#and Wasteland Baby is my favorite album of all time

[wordstome]

@kneelingshadowsalome thank you for indulging me on the hozier songs xoxo.

Melody-wise, if you liked Take Me To Church and Work Song, you'll like these songs, they're rock with gospel and folk influences. I'm going to list the songs who have lyrics that remind me of our favorite nasty Austrian man, but I really do recommend listening to all of Hozier's discography. Long post ahead!

Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene - lol of course I start with this one. This one is mostly about an unhealthy dependency on a woman akin to a drug addiction, but these lines are so König. Also this song just rules.

Feeling more human and hooked on her flesh I lay my heart down with the rest at her feet Fresh from the fields, all fetor and fertile It's bloody and raw, but I swear it is sweet

It Will Come Back - feral man becomes obsessed the moment you show him scraps of affection

You know better babe, you know better babe Than to smile at me, smile at me like that Than to hold me just, hold me just like that Don't let me in with no intention to keep me Jesus Christ, don't be kind to me Honey, don't feed me, I will come back

Cherry Wine - required listening for Hozier fans, such a beautiful song. Again, this one is also about an unhealthy relationship that I don't really associate with König, but these lines do remind me of Fatum Nos Iungebit

Her fight and fury is fiery, oh, but she loves Like sleep to the freezing Sweet and right and merciful, I'm all but washed In the tide of her breathing And it's worth it It's divine The way she shows me I'm hers and she's mine Open hand or closed fist would be fine The blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine

Dinner & Diatribes - drawing comparisons between the act of eating and the act of loving, my beloved

Honey, this club here is stuck up Your friends are a fate that befell me I'd suffer Hell if you'd tell me What you'd do to me tonight

Sunlight -

A soul that's born in cold and rain Knows sunlight, sunlight, sunlight And at last can grant a name To a buried and burning flame As love and its decisive pain Oh, your love is sunlight

De Selby (Part 2) - this song just goes hard asf

What you're given, what you live in Darling, it finds a way to live in you And your heart, love, has such darkness I feel it in the corners of the room

Francesca - this song is really beautiful and longing, it's based on a story about a forbidden love where the couple was put to death. Also, "put me back in it" is most certainly referring to pussy.

My life was a storm since I was born How could I fear any hurricane? If someone asked me at the end I'd tell them, 'Put me back in it' Da-darlin', I would do it again If I could hold you for a minute

Special shoutout to the line "Heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I"

Who We Are - hehe the third chapter of Shrike is titled after this song. Bit of a spoiler, but without context, which is the best kind of spoiler >:)

I just held it tight So someone with your eyes Might come in time To hold me like water Or Christ, hold me like a knife

Butchered Tongue - also reminds me of Fatum Nos Iungebit

So far from home to have a stranger call you 'Darling' And have your guarded heart be lifted like a child up by the hand In some town that just means 'Home' to them With no translator left to sound A butchered tongue still singin' here above the ground

Unknown/Nth - this is a really bittersweet song reminiscing on a relationship that ended because he didn't truly know his partner. Again, I don't really associate the whole song with König, but these lines do remind me of Just Friends

Where a blinding light shone on you every night And either side of my sleep Where you were held frozen like an angel to me

Hozier also sings the last verse of this song so beautifully, it's like he captured the sensation of being at a concert and having the artist's voice so powerful in your ear. Required listening tbh

There are so, so many more songs I would recommend listening to, but these are the König highlights :3 Enjoy

[poughkeepsies]

I was going to send this the other day but your anon was off but basically I was going to say hozier was the best concert Ive ever been to and you should under all circumstances buy hozier tickets if you have the chance, so glad you got them !! I've been dying to see him again since the last time (which sadly was during the wasteland baby era like it pains me so much I havent seen any of unreal unearth live)

NO THE ONE TIME I TURN OFF ANON AND ITS ABOUT HOZIER DAMMIT you're so so so right I did get to see him once last year at a music festival and it was incredible but I always wanted to see him at his own concert cause 1) it was really hard to see him at the festival cause we were all standing in basically a makeshift pit and I'm 4'10 and 2) I wished his set was longer and it was right before the new album came out so i wanted to hear the new stuff too. basically getting these tickets is pure wish fulfillment

[zairene]

more misc. earth 42! miles morales bf headcanons <3

genre: headcanons

a/n: i reallllyyy hate writer’s block. anyways ty guys in the delulus server for helping cure my writers block for this one!! ily guys mwah mwah <3!!

miles has enormous baby fever. no matter how many times you would tell him you guys are both too young and very unfinancially stable, he couldn’t help himself. you both could be just chilling in his room and all of a sudden you would see his face soften and a super high pitched, “awwww…” come out of his mouth. from that one thing alone you already knew what he was about to show you. “y/n! look! isn’t she so cute?” you would shake your head and then he would go into this long rant on how he’d think you both make great parents. “can we at least finish highschool first, miles?” you said. he sighed dramatically and fell into your arms. “yeah, i know. ‘m just excited.” “trust me, i know.”

