#the title is terrible blame ed sheeran

[wagingmywarsbehindmyface]

hi 🥰 what are your favourite and least favourite songs from each Taylor’s album and why? ✨ <- i need you to do this too!

I haven’t seen that one coming, for real! 😂 Thank you, Poppy ❤️😌

so, i’m a terribly awful Swiftie for saying this but I despise DEBUT 💚 I really am. I couldn’t decide which song is my least favourite in reverse of situation when trying to choose fave one, so i figured the track I tolerate is A Place in This World. And the rest of the album is on the other side, I’m sorry 😅

Fearless 💛 This album is much more likeable! I like: Fearless, Love Story, You Belong with Me, The Way I Love You, Untouchable, Don’t You, Mr. Perfectly Fine! Those are bops, sometimes sad nevertheless I like them a lot! See? I redeemed myself 😂 Now to the next part! I’m not the biggest fan of Superstar and White Horse 🫢 These are not clicking with me 🙁

Speak Now 💜 I must say this album grew on me a loooot, A LOT! I look at it in a different way than I used to be, and now it’s one of my faves 😄 Speak Now the song defender ok? I like all of the songs beside… Last Kiss… I know, ok, I KNOW. May I choose the date of crucification? And Ours and Superman, I feel those two were fillers of the album Taylor needed at the time 😕

RED ❤️ Alright, this one will be super tough, because it is a really, really good album and it deserves the Grammy of course! 🥹❤️ State of Grace, Red, Treacherous, ATW (10min version), The Last Time, Holy Ground, Lucky One, Sad Beautiful Tragic, IBYTAM, Nothing New and Forever Winter are the most magical part of this album for me 🤧 The least… well, I’m not that much of a supporter of Ed Sheeran’s feat. on this album, so Everything Has Changed and Run duo is a no. Also that remix of Girl At Home, no, thank you. Stay Stay Stay it’s just meh I guess? 😅😅

1989 🩵 IT’S "MY” ALBUM! and I absolutely love eeeverything about it! It’s a no skip one, I can’t choose the song I dislike. I love all of them! 🥹🩵

REPUTATION 🖤 Aaaaahh! This one, I love memories occurring when I think of days when this one was released 🥹 I definitely like Ready For It, Delicate, Don’t Blame Me, LWYMMD, IDSB, Getaway Car, I would like KoMH more if it was more rock-ish? And CIWYWI 🖤 The least: So It Goes, DWOHT, End Game, TIWWCHNT 🤓 This album is legendary, right, but now I see some cringe about it?

Lover 🩷 My fave is definitely the title track, Lover! It’s such a sweet pop ballad ✨ Next ones are: The Archer, Cruel Summer, DBTC, Paper Rings - silly cute song 😌 Cornelia Street, London Boy (shut up, Pops 😂❤️), False God, the saxophone okaaay? And Daylight! The least fave are Afterglow 🫢, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince 😅 It’s a solid album, fun, important album in Taylor’s career and I will defend it forever ✨

FOLKLORE 🩶 I CAN’T! I DENY! I LOVE THIS ALBUM!

EVERMORE 🤎 SAME! NO SKIP! Closure defender!

Midnights 💙 Well, there are songs I adore and adore a little bit less for sure. Let’s start with first ones: Lavender Haze (I remember listening to first beats for the first time ✨🥹) Anti-Hero, YOYOK (although it took time!), Midnight Rain (same…), Maroon, SOTB but with Lana’s verse 🥴, Vigilante Shit, Karma, Labyrinth, Sweet Nothing, Mastermind, GREAT WAR!! Paris is such a fun track! High Infidelity and Dear Reader ✨ When it comes to least: BTTWS 🥹 I don’t listen to this that much. The rest of songs are great but not my favourites.

[locke-writes]

Racing Hearts

Author: locke writes

Title: Racing Hearts

Song: Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran, Spike For: Anon

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,528

Tag List: @multifandomfix​ / ask to be added

You had no one to blame but yourself. If you actually thought hard enough about the situation that you were currently in then it was very clear that you had no one to blame but yourself. Yet still part of you wanted to blame others, part of you wanted to blame Buffy. She had been the one who introduced you to him after all. Sure at the time of the introduction she had introduced the two of you with caution knowing that Spike was recently new to not killing and you had known of his victims.

Yes you really had no one to blame for yourself for the predicament that you were in. You had no one to blame for the fact that you had fallen in love with Spike.

Spike had of course come on the Sunnydale scene like many other vampires in the area, hunting for the next feed. Entirely uneventful you had thought, easy to ignore as everyone had come to believe. Yet he kept popping up, kept coming around, kept running into Buffy. He kept on becoming some sort of annoyance for all of you and you hadn't expected him to be anything else to you at all. He was, to you, a vampire, only and always just a vampire and nothing more.

Buffy bringing him into the Scooby gang wasn't a betrayal, it was just odd. He was the enemy, he had on numerous occasions tried to kill her or anyone close to her, no matter what he hadn't seemed like the greatest ally that anyone should have. She explained that there was no way for him to kill anymore, something about a chip that prevented him from killing anyone at all although that seemed suspicious to you, some lie he might have created in an effort to infiltrate the group of the Slayer.

There was a sense of mistrust that filled you, maybe it would always fill you when you were around him. There wasn't anything that could ever calm you as you stood near him, as you worked with him. He was an enemy in your eyes, there wasn't anything that you supposed he could do to change your mind. A vampire and a human could be nothing more than enemies, it was something you had believed since the day you learned they were not more than fiction.

Each and every time you were asked to do surveillance, research, or pretty much anything at all to help Buffy in fighting some sort of the supernatural, you were paired with Spike. There was never a comment as to why you were paired up together, you had your thoughts (mainly that Xander and Willow were as suspicious as you) but you never said a thing about it. Never said a single word against working with him although you knew deep down what you felt about him had never changed.

Conversations were non-existent between you and he. The two of you would simply sit at the same table together pouring over books in an effort to find the correct creature. Silence fell over the two of you when out on patrol, the air still and the only noise the chirping of birds and the occasional car alarm. You kept your distance from him, you kept cautious of him although he had since proved that he truly could not kill. There was the thought that he might turn against you even without killing you.

You had thought you might go one continuing with your distrust of Spike, you thought perhaps that you would merely see him as an acquaintance if ever the two of you were to become more than patrol partners. You had thought a lot of things up until the night when Spike saved your life.

Some demons were stronger than others, some demons more brutal than others, these were things you knew, had been aware of, and yet still became ill prepared for. Granted when a hoard of demons appeared in Sunnydale under the disguise of a tour group you knew that anyone was ill prepared. The most demons that Buffy had taken on at once had been a small group, nothing in the twenties and thirties as had been estimated by Giles.

Buffy was the slayer but she was unable to go in alone for this one, everyone needed to be taught how to kill demons. Spike didn't need to be trained for anything, these were demons he was going up against. In an all out brawl with too many demons you were still shocked to find that you had managed to kill three before being gripped by the throat. Pressure was applied, everything going dark as you began passing out. As quickly as the moment began, it ended, the demon being pulled from you, its head being ripped from its body by Spike.

Certainly not the most romantic of moments, yet you knew something had changed between the two of you as soon as Spike began questioning you about you're well-being once the demons were all killed. He hated admitting it to himself yet it was easy for the two of youth see, he cared about you and you knew that you cared about him. Whatever animosity you'd had towards him before that moment had gone in an instant, replaced with a multitude of understanding and respect.

Caring, that's what began everything, caring. You attempted now to get to know one another, speaking about everything and nothing during research sessions. Spike began to get you into terrible British soap operas, you began asking him questions about the times and placed during which he'd lived. Told jokes, shared stories, grew with one another, that was what happened. Day after day the two of you grew into a friendship, one that often led to you visiting him on the nights when you couldn't sleep or even the nights where you had no patrolling to do.

