#and my friend loves that song and we listened to the album on vinyl together at like 1am on the sofa in october 2021 and.

[eggmeralda]

overcome with the sudden urge to listen to songs my friend likes...what does that mean

[sattlersquarry]

Elegia (Steve Harrington x Reader)

Summary: You get a call at 6 in the morning from your coworker Steve Harrington, demanding to know your favorite song.

Word Count: 1777

Warnings: Language, mentions of grief, guilt, & losing family in the Starcourt fire, Vecna curse stuff.

(The gif is from the Netflix Giphy account. It doesn't have anything to do with the fic but I love it lol)

In case you want to listen along: Elegia

Read Part II Here

Ring, ring!

You stirred in your sleep, trying to hold onto your peaceful dream for a bit longer… 

Ring, ring!

You groaned and rolled out of bed, shuffling to the phone on your desk. Whoever it was obviously needed to talk to you at—5:58 a.m.?! 

“Hello?” you said tiredly, stifling a yawn.

“Y/N, hey! It’s Steve.”

You frowned, expecting some early-bird telemarketer, not Steve Harrington. 

He was your friend and Family Video coworker. Sure, you’d spent some time together hanging out outside of work, but not enough for him to be calling at this hour.

“Hey, man,” you said. “Whatever this is couldn’t have waited a couple more hours?”

“Sorry to wake you,” Steve said. “I have an important question for you.”

You felt ice in your veins. Wait, what was happening? Surely Steve wasn’t about to ask you out…right? 

Not that you’d be totally opposed to the idea or anything—you were just surprised.

“Really?” you said. “What is it?”

All of your expectations came crashing down when Steve asked: “What’s your favorite song?” 

You blinked a couple times, exhaustion-addled brain trying to comprehend. 

“Huh?”

“Your favorite song?” Steve pressed. “What is it?”

“You woke me up for that?” you said, trying not to sound too angry or disappointed. 

“I know it’s random, but it’s important. Very important!”

“More important than beauty sleep?”

“Yes.”

You sighed and rubbed your pounding forehead. Although it was stupid, Steve sounded serious. It wouldn’t hurt to play along.

“My taste is eclectic,” you said. “I listen to a bit of everything. What genre are we talking about?”

“All the genres! If you had to pick just one song, what would it be?”

You glanced at the stack of vinyls on your desk. Of all the options, there was one album, and one song on said album, that stood out. 

“‘Elegia,’ by New Order,” you said. “That’s my favorite song. It’s a really nice tribute to a late friend. I listened to it a lot after…after Starcourt.”

Both your mother and brother had died in the Starcourt Mall fire, leaving you, your father, and your sister behind. Your grief ebbed and flowed like the tide, never fully leaving you.

“I’m really sorry, Y/N,” Steve said quietly. “I know it’s been hard for you.”

You weren’t really in the mood for condolences right now. You just wanted to sleep.

“It’s fine,” you said. “Listen, this was weird. I’ve got to go.”

“Wait! Do you have it on cassette—”

You slammed the phone back into its cradle.

“What a nut,” you muttered, before stumbling back to bed.

***

A couple days later, Steve and his friends were headed to Reefer Rick’s boathouse to deliver food (and beer) to Eddie. 

Steve requested they take a brief pitstop.

“It’ll take less than 5 minutes,” Steve said.

“Eddie’s hungry!” Dustin protested. “We shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

“If he’s so hungry,” Max said, eyeing Dustin and Steve with disdain, “then why are you two eating all his snacks?”

Steve sheepishly closed up the container of Pringles he’d been enjoying. Dustin ignored the dig and offered Max an Oreo. 

“We can take a quick detour,” Nancy said. “But Dustin’s right, we don’t want Eddie to wait too long.”

“Turn here!” Steve said suddenly. “And park by those flower beds.”

Nancy followed his directions, parking their station wagon in front of a shabby apartment building.

Robin eyed the building.

“Hey, I recognize this place,” she said. “This is where Y/N lives!”

“Y/N?” Lucas said. “Who’s that?”

“Our coworker,” Robin said with a sly smile, “and Steve’s crush.”

“They’re not my crush!” Steve snapped. “We’re friends. I just want to check in on them after all the murders and shit.”

“And give them a gift,” Dustin teased, gesturing to the bag Steve had tucked under his arm. 

“It’s not a gift,” Steve explained. “It’s Vecna protection.”

“You think Y/N is a target?” Nancy asked.

“They lost their brother and mom to the Mind Flayer,” Steve said. “It hasn’t been easy for them. And I know they blame themselves. I want to make sure they’ll be okay.”

With that, he exited the station wagon. Dustin, Lucas, and Max started to follow him up the path to the stairs.

“Whoa, whoa!” Steve said when he noticed. “This is a one-man job. Stay in the car.”

“No way!” Dustin said. “We want to meet Y/N.”

“No! They don’t need to meet you right now!”

A couple days after your early-morning call from Steve, you heard a commotion from your kitchen window and pulled open the curtains. You scoffed when you took in the sight: Steve Harrington on the lawn of your apartment complex, berating a trio of younger teens and gesturing toward a waiting station wagon. 

You also noticed your other coworker, Robin Buckley, and Steve’s ex, Nancy Wheeler. 

“What the shit,” you muttered, before opening your window and sticking your head outside.

“Harrington!” you called. “You’re disturbing the neighborhood.”

Startled, Steve turned around and tucked something behind his back. 

“Hey Y/N!” he said, plastering a grin on his face. “Happy Wednesday. Can I come in?”

“Can we come in?” the red-haired girl corrected. 

“How about I come down,” you called. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Steve said. “But I have something for you.”

This was…suspicious. Even more suspicious than his strange call from a couple days ago. But curiosity got the better of you, so you closed up your window and met Steve outside. 

Before you could even say anything, a curly-haired boy in a trucker hat stepped in front of you and stuck out a hand.

“Hi, I’m Dustin. Steve’s best friend and wingman.”

“Nice to meet you, Dustin. I’m Y/N.”

You greeted Robin and met Steve’s other friends, all while the man in question continuously rolled and unrolled the top of a brown paper bag—a nervous tic. 

“So!” you said, turning to Steve. He shooed the others back to the station wagon as you said, “I take it, that's for me?”

“Yes!” Steve said. “I got you a gift.” He handed you the bag.

You opened up the bag and peered inside. Once you saw the gift, your breath hitched in your throat.

A brand-new cassette of Low-Life by New Order. The album “Elegia” is on. 

“You got me the cassette,” you said, looking up at Steve with a furrowed brow. “Why?”

“Just…because,” he said. He couldn’t seem to look you in the eye. Why was he so nervous? Why was he giving this to you in the first place? What did “just because” mean, exactly?

You knew you should thank him, but you could only stare at the cassette, transfixed. 

You thought of all the times you’d listened to the album on vinyl, sobbing, overwhelmed by grief and guilt. You thought of how your last conversation with your brother before he died on July 4th was a stupid argument, ending with you telling him you hoped he’d drop dead.

And then he did. And so did your mother. 

Small drops of blood splattered on the cassette, covering the band’s name. 

It took a second for you to realize it was a nosebleed. Your nosebleed.

“Aw, shit,” you said, snapping out of your grief spiral and quickly wiping the blood with your sleeve. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to space out for a second. Thank you, Steve. This is really—Steve?”

Steve grabbed the cassette and opened the box with shaking hands. 

“Where’s your Walkman?” he demanded.

“What?”

“Y/N! Your Walkman!” Steve shouted. “Where is it?”

His shouts caught the attention of his friends, who had been listening to a news bulletin on the radio and whispering conspiratorially. 

“I don’t have it anymore!” you said. “I gave it to my sister.”

“What’s going on?” Robin asked.

“Walkman!” Steve said, whirling around to the group with a wild look in his eyes. “We need a Walkman!”

“I have one in the glove box,” Nancy said. “Just hold tight.”

Nancy rushed to the car. 

“Jesus, Harrington!” you said, confused at the urgent need to listen to New Order right this minute. “What the hell is wrong with—agh!”

You felt a zap! of pain across your skull. You winced and rubbed your forehead.

“Headaches,” Lucas whispered. 

You didn’t like how Steve’s friends were looking at you—like you were a bad omen. 

“Why are you all looking at me like that?” you snapped. “Seriously, what is happening?”

“Y/N, listen to me,” Steve said, voice strained as he tried to keep calm. “Nancy’s going to let you borrow her Walkman, okay? And you need to listen to ‘Elegia’ on loop.”

“Why?”

“It’s life or death!” Dustin said. 

“A song is life or death?”

“Yes!” 

You rolled your eyes as Steve loaded Nancy’s Walkman with Low-Life, but allowed him to put the headphones on your head and press play. 

The soft opening melody of “Elegia” swirled into your ears. Despite how stupid this seemed, you loved the song. It did soothe your headache, albeit only slightly. 

Steve said something to you, but you couldn’t hear. You lifted off one of the headphones.

“Keep listening,” Steve repeated. “Anytime you get a headache, or a nosebleed or…or hear a clock, just listen to ‘Elegia.’”

None of this made sense. But you agreed to keep listening to the song, as much as you could. 

Dustin heard some kind of SOS message on his walkie-talkie, and it was time for them to go. 

