#please the two myth albums are driving me insane

[the-fishh]

*violently shaking anyone who will listen* NO YOU DONT GET IT!!! THERE NEV- listen to me- THERE NEVER WAS A FOREST!!!!! ON THE ISALND. TTHERE WASNT A FOREST ON THE ISLAND- stop laughing. I'm dead serious. ARE YOU GETTING THE IMPLICATION?????? THE UNIDENTIFIED BEAST? THE "NEVERENDING" FOREST??????? THERE NEVER WAS A FOREST ON ST SASHA'S ISLAND

[lukamoonvibe]

Filthy Pride (Vil {Ryan}xTanya {Faye})

Vil, this isn’t healthy. We need to get out of this house, stop drinking so much. It’s driving you insane, it’s so dark and gross.

A knocking at my door caused me to listen to his worried pleas.

“Fine Ross, but this better be worth my time,” I muttered as I opened the door.

In front of me stood someone I didn’t recognise and an all to familiar sight.

“Holy shit, Ryan. Are you okay?”

That’s Jon, JON I’M NOT OKAY! HELP ME.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I say, crossing my arms.

“Well aren’t you gonna let us in, Ryan?” the female behind him asked.

I shook my head, stepping out of the way, “Please, come in.” I invited them in, rolling my eyes.

Don’t roll your eyes at possibly the only people who are willing to give you a second chance. Jon and Faye mean no harm and it would do you some good to have some company.

“Ryan, are you with us?” Jon asked.

I shook my head, “Not really.” I replied, causing them both to stare at me.

“Ryan, he’s still there, isn’t he?” Faye asked, causing Jon more confusion than before.

I shrugged, closing the door. I lead them down the hallway to the sitting room.

“Can someone please explain to me what’s going on?” Jon asked.

I turned on the light, letting them sit down.

“I know that he won’t tell you anything, because he’s too stubborn-”

“Hey! I am not.” I exclaimed.

She’s right you know. You should listen to her and learn from your mistakes.

“Shut up Ross.” I muttered, earning a weird look from Jon and a smirk from Faye.

“As I was saying, “Ryan” and I, we aren’t exactly who we say we are. You’ve heard of the myths that state about two people who find each other in every one of their lives and are destined to meet, no matter how they stop it,” Faye asked.

I looked at Jon who shook his head. “Like Hawkman and Hawkgirl, y’know Prince Khufu and Priestess Chay-Ara.” I explained and Jon looked less confused.

Faye shook her head, “Yeah. Anyway, we are something like that. Immortalized souls, forced to forever find each other and die together and start all over. The only problem being that when we are “reincarnated”, the body that we inhabit already has a soul, so we have to fight to get control. We don’t get reincarnated till our previous version dies, but our soul knows where it’s as soon as the new “vessel” is born. Which is where we come to this situation, I asked if Ryan was still there because right now, you’re looking at “Ryan” and “Faye”, but you’re talking to Tanya and Vill or-”

“Don’t say my name Tanya.” I growled, staring at her.

“Anyway. Faye accepted me, she let me take over her, as long as I still went by her name. But obviously, Ryan hasn’t, because Vill can still hear him. I always know when Vill has someone as a vessel, they change so much and it’s really noticeable.” Faye explained, “I thought it was Brendon at first, at that party, I was by myself, but Sarah and Vicky invited me, as soon as I walked into the room, I knew Vill was there, so I looked for people that had significantly changed in appearance, other than maturity happening naturally. So it was a toss-up between Ryan and Brendon, you both got my number. So Ryan is still fighting for his body back, he’s passionate about something, still attached to someone maybe.”

Jon looked at me, but I knew what he was doing, he wasn’t seeing me for who I am now, he was seeing me for how Ryan was.

“Clovers and Crickets. The album cover outburst. Everything after that was all because of Vil.” Jon started recounting all of the things I’d ruined, “Brendon was shattered, Spencer said that it took him so long to get over what happened, he thought that Ryan hated him and only dated him for pity. Brendon won’t even talk to me because I stuck up for you. You’re a monster.” Jon stood up and left Faye and I, I heard the door slam.

“You really screwed up this time. But Vil, we can fix this, you know how to fix this. I’ll see you next time.” she said, following in Jon’s footsteps, closing the door quietly.

“I guess you win Ross. Go and help the confused girl that’s going to be sitting outside and find Brendon, explain everything, every last detail, sorry for making the last eight years a living hell.” I said to my vessel, before closing my eyes and hearing a thud on the ground.

I opened my eyes, blinking slowly.

Wait, my eyes, I opened them.

