anyone can fall apart, let's fall together
Recent Entries 
Last night I dreamed I was in high school again, but it was the fun kinda dream, not the type where you dream you have a test you haven't studied for, or homework you haven't done. It was a school trip of some sort, and I just felt really warm and fuzzy surrounded by so many people that I knew and liked, people that I hadn't seen in nearly ten years, people that I'll very likely never see again. So warm and fuzzy was the dream that when I woke up I was filled with a sense of having lost it all anew. I'm happier and more creatively fulfilled than I've ever been but my mind often drifts backwards into the past and I just think about all the experiences and people and memories that have fallen away over the years. 

--

According to this twitter thread, there is no “favorite” on folklore rather it is “what baggage do you have." So in this post I'll be going through my favourite songs on folklore and examining my personal baggage. 
the last great american dynasty: you have a tendency to daydream and raise expectations way too much, it gets to a point where everyday life becomes disappointing
I actually don't relate to this song at all, I like the song for it's little third-act stinger.  
exile ft. bon iver: either you personally experienced or your parents had a very bad/toxic relationship
Ha ha ha so exile is my favourite song on folklore, and I was 100% Justin Vernon's part in this song, who shall henceforth be Justin #4 after Potato Justin, Prime Minister Justin, and Orc Druid Justin.
this is me trying: you’re obviously going through it and i hope you get to where you want to be... i believe in you
I'm doin fine actually, my 4 biggest problems right now are: 
- my mom threw out my old fashion magazines from 2005 when I was away
- I had a mosquito bite on one eyelid that made it hard to see
- I thought that my 3rd fanfic was sort of rubbish but I just reread the 12 chapters I already posted and it's not actually that bad, I can still pull it off 
- do I want to take a stat increase or a feat on my Polearm Master Vengeance Paladin when she hits level 4? 
So yes I suppose my denial sounds pretty defensive but I'm fine
ephipany: you’ve most likely lost someone very important in your life, probs healed by now but you still miss them intensely every now and then
I like this song because it sounds pretty but yes this is also 100% true
betty: you’re gay... is there more to say i don’t think so
Yeah, as a bi person this checks out  
duinemerwen: (fascinating horror)
2020.07.24 16:49 - Taylor Swift: folklore
I got hype for Taylor Swift's 8th album and boy was it a swerve. In a good way, mostly. Here are my takes for each track.
  1. the 1 - best album opener since State of Grace... which doesn't say a lot... but it's definitely, like, if I Forgot You Existed went acoustic and changed the lyrics and then decided to go and, no big deal, just decided to punch you in the face. 3/5
  2. cardigan - oh this sounds like a mellower version of Don't Blame Me. I've never liked comparison to pieces of clothing though. Baby, you're like my favourite pair of socks. 3/5
  3. the last great american dynasty - the propulsive production and story structure are both excellent. 4/5.
  4. exile (feat. Bon Iver) - Justin Vernon's voice adds great contrast and texture to TS's. The production is so good they could've been singing about boiled peas, and I'd still love it. But it's not, so this is Top 3 Taylor. 5/5.
  5. my tears ricochet - spectacularly bitter, but terrible title. This is a song about a funeral, but I would still have liked to see some more pep to back up the lyrics. 2/5.
  6. mirrorball - the glittering centerpiece of a very, very slow disco. a fantastic bit of atmosphere that is in no short supply on this album. 3/5
  7. seven - I like the flow of the chorus and the outro but something here isn't clicking for me. 2/5.
  8. august - I like the production. Great outro. It's very pretty. 3/5.
  9. this is me trying - feels like driving through the night, and seeing the sun rise over the edge of the hills in the distance and light up the morning fog around you, until everything is enveloped in a pink and gold haze. 4/5.
  10. illicit affairs - i like the lyrics a lot. but I feel like there's something missing from the production. I suppose it matches the theme of the lyrics though - that there's nothing grand about a "illicit affairs" - they end with a whimper, not a bang. 2/5
  11. invisible string - I think this one should have been the album closer. The talk about fate and the invisible string relates to the theme of folklore, and I appreciate the sentiment. That said, this song blends into the ones around it. 2/5
  12. mad woman - a song called mad woman should be madder. I get a bit of sarcasm, but... there could be more. 2/5
  13. epiphany - or make THIS the album closer. This is gorgeous. 4/5.
  14. betty - modern Taylor filtered through the lenses of Speak Now Taylor. And Speak Now, though not as immediate and personal to me as 1989, and without the standout tracks of Red, is I think one of her most consistent pieces of work. No skips, and I can recall the hook of every track on the album from memory. Also, on first listen I thought this was definitely a queer song? I'm still not convinced that James is always a man's name. I wish I'd had this song when I was 17. 5/5
  15. peace - I like the sentiment here but there are several moments where the words feel kinda clumsy. This feels like more like spoken word poetry than a full song. 2/5
  16. hoax - this is... not very highly ranked on my list of album closers. I don't feel it "completes" the story like Long Live, Clean, Daylight, Begin Again, or New Years Day did. It doesn't stand out among other tracks. I don't really understand why this, and not, say, Invisible String, was the album closer. 2/5.
In summary, there are no bad songs on the album, merely underwhelming ones. I think the back half of the album drags a bit, and that there's a shorter, better album hidden inside it somewhere. That said, I really enjoy the album as a whole, and the atmosphere.

