#I think daylight might be my fave song for them

[its-been-you-all-along]

henry’s insta - alex’s return home

[geneeste]

🎶 when you get this, put 5 songs you actually listen to, then publish. Send this ask to 10 of your followers (positivity is cool) 🎶

This is a fantastic ask, and because I love music so much I'm giving you way more than you asked for. XD (I used to do music dumps on LJ, boy I miss that.)

Here's my top five most played, according to iTunes:

Fortress by Bear's Den And a coward might call it a conscience / and a liar might call it the truth / nothing could ever make me more frightened / than the thought of hurting you / how could I hurt you?

This one because I listened to it nonstop while I was writing Reclaim (I really should have called it The Fortress Remix).

Which Witch by Florence + The Machine I'm not beaten by this yet / you can't tell me to regret / been in the dark since the day we met / fire, help me to forget

This is is just so good, reminds me of Sam/Jack, and is (along with two other songs on this list) seminal songs on my playlist for the sequel to A Goddamn Blaze in the Dark. (A lot of these are going to be about that series, because I'm trying desperately to finish writing it.)

Wild Roses by Of Monsters and Men A serpent on a bed of leaves / in the month of May / what do you want me to say? / you keep me still when all I feel / is an aimless direction / when I think I'm losin' connection / I see you

One of the seminal songs for the sequel to AGDBITD. Also just very good.

No Light, No Light by Florence + The Machine No light, no light / in your bright blue eyes / I never knew daylight could be so violent / a revelation in the light of day / you can't choose what stays and what fades away / and I'd do anything to make you stay

This one I was surprised by because I don't think I ever put it on specifically, so if it's played a lot it's just by chance. Having said that, it is on my playlist for the sequel to AGDBITD, my Sam/Jack playlist, and my Faves playlist.

If U Love Me Now by MUNA There's me in the corner / throwing a fit, making a mess of it / don't you love me now? / there's me under the table / hiding from my lovers and my allies / don't you love me now? / it's just a hypothesis or test / that I should not exist / don't you love me now? / there's me in the doorway telling you, please / you should just let me leave / if you love me now

Oof, this one is just pure Sam from AGDBITD. But like, later. You'll see.

These are the last five songs I added to my Sam/Jack playlist (which often doubles as my AGDBITD playlist when I don't want to include the 90s songs, LOL):

Face Down In The Moment by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats You keep waiting on the night / you keep waiting on your pain / and every moment that you wait now / is a moment slipped away / I think you're gonna have to come out and face / all the fear you can't explain / and all your life, you've been face down / now it's time for you to see

Okay, so there are actually, in total, 3 sequels to AGDBITD and I'm working on them all simultaneously (because of course I am). This song reminds me deeply of the third sequel, for reasons I can't tell you. XD

God Needs The Devil by Jonah Kagen Mm, mm, I'm in love / in a nightmare, please don't wake me up / got a bad case of making bad love / it's who I am, not who I was / but that's life, boy, what can you do? / I need someone, and I need 'em soon / I called the doc and got new shoes / but all roads still lead back to you

Another one that reminds me of the last AGDBITD sequel. For reasons.

(midnight) by Lewis Watson We ran to the border line / where the northern lights flew over us / another cold midnight / but I could lay right here forever / and in distant skies / beyond the trees and rolling hills / we watched the city die / but I could lay right here forever

Just a good, solid Sam/Jack song.

Destroy Destroy Destroy by Transviolet I didn't come here to beg you for what is mine / gun to my head, we've been here a thousand times / and you're scared to death 'cause I'm seeing red / with eyes known to set fires / and I didn't come here to beg you for what is mine

This one reminds of the second sequel to AGDBITD. Again, for reasons. I'm so mean. It's also just a banger.

Your Design by Grace Mitchell Keep calm, color in the lines / no grey, only black and white / big eyes little appetite / long run on a short line / I've been pushed into overtime / it all turned on me on a dime / kind heart with a filthy mind / somebody tell me this is real life

I'm sorry to keep doing this to you, but it's a great song for the second AGDBITD sequel. And of course it's just a excellent song.

Finally, the last five songs I added to my Faves playlist:

Here & Now (Alternative Version) by clay pigeon I could have been your victory, I'll probably be your loss Could have been everything you wished I was not Or every grave detail running through your head Could have been that picture you keep above your bed But I'm here and now

I love a melancholy breakup song.

Heal by Sleeping At Last As I grow older, I hold tighter to a world hell-bent on change / I'd be lyin' if I told you that I wasn't afraid / in the currency of memory, nothing costs more than pain / but you remind me fourteen thousand days or so I'm still okay / you remind me that my body was born to heal / you remind me that my body was born to heal over time / you remind me that my body was born to heal before it dies / you remind me

In the grand tradition of Ryan O'Neal ripping one's heart from one's chest, putting it back better, and making it as though nothing happened, there's this song.

You (feat. Hermanos Gutiérrez) by RY X I woke up falling / and press into your side / your body's an ocean / pull me into your tides

RX Y is a really interesting band in that their songs are often more about the actual instrumentals than the lyrics. This is one of those.

Gone With Your Ghost by Black Match Did I make you happy / or was it pretend? / you know that you had me / but you jumped the fence / did I make you happy / or was it pretend? / 'cause all that we had just / slipped through my hands / gone with your ghost

Another fantastic breakup song. Also a good one for the third sequel to AGDBITD. Oops! Forget I said that.

Cover To Cover by Nathan Ball Take your time / turn back to the lie where I'm hoping to find you / if only to feel bad / there's no need to feel bad / see your eyes, two stars in the night / and my mind's taking over / time is a healer / this time it's hurting

Yet another fabulous breakup song. A companion to Gone With Your Ghost, if you will. Ahem.

[oceanwithinsblog]

ok nobody asked for this but let me present you

✨my personal evaluation of each eurovision 2023 entry✨

where should i begin? i've decided to quickly comment this year's participating songs !! these are all personal opinions so don't take them too seriously ! hope you enjoy this sh!tpost of mine and, most importantly, happy eurovision grand finale day to all those who celebrate !! 💙💛

a quick legend: ❌ = song i don't like | ✅ = song i enjoy | ♾️ = song i have on loop (and is therefore among my faves)

as for the order of the songs, i'm using the eurovision 2023 playlist on spotify ^^

tell me more (turalturanx) ✅

this song is very simple and cute imo, still i'm not surprised it didn't make it to the final

aijā (sudden lights) ✅

this song is soooo good once you listen to it a couple times !! they were robbed, i really wished for them to qualify :((

we are one (wild youth) ❌

honestly? no. this doesn't quite do it for me. plus their staging was pretty awful during the 1st semi so yeah ... hopefully ireland will do better next year !

dance (our own party) (the busker) ✅

can i be totally honest ???? I DO NOT UDNERSTAND HOW IN THE EUROVISION THEY DIDN'T GET THROUGH THE FIRST SEMI I WAS AND STILL AM IN AWE WTH i have to admit the song didn't really catch my attention the first time i listened to it on spotify, but the performance they did on tuesday night left me speechless. so much fun ! so much color ! so much dinamicity ! plus those references to michael jackson the king of pop ! not my fave entry but they deserved to take part to the finale imo :(<3

burning daylight (mia nicolai, dion cooper) ✅

this song is actually pretty good to hear on earphones (on spotify), the chorus got stuck into my mind for days lol but after watching their performance i do agree with the televote - the live singing wasn't really nice. unrelated but the netherlands should try singing in their native language more often at eurovision !!!

like an animal (piqued jacks) ❌

i'm sorry fellow italian compatriots but i don't vibe with this song ... you tried and did your best on the thursday night tho !! kudos to you and good luck for your future ^^

d.g.t. (off and on) (theodor andrei) ❌

romania ... what happened to you ... don't tell me that hola mi bebebe was your peak at eurovision .... i don't wanna believe it .... but this whole song and performance really isn't it ... deeply unsettling for me

what they say (victor vernicos) ❌

greece ! i don't really know what to say about this, the guy has a nice voice but the song just doesn't work for me. i'm sad he didn't qualify 'cause he was very excited (and you could easily see it during his performance) but i think it didn't qualify for the best..

breaking my heart (riley) ✅

might come off as a surprise but i do enjoy listening to this song from time to time (on spotify) ! this boy is a personification of tiktok and that scares me ngl but i think the song itself is catchy. surely not suited for eurovision tho. the live version of breaking my heart loses all its catchiness but it's ok he tried

echo (iru) ✅

WHAT ! A ! VOICE ! iru's tone is so powerful and beautiful to listen to !! too bad i can't understand a word she is singing :// i was actually rooting for her to qualify on thursday but apparently european are deaf lol

power (diljá) ✅

i genuinely like the song and i think she has a great voice ! the performance at the second semi wasn't even close to one worth of qualification tho :( she was left alone on the stage and it felt pretty empty imo :( she's the cutest tho <3

mama šč! (let 3) ✅

OH MY LORD !!!!!! THIS IS MADNESS !!! THIS IS EUROVISION !!! HEAVILY POLITICAL LYRICS FIREWORKS COLORFUL CLOTHES THOUSANDS LIGHTS SCREAMING TRACTORS SILLY COSTUMES HIGH HEELS HEAVY MAKE-UP ROCKETS GO CROATIA FEED US

ps. i wrote that i enjoy the song - which i do - but i never listen to it on spotify honestly

blood & glitter (lord of the lost) ✅

germany has finally submitted a good entry !! love the alt rock vibes !! still no idea what the live performance looks like but i feel pretty good knowing these guys have a lot of fun on stage ^^

bridges (alika) ✅ ♾️

she's like a goddess ... vocals are super on point !! i'm kinda rooting for her, the staging is very nice, simple and neat. love the details !! go estonia !!

because of you (gustaph) ✅ ♾️

OMG PLEASE I'M LOVING THIS !! the live performance is even better than the studio version imo; the stage presence, the '90s vibes, the VOGUEING, the back up vocals, the dancer EVERYTHING IS SO ON POINT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT totally my cup of tea <3 GO BELGIUM !!!

eaea (blanca paloma) ✅

it took me a few listens to really get the vibes and the lyrics, but i have to say i love this entry ! most importantly i love that spain is always doing spain ! vamos blanca ! love the union of traditional and modern elements into this, i hope it does well in the final ^^

break a broken heart (andrew lambrou) ❌

big no for me. any straight man singing about heartbreak is a big no for me. we don't care. ok, yk, you have a nice voice mr. lambrou, i'll give you that, but you shouldn't have gotten to the final imo. no hard feelings. plus wearing a tuxedo and singing on stage shoeless ??? ugh.

promise (voyager) ✅ ♾️

hell yeah !! aussies doing rock'n'roll and showing up on stage in a random car are also my thing !! they understood the assignment and i'm glad they did. can't wait to watch their performance again tonight !! kinda rooting for them ^^

ai coração (mimicat) ✅

again, kudos to portugal for always being portugal and bringing such gems to eurovision. i like this one. i don't listen to it often, but i for sure enjoy it when i do ! wishing her the best for tonight's finale !!

samo mi se spava (luke black) ✅

it took me a while to appreciate this song ngl ... luke gives an incredible performance on stage tbh, i'm happy he qualified for the final. plus singing in your native language and naming yourself after the dead serbian music panorama are big reasons to give you bonus points. slay king !!

due vite (marco mengoni) ✅ ♾️

i might be biased (i'm italian after all) but i love this song. i relate to this song. a lot. marco's voice is sublime imo, i'm so very glad he is representing our country in liverpool. <3 tbh i actually can't wait to see what he prepared for the finale !!!! i have really high expectations but i know he's gonna leave me awestruck <3 vai marchettooooo <3

stay (monika linkyte) ✅ ♾️

my lithuanian queen !!!!!!! love the song ! love the live vocals ! love the lyrics ! love the orange themed performance ! love the interactions with the back up singers ! totally 10/10 for me. sending her a big hug !

