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celticbotanart · 6 months

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You guys really liked the "Ecclectic Halloween" post I did a while ago, so I want to go for another round!!

For those who didn't see the previous post - music is my biggest hyperfixation, and I love making thematic playlists and play with them by adding little rules and such. My "Ecclectic Halloween" playlist currently has over 150 tracks, and all of them are there according to the following little rules I've stablished:

The song MUST include anything supernatural, spooky, bizarre, "murder/serial killer", classic creature and so on - if it's instrumental, which is the case of many tracks in this list, it has to have all of these but in VibesTM

The song can be of ANY genre; is it metal? Prog? Disco? Electronic? Soundtrack? COOL, ALL ARE WELCOME!

I'm still including less widely known / "cliche Halloween songs", and this time I decided to feature songs that are soundtracks (from movies, games, animes, books even!); most of them are instrumental, or feature a heavy use of choir, and/or vocals that are prevalent but doesn't really mean anything (bear with me, you'll see what I mean, lol)

LET'S GET STARTED, part deux!!

1- Only Murders In The Building - Creatures of the Night

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Starting off with this banger from the latest season of "Only Murders in the Building"! The original context is that Oliver Putnam, one of the main characters who's a theater producer/director, decides to put on a musical play as one of the main subplots of this season; the show actually presented a couple of full, real songs, and they are all REALLY Broadway-like, campy, and epic (fucking Meryl Streep sings two of them???? It's REALLY good!). The musical's plot is that this woman was murdered in a mysterious lighthouse, and a private Investigator and a Constable comes in to investigate it. The main suspects are the Nanny and... the baby triplets of the deceased woman??? Lol This song is SUPER fun, weird and extra, with that little touch of mystery - it's the "opening act" of the show, and it's the Investigator arriving at the lighthouse, singing with the whole ensemble cast, it's SO cool! I'm including here the actual scene where they perform it, so you can see it! (Spoilers for the last episode of s3, I guess?)

In this eerie old lighthousе thrashed by the tide Live triplets whose mother suspiciously died And suspects uncanny, a constable, a nanny Do they all have secrets to hide?

2- Genshin Impact - Die Mittsommernacht-Fantasie

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This one is VERY "mischievous trick or treat" vibes! Very, very fun and colorful, with that little touch of mystery, too! This was definitely one of the best battle themes in Genshin Impact, and it was featured exclusively in a time-limited event last year?? Such a tragedy this good of a song was used only then!

The domain this song appears is themed after the character Amy "Fischl", who roleplays all the time as "Fischl, the Prinzessin der Verteilung"; the domain itself was a huge castle, with big fairytale vibes going on. Fischl is a very dramatic, mischievous character, and this theme really reflects that, in the most fun way! The song has INTENSE baroque influences with the harpsichord as main instrument, and even features a classic/ spanish guitar!

3- Cuphead, The Delicious Last Course - The Finishing Touch

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To those unfamiliar, Cuphead is a game that mimics the entire aesthetics, artstyle and music from 1920's cartoons. It's honestly one of the best ideas I've seen, and this one is a song from the DLC released a while ago. It's very spooky, and of course in that 20s cartoon sort of way.

I personally love the super eerie atmosphere, the flute, piano and the strings combo creating all the tension!

4- Young Sherlock Holmes - The Ceremony / Waxing of Elizabeth ("Rametep Theme")

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These are technically two songs, but some good soul mashed them together into one cohesive piece, because they both really, REALLY slap hard with the dramatic chorus and Carmina Burana-esque energy! This was featured in the movie "Young Sherlock Holmes", in a scene where a crazy-ass cult is having their gathering, and preparing to mummify this girl.

I have to say the soundtrack is actually better than the scene itself, lol. It has a really impressive crescendo and use of orchestral metals, I have goosebumps every time I listen to it, hnnng <3

5- Ori and the Will of the Wisps - Mora, the Spider

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Easily one of the most intense boss fights I've ever played - and the theme really reflects that fear and tension. Mora is a giant spider hidden in the deep, buried shadows of the forest that you, as Ori (a light/forest spirit) has to defeat. It really is a "dark vs light" sort of fight, and the this theme really goes fucking hard. It also has strong horror music elements used in movies of the genre - like the violin pizzicato at the beginning, and its use throughout the piece, giving that "classic horror" feeling to it.

Note how when the choir kicks in around the minute 2:15 - they are chanting "MO-RA! MO-RA!" in such a terrifying way! And then, around 4:50, it really shows how Ori's determination and hope prevails, when their leitmotif starts playing!

6- Yuki Kajiura - Ship of Fools

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If you follow me for a while, you know already that Yuki is literally one of my all-time favorite composers ever, so OF COURSE I had to include her here!! She is an OST composer for animes and games, and this was the first song of her I've ever heard - it plays on the very first scene of the "Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles" anime. Yuki is well-known for her dreamy, haunting style and this piece is a huge example of it!

She mixes in electronic, rock/metal, classic and folk genres, and layered vocals (mostly done by singers hired for her projects). This one is also an example of her using the "kajiurago", or "kajiura language" - it doesn't mean anything, it's just vocalizing that sounds like words. They are one of her trademarks, and one of her elements that really gives the etheral, haunting atmosphere in her works!

This song really goes hard into the "mysterious, dangerous witch" territory, and I fucking love it! <3

7- Yuki Kajiura - The Main Theme of Petit Cossette

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Another one from my favorite girl - this one is soundtrack to a very obscure anime called "Le Portrait de Petit Cossette" - it's essentially the story of a girl's ghost (Cossette) trapped in an artifact (I think it's a goblet?? It's been over 15 years since I saw it, lol), and this guy who falls in love with her. It's a very weird, dark and atmospheric animation.

This one track here really translates that energy, and I honestly HIGHLY recommend the rest of this OST - it's VERY VERY GOOD, and mostly all tracks have that dark, eerie, gothic vibe too.

Here we can see once more the use of "kajiurago", and another trait of Yuki's work that I fucking love - the intricate solos!! In this case, a violin solo, which is also very prevalent in most of her work.

8- Mary Fahl - Exiles (The Wolves of Midwinter)

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Another Anne Rice-inspired! "Exiles" was composed by Mary Fahl as an actual official song for the audiobook version of "The Wolves of Midwinter". I don't know about the book's plot because I haven't read it, but this song is SO atmospheric, and it's very werewolf-y. I personally LOVE Mary's deep voice, and how I can almost see the wolves running in the wintery forest.

When the hunger comes and I lose control Hold me in the darkness, bless my tarnished soul I will run beside you, we'll leave the past behind We'll hide inside the ages beneath the sands of time

9- Karliene - Become the Beast

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Technically, the only one of the playlist that isn't a soundtrack - not offcially, anyway, hehe. This is a song that Karliene wrote inspired by Hannibal, the tv show; I haven't seen Hannibal, but I'm OBSESSED about this one, because yeah, it can be about Hannibal, but I like how she's a bit vague about it, so it can also be about werewolves, or any other dark supernatural creature, like vampires.

Her voice is incredible, and I love how "minimalistic" this song is, featuring pretty much only a violin, piano and cello as insstruments. The pizzicato sound comes in again to give that unsettling, classic horror vibe, at the same time her layered vocals + the piano and cello really softens the whole thing, which in my opinion, makes the song so eerie and menacing - even more with the lyrics!

So look in the mirror and tell me, who do you see? Is it still you? Or is it me? Become the beast, we don't have to hide Do I terrify you or do you feel alive? Do you feel the hunger? Does it howl inside? Does it terrify you? Or do you feel alive?

10- Wolfwalkers - Howls the Wolf (Moll's Song - Wolf Run Free)

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And closing the "werewolf trilogy" here at the end of the playlist with another favorite of mine - and ending with wholesome vibes! This is a song that plays in the credits of the animated movie "Wolfwalkers" - IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THAT MOVIE YET, AND YOU LOVE ANIMATION, YOU MUST. LIKE FOR REAL. ITS SO GOOD. And the entire soundtrack, written by Kíla and Bruno Coulais, fucking slaps - it's mostly all traditional folk Irish music and instruments, and so full of life!

Wolfwalkers here are people who turn into wolves when they fall asleep - their sleeping body remains behind, as their soul takes a tangible form of a wolf. It's pretty rad!!

And this song, it's Moll, the wolfwalker mother, probably singing this "lullaby" to her daughter, the wolfwalker Mébh (and one of the main protagonists, the red haired little girl in the art above!).

Maria Doyle Kennedy is the one voicing Moll and singing this song, she has such a pretty, soothing voice! I love this song so much, and with the context of the movie, it makes me teary-eyed almost every time I listen to it kjdfhkjdf, ahhhh <3

The wolf will leap from child asleep The wolf will run 'til rising sun The wolf will guide you in your dreams Run free! Wolf, wolf, howls the wolf Wolf, wolf, run free!