Spike was the first one to change the nature of your relationship with him. You'd thought of him as a friend, only as a friend. Yet even though you kept telling yourself that the nature of your relationship was strictly platonic there was a part of you that wanted to be with him, that wanted to love him, that perhaps even did love him. Something you felt when around him had shifted from being pleased to have time with him to wanting to be near him and being pained when you weren't.

The two of you were watching the latest episode of a sitcom you'd managed to find that actually interested Spike when you felt his hand move on top of your own. You wanted to hold his hand, knew that was what he was asking in this silent manner but even still there was this fear that he had done it on accident, that he'd done it without thinking and he might regret the accident. You turned to face him, turned to face the downfall of a friendship but instead he pulled you to him and kissed you. When the two of you broke away you put your head against his shoulder, smiling against him.

It was easy to fall in love with Spike and even easier to know that you shouldn't. The chip was something that was to be taken away, he'd be able to harm people soon enough, be able to harm you. And even if he refused to harm you, you knew that he was a vampire, he killed to feed more often than just feeding and leaving the victim alone. Dangerous to love him, dangerous to be with him, yet you couldn't keep away from him.

No one knew you were sneaking out in the middle of the night to see Spike. Even if they did they never said a word. Night after night you'd go to visit him, there were a limited amount of things you could do that wouldn't lead to the two of you being caught together however night still led to some sort of date nights. He wanted to give you as normal a relationship as he could which was easiest when the two of you were on patrol together as there was less sneaking around and more just trying not make it obvious that you had feelings for one another.

Buffy, Giles, Xander, Willow, all of your friends perhaps suspected that you were in a relationship. Behavior changes often occurred when someone was happy in the way that you were. However even then you feared telling them, what would they think, what would they tell you? Perhaps it would end in a conversation about breaking up with him, theories about using you to get back at someone, there could be many valid reasons regarding why you should never date Spike. Still whatever they said you knew you would go against it.

It was a pattern you wanted to break although you knew that you couldn't. Try as you might you'd still come back to him. You loved him, there was never going to be any parting from him. A habit you knew you would never break.

[ridiculously-over-obsessed]

Spell out your url in song titles, and then tag as many people as there are letters in your url.

I was tagged by @falling-forever-in-a-hole and @kendrickslmanburg who I am mad at because my URL is soooo long why would you do this to me??? 😂😂😂 Decided to try and do it entirely in TSwift songs because Ellie is a terrible influence

Ready For It - Taylor Swift

I Wish You Would - Taylor Swift

Don’t You (Taylor’s Version)(From the vault) - Taylor Swift

I Know Places - Taylor Swift

Change (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift

Untouchable (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift

Love Story (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift

Out Of The Woods - Taylor Swift

Universe & U - KT Tunstall (tragically TSwift only has one song that starts with a u...)

Superstar (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift

Look What You Made Me Do - Taylor Swift

You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift

-

Our Song - Taylor Swift

Viva La Vida - Coldplay (no v either sadly...)

End Game - Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Future

Renegade (ft. Taylor Swift) - Big Red Machine, Taylor Swift

-

Obviously - McFly (TSwift taps out at two o’s...)

Breathe (ft. Colbie Caillat)(Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift

Style - Taylor Swift

Exile (ft. Bon Iver) - Taylor Swift

Shake It Off - Taylor Swift

So It Goes... - Taylor Swift

Epiphany - Taylor Swift

Don’t Blame Me - Taylor Swift

I am NOT tagging 24 people dlfghfgld I will be here allll day but I am tagging @chloebeale @chubby-maimaki @forthosebelow @snowydot @143bc @accio-sense because I can 😘

[nooneaskedme-but]

Album Review - Reputation by Taylor Swift

As far as pop goes, I’ve always thought fondly of Taylor Swift’s music. Her voice is just to die for, and her music as a whole really strikes a match with me. What I won’t be talking about here is Kanye, the lawsuits, the merch/ticket stunt, etc. What I will be discussing, however, is what a treasure her work is, and how great this album turned out.

So, what do you say? Let’s get into it! Track by track review:

1. ...Ready for It?

I’ve already covered the majority of my thoughts on this song in an earlier review, so I’ll be brief here. Despite the seemingly generic instrumentals, it’s a really sweet and catchy song. Moreover, I find her voice particularly pretty here, mainly when the chorus chimes in. I have to say, it’s a very enjoyable track, perfect for gal pal singalongs or a night out. - 7/10

2. End Game (ft. Future and Ed Sheeran)

First off, I don’t like Future. I never have. I actually blame him for this mumble rap plague we’ve had to suffer through for the better part of the year (not him solely, but he’s definitely a pioneer of it). That being said, he sounds...decent (?) here. I can appreciate what he does for this song, even though Taylor and Ed could’ve easily stole the show themselves. Overall, though, it’s a winner. With positive, monogamous lyrics, and a fun instrumental, this track is a definite winner in my book. - 8/10

3. I Did Something Bad

Since this album’s release, many have criticized Taylor Swift (T Swizzle) for trying way too hard to reinforce this newly found “bad girl” image. While I feel differently for the most part, I can see how this particular song could be an example of that. And, that’s why I’m not terribly keen on it. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard, but it is a little try-hardy and all around weak. It’s decent, but I can’t say I was all that impressed. - 5/10

4. Don’t Blame Me

You know, some might argue that this song is lyrically problematic. But, honestly? I couldn’t give a rat’s ass and a half. For one, it’s fun. Though a tad slower, it’s a pretty fun song to groove to (or, as the young’ns say, turn up). Also, let’s face it. Love does make people do some crazy shit, and that’s just a fact. But, getting back on track, the music itself is rather infectious, and Taylor’s voice has a sensual force behind that really drives the intensity of this song. All in all, it’s as sexy as it is lovable, and I can really get behind that. - 9/10

5. Delicate

Musically, this song makes me feel like I’m floating on a nighttime sky. Very airy, kind of lightheaded instrumentals, but they honestly work very well here. Lyrically, I’ve been in this situation a number of times. I’m a sucker for romance, obviously. But, for some reason, it’s always a tad sweeter when it’s a little risky and just shy of forbidden. It’s a very cute song, all around, and it melts me a little whenever I hear it. - 10/10

6. Look What You Made Me Do

Ha! Look everybody, it’s the song of the year! Okay, but really, I’ve been waiting to re-review this song. I was incredibly harsh towards it, initially. I thought it was stupid and poorly put together, to say the least. And, well, while I still maintain that it’s incredibly corny and overly simple, it still has mad charm. I can’t fault that. It does a fantastic job of hyping people up, and it’s something to put on when you don’t want to have to think. It took a minute, but this song really sunk its teeth into my neck. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t love it, now. - 10/10

7. So It Goes...

Here we have yet another song about the thrills of one of her scandalous, adventurous relationships. But, judging from the title, I’m gonna take a stab in the dark and guess that she’s referring some sort of repetitive cycle she always seems to fall into. Maybe others see it differently, but that’s just how I look at it. As far as the music itself, nothing really stood out to me. It’s not bad, by any means. It’s just an ordinary song, to me, easy to skip over. - 6/10

8. Gorgeous

To start off, this song is gorgeous. While the lyrics don’t really have a lot of substance (typical singing about blue eyes and dreamy looks), they don’t need to. I mean, you can’t really expect much from a song literally titled ‘Gorgeous’. One thing I absolutely adore about this track, aside from the still semi-innocent overarching theme, is the subtle drum line against the rest of the music. That’s one thing that really puts this song together for me. To put it frankly, this track is as charming as it gets - 9/10

9. Getaway Car

As much I adore Taylor, and her music, even I have to admit that her lyrics aren’t always the sharpest. This song, though. This song is pure fucking poetry. I feel something incredible when I listen, especially right before the chorus explodes.