I sat up, “Shit.” I muttered, looking around.

“I’m back.” I said, looking at myself.

Go and help the girl.

My eyes widened and I stood up, rushing out my door, slumped in the front yard was Faye.

I rushed over and shook her, “Faye, Faye are you okay?” I asked.

She groaned and smirked, “So I wasn’t imaging meeting you. Shit, where’s Tanya?” she asked, looking around.

I smiled, “Her and Vil are both gone. We’re both free.” I said.

“Oh. That’s uh great.” she said, looking down, “It's just, she’s the reason I have any friends, I’m very, uh, socially awkward.”

I chuckled, “Well if your friends don’t like you anymore, I’ll be your friend. If you want that is.” I say.

She nodded, standing up, “I’ll see you later Ryan. Maybe.”  she said, “And by the way, my name is actually Elizabeth Berg.” she walked away, leaving me by myself.

I smiled, “Z.” I said to myself, heading back inside.

[crownuponherhead]

2/15 || reputation precedes me

“You probably don’t remember me.” What a shit way to start out an introduction with your new co-worker. He told himself, moving to shake her hand. “I’m-”

“Jon Snow, you were best friends with my brother, well are I assume. He says you’ve kept contact since you ran into each other. A Targaryen, huh?”

It's been twenty years since he last saw Sansa Stark but now she's across the hall everyday working with him under his Aunt for Targaryen Corporations.

When his Aunt told him who was moving into the office across the the hall from his he thought he was going to choke from coughing in shock. Now watching it was obvious to him, the Sansa Stark he knew growing up was a myth compared to the woman that was bossing around movers in a calm and collected voice. He remembered a girl with long crimson hair, usually in braids, a girl who loved princesses and bubblegum pop. He honestly wasn’t sure he was looking at the same person when she walked out of the office her once long crimson hair cut to just above her shoulders, he could tell she was working on stripping dye from the hair, only because he could remember the bright color it used to be.

“You probably don’t remember me.” What a shit way to start out an introduction with your new co-worker.  He told himself, moving to shake her hand. “I’m-”

“Jon Snow, you were best friends with my brother, well are I assume. He says you’ve kept contact since you ran into each other. A Targaryen, huh?” He sees the glint in her eyes and know it’s faded but at least it’s there. He’d heard the rumors. If there’s one thing he had figured out when out with Robb once is that his sister had a reputation that didn’t even hold candle to who she was. And he’d read her resume when his Aunt had told her who she had hired. Sansa had worked for everything she’d gotten. He didn’t doubt she had struggles she started out interning at Lannister Inc. and then was with Baelish and Company during the downfall of his scheming not to long ago. From the way Robb had mentioned it when it came across the news once and the look on his girlfriend Margarey’s face, Sansa shouldn’t have been working for him.  

“Trust me no one was as surprised as I was.” He finally answered. He couldn’t help but notice how carefully she watched him it was as if she was waiting for something but he couldn’t figure out what or why.

“I don’t know you were always the Dragon when we were younger.” She let out simply before looking down at her paperwork. “I have a date with these and a bottle of wine at home. I’m glad we’ll be working together, Jon. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

x.

He probably shouldn’t be as surprised as he is when she waltzes into his office right before he has a case for the company her hands full of paperwork. Despite being across the hall from each other and usually each other’s company at lunches they’d barely been in each other’s offices. He’d been in hers to drop of files she’d need to properly help with press releases. He’d been impressed with the look she’d given it. A painting on the wall that looked eerily like her home up north covered in snow, he’d only confirmed his suspicions when his eyes caught her own signature at the bottom corner instead of an artist. A few pictures around the room most of her family, a few he saw of her and Robb’s girlfriend Margarey in a tiny dorm room then an apartment and a few with them out, one he think he even caught himself in from her 7th birthday. That was once in the two months she’d worked here, so to see her in here and sitting across from him, he was a bit shocked.

“I prepared statements for you for every possible outcome of the trial, I’ll keep updated on it too and adjust what I need to but I wanted you to be prepared for any questions from the press.” They’re printed with highlights and little handwritten notes in her purple pen all over the pages. The sticky note on top is the what stops him. In her curly handwriting she’s written ‘ i’ll miss our lunch dates, win quick.’  In this moment he’s pretty sure that he’s insane for not thinking before he speaks, after all he did go to school to literally learn how to do that. Instead the words fall out of his mouth before he can even think.

“There’s always dinner.” The shock on her face turns into a small smile and he sees her electric blue eyes light up before he can even correct himself. He’s glad the shade of her hair is back to normal and it’s slowly getting longer.

