#I’m thinking either cool tones or maybe a nice indie duet

[meadowyarns]

one of my first projects I started was a Lost Souls

Skull shawl, which I actually got somewhat into but gave up because I kinda hated the yarn. It’s been nearly a year since I frogged it, so I’m thinking of picking up some new yarn in a color I actually like and trying again.

Has anyone else on here made this shawl? I’d love to see your WIP or FO <3

[dancefloors]

I’d love to see a whole ass ranking of red songs and your reasoning, ugh that album ooft like there are some songs on that album that i fucking adore but then there are the ones that i’d skip without a second thought

agreed! red is one of her most powerful albums to me but it’s also the one with the most skips. it’s curious.. anyway here’s my ranking and its gonna be dramatic and also littered with spelling/punctuation/grammar errors bc i can’t read and i don’t plan to. enjoy if u can

State of Grace: Her most well constructed song. It captures the essence of the album better than the title track does and I think it does that bc views the relationship from the most human perspective possible, the most realism that you can like.. feel it, with fondness and love and pain and violence and hope and honesty but it doesn’t feel messy. Like to say that this track is ‘bittersweet’ would be too black and white. I think its bc the central idea of the song is “I never saw you coming”which is neutral in the most powerful way and literally DRIVES me insane. And GOD her use of tone and volume and a simple chord pattern (basically two alternating chords) is soooo powerful it’s both simultaneously striking and incredibly delicate. Just hands down the best track on the album and one of her best songs of all time because it manages to be complex but so simple at the same time. Academy award.

All Too Well: I feel like it’s one of her best pieces of storytelling, it’s incredibly raw so I feel like it’s less “clean” than state of grace. It really feels like the climax of the album if we’re putting it in a sort of story line. I don’t think there’s anything else I could clearly say about this except you call me up again just to break me like a promise so casually cruel in the name of being honest!!!!!!

Treacherous: tenderness. I said this once before but she plays so well with almosts and maybes and nearlys and halfways on Red and I feel like this track is a good example why because its not a climactic or explosive event but its like the moment just before you fall which I love! rights! 

Begin Again: I feel like this track should be further down in the listing (like about 8) but its like one of the few hopeful and genuinely sweet songs on the album and the change in tone is nice. And so is “you throw your head back laughing like a… little kid. I think it’s strange that you think im funny cause he never did” its MADDENING. It’sat 4th because I have a heart and don’t hate love and hope.

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: one of the BESTTTTTT pop songs she ever put out. It’s so different to her usual sound, so purposefully pop-py, so overly done in a bit of an ironic way with an on-the-surface one dimensional meaning/hook, and classicly catchy that like you have to like appreciate how deliciously bitter and IN jake gyllenhaals face it is.  Like WITH SUM INDIE RECORD THAT’S MUCH COOLER THAN MINE!! FELT THAT

Holy Ground: state of grace’s little sister. This shouldddd be higher especially because of that GENIUS“tonight I’m gonna dance” bridge, but if I don’t listen to this song for a week I almost completely forget how it sounds. And I definitely don’t know a single lyric in either of the verses. 

The Last Time: I know i’m an idiot for putting it here, and that everyone else hates it but I really think this duet fits nicely within the narrative of Red. like  Taylor takes the backseat in her own song and it’s slightly forgettable buuut the guitar interlude into the bridge into the final chorus and the ‘this is the last time i’m asking you’s is one of the most compelling things ive ever heard. i’m gonna say it, gary lightbody RIGHTS  

The Moment I Knew: feels speak-now-y. incredible narrative. still can’t remember a single word of the verses it no matter how many times I hear it tho, probably bc i dont listen to it often bc its so saddd

22: not as good as wanegbt but still a firm step forward into classic pop. also I love her (slightly forced)accent in this one it’s just so fun.

I Almost Do: another track that does well with almosts (clearly) and maybes! I feel like it has a speak now-y vibe and feels like the last kiss of red if that makes sense… its kind of boring but also good yknow.

I Knew You Were Trouble: It’s not bad….it has a nice tune. I just know I wouldn’t have noticed it if it weren’t a single. I appreciate the melodrama though.

Red: it’s meant to be the defining song of the album but it feels like… heavy handed lyrically. Less subtle than taylor usually is. And the melody is not as compelling and feels a bit mumbly. Its not bad tho!

The Lucky One: this and girl at home aren’t bad songs but they fade together in my mind and have the same sort of energy to me because they’re not like.. compelling or catchy? This one is okay though bc its about ms Joni....everybody loves pretty everybody loves cool

Come Back…Be Here: it’s a good song but I don’t like the breakdown after the bridge. Feels like a skip at times, hits a like a bus at others. It’s odd.

Girl at Home: sounds fearless-y.kind of charming. Not enough to stick in my mind though.

Sad Beautiful Tragic: you could literally play me any song and tell be its SBT because I have no idea what the fuck it sounds like. by pavlovian response by brain just fires off the command to hit skip when that intro comes in. does it have an intro? I wouldn’t know.ITS SAD

Everything Has Changed: it’s tooooo generic sounding. I know it’s a fan favourite and she DOES say “green eyes and freckles in your smile” but the ed sheeran sound in this is too much.

Starlight: I do not give a fuck about the kennedys.

Stay Stay Stay: I feel like this clashes with the vibe of the album in a way wanegbt and 22 managed not to do…its just like… not good. yes i hate fun.