You could tell that Steve didn’t want to leave. As the others piled in the station wagon, he hesitated, and glanced back at you.

“Where are you guys off to, anyway?” you asked, pulling the headphones down around your neck.

“Probably hiking,” Steve said. “Or maybe a boat ride on the lake.”

You could tell he was lying. He didn’t look headed for a fun day outside. He looked scared, face ghastly pale. He tapped the fingers on his right hand on his thigh, drumming out a frantic melody.

“Cool,” you said. “Um, you sure you don’t want to stay? And listen to New Order with me?”

Steve smiled but shook his head.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’ve got to take care of these knuckleheads. But maybe another time, we can—”

“STEVE!” Dustin screamed from the station wagon backseat. “LET’S GO!”

With that, Steve mumbled out a goodbye, shooting you one last concerned look before climbing into the car. 

“Elegia” ended, and “Sooner Than You Think” started to play. 

You watched the station wagon zip off toward its next destination. You rewound the tape to the beginning of Side Two, beginning “Elegia” once more.

[the-amazing-boop]

My track by track first impressions for Unreal Unearth (with some contextualized thoughts of the singles)

De Selby Part 1 - straight into the lullabies playlist. Just perfect.

De Selby Part 2 - perfect fade in from Part 1. I couldn't have dreamt up a better, more subtle transition. Still my current creature comfort.

First Time - oh, ffs, it's bluesy and sad. Lethal combination. This might be another one on repeat later. Ow. Ouch, ow. THE FINAL TIME YOU CALLED ME "BABY". Wtf. I see why some of y'all were cussing him out on here.

Francesca - my beloved. Brutal to have this follow First Time, though. Mentally two-stepping through the tears. The bellowing at the outro still has the power to ascend me despite my replaying.

I,Carrion - another certified heartbreaker for the lullabies playlist. She's Greek, she's cosmic, she's pure love.

Eat Your Young - I am once again solidified in my conviction to refuse having children in this fucked up world. Y'all be safe.

Damage Gets Done (feat. Brandi Carlile) - Okay guitar lick! Oh the voices belting together in harmony is hitting me. I'm getting really 2010s feelings I haven't felt in forever. I feel the sudden urge to forgive myself. He's back at it again with the choral work, CAN I LIVE??

Who We Are - and just like that, I'm back on my emo shit. He really went for emotional whiplash in terms of song ordering, huh? Not me literally listening to this while engulfed in a dark room as well. Another one I'll have to repeat, I fear.

Son of Nyx - oh fuck. Oh no. Not the piano dragging along. And no words. THE CUTOFF. THE STRINGS. THE VOCALIZATIONS. It's definitely a warning. Shit's about to start hurting for real. It's so haunting and gorgeous.

All Things End - Hello, old friend, my first favorite. I'm terrified of what follows you. It was bad enough watching the man "die" on the table (my hands are in the air to receive the gospel).

To Someone From A Warm Climate (Uiscefhuarithe) - fucking hell. Just devastating. Idk how much more I can take.

Butchered Tongue - this hits like crazy if you have any connection to a diaspora that was nearly erased or just have ancestry DEEPLY rooted oppression and the like. Ffs, I'm gonna need stitches for a cut that deep.

Anything But - and then this happy shit. Back at it again with the whiplash, the bastard. I love it though! This is going on the light and bright playlist. I'm a sucker for sad lyrics dressed in bright colors. And the vocals?? Come on, now.

Abstract (Psychopomp) - I was right. Everything following Son of Nyx just hurts differently. Dare I say worse than the first half of the album. I really shouldn't get into how I relate OFTEN to the poor roadkill creatures in my area.

Unknown/Nth - a nice and plentiful helping of stake through the heart, as usual. The briiidge. I drown in it every time.

First Light - I'm gonna say it's an instant classic. The imagery. The love on love on love. The catharsis. The drumsss. Oh! The acoustic fade out.

Overall, he didn't bother not once to lift his heel on this album. He's outdone himself. No skips. I am foaming at the mouth, waiting for my vinyl to come in. All get 10s across the board from me. 16 works of art. I really wish I could lock myself in a room for three days to really digest this album.

[leonardcohenofficial]

Hearing about your vinyl stuff is so cool! How often do you buy records (and if you feel like sharing, what was the last one you purchased)?

i should be regarded as a cautionary tale because i cannot physically enter a record store without buying something it is a legitimate problem and close to 1000+ records later here we are; given i am at my favorite local shop for my sets on sundays i buy records at minimum once a week plus whenever my impulse control loses out and i end up ordering stuff online. i just bought a bunch of records on sale from light in the attic (HIGHLY recommended label they always have cool obscure releases and repressings) but here are the four i picked up this past sunday:

the 5th dimension, living together, growing together i love the 5th dimension and am slowly collecting all of their albums; the shop had a sealed copy for three bucks that i'd been looking at for a few weeks so i picked it up! a fun late career release, one highlight is their version of "day by day" from godspell which is very fun

laura nyro, season of lights…laura nyro in concert everything laura nyro every touched is gold and this album is no exception. i love hearing her perform live—especially the tender more introspective version of "sweet blindness" captured here—and highly recommend this album for rainy day listening

four tops, keeper of the castle i didn't know anything about this album besides the title track and the fact that "ain't no woman (like the one i got)" are on it and i embarrassingly had no four tops albums before picking this up so i'm delighted to have this in my collection! funnily enough of the sixties R&B motown groups like the temptations, four tops, the shirelles, the supremes, etc. i tend to like their early seventies soul-influenced albums more than either their earlier sound. solid listening all around!

jack bruce, songs for a tailor i knew nothing about this album either—i knew who jack bruce was given he was the most normal member of cream—but found it while digging in the new arrivals section of the shop! i was pleasantly surprised with how much i dug the art/jazz-rock, almost proggy-funk vibe of this album ("sunshine of your love" this is certainly not LOL) and this is quickly becoming one of my favorite random finds of late ("never tell your mother she's out of tune" is very fun—and ellen mcilwaine does a cool cover too)!

folks are always welcome to friend me on discogs to keep up with my vinyl adventures + mutuals can ask for my insta!

[starryyuken]

the artist, the muse — j. satur x f!reader

pairing | jeff satur x f!reader

synopsis | jeff satur, and everything this guy is, amazing and absolutely *chef kiss*

author's note | fluff, language, social media au + excuse for any errors or mistakes. feel free to reblog, like, and request for anything xx

JEFF’S POV

The music store had been his frequent location to visit whenever he walked down the road that led to it.

Jeff had been walking the whole day, admiring the beauty Monte-Carlo had to offer, and being thankful of every moment and passing day spent there. He had breakfast with a view of the oceanside, walked down the streets with vendors selling fresh fruits and blooming flowers, had lunch in a nice and quiet restaurant recommended by Bible, which he would come back to tomorrow, and now here he was—inside his favorite music store that had all the artists he loved.

Jeff scanned the store, briefly thinking where to go first, before his feet was taking him to the left side of the store where it’s less crowded. Now, standing by a large shelf, his fingers tapped against the wood before he tipped one of the albums and scanning its price and title before tucking them under his arm before exploring more.

His eyes stopped at a bold lettering on a white and blue banner on a large white shelf. Jeff Satur: Exclusivités, sorties récentes, et faces B. (Exclusives, recent releases and B-sides.)

He eyed a group of friends crowding one of the shelves dedicated to his music, each one taking two or three albums for themselves, searching on their phones for the artist, and he smiled to himself seeing them walking together to the cashier and stacking his albums on the counter including a vinyl of his acoustics and magazines of him modelling on the front cover.

Jeff walked down the aisle to see his works for himself, and couldn’t help but feel proud and happy of himself. Deciding to share the good news with his friend, he fishes out his phone from his pocket and takes a picture of shelf with the background of the store’s window and the oceanside view. Furthering the camera’s view, he stopped to see a figure by the end of the shelf gently bopping her head which was wearing a pair of headphones.

Putting away his phone, he puts it away and walks to the person, whom clearly won’t take notice of his presence unless he makes himself known first, and sneaks a look to what the person was listening to.

Jeff Satur – Je veux être à toi (I wanna be yours)

A song he covered during his early years into the industry, and it’s still being listened to. To such a beauty, at that, Jeff thought to himself.

She was still immersed listening, but he just had to get her attention. He wanted to. Lifting a hand, he gently tapped her shoulder and she shuddered, turning her head to look at him in the face, then quickly sets down the headphones back to its place that was hooked onto the shelf.

“Excusez-moi de vous interrompre, mais je ne peux m’empêcher de voir que vous écoutez une de mes musiques.” (Excuse me for interrupting you, but I can’t help but see that you are listening to one of my songs.)

YOUR POV

He’s…the artist!

Feeling your blood rushing to your face, you avoided his gaze which was full of hope and intensity you couldn’t put to words.

“Oh, mon Dieu! Vous... vous êtes... vous êtes Jeff Satur! En chair et en os!” (Oh my God! You... you are... you are Jeff Satur! In the flesh!)

He covered a laugh by lifting a hand to cover his mouth, but you admired how his eyes crinkled and how he also flushed at the comment.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s actually me. You don’t mind if we speak just like this? Or do you want to switch it back to French?”

Shaking your head, you smiled at the musician whom scratching his neck, believing he’d attract attention seeing as your reaction raised a few heads from inside the store, “We can speak just like this. It’s fine.”