“I’d like dinner. You can text me when you’re done at court and I’ll meet you wherever.” It’s his turn to smile and he can’t think of when he got so used to smiling around and being smiled at by Sansa Stark, the woman known for having a statuesque mask in the workplace. Jon’s decided he likes it.

x.

“Sans, you don’t have to.”

“Oh please, let me do this come on you should do more than just go out for a nice dinner at a restaurant for your birthday.”

It’s how he finds himself in her impeccably put together home. One of the things he didn’t expect was her to not live in the city. She doesn’t mention it until they’re in the parking garage a simple. “I commute to work.” They’re thirty minutes out of Cardiff when she pulls into the driveway of a tiny cottage just past the Welsh border.  

“I bought it on a whim when I was staying with Robb and Margaery in Bristol.” She answers his unspoken question with a simple shrug as she moves to start cooking. He didn’t know she stayed with them. She knew from looking at her resume she took a gap year after Baelish and Company went down. He figured she went back North to be with her family not just across the way in Bristol. Looking at the woman in front of him cooking him his favorite meal, he can’t help but wonder what he’s gotten himself into.

“You know I’m not the only one with a reputation.” She lets it out on her second glass of wine. They’re on her couch cake she’d picked up from a store in front of them and some cheesy comedy movie playing on the screen. He can’t help but let his eyes meet hers. Looking at his hands he waits for her to continue, she does eventually. The waiting is agonizingly slow.  When it becomes clear he isn’t going to speak up she decides to speak up again. “You’re one of the brightest lawyers on the entire continent, I’m sure your Aunt would have hired you blood or not. I remember when you were still working at that firm Baelish was praying you wouldn’t ever be with a client against him. I know what you must think of me, what you had to when you saw me. How did she do it? The little girl obsessed with princesses and all you saw was a girl who can barely smile now. I’d wonder how too.”

“You don’t barely smile.” It’s all he can get out finally meeting her eyes.

“That’s because of you.”

x.

He starts going over to her place more often, usually he doesn’t drive home either, sometimes he can catch an uber and the train, other’s he crashes there. He’s started bringing clothes and leaving clothes. They both like the company it’s nice to have someone else. They’ll take the train together to Bristol to see Robb and Margaery. He learns quickly that Robb’s story of meeting Margarey at a party in college was when he went to visit Sansa and ended up partying with her roommate. It’s fun to see her relaxed around people other than himself though. Seeing Sansa Stark without her mask on is like seeing a ghost, it’s fleeting. Lately however, it seems to be fleeting less.

There’s been a few times they’ve showed up to work together, both of them getting out of her car talking as they head up to the office. He shouldn’t be surprised about the gossip really. If he was on the outside looking in he’d probably think the same thing. However when he’s sitting in his Aunt’s office one morning, drinking coffee and wondering why she needed to see him if there wasn’t a case at the moment. He wishes you could just die from embarrassment.

“How long have you been sleeping with Sansa Stark?” He nearly spits out his coffee looking at the silver haired woman in front of him.

“I’m sorry? I’m not sleeping with Sansa.” At least not in the way she was implying.Sure, he had spent his fair share of nights in bed with her and woken up a few times accidentally curled together. However it’s because she lives in a one bedroom cottage, she renovated the other bedroom into a large bathroom and closet, and her couch is not a couch for sleeping. Those are her words not his.

“Oh, that’s a shame. I would have thought from the looks you two give each other and the fact that you both leave late together and show up together in the mornings.”

“I don’t think Sansa would want me like that, Dany. Besides shouldn’t you be discouraging your employees from dating.” He watches his aunt scoff and roll her eyes. Sometimes he forgets how close they are in age from how she holds herself. They aren’t that close, then again he judges his closeness based off the Starks,  it’s just them left in the family and there isn’t really a way they could be as close.

“As your Aunt not your boss, do something about that please. I don’t care if she’s your best friend’s little sister, save us all a world of hurt.”

x.

“I remember the last time you played with me when we were kids.” He hears her say it randomly, they’re on the floor of her place and she’s leaning against him as they go through her photo albums. Sansa wants to put together a collage for each of the kids for her parents anniversary. It’s been her special project he’s more than happy helping with.

“You do?” Jon barely hears the hum in response she gives as she sets her glass down and places her hand on his.

“We were playing knights and dragons in the backyard, I was the princess who needed saving as always but that day Robb insisted you were the prince and not the dragon. I thought it was silly you two always fought about who would be who and he gave it up so easily. I think it was the first time you were the prince too. I remember you actually picked up when you ‘saved me’ and I was laughing while making sure you didn’t get my princess dress dirty. When we were done you and Robb looked so sad but no one told me why. You didn’t come over the next day or the next after three days I finally asked and they told me and Arya you had to move families from the one across the street. Arya cried, I didn’t but I just felt disappointment like I’d be missing something I never had.”