[gakkawojin]

time for a eurovision ranking rant with sav that no one cares about wooooooo

this is actually vaguely in order of songs i love through to dislike so here goes

italy: francesco gabbani, occidentali’s karma my clear winner near enough since it was announced, honestly. good hook, good overall sound, unique amongst this year’s selection, interesting theme, faintly silly dancing, europe’s cool uncle. solid winner. will probably do very well in the show and maybe win, roma 2018 right boys, honestly though this is one of my fave esc entries in years if not ever

moldova: sunstroke project, hey, mamma! see above: good beat, good sound, questionable silly dancing, europe’s other cool uncles. decent vocals, excellent musicians, and they really seem pleased/proud to be representing moldova again (imo ola tira held them back this time), this is a solid club/party song and i think a solid qualifier. maybe not a winner, but i’m expecting/hoping for a good result for moldova! hopefully their second time in the top ten, maybe even their first top 5 if they’re lucky

belarus: NAVI, historyja mahjo žyccia another i loved from the first time i heard it in the national selection days (i didn’t think it would win cause everything i love seems to die on the stage at nf shows) and it’s much stronger with the new rework. it’s just such a happy, feelgood song, they’ve got great voices and chemistry together, it still stands out even weeks after its announcement and i love it. also first entry in belorussian yesssss

the netherlands: OG3NE, lights and shadows i’ll be honest, when i first listened to the studio i wasn’t in love, but then i heard their live performance and hoooooooooooly shiiiiiiit man they’re good. will need strong/dramatic staging because the song itself is a bit 90s but it’s got a good build and some amazing vocal work, i would love for this to do well

portugal: salvador sobral, amar pelos dois i hate ballads, i do, but i love this -it’s quirky, something a bit different, and his voice is lovely. it reminds me of old disney movies in the best way. it actually reminds me a bit of pernilla karlsson’s när jag blundar for finland a few years ago, weirdly, but i really like them both. i hope this year finally brings portugal back into the finals because this is gorgeous, honestly

austria: nathan trent, running on air i really like this, honestly -i don’t think it’s a winner by any means, but it’s good, radio friendly, it’s feel good and fun and i like it. i’m curious what’s gonna happen with staging but i think nathan’s a strong dancer and performer so this should do okay for austria, it’s similar in tone/style to last year and they did alright then so

france: alma, requiem i really liked this on release, but her live vocals just don’t hold up as well as i’d wanted them to, and i feel the song starts to trail in the last minute or so. i still really like it and i think it’s another really solid effort for france this year but it’s just not as strong as some of the other entries for me

estonia: koit toome & laura, verona hilariously i haaaaaaaated this in the early days of eesti laul (my girl elina born was there after all so) but it really grew on me, their voices are solid together and i think with a bit more practice/better staging this could do well, given there’s so few duets this year

hungary: joci papai, origo i reaaaaaaally like this, except the weird little rap bit. hopefully europe aren’t our usual hideous racist selves about it and it qualifies and does well, cause it’s so unique and it’s such a love letter to hungarian culture. the staging and music is beautiful i really love it

latvia: triana park, line this isn’t something i can see myself listening to over and over again, but it’s a decent song and the staging is wiiiiiiild, it’s gonna stand out, kick ass, take names and probably a top 15 spot imo

finland: norma john, blackbird i don’t love this, it’s okay, but her voice is gorgeous hot damn. it probably won’t win but it’s just really a very nice song. i worry it might get lost or forgotten, which i think is a big issue/worry with a lot of entries this year

everything past this point i flat out dislike or just hate honestly so this gon be brief

cyprus: song is passable to good, but i was immediately concerned when he mimed his first live performance, it just looks shoddy and i’m now thinking he can’t actually pull these notes off

poland: decent song, i’m just not huge on her voice. she can definitely sing and she’s got a solid jazz vocal, it’s just not my thing

denmark: it’s just a bit forgettable, honestly. it feels just like an x factor singer’s second single, which it is, but i just think it airs too closely to generic for me

switzerland: it’s alright, she’s gorgeous, but it’s just nothing to write home about. their aesthetic is on point but it’s just doesn’t do much for me

united kingdom: ...no comment. honestly we’re so meh this year i can’t

germany: oh bless you. honestly this isn’t even terrible, everyone is just gonna immediately forget about it

ukraine: i like rock at eurovision. i do not like this. the staging just creeps me out with the dodgy prosthetics and i just think it’s so dark and grumpy and sad, i’m not a fan at all

spain: forgettable. all i know is he wants me to ‘do it for your lover’. what is ‘it’

albania: i really like it in albanian, and her voice is insanely strong but i’m worried the english version is gonna lose all its charm and musicality as has happened on many occasions before

belgium: solid meh. sounds like it tries too hard to be indie, wishes she was lana del rey, the music is good and the song itself is fine, but i am fairly sure this won’t work live because it just sounds so forced

greece: someone let them know cascada called and asked for the breakdown from ‘glorious’ back, this sounds so 2006 and i cannot, it’s an improvement from last year certainly but still not a strong comeback imo

croatia: completely ridiculous and i can’t wait for the live performance in the same sense that you can’t tear your eyes off a train wreck

georgia: she’s got a powerful voice that’s for sure but the song is so repetitive and the staging is just bland as hell

australia: it’s just dull god love them, it’s another ballad in a sea of ballads and he’s like 17 telling me how difficult and hard love is, i don’t care, will qualify ‘because it’s australia’ and it’s just so eh

czechia: oh, oh sweetheart

slovenia: why did you pick this, who hurt you

malta: see above

romania: i literally hate this and cannot wait to buy the album so i can delete it, fuck me i can’t stand it

also two of the national finals happening this weekend (that i’m missing because family event bah) that might return hope and joy to this year’s contest:

sweden: i will take literally anyone winning as long as it’s not lisa ajax or ace wilder cause they both drive me nuts. personally i’m rooting for mariette or robin bengtsson but wiktoria will probably take it

iceland: again will take basically anyone qualifying here, i’d prefer either of the arons or even daði but honestly they’re all alright, except maybe hildur but eh