He exhaled and turned to see the small screen that’s been playing the song you were listening. “I completely forgot I covered this song. It’s just so long ago I just…didn’t look back to the things I did that got me here.”

“You sounded so lovely I just had to stop and give it a chance. Best decision ever, if I’d say so myself.” Then, as if a lightbulb had turned on atop your head, you reminded yourself of the album you’d put inside the basket left on a nearby table that contained other items you wished to buy.

“I’ve been looking for this one everywhere and I’m so grateful this one was available. I listen to you online all the time and this was just the perfect gift for myself for discovering such an artist that could capture such feeling into a song,”

Jeff Satur - Pourquoi ne restes-tu pas (Why Don’t You Stay)

“It’s so intimate and beautiful. You did a wonderful job with this, as does with others that you wrote but this one truly stands out for people like me.”

“How is that?”

“People come and go in my life, and I haven’t got the time to heal it all because it passes so quickly. Then, I come here to see if, by any chance, I’ll get something for staying strong through it all. I discovered you and everything just fit so well and so, so perfect,”

“Curiosity got the best of me when this was released and…I think I cried listening to it and then I left a comment online saying I wished so bad to hear it on a live performance. But meeting you here is more than what I could have asked.”

Jeff’s face flushed and, once again, he smiled and crinkled his eyes.

“You’re too generous with your words…If you don’t mind, I can sign it for you?”

By the looks of how his smile turned even wider, you could guess it in his expression how your eyes lit up in response to the offer, and you gave him the copy as he took out a marker that complimented the color of the album cover art. Very carefully, he wrote a message too long for you to read at the backward angle where it’s facing him, so you gave up doing so and let him finish signing.

“Here. And I just have to say, no one’s been so kind to me as you did. Your words really…moved me. Thank you…”

“(Y/N).”

He says your name again, and it felt euphoric hearing them pouring out his mouth, like they were meant to be.

“I’ll see you around?” You asked.

He shrugged his shoulders, “It’s a small world and place, but I’ll look for you!”

You turn around and grabbed your things to the cashier, and before leaving the store with the items bought and packed, your turn around one last time to see Jeff was still watching you as he leaned against the shelf.

He raised a hand and waved, and you waved back, your heart racing a million miles as every step that took you home wished you would run again into him.

---

ONE YEAR LATER

“I want us to be official—let the whole world know about us,”

You sighed, just as you were waking up hearing his soft snores against your ears as Jeff’s arms wrapped around your body, his raspy morning voice sent a shiver through you, like cold water washing over your body but it felt heavenly and could put you back to a slumber.

“What do you say, sweet thing?” He kissed behind your ear and cuddled his body closer to you, perhaps what’s left of closer was trying to curl you into his body as much as he could as an excuse to not let you get up and leave him alone in the shared bed.

“How are you planning to do that?”

“I wrote a song about you last night.”

That was very unexpected. It made you turn your whole body to face him, laying on the bed and his eyes still closed but fully awake.

“Why if I may ask you?”

“Just because. Last night was more than amazing and…I just want to tell you in more than the ways that I’ve told you before that I love you.”

He pursed his lips, rubbing his eyes and now fully opening them.

“You’re very lovely and I’m glad to be the one to get you all for myself.”

Jeff had always been good with his words and never fails to bring you down to your knees, falling head over heels for him more and more everyday.

“Morning kiss?”

“Yes, morning kiss, please,” His forefinger tapped against his lips as it motioned for the said kiss.

---

822,671 likes

jeffsatur getaway with lover

nnattawin been looking for you everywhere 🧐!

buildurlurve cute and romantic, traditional jeff

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Liked by milephakphum, biblesumett and 21,058 others

yourinstagram fill my heart with song and hear you sing forevermore...

milephakphum beautiful place for a beautiful couple

biblesumett hard launching boyfriend 💋 hard launching girlfriend

nnattawin can't believe you left me behind 😒

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804,102 likes

jeffsatur to make up the lost times, “curious” out tomorrow 11 pst.

tagged; kamikaze, warnermusic

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yourinstagram moods of jeff during the release of “curious”

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[justconstantly]

MY TOP 9 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME

tagged by @belladonnafey

couldn't sleep, saw ur tag zoph (<3), and here we are. I'm a big album listener so this was a struggle for me, but I tried to avoid all my short term obsessions and only pick my absolute favs, ones I could listen to no skips at any time (order here isn't a ranking or anything, solely was aesthetic for the collage)

lungs (deluxe) - Florence+the machine

fav songs: I'm not calling you a liar, bird song, kiss with a fist

every spare moment for the entire summer of 2014 my brother and I played Minecraft on a LAN server together and I listened exclusively to a YouTube playlist of this album on repeat and that's definitely part of why I am the way I am

heretic pride - the mountain goats

fav songs: autoclave, lovecraft in brooklyn

funnily enough, not one of the three goats albums I have on vinyl, the others are better for living room activities that my record player is good for (lounging, plant watering, etc) but this one is still my all time fav

wasteland baby - hozier

fav songs: almost (sweet music), wasteland baby

RIP my college roommates in spring 2019 because I listened to only this album for approximately 2.5 months and I think they hated me for it (blasting it out loud, singing badly, etc)

Grace - Jeff buckley

fav songs: lover you should've come over, dream brother

this album is so so cool, I mean even discounting Jeff buckleys angelic voice, the haunting guitar? the early modern English hymn?? lilac wine AND hallelujah??? makes me feel incredible

sound and color - alabama shakes

fav songs: this feeling, shoegaze

this whole album makes me just dance/sway around my apartment feeling like I'm the most soulful and tender person alive

post-war - M. ward

fav songs: Chinese translation, right in the head, rollercoaster, magic trick

makes me so indescribably nostalgic for a life I've never lived. when I heard Chinese translation for the first time I was like hmm I'm different now

collapsed in sunbeams - Arlo parks

fav songs: too good, eugene

got the vinyl from my library on a whim to listen to while me and my roomie did a puzzle and spent the next 2 weeks of the hold just glued to the record player, haven't bought my own copy yet but it's on my wishlist FOR SURE just perfect lazy living room vibes for me

crawler - IDLES

fav songs: the beachland ballroom, meds, car crash

massive thank you @azertykeys for recommending me idles bc this album is a go to for me when I'm coding and/or also just in my feelings

bridge over troubled water - Simon & Garfunkel

fav songs: keep the customer satisfied, the boxer, the only living boy in New York, why don't you write me

my parents listened to quite a bit of Simon and Garfunkel when I was a kid and I didn't realize I knew them until I was like 20 and my friend was playing their greatest hits and I knew every word to every song. she was like why do you know so much Simon and Garfunkel and I was like oh is that who this is? anyway love this album, my vinyl is a treasured posession

only reason mitski isn't on this list is because I can't choose between any of her albums

other honorable mentions:

<COPINGMECHANISM> by willow

hospice by antlers

woman on the internet by Orla gartland

case/lang/veirs by case/lang/veirs

transgender dysphoria blues by against me

fetch the bolt cutters by Fiona apple

she won't make sense by the harmleighs

this was long so absolutely no pressure, but tagging @azertykeys @heart-to-hearts @bromaine-lettuce @junewild @unnonexistence @navigatorwrongway and anyone who sees this and wants to give it a go

[love-songs-for-emma]

Shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. Then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals. 💌💛

OMG ty adrey!!! i love any excuse to share my music!!!!

songs BE SHUFFLED‼️

1. With A Little Help From My Friends (Remastered 2009) by the Beatles :3

2. death bed (coffee for your head) by Powfu & beabadoobee

3. How To Never Stop Being Sad by dandelion hands

4. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing by Jack Johnson

5. Ocean Man by Ween

HOLY COW. WHAT A GENUINE SHUFFLE ALCBKSCN USUALLY SPOTIFY IS SO BAD AT SHUFFLING WHAT!!!!! I love all of these songs actually omg

This was not apart of the task but im using this as an excuse to talk about these songs below the cut:

1. Beatles songs fill me with such warmth. Hugs. My sister loved them sm and anything my sister loved, I loved. She was ten years older than me. I was raised on the Beatles. Plus they remind me of my beloved emma ( @love-songs-for-maria ) and her family/her mom. My second family being a Beatles household is so nice c: I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends :')

2. There was a time period where i could Not stop listening to this song. I started making art about it back then; this is absolutely reminding me to finish it omg. Also, this song actually /sampled/ beebadoobee's song "coffee," it's not just like a song they made together. So check out "coffee" for a song about healing that makes me CRY and also feel like I'm being HUGGED. Love u beebadoobee

3. Wow. What a classic. How To Never Stop Being Sad was my ULTIMATE cry song when I was like 13. I still think about some of lines (it reads more like spoken word/poetry with backdrop) more as How To *Stop* Being Sad, yknow? Motivational. Like "Become a background character to your own motion picture" -> Be the main character in your life. Take up space. EXIST. ♡

4. The album this comes from, "In Between Dreams," sounds like childhood. Like sitting on the lil fold down square seats in the back of my dad's old lil red pickup truck as we drive to other side of the island to go dirtbike riding with my mom and brother. It's also become something I dont /have/ to associate with that. I got a vinyl record of it when I was about 15/16 and used to play it while dancing around the front room and making breakfast (various friends and partners over the years there or not). It's also mine. My solo drive peaceful music. Sittin, Waitin, Wishin :)

5. This is the sound of the Spongebob Squarepants Movie ending. That's it. That's what it is. First credits song. One of the rare movie endings where the credits actually go SO HARD and I actually prefer letting them play out. I watched this movie a billion times since it came out when I was a kid. The end credits when this plays show waves crashing and it looks like you're surfing and reminds me of Hawai'i, which is where I was still living when it first came out and I'd watch the DVD endlessly!! Perfect song. 0/0 notes. Ocean Man, Take Me By The Hand, Lead Me To The Land That You Understand

Lastly,, I probably would have skipped a song if I didn't like it bc I've been unliking a lot of my Liked Songs on Spotify lately so that my shuffle on Liked Songs is better and bam! There's the payoff! Didn't even skip one for this ask! Wahoo!