In the time she spoken he’d moved to wrap his arm around her shoulders instead, holding her close to him. He wanted nothing more than to reach across and kiss her, but he didn’t. He remembered that day. Leaving knowing he’d never see the Starks again, his best friend. He’d cried all the way to the new home.

“Sans,” He moved his hand to her cheek, wiping the tear she didn’t know had fallen.

“Come home with me for their anniversary next month?” His eyes shoot up at that it wasn’t anywhere close to where he think the conversation was going. His last memory of Alnwick, of Northumberland in general, he thought it was all he’d ever know of it. There was nothing more he’d want then to go back home. It was his home too even if it wasn’t the building that was, the idea was home to him.

“Of course.”

“Jon?” He met her eyes trying to make sure he wasn’t imagining her gaze moving to look at his lips.

“Yeah, Sans?”

“Can we go on a real date?” His grin split across his face before he could stop it. Kissing her cheek he nodded moving his hand from her cheek to her hair.

“Anything and Anywhere you want.”

x.

The ride up north is split with Robb and Margaery, all four of them piled into Robb’s Land Rover. He’s in the back with Sansa watching as she goes through a few statements she needed to fix. He’s learned she writes everything out first before typing it. He’s even caught her reading it out loud a few times. Kissing her temple he looked out ahead at the road. They were on hour 4 out of 6 and he was dying with anticipation. He turned his head when he felt her hand on his cheek as if knowing how excited he was getting without him showing it. He leans in to give her a sweet kiss, of course it’s interrupted.

“Hey hands to yourself back there, there’s no defiling my sister in my car. Gods, think of your reputations for once.” Robb yells back.

He has to stop himself from laughing and he can see Sansa is having to do the same thing. They both shot their reputations, at least in the office, out of the roof when he gave her a kiss in the middle of the board room before she had to give an interview for the company with a newscaster. Then again he’s thinking maybe they just shot the rumors she’s still the most respected public relations expert in the entire country and he’s still the same lawyer he’s always been. Messing with a strand of her hair, longer and her crimson color, he rolls his eyes at Robb’s protests and kisses her again.

[themelbournetone]

Top 10 Albums of the 2010s [Countdown]

Written by: Ziggy Cross

The world has changed a lot in the last ten years, but luckily for us, music still exists. Without further ado, here’s the 10 best albums that were the soundtrack to our decade:

2010 - THIS IS HAPPENING, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

This Is Happening is the third and “final” album by New York dance band LCD Soundsystem, released before their 2011 split (ending with the legendary 4-hour Madison Square Garden farewell show).

Following up their sophomore LP, Sound Of Silver, was always going to be a huge task, and This Is Happening holds up well, while also having an insanely ink-able title. It isn’t the group’s best album, it’s sure as hell a good way to start off the decade.

Highlights include the albums opener Dance Yrself Clean, I Can Change, and All I Want (which might sound strangely familiar to fans of David Bowie, who was a friend of LCD’s frontman James Murphy).

Notable mentions: Tourist History - Two Door Cinema Club, The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

2011 - THE ENGLISH RIVIERA, METRONOMY

The English Riviera is the third album from English indie pop band Metronomy. This is their most commercially successful album to date, including notable singles The Bay, and The Look. Most of this album was made solo by founder and producer Joseph Mount, with occasional assistance from the band members who have joined him along the way.

The album strongly rewards repeat listens, with tracks that might seem bizarre at first becoming certified bops after enough plays. The whole album is filled with some outrageous sounds from an extensive library of hardware synths. On the track Some Written, Mount brings out profound kazoo talent, as well as some impressive clarinet use in the following track, Love Underlined.

2011 was a huge year of development for the indie pop genre, with more bands embracing an electronic sound. It would seem that all the stars aligned for this release, and put them on the map. Metronomy is a band who have built a reputation for pushing limits, while managing to stay approachable enough for a wide appeal. They’ve got some pretty weird tracks if you’re willing to test the waters, but The English Riviera is without a doubt the best place to start.

Notable mentions: Torches - Foster The People, This Modern Glitch - The Wombats

2012 - BLOOM, BEACH HOUSE

Bloom is the fourth album from Baltimore dream pop band Beach House, and is their highest charting album to date. The album is packed with luscious synth and melancholy soaked guitar, reverberating in every direction far and wide. 