“We never had a shotgun, shot in the dark!”

I swear to God, that part in particular gives me life. The music booms, and the lyrics are deep enough to resonate with most anyone, at least on some level. Hands down, this is easily one of the best songs featured on the record. - 10/10

10. King of My Heart

I don’t really have much to say about this song, other than I absolutely love the underlying march beat. It sounds so tight alongside the rest of the music, and it blows me away when the break downs hit and it’s the only thing playing. I really hope Taylor actually does find the king of her heart, though, or else it’ll be me *wink*. - 8/10

11. Dancing With Our Hands Tied

If you really hone in on the lyrics, this song is a lot darker than it lets on. At the surface level, it sounds like your average club sensation (but slightly better). But, when you dig a little, you can heat the woes of a love story gone completely south.

But wait, there’s more!

Once that sinks in, the title itself makes a world of sense. ‘Dancing With Our Hands Tied’. It’s a metaphor for when the feelings are there, and strong, but there’s nothing either person can do to make it actually work. It’s actually damn sad, when you think about it. If you want something you can turn up to, while also bellowing miserably with a tub of Ben ‘n Jerry’s sat in your arms, then this is the song for you. - 7/10

12. Dress

This song, right here, is the epitome of sexy. Also, again, highly relatable. I’ve been in this situations more than once. You ever have that one best friend? You know, that best friend you’d secretly invite upstairs for an all night underwear jamboree? Yeah, that one. We’ve all been there.

Anyway! Yeah, this song is gold. You can really hear the similarities to Lorde’s latest album, Melodrama, and how much influence it had on this album (thanks Jack Antonoff). The lyrics, while dangerously sensual, are very tastefully written and executed. That, and the clever instrumentation makes me feel so riveting, so alive. This song is nothing short of a treasure, and it stuck with me after only a couple of listens. - 10/10

13. This Is Why Can’t Have Nice Things

YAAAAS BITCH, I AM L I V I N G FOR THIS SONG

I couldn’t wait to feast my ears on this masterpiece. My mouth was literally watering as I tapped the play button. I knew, I just knew this song would be the highest degree of petty. And boy, was I right on the fucking mark. Here, we’ve got a lot of obvious digs at Kanye and others that have wronged her. We’re also treated to some nice bubblegum synth at the start, which just really set the perfect atmosphere. I just, I don’t know man. Everything about this song is so beautiful. I reiterate, I am living for it. - 10/10

14. Call It What You Want

You know, this song is actually the perfect fuck you. She throws no jabs (none major, anyway), but she tells us how amazing things are, even with everyone out to get her. I love it. Things are grand, she’s got her baby, and she is living. That’s honestly where I aspire to be. Much like ‘...Ready for It?’, this track has a rather mild trap pop backing track. It’s ordinary, but it fits this song well. Against Taylor’s seamless vocals, it makes for a very relaxing and comforting time. - 10/10

15. New Years Day

See, Taylor says the old her is “dead”. But, for me, this song really says otherwise. It’s so...wholesome. I hear a lot of the old, American sweetheart Taylor Swift that everyone’s been pining for since before the Red album. It’s a soft, gentle little ballad, seasoned with warm and heartfelt lyrics about wanting to hold onto that special someone. I haven’t heard anything this pure in such a long time, especially from T Sweezy. If I weren’t such a mAN, I’d say that it brings a tear to my eye (okay, okay...it did). In all seriousness, though, I’m absolutely in love with this track. It’s a perfect love song, and a perfect anthem for a new, hopeful beginning. - 10/10

See, I knew this record would be good, but I didn’t know it would be this good. I mean sure, there were a few dull moments here and there. But, for the most part, I’m enamored with this album. It has lots depth, the quality is definitely there, and it hails back to the 1989 era (arguably Taylor’s peak era) a time or two. Say what you will, but I’m genuinely stoked to see where Taylor takes her music next.

My Rating - 8/10

Stay Tuned for More!

[marisheeran-imagines]

Lego House: Day Fourteen, Part Two - #EdSheeranForAFortnight

Title: Lego House Chapter Number: 14'2/15 Chapter Title: Day Fourteen, Part 2 Pairing: Ed Sheeran x Reader Point of View: Ed's Rating: +15 Word Counter: +1000 Warnings: teenage Ed (16), teenage reader (15), fluffy, careful Ed, sweet Ed, encouraging Ed, rough father

Summary: Ed was caught skipping classes and now he'll have to spend some time in detention... With the principal's daughter, while he's out of the town. What could happen between two teenagers with a "free time" for themselves, practically alone in the school?

var Mariana = prompt("What's your name?","Example: Ana, Taylor, Emma...")

var Mari = prompt("Do you have a nickname? Please, what is it?","Example: Tay, Bella...")

var Lima = prompt("What's your father's last name?","Example: Sheeran, Winchester, Jones...")

Ed's POV - Tuesday

...

"Mr. document.write(Lima)" I knock on his door and he opens it quickly. I'm nearly of cursing at him for the way he treated my baby when I look into his red eyes, and as there's no smell of drinks, I can only assume he's been crying.

"Get in, boy!" he gestures and I obey him, still a bit astonished by his face, I honestly never thought I'd see him crying.

I put my backpack on a chair, but keep stand up, and I glimpse at my Cyril, leaned against a wall. Oh, God, how I miss you!

"Why did you treat document.write(Mari) that way? You know she doesn't deserve that! She's the best girl I've ever met, I'm pretty sure you know the daughter you have, sir. Why didn't you just throw your anger towards me?" I ask and Mr. document.write(Lima) sighs heavily, pressing both of his hands on his face.

"I know, she's... She's an amazing girl!" he seats on his chair, leaning his elbows on his table "But she's... She's both the best and worst thing that happened in my life!" he shakes his head, hiding his face on his hands afterwards "I can't... I've tried so hard, but she took her away from me" he murmurs and I understand immediately that her is his wife.

Though I try to get his side, that he's lost his wife, I know it's not fair he blames his own daughter for what happened "document.write(Mariana) was just a child, she did nothing wrong!" I say, sitting on the chair in his front "Her mother just wanted to protect her!".

"You don't understand boy, no one can. You haven't loved anyone, you haven't lost anyone..."

"You are wrong!" I say and he frowns "I've lost a friend, I how how it's like to be in both sides. I wish I could have saved him, but I know there was nothing I could do. And I love...".

I gulp, oh, God, do I love her? Do I love document.write(Mariana)? It seems so soon, but... Everything has happened so fast between us, right?

"You stop lying boy, I know you don't love her, you're just trying to get in her pants, you think I'm stupid? I once was a teen too!" he groans, looking irritated "Have you gotten in her pants yet?" he stands up, seeming mad, really mad. I'm not afraid though, after everything he said to my girl, all I know it's I'm here in her defence, so I stand up too. Well, he's fucking bigger than me, but I don't care now, I think this is what they call 'adrenaline rush'.

"No, I haven't, and I'm not planning to get there" 'not so soon' I think to myself "I do love her, maybe not as a lover, yet, but as a friend, as someone whose strength, sweetness and kindness I admire. That after everything she's been through, she's still capable of donating herself to help the others, she's kind and lovely with everyone and yet, she's gotta get mistreated by her own father!" I get angrier as I speak, the memories of the way he treated her coming back to my mind.

Mr. document.write(Lima)'s face falls and he sits again, shrinking on the chair "I told you, you can't understand! She took away the love of my life!".

"She should be the love of your life, then" I say and he looks at me as if I were crazy "Not in a romantic way, obviously!" I roll my eyes "She's full of light and purity! You just have to look at her, you actually don't even need to; just the feeling of her presence is enough to realise that! She's what was left by your wife, to be cared, loved and...".

