#i haven't listened to that album in probably a decade and i know i KNOW it's still going to get to me

[moosenaround2448]

Ah man. I haven't listened to this in a while.

[foone]

weird thought: I think if I was a teenager now (or anytime in the last decade or so) I think I would have written (and read!) a lot more fanfic than I did in reality, where I was a teenager in the 90s.

See, I've never been hugely into fanfic. Never had anything against it exactly, but it just wasn't something I was into. But I think that has to do with an interesting combination of how my brain works and what time I was first really getting into being a fan.

I've got a "librarian" brain (I'm literally typing this from within a library, WHERE I WORK). It wants to know things like "what are all the works in this series/by this creator?" and "are they all accessible?" and "what info is available about how it was made?"

I'm the kind of person who will watch a show then go look it up on wikipedia to see how many seasons it has, who made it, if they're still making it, check tvtropes for any more info, etc. Or I hear a song I like by a band I've never heard of, so I go listen to their entire discography while researching them. I just focus on things I'm into that way, you know? I don't half-ass my interest. (this is probably related to my autism, of course)

So what does this have to do with fanfic? like, do I go read some fanfics as part of this process? No, and I think the reason for it is when I specifically first got into fandom, as a teen.

See, this sort of fandom-librarian was harder to do in 1997, you know? You couldn't just pull up the wikipedia for that new show and see how many episodes it had. You also couldn't just listen to the whole discography of that band! Forget Spotify or Google Music, even Napster didn't exist yet.

So my interest in fandom focused a lot more on very basic questions: How many episodes/albums/books/whatever are there? Where can I see/hear them all? Like, I remember getting excited because I found some fan magazine that had a list of all the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. Just a list! Not even descriptions or anything. I finally could take that list and see how many I'd seen, so I'd know when I saw them all in late-night reruns.

So I'm focusing on these very basic parts of being a fandom-librarian and I stumble across some fanfic. I'm like "oh, is this a transcript of an episode I haven't seen yet?" and I realize it's not, it's a story written by a fan, and I get a knee-jerk reaction of "that's not helpful to my quest to know and find all the episodes". It's like I am on a quest for the holy grail and I found a fake cup. It's not helpful to me, and at worst it's a distraction from my goal.

And the thing is, I think the fact I had that reaction is entirely due to the time and situation in which I first encountered fanfic. It was in that environment of "I can't even find a list of the episodes, let alone a way to watch them all!" and that anxiety that colored my response to finding fanfic.

I think if I instead was first introduced to fanfic NOW, where those fandom-librarian drives aren't so difficult to fulfill, I'd be way more positive about fanfic. If I could get a list of episodes with a quick google search, and watch them easily on netflix/prime/whatever, I'd be less "THIS DOESN'T HELP! I AM STRUGGLING WITH THE BASICS HERE!" and more "yay, more content for the fandom I'm obsessed with!"

Like I said, I'm not anti-fanfic, I never have been, I just never got into it. From the beginning I had this reaction that was "this is not useful" and I never developed any real interest in it. Which is a shame, honestly. Fanfic is great. It just never became one of my interests, and while I've written it and read it from time to time, I imagine I'd be way more into it if I didn't have the weird reaction to it due to the worries of the time in which I first encountered it.

I don't know how many other people have brains that work anything like mine, but if they exist, I'm glad they're now growing up in a world where they won't have these problems. They can get into fanfic without this weird baggage caused by a lack of information.

[seaofreverie]

Sparkstember Day 3: Kimono My House (Falling In Love With Myself Again)

Kimono my house, mon amour! Everyone knows how great and one of a kind this album is... So what can I even say about it that hasn't been said already? Well, I'll just plunge right into my own experience with it and go from there.

This was my first Sparks album and it definitely made a huge impression right away. While it wasn't really the album that got me hooked on Sparks, it still managed to pique my interest in this specific era especially, so my choice for the next album to go with was obvious (more on that tomorrow). And it was surely like nothing I heard before at that point... or since, really. Altough I must also admit that it was probably the furthest I went back in time listening to music at the moment, as in, I haven't even ventured much into listening to much music from the 70s on my own until that point, so I didn't even really have anything to compare it with. Still though, that doesn't change as I get into more 70s music - there's still nothing quite like Kimono.

I love how cohesive this album is, without becoming same-ish, it still has so much different stuff to offer. I really don't know how to best put it, but it's really like a huge, wonderful and whimsical journey. Just thinking about the opening and closing tracks and how well they work for their roles... It was mindblowing to hear a year and a half ago, and it still is to this day. I'm honestly suprised by how, even though I really loved KMH from the very start, I can still love it more and more.

And the most (seemingly) unforeseen of things will cause this. Like my "Kimono My House Summer", by which I mean last summer when I went on a trip and all the different songs from this album accompanied me through it and are now an integral part of my memories of that time. And how getting KMH on vinyl just last month caused my love for it to suddenly skyrocket still - it was actually just last month that I rejected one particular opinion I still held with full conviction until now regarding this album, but more on that tomorrow...

Favourite songs (and other highlights):

Okay, this is when this section actually gets kind of hard to deal with properly. Because almost every single song from this album is something I could have considered a favourite at some previous point in time. So this time I'll go about it by listing my longest-standing faves.

This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us: obviously. I remember the first time I heard this song so well because it really made such a huge impression. The day I get to hear this song live might change me forever. I'm sure there's nothing quite like experiencing it live. I also really want to learn to play this one on piano. I hope that's doable with my current skill level!

Amateur Hour: this song stands out in the sense that right away i got the impression that there's just this... sort of classic quality to it... that makes me think, wow this is one of the originals. This is one of the songs that set the standard for pop music of the following decades. Keep in mind that this was when I was only getting into Sparks and all this information I've aquired about them was very fresh in my mind, like how they were such an important influence for so many artists to come. Like, one of the biggest influences and most important figures in history of modern pop PERIOD. So indeed, with this song it truly felt like wow, I hear this, totally. Very satisfying moment (and I'm actually really curious if anyone else got this impression from THIS tracks specifically as well)

Here In Heaven: feels strange to not say anything about this one when I said so much about the previous two, so. I'll just say that I really love the guitar parts during the chorus (like when the title is said?). Also, enjoyable story in the lyrics (but that's no rare thing on this album)

Hasta Manana, Monsieur: when I think about it I start to realize I could consider this my very first Sparks fav OVERALL, I'm pretty sure that hearing this song is what convinced me to give this whole album a go! Or my memory is lying to me about this specific fact and it was actually some other song, but either way, the point still stands I think

Talent Is An Asset: going with the early impression for this one again, and I think it's one of the most important entries on the list of songs that felt like they should be newer than they are. This song did not sound 50 years old to me by any means. Very ahead of its time? That's sort of Sparks' whole thing though, isn't it?

Equator: again, not even a personal fav necessarily, or at least until very recently, but I still want to mention it because I truly think it's one of the songs of all time. It's just, so very good. And these days I can't listen to it without being reminded of the several incredible live performances of it. They're all impressive, to say the least!