duje (albina and kelmendi familja) ❌

i don't know how to feel about this song. i personally don't get the hype. it's very albanian and very traditional and i appreciate it a lot, but i can't quite come to like the final product :(

watergun (remo forrer) ❌

sort of the same scenario 've already described for greece, he's got a nice voice but the song isn't right. plus it's a bit funny to hear a swiss guy saying he doesn't want to be a soldier ....

solo (blanka) ❌

poland is another big no, rigged. rigged. rigged. if anybody asks me, poland didn't participate to eurovision in 2023. shoutout to jann, i hope you're having a wonderful day <3

carpe diem (joker out) ❌

very much appreciating their outfit and vitality and sort of silly joyous queer vibes, but i personally can't come to like the song. still, i'm glad they made it to the final ^^

soarele si luna (pasha parfeni) ✅ ♾️

moldova has me clapping and singing and dancing and trying to learn how to play the flute. 10/10 chef's kiss. constantly on loop. great job pasha and friends, i'm partially rooting for you tonight !!

future lover (brunette) ✅

very interesting song, from the lyrics to the musical structure, from the outfit to the staging. brunette's voice is lovely. i wish she had sung the entire song in armenian, but still - it's good!

unicorn (noa kirel) ❌

a total ... skip for me ! shouldn't have qualified for the final ! and as i keep saying for years, israel shouldn't be allowed to participate to eurovision anymore ! good bye.

my sister's crown (vesna) ✅

the song is great, the message is nice (if i understood it correctly) but the whole pink outfits don't match any element of the performance. still, a nice entry for czechia !

[thefantasticaldianadiane]

The definitive ranking of Taylor Swift Albums

You are free to have other opinions but you are wrong

9. Taylor Swift (debut) - she is sweet. she is trying her best. She has a couple of really good songs (Mary’s Song, Picture to Burn, Our Song) but then there are just some that are lyrically atrocious and a little cringe (A place in this world, tied together with a smile, Stay Beautiful). All in all, we can forgive her, she is young.

8. Lover - she is sweet, she is garish, she is your friend who wanders off at the club in the name of a good time. While there are some bangers (Cruel Summer, Death by a Thousand Cuts, etc) there are some songs that are just unbearably clunky in a way that is too disjointed to feel intentional (Afterglow, Daylight, False God). I might score it below the debut but I also cannot listen to “Soon you’ll get better” without sobbing for a half an hour, which reminds me of the true talent that TS has.

7. Reputation - she is not sweet. In fact, she is now a bad bitch. In terms of genre exploration there is a lot that I like in this album (New Years Day, This is why we can’t have nice things). This is also the album where we cross over into the more positive feelings territory. I don’t like “dress” or “delicate” all that much but they are still solid songs, just utilizing producing or vocal techniques I don’t care for.

6. Fearless (TV) - this is the first Taylor album I loved but now...I just hate country so much. so it does not get to hang with the cool kids, and instead stays on the bottom half of this list.

5. red (TV) - the vault songs really decided this one, because previously I was very meh about red. It sits now in the middle of the rankings, but let me tell you “Nothing New” and “All Too Well (ten min)” are really pulling their weight to put it there.

4. folklore- she really broke me out of my quarantine hump and for that I thank her. She isn’t as rich as her sister (still to come) but she is doing a lot of work redefining sound (something you will notice I value). I only have some slight qualms with the lyrics in some songs (hoax, peace) but the areas I feel don’t work have intention behind them so I will let them be.

3. 1989- A very calculated album, some might say. I will add that the song “Wonderland” slaps and shows that even when making generic pop tunes TS is a cut above the rest with literary allusions to soothe my starving soul. Also I think it is worth examining just how much this album changed the sound of so much other pop music at the time. No songs that I can’t stand.

2. Speak Now. Love the imagery, the naivete combined with a wistful outlook. I really have no notes on this album except that Taylor’s Version might kill me. Pending update. 

1. evermore. Seriously there is not a single song on this album that doesn’t stab into the depths of your sadness in a way reminiscent of the press of cold on your face during a winter snow. Highlights include “champagne problems”, “tis the damn season” and “nobody no crime” and I can’t think of any lowlight. Also my fave extended track of all time “Right where you left me”.

[stainedglassgardens]

Watched in May

A Russian Youth (Мальчик русский) Sicario Fedora LoveTrue The Platform Water Lilies (Naissance des pieuvres) The Assistant The Half of It Tomboy The Last Man on Earth Beanpole (Дылда) Mommy The Fall Girlhood (Bande de filles) Carnival of Souls Marguerite & Julien Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu) This Magnificent Cake! (Ce Magnifique Gâteau!) Romantic Comedy Transnistra Eraserhhead The Farewell Emma. Late Night Charlie's Angels Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) The Ancestors Came Suicide by Sunlight Anthropocene: The Human Epoch A Perfect 14 Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist Free Radicals Aniara Vivarium La Pointe-Courte Diary of a Pregnant Woman (L'Opéra-Mouffe) Salut les Cubains Uncle Yanco (Oncle Yanco) GUO4 Atlantiques Sitara: Let Girls Dream Lions Love (Lions Love... And Lies) Živan Makes a Punk Festival (Živan pravi pank festival) Plastic and Glass The So-Called Caryatids (Les Dites Cariatides) The Octopus (La Pieuvre) Hyas and Stenorhynchus (Hyas et sténorinques, crustacés marins) Sea Urchins (Les Oursins) Bernard-L'Hermite (Bernard-l'Ermite) The Sea Horse (L'Hippocampe ou "cheval marin") Voyage to the Sky (Voyage dans le ciel) Le Vampire Freshwater Assassins (Assassins d'eau douce) How Some Jellyfish Are Born (Comment naissent des méduses) Shrimp Stories (Histoires de crevettes) The Love Life of the Octopus (Les Amours de la pieuvre) Acera, or The Witches' Dance (Acera, ou le Bal des Sorcières) Pigeons of the Square (Les Pigeons du square) The Slumber Party Massacre Jane B. par Agnès V. The Cranes Are Flying (Летят журавли) Crystal Swan (Хрусталь) Take Me Somewhere Nice Microhabitat ( 소공녀) The Unforeseen

Did not finish

Swiss Army Man (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, 2016) Braid (Mitzi Peirone, 2018) A Secret Love (Chris Bolan, 2020) Calder's 1927 Great Circus (Le Grand Cirque Calder 1927, Jean Painlevé, 1955)

Did not like

Sicario (Denis Villeneuve, 2015) The Platform (Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, 2019) The Half of It (Alice Wu, 2020) Sitara: Let Girls Dream (Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, 2019)

I could take them or leave them

Fedora (Billy Wilder, 1978) LoveTrue (Alma Har'el, 2016) This Magnificent Cake! (Ce Magnifique Gâteau!, Emma De Swaef & Marc James Roels, 2018) Romantic Comedy (Elizabeth Sankey, 2019) Eraserhhead (David Lynch, 1977) Late Night (Nisha Ganatra, 2019) Charlie's Angels (Elizabeth Banks, 2019) Free Radicals (Len Lye, 1958) Aniara (Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja, 2018) Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Cathy Yan, 2020) The Ancestors Came (Cecile Emeke, 2017) GUO4 (Peter Strickland, 2019) Živan Makes a Punk Festival (Živan pravi pank festival, Ognjen Glavonić, 2014) The Unforeseen (Laura Dunn, 2007)

Films I enjoyed

A Russian Youth (Мальчик русский, Alexander Zolotukhin, 2019): Went into this with the single aim of improving my Russian. Loved the back-and-forth between “the story” and the orchestra playing the score to said story. The “story” itself is also tragically moving

Water Lilies (Naissance des pieuvres), Tomboy, Girlhood (Bande de filles) and Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu) (Céline Sciamma, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2019): I saw all four of Céline Sciamma’s films practically in a row! I liked all of them, don’t think I prefer one over another. And I recognise she’s a talented filmmaker, even though she’ll probably never be a favourite

The Last Man on Earth (Ubaldo Ragona and Sidney Salkow, 1964): A good... vampire-zombie film... that is worth sticking with even though you might find it too ordinary at first

Beanpole (Дылда, Kantemir Balagov, 2019): This story is fucked up! I liked it up to a certain extent, but I suspect it was mainly because of the historical and geographical setting. If you like post-WW2 Russia and this is the film for you

Mommy (Xavier Dolan, 2014): The portrayal of the titular mother hit a bit too close to home... This was my first Xavier Dolan film and I was not disappointed. Only drawback: Céline Dion’s song “On ne change pas” has been stuck in my head ever since

The Fall (Jonathan Glazer, 2020): It was... good? From the publicity it received on Mubi, I thought this was going to be a feature film, so yeah, I was disappointed, I loved Sexy Beast and Under the Skin so much

The Farewell (Lulu Wang, 2019): I really liked it, I think this didn’t get nearly enough praise -- but I was expecting something life-changing when I “only” found this very good

Emma. (Autumn de Wilde, 2020): This adaptation felt like Autumn de Wilde really, really wanted her film to be shown in as many classrooms as possible. It was enjoyable! I liked her additions to the book, and I appreciate the challenge she took up

Suicide by Sunlight (Nikyatu Jusu, 2019): A good short vampire film about Black vampires who are protected from daylight by their melanin

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch (Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, 2018): Stunning visuals, sobering message. Somewhere between Koyaanisqatsi and Unser Täglich Brot in tone

A Perfect 14 (Giovanna Morales Vargas, 2018): This, by necessity, doesn’t cover everything on the subject of plus-size models, and practically speaking I didn’t learn anything -- but it’s well-made, and the personal stories of the main interviewees make a good, contrasted portrait

Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (Lorna Tucker, 2018): I came out of this feeling as if Vivienne Westwood wasn’t that interesting of a person, which I’m sure wasn’t the director’s intention... still, it was informative enough

Plastic and Glass (Tessa Joosse, 2009): A short somewhat-documentary about a choir in a recycling facility. Good music

The Slumber Party Massacre (Amy Holden Jones, 1982): Finally saw this! Very surprised to learn this was written by Rita Mae Brown. It was good as far as slashers go and of course, it is nice to watch something from that era that is not appallingly sexist

The Cranes Are Flying (Летят журавли, Mikhail Kalatozov, 1957): I guess I had to read about this afterwards in order to see how unusual it was for the time it was made. While I watched it I enjoyed the way it was filmed but the story left me indifferent, and I thought it lacked subtlety

Crystal Swan (Хрусталь, Darya Zhuk, 2018): A very aesthetically pleasing story set in 1990s Belarus, about a young woman who wants to emigrate to Chicago for the love of house music... the story will keep taking you unexpected places from there. The costumes are perfect, the soundtrack is interesting. It does feel a little as if it were made for export, and I thought it relied quite heavily on stereotypes about Slavs

Take Me Somewhere Nice (Ena Sendijarević, 2019): This coming-of-age road movie about a Bosnian girl who was raised in the Netherlands and comes back to visit her father in hospital has everything... drugs, violence, death, even cute dogs. The pastel palette makes it very satisfying

Microhabitat ( 소공녀, Jeon Go-woon, 2017): This film about a woman with a minimum-wage job who would rather leave her flat than quit smoking and drinking whisky just spoke to me