"I can't!" he sighs, looking at me, and he's broken, just like document.write(Mari) was, she's certainly took after him a bit, the eye expressions mostly "I can't... Love her!" he looks down, embarrassed, and I think this is the first time he's said this to someone else. God, by the way Mr. document.write(Lima) looks he's probably never said it out loud!

"I know it's a terrible thing for a father to say, but don't judge me, boy! I think I did love her once... After the accident, though, she was so alike her mother I just couldn't even stand looking at her, her mere presence reminded me of her mother, of the woman I lost, because of her...".

Shit, I can't let him say these things, my baby already feels guilty enough; I know it must be difficult for Mr. document.write(Lima), but he was everything document.write(Mari) had - and still has - and damn it, it was not her fault!

"May I say something, Mr. document.write(Lima)?" I ask and he nods his head "document.write(Mari) wasn't driving the car that hit your wife's. You may have lost your woman, but it was certainly not because of your daughter! And if you keep treating her like that, you're gonna end up losing her too!".

...

The rest of the talk was even stranger, Mr. document.write(Lima) kept mumbling a few more things before he asked me what kind of relationship me and document.write(Mari) were into.

When I told him we were dating for two days he seemed surprised, saying he had thought me and his daughter was dating since before he left for the conferences; that this was the secret she and I were keeping from him, but as he had no proves at the time, he couldn't do anything.

I think he was so shocked and pissed off with himself - I saw that in his eyes - that he didn't even contest our relationship; he said I was free from the rest of the detention and gave my Cyril back.

And now I'm heading to his house, I need to see my baby, try to cheer her up after everything.

...

[youngbloodfreshmeat-blog]

reputation - Taylor Swift

‘Reputation’ is a culmination of many things, the jigsaw pieces and songwriting scraps of Taylor Swift’s career turned into an eerie electronic pop art form for the new age. It’s a pulsing, echoing blast of mockery, of romance, of desire. And the newly crowned snake queen sits on her throne above it all.

The history of Taylor Swift’s many romances, conflicts and career snapshots has been well-documented in the public eye. From her fleeting 2009 relationship with a young Joe Jonas leading to bitter break-up comments on ‘The Ellen Show’, to the #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty brought on by the spreading of her private phone conversations with Kim Kardashian and husband Kanye West, every second of Swift’s life has been broadcasted to the world. For better or for worse, attention has chased this woman everywhere she’s gone. Now, it has evolved into one hell of an album.

Opening with the bass-driven ‘...Ready for It?’, a football game anthem leading with Swift clearing her throat and sort-of-almost-rapping, ‘Reputation’ begins with a crackling oddity. ‘...Ready for It?’ may be questionably titled in regards to grammar, but the lyrics are even more confusing. A stretched comparison to burglaries and prison cells, as a way of running with the ‘partners in crime’ metaphor, doesn’t seem to work very effectively here- Swift claims her new man can “join the heist”, and then follows it up with, “he can be my jailer”. Ignoring the clunky lyrics, the song itself doesn’t seem to fit in its own skin; the verses sound completely different to the blossoming pink chorus of Swift past, making for an interesting track, but not something as ‘sonically cohesive’ as Swift has boasted for the past three years. Nevertheless, the absolute strangest thing about ‘...Ready For It?’ is that when all of these mismatched parts come together, somehow… it still works. It’s not a top track, but something certainly manages to hold it together, which is no easy feat.

The follow-up is the Future and Ed Sheeran number, ‘End Game’, another very rap-oriented song. Surprisingly, Swift sounds right at home on the track, leaving Sheeran in the dust. It’s nice to hear the more unfiltered sound of Swift’s vocals on this number too, with her laughing chants of “big reputation, big reputation!” echoing throughout the song. It’s far from the best track of the album, but its hook and catchy rhythm are at least enjoyable. The structure, however, is choppy, and the song quickly wears itself out after a few replays.

When we reach ‘I Did Something Bad’, we see a side to Swift we have never seen before. She is completely owning the dark, brooding bitch personality that recent events have attributed to her, and it results in everything ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ should have been. This is the blasting lead single, the number soaked in snake imagery and fire and murder, everything the dark and edgy ‘new Taylor’ promised and more, and it’s without a doubt a major highlight of the album. Swift’s chants of, “why’s it feel so good?”, the gunshot sound effect, and the dubstep cries reminiscent of 2012’s ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ will haunt you until the very last crooning moment.

‘Don’t Blame Me’ is another peak of ‘Reputation’, its gospel-infused cries injecting into your bloodstream. The recently released karaoke version of the album also highlights some of Swift’s incredible backing vocals on this number, with a deep, swooning hum sweeping underneath the song, and some astounding harmonies in which she reaches surprisingly high notes in her criminally underused belt. Taylor’s shouts of “trip of my life!” and her glorious high note at the start of the last chorus are an out-of-body experience, proving her true versatility and unappreciated power as a vocalist.The dazed, heady passion of this track speaks for itself as one of ‘Reputation’’s greatest successes.

The notorious track five of any Swift album, ‘Delicate’ seems to be a rather polarising song. Swift sings through a robotic vocalising effect for the majority of the track and as a result, it becomes a real love-it-or-hate-it number. Pretty lyrics, pretty echoes, but it sounds nothing like the title would lead you to believe. However, these cautious whispers and repeats of “isn’t it?” echo with an unspoken beauty, and something about the strange track has such an immense appeal that it eventually becomes tough to dislike. It’s perhaps the one song on the album that really does grow on the listener before it can be appreciated.

Lead single ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ has been discussed to death. It samples Right Said Fred’s ‘I’m Too Sexy’, an entirely unlikely song for Swift to use, but unfortunately that moment seems to be the song’s ultimate weakness. The verses are lyrically strong and achieve the spooky, threatening feel Swift strives for after the haunting introduction. Each pre-chorus is even stronger, serving the noteable one-liner “honey I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time”. But with all this build-up, it only makes the boring, repetitive chorus an even greater disappointment; there is no power to it, no excitement, nothing strong whatsoever. Swift’s monotone repeating of one simple phrase is worsened in her live performances of the song, which only serve to further prove how gutting that chorus really is after the beauty of the verses and pre-choruses. A special mention is also deserved by the fact that the second verse lazily uses the line “the world moves on”, twice in a row in quick succession, but somehow, to most listeners it goes unnoticed.

‘...So It Goes’ is another of the album’s weaker songs, wasting its strong lyrics on a mediocre melody. Making comparisons between a lover and a magician, each word paints a dreamy, ethereal picture, but almost the entire song seems to be composed of only two or three notes. The track would be completely lost within ‘Reputation’ without its standout bridge, in which Swift whispers, “you did a number on me, but honestly baby, who’s counting?” It again pushes how much of a waste it was to use such beautiful lyrics on this less-than-average tune.

There’s no doubt that ‘Gorgeous’ is the weakest song on the album. It’s painfully repetitive, there’s a weird disconnected baby voice as an introduction, and award-winning lyricist Taylor Swift rhymes ‘face’ with ‘face’. It’s still catchy, of course, and the sparkly, feel-good production makes it a fun sing-along number, but the words are weaker than anything in Swift’s entire discography, and hearing the same four-note riff looping over and over quickly drives the listener crazy. Of course, if this song has one thing going for it, it’s the iconic line, “I guess I’ll just stumble on home to my cats”. Well played, Swift.

After a three-track run of the album’s worst, ‘Getaway Car’ sounds like an offcut from 2014’s ‘1989’, reaching the record’s absolute peak. It’s a snappy, soaring song with fantastic lyrics and the instantly recognisable pop production of Jack Antonoff. A pulsing drum beat paired with catchy clicking and powerful cries leading into each chorus drive this number to success, plus, the key change in the bridge further lifts the song higher off the ground. ‘Getaway Car’ perfectly represents how to use build-up, and it’s where ‘Reputation’ finds its climax, in its synths, stacked backing vocals, and steady drum beats, building a song that only gets better and better.

