#But god- It's such a fun earworm of a song that I can just turn my brain off and have fun with it | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

songbirdstyles · 5 years ago

Text

kodachrome.

summary: you give harry a camera for his birthday and the two of you are more than excited to put it to good use.

warnings: smut, 18+

word count: 5k

song inspo.: kodachrome - paul simon

It’s true that you may have had ulterior motives with Harry’s birthday gift.

His hands are delicate, fingertips running across the surface of the Polaroid camera as though he’d break it if his grip got any tighter. The packs of film you’d purchased with the camera rest on the coffee table, being thoroughly ignored while Harry examines his gift, and you duck your head just a bit to read his expression. Slightly confused, brows furrowed, a small grin tugging at his lips - it’s what you’d expected with a gift like this, because it isn’t as though either of you need a camera. Surely both of your phones are better quality than the photos you’ll be taking with the Polaroid but it’s for the aesthetic, you suppose.

“Do you like it?” you question, voice soft.

Harry rests the camera on his lap and glances up at you, large hand moving to rest over your knee through your jeans. “Well, I love it, ‘course.”

There’s a second part of his response that’s left unsaid - perhaps the question of why you’d gotten him it - so you lean in, chin resting on your boyfriend’s shoulder and your lips drifting dangerously close to his ear. Just enough that you know his jeans are growing tighter and he shifts in his seat on your living room couch as if to prove it to you. “Thought it might be fun to start taking pictures of each other.”

A beat passes with silence, and then he turns his head to look at you, nearly bemused by the concept, as though he doesn’t know exactly what you’re implying. “Wha’ kinda pictures?”

You hum softly, reaching over to the coffee table to pick up one of the film packages, already beginning to tear open the wrapper. “The kind that’ll make touring more fun for both of us.”

Harry pauses, eyes narrowing at your fingers ripping open the crinkly film packaging, and you can practically hear his rebuttal of the idea before he says it. “Thought we said no nudes - people could find ‘em, babe.”

“Physical copies are more secure than digital ones,” you tell him, picking up the camera from his lap to put the film in. “Are you telling me you don’t want to take pictures of me sucking you off to have with you on tour? ‘Cause that’s very out of character for you, Mr. Styles.”

He snorts and the familiar sound is like music to your ears, and then he reaches over to grab the film-loaded Polaroid from your hands, fingers tracing over the small rainbow printed on the front of the camera. “I do,” he confesses, voice dropping in a way you recognize all too well, and your stomach drops with it. “Yeah, I do.”

You lean sideways, resting against the arm of the couch as Harry shifts to face you, raising the camera up to his face with a grin gracing his lips that doesn’t at all match the mood of what you do next - mere seconds before Harry takes the picture, you grip onto the hem of your shirt, tugging it up and over your chest for the camera to capture as his mouth drops into a soft ‘o.’

The click of the photo being taken is nearly deafening against the sudden thick silence, flash blinding you for just a moment and you’re left blinking furiously to regain sight as Harry lowers the camera to his lap. The camera spits out the photo, still white and undeveloped, and he picks it up with delicate fingers to rest it on the couch cushion between you two.

Your shirt drops back over your chest as you shift closer to Harry, pretending like you don’t hear the way his breathing has picked up and how his eyes keep darting to examine your side profile as if trying to see if you’re as affected as the photo as he is - and you are, of course. It’s possibly one of the hottest things you could ever imagine doing with him, taking photos like that, and you can’t lie and say that the redness blooming in his cheeks isn’t adding to the moisture you’re feeling in your panties.

You drag your thumb over the image slowly developing on the Polaroid between you. You can see the beginnings of the outline of your body, though it’s too light to discern the details yet. “Starting to come to. What do you think?”

It’s a stupid question and you already know the answer but it’s more gratifying to hear the way Harry’s voice cracks as he begins, “S’hot.”

“Just hot?”

“Like, g’na cum in m’pants hot.”

You grin and Harry turns his head and it’s practically all you can do to lean in, press your lips to his and feel his hand, pressing to your thigh and sliding upwards. Even through your jeans, his fingers so close to the spot you’re yearning for him has your stomach turning, and you raise your palm to press delicately against his cheek, holding his face close to yours. His breath smells and tastes like the birthday cake you’d been eating in the kitchen with a tinge of expensive wine from dinner with all of your friends but above all he tastes like Harry, the man you love so much, the man who’s reaching down to the couch between you two and picking up the Polaroid with two careful fingers.

“Look,” Harry hums softly as he pulls away from you and you look down at the picture to examine it with him. It’s you, in full color, fingers gripping the hem of your shirt tight above your breasts, exposing the cherry-red bra you’re donning beneath. It’s Harry’s favorite bra of yours - meant to be a surprise for later tonight but you don’t think he’ll mind seeing it early. The photo cuts off halfway up your face but you can see your smirk, smug as you saw the shock on his face just as the photo took. “S’developed.”

Harry’s soft moans are like music to your ears - like a favorite song and you’d love nothing more than to listen to it on repeat, plug in your headphones and tilt your head back until it’s stuck in your head like an earworm.

For now, though, you’re more than content to enjoy them in the moment, and God, you’re enjoying it. He’s always vocal in bed but even more so when you ride him, when his fingers are digging bruises into your thighs to help your movements up and down and the only words that manage to fall off of his lips are breathy cries of your name like prayer, as though you’re a goddess and he’s merely a worshipper at your altar.

Your hips slow into a gentle roll against his, clit brushing up against his pelvic bone in a way that has a chill rolling up your spine, and your hand slides from its place on Harry’s chest to his throat. Wraps around his neck just so, squeezing experimentally to listen to the way his moans crackle in the thick, humid air of your London bedroom, and a rush of arousal gushes to your core at the sight and sound.

“Look at me,” you order Harry, and you think you understand why he’s always so reluctant to hand you the reins when you want them. There’s something special about being above him, knowing that you can control what he does with just an authoritative lilt in your voice - even if he has the strength to flip you over at any moment. Deep down, you reckon he likes being below you sometimes just as much as you adore being on top. When he doesn’t obey your commands, eyes still rolled to the back of his head, you pause your movements completely, and his eyes fly open as if you’d pried them open. “Look at me, Har.”

You tighten your hand around his throat again as his eyes bore into yours, pupils clouded with lust that you’re sure are reflected in your own. When you’re positive he won’t look away from you, his hips bucking up in just the slightest for any semblance of movement, you resume your motions. Roll your hips just once against his, moan catching in your throat, and you keep going. You lift your hips up, thighs trembling to hold yourself up before sinking back down, feeling him fill you again and again.

“Fuck -” Harry gasps, tone cracking and you grin down at him, slamming your hips into his hard enough that the sound of skin slapping skin nearly overpowers his voice - but it doesn’t, and you’re oh so glad that you could hear it. “Feels - feels so good, babe.”

As dominant as you’re trying to be, his praise nearly makes you break and it would be the perfect moment for him to grab your thighs and flip you over but you regain your composure just as fast as you’d lost it. Your voice is shaky as you loosen your grip ever so slightly on his neck, leaning backwards enough so your clit is on display for him, glistening wet with the mixture of your juices together. “R - rub my clit for me.”

And he complies, hand sliding down his sweaty abdomen until two fingers are pressed to your clit, rubbing soft circles into the overly sensitive nub but you don’t want soft, you want hard. So you push your body forward, pressing your clit further into his fingers and he’s not stupid - he catches the hint and presses down harder, circles tightening into hard rubs that has your head dropping back, sweaty hair sticking to your back.

“God,” you tell him, rocking your hips more against his as a reward, “feels so good, Har. Doin’ so good - keep doing that.”

And he does, of course. Keeps rubbing your clit like he was born for it and in return you ride him with the new form of vigor that he earns, eyes rolling back into your head. When you look back down at him, grip tightening like a noose around his throat, you’re nearly overwhelmed by how fucking spectacular he looks. All sweaty hair, mouth dropped open in a permanent ‘o’ and his eyes struggling to stay open.

You could decide to merely engrave it in your brain for all eternity, but you have a better idea to memorialize it.

You swallow thickly, hips slowing to a near halt as Harry’s eyes fly completely open, threatening to complain. “R - reach into the drawer, Har. The nightstand.”

You can read the confusion on his face clear as day but he follows your orders, reaching over to tug open the nightstand drawer. Sitting inside, clear as day, sits the white Polaroid camera, and Harry knows what to do before you tell him to. He picks it up with one shaky hand and you immediately reach to grab it from him, turning it over briefly in your hands before raising it up to your face.

Briefly your hips roll over his, gentle but enough for him to rest his head back into his pillow, lips turning upwards into a satisfied grin and you know that’s the best shot you’ll get - his face contorted with pleasure, hair spread out over the pillow, and the flash of the picture being taken only makes the scene look that much more angelic.

You grab the photo with two shaking fingers and lift it up to examine it, resting the camera on the bed beside you. It hasn’t developed and so you shake it just for a moment, feeling increasingly needy to fucking see it but you know it will take time - and you certainly have a lot of that.

“Open up,” you direct and he obeys, mouth dropping open and you insert the picture onto his mouth, watching his teeth and lips clamp onto it. “Now, keep it nice like that ‘till it develops. You can do that, can’t you? ‘Course you can.”

“Keep those eyes on me, babe.”

It’s a task that’s easier said than done, eyes rolling nearly completely back in your head as you search to meet Harry’s. When your eyes find his it’s difficult to maintain, vision nearly completely upside down as you hang off the edge of the bed of your Malibu hotel room, fingers gripping so tight onto the duvet you’d be surprised if your nails hadn’t torn through the fabric. Gripping the coversis the only way to not reach out for Harry’s thighs and he’d forbid you from doing so with the threat of not being able to cum - a risk you’re rather unwilling to take.

His fingers brush your neck, surely searching for the bulge indicative of how far his cock is shoved down your throat, and you can tell he’s found it when he squeezes just hard enough to have your vision go fuzzy. Your tongue swirls around the swollen tip of his cock, feeling him slide out of your mouth just enough for you to press a gentle kiss to the tip, his hiss showing how much he appreciated the gesture before he’s pushing back in your mouth.

He’d been starting slow, fucking your throat gentle to make sure you’re alright with it. It’s not often that you do this - you prefer to be on your knees for him, with his hands in your hair to occasionally force you to go faster. But there is certainly something better about this, struggling to keep your eyes open and feeling blood rush to your head while trying to keep your sore jaw wide open for Harry to fuck.

Eventually, though, the slow pace had been abandoned and you can feel him picking up the pace, hips bucking into your face just fast enough to make you feel like you’re losing your damn mind but you wouldn’t have it any other way, even if you’re nearly gagging on him with every other thrust.

“God,” Harry moans, and through your blurred vision you can see his palms coming down to cup your face, using his leverage on your cheeks to increase his speed. “God, look so fuckin’ - fuckin’ pretty, baby. So pretty, takin’ my dick so well. Look at tha’ - moan f’me, babe.”

And you do, of course. You moan desperately and it’s muffled as his pelvis presses nearly flat to your face, holding himself there, and your cheeks hollow as you suck him, and you watch him toss his head back with sheer ecstasy and it encourages you to hold out for just another extra second before your hand flies towards his thigh, smacking twice, and he pulls out of you immediately until only the tip of his member rests on your tongue.

His thumbs massage your jawline as you flick your tongue over the tip of his cock, taking the second of pause to catch your breath and relish in his touch. It’s only a moment, though - you jerk your head just once up and he takes the gesture as it is, an invitation to keep going.

“There y’go,” Harry breathes, hands sliding downwards until he’s grasping your throat, heels of his hands massaging the lump in your throat as he had before. “Should take a picture of you - remember this forever.”

Do it, you want to shout at him. You love when he takes pictures and you’d love nothing more than to see yourself from his perspective but it seems that he didn’t need your suggestion - resting on the bed is his Polaroid camera from when you’d dumped your bags when you’d first gotten to the hotel and it’s become a traveling staple since you’d gotten it for him - you two never forget to bring it with you.

His fumbling hands raise the camera to his face, cock still thrusting in and out of your willing mouth and you make sure your eyes are open when the flash goes off, the click intensely loud in the hotel room. Your tongue swirls around his cock, grinning as Harry pulls the photo from the bottom of the camera and tosses it onto the bed, hand sliding down from your throat to your tits and his fingers pluck at your nipple just as the flash goes off again and the camera spurts out another image.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen,” your boyfriend murmurs, hips thrusting his cock further into your mouth and you gag around him before loosening your throat to take him, no way of encouraging him to continue but he doesn’t need it. “M’so fuckin’ close - and m’gonna cum on your face, and in your mouth, too. D’you want that?”

You nod.

“Knew you would.” His face is nearly adoring as he stares down at you and it’s an expression that doesn’t match the absolute filth of what’s in your mouth. “When I’ve painted your face like - like fuckin’ Michelangelo - m’gonna take another picture, and then m’gonna fuck you.”

It sounds just about perfect to you and you nod vehemently, Harry’s palm closing in around your breast and squeezing and in turn, you tighten your throat around his length and it gets the response you’d wanted - a sharp buck of his hips, and then he pulls out of your mouth.

Your lips close in around the tip of his cock, sucking on the swollen head and you can tell by the way his head drops back that he’s there - just a moment later, his hand pumping his cock, thick ribbons of cum spurt from the head and it’s warm as it lands on your face, and your tongue darts out to lick at the bit of it that had landed near your lips.

His breathing is heavy, desperately trying to catch his breath and it has a rush of pride coursing through your veins - only you do this to him, leave him needy and desperate and just as the smirk graces your lips, he’s muttering, “Say cheese,” and the flash illuminates your hotel room once more.

There’s something almost relaxing about having Harry’s face between your thighs.

It’s a sensation you’ll never tire of no matter how often it happens - and with his absolute adoration for the act, it happens often. Sometimes it’s hard and intense, fingers digging into your thighs and leaving bruises that won’t vanish for days, but other times - like now - it’s nearly offhanded. Lazy and gentle, his tongue swirling around your clit as your fingers lightly brush through your hair, your free hand clutching Harry’s Polaroid, waiting for the best moment to take the picture you’re yearning.

Your fingernails scratch at his scalp, digging deeper into his head as his teeth brush against your clit just enough to have your back arching upwards, hips bucking up into his mouth as a soft moan escapes your throat. You can practically feel Harry smirking as his tongue rests flat over your folds, juices gushing to the apex of your thighs at the motion.

His breath is hot against your cunt as his lips close around your clit, tongue flicking over the sensitive bud and his palms smooth up and down your thighs, gently holding your lower body down before your hips can buck up to meet his mouth again. “Try not to move,” Harry mumbles against your pussy, voice sending vibrations rolling through your body and a chill slithers up your spine, head dropping back onto the arm of your living room couch. The movie playing on the television - Groundhog Day - has been long forgotten, abandoned from the moment he pushed you to lie on the couch and pushed off your sweatpants. “C’mon, baby - stay still f’me.”

You swallow thickly, raising the camera to your face and peering at Harry through the small screen. You can’t see his face - just the mess of curls on top of his head and your fingers combing through the locks - his palms, smoothing over your thighs gently - his eyelashes, on display while his eyes remain shut with pleasure. He tells you, again and again, that he loves eating you out more than you do and you’ve always rolled your eyes because there’s no way in hell he likes it more than you -

But sometimes you do believe him.

“Do that again, Har,” you murmur, voice dropping into a breathy cry as Harry repeats what you’d asked him to, his nose nudging at your clit while his tongue flicks at your folds. It’s at that moment that you take the first picture, flash illuminating the slick that coats your mound in a way you hadn’t noted before - at the sudden brightness Harry looks up and you can see your wetness surrounding his chin and mouth, pure proof of how hard he’s been working your cunt, and you take another picture.

The two images fall into your palms and you rest them on your stomach, tugging your shirt further up your torso so they lay flat on your skin. Harry’s eyes drift upwards for just a moment, scanning the faded outline of your legs wrapped around his shoulders and you can see the beginnings of a smirk working his lips before he turns back to the task at hand, tongue parting your cunt before it slips inside of you, thrusting in and out.

“Fuck,” you breathe, legs tightening around his shoulders and forcing his head further into your cunt, and he moans into your folds at the motion. “Fuck!”

“Y’like tha’?” Harry questions, voice rolling through your body again and you toss your head back with a moaning sob, pushing your hips further up to him. “Yeah, y’do.”

“Har -” you swallow thickly as his lips close around your clit, cheeks hollowing as he sucks. “Har - oh my god, I’m gonna - gonna cum -”

“Cum f’me,” and his voice is gruff and desperate, practically a plead for you to cum on his tongue, to bless him with your juices. “Cum on m’tongue.”

Whatever he’d been spouting before about keeping still is long forgotten, your hips bucking upwards to meet his mouth as your orgasm washes through you. It’s intense and near brutal, not any sort of match for the energy Harry had been maintaining but it doesn’t matter - it’s so relieving that you don’t try to fight it, just let your body relax and your head fall back with what’s nearly a scream.

His flexed tongue continues lazily thrusting in and out of your cunt, helping you through your orgasm like it hadn’t affected him one bit but you know that isn’t true. You can see his lips, turned into a grin and his eyes darkened when he glances up at you, hands on your thighs sliding across your skin until his thumbs lazily pull apart your lips, giving him easier access to the parts of you he craves.

He’s going for your second orgasm - you know that. And you also know it won’t be too long until you get there, especially when his thumb focuses on your clit, massaging the over-sensitive nub as your cunt clenches vehemently around his tongue.

Click. One final picture, of Harry’s hands and face pressed to your pussy, devoted to getting you off and not worried in the slightest about his own neediness. When you’ve rested it to your stomach, next to the other two fully-developed images, you let your arm fall off the side of the couch, letting the camera slip from your fingers and land silently on the carpet, more than intent to focus solely on your boyfriend between your thighs.

Within moments you’re at the edge again, Harry’s face deepening between your thighs to help you ride out your second. Your hips roll against his lips, his thumbs rubbing your clit until you’re sobbing out towards the ceiling, heels digging into his back and forcing his body towards yours. You’re so lost in the sensation, in fact - and on the developed Polaroids sitting on your tummy - you hardly register his mumble of, “Think y’got a third one f’me?” But when you do -

Fuck.

On Harry’s next birthday, you have a very different gift idea planned.

The plane tickets to Greece were the main course - a vacation you’d both dreamt of taking for as long as you’d known each other and you’d never gotten around to it, but you figure there’s no time like the present to knock it off your bucket list. And you could tell Harry was overjoyed, turning and wrapping you in a hug so large you nearly fell off of your seat in the middle of his favourite restaurant.

The side to the main course, though - the appetizer? - is what you’d been waiting for him to open, and not in the middle of the restaurant. It’s only when you two get home, your arms hooked together, giggling like teenagers as Harry fumbles with his keys, that you pull out the small envelope with his name scribbled on the front in red pen.

“Go ahead,” you tell him, pushing yourself to sit on the marble countertops in your kitchen while Harry situates himself between your legs, turning the envelope over in his hands with the same lingering curiosity he’d held last year. “It’s not gonna bite you, Har. Just open it.”

He rolls his eyes at that, a grin tugging his lips upwards as his fingers dig into the paper, tearing the envelope delicately open and you can tell he’s trying not to rough up the wrapper too much, in case he’ll want to keep it for sentimentality but you’re positive that, once he finds what’s inside, he won’t care too much.