Hope you also like this second part!! And it's really cool to see your suggestions in the tags, too <3

#music posts #halloween #long post #Youtube

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frodothefair · 1 month

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Numbers 9 and 13 for the ask game, perhaps?? Also congrats on finishing the Rivendell story!! I saw that was up and I know you've been working hard on it!!

The ask game in question

9. Top three fics you’ve written (in author’s opinion)? ♡♡♡

Hmm. I'll limit this just to the ones currently published as I'd rather not discuss my past anime fic writing career on this space. There are only three fics currently published. I'd rank them as follows:

Rivendell (thanks for the congrats, btw! It was fun to write!) This is simply because it's actually a finished, cohesive piece. I know I said I might write more, and likely still will, but the way it is now works as a shandalone.

Flowers of Mordor. This is because it’s still not written all the way to the end, and I am still not 100% happy with a couple of the chapters in the middle, so am putting them through another round of edits. But overall it's my longest-running project to date, and also my longest fic ever (there may have been one prior fic that just crossed the 100k mark), and of course I love the way Marigold turned out, as well as Frodogold as a couple.

Expats. The fun first chapter got written, but I don't know if I have what it takes to write the whole story, because heck if I know anything about how Hollywood works, especially its more unsavory parts. But then again... if it's just fanfiction, how accurate does it really have to be when it's all in good fun?

13. Drop a playlist for a story! ♪♡♪

Ok, um. You have to realize you asked for this. You have only yourself to blame. A lot of the songs on my fic playlists have to do with not just the overall gestalt and concepts of the fic, but specific scenes and even lines, and I am here to explain it all.

Here's the definitive playlist for Flowers of Mordor. Tagging @konartiste per our special pact.

(cut for minor spoilers.... also for being long):

"Dawn" theme from the Pride and Prejudice 2005 soundtrack. A must for the Austenian vibe.

"Poppy's Song, Wandering Day" by Bear McCreary from Rings of Power. The singer sounds exactly what I think Marigold sounds like.

"I Dreamt I Dwelled in Marble Halls" as performed in the Dickensian Finale. Sam/Rosie relationship vibes. I imagine Rosie singing this song for an audience in the tavern, but looking at Sam all the while -- which is essentially what happens in the finale of Dickensian.

"Halo" by Beyoncé, arranged for strings for Bridgerton. Pippin arranges this song for violin and writes a Shire-compatible version of the lyrics as a candidate for the first dance music at the Frodogold wedding.

"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston, arranged for strings for Bridgerton. Another candidate wedding song by Pippin.

"Tous les garçons et les filles de mon âge" by Françoise Hardy. Marigold vibes: sweet innocent girl slightly wistful that everyone her age is in a relationship and she is not... yet.

"Portugeuse Love Theme" from Love Actually. Love reunited theme.

"On my Own" from Les Miserables. Direct inspiration for the following excepts from Chapter 16: "Marigold had found herself lying awake for hours, watching the starlight in the trees and thinking, with surprising nonchalance, “Oh, dear, I guess I cannot sleep.” And when she did at long last fall asleep, then the dreams would begin, and Frodo would appear before her, and together they would walk and talk until morning." Original lines: "in the darkness the trees are full of starlight and all I see is him and me forever and forever" and "I walk with him till morning."

"Nessun Dorma" from Turandot. Needs little explanation, I think. Frodo is an insomniac.

"In Dreams" by Roy Orbison. But when Frodo does sleep, he has a lot of dreams.

"Dreams are My Reality" from the movie La Boum. Again a reference to Frodo's many dreams.

"Babylon" by David Gray. Inspiration for the scene where Marigold kicks through the autumn leaves in Chapter 13.

"May it Be" by Enya. Probably needs no explanation either.

"Everywhere" by Michelle Branch. Vibes of Marigold being in unrequitedly in love and seeing Frodo in everything around her, wondering if he feels the same.

"Flora's Secret" by Enya. Vibes of Marigold and Frodo lying in the grass, holding hands and staring at the sky grinning like idiots.

"Don't Talk To Me About Tomorrow" by Sandra Lisa. A song the Gamgee family ensemble would perform poorly but enthusiastically at... oh, Midsummer or something.

"Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem ft. Rihanna. Directly referenced by this except in Chapter 20: "She loved him so much that she could not deny him. Even if he said that she should burn, she would burn. And even if he said that he would watch her, there, at the edge of that forest – watch her with indifferent eyes as she screamed and burned to death – she would only have welcomed it; she would have only been glad of such an end." Original line: "gonna stand there and watch me burn? That's alright, because I love the way you lie."

"Black Sheep" by Metric. Referenced by the following line in Chapter 3: "And then there was him and Sam, lying on a rock amid flows of lava, waiting for the world to end." Original line: "hello again, friend of a friend, our common goal was waiting for the world to end."

"Concerning Hobbits" from The Lord of the Rings. No explanation needed, again.

"Je suis malade" by Lara Fabien. Vibes of Marigold screaming in the woods in chapter 20.

"Blue Hydrangeas" by Lana Del Rey. Chapter 8 is literally called "Of Lembas and Hydraneas," and Bag End is referenced as having blue hydrangeas in the garden. Blue hydrangeas symbolize regret. Also, it's repeatedly mentioned that Marigold would run to Frodo if only he called her... though in the end she... actually does not? Not immediately? Because you don't jerk someone around for months and then get away with it scot-free.

"The Rosenkavalier Suite" by Richard Strauss. It has like three lovely waltzes rolled into one, and Frodo must teach Marigold something similar to a waltz for their first dance together at the wedding.

“Here we come a-caroling” as performed by Blackmore’s Night. The Gamgee a slightly modified version of this song in Chapter 19 while caroling on Yuletide Eve.

Béma above... what did I just spend 30 minutes of my life on? Lol.

#flowers of mordor au #lotr #lotr fanfic #frodo baggins #marigold gamgee

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mikkouille · 18 days

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Dear mutual @mashmouths taggie me for the game of 'Post the ten first songs on your 'On repeat' playlist on Spotify' or SMTH like that.

As I do not have a Spotify, idk what all that means, but I decided to eyeball it from what the randomiser of my phone seems to give ten times a day, from me local files.

It is a hard work of statistic 100% accurate nothing could go wrong (lie, girlie behind me in the train loudly licking chips crumbs off her fingers and chewing. noise unbearable. thought jumbled over it. the statistics have been messed up). Basically, just clicking 'next song' til I get one that makes me go oh yeh she plays all the time'. What's on my Bandcamp isn't on my local files so unfortsh we lose a whole lot of potential songs there. It's life.

1. Boris Farewell, honestly she's so good portable. I can vibe on my better audio equipment, I can vibe in the metro, in a crowd, she'll always be an enjoyable one no matter the sounds around me.

2. doechii Stressed, well damn so true. I must be stressed too.

3.Nature LIMBO, LIMBO LIMBO LIIIIIIIIIM BO LIMBO LIMBO LIIM

4. Moses Sumney Gargarin, it's hilarious how I'll hear this song ten billion times a week from shuffle, go 'oh what's that song it's nice- oh right of course' somehow there's a spell on it that makes me forget the name. but not that I like it.

5. Britney Spears Outrageous, it's not even my fave of its album yet my phone is OBSESSED with her. Outrageous. When I move my body OUTRAGEOUS when I'm at a party OUTRAGEOUS in my sexy jeans

6. THORNAPPLE As Above So Below, had a phase in my life where I looped that song for hours and then days nothing else, my shuffle never recovered I think.

7. vvv Oh dirty Leeds, I swear it's been months since I Voluntarily of my own clicked the song, she's part of the landscape of my shuffle.

8. ShinEE The Feeling, if I hit shuffle I am sure to hear it at a point or another. It's like the home screen at this point.

9. shygirl BAWDY, it's criminal how you will never witness the gay AMV that happen in my head when this song plays (10 times a day).

10. FLO Losing you, often in immediate succession with the previous one. Keep them on their toes....

++++bonus

for some reason my phone constantly plays christi interlude, but not any other song from the album... hey there sweetieeee I was just taking a look at your cHArt and OoOøh myYyi GOODNESS (goodness) You Are. experiencing THE most powerful transit right now. we have the FUOUL MOÖN. Today! At 24 degreeeeees of CAPricorn. we have PLUTO. the MAIN! planet of transfhow delightful ☺️ you were born on a Nyew Myoon :] that gives you such an OPTImistic EnErgy. you believe Anything can Happen. the woooorld is you Oyster :] the Symbol! of the New Moon... is the SEED star seed (star seed) SCA(???neverunderstoodthatword) thru the galactic Center to Evolve Humanity.

btw last time it played it, it immediately played Rina's Take me as I am and honestly the transition was so seamless to me. granted the child screaming in the BG of the train I was in did help blending stuff together but.

didn't put any song of The Kpopman's group BC it'd have been passé. cliché. frenchwordé. you can assume that yes, it throws some at me at regular intervals. Respect my privacy. (I think if I had to identify one that I'm fed the most it'd have to be Venom, every shuffle she'll be here)

Also I got songs from the game tho and aside from. the. mh. miss answers. which I respectfully skip whenever out cuz it's for in private. I have to ask my phone; what's with amdapor. carrying the dungeon ost pack...