‘King Of My Heart’ is better appreciated if its titular lyric is disregarded entirely. Most of the song is beautifully written, with wordy verses following a beautiful descending melody, which speeds up and ascends during the catchy pre-chorus. Clicking and synth chords carry the song through, and it also provides some of the most beautiful harmonies on the album, again better heard on its karaoke edition. However, this song is again rather polarising, as it really makes use of Swift’s new vocalising effects and heavy bass. It’s not something the old Taylor would have released, but it’s wonderful in its own right, even with its new age sound and clunky name. Again, the bridge is a highlight, and Swift’s use of British slang in “say you fancy me, not fancy stuff” calls to mind her current boyfriend Joe Alwyn, born and raised in the heart of England. It’s a not-so-subtle callout, but it’s nice to hear most of this album as a callout of love rather than revenge.

Fans have greatly underrated another of ‘Reputation’’s true peaks, found in the pulsing dance track ‘Dancing With Our Hands Tied’, which details a romance lost to the media frenzy often faced by Swift. The dreamy lyrics and melody on this song are highlighted in its woozy bridge, in which she claims, “I’d kiss you as the lights went out, swaying as the room burned down”. It’s undeniably romantic, whilst still maintaining the sheer panic at the core of the song. Every word is carefully perfected, with the rush of a pre-chorus further building on this fear, leading up to that incredibly powerful chorus. It truly lives up to its name, in that this song leaves the listener dancing, but not sure if they should want to.

Following ‘Dancing With Our Hands Tied’ is a song deemed controversial by Swift, but sadly very tame for any other artist, defeating the shock value after the first listen. ‘Dress’ is entirely all built around the key line “only bought this dress so you could take it off”, which Swift says she likes because it sounds like a “bad pick-up line”. However, it’s kind of a terrible lyric, and it’s a shame, because it’s probably the song’s one true weak point, much like ‘King of my Heart’. The rest of the song is an otherworldly rendition of desire and lust, with more breathy harmonies and production. The pre-choruses, met with Swift’s gasps, are reminiscent of her 2014 song ‘Wildest Dreams’, but here they seem more natural and fitting. ‘Dress’ is one of the album’s slower moments, but it still pulls through with the more electronic production present throughout ‘Reputation’, making it sound cohesive when by all accounts it shouldn’t fit in. It’s a beautiful song, but perhaps overshadowed by the album’s other heights, which just seem to reach higher.

There was inevitably going to be one song on the album which was a bite back at Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, after their infamous feud with Taylor over the past few years. That song is found in ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’, a ridiculous, over-the-top chant that sounds like children yelling on the playground. And yet somehow, it works. The delivery of each line, sneering and snapping, makes the song so much more intense. The instrumentation is always on the verge of collapsing on itself, and the childish chanting manages to both make a mockery of the Kardashian-Wests, and of Swift herself; she knows exactly how silly she is for indulging the feud, but she owns it. Her drawl on the line, “if only you weren’t so shaaaady…” emphasises the joke of the song, making it so much more enjoyable, and that cackle before the final chorus is so ugly that it’s pretty. This petty revenge jam is the perfect contender to close her upcoming ‘Reputation’ stadium tour.

We then fall into familiar Taylor Swift territory with ‘Call It What You Want’, which is unforunately a clear case of a song having been done better before. But here, the real shame is that lovey-dovey almost-ballads have been done better before by Taylor herself. Even if we’re taking the song on its own without comparing to her previous works, ‘Call It What You Want’ is lyrically weak, and structurally confusing. It makes use of Taylor’s love of following melodies which have barely any changes between notes, and also her almost-rapping style, but it never tries to work in any of the smart, piercing lyrics that brought her other love songs up so high above the rest. It also contains the disturbing lyric, “trust him like a brother”, which is an uncomfortable thing to say about a lover, and a declaration that would have been far better suited to Taylor’s redneck country days. Intended as a cutesy love song, the fact that ‘Call It What You Want’ never goes anywhere makes it easily forgettable in comparison to the rest of ‘Reputation’, and its almost unforgivably bad bridge places it very, very low in the rankings.

‘Reputation’ closes with the simplistic ballad ‘New Years’ Day’. Its time signature is bizarre and wonderful, and it’s a refreshing moment of stripped-back Taylor Swift after the extremely high-end production that makes up the rest of the record. There’s very little vocal editing, and no instruments other than a piano and acoustic guitar, leaving the focus on Swift’s sweet harmonies and untouched voice. This song is warm and homely, dancing with the idea of true love being found with the person who “helps you clean up the mess on New Year’s Day”, rather than the one you kiss at midnight. It doesn’t fit with the rest of the album at all, and it’s perfect that way. ‘New Years’ Day’ doesn’t sound particularly like anything Taylor Swift has done before, but it’s still familiar. Walking that line is what makes this album closer so nice, so comforting, and so beautiful.

All in all, ‘Reputation’ is a strong record, amongst Swift’s best and an interesting flip on her 2012 effort ‘Red’. There has been little public discussion of how this seems to be an intentional contrast; for starters, ‘Red’ was characterised all in capitals, whereas ‘Reputation’ is written entirely in lower case. Both albums also feature many mirroring lyrics, aligning with the track numbers. Amongst the most notable are 2012’s “stay, stay, stay” at track nine, versus ‘Reputation’s’ “go, go, go!”, and the opening number on ‘Red’ proclaiming that “love is a ruthless game”, whilst here, ‘...Ready For It?” urges that we “let the games begin”. At its core, that is what ‘Reputation’ is. It’s a Twitter clapback, it’s a declaration of adoration, it’s a love letter to her people. Most importantly, ‘Reputation’ is a challenge to Taylor Swift’s past self, and to her many future selves we have yet to meet.

Rating: 8/10

Review by youngBLOODfreshMEAT 4th April 2018

[bowiebwe-blog]

Bowie’s Favorite Albums of 2017 Big List! (Intro, #60-41)

Alright! One of my favorite times of the year is actually this list haha. It’s when I finally get to unleash on the world some of my collected thoughts on what came out in the music world this year, and there are a lot of them! I used to just post this list on Facebook in previous years, but this year’s list is a whole new monster. A monster waaaayyy too big for Facebook.

Out of all the years in my life, 2017 was probably my favorite year in music so far (2013 taking 2nd place). Maybe that’s just because I’ve become more invested in it since years past, but either way, it blew me away. I knew last year about some of the big names preparing for releases this year (Eminem, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Taylor Swift, etc.), so of course expectations were high, but those got beat! And I’m lovin’ it! SUCH A GOOD YEAR IN MUSIC!! And my band released our first EP earlier this year too, but out of fairness and all that jazz that won’t be included on here. But hey, I’m a fan ;)

So here I’ve got my top-60 favorite albums of 2017. I listened to around 65 or so new albums this year, but some honestly weren’t good enough to be included and sixty’s a nice, pleasant number haha. Please understand that these are my OPINIONS, so even if it sounds like I’m saying something that could be taken as a fact, like, “this album is amazing,” it’s really not a fact at all. I believe that there really aren’t definitive answers for music. It’s all about how it hits us individually. To say a song is or isn’t great as a fact is kinda dumb. The closest guide I use is what I once heard John Mayer say, which is “the public is never wrong.” And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

So here I’m going to give you the album artist and title, my thoughts on the release, and a few (or one, or whatever I feel like, dang it) of my favorite songs from the album. Just because I like them doesn’t necessarily mean I’d recommend them though. We’re all different, and I try to make my recommendations very personalized. So take a quick look, read every word, skip to number one, or whatever you’d like. It’s all here for you. Enjoy!