Then he dumps the contents of the envelope onto your lap, ten small Polaroid pictures falling onto your dress where it covers your thighs, some face up and some down and as soon as Harry’s eyes scan then, you can see the red blush creeping up his cheeks.

“You fuckin’ minx,” he breathes, and you grin, leaning forward to drop your forehead against his shoulder just as Harry picks up the first Polaroid. Turning it over in his hands you glance down to look at which one he’s examining - it’s a close up he’d taken, his palm wrapped around your neck tight enough that his fingers turned white and you can remember the exact moment. How you’d whined and begged him to go harder, to God, fuck me like a whore, Har, and he’d responded by grabbing your throat so tight you saw stars before he released you.

“I like that one,” you confess, nail dragging over the edge of your jawline where it’s cut off by the camera before you reach down to your lap, overturning every image so you can see them all before grabbing one. “This one - it’s my favorite, though.”

You hold the picture up for Harry to see, watching his eyes narrow as he scrutinizes it. It’s a picture of his back, taken when he’d been bent over putting on pants the morning after Valentine’s Day - you’d intended to be inconspicuous, memorializing the array of deep red scratches you’d left on his skin the night before and you were beyond grateful when you saw the developed image. He’d complained when he heard the click of the camera, telling you that if anyone gets their hands on this, they’ll think I’m being abused - but you knew he liked it, because you caught him peeking at it on your dresser during the next few weeks.

It’s a nice thing to do to include it in his gift, though you’d love nothing more than to frame it on your wall to have there forever.

Harry hums gently, grabbing the picture from your fingers and dropping it back to your lap. You can feel his fingertips, drumming along your thighs as he sorts through the photos. “I remember this one,” he tells you, picking up the end of one of the pictures so you can both see it. Your cheeks flush when you see it - you’d picked it to commemorate the very first (and certainly not the last) time the two of you had tried anal. “God, came so fuckin’ hard tha’ day. Look at tha’ - how red your ass is, fuckin’ beginn’ be to spank you -”

“Alright,” you interrupt, feeling heat creep up your neck to your cheeks as you smack the photo out of his hands. It’s a shaky picture, taken while he was balls deep in your ass, his palm spreading your cheeks apart to get the best angle of his cock inside of you - you remember how good it felt, watching the flash illuminate the room and hearing Harry moan as the photo developed where he’d placed it on your back. The Polaroid lands back on your lap and you reach down, sorting through the array of images until you find the one you’re searching for. “Here - thought you’d like this one the most.”

And - God - when he sees it, grabbing it out of your hands to examine up close, you swear you can hear him whine with need as he brings it up to his eyes. It’s a photo of the two of you in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror that had been at one of your hotel rooms and neither of you could pass up the chance to watch yourselves during the moment. Your dress, pulled down over your chest, his hand covering your breasts with his head buried in your neck, and you remember feeling him pressed inside of you, both so desperate and needy that you needed to capture it.

“I was right, wasn’t I?” You prod, pressing your lips to the side of Harry’s throat as his head drops to the side. It was, perhaps, the best sex you two had ever had - you couldn’t walk for a week without thinking of him. “You love it.”

“I do love it,” he confirms, hand snaking around your side to begin tugging your dress up your sides. “Reckon it’s not too early to start working on another year’s worth of pictures?”

#harry styles smut #harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #harry styles blurb #harry styles fluff #harry styles one shot #harry styles writing #i hate this so much i didnt even reread it to edit it #also writing 1k words EXACTLY for each section was not a smart decision in hindsight #but whatever.#too late now!

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mrslittletall · 4 years ago

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Let's rate all Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons summer themes! Why? Because it's summer at my half of the globe! SNES - I never really liked this theme. Too busy, too energetic, too repetiteve. It is fine enough to listen too though, but it was never one of my favs. GB/GBC - It's the same melody as SNES, but with the Game Boy sound font. For some reason, it actually sounds BETTER like that. Yeah, I prefer the GBC one to the SNES one. 64 - Hmm... I am torn on that theme. Similar to the SNES theme, it feels too busy for me and the first few notes are a bit grating, but the melody is pretty catchy and entraps you to hum along. Also, the quieter part of the theme sounds pretty good. Yeah, it's pretty solid ^^ If only the loud entry wouldn't be. GBC2 - YIKES! That was my reaction when it started, but it gets gradually better and turns into a pretty enjoyable little melody, sounds very much like summer. BTN - Aaah, now we are talking! This song is just FUN! It lets you think about a fun summer day on the beach. The melody starts a bit frantic and then gets calmer for the second verse, and you just want to wave your body along the melody and eat ice cream. It's a bit short though... GBC3 - Like pretty much every entry for this game, the music is pretty yikes. It just... isn't very good. It isn't an ear grater, but also not very enjoyable to listen to. AWL - While AWL lacks a summer theme on its own, because you can only play disks in your house and on your farm, it uses a song from Save the Homeland and that one is remixed pretty well. FoMT - It's the same melody as BTN but in the GBA sound font. It sounds well enough, but it can't beat the PSX version of it! Yes, I am biased, I prefer BTN over FoMT, end me if you please. BTN was the better game and I wished SoS FoMT would have been more BTN and less FoMT. MM - My husband goes around and hums this theme when I play Magic Melody ^^ And I get why, it's an earworm! It has this absolute summer feel, similar to BtN, from a summer day at the beach you want to spend with ice cream. It has such a tropical feel and once the main melody sets in, you can't help but hum along the music. I especially love the key change at around 1.17 ^^

StH Farm Theme - Ah, it's the theme got used in AWL, but this version is SO MUCH BETTER. I love the charming little melody, the guitar melody in the background, how the melody slowly splashes along and then turns into a flute to just tell you that you are on the countryside and sit leaned against the fence on your farm while there are 30 C and you are completely fine with it. StH Town Theme - Ah, this theme is a lot more energetic and quick. While it kinda remixes the farm theme (every StH theme does that), it doesn't carry quite the same nostalgia as the farm theme. The part that starts at 0.43 is super rad though and I love this bit. DS - I never have been a fan of this summer theme. It just feels like it starts and never ends. It just goes on and on and on and ugh... it annoys me kind of. At least you can switch the music in HM DS. IoH - This game kinda manages to nail all its themes, it is such a charming little song that makes me think of a summer breeze, but it's sadly, like every IoH song far too short. HoLV - Aw, what a charming little song ^^ The bassline melody and the main melody really contemplate each other and unite into a song that sounds like you want to let your feet doused by the river on a hot summer day.

ToT Day Theme - ToT goes a very different route with it's summer theme. It's a downright relaxing song. It is a joy to listen to, for it gives you the feeling that you are allowed to slow down and do your chores in your own pace. I really like the key change in this one. Sadly, the song falls short. ToT Night Theme - It's the same melody as the day theme, but... it sounds a bit haunted in my opinion ^^' ToT's night themes all have this problem. The key change though is really good here, make it sound like a warm summer night under the stars. SI - Hmmm... it's ok to listen to, I guess, but I don't actually feel a lot when I listen to this theme. It doesn't have a very summery feel for me and actually feels a bit chaotic. AP Day Theme - I LOVE THIS THEME! Ok, I say it, that is downright my favourite summer theme in the whole series! It starts with such joyful piano notes and then the piano takes a back seat with the same three notes that goes up and down while the main melody kicks in and just tells you that this is a summer day and you will enjoy it and you will have fun doing your chores and then sit at the beach that is right in front of your farm or share a cold drink with your sweet heart. My husband also can't stop humming this theme whenever I play AP, that shows how much of an earworm it is ^^ AP Night Theme - The melody is the same one as the day theme, but played more slowly and more relaxing. While I prefer the day theme, this one is super solid as well and a joy to listen too, especially the bassline of this song. GB - Ah, a fun little theme ^^ It is very fitting for the world of the game which seems to be set in the netherlands. I like listening to it, it is a song that you want to sway to.

ToTT - I hear the first few notes of this and instantly know that is summer, that is how much this summer theme got ingrained into my mind. It is one of the more relaxing themes though and there isn't much indication that it is a summer theme actually, so while it works very well as song, it isn't the greatest summer theme. ANB - Is it the 3DS game with the best music in the series?! It is! And ANB doesn't disappoint, the summer theme SLAPS! It is a joyful little song which runs at a quick pace and lets you feel like it is summer and you want to go to the mountains and sweat while you climb out and then go for a swim in the river on your way back up. The key change at 0.53 is just GREAT and it gets me every little time I play the game. TLV Day Theme - Aw, I always liked this little theme, it is a very relaxing theme and it fits the valley that is your playground in this theme. I just liked to terraform while this relaxing music played. TLV Night Theme - Um, are we at a jazz bar? Because that legit sounds like a theme that would play at night in a jazz bar, where you sit with your drink and just chill while you look at the jazz band performing. SoS Day Theme - SoS is special, because in that game you actually CAN SWIM IN THE RIVER, so I really like that the summer theme is so enjoyable to listen to, because you can actually cool off in this game ^^ Go swim and dive while this little theme plays, mostly played with plucking instruments. SoS Night Theme - Oh, this one starts a bit slow, but gets really nice to listen to once it hits the first 30 seconds. A very relaxing song, another one that makes me want to douse my feet in water and look at the starts while I stay on the countryside. SV Day Theme - I kinda always liked this tune. It is a fun little tune that feels like summer and has a nice melody to it, but that is pretty much all I have to say about it. SV Night Theme - Ah, we are back at the jazz bar ^^ The quiet piano melody is very jazzy and yeah, that is all I can say about it. SoS 3oT - It's a nice melody and enjoyable listening to it, but I don't really feel summer with this theme, so I am a bit torn on it. I think I prefer the fall and winter themes in this game. It's really nice to listen to though like I said, so I don't mind that it plays for 31 ingame days straight. LoH Day Theme - A nice song that totally sounds like summer to me, but like the rest of LoH's music, it just kinda... splashes along and nothing really happens. LoH Night Theme - Hmmm... it really isn't anything happening in this theme. It is more a melody so that it isn't quiet. SoS FoMT Weekday Theme - It's the tune of BtN but remixed.. and... in a good way actually! This song SLAPS! I really like what they do to my summer time beach fun song. SoS FoMT Weekend Theme - God, I LOVE this song! For some reason, SoS FoMT added a remix of the seasonal songs for the weekends and festival days and this one is such a banger, I can't help but bop to it, it's so good! It just sounds so much like summer and you just want to run around and dance to it while you enjoy your day off at the beach. Doraemon SoS Day Theme - What a cute little song ^^ It is on the more relaxing side, but it clearly has a summery feel to me. The video shows Nobita napping on the beach and well, isn't that a mood for this song ^^ Doraemon SoS Night Theme - Nobita still naps in the video and well, the music turned into his lullaby I guess ^^ It is mainly a guitar solo that is played slowly and very quietly, very very relaxing. I think I am falling asleep as well... OW - Sadly no one uploaded this music... which is a shame, because it is really good and the song gets remixed depending in which country you are. I really dislike how much hate this game got, because it is actually a solid entry and has some of the best music in the franchise. PoOT Weekday theme - I HATE THIS THEME! It isn't because the melody is bad, it's that DAMN TRUMPET! Why is the trumpet player playing it so... crazy? Why are so many notes sounding off key? The song would slap if the

trumpet wouldn't be there! I love every part of it, but then the trumpet ruins my day. Ugh! UGH! I legit had to switch the music off at first while playing until I got used to this horrible horrible trumpet. PoOT Weekend theme - Oh thank GOD! This theme is without the horrible trumpet. I prefer the holidays in PoOT summer a LOT because the song is actually enjoyable to listen to and it sounds very much like summer as well.

#harvest moon #story of seasons #summer themes #rating harvest moon music

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cristalconnors · 4 years ago

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TOP 20 SONGS OF 2020

20. “BELOW THE CLAVICLE”- EARTHEATER

“The meaning hasn’t come up yet. It’s still under the surface below the clavicle.”

It isn’t just Alexandra Drewchin’s ear splitting soprano when she hits that impossibly high B, practically shrieking out the “cle” syllable of clavicle, though that’s undoubtedly when I first knew that Eartheater’s avant folk was for me- it’s also the cinematic, lush strings, both bowed and plucked (is that acoustic guitar or harp? I genuinely can’t tell), deepening and complicating the sonic texture of Drewchin’s study of parsing through emotions you aren’t ready to make sense of yet.

19. “PUSSY TALK”- CITY GIRLS, FT. DOJA CAT

“This pussy so ghetto, this pussy speak ebonics”

“WAP”’s funnier, classless Irish twin, though it’s important to note “Pussy Talk” came first. Yung Miami and JT enlist Doja Cat to expound on everything their pussies deserve and will absolutely settle for nothing less than. And why should they when they’re spitting out verses this inspiredly hilarious with such confidence and flow?

18. “LICK IN HEAVEN”- JESSY LANZA

“Once I’m spinning, I can’t stop spinning...”

Jessy Lanza is talking about losing your cool, letting your emotions get the best of you and lashing out instead of letting cooler heads prevail, but when that earworm of a chorus hits- “once I’m spinning, I can’t stop spinning” - I can’t stop spinning. I’m that woman on the single art, a wine mom lost in the delirium of the dance floor and in Lanza’s hypnotic, fragmented rhythms.

17. “GASLIGHTER”- THE CHICKS

“Boy, you know exactly what you did on my boat!”

“Gaslighter” finds Natalie Ames and her Chicks at their most simultaneously ruthless and ebullient, ripping Ames’s ex-husband Adrian Pasdar a new asshole and ratcheting up the righteous anger of “Goodbye Earl” tenfold, channeling it into a glorious wall of sound in what might be their most rousing, emotionally resonant chorus in their storied career.

16. “HANNAH SUN”- LOMELDA

“Hannah do no harm...”

While “Hannah Sun” begins as an exquisitely observed rumination on grappling with long-distance, pining for someone who’s a continent away, it gradually becomes clear that Hannah Read blames herself for putting the distance between her and the subject of her longing, and that the distance isn’t strictly literal. Skittering synths (or is that distorted flute?) complicate and enrich the texture of the song, allowing it to build organically and stunningly towards a heartbreaking plea to herself- “Hannah, do no harm.”

15. “FIRE”- WAXAHATCHEE

“And when I turn back around will you drain me back out? Will you let me believe that I broke through?”

When I’d drive back and forth between Dallas and Austin over and over again when I was in college, I’d often get off I-35 past Waco and take the back roads through towns I’d never heard of, the sun setting spectacularly behind the titular hills of Hill Country that were beginning to roll out in earnest. I think about that a lot when listening to “Fire,” a song dripping in rural Americana that was, unsurprisingly, inspired by a road trip. We’ve probably all been Katie Crutchfield as she crossed the bridge into West Memphis- alone in the car, awed by the simple beauty of the American countryside, making speeches to ourselves about our past mistakes and figuring out a way forward.

14. “3AM”- HAIM

“On the screen and in my jeans, just make me feel good.”

On an album full of genre departures and decidedly darker themes than we’ve typically heard from Haim in their near decade of syncopated bubblegum pop rock, “3AM” stands out not only as their most effective stab at pastiche, slipping into the trappings of contemporary R&B with shocking ease and gusto, but also as their most unabashedly fun track in their entire oeuvre. “I think you can hear the amount of joy and laughs we had making this song” Alana Haim tells Apple Music, and you absolutely can.

13. “QADIR”- NICK HAKIM

“We’re sinking down a hole without thinking about our loved ones who might be shrinking...”

I often wonder if I’m putting enough effort into maintaining my relationships with friends I don’t see regularly, who live several time zones away, living their own lives while I live mine. When the thought of sustaining simple correspondence becomes overwhelming, it’s easy for months to go by before you realize you haven’t spoken to one of your closest friends. “QADIR” plays less like a eulogy for a friend gone too soon (though of course it is that) than a plea to the listener to put in the work. It’s worth it. You never know when it’ll be too late.

12. “LEVITATING”- DUA LIPA

“Glitter in the sky, glitter in our eyes shining just the way we are.”

Just a few bars of that delightfully bouncy, extra-terrestrial beat is enough to launch me into space. It’s so refreshing to hear a song that remembers that pop is supposed to be joyful and is best when it’s a bit silly. When discussing this track with Apple Music, Dua Lipa cites Austin Powers as inspiration, elaborating that “if I do a video for this, Mike Meyers has to be in it.” Can’t you just see them together, performing a farcical pas de deux of seduction like the spiritual successor to “Beautiful Stranger?”

11. “RIQUIQUI”- ARCA

“Love in the face of fear! Fear in the face of God!”

Arca’s made a career of harnessing chaos and somehow making sense of it. On an album that finds her embracing more traditional, accessible song structures, “Riquiqui” is a reminder that even when working within an AB structure, she’s still breaking rules left and right and having a blast doing it. She’s also never sounded so ferociously empowered in either her femininity or in her Venezuelan identity, rattling off local colloquialisms with affection and verve without a second thought as to who’s going to understand it.

10. “FANTASY”- AGAINST ALL LOGIC

“I think about you all the time...”

Or, the musical embodiment of this gif:

When Nicolas Jaar’s tormented synths and crunching beats give way to Beyoncé’s unmistakable alto, it is indeed quite the shock. But should it be? Even if 2017-2019 finds him ditching the dancefloor in favor of more severe, unforgiving soundscapes, his already varied career has shown us nothing’s off limits to him. So why not reinvent Beyoncé’s iconic “Baby Boy” into an industrial, vaguely sinister certified bop that arguably surpasses the original?

9. “PEOPLE, I’VE BEEN SAD”- CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS

“If you disappear, then I’m disappearing, too.”

“People, I’ve been sad” plays out with the vulnerability and intimacy of a tumblr text post you put out in the middle of the night, only to hastily delete later when it gets no notes. It forgoes flowery language in favor of just getting to the point. “I’ve been sad.” Héloïse Adelaïde Letissier blows up this deceptively simple sentiment with richly layered textures and a big screen gloss not to offer any remedies but instead to offer solidarity. We’re all in this hell together.

8. “DESCRIBE”- PERFUME GENIUS

“Can you just find him for me?”

Mike Hadreas has never sounded so hopeless. Utilizing harsh, rattling guitar that would make Kevin Shields swoon, he conveys the experience of being so estranged from happiness and joy that you need to rely on others to describe the sensation to you. But how, when exploring darker textures than he ever has before, does he make despondency sound so divine?

7. “4 AMERICAN DOLLARS”- U.S. GIRLS

“No matter how much you get to have, you will still die and that’s the only thing.”

Meg Remy picks up where she left off on “4 American Dollars,” reviving the subversive pastiche she mastered on In a Poem Unlimited, this time harnessing the power of funk to dismantle the fallacies we’re taught about the virtues of capitalism. Heavy stuff, but Remy makes it less didactic than joyous, ensuring the listener will be singing “I don’t believe in pennies and nickels and dimes and dollars and pesos and pounds and rupees and yen and rubles” until they start to wonder if maybe they shouldn’t, either.

6. “STUPID LOVE”- LADY GAGA

“I freak out, I freak out, I freak out, I freak out!”