-----

The total here is somewhat cohesive but also doesn't feel complete, alas it's all one can do with 10 songs...

Tagging; ppl who don't have a Spotify only.

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earthwindandraen · 1 month

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TASK 001: The Crescent Key - A Rae Elle Park Playlist

Music is a really, really big part of Rae's life. If asked, she'll always say that she doesn't have much of a preference, and it's actually true. No matter the decade, the genre, the artist, Rae Elle has a deep appreciation for all manner of music that can often be seen in her daily life. Typically, if she's working at Broken Record, patrons are liable to hear a very eclectic variety of music to play over the stereo depending on what Rae Elle feels like playing. Very rarely does what she's playing coincide with her mood. Rae's a pretty happy person, all things considered, despite what's lurking in her head and heart. Even when she's playing The Moody Blues, she's more often than not got a smile on her face.

With that being said, this playlist has a big focus of Rae's personality as opposed to her personal tastes, each song a reflection of who she is, not just something she might enjoy listening to. In truth, I first thought about breaking this playlist up into a light magic and a dark magic section. However, Rae Elle is a staunch mix of both. Therefore, her playlist is one cohesive, homogenous mix of light and dark and genre, all tangled together with themes of witchcraft, rebirth, and freedom. There's goth, metal, rock, folk, and country all working together to show off who Rae Elle Park is.

Listen here. Songs detailed below the cut.

Spellbound by Siouxsie and the Banshees | And don't forget when your elders forget / To say their prayers / Take them by the legs / And throw them down the stairs

Which Witch by Florence + The Machine | I'm on trial, waiting 'til the beat comes out / Who's a heretic now? / Am I making sense? / How can you make it stick?

Jaded by Spiritbox | And I've always been ashamed that I wanna / Fall into a dream with my honour desecrated / Blood is jaded / I've never found a way to be honest / All I know is a place where I haunted

Bottom of the River by Delta Rae | If you get sleep or if you get none / (The cock's gonna call in the morning, baby) / And check the cupboard for your daddy's gun / (Red sun rises like an early warning)

Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac | She is like a cat in the dark / And then she is to darkness / She rules her life like a fine skylark / And when the sky is starless

Black Magic by Magic Wands | There is a crescent key / That locks a hole in the door / Into the pit of your heart / The future is the reward

Burn the Witch by Shawn James | But I won't scream, won't give them that satisfaction / No, I won't confess my false interaction / As I breathe deep and prepare for my passing / I hear them chant, "Burn the witch"

Lady May by Tyler Childers | I'm a stone's throw from the mill / And I'm a good walk to the river / When my workin' day is over / We'll go swim our cares away

Freedom by Dorothy | Take me down to the south land / Oh I need that humid air / I put two feet through the old church door / Holy water on through my hair

seven by Taylor Swift | And I've been meaning to tell you / I think your house is haunted / Your dad is always mad and that must be why / And I think you should come live with / Me and we can be pirates / Then you won't have to cry

The House of the Rising Sun by Dolly Parton | So mothers you go telling all your daughters / Not to do what I've done / To live a life of sin, shame and strife / In the house of the rising sun

To Someone from a Warm Climate by Hozier | "Uiscefhuaraithe" / The feel of coldness only water brings / There are some things that no one teaches you, love / That come natural as a dream, you didn't know that you were in

Persephone by Cocteau Twins | Hey, the chances I must waste / Hey, ever dirge, even their moth got a jar / Is what it takes

Season of the Witch by Donovan | When I look over my shoulder / What do you think I see? / Some other cat lookin' over / His shoulder at me / And he's strange, sure is strange

#wouldn't you love to love her; about #season of the witch: headcanons #spellbound; music #black magic woman; meta #lunarcoveprompt #lunarcoveprompt1 #lunarcoveinspo

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astriiformes · 1 year

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Can I ask how you go about finding songs for character playlists? You are very good at playlists and I wish to know the secrets.

Ooh, this is a fun question!

I will say that step one is that I already have a fairly eclectic music library, which certainly helps, but I for sure still have something of a process I can share.

Usually I start by skimming through songs I already have saved -- my personal music library, my big list of favorites on Spotify, etc -- and pulling anything that feels like it has potential. I might give some songs a listen to see if I'm remembering the vibes or lyrics right, but it's very much the casual "throwing things at the wall" phase where I know I might toss songs that don't fit later.

I like to physically make a list of songs during the brainstorming phase, so I'll write down my favorite candidates from trawling my existing music. From there, I start thinking about where to find more songs that complement them. Usually this starts with me thinking about the genres/vibes of the songs and artists I've already pulled, and what other artists feel like they match, even if I don't have a song in mind. I'll make a short list of artists who I think might have something that would fit, and then I spend a while digging through their discographies. This usually yields at least a few more songs, and sometimes checking out one artist will remind me of another one (Spotify's radio and "Fans also like" features can be helpful for this too).

After that, I'll often start looking at other playlists. Occasionally that means dipping into other people's playlists for the same character, although more often than not that makes me decide there's songs I want to avoid, since I'm very committed to having my playlists be unique! What I'm more likely to do is something sort of silly and oblique, which is thinking about other characters that I feel like have something in common with the one I'm making the playlist for and looking up songs people have put on playlists for them. I'll also dip my toes into other non-fandom, non-character playlists -- ones that are on topics that feel connected to the character, or even just playlists that are focused on one of the genres I've identified I'm leaning towards. Sometimes I'll even outright google "songs on [x topic]" -- although I will say that's only ever been successful in specific, narrow contexts.

The other thing I'll say about playlists, which is less about finding songs although it does tend to help guide my searching, is that it really helps to brainstorm a vision for it -- What is the playlist about, and what do you want it to sound like? Are you focusing on a specific part of the character's arc, or their whole, completed narrative? Did you pull a lot of a specific genre in your brainstorming phase, or a bunch of different ones -- and are you going for songs that mostly sound similar, or trying to find a way to tie together ones that sound different?

As far as what that actually looks like for me, here's some examples.

When I was working on my Fjord playlist, I knew I wanted to include a decent number of actual shanties/sea songs (which was one area where googling "songs about x" actually served me well; I searched for lists of traditional shanties online and got some solid results). But I also noticed that I'd pulled out a decent bit of rock music. To blend the two I ended up trying to work in music by folk rock artists, like Skipinnish and the Derina Harvey Band, which helped with making the whole thing feel a lot more cohesive.

For my Raine Whispers playlist, I knew I was going to be smashing together a lot of genres. I focused on trying to find songs that felt like they "bridged the gap" (like Kenji Bunch's more modern quartet compositions, folk/protest tunes with prominent strings, and Flobots' modern rock/hip-hop featuring a prominent viola) and also thought a lot about the artists I was putting on it. I listened to a lot of curated playlists of trans and gnc artists, as well as classic protest music ones.

And for a last example, one of my current in-progress playlist projects is working on a Lilith Clawthorne playlist, which since she's a canonically aro/ace character has seen me listening to a lot of people's aspec playlists along with thinking about songs that feel like they complement her character arc, since I'm hoping to weave the two themes together!

I hope some of that is helpful to you! And know that I always love talking playlists and wouldn't mind throwing out song recs from time to time (as long as I have some idea what you're going for)

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tothedarkdarkseas · 1 year

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As someone who's miffed about this current phase writers room it's nice to hear similar thoughts. At the same time, I feel like I'm the only one who thinks this yet has albums past Phase 3 as my favorite. Sometimes I wonder if it's wrong to pick what I like from the characterization and set up my own inner dollhouse where they stayed consistent with them being band members, but then I realize that's when I'm happiest with Gorillaz outside of the music (which I will always love, yes even Cracker Island was a good album to me). I wanted to get it off my chest since you're one of the few blogs I know with anon on right now who feels a similar craving for the older phases characterization. Lad!2D is still real to me, God damn it.

I very much understand that sensation of being alone in your feelings, as the fandom has always been presented and presented itself as this dichotomy: you're a "cultist" or you're a "fanhater," combing through the band's history to justify a singular view of the virtues or vices that have always been present. Like the other dichotomies that seem to rule fandom spaces, you lose a fairness and an objectivity when the point becomes finding identity in conflict and in your "rightness" alone. It's an impulse though, an understandable one. All of that to say-- I get feeling alone, but I don't think you are in fact alone in that. I think many people, myself overall included, do still think highly of the music of Gorillaz and respect the collaborative, experimental nature of real-world band beneath the fiction. I can't say my very favorite album of all is a post-P3 album, but I would say many of my favorite or most relistened songs along a top 15-20 list would be from P4 and beyond, and there are songs from every album on my personal playlist. I don't know if Cracker Island will find its place with me quite yet but folks I like and respect have enjoyed the album already, either from jump or with more time devoted to making in-roads, and so I don't think you're in any way wrong for enjoying it with or without the writing in mind.