———-

Honorable Mention:

Coldplay - Kaleidoscope EP

The only reason this isn’t on the main list is because it’s not actually a full-scale “album.” That’s. It. Coldplay still consistently makes some of the best music out there today (the public is never wrong), and this EP is full of solid songs. Well, besides the live version of “Something Just Like This,” I just don’t feel like that was necessary here and takes away from the cohesiveness of the EP. But the rest of the songs push Coldplay’s songwriting to new limits, seeing how far they can stretch it without losing who they are at heart. “Aliens” might just be their most experimental song to date, “All I Can Think About Is You” feels like the beautiful love child of “Atlas” and their old “Blue Room EP,” and “Hypnotized” I’ll be babbling about later. Great EP.

*All I Can Think About Is You, Hypnotized

——–

60. Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights

I was intrigued to listen to this one after hearing her debut album a while back, but it’s not an album to lose any sleep over. Most every song uses similar guitar tones, effects, and patterns on top of repetitive singing tones and patterns. It’s one of those albums I wouldn’t mind just having in the background of a chill session (is that a thing?) for a little bit, but that’s about it for me.

*Claws In Your Back

——

59. Kesha - Rainbow

Good album, not great. Somehow it creaked into Rolling Stone’s top-10, but hey, to each their own haha. Kesha went out and made a very self-empowering album here, and she very clearly states she’s done takin’ y'all’s crap. It has it’s very cool moments (“Praying”), and very possibly the most charming song of the year (“Godzilla”), but it’s just a “good” album to me.

*Praying, Godzilla, Old Flames

—

58. Migos - Culture

Maybe this album will grow on me, buuuut I’m not there yet haha. It’s not a bad album, I just don’t get all the hype that’s been around it. But like I said, maybe I will someday. There are interesting ideas and concepts in here, and definitely some interesting uses of onomatopoeia (never predicted I’d use that word on this list) though, and it makes it an album to at least check out. I don’t see this album changing rap forever like some have claimed, but it is interesting.

*Big On Big, Slippery

—

57. AJR - The Click

Ya know, this album gets a lot better when I forget about the hat. AJR are an interesting band. They’re part of that new generation/movement that has access to an incredible amount of digital sounds and decides to use a very high, diverse selection of them. I mean, Native Instruments might as well sponsor these guys at this point with how often they show off their Maschine and all the sounds the got from it during their live shows. So it’s an interesting album. But it’s also pretty good. Not all great, but mostly “good.” Think Twenty One Pilots’ little eccentric cousin. I dunno. It’s good haha. Definitely a bit fascinating to listen to for the production choices if not much else. And they use an overture, which I actually really dig. Definitely one of the harder albums here to wrap your mind around, for better or worse.

*Overture, The Good Part

—

56. Phoenix - Ti Amo

I just found out Phoenix is from France. Huh. Anyway, Phoenix has built a reputation as being a consistently solod alternative band. They go for a bit of a change of sound this time around, and it makes me kinda think of an 80’s high school dance -type thing. But they do it really well, and even though that was probably a terrible comparison, it does sound modern and groovey. Definitely a much more colorful, bright album than their previous albums. Phoenix just makes good albums.

*Fior Di Latte, Ti Amo, Tuttifrutti

—

55. Margo Price - All American Made

I checked this album out because Rolling Stone named it their #1 country album of the year, and though I don’t quiiiite agree with that placement, I’m glad I did. Simple, genuine, charming. Definitely an honest album from the artist, and it gives a good insight on her views on some of the social issues out there today. And in a world that’s losing that “old country” feel, albums like this keep it alive, and it’s a beautiful thing.

*Learning to Lose

——

54. Maroon 5 - Red Pill Blues

2017. This album in one word. There’s been a lot of distaste by listeners for Maroon 5 over the past few years because of their draw towards pop trendiness instead of the way they used to be in the early 00’s, and I can’t say I blame ‘em, but Maroon 5 is still Maroon 5, and you can’t get as big as they are without making at least “pretty good” music. (What a big run-on sentence.) I mean, you can still occasionally hear the old Maroon 5 somewhere deep in here but it’s too often buried beneath the biggest sounds and trends of 2017, and that really does detract from the heart of everything. But still, the album has it’s good moments and is generally enjoyable. Definitely not their best, but it’s still a decent pop album.

*Denim Jacket, Lips On You

—

53. Andy Grammer - The Good Parts

Alright, we’ve all heard Andy Grammer on the radio before, and that’s pretty much what you get. No big changes or evolutions, no big surprises, but you get an enjoyable, radio-factory, cookie-cutter pop album. Basically like any AG album haha. He follows the national trend with this one and has gone more electronic and all that, and that’s as new as you’ll get, but he still does those feel-good vibes probably better than anyone else on pop radio these days (and I actually believe him). I wish he’d sometimes take a step back from overreaching for a catch at the expense of an emotional center (I’m looking at you, “The Good Parts”), but I still enjoyed listening to this one.

*Fresh Eyes, Workin On It

—–

52. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

Nah, I get it. I really do. Some people adore this album and it’s near the top of their “Best of 2017” lists. But I don’t quite feel it as much. Probably the main issue I’ve got with it is that it’s just. too. long. The average song on here is six minutes long. For me, I don’t mind long songs at any given time if there’s some sort of change in them, something that expands its reach and says something else within that spectrum (Green Day’s “Jesus Of Suburbia” comes to mind). These songs sometimes just kinda feel like they take forever to say what they need to say. So it’s hard to sit down with this album and thoroughly enjoy it without checking my watch, but the songs themselves are good songs I wouldn’t mind having shuffled in my playlists on occasion. Despite its length and lack of strong melodies, it is a well-made album and worthy of the praise it’s gotten, but it just doesn’t click with me super well.

*Pain

—

51. Zac Brown Band - Welcome Home

If you know Zac Brown Band, you know what you’re getting here. If not, this is another upbeat, fun, warm album from one of the best country groups out there today. Not really anything suprising here or any big changes of formula from the usual ZBB, but it’s still a very enjoyable album to just throw on and have a good day to.

*Long Haul, All The Best

—

50. Prophets Of Rage - Prophets Of Rage

You think these guys voted democrat?

I’m a huge Rage Against The Machine fan, so I was pretty excited when I heard about these guys coming together to form this project. It’s a hard-hitting, no punches pulled, fists in the air, solid rap/rock album. Just be prepared to deal with strong opinions, because pretty much every track on this album is exactly that. It’s pure disruption. These guys do what they do very well though, and no matter your social stances, it’s a fun time getting into. (Please note though, the songs I chose for this album are purely based off musical preferences.)

*Living On The 110, Hail To The Chief

—–

49. William Patrick Corgan - Ogilala

“William *Patrick* Corgan.” This is not the same Willy/Billy I’ve ever heard haha. No more of The Smashing Pumpkins’ grungey guitars or hard-hitting drums here. No more drums here. He took a huge step back here and made a true solo album that is primarily just piano and guitar, and it actually makes his songwriting glow a bit. It’s probably the simplest album on this list, and it’s kind of refreshing to listen to at times. Solid effort, Willy/Billy. Solid effort.

*Aeronaut

—-

48. Mansionz - Mansionz

If you haven’t listened to this just because of the cover art, I can’t say I blame you haha. These guys (Mike Posner and Blackbear, actually really good artists) are throwing all popular opinions and expectations out the window and making sure you know it. Seems like they literally just got together, said “**** it, let’s make a crazy album,” and did it. But here’s the shocking thing, is it’s actually pretty good. Not all of it was all that great, but it’s mostly an enjoyable experience. Mike Posner is also one of the artists out there I’m most fascinated by these days (“I’m Thinking About Horses”), and it’s interesting to see what these two guys made together.