miles likes to stalk your socials. yes, in a weird way. everytime you post yourself on your feed, he’s always spamming the comments with how beautiful you are and how you’re his, or whenever you post yourself on your story and you get numerous story replies after you post yourself to your favorite song. but afterwards he’s scanning to see anybody else who says anything that’s not just complimenting you. he’s spotted a few guys call you “bae” or something in the comments and he’s always in the replies correcting them as quick as possible. or whenever you post the anonymous links on your story, and someone says that they have a crush on you but they’re scared to say so, or something like that, he’s quick to take your phone and post himself on your story saying how much you loved your boyfriend. that would stop these weirdos from hitting on you, at least that’s what he thinks.

miles’ mom actually loves you. from the first time you met her, she already knew that you were meant for miles when you called her mrs. morales instead of rio. miles’ friends had a habit of calling her that and she would be this close to smacking them across the forehead. they do profusely apologize after but the first impression would always leave a bad taste in her mouth. now, she asks miles to bring you over all the time and she even calls you her second daughter.

miles isn’t a ‘going outside of his house for every date kind of guy.’ he’s more of a wanting to just come to your house and chill in your room while y’all watch and rant about movies. his favorite date with you was when you listened to the new brent faiyaz album, wasteland, while he watched you braid your hair. of course you both go to the movies or the mall every now and then—but he just wanted to be alone with you with no one else around because that’s how it always feels to be with you.

🏷️ TAGLIST :: @dojathascammer @pnkweb @planetlunaa @mypimpademia @megurulvr @dreampurpledreams @chinieh @naijagrl @looking4chanel @pixieplush17 @jogeto @laylasbunbunny @jamies-cumslut @sapphicshav @banqnaz @edgyficuselastica @padfootpottah99 @anikaluv @s-surreality @tourbug @fiannee @sakaur-i

TAGLIST FORM

[thewackypegasus]

god i love the lyric books and art that come with cds, it's so good

like look at this! it's so beautiful! the art and the lyrics and the photo of the band with the other members of the black parade???? aaaa i love it all!

three cheers has less artwork to go with it but i love???? the acknowledgements on the back??? from the band and from each of the individual members??????? it's so lovely and sweet and aslhacsgdoahdihwabdiwadjakdkjakdall

the art on collide with the sky is soooooooooooooo pretty oh my god! and the portrait of the band! (i love it when albums come with portraits of the artists)

like it's all just so beautifully done

montgomery ricky has a much much simpler lyric book but the photo is great and such a mood, and i love the album cover and cd art :3

hozier's wasteland baby lyric book has got to be one of my favorites of all time. just. look at this. look at this!

[ohdorothea]

This tournament is being run by and for queer fans so please keep that in mind! Homophobes will be blocked on sight <3 More polls here and more info here! Lyrics for the songs and FAQ under the cut!

Anti-Hero lyrics

I have this thing where I get older, but just never wiser

Midnights become my afternoons

When my depression works the graveyard shift, all of the people

I've ghosted stand there in the room

I should not be left to my own devices

They come with prices and vices

I end up in crisis

(Tale as old as time)

I wake up screaming from dreaming

One day, I'll watch as you're leaving

'Cause you got tired of my scheming

(For the last time)

It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me

At teatime, everybody agrees

I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror

It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

Sometimes, I feel like everybody is a sexy baby

And I'm a monster on the hill

Too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city

Pierced through the heart, but never killed

Did you hear my covert narcissism

I disguise as altruism

Like some kind of congressman?

(A tale as old as time)

I wake up screaming from dreaming

One day, I'll watch as you're leaving

And life will lose all its meaning

(For the last time)

It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me (I'm the problem, it's me)

At teatime, everybody agrees

I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror

It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money

She thinks I left them in the will

The family gathers 'round and reads it and then someone screams out

"She's laughing up at us from Hell"

It's me, hi

I'm the problem, it's me

It's me, hi

I'm the problem, it's me

It's me, hi

Everybody agrees, everybody agrees

It's me, hi (Hi), I'm the problem, it's me (I'm the problem, it's me)

At teatime (Teatime), everybody agrees (Everybody agrees)