If anyone read this to the end, thanks for sharing these memories with me. :) Much love, always. I'll send this out to a few peeps, but if anyone wants it sent to them specifically so they too can be involved and/or ramble on, DM me/let me know! MWAH

[boonesfarmsangria]

Basement alchemy: Yannis & The Yaw sees Foals' Yannis Philippakis and Afrobeat legend Tony Allen forge a treasure with 'Walk Through Fire'

The lead track from YANNIS PHILIPPAKIS’ posthumous collaboration with Afrobeat drumming legend TONY ALLEN captures the electrifying spark that ignited during their global musical meeting, weaving a tapestry of sound that reflects the cultural touchstones of Lagos, Paris, and London. Read our latest Dork Mixtape cover feature now.

Words: Martyn Young.

Photos: Kit Monteith, Rishi Salujah.

“It’s about serendipity and coming together with someone.” There’s always something amazing when you get to meet your heroes, but for Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis, the opportunity to not only meet but work with legendary Afrobeat pioneering drummer Tony Allen was a truly special experience. Tragically, Tony passed away during the pandemic, leaving the work that they started in flux, but seven years after they first met, Yannis has now put together a beautiful EP documenting their time and the music they made together as a special project under the name Yannis And The Yaw. ‘Lagos Paris London’ is a reflection of a moment in time and two generations meeting and creating a little bit of magic.

With Foals riding high on the wild success of their fourth album ‘What Went Down’, a call offering an intriguing opportunity came following two years of hard touring. “I got a call when we were deep in a Foals tour. We were touring ‘What Went Down’ so it was quite a few years ago now. I got a call from a mutual friend who said, do you want to go and write with Tony Allen in Paris?” says Yannis.

The mention of Tony Allen’s name immediately conjured excitement as he remembered the pivotal role Tony and his work as drummer for Fela Kuti, as well as his long and winding career, played in the genesis and evolution of Foals. “A lot of our formative musical years were spent listening to Fela Kuti,” he explains. “Especially this one compilation of Tony Allen’s that I think is just called ‘The Best Of’. It’s a quadruple vinyl. We used to hammer it when we were writing ‘Antidotes’ and ‘Total Life Forever’. I was a huge fan.”

He was immediately hooked on the unique skill of his drumming. “Another song that we loved that he played on was ‘La Ritournelle’ by Sebastian Tellier; that was a song we all obsessed over. His drumming is a huge part of why that song is great.”

While the opportunity sounded exciting, a “no brainer”, as Yannis explains it, the reality of actually making it work became more of an issue. “I got home, and I hadn’t been home for a couple of months, and I collapsed into a puddle the moment the keys were thrown on the table. I was like, fuck, I don’t know if I’ve got the energy to get up and get to Paris the next day,” says Yannis as he describes his exhaustion after a punishing Foals tour. “I almost put it off, but my friend at the time encouraged me and said, look, you’ve got to go there for two days. It might be the experience of a lifetime, then you can come home and rest.”

For the experience of a lifetime, Yannis recounts the details in a refreshingly simple and down-to-earth style. “So, I trotted off with my guitar to the Eurostar and I got there in the morning,” he begins. “It was a basement studio. Very French and very 70s. Full of cigarette smoke and bad carpet and mirrors in weird places. It was basically Tony’s home, in a way. His drums were permanently set up in the live room.”

For the music icon that is Tony Allen, he had seen and experienced everything there is to experience and had worked with a who’s who of musical legends, “What was funny about the first encounter was he wasn’t particularly phased or that excited that I was there. He was just in his own vibe,” laughs Yannis. “I don’t think he knew of my work. It was set up, and he was in a place where he was very open to collaborating with people. He was doing some stuff with Jeff Mills. Tony, in general, collaborated a lot. He approached it like a jazz drummer. The producers and the other musicians that were around Tony knew me; they helped me set up and were very welcoming.”

Was there a sense of trepidation, though, and having to prove yourself and prove your musical chops? “It wasn’t that Tony wasn’t welcoming, but he was waiting to see what it was going to be like. Who’s this little punk?” he laughs.

Almost instantly, though, the musical alchemy bubbled up, and from their first jam together came the project’s first track with the heavy groove of ‘Walk Through Fire’. “It’s a simple song,” he explains. “It largely revolves around this one riff. We played it round a couple of times, and some of these other French guys in the studio who knew Tony played along and were either helping out on bass or percussion. We kinda had it there. The moment that that had happened we were getting on like a house on fire after that. The room changed.”

As they played more and more, Yannis discovered at close quarters what he loved about Tony’s artistry and even discovered new things. “I was surprised at how quietly he played,” he says with deep reverence. “Coming from proper big arena rock shows on this Foals tour and playing songs like ‘What Went Down’ and ‘Snakeoil’ was a total pivot into this much more deft style of playing. Just being in a room with him and hearing him in the moment playing his drums that I had become so familiar with, the texture and the rhythm of the way he played and that being on something that I was writing live on the spot and that we were inhabiting the same moment of creativity together in a room was just electrifying.”

‘Walk Through Fire’ was the spark that ignited the whole project. “It was the first thing. It’s immediate in the same way that it was immediate in the room on that day,” enthuses Yannis. “The lyrics are pretty resonant with the time we’re living in. Tony encouraged this in me. He wanted the lyrics to be engaged with the social fabric. A lot of Tony’s music, and the lineage of Fela Kuti and Afrobeat, is often very political with protest songs. In discussing with Tony about the lyrics, he wanted it to mine the social discord. It resonates today. It’s got this fresh energy. It feels like a more garagey or bluesy song. It’s quite rough and freeing and fun. It was a good entry point to the project but also makes sense chronologically.”

The jamming session in Paris was intended to lead to work beginning on a full album, but events got in the way firstly with scheduling issues and then Covid before Tony’s sad passing, which ultimately gave Yannis the impetus to turn those special moments into something real and tangible. “Covid really scuppered us because he was based in Paris. It was impossible for so long,” he explains. “As is the way with collaborations, once you’ve captured the lighting in the bottle, sometimes you don’t complete it when you should. You know that it’s there, so you get slightly complacent about it. I had a lot of stuff with Foals and he was busy as well doing The Good, The Bad and The Queen. He was really busy, and between us we couldn’t get together. Sadly and tragically, he passed away during Covid. It strangely was a massive motivation to try to finish it. Largely out of guilt that we hadn’t done it while he was alive and realising that it had been such a special experience in my life creatively, but just as a person, it was such a unique moment for us to have not completed it and played shows together. Out of bittersweet guilt, I really wanted to finish it. We needed to put them out to do it justice.”

The EP is a beautiful tribute to the enduring legacy of Tony Allen and the creative spirit he represents. “His music will live on forever,” says Yannis passionately. “The drums will play on. He had such an incredible and unique style of playing. He was the originator. He was the source. There’s an untappable well that will continue to inspire people for generations.”

The record is also an example of his dexterity as a musician and willingness to still try new things. “This release is an interesting perspective on Tony’s writing,” says Yannis. “It’s definitely a different project than Tony’s worked on before. It’s the heaviest stuff he was involved in. For me, it’s obviously the most inspired by jazz and Afrobeat. For people coming to the EP, it’s an interesting prism that we were both put in and thrust together to write this.”

Even more remarkable is that it almost never happened. “Had I not gone to Paris that day and further along, had we not kept it up and had we not finished it, through these chance meetings and happenings, you can end up with something that’s precious and is permanent,” he continues. “When so much of life is impermanent, that’s a really important lesson that I learned. I feel protective over the record. It’s a treasure and a document of two people who came together. He was in his seventies when I met him, and I was in my twenties. There’s something amazing about two people from different cultures and backgrounds and generations being thrust together unknowingly without knowing each other and through music very quickly bonding and forming and creating something that will last.”

This collaborative project comes at a time when Foals are able to take a pause and reflect on a triumphant couple of years following their euphoric 2022 album ‘Life Is Yours’ which cemented them firmly at the top of the UK band pantheon after almost two decades of innovation. “We’ve been smashing it for so many years; it’s been such a constant focus of our lives,” says Yannis, explaining the band’s desire to take stock. “It has been incredible to devote yourself to something so absorbing, but I think every now and then you just have to come up for air and remind yourself what life looks like above the parapet. For self-preservation and the preservation of the band, it’s important to occasionally stop and assess what exactly we want to do next rather than just automatically make another record without consideration. This time, we want to think about what we’re going to do next, and I think that’s natural after having put out quite a few records; it’s important for us to decide what we want to do.”