I don't think the dollhouse approach is necessarily a wrong one, or it is a folly in all of us, as I think the reality is that nearly all fans are doing it to varying extents. Gorillaz is an exciting but unwieldy project that retcons and contradicts itself, lacks a traditional story structure and inerrant memory of the characters and plot thus far, and so it inherently cannot maintain a sense of total cohesion where every word counts. Whether or not we are all honest with ourselves about this, everyone is painting a wall in their dollhouse when they sit down to tell a story. One of my struggles in modern fandom spaces is the erasing of past characterization or outright canon occurrences on the basis that it's uncomfortable and out of character for the way they (in particular Stu) are presented now, reaching to construe them as jokes-within-jokes that the audience should've dismissed all along-- it brings the core of their character into conflict, and so the solution is believing they never actually happened within the world of the band, and not that these unflattering moments were "true as they were written, in comedic tones." I could say it is cherry-picking. But by the very same turn, I'm cherry-picking with the modern writing, I'm conflicted by and object to the reframing of a shot that changes the scene entirely. In the absolute barest honesty, I long for the day the recency bias works in my favor again and will simply step around this chapter, pretending this phase was never part of their history in my own timeline and my own characterization, because it fundamentally contradicts who I believe Stu is. We are mirroring each others' actions but looking in opposite directions, progressing to opposite goals. There is not an unbiased claim to my "rightness," whether it feels right to me or not.

Lad!Stu solidarity forever. The Stu-nion makes us strong.

...Er, sorry I said that. (I still have an empty Lad!Stu discord server waiting in the wings, I just hem and haw over whether it'd die in the water straightaway. Maybe there's no time like the present, though. Maybe we can whip up a nice folie à deux before P8 pulls another stunt.)

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mysticstarlightduck · 9 months

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happy sts!! what are your favorite/least favorite parts of plot structure? like what's your favorite part of a wip (the beginning, rising action, climax, etc.)? & are you a fan of the 3 act structure or similar plot organizing devices or do you just wing it

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Thank you for the ask @cabbojage!

What are your favorite/least favorite parts of the plot structure?

Oh, this is a good one! And a complicated one at that lol. I really do love many parts of the writing process as long as I am having fun writing it, but, if I had to choose which ones are my favorites and which ones are my least favorites then:

Favorites: The Inciting Incident (I guess I just love seeing the protagonists' life turning into chaos and then writing their following decisions/reactions. Plus, it is literally the event that really gets the story going, and the one event that creates a "point of no return" for the MC) and the Rising Action (especially around the middle! I just love seeing the plot come together, the character's plans start to fall into place, new friendships being formed, enemies being made, etc lol). The Climax/Final Battle is always incredibly compelling to write, especially if it includes some form of a face-off against the villains or an unexpected turn of events/reveal of some sort! It is always great.

Least Favorites: I don't actually hate these but, um, the Beginning, Falling Action, and the little bits and moments between plot points that exist to connect them but when not much happens (not the Build Up or Set up, which I adore, but those oddly calm moments where usually things have already fallen into place and things are going slow). While those moments are necessary, and I do like writing them, I feel that this is the point where the plot meanders and where it feels like it takes forever to get to the "good stuff", you know? Especially if those slow scenes are needed in full and I can't just skip them or shorten them.

Are you a fan of the 3 act structure or similar plot organizing devices or do you just wing it?

I am a fan of the 3 act structure, as well as a few other ones, such as the 7-act structure, but I only use it as a guideline to help me establish the "Core Scenes", which are the bones on which the plot will then be built upon. Then, once it is done, it is a matter of populating that fictional world with additional cast members, minor plot points, and subplots until the plot is all done! There is always a lot of brainstorming (more of just picking a document and braindumping the ideas and stringing them together like a crochet piece), daydreaming (with music to set the vibe and inspire me, I always make character or WIP playlists for this reason, and pretty much every character of mine has a "signature song", which helped me figure out who they are), and creation of character profiles/moodboards, as the plot slowly thickens into one cohesive thing in the end.

#writing #writeblr #writers #my characters #character writing #my wips #writerblr #writers on tumblr #my writing #storyteller saturday #asked and answered #the duck answers (:

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hime-memes · 1 year

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• Hime’s Mini - Playlist Starters • ( Part 2 )

- Villain Edition - I’ll be linking the lyric videos in the Bolded song title so you can go give these a listen if you’re so inclined ! If by chance you do find a new favorite song from this playlist - let me know in the tags & I’ll consider doing future installments of my personal RP writing playlists !

( Most of these have an villain vibe ! )

As always: These have been modified for cohesive and sensical use for the general RPC. Feel free to change anything within these that you see fit to make it work for your muse & the receiver’s muse !

Recommended For: Evil muses / plots / timelines. Trigger Warnings For: Swearing, death mentions, abusive relationships/domestic violence, general violence, drug and alcohol mentions.

‘ Villains Aren’t Born ( They’re Made ) ‘ “ Watch the torch set aflame: Watch it burn, watch it fade ... “ “ Watch the armies gather suit ! “ “ Someone's got to win & lose. “ “ They say my heart is almost black ... well, baby, who's to blame for that ? “ “ Count your blessings, count your minutes ! “ “ Played my game ? ( Hell, now you're in it ... ) “ Bittersweet, my renegade ... and I'm anything but tame. “ “ Grab your sword, you might just need it; 'Cause I'm not afraid of cheating. “ “ Oh, I hate to tell you this way ... villains aren't born -- darling, we're made. “ “ Scream my name when they run; ( Honestly, it's kinda fun ). “ “ Scream it louder when they fall ... seems I'm never satisfied at all. “ “ They take ! They take until you give ! “ “ You taught me well, now watch me win ... ! “ “ I aim before I kill -- If only for the thrill. “ “ Yes, it's bad, I know ... but still ? ( There's nothing left to lose ). “ “ Don't tell me ‘ It's not fair ! ‘, Believe me; I've been there. “ “ ... I'd much rather be alone if I'm sitting on a throne ... “

' Don’t Make Me ‘ ” Benefit of the doubt is my weakness. “ “ I’m turning the other cheek to see less. “ “ Let's say it right; not my fault you got regrets ! “ “ Bloodied lips, nursing right out the glasses. “ “ Diamond, pearl and ruby; you'll swoon. “ “ Can I offer you a little salt for that wound ? “ ” I've tried to take you lying down. “ “ I clarified & tip-toed around it. “ " You cross them every time ... “ “ Don't make me be the bad guy ! “ “ Despite all of my foresight - I keep hoping I'll be right about you. “ “ You’re my first psycho ... “ “ So hell, what do I know ?! “ “ Tell me you're the bad guy. “ ” Paradise lost; you've fallen from grace. “ “ You're cracking my ribs with just one embrace -- ! “ “ Your offering's empty, godless, and cold. “ “ I can read you like a book, ( and it's getting old ) ! “ “ Never was built to be this way: except turns out the villain is fun to play. “ “ Your Hollywood romance, extra and sappy; ( but - spoiler alert ! -- The ending ain't happy ). “ “ The ugly truth is bittersweet; so dress it up in fancy clothes ! “ “ ... But we both know just how this goes ... “ ” No longer a pretty view ahead. “ “ Our lies did not become us; we became them instead. “ ‘ Yes Mom ‘ “ Bet you've been a fan of me ! “ “ Do you see me in your fantasies ? “ “ Everything I got, I got working for me -- “ “ Eat that, peep that, I'm the one to beat, yeah. “ “ When I take my picture; wanna kiss her -- I'm like ‘ damn ‘ ! “ “ I see my reflection, got affection 'cause I can. “ “ I can't help that I feel myself; Yes, I guess I'm a fan ! “ “ Everything you're looking for is right here where I stand. “ “ What you see is what you get. “ “ Everything - I'm owning it ! “ “ Did it independent 'cause I got what I need. “ “ 2020 vision with ambition's how I'm made. “ “ I can't keep from winning when it's in my DNA ! “ “ Push me down & I bounce right back; trampoline and it's in my past ! “ “ I’m rising like a phoenix making fire from the ash. “ “ God, it's such a treat -- just getting to be me ! “ “ ... Spending all my time on what I want. “ “ Looking in the mirror; I'm so glad I'm here ! “

‘ Uh Oh ‘ “ ... Uh oh, you made a mistake ... “ “ Tell me things that can't be true. “ “ Your slacks are on fire; ( I'm fanning the flames ) ! “ “ Like a vampire stood out in broad day. “ “ Shoulda been wiser while pickin' out what you were gonna say ... “ “ Fool me once, that's one too many ! ( Better luck next time you've met me ) ... “ “ Where's the dunce who caught you meddling ? ... Turn around ... “ “ You're sweating this time. “ “ I'm reading your eyes. “ “ You're being called out, 'Cause you slipped your mouth ! “ “ Your face has turned pale: Gone faint; you're not well ? ” “ While you were distracted I cast a spell. “ “ Uh oh, you better run away now ! “ " Got nothing else to say to you. “ “ Forgive this wed intermission. “ “ Tragically, I'm not the victim here ... “ “ If only I fell for your fiction; Now, tell me things that can't be true. “