I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror

It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

🫶🫶🫶

Midnight Rain lyrics

Rain

He wanted it comfortable

I wanted that pain

He wanted a bride

I was making my own name

Chasing that fame

He stayed the same

All of me changed

Like midnight

My town was a wasteland

Full of cages, full of fences

Pageant queens and big pretenders

But for some it was paradise

My boy was a montage

A slow motion, love potion

Jumping off things in the ocean

I broke his heart 'cause he was nice

He was sunshine

I was midnight rain

He wanted it comfortable

I wanted that pain

He wanted a bride

I was making my own name

Chasing that fame

He stayed the same

All of me changed

Like midnight

It came like a postcard

Picture perfect shiny family

Holiday peppermint candy

But for him it's every day

So I peered through a window

A deep portal, time travel

All the love we unravel

And the life I gave away

'Cause he was sunshine

I was midnight rain

He wanted it comfortable

I wanted that pain

He wanted a bride

I was making my own name

Chasing that fame

He stayed the same

All of me changed

Like midnight

Rain

He wanted it comfortable

I wanted that pain

He wanted a bride

I was making my own name

Chasing that fame

He stayed the same

All of me changed

Like midnight

I guess sometimes we all get

Just what we wanted, just what we wanted

And he never thinks of me

Except when I'm on TV

I guess sometimes we all get

Some kind of haunted, some kind of haunted

And I never think of him

Except on midnights like this

Midnights like this 🫶🫶🫶

The question is which song is queerer to you! Queerer can mean whatever you want it to mean; you might consider a song queer because you think it was written that way, or because of Swiftian lore. It might be queer to you because of how you relate it to your own life. Maybe you think from a purely literary standpoint the lyrics have queer themes; maybe you're just thinking about vibes!!!

Put in the tags your interpretations or propaganda for a specific song! Tags will be used to decide what songs may be saved if there are extra slots in the next round!

[man-i-love-folklore]

top 5 from wasteland, baby!

anon woke up and said "let's make phoebe ponder for a solid 45 minutes!"

but seriously thank you for asking!!! always love a good reason to yap about hozier, ESPECIALLY wasteland, baby!

1. Movement. Movement my love my lifeline my all time favorite hozier song.

2. Shrike. Freaking beautiful song, quite possibly the best song about wanting to be a bird of all time.

3. No Plan. Catchy-ass chorus, incredible guitar, sexy lyrics; what more could one want?

4. Wasteland, Baby! Title track is definitely a song i had to come around too but when I came around to it I CAME AROUND. it is so utterly beautiful.

5. Nina Cried Power. it's such a powerful song, and one of his most important. plus, it's just an absolute banger.

honorable mentions include the entire album.

[thealogie]

thea please hit us with your top 5 albums of all time ❤️

i shouldn't have said that because it implies i have a top 5. instead i truly have an unranked list of albums that are my "favorite" at various times.

Ok here's my maybe top 10 in no particular order:

-dirty computer. janelle monae.

-blood on the tracks. bob dylan.

-born to run. bruce springsteen.

-wasteland baby. hozier.

-this is all yours. alt j.

-trouble will find me. the national.

-channel orange. frank ocean.

-cowboy carter. beyonce.

-coming home. leon bridges.

-be the cowboy. mitski.

-folklore. taylor swift.

[cleolinda]

Weekend links, April 21, 2024

My posts

Initially I wrote, “I ran my mouth about the Watcher streaming/paywall situation because I make bad decisions,” but I think the post has actually gone over well? In short, I want to see them succeed but I am also deeply fuckin’ baffled. I so desperately want the tea about what was really going on behind all this, and how the guys are reacting to it now, and I really hope they can turn this around somehow. 

Side note, Friday was CHAOTIC. 

Reblogs of interest

The Hot Vintage Lady Polls are escalating in round four. We got to a point where I posted propaganda for Ava Gardner AND Dorothy Dandridge in their matchup. Probably the biggest scandal of round three was Vivien Leigh getting knocked out, but she’s now High Chancellor of the Shadow Realm. The most contentious matchup this time seems to be Judy Garland vs Natalie Wood, which is nearly 50/50 as of this writing. But keep your eye on Hedy Lamarr, who may have Mifune Sweep energy. 

(I think I love these brackets for the same reason I love Dracula Daily: it’s delightful that thousands of people on Tumblr actually have deeply-held opinions about things from many decades ago, and if they didn’t before, they do now.)

(“I’m Katharine Hepburn, and this is Jackass!”)

--

Happy Bread Day (Observed)!

Hozier Watch 2024: “Why Would You Be Loved” has arrived on the Wasteland, Baby! special edition. I like this post about how that song is in conversation with “No Plan,” one of my favorites. (I wrote about “Movement” a while ago, but I could have fully inflicted an essay on you about how “No Plan” pulled me out of my six years of hiding from the internet. Anyway, it’s a great album from a few years ago, check it out if you haven’t.) 

Generally I keep my mouth shut about Taylor Swift, but the new songs sure have some lyrics. I love Florence Welch, but I’m scared.

You’ve heard of spoon theory, now check out spell slot theory

“You’re either frolicking in this field with me, or...” is funny, but then you get to the reblog.

What if we lay in this field together and held feet

A deep breach of etiquette with a little dog named Gucio

A story about statue vandalism with a delightful twist

You gotta fight mint with mint (like I can bring in my lemon balm, but at what cost?) 