However, I have more hot takes.

MORE HOT TAKES THIS WAY )
duinemerwen: (Default)
2019.08.23 23:46 - Updated top 10 TS songs
 - Went to BBQ
- At 26k words, chapters 1 and 2 out for beta


10. Dancing With Our Hands Tied
Ironically, the brightest part of Reputation was the slew of dark, atmospheric songs like So It Goes, Dress, Getaway Car, and this one. 

9. Sparks Fly
This is peak country Taylor. 

8. Out of the Woods
This is kind of a weird, cheesy song, but the energy just carries all the weirdness and cheesiness. I'll take it. 

7. Miss Americana
Taylor channels Lana, feat. Halsey. Is it too early to put this on the list? I really appreciate the inclusion of the line, "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." 

6. Love Story
A well-deserved starmaker. I get giddy when the key changes and she sings, "he KNELT to the GROUND and PULLED out a RING and said, MARRY me JULIET, you'll NEVER have to BE ALONE" 

5. Style
I don't relate to it at all but it just sounds so lush and dark and beautiful. Style is my platonic ideal of synthpop. 

4. All Too Well
Some lines are just SO GOOD - "So you call me up again just to break me like a promise, casually cruel in the name of being honest," for one - others are too specific for me to really latch onto it. 

3. Enchanted
"Please don't be in love with someone else, please don't have somebody waiting for you." A sentiment with hefty memories attached. 

2. The Archer
Is it premature to have a song from an album released a day ago in the penultimate slot? Pretty much every lyric here is eminently quotable. "Who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay?" 

1. Treacherous
I just really like the structure, the way the song tumbles over itself in the bridge, and the way it tumbles over itself. I appreciate she never names love in the song at all. 
duinemerwen: (Default)
2019.04.26 09:28 - Taylor Swift - ME!
Taylor Swift's new single is... not good... 

I think this version was better: Godwolf - Another Me
duinemerwen: (fascinating horror)
Scott said during the 2003 blackout he tried dog food and cat food. He said that dog food was okay but that cat food was nasty. Cat food is certainly fragrant and I am kind of curious about how it would taste but I don't really want to eat it, even the Applaws supplemental which is literally just chicken broth, chicken meat, pumpkin, and rice. 

Anyways, we've finally moved everything back after the ductwork upgrade. The old ductwork ran through FOUR separate rooms to the exterior. Lucky we were on the 2nd floor over the roof overhang so that the contractors didn't need a skyjack. Then it was another week to patch the drywall. We did a good job but it was a pain in the ass. 

Also, I've started playing Divinity Original Sin 2 again because the Definitive Edition was just released. 



Self-Titled
1. Invisible
2. Picture to Burn
3. Our Song

Fearless
1. Forever & Always
2. Love Story
3. Fearless

Speak Now
1. Enchanted
2. Sparks Fly
3. Long Live

Red
1. Treacherous
2. All too Well
3. State of Grace

1989
1. Style
2. Wildest Dreams
3. Wonderland

Reputation
1. Dancing With Our Hands Tied
2. Dress
3. Getaway Car

Bonus: Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman
1. Thinking Bout You
2. Touch It
3. Greedy
duinemerwen: (Default)
Oh my god, I waited 3 years for this?