La Pointe-Courte, Diary of a Pregnant Woman (L'Opéra-Mouffe), Salut les Cubains, Uncle Yanco (Oncle Yanco), Lions Love (Lions Love... And Lies), The So-Called Caryatids (Les Dites Cariatides), Jane B. par Agnès V. (Agnès Varda, 1955, 1958, 1964, 1967, 1969, 1984, 1988): I decided to watch all of Agnès Varda’s films that are on Mubi France and that I haven’t seen already, in chronological order. This feels a bit like a chore sometimes, but I find it rewarding. It’s strange to think that even a few years ago hers was a name I’d heard a few times but that didn’t mean anything to me. And I know I can be merciless when it comes to French cinema. Anyway... I like what I’ve seen so far (the above plus Cléo and Vagabond), I like that someone can just pick up her film camera and make a short about caryatids... generally speaking I like Varda’s approach to film that makes it seem more accessible to people like me. I don’t think all of her films are particularly good, but I like that she made all of them. I never did particularly like Cléo, and I didn’t particularly like La Pointe-Courte in spite of the fact that it was shot very close to where I’m from. Of the above, my fave was probably Lions Love, even though (or because?) it doesn’t very much feel like a Varda film. Uncle Yanco is a close second. I’ve got three feature films left now

Films I loved

The Assistant (Kitty Green, 2019): Unfortunately enough, this reminded me of an internship I did a few years ago... I found it uncomfortably realistic, and thus very good. Julia Garner is perfect, as usual

Carnival of Souls (Herk Harvey, 1962): I watched this because it is a classic, expecting it to be over-the-top and not nearly as scary as I found it... a very good surprise

Marguerite & Julien (Valérie Donzelli, 2015): It’s hard to talk about this in a way that will make people want to see it without making me sound like a huge weirdo but here goes. It’s a story about a brother and sister who are madly in love with each other. It takes place in a fantasy past and is told like a fairytale. If you think it’s impossible to turn this premise into a good film please watch this

Transnistra (Anna Eborn, 2019): With this film I discovered the existence of the tiny unrecognised state named Transnistria... I also discovered Alla Pugacheva, who is part of a great nostalgic Russian soundtrack with Kino amongst others. The story is one of those documentaries about youth that punches you right in the gut. Definitely recommended

Vivarium (Lorcan Finnegan, 2019): This is the type of what, for lack of a better term, I call “minimal science fiction” that I really enjoy. I’ve thought about it a lot since then. I don’t know why people generally didn’t seem to like it. I thought the premise was terrifying and nightmarish, and the actual film effectively claustrophobic. Plu:s Imogen Poots

Atlantiques (Mati Diop, 2009): This is the short, not the feature film of the same name. I’ve heard a lot about Mati Diop and I saw this the second it became available on Mubi France -- and I didn’t regret it. Can’t wait to see Atlantiques, long form

The Octopus (La Pieuvre), Hyas and Stenorhynchus (Hyas et sténorinques, crustacés marins), Sea Urchins (Les Oursins), Bernard-L'Hermite (Bernard-l'Ermite), The Sea Horse (L'Hippocampe ou "cheval marin"), Voyage to the Sky (Voyage dans le ciel), Le Vampire, Freshwater Assassins (Assassins d'eau douce), How Some Jellyfish Are Born (Comment naissent des méduses), Shrimp Stories (Histoires de crevettes), The Love Life of the Octopus (Les Amours de la pieuvre), Acera, or The Witches' Dance (Acera, ou le Bal des Sorcières), Pigeons of the Square (Les Pigeons du square) (Jean Painlevé, 1928, 1929, 1929, 1930, 1934, 1937, 1945, 1947; Jean Painlevé and Geneviève Hamon, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1972; Jean Painlevé, 1982): I didn’t know who Jean Painlevé was before I decided to watch The Octopus. As it turns out, I am a sucker for well-made nature documentaries, and since all of these are short films, I ended up watching them all, in order of release, over the course of one afternoon. It’s a little bit crazy that these were getting made as early as the 1920s, and I can’t imagine what it would have been like to see them in theatres nearly a hundred years ago. Anyway these are all good, although I wasn’t expecting the vivisection that seems to have been par for the course in the early days

*

Yes, I really did watch 65 films in May. It becomes a little less impressive considering a fair amount of those were shorts, but still. Unemployment!

I have access to Outbuster now in addition to Mubi and Netflix, this time through my boyfriend’s account. It’s a French thing I think, and very cheap, but I’ve only just tried it with Microhabitat. Of course it was the Mubi Library thing that just completely sent me over the edge, and I want to watch all the things.

In June I hope to finish Agnès Varda’s filmography on Mubi and maybe watch some more Tarkovsky!

[merdibbenj]

I am a kaylor/gaylor blog. I made this blog so I don’t mess up my kaylor aesthetic on my main. I’m also avoiding tons of hate 🤣 But hear me out fam.

The /kaylor troll/metacritic sabbotage event on 8/31 made me curious about Nina Nesbitt. Keypoints:

She’s such a random person to be on the troll anons and on twitter. If the kaylor troll event is connected to the Bottom and Scooper they wouldn’t just use a random person Taylor hasn’t interacted not even once in the last years and Nina has a long term bf btw. Sus. One key point how Nina might have been chosen that I can think of is an anon before. I’m active with kaylor and I recall reading an anon from a mutual turned anti as the kaylordom refers to her /more of a person who questions things which is not a bad thing/ about a girl with pink hair kissing Taylor in London. I have not looked up Nina Nesbitt before the kaylor troll/ back then I thought it was Ruby Rose. This was when? Start of the year? A lot of people had pink hair. Why her? Ruby Rose would be a better choice/ they had recent photos together. Hayley Kioko would be an even better choice/remember the onstage grinding 🤣. Actual lesbian jesus and the snake queen. Instead Scoopy Jokes chose someone I haven’t heard of. Super sus.

Have we stopped and think why this happened? Are we, tumblr kaylors and twitter kaylors that much of an impact to their lives that they sent bots to attack us just to rock our ship? Cuz le bottom is desperate when contract is ending? Taylor and Karlie wouldn’t go bankrupt if we stop shipping. They wouldn’t break up if we stop posting about them on the internet. What our opinions on this situation doesn’t matter to the bottomline. Then who were the attacks for? Metacritic is for Taylor cuz girl gets hurt by critics. The anons and tweets doe. Who are they trying to affect by exposing Taylor hooking up with Nina and Karlie hooking up with everybody after an alleged breakup? Uhhhh, Taylor and Karlie. 🤦‍♀️ If they really broke up, exposing those activities would hurt the possibility of them getting back together and fixing their rs.

What’s there to gain if they wouldn’t get back together from an alleged breakup? Uhhhh a multimillion bearding contract? Uhhhhh satisfaction of Winning? You fckd up $300M everyone knows your dumb ass won’t be earning it back cuz she’ll record them again. this isn’t just business it’s personal. Taking back one thing Taylor likes other than Karlie, control.

Sus sus sus. Botts sending anons here and there then they just stop? Either scoobie and shaggy developed a conscience or they won. They exposed them in an uncontrollable way. Idekk maybe this is part 1 of their plan😭 Just suspicious all over 🤔

Full disclosure, I don’t buy all things this person said 100% cuz threesomes and orgies and prostitutes and fucking someone dressed as your ex /hello/ doesn’t scream like the gal pals I love. I put my foot down there. Periodtttt.

I don’t have any sources like the big blogs. I don’t know if Karlie fckd everyone and if Taylor really fckd Nina but here are coincidences I found. Take off the tinted lover glasses we kaylors have for 5 mins and consider these coincidences I found in the last couple of hours.

Who can volunteer an explanation for this easter egg now that we have the album out? This can be coincidental. Song context of Love Letters is about moving on from someone.

Remember when Taylor used salute to me I’m your American Queen for Karlie’s American Dream line? Nina lives in London, I don’t think that the whole London Boy is writen about her/ its still sarcastic/ but this coincidence in the line stick with me I’m your Queen like a Tennessee Stella McCartney. Something happened in Tennessee. 🤔

How many times was blue mentioned in Lover? We know it’s Joe’s favees. But posting this coincidence before album release. She’s a swiftie but she’s never posted anything 13 related before this.

Nina wrote a song in NYC 2017 called black and blue. She’s playing that song while wearing the Lover palette 🎨 check how their album turned out. The post before is also a random throwback of them. Coincidence.

This coincidence. Sing Daylight with me, Side Stepping Into Monday Like and let it go. This maybe the mother of reaches 🤣 however it sounds like an inside joke about misheard lyrics.

I can do part 2 cuz there’s a ton. I feel like I fell down another rabbit hole again. I know kaylors have great experience with 🕵🏻‍♂️ check the timeline yourselves. I’m not sure when they broke up but it looks recent. Afterglow makes sense and the tweet about Tay sabbotaged PR premier is consistent with this narrative. Maybe they broke up. Is Tay rebounding or did sis cheat? The implication and Kar’s reaction. 🤦‍♀️🤔💔

[harrysdimples]

lover first listen

ok just pre-warning u now I didn’t listen to the tracks that have already been released already as singles so some of my thoughts might be bc there wasn’t something else to break up that sound for me. anyway, without further ado: 

1. I forgot that you existed - hmmm not sure how i feel about this intro lol. quite long for such a short song. ok whomever said this was state of grace but pop LIED TO ME and I feel hurt by such a comparison. ‘it isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference’ LEGEND. whomst is this about ???? calvin ????? SCREAMING. the verse lyrics are cute but was expecting a bit more production on the chorus? lots of speaking parts which I like. the laughs n stuff are cute and add to the song but still a bit meh for me. not sure if it’s just this low quality of this leak but will probs take a while to come back to this. not my fave but not the worst either. the ‘so yeah’ at the end was iconic.

2. cruel summer - ok, this is supposed to a BOP with a capital B so I have high hopes for this!!! and written by st vincent too!! oh this is cuuuuute! the chorus bumps!!!! wish it was a bit slower/longer though. this is groovy. can imagine vibing whilst driving to this song. THE BRIDGE???? GO OFF HUN??? oooookay this a banger after the chorus. can’t wait for a full high quality version of this. chewn. (also cough i know this is about hiddlestone......and yet.........******) a banger but wish it was just a tad longer, like an extra verse or chorus would’ve made it god tier but still!!! very much like her a lot

3. the man - the production lowkey sounds quite similar to i forgot you existed. the first verse is very much *insert eye emoji here* because she is correct!! hm. not a fan of the prechorus. the chorus is cool though, with that bit towards the end of it too. I’D BE JUST LIKE LEO IN SAINT TROPEZ I SCREAMED. is she swearing ??? I can’t tell if she’s saying picture or not with the quality of this leak ahdsjdsj. this is a chill bop. vibey. 

4. i think he knows - oooookay hun. uuhhhhhh not sure about this one lol. the production is a lil clunky and not the biggest fan of the chorus. the lyrics are.....a choice. bridge is v cute though and the bit afterwards is cool too. not my fave I have to say.

5. miss americana - ooooh this intro ? ooooooh I like this a lot. okay lol i like the verses but the chorus will probably take some time to grow on me. I feel like the verses remind me of something but I can’t put my finger on what. the ‘bad bad girl’ line is a bit cringe but the miss americana and the heartbreak prince bit is cool. really not sure how I feel about this on first listen. the violins!!!!!! love em!!! why isn’t the whole song like that!!!

6. paper hearts - why does the intro sound like something that would be used in gavin & stacey. this sounds like early 2000s british pop punk bands. she’s not holding back on mentioning blue in this album is she?? lol. the chorus lowkey gives me stay x3/youtuber montage vibes lol. the lyrics are cute though. sad I can’t relate afhdsgdsj. love.....wonder what’s that like. it’s cute but not really my vibe.