In the meantime, Yannis And The Yaw offers the opportunity to have some fun and do something a little different. Certainly not a solo project, but just a different kind of creative expression. “I’ve left it open-ended,” he says excitedly. “The idea behind the Yaw part is that it could be a rotating collaborative project. The title, ‘Lagos Paris London’, is the cultural touchstones for the EP, and it’s a musical postcard from these locations. If there was to be another project with the Yaw again, it would be three different locations and a different cultural mix. It’s not meant to be a solo expression. This EP is an archive of time recording with Tony and French musicians Vincent Taeger and Vincent Tuarelle, who were really important and produced it. I would imagine they might be part of the Yaw. It’s important to make the distinction. If I were to do a solo record, it would sound a lot different. This is led by Tony and the group of his musicians in France. If I was to do another one, it would sound quite different. There are no plans for that right now. I want to leave it open-ended and let this EP have its time in the sun, and let’s see what happens later on.”

With the EP arriving at the end of the summer, there’s a tantalising opportunity for perhaps some gigs as Yannis looks to continue to honour the legacy of one of his all-time heroes. “I think we will,” he smiles when asked if he’s planning to bring these songs to life on stage. “Not an extensive tour, but a couple of shows to give the record a good release and a good send-off and honour Tony.”

[columbiastapshoes]

so if a modern version of frank-n-furter, janet, columbia, and magenta from the rocky horror picture show formed a riot grrrl/rock/sometimes other genres girl(ish) band would that be crazy or what?

AU TIME YIPPEEEEE!! made this one with irl friend @hatsunerandal a while back and i’ve been meaning to post about it i just keep forgetting LMAO so yeah!! band au!!

this band is called the transsexual pussycats because. yeah.

we have everyone on vocals, janet on drums and guitar, frank also on drums and guitar (they switch which one does which (that was a lot of rhyming)), columbia on bass, and magenta also on guitar and keyboards :D

“don’t be cringe about it” NEVER. COLUMBIA IS SCENE NOW RAAAAHH 🦅🦅🦅🦅

janet’s style is just. lana del ray vinyl. and magentas goth and franks punk yaaay!!!

irl friend and i have put together a total of. 4 albums i think? and i am almost done with the fifth one! our process is just. find already existing songs, plop them in a playlist, and then write paragraphs about who sings what and who wrote what and what they wrote the songs about etc etc! quite a fun process if i do say so myself :3

albums 1, 3, and 4 were done by me, album 2 was done by irl friend!! their names are “mcpussy meal” (we almost named the band mcpussy but after i said “old mcpussy had a farm eieio” we changed our minds), “lord of the lesbian jellyfish”, “one girl, 69420 women”, “honestly,” and the fifth one which im not quite done with is “rose blood”!! we’re slaying with the names as u can see! the songs mostly stick to a rock/riot grrrl sound, but they can also do some more pop/hyperpop or electronic songs, and i felt REALLY silly and added a folk song to rose blood :3

now. u might be asking. where is the rest of the cast? what part do they play in this au? well!! for one thing columbia and eddie broke up (she’s with magenta now i love lesbians) and she has written at least one song about him per album 🫶 but other than that he’s out of the picture, along with pretty much everyone else…

EXCEPT FOR BRADLEY MAJORS.

i told my friend about brad in this au and they just said “brad def has groupie energy that 1000% works” and i think about that a lot LMAO he’s not actually a groupie he’s just their biggest fan ever even though he doesn’t even listen to their style of music. he attends every concert, has all the merch, is basically just so embarrassing about it i love him dearly. he’s also in a qpr with janet and dating frank yahoo!! i fucking LOVE the brad/janet dynamic in this au because all of her concert outfits are so slutty and so pink and after the shows and after hugging her aggressively he’s like “you’re wearing so little are you cold :( wear my jacket i don’t want you getting sick” and in one of the songs she is quite literally screaming her lungs out and im just imagining him watching that at a rehearsal and being like “Yay!! :-D” he’s the silliest ever actually

it’s also a canon event that the band got interviewed by that one guy with the hat who goes WHO ARE YOU i hope u know who im talking about if u don’t im so sorry that was so vague

ok those are the basics!! if ppl see this and enjoy it feel free to ask me questions about it i love talking about my silly guys so very much and thank u so much for reading this far 😭😭

[singbluesilverblog]

HOW WE MET (Abby's Version)

Hi friends! This is my first *official* blog post, and the two of us wanted to put together posts about our friendship & how we met / how we got into Duran Duran from each of our perspectives! :)

Kal and I have so many eerie coincidences in our friendship, it’s insane. Seeing the same angel numbers, texting each other the same exact things at the same time, verbally saying the same thing on FaceTime, finding out both of our first "crushes" as kids were Greg (me) and Murray (Kal) from the Wiggles (don't laugh.) You name it, it’s probably happened with us. We both have gone though eras with The Beatles, The Police and Queen (even both having fixations on Queen specifically during our sophomore years of high school). Even with getting into Duran Duran, she got into them July 9th, and I got into them July 11th, all because of the SAME John Taylor edit we both independently saw on TikTok that randomly came up on our FYP before we met, as well as seeing Duran Duran in concert exactly a week apart (stay tuned for posts about that!)

Now, to clarify, the two of us have always known about Duran and have listened to them very casually. The two of us have ALWAYS loved old music (I grew up listening to a lot of Elton John, Bon Jovi, Elvis, The Beach Boys, Metallica, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Mötley Crüe, and Sam Cooke thanks to a mix of my parents and my grandmother) When I started collecting records when I was 11 (I'll be 21 in May, for context) my Mom gave me her copy of DD's Arena she got in 1984 as one of the albums to “start out” with, along with a few others. (She was a Roger girlie, and her twin sister (my aunt lol) was a Nick girlie! They also had a mutual friend who was a John girlie) Like any girl at that age, I thought they were cute! I loved that it was a live album, which I thought was unique. And, of course, everyone knows Hungry Like The Wolf, come on.

2022 rolled around, along with Season 4 of Stranger Things. I remember scrolling through TikTok in August and stumbling across a Steve Harrington edit with Girls on Film as the audio. I IMMEDIATELY fell in love with the song, it became one of my most listened to tracks that year if I recall correctly. I later posted on my instagram story on November 11th 2022, a mirror selfie of me in my college bathroom with Rio as the music for it. Coincidentally, it was eight months to the day before my fixation started. Weird!

After I was sucked into the Duraniverse by that incredible JT TikTok edit, I made the best decision ever by making a Duran instagram account at the end of July 2023 called thegirlonfilm, after one of my favorite songs that really started it all for me. “I needed to talk to people about them,” I thought to myself, as none of my local friends really knew about them or liked them, and if they did, it wasn’t on the level that I was on. I started joining Facebook groups and started blacking out on eBay, buying posters, books, cds, magazines, vinyls, funko pops, tour brochures, cassettes, you name it. I wanted to do nothing but listen to them and gush about them, blowing up my Pinterest by saving thousands of pins of them. I then snagged tickets for my middle school best friend and I to see them together in Philadelphia not even two weeks later. My feelings for them were VERY similar to my extreme Beatles hyperfixation in early middle school to mid-high school.

Around early August, my account was slowly taking off, and I began following more and more accounts. I started following an account called 111ngel, which was recommended to me as I already had a few mutuals who were following them. We liked each other’s posts here and there, no big deal, occasionally commenting on each other's posts and edits. In early August they tagged me in an edit they made of Nick & John, dm’ing me saying that “they hoped it was okay that they tagged me because they didn’t have many Duran Duran mutuals.” Of course I was okay with it, I was excited that someone actually tagged me in something, and we eventually struck up a light conversation that turned into us talking to each other everyday for the next 6 months.

Flash forward to now, Kal is the bestest friend I could ever ask for, even though we’ve never met irl and she lives over 15 hours away in a different time zone than me. (I’m on the east coast, she’s in the midwest). She's one of the sweetest, kindest, funniest and most caring people I have ever met, and she never fails to make me laugh until I cry. We have a never-ending list of inside jokes and just stupid stuff that makes us giggle. She was there for me consistently through the worst heartbreak of my life, and has been there for me regardless ever since. We have our “Duran Nights” which consists of us staying up on FaceTime together until 4 AM watching interviews, documentaries and concerts, talking about things going on in the Duran community, going Brittany Broski-level feral over John and Simon, or giggling about crap we find on Pinterest (and me destroying her in word hunt on iMessage games hehe) She’s so comforting to be around, as if we knew each other in a past life. We both agree that we're 100% each other's platonic soulmates, as we clicked almost immediately and have such a deep friendship. I’ve never met someone that I could be so transparent with, and she’s really the only person I can TRULY be myself around without the fear of judgement. She's the Simon to my John, the Lennon to my McCartney, the Moon to my Sun. Very thankful for having her in my life. :) <3