I saw this post about feeding wild skeletons on Pinterest and I loved it so much that I tracked down the original. 

Once again, Holy Shit, Two Cakes theory

Remember the haunted house I grew up in? Yeah, it had a carpeted bathroom like this.

“gonna start formatting my posts like fics on ff.net circa 2008” will do you exactly the psychic damage you’re imagining 

The Round Table attempts to use Zoom

Video

Lil Nas X covers “Jolene,” Dolly Parton loves it, and @oscar-wet-and-wilde has further Black Country recs

A big loud steppy

“He’s retrieving”

Crispy meows

Watching this angel of a Doberman get a full spa treatment is also self care

AND YOU DARE SAY NO MORE TREATS??!?

The sacred texts

I don’t like thing, now with artist credit 

Personal tags of the week

I love when I can use a really niche, specific tag, and this week, it’s mouth perfect size for meme, with a little shaped on the side.

[themusicistrue]

Hozier’s music provides something most people can’t think to express by showing relationships as they truly are – healthy, flawed, hopeful, and fraught. He has an idyllic view of love expressed through symbolism, making you think and feel whether you know the context or not. Listening to Hozier’s lyrics is a deeply intimate experience, like looking through an old pane of glass. At times, a rediscovery of something once beautiful. And at others, a forgotten shard of love lost to time. Let’s examine love through those lyrics.

There’s not much of Hozier’s distinct lyrism in his self-titled first album (2014), but it has one of my favorite instances in the song “Jackie and Wilson.” The lyric “She blows out of nowhere, a roman candle of the wild,” as a girl we were taught to be quiet, and keep to ourselves, and not bother other people with our thoughts, or words. Hozier describes the woman he loves as a firework and he loves her all the more for it. He praises the parts that we have been taught to tamp down overtime.

Now moving on to his sophomore album “wasteland, baby!”(2018) has far more instances of him writing in this distinct style of him. The first track of him actively doing this style of song is in “Movement”. Hozier says the phrase “you are a call to motion”. He makes it all feel so full as if his Love is his world. He makes it seem as though just her moving, and doing something so normal like dancing can make him want to do better, and move with her. Later on in the song he says “Honey, you, you're Atlas in his sleepin'” in this he compares her to the titan atlas who is known for holding the weight of the world on his back. He makes her seem so effortless even holding up the world. He shows how she can move even under the weight of everything.

Now in the song “Would that I” touches more on the hard parts of love. He says “Though I've handled the wood, I still worship the flame”. In this the wood is a metaphor for trying to pick up yourself after leaving a relationship; while the flame is the relationship, something he knows might not end well but he still goes to it. He puts himself in the path of it and seeks it out actively. He also touches on this theme of wanting, and seeking out something that might be bad for you in “Wasteland, baby!” (the song that is) in the words “Like the holding of hands, like the breaking of glass”. He compares a small act of love to the end of the world as if they can somehow be connected. He brings out these small beautiful and yet heartbreaking parts of love so often.

Now in his most recent album “unreal unearth”(2023) he has completely perfected this type of song writing. Now in the song “First time” he gives the lyric “And the first time that you kissed me I drank dry the River Lethe”. This lyric is so special when you take a look at the moving parts of it. So the River Lethe in the under world made people forget when they drank from it. He compares kissing her to forgetting what makes his life tragic. All that pain willed away in one simple act of affection.

Yet another instance of him comparing the woman he loves to the world is in “I, Carrion (Icarian)” this whole song is a big metaphor of how these two people are so different. He is more flighty – able to leave and move around; where as she is anchored. In this way, he sees her in everything, everywhere. For example, in this lyric, he says, “Once I wondered what was holdin' up the ground. But I can see that all along, Love, it was you all the way down.” This lyric shows just how much he relies on her love. It is his foundation.

The most gut wrenching song he has ever made is “Franchesca”. It fully embraces the pain that love can bring you. It has the theme that when you do finally get to be together it doesn't always work perfectly or well. The most painful part of it is he says that through all the pain he’d continue it all he wants to still be together. In the lyric “I would still be surprised I could find you, darlin', in any life If I could hold you for a minute”. this song all has the pain that is so natural and true. It gives the full feeling of just how insane it is that you are able to find someone you click with.

Hozier sees the world the way it is, and yet makes it so beautiful. His world is hard, and harsh yet it still has an air of romanticism to it all. He uses metaphor to brake the walls simple words are confined to. He gives a warmth and normality to love often not voiced in words.

[lookingforsneha]

helloooo!!!!

share this with some friends if you want to get to know them better!!! <33

what's your favourite album and why??

what is one physical thing you want that you don't already have?

what colour are the walls of your room?

what continent do you live in?

