#so maybe nicky owns the title of the one true terrible artist

[2ndalt]

Paulina is the least artistic Thea Sister.

There, I said it. Someone had to.

She is TRASH at drawing.

I mean, look at these works of art:

This is Colette's drawing of Violet, very good yes yes.

There's also this one, where she sketches out a plan to break into a building to do investigative shenanigans.

(also colette this is a time sensitive matter why are you taking a thirty minute break to make a visual diagram) BUT ANYWAYS

we have Pamela's sketch of Paulina, very simple, very cute, very sad that she didn't get to adopt the kitty cat.

AND THEN THERE'S PAULINA

WUT IS THIS 💀

I'm in no position to say this since I can't draw. but. Paulina. Girlie. The only time your artistic skills will be useful is in the field of memeposting.

[keatondj]

My Personal Ranking of Enya’s Discography

Before I really started getting into pop music and the music of today, before I was a true Little Monster or Arianator, before all of that, I had one true music idol: Enya. Enya is one of the most divine artists of our time, I think. 

I knew many of her songs from dancing to them at ballroom concerts or gigs (such as It’s In The Rain, Dreams Are More Precious, and Wild Child), but I never took the time to listen to how beautiful they were. I dug out Watermark from my parent’s CD cabinet one day in my junior year of high school, and became completely enraptured. I wouldn’t go a day without listening to her; yes, I would even fall asleep to her music. I just think she has the most incredible ear for rapturous orchestration, otherworldly vocal arrangements and layering, and heavenly melodies. I always look for music that is just beautiful, and she is the epitome of that for me.

Certain albums speak more to me than others, but all of her work is just absolutely divine. I’d love to share my thoughts and express my gratitude for her incredible work.

Reminder: this is my opinion. Everyone has a different ear, and certain sounds and songs resonate with different people. I’m just sharing my personal thoughts and experiences with these albums.

8. And Winter Came... (2008)

Although Christmas is my favorite holiday and the holiday season is just a sweet time of year, I’m not terribly fond of holiday releases. Other than Mariah’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”, many modern holiday releases are not noteworthy, and can’t live up to the true holiday classic we know and love. This album, unfortunately, falls in that category.

As a whole, this album just falls flat compared to the majesty of the rest of her work. Certain songs just don’t gel with me like “One Toy Soldier” and “My! My! Times Flies”; the use of the electric guitar in the latter just sounds corny, and I don’t enjoy it.

The album has its moments: “Dreams Are More Precious” as I mentioned is one of my introductions to Enya and it’s also one of my favorite songs of hers, the title song follows the tradition of a killer title song on an Enya album, and the “Oíche Chiúin (Chorale)” is Enya vocal-layering at its best, and it’s wonderful to hear such a beloved holiday hymn in another language.

It’s not an awful album; it’s not just heavy in my Enya rotation, we’ll say.

Favorite Songs: “And Winter Came...”, “Journey of the Angels”, “Dreams Are More Precious”, “Stars and Midnight Blue”, “Oíche Chiúin (Chorale)” 

7. Amarantine (2005)

This is another album that just doesn’t stand out too much for me. I actually think it’s quite a lovely album, and the fact that it has the first use of the Loxian language that Roma Ryan invented is exciting; “Water Shows The Hidden Heart” is probably my favorite song on the album from the use of the language and the fact that it’s just a really gorgeous song.

I don’t have a lot to say, really. It’s a fine album, but it just doesn’t resonate with me as much as her other albums.

Favorite Songs: “Amarantine”, “It’s In The Rain”, “If I Could Be Where You Are”, “A Moment Lost”, “Water Shows The Hidden Heart”

6. A Day Without Rain (2000)

This is an interesting album for me. It contains some of her strongest work and some of my most favorite of her work, but it’s not a favorite of mine either. I think the album artwork just speaks to quintessential Enya (and may be my earliest picture of Enya in my mind, I’m not sure), but it’s not my quintessential Enya album. The critics of the time absolutely hated it; I don’t necessarily agree with them, but I think I understand.

The album is incredibly top heavy, in my opinion. The title song is pure bliss, “Only Time” obviously took the world by storm for good reason (and unfortunately in the meme world as well, which I don’t appreciate), and “Deora Ar Mo Chroí” is one of the most beautiful and tragic songs I’ve ever heard. After “Flora’s Secret” (another song I danced to in ballroom), it really loses steam and power. I can hardly ever finish the album for this reason.

It’s musically one of her most gorgeous albums, but it’s not the most impactful or inventive.