Due to a healthy spirit of contrarianism mixed with a touch of internalized homophobia and genuine bafflement at her universal appeal and praise, I was a proud Lady Gaga hater for as long as she’d been a cultural entity. I just didn’t get her at all and loved that about myself. Annoying, I know. 2020 was the year I was finally ready to let that all go. Just before the world fell apart in March, I was out at Flaming Saddles (RIP) with friends the night this song came out and by the sixteenth time it played, I understood why it was inducing such hysteria. This was a cultural shift. After a frustrating near-decade of Gaga subverting expectations so thoroughly that she was actively working against her strengths and sabotaging her cultural ubiquity in the process, coupled with the most frightening era of political upheaval in our lifetimes, she was finally ready to save us and be Lady Gaga again. Booming synth, drag sensibilities, absurd thematic conceits- all was right in the world. For the first time in a long time, people had something to be hopeful about, and as I danced that night, I felt that hope, too.

5. “SHELLFISH MADEMOISELLE”- RÓISÍN MURPHY

“How dare you sentence me to a lifetime without dancing?”

As soon as that bass starts (the funkiest bassline in the history of music?) it’s like Róisín Murphy’s snake charming oboe, coaxing even the most stalwart curmudgeon onto the dancefloor and keeping them there, dancing frantically and involuntarily like the citizens of Strasbourg in 1518, trying their best to keep up with Murphy who isn’t even breaking a sweat, commanding the masses with a sultry remove, beckoning you closer, pulling you inexorably deeper into the mass of gyrating bodies and whispering in your ear “come and have a dance with yer mum.”

4. “PARTY 4 U”- CHARLI XCX

“I only threw this party for you...”

As PC Music / Bubblegum Bass / whatever you want to call it enters its second decade, Charli XCX proves not only that there’s still new textures to explore within it, but also that no one can exploit its artifice to get down to emotional truths like she can. How can she make something this slick sound so vulnerable? “I only threw this party for you” she croons over and over again over glorious syncopated synths that build exquisitely, reaching their climax only to immediately fall away, until it’s just her and her trusty autotune, pleading with the subject of the song to just come to the damn party. But they won’t, of course. They never do, do they?

3. “WAP”- CARDI B, FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION

“I want you to touch that lil’ dangly thing that swing in the back of my throat!”

Sometimes you just immediately know you’re living through a significant cultural moment. No, not COVID. I’m talking about the experience of hearing Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s instant classic “WAP” for the first time, a titanic meeting of the minds that finds both of them at the apex of their cultural influence and at their most undeniable. Can the argument be made that these two aren’t the two best rappers in the game right now? How could you hear this inspiredly filthy sex positive juggernaut, where Cardi and Megan are trading the sickest verses of their careers, and not think these two deserve the world?

2. “KEROSENE!”- YVES TUMOR

“I can be your baby in real life, sugar. I can live in your dreams.”

If the 2010′s were all about the pop-ification of all music, trading in live instrumentation in favor of polished synths, 2020 forcefully announced the return of the electric guitar when Yves Tumor and Diana Gordon’s back and forth lustfully submissive declarations of desire suddenly gave way to that nasty guitar rip lifted from Uriah Heep’s “Weep in Silence” to announce yet another cultural shift in a year chock full of them- rock and roll was, indeed, here to stay.

1. “I WANT YOU TO LOVE ME”- FIONA APPLE

“I move with the trees in the breeze, I know that time is elastic.”

We live and we learn. Years spent soul searching and on self-discovery shape us into better, smarter people, progressively knowing and understanding ourselves and the world around us more and more clearly, but Fiona Apple knows that none of that can quell the ferocious desire to be loved by someone. By anyone. By you, whoever that is. We can know that time is elastic and that when we’re gone all our particles will disband and disperse and then we’ll be back in the pulse, and we can know that none of this stuff actually matters, but still- we want, we want, we want.

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penroseparticle · 4 years ago

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Would it be appropriate for me to be That Dumb Bitch™ and ask for all of the music asks? Because I know I'm gonna ask them all on Anon anyway and I really love your opinions,thoughts, and suggestions on music

Thank you so much💜 ily(platonically)

And I hope you're drinking water

ILY too anon

We both know I’m drinking Diet Cokes rather than water. But I appreciate it! And of course you can be That Dumb Bitch. I approve of all Dumb Bitches as I am one too. all 30 questions coming right up!

your favorite album opener I know it’s pretty basic to answer Arctic Monkeys is a good band, but I am pretty basic so here we are. AM is a near perfect album, which is not news to anyone, but few people know that Do I Wanna Know? is the first track on the album. Masterful.

a song starting w/ the same first letter of your first name Cheat, by Emily Burns. It’s just a quiet, competent, earworm. And it’s a pretty nice message too- if it were me I wouldn’t have cheated, end of. I like it.

a song outside of your usual genre I’m not super into Metal. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy it, my brother pretty much exclusively listens to hard rock and metal and such, so I have some stuff I like. But it’s just one of those genres someone has to introduce me to songs in. That said, I really like Cold Water by Protest The Hero. Good stuff!

a song that reminds you of your favorite season Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy is SUCH a Fall song, I swear.

a song from a lifelong favorite artist I think my lifelong favorite artist is Ms. Lauryn Hill, if we’re going by the artists I’ve loved longest- that’s obviously influenced by my mother, who LOVES Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, etc. I’m going with a Fugees song, not an independent, but it’s still fantastic- the classic “Killing Me Softly With His Song”.

your current “on repeat” song Montero by Lil Nas X is still on repeat and I’m not ashamed.

a song your friend introduced you to that you ended up loving Shout out Anna for introducing me ti Leikeli47! Girl Blunt was the song and now I just love her in general but Girl Blunt is good. I think my fave is Wash and Set though, so have a freebie on me.

a song that speaks the words you couldn’t say I have a hard time asking for things for myself so Rose’s Turn has always been a song I think but don’t say out loud. Starting now it’s gonna be my turn? Too unrealistic tbh.

a song that captures your aesthetic (can be ideal!) Bambi by Hippo Campus

a song about the place where you live I have played Welcome to DC so many fucking times (By Mambo Sauce because this city is a fucking joke) and I am thoroughly sick of it. When youth hockey teams use a song as their warmup song it gets old REAL fast.

a song from an international artist I LOOOOVE Maluma, sorry not sorry, and El Perdedor is one of my favorite songs of all time tbh.

a song you can scream all the words to Love In The Morning by Chris Jobe. I just really enjoy the song idk why. Also it’s a very simple song and it’s easy to sing.

a reboot of a song/songs you already loved (remix, mashup, acoustic, etc.) I love Passionfruit, but Drake is a... problematic artist to enjoy nowadays. Yaeji did a very slow, lilting, quiet cover of it that I quite like. So now for my Passionfruit fix I support a small artist and not, you know, Drake

a song with the name of a place in the title Oh god. Vienna is literally the name of like 4 songs that I love (The Fray, Billy Joel, Lambert, and Ultravox, so I’ve gotta go with that one tbh. Lambert is instrumental and Ultravox is some chill ass 80′s stuff, and everyone knows the Billy Joel one.

a song that reminds you of traveling Feel It Still by Portugal the Man reminds me of a trip I took to NYC because someone I went with loved the band.

your favorite childhood song My favorite childhood song is What Kind of Pokemon Are You? From the 2.B.A. Master album for pokemon. It is my fave because that cd is the first piece of music I ever bought for myself.

a song that reminds you of a good time Midnight by Caravan Palace. I have seen Caravan Palace three times live, more than anyone but Betty Who, and I ALWAYS have a fantastic time at their concerts. Just. So good.

a song that reminds you of a bad time Season 2 Episode 3 by Glass Animals is how I describe depression to people- it’s not just that I’m like, blank or sad or bland. It’s that I go through the motions and it doesn’t feel like anything. I do things I love and it feels like nothing. You kind of just can’t do anything to get out of it, your stuff just stops working.

a song from an artist whose old music you enjoy more than their new music So it turns out that my favorite album by FAR for OkGo is Of The Blue Color Of The Sky, a fairly old album of theirs. I like most of thier stuff and obviously all of their videos are great, but my favorite song of theirs is from this album- Needing/Getting.

a song that empowers you I like other Lady Gaga songs more but Donatella makes me feel like I can punch through Concrete idk why

a song from a local artist DID YOU KNOW GINUWINE IS FROM DC. ANYWAYS STREAM PONY

a song you related to in the past and present, but for different reasons Let’s Dance To Joy Division by The Wombats is a song I’ve always related to. Back in the day it was just loud and fun and very good, and now I really think the message of “Everything sucks but we’re gonna celebrate what we can” is something I try to absorb as much as possible now.

your favorite cheesy pop song Classic by MKTO is an objectively bad song that I constantly have in my Spotify Wrapped. I legit can’t explain it. Is it good? no. Is it original? Also no. Is it interesting? No! I don’t get it but I’m under the spell

a song from a soundtrack (musical, movie, video game, etc.) A PROMISE FROM FIRE EMBLEM: THREE HOUSES WAS MY NUMBER THREE SONG ON MY SPOTIFY WRAPPED LAST YEAR SORRY MOM SORRY GOD

the song currently stuck in your head OR the song you are listening to right now My music is on shuffle but it just hit Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear

a song that taught you a lesson Which to Bury, Us Or The Hatchet by Reliant K is one of my favorite songs and really is an object lesson in letting things go. What’s more important? The person or the problem? And sometimes it’s the person, so you bury the hatchet, and sometimes it’s the problem, and you bury us (the relationship). It’s a good song imo.

an instrumental song Teleblister by Clever Girl

a song you always skipped, but ended up loving once you listened to it My favorite song from The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles is Cassiopeia and I straight up skipped it every time I listened for the first like, 6 months I listened to the album.

your favorite album closer good kid, m.A.A.d city is a perfect album as well, and Compton is the last song on the album. Perfection.

your all-time favorite song Such a hard question, and not always easy to answer to be honest. It fluctuates. But for me I think my all time favorite song is currently

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taste-in-music · 4 years ago

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taste-in-music’s top 30 songs of 2020

Hey everyone! If you missed it, you can check out my year end wrap-up post going over my favorite albums and EPs of the year. This list will go over my favorite songs of 2020, whether they happen to be on those projects or not. My only limit is one song per project, and thirty songs total. Now then, let’s get started!

First Aid by Gus Dapperton: There is one easy way to get me to love a song, and that’s if an artist adds in another person’s vocals for the bridge and final chorus, hence infusing them with more dimension and meaning. “First Aid” is the best usage of that device all year. The song tackles Dapperton’s struggles with mental health, citing his sister as a large help in the midst of it all. Who best to come in for the bridge and final chorus, then, but his sister (who goes by the stage name Amadelle)? It all comes together to make the final act of the song hit like a gut punch.

Josslyn by Olivia O’Brien: Every year I have to have my helping of big, sugary, bombastic pop tunes on this list, and “Josslyn” was the first of that type of song I fell in love with this year. This song is full of snark and blunt lines, (maybe don’t listen with mom in the room,) but god help me if it didn’t have one of the catchiest chorus melodies of the year. I’ll shout along to the entire song every time I hear it.

Frustrated by Lauren Sanderson: Okay, I only found this song by chance, like, last week, (another good reason for postponing these lists until the year is actually over,) and I have to include it. If you love the hooky guitars lines of The 1975, vocalists with a gritty edge to their delivery, and a free-spirited feel that captures the euphoria of youth, then this is the song for you. I may have just discovered it, but I’ve already played it countless times.

To Me by Alina Baraz: Everything about “To Me” communicates blissful tranquility, from the watery production to the subtle confidence in Baraz’s delivery. Every time I was feeling overwhelmed or stressed this year, (and lord help me, that was a lot,) this was the song I’d always return to to center myself. Baraz demanding respect out of her relationships and the best things out of life was downright inspiring.

Do It by Chloe X Halle: If there is one word I would use to describe this it would be effervescent, this song is so fresh, bouncy, and bubbly, like orange soda in musical form. With its tropical production and effortless vocals, this song made me want to hit a dancefloor like nothing else this year. It was the perfect pop Summer smash that deserved a better Summer.

ringtone (Remix) by 100 gecs ft. Charli XCX, Kero Kero Bonito, and Rico Nasty: This is probably the best remix of the year? The original “ringtone” was a cute, hooky fragment, but this turned it into a fleshed out, full-on posse-cut where each guest gets a moment to shine. Charli XCX turns the hook into an earworm, Kero Kero Bonito contribute their signature chirpy vocals, and Rico Nasty jumps in for an awesome bridge that provides a nice change of pace. And, of, course, 100 gecs are the glue that holds everything together. If you’re new to the gec train, this is a great place to start.

By Myself by Maya Hawke: “By Myself” was the song that proved that Maya Hawke was way more than the usual actor trying to cash in a quick buck. She was a bona-fide craftswoman with the potential to being tears to my eyes with blissfully simple yet artfully constructed folk ballads. This song feels like a long-forgotten lullaby, gentle and beautiful with just enough woeful melancholy to remain emotionally resonant the whole year.

killing boys by Halsey: “killing boys” is the epitome of short but sweet. This song is a fifteen second long dialogue bite Jennifer’s Body followed by some of the most focused, atmospheric pop of the year that only lasts two and a half minutes. The way the thudding heartbeat, low plucked strings, and Halsey’s hushed delivery all build to the distorted end is a pure adrenaline rush every time. It always had me coming back for more, and by the end of the year it had climbed its way up into my top 5 most listened to songs of the year.

Bloom by Donna Missal: It’s not a list of mine without a Donna Missal song, is it? As soon as I saw the name of this song on the Lighter track list, I just had a feeling I was going to love it. “Bloom” is the most stripped-back moment on the album, with just a guitar accompanying Missal, and yet it is also one of the most memorable and evocative songs it has to offer. What the stripped-back production allows is for Missal’s sheer, raw talent as a vocalist to blossom, especially in how she displays so much power not by belting, but by holding back. Accompanied with lyrics that detail the fear of holding someone back in a relationship, “Bloom” is awe-inspiring every time.

fever dream by mxmtoon: mxmtoon’s double album from this year didn’t leave much of an impression of me, but lead single “fever dream” got countless spins. This song feels like a warm hug, with mxmtoon’s amiable vocals, pillowy indie pop production (the chirps! the chimes! the gentle woodwinds!) and comforting lyrics that seemed to synthesize everything I was feeling while giving me a comforting pat on the shoulder at the same time. Take the line: “I want something more than / More than restless mornings / Getting by is so boring.” Gee, I wonder why I would’ve hit a nerve in a year like 2020?

Shoulda Known Better by Nasty Cherry: From the first chord of the intro’s ringing guitars, this feels dug up from a mid-2000s coming of age soundtrack. In fact, there is an inexplicable nostalgic feel to this whole song, from the frankness the lyrics, to the filmy vocal processing, all of it. And the way the song kicks into a faster groove on the chorus is so fun, it makes me want to speed down a highway every time I hear it, and I hate driving! I guess that’s just the power of a great pop rock song.

Heart of Glass by Miley Cyrus: Do you ever hear a song that stops you clean in your tracks and makes you sit in stunned silence until it’s over? Hearing this cover for the first time did that to me. I had been wanting Miley Cyrus to take the rock route for a while, but this cemented that my intuition was 100% correct. It’s not necessarily better than the Blondie version, (Debbie Harry’s original delivery is very smooth and nonchalant, Miley’s is more gritty and rough around the edges,) but it fills an entirely different purpose. And that purpose is to be listened to on a never ending loop, in absolute awe.

WIGS by BLACKSTARKIDS: SURF traverses a slew of sounds, from boisterous rock to hip hop to indie pop. One of the albums best moments, however, comes when all those sounds meet in the middle “WIGS” is a blissed-out in the best way, still providing a memorable hook, (one of the best the album has to offer,) while also letting you relax and hang on for the ride.

Dead Horse by Hayley Williams: This was the most unexpected bop of the year. The lyrics may be all about betrayal in the lead-up to divorce, but the delivery is so upbeat and bouncy that I can often forget just how soul-crushing the content is at times. The production on this is so catchy, with the chirpy, tropical synths, the “ya-ya-yas,” and Williams’s stellar vocals.

this is me trying by Taylor Swift: My favorite songs on folklore came to me in waves. First, “epiphany” was my favorite, with its timely lyrics and orchestral arrangements. Then, it was “the lakes,” with its nostalgic, poetic feel, (consider it a very close runner-up.) But in the end, it was the slow burning ache of “this is me trying” that didn’t just become my favorite on folklore, but one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs ever. Looking back, “this is me trying” synthesizes what I like about those other two songs. It has a grand, atmospheric instrumental and pointed, detailed lyrics, combining the two into a single, perfect, emotional wrecking ball.

Susie Save Your Love by Allie X ft. Mitski: This was my most anticipated duet of the year, and it didn’t disappoint! This song goes by like a long sigh on a humid Summer night, filled with breathy vocals set against a churning groove. The lyrics detail parties gone wrong and unrequited love with a best friend with just enough ambiguity to allude to something darker hovering under the surface. Mitski’s vocals work great in an alt-pop context, I love what she does with her solo work but I certainly wouldn’t be mad if she hopped onto more tracks like this. Also, that guitar solo makes me levitate every time.

Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple: Okay, who had “Fiona Apple meows on a song” on their 2020 bingo card? But it works, it works so well! From its opening clatter of percussion, “Fetch The Bolt Cutters” establishes a locomotive groove that never stops moving forward. In fact, the entire song seems to be dedicated to that sentiment, each lyric linking lines about middle school bullies, media critics, and Kate Bush references into their perfect place. It’s a narrative that may span a lifetime, but it still feels as timely as ever.

forever by Charli XCX: I’ll admit I haven’t returned to How I’m Feeling Now all that much throughout 2020, but I have returned to “forever,” again and again and again. The sugar-sweet hook at the heart of all the blown-out bass is just irresistible. The way it manages to fight to the forefront, cutting through the clouds of distortion like a shimmering pink diamond, is nothing short of hopeful.

Fit N Full by Samia: This was my instant favorite off The Baby. The glistening guitars make for a sweltering summery jam that you can’t help but move to every time you hear it. The way Samia weaves lyrics about the agonizing pressures of womanhood, diet culture, and body image into a catchy pop hook is pretty genius. She wraps them all up into a pretty package for consumption, just like women are forced to do with their pain.

Heartbreak Weather by Niall Horan: Niall Horan has made folksy balladry his mainstay, which is all fine and good, but god help me if his turn towards stadium-rocking power pop didn’t result in one of the most anthemic songs of the year. “Heartbreak Weather” is sharply written, lushly produced, and performed with so much spirit and heart that I can’t help but think that this is the genre Horan has been meant to fall into all along. It’s certainly deserving of its title track status.

Pretty Please by Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia was an excellent showcase of Dua Lipa’s mastery over nonstop pop bangers, (”Physical” is the very close runner up for this list.) But surprisingly, it was the breather moment on the album, the song where everything slowed down, that really hooked me. I’m gonna say it, “Pretty Please” is so fucking sexy. The whole song screams sensuality, from the lyrics, to the bass line, to the funky synths, to Lipa’s delivery. It may not be as in-your-face as its peers, but it deserves just as much hype.