*I’m Thinking About Horses, Rich White Girls, White Linen

—–

47. Linkin Park - One More Light

It’d be really easy to write a glowing opinion on this one because of what happened with Linkin Park this year, but I’m going to try to drop all sentimentality for a sec. Linkin Park went pop here. Though not to the levels of Chainsmokers or whatever, that’s what they did. These artists who are filled up with so much fire and rage in their youth grow up, and if they’re being honest their music grows up with them, which usually means it mellows out at least a bit (look at Eminem). So pop seems like it was just the place where what they were feeling and wanted to express happened to fit at the moment. WHICH IS TOTALLY FINE. And it breaks my heart now like it broke my heart when this album came out that a lot of their fans don’t seem to understand that. Or probably moreso. Linkin Park made a really good album here, but rather than supporting the band at heart and looking at this album for what it really is, a lot of their fans supported their own idea of what they wanted to the band to be instead and ripped on this one, which makes me really sad. It’s a good album. Sure, I definitely wouldn’t grade it anywhere near as high as “Hybrid Theory,” but Linkin Park are still Linkin Park here, and Linkin Park makes dang good music. If this is going to be Linkin Park’s last album, they ended on a different, but strong note.

*Good Goodbye, One More Light, Sorry For Now

—

46. Rise Against - Wolves

Well, they’re not exactly trying to make an “Abbey Road” here or anything like that, but I do love me some Rise Against! Rise Against is one of those bands that has a formula for themseleves that works and that they do very well, and they stick to it rather than try to re-create themselves all the time. But hey, that’s perfectly fine by me. There will always be a nice spot on my lifting playlists for their songs. And, “if it ain’t broke…”

*Wolves, Miracle

—

45. Beck - Colors

Considering the tone of Beck’s previous album, the excellent “Morning Phase,” this one was a bit of a surprise. He got a lot groovier, and I dig it. It’s a very bright, fun album. Definitely more reliant on synthetic sounds this time around, but that’s not a bad thing. Beck’s still out there making great albums.

*Seventh Heaven, Up All Night

——

44. Russ - There’s Really A Wolf

Russ is an intriguing guy. This isn’t some amazing, instant-standout rap album. But! It is a good rap album. And Russ strikes me as a guy who has worked his butt off to get where he is and who will continue to work his butt off to get where he wants to be. It feels like the beginning of something. Will he get hits later and make it to arenas? I dunno. He writes, produces, mixes and engineers all of his songs himself though, and that is enough to impress me with the level these songs are at. It’s a promising start to his mainstream career.

*There’s Really A Wolf, Pull The Trigger

—

43. The National - Sleep Well Beast

This album feels kinda like taking a warm bath. It’s nice and relaxing, but not quite “hot,” you know? But don’t get me wrong, it is definitely a good album. There aren’t really many standout songs, or any that stand out significantly to me, but the album as a whole is the kind of solid piece of art we’ve come to know and love from The National. I’d recommend playing it in the background of a chill night.

*Carin At The Liquor Store, Dark Side Of The Gym

–

42. The Chainsmokers - Memories… Do Not Open

Love 'em or hate 'em, there’s no denying The Chainsmokers are good at what they do, which is making hits. If you want 2017 pop radio summed up in an album, this would probably be a decent one to pick. They’ve got catchy choruses, big drops, the works. It’s not exactly a Da Vinci of an album, but hey, I enjoy dipping my feet in it on rare occasion.

*Something Just Like This, Paris

——

41. St. Vincent - Masseduction

Yeah, no, this is a pretty dang good alternative album. Definitely not the usual album out that’s out there. Has it’s own vibe going. Kinda strange (not in a bad way), and kinda empowering. It’s not *all* my cup of tea, but there are some really good songs on here (“Los Ageless”) for sure. This is the first St. Vincent album I’ve listened to and it’s good enough for me to want to keeo checking out more of them. So even though it’s not quite all the way up my alley, I can see why it’s held in such high regard.

-Slow Disco, Los Ageless

—-

[njawaidofficial]

'Game of Thrones' Recap: Is Jaime Lannister Dead?

http://styleveryday.com/2017/08/07/game-of-thrones-recap-is-jaime-lannister-dead/

'Game of Thrones' Recap: Is Jaime Lannister Dead?

[Warning: this story contains spoilers for the fourth episode of Game of Thrones‘ seventh season, “The Spoils of War.”]

With the fourth hour of its seventh season, Game of Thrones delivered on yet another one of its longest held promises: dragons have returned to Westeros proper, with a vengeance — and it’s potentially very bad news for one character in particular.

The final act of the hour, called “The Spoils of War,” took a hard turn for “Battle of the Bastards” territory in the form of a massive battle between the Lannister and Targaryen forces. In one corner: Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Bronn of the Blackwater (Jerome Flynn), the curiously named Dickon Tarly (Tom Hopper) and his cruel father Randyll (James Faulkner), and countless other soldiers. On the other side of the battlefield: Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and Drogon, unleashing holy hellfire upon everyone they cross, with a huge Dothraki contingent as well. 

It’s the fulfillment of one of the show’s oldest oaths, stemming as early as the first episode of the series, when Viserys (Harry Lloyd) married Daenerys to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) in an effort to recruit his army and win back Westeros. Both Viserys and Drogo are long gone, but the desired results of the marriage pact have finally played out, and very much in House Targaryen’s favor.

Of course, as has happened frequently this season, the battle wasn’t without at least one win for the Lannisters. In the second episode of season seven, Maester Qyburn (Anton Lesser) unveiled a new secret weapon in the campaign against Dany’s dragons: a huge crossbow, packing heat so powerful it could theoretically kill one of the fire-breathing beasts. The theory was put into practice at the end of this week’s dragon battle, as Bronn pierced Drogon’s shoulder with a well-placed arrow. The ferocious creature, up until then thoroughly ravaging the Lannister forces, howled in pain and virtually crash landed on a somewhat safe corner of the battlefield. It wasn’t enough to kill Drogon, but that’s more a matter of Bronn’s aim than the effectiveness of the weapon. As much as one hates to admit it, the giant crossbow looks likely to take out at least one of Dany’s dragons before the whole show is over.

Harming the dragon wasn’t enough of a victory for the Lannisters, however, as the battle culminated in one very foolish decision: Jaime grabbing a spear and charging straight for the wounded Drogon and the subsequently weakened Daenerys. From a distance, Jaime’s brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) watched on, shocked at his older sibling’s foolhardy decision to charge directly at a dragon, no matter how much pain it was in. But Jaime saw an opening to kill Daenerys and end the war in his sister and lover’s favor, and he seized it. Tyrion’s concerns were instantly validated, as Drogon reared his head up in the last few seconds before Jaime could reach Daenerys, and spewed forth a mouthful of fire.

Jaime would certainly be toast, if not for Bronn, who rode in at the eleventh hour and pushed the Lannister army’s leader into the nearby river. Both men narrowly avoided certain death by dragon fire, but for Jaime at least, the danger isn’t over. The episode ends as Jaime, weighed down by his heavy armor, slowly and helplessly sinks toward the bottom of the river. Viewers are left to wonder if the sole surviving son of Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) — or at least the only one who counts, as Cersei (Lena Headey) would tell you — is about to meet his father in the great beyond.

Of course, viewers haven’t really seen the last of Jaime Lannister. There’s no way Game of Thrones removes one of its longest-standing characters from the board without one final scene with Tyrion, especially with the estranged brothers in such close proximity on the battlefield. What’s more, would Thrones really kill off Jaime in an episode in which he lacks a single scene with Cersei? (And flipping the question, it doesn’t seem likely that Thrones would kill Cersei without one final scene with Jaime. In fact, many fans believe the two twins will ultimately die together, or one at the other’s hands.)