7. cornelia street - not sure how to describe my feelings towards this lol. half of me likes it and the other half doesn’t afjsks. idk if it’s just me listening to all the songs back to back but this sounds quite similar to other songs on the album already. the bridge (as always) is nice but it leaves something to be desired imo lyrically. the chorus is....idk how I feel about it. this song is a question mark for me rn. i’ll have to listen a couple more times I think.

8. death by a thousand cuts - one of my most anticipated tracks. ok christmas carol intro?? hm. not what I thought the subject was going to be for this song. who is this about??? the bridge is chef’s kiss. it’s cute. will take a couple more listens I think.

9. london boy - idris elba ??? dont remind me of cats taylor. dimples and the accent???? *COUGH* refer to my url please *COUGH* this very much An American(tm) talking about london afhdssdj. this is so very..........how do you do fellow kids.gif but with people from the uk lmfao. this is so funny lmfao. the chorus is cute. this is like if taylor took the top 100 british slang words and challenged herself to write a song mentioning all of them. I mean.....yeah. it’s cute. if a bit cringe as a brit but still. cute.

10. soon you’ll get better - god. here we go. oh fuck. oh shit. im crying. well. that was beautiful. im going to put that in a box to never touch again because if I do I’ll have a breakdown.

11. false god - SAX???? loves IT VERY MUCHLY. like this. I knew I’d like this from the title alone. really like this a lot. up there with cruel summer as my faves from this album so far. really wish she’d experiment with this type of sound a bit more. chef’s kiss of a song.

12. afterglow - ok. taylor. hun. I love you but how many times do u want to mention/reference the word blue in this album lol. I was more hyped for this song considering what the secret sessioners said about it. idk, I felt like this song dragged on a bit, but I think i’ll like it more once I listen outside of the album context and just by itself.

13. it’s nice to have a friend - this is supposed to be the worst song the album judging by secret sessioners? deadass thought she said ‘gay’ at first instead of ‘gave’ adhfghd. this isn’t really going anywhere? it’s a meh. probably could’ve been cut. 

14. daylight - okayyyyy last song on the album. really like this a lot. very noice indeed. :’)))))) let it go indeed. the voice message at the end was very lovely. 

overall - a very mixed album with a couple of songs that I think need to grow on me a bit more before I absolutely love them. favourites on first listen have to be cruel summer, false god, daylight, the archer and lover (already released). listening in full I can’t help but feel the 18 tracks probably could’ve done with a few more tweaks and editing imo, but I’m excited to listen in higher quality. my taylor opinions are always subject to change though, I didn’t like lover (the song) all that much when I first heard it but now I really love it! so we shall see. probably ranks my 3rd-4th fave album from her? 1989, RED, speak now, rep = lover, fearless, self titled is my ranking thus far. 

[la-paritalienne]

since someone asked you to do a song by song review of nfr, would you do the same with lover?💗

ooohhhhhh gladlyyyyy! thank you so much for asking. 

i’ll be honest, there’s some songs in this album i’m completely obsessed with and some others that i don’t really like, so the review it’s bound to be less flattering than the one i did for nfr, but also i guess more interesting?? also i’m pretty sure that by listening again to the songs i’d ‘crossed out’ i’ll like them more – it’s normally like that with taylor’s songs to me, they get stuck in my head after a while. soooo, let’s get to it.

i forgot that you existed: lyrically it’s quite goooood, and it represents such a distinct feeling, ‘so nice’, as she says. i also really love the beat! strangely the thing i like less and that makes the song one of those that i’m indifferent to is the chorus. a cute opener but could have been amazing w a more poignant chorus, maybe? fave lyrics: in my feelings more than drake

6,5/10

cruel summer: KILL ME. everything in this song is just perfect. the sound, the lyrics, her voice… is gives me chills everywhere and brings me to tears. like it could be one of my favourite songs of 2019 and definitely destined to become an everlasting obsession of mine. fave lyrics: fever dream high in the quiet of the night you know that i caught it and of course i scream ‘for whatever it’s worth, i love you ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?’

100/10

lover: pure beauty. it starts sounding like a slow dance, but it also contains the iconic ladies and gentlemen part which adds a touch of fun + the the swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover, all’s well that ends well to end up with you. ughhh. it’s hard to pick a favourite line bc the lyrics are so sweet, pure, straight to the heart and i’m crying again soooo. a fave. fave lyrics: i’ve loved you three summers now honey, but i want them all. can i go where you go? can we always be this close?

10/10

the man: the beat is cool and the lyrics are super meaningful (ok she’s a white and privileged woman but still… every woman knows what it’s like to always feel like she’ll come second if a man is running too). overall it’s not my fave, again, something about the chorus i think? still a very good one. fave lyrics: let the players play, i’d be just like leo in saint tropez

7,5/10

the archer: the lyrics are really piercing, although the song didn’t stick w the first few listens… i’m listening again as i type and it’s growing on me. still not my fave, but the words are kind of blowing my mind. fave lyrics: who could ever leave me darling? but who could stay?

7,5/10

i think he knows: a fun one, cute and easy. i like the verses more than i like the pre-chorus and chorus. fave lyrics: want to see what’s under that attitude

7/10

miss americana and the heartbreak prince: this one transports me to somewhere i’ve never been. whether is veiled political commentary or a high school fairytale gone slightly sour, i adore it. fun fact: the ‘okay!’ makes me think of avril lavigne from like… my days. this one has got that sound that just gets under your skin, i feel. big yes. fave lyrics: voted most likely to run away with you

10/10

paper rings: a mega jam but also super romantic and kinda moving underneath the funky beat. the only downside for me is when he says ‘baby boy’, it makes me cringe so much gjfjfkgkgk, a shame bc otherwise this would be one of my favorites. i mean, it still is i guess but that’s my two cents! fave lyrics: i hate accidents except when we went from friends to this

8/10

cornelia street: this hits hard. like… she tackles that specific kind of emotion and it feels relatable even if it’s technically not something you’ve lived but like… i guess it makes you empathise or project and just… fills your heart. fave lyrics: and baby, i get mystified by how this city screams your name, and baby, i’m so terrified of if you ever walk away 

9,5/10

death by a thousand cuts: i have to admit this is only my second time listening to this one, bc it didn’t really struck me the first time, but let’s see… the refrain is super cool and the imagery is quite strong. still not the biggest fan, i have to say. fave lyrics: i take the long way home, i ask the traffic lights if it’ll be alright, they say “i don’t know”

6/10

london boy: nothing really special about this one to me. it’s catchy tho! fave lyrics: they say home is where the heart is, but that’s not where mine lives

5,5/10

soon you’ll get better: sosososo sad and definitely moving, but not my cup of tea tbh! fave lyrics: i’ll paint the kitchen neon, i’ll brighten up the skyi know i’ll never get it, there’s not a day that i won’t try

5/10

false god: YES TO EVERYTHING. it’s one those love songs that you feel if your throat more than anywhere else. i mean, i do at least. it’s so subtly sexy and definitely not all about sex. every word hits the mark. i still do it for you / you still do it for me babe. the production, the sound… the saxophone… perfect. fave lyrics: but we might just get away with it, religion’s in your lips, even if it’s a false god

10/10

you need to calm down: look… the beat is nice, the lyrics are kind of meh (at best) but i appreciate the meaning like, the effort? i just think there were stronger singles that could have been chosen, but this one came with quite the strong marketing and video etc and at least the lgbt community was involved so, fine. fave lyrics: can you just not step on our gowns

4/10

afterglow: adore. i relate to this a lot, bc i always think i ruin my relationship by idk, talking too much, talking without thinking? but this one makes me feel like… true relationships (whether it’s love, friendship, fam) are meant to last beyond miscommunication. like, this is still very much of a love song, not a breakup song. i’m obsessed w the chorus and the bridge so so much (the bridge is the kind of thing i’d scream crying tbh), but anyway, fave lyrics: this ultraviolet morning light below tells me this love is worth the fight

10/10

me!: again, kind of a weak one to me, although not unjammable. fave lyrics: and when we had that fight out in the rain, you ran after me and called my name

5/10

it’s nice to have a friend: the purest. it’s so simple i don’t feel like listening to it 24/7 but it’s quality, imo. fave lyrics: call my bluff, call you ‘babe’, have my back, yeah, everyday, feels like home, stay in bed the whole weekend, it’s nice to have a friend

8/10

daylight: poetic, hopeful, positive. beautiful. perfect closer. fave lyrics: (the whole refrain, but): i’ve been sleeping so long in a twenty-year dark night, and now i see daylight 

9,5/10

let me know what you think, of course ♡

[bleachersband]

My thoughts on Lover

So now that I’ve had a chance to play Lover on endless repeat all day, I can finally form coherent thoughts (that nobody asked for lol) on this album:

I LOVE LOVER.

Don’t ask me to pick my top 3 or even top 5 favorite songs. Every song is truly a work of art, and the best I can do is narrow it down to my top 8 favorites (lol). In track number order (because I can’t really number them in favorite order because I love them all), they are: Cruel Summer, The Archer, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, Paper Rings, Cornelia Street, Death By A Thousand Cuts, Soon You’ll Get Better, and Daylight. Honestly though, even if the rest of the songs aren’t my favorites, they’re all still fun and happy and catchy and will be played on endless repeat with my faves.

I’m not sure yet if Lover is my favorite Taylor Swift album, but I think it is going to be. My all time favorite Taylor Swift songs still come from 1989, Red, and Speak Now, but I think as a whole collective album, Lover just might take first prize.

Thank you, @taylorswift for Lover. 💓💗💕

[adrianalxander]

Lover

So as a Taylor fan, I of course waited until the clock struck 12 to listen. I was in my car and listened to it on my car stereo for the best sound so I could hear everything each song has to offer. I had some mixed feelings about the record but now that I’ve had a few days to really let this album simmer, I must say that I really do enjoy it. Is it my favorite Taylor record? No. But it has some very promising songs that are gonna stick with me for as long as I’m her fan...

Since the album is about love, I’ll be using the 💗 emoji to score.

Highest score: 💗💗💗💗💗

1. I Forgot That You Exsisted // 💗💗💗💗

So for me, this definitely sounds like a continuation of “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” off Reputation. I love that it’s not over produced and sounds like she’s talking about the Kanye situation one final time. To me, she’s pretty much saying, look, all that stuff really doesn’t matter to me anymore. This album is beyond everything reputation was about, so for starters- I’m chuckin the deuces to all my haters! Ahhhh I love it. Good way to start this record for sure!

2. Cruel Summer // 💗💗💗💗💗

One of my favorites off the album for sure. Everything about this track to me is pure genius. Sonically, just so beautiful. Ecspecially the hook, when she hits her falsetto notes and the instrumentals blare like they’re telling you to role down your windows and scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs! Pretty sure she’s talking about a past relationship one last time. She really wanted to get all her past negativity out of the way on this album before getting into her current endeavors. Plus, my favorite part of the song- when she growls in an echo like howl “HE LOOKS UP GRINNING LIKE A DEVIL”. My heart sank and I scream it everytime now. Love love love this track.

3. Lover // 💗💗💗💗💗

This song pulls on my heart strings quite a bit! I can definitely see why the album centers around this track. Y’all, Taylor is in love and she wants all of us to know, OKAY!? She’s pretty much talking about how she loves her man and how she gets jealous when people talk to him or how no matter what- she knows he’s the right one for her. Sonically and lyrically, this song is beautiful. Taylor also sounds so pretty when she hits those soft high notes. I also love how different this is for her, which I appreciate. Solid love song for sure!

4. The Man // 💗💗

So lyrically, I think the songs message is powerful. Women are still going through it and I love all these empowering anthems that are being released. My problem with the song is the instrumentals don’t match up to how important the lyrics are and what they’re trying to convey. It just sounds like a cheap pop song to me. Now it might be a grower eventually but so far , not one of my faves. In the song, she’s talking about how women have it harder then men, and if she was a man, how less taboo certain things would be in the industry for her. We see you Tay, we see you.