[toomuchracket]

Matty at reading today did something to me.. flatmate smut after the show? 🤭

flatmate/dad!matty my beloved!! combining with girlie (any au) telling matty how proud she is after the set and he gets a love boner

you know how matty left the stage earlier than the other boys? literally the first thing he did was go to find you, hanging a bit further back at the side of the stage with his mum, your mum, and your daughters - dylan, who's canonically almost three at this point, has her little headphones on and is fighting to stay awake clinging onto your leg, but baby elena is fast asleep in her nana's arms lol. he hugs his mum and your mum first, dropping a soft little kiss onto the baby's fluffy little head, before he scoops your toddler into his arms and pulls you in for a kiss. and denise is like "listen, we'll take the girls back to the hotel and keep an eye on them, you two go and have fun"; you and matty are both like "are you sure?", and your mum takes a now-sleeping dylan from matty like "yes. go! enjoy yourselves", so you hug your mothers and kiss your babies goodnight, and then matty takes your hand and leads you back towards the stage area.

i think you pull him into a little darkened corner so you can kiss him properly, your hands in his hair and his on your waist - matty grins when you break for air like "was the onstage snog not enough for you, babe?", and you take his face in your hands like "shut up, i'm just really proud of you, s'all. always knew that album was amazing, and it would lead to amazing things for you and the boys, but seeing all those people sing it with you and appreciate it so much an actual decade later... it's surreal. nearly cried about five times out of pride during the set. and then another five cos of how good you sounded. and probably another ten on top of that just cos i fancy you so much lol. yeah. i just love you a lot, babe, and i'm really really proud of you". matty smiles really sweetly at you, turning his head so he can kiss the palm of your hand then pulling you into a hug (with a head kiss) like "i genuinely, genuinely couldn't have done any of it without you. i love you", and the two of you just hold each other, gently swaying, for a while - that is, until you feel something familiar pressing into your lower stomach lmao. the smile is audible in your voice as you whisper "babe, are you hard right now?", and matty sighs "yeah, i am. i can't help it though! i'm just... feeling the love from you"; you pull back so you can give him a peck like "well, let's find somewhere private and sort it out then", and matty's like "really? i had plans for us to go and have a wander, see who else was playing right now", and you're like "well, we can still do that after i get you off, yeah? and honestly, i've been thinking about doing that for you since the second you stepped onstage tonight, baby". matty laughs and shakes his head in disbelief like "almost ten years on and we're still fucking insatiable for each other. alright, sweetheart, let's find somewhere where i can get you out of those fucking jeans in peace".

after five minutes of running around hand-in-hand, giggling like the horny twenty-somethings you once were as you search the artists' area for a suitable shagging location, "somewhere" turns out to be an unoccupied and totally empty dressing room belonging to a young band you saw play and met that afternoon - matty's like "god i hope they haven't forgotten anything and need to get back in", and you're like "it's fine they were all looking at you as if they'd actually met god earlier lol they'd be honoured to find out we got it on in their dressing room". matty laughs as he locks the door behind you and presses you up against it, pressing kisses into your neck and chest as he unbuttons your shirt like "god, i love you", and you impatiently pull his t shirt over his head like "then fuck me like it now, please!"; he's like "oh, i intend to", kissing you and walking you backwards towards the makeshift dressing table (a regular table with a mirror wall-mounted above it lmao), before spinning you around, unbuttoning your jeans, and bending you over it. while matty works on pushing your jeans and thong down, you pull your tits out of the cups of your bra (which earns you a "fuuuuuuuck, babe") and grind back against matty, who's undoing his trousers with one hand and rifling in his pocket with the other - he's like "huh. i don't have a condom. that alright?" and you smirk at him in the mirror like "well, that's on-brand for you", giggling as matty rolls his eyes and smacks your bum before continuing "yes, it's alright. i really don't care, i just need you inside me now, babe, please". at that, matty bends down to kiss your shoulder like "alright, sweetheart", and then slowly slides inside you, watching your jaws drop in tandem through the mirror as he bottoms out. and i think it starts out quite tender and slowly passionate, the two of you exchanging "i love you"s and matty reaching forward to hold your hand as he thrusts into you, but that doesn't last long - given how fucking feral the two of you are for each other, within a couple of minutes you're being fucked quite relentlessly, matty holding your hips so hard they'll bruise as he pounds into you, his eyes flitting between your tits and your fucked-out face. and him being him, he's desperate for you to cum before he does, so he snakes a hand round to touch your clit, cooing "i know, baby, i know it feels good. will you cum for me, gorgeous, be my good girl and cum all over my dick? need you to do that for me, sweetheart, please" in response to your moans. as soon as you hear "good girl", you're a goner, orgasm hitting you so hard you genuinely start crying, which in turn triggers matty's - after a few more stuttered thrusts and a plea from you to "fill me up, baby, please", matty's done, collapsing on top of you as he cums inside you. you both kinda manoeuvre yourselves so you can kiss after you've caught your breath a little bit, before hissing as matty pulls out and reaches down to grab the little packet of tissues from your jeans pocket; after he's cleaned you both up and you redress, matty grabs your face and kisses you really tenderly like "that was fucking incredible. you're fucking incredible. i love you, wifey", and you're like "i love you so much. and i'm still so proud of you". matty groans like "babe you need to stop with that before i fucking pop another boner honestly", and you giggle like "i wouldn't mind that! but yeah. if we leave now we can still make it to the other stage in enough time to continue the nostalgia and hear mr brightside lol", and matty kisses you one more time before he says "let's go, then, babe" <3

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

Shudder Before The Beautiful • Weak Fantasy • Élan • Yours Is An Empty Hope • Our Decades In The Sun • My Walden • Endless Forms Most Beautiful • Edema Ruh • Alpenglow • The Eyes Of Sharbat Gula • The Greatest Show On Earth (i. Four Point Six, ii. Life, iii. The Toolmaker, iv. The Understanding, v. Sear-Worn Driftwood)

Spotify ♪ YouTube

Submitter's note included under the break due to length.

This album is the first album made with their current and third singer and first without their previous drummer who had to retire due to severe insomnia and is themed around science and reason to constrast the previous album about fantasy. The latter part of the album quotes passages from Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins. One of their live shows even had Richard Dawkins as a guest and he read live for their insane 21 minute track 'The Greatest Show On Earth' which is a song about evolutionary history. The album is intended by the songwriter Toumas Holopainen to be listened to beginning to end like a movie. The band camped out in an isolated cabin to write this album. They also got a crab "Tanidromites nightwishorum" AND a prehistoric rockshelter (Alpenglow Rockshelter) named after them/their songs for this album.

The band: Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band that started in 1996 that has had three different lead singers over its run, with the first (Tarja Turunen) parting ways with the band in a very public and emotionally fraught friend breakup in 2005 that to this day causes divisive fights in the fanbase about the decision between the really old fans and the newer ones. Their current lead singer and the one for this album is Floor Jensen, a classically trained dutch singer who joined in 2015 and has incredible range. They are one of the most successful Finnish bands. Their songs contain repeating themes of wonder at the natural world and wanting to return to innocence/childhood, but may broach a variety of topics.

Songs not on this album you might know them from: End of All Hope - Song used a lot in amvs on youtube. Wish I Had An Angel - biggest US hit single Amaranth - got very popular in Europe as a single Ghost Love Score - The live version with Floor instead of the album version with Anette (the second singer) is fairly popular on youtube. This is a song that most fans start with as its a good introduction to Nightwish's current style without being too isoteric. Interesting song notes: In 'Yours Is an Empty Hope' that is indeed Floor doing the super low death growls. Marco is the one singing clean. Yes really. Alpenglow is considered the "ultimate Nightwish song" by Holopainen.

The Greatest Show on Earth is the longest song this band has recorded to date, includes quotes by Dawkins and Darwin, and includes homages to music history with excerpts from Dies Irae, Minuet in G major, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 by Bach and Enter Sandman by Metallica. Holopainen considers this song their most ambitious song to date he says the song "is probably the culmination of everything that we've done together". Personal notes: AAAAUUHGHGHG This band makes me insane. They make a song an atmospheric experience. Most bands are not great live- they are better live. Somehow. They have incredible stage presence. This album is my favorite Nightwish album and probably my favorite album of all time.

[broke-bruce-wayne]

My Top 50 Albums of 2023

Finally got around to putting this together, the first time I've been able to have a list like this in...a long time. At least a decade. So, here we are. I tried to listen to a lot, but of course there will be things I wasn't able to get to. Let me know if you think something is missing, and I'll be sure to check it out, if I haven't already gotten to it. I tried to give a succinct blurb and a key track for each album too, to make it easier to check out.

Notes on my rankings: This is based on around 60% how much I personally liked the album, and 40% how objectively good I thought it was. Therefore there will definitely be things on here you won't see on other lists, and probably some albums that would be expected, that won't show up. Also, I only took into account albums specifically released in 2023, unlike lists from most publications (so no SZA album, which would've been top 10).

