Fanmix Yourself (again)

Fanmix Yourself (again) from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

Somewhere Between Daisies and Pews: An Explanation

It's been half a year since I posted my hastily made fanmix for Vikings' Gyda Lothbrok. When I posted it, it was as part of a daily fanmix challenge, I was well aware that it was not very good, and I just wasn't that bothered about it. But I decided to give it another listen and I wanted to explain myself and justify myself.

[In case you haven't listened to it, you can click here to do so, if you like.]

A quick side note: I ship Athelstan and Gyda a little bit (sorry if that bothers you) so some undertones of that may have slipped in. None of the songs are, in my opinion, blatantly romantic, though.

Overall, however, this fanmix is about Gyda. I imagine her to be a curious girl and not one who is quick to judge, traits which I think she gets from Ragnar. She isn't necessarily like the other vikings. This fanmix imagines her as wondering who she is, faltering between the religion of her people and her own nature. That's where the title comes in and the song with the same name. She is somewhere between daisies (representing both literal nature - as I imagine she likes to be outside and listen to the quiet of the world - and her own nature, the thoughts and tendencies that make her herself) and pews (the religion of her family and village, what she is expected to be and what it would be easier to be).
It's not perfect, and some of the songs don't fit this sort of theme all that well but that is meant to be the overarching theme.

Now, in a way, I may be kind of ascribing all of this more meaning than it really has. I made most of this fanmix late, late at night. But they all kind of felt right to me. And, not in quite so many words, that's what the fanmix was about for me. And at least now, you have a little bit of insight. If you were curious about that sort of thing.

Are There Any Creatures More Pathetic? (Will/Tessa)

Are There Any Creatures More Pathetic? from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

The Bullet That Saved The World (Peter/Olivia)

The Bullet That Saved The World from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

I Was Made For You (Marius/Cosette)

I Was Made For You from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

Fanmix Meme

My fanmix meme is here on 8tracks.
In which I describe why I picked the songs I picked when I picked them with a peck of pickled peppers. (I don't know what that was—a tongue twister joke?)

So here we go...
1. a song that reminds you of your favorite season - Isn't It A Lovely Night by The Decemberists.
I think this one is pretty self-explanitory. This song reminds me of summertime.
3. a song that reminds you of someone you care about - Radioactive by Imagine Dragons.
This one has more of a story. My mom and I had just watched The Host and this song plays as the end credits start. She started singing alone with it but instead of "radioactive" she sang "ready to rock you". I asked her, "You know they're saying radioactive, right?" She didn't believe me until she turned it up and listened to it again but she still sings it her way.
5. a song that makes you feel like flying - Fairy Dance by James Newton Howard.
I have a bad habit of putting this on every fanmix where it'll fit, like I do with quite a few songs. I just love it so much. And every time I hear it, it feels like flying and watching Peter Pan for the first time all over again.
6. a song that makes you feel like falling - O Death by Jen Titus.
This song makes me feel like I'm falling into hell. In a good way. If there is a good way to that.
7. a song you listen to when you're sad - Make Me Wanna Die by The Pretty Reckless.
It depends on what kind of sad I'm in but usually I listen to loud music. In fact, this is the only time I listen to loud music. And really, the only loud music I have that I like, is The Pretty Reckless. I listen to all their music when I'm sad but Make Me Wanna Die is the one I always end up skipping around to.
8. a song that you've fallen in love with because of the lyrics - The River by Kyla La Grange.
I heard this song on a fanmix but I thought the lyrics were so interesting and lovely. I quote them on Twitter all the time.
9. an instrumental song you love - The Equation by Chad Seiter.
This song is from the episode The Equation in season 1 of Fringe. When the boy played the song in the episode I really liked it but didn't think I'd ever really hear it again. I wasn't expecting it to be a full song. So when I heard it on the soundtrack I was really excited and now I can't stop listening to it. It's one of my favorite pieces of instrumental music.
11. a song that is about something you love - I Want To Hold Your Hand by T.V. Carpio
I mean, who doesn't love holding hands? And I really, really love this version too (I think better than the original SORRY). I just love the way it sounds slowed down and sung more...desperately, I guess. But that's just my opinion.
12. a song that makes you want to run until you're some place far away - Cloviswing by Jean-Claude Laudat. I love French music, especially classic French music. It always makes me want to run to a different time and place.
13. two songs that always bring a vivid image of something to mind - Once Upon a December by Liz Callaway and Funeral Pyre Straits by Chris Tilton.
Once Upon a December always calls to mind that scene of Anastasia dancing around an empty ballroom full of ghosts.
And Funeral Pyre Straits is from Fringe and is connected so vividly with the funeral scene (I won't say whose for the sake of spoilers) in my mind that I sometimes get a little (ahem a lot) residual emotion when hearing it.
14. a song that you want to share - Landfill by Daughter.
At first, I wasn't sure I was gonna do this one because the prompt makes it sound like you should pick a song that you want the rest of the world to discover. Whereas I'm sure plenty of people know this song. I'm never that cool as to find things before they're cool. But I like this song and have been listening to it a lot lately so here you go.