5. The Archer // 💗💗💗💗💗

When this song first came out, I was shook! Let me tell ya’ll, when she works with Jack Antonoff, they create some magic. And this song is a perfect example. So freaking breathtaking! To me, she’s talking about her past friendships. She’s taking responsibility for the loss of some and how she does mess up sometimes but wants those people to know that she understands what she’s done but is working on herself. One of my favorites off this album.

6. I Think He Knows // 💗💗💗💗

This cheeky little number is fun. Again, talking about her man. She uses this albums platform to let him know every single feeling she has for him. I love bridge in this song so much, it’s my favorite part! Cute song!

7. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince //

💗💗💗💗

As the political track on the album, I absolutely love the metaphors she uses in the song. Comparing the sinister events in our country to a pageant...the lyrics are effective and it’s a pretty solid song with replay value. I dig it. Again, love love love the bridge when it sounds like cheerleaders are chanting parts of the lyrics. It’s a good one y’all.

8. Paper Rings // 💗💗💗💗

Yet another song that’s complety out of the norm for Taylor. It’s got a little alternative kick to it but the lyrics are so sweet. Another song talking about the man she loves and just letting him know that nice objects are nice but nothing really matters but him, she’s marry him with a paper ring bruh. Very cute, very different and stands out like a sore thumb on this album, in a good way!

9. Cornelia Street // 💗💗💗💗💗

One of my favorites off the album, it’s that song on the album that hits those heart strings HARD. This dude got her all in her feelings. She pretty much is saying in this song, that if she loses him, that things wouldn’t go back the same way like she’s been living for a while. Which is so relatable when people break up with their partner, adjusting is the hardest part. This is such a beautiful song and I love the intrumentals!

10. Death By A Thousand Cuts // 💗💗💗

So on the first initial listen, I didn’t like this track, but I have to say it’s growing on me. To me, this song is about being afraid of a relationship coming to a close and comparing it ending to death by a thousand cuts. Damn Taylor!!! It’s a decent track, I’ll listen to it more, but not my favorite.

11. London Boy // 💗💗💗💗

This song is so funny to me!! Taylor is like, y’all I just wanna be English okayyy. It’s a cute song. Obviously the London Boy is yet again, referring to her lover who is in fact English. So many rememberable lyrics in this song, “they say home is where the heart is, but god I love the English”. Okay Taylor, we hear you girl, you LOVE YOUR MAN.

12. Soon You’ll Get Better // 💗💗💗💗

I have some mixed feelings on this song but to start off, it’s a beautiful heartbreaking song. This definitely sounds like something from her Speak Now/Red era...and we know that her mom has been battling cancer so the song is pretty much how she’s been dealing with all of the events that happen when a family must deal with the awful “c” word. my only negative is the featuring of the Dixie Chicks...I love them but really didn’t understand why they were there? They really didn’t add anything to the song and I wouldn’t expect a feature on such an emotional personal track for her. Other than that, beautiful song.

13. False God // 💗

In my humble opinion, my least favorite song on the album. It just seems so off to me. As sonically different as Paper Rings adds to Lover, it still sounds like Taylor. Likes she’s taking a chance and those lyrics still have that deep meaning that makes you wonder. This track to me sounds like a failed experiment. I don’t like the lyrics or the instrumentals. From what I understand, the songs about the tough times in a relationship when shit hits the fan and your limits are tested. Again, don’t really care for the metaphors and this is just not it for me.

14. You Need To Calm Down // 💗💗💗💗

I’m calm I’m calm!! Well I wasn’t when I first heard this song. I adore YNTCD so much, it was definitely a fresh take on the album after she released the catastrophic first single, I saw hope for sure. It’s the LGBTQ anthem that we didn’t need from her but gracefully were gifted. Everything about this song is a bop and is one of those songs where certain lyrics make you laugh and some of them you just wanna scream at the top of you lungs! Love this song so mucho.

15. Afterglow // 💗💗💗💗💗

I crown this song my favorite track on the album. Oh man, where do I begin? Let’s start with the instrumentals, jesus this song makes me feel what she’s singing. the loud drums just get you going. and her voice sounds so good on this one! I even like the little use of auto tune on certain parts- it really works. So lyrically, in my opinion, this sounds like her apology song to miss Katy Perry. but that could just be me. She’s saying look, I’m taking full responsibility for the break in our friendship but I miss it and I want it back and what do I need to do to get it back? Relatable because we’ve all been there, and just flat out love love love this one. I wanna meet her in the afterglow :(

16. ME! // 💗💗

Soooooo let me tell you. When I first heard this, I was so disappointed. I was like, if this is what her freaking album is gonna sound like then I’m OUT. Thank god it wasn’t and this song is just a fluke. Now here’s the thing, I don’t hate this song entirely. I actually don’t mind the verses, it’s the chorus and the god awful bridge. Hey kids, spelling is fun! She was smart enough to remove that, but to me, this song sounds like a beginning theme song for a kids tv show. Not a song on a 29 year olds album. I just skip this one, y’all.

17. It’s Nice To Have A Friend // 💗💗💗

By far, the oddest song on the record. At first, I didn’t like it. But the more I listen to it, it has this creepy almost abandoned school yard feel that could’ve been played in Pretty Little Liars. I kind of dig it, but it doesn’t match the lyrical content for me. To me, the song is about a simple friendship where one might have more feelings for the other. But I don’t know, it’s gonna take some getting used to. Weird for sure for Taylor.

18. Daylight // 💗💗💗💗

Last track of the album and a beautiful way to end it as well. Ya’ll, Taylor wants everyone to know that she is happy, unbothered and has grown up. This track is about the person she loves changing her perfective on, well -love. One of my favorite moments on the album, she connects her song Red from 3 albums ago, saying she used to compare love to a burning red but now it’s golden like daylight. And ends the song and album with a person mantra that really stays with you.

This album is such a beautiful piece of work. I know I used that term a lot, but it’s how I feel.

I can’t wait to see how these sound in concert!

[hermionegranger56]

HELLO LADS I HAVE LISTENED TO LOVER A MILLION TIMES SO HERE’S SOME THOUGHTS:

Just overall as an album here: HOLY. SHIT. that one vanity fair article that said this is gonna save pop music???? THEY’RE RIGHT OK?? this is just a solidly GREAT album all around. It’s lyrically smart, incredibly catchy, heartfelt and vulnerable and empowering. And the best part?? You can tell that Taylor is so genuinely, sincerely HAPPY and IN LOVE and it is downright INFECTIOUS. Even the songs that sonically I didn’t like as much, I couldn’t help but like since you could just feel her palpable joy in every note. I saw someone say that Rep was her finding her voice and Lover is her finally being able to use it how she wants and I couldn’t agree more.

I Forgot That You Existed: soooo catchy!! and god if realizing you forgot about That person ain’t the best feeling! this song perfectly shows that freedom, that joy. the laugh! the “…so yeah”! i live! a strong start

Cruel Summer: A MOTHERFUCKIN BOP THIS SONG MAKES ME SO HAPPY AHHHHH!!! (recommend it at full volume, in the car. really helped my commute today lol) the chorus is just such a good melody. HE LOOKS UP GRINNING LIKE A DEVIL!!!! MURDER ME THE DELIVERY OF THAT LINE WAS SO GOOD can’t wait to scream it on tour

Lover: perfect. perfect. perfect. see here. oh god she’s so in love. I see you Speak Now Taylor, I see you. this song is acoustic folky perfection and i want it at my wedding

The Man: ok moral of the story: fuck men lolol. THIS IS A JAMMM! look, I understand the critiques people are going to have for the message of this song. Without getting too into it, it’s true the song certainly doesn’t cover everything and there are areas of feminism and social awareness she (especially as a successful white woman) can continue to grow and make more of an effort in. HOWEVER, to say that Taylor Swift has not been affected by sexism is just untrue? Her whole reputation was defined for a long time on the double standards that society had for her that she lays out in this song, she went through a sexual assault trial with grace and dignity, she still is put in the pigeon hole of being “overdramatic”, “the victim” etc etc which perpetuates double standards. Taylor Swift has something to say about her valid experiences as a woman in this industry, and we DEFINITELY should not be trying to silence the voices of any women in this day and age. And the song’s simple sentiment of MEN HAVE IT EASIER is something that lots of her fans can relate to, so why not write something relatable, ya know?? idk man i support it, rant over, don’t fight me plz

The Archer: oh boy the ATMOSPHERE. OOF. the perfect 3 am-lightening skies-melancholy soundtrack. and my god if it doesn’t hit every late night insecurity I’ve ever had, like any good track 5 should. “who could ever leave me darling, but who could stay” hits like a sucker punch, by the crescendo at “all the kings horses and all the kings men” I’m screaming the lyrics or sobbing or both. one of my fave track 5s aside from All Too Well and Delicate

I Think He Knows: a BEAT hot DAMN. go GET that man tswift, we stan a confident queen!! BOY I UNDERSTAND?!?!?!? GET IT BITCH YOU’RE HOT SHIT!!! a solid bop!! i wanna dance!!

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince: this is a MASTERPIECE. holy FUCK. its. there’s just so many LAYERS?!?!? it’s a like a freaking meta analysis of her past image, her current self and today’s fucked up society. I could write a paper about this. I’m endlessly impressed by how she can continue to surprise me with her lyrical skill even after all this time ahhhhhh. also the go! fight! win! cheer is so clever, i love it

Paper Rings: HELLO STAY STAY STAY AND OURS’ POP ROCK LOVECHILD. SOOOOOO INFECTIOUSLY HAPPY OH MY GOD. it’s a romcom come to life, idk i get love, rosie vibes, no idea why. but god i’m 22 full years old and i just danced around my room using a hairbrush as a microphone to this. I’m smiling ear to ear ahhh @ taylor and joe get married rn PLEASE

Cornelia Street: for some reason I didn’t love it at first, but it’s growing on me!! i think “i get mystified by how this city screams your name” sounds so great how she sings it though like that part is incredible. and it’s such a fragile message, that love that you fear might go away at any second and take all the happy memories with it. a sad bop

Death By Thousand Cuts: also growing on me!! I think most people can relate to this so i think it’ll do well. the “trying to find a part of me you didn’t touch” part was also good

London Boy: AHAHAHAHA I LOVE IT it’s cheeky, it’s fun and damn she wants you to know how much she loves her london boy and everything about him!! i also love that motherfucking IDRIS ELBA IS HERE?!?!? “DONT THREATEN ME WITH A GOOD TIME” so. good.

Soon You’ll Get Better: hoo boy. wow. I can only imagine this is about Andrea’s cancer diagnosis and my god my heart goes out to the whole Swift family. I’ve been there with my grandfather and watching him loose that battle in front of me was one of the hardest thing’s i’ve ever done. it’s surreal, the insistence that they HAVE to get better, it’s the ONLY way, that’s how it’s going to be. and now that I’m a nurse and I’m on the other end seeing families go through this, I just…god I don’t think this is going to be one I can listen to often. I said I was “sobbing” during The Archer, well here I actually, physically was. It’s been a long week, nurse-wise :( oh god the sigh right before the last chorus oh god. my true only complaint here is the underutilization of the Dixie Chicks, cause i love them :)

False God: THE SAX. THE SEX. AMAZING hahahaha. this is just a whole ass VIBE, it’s so smooooooth. I’M NEW YORK CITY, damn I love that!! GOD I DON’T EVEN HAVE SPECIFICS THIS IS JUST SUCH A FUCKING GOOD SONG!!! def in my top 5 from this album.