Anyway, here we go. Full list under the cut.

50. The Whaler - Home is Where: Starting off with a Midwest Emo album is so typical of me, but this one was good, if a little odd at times (not a bad thing). Key Track: Yes! Yes! A Thousand Times Yes!

49. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel under Ocean Blvd - Lana Del Rey: Good but not great, this one was just a bit too long and samey in the middle for me. Still a solid listen though. Key Track: A&W

48. Jaguar II - Victoria Monét: A pop tinged R&B album, full of good beats and solid lyricism, this one had its fair share of bangers on it. Key Track: Smoke

47. Voir Dire - Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist: Earl Sweatshirt is one of the best lyricists out there, and he continues on this collab album full of fun tracks. Key Track: The Caliphate

46. Guts - Olivia Rodrigo: I liked when this album really leaned into the punchier, pop-punk tinged tracks, but I felt that a few of the ballads on the back half were a bit lacking to rank it higher. Key Track: Bad Idea Right?

45. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Chappell Roan: The flip side of the previous album, I really liked when this album had more room to breathe in the middle of the album, whereas the more over the top pop tracks were more hit or miss for me. Key Track: Casual

44. I Killed Your Dog - L'Rain: Modern day psychedelic rock, this was a good time, though my biggest complaint is I wish a lot of the songs were a bit longer. Key Track: Pet Rock

43. The Record - boygenius: A supergroup album that definitely sounded best when it really leaned into the fact that it was a supergroup album. Key Track: Not Strong Enough

42. Blondshell - Blondshell: These next two both fall in the genre of indie that is best described as 90s alt revival, and considering I like 90s music, I thought both these were good. Key Track: Sepsis

41. Lucky For You - Bully: I thought the highs on this one were a bit higher than the previous, and just a really good time throughout. Key Track: All I Do

40. No Joy - Spanish Love Songs: One of the albums I was most looking forward to this year, it met all my expectations while shifting genres into something I've seen lovingly described as Heartland Emo. Key Track: Clean-Up Crew

39. Time Ain't Accidental - Jess Williamson: This was a break up album that was less about the break up and more about moving past, a nice wrinkle for a country album. Key Track: Hunter

38. Life Under the Gun - Militarie Gun: This album has grown on me more than just about any other from my first listen. I didn't think it was that special on first listen, yet I kept finding myself going back to it. Key Track: Never Fucked Up Once

37. Fountain Baby - Amaarae: Just a really fun, summertime album. A really, really easy album to dance to. Key Track: Counterfeit

36. Model/Actriz - Dogsbody: This album sounded like if NIN made music even more specifically for gay clubs, a fascinating industrial listen. Key Track: Mosquito

35. Red Moon in Venus - Kali Uchis: A great, groovy modern R&B album with some high highs but also a few that tracks that were just fine. Key Track: I Wish You Roses

34. This is Why - Paramore: As someone who is admittedly not too big on their earlier work, I've enjoyed their shift into post-punk revival. This was a good time, especially the second half of the album. Key Track: This is Why

33. The Enduring Spirit - Tomb Mold: I did not expect to get into a death metal album as much as I did this one, but it was surprisingly melodic, and the guitar shreds throughout. Key Track: Fate's Tangled Thread

32. The Greater Wings - Julie Byrne: A soft, peaceful folk album, featuring minimal production that allows her vocals to truly shine through. Key Track: Lightning Comes Up From the Ground

31. The Window - Ratboys: Nothing groundbreaking, just really well put together, perfectly executed, and diverse sounding indie rock. Key Track: The Window

30. Oh Me Oh My - Lonnie Holley: Probably the most interesting album I listened to all year, this was an emotional whirlwind. Almost felt like listening to a history lecture set to music at times. Key Track: Mount Meigs

29. Why Would I Watch? - Hot Mulligan: This year I finally bought into the hype around this band. I probably listened to it more than just about most albums on this list. Perfect mix of pop-punk and midwest emo. Key Track: Shhhh! Golf Is On

28. Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling - Slaughter Beach, Dog: Music to sit outside in the summer evening, relax, and drink a beer to, all the makings of a great alt-country album. Key Track: Strange Weather

27. Madres - Sofia Kourtesis: House music isn't necessarily my genre, but I couldn't help dancing along with this one. A great time. Key Track: How Music Makes You Feel Better

26. But Here We Are - Foo Fighters: In my opinion, the best Foo Fighters album in about 25 years, as Dave Grohl worked through his grief through passionate songwriting. Key Track: Rest

25. Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume - Yves Tumor: A psychedelic post punk album with cool guitar work and great vocals, all which form a winning combination. Key Track: God is a Circle

24. Erotic Probiotic 2 - Nourished by Time: A very catchy, albeit sort of odd, experimental R&B album, not quite sure how it worked, but it did. Key Track: Shed That Fear

23. Heaven Knows - PinkPantheress: I couldn't help but have a good time with this one, a great album to dance to, very fun. Key Track: True Romance

22. Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? - Kara Jackson: With beautiful vocals singing great, passionate songwriting, this was a fantastic folk album. Key Track: Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?

21. Let's Start Here - Lil Yacthy: The most surprising album of the year for me, a genre shift into a more psychedelic rock sound worked out amazingly well for him. Key Track: Reach The Sunshine.

20. Heaven is a Junkyard - Youth Lagoon: This was an extremely introspective indie pop album, following a major health scare for the artist, with the emotion shining through with every word. Key Track: Prizefighter

19. Scaring the Hoes - JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown: An experimental hip hop album from two guys full of tongue in cheek internet jokes and all kinds of random references, this one was a fun time. Key Track: Kingdom Hearts Key

18. Softscars - Yeule: A fun mixture of dream pop and electronica, the opening track is one of my absolute favorites of the year. Key Track: X W X

17. The Land is Inhospitable and So are We - Mitski: A beautiful, mellow, and emotional album (and my first introduction to her work, surprisingly). Key Track: My Love Mine All Mine

16. The Loveliest Time - Carly Rae Jepsen: I shouldn't be surprised that she managed to put an album of b-sides out that surpassed the previous album, and yet... Key Track: Psychedelic Switch

15. That! Feels Good! - Jessie Ware: Disco revival? Disco revival! This one is just a great time throughout, a ton of fun. Key Track: Free Yourself

14. Weathervanes - Jason Isbell: One of the best modern country songwriters has done it again, an easy listen even with the long run time. Key Track: Cast Iron Skillet

13. Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? - McKinley Dixon: Beautiful jazz based production as well as very personal raps, this one reminded me quite a bit of some of the rap albums I loved growing up. Key Track: Run, Run, Run

12. After the Magic - Parannoul: A Korean shoegaze album with more than a hint of emo, as well as extremely captivating vocals. An extremely well layered album. Key Track: Arrival

11. Lahai - Sampha: Alt-R&B album with experimental, almost atomspheric production and very smooth vocals, a very crisp listen. Key Track: Suspended

10. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek: I'll be the first to admit that outside of actually being in a club, pop music isn't necessarily my thing. But there was something about this album that was a lot of fun. The production here is outstanding, varying between traditional and experimental sounds, and her vocals are fantastic too. A really fun time. Key Track: Welcome to My Island

9. Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan: My highest ranking pure country album of the year, this one was just so well put together. Forgoing the modern country sound for a more slowed down production, it really let the strong vocals and genuine emotion shine through. Key Track: I Remember Everything

8. Enola Gay - Asia Menor: This was the debut album from this Chilean band, which got a lot of buzz online, but less so in traditional media outlets. Which is a shame because it is just a lot of fun musically. A solid mix of indie post-punk, with more than a fair share of math rock and emo/post-hardcore thrown in. One of my favorite listens of the year. Key Track: La Naturaleza

7. We Buy Diabetic Test Strips - Armand Hammer: The first of two billy woods related projects in my top 10, this one was such a fascinating listen. A rather experimental project, this mixed conscious raps over almost ambient beats. It took a second to get used to, but once you do, it really shines. Honestly, it probably shouldn't have worked as well as it did, but it really really did. A great time. Key Track: Y'all Can't Stand Right Here