[winecupwars]

progress report: mewwy chwismois

i love this time of the year so much 💕

most people in the philippines celebrate christmas on the night of the 24th; they go all out with karaoke, fireworks, pasta and lechon and other extravagant handa, but for us, it's just a night to eat ham sandwiches and give each other gifts. it's nice, but for as long as i can remember, december 25th has been The Day. it's when everyone - even my uncle and his family, who live in the city - spends the day at our house. we don't really do much aside from eat and drink and chat, but it's enough to make the day fun and the best day of the year. the chaos of everyone coming together and joking around is my favorite part :)

aside from the christmas festivities, life has been much of the same. i spent most of last week restless at work, just pretending to be interested in what i was doing. i just couldn't wait for my time off, which starts today, the 26th, until january 2nd next year. i don't have much planned. i might go out and meet some friends, or i might just laze around, watch a bunch of movies, play some games, write and draw and bake. i don't know! life is full of possibilities!!

listened. my uncle got my harry styles' new album harry's house on vinyl for christmas, so i listened to it for the first time again in months. it's a fine album, a slightly different sound - it's like if you moved the sonic landscape of his discography just a little to the left. satellite and cinema are my favorite songs, though satellite remains the high point.

watched. on christmas night, we watched the guardians of the galaxy holiday special and the king's men. i'd give both two and a half stars since they're both just ok movies.

the gotg holiday special was cute, carefully engineered written to be sweet and heartwarming and i must admit i aww'd at some point. i am not immune to the mcu.

the king's men, i didn't expect to be a historical action-drama set in world war 1. it's surprised me at points and bored me in others, but i do have to say that nothing can beat the absolute high point of the rasputin assassination fight scene. the movie peaked with that scene, and after it, everything else was kind of dull. though the fight choreography for all the fights was exceptional, as it is for all of the films in this franchise.

today, we watched glass onion and i loved it! it's a fun little murder mystery with a funky little gay detective and lovely lovely janelle monae taking down an idiotic asshole billionaire - it's like it was made for me to enjoy. i want more of benoit blanc and his adventures!!

misc. i baked almost a hundred cookies this december, a couple batches of this browned butter horlicks cookie that i found on youtube, and my some chai chocolate chip cookies made from my drop cookie base.

i tweaked my drop cookie base recipe actually since i've noticed that it was coming out pretty dense and it wasn't spreading in the oven. there was too much flour in it, i think? i'm not entirely sure. i changed it up and i think i have something that's pretty good. if any of you want to try it and give me feedback, i'd be grateful :)

peri's drop cookie base

note: this recipe can make around 45 smallish cookies

ingredients:

1 cup butter (can be browned butter if you want a nutty flavor note)

1 cup brown sugar - add a few tablespoons for a chewier cookie

1/2 cup white sugar - add a few tablespoons for a crispier cookie

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

whatever mixins you want!*

how to:

if you want browned butter, melt the butter in a pan until it browns. be careful not to heat it for too long since it burns easily. keep your eye on it!! then, transfer to a bowl and let it cool. if you don't want browned butter, just let the regular butter get to room temperature. actually, make sure all your ingredients are room temperature before going forward.

cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

add eggs one at a time.

add vanilla extract and milk. (and other extracts and flavorings, if using)

mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

add all dry ingredients to the wet. mix until it forms a dough. don’t overmix!

fold in whatever mixins you want.

preheat oven to 350°c. line your baking pan with parchment paper.

portion off dough using a spoon and/or ice cream scoop.

bake for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on how brown you want it.

cool on a wire rack.

*some mixins/flavor combinations:

1 tsp of instant coffee powder, chocolate chips/chunks, nuts (any nut will do, but i would suggest walnuts)

dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, and macademia nuts

2 tsp peppermint extract and dark chocolate chips

2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and chocolate chips

toffee bits, pecans, and chocolate chips

1/4 cup oats, 2 tsp cinnamon, and raisins

2 tbsp orange juice, 1 tbsp orange zest (rubbed in with the white sugar), and dried cranberries

a bunch of dried fruit

marshmallows, pretzels, desiccated coconut, candy, graham crackers, sprinkles, anything you can reasonably put on a cookie, basically!

thank you, and enjoy!

[imisssparkling1989]

Taylor Swift - The Era's Tour - Tampa Day 2

Picture it- cotton candy colored sunset skies, with 60,000+ best friends singing the bridge to cruel summer together. What a night to remember! My mom, aka my best friend since 1989, was my plus one and we had such a great time and made so many memories. We've had a few really hard years, between losing her sister (my aunt) and my grandparents it's just been so empty in our lives. My mom was the oldest of four siblings and grew up fast. She's worked all her life, and raised my brother and I all on her own. My brother and I spent most of our childhood being raised by my aunt and grandparent's while my mom was working long hours. My grandparents went through various types of cancers and ultimately passed from cancer. My aunts passing was unexpected due to a surgery complication. At times, it feels like my mom, brother and I had to grow up so quickly. During the start of the pandemic in 2020, my grandmother decided to stop Chemo and asked us to let her pass at home peacefully with us by her side. At this point, I had already lost my aunt and grandfather and was really struggling in all aspects of my life. I was stuck in a lifeless corporate America job for 10 years and felt like I had no time to enjoy the "now" or the people I love. My grandmother's last words to me were "I wish I could have seen you find your person. I wish I could have seen you get married." I never felt she had an old school mentality and just wanted me to get married. In fact, she was the complete opposite. She didn't want me to be stuck working for "The Man" and that I was deserving of love and a life worth living. Shortly after my grandmother passed away, @taylorswift released her #Folklore and #Evermore albums. My mom surprised me with the vinyl for Folklore and I was so so excited to listen to it. I setup my room for a total folklore vibe, two pups in hand, and as always my iced oat milk latte in a candle lit room. Dropped the needle onto the vinyl and for the very first time in forever I felt human again. @taylorswift #Folklore album gave me the space to dream, feel, and gave me hope. I don't know how else to describe what I felt that night into words. I guess, the only way I can describe what it felt like was when you're in the ocean... it's not night time but it's kind of dark out... and a wave crashes on you... and you're under the water nervous but you finally reach the surface and gasp for air and realize it's okay, it's not that bad, you're going to be okay...and you swim back to the shore and just sit on the beach looking back at the monster that almost got you, but didn't. You're okay now. You're going to make it. That's what listening to @taylorswift #Folklore album felt like. Soon after, #Evermore was released and it honestly just sent me to the edge listening to #Marjorie lol. I was so thankful @taylorswift wrote that song and was vulnerable enough as an artist and as a person to share a song that was written for her grandmother. I've noticed grief is really hard to talk about. People have opinions on how you should grieve. It's such a personal journey... and I have honestly been struggling with my grief since June 1, 2020 after losing my grandmother. So fast forward to two weeks ago, after already experiencing #TheErasTour with my mom in April, I decided to quit my corporate America job (after 10 years!). I have no job lined up, but something changed me that night at the concert. Taylor's music, her fans, her writing/lyrics, her view on making the world better, giving back to so many, and all her positive energy she injects into this world gave me so much hope that night. I want a better life. I need a better life. And really.... this is a long winded open thank you letter to @taylorswift @taylornation . As a fellow 1989 baby, thank you for giving me a reason to create a new tumblr (it's been a minute lol) and pour my feelings and heart out to strangers again... it's been a long time coming...

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Watermelon tea, pan fried dumplings, and vinyl records

A winter storm has hit and so we’re all cozied up in the cabin while waiting for it to pass. Good thing it happened later, just right when we got back to the camp instead of before, or else we’d be stranded. As long as we have heating and electricity, it’s all good.

Daisy Jane, Almie, and Pippa met up with Connie, Xiang, and Pai at Royal Botanical to see Ying and Hua perform. They’re on tour to promote their collab album Moon and Stars Intertwined, which came out a couple months ago. I got the album as soon as it released and it’s quickly become one of my favorites.

Ying and Hua always wanted to do an album together so this is a special project for them. What makes their music unique is that they have completely different styles - Hua is classical and traditional while Ying is rock and roll - so combining those styles leads to interesting results. I’ve always been a fan of artists who manage to incorporate classical elements into modern sounds so obviously their music caught my attention. I’d say they did a fantastic job and I can’t wait to hear more!

To promote the album, the duo went off on a tour. I didn’t expect to snag some tickets to catch a concert, mainly because I didn’t think they’d be performing anywhere near here. Well, Royal Botanical isn’t really considered “near” as it’s a seven hour drive, but it’s mostly a scenic route so the drive isn’t too bad. Connie and Pai are on a bit of a break now that things have slowed down on their end and Xiang happened to have a few extra tickets when the tour extended. So they invited us since we were kinda close by, which works out because not too long after we got the weather advisory for the winter storm

I mentioned to Connie that Sophea and Shinobu had visited earlier and they were kinda disappointed that they missed them. Now that I think about it, the camp’s sorta becoming an unofficial meet up place for Connie and their team. Location wise it’s kinda inconvenient because it’s so out of the way for everyone but they come here to chill not work so it’s fine. I have yet to meet more of Connie’s recruits from Adrikha so we’re working on planning something to get them together. With Connie’s team getting bigger and more spread out, the camp seems to serve as a good way to get almost everyone in one place and get to know each other better. I feel honored to be able to help Connie and Pai bring their friends together!

The concert at Royal Botanical was awesome! Ying and Hua killed it on stage - it’s no wonder why their tour was extended twice. My top favorite song - it’s so hard to choose - is Night Memories because the orchestra really elevates the song in the album while the stripped down arrangement live puts more emphasis on the lyrics. It also happens to be one of the duo’s most personal song so there’s a lot of emotion behind it and I think that’s why it really sticks out to me. Something about being aware of the passage of time hits hard, especially when confronted by childhood memories of a past that no longer exists except in faded remnants.