‘ High Enough ‘ “ I don't like anyone better than you, it's true. “ “ I'd crawl a mile in a desolate place; with the snakes ... just for you. “ “ I'm an animal; hand me a tramadol, and gimme the juice. “ “ You are my citadel; you are my wishing well -- my baby blue ! “ “ I used to like liquor to get me inspired ... But, you look so beautiful -- my new supplier. “ “ I used to like smoking to stop all the thinking -- But, I found a different buzz. “ “ The world is a curse - it'll kill if you let it. “ “ I know they got pills that can help you forget it ... They bottle it, call it ‘ medicine ‘; But, I don't need drugs. “ “ Is it 'cause I'm already high enough. “ “ You got me; and you got me good ... “ “ I only got eyes for you. “ “ Do you see anyone other than me ? “ “ Baby, please: I'll take a hit of whatever you got. ( Maybe two, maybe three ) ? “ “ Oh, you're phenomenal -- I feel like a domino, make me fall to my knees. “ “ I am a malady -- you are my galaxy ... my sweet relief. “ “ Don't try to give me cold water; I don't wanna sober up ! “ “ All I see are tomorrows. “ " The stars were made for us ! “

‘ Rebels ‘ “ Raise some hell before we ghost ! “ “ Break the rules, ( a broken nose ) -- “ “ You know us. We're soldiers. “ “ Rips and holes in baggy clothes, drippy hard from head to toes. “ “ We won't budge -- For no one. “ “ Walkin'. Don't know where we goin' but, we mobbin'. “ “ You looking for the juice ? Well we got it. “ “ Get out our way or join in the riot. “ “ Hear the sirens ? Quiet ! Shh ! “ “ Everything is burning and I love it ! “ “ Sit and watch the world until it's nothing ... ! “ “ Scared of going out into the public; Yeah, we the kings now. “ “ Take it if you can't afford to cop it. ( Talk about a baller on a budget ) ! “ “ Gloomy 'till they put me in a coffin ... “ “ Ridin' -- straight to the top ! “ “ There's no getting by it. “ “ Ashes like fireworks in the sky ... “ “ Don't be afraid of heights; 'Cause we flyin'. “

' Angry Too ‘ “ I buried the unseemly urges; Deep down in the ground with the roots ... “ “ It's all coming up to the surface ... maybe it's getting ready to bloom ? “ “ I don't wanna be a monster in the making ! “ “ I don't wanna be more bitter than sweet ... “ “ I don't know how to be just standing by blankly ... not getting angry. “ “ ‘Cause another & another coming up out of the gutter; 'Til I'm drowning in an ocean of entitled motherfuckers and they're pushing all my buttons ! “ “ They never seem to wonder why another & another, ask each other: ‘ Does it get your blood boiling ? Does it make you see red ‘ ? ” “ Do you wanna destroy it ? Does it get in your head ? “ “ 'Cause it gets my blood boiling, & I'm coming unglued ! “ “ It would hit you like poison ... ( if you knew what I knew ) ... you would be angry too. “ “ I'm seeing through crimson sunglasses. “ “ I'm breathing and counting to ten. “ “ I guess I'm fresh out of free passes, they'll pay if it happens again ! “ “ I don't wanna drink the venom they made me ! “ “ I don't wanna be controlled by the past ! “ “ Boy if you were me, could you really blame me ? “ “ Wouldn’t it make you crazy ? “ “ Calm down girl, why you so mad ? “ “ Why's your heart gone rotten ? “ “ It's all good girl; why are you upset ? “ “ Guess they have forgotten what they did ?! “ “ You would be angry too. “

‘ Horror Movies ‘ “ Don't go down to the basement ! “ “ We all know what's coming next; Murder with a little side of mayhem. “ “ ... Here I go again ... “ “ Is that blood on the wall ? “ “ A Scream down the hall ? My knees are shaking so bad that I gotta crawl ! “ “ All my ghosts are chasing, but why can't I escape them ? “ “ Careful where you step ! -- 'Cause if I keep going, I'm losing my head. “ “ I need a vacation; Or something to sedate them ! “ “ I hate horror movies ... Please don't ask me why. “ “ I hate horror movies so damn much that I could die ! “ “ This movie's looking too much like my life ... ! “ “ Shhh, I don't wanna wake 'em ! “ “ I'm hiding under the bed. “ “ ... And if you think that you'd be scared of Jason ? ... You should meet the monsters in my head ! “

‘ This Is Love ‘ “ You're no good -- you're no good ! “ “ You could kill me & you should. “ “ I'm an idiot for thinking this was anything but blood ... “ “ You must like being the victim. “ “ You've done nothing to get out of this pattern of pain. “ “ It got washed away by the rain. “ “ You'll forgive me if I promise, then do nothing but the same. “ “ This is life until death, could be my last dying breath ! “ “ This is love, love, shut up ! This is love ... “ “ Forget everything you used to know ! “ “ I think you better tell your friends to go. “ “ Stick around cause I'm about to show you, the beginning is the end. “ “ Yeah; I know wrong, and I know right ... but, I just love to pick a fight. “ “ I can sleep with one eye open; ( If there's any sleep at night ). “ “ I got my knife, got my gun -- “ “ Let's see how fast you can run. “ “ You might think that you can hurt me but, the damage has already been done. “ “ It's pathetic, I know ... A jealous fool who won't let go. “ “ If I was sorry for my actions would I ever stoop so low ? “ “ I've got nothing left to give you. “ “ ... Fuck it, this is love. “ “ I was good but then I quit. “ “ Everyone that tried to fix me knows that I can't change a bit. “ “ I've got no shame, got no pride ... only skeletons to hide. “ “ If you try to talk to someone; well then someone has to die ... “ “ Once you chase me down the hole & once you think you're in control, you'll believe that we are partners & your feelin’ comfortable ... Then the darkness rolls in & you'll forget who I have been. “ “ The simple love that your grandparents had ... ? “ “ This kind of love will only make you mad. “ “ It hurts at first but it ain't that bad -- “ “ You gotta wonder what it meant. “

#rp meme #music rp meme #lyric sentence starters #villain sentence starters

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pitymisskitty · 1 year

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TASK 001: Be Careful of the Curse - A Kitty Hensley Playlist

As someone who was road tripping across the country for several months, Kitty has spent a lot of time cultivating different road trip playlists. Most of them are kept on her phone that she has an AUX cord gerryrigged for, though she likes Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill enough to keep the cassette in the player. Kitty listens to anything and everything, and every playlist she’s ever made for herself or another person captures the elements of chaos in her personality.

The typical kind of mixtape that you make for your friend is, for the most part, equal parts songs that you like and songs that remind you of them. Sometimes, it doesn’t make sense, and that’s okay; there’s always some element of cohesion, if it’s only the fact that it was compiled by you. Kitty’s “mixtape” is equal parts a collection of songs that she’d pick for the hell of it (humor, enjoyment, vibes) and songs that are about her in some way. Sometimes upbeat, sometimes silly, sometimes moody, this playlists is truly a mix of who Kitty is as a person, and perhaps a look at what’s to come.

Listen here. Songs detailed more below the cut.

A Kitty Pryde Hensley Mixtape

Mama Tried by Merle Haggard | Not knowin' where I'm bound / And no one could change my mind but Mama tried / One and only rebel child / From a family, meek and mild.

It Will Come Back by Hozier | Honey, don't feed me, I will come back / It can't be unlearned / I've known the warmth of your doorways / Through the cold, I'll find my way back to you.

Ironic by Alanis Morissette | Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you / When you think everything's okay and everything's going right / And life has a funny way of helping you out when / You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up / In your face.

Howl by Florence and the Machine | Be careful of the curse that falls on young lovers / Starts so soft and sweet and turns them to hunters / A man who is pure at heart and says his prayers by night / May still become a wolf when the autumn moon is bright.

Trouble Finds You by Juliet Simms | Tonight darkness finds you / Right behind you / Say your prayers / Tonight trouble finds you / It's inside you.

Meet Me in the Woods by Lord Huron | Follow me into the endless night / I can bring your fears to life / Show me yours and I'll show you mine / Meet me in the woods tonight.

Pit Stop

Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran | In touch with the ground / I'm on the hunt, I'm after you / Smell like I sound, I'm lost in a crowd / And I'm hungry like the wolf.

Press Play

Rivers and Roads by The Head and The Heart | And I guess it's just as well / But I miss your face like hell / Been talkin' 'bout the way things change / And my family lives in a different state.

