weezer (1994) 3.5/5
    I was super shocked to see this hit number-one, but I’m sort of glad it did. Unlike Godzilla or Starboy which stretched a specific period of time, Buddy Holly’s always sort of been there. It’s the track that got me into Weezer (Albeit it took awhile for me to find a song I liked as much as this one). Again, throughout the year it’d be my go-to Weezer track, and even when I wasn’t in a Weezer mood, sometimes I’d just jam out to this song. A great song from a good album from an okay band in a bad year. Oh well, I don’t really care ‘bout that.

    • Like 1

    Thoughts on the Post-Sequel Era

    in Bikini Bottom

    Posted

    This show was at its best when it was still trying to replicate the writing of the pre-movie seasons (Season 4/9B). Anytime the writers ward off this path and try to do their own things, SpongeBob isn't SpongeBob, just some B-grade cartoon that happens to have the SpongeBob aesthetics/characters.

    We've been misled all along

    in Bikini Bottom

    Posted

    On 4/30/2020 at 8:21 PM, President Squidward said:

    So the person dubbed it or was it made by a different person

    The famous video was probably stolen. If you listen to his "sequel" his voice doesn't sound the same.

    The original channel only has one other video, and judging from its content, this man has been robbed.

     

    We've been misled all along

    in Bikini Bottom

    Posted

    This is SpongeBob related so it's relevant to the forum. Look at the date of the iconic "Oh yeah Mr. Krabs video." Uh-huh, March 4th, 2009. Well take a look at this...

     

    May 4th 2007. With only about five thousand views. We've been living a lie for years.

    • Like 1
    • Wow 2

    SpongeBob Spin-Offs officially in the works

    in SpongeBob Universe

    Posted

    I'd love a Squidward spin-off, particularly a prequel series (Believe it or not, even though I loathe the concept of Kamp Koral), it'd be interesting to see Squidward in his high school days with Squilliam, etc.

     

    Still, I wouldn't be surprised if this spinoff is terrible, considering its conception derives from prosperity of a franchise, rather than a genuine artistic drive.

    The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 3: Sponge on the Run News

    in Bikini Bottom

    Posted

    Animation isn't horrible, but the 2D of SoOW was so beautiful, it's a crime they aren't making a 2D film because it's not as "commerically profitable" as CGI films. Load of garbage.

    Still, the animators work with what they have, and the film has a better style than the cheaper CGI of SoOW. I don't mind the animation as much as I thought I would, it's surprisingly colorful, expressive, sort of reminds of the Peanuts Movie.

    The story line...eh....

    Have You Seen This Snail? And the jokes are lame. I don't expect Pre-Movie-level jokes, for god's sake, the pre-movie era ended over fifteen years ago. But the humor is kind of generic, fairly basic. I know modern episodes rely too much on visual gags (I haven't watched a new episode in like over a year though, so I don't know what's changed in terms of writing), but since this film has a jerkier, less spastic/loose style, it makes me wonder how well the humor will hold up in this film. Also I don't know what the context of Keanu Reeve's appearance is, but it's easily the highlight of the trailer. No need for it, but it's so perfect. 

     

    I don't think I'll ever feel right watching this, knowing Hillenburg isn't overseeing the project, especially with the shady spin-off commissions from the network.

    SCOOB!

    in Culture Shock

    Posted

    The fact that Mathew Lillard went through those dreaded live-action movies, was handpicked to take over the voice of Shaggy after Casey Kasem's retirement, and had been delivering a faithful and enjoyable performance as Shaggy for nearly a decade now, and he was still replaced by a cheap celebrity is disgraceful. Lillard was good enough to perform Shaggy in cinemas before, why not now? I enjoy the designs and animation, yet the writing is a little iffy, while the voice acting is lame. I mean, removing Scooby's impediment is kind of necessary if he's going to be speaking a lot over the length of a movie, yet there's no reason for these celebrity VA's. Just have the celebrities voice side characters, the disrespect towards Welker, the sole remaining original voice actor, for over fifty years now, shoving him aside the role of Fred by Zac Efron, it's just a shame. I don't think the VA's are terrible, but clearly there's a quality drop in their voices. 

    • Like 3

    Toy Story 4

    in Culture Shock

    Posted

    It was good. Obviously not as good as the original trilogy, but I think it was a pretty good movie all around. Definitely the best Pixar sequel (Outside of the previous Toy Story Sequels).

    Pros

    • The animation was beautiful, the best looking animated Pixar movie yet, only Spiderverse really tops it in terms of CG animation
    • They really tackled Woody brilliantly. I think he's probably the most likable of a protagonist yet, which is really saying something for his character development considering how much he's evolved from a stuck-up jerk to a consistently paranoid yet well meaning guy, to finally letting it all go, and doing what makes him happy in life.
    • All the new characters were really solid. Bunny and Ducky (I prefer to call them Stuff n' Fluff) exceeded my expectations, they were great comedy reliefs, compared to how annoying the trailers made them appear. The villain's alright, I like what they did with her, Duke Caboom is an awesome new character, Forky is fantastic, completely exceeded all expectations, hilarious and a totally likable new character. Giggle McDimples was the only one I thought was alright. She wasn't good, but she wasn't terrible.
    • Speaking of the villain, thank god we didn't have to sit through all that "Twist villain" crap, and right from the get-go, she's the villain. Really preferred the sympathetic twist on her character rather than the norms of mediocre modern-day villains. Loved her henchmen too, the Bensons were hilarious. Also, her mini-arc wraps up really good.
    • Bo is no longer boring, finally.
    • This movie is a lot funnier than it should've been. Surprisingly I got some really good laughs out of this film. That key joke is fantastic, the hilarious cutaway buildups, and that payoff, oh my god, the pacing of this joke is so brilliant, by far the funniest part of the film. I loved the toys messing with Bonnie's dad when they were fooling around, controlling the RV. It had some real Pizza Planet TS2 vibes, really hilarious stuff. Also, Buzz is really funny in this movie.