Woo! by Remi Wolf: I had such a hard time picking a Remi Wolf song for this list that I had to resort to the raw data. “Woo!” ended up on my Spotify Wrapped, so “Woo!” gets this spot. This song just works in some ramshackle way I can’t describe, all the disparate pieces come together with so much charm. The way Wolf’s performance effortlessly flip-flops between jaunty half-rapping modulated with distortion to full-blown, raw belting on the bridge is a wild ride of the best kind every time.

gold rush by Taylor Swift: We have another entry for the highly esteemed category of songs that capture the feeling of butterflies in your stomach. This latest Antonoff-Swift collaboration is a wistful, glittery whirlwind that captures the simultaneous excitement and soul crushing realization of a blooming crush. The way the dreamy intro snaps into the steady thrum of the rest of the song, before the song fades out in the same way, as if to illustrate how your mind can race to dozens of different places all within in the moment of meeting someone? Damn, I’m getting butterflies just thinking about it.

Eugene by Arlo Parks: “Eugene” is a testament to soft-spoken heartache, as Arlo Parks details watching her straight crush in a relationship with a man. The song is incredibly intimate, both with Park’s hushed vocals and the specific details she utilizes in her writing, (Sylvia Plath poetry, a cigarette hanging between purple lips.) It all comes together to make the song all the more personal and heart-aching.

People, I’ve been sad by Christine and the Queens: Christine and the Queens have perfected setting emotionally resonant sentiments against wire-tight grooves, and “People I’ve been sad” may just be their most elegant effort yet. The echoing, stuttering drums, fluttering backing vocals, and reverb give the track a wide sense of space, which perfectly illustrates the loneliness Chris describes. But there’s also this intangible warmth to the song too, harking from the strings and Chris’s introspective performance. Just gorgeous.

XS by Rina Sawayama: Picking a song of SAWAYAMA for this list was damn near impossible. My first favorite off the album was the nu metal rager “STFU!,” then the slinky intrigue of “Akasaka Sad,” then the glitter-flinging “Tokyo Love Hotel.” But did those songs end Karl Marx’s career with their razor-sharp critique of capitalism? No. Hence, “XS” gets this spot. The craftmanship of this song is so impressive, with the rock guitar hits contrasted against the glossy pop production, Rina’s pitch-perfect performance, the witty lyricism, everything. This will go down as a classic in Ms. Sawayama’s discography, no doubt!

Guilty Conscience by 070 Shake: I didn’t even realize this was one of my favorite songs of the year until I was writing this list and felt like something was missing. This feels like a song that plays for the last stragglers on a prom dance floor. It’s melancholic yet just upbeat enough, sprawling yet buoyant, and hooks you in with the perfect balance monstrous, shimmering 80s synths undercut with rattling modern trap percussion. It’s just irresistible. If HBO doesn’t put this on the next season of Euphoria then they’re fools.

I Know The End by Phoebe Bridgers: I don’t even know if I can describe the full impact of this song, so I’ll keep to short. One word: catharsis. The way this sound builds up from signature Phoebe Bridgers Ballad™ to forceful rollick to gut-wrenching climax gives me chills every time. I don’t want to spoil it. If you haven’t heard it before, go listen to it, (preferably with the rest of the album, too.) If you know, you know.

Delete Forever by Grimes: Okay, now who had “Grimes makes the best country song of the year” on their 2020 bingo card? I certainly didn’t. I’ve loved Grimes’s work in the past for its ability to transport me to another place. “Delete Forever” does the exact opposite in its discussion of loss, exhaustion, and hopelessness, rooting me right to where I am. But you know what? I think I like that a lot more, especially when the song incorporates a lush acoustic guitar and strings, sunny synths, and just enough optimism to remind me that there is always hope to keep the darkness from fully taking over.

circle the drain by Soccer Mommy: This song was in the running for my favorite song of the year since even before the pandemic began, for its classic 90s-alternative sound, for its clever production choices, and for its anthemic feel. But as the year went on, it just kept getting more and more emotionally potent. I’ve been wanting to look at the songs and albums I’ve discussed on these lists without putting on pandemic-tinted glasses, but the truth is, that experience drastically shaped my year, and how I consume music. The lyrics in this song were so goddamn relatable as this year kept spiraling and it felt like I was along with it. “circle the drain” showed me that it’s okay to be feel like I was “falling apart these days.” Because those feelings are not new, I’m not alone in feeling them, and I may keep feeling them, but you know what? I’ll still have this song, in fact, many of the songs on this list, to return to when I do.

Here are some songs I loved this year that didn’t come out in 2020: “Nikes” by Frank Ocean, “Prom” by SZA, “Rhinestone Eyes” by Gorillaz, “Anyone Else But You” by The Moldy Peaches, “Cold War” by Cautious Clay, “Plans” by Maude Latour, “Sleepyhead” by Passion Pit, and “Narcissist” by No Rome ft. The 1975.

Whether you liked, reblogged, or commented on a post, sent me an ask, or interacted with this blog in any way, thank you so much for all the support throughout the year! I can’t express how much I appreciate it.

What were your favorite songs from this year? Did I miss anything? Send me an ask and let me know. I’ll tell you my thoughts, or put it on my to-listen-to list if I haven’t heard them.

Here’s to 2021! May it clear the extremely low bar set by this year.

#songs #song recommendation #taste in music 2020 faves #taste in music

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yellowjavkets · 4 years ago

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Can you recommend non white and non American music?

Absolutely! I am so fucking excited to answer this ask, like u have no idea. I’m fucking thrilled. Some of these are american but all of these are bands of color or are fronted by people of color(I’m gonna italicize musicians that I know are lgbt also. just like. given my recent complaints)

Mashrou’ leila is a Lebanese rock band that has just like. god. the lyrics. I can’t believe I went so long in my life without knowing of them. Their songs are in Arabic, but the translations for most are very easy to find. My personal recs for songs by them to get you started are wajih, radio romance, and 3 minutes. I absolutely cannot recommend them highly enough.

Babymetal is a band that I recently started getting into, like a million years behind everyone else. They’re a Japanese metal band and their music is super fucking high energy, really just launches you into the damn stratosphere. Some of my favorite songs by them are gimme chocolate, catch me if you can and starlight (most of their music is in Japanese but once again there are loads of translations)

Kevin Abstract is an American hip hop singer who writes music both soft and heavy sounding songs that relate to a lot of not often given the spotlight experiences, namely the experiences of being a gay black man in America. I relate to him more than a LOT of white gay musicians and his album “American Boyfriend” is an absolute fucking masterpiece, I even have it downloaded to listen to on long car rides. My favorite songs by him are Echo, Papercut and Miserable America!

Conan Gray is a pop musician who writes a lot of really fun music and like, so many fucking earworms. I literally cannot think of a single one of his songs that I don’t like at least a little, which is very rare for even musicians I do like. And his music videos are super fun. Some of my favorite songs by him are Fight or Flight, Crush Culture, and Wish You Were Sober, which I have listened to over 200 times

More music recs under the cut!

Fea is a latina punk rock band based in San Antonio that I absolutely cannot get enough of. Their name means ugly, but in the feminine form in spanish. Speaking of spanish, a lot of their songs are in spanish, but some are not, which gives it a nice eclectic mix. and helpful for spanish practice lol. Plus they were produced by Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! god, imagine being that fucking cool. My favorite songs by them are La Llorona, Sister K, and Pelo Suelto

Oceanator writes an eclectic mix of synthy business and guitar ballads. I love her music so goddamn much, and it's been a big inspiration in me finding my own sound! my favorite songs by her are Nowhere Nothing, I would Find you, and January 21st

The Hu is a band that took me quite some time to get into but they're a Mongolian rock band that wrote that one song that was super popular here in the states a while back. Their sound is heavier, but it's also so incredibly fucking cool. Some of my favorite songs by them are Sad but True, The Legend of Mother Swan, and Wolf Totem

Meet Me @ The Altar is a band that is very, very derivitave of paramore but in like a super fun way. Their sound is just so fun. Their sound has making me forgive pop punk bc turns out when pop punk is sung by a trio of WOC and not a white dude crying on his guitar about his shitty girlfriend, it can actually fucking rule. Some of my favorite songs by them are Garden, Tyranny, and May the Odds Be In Your Favor

Japanese Breakfast writes a lot of really cool slower songs that make my brain feel like it is melting in the absolute best way possible. it's really hard to describe, which is actually one of my favorite things about it. Some of my favorite songs by her are Road Head, 12 Steps, and The Body is a Blade.

Neon Jungle is a British band who writes a lot of high energy shit that just launches me directly into the fucking stratosphere. Like I'm so serious, they will end your life and revive you fifty fucking times over. My favorite songs by them are Trouble, Louder, and So Alive.

Pom Pom Squad is another band I really like, a rock band who does softer shit sometimes. Their range is insane, and Mia Berrin is one of the most talented fucking vocalists I've ever heard in my whole life. Some of my favorites are Sunday Song, Heavy Heavy, and Honeysuckle

Nova Twins are another duo from the UK who write a lot of heavier guitar stuff. Mostly white punk fans have gotten pissy about them being classified as punk, so I won't, but lbr it's clear what their influences are. In a good way. Their music WILL rip your dick clean off. Some of my favorite songs by them are Bassline Bitch, Devil Face, and Ivory Tower.

Black Belt Eagle Scout is an indigenous musician that writes a lot of really cool softer guitar shit. Super chill music I like to put on to relax and write to. Also loads of her lyrics are downright masterful. Some of my favorite songs by them are Half Colored Hair, Just Lie Down, and Indians Never Die

Rina Sawayama, who you probably know of at least periferally, writes pop music and stuff of that nature. Her music could pull me out of a fucking coma. She's based in the UK. I absolutely adore her and her weird fucking fashion. Some of my favorites by her are Bad Friend, Comme des Garcons (Like The Boys), and Lucid

Milck does a lot of like, idk how to describe it. I have no idea what genre it is. I don't care to know. It rules, whatever it is. It's sort of soft, but powerful with a really cool beat. Some of my favorite songs by her are Devil Devil, This is Not the End, and Call of the Wild.

I HAVE TONS MORE, LIKE LOADS MORE, LIKE GIVE ME THE GO AHEAD AND I WILL MAKE A PART TWO, but I think that's a good amount of my favorites for now.

#Anonymous #monster growl #slimed and answered

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johannesviii · 5 years ago

Text

Top 10 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 2009

20 to 21 years old. And so the 2000s end, not with a whimper, but with an explosion of upbeat, great pop songs.

Only one third of these lists left to make!

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

First to second and final year of my Master degree in Contemporary History. Also got two summer jobs that year. I was basically only researching and writing my master thesis at this point and trying to survive on a 50€ per month budget to pay for transport, clothes, driving lessons, and food apart from one meal a day. Needless to say, some corners had to be cut and my health wasn’t the best. I was also trying to register to pass some concours d’Etat to be a government worker considering there was 0% chance I’d be able to find a job otherwise with my qualifications and my mother had been trying to find an excuse to throw me out for more than four years at this point. Basically I was broke, stressed out and in panic mode.

Thank god, the music was mostly energetic and upbeat on the radio. I can’t imagine what my mood would have been like if the charts had been as horribly depressed as in 2018 or 2019.

This was also the year when my favorite music reviewer ever, Todd In The Shadows, started to make his first videos, so you might think his lists are going to influence mine, but as it turns out we have very, very different tastes for the most part (I mean come on, the guy hates Depeche Mode), so... not so much. But he helped me discover a lot of songs I would have ignored otherwise, so yeah, godspeed, Todd.

It should be mentioned that the two songs that I wanted to put at the top of this list before looking at the actual year-end lists turned out to be non-elligible and that is extremely frustrating. Obviously, as I mentioned in the previous post, there’s Life In Technicolor II by Coldplay, which has an incredibly fitting name since it’s one of their most colorful songs ever. But I’m not even sure I would have put it at #1 since this was the year of Mika’s second album, and oh my god, We Are Golden was FANTASTIC. It’s my absolute favorite song from the guy, the music video is incredibly fun, and I listened to that shit on a loop as soon as it dropped.

I usually don’t put such large links for non-elligible songs but the fact this isn’t elligible is nothing short of criminal. Check it out if you’ve never heard it.

youtube

As for albums from bands I liked... eh. Lacuna Coil dropped Shallow Life, which was not as good as KarmaCode, Pet Shop Boys dropped Yes which wasn’t nearly as good as Fundamental, Depeche Mode dropped Sounds of the Universe which was DEFINITELY not as good as Playing the Angel (I liked Wrong, though. But it’s not elligible), Eminem released Relapse which was joyless and pretty bad and he was kinda dead to me at that point (even if it wasn’t as terrible as Encore AND he had that song with Drake that was very good), Placebo released Battle for the Sun which was pretty great but still not as good as their previous two albums, Paradise Lost had Faith Divides Us Faith Unites Us and basically same thing there, and Indochine had La République des M��téors which is imho their worst record in the past twenty years, by far.

Long story short, every single one of the bands and artists I loved who released an album that year let me down (except Placebo, maybe).

And then VNV Nation released Of Faith, Power And Glory, I listened to it, and suddenly I had a new favorite band, and everything was good and beautiful in the world again. Album of the year for me, hands down.

With that out of the way, a few honorable mentio-HOLY SHIT HOW MANY OF THESE ARE THERE, WTF

Replay (Iyaz) - A perfectly good and innocent little earworm.

Run This Town (Rihanna) - I don’t like the original very much (Kanye’s verse is atrocious) but I've had a mashup of it with Bach’s Tocatta & Fugue in D minor (yes you read that right) on my mp3 player for years now, so this has to count. The mashup is called Run This Town In D Minor. It’s one of my favorite mashups ever. I even made fanart of it once! Look it up if you can, the original video has apparently disappeared.

Circus (Britney Spears) - You know it’s a good year for pop when even Britney Spears makes music I like.

Magnificent (U2) - Wait, even U2 was making decent music? I had zero use for them since at that point Linkin Park had more or less taken over their ecological-musical niche of “mainstream epic-sounding pop-rock music with tortured vocals and Emotions(tm)” but that one was still kinda nice.

Même Pas Fatigué (Magic System & Khaled) - I’ve said that before and I’ll say it again but they always bring a smile to my face and I don’t get why it’s ‘cool’ to hate their songs in my country. Yeah, they often sound the same, but I’d listen to ten similar-sounding Magic System songs in a heartbeat whereas you’d have to pay me to listen to ten similar-sounding Nickelback songs.

Day n Nite (Kid Cudi) - This had a tendency to get stuck in my head, but not at all in an unpleasant way.

21 Guns (Green Day) - Much better than I remembered.

When Love Takes Over (David Guetta), Stereo Love (Edward Maya ft Vika Jigulina), Evacuate the Dancefloor (Cascada) - That year was full of catchy, stupid, energetic songs, wasn’t it?

Greenlight (John Legend) - If I had better taste, this would be on the list. Alas, you’re reading the top 10s of someone who once put Blue (Eiffel 65) in a #1 spot, so yeah.

In Your Hands (Charlie Winston) - Same thing, basically.

Like a Hobo (Charlie Winston) - “Like a hobo from a broken home, nothing’s gonna stop me”, said this very useful song. Now is a good time to remind you that my nickname at the public university was The Hobo. So yeah. I liked this song a lot and I still do.

Forever (Drake) - Drake and Eminem are both amazing on this track. Unfortunately there’s also Kanye West and Lil Wayne on it. But. Like. “I'm Hannibal Lecter so just in case you're thinking of saving face / You ain't gonna have no face to save”. Dude. Duuuuuude.

You Found Me & Never Say Never (The Fray) - Did I mention I really, really liked this band. I think I did. Several times.

Paparazzi & Love Game (Lady Gaga) - Would both have had a chance to land on the list without the incredible amount of great, catchy tunes that year had to offer.

C’est Dans l’Air (Mylène Farmer) - Mylène Farmer had THREE singles on the French year-end list and this is the ONLY one I like. Good electro, mediocre verses but a great chorus (and a weird and kind of hilarious music video). Basically a song saying we’re all going to die and she can only sing about it. It’s strange, it’s a bit dark in a fun way, but it’s sadly not enough to land on the list, and it was the last cut from it.

Phew. Making this list was like a Hunger Games of catchy, upbeat, stupid songs to find which one was the best. It’s not #1 but I’m still shocked I had to put it so high.

But first, the runner ups.

10 - Fire Burning (Sean Kingston)

US: #33 / FR: Not on the list

Yes, ALL these honorable mentions were kicked out to give the last spot on the list to this guy and a chorus that goes “somebody call 911, shawty fire burning on the dance floor, WOAH!”.

The fact that I don’t feel bad about it means this was the right pick for that spot.

9 - Rain (Mika)

US: Not on the list / FR: #22

Anybody else thinks Mika looks like the Fourth Doctor on this screenshot from the music video or is it just me?

Anyway. So yeah, as I said, We Are Golden would have topped this list if it had been elligible. Sadly, it isn’t, but Rain is. I don’t like it nearly as much as We Are Golden, but what can I say. It’s still Mika. I’ll take whatever I can.

8 - I Gotta Feeling (Black Eyed Peas)

US: #4 / FR: #17

I lost about 80% of the respect I had for this song the day I realised its untouchable, marvellous beat was very probably stolen from Take a Dive. I still love it though. Had a few actual parties in 2010 and early 2011 and this was garanteed to make everyone dance, even people like me who don’t know how to dance.

And then the dancefloor died instantly anytime anyone tried to put Boom Boom Pow on because it’s impossible to dance on that one. But that’s another story.

7 - Poker Face (Lady Gaga)

US: #2 / FR: #5

Needless to say this was absolutely everywhere and overplayed to death and beyond, and the fact I still wanted to listen to it and put it on my playlists really tells you how good I thought it was (and still is).

6 - Ça m’énerve (Helmut Fritz)

US: Not on the list / FR: #1 (...yes.)

This is a novelty song with a singer pretending to have a thick German accent, complaining about various things in France, like the fact he doesn’t fit the dress code for a club, that he wanted to buy a sweater with “Rock” written on it but it’s out of stock, that some girls can fit in a size 34 blue jean and not him, that there’s a queue of people trying to buy macarons at the Ladurée shop, and so on. And every time he concludes “that gets on my nerves”, said in a very flat tone. Here’s a translation.

It was overplayed as f█ck here. Think Despacito levels of overplay. But the beat is great and it’s still hysterical after having heard it about a hundred times that year.

Fun fact, while I was making this list and relistening to this song, my s.o said “haha that sounds great! What is it?” and I stared at him in disbelief. Somehow, he was completely serious. That’s like someone escaping the Great Macarena Onslaught Of 1996. What happened. How.

5 - Waking Up In Vegas (Katy Perry)

US: #36 / FR: Not on the list

Again, I must remind you that my s.o is a Katy Perry fan and that I’ve heard this song even more than the average radio listener did at the time, and it’s STILL #5 on this list. What can I say. It’s a ton of fun and one of my favorite songs from her.

4 - New Divide (Linkin Park)

US: #61 / FR: Not on the list

Is this their best song? Not by a f█cking mile. I thought it would be much lower when I started to make this specific list, but what can I say. Linkin Park is like that one old friend that you kept no contact with for years, and once you meet them again, it’s like they never left. Who cares if that wasn’t nearly as good as Numb or In the End? Not me, that’s for sure.

