Upcoming Music I'm Waiting For (2021)

It’s already four months into 2021, and I figured it was a good time to sit down and compile a better list of all the music I’m waiting for. I already mentioned two of my top upcoming releases back in January—Last Year Was Weird Vol. 3 by Tkay Maidza and The Bitter Truth by Evanescence—so for today I’m going to focus on ones I haven’t already gone over.

 

Untitled album by Kimbra (release date: TBA): There’s not much about this album yet—no title or release date—just THIS tweet on Kimbra’s twitter account. Primal Heart was one of my favorite 2018 albums, so I’m beyond excited about Kimbra coming back with new music.

Pink Noise by Laura Mvula (release date: July 2, 2021): I’m so excited for Laura Mvula’s third studio album. I’ve been listening to Mvula’s music more often lately, and I was just thinking about whether or not she would release another album anytime soon. I saw the announcement for Pink Noise, and it’s undoubtedly one of my most anticipated releases of 2021. Luckily the wait for it isn't too long.

Alpha by CL (release date: TBA 2021): I used to listen to 2NE1 a long time ago. They were one of my favorite groups, and it was sad when they disbanded. That being said, I’m glad CL is back and releasing more music, because the singles released for Alpha are so good so far. I’m really excited for this one.

Planet Her by Doja Cat (release date: TBA): I like Doja Cat’s music, and Hot Pink was one of my favorite albums the year it came out. So I’m looking forward to this one.

Scaled And Icy by Twenty One Pilots (release date: May 21, 2021): I'm so excited for this album! I've been a fan of this band since the Blurryface days, and I've been waiting for the followup to Trench (2018) since its initial release. Luckily the wait for Scaled And Icy won't be too long. 

 

So that’s it for today. This list will of course change as the year goes on, but for now this is everything I’m waiting for. What music are you excited for? Are there any new releases you’ve listened to and enjoyed? If so, leave your suggestions in the comments.

Review: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Title: The Fellowship of the Ring

Series: Lord of the Rings part #1
Author: J. R.R. Tolkien

Source/Format: Purchased; Anniversary Edition
More Details: Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: First published on July 29, 1954

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Synopsis from Goodreads... 

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

Literal, for the longest time, I’ve been meaning to read The Lord of the Rings. It was one of my blogging goals for last year, but I just didn’t get around to it. So I can finally mark the first part off my list, because I have at last read The Fellowship of the Ring.

Going into this one, it was exactly like I thought it was going to be, yet it managed to exceed my expectations anyway. That’s partly because it’s been so long since I watched the movie trilogy, and I didn’t remember much of what happened in them—I’m planning to buy the DVDs so I can rewatch them later, probably after I’ve finished reading the last two parts. And it’s also due to the changes the movies made, which tuned out to be an interesting reading experience.

Generally speaking, The Fellowship of the Ring was a good story. There was a lot of walking and camping across long distances—and some really long conversations—yet the story still had a sense of urgency. The lore was much clearer than I remembered from the movies (take that with a grain of salt, because it’s been years). Still, I had a better appreciation for the attention to detail that went into developing this world.

One of the best aspects about the story was the characters. There were so many different people spread out in Middle Earth, and each one had their own rich history that often had interactions with others—which explained some of the deep grudges or friendships. Frodo and crew were great too. The friendship and comradeship between the hobbits was one of my favorite parts of the story. It came in handy too, considering the scope of the perilous journey they were undertaking.

I have the anniversary edition of The Lord of the Rings, so I will definitely read The Two Towers soon. 

Music Monday (154): Twenty One Pilots, Laura Mvula, Various Artist, Earth, Wind & Fire

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Twenty One Pilots released a new song recently. It's called Shy Away. It's a little more upbeat than some of their other music, but I really like it. I'm also sharing Church Girl by Laura Mvula again, because a music video was released for it last week. And oh gosh, I really love the direction they went with the visuals. It perfectly suits the eighties/nineties pop vibe of the song. 

Adri: I saw the Netflix movie Thunder Force the other week and enjoyed it. So obviously my pick for today is Thunder Force by Corey Taylor, Lzzy Hale, Scott Ian, Dave Lombardo, Fil Eisler, and Tina Guo.

Andrea: I'm currently listening to September, Reasons, and Sing A Song by Earth, Wind & Fire. Have an amazing week!

What new music are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (198) & Book Beginnings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R.R. Tolkien

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

Beginning: "When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was mush talk and excitement in Hobbiton."

56: "Gandalf looked at Frodo, and his eyes glinted."

Comments: I have finally read the first part of The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring. I didn't remember much of the movie trilogy, because it's been so long since I first saw them. I had a lot of fun reading this story. What are you reading this week?

Review: The Case Study of Vanitas Vol. 7 by Jun Mochizuki

Title: The Case Study of Vanitas
Series: The Case Study of Vanitas #7
Author: Jun Mochizuki
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Alternative History; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Yen Press; July 21, 2020

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Chloe is ready to begin her revenge plot and get what she has always wanted - that is, until Vanitas and the Chasseurs showed up. But without his book, Vanitas can do little to help, so it's up to Noé and his vampire hunter allies to buy some time, so Vanitas can work a little magic...

The battle continues in vol. 7 of The Case Study of Vanitas. This was a fantastic addition to the series. It was a fast moving part of the story—taking place in flashbacks and present time in the series—and it seemed like there were revelations and twists around every corner. This was by far one of the most emotional volumes, as some of the outstanding mysteries were finally revealed along with the truth behind the incident of the story’s version of the Beast of Gévaudan.

This was such a complex issue for the characters to solve, and I appreciated all the little historical facts that managed to get into the story. Mochizuki is a master at crafting these situations where there really wasn’t a simple answer. There were many sides to the conflict, and as such most of the characters came to the table with different motivations that happened to be tangled up into this incident. Some had much closer ties to it than others, but either way around their presence in the story set the stage for an epic confrontation.

As always, there was plenty of action and intrigue in vol. 7, and the last chapter ended on a cliffhanger. So I’m definitely going to pick up the next one when it releases later this year.