    Cons

    • You don't have to tell me twice, they completely misused the ensemble cast. I get it, it's kind of a Toy Story 1 situation, you can't have all the toys leave, otherwise things would get suspicious. But I can't believe how little screen time they get. Like the trailers hyped it up to be yet another Toy Story 2 situation, but surprisingly not. I guess 3 just balanced out the ensemble so perfectly, it was a little too jarring dropping down to like a few characters, rather than a whole group. The biggest problem I had with this was Buzz and Jessie. Buzz has a lot less screen time than the previous films. I get it's a Woody-centered story, but Buzz is Woody's best friend. Considering how important this is to Woody's arc, Buzz should've had a much more prominent role. At least he has some kind of role, unlike Jessie. I was really surprised how little Jessie was used in this film. She practically established herself as a main character in 2, why she didn't have a bigger role is beyond me. She has a larger role in the promotional material for this film than the actual movie itself. Hands down the biggest disappointment was how sparsely Jessie was used.
    • Gabby Gabby wasn't much of a threat to the characters. Yeah she had henchmen, but after seeing Lotso's tight grip on Sunnyside, how he ran the place, he was a menace, he was an unstoppable force to be reckoned with, he was intimidating to the characters. Gabby, her whole villainous grip on the Antique Store just feels like a sub-par Lotso. I like the sympathetic character building stuff, but as a villain, she's incredibly weak. Nowhere near as interesting as Lotso or even Stinky Pete.
    • Buzz seemed a little too out of character here. He always had his dopey, naive moments every now and again (Schmoes), but he felt a little too dippy in this film, even for my taste. I liked the whole conscience bit, but it got way too far when he relied on this stupid (Albeit funny) running gag during the emotional climax of the film. They dumbed him down a little too much, he should've been wiser and accompany Woody during the final trek. That way the ending could be actually impactful, Buzz and Woody are supposed to be best friends, but they barely do anything together in this movie, so there's sort of an empty feeling when they're split up. Oh, and speaking of the ending.
    • The ending. I have very mixed feelings on the ending. On one hand, I didn't want to see Woody go because 3 had just...such a perfect ending to all the characters. Yeah, this plays into that, 4 is unnecessary, but a pretty good addition to consistent lineup of films. Surprisingly, probably the best fourth movie I've ever known of. So yeah, I felt, well if they wanna justify this film's existence, they need to do something impactful with the characters, which is exactly what the film did with Woody. In the film's context, it makes perfect sense. The film drops these hints, plays with Woody's emotions, and give you an idea of how he's not the special toy anymore in Bonnie's life, and doesn't really need to be there. Of course this contradicts Woody's motivations in the previous films, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole. I'd be more comfortable with Woody leaving had the ending not felt so rushed. The ending is super rushed, there's nothing heartfelt about his goodbyes to Buzz or any of the other characters. Yeah, it's sad, but in the context of the film, we hardly see him interact with the other toys. I mean yeah, we know how close he was to them in past films, but there's no emotional buildup to this ending. And I don't feel like Buzz would be so insistent on letting Woody leave. I feel like it should've been harder for both of them to grasp, maybe a moment of quiet for them to reflect on all the old times. Don't have Buzz tell Woody to go, make that connection through motion, have Buzz and Woody hug, an initially shocked and suddenly somber face covers Jessie, she rushes to Woody and hugs him, all the toys gather around and hug him (Kind of like in the actual film), and then have Woody walk off. Give time to breathe, have a heavier emphasis on how hard of a decision this departure is. Because it would be an emotional mess for the toys, this is their longtime good friend. Then of course you could end the film with those closing words. They'd feel a lot more impactful without Buzz shoving Woody out of the door. A much better version to an ending I didn't even want in the first place.
    • I also wanted a cameo from Andy during the mid-credits scene :p

     

    Overall I really did like this film. It had it's faults, but it was still a solid movie.

    • Like 1

    Van Halen

    in K-BLUB

    Posted

    Don't care if it's a bump, Van Halen w/ Roth rules. I do like the Van Hagar era, I have listened to some songs from that era that I really enjoy (Including the criminally underrated, yet somewhat poorly mixed It's About Time from The Best of Both Worlds comp. album). But I'm definitely a Roth-era fan, Van Halen I & Van Halen II are two of the greatest rock albums in music history, just about every track off these two are fantastic. I do think Women & Children First & Mean Street are a step down from the first two albums, but they're still great rock albums, especially with such hits as Unchained and Fools. I do consider 1984 overrated (Van Halen II is so underrated simply because it's cited as being just the first album continued with nothing new added to its sound), yeah the hits are fantastic, but the weaker tracks like Top Jimmy and Drop Dead Legs are incredibly inferior to VH1/VH2's weaker tracks (Ice Cream Man, On Fire, Outta Love Again, etc.). A Different Kind of Truth has some great songs, too, like The Trouble with Never, She's the Woman, Stay Frosty, etc.

    Before Courage (Courage the Cowardly Dog prequel)

    in Culture Shock

    Posted

    Seems like a better concept than a continuation since the series ended perfectly. I'd rather this, especially considering they wouldn't have to deal with the passing of Eustace's 2nd VA (Yes, I know he had a 3rd one in the short from a few years back, but I personally can't stand Wallace Shawn's performance. His tone just doesn't fit the elderly grouch that is Eustace Bagge)

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