🖤⚫️🖤⚫️🖤⚫️🖤⚫️🖤⚫️🖤⚫️🖤⚫️

Hey! I love this so much! I've already done it before since I got tagged by @moutainrusing for the same questions, but I'll copy what I wrote haha:)

I don't think I have a favorite album, cause it keeps on changing depending on the day and if I've listened to something obsessively and it's gotten to be too much? But I keep coming back to Hozier's Wasteland Baby! And Noah Kahan's Cape Elizabeth (especially Maine?? I sob everytime at Maine). Currently obsessing over the Walter's (Sweet Marie has my whole heart). Love anything by Naethan Apollo and NEP (Cottontail, soup song...) and Chappell Roan is so iconic. A lot of my favorite music ends up being an old friend's recommendation, even if we've lost touch. I think I'd do anything for a soft acoustic guitar tune, honestly. I like The Beatles, Bowie and Queen too, although I couldn't pick an album.

Other than in the flesh Remus Lupin, I think I'd want a record player. I can't seem to save up for anything haha.

The walls of my room are teal! Used to be yellow like a few years ago, but I painted over it with my dad a while back.

I'm in Europe! This year's summer is brutal :(

I'd wanna get to know more about all my mutuals who wanna participate and followers to!!

This time, i'll tag someone different:) @themortalityofundyingstars and @marauderingpaige @missmoonfrost!!

[bluecoolr]

The NO-SKIP Albums: A Tag Game 🎶💖

rules: share the albums that you can listen to nonstop. those lightning in a bottle-albums that scratch ur brain just right. every single track, an absolute banger. u could not skip one if u tried. no notes. stunning, show-stopping, immaculate. ur no-skip albums.

🔎 bonus & optional (but imo, v fun) rules: 1) add a track rec for us to listen to! AND 2) share ur favorite line(s) from that track! 👀

Thank you so much @ace-of-hearts-and-spades @ventiswampwater and @visceravalentines for tagging and thinking of meeee! 🥹💕

No pressure tags: (if you've already done it please ignore me 😅)

@goldrose-star @ajarofpickledtears @probably-a-plant-thing @mintgalaxia @slaasherslut @madbadash @the-pinstriped-hood

1. Glass Houses - Billy Joel

This was one of the first records I bought with my own money.

Check Out: You May Be Right

You may be right I may be crazy Oh, but it just may be a lunatic you're looking for

2. Bram Stoker's Dracula Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

I have this on CD lol. This is very special to me because this is one of my favorite movies ever, and a college friend gifted it to me when she had to move cities. I put it on while reading because the vibes are just delectably evil and eerie 🖤

Check Out: The Beginning

This plays throughout the opening scene of the movie and is just deliciously dark, the swelling crescendo with the choir and sinister whispering gives me goosebumps everytime. It's also perfect for imagining your oc's going through their villain/corruption arc hehe

Check Out: Love Song for a Vampire - Annie Lenox

This track walked so Christina Perri's Thousand Years could run. But seriously, it's such a bittersweet song. The cover by Collin Rae? Ray? I forgot his name is also good.

Oh, loneliness, oh hopelessness To search the ends of time For there is in all the world No greater love than mine

Just PINING. SO MUCH PINING.

3. Gone Now - Bleachers

I don't know what it is about this album, but something in it just scratches my brain right. The sound is very synth-y, but there's a lot of sax and sample overlays that I really like. The whole theme is about death and dissatisfaction with where you are at the moment.

Check Out: Everybody Lost Somebody

I think pain is waiting alone at the corner Tryna get myself back home, yeah Looking like everybody Knowing everybody lost somebody

4. Hozier - Hozier

Need I say more? Zero thoughts when this man comes on for real.

Check Out: In A Week (please for the love of god listen to it)

And they'd find us in a week When the cattle show fear After the insects have made their claim After the foxes have known our taste I'd be home with you I'd be home with you

Check Out: Work Song (cliché but self-explanatory I guess)

I just think about my I'm so full of love I could barely eat (HRRRRGJHKHKK HELLO???)

and

When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold, dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her (sobbing actually. Help.)

5. Wasteland Baby! - Hozier

Every song is good but this line from Would That I is just 🤌🏻✨️

I mean?!?!?

True that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree Must be felled for to fight the cold Fretted fire but that was long ago

Anyway, that's it. Thanks for listening to me ramble 🫢😚

[danidoesathing]

Top 5 (or 10 if you feel it) albums of all time?

ooo thats kinda hard. this isnt so much as the best albums ever as in my personal favorite list. im limited myself to two albums per artist because otherwise i'd be filled with LH

Vide Noir by Lord Huron

never gonna be over this album. its top tier shit and i love it so much. the amount of EFFORT that was put into all this both in the album (THE MUSIC AND STORY HOLY SHIT!!!) and the outside stuff (products of the universe and a whole ass movie. never gonna be over the fact they made a whole ass movie. who does that) is just. insane. fucking insane i love it