Favorite Songs: “A Day Without Rain”, “Only Time”, “Deora Ar Mo Chroí”, “Flora’s Secret”, “Pilgrim”

5. Enya (1987) / The Celts (1992)

At first listen, I really did not like this album. I thought it wasn’t pretty enough, it didn’t have the key Enya elements, and it was too weird. Listening to it more and more, those are actually the reasons I really quite enjoy it now. 

It’s nothing like the rest of her work, which makes it so unique. She was just starting to find her musical sound and sensibilities, and this involved a lot more experimentation on her part. It’s so musically interesting and diverse, and so wonderfully late 80′s. It is a compilation of songs used on the show The Celts, but the fact that it holds up so well as an album itself is remarkable.

This album was a perfect starting point for the rest of her career and it holds up as a great album now.

Favorite Songs: “Aldebaran”, “Deireadh an Tuath”, “Fairytale”, “Boadicea”, “Dan y Dwr”

4. Dark Sky Island (2015)

You have no idea how excited I was to be getting a brand new album from Enya after I started being a huge fan. I wasn’t sure if we would get a new one after And Winter Came..., and little 19 year old me was geeking out too much at the thought of a new Enya album. To say the least, I was not disappointed at all.

This is one of her strongest releases in a long time; 7 years break from releasing music really benefited her, and she came back more powerful than ever. This is such a solid album, and I definitely had it on loop when it first came out.

I will say that none of my favorite tracks stand out against her earlier work, and there is no true powerhouse of the album. It is a very cohesive album, however, and that is how it is so successful. It’s a pleasure to listen to from start to finish.

I sure do hope we get more records from her in the future. I would be so eternally grateful if she could bless us just once or twice more.

Favorite Songs: “The Humming”, “The Forge Of The Angels”, “I Could Never Say Goodbye”, “Dark Sky Island”, “Diamonds On The Water”

3. The Memory Of Trees (1995)

I got this album for Christmas a few years back along with And Winter Came..., and believe me, I was listening to this album non-stop. This is the album that solidified my status as a true Enya fan.

For a while, this was my favorite Enya album, and maybe my favorite album of all time. However, my opinion has shifted, and I realize that I was just devastatingly in love with a few certain tracks. Like A Day Without Rain, this album is very top heavy for me, with the last few tracks not carrying the power of the beginning of the album.

“Athair Ar Neamh” took my breath away when I first heard it; I think it is her most beautiful song to date. I was just absolutely ravished by the haunting nature of the song with the signature Enya production behind it. It’s a song I can always throw on to feel comforted. 

All in all, this is an absolutely gorgeous album, and it’s part of the reason I’m so in love with her work.

Favorite Songs: “The Memory Of Trees”, “Pax Deorum”, “Athair Ar Neamh”, “Hope Has A Place”, “Once You Had Gold”

2. Watermark (1989)

This is the album that catapulted Enya into international stardom, and for good reason. This entire album is ethereal and blissful perfection. It really creates its own world and transports you on a journey filled with desire, contentment, and adventure.

It’s the first full Enya album I listened to, and I can always find joy and comfort in its gorgeous melodies, her haunting vocals, and the spectacular production on Nicky Ryan’s part. “Evening Falls” and “Na Laetha Geal M'Óige” were the two songs that established my sensibility towards Enya’s softer and slower songs, and I hold every other song to their standard, basically.

There is not a bad song on this album, and it definitely could take the number one spot. This is the perfect starter album for anyone trying to get into Enya, and it’s one of the most beautiful albums ever made.

Favorite Songs: “Watermark”, “On Your Shore”, “Exile”, “Evening Falls”, “Na Laetha Geal M'Óige”

1. Shepherd Moons (1991)

This is the quintessential Enya album in my opinion. It checks every mark, and then some. Everything about this album is just so perfect, incredible, powerful, etc. This is where she hit her stride, and delivered her most incandescent work. I can truly escape into another world when I listen to this album. It’s an album I need all the time; it’s one of the albums that really defines me. 

Every song is just so good; there’s not a dud at all. The ones that impacted me the most are “Caribbean Blue” and “Marble Halls”; both epitomize the qualities I love most about Enya. They are my two most favorite songs of hers, but I’m going to say that “Marble Halls” takes the cake for the top spot. It’s not an original work of hers (funnily enough), but it’s just the most gorgeous song ever. Nothing else to it; it’s absolutely flawless, divine, and any other adjective meaning “perfection”.

I love this album so much, and I will forever be indebted to Enya’s brilliance and majesty because of this album.

Enya is an absolute goddess of music, and I hope she knows how much impact she has to all her fans around the world. She is just amazing, and I will love her and her art forever.