Wolf Song by Caamp | Pack the bags / This time I am heading North / Left the racks / Won't need those where I'm going.

Ain’t It Fun by Paramore | Ain't it fun, ain't it fun? / Baby, now you're one of us / Ain't it fun, ain't it fun? / Ain't it fun?

Raise Hell by Dorothy | Young blood, came to start a riot / Don't care what your old man say / Young blood, heaven hate a sinner / But we gonna raise hell anyway.

Neon Moon (with Kacey Musgraves) by Brooks & Dun | Come watch your broken dreams / Dance in and out of the beams / Of a neon moon.

The One That Got Away by The Civil Wars | Oh, if I could go back in time / When you only held me in my mind / Just a longing, gone without a trace / Oh, I wish I never ever seen your face.

For Parker

seven by Taylor Swift | Please picture me / In the weeds / Before I learned civility / I used to scream ferociously / Any time I wanted.

#lunarcoveprompt #lunarcoveinspo #lunarcoveprompt1 #rebel child: about #hear me howling: music #the wolf you feed: meta

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idontwanttospoiltheparty · 2 years

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I'm so curious. As you make your way through the Beatles solo stuff, which songs/albums do you find yourself going back to the most? Because, personally, I find that my initial reaction to a piece of music isn't necessarily representative of how I'll feel about it long term. Occasionally you mention relistening to a song or two, but I'd love to know if any concrete favorites have emerged so far? (Of course, I'd love to hear anything you want to say about those favorites musically, too.) Thanks!

Hi anon! You're very right! I actually make sure to listen to an album at least two or three times before fully forming an opinion on the whole thing.

My favourite albums as a whole have been Ram, Band On The Run and Walls and Bridges, I think. Those are the one I like basically all the songs on (also my personal hot take is that BOTR > Ram).

Ram is just so playful, production-wise, its personality is infectious. I've actually only quite recently gained an appreciation for 3 Legs (which is one of my top songs on the album now) and Monkberry Moon Delight (I know, I know)! As Vampire Weekend fan the album appeals to me greatly heheheh.

Band On The Run is literally kind of a perfect album? It's just so expertly crafted and is the first album I ever listened to where I could FEEL the cohesion on the first listen. The transition from Mamunia to No Words is a highlight for me and also the title track is a straight up banger that I wish could be LONGER!! (specifically the intro parts!). Also interesting to me how much it parallels Sgt Pepper in structure (the loose "band" motif, the use of reprises, song transitions, the way the last track feels like an encore, ending on an earbursting crescendo, having a tiny little hidden track-like thing at the end).

Walls And Bridges is just A Good Time. One thing I like about it is how it revisits musical ideas from Imagine and – in my opinion – improves on them. It also feels really cohesive while being very versatile musically and vulnerable without compromising in on the unadulterated joy of music unlike some John albums. I think it's really adventurous and it's sooooooo sad that this is his penultimate album of original songs (well third-last, if you count Milk and Honey) because he showed so much growth here, as a songwriter AND as a producer. :( The verse of #9 Dream is straight up the most gorgeous harmony I've ever heard I think?

I also really love a lot of the songs on All Things Must Pass but I rarely find myself listening to it all the way through, because it's just a bit too much and a bit too slow for me. That being said, I listen to My Sweet Lord all the fucking time and it's very high up there among all the post-Beatles songs I've heard. The purest of serotonins, and as someone who is largely negative on religiosity it's kind of insane to me how much power this song holds over me.

Outside those albums, the songs I find myself relistening to the most are: Junk, (<- possibly my absolute favourite post-Beatles song) Man We Was Lonely, Isolation, Oh My Love, Crippled Inside, Tomorrow, the medley at the end of Red Rose Speedway, Who Can See It, 6 O'Clock, I Know (I Know).

But I have a Spotify playlist where I put in most of the songs I actively enjoy (also I basically only listen to the Raw Studio Mixes of Imagine cause I find production choices on that album… Questionable) lmao, which is actually pretty long cause overall I've been having a good time so far :) (I haven't added anything from Goodnight Vienna yet, cause I need to relisten once or twice before deciding which songs to put in lol)

#ask #anon #music talk #also: i wouldnt skip smile away or heart of the country if my Goal was to listen to Ram #but i just dont Feel Them quite often and I wanted my playlist to not constantly force me to skip lol

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spaceghostyons · 22 days

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I've been listening to J Cole and Kendricks discography the past few days to refresh my memory etc. Few thoughts.

Cole improved a lot the past few albums as a lyricist. Between Born Sinner and KOD, I think he was trying to figure out how to make 'commercial music', so the sing songy stuff and more flow focus over lyricism, which lost me as I was a fan before he got signed when I saw the Who Dat video, he had a fire and raw energy and upon getting signed its like he was trying to figure out how to fit in the industry and make hit music. And I just felt Drake and Big Sean was doing that so much better. Then Kendrick did the conscious thing so much better so Cole was trying to figure out where he fit in and he even acknowledged that in recent tracks and this latest Kendrick diss (which was cool). But he's found his stride as of recent years.

The Off Season is really good, he's really spittin on there. Might be his best work so far? Cole said TPAB was boring. I listen to that album occasionally but I went back to it this morning. J Cole has never had an album as layered and cohesive as this. As well produced, written and musical. I can see how it can be boring to people that only listen to hiphop and r&b, but if you have any depth to your musical taste, TPAB is in the top 50 hiphop albums ever. There's nothing to compare it to in modern rap. It changed the game in the same ways every bonafide classic did before it and no hiphop album has since. J Cole knows he's been playing catch up and admits that. If 'bars' is what you're looking for, then I'd say Cole has definitely been giving us solid bars more consistently! He's also given general hiphop fans more vibes as of late, Cole can fit in on playlists with a lot of contemporary rappers moreso than Kendrick rn. He's been busier for sure bc again he's playing catch up. I just don't think Cole is as good an overall hiphop artist and songwriter as Kendrick. I've yet to hear a song as well written and iconic as 'Alright', or 'Money Trees' or Backseat Freestyle' or 'Swimming Pools', or emotionally resonant as 'Sing About Me' 'The Heart Part 5' or Bitch Dont Kill My Vibe, or just flat out vibes or bangers like 'Loyalty', Element, DNA, etc. I really just think people have recency bias, Kendrick went quiet a bit and didn't make any radio singles on his last project and went away from the industry in silent protest and some people forgot how impactful he was and how much of a game changer his art is. But that's hip-hop and social media age for ya. It's looking like Kendrick is going to remind people this year.

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pika2482 · 4 months

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AOTD 1/10/2024 - Dear Wormwood (The Oh Hellos)

[All albums are rated subjectively based off my own enjoyment]

9.5/10

The Oh Hellos are a Modern Folk band that, with their album Dear Wormwood, provided a sound pallet I had no idea would latch onto my brain and become a genre I'd start actively looking for. Honestly I don't know how I'd describe the exact sound of this album, all I can say is this is a Required Listen for anyone that actively enjoys music. The Oh Hellos played to their genre taking little to no compromises for mainstream popularity, and in turn have become that Folk Mainstream.

So you may be wondering how it got a 9.5 when the individual song ratings averaged an 8.7. Here's my rules for grading albums:

Average the individual songs together, then round either up or down depending on how I feel about it. Then, I can choose to add an extra 0.5 points to an albums score for cases like this one;

The track list in this album creates an experience so cohesive and wonderful, it becomes worth more than the sum of it's parts.

This is rare to happen, but for Dear Wormwood, that's what it did for me. It may have not quite been a 10/10, but this is one of the greatest albums I have ever heard.

I was transported during my listen of Dear Wormwood, a feeling to me that's only ever been provided by the Legendary The Fox and The Bird. The atmosphere and vibes here are just fully unmatched compared to anything else I've listened to. In fact that atmosphere is my favorite part of the album, created not by dedicated ambience and atmospheric elements, but by the instrumentation itself. Songs like Ceasar, Pale White Horse, and Dear Wormwood sent me to some otherworldly place where I was just absorbed by the music. At times I felt like I had goosebumps for minutes at a time. That's a high I've been chasing for quite some time.

My favorite song has to go to the 10 out of 10 Title Track, Dear Wormwood. Coming off of the previous few songs, the potential energy is high, and boy does this song deliver on that. Once again I don't know how to describe it's sound, just listen to the fucking album. It had all the vibes of Caesar and Pale White Horse, but the ending finally let all of that potential energy flow straight out the roof, cementing this songs place in the halls of the greats, my Top 50 playlist. This song is an Journey by itself in an already Odyseey worthy album.

No duds in this album. Exeunt didn't quite place as high as the rest of the tracklist, but I found Soldier, Poet, King's place on the album to be strange. It takes place right between Where Is Your Rider and Dear Wormwood, and I feel the transition between those two would be Wonderful, but there's this up beat Stomp and Holler Tavern song right between them. This track would be better placed earlier in the album, but it still scored pretty well as a song.