2. Strange Trails by Lord Huron

Just barely under Vide Noir in my heart but god. god what an album. love me an anthology and an album that experiments a lot with different styles. its a no skip album and you're rewarded for not skipping with those fucking TRANSITIONS!!!! what a kick off to the main universe. listen to it on vinyl if you have the chance its an experience

3. Coyote Stories by The Crane Wives

i love folk so so much. i started to appreciate this one a lot more after listening to it on vinyl like. agh. i love it here. listen to the hand that feeds

4. Wasteland Baby! by Hozier

Hozier never misses sorry. absolutely gorgeous sound. never before have i seen a man balance between "deep poltical messaging" and "GOD i love women". nobody doing it like him

5. Boreas by The Oh Hellos

BOREAS MY DEAR FRIEND BOREAS. the four seasons/winds albums are so so good with the cycle of death and rebirth and continuation of life. Boreas is the winter album and it focuses heavy on themes of depression and feeling cold but enduring anyway. the album of all time

6. Mania by Fall Out Boy

Got a soft spot for this one in particular due to some memories in high school. its also just a great album in general but im always gonna be biased in its favor. mania my beloved

7. Jiminy by Bear Ghost

its just kinda silly and i love it (at least until Vulture comes in for your throat. seriously why did that one go so hard). took like 8 years to get made and im glad it did. the individual art they have for each song is cool and i cant wait to see them live in august :)

8. Unreal Unearth by Hozier

same thing i said about wasteland baby except now theres dante's inferno and layers of hell stuff that also doubles as a breakup album. we love religious theming here

9. Hayfields by Yaelokre

I dont care if its an EP its a BANGER. its so so good and its got funky fantasy lore. i cannot wait for her to make more music because ive have been rotating these four songs in my brain for so long

10. Angel Face (Club Deluxe)

listened to Howling at Wolves 1 (one) time and got addicted. not usually my type of jam (i like pop but im not crazy about it usually) but i really like this vibe. theres a lot of LH inpso here (both in terms of the style and the lore) as well as a lot of older 60s songs (i like hes got a playlist or two for his characters that have a ton of older music on it). cannot stand until i found you but its worth it for the rest of the album. also going to see him live in august :)

[posallys]

taylor hi! 💙 bc i’m curious, what are your favorite 5 songs on each hozier album? (and bonus if u feel like it: 5 favorite non-standard-album releases?)

AHHH okay this is HARD man okay. From hozier, it will come back OBVIOUSLY, cherry wine bc it is just. So gut wrenchingly beautiful and sad and. Yeah. Work song....no grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her what if I SCREAM....this is so difficult ummm I love all of them. Maybe in a week it's just SOOO!!! And if you MUST make me choose. Run? I cannot pick a debut album has NO RIGHT to be this good

Frome wasteland, baby! It's gotta be almost (sweet music)...im almost me again she's almost you SHUT UP....Moment's Silence (Common tongue) I think only hozier could write a song about a blow job and actually get me to like it LMFAO. Shrike my beloved. NFWMB is also CRAZY if I was born as a black thorn tree I'd want to be felled by you held by you fuel the pyre of your enemies OKAY. Fuck shit i only have one more. All of them. But also wasteland baby itself has a special place in my heart. This is so difficult

Unreal unearth: FRANCESCA oh god that song is SO...even tho it hurt I'd do it again and again and again SOMWBODY SEDATE ME!!! And first time 😭😭 the first time...each time...the final time SHUT UP!! Unknown/nth is also so good. Butchered tongue is again heartbreaking but so beautiful HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PICK JUST ONE MORE OKAY maybe all things end??? Most difficult lists I've ever had to make tbh

I totally already mentioned some non standard releases but honorable mentions are: the parting glass, through me (the flood), swan upon Leda.

Please never make me choose again he doesn't have a song that I consistently skip. Most artists have multiple songs that I simply cannot stand and on rare occasion I am simply not in the mood for a specific hozier song but. 99% of the time I just put his discography on shuffle and let it go he has no bad songs!!! And the political aspects of many of them I need to rip my hair out nobody does music like he does he uses it in a way people just stopped doing

[lifemod17]

I don't think I ever said why I love W,B! and why it's so important to me? Sooooooo

Wasteland, Baby! and why it means a lot to me... Today (March 01) is actually the record's 5 year anniversary!! I would say this album is easily #2 on my all time favorite albums (This Place Will Become Your Tomb by Sleep Token is #1). How I would summarize this album and what it feels like to me is: "LOVE THROUGHOUT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WORLD". We live in this messed up world where so many things often go awry and while it gives us countless reasons to remind us how fucked up our home is- that there can always be a silver lining. That there will always be hope and something to give you a reason to keep going. That the right person can make you feel like being alive isn't the worst thing because you have someone that makes you feel loved amidst all the shitty things. <<< Classic me to have that mentality/how I look at life, so naturally I resonate IMMENSELY with it.