6. My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross - ANOHNI and the Johnsons: One of the last albums I listened to this year, this one was beautiful and heart wrenching and just fantastic. With a 60s soul sound mixed with modern flourishes, the instrumentals were great. They were soft when they needed to be but grandiose at all the right times, perfectly matching her emotionally heavy vocals. A fantastic listen. Key Track: Rest

5. Rat Saw God - Wednesday: Probably the album I debated the ranking on the most, as I've had it everywhere between 5 and 15, but I just kept coming back to it. The very intense vocals, the mixture between alt country and noise rock, and the fantastic guitar work throughout, all make this one of the highlights of the year for me. Key Track: Chosen to Deserve

4. Quaranta - Danny Brown: Danny Brown's second appearance on this list (two 2-timers in the top 5 too), this one was my favorite of the two releases he was involved in this year. He took a more low key (by his standards) approach to his usual delivery style on this one, and it allowed his words to have the added emphasis they needed. A great rap album. Key Track: Jenn's Terrific Vacation

3. Hellmode - Jeff Rosenstock: To those of you who know me well, you probably already know that this was my personal favorite album of the year. Jeff is the most innovative artist in the pop punk realm, and he managed to put together an album that was diverse and layered and better on every listen. Seeing him perform the whole thing in its entirety was the highlight of my music experiences this year. Key Track: 3 Summers

2. Maps - billy woods & Kenny Segal: The second of two billy woods appearances on this years list, this album was, in my opinion, both more easily accessible and technically better than the Armand Hammer release. Beautiful mixture of jazz and atmospheric beats with superb storytelling, just a great listen. Key Track: FaceTime

1. Javelin - Sufjan Stevens: As soon as I listened to this one, I was almost certain that it was going to be my album of the year, and nothing else I listened to after really made me question it. Truly a beautiful expression of love and grief and loss. No other choice in my opinion. Key Track: Shit Talk

[depressedraisin]

ok ok quick summary of my thoughts and feelings so far:

it's 5:30 am and ive been up since 2:30 so probably gonna regret this but here we go

FIRSTLY, im incredibly INCREDIBLY proud of them for putting up the show. last week was tense and rather scary, we were all shitting ourselves with worry over alex's voice and health so i felt like i could cry in relief seeing look so much better and sound so much better and obviously being great at his job. the others, particularly nick on 4/5 and matt on body paint- fuck they were showstopping!!!!! overall very very enjoyable experience, im glad we have this.

YET.

yet. i AM disappointed and i got no qualms admitting it. the car is my favourite album, tbhc id die for, i literally spend so much time with their discography i probably AM a little too emotionally attached and not-objective about them. so yeah it's saddening. to not see the car and tbhc getting the limelight and the appreciation. i for one do believe there are songs in them which would work in a gigantic stadium or a festival, but we would never know if they do bcs they never gotta the chance to be taken out for a spin. also the rest of the albums- for a discography as diverse and as deep as the band's, so much of it sits in an attic catching dust. but yeah i get it i get it- logistics and commercial considerations and audience and all that. i get it....... sometimes. most times.

glasto did piss me off a tiny bit however. (just a little im sure it'll wear away soon). i was really fucking excited for it, jumped through so much to get access to the livestream and all, barely slept today just to watch it. i was holding out a lot of hope for this gig- ofc bcs it's glasto!!!!! it's such a consequential milestone in their career, it's been so long in the waiting. and being really fucking honest here- i took the "they'd surely do something different for glasto!!!" to heart. BUT I UNDERSTAND. i understand, why they might not have done anything, why things planned might not have worked out. I GET IT.

but also. there's a miniscule corner of my brain which is like. how different would a glastonbury show have been in an alternate timeline anyway? yeah they do surprise us, but signs haven't been pointing towards those directions at all in this tour. so all in all, yeah im disappointed. not so much for this one gig but the tour as a whole and the general attitude in this era. things alex has been talking about in the album.....at times their way of going about things seems so contrary to that. and yeah they're a band of 2 decades of experience and fucking professionals so no, i don't believe it's external uncontrollable reasons every time.

the monkeys are such an important band, yk? they might be the last of their kind- which other band will have their level of critical and cultural impact again. i hate LOATHE DESPISE to see all the potential getting wasted. they're saying such important things and not many are paying- but the band isn't trying particularly hard to get anyone to listen either. and yes, it's been the case long before alex got sick and long before they got up on the pyramid stage.

anyway enough whining and ranting for today.

i just love the car ok i'll defend it to my grave.

i just love the band so much i wanna give them a giant hug.

also yes i AM a lowly fangirl and miles kane not being there makes me sad.

[aromanticgarbage]

If Joji decides to retire this year, do you think your obsession with him will end? Or would you still follow all his old stuff and that will keep you going?

He retired from social media already, youtube as well and he won't be coming back to any of that, let's be honest. All is left is his music, and I personally feel like he's over it. Not only the tiring/ repetitive touring, but the set path of the music industry where you don't just create stuff for fun but it's expected of you every few years> tour > rinse and repeat.

Just trying to have a convo, we like to hear your opinions :)

First of all, I don't think that he is going to retire any time soon? The man has been making music nonstop (comedic or not) since he was a preteen AND at this point in his life its his main source of income. He has talked in several interviews in 2018 and then again in 2020 about having philanthropic goals, wanting to help in the medical field and stuff but not having the funds for it yet (x). Assuming that he still has those goals and he hasnt suddenly gotten bored of music (a thing he has loved since he was a kid) i just cant see him suddenly retiring. There's a chance that maybe he wont keep up with his "new album every two years" pattern but i personally wouldn't be mad about that. I know that people love to complain about him not dropping music often enough but from my perspective, two years isn't a long time to wait for a new album. I listen to Fiona Apple too and she drops new music once every eight years. I listen to bands who broke up decades ago and bands whose main vocalists committed suicide before i was even born. Waiting doesn't mean anything to me. Also im so late to the party, i have a literal decade of his old and more recent content to get through (music, comedy, all of it).

Second of all, my obsession with him will fade away eventually either way !!! Ive been obsessed with many things (media, shows, musicals, music artists etcetera etcetera) over the years, i know how this works. Last year i was listening to the 2006 cast recording of company the musical starring Raúl Esparza everyday Non Stop. At some point i moved on to other things. Doesn't mean that i don't still smile whenever a song from this musical makes its way onto my spotify queue, or whenever a new photo of Raúl gets posted online. Unless something bad happens that sours the experience for me (most notable example: harry p*tter) i always think fondly of my past hyperfixations. Plus I genuinely love Joji's music. Im not in it just for his cute face !!! I will probably always have a soft spot for these songs even if (emphasis on if) he drops off the face of the earth and never releases anything ever again.

When it comes to his retirement from social media (permanent or temporary) all i honestly have to say about it is this: GOOD for him. Instagram is hell. Twitter is a fucking cesspool that has given me a headache every single one of the five (5) times ive dared to try and use it. If you use twitter routinely, my trust on your character automatically lessens, sorry. And since i only ever unfollow artists on insta for uploading TOO often I don't really have an issue with his inactivity. I wasn't a fan of his when he was still active on his socials, I don't have the experience necessary to miss this. I'm enjoying his old posts and that's good enough for me.

When it comes to youtube, he is definitely never going back to filthy frank that one is a fact and people who act like he would even want to are delusional. Sorry. Nonetheless, Plummcorp is a thing that has been going on for a while now, and even tho personally i haven't really gotten into it, Joji's involvement in it is undeniable. We will probably never know how involved in it he actually is and he will most definitely never show his face on that channel. Still, he is back on youtube in a way and thats also a fact. Even if he's keeping things lowkey (as is his right).