Overall, this album is going to be a main-stay Recommendation for me, and I'll be coming back to listen through it over the years.

Favorite Songs: Caesar, Pale White Horse, Where Is Your Rider, Dear Wormwood

Least Favorite Songs: Exeunt

#the oh hellos #dear wormwood #album review #music review #album of the day

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did-i-do-this-write · 1 year

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Oh cool!!! I feel like I should maybe read about your characters if Imma keep doing this, but honestly I like consuming this content by just slowly building a story based on this ask game. Character development is my favourite part of writing personally <3

Anyways, I'm now at 17% if you wanna answer it (I should probably plug this thing in lol)!

And I forgot if this is similar to a question already on there or not, but if your character made a playlist, what would it be called and what are the first three songs on it (If they're the type of person to make 500 billion playlists which one would they listen to the most often)? This is very random, but I always will hear songs and be like "oh so-and-so would so listen to this" and I have learned the hard way that your music taste tells a lot about you (if you ever get mysterious kind messages from your friends for no apparent reason there is a 63% chance that they found your Spotify or whatever and are concerned for your mental health)

Don't feel pressured to read back or anything! I have a lot of posts on this blog and it can be hard to find what you're really looking for. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about them or provide links to old posts with more specific info if you are interested 🤗

As for your next percentage question!

17%. Does your character ever put someone else's needs in front of their own? And If there are only rare exceptions, why is that the case?

Nic has lost so much in her life, she tries very hard to look after herself first. She had to adapt, especially after she lost her parents. She does grow very close to the team throughout the story, though, and by the end, they are literally the only six people on Earth that she would put before herself. They are the first people who looked after her, helped her, and genuinely didn't want anything in return when she had nowhere else to go. It took some time, but they won her over eventually.

And I love music headcanons! So for your second question:

What would the title of your character's playlist be? First three songs on it?

I think that Kay would have 8 million playlists for all of her different moods and obsessions. Her most listened to one would be something like "I have no idea what I want to listen to, but everything on here is a bop"

Demons by Imagine Dragons

Mr. Brightside by the Killers

Long Road to Ruin by the Foo Fighters

There is absolutely no genre cohesion on this playlist.

This ask motivated me to write 176 words for Home is Where Your Light Shines Brightest.

Experiment Total: 59,191

#ask and you shall receive #ravenlikesbooks #zac speaks #writing #writeblr #my ocs #nic hadad #katrina curain #the great motivation experiment

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gift-of-orzhova · 1 year

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Top 10 2022

I love typing these up every year, even though I know very few people read it. I get to reflect on and relive one of my favorite things, because music is truly one of the things that keeps me going. It's such a joy to me and I'm glad to get to experience so much new music every year. And man, was there a lot of fucking great music released this year.

As usual, I put my top songs into a playlist for anyone who wants to check them out.

Album of the Year Unfold - Imanu I started following Imanu about 2 years ago when he and Buunshin did a b2b for a digital music festival called Secret Sky. I hadn't heard of either of them but it was easily one of my favorite sets of the festival. Afterwards I started seeing his name everywhere. He was getting shout outs from Noisia (!!!), collabs with Must Die!, and more. His style was was somewhere between dnb and glitchy bass music, and to be completely honest the first few things of his I listened to were really hit or miss. But then 2022 rolled around, and he started dropping banger after banger after banger. Starting with a release on my favorite label, Sable Valley. This song was called Kotaro and was a collab with Jon Casey. A bass track with lots of dnb influence, and a solid start to a great year. Next was It's Our Destiny with Kucka, which was the first single off of Unfold, and was by far by favorite song of the year. I'll talk more about this song down below but the important thing is that it was a big departure sonically from most of the other tracks of his I had heard up until this point. It reminded me a lot of Flume, not just because of the Kucka vocal but because it employed that iconic glitchy melodic style that Flume is so well known for. After this song was another switch up, a collab with Noisia called Shift, on their final album Closer. It was a return to a classic dnb style, and it was easily one of the best songs on the album. But he wasn't done, because about a month later Imanu dropped Temper, another single off of Unfold. This one was similar to It's Our Destiny in style. A vocally driven melodic dance track, and another track that would be a contender for my top 10.

The singles kept pouring in, eventually leading up to the release of the album in September. I was almost worried, sometimes when an album has a lot of really great singles it ends up that all the good songs off the album were those singles. And with singles this good, I was unsure if the album would be able to keep up with the reputation that preceded it. Needless to say, it did. Unfold has a great mix of tracks that show off Imanu's familiar but unique production style, as well as tracks that feature strong vocals from the likes of Kucka, Lia, Cherry Lena, and more. Of course many will compare Unfold to Flume's Palaces, but although similarities are present, Imanu's production style is still unique. The use of dnb and more traditional bass music elements set him apart from the Australian producer that we all love. Unfold has incredible pacing, always leaving the listener to wonder what kind of track is next. Jumping between heavier trap styled tracks like Shoyu and tracks like Temper, which contain beautiful lyrics but feature style more akin to house with a strong emphasis on subtleties in percussive elements. Unfold is a 10/10 album with wide variety of cohesive styles, strong dynamics, and evocative vocal performances. Where each song stands out on its own but shines brighter as a part of the project. Everything falls perfectly into place and Imanu carves out his space into a niche subset of dance music that only a few have convincingly occupied.

Much of my favorite music this year came from producers that sound similar to Flume, but the fact is that Harley is far from the only producer making glitchy melodic music anymore. Album releases from Imanu and Quiet Bison stand on the same level as Flume's 3rd studio album, despite the former two producers being relatively new to the scene in comparison. This makes me so excited for the future of this genre, and I cannot wait to hear what Imanu cooks up next.

EP of the Year Æon:One - Blanke Blanke entered the scene during the 2019 popularity boom of midtempo bass music from names like Rezz and 1788-L. The Australian producer fit perfectly into the midtempo scene and caught the attention of these producers as well as other prolific producers like Illenium and Zeds Dead. Alongside his releases of midtempo bass music came melodic tracks featuring strong vocals like his remix of Phoenix and his original track, Flatline. This particular style of dance music has always been something I was drawn to. Something about corny female vocals and strong melodic chords over a simple house beat always makes me feel at home. I found a lot of solace in these early Blanke songs, both the melodic and bass tracks. Unfortunately for producers like Blanke, the midtempo bass music genre would not remain at the height of its popularity forever, and although his melodic tracks would find a new home on Ophelia, the label by Seven Lions, some innovation was needed to breathe some extra life into the project. This extra life came from a track called Mystery that released in early 2021. Mystery traded out the midtempo style that Blanke was initially known for with drum n bass, a genre that has been steadily gaining popularity in the US for the last few years. When Mystery came out I wondered if this was the start of something new for Blanke, and my answer would come a little over a year later. In June of 2022, he released Æon:One, a three song dnb EP featuring a style that I can only describe as ethereal. I've listened to these three songs so many times since they were released. Everything about them is perfect, it's legitimately hard for me to pick a favorite. Each track off the EP stands out from the others, with a different energy level and production style that makes it feel unique, almost as if they each occupy a different niche of the dnb genre. Combined, they create an aesthetic that is matched nicely by the album art of a galaxy and the cool Æon tag line. With the release of Æon:One, Blanke created a subset of his brand for dnb. Making new merch, playing dnb themed DJ sets, and releasing a second EP, Æon:Two, which leans more heavily into the bass music aspect of dnb. I'm excited to see where the Æon project takes Blanke next, but for now I will happily rinse these tracks whenever I get the urge to listen to dnb.

Other Notable Albums and EPs Palaces - Flume Gonna start this list with the two albums I mentioned above while talking about Unfold. Palaces was one of the albums I looked forward to the most this year. It has a lot of great tracks on it, but it also has a couple of misses imo. Still a great album though, and one I'll be listening to from time to time.

Dawn - Quiet Bison Been following Quiet Bison for a minute now, and in February he dropped a 30 song album (!?!). Full of bangers with that signature Flume-style glitchiness. A couple of songs on here almost made it into my top 10 for the year.

Closer - Noisia Noisia are one of, if not the most prolific dnb group out there. Closer is their final album. They announced their breakup back right before covid, but as is well known, the pandemic threw a wrench into a lot of things. For Noisia, it meant that they would be releasing one more studio album to, well, close things out. And what a great final album Closer is, they truly end on a high note.

Ctrl Alt Reality - Glitch Mob The first EDM show I actually went to was a Glitch Mob show at the Electric Factory in Philly when they toured for their album Love Death Immortality back in 2014. With Ctrl Alt Reality, they make a very large departure from their signature style, trading in their typical sound font for breakbeat and old style rave elements. It's a sound that I've been growing into over the last few years, and The Glitch Mob made an album here that really hit the spot. If you weren't a fan of breakbeat before, you most certainly will be now.