I kinda want them to release a live version of Moon and Stars Intertwined just so I can listen to that version of Night Memories on repeat. I would also love to hear how their other songs would sound with a different arrangement. Also, Ying and Hua are more performers than recording artists so they totally would be able to pull it off.

After a busy tour, Ying and Hua have been looking forward to some well deserved rest before going back out on the road again. Xiang has been tagging along with them on and off for the past few weeks.

Ying said her parents attended one of their concerts, which was a nice surprise. She mentioned that her parents have been slowly coming around and being open to her music. Things obviously aren’t perfect but they’re trying to meet up in the middle and it’s going all right - could be better, could’ve been worse, the usual.

One of the songs in the album, Nothing Much, is the one that got Ying and her parents to open up to each other. Ying initially wrote the song not too long after being diagnosed with ADHD, something that caused conflict between her family. The song is kinda a vent on how certain people close to you try to deny certain parts of you that they don’t like. While her parents have sorta accepted her being neurodivergent, there’s some family members who aren’t as tolerant.

It’s the whole we’d rather think of you as dumb and incompetent rather than someone with a disability that affects their day to day life. And they wonder why we refuse to open up to them about certain things, even if it means suffering in silence. It’s that fear that people will only accept you if you are a certain way so you try to force yourself to fit in their standards only to constantly fall short of them. The song is about confronting those fears and doubts and learning how to find your footing once you release yourself from these arbitrary expectations.

At this point what’s done is done and if they refuse to respect her for who she is, then she won’t bother and just get on with her life. That’s all you can do really, block out those voices who try to cut you down and focus on yourself. From experience, living out of spite helps because what better way to prove that you’re doing your best than to stick it up to those who constantly criticize everything about you? If they keep trying to poke holes and finding something to be mad about, that’s their problem, not mine.

I’m glad that Ying’s getting along better with her parents, mainly her mother, she says. Her bisexuality is another thing they’re slowly accepting too, but is causing a rift with extended family. Her mother in particular has become kinda overprotective when the homophobic relatives step out of line. On the other hand, her father is the kind of person who’s like I won’t be a dick about it but I hope this is just some phase you’ll get over with once you come to your senses because I refuse to fully accept it kind of thing. She says her mother’s always been more open in general while her father leans more conservative so that has caused some problems in the past.

Hua and Xiang say they’ve been lucky to grow up with parents who are more accepting, though things aren’t always easy with them either. Hua says the elders she’s with can be a bit stiff and too old fashioned but they try their best to keep an open mind and be receptive to changes. Some didn’t like the fact that she hangs out with Xiang and Ying and even tried to interfere with their friendships but they were set straight by the others.

Why can’t some people mind their own damn business and let us live our lives? It’s exhausting constantly walking on eggshells around certain people who are involved in most of our lives and have some authority over us to some degree but sometimes you just have to pull through. If you’re lucky then you can hopefully reach a point where you can safely distance yourself from them.

Moon and Stars Intertwined serves as a milestone for Ying and Hua in many ways. Aside from it being a dream project for the couple, it was an eye opening one that kinda serves as a snapshot of their lives at this moment. Part of the reason why the album came together so quickly was because it was personal, thoughts and emotions that have been left unsaid until expressed through music, they said. I can see how much they put into this album and that makes me appreciate it even more.

As for a follow up album, that’s definitely in the cards. There’s no set plans yet but they’re already working on some things that’ll hopefully come to fruition. Although they already set a pretty high bar, I don’t think that’ll be a problem. They don’t need to go above and beyond, just expanding on what they already established is more than good enough.

After the amazing concert we hung around Royal Botanical for a day before heading to the camp. We would’ve stayed a little longer if it wasn’t for the impending storm. Royal Botanical looks like a huge place and the gardens would’ve been worth exploring if we came a couple months later. Maybe one day I’ll go back up there when the gardens open up. I’m sure I can find some inspiration for garden related events as I’ve run a little dry on those.

We mostly stuck around a shopping area that had a huge Asian store so we were able to stock up on food. Xiang suggested that we make dumplings so we got a bunch of ingredients for that. The store also has a huge selection of teas, watermelon being a popular specialty there, so we got a bunch to try. Next door was a record store so I browsed around there a bit and bought some albums.

The drive back to the camp went smoothly as we avoided the impending traffic that would come right before the storm. While I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to see much of the city, we didn’t want to risk getting stuck on the road. It was a bit close but we made it back just in time.

Today has been chill since we’re still tired from being on the road all day. So we’ve got the record player on while enjoying watermelon tea and making dumplings.

As expected, Xiang has a bunch of new recipes she wanted us to test out. We tried out a couple and they turned out good. There’s a couple that we haven’t tried out yet and they seem questionable. While Xiang’s creations tend to be a hit or miss - usually the former thankfully but when she misses, it’s a class of its own - I appreciate her creativity. Sure, some of her ideas are way out there, but I like how far she’s willing to go - as long as it’s within reasonable limits. As far as I know, she hasn’t accidentally killed anyone - poisoned maybe but nothing fatal I hope.

(Maybe I shouldn’t have jinxed myself…)

I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical about the watermelon tea at first. I mean I’ve had watermelon oat milk boba and that’s good. I think the green tea blend goes well with the watermelon, providing a nice balance of flavors. Add some honey and a splash of oat milk and it makes for a perfect drink to combat the winter chill.

To pass the time, we’ve been making loads of dumplings. It seems like the general consensus is that we like our dumplings pan fried with a crispy cornstarch skirt. We also set aside some dumplings for soup, which is also essential for winter weather. We’ve also set aside some broth to make soup dumplings tomorrow. I think today we’ve made five different fillings - two being Xiang originals.

There’s something about food that brings people together. I feel like it’s such an Asian thing to gather ‘round the table making dumplings. It brings back memories when me and my sister would help our mom make dumplings. Pippa and Almie recalled making wontons with their grandma when they were little. Daisy Jane and Ying had their share of helping with cooking during family cookouts and holidays. Hua saying that one of the many ways she and the elders bond is through food prep. Connie and Pai also mentioned that they often spend their downtime together cooking - Xiang made the right call by suggesting we make dumplings.

One of the dumplings is an original from Xiang’s mother, one that she spent the past couple years trying to recreate as there’s no written recipe. She had mentioned that she learned how to cook from her father, who owns a restaurant and has always been her biggest supporter. Her mother died when she was young so she doesn’t have a lot of memories of her. One of the few things that stuck to Xiang’s memories was some of her mother’s recipes, some she was able to recreate, others she’s still working on. It was a big moment for her when she was finally able to get the recipe just right. To live on in someone’s memories through food, it’s no wonder why Xiang’s so passionate about cooking.

Even though we’ve made a lot of dumplings, I’m nowhere near tired of them. Snow falling from the sky, vinyl records playing in the background, a warm glow from the fireplace lighting up the room while we bond over memories of food and family - it’s like a song straight out of Moon and Stars Intertwined.

Read on AO3

[into-the-hell]

Probably everyone will have thoughts about the the new Blind Channel album but here are few of my first takes… please take this with a pinch of salt because I’m a bit drunk

Opinions is an okay opener, lyrics are a bit questionable, but that could be because I couldn’t really pick up most of them. “opinions, opinions, opinions” are stuck in my head tho. It has nice riffs and musically it is an okay, but would I have it as opener? Probably not.

I don’t know why they chose to have Dark Side on the album, because I think it was okay as a stand alone single, but I guess its their choice. Nothing to add here, if it wasn’t for this song, I wouldn’t have discovered them. Here comes confession, I actually didn’t like the song that much. if it wasn’t for my friends and my birthday party (that was week after Eurovision 2021) I don’t think I would have paid much more attention to them. But we were blasting Dark Side through the biggest speakers in my small home town and now the song holds one of my favourite memories.

Don’t Fix Me for me is a big meh. It’s okay background song, but all in all I didn’t really like the song when it first came out and it hasn’t changed. And that ending.. still hate the ending.

Bad Idea was a grower for me. At first it wasn’t much, but within time I started to love it more and more and now it is definitely one of my top 5 Blind Channel songs.

Alive or Only Burning.. the song has really nice guitar sounds. Once again, melody wise it is a bop. But after this song comes Balboa and it kind of disappears. You don’t remember much of it, because Balboa is such in-your-face song. It feels like they have tried to make Alive or Only Burning to be the same way, but doesn’t really work out that way.

National Heroes is a nice introduction to We Are No Saints. I saw many reviewers bashing it, but I find it nice have a bit of a “break” in the middle of album. Arcade Fire has done the same in their last album WE and they did it in Everything Now. It leaves listener with a bit of a concert vibe, when artist needs to take a break. I loved listening WE on vinyl, so I hope LOTSAD will have the same vibe when National Heroes fade into We Are No Saints.

Not much to say about We Are No Saints. It is a great song, though it was a grower for me. I am repeating myself, but I love their heavy riffs and one of my favourite thing in this song is indeed the the riff.