And to go back to the music !!! The tours he is probably really tired of, that one i feel like it's true. A lot of artists probably are, travelling around for months on end can't be easy. I remember Mitski being particularly open about how shitty they made her feel. There was also this old interview where he explicitly said that he is not cut out for the tour life, ("i like to sleep and i like to be alone a lot" x ). That was very early in his career (2017). And taking the fact that he had to cancel some of his shows last year for medical reasons, its important to take into account the fact that his health problems don't make any of this easier for him. I have no way of knowing what his opinion is on the music industry but hes been working on music for years now (even before he really started his solo career) and it was his literal childhood dream to work in this industry. He probably knew how it works before he got into it fulltime.

Tldr: joji can do whatever he wants forever. Im okay either way.

Anyway those have been my two cents !!! Thank you for your questions, they were very interesting.

[catgirlhell]

🎶✨ when u get this u have to put 5 songs u actually listen to. then send this ask or tag 10 of your favourite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool)✨🎶

i'll kill you for cursing me @unclekow

the best way to describe what im listening to at any given moment is that im either playing the soundtrack to an anime that only exists in my head or attempting to block out all psychic attacks inflicted upon me from the world with the power of jazz and 90's/00's japanese alt rock and hip hop.

Get Down to Business, aka the Order Sol Theme by Daisuke Ishiwatari

It's the Sol Badguy music. It's the ultimate cool old guy who sucks music. I have a cool old guy who sucks that I've been thinking about. It's important for my delusions.

Lay Back by Lotus Juice

I am a *very* big fan of acoustic hip-hop, and I also really like japanese rap. I haven't actually listened to Lotus Juice that much (my teenage years were still defined squarely by Nujabes and his contemporaries!) but I've found this introduction to his work to be interesting! I'm looking forward to listening to more of it.

P.H.D. - Portable Headphone Dancefloor by 2mello

You, a buffoon, might say its cheating to list a whole album. I, a genius, would claim that its sacrilege to not treat a house mix as one whole song. If I were to take a single pick from it, dreamin on its own is probably my favorite track out of it all, so much so that I have spliced it out and extended it for my own listening. I've been a fan of 2mello for awhile now and I can safely say that every album he makes is my favorite of his until he makes the next.

Ka Bohaleng / On the Sharp Side by Abel Selaocoe

I don't talk about it much, but I was actually raised in a family that practiced and professionally performed Traditional West African Drum and Dance. As a result, I've always been partial to traditional/ethnic music worldwide, especially African music, and Abel Selaocoe is like the holy grail of such. His work can be described as "classically trained baroque that is distinctly African in nature," and I regularly stream his live performances and studio album. If there is anything in this list I would beg you hear, it is this song, and to a further extent, his performance at Cologne Jazzweek.

Akaneiro ga Moeru Toki/茜色が燃えるとき by Scoobie Do

This thing snuck up on me towards the start of the summer and blew my tits clean off. I'm a person very much trapped in the pre-2010's, especially the late 90's-late aughts. As I get older, I lean less and less towards new media and instead indulge in rediscovering older stuff. I have never watched a Gungrave. I have never played a Gungrave. But I have managed to get my hands on the majority of Scoobie Do's discography and play it regularly. The band is still active, but like all things, I am obsessed with their mini-album Kaze no Koibito, which has this song on it. Please listen to this song and please listen to Scoobie Do. The band is called Scoobie Do man, just do it.

HONORABLE MENTION:

Sleepy Head by the pillows

Earlier this spring, I finally watched Fooly Cooly for the first time ever, after maybe 6 years of people twice my age asking why I had never seen it when it seemed to be so completely grafted to my tastes. Well I did, and then I immediately drew my catgirl holding a guitar because of it. I'm not normal after that show. "Why did they keep asking you why you'd never seen it" I hear you asking. *ahem*

Because I've been listening to its soundtrack and the rest of the pillows discography since I was like. Twelve.

Don't ask me how I found it because I do not know. But between Ride on Shooting Star and this, I've returned to the FLCL soundtrack maybe once every 2 months for about a decade. This isn't propaganda to watch the anime, but it is propaganda to listen to the soundtrack.

@teffiniwynn, @kdinjenzen, @puyopuyo, @shukitanuki, @qwk, @lamphoera, @yuleloggu, @alien-tidays, @girlballs, @ockitten

im gonna go daydream about cringe shit goodnight

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

what are your favorite songs? do you have a playlist?

Okay, this is a long list so I'll just write a short answer: I have a pretty standard music taste:

Dylan [various albums from the 50s to 70s, especially "Blonde on Blonde" and "Time Out of Mind"], although I only know him from hearing my parents play him in the car

Elvis [various albums from the 50s to 70s, especially "In the Month of June"]

Led Zeppelin [various albums from the 1970s to the early 80s, including most of their classic, non-trony period stuff like "The Song Remains the Same"]

Various prog rock bands like Genesis [various albums from the mid-to-late 70s]

Van der Graaf Generator [various albums from the mid-to-late 70s]. Their stuff tends to be very repetitive, but they're very memorable and I like the weirdness

King Crimson [various albums over the course of several decades], my favorite is "Larks Tongues in Aspic"

Various prog rock bands over the years, especially Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer [various albums over the decades, especially "Discovery" and "Brain Salad Surgery" from the 70s and 80s respectively]

Elton John [solo albums from the 60s to the 90s, particularly "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" and "Sacred Ground" from the 70s]

Various artists [various albums from the 1980s to the present, particularly "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" from 1989 and "The Unseen Power of Love" from 1990]

Pink Floyd [various albums from the 60s to the 90s, particularly "The Wall" and the more "progressive" albums from the 70s to the 80s]

King Crimson [various albums from the 90s to present]

Various other (non-superstar) rock groups [some old stuff from the 50s, some more modern stuff from the present]

There are a bunch of others that I like that aren't on here either because they are obscure enough to be forgettable or because I haven't given them enough attention to remember what they sound like. And a few others I just like the music of, even if I don't particularly care about the band.

Some songs to listen to:

"You've Come a Long Way, Baby" by Elvis, a song of a certain sort that I don't usually like, but it's a good song anyway, and the line "I don't care to listen to what you've got to say / I'll leave and never look back" just sticks with me (a lot)

"Sitting on a Cornflake" by Pink Floyd

"Sunshine of Your Love" by the Beach Boys

"In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins

"In the Still of the Night" by Phil Collins

"Toto's Africa" by Toto

"There Is An Air (Above Our Heads)" by King Crimson

"The Ledge" by King Crimson

"Killing An Arab" by Status Quo

"Black Magic Woman" by Stevie Wonder

"Burn" by U2 (okay, maybe it's just that I associate it with an intense emotion)

"The Preacher" by Black Sabbath

I think it's interesting that a lot of people who aren't particularly interested in rock music would have this long list of "bands you listen to" they keep bringing up. In part I think this is just a reflection of how I am: I listen to many bands, but usually not many of the same ones several times in a row, and so not many bands in my library would appear on someone else's list of their favorite. But in part it is probably a reflection of how we tend to construct lists of favorite music in general. There is such a thing as an "idol band" — a very popular band that many people who are into music listen to. This is one of the few places you don't often find people giving you lists of favorite songs by an "idol" band, because most people don't care about music that much, and just don't give it a lot of thought. If you find a band that has a wide fan base, you will probably find them at various points in your entire music library, but if you have a large music library (most people do) there are lots of bands you listen to that aren't especially well known outside of the specific subculture of people who really love that particular band. And it's this sort of music that is least likely to have its songs pop up in your list of favorite songs — unless you specifically list a band you like, or even only

[margridarnauds]

hey! if you are still looking for some distraction - what are some of your favourite albums that you've been listening to recently, and why? (i am currently enjoying my first full listen-through of joanna newsom's 'divers', which is immensely lyrically interesting and very... textural? much to like!)

Thanks, I'll check it out!

I'm not someone who usually listens to whole albums -- I often focus on individual songs for months.