You Need to Calm Down: HEEEEELLLLLLL YEAHHHHH BOP OF THE SUMMER!!!! the chorus makes me SO SUNSHINEY HAPPY!! And I’m glad Taylor is being so vocal about her support for the LGBT community and sending this message of love/renouncing people who spread hate! CAUSE *screams from a mountain* SHADE NEVER MADE ANYBODY LESS GAY!!!!!!

Afterglow: i think this song is absolutely lovely! It takes so much maturity to be able to admit you’re wrong or that you hurt the one you love but that you’re going to continue to fight for them and I love to see Taylor explore that

Me!: ok honestly?? I have never liked the first song Taylor’s released from all of her albums Red and after. BUT they’ve all grown on me! that said, this is probably my least favorite song on the album WHICH IS SO IMPRESSIVE THIS IS STILL A REALLY GOOD SONG!! the me-e-e-e makes me unreasonably happy (similar to the sunshine vibes of yntcd). I just can’t get past the spelling is fun WAIT SHE TOOK IT OUT I’M ABSOLUTELY SCREAMING

It’s Nice To Have a Friend: SIMPLE. BEAUTY. this feels like an interlude of sorts and I love it. it’s first 3 seconds reminded me of the Big Little Lies theme song lolol. this is such a perfectly visual song, it’s like a tumblr list of aesthetics. i REALLY LOVE this one, in ways I can’t put into words

Daylight: ohhhh baby a GOOOOD ENDING. STEP INTO THE DAYLIGHT AND LET IT GO FINALLY MADE ITS DEBUT I’M SO HAPPY. and her words of wisdom at the end, wow. you are what you love. wow taylor truly has come through all of her experiences, good and bad, processed and grown, let it go and is thriving and in love in her own daylight

AND IM SO SO HAPPY FOR HER @taylorswift ILYSM

BRING ON THE LOVER ERA, SEE Y’ALL AT TOUR

[afearlesslyredreputation]

first impressions.

So I’ve listened to Lover in its entirety 3 times now, but these are my first impressions after the second listen through.

*PSA: These are my own opinions. Everyone’s is going to be different. Taylor is amazing and I think all her songs are masterpieces but there are songs that are at the bottom of my stan tier, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still appreciate and love them.

I Forgot That You Existed: Super catchy. Definitely relatable. Solid bop.

Cruel Summer: LOVEEEEEEE! I’m obsessed. Definitely a fave. Catch me blasting this in the car 24/7

Lover: Made me cry when I first heard it. It fits me and my husband to a tee (we have loved each other for 3 summers now). Also a fave. 

The Man: Powerful, and inspiring. Taylor IS the man.

The Archer: Different but hauntingly beautiful. One of my faves. I’ve always preferred her slower songs so I’m obsessed.

I Think He Knows: Unfortunately, this is my least favourite song on the album. It just doesn’t feel like a Taylor song to me, and I dunno. It probably won’t get played much tbh. Lyrically, I think it’s dope. (that bridge though)

Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince: Perfect. Love it. 100% going to be on repeat all the time. Was stuck in my head when trying to sleep last night.

Paper Rings: OHMYGAWD this might be my fave on the album? At least in the top fave. It’s soooooo catchy and fun and cute and I love everything about it. And as a early/mid 90′s kid, I love the late 90′s/early 2000 chick flick soundtrack vibe from it, and it makes me happy.

Cornelia Street: Dope beat, catchy tune. Was kind of expecting more from it tbh because everyone was “like omggg it’s the bestttttttttt!!!” Slowly growing more on me however.

Death by a Thousand Cuts: So good. It gives me Red vibes (like kinda sounds like a cousin of Babe)

London Boy: The perfect driving around with your friends and the windows down song. Solid bop.

Soon You’ll Get Better: I can’t relate to this song, but it kicked me in the feels. I’m sorry Taylor had to write this song, but I’m glad (or not glad?) that some of her fans can relate and can use this song as comfort.

False God: Kinda feels like a late night dinner party? Maybe it’s the saxophone.

You Need to Calm Down: I quote this song every day. So catchy. One day I’ll ace the fast-paced lyrics.

Afterglow: The chorus is perfection. Thank u, next

Me!: Obviously super catchy. Fun song and upbeat self-confidence booster.

It’s Nice to Have a Friend: Obsessed with the tune of the whole thing. I’m superrrrr curious to see how this is presented on tour.

Daylight: Perfect conclusion to the whole album. Also, I’m so happy she has the golden love. It’s the best!

@taylorswift

[mandoandbb]

LOVER FIRST LISTEN

I wrote out my reaction to the Lover album songs as I listened to each one when I woke up this morning. Thank you Taylor for blessing us with this album and thank you for falling in love at the same time as me so I can relate to heavily to your love songs.

I forgot that you existed:

Fun beat, I like the music. I like the story, but I am pretty sure this was more about getting the whole drama story over at the beginning of the album so that both she and the rest of us could move on than actually being a song to listen to on repeat and I respect that. Nice tie in with the final song saying she had lost her sunshine - which she clearly gets back by the end. Standout lyric: “Lived in the shade you were throwing ‘Til all of my sunshine was gone, gone, gone”

Cruel summer:

I like it but it feels a bit like a song I’ve already heard, you know what I mean? The lyrics are definitely more on point with what I heard in reputation, not the “Old Taylor” we had back in the singles. I was already singing along to the chorus by the end of the song. Standout lyric: “Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes, if I bleed you’ll be the last to know” I’ll probably use that in an insta caption someday

Lover:

Heard this already obviously, love the whole thing but ADORE the wedding bit near the end. Taylor says this is her favourite song she’s ever written and I definitely wouldn’t go that far but it definitely has some fantastic imagery and she did a great job with it. Standout lyrics: “My heart’s been broken and yours has been blue, all’s well that ends well to end up with you” and a personal shoutout to “I’ve loved you three summers now honey but I want em all” because that’s just right for me!

The man:

This is such an accurate representation of how Taylor has been treated in the media and the sexism she faces as a woman writing music! Really well written. I’m very impressed with how she flipped the narrative around for this without victimizing herself for it. I don’t know how much I’ll want to listen to it on repeat though. Standout lyric: “They say I hustled, put in the work. They wouldn't shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve”

The archer:

Another single I’ve already heard, so not a first listen. Adore the verses of this song, the imagery and the sound. I definitely think it’s more about Taylor’s relationship with herself rather than any type of romantic story. Standout lyric: ‘Screaming, "Who could ever leave me darling... But who could stay?"’

I think he knows:

Definitely not my favourite from a first listen. Very cute lyrics and I might come to enjoy it more after a few more listens. Started to like it more by the end even. A little too fast and high overall though. Standout lyric: ‘“So where we gonna go?"

I whisper in the dark. “Where we gonna go?" I think he knows’

Miss americana and the heartbreak prince:

What a LONG title. I quite like the sound but the lyrics will definitely take some time to unravel. Pretty excellent beat though. The bridge is very reminiscent of a high school football game (on purpose obviously with the “go, fight, win”) but I wonder why. Standout lyric: It's you and me, that's my whole world

Paper rings:

Made me smile as soon as it started playing. Yessss that bridge. Oh shit almost crying at the chorus. God I definitely love this. I wish it was slower I’d use it as a wedding dance song. I want to hear a slowed down acoustic version asap. I am very happy with this song. As is its perfect for a happy romcom. Standout lyrics: “I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings” and the whole bridge “Kiss me once 'cause you know I had a long night. Kiss me twice 'cause it's gonna be alright. Three times 'cause I've waited my whole life” AND “Honey, without all the exes, fights, and flaws, we wouldn't be standing here so proud”

Cornelia street:

I don’t think I’ve ever been to Cornelia street in London but I’ll need to now. I quite like the sound of this but I feel like it’s going to be one the ones I forget after I finishing listening to it you know? The music is great but I am finding it hard to concentrate on the lyrics. I definitely relate to the story though, no way I could go back to Waterloo if this love ended. Standout lyric: “We were a fresh page on the desk, filling in the blanks as we go”

Death by a thousand cuts:

Not sure about the starting. Ok, better than I was expecting from the title. VERY interesting instruments I like them. Reeeeally love that bridge actually. Yes. Definitely want another listen if this. Not what I was expecting from the beginning and I’m very impressed actually. Standout lyric: “My heart, my hips, my body, my love, tryna find a part of me that you didn't touch”

London boy:

I think I mostly like this because of the references of London places that I’ve been! I also love high tea and Camden market. But the sound is really fun and catchy too, this will stay in rotation for sure. Standout lyric: “They say home is where the heart is, but that's not where mine lives”

Soon you’ll get better:

Ugh it hasn’t even started yet but I know it’s about her mum’s cancer I’m not ready to listen. Ok. Let’s try. Yup here we go here’s the tears. Dammit. I need to call my mum. This is obviously beautiful but please don’t mind if I never ever listen to it ever again. OH DEAR GOD her shuddering breath in the final chorus. Nope, never again. Standout lyrics: “I know delusion when I see it in the mirror” And “And I hate to make this all about me, but who am I supposed to talk to? What am I supposed to do if there's no you?”

False god:

Not sure about this one. The lyrics or the sound. Maybe with a few more listens it will grow on me but I don’t think I’ll love it. Also the “the alter is my hips” line kinda squicks me out. I’m not huge on the lyrics in general. Kinda reminds me of Dress from Reputation but nowhere near as good. Standout lyric: “I know heaven's a thing, I go there when you touch me, honey. Hell is when I fight with you”

You need to calm down:

Obviously a MAJOR bop and made moreso when the video came out. But to be fair the very first time I listened to it the “uh oh uh oh UH OH” bit seemed like too much so some songs need a sec to show their true rainbow colours. Love this. It’s a bop and an anthem. Standout lyric: “Shade never made anybody less gay” (which I’ve already used in an insta caption tbh)

Afterglow:

Not bad but not really catching me so far. The chorus is nice. I’m a bit underwhelmed overall. It’s good but not a standout. At least not at first listen. Standout lyric: I need to say, hey, it’s all me, just don't go... Meet me in the afterglow”

Me!:

Another single that is a clear and obvious bop. Yes we all know the “hey kids spelling is fun” bit is foolish but that’s the fun of this song: it’s FUN and it doesn’t mind being a little foolish. This song is a delight and Brendon Urie is a treasure. Standout lyric: “Livin’ in winter, I am your summer” (another lyric I’ve already used as in insta caption

It’s nice to have a friend:

The dumb title is giving me a bad vibe before it even starts. Uhhh weird starting with mandolin sounds... yeah wtf is this song? It feels very... off... with the mandolin sounds (unless I’m missing something here) and the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. Yeah for sure not my fave. Honestly doesn’t have a standout lyric.

Daylight:

Been looking forward to this closer for the whole album I have high hopes. It’s almost 5 minutes long. Yes it definitely feels like an old school Taylor Swift closer. Love the build up of the first few verses. It IS brighter now, Taylor. For me too. This isn’t a bop that I want on repeat but I feel peace listening to it and it sums up both her love and mine. Strong finish. Nice recorded voice memo at the end too. Standout lyric: I once believed love would be burning red, but it's golden like daylight”

Overall, I really enjoyed this album and can’t WAIT for a tour. Paper Rings was my favourite song that wasn’t a single but honestly Taylor is a genius and I respect everything she creates because she does it with love and care and precision. Xoxo.