Autopsy has a big Limp Bizkit vibe. As guys promised it was an weird track. Reminded a bit of Kelis (if you are old enough to remember who she is). But there is just so much going on. There are like 10 different genres mixed together. But all in all I like weird. It agains wins me over with the heavy riff by the end of the song. It feels like song doesn’t know itself what it is and what it is expected of it. But as Niko mentioned on Twitter the song was written in drunken haze, and it shows.

Greedy for the Greedy… BC are bunch of petty bitches and I love them for it. I respect they choice to “expose” music industry and how it wants you to for in a benefit for them not the artist. Joel’s vocals in this song is really nice. The ending is nice. It seems a pattern with BC, they leave the good bits for the end. Because it is not the first song that falls flat in beginning, but you feel yourself bopping by end of the song.

Thank You for the Pain is a really poppy ending for the album. Even if there are some nu-metal bits, it sounds just like early 00s pop punk song. The ending with interview is a nice touch. Even if I don’t understand a word.

All in all if feels like boys released the best bits before the album even came out. It is a solid album, but I’ll have to give it few more listens to actually decide what to make off of this album. I also want to listen to album on vinyl, because it always have a bit different sound than digital versions.

But you can hear and feel that boys have grown musically… lyrically I’m up for debate.

Anyway! Stream Lifestyles of the Sick and Dangerous and don’t listen to my drunk rambling. I am a music snob as my friends tell me, because even though I try to be open minded about music, I mange to be really picky about things I like and not.

Also, another thing I want to point out is Joel’s vocals and how he had grown. Joel had talked about how hard he had worked on his vocals and you really can hear this on this album. I think they all have grown as musicans, but being vocalist, sadly, put much more pressure on the person, and it is no secret that Niko is effortlessly good with his voice. Joel wasn’t. You can hear it in they earlier performances and albums that Joel is scared to use his voice to its full capacity, but I’m proud of his growth and his hardworking nature that has led him to be much more freer with his voice.

[bristolvinylguy]

1st Annual Bristol Vinyl Guy Awards Ceremony

Part 3

Honourable Mentions:

These albums had to be noted as they were all excellent. It’s been an incredible year for music and the amount of great records that I’ve included proves that.

Atomçk - Towering Failures

Jeff Rosenstock - HELLMODE

Somnuri - Desideratum

Top Ten Albums Of The Year:

This list can include EPs and Live Albums.

10. But Here We Are - Foo Fighters

The legendary rock band channel their thoughts, feelings and grief into art. R.I.P Taylor Hawkins & Virginia Grohl

9. Mizmor - Prosaic

I never thought that Black Metal could work with songs being this long but I’m very happy to say that Prosaic proves me wrong.

8. Benefits - Nails

The jagged mirrors of political identity are meant to be scrutinised. If no one knows what to stand for then what is there to stand on? Nails is an example of what good anger can do within music sounding like Merzbow meets The Streets.

7. Black Country, New Road - Live at Bush Hall

Black Country, New Road are a band that have made such a name for themselves in such a short period of time creating two magical records. Since then it feels like that their world came crashing down after the departure of key member Isaac Wood, a person who’s input had such an effect on the band. Live at Bush shall shows Black Country, New Road moving on and showing that no matter what happens they will always continue to have fun and amaze people. Look at what we did together BC,NR friends forever!

6. Warrior Pope - Papal Bull-Shit: Live at the Louisiana

Warrior Pope are for me one of the most exciting bands in Bristol at the moment. They’re unique approach to conceptual metal brings intensity and hilarity in equal value which makes for something to take notice of. I was so glad that I was at this gig to witness the performance.

5. 100 gecs - 10,000 gecs

100 gecs are the definition of Hyper pop, there are no two way’s about that. They have again innovated with 10,000 gecs turning up the ridiculousness factor more than ever before and introducing more natural instrumentation. This is no longer a project, this is now a band.

4. Mondo Generator - We Stand Against You

Mondo Generator continue to not only be the flag bearers for Stoner Rock but one of the most underrated bands in the scene. This record for me stands right up there with some of their best including Cocaine Rodeo and A Drug Problem That Never Existed and proves that they can still offer so much at this point in their lengthy career. We Stand Against You hints at more experimentation involved in Mondo Generator’s sound than every before and makes me excited for their future!

3. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - SCARING THE HOES

The weirdos of Hip Hop JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown come to celebrate all things obscure and bring an listen that is truly scatterbrain.

2. Queens Of The Stone Age - In Times New Roman…

The Queens Of The Stone Age make a triumphant return with the band being on top form and doing what they do best! They take elements from every single album they’ve released and blend them together making for a record that’s both familiar and new at that same time. This all makes for a very cinematic experience, it feels like you’re watching a play. Everything I listen to In Times New Roman I love it just that little bit more, one of the many reasons why I’m revising my original score from the album from an 8.5 to a 9.

1. Fawn Limbs & Nadja - Vestigial Spectra

I will still stick to my guns and say that this is the best and most unique album I’ve heard this year, very deserving of the 10 out of 10 rating that I bestowed onto it. Within what this piece of art is trying to do, it truly reaches perfection. One of the very few releases out there which goes far beyond the collaboration tag. This isn’t Fawn Limbs and Nadja coming together to make a collaboration or a split album no, this is its own creation and stands on its own merits. Vestigial Spectra is a terrifying spectacle.

[cosettepontmercys]

Thanks for your patience waiting for me to respond to our conversation from a week ago! <3 I just sent a separate happy birthday message but happy birthday again!!

Let's see so since we talked, I actually managed to make a few more bracelets! I'm focusing on making olivia + chappell ones since that's my first concert with bracelets next year. Have you made more since we last talked? Or have you worked on other crafts? I just saw your gorgeous painted vinyl case, which is so nice!

Re concerts - I think bleachers will do a west coat tour leg still! I just can't imagine jack not going to seattle / la at a minimum, but fingers crossed! Like you, I'm going to see olivia/chappell, holly, and taylor. I did get bleachers/samia and noah kahan tickets. And then also haley heynderickx and hozier. I'm more of a casual hozier fan but my best friend who loves fob is also a huge hozier fan so she's going to come visit, which will be so nice. And I'm strongly considering madison beer, which is a bit of a drive + a half day off work, but I absolutely loved her most recent album so leaning towards it. What are your favorite shows you've been to so far?

I have notion bookmarked to explore more soon! The aesthetic over functionality thing is soooooo relatable to me haha I was making a poster at work this week and spent way too long picking out and editing photos before I even thought about the other details. Also yeah omg I think I get a little bit more light here ~4pm or so for sunset but I'm so glad we're almost at winter solstice. Do you have any fun winter plans despite the lack of light?

Thanks so much for the support with post-grad recovery!! I will definitely try to grab some photos of my crafts in the new year (about to travel for the holidays so I'll be away from my final products for a bit). I might also have some decent bracelet photos from eras this year that I can dig up :) I'm glad your voice was (and hopefully still is) getting better! How's it going now? I think baking is kind of crafting! Just crafting with food stuffs.

Totally agree about the holly/muna collab - I'm so happy about it! And also just wanting to see muna live someday. I would also love for holly to do a feature on a muna song too and/or for them to write a fresh song together. Also agreed about both a bfl + 1975 collab for holly too! Fingers crossed! There are a few specific 1975 songs / styles I would love to see for holly (about you would be so good). I'd also love something with charli xcx (or charli + 1975 together since they're connected). Actually maybe bleachers for another collab. I think that could be interesting.

good morning!! 🤍 thank YOU for being patient while i reply as well! hope you're having a good week, friend!

since we last talked, i haven't made any bracelets, but i did work on the vinyl case a little more — realized using acrylic paint pens was much easier than acrylic paint! i actually also got a cake stand for my room (basically, i have a humidifier on my nightstand but i'm worried about water damage, so i got a small cake stand to put my humidifier on) and drew little bows with acrylic paint pens on that too!

i really hope bleachers will do a west coast leg! i'm also a bit shocked and have words with dirty hit about their tour :( i would love to see samia too!! i was catching up on twitter and saw that clairo was at the ally coalition talent show last night and was so incredibly jealous haha. and chappell will be so fun! the seattle opener for olivia is pinkpantheress, and i'm really excited to see her! i started listening to the most recent FOB album and i really like it, so i might make some bracelets for it too! hozier will be so fun! i don't think he's coming anywhere near me this leg which is sad :( i haven't listened to madison beer's new album — i should add it to my evergrowing list of people to check out! i would say sabrina carpenter, maisie peters, taylor swift and the 1975 have put on some of the best shows i've ever been to! what about you?

i had a few fun plans last week! and i went ice skating on monday which was really fun — i haven't been skating since i was like, nine? so it was incredibly humbling and also ridiculously fun. i'm not really sure what i have going on now; probably just seeing extended family and all that — and hopefully catching up on reads + crafts! what about you? safe travels!! 🤍

my voice is still kind of croaky but it's back! i had a facetime call with a friend last night and she was like "oh you're croaky" but at least it's back! and i can talk! thank you for asking 🥺

i would loveeee to see MUNA live too! they were in seattle for cap hill block party but that was the same weekend as eras so obviously i wasn't able to see them :( i would loveeee to see something in the vein of about you with holly — or even something like jesus christ 2005 god bless america; i could totally see her singing phoebe's parts! charli and the 1975 would be fun — i really like spinning which no rome is also on, but would love to see more of them together! bleachers would also be a really fun collab — especially now that bleachers is on dirty hit!