Horror Stories On Top of a Pretty Blond Man

Stupid Terrorist Boys from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

Another fanmix. This one is for Gnomon, an amazing fanfic by luchia on AO3.

Of Red Red Rivers; Of Pale Skin and Bruises

Of Red Red Rivers from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

So, I made a new fanmix! Hooray that's what the internet needed right? Right?!
So without further adieu I present my fanmix for Jehan and Montparnasse. Yep, weird ship, I know. Don't judge me...

Tracklist:
1. Starry Eyed by Ellie Goulding
2. Bad Thing by King Tuff
3. Looks That Kill by Shivaree
4. Baby, I Will Leave You In The Morning by Marissa Nadler
5. In Your Room by Depeche Mode
6. Nothing & Nowhere by Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton
7. Wicked Way by Benjamin Taylor
8. Out of the Blue by Julian Casablancas

Fanmix Day 9 - For a Movie

Of Acorns and Thimbles from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

Fanmix Day 7 - For a Male Character

Pylades Dreams from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

Fanmix Day 6 - About a Certain Type of Relationship

Red Red Rivers from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

Fanmix Day 5 - For a TV Show

Never Shall We Die from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

Fanmix Day 3 - Songs You've Recently Fallen In Love With

If I Had A Voice... from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

This is mostly a weird amalgamation of songs but here goes. There's a bit of Aaron Tveit from Next to Normal and Kerry Butler's song from Catch Me If You Can. Then there's also some of The Pretty Reckless, one instrumental song, a soundtrack song or two and then some random songs I found from other fanmixes and loved.

Fanmix Day 2 - For a Female Character

Somewhere Between Daisies and Pews from heyitsalyssa on 8tracks Radio.

I should have thought about this more intently before choosing Gyda but she's one of my favorite characters lately. But it was so difficult to make a fanmix for her, especially in a day. And so, none of this probably makes any kind of sense, and also a bit of Athelstan/Gyda almost certainly slipped in there but oh well.
Hope you like it (or don't hate it).

Fanmix Challenge

I've decided to do a 15-day fanmix challenge. Mostly because I'm a crazy person. I don't know why I always do daily challenges when I know I'm horrible at them.
But anyway, here it is:

1. For your OTP
2. For a female character
3. Songs you've recently fallen in love with
4. Expressing a certain emotion
5. For a TV show
6. For a certain type of relationship
7. For a male character
8. Songs you were obsessed with growing up
9. For a movie
10. For something supernatural or mythological
11. For a fictional friendship
12. Songs that cheer you up
13. For a book
14. Dedicated to a friend
15. Whatever you want

I already started so I'm getting ready to post the first day's challenge. In the way of blogs, you'll probably have seen that post before this one.

We All Go Down Together: a Les Amis fanmix

So I made a fanmix for Les Amis de l'ABC (link to 8tracks) so I thought I'd post it here as well. With the cover art and all that fun stuff.