I've been listening to it for a while, a few years now actually, but my love for this record came to me in the most unexpected of times- I was doing laundry haha and I remember having a very exhausting day and the title track came on shuffle, and it was instantly one of those times where I had to stop what I'm doing and just EXIST IN THE MOMENT WHILE THIS SONG PLAYS.

The entire record is beyond beautiful and so well made but the title track specifically is so important to me because that was one of the few times I had heard this GORGEOUS love song -the kind that tugs at your heart, with lyrics literally saying "wasteland, baby, I'm in love, I'm in love with you"- and nobody came to mind. I was just at peace and was happy to be hearing those soft vocals and soothing humming. This song to me, quite literally feels like a long, warm, soft hug. The kind that rids me of all the bad shit that happened. It feels like the kind of embrace where I immediately felt safe.

This song is not everyone's cup of tea may it be because of it's tempo or the voice effects. I personally love the fact that it is drowning in all that reverb because it adds to this effect where it feels like hearing sounds WHILE YOU ARE UNDERNEATH THE WATER. There's no crazy instruments, just Andy and his ethereal vocals.

And if you did not know, yes Andrew is actually underwater in that album art cover! And YES his mother OIL PAINTED THAT WITH ALL THE TINY DETAILS!!! There's also a really sweet sunset line so you know I am a massive sucker obviously!

But yeah, it is SO VERY important to me. And the fact that THERE WAS A NEW SONG THAT CAME OUT FOR THE 5YR ANNIVERSARY *AND* THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A DELUXE VERSION ON APRIL 19!!??!!!! Seeing that made me so happy 🥰

[lady-bluebird-luv]

Hello Luv, Santa is back! Just in time for a little Halloween celebration. Are you doing anything especially frightening for 31st?

I will always read 300 pages of your Feysand takes, so bring them on. And did you somehow introduce me to a new Hozier song? Wasteland Baby is my favorite album but I had never listened to the special edition.

I did a lot of evil cackling, maybe even steepled my fingers, when I read your responses to my questions. There were two or three fic ideas I had kicking around in my head, and I think I've chosen the one that will be a feast of favorites! I can promise at least that someone will be covered with blood.

Would you be interested in some teasers and other little gifts between now and the official release date? I can certainly light a few candles and try to build some anticipation.

In the meantime I have a few questions for you:

What are some of your favorite books?

Tell me a little bit about your other fandom and what drew you to write for it!

And: what's your favorite scary movie?

Until next time! 🎅

Santa, I would be beyond happy to get a stocking stuffer! I hope you're enjoying spooky season :) I'm so excited to see what you come up with, and I hope you're having fun plotting! I'm also absolutely thrilled to introduce you to more Hozier, and I don't suppose you've heard Ethel Cain's new song, too?

As far as choosing favorite books goes... WOOO-WEE I don't know where to begin. I love books that are kinda weird and/or surreal. It doesn't need to be fantasy or sci-fi to scratch the itch, but it often is. I also love fictional worlds that just... feel really lush and vibrant, which I know sounds really vague, but I don't know how to describe it much better than that. :/ I guess a good example would be Marlon James's Dark Star Trilogy, which I adore.

Some of my other favorites right now are the Aye, and Gomorrah collection by Samuel Delany, anything by Toni Morrison or Yoko Tawada, and The Overstory by Richard Powers. Stuff by Emily St. John Mandel (think Station Eleven) and Lydia Millet (especially A Children's Bible) are also up there. Dark academia also hits the spot for me, so I love work by Maggie Stiefvater and Laini Taylor, although it's been a long time since I reread their books. I used to be obsessed with The Mortal Instruments. I'll still always have a soft spot for them and the Infernal Devices.

I don't consider myself a huge poetry person, but the book that I keep coming back to more than anything else is actually my anthology of Louise Glück's poems. She writes a lot about the loss, failure, shortcomings, etc. that are inevitable in life. A lot of her material is pretty depressing (if not straight-up dark), but she weaves painful experiences into extraordinarily beautiful poems. I admire that a lot, and it's... comforting, in a way? Catharsis doesn't quite capture what I mean. She's not going to tell you that it will all be OK in the end, but that's alright, because that's how life is sometimes. I like that she rips the band-aid off AND shows you how to grit your teeth while she does it. Ocean Vuong's poetry is also some of my favorite writing.

I don't know how familiar you are with my other fandom, Attack on Titan, but it was a HUGE part of my life for a long, long time. It still is near and dear to my heart, although ACOTAR has taken some brainspace from it for sure.

I've always read a lot, and when I was... 13? 14? somewhere in there. I got bored to death with a lot of the YA novels I was reading. I got into anime/manga to try something new, and since AoT was one of the big shows at the time, I watched it first.