The bridge is nice. I also like the line "I've got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined / I check it once, then I check it twice (oh)"... winter is coming, hos.



Otherwise... she doubled down, guys, she doubled down. There's no nuance, no acknowledgement of wrongdoing, nothing. This is all the unflattering and aggressive lyricism of Bad Blood times 10. "I don't like you," OMG, woman you're 27. "But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time" who you think you fooling? I buy Stronger and I will survive because Britney sounded like she had skin in the game and actually sounded a bit hurt, and Gloria acknowledged she wasn't sure if she'd get through the breakup. I didn't buy Kelly Clarkson's Stronger because she never even sounded wounded by the "relationship" she just got out of. Similarly I don't buy Taylor's "I got smarter" because everything that happened to her sound more like annoyances than actual character-building moments.  

As for "The world moves on, another day, another drama, drama / But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma / And then the world moves on, but one thing's for sure / Maybe I got mine, but you'll all get yours" are you sure that's a sentiment you want to memorialize in song? Everything passes, life isn't fair, and some people never get their just desserts. Maybe if you moved on and think about something other than "karma" the music would improve. Everybody else has moved on! This is all horrible, bitter stuff, and a statement-making, attention-grabbing choice for a lead single. But it sounds like arse and may affect the performance of future singles.

The chorus is worth a paragraph for itself. The minimalist chanting is an interesting stylistic choice that definitely makes an impact. "Look what you made me do" is a terrible line that absolves herself of any blame in the Kimye situation and actually sounds like something a domestic abuser would say. Was this part meant to be a bit disturbing? Well, bravo, this whole song is a disturbing look inside a troubled mind. Also it sounds like shit. If "Look what you made me do" really means "Listen to this song that you made me write" please, nobody piss her off anymore, my ears won't be able to handle it.

I don't know what role this song plays in the context of the upcoming album but hopefully the rest of it isn't in denial of the fact that she was the one who screwed the pooch. I hope I'm just getting played and this song isnt representative of the entire album, but last time I hoped that the heroine wasn't an idiot, Arya got caught off her guard and stabbed on a bridge in Braavos. I'm hoping that she's smart enough to realize that Littlefinger is playing her and Sansa but I am not really so optimistic about that. Or Taylor Swift's sixth album. 


duinemerwen: (Default)
2015.11.10 00:07 - Confession Dear

I don't like doing literature reviews.

My current picks for pop songs of the year are "Can't feel my face", "Cool for the summer", "Wildest dreams", "Hello", "Marvin Gaye", "Style", "FourFiveSeconds". And by extension, those are my current picks for "Todd's Top Ten of 2015". "Chandelier" and "Uptown Funk" would have made it too if they hadn't been on last year's list. I don't know where I'd start if I had to pick the bottom 10. Hopefully this goes better than my Liberal Cabinet Picks Pool.

Also "Enchanted" is the best Taylor Swift song OF ALL TIME, no contest.

I'm done now.

--

The tripod is en route from Indianapolis... what a lovely name for a city! I hope I ordered the right one.

Today I argued with Greg about integrating the joint PDF from the midterm. I did great on it, though, 95.5, so it wasn't a matter of marks, just... why doesn't this approach work.

Andrew has started posting photos online. They are nice ones.

Also, I actually organized a debate group for Transport Planning. Damn. Maybe it was the lipstick of +5 Charisma. 3 grams at $17, good thing it came with a stat boost. Holly is a warm, summer daytime red and Tannin is a muted cool dark red. Both wear comfortably and fade evenly, with at least 4 hours of wear. I love the way they look and feel.

While we're on this topic I've also been using Etude House Play 101 liner in #6 (shimmer beige pink wut) and #40 (metallic brown). Both last forever, are retractable, and are dead cheap from the right sketchy online retailer.

Tomorrow I have a 3-hour seminar on research ethics.

And the day after that I finally have a review session with the students for the quiz last month.

duinemerwen: (eowyn snark)
2015.08.31 12:34 - Speed River
"It's called the Speed River but it's practically stagnant and we've seen four turtles so far."

And a heron literally two metres away!

--

Smoked gouda is nice. Edam is not so nice.

--

Video for Wildest Dreams dropped yesterday -

video )
duinemerwen: (Ampersand)
This page was loaded Jul 13th 2025, 1:47 am GMT.