Also, “In every loss in every lie / In every truth that you deny / And each regret and each goodbye / Was a mistake too great to hide / And your voice was all I heard / That I get what I deserve”. Holy shit, dude.

3 - Good Girls Go Bad (Cobra Starship)

US: #43 / FR: Not on the list

BEHOLD. THE ONLY SURVIVOR OF THE 2009 ‘CATCHY UPBEAT STUPID SONGS’ HUNGER GAMES. THE CATCHIEST, UPBEAT-IEST, STUPIDEST OF THEM ALL. HERE IT IS AT LAST.

The thing I love about this is that it’s a song made by nerds for nerds and that the singer looks and sounds completely non-threatening. As Todd said in his own list back in the day, “that guy couldn’t make good MILK go bad” and that’s what’s so endearing about the song, I think.

Also yes, this is, in fact, placed above Linkin Park.

2 - Use Somebody (Kings of Leon)

US: #14 / FR: Not on the list

This was my #1 at first. I LOVED it. I even bought the album, even though, as you know, my funds were very low that year. That music is soaring. It’s majestic. Well, the lyrics aren’t that majestic and soaring, it’s about loving someone and trying to catch their attention, but the rest? Damn this is intense. It was also elligible for the 2010 list, by the way, where I ALSO wondered if it should be #1, but in both cases, it wasn’t meant to be.

And so this list of 2009 hit songs comes to a close.

It began with the forging of the Great 2009 Upbeat Songs. Three were given to the Punk Rock hits. Seven to the Dance Tracks. And nine, nine songs were gifted to the Radio Friendly Pop Songs, which above all else desired power.

But they were all deceived, for another song was made. Deep in the forgotten land of Synth Pop, in his Parents’ Basement, the Dark Lord Adam Young forged a master song, and into this song he poured his joy, his talent and his will to dominate all charts.

One song to rule them all.

1 - Fireflies (Owl City)

US: #60 / FR: Not on the list (76 the next year)

I know. It’s a meme nowadays. But still. Have you any idea how satisfying a song with an initial beat that looks like small pulsing yellow and blue lights in the dark ACTUALLY titled “Fireflies” is? How gentle it all sounds and looks, even when the music soars? The number of drawings and paintings I made just based on the colors of THAT song? It’s like a synth pop version of one of my favorite Mike Oldfield tunes ever, Weightless.

And then, on top of all the rest, how relatable was that guy’s body language and general attitude?? Before even knowing he was on the spectrum I was like “oh BIG mood.”

Also following his twitter was one of the best decisions I ever made.

So yeah. I would have loved to put Coldplay or Mika in that #1 spot, but I’m not too mad about it thanks to this wonderful little song and its author. Such a shame Deer in the Headlights and Alligator Sky aren’t elligible for the 2011 list.

Next up: Johannes finally moves out and finds a great job and starts living a little, plus here’s a #1 that will be difficult to justify

#Johannes’ bad not good pretty terrible music lists #music #long post #eye contact tw

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theswiftarmy · 5 years ago

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#19 - 6000 Headphones, 12 Mobile Phones, SOO Many Shoes, And An Earworm Inside The Biebs’ Head

What better way to fight a war than with love? And what better way to rule the world than with love? Because how do you fight back against love? How do you? What’s that lawn sign? Love trumps hate—Or, what did Taylor say? Hater’s gonna hate (hate x3), is my math right on that? How many times does Taylor say the word hate in Shake It Off? Or, if you live in the south, Gators gonna gait…. Get it? Because there are gators always walking around in the south and the word gait is another word for how a person walks, although, I don’t know if it can be applied to an alligator walking around because I’m pretty sure they crawl instead of walk. Although, perhaps one might describe alligators as slithering around like snakes, then again, if you ask a snake, they’ll be like… WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Alligators don’t slither, don’t even try to steal my mode of mobility, they saunter, and maybe alligators do saunter about. But, let’s just pretend alligators gait, because it rhymes with haters gonna hate. There’s a lot of pretending going on in this story. Just remember that, play pretend and you’ll follow along just fine.

Stay with me here for a quick second and a hot minute before I get back to the story—suppose that this Elvis sound were real, obviously it’s not because it’s just a story and not real, remember we’re just playing pretend, unless… it IS real and I’m coincidentally writing fiction about something that DOES happens to be real, I just don’t happen to know that it is real, I suppose there’s always that highly unlikely scenario—but just for a moment, let your imagination run wild and really think about it. Back in the day when Rock and Roll first came into existence it changed the world, or so I’ve been told, it changed everyone who encountered it, again, not from personal experience, just what I’ve been told, the groove made you move, brought people together in a new and different way. It’s hard to know what that experience was like if you didn’t live through it, especially since it’s all part of our society and history nowadays. But, there was a time before it existed when no one even knew something like it could exist, and then ears at the time were infected with infectious melodies that they couldn’t get enough of, they hungered for more of this new and incredible musical genre, of course it wouldn’t be the last time a new genre was created and ears hungered for more.

But an interesting side effect of it all was that it created cultural icons, as the new genres continue to do. It created idols, you know, like those with the first name of Billy, it created nice days for white weddings, and to start again. And of course, these days there’s a new Billie in idol town, but I’ll get to why I bring her up later on.

Early rock stars and pop icons became immortalized, living on long after death, they’re gods and goddesses, a new era of decorated war heros or royals, as Lorde so eloquently put it, the weapon of choice a microphone or a guitar, or maybe both, or sometimes a keyboard, or a plethora of other instruments, insert instrument of choice here, maybe even a ukulele! Mostly, though, early on the rock and roll army was a guitarmy.

These rock gods and goddesses all image and no human being, especially true of those who are no longer with us, the human being may be gone, but the image lives on, and we still look up to those who can sing and dance and gel their hair back in slick new ways. Fantastic fashion abound, and the preferred weapons around, like I said, musical instruments, maybe some guitars, and guitar solos the ammunition. Some would argue, not me, but some would say that’s what has gone wrong in our modern society, we mourn the loss of great guitar solos from these songs at the top of the charts.

Could one correlate a graph with a rise in violence directly inversely correlated with solos in rock music? Maybe. But anyone can correlate anything if you tried hard enough, which is the point here, like fictionally connecting modern day Billy Porter in Taylor Swift’s music video for You Need To Calm Down, to back in the day Bill Porter, the sound engineer with the golden ear that recorded with Elvis in The Sixties. But it does seem as though the guitar solo has been quietly replaced, those wailing solos instead becoming a bank of samples on which most music is now based. Samples upon samples spliced in and layered over top of loops and mashed together with other samples and loops, but where did the samples originate? So many musicians use samples in music without knowing anything about their origin. It’s the wild west of sampling. Anything that sounds good can be put in a beat or a hook. And of course top it off with “The Drop”. Ah yes, The Drop—the silence before a storm of melody, and perhaps that silence is what does it, what makes you anticipate the hook, what makes you addicted to the noise. It sucks you in, and holds your ears hostage, note after note after note. Making it so hard to turn the song off, we simply can’t get enough of the stuff.

Suppose the sound were real though, go all in with suspension of disbelief, and samples upon samples of it were layered into songs you listen to, some of your favorite songs of all time, the ones you can’t get enough of and press repeat again, and again, exposing your ears over and over to the sound… Changing your brainwaves and playing with your mind and emotions… each new track artists put out an even more potent version to pull fans in, the only choice the fans have is to follow, unable to break away from the influence of our favorite icons and idols as we hang on their every word. I mean, is it so absurd? We continue to break streaming records, sell out stadiums, and fans are willing to fight for the right for their favorite artist to part ways with a record label, if you were an artist or a band, and in the market for fans, wouldn’t you sign up for it too? What’s the harm in a little bit of sugar and spice to make everything already nice… Well, even more so, maybe twice or thrice that spice?

And is it really all that hard to believe? How many times have you pushed the back button on a song and listened to it again, a third time, a fifth time in a row? How many times have you done something you wouldn’t normally have done because of a song? How many times have you turned yourself around because a song changed your mood or mind, or your heart, asked someone to dance, or texted someone you probably wouldn’t have texted because of a tune you heard playing out on the town, or while shopping, or a song playing in a movie or TV show—how many times was just hearing the slightest snippet of a certain song taken as a sign and changed the course of your entire life? I’m willing to bet more than a few of you out there just raised your hand.

Oak Felder finished making another point, “…but all that is lost to history and now pop stars are using it to control their fans.”

“Lure them in with love.” Ariana said smiling. “I mean, it works!”

“This is like, really blowing my mind right now.” Scooter said. “This just keeps getting even crazier! It’s like, be careful what music you listen to because you have no idea what might happen to your mind…”

Scott reminded Scooter. “And especially in Justin’s case, yeah—because his mind could be wiped if he hears the wrong song while he’s earwormed.”

Oak looked over at Pop, “Well, hold on to your seat, Scooter, because I found something else noteworthy! We took Ariana’s suggestion to Shazam the sound, and—though I didn’t exactly do that—while we were analyzing it last night I did extract the sonic footprint of it, and Pop here was able to cross reference the footprint against the Shazam database in its entirety.”

“Yeah?” Scooter responded, bracing for something extremely mind numbing.

“It seems as though Scott’s mystery Porter Pyramid noise, AKA ‘The Elvis Egg’ sound, may be in a lot more music than we thought. It seems to show up across the Shazam library as small bits and pieces, or as these small pieces of music are more commonly referred to as, samples.”

“Wait, you mean sampling?” Justin said, sitting again beside Ariana Grande but this time in a small but fun looking and colorfully designed IKEA-esk chair right beside the oversized beanbag chair, since Ariana had already called perpetual fivesies on the bean chair Justin had to find a new seat from the last time the group was in the studio. Fivesies, for those not in the loop mean you have a claim to your seat after getting up, but that claim lasts for no more and no less than five minutes. Although some people don’t always adhere to the rule, I won’t name names, but you know who you are. Was that ten years ago? Yes. Am I still bitter? That was my seat and you know it—Whatever, I’m allowed to be upset, how could anyone reading this possibly know what it’s like to have something that used to be yours suddenly in the possession of someone else. It was mine, and then all of a sudden someone else is sitting on it, and wouldn’t let me have what was rightfully mine—even after I called fivesies! It’s frustrating when someone takes something that was yours. I mean, Taylor gets it, she called Fivesies on her back catalog of recordings and someone else, I won’t name names, totally took it from her. Sorry, I digress, I’ll get back to the story—I’m in one of those writer’s moods, if you couldn’t tell.

Oak responded very matter-of-factly. “That’s right Justin, sampling. You know it as beats, grooves, drum breaks, horn sounds, and guitar riffs, just to name a few examples. Most listeners have no idea that the original source of the sounds isn’t a direct recording, but a mashed up copy of a copy of a copy, sometimes many times over.”

“So, does that mean there are bad samples in music?” Ariana said swooping in and stealing the response directed at Justin—maybe you should have called fivesies on the convo, Justin.

Scooter scooted into the conversation too, taking some response time as well, being that it was there for the taking, like how Taylor’s masters were, so why not? Why buy a vowel when you can buy an entire sentence in the form of a question, “What, like, you’re telling me that music is infected? How? Is it all music?”

That was three questions Scooter; you were only supposed to have asked one, you only bought one question, not three.

“No, not all music. Just certain samples—“ Pop Wansel replied very Goldblum-y. It was his turn to be Jeff. Everyone gets to be Jeff Goldblum at least once and you can’t call fivesies on being Jeff Goldblum, only Jeff himself can do that.

Oak leaned forward in his Spaceship command chair. “What’s the most sampled song of all time? Does anyone know?”

“Umm…” They all unknowingly blinked their eyes in the same cadence of the Capitol Records light and shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders, Justin’s cats moved their tails back and forth as they sat sleepily on the laps of two humans in the room, I’m not at liberty to disclose which two laps the cats sat upon, but they sat on two laps. No fivesies were called, cats don’t need fivesies, they just sit wherever they please.

“No one knows the answer? Well, the year was 1969. A funk soul band named The Winstons released a single called ‘Color Him Father’. The B side of that record contained a funked up version of a gospel song named ‘Amen, Brother’. Now, of course, Color Him Father would win a Grammy for best R and B song after hitting number seven on the Billboard hot 100 charts, but the B side to that record? Well, no one really paid it much attention for years… Eventually it would become the most sampled drum break in all music, it’s called the ‘Amen Break’. It was first added to a compilation named Ultimate Breaks and Beats, which was popular with Hip Hop producers and DJs during the early days of Hip Hop. The breakthrough hit Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A. most likely propelled it into the mainstream, Straight Outta Compton contained a slowed down looped version of the Amen Break in its entirety, although it was used on other songs at the time as well. I believe the first track to sample it was I Desire by Salt-N-Pepa. Eventually it was broken apart, spliced up, and bits and piece of it were used in thousands of songs.”

“So, are you saying sampling is bad?” The lawyer asked, his red pen poised and ready to make a new note on his notepad.

“No. Oh, of course not. There are a lot of great songs that contain samples, but as with any tool, or invention, it’s in the way that you use it, like Eric Clapton says. Same is true with any sign, or symbol, or any product of a culture, or subculture, it’s the way you use it, or more importantly, what meaning becomes attached. Musically speaking, it’s about what hooks on to those catchy hooks. Brands are a whole other ballgame and a conversation for another time—Sometimes just by wearing a certain brand, or putting a sticker on the bumper of your car, you can say a lot about what you stand for, without using any words at all. Without going really deep into the meaning of life, for whatever reason we humans have a way of creating things that represent the good in the world, the bad in the world, and additionally, the indifferent—or one point of view over another—like I said, conversation for another time. But the meanings shift, something that had absolutely no real meaning can become a symbol of power, or a movement. A heart symbol could say love, but it could be a declaration of war depending on the context and who sends it to you. How many individuals took a knee before Colin Kaepernick did? ��Did the gesture of taking a knee change in its meaning after Colin did it? How about when Nike made a deal with Colin, how did that change the meaning of the Nike symbol? I’m going to let you think about the answers to those questions. Music, brands, gestures, bumper stickers are simply what they are, but in the context of society and culture in a specific place and time the meaning can be so much more. Music isn’t just music, it’s so much more. Every person will tell you his or her personal attachment to any song, and it can be a shared experience, or a singular one. I’m sure we can all think of a song that takes us back in time, and maybe it’s a memory you share with millions, or an experience only you know about. Humans have a tendency not to start out making anything to be a symbol of a moment, that usually happens later on, we make things, usually with the best of intentions, but sometimes just because it’s something that we are passionate about, what starts out as innocent, or cool, or just something to do, can become a beacon of hope, in the right hands, or a nightmare down the road should it fall into the wrong hands. The future of anything can’t be predicted. Rock and Roll had a start with a small group of musicians who probably didn’t even know it was Rock and Roll at the time, and that it would eventually spread through the entire world. The Amen Break started with one single drummer Gregory C. Coleman, and later would be used in thousands of songs.”

“And that’s causing this war with the Swifities? The war with Taylor?” An Arianator asked.

“We aren’t at war with Taylor…” Oak replied, his tone of voice turning very serious, “We’re at war with an unfortunate scenario. Taylor isn’t fighting a war because she wants to, she’s fighting it because she needs to. It’s not her fault, she’s a victim of circumstance... as so many other innocent people on this planet have been and continue to be.”

Scott grabbed his share of the conversation as well, “Trouble’s gonna follow where she goes…”

Oak took it back, “Trouble follows us all, we are all victims of circumstance. And we’re all fighting wars made of personal battles. Just some of us more than others.”

“She’s a victim of her own music holding her hostage, like how I’m a victim of this earworm in my head.” Justin said solemnly.

Ariana turned to Justin sitting beside her, “Since you don’t want to talk about what happened, I may be out of place by saying this, and I hate to have to say this Justin, but if you hadn’t broken up with Selena like twenty times, you might not have her earworm in your head right now.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Justin said back.

Ariana stifled a growl of frustration with her hands, turning her attention to Oak instead. “So we’re fighting to free Taylor from her old masters? Or specifically, from that egg sound—from samples used… We’re fighting for her, not against her?” Ariana asked for clarification. She reached for her phone in her pocket and gave it a squeeze. With the masters tracks back in Taylor’s hands, she now held the only recording of the easter egg track should they need it. She decided to keep its existence a secret. If they found out they may take it from her. For a minute she felt a rush of power wash over her, like some energy from the past or another dimension was trying to come to her and take over. The power pulsed through her for a brief moment, chills down her spine, before she was able to push back against whatever it was creating the rush inside her.

“As long as I still get to own her.” Scooter said, “I mean, own her old masters, sorry, that’s what I meant. A deal is a deal and I bought them fair and square.”

Everyone glowered at Scooter.

“What? I mean, after this is all over of course.”

Everyone continued to glower.

“Why am I the bad guy in this?”

Flower power was big in the 60s, but in these modern times glower power is where it is at.

“Okay FINE, once this is over I’ll work with her to figure out a way for her to buy back her masters, or something.”

Glower power for the win.

Scooter uncrossed his fingers from behind his back. You sly devil you.

“The Elvis egg sound isn’t good or bad in itself, just like The Amen Break isn’t good or bad, Rock and Roll and Hip Hop are music, but to paraphrase Clapton, it’s in the way that she’s using it. See the egg sound in itself makes you feel trippy; Which makes sense, it’s from the 60s. The Elvis egg sound is from the start of the decade, and the Amen Break is from the end of the decade. The egg sound makes you feel good. But, as we’ve come to learn, when it interacts with specific sound samples, such as The Amen Break—that’s when you get… Well, it seems you get side effects. But those side effects used in a specific manner, like what was done to Justin here, can be used as a weapon—” Oak told them as much as they needed to know. It’s a bit like when scientists first invented the atom bomb, too much knowledge about something with that much power can be dangerous. Musical genres have more power and are more influential than anyone could possibly fathom. “It’s a weapon of war.” He said plainly.

“That’s where the earworm came from. You combine specific samples together… and anything is possible. It can be used to push viral content, or addict and hook fans, or you can disarm your opponents, make them unable to fight back.” Pop clarified for the ears in the room. “When you combine new and old samples, things get really tricky. Take, umm… Old Town Road, for example, that song took off seemingly overnight, but why?”

“Well it obviously took off because of me when I shared it on social media for all my Beliebers.” Justin said. He tried to sing the song and do the dance… “Gonna take my love to the love love road to love love, I needed to lose you to love me… “ He stopped trying and sat there lost inside his head again.

“That’s not quite how it goes, but I’m fascinated by the mashup of music going on in your head. Does anyone else want to comment on the song, does anyone know the origin of the track used behind the vocals?” Oak asked.

“Didn’t he just find it online, Soundcloud, or YouTube or something, and then… Lay down his vocals over it?” One of the Arianators offered.

“No, I think he bought it from a beats site for 30 bucks. Wait, let me Google it. Okay, it says here ‘The hook was originally purchased for $30 on BeatStars, a rap-focused beats marketplace.’ That’s cool.” The other Arianator replied back.