The track list is impressively solid, and while a lot of tracks may appear quite “same-y” at first listen, they are nuanced enough to allow for some great repeat listening. You always know what to expect when you’re listening to Beach House, and they never fail to please.

Bloom is filled with some incredibly memorable tracks, and some highlights include: lead single Myth, with its incredibly powerful guitar build and grounding synth line, Lazuli, with its catchy vocal stacking and driving synth arpeggio, and New Years, with it’s ear worm of vocal melody that will stay in your mind for all of eternity.

Beach House have established their own brand of melancholy, and Bloom is probably their best showcase of that. Along with many of the other great releases from 2012, this one is for those whose hearts play in a minor key.

Notable mentions: Dark Eyes - Half Moon Run, Bored Nothing - Bored Nothing

2013 - TROUBLE WILL FIND ME, THE NATIONAL

After the wild success of The National’s 2010 album High Violet, I’m sure many fans wondered what the band would do next. Trouble Will Find Me features wall-to-wall lyrical and instrumentational masterpieces. This is a *seriously* solid album.

The album has a great mix of ‘great-the-first-time’rs, and plenty of ‘this-will-hit-hard-on-listen-twenty’s too. Believe me when I say, every listen of this album will  leave you with a different ‘favourite song’.

Standout tracks include: I Need My Girl, a love song written by Berninger about missing his wife and daughter who stayed at home while he was on the road, and Don’t Swallow The Cap, a medium tempo alt-rock doomer anthem with the same understated power of LCD’s All My Friends.

Trouble Will Find Me also serves as a perfect warm up for the bands latest (2019) release I Am Easy To Find, if you’re that kind of fan. But I mean come on... even the titles match!

Notable mentions: The Bones Of What You Believe - CHVRCHES, Overgrown - James Blake

2014 - ABOUT FACE, #1 DADS

About Face is a special kind of album. Melbournite and all round musical genius Tom Iansek (also of Big Scary and No Mono) never fails to release pure magic into this world. His work truly is the hidden gem of Melbourne’s music scene - and those who have found it could not cherish it more.

Behind it’s quiet front, About Face holds the emotional force of a B-52 fighter jet. The production and gentle instrumentation will move you with force, there isn’t a single unremarkable track.

It should also be noted how impressive the lineup of collaborators on this album is; Tom Snowden, Ainslie Wills, Airling, AND that incredible saxophonist on Camberwell (you know what I’m talking about 😉).

It’s should come as no surprise that this album was nominated for an Australian Music Prize. While it did lose to REMI’s Raw X Infinity, at least we can have some comfort in knowing that Tom did win the prize the year before, for the wonderful Big Scary album, Not Art.

Notable mentions: There There - Washington, The Dew Lasts An Hour - Ballet School

2015 - CARRIE & LOWELL, SUFJAN STEVENS

“I don’t know where to begin...” where do you even start with an album like Carrie & Lowell!? How do you follow up an album that ended with one of the most powerful 25+ minute epics ever made? (I’m talking about Impossible Soul, if you haven’t heard it in full, drop everything and listen now - and if you have heard it, enjoy this shorter Car Seat Headrest cover)

Upon it’s release, Carrie & Lowell was hugely successful with critics, and was often cited as Sufjan’s best work yet. This album is quiet, I can’t count the number of times I've fallen asleep to this album on the train home from the city.

Despite it’s soft production, this album hits hard with it’s lyrics, something Sufjan now has now had over 20 years experience perfecting. Standouts include Should Have Known Better, Blue Bucket of Gold, and Fourth of July (see Sufjan leading a festival chant of ‘we’re all gonna die’ with the power of 10,000 suns here).

This album holds a warm place in many listeners hearts, and is well deserving of 2015′s top spot.

Notable mentions: Pretend You’re Mine - Pearls, The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us - Beach Slang

2016 - 22, A MILLION, BON IVER

Notable mentions: Not To Disappear - Daughter, Light Upon The Lake - Whitney

2017 - GO FARTHER IN LIGTHNESS, GANG OF YOUTHS

Standouts include slow burner Do Not Let Your Spirit Wane, anthemic Atlas Drowned, past punching What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?, and once in a lifetime worship anthem to Nietzschean affirmation Say Yes to Life. 

Read our review of the album here.

Notable mentions: Zone - Cloud Control, Visions Of A Life - Wolf Alice

2018 - FUTURE ME HATES ME, THE BETHS

Notable mentions: Lush - Snail Mail, Evening Machines - Gregory Alan Isakov

2019 - LOW GRADE BUZZ, HUNTLY

Notable mentions: You Deserve Love - White Reaper, First Body - Two People