Second Nature - Ninajirachi As soon as Ninajirachi dropped Petroleum back in August, I knew we were in for something special. The announcement of Second Nature was very exciting, and did not disappoint. I love her production style on the mixtape, as she blends together pop-leaning tracks with harder ones masterfully. I just wish I could see Second Nature live , I get the feeling it would be a really fun show. Next time she's on the east coast I'll have to go check it out.

Playgirl - Lolo Zouai Lolo is, in my opinion, one of the best pop artists out there. Playgirl is a great mix of pop music and RnB. Some tracks make you want to dance at the club and others are more of a "sad girl" ballad. Altogether it's a solid album with lot of different styles and some very catchy tracks.

Dusk - Manila Killa Manila Killa typically makes super chill music, but not this time. On Dusk he traded in his typical style for a more traditional styled dance album, with a lot of great house tracks.

Top 10 Songs That album list ended up longer than I anticipated, like I said, it was a really good year for music. But now for my favorite part.

1. It's Our Destiny - Imanu, Kucka If you asked me who my favorite vocalist was, there would be a lot of contenders. I've always had a soft spot for a good feminine vocal. This list used to topped by Breanne Duren, who has done a lot of work with Owl City and with Porter Robinson in the past. Kucka has been on the list of course, but was not previously at the top of it. After this year, this song and Escape by Flume in particular, she is now at the very top of the list. Her voice is just so wonderful, it's very strong but somehow also ethereal. It's like how you expect "femininity" to sound. Her vocals on this track made me fall in love. The lyrics are simple, but also emotional. The melody is wonderful, and super catchy. Imanu's production behind the vocal compliments it perfectly. With moving pads behind the verses into a glitchy, complex series of rhythmic staccato plucks alternated with kicks and other percussive elements for the drop. There's a wonderful sense of tension between the elements in the song, they all feed off of each other, flowing from one sound to the next in a single motion. The song is short and sweet, fitting a lot of content into a very small period of time. And as a result, I find myself listening to it repeatedly, always wanting more, and never getting tired of hearing Kucka say "It's our destiny, something meant to be, just keep holding me, just keep loving me."

2. Everything Goes On - Porter Robinson, League of Legends Pretty sure that any year that Porter releases music, his music will be in my top 10. After we got Nurture last year, I wasn't expecting any new music for another few years, but the League of Legends team came through and we got this wonderful song. Everything Goes On is a typical Porter take on a classic pop song. It has the structure and style of a pop track, but the lyrics are somber the instrumentation is reminiscent of a song off of Nurture. Acoustic elements like piano and guitar are mixed in with upbeat drums, giving the song an overall bright and cheery atmosphere despite the emotional lyrics. When I think of Porter, this bittersweet song composition is one of the first things that come to mind, and it fits in very well here. This song also got announced and released in a period of time this year where I really needed some comfort, and I was able to find a great deal of solace in Porter's vocals and in the animated music video the team over at Riot put together. The comfort I experience in knowing I'm not alone is one of the things I consistently feel in Porter's music, and one of the reasons he's my favorite producer. I am ever so grateful I get to listen to his music, and am always excitedly waiting for his next release.

As a side note, I just wanna say that people who don't like certain songs because they're "pop" are annoying and should stop being assholes because their fav released a song they deem as too "mainstream."

3. Angels Landing - ISOxo, FrostTop My music taste essentially ping pongs between songs that are really emotional and songs that go hard as fuck. As far as I'm concerned, ISOxo and Knock2 are the kings of the latter category. Year after year they consistently release the sickest tracks in the trap scene. This one is incredible as expected. I actually heard this track for the first time in March, 5 months before it officially released, when I went to see ISOxo in NYC. It was his closing track and I remember hearing it and thinking, damn I can't wait for this one to release. As I kind of mentioned before, I have a soft spot for ethereal female vocals. And the vocalist in this song nails it, even though the only lyric is "are we dreaming?" It fits perfectly, the soprano vocal cutting through the pads and pulsing bass, creating eerie atmosphere. The atmosphere suddenly changes as the vocal drops out and is replaced by a synth lead and the bass becomes stronger. This builds into a bass heavy drop with the high frequency elements alternating between percussive notes interlaced with vocal chops and the synth lead heard in the build. Then suddenly a vocal stab with heavy decay on it breaks through the lead, and it starts again. I could listen to this first half of the song over and over again, its haunting and energetic. It has great dynamics and is strangely evocative to me for whatever reason. The second half of the song doesn't slouch either though, as the song turns into more of a melodic dance track, and the haunting atmosphere becomes inspiring instead. Part of me wishes I got a reprise of the first drop instead, but I know that the track has much greater depth with the shift in the second half, and I still love it either way.

4. Nightrealm (Knock2 Remix) - ISOxo, Knock2 Back in the spring I made a joke on Twitter that my top 10 this year would be 5 songs that sound like Flume and 5 songs made by ISOxo or Knock2. My prediction wasn't exactly right, but here I am introducing the second isoknock track, and another Knock2 track is soon to follow haha. Last year, they each released their debut EPs. This year, they released an album called niteharts together, in which they each remixed each others EPs. Super cool idea, and great execution too. The original Nightrealm was in my top 10 last year, so it's no surprise that Knock2's remix would make the list this year. It's def my fav off the album, it just goes super hard while also capturing the energy of the original track in a unique way.

5. Need & Pleasure - Blanke I talked a bit about Æon:One up above, well here's my favorite track off of it. When I first listened to this EP I actually thought this was the worst song on it, because the first drop is not really my style, although it has grown on me a lot. But the second drop? Unmatched. One of if not the best dnb drop I have ever heard. Just a sweet arp with a bunch of bass over the classic kick-snare combo. Some well placed open high-hats add the high end, keeping it simple overall. I oftentimes find that tracks with simpler production almost stand out more than tracks with a lot of crazy techniques. It shows mastery of being able to produce something catchy with just the basics, which is exactly what this song does.

6. my luv - Knock2 The final isoknock song in my top 10, needless to say they were both on their game this year. This one is a bonus track off the deluxe version of Knock2's EP 2Hearts. A perfect example of the trappy house style music that Knock 2 makes that I love so much. A simple vocal, a super catchy melody, and enough energy to make me wanna dance around every time it comes on. Can't wait until he finally does a show on the east coast so I get to experience all of these tracks live.

7. Petroleum - Ninajirachi I found out about Ninajirachi back in 2020 when she did a remix of a Kota banks song. Since then, she has released tracks on my favorite label Sable Valley, an entire album with Kota Banks, and now a sweet mixtape called Second Nature, which I mentioned a bit above. Petroleum was the first single off of the mixtape, and also my favorite song off of it. Everything from the heavily autotuned vocal to the dynamic production fits perfectly. It's the exact type of track I've come to expect from Ninajirachi, somewhere between hyperpop and future bass, with a dash of hard rave. I'll be happy listening to this song and the whole mixtape for a while, but I excitedly await the next project of hers, as she's proven time and time again that her unique style is worth looking forward to.

8. Only One - Eastghost My love for a simple trap song with an arp as the main element shines through again. Because that's exactly what this is - a song with a simple repeated vocal, a cutting arp, and a solid bass over a trap beat. The second drop comes with a bit of dnb too, as an added bonus. I love shit like this, its simple and very effective. This was strangely the most inspiring song I heard this year. I don't produce a whole lot anymore, but after this song dropped I went home and made a nice trap beat in a similar vein. Felt really good and I really should get back to doing it more often. Anyways, props to Eastghost and to Sable Valley for the release.

9. Escape - Flume, Quiet Bison, Kucka It makes me really happy that Flume does at least one song with Kucka on every single project. And more than that, seeing Quiet Bison's name on a track like this is so fucking cool. It's clear just by listening to his music that Flume is his biggest inspiration. Seeing that he got to collab with his idol makes me very happy. The song does not disappoint either, it's a classic Flume track, with all the glitchiness and off-beat rhythms you might expect. The verses have an incredible vocal in them by the aforementioned Kucka. Not sure what more you could ask for from this track tbh.

10. Heaven's Gates (Manila Killa Remix) - Manila Killa, Devault, Izzy Camina This is one of the best club tracks I have ever heard, Manila Killa absolutely destroyed this remix. I genuinely don't know what else to write, this song is a banger.

Other Notable Tracks Not gonna write anything for these but I want to include some of my other favorites here as well. It was very close for some of them.

The Tower - Quiet Bison, fio gettin' hot - Knock2 Harbinger - Robotaki, Jamie Fine Love Light - Flume Insane - Post Malone Polaris - Blanke Villain - Girls' Generation Temper - Imanu, Lia VHS - Lolo Zouai Unholy - Sam Smith, Kim Petras The Moment - The Glitch Mob nautilus - nuphory Used - SZA, Don Toliver

#music #top 10 #i think i usually tag all the artists but this post is very long and I dont want to clutter up the tags too much #for anyone that actually read the whole thing - thank you!#i hope it was an enjoyable read

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