Oak stepped in, his voice soothing and constructive, “Well, so the original sample in Old Town Road is actually a Nine Inch Nails song named 34 Ghosts IV. And it was placed over a trap beat and posted online for sale by a Dutch teenager Kiowa Roukema, who also goes by ‘Young Kio’. Now, when you consider the entire Old Town Road song together in final form you have various tracks recorded at various times and places using various microphones and instruments, and other recording equipment including effects processors and such. Each individual sound recording and sample was layered on top of one another, even the original sound sample from Nine Inch Nails had already been mastered, yet it was mastered again when it was posted for sale as a beat, and then mastered another time when Lil Nas X posted his version online, then the remix was mastered yet again. It’s like Scooter said, an omlette of eggs. If any piece of it contains the egg sound, you have a very complex variation of the original sounds that has been manipulated and mangled many times over with every sub master, the same has happened over the years with The Amen Break. For all we know the Amen Break could be in that song, as there isn’t a clear source of every sample used to make the trap beat. It’s a potent mix that when played into someone’s ear can have some very strange effects—”

“Love love… To love love… I needed to lose you to love me… Dammit Selena! Get out of my head!” Justin erupted cutting off the conversation. “It’s GETTING WORSE!” He shouted then kneeled down on the floor holding his head between his hands he hummed Selena Gomez’s song Lose You To Love Me, softly at first, then yelled out, “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” He started to cry, just for a few tears, before wiping them away and sprawling out on the floor looking up at the ceiling fan. His tears of anguish continued, flowing from his eyes and running down his cheeks. “I give up.” He said quietly, his lower lip quivering. “I can’t stop hearing it. It’s just there on repeat—over and over again. I just give up. I want it to stop. Make it stop. I can’t take it anymore! I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! SELINA GOMEZ MAKE IT STOP!!! I WANT OUT OF THIS! I DON’T WANT YOU IN MY HEAD ANYMORE!!!”

“Oak you gotta help him. Can’t you do anything?” Ariana begged rushing to Justin’s side.

Oak looked over at Pop. They nodded to one another. Justin couldn’t wait any longer.

Pop got up and walked over to a Star Wars movie poster on the wall. He turned around and held his hand out, Oak tossed the replica light saber at him, Pop caught it without flinching and then stood in front of the poster mimicking the stance of Skywalker.

The poster began to roll up revealing a door.

“No way!” Scooter gasped. “What the?”

Oak smiled. “Shall we?”

Ariana helped Justin up and walked with him. Her two Arianators rushed over to help carry him.

Everyone walked over to the doorway previously hidden behind the poster and one by one they walked through it.

The doorway led into a passageway that resembled the engine room of a spaceship—It was something out of every movie you’ve ever seen that takes place in space. Hidden LED lights glowed spreading a soft even light, a blue hue that matched a humming sound, the engines of the spaceship.

Oak Felder and Pop Wansel piloted the crew through the copious amount of twists and turns. Several times forks in the tunnel shot off to the left or right of them.

“How much money did it cost you to build this?” The lawyer asked at one point. Oak didn’t answer until they reached their final destination.

“I didn’t build it for me, it was initially my wife’s extended shoe closet for shoe’s she refused to throw out, even though she knew she would never wear them again.”

Scooter laughed. “My wife would be jealous, her shoe collection is taking over the house! I used to think ‘why would you keep shoes if you’re never going to wear them again?’ Ah, I was so young and naive. I know better now. But why? Why so many shoes!”

Ariana responded “It’s just a thing. It’s like keeping photos, memories of the past. Also, you never know, there MIGHT be an occasion when you need that EXACT shoe! And then if you had previously owned that pair and thrown them out you’d be kicking yourself. Also, if you can afford that many shoes, why not spoil yourself? Whoever said money can't solve your problems, must not have had enough money to solve 'em, they say, ‘Which one?’ I say, ‘Nah, I want all of 'em’, happiness is the same price as red-bottoms.”

Oak stopped the group at a large door. The door glowed amber around the edges outlining its silhouette. He pulled out a key. He inserted the key and turned the key clockwise. While still holding the key in its turned position he pressed a large button, the first few seconds of a song began to play then it stopped. He named the artist and the song. Another song played, then stopped, again he named the artist and the song speaking out loud towards the door. This continued for three more songs, after which a sixth and final song played for a little longer than the first five. It played long enough for a few song lyrics to be heard before stopping, he continued singing the next line picking up where the song left off.

A small display beside the key and button read, “You win this round of trivia tunes!”

With that the door opened.

“SO that’s how you’re soo good at the audio round when we go to trivia night.” Ariana said jokingly.

“You got me.”

With that Oak ushered everyone through the door.

“Whoa!” Scott shouted out after the motion sensor lights turned from a low amber glow to a bright and cheerful yellow, fully illuminating the room.

Half the room was filled with rows upon rows of headphones—All different kinds, vintage, modern, big clunky over ear headphones, sleek new sport Bluetooth ear buds that slipped inside the ear, every different type anyone could possibly imagine, there were thousands upon thousands of headphones, the collection seemed to go on forever, endlessly. The other half of the room was filled with an equal amount of shoes, which also seemed to go on forever.

“Yeah, my wife really likes shoes. What’s that phrase? Happy wife, happy life. All those songwriter royalty checks mostly go to two things, new toys for the studio, and my wife.”

“Oak, I was saying whoa about the headphone collection, but the shoe collection is equally as impressive as well.” Scott scanned the room with his eyes. “How many headphones are in here Oak?” Scott asked out of curiosity.

“Hmm, I’d say at least six thousand. I’ve lost count.”

“Six thousand headphones!”

“I had more, but my wife made me get rid of some to make space to move more shoes in.” He shrugged as if to silently say, what are you gonna do about it? Nothing. “Okay, let’s see what we can do for Justin.”

Oak held his finger in the air and wiggled it towards him indicating for the group to follow. They walked down a few rows of headphones as though they were walking through the aisles in a headphone only thrift shop. Headphones clung neatly to hooks as low as a few inches off the floor all the way to the ceiling three stories up. Ladders like one might find in an old bookstore ran along the shelves for access to the upper levels.

Oak picked up one pair and handed the headphones to Justin. They were super vintage, 70s or 80s maybe? Well worn, large and clunky. He plugged the audio cable into the same device he had used to diagnose the earworm playing a sound through the headphones. “How about that?”

Justin stood for a minute with the headphones on his head then shook his head no indicating that the worm was stronger than ever. Taking the headphones off he handed them back to Oak. They walked a to the end of an aisle then down another, “AH HAH!” He took another pair off a hook. This time the pair was Bluetooth capable modern and flashy, customizable and comfortable with an over the ear fit. He carefully placed the headphones over Justin’s ears and tapped on the digital touch screen of the earworm device after syncing the Bluetooth connection. He cycled through various settings.

“Anything yet?”

“No. I don’t think so.” Justin shook his head, and then shifted the headphones to fit better. Oak continued to tap through various settings.

“Wait!” Justin smiled slightly. “Go back!”

Oak tapped the screen again.

“There! I mean, I can still hear it slightly, but it’s barely even noticeable just soft background music. I can deal with it like this. Whatever these headphones do, keep doing it.”

Oak searched for the right response, “Umm, well it’s complicated science, let’s just say they’re emitting a phase cancelation noise that is close to what the earworm sound is.”

“Works for me!” Justin said in an upbeat voice.

Ariana high fived Oak and then low fived Justin.

Just then the lawyer’s phone rang. He walked away for privacy. “Uh huh… Oh, interesting…”

“That’s not good.” Scott said staring at the lawyer.

“How do you know?” Scooter asked.

Scott shook his head. “He only says ‘oh, interesting…’ when it’s something bad. He’ll never say anything is bad, just ‘interesting’.”

“How does he get cell service down here?” Oak asked. “Even I don’t get cell service!”

“With him, it’s better not to question such things, just accepted it.” Scott replied.

“Okay then.” Oak said, backing off the subject.

After the call ended Carl, the lawyer walked back over to the group.

“What is it?” Scott asked.

“Just got off the phone with… Well, I’m not at liberty to disclose who the caller was… but let’s just say they had an interesting piece of information.”

“And that information is?” Scott said in a coaxing voice.

“Taylor is going to place the porter egg sound behind her song Lover during her performance tonight at the American Music Awards, she’s using the string arrangement as a guise.”

“She can’t do that, we have to stop that!” Scooter screamed out. The room fell silent aside from the humming of a few air ventilation fans.

“There may be a way.” Oak finally said, breaking the silence. “It would require getting two specific individuals to join with us—we’ll need someone on the inside who can get access to the equipment in order to swap the sound a second time with a placebo track, and we need someone to interrupt Taylor Swift right before her speech, long enough to swap out that backing track she’s going to play during Lover.”

“I can think of two people who might be perfect.” Justin’s spirits were picking back up, he seemed to be closer to his old self and less distant.

“Who?” Scott asked.

“Well, the insider will already be there… Billie Eilish. We’ve been chill ever since Coachella, you remember, Ariana,” Ariana nodded, how could she forget Coachella. Justin continued, “and of course more recently she let me record a vocal track on another version of her ‘Bad Guy’ single. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t made an alliance with Taylor yet. I know, I KNOW, I was wrong about Ed Sheeran, but I think we can trust Billie.”

“Okay, that would work. What about the other person? We need someone to interrupt Taylor before the song, we need someone who has experience, who can get it right, we’ll only get one shot at this…”

They glanced at each other, not saying a word.

Scooter smiled, “Anyone else thinking what I’m thinking? There’s only one person with the skill and experience to interrupt Taylor Swift at precisely the right moment.”

“KANYE WEST!” Everyone yelled together.

The helicopter blades spun up as the group climbed through the open doors. Scott told his ‘Where we’re going we don’t need roads, because we’re in a helicopter!’ joke again. Oak laughed.

“See, Oak gets my humor.” Scott said, satisfied that his joke was finally a hit.

Sushi and Tuna could be seen sitting in a window of the house looking out. They were to stay at the spaceship studio in the care of the Defenders just in case Taylor tried to make any further kitty cat kidnapping attempts.

Pop was the last to climb on board, a Defender handed him a large black duffle bag after he was safely inside the helicopter. He then handed the bag to Oak. Oak unzipped the bag to make sure the contents were all there, enough gold headphone cases for each one of them. He passed the cases out. “Don’t lose these.” Oak instructed them. “There’s a set of over ear Beats by Dre headphones, special grade custom made Solo Pro with Active Noise Cancelling technology. They’re linked with an integrated communication system so we can communicate with each other. Works up to five miles away in a mesh network, so as long as each one of us is within at least five miles of another person, we can all talk. Battery runs off kinetic energy, as long as you’re breathing, the headphones will work. Unfold them to turn on, fold them to turn off. There’s one mode for active cancelation with communication and another pre programed mode matching Justin’s frequency in case you get earwormed. We don’t know if they have one strain of the Gomez earworm, or multiple, but right now, it’s the best we have. This does mean Justin won’t have communication with us through the headphones, someone’s going to have to stay with him should the need arise for us to use these.”

“What are these little ones?” Scooter asked picking a smaller set of ear buds from perfectly cut-to-shape spaces within the foam. They sat snuggly inside the case beside the Beats Solo Pro headphones.

“Lookalike AirPods—although, they aren’t Apple, Taylor’s been handing out some kind of custom set to her Swifties, they call them SwiftPods. These will work in a pinch to protect you from both the Swift sound, and possible exposure to an earworm, but they contain no communication and it’s hard to hear anyone trying to talk to you, the noise cancelation is complete and contains no filters. They basically work like earplugs, but they look like SwiftPods so you won’t blow your cover in close proximity to a Swiftie.”

“We won’t be needing these,” Ariana grabbed Scooter’s case out of his hands and handed it back along with her own case. “Can you drop Scooter and I off at LAX before we stop at Kanye’s house? My private jet is waiting—we’ve got a show to make…” She looked over at Scooter disapprovingly.

“Better do as she asks.” Scooter said to everyone.

“But that’s out of the way!” Scott exclaimed. Ariana stared at him, her eyes piercing through him. He quickly backtracked, “Yeah, we can do that. Sure thing, not a problem Ms. Grande.” Scott said to her after looking to the lawyer and getting a nod of approval from the lawyer.

“Will you two be alright out there?” Oak asked.

Scooter shrugged.

“We’ll be fine.” Ariana said in a decisively powerful tone. “My Arianators will protect us from any Swifties if they try anything tricky, it’s Justin that you need to look out for, they’ve already used him twice in this war game, first with the kittynapping and then the earworm weapon, they’re likely to strike again to get to Scooter.”

The helicopter lifted into the air headed first for LAX and then to Kanye West’s house.

#taylor swift #swifties #arianator #ariana grande #shoes #earworm #justin bieber #amen break #kanye #kanye west #billie eilish #beatsaudio #rockandroll #billy idol #elvis #nike #happywifehappylife #lovetrumpshate

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space-whalesharks · 6 years ago

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for the three songs thing: 7, 19, 30? 😊 yeah... 9 songs is a lot... but you introduced me to Andy Grammar (top lad, banging tunes, 10/10) and now I need more recs bc you have the best taste 👌

Sidenote because I love that Andy Grammer comment: Listen I had a giant ass friendship ending fight with my best friend in 2017 and “Miss Me” ended up being my anthem for that year because of it. Like I finally get the “music saved my life” thing because of it now. Andy Grammer’s love, Andy Grammer’s life. 7) three songs you didn’t expect to like but eventually loved

Uptown Funk. I mean I think it was the same for everybody but I HATED it so much at first and thought it was kinda catchy but so dumb the first time I heard it but like… two weeks later I was scream-singing to it in my car.

The most recent one is the song “Ready as I’ll Ever Be.” It came on my Spotify for some reason a couple of weeks ago and I went to see wtf it was and was all “Ew why is a modern Disney channel song on my recs- (the opening riff comes on, villain has that “I’m the bad guy, that’s fINe” moment) hOLY SHIT IT’S AMAZING. And a grey morality villain song by the sound of it SO THIS IS MY NEW CRACK”

Kind of going off of the last one’s logic, my parents and I went to go see Al Stewart in concert and there was an opening act The Empty Pockets. Al Stewart is … easily in his 70s so I expected the opening act to be in the same age bracket and I was not feeling it before they came on. Turns out they’re millennials (I should’ve known with that band name lbr, the three of us were the youngest people in that theater by at least twenty years) and they did this one song Find Or Fail where the female vocalist does this thing with her voice where she like… loops notes is the closest thing I can think to call it.It went straight to my heart. I’ve only ever heard one other person do it ten years ago and I almost cried on the spot because it’s just… so beautiful. If you listen to it here, she does it like…. nonstop in the first twenty seconds. They also have that very Deputy or Jacob-esque song “I Am Strong” so that’s like….#3b.

19) three songs that are your guilty pleasure

I’m so angry because I just did the paragraph for this one and labelled it as a guilty pleasure only to see that you asked for guilty pleasure songs so now I had to go pick another one. But anyway: Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” like…. bitch needs to just accept the fact she got caught in a lie and move on and the “the old Taylor is dead” bit is the most pathetic thing in the world but GOD it is the best earworm and it’s catchy and I hate-love it for it.

Can I just name Nickelback’s entire discography?? Like I think the whole “it’s cool to hate Nickelback” thing isn’t really that popular anymore but listen I LOVE MY BOYS OKAY, THEY HAD GOOD MUSIC … until like… half of the last album that was garbage. Also they know people hate them and make fun of themselves for it and I appreciate that.

Honky Tonk Badonkadonk by Trace Adkins is a really fucking fun, ridiculous, catchy song and y’all can fight me on this.

30) three songs you really want your followers to know (for reasons other than all those above)

It’s basically a meme now but Genghis Khan by Miike Snow. It’s catchy and the music video is amazing. Also has a hero/villain ship as the protags/plot.

I’ve mentioned this song a number of times but oh well. Harry Chapin’s Corey’s Coming. It’s essentially just a story just sung, but the song’s so beautiful and the ‘punchline’ at the song gave me happy chills the first time I heard it even if you know exactly what’s about to be said.

Also because Owl City is my instant mood lifter music and we’ve all been sad on main lately: To The Sky. I stg this one note in the beginning in particular sends out some note that makes my seratonin skyrocket and I HOPE IT DOES THE SAME FOR Y’ALL.

#amistrio

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callunavulgari · 6 years ago

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“In the past I lay out on the land Stretched my legs felt my chest expand If we could flow together someday Then we will float away”

Heather’s Top 25 50 Songs of 2018!

guts — alex winston // sweet dreams — mark hadley // africa — toto // go to war — nothing more // smallest light — ingrid michaelson // my friends — oh wonder // knocking on heaven’s door — raign // rememberance — balmorhea // hazy shade of winter — hidden citizens // time after time — joseph william morgan // live in the moment — portugal. the man // killmonger — ludwig goransson // daddy issues — the neighbourhood // no roots — alice merton // run for your life — k.flay // play with fire — sam tinnesz // the sailor song — autoheart // warrior — steve james // IV. sweatpants — childish gambino // hello — via audio // daddy — emeli sande // paradise valley — honey and the sting // attila the king — nick glennie-smith // foolish — lauren shippen // experience — ludovico einaudi // singing in the rain — through juniper vale // hello stranger — barbara lewis // end credits suite — nicholas britell // ahead by a century — the tragically hip // achilles come down — gang of youths // without you — leslie odom jr. // natural — imagine dragons // sky full of song — florence & the machine // broken people — logic & rag’n’bone man // flesh and bone — black math // nina cried power— hozier // kol nidrey — the yuval ron ensemble // stronger — the score // rise like a phoenix — conchita wurst // heroes — mans zelmerlow // cut to the feeling — carly rae jepson // the greatest show — hugh jackman // the plains/bitter dancer — fleet foxes // always starting over — idina menzel // if i could turn back time — cher // new rules — dua lipa // fernando — cher // it’s quiet uptown — kelly clarkson // movement — hozier // seasons of love — rent cast

short version | long version

so, fun fact. if you start a playlist in january and add a song every time you really love it or find yourself listening to it a lot, by december you find yourself with... a very, very large playlist. 261 songs, 17 hours and 17 minutes large to be precise. which hey, last year the mix was 262 so that’s a pretty spot on average.

i sort of prefer the long one, but i mean, hey. there’s large playlists, and then there’s listing all 261 songs. so i broke it down into a moderately more digestible abridged version with only 50 songs. if you want the original playlist, the link is there. have fun. til then though, here’s my 50 most played.

i. guts || alex winston i know you're a liar, throw me into the fire man i should have known, i should have known god damn you're a liar, threw me into the fire

This song is one of those where the catchy jingle sort of hides that the meat of it is relatively dark. It’s a gorgeous song, one that I listened to for most of January, and off and on throughout the rest of the year. Alex Winston’s voice is like a dream. ii. sweet dreams || mark hadley ft. dresage Hold your head up Keep your head up, movin' on

This song I actually listened to a lot at the tale end of 2017, because it was released as part of the Wrinkle In Time trailer and it was absolutely gorgeous. This year, I found it on a Stranger Things fanvid and it’s been on my Stranger Things mix ever since.

iii. africa || toto I hear the drums echoing tonight But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation She's coming in, 12:30 flight The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

