#harryandylvis

My personal wish is that people would just unstan Harry and go away. If they have to start this kind of hateful behavior, they’re not someone Harry would want as fans. How do people in this fandom actually wear merch that says Treat People With Kindness and then tell someone to die? Anyway - good rant ������������

So, remember the time I kind of unintentionally took a year-long Tumblr break? Yeah, me too. Sorry about that. I’ve decided it’s time for me to get back on this website though, and what better way to start than by answering the 11 questions tag @harryandylvis tagged me in months and months ago? Sorry about the delay, Robin - and here we go:

11 QUESTIONS

1. Favorite guilty pleasure song - one that would embarrass you if people knew. I mean, as a person who has spent the last decade being an active fan of people who sing songs about Harry Potter + the fox guys, my threshold for musical embarrassment is pretty high these days… I’ll happily own up to my quirky music tastes!

2. Favorite member of One Direction (Google it if you have to) Probably Niall (and I didn’t even have to google it!). Sorry, Robin.

3.  Cat person or dog person? You can only pick one. I’ve had both and loved both, but Maxi would be offended if I said anything that implied he wasn’t my favorite. So, dog person.

4. If someone gave you $1,000 with the expectation to treat yourself (no bills paying or saving it), how would you spend it? Sensibly. By which I mean on traveling, preferably with @goldentshirt.

5. Would you rather live in a climate that’s always really hot or really cold aka just one season? I prefer summer over winter, but I handle the cold a lot better than I handle the heat, so I’ll have to go with a cold climate. 

6. Name one place in the world you have never been but would love to go one day. Australia and New Zealand.

7. What’s your favorite social media app? It’s a tie between Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

8. If you had to be trapped on an elevator with one of the Kardashian/Jenner clan for a long period of time, who would you choose? I really don’t keep up with the Kardashians, so I know next to nothing about their personalities… I’ll say Kendall Jenner, just to choose one.

9. Favorite sport to watch on tv? Golf (yes, seriously). Cross-country skiing is also fun, and occasionally soccer.

10. Which late night James is your favorite? Corden, Fallon or Kimmel? Fallon, because he’s the only one I’ve really watched full episodes of - plus, he gets bonus points for having had those silly Norwegians on his show that one time. I love Corden’s Carpool Karaoke though.

11. What is your biggest fear that other people don’t understand? I wouldn’t say it’s my biggest fear, by a long stretch, but maybe the “weirdest” fear, or rather phobia, I have is trypophobia, which essentially is an aversion to unnatural clusters of holes. It’s a real thing (I’m not going to link it, but feel free to google), and it seriously grosses me out.

BONUS QUESTION 

Today album: NIKI, Zephyr (2018)

I saw Jae posted a song of hers on twitter today, and I decided to check her out. I was not disappointed at all. I could say so much about this album, but I barely slept last night and am struggling to keep my eyes open. But, I really recommend this album. She is an Indonesian singer (the music is in English if you are curious). Her voice is so impressive, and her style is very reminiscent of that classic 1990s/early 2000s pop R&B. There were moments were I thought I was listening to Destiny’s Child or a group/musician along those lines. However, she is also doing some really creative things in the music and not just recycling that style. For example, there are songs with brass instrumentation that add a fun color and energy to the songs. Others use jazz chord progressions underneath the R&B melody to create some really unique and layered music. It should be no surprise that the ballads were my favorites, especially Pools and Around. Anyways, I really, really recommend people check out her music--her voice, her style--everything is just so good. 

Today’s album: Blackpink, Blackpink in Your Area (2018)

I’m slowly trying to get back into some of the recommendations I’ve been sitting on, and a couple of days ago @harryandylvis posted about listening to one of blackpink’s EPs, which reminded me that she recommended that I listen to them way back when I started this challenge. I almost didn’t get very far into this album because it starts with boombayah, which is very much club music (for lack of a better term). Although I have nothing against club music, it was a bit of juxtaposition in mood between the music and my current half-asleep state of being 😅 Anyways, I’m glad I stuck with the album, because it ended up being a lot of fun. A lot of the tracks were very high-energy, dance pop music with rap sections. Some were more standard pop though. Stay was a highlight for me and surprised me when compared with the rest of the album. It was just a very sweet, acoustic ballad. The ladies all sounded so good and they had some excellent harmonies. Also, I have to say See U Later was a brilliant song to close the album with. Thanks for recommending them to me, Robin!

Today’s album: Christine and the Queens, Christine and the Queens (2015)

This was recommended by @harryandylvis, and I loved it so much! I didn’t know I needed French synth pop in my life, but I did. The mix of French and English was flawless, and I absolutely loved listening to the French parts--something about it was so pleasing and fun. I really liked how clear her voice is; she is incredibly good. Something that stood out to me in the album was the use of percussion in a lot of songs--it is persistent and enhances that synth pop vibe of the album. The rapping on Tilted was unexpected, but I liked it so much. This is going sound so odd, but No Harm Done reminded me of something out of kpop but with French instead of Korean. It was the R&B style with rapping in it that did it. Either way I liked it. The staccato chorus and harmonies were perfect. I liked how the synth elements of Science Fiction matched the song’s title perfectly. Paradis Perdus was so pretty and one of my favorites. I also really loved Night 52 and Here. Speaking of Here, that string instrumental build at the end of the song to conclude the album was a brilliant way to end the album. 

@lundsdotter tagged me to post my lockscreen, homescreen, and what I last listened to.

My lockscreen is some fun Spider-Man art. My homescreen is hard to see behind my mess of icons, but it is a picture I took at the Oslo Opera House at sunset the last time I was there—someday when we can travel again, I will go back. I last listened to my running playlist this morning when I went for a run. Apparently Key’s Hologram was the last song playing when I finished.

Today’s Album: Marina and the Diamonds, The Family Jewels (2010) 

This is a recommendation from @ihavesomanynotes, and I’m absolutely obsessed with it. It was so good. She instantly reminded me of Ryn Weaver both in terms of style and her voice. She is that indie electro pop style that I love so much. There is a whimsical yet frantic feel to this album. The musical keys and instrumentation she uses drives that feel of it. The best way I can describe it is that it gives me images of a slightly off-kilter and demented circus vibe. For example, Mowgli’s Road, I Am Not a Robot, and Hermit the Frog, really capture the feel and energy of the album. Numb might be my favorite, and its lyrics hit me. Anyways, I recommend this so much. It was delightful.