That being said, since 3 of my "on repeat" songs from Spotify at the moment are from "Speak Now - Taylor's Version", I think it definitely qualifies as a current favorite. I don't know, I didn't really appreciate this album at the time, not the least because I had a very gradual introduction where I was interested in a couple of songs in her early days (Teardrops on my Guitar, which was a Quintessenial OC Angst Song; Our Song, which was perfect for Rural Midwestern Roadtrip Feelings; Love Story, which was the pinnacle of romance to me; You Belong With Me, ditto), was interested in "Mine" from Speak Now for the same reason as "Our Song", but I wasn't really INTO her stuff until 1989, with "Blank Space", where I started to be like "Okay, I get it now." (And even still, I mainly get info secondhand from friends.) I know that these days, she's probably the most famous pop star working at the moment, and definitely among her own age range (it's hard to put her alongside someone like Beyonce or Madonna, just because they've had DECADES to mold themselves into icons, but she easily trumps everyone from her own age group), but there really was so much misogyny around her at the time that I wasn't able to fully appreciate her until around 1989, when people (especially on here) started to be more critical about the narratives around her + point out how generous she could be with her fans. (Is that part of her own manufactured image? Almost definitely, but there are worse things to manufacture.)

...all this to say that I never really HAD an OG!Speak Now phase, even if I did grow to adore "Enchanted" as well, so I've been rediscovering it in a way.

I've been listening to "United in Distaste" from Starry: The Musical on repeat, mainly because when a friend of mine recommended the titular song, I thought "Pretty" and then did nothing, but there's something about famous painters bitching at one another while admitting that they need one another that happens to relate directly to the reasons why I needed a distraction re: grad school that appeals to me significantly more. Moral of the story: Spare the ballads; send me the bitchiest songs from a musical if you want me to get interested in it.

The Baldur's Gate III soundtrack, especially "Raphael's Final Act" and "I Want to Live - Classical Version", but with honorable mention to "Nightsong", "Down by the River", "Main Theme, Pt. 3", "Weeping Dawn", "Harpy Theme", and all the different versions of "The Power." Not helped by me playing BG3 whenever I can take the time off from studying.

I've been OBSESSED with Epic: The Musical lately, though it's unfortunately mainly songs that haven't gotten official releases yet. "Warrior of the Mind" (officially released), "My Goodbye" (officially released), "Dangerous", "God Games - Aphrodite and Ares", and "The Challenge". I'm really excited for where this musical is going, I have a lot of high hopes for it, and I do like how they've adapted the story, honestly.

[wily-one24]

Weird asks: 1, 20, 34, 43, 46

Here we go!!

Who is/are your comfort character(s)?

Hahahaha. Ok. Well. I guess it depends upon the show i'm watching at the time, doesn't it? I mean, I have favourites in all my shows, but my absolute comfort characters, whom I love and invest in...

Veronica Mars, Emma Swan, Samantha Waters, Olivia Benson, Kaylee Frye, Buffy Summers, Jane Rizzoli, Cordelia Chase.

I have previously stated that I have a type and that type is emotionally damaged but hella strong women who are somewhat lackadaisical when it comes to their own personal safety when it comes to solving a case/getting justice (all of the above women fall into this, except perhaps Kaylee Frye, but she is my 'happy face/light in the darkness' lady, all the rest are my 'strength will rise up from the ashes like a pheonix' ladies).

I have many other faves and likes, however, you can pretty much narrow it down to who I have written fic for. These are my comfort characters, because fic IS my comfort. I have so much free therapy because of fic. I've pretty much written that post before (years ago, I would have to hunt it down) about what each major fic in my life was allegorical to... and I probably don't even WANT to know what my SVU fics are trying to break through in my brain, BUT, when I need comfort, this is where I turn.

Edit to add: Hunted!!

Go here to get a rundown on some self therapy in my major fics.

And here for a more in depth analysis of Paint It Black (question 11).

20. Do you say soda or pop?

No. Neither. I'm Australian. I say "Soft drink". Soda or pop? Pfft, get jumped on. It's SOFT DRINK. I mean, if you're feeling really old fashioned you can say 'Fizzy drink", but nobody really does. Soft drink, thank you.

34. Is there a song you know every word to by heart?

Buah hahahahahaha. Like, I think the easier question to ask there is "is there a song you DON'T know every word to by heart?"

I have a few Spotify playlists, my biggest one is called "Sing Loud", it has 114 songs on it, 6 1/2 hours worth, and I know every single word. Because I *DO* sing loud. And, also, it's worth noting that that is not my entire mind's playlist of favourite songs. Just the ones I sing loudly to. I have full musicals I can sing the entire lyrics to, musical episodes of my favourite tv I sing along to, entire ALBUMS from the 90s that I listed to on my Discman to and from Uni on the train...

OBVIOUSLY, I know most Sheryl Crow songs by heart (at least those pre 2010, I haven't really caught up to her new stuff yet), gimme a bunch of Sarah McLachlan, the Whitlams, No Doubt, Madonna, Machine Gun Fellatio, Garbage... anything from the 90s, a BUNCH of stuff from the 80s. I also like heaps of things from the 70s and some from the 60s, some from 2000 onwards as well. My taste is rather eclectic.

You don't quite know the range of eclectic until someone on the train watches fascinated as you take Rob Zombie out of your Discman and swap it for Sarah McLachlan. I got some *weird* looks.

My brain is very lyrically inclined and I remember so many words to so many songs, it's insane. If I like a song, I will listen to it over and over again until I get the lyrics right. Which, I have to say is so much easier NOW than it was back in the 80s, when you had to hover around your stereo so you could press play/record simultaneously the second your favourite song came on the radio just so you could have a copy...

But, yeah, once I like a song and I've heard it a few times, those lyrics are BURNED into my brain forever. That's why so many of my fics are song titles. Paint It Black, Memory Cloud, Wicked Game, Foolish Game, The Girl of My Dreams (Is Giving Me Nightmares), The White Room, Hybrid Lives, Silver and Cold, Spoonful of Sugar, Breaking the GIrl... etc... and those are just off the top of my head. This is why I used to vid, decades ago.

43. What’s your take on spicy foods?

There's a take? I like somewhat spicy foods.

I do not like stupidly spicy foods, to the point that it hurts and you can't breathe and it's basically a competition of how much you can hurt yourself to win... that's not fun for me.

But I do like a bit of kick. I like spicy thai curries, and mexican chillis, and jalepenos, something that doesn't necessarily want to kill you, but does bite back a little.

I am sensible with my spice level.

46. Favorite holiday film?

TBH, I'm not really sure I have one.

I mean, Die Hard is always a Christmas Classic, I guess? I'm not really one to sit around and watch a Christmas movie or... is there such a thing as an Easter movie? A Queen's Birthday movie? Ramadan? The Melbourne Cup? I don't really know.

(Well, there's probably a few movies about the Melbourne Cup, now that I think about it).

I'm not against them, per se, like if there was a movie on and it looked interesting and it was the holiday times and happened to focus on that holiday, I'm not going to turn it off, but I'm not going to seek out that specific movie.

The only real special holiday thing I watch each year... might be the Carols By Candlelight on Christmas Eve and the New Year's Eve Countdown, but those are not necessarily movies. They're not. One is a concert and one is... well... a countdown retrospective of the year and some fireworks.

I guess the Christmas movies always seemed a little too... faked for me. Maybe it was all the happy families (so fake) or the overly twee messages (please) ... maybe it was all the fucking snow and over the top decorations that seem to be uniquely American.

I don't think I've EVER seen a Christmas movie that represents what I know as Christmas, in the middle of summer in Australia.

@dahllaz

[captainrayzizuniverse]

@statementlou I know I'm gonna fuck this up because I don't use Spotify and I tried to see if Anghami has 'on repeat' feature but it doesn't! I do have a Spotify account that I rarely use so I thought I'd see what's on repeat there and even though there are songs I know and have listened to in passing, I don't think they warrant a place on my repeat playlist...Unless I'm not understanding the purpose of the on repeat feature.