With that said, this is quite likely a preview of how Jaime will die eventually: foolishly rushing into a dangerous situation with no regard for anything other than his sister’s satisfaction. It’s a testament to the sad state of Jaime Lannister, as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau previously told The Hollywood Reporter before the season began: “He’s addicted to this relationship.” That addiction will very likely get him killed eventually, just not today.

Looking at the events of “The Spoils of War” from another perspective, this battle appears to be a major victory for Daenerys and her forces. Drogon and the Dothraki utterly decimated a huge swath of the Lannister army, even if they sustained some losses of their own, including the failed attempt on Drogon’s life. But in her own way, Daenerys suffered a moral defeat. The battle only came as a result of Dany feeling the heat of constantly losing against the Lannisters, a development that caused her to publicly blame Tyrion for the defeats. Hotheaded and furious, Dany wanted to charge right into Westeros, but first attempted to consult on the matter with Jon Snow (Kit Harington). 

“I never thought dragons would exist again,” says Lord Snow (or is it King Snow?) when Dany asks for his counsel. “No one did. The people who follow you know you made something impossible happen. Maybe that helps them believe you can make other impossible things happen, to build a world that’s different from the shit one they’ve always known. But if you use them to melt castles and burn cities, you’re not different. You’re just more of the same.”

Consider Jon’s advice roundly ignored, as Dany is next seen charging into battle on Drogon. The horrific carnage and haunting images of war make it clear that Dany’s actions, while effective, had terrible consequences. Pair those brutal images with the scene from earlier in the season in which Arya (Maisie Williams) befriends some kind-hearted Lannister loyalists (including Ed Sheeran), and you’re left to wonder just how far the apple has fallen from the tree where Daenerys and the Mad King are concerned. If there’s a silver lining, it’s Dany’s legitimate look of terror and concern for Drogon toward the end of the battle, perhaps a sign that she understands the scope of her devastating actions.

Returning to the subject of Jon and Daenerys, the King in the North and the Mother of Dragons inched closer together during their scenes in “The Spoils of War.” The chemistry between them is palpable when they stand together in a torchlit cave on Dragonstone, staring at the valuable dragonglass, along with ancient illustrations of the Children of the Forest fighting alongside humans against the White Walkers. (In an alternate universe in which Thrones is a comedy, Jon Snow totally mocked up those carvings on the quick and cheap to get Dany on his side.) 

Later in the episode, Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) explicitly calls out Jon’s attraction to the Mother of Dragons. Jon quickly denies it like a school kid who has been rightfully called out on his secret crush, claiming his quest to kill the Night King is the only thing that matters now. The scene is quickly followed by one in which Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) sings Daenerys’ praises, with a sales pitch so effective that even Davos (whose friendly fondness for Missandei is quickly becoming one of the show’s quietest delights) jokes to Jon: “Would you forgive me if I switch sides?”

Clearly, Game of Thrones is building up toward some kind of romantic collision between Jon Snow and Daenerys. It’s not a shock, given the HBO series is based on a series of novels called A Song of Ice and Fire, a title that directly points toward some sort of union between Houses Stark and Targaryen. Then again, at the same time, the show is building up hype toward a reveal the audience already largely knows, even if the characters most directly involved are still in the dark: Jon Snow is secretly the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, Daenerys’ deceased brother who died at the height of Robert’s Rebellion. 

Is the show truly voyaging into territory where an aunt and her nephew are about to become the new “it” couple? There’s an awkwardly proud tradition of incest within the Targaryen family, so Jon and Dany coming together wouldn’t be out of line with their ancestors’ actions. Still, as the show positions these two as a potential romantic pair, it should come with some measure of squeamishness. 

Between Jon and Dany’s growing closeness and Tyrion’s proximity to Jaime on the battlefield, “The Spoils of War” was already rich with familial interactions. But the most explicit and satisfying family reunion occurred much further north, as Arya finally returned to Winterfell. After a scene that mirrors a moment from season one in which she tried to convince two King’s Landing guards of her identity, Arya finally infiltrates Winterfell and reunites with Sansa in the crypts of Winterfell. The two share a tender moment in which they reflect on how the statue of their late father Ned (Sean Bean) doesn’t look like him at all.

“Everybody who knew his face is dead,” Arya quietly mourns.

“We’re not,” Sansa reminds her younger sister.

The joyful reunion takes on a more somber tone as Sansa takes Arya to Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), who remains emotionally detached due to his status as the Three-Eyed Raven. Indeed, the episode’s most non-violently devastating moment comes when Bran completely dismisses Meera (Ellie Kendrick) as she leaves Winterfell to return home to her family. In that scene, Bran tells Meera that he’s not even really Bran anymore: “I remember what it felt like to be Brandon Stark, but I remember so much else now.” The tearful Meera responds: “You died in that cave.” It’s yet another sign that the all-powerful Bran is becoming more tree than man by the day, and hopefully the start of Meera finally bringing her legendary father Howland Reed (one of the most widely anticipated, if never seen, characters from the books) into the story — though sadly, we’re not counting on it.

Speaking of trees, Bran finally meets up with Arya again beside the heart tree in the godswood of Winterfell. He proves his irrefutable power when he brings up Arya Stark’s list of enemies without her provocation. Bran offers another gift: the Valyrian dagger that was once used in an attempt on his life. Earlier in the episode, Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) presents the weapon to Bran as a sign of his loyalty to House Stark. But the mischievous manipulator is taken aback when Bran replies not with gratitude, but eerie insight into Lord Baelish’s past words: “Chaos is a ladder.” 

It’s the first meeting between two people who purportedly see everything all at once, albeit literally in the case of the young Three-Eyed Raven. Even with his extensive planning, it’s not likely Littlefinger ever imagined having to contend with someone who can actually see everything all at once, thanks to his ability to access the truth through magic. Indeed, as Littlefinger watches Arya use the Valyrian dagger in a wonderfully choreographed sparring match against Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), you get the sense that the Lord of the Vale has bitten off more than he can chew with Sansa’s siblings. Arya’s own suspicion of Littlefinger is noticeable as well, leading one to wonder if it’s just a matter of time before the Valyrian dagger finds its way back to Littlefinger, one bloody way or another.

Two final notes:

• Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) has returned to Dragonstone. The only reason he’s alive, according to Jon Snow, is that he saved Sansa from the Boltons. Otherwise, there’s no love lost between these two, who both grew up as black sheep within House Stark. Could that shared history, plus Theon redeeming himself further by saving Yara (Gemma Whelan) or serving the Starks in some other capacity, bring them closer together? In a happily ever after version of Game of Thrones, Theon and Jon would forge the same brotherly bond with one another they both had with the late Robb Stark (Richard Madden). Then again, Game of Thrones rarely if ever trades in happily ever after. Theon’s future remains one of the murkiest prospects on the board, then.

• In her scenes with Tycho Nestoris (Mark Gattis) of the Iron Bank, Cersei Lannister reveals her intention to hire an infamous group of sellswords known as the Golden Company. This should set off alarms for fans of the books: the Golden Company, founded long ago by a Targaryen bastard named Aegor “Bittersteel” Rivers, head to Westeros in George R.R. Martin’s “A Dance with Dragons,” serving a man who claims to be Aegon Targaryen, the murdered infant son of the late Rhaegar; according to his tale, the butchered baby was a double, while the real Aegon was raised in exile, as part of an eventual Targaryen resurgence. Almost nobody who reads the books actually believes this to be the real Aegon, and the show has shied away from the storyline altogether. Even if “FAegon” is unlikely to suddenly appear with only nine episodes remaining in the series, it’s starting to look likely that we’re going to see his vicious soldiers, the Golden Company, on the show, albeit working on Cersei’s behalf. It’s just the latest bit of bad news for anyone rooting against House Lannister.

Watch the video below for the Game of Thrones cast’s preview of season seven’s battles.

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