Speaking of songs that are on my Stranger Things playlist... I’m kind of at a loss as to why this got so freaking popular this year. I mean, it is a truly dope song and I’m super fond of it but like. Was it Stranger Things? Did it just become that anthem of the year? For me, it was that I wrote fanfiction to it and also we played it on loop while we were playing beer liquor pong on vacation. It was... super surreal. iv. go to war || nothing more Hush, my baby, make no sound Maybe we can wait each other out It's a cold war Let's go to war So, this song I actually heard driving home from my friend Alex’s after marathoning a few episodes of The Flash and it just hit me super hard. I mean, it’s a great song for my kind of ships, but also, it’s just a great song. v. smallest light || ingrid michaelson Just because you don't see us Doesn't mean that we don't exist Sometimes the smallest light Shines so bright I think I originally found this song on the Watercast playlist on spotify? And I really liked it, because I like most of the songs on that playlist, but like. I was driving to work one day and like, just got hit with the biggest plot bunny for Will and El as siblings. And like, I just had that bunny and this song percolating in my head for the rest of the day, and the song just kind of stuck with me. This song is Will and El’s anthem. vi. my friends || oh wonder Can I beat within your heart? Can I bleed within your love? Oh my friends

Okay, so like show of hands- who here has read We Were Liars? This is a mostly hypothetical question because I’m not sure anyone actually pays attention to these anymore but I like them, so fuck it. Point is, I was listening to the watercast playlist a lot while reading that book and this song was playing when we made certain discoveries that most of us had already guessed, and it made me cry. vii. knocking on heaven’s door || raign It's gettin' dark, too dark to see I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door

This fanvid happened around the time I was writing that Will and El as siblings fic and I basically played it and the video that inspired the next song on the list on repeat until I finished. This cover is lovely and haunting and just, such a freaking earworm.

viii. remembrance || balmorhea instrumental Yeah, this is the video. I actually used this song in a fanvid of my own a couple years ago, when I got to make a fanvid for @iki-teru‘s fantastic Yuffie-centric fic All Through the Circling Years which... I can no longer find, so maybe it was taken down? Either way, I loved the song immensely before, but that fanvid with Hopper is so fucking tragic and beautiful. ix. hazy shade of winter || hidden citizens Seasons change with the scenery Weaving time in a tapestry Won't you stop and remember me

There... are a lot of songs on here that are also on my Stranger Things playlist. And I’m a sucker for haunting covers. x. time after time || joseph william morgan If you fall I will catch you, I will be waiting Time after time This is the last of the Stranger Things songs. Well, at least the last of the ones that aren’t Harringrove related. Another fanvid that caught me off guard, because just. Damn. There are so many beautiful fanvids for this fandom, it kills me dead. xi. live in the moment || portugal. the man Come back Sunday morning With that soul to sell When you're gone Goodbye, so long, farewell Not 100% sure where I first heard this one, but it stayed with me for a good portion of the spring and summer. I discovered their song feel it still around this time last year too, so clearly they’re just a real good jam for when you want to feel the sun on your back. xii. killmonger || ludwig goransson instrumental

There are a couple songs from the Black Panther soundtrack on the longer version of this mix, three from the score and one, maybe two from the credits. I freaking loved that movie so damn much, but it’s soundtrack blew my goddamn mind. It is literally all I listened to for weeks, and this song in particular fucked me right the hell up. Just listen to the flutes and the bass. Just, damn. Killmonger, you’ve got the best theme in the entire movie. xiii. daddy issues || the neighbourhood I'd do whatever I could do I'd run away and hide with you I love that you got daddy issues And I do too And heeeere it is. This was the first song that I associated with Harringrove for uh, very obvious reasons. Definitely had this and a few others on repeat whenever I had to write sexy scenes for the boys. xiv. no roots || alice merton I like digging holes and hiding things inside them When I'll grow old, I hope I won't forget to find them 'Cause I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night

This song hits the same part of me that fell absolutely in love with Guts when I first heard it. Alice Merton’s voice is just fantastic. xv. run for your life || k.flay Bite off the venomous head Follow the chemical scent Look for the hole in the fence Take everything you demand

I got to see K.Flay in concert sometime late last year, and even though I didn’t know her very well (I told my friend that I’d see K.Flay with him if he saw Glass Animals with me) her music was sweet enough that I could appreciate the concert even knowing none of the songs. Let me tell you though, I fucking wish she’d played this song then because holy fuck. xvi. play with fire || sam tinnesz Insane, inside the danger gets me high Can't help myself got secrets I can't tell I love the smell of gasoline I light the match to taste the heat Kuroshitsuji is something I haven’t really thought about in like half a decade. And then I ended up seeing this vid while I was waiting for my connecting plane to arrive so I could go see my family. I only saw the damn thing because it was made by the same person who did this one, which I hunted down because I was reading Yuri On Ice fic on the plane and the point is: pingvi is amazing and all of their vids are a goddamn delight. xvii. the sailor song || autoheart I was your sailor, your demon Your lover, your overbearing best friend Hoping for some attention

So, while I was down visiting my family sometime during the spring, I had a brief dizzying spiral where I fell head over face into the Pacific Rim fandom, because Uprising quite emphatically fucked me up. Anyway, because of this I spent the night after I saw it scrolling through fanart and reading half a decade old fanfiction while my brother was trying to make me pay attention to him. And yeah, that’s how I found this art and listened to this song for like the rest of the fucking year. xviii. warrior || steve james I got my head high, my chest out, my eyes open wide I got no fear, got no doubt and, god, I feel alive I'm not stopping for ya, I'm a fucking warrior

My brother showed me a bunch of fanvids on my first day down there, but my favorite was this one, because I’d recently watched Little Witch Academia and this was so freaking cute and all kinds of lovely. xix. iv. sweatpants || childish gambino Rich kid, asshole: paint me as a villain

Another thing that happened to me that week was the discovery of lipgallagher’s fantastic harringrove fic (shoot the lights out, hide) till its bright out. Which is all kinds of great and lead me to this song and the realization that Donald Glover does music? xx. hello || via audio How could it be Someone could find me Too scary to say hello to This was one of the songs on Damien’s fanmix from The Bright Sessions. And because The Bright Sessions suckerpunched me with feelings, I spent like a month straight listening to that mix and getting into that garbage man’s headspace. It was wonderful. xxi. daddy || emeli sande He's out your system yeah it took you a while You got your family back and you got your smile And you promised your sister that you'd never go back again I spent the better half of this year shipping Harringrove and Mark/Damien, which are both ships that are... well, not exactly the healthiest of relationships. Mark/Damien fucking ruined me. Listening to the last bit of The Bright Sessions was basically physically painful because like, okay. Logically I know that Damien is a garbage person. But also, he’s got a shitty power that would lead to some pretty interesting moral dilemmas even if you were a normal nice person (cough cough Mark), and like. They’re both so fucked up and Damien is so in love with Mark even if he’s not entirely sure how to be a fucking person and I have never had a pairing come after me as hard as this one did. Like it really came after me. Anyway, this was my true Damien/Mark anthem, because it’s fucking perfect and awful and fantastic and I just want them back in my life, guys.

xxii. paradise valley || honey and the sting In the past I lay out on the land Stretched my legs felt my chest expand If we could flow together someday Then we will float away

This here is my most played track of 2018. I first heard it during the special two hour episode of Wolf 359 and the whole end of that episode just blew my mind. So I immediately went to spotify, found it, and have basically listened to it all year since then. It helps that Nick loves it too, so every once in a while he’ll be playing it, which reminds me why I love it and just. It’s so soulful and beautiful.

xxiii. attila the king || nick glennie-smith instrumental

Yeah, I literally have no idea how this made it to the top 50 much less the top five, but apparently it did. It is really good writing music, but still.

xxiv. foolish || lauren shippen The impossible happens every day No matter what you do it won’t go away Don’t ask for more But then what are you waiting for

This was my year for podcasts - in one year I fell in love with Wolf 359, The Bright Sessions, and EOS 10 all over again when it came back for its third season. Near the end of the series though, The Bright Sessions did a musical episode! I listened to it in my car on my way to work and basically spent the entire freaking time smiling like an idiot. Truly my favorite episode. xxv. experience || ludovico einaudi instrumental

The Sense8 finale came out in June and it was absolutely wonderful. This song was playing during the last scene of the series and I fucking cried my eyes out. The song itself is fucking gorgeous, but what’s more is it made that last scene so much more than it would have been if they’d chosen any other song. It truly was, and forgive the corniness, a fucking experience. xxvi. singing in the rain || through juniper I'm singin' in the rain Just singin' in the rain What a glorious feeling I'm happy again I went through a phase in June-July where I checked out a bunch of old movies from the library. The first one was Philadelphia, because it was mentioned in the musical episode of The Bright Sessions and I just really wanted to watch it? But I also picked up Singing In The Rain, because I’d never seen it before and just, damn. I watched it before work and it was raining that day and the drive to work was the most fun because I just listened to different covers of the song and sang my heart out, and I was just so damn happy. It was dumb, and nice, and it probably going to be one of my happiest memories that I take with me into the new year. xxvii. hello stranger || barbara lewis Hello, stranger (ooh) It seems so good to see you back again How long has it been? (ooh, seems like a mighty long time)

I also watched Moonlight sometime in late June. It was one of those quiet nights where nothing really seems good enough, where you feel just a little bit empty inside and nothing is helping. So I watched the movie and read @notbecauseofvictories‘s A Cornstalk Fiddle on my back porch afterwards and the movie combined with the fic and the music turned that quiet empty night into something just as quiet, but a million times more full. Another good memory from 2018 that’ll stay with me for awhile.

xxviii. end credits suite | nicholas britell instrumental From the end credits of Moonlight - I played both this and Hello Stranger on repeat while I finished up the fic I mentioned above.

xxix. ahead by a century | the tragically hip No dress rehearsal This is our life

I watched Anne With An E. I was sad a lot at the time, and got to a part early on in the second season that kind of lead me into an uncomfortable headspace so I actually still haven’t finished it? But it was really nice for awhile, and I hope to go back and finish it sometime.

xxx. achilles come down | gang of youths Just humour us, Achilles, Achilles, come down Won’t you get up off, get up off the roof?

I’m not 100% sure where I found this song either? My gut reaction is that it was a song I found while I was reading either The Cruel Prince or The Goblin Emperor, but I’m not sure. Good song, though.

xxxi. without you | leslie odom jr. The earth turns The sun burns But I die Without you

Oh man, I found this cover one night while I was reading, and like, I was reading, so at first I didn’t really process what I was hearing, just that it was familiar and that I liked it. And then my brain connected the dots and I looked up and saw that it was a cover by Leslie Odom Jr and immediately restarted the song and just listened.

xxxii. natural | imagine dragons Deep inside me, I'm fading to black, I'm fading Took an oath by the blood of my hand, won't break it I can taste it, the end is upon us, I swear Yeah. I like Imagine Dragons. Honestly though - this one might not have made the cut if I hadn’t heard it a few months later on an EOS 10 playlist.

xxxiii. sky full of song | florence & the machine Grab me by my ankles I've been flying for too long I couldn't hide from the thunder In the sky full of song So, a while back there was that video going around where Florence literally sang this song while a storm started up around her, and like, that was the first time I heard this song? That was the first I heard that she even came out with a new album, so I basically sat down and listened to the whole thing, but this one was still my favorite.

xxxiv. broken people | logic & rag’n’bone man Broken we ain't beaten There's no glory in defeat We won't fall into the cracks between our streets

I uh, may have watched a couple fanvids after Infinity War. This was one of them.

xxxv. flesh and bone | black math Break the truth inside of me Climbed down to hell on the devil’s tree I clutched a branch of soot and flame The thought that rose, to scorch my feet

I walk alone Beside myself Nowhere to go

This was another.

xxxvi. nina cried power | hozier It's not the song, it is the singin' It's the heaven of the human spirit ringin' It is the bringin' of the line It is the bearin' of the lie It's not the wakin', it's the risin'

So last year Take Me To Church made it to my Top 38 or whatever I had it narrowed down to, mostly because I went through a Les Mis phase. But I kind of joked on that post last year about Hozier releasing an album next year and how unlikely it was, and lo, here we have it. Maybe not a full length album, but five new beautiful songs.

xxxvii. kol nidrey | the yuval ron ensemble Nidrana lo nidrei, V'essarana lo essarei Ush'vuatana lo shevuot. Maggie Stiefvater posted this song to her blog a couple months ago and I was really fond of it. It’s incredibly beautiful.

xxxviii. stronger | the score I do this with conviction I write truths and never fiction My disease is what you fed I can't stop with my ambition

Oh look, another Marvel fanvid.

xxxix. rise like a phoenix || conchita wurst I rise up to the sky You threw me down but I'm gonna fly So honestly, basically the rest of the mix are songs from Ryan’s OR mix which is an official EOS 10 playlist. It’s phenomenal, and I basically spent all of October and some of November getting stuck on various songs in the mix. xl. heroes || mars zelmerlow Don't tell the gods I left a mess I can't undo what has been done Let's run for cover

Yup. Giving me feels and also super catchy.

xli. cut to the feeling | carly rae jepson Ah, I wanna cut through the clouds, break the ceiling I wanna dance on the roof, you and me alone I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah Okay, but like - why did nobody tell me that Carly Rae Jepson had other songs and they were super fucking catchy? I spent the last few days of being a waitress driving to work blaring this and the last two songs and it did fucking wonders for my mood.

xlii. the greatest show | hugh jackman Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for (woah) Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor (woah) And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore Taking your breath, stealing your mind And all that was real is left behind

Breaking news, The Greatest Showman was amazing and I cried. I fucking missed hearing Hugh Jackman sing, and like the fucking lead up, of starting the movie with this song and then ENDING it with this song, with that performance, with those fucking lines (this is the moment you’ve waited for) - was so goddamn energizing. I just could not fucking deal.

xliii. the plains/bitter dancer | fleet foxes I should have known one day you would come All of us walk so blind in the sun Midnight feeder, beggar pleader

Okay, okay. So there's this playlist called Wet Black Leaves that I listened to a lot when I started my new job, throughout rainy October and November, everything was just a little too wet and a little too cold, and this whole mix is so atmospheric and gorgeous. I absolutely adore it.

xliv. always starting over | idina menzel Am I always Starting over? In a brand new story Am I always Back at one After all I've done?

The finale of Wolf 359 fucked everyone up, right? Yeah, obviously. Okay, well the final episode of season 3 of EOS 10 also fucked me right the hell up. Like we’re talking messy crying in the car on the way to your like second or third day at the new job. Anyway, I kind of spiraled and then I went back and listened to Ryan’s mix and found this song and just wanted to kick my heart around for awhile.

xlv. if i could turn back time | cher If I could reach the stars I'd give 'em all to you Then you'd love me, love me, like you used to do If I could turn back time MESSY CRYING. But like, I also really like this song. So MESSY CRYING and also screaming all these words as loudly as I can within the relatively safe confines of my car. I guarantee you that people next to me at stop lights thought that I’d gone through a messy breakup.

xlvi. new rules | dua lipa Three: Don't be his friend You know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning And if you're under him, you ain't gettin' over him Okay, but also some of the Ryan songs were catchy in a not heart breaking way, unless you think about the untold story of what exactly went on between Ryan and Akmazian and fill in the blanks and break your own heart.

xlvii. fernando | cher There was something in the air that night The stars were bright, Fernando They were shining there for you and me

Cher did an entire cover album of Abba songs in like, late October, I think? And like, my little gay heart fucking exploded and I listened to Cher singing ABBA songs for like three whole weeks and it was fucking fantastic. This... was actually not my favorite of the bunch until I went into a Barnes and Noble to pick up a copy of The Wise Man’s Fear and had a completely transformative experience when I heard it playing softly over the stacks.

xlviii. it’s quiet uptown | kelly clarkson If I could spare his life If I could trade his life for mine He’d be standing here right now And you would smile, and that would be enough

And after a brief detour into delightful cher/abba combinations we’re back to tragic EOS 10 songs. Additionally, I’m sick of Hamilton songs fucking me up. I get to see it in person in 2019 and I’m going to make a fool of myself when I cry my eyes out in front of Nick and our friends.

xlix. movement | hozier So move me, baby Shake like the bough of a willow tree You do it naturally

And just when I thought we were just going to get the four songs out of Hozier in 2018, we got this gem, which I think I like more than all the others.

l. seasons of love | rent cast Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes How do you measure the life Of a woman or a man?

I will never be over this song. I will never be over this musical. Merry Christmas, guys.

#heather says what #music makes the world go round #fuck yeah fanmixes #new year's memes #2018

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garudabluffs · 3 years ago

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Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen is a juggernaut pop songwriter. For over a decade she has relentlessly released banger after banger. She's often derided for empty lyrics that reveal very little about herself but that's the genius of CRJ: the ubiquity is the point. She crafts anthems that you can belt from the passenger seat with all the windows down, the kind of unadulterated pop that isn't pressed about being cool. The moment she started to get the recognition she deserved (or at least when Music Twitter began to take her more seriously) was after Emotion and the Emotion B Sides EP were released, but she's been solid since the beginning. Her hooks beg to be chanted and she cranks out earworms on the regular.

It sounds effortless, but it's far from, and that's the mark of a true pop songwriter. She writes a lot: she wrote more than 200 songs before settling on the 12 that would end up on Emotion. She synthesizes ideas about love in all its forms to make the kind of widely palatable, bright, shiny pop that can take on dozens of meanings. Take "Too Much," from her album Dedicated: the "girls just wanna have fun" energy of the chorus could easily be about grappling with obsessive tendencies, depending on the listener's perspective. — Kelsey Adams

'Too Much'

When I party, then I party too much When I feel it, then I feel it too much When I'm thinking, then I'm thinking too much When I'm drinking, then I'm drinking too much I'll do anything to get to the rush Now I'm dancing, and I'm dancing too much So be careful if you're wanting this touch 'Cause if I love you, then I love you too much.

https://www.cbc.ca/music/who-is-the-best-canadian-songwriter-right-now-1.6176130?cmp=FEED_PROG_music

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Jessie Reyez

Jessie Reyez is one of the sharpest, hardest-working songwriters in the business, and she's honest about how difficult that life can be. "Make sure you love it, because there's going to be days where it's super hard," she told CBC Music in an interview last summer. "Like, oh, you want to do this because you don't want a regular job? You end up working twice as hard in a creative industry when you're carrying your own business on your back." Her lyrics are at once fiery and vulnerable, able to deftly break open the doors to music industry abuse on "Gatekeeper" or climb into the dark corners of a love you should let go of — but can't — on "Before Love Came to Kill Us." She's won four Juno Awards and been shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize for her solo work, but she's also in high demand elsewhere: Reyez has written songs for Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris and Normani, among others, and has twice collaborated with Eminem. — Holly Gordon

'Don't waste your mic': Jessie Reyez's advice on mentorship and using your platform for justice

'Before Love Came to Kill Us'

Love you in the worst way You knock me down like a heavyweight, mm-mm We fell in love, got a KO, oh no Too damn young, so we broke up, no go So much for a wedding date, ha.

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Lowell

When a 23-year-old Lowell, real name Elizabeth Boland, burst onto the scene as Arts & Crafts' most exciting new signee in 2014, many of the same stories were told about her and her debut album. Reputable publications like the New York Times and Rolling Stone couldn't get enough of her dancer-turned-student-turned-indie star story, when really it was her songwriting aptitude that immediately set her apart from her newcomer peers. What she'd reveal over the next almost decade was a formidable back pocket of hooks, human lyricism and very little interest in the centre stage at all — shelving her bold, solo persona in favour of life as a meticulous songwriting fairy godmother.