So if I shuffle this magical list of random songs I know but don't listen to frequently, these are the top 10:

Stereo Love- Gym Class Heroes & Adam Levine (Que???? I had to play it to see which one it is and I recognize it but I don't ever remember playing this. Also if I was to play a GCH song it'll be Cookie Jar thank you very much, so we're off to a bad start already)

Like a Prayer-Madonna (Ummmm I guess who doesn't love belting this out from time to time?)

Baby Don't Hurt Me-David Guetta and a couple of randos (I'm sorry, I barely ever listened to the original one wtf would I listen to a remixed one?)

Where is My Mind-Pixies (Finally something that makes sense! I love this song thank fuck there's something normal on here)

Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades-Brand New (This is funny because I do listen to that album frequently on Anghami so this makes but at the same time doesn't make more sense)

All the Small Things-Blink 182 (Can't complain. can't fucking complain)

Cold-Crossfade (OMG what is this? Is this 2003 again??I swear I haven't listened to this song or anything by Cold since early 2000's)

Abra Cadavar-The Hives (OKAY. Yes this tracks. I love the song. I've listened to it and that album plenty of times. I think I even searched that album on Spotify once so I'd understand why it could be there. Tyrannosaurus Hives has one of the best Hives songs btw)

Always-Blink 182 (I'm surprised this is on here. Am I really surprised though? All the songs make no fucking sense. I feel like if this list made any fucking sense, Feeling This would be somewhere here. Anyways yay for more Blink 182!)

Jerk it Out-Caesars (NO WHAT?? I haven't listened to this song since before Spotify even existed! Like anywhere! Last time I listened to it was probably on a ripped CD on my walkman. This song was actually on repeat during 2005-2007. If I remember correctly it was on the fifa04 soundtrack and it'd come on while you're picking your team. Side note: They had some kick ass songs on the fifa04 soundtrack tbf. I got introduced to bands like Crystal Method, Kasabian and Kings of Leon. That was the first song I ever heard of KoL (Red Morning Light) and I was like yep this band is awesome and then obsessed over them for a decade.

Ok so it still stands, most of these songs haven't even been played on spotify never mind on repeat...but it got better towards the end. I wish Anghami had this function so I could get a better picture. I DON'T KNOW I feel like I understood/did this wrong. Is it not supposed to show the songs i most listen to on repeat???

I'm still laughing at Cold-Crossfade being on there though.

[mashmouths]

started answering @tired--misu's ask for the music ask game and tumblr ate it so now it has to be a regular post bc this website works so well all of the time <3 (i don't have the wording of the original ask but i do have all the prompts so i'm just gonna put those here, sorry for the weird format <3)

anyway! thank you for the ask and also the kind words! <3 <3 <3 <3 this is going to be lengthy <3 <3 <3 <3

1 : a song you like with a color in the title

my first thought was "ruby blue" by roísín murphy and while i stand by that, it wouldn't be me if i didn't include bendigo fletcher so also "morning room blue," "to the red river," and "green murder" <3

3 : a song that reminds you of summertime

i think i said dispatch last time so for my pop girlies let's say rina sawayama's "cherry" (or "airplane" by stray kids bc the first time i heard it i was driving back from my summer job night shift so now i associate it with july sunrises)

6 : a song that makes you want to dance

if i ever choreograph something i think it'd have to be to stromae's "ave cesaria" or a perfume genius song like "otherside" <3 a more casual 'get up and dance' song is probably "michuul" by duckwrth or "photo id" by remi wolf (or journey's "open arms" bc my mom and i have choreo we do when ever it comes on)

9 : a song that makes you happy

"ichidaiji" by polkadot stingray! or basically any twice song (like "like ooh-ahh" or "tt" or "likey" or "alcohol-free" or "the feels" etc etc <3 love them)

11 : a song that you never get tired of

"smooth" by santana feat. rob thomas <3 or of course "quiereme" by johnny sky, i can't think of a single time i've skipped that song? or "heyday" by stray kids or "我愛你" by cody・lee(李)

13 : one of your favorite 80’s songs

journey's "ask the lonely" is near the top of my on repeat atm so i have to include her, i LOVE journey especially "wheel in the sky" (which apparently came out in 1978 but i know it from a 1988 album and she's my fav so she's staying) <3 also "rock the casbah" by the clash and whitney houston's "i wanna dance with somebody (who loves me)" and "el muchacho de los ojos tristes" by jeanette or kate bush's anything <3 (obligatory "running up that hill (a deal with god)" link <3 also "wuthering heights" came out in 1977 but i'm linking it anyway)

14 : a song that you would love played at your wedding

"wonderfully bizarre" by bendigo fletcher hands down (or "para siempre" by vicente fernández or "the book of love" by the magnetic fields <3 i haven't been to a wedding in over a decade idk what kind of music they play <3)

edit : okay sorry to add Another song but i'm on a journey kick recently and when i wrote this i'd forgotten about The Wedding Song Ever, "when you love a woman" like just imagine slow dancing to this. insanity. okay that's it <3

15 : a song that is a cover by another artist

nina simone's "my baby just cares for me" forever and ever and ever

17 : a song that you would sing a duet with on karaoke

i've never done real karaoke so idk what songs are best-suited to it but i can say with confidence that i would go crazy on "gimme! gimme! gimme! (a man after midnight)" by abba with whoever wanted to join me

23 : a song that you think everybody should listen to

"gimme! gimme! gimme! (a man after midnight)" by abba or literally any bendigo fletcher song

26 : a song that makes you want to fall in love

nina simone's "my baby just cares for me" again or the magnetic fields' "when my boy walks down the street"

28 : a song by an artist with a voice that you love

"my love" by florence + the machine !! i have to be honest tea you changed my life with this song <3 <3 <3 or or or "last night" by arooj aftab or "be sweet" by japanese breakfast :3

[spaceageloveblog]

I watched an Anthony Fantano video about Pitchfork's AOTYs for each year of the first decade of the 2000s. Had the idea to listen to each of the 10 albums and share my thoughts on them. Plus talk about my favorite albums from each of those years. And other music I remember from those years. And maybe other memories I have too. But I haven't gotten past the year 2000 yet.

PJ Harvey's Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea is my favorite album from that year. And upon reflection it feels like a transition pick representing a transition year for me. 2000 might be the earliest year I could go back to, pick my favorite album with hindsight, and it also be something I liked back in that year too. That is, I assume if I picked 1999 and earlier, the album I would call out as my favorite now is likely not something I was into in 1999.

"You Said Something" is my favorite song on that album and is still something I listen to on regular rotation to this day. A couple months from now, when I'm absentmindedly creating a quick playlist for some random reason, there's a reasonable chance I throw that song on there. I often wonder what the "something" "said" that she "has never forgotten" and "was really important." Probably something like "I love you" if I had to guess. But every once in a while I like to think it was something zany that'd be impossible to guess.

Why was 2000 a transition time in my life? I turned 21. I hadn't lost weight yet, that'd start the next year, though I daydreamed about it. I think I even tried lifting weights in the basement of the house my friends and I lived in over the summer. I remember hearing to "Californication" on WEBN nearly every evening while lifting. Then I'd come upstairs and go get Hardees for dinner. Even my other fat friends were like, what are you doing?

Though I was into Oasis and The Verve and the post-Britpop bands those bands got me into, I was still more in a Korn and Rage Against the Machine phase of life. Limp Bizkit was still big though my friends were more into them than me. But that was more of what I was listening to. PJ Harvey was a departure, but that album would take me more toward the music I'd start listening to. I remember toward the end of the year, ending the evening watching videos on MTV2, "Catch the Sun" and "Yellow" were on regular rotation, and I loved those songs.

So the kids and I were up in Ohio visiting my mom and my brother's family last week. And we did the 15 hour drive straight through bath ways. On the drive back I needed something to keep me interested so we only listened to music from the year 2000. We started with Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea and it sounded perfect took as my first sip of the Americano I ordered in the drive thru of the Alliance Starbucks at 6:35 in the morning, the first coffee stop on the journey.