[iwritesometimes]

filigods replied to your post

“thank you to the gorgeous @wordssometimesfail for tagging me in a get...”

s o n g r e c s

so THANKS (much belatedly for tolerating my fucking out of control need to word vomit about music at literally all hours of the day and night; forcing others to listen to songs i like is literally one of the few joys that makes life worth living. also, idk if this was intended in a “hey cool, song recs” way or a “hey, yeah, link me those songs” way, but @filigods, BABY YOU’RE GETTIN THOSE LINKS and also more because i am insufferable.

below the cut: links to just Some Music What I Think Is Cool, organized...pretty dubiously, but an attempt will be made. also, now and at all times, anyone who feels so inclined should always link me to music they’re liking right now or that they loved in the past or that they think is just the bee’s knees...anytime. ANYTIME.

okay so the songs i mentioned the other day are all in here, but i wanted to organize it a bit more than just a random grab bag to give you some direction so that you know what you might be into, if you’ve never heard of some of these (my music taste isn’t all that niche but i’ve gone through a lot of phases in my life XD). particular “omg please listen to this before you die” faves will be in italics.

best of pop/pop rock

stuff by Keane, My Fave Band:

“Crystal Ball”

“Won’t Be Broken”

“Sovereign Light Cafe”

“Bedshaped”

“My Shadow”

stuff by Tokio Hotel, my first RPF subjects

“Übers Ende der Welt”

“Spring nicht”

“Wo sind eure Hände”

stuff by Elliot Minor, classically trained and sadly disbanded

“Parallel Worlds”

“The White One Is Evil”

“The Broken Minor”

“Solaris”

“Shiver”

“Electric High”

stuff by Dino Merlin, Bosnia’s Elton John

“Zid”

“Sarajevo”

“Majka Ruži Kćer”

“Heroes of Earth” by Wang Leehom (listen to more of his stuff - he’s insanely talented and has albums in several different genres)

“Sun Goes Down” by David Jordan

stuff by Gorillaz, you’ve definitely heard them but may not have heard these

“Stylo”

“November Has Come”

“Feel Good Inc.”

“Broken”

“Busted and Blue”

“Du erinnerst mich an Liebe” by Ich + Ich

stuff by Josh Groban, HE’S GOOD ADMIT IT TO YOURSELVES

“Never Let Go”

“Remember When it Rained”

“You Are Loved”

“Weeping”

“Tigerlily” by La Roux (whole album’s great, but this one’s gayyyy)

“Grace Kelly” and “Origin of Love” by Mika

“Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” by Rufus Wainwright

“Make This Go On Forever” and “Set the Fire to the Third Bar” by Snow Patrol

stuff by Owl City, the fluffiest synthpop to ever make me happy

“Fireflies”

“Swimming in Miami”

“Meteor Shower”

“Strawberry Avalanche”

“Running Up That Hill” by Placebo covering Kate Bush

“Velvet Sky” by Los Lonely Boys

“Chasing the Sun” and “Satellite Call” and “Eden” by Sara Bareilles (WHOLE ALBUM!!!)

“Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer

“Sad Clown” by Jars of Clay

stuff by Michael W. Smith, i can’t help i was raised on CCM please forgive me

“Cross of Gold”

“Lamu”

“Secret Ambition”

“Breathe in Me”

“Love Me Good”

“Faith My Eyes” and “High Countries” by Caedmon’s Call

stuff by Daft Punk, FUCKING SUPERB YOU FUNKY LITTLE ROBOTS (listen to all of Discovery and Random Access Memories!!)

“One More Time”

“Aerodynamic”

“Give Life Back to Music”

“Technologic”

“These Dreams” by Heart

“Even Rats” by The Slip

“To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra

“Mandolin Rain” and “The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby and the Range

“I’m Still Here” by John Rzeznik

“Ue o muite arukou” by Kyu Sakamoto

“Love Me Dead” by Ludo

“Just Communication” by Two-Mix (Soundcloud link because it’s not on YT?? however, this bitchin cover is!!)

“The Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel covering the Magnetic Fields

best of rock/rap rock

stuff by linkin park, baby’s first rock band (meteora and thousand suns, BEST albums)

“Forgotten”

“Somewhere I Belong”

“Breaking the Habit”

“Iridescent” (accidentally called this “The Radiance” in the op)

“The Messenger”

“Welcome Home” by Coheed and Cambria

“Televators” by The Mars Volta

“Isolation” and “Life Must Go On” by Alter Bridge

“Nemesis” by Arch Enemy

“Like a Stone” by Audioslave

“Lonely Boy” by The Black Keys

“In One Ear” and “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant (whole album!!)

“Jordan” by Buckethead

“Paralyzer” by Finger Eleven

stuff by Gackt, j-rock boy of my dreams since 2003

“Mirror”

“Vanilla”

“Returner”

“Orenji no Taiyou” (with Hyde)

“Through the Night” by Masahiko Arimachi

“Magick” and “It’s Not Over Yet” by Klaxons

“Deliverance” and “In Mist She Was Standing” by Opeth

stuff by Panik, my good good german boys who just couldn’t make it work

“Revolution”

“Geht ab”

“Grau”

“Perfekt”

“Morgencafe”

“Bevor du gehst”

“Careless Whisper” by Seether covering Wham!

“Seasons” by The Veer Union

“Cold” by Static X

“Change (In the House of Flies)” by Deftones

“System” by Chester Bennington

“Whipping Boy” by Train

“Chevette” and “Some Kind of Zombie” by Audio Adrenaline

“Colossal” and “Witchcraft” by Wolfmother (whole album is great)

“Whiskey in the Jar” by Metallica and “Turn the Page” by Metallica covering Bob Seger

“Gravedigger” by Dave Matthews Band

“Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls

“Icky Thump” and “Blue Orchid” by The White Stripes

“Crazy Bitch” by Buckcherry

“You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Big Balls” by AC/DC (there is NO CORRECT VERSION of Big Balls on YT...sorry for the spotify link)

best of choral (most of which i’ve sung so i’m biased)/instrumental/soundtrack

Lux Aeterna and “O Magnum Mysterium” by Morten Lauridsen

The True Story of Cinderella (i was the queen in this :3)

Knock Knock and indeed anything by P.D.Q. Bach

“i thank You God for most this amazing day” and “Lux Aurumque” by Eric Whitacre

“Magnificat” by Arvo Pärt

“Set Me as a Seal” by René Clausen

“Cloudsong” and “The Heart’s Cry” by Anúna

“You Are the New Day” by The King’s Singers covering Airwaves, aka, the greatest love song of all time

“Castle in the Mist” and “You Were There” by Michiru Oshima (voc. Steven Geraghty)

“Prologue” and “The Farthest Land” by Ko Otani (the whole soundtrack is sublime, please listen to it!!!)

“The Mighty Rio Grande” and “They Move on Tracks of Never-Ending Light” by This Will Destroy You

“On the Nature of Daylight” by Max Richter (also, there’s a great mashup of this with “This Bitter Earth” by Dinah Washington)

“To Zanarkand” by Nobuo Uematsu (obviously, listen to everything the man ever wrote, but ofc my fave is the FFX OST)

“More Streets” by Zpiderflower

“I Was Born for This” by Austin Wintory (from the stellar Journey OST)

“The Ballad of Fiedler and Mundt” by Disparition

“Sex (Daedalus Remix)” by Slugabed

Castlevania malarkey

Best of “Bloody Tears”: official 1, official 2, official 3, fanmix 4

Best of “Vampire Killer”: official 1, official 2, fanmix 3

Best of “Simon’s Theme”: official 1, official 2, fanmix 3, fanmix 4

Super Castlevania IV (PLEASE listen to the whole thing but my faves): “Forest of Monsters”, “The Submerged City”, “Clockwork Mansion 2″, “The Library”, “Dracula Battle”, “Ending”

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (ditto above): “Dance of Illusions”, “Dracula’s Castle”, “Marble Gallery”, “Lost Painting”, “Dance of Pales”, “Wandering Ghosts”, “Final Toccata”

“Clotho”, “Atropos”, and “Lathesis” from the Columns OST

Zelda shenanigans

“Title Theme (Wind Waker)”

“Dragon Roost Island”

“The Great Sea”

“Main Theme (Breath of the Wild)”

“Riding (Day)”

“Riding (Night)”

“Stables”

“Kakariko Village”

“Rito Village (Day)”

“Tarrey Town”

“Maze Forest”

“Hyrule Castle” and “Hyrule Castle Interior”

okay i gotta quit - i’ve had this tab open for like a week and a half now and i just keep adding stuff. this is enough to get anybody started. i hope y’all find something you like. :)

[dykedteach]

okay here we go, episode 2 second watch

(I think this is my longest liveblog I’ve done, but then again I feel like this is the most emotional a tv episode has made me since I finished Black Sails so like?)

so uhhh they’re really gonna hide all the valuable people in the crypts huh, they’re really following through on that

“women and children first” to DIE??? I M EAN

i’ve been thinking about this non stop since i first watched the ep and my growing dread is nigh unstoppable, if i had any doubts that the winterfell dead might rise, their whole repeated thing of “everyone will be safe down there” shot them straight down

i’m lowkey annoyed we missed out on what would have been an incredibly awkward introduction scene between jaime and literally everyone, but i’m glad his “trial” didn’t drag out

i want sam’s opinion on dany’s bloodthirst vis a vis avenging her father BC LIKE????

“i’d do it all again” honey be QUIET 

L O Y A L T  Y 

loyalty

l      o   yal     t e  a

lmao daenerys’ look of anger and disgust at brienne hopping to jaime’s defense alone makes me want her dead tbh

sansa being a better strategist, ruler, negotiator, and peacekeeper than both of her parents combined, is my weakness tbh

also He R  aRmOuR drESs !!!!! what a LOOK! 

d: “what does the warden of the north say about it?” j: [has dissociated solidly through the past six hours, is only now just realising it’s daylight and he’s in the great hall] uhhhhhhhhhhhh cool i guess?

tyrion finally breathing after daenerys lets jaime live is ridiculously endearing, i love the brothers’ relationship so much

baeworm death-glaring jaime is also ridiculously endearing tbh

i dig the gendarya love theme, i do i do i do

everyone keeps saying that the fact they had sex means one of them will die next ep but honestly? out of all the non jonerys pairings (missandei/greyworm, sam/gilly, jaime/brienne) i think they’re most likely to live through the battle, and the fact they have their own theme makes me doubt as well that they’ll end next episode

that poor guy who got in the way of arya and gendry’s dragonglass throwing foreplay, so close yikes

i can’t believe that out of everyone who bran has been weird to, jaime was the one to take his weird shit best

“how do you know there is an afterwards?”           sd;kjlas

djkasljdak;lsd

                        asjd;lsakdla;sd

        bran

                               bran stop

   please be fuckin w us bran

this brotherly love scene is great and it hurts me to think it might be their last solo scene

although the way they keep talking about how sure they are they’ll die....idk? and with bronn on the way with his crossbow? to have both, or either, die at winterfell with the battle seems a waste. plus, one of them needs to be the valonqar so?

i’d be satisfied seeing a dead tyrion rip cersei apart though, i’ll admit that

JAIME GAZING AT BRIENNE INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO HIS BROTHER

pod has come so far in his fighting i love him so much i love brienne’s proud mama expression hes. he’s 100% going to die. for sure. 