If her pop pen touches a song, magical things can happen. Working with the likes of Madison Beer, Tate McRae, Demi Lovato, Hailee Steinfeld and Lennon Stella, Lowell's penchant for relatable, often heartbroken sentiments is a known commodity, and not limited to those she assists — her own 2020 singles showcase artful and expertly worded reflections on the disoriented state of her world and the world at large. She's lived a lot of life, and can expertly identify other artists who have, too, helping them translate their earthly experiences with care — and sometimes into a certified hit. — JH

'God is a Fascist'

God is a fascist And he holds all the cards He brought us together just to keep us apart And there's nothing more tragic than this thing that we are I'm a hopeless romantic who didn't get the part.

#music video Too Much Carly Rae Jepson #Youtube

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while-my-tardis-gently-weeps · 7 years ago

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Eurovision 2018 - Initial Impressions

So, with the pre-parties getting into full swing, I thought I’d note down my impressions of each of the songs, as well as general comments on each semi-final.

SEMI-FINAL 1

Azerbaijan: Aisel – X My Heart 5/10 Luna moon me unimpressed. Given that this is Azerbaijan that we’re talking about, it’d probably qualify anyway, even with the 1st semi being such a bloodbath, but god I hope not. This is as generic-Eurovision as it gets, complete with the cringe-worthy, nonsensical lyrics.

Iceland: Ari Olafsson – Our Choice 1/10 To be fair, Ari’s got a good voice, but the only thing that will save this song is to make him sing in Icelandic so that most people don’t understand what on Earth he’s saying. If I thought “luna moon me up” from Azerbaijan was bad, then this song just made that sound positively Shakespearean! Watching it for the first time, this gave me a serious case of the creeps and made me want to run for the hills. It’s almost as if Iceland gave up after last year and just went. “not voting for me despite me sending quality songs, will you? Well then here’s the blandest thing imaginable, see how you like that!” It’s just as well Iceland got the dreaded #2, it’s not like it’s got a chance anyway. Better luck next year.

Albania: Eugent Bushpepa – Mall 8/10 Rock entry, and in Albanian no less! I really like this since the get go. He’s got an excellent voice and seem to work well live too, so I definitely look forward to seeing his performance in Lisbon!

Belgium: Sennek – A Matter Of Time 10/10 Aaaand Belgium delivers a quality entry that’s slightly out of the left field again! I knew I could trust you, Belgium. So far, this has been my #1 overall. I had high hopes for it ever since Laura was announced and I listened to the two songs she posted on her youtube channel, and A Matter of Time definitely met those expectations and more. She’s a good singer with an unique voice, and the song is dark and atmospheric but sleek and stylish at the same time. With the right staging, she’ll be ready to slay.

Czech Republic: Mikolas Josef – Lie To Me 7.5/10 This is quite modern for Eurovision and a total earworm. I’m a bit undecided about it to be honest, but I enjoy it for the most part. I suppose it will really hinge on his delivery on stage, but for now it doesn’t strike me as the cold, soulless, off-a-production line kind of pop that usually turns me off.

Lithuania: Ieva Zasimauskaite – When We’re Old 8/10 I’m feeling a bit devastated by this running order, which probably just destroyed any chance of my girl Ieva qualifying to the final. This is a lovely little song that soothes the soul like a warm cup of cinnamon-spiced tea in the winter. There’s a quite kind of magic to her voice as well that sells the genuine emotion behind the song so well. Her live vocals need a bit improvement, imo, but judging from her recent performance at Riga she’s definitely working on that and getting better. Sandwiched between two high energy fan favorites in an already tough semi though, I’m worried that her song will end up being the bathroom break instead of the slow but charming respite.

Israel: Netta – Toy 9/10 If someone looked up the word “grower” in my personal dictionary, they will see a picture of Netta next to it, along with a link to the MV for Toy. I have to admit, I hated this song on first listen and was completely baffled by how Eurovision fans got behind this, and so quickly too. I was convinced that this was a hot mess that would drop faster than a lead balloon. Well, here I am, placing this in my top five and happily eating my words. This song is catchy as hell and has a way of getting under your skin and into your mind and never letting go, and that’s exactly what happened to me. It’s so clever in how it carries the central message of women empowerment as well, demonstrating with style how a song like that don’t have to involve power ballads and grand-standing divas, and that one can just have fun with it in the mean time.

Belarus: Alekseev – Forever 7/10 This song, for me, is a tale of two songs. I love the final studio version of the song as well as the MV, but what I’ve seen of his live vocals so far leave me less than impressed and I shudder at the horrendously overdone staging, with the LED suit and everything going on in the background. If Eurovision were based on studio versions alone, this would have been in my top ten, but as it stands right now unless they change the staging and Alekseev shows improvement in his live vocals, I’m of the mind that this song will get left behind, especially since it has Israel and Estonia as neighbors in the running order.

EDIT: I found a much more recent live performance in Yekaterinburg while I’m still working on the rest of the post, and his live vocals show much improvement, which made me a lot more confident about Belarus’ prospects. I’m still a bit worried about it being stuck between two big favorites though.

Estonia: Elina Nechayeva – La Forza 9/10 This is glorious. As a (very) casual fan of opera and a huge fan of stellar vocals, this ticks all of my box in just the right way. If I were to have a complaint about this song though, it’s the fact that the song lack a true climax and a direction it’s building to. Elina commands the stage with that hell of a voice though that you’d hardly notice. This is definitely not the usual Eurovision fare and that, particularly with the genre being what it is, might work against it, but I’m hoping that the jury and the voters at home will be sufficiently wow’d by her vocals that the fact that this is a pop opera piece and not something they might normally listen to cease to matter.

Bulgaria: Equinox – Bones 5.5/10 I don’t know if it’s because I had too high an expectation for Bulgaria after the last two excellent years, but this song just falls completely fat for me, and repeat listens doesn’t seem to improve my regard (or lack thereof) for it one bit. If anything, I’m turned off by it more and more, what with the hype still surrounding Bulgaria and its entry. Let’s hope the staging change my mind.

Macedonia: Eye Cue – Lost and Found 4/10 I don’t know, people seem to like this but for me this is one of the forgettable ones that have me going “how did this one go again?” before the song even finishes playing. It’s fine enough, but it makes my attention wander.

Croatia: Franka – Crazy 6.5/10 It’s fine, I suppose, but it’s nothing impressive. I’m sorry, but everything about it screams safe and middle of the road for me.

Austria: Cesar Sampson – Nobody But You 7/10 This feels like a pleasant-but-safe entry much like last year’s, and all but screams middle of the road, just like last year. But with how Nathan Trent charmed his way into my favorites list during pre-party season, I think it’s way too early to count Austria out yet. With his effortless vocals and the right amount of charm, Cesar might still lift his song into contention for the finals yet.

Greece: Yianna Terzi – Oneiro Mou 9/10 Epic ethno-ballad for the win! I certainly wouldn’t say no to #Athens2019 even if this isn’t my overall favorite. This is beautiful, atmospheric, and has the chance of being truly spectacular with the right staging. I’ve only seen the studio version, so I can’t comment on her live vocals, but I’m definitely keeping my fingers crossed for this one and hoping that she delivers on what the studio version promises.

Finland: Saara Aalto – Monsters 9/10 This has the potential to blow up into a huge banger. The song is powerful and just the right kind of anthemic for Eurovision fans to get behind. I really hope Finland ups their game with the staging and styling though because the national finals one rather came out on the wrong side of left field and something like that just won’t cut it for the big leagues. All the best to Saara and Finland!

Armenia: Sevak Khanagyan – Qami 9/10 Armenia took the plunge this year too in sending a song entirely in Armenian, and Sevak, being such a stellar vocalist, is definitely the guy to take that risk with. He’s one of the strongest male vocalists this year and that definitely shows in how he delivers this song and its artistry and ethnic charm. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing this live and I hope he kills it in the semi and carry the song to a high finish in the final.

Switzerland: Zibbs – Stones 7.5/10 This is quite a bop with an excellent beat, but I’m not sure this song will cut it in this semi, unfortunately enough.

Ireland: Ryan O’Shaughnessy – Together 4/10 I guess this is better than last year’s...? That isn’t saying much though. The only thing going for it seem to be the gay romance going on in the MV, but even that feels like a cynical ploy to score points with fans. The female supporting vocals also make it feel like the very definition of incongruous, with the mixed message they’re sending out.

Cyprus: Eleni Foureira – Fuego 3/10 This irritates me to no end, and the fact that people I’ve come across seem to like it only exacerbate things for me. Objectively I guess it’s inoffensive in that generic Eurovision way, but there’s just something about this song that just rubs me the wrong way.

SEMI-FINAL 2

Norway: Alexander Rybak – That’s How You Write A Song 6/10 I have to admit, I had quite the soft spot for him because his victory in 2009 was what introduced me to Eurovision. That said, where do I even begin with this song? This is the furthest thing from his excellent Fairytale, and more closely resembles a kindergarten sing-along. There were quite a few songs I preferred over this one in the Norwegian national finals too, and I’m not sure if I’ve gotten over their losses yet. When it comes to Rybak himself though, you can’t deny that this man has charm in spades and total command of the stage, and he definitely knows how to work his audience. With a better song we might have been able to have #Oslo2019, but alas...

Romania: The Humans – Goodbye 7/10 This is quite a pleasant song, if a bit dated. I really enjoy the instrumental backing as well, with the strings and everything. When it comes to this year’s rock selections though, this isn’t exactly the best (or even the best in this semi).

Serbia: Sanja Ilic & Balkanika – Nova Deca 5/10 In any other year, the ethnic element and use of traditional instruments would have captured people’s attention and help them forgive a lot of the song’s faults, but with more nations taking risks as a response to Portugal’s win, I don’t think that strategy works nearly as well, if at all, this year. And they’re not even the best Balkan song in this semi, unfortunately.

San Marino: Jessika feat Jenifer Brening – Who We Are 2/10 Sorry, I prefer the Norwegian “Who We Are” that sadly got left behind in nationals. She’s got a nice voice, I’d give her that, but the song sounds like two different songs thrown together, and not in a good way. The dancing robots are the only things going for it, really.

Denmark: Rasmussen – Higher Ground 8/10 I always wonder if I’m being too soft on the Nordic entries because of personal biases, but I’d like to think I’m fair even with my soft spot for them. This song, when it comes down to it, isn’t that spectacular and the lyrics can be iffy at times, but nonetheless I find myself enjoying it. Part of that is probably the viking aesthetics. the atmospheric staging, as well as the general musical theatre aura to the whole package.

Russia: Julia Samoylova – I Won’t Break 3/10 This is another one that makes me go, “I know they’re going to qualify for simply being Russia but please, please find a way to stop that from happening!” Granted, this is worlds above last year’s aborted entry, but then again it doesn’t take much effort to achieve that particular feat. I don’t know if it’s her diction, her vocal techniques, or a mixture of both, but her vocals is grating.

Moldova: DoReDos – My Lucky Day 6/10 This is one of the songs that I think might become a grower for me. I almost discounted it entirely at first, because the first performances and videos I’ve seen of it were nothing short of disastrous, with the low quality making the whole thing seem cobbled together with tape and some loose strings. With the official music video out and the performance in Riga showcasing them live though, I’m slowly warming up to it, though this still feels rather like Hey-Mamma-lite to me.

Netherlands: Waylon – Outlaw In ‘Em ???/10 Okay, I don’t know what I think about this song. Or rather, I do, but my thoughts don’t condense into a neat score that I can put on it. Objectively speaking, this is a spectacular song with a genuine spirit to it. Emotionally speaking though, what makes it great also makes it unlistenable for me because I loathe country music as a genre. So, my rational self will be cheering if, or rather, when this advances to the final with a respectable position, but the other parts of me will be lamenting the fact that I have to sit through this again for the final. So, I guess it’s best of luck to Netherlands, see you in the finals, but I wish you came with a mute button...?

Australia: Jessica Mauboy – We Got Love 7/10 It’s a good song, and even without having seen her live I already get the feeling that she probably has great energy on stage. The song itself is fun, but ultimately safe and inoffensive. It will most likely qualify, but I think it needs something more to go further in the finals. Maybe if there’s a killing part like Dami Im’s song in 2016...

EDIT: I promised myself I’d finish this post before watching the London Pre-Party, but that didn’t exactly happen. So, yeah, she absolutely killed it with her stellar vocals, infectious energy, and charm. If she keeps her momentum, then Australia’s more than good to go.

Georgia: Iriao – For You 7/10 In any other year, I’d appreciate this a lot more, but alas, 2018 isn’t like any other year. I commend them for their choice to keep this in Georgian, and the vocals on this song are quite impressive as well. But, the fact is, with so many other songs with ethnic elements to compare it to, it doesn’t stand out as much as it should because the simple truth is that whatever this song does well, there’s another song that does it even better.

Poland: Gromee feat Lukas Meijer – Light Me Up 7/10 This is a great song to rock to at a beach party or on a long road trip. But, the thing is, I’m not exactly partial to beach parties. Or road trips. Or anything else summer-y really. So while this is certainly easy to listen to and enjoyable while it’s on, it’s not exactly something that incites passion in me.

Malta: Christabelle – Taboo 8/10 This song definitely has a kick to it, and I mean it in the best way possible. I love the song both for the song itself and the message of mental health awareness that it conveys, and I definitely appreciates that it manages to carry its message without being preachy. The staging seems to be coming along quite well already judging from the national finals (despite technical difficulties), and I’m definitely keeping my eyes on this one to see how it evolves on the big stage.

Hungary: AWS – Viszlat Nyar 9/10 The story of my journey with this song is a bit like a mixture of my experience with the Netherlands’ and Israel’s entries. I appreciated this song from the very beginning on an objective level, but personally I’m not much of a fan of heavy metal so I was having a hard time really enjoying it despite my eagerness for it to advance to the finals and do very well. Unlike Waylon and his country piece though, heavy metal is a lot less offensive to my personal tastes, so I was able to appreciate it more and more on a personal level as well with repeated listens, to the point that I now consider it one of my favorites of the year, both objectively and subjectively-speaking. I’m a bit worried that the juries will penalize it for its genre, but hopefully it will win over enough televotes, especially those from the younger generations, that it will go through anyway.

Latvia: Laura Rizzotto – Funny Girl 7.5/10 I like this song for its quirky yet catchy nature, but what really captivated me about it was the aesthetics of its MV. I do think they will benefit from a staging that is in line with the MV, with a theatrical, film noir feel to it.

Sweden: Benjamin Ingrosso – Dance You Off 5/10 I could have probably been able to tell this was the Swedish entry going in blind. This is all the well-produced slickness that we’ve come to expect from Sweden, but without the energy, soul, and the extra je nais sais quois that put Heroes or Euphoria in a different league. But hey, at least this isn’t nearly as robotic and worthy of trigger warnings as last year’s, which can only be an improvement. And, as a side note: enough with the brown-haired, reasonably attractive young white men, Sweden! I know you can do something different. ...Right?

Montenegro: Vanja Radovanovic – Inje 8.5/10 It’s going to be tough going right after Sweden. But, this song is so different that hopefully that won’t matter too much. This is one of the (many) ethnic entries this year that actually stood out to me. There’s something hauntingly Balkan about this song, and Vanja Radovanovic delivers it expertly. I also like how the song builds itself up to the rising chorus. Anyway, I’m not entirely confident about its chances, but I sure hope to see this one in the finals.

Slovenia: Lea Sirk – Hvala, Ne! 6.5/10 I have to admit, this one is a bit of a guilty pleasure. The song isn’t anything too special and can definitely be said to be repetitive, but still, I find myself digging the beat despite myself.

Ukraine: Melovin – Under the Ladder 8/10 I didn’t rate this song at all when I first heard it, but having seen his performance at the national finals, I’m beginning to warm up to it more and more. I’m still kind of trying to figure the song out, but whatever it is there’s something about it that kinds of grab you.

ALREADY QUALIFIED

Portugal: Claudia Pascoal – O Jardim 8/10 This is quite magical and atmospheric, capable of evoking one’s imagination with the song alone. With the right staging, this will become something truly captivating.

France: Madame Monsieur – Mercy 9.5/10 France does it again and makes it into my top three for the second year in a roll. The song is unassuming at first, but then builds into something beautiful, tender, and clever. The use of double entendre to convey the central message lends the song a sense of universality despite it being sung entirely in French, which will definitely make a difference in Lisbon because they don’t need the fancy LED or special staging elements to help non-Francophones in the audience to understand what the song is trying to say.

Germany: Michael Schulte – You Let Me Walk Alone 8/10 Huh, Germany actually managed to surprise me. It’s a nice and comfortable ballad, and I mean it in the best possible sense. What makes all the difference this year with Michael Schulte’s “You Let Me Walk Alone” is how heartfelt and genuine this song is, and that, I hope, is what will make a difference and propel it to the left side of the scoreboard. Not to throw any shades, but I very much prefer this to any paint-by-numbers “pseudo-ethnic” pieces that might arise solely as a response to Salvador Sobral’s win.

Italy: Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro – Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente 10/10 This is easily my top three, but I’m a bit hesitant to put my support behind without seeing the staging, because we all know how last year’s Italian-language song with a deep message turned out. The fact that they said they’re going to display the lyrics during the performance give me hope, because one of my favorite things about the music video was the way they showed the lyrics in a variety of different languages. But either way, this is poetic and powerful, and something of pure quality like all of Italy’s entries lately.

Spain: Amaia & Alfred – Tu Cancion 7/10 This comes as a surprise to no one, but this year’s Spanish entry is worlds better than last year’s. At first glance, it’s just the run of the mill saccharine love song, but once you pay attention to it there something genuine about it that grabs your attention despite that. This is not really something I usually rate, but I’d be lying if I say I didn’t enjoy it a lot.

United Kingdom: SuRie – Storm 5/10 Definitely not my favorite in You Decide by a long stretch, but I can’t exactly argue the point that she gave the best performance of the night. She’s a great singer and performer, but the song itself is rather...lacking. So, let’s hope the BBC still knows what it’s doing in terms of staging because this song definitely needs it if the UK has an hope of not finishing bottom five. Then again, SuRie might surprise us yet. She already made a more than respectable performance out of this song once already, after all.

Who I want to qualify:

SEMI-FINAL 1: Belgium, Israel, Albania, Czech Republic, Greece, Armenia, Finland, Estonia, Balarus, Lithuania

SEMI-FINAL 2: Denmark, Moldova, Australia, Malta, Latvia, Ukraine, Netherlands, Hungary, Georgia, Montenegro

Who I think will qualify:

SEMI-FINAL 1: Belgium, Israel, Albania, Czech Republic, Greece, Armenia, Finland, Estonia, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan

SEMI-FINAL 2: Norway, Sweden, Australia, Russia, Netherlands, Hungary, Moldova, Ukraine, Malta, Poland

#eurovision 2018 #personal opinion subject to a lot of change #i mean this time last year some of the songs that ended up as my favorites weren't even making beeps on my radar #like at all #so this is more for me to jot down my thoughts at this stage before they change drastically based on pre-party performances and rehearsals

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