It was a hell of a first anime, but I really liked the action and how deceptively simple the premise is. In case you aren't familiar, I won't spring any spoilers on you. But basically, the premise is very easy to grasp until you realize that a lot of characters are lying through their teeth about themselves and the world around them. AoT was also one of the few major animes at the time that had basically zero fanservice, which I appreciated, and the characters were really appealing. AoT has a strong anti-war message, and the story is partially about how governments can prey on young, idealistic, hurt people by turning them into war machines. There are no heroes in AoT. If you think otherwise, wait a few episodes.

I love morally grey characters (if you couldn't tell) and angst that seems to have no good solution, so that drew me in. Hange might be my favorite character.

I'd already written a little fanfic before AoT. It was for a really trashy fallen angel romance called Hush, Hush. It's definitely still out there on fanfiction.net LMFAO. I don't remember my username or the name of the story, which might be for the best. In any case, when I found the AoT fandom, I was so excited to find a huge and incredibly talented fandom. AoT is what introduced me to AO3 (for better and for worse) and where I learned to channel my writing itch into projects that I could stay passionate about for, in some of my fics' cases, years. Looking back, some of what I wrote was definitely cringey. Nevertheless, I'm also really proud of how well some of it has held up and performed. I learned a lot from writing AoT fic, and writing for AoT undeniably boosted my confidence as an artist.

Also, Santa, I LOVE horror movies. I'm not gustsy enough to try to write horror, but I think it's one of, if not THE hardest genre to execute well, and I admire a good horror film. My favorite has to be Hereditary.

This video essay is a great breakdown of what makes the film awesome. It's a way better explanation than what I could do, but it's also almost five hours long. So, the TLDR is that the film subverts and reworks a lot of tropes while having insane acting, cinematography, effects, etc. When I saw it, it was the first genuinely frightening movie I'd seen in a while. I'm not super into the torture porn/pure shock value style horror movies, and I think this one strikes a good balance between disturbing gore and psychological horror.

I moved to Central Europe recently, so I celebrated Halloween in a very foggy ex-Yugoslavian city with lots of bridges over canals. The spooky vibes were indeed spooking. I hope you had fun :).

[myrsinemezzo]

2023 Music Recap

It’s the end of the year! Basically, anyway. And I wanted to share a musical recap for 2023 from rediscovering my love of live shows to sharing the three albums I heard for the first time that absolutely made my world better and got me through the rough spaces of this year. Feel free to share your own favorite live show or album :)

Live Show Extravaganza:

Taylor Swift - What can I say? The Eras tour was truly epic. I cried, I sang my heart out along with every person in the audience (except the dad in front of me who downed 6 hard seltzers throughout the show to cope 😂). Still have to watch the tour video and relive it all.

Muna - I was so ridiculously excited that they opened for T Swift and then they had a truncated set because of the weather. But! That meant they switched up their set and played my favorite along with “Silk Chiffon”!! (Anything But Me):

Nine Inch Nails/Ministry/Nitzer Ebb - This triple headliner was wild with a capital ‘W’. Aging dancing goths and everyone pogoing-up and down like an old school 90’s show. I’ll treasure the playlist I have from this one since NIN was what Myrs’s teenage rebellion sounded like. (Less Than):

Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service - Transatlanticism is pretty much my favorite album of all time, so this concert was truly amazing. I bawled during the title track. Absolutely wept. Getting to share it with a haladriel friend made it even better. And the Depeche Mode encore? Impeccable. (Transatlanticism live):

Pedro the Lion - The sound of my 20s to early 30s because I just couldn’t quit listening to it. As an exvangelical, his music is everything, and hearing him play the whole album live was unreal. (Rapture):

Nation of Language - 80s style synth pop!! And perfect synth pop at that. I named my first long-form Haladriel fic after this one. (Across That Fine Line). So good live, and the venue was tiny, so it was me near the front with a friend bopping and swaying all night long:

Michigander - their music is just fun, and I love that. Solid pop rock and a great live show that had the crowd singing along at the top of their lungs. (Stay Out of It):

Albums of the Year:

Frightened Rabbit’s “Midnight Organ Fight” - huge thanks to @rebelrebelwrites and @bad-surprise for introducing me to this album in their own playlists and mentionings this year. “While I’m alive, I’ll make tiny changes to earth” will probably be my next embroidery text project, and a vinyl recording is making its way into my brother’s arms as a holiday present. (Good Arms vs. Bad Arms live A/V club recording):

Hozier’s Unreal/Unearth - It was stressful as all hell, but I scored a ticket to see him when he comes to my city, and I just know there will be copious weeping and lip wobbling. This whole album is my favorite of his three, when I never expected it to top “Wasteland, Baby”. But so many songs scream fic material and are so beautiful and lush. Here’s my sing at the top of my lungs car song (Who We Are):

Ethel Cain’s Preacher’s Daughter - the utter vibes of this album are absolutely out of this world. Switches between the darkest and broodiest to americana to a track played in the opener to headliner switch at the Taylor Swift show. Just incredible. (Family Tree):