We listened to Kid A next, Pitchfork's AOTY for 2000. I've listened to the whole thing before. Radiohead are perfectly acceptable to me, but others obviously like them much more than I do. Like seemingly everyone my age, I like the song "Creep." I remember it on played endlessly on MTV the summer between 8th and 9th grade. I really like The Bends album which came out during high school for me, probably my favorite of theirs, though I know the critics preferred what came next much more. OK Computer is good of course, but I always go back to The Bends more so that's why it's my favorite. Kid A came out when I was living in the fraternity house in college and it wasn't for me at that moment in time. Don't think I listened to it in its entirety until years later. Think I lost track of Radiohead after that, but maybe 5 years ago, I read something somewhere that In Rainbows was their best album. That came out in 2007 and I had no idea. I was busy with work and starting a family and listening to pop music during that time in my life. I listened to it when I read about it and it wasn't for me.

The kids didn't notice I was doing this 2000 thing yet. I know they've heard me play PJ Harvey songs before, so those probably washed over them unnoticed. And they probably thought Kid A was just another one of those weird things Dad likes.

I then mixed in songs off other albums from Pitchfork's top 10 of 2000, most of which--if not all--I had never heard before: Sigur Rós, Modest Mouse, Yo La Tengo, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Grandaddy, The Microphones, Les Savy Fav, Clinic, Smog. Some of it was fine, just wasn't the best situation to deeply absorb new music, careening down I-77 from Ohio to West Virginia to Virginia to North Carolina to South Carolina, timing gas stops and bathroom breaks, looking for good coffee and clean fast food places, still having to cutover on I-26 to I-95 to make to Georgia then Florida. The only album of those I listened to its entirety was Modest Mouse's The Moon & Antarctica because I like their other stuff. And I guess it was fine. Bu it's been a week or so and I haven't gone back for more of any of it yet.

Then I started playing stuff I remember liking--or at least sort of liking--that came out in 2000: "One Armed Scissor" by At the Drive-In, the singles from the Marshall Mathers LP and Outkast's Stankonia, and "Music" by Madonna. That led to Alice Deejay and other Eurdance stuff I remember from that year. I went to Europe for the first time in spring 2000 and Eurodance music was the soundtrack of my trip. "Kernkraft 400" and "Freestyler" were the songs I remember most fondly, besides all the Alice Deejay bangers, "Better Off Alone" being the most bangerest of all her bangers.

Many pop songs that were big here in the U.S. were also omnipresent in my travels in France and Belgium and The Netherlands and Germany and Italy. Like "Oops!...I Did It Again" and "The Thong Song." That led me to start going for stuff I remember regardless of if I liked it or not. That's the funny thing about nostalgia I've noticed, things I disliked in the moment, I can listen back to now and have warm feelings about them. Like Savage Garden or that "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" song.

At some point in the trip, probably during a switch from one Redbox DVD rental to another, one of the kids requested a song, but I told them we were only listening to songs from the year 2000. The were slightly annoyed at first but eventually acquiesced because although I'm a pushover on many subjects, they know that when I get the idea of listening to 15 consecutive hours of music from the year 2000, there's no moving me off it.

Some of the songs led to interesting conversations. Mostly with my oldest, a 14 y/o boy who just finished his freshman year of high school and was sitting shotgun, throwing me random hypotheticals and trivia to keep me awake. At one point I made the comment that it was harder to find playlists of 2000 as opposed to say 2001 or 2007, because when you search 2000 specifically, you find more decade-based playlists, whereas if you search for 2005, you find playlists for the precise year.

That led him to ask me, when inquiring about when someone was born, how far back to you have to go to not care about the precise year and only care about the decade. I said, well, there's a big difference between someone born in 1950 or 1959, because someone born in 1950 was a young adult during the turmoil of the late '60s and early '70s, while the person born in 1950 was in elementary school at the time. So we settled on the 1940s. If you were born during that decade, we don't need the precise year.

My son then started talking about draft, that someone born in 1950 could have been drafted for the Vietnam War. Then he asked why that even happened. And I said it seems like a mistake looking back but cautioned him on hindsight bias and having skin in the game when assessing decision-making. And all I could talk about pulling from personal experience was the buildup to the Iraq War, and I felt it was crazy at the time, but I was just out of college and it was easy for me to say, I didn't really have any skin in the game. And then we had all sorts of conversations about expert opinions and who to trust, but at some point he has to decide things for himself. His mom and I could tell advise him on how to live his life, but in the long run, he has to live with his decisions, not us. I think he listened, and I like to think some of what I said resonated.

I saved Coldplay's debut album for the end, another one of my favorites from the year. I told my son how I really like their first two albums but I sort of lost interest after that, but they obviously became much more popular after that. He humored me and listened to me talk about music I liked when I was young. Then that album ended and there were still 45 minutes to go in our drive, so we listened to Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea again. I told him this was my favorite album from 2000. He said he recognized some of the songs and continued to humor me and not say anything critical. I even caught him singing along to a few of the lyrics of "You Said Something."

If I live long enough, maybe in 2052 we'll take a long drive and he play me his favorite music from 2029.

[lesbianraskolnikov]

1, 3, 5, 13, 14, 26, 27, 28, 30 :) so many questions because i love you and music and knowing your music thoughts kiss kiss

GOOD HEAVENS kiss kiss :)

There is probably so many I could go to butummm lets see. Red and Gold MF DOOM... and Mint Car The Cure...

3. ERM... this is hard... even listened to a song earlier that made me think of summer but its usually really band adjacent... hmmm. Actually just got mind-bombarded by two. Three. Zamagi is a summer band for me but that might be cheating. Today by Dr Dog and Diablo Wednesday Campanella

5. All of them ever. Actually I can't settle on a song so all of them. Bass Heavy songs at the very least. Metal as a whole is pretty fun to blast though. My mind keeps wanting to say Hacker Death Grip for a singular song though.

13. This one is kind of cruel. I gotta choose from a whole decade? Sob. Ummm dance dance dance earth wind and fire can come in 🔥 i want to rewatch rock and rule that soundtrack was primarily pretty good. I want to cheat again because I do know the Parallelisme album had a hold on me for a bit.

14. 🥺i think we gotta play the 13th the cure but i could list so many. Really.

26.😏why koi ga shitai of course. I don't know if ive ever had a song that makes me feel that Specifically but i will have im falling in love so i attach to these songs. Just My Imagination The Tempations is really cute and encapsulates that feeling pretty well but also Lets Get Married mariya takeuchi makes me kick my feet a bit.

27. Complicated... I don't wanna go for Song that makes me sad because of the content matter. But I can CHEAT!!! Because songs can have crazy emotional impacts on me and no other question encompasses it better. Krazy World King Geedorah, Pirate Ships Robert Smith Demo whatever, Hail Piano Peter Cat Recording Co, Udom Sneha Sinn Sisamouth, Lazybones Soul Coughing, NAI!!! yura yura teikoku... I should move on now thank you.. NO WAIT PERFUMED GARDEN OF GULLIVER SMITH MARC BOLAN!!!

Wait I lied going in a rabbithole of songs that made me feel this way I think Heaven by Dr Dog is the perfect contender. It's fucking instrumental but I genuinely had to bar off that song all last year or else i WOULD cry. Dr Dog can do this to me I know Living a Dream did that for a long time still does.

28. THIS IS SO FUCKED UP. I feel like Singers are just such an important part of every band this is impossible. I genuinely could not give one single song because what just happened above would happen again HOWEVER I have to say there is such a charm to really early and rough recordings from any band ever, or at least any that we have demos and early work of. Their style and voice just haven't quite found where it wants to be yet, but it still sounds wonderful. Marc Bolan's voice in his early works make me smile a bit because you can hear his bob dylan impression and i think thats cute.

30. ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i hate to be boring but i dont have any of those i really cant think of any. But by god could i associate Song with Story im writing dont even worry about it. At most some songs have resonated with me but I can't think of a literally me song </3