“we have never had a conversation that’s lasted this long without you insulting me, not once” KJASDKLASJDKALSJDALKSD 

“i came to winterfell because...” Y OU LOVE HER DUMBASS

i still ship jorah with dany more than jon, fight me

i love the confirmation that all the bad blood between them is under the bridge, i love that he convinced her to make peace with tyrion and sansa, i love that he’s made peace with tyrion taking up his position, made peace with his house, with his relationship with his father...........

he’s absolutely toast and i hate it.

he’s going to die for dany with one last “khaleesi” and it’s going to break my heart

“we have other things in common” yeah you both have jon in your immediate family trees lmao

i’m confused by the “someone taller” comment, who’s she talking about? everyone else hurt her or betrayed her at some point. is it barristan? is it baeworm? it should be baeworm

ok so. i don’t need or want sansa to end up with anyone. 

that said

if it had to be a man

my heart almost jumped out of my chest when she and theon hugged, i didn’t expect her to get this emotional at all, shit i didn’t expect MYSELF to get this emotional

HER TEARS

THEY BOTH NEED HUGS IM GLAD THEY GET HUGS

soup dad can’t die i forbid it

let’s talk about gilly for a second, how far she’s come, from a scared abused girl to a strong, caring, confident woman and mother, i’m so emotional please protect her

DAVOS ADOPTING CHILDREN LEFT RIGHT AND CENTRE

THE SHIREEN THEME PLAYING OVER THAT BIT IM ASJDKASDJ

i’m super surprised edd and beric survived the hearth, i thought there would be more of a fight there

LITTLE CROW

i know people crack ship them, but like, they’d almost be better suited than jon and daenerys

while i adore the idea of theon making amends for taking winterfell from bran by defending winterfell and protecting bran from the night king, i know in my heart that all it’s going to result in is a very dead theon (and probably a dead bran)

why do i feel like while well intentioned, having dragons near the godswood is.....a mistake

i’d love for bran and tyrion to both survive, i’d love to see them talk more as equals because they’re so similar intellectually (i know they had scenes when bran was a kid, but that doesn’t count)

missandei and greyworm are too good and pure for this earth, i want them to leave, i want them to go to naath and never come back, i want them to find a little house by the water and eat fruits and find missandei’s family and take in some stray children, some street cats to lay lazily on the stones of their porch, maybe missandei teaches the children of their village every morning under the rising sun, maybe greyworm becomes a tradesman, makes shoes or ale or binds books for the locals, they grow old and content together and the children they took into their home, now grown adults with their own children, bury them side by side underneath carved stones, i want them more than almost anyone to have a happy ever after because if anyone deserves it it’s those two

but there are dreams that cannot be

and greyworm is almost certain to die next episode

maybe missandei too, but i’m not sure

until then, i will live in my fantasy.

i love my nights watch boys, i love that they talk about grenn and pyp, i miss those lads

sam being the playful, banter-full, confident guy he is, i love him so much i’m so happy for him he better fucking survive (and maybe become lord of horn hill who knows? he has a wife and a son so ? 

honestly the idea of tywin knowing jaime and tyrion are defending winterfell is so wonderful

ha ha h ah ah  ah h a i love tyrion and jaime so much that i. i forget. temporarily. about tyrion’s first wife

brienne stopping pod from drinking and then tyrion just.......fuckin pouring a large one out for the lad

please, let him drink, it’ll be his last

davos is such an old man i love him

jaime looking between brienne and tormund with amusement is the best thing ever

davos’ concern over ten year old tormund hopping into bed with a giant is incredible. dad mode. always on dad mode.

hound’s not gonna die yet, not until cleganebowl, he’s safe next ep for sure. so he’s allowed to be a grumpy old git for a bit

beric is straight up gonna die tho

“might as well be at a bloody wedding” g o d i dont like that foreshadowing

beric is so cheery and amicable im gonna miss him

i’m so glad that they gave arya agency, and a sweet, un-sexploited, in-character sex scene, there’s so few really good sex scenes in this show and i’m glad she got one of them

(no matter how long i spent the first time around watching through my fingers and cringing, i KNOW she’s an adult and maisie is an adult but god she’s still such a kid in my eyes)

as soon as the gloves started coming off i screamed

he is a sweet sweet boy and i wouldn’t want my murdering badass fave to be with anyone else

i appreciate them showing her scars as part of it, i can’t quite put my finger on why but it was nice to see that

i feel like once i get over the weirdness of like, “hey that’s arya”, it’s probably one of the hotter sex scenes in the series? just for passion and use of consent and stuff

i can’t even begin to elaborate on how perfect brienne’s scene is

it’s immediately one of my favourite scenes in the whole show, i honestly don’t have the words

it’s better than any marriage vows that have been taken in the whole series, and to see brienne proud and happy is just...incredible.

the mormont scene i wanted!!!

this is such a touching scene between two of my faves, i want jorah and sam to be pals forever but i know its just....not happening

the fact that sam starts in the crypt but i know he ends up on the battlefield is....concerning to say the least

god. that song. that song is everything

im too in my feelings to care about jonerys, sorry

i can genuinely believe that jon loves her, and doesn’t care about the iron throne or any titles really for that matter. but the other way around? i’m not so sure.

ok so my survival list: dany, jon, sansa, tyrion

everyone else is at risk please pray for me

oh also i bought the download of Jenny and already cried to it three times this evening, so the credits are making it a round four

[howtodrawyourdragon]

TAGGED BY: @hello-em75

last

drink: A nice glass of orange juice!

phone call: Idk? I answered the phone and they hung up after I said 'hello' twice!

text message: My mom. :)

song you listened to: I think that may be a Linkin Park song.

time you cried: Somewhere early August. Was having a bit of a troubling night.

ever

dated someone twice: I have never dated before, so no.

kissed someone and regretted it: I have never kissed before either! Haha!

been cheated on: Well, it's hard to get cheated on if you've never dated before in the first place!

lost someone special: Don't we all lose someone at some point? I have lost contact with a dear friend of mine. I hope to talk to her soon and I wish her well.

been depressed: I had a very difficult year when I was 16, but I'm 22 now. I'm doing a lot better and am in a better place in life now.

gotten drunk and thrown up: Due to certain events in my life, I have decided not to consume any alcohol. Now when it just so happens to be in desserts like tiramisu? That I do not mind! But you can't get drunk on those, so no!

fave color: That has always been red and blue!

in the last year have you

made new friends: I have!!! And they are absolutely awesome!!!

fallen out of love: Like actual love? As in 'fallen out of love with someone'? No, I haven't.

laughed until you cried: Oh, several times. And either I'm playing a video game with my brother and/or mom, having a fun random talk with the Discord Squad or watching a Httyd 3 countdown stream. Those are the moments I can remember.

found out someone was talking about you: Several times in school. And they were never subtle about it. They wanted me to know.

met someone who changed you: I'm looking at you @ Discord Squad! I know I still have a lot to learn, but you guys have helped me find confidence in my skills.

found out who your friends are: I have stated before that I come from the Sonic fandom. Even though I am now in the Httyd fandom, there are still people from that fandom that I talk to. I think that counts.

kissed someone on your facebook friends list: I am a virgin in every way. Kissing included.

how many of your facebook friends do you know irl: Should mention that I don't have facebook.

do you have any pets: Two dogs, two turtles, a cat and two aquariums. One of which is my brother's.

do you want to change your name: I didn't really care much for my name. Now my nickname is 'Mel' and I am kind of glad!

what did you do for your last birthday: Got up, cared for my dog, got on my laptop, got amazing gifts from my Discord Squad, mom made me a pie (it was delicious), had a minor fight with my stepfather, stayed on my laptop for the rest of the evening and that was my day. :'D I feel like I am forgetting something.

what time did you wake up today: Woke up around 9:30am, got up at 10:15am. I keep a close eye on the time, haha.

what were you doing at midnight last night: Waiting for my little brother to finally come downstairs, so someone could keep our good girl company at night since it's no longer healthy for her to go upstairs anymore. She has a bad back, poor girl.

what is something you can’t wait for: Httyd 3, Rescue Riders and for school to be over!

what are you listening to right now: A Youtube video. A Dead by Daylight let's play video. Garuku Bluemoon is playing a giggle Michael and I am living for it.

have you ever talked to a person named tom: Yes, back in elementary school! Had two of them in my class at some point! Met them in kindergarten.

something that gets on your nerves: OmT, so many things I could list! But something I find myself sighing at the most is judgemental people.

most visited website: YouTube, Tumblr, FF.Net, Ao3.

hair color: Idk? Someone once called my hair brown, but mom insists that it's dark blond. And to be fair, that person claimed my hair was brown when it was Winter, which is when my hair is naturally darker than it is in Summer.

long or short hair: Used to have it down to almost my butt. Then I had a haircut because it would make me 'look more like an adult' and now it's a little bit beneath my shoulders. I miss my long ass hair.

what do you like about yourself: Physically or...? Physically It used to be my hair. Otherwise it is my ability to write. And my patience. Makes it a lot easier when you miss the bus and have to wait an hour for the next one.

want any piercings: I have earrings, but other than those I have no need for piercings.

blood type: A positive.

nicknames: Mel!

relationship status: Single. I don't mind being single, but at the same time I want to experience what it's like to be in a relationship! :'D

zodiac: Leo

pronouns: she/her

fave tv shows: Race to the Edge, Trollhunters, Grimm, Bones, B-99, Ghost Adventures, Destination Truth, I feel like I am forgetting some.

tattoos: I have none, not planning on getting one either. But I do like them.

right or left handed: right-handed

ever had surgery: I haven't! And I hope I will never need one!

piercings: Earrings

sport: I don't do any sports. I swim often and I dance every week, but no sports. I have hypermobile joints, so I really can't do a lot of sports.

I have practiced: We have a guitar. We don't know how to play it, but we do have one!

vacation: No, I haven't! But I want to go to Canada and Scotland. Both for the nature.

trainers: I'm not sure what this one is supposed to mean?

more general

eating: Nothing right now.

drinking: Chocolate milk! :D

about to watch: Might either watch another Dead by Daylight video or an episode of RttE.

waiting for: Still waiting for Httyd 3 and RR.

want: Httyd 3, RR and my first novel to write itself and do it professionally.

want to get married: I like the idea of spending the rest of my life together with the love of my life, but weddings are expensive, the uncertainty after a divorce is scary and I don't think I will ever be able to find someone who can put up with me. Being in a relationship with me will most likely mean giving Httyd, Atla/Lok and FmaB a try.

career: Hopefully one in writing and childcare soon.

which is better

hugs or kisses: hugs

lips or eyes: eyes

shorter or taller: Depends. I would like my significant other to be taller than me, but my fave characters can be either. Hiccup Haddock has been both, for example.

older or younger: Idk? I wouldn't mind a few years older or a year younger.

nice arms or stomach: Nice arms

hookup or relationship: A relationship

troublemaker or hesitant: Mostly hesitant.

have you ever

kissed a stranger: Never

drunk hard liquor: I don't drink, so no.

lost glasses: I haven't had any need for glasses. So far.

turned someone down: I have had two people confess to me online. Two girls, actually. But I have never even seen their faces before, you know? Luckily I managed to stay friends with one of them. The other just stopped talking to me at some point.

sex on first date: Haha, no. Never.

broken someone’s heart: I hope not...

had your heart broken: Several times, but not in the context of love.

been arrested: Not yet!

cried when someone died: Yes, I have. For real life people and for animated people.

fallen for a friend: Nope.

do you believe in

yourself: I believe in my writing skills.

miracles: I kind of do. They do sometimes happen.

love at first sight: I do. It's the oldest trope in the book and I love it. I will stan the couple if they actually get to know each other, though.

santa claus: Haha, probably!

kiss on a first date: It will probably depend on the date.

angels: No.

others

best friend’s name: I know their name.

eye color: Blueish/greenish?

fave movie: The Httyd movies, Spider-man: Homecoming, the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, the Jurassic Park/World movies, FmA: Sacred Star of Milos, Ookami Kodomo No Ame To Yuki

fave actors: Jay Baruchel, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr.

TAGGING: @bitter-feat-dragons @eynvie @evilwriter37 @ashleybenlove @luxblackarts @frejaboisen @we-are-not-the-losechesters @dragon-girl-laughing @coneygoil