It's essentially a war-themed fanmix, really. I attempted to put it in at least a little bit of an order, a semblance of an order. It begins with a call to arms and goes through a loss of conviction a bit then resurges with This is Why We Fight to signify them throwing themselves wholeheartedly again into the fight and, moreover, into death. Then An Ending (Ascent) which is to signify them dying and This is War ends with the refrain "the war is won" so I put that at the end to signify the final shot in the movie where they're all on the barricade.

So thanks for reading and listening (if you decide to). I really like making fanmixes and I have several more I'm working on so look forward to that.

I'll be posting some fan fiction too, I think. So yeah.

Alyssa

Song Analysis

You can listen to my fanmix on 8tracks here.

So the final tracklist for my Enjolras/Grantaire mix is...
1. Made for Glory by Landon Pigg
2. Inside a Boy by My Brightest Diamond
3. Night Terror by Laura Marling
4. I Would Do Anything For You by Foster the People
5. Hounds by The Antlers
6. Too Late by M83
7. Thin Air by Aqualung
8. Parachutes by Coldplay
9. Icarus by Bastille
10. No One Would Riot For Less by Bright Eyes
11. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Now I'm going to talk about why I picked the songs and all that fun stuff and it's probably going to get pretty long so if you have no interest in that there is nothing else here for you.

Made for Glory - I view this mix as being, for lack of a better phrase, from Grantaire's point of view. This song I take to be him talking about how Enjolras was born to be great.

You are made for glory / And it's no wonder why you're here / For all to see / But like a thorn upon my flesh / Your beauty haunts me / I can't find relief / And it's no wonder why you're here / To torture me

Inside a Boy - There isn't anything too specific about this one it's more the whole feeling of it. The sound is soft of dreamy and ethereal but I liked the violence of the lyrics We are stars colliding / Now we crash like lightning. Theirs is something of a violent sort of love rather than an easy and soft one.

Night Terror - I chose this one almost solely for the lyrics If they want you / They're gonna have to fight me

I Would Do Anything For You - I was conflicted about this one because it's pretty upbeat and I felt it might not fit well but I chose it for the lyrics Every day is a battle I face / Strange life I live but it's what you've decided / I'll give it all into your hands / Do what you will with me

Hounds - There were a few Antlers songs I was thinking about but I eventually chose this one (I don't like having more than one song by the same artist).

They want to conquer you / Abandon you / I want to burden you / Belong to you

Too Late - Mostly I liked the sound of this one. It sounds introspective and kind of dark.

Thin Air - This one made me think of the death scene (from the movie, at least) where Enjolras falls through the window, if you take it quite literally. Tell me that you'll love me forever / Or go without another word / With our hands holding tight together / Out into the new world / And you're standing on the edge of something / Tell me I was right to care / Well you know that I'm in love with you / Stepping out into the thin air

The repetition of I believe in you was also a good factor.

Parachutes - Just a short one that's a sort of bumper, I suppose.

Icarus - I saw a quote on tumblr that I'm not sure where it originates or if the person made it up themselves but I liked it: "He is Icarus; Enjolras the sun. He will burn to be near him." I liked this quote so much I came across several songs called Icarus and this one fitting quite nicely.

Icarus is flying too close to the sun / And Icarus' life, it has only just begun / And this is how it feels to take a fall / Icarus is flying towards an early grave

For me, it fit with the quote well (which I thought was a great description of their relationship) and alluded to their deaths.

No One Would Riot For Less - I imagine this as a sort of night-before-the-barricade conversation where Grantaire yells in a passion that he loves Enjolras and they're both probably going to die tomorrow.

So love me now, Hell is coming / Yeah kiss my mouth, Hell is here / Little soldier, little insect / You know war it has no heart / It will kill you in the sunshine / Or happily in the dark

Radioactive - I really didn't want to use this song because of it being in the trailer for The Host but I eventually broke down and used it to represent the day of the barricade. It's a very revolutionary sounding song but I liked the lyrics I raise my flags, don my clothes / It's a revolution, I suppose / We're painted red to fit right in
Red really evokes the revolution for me with the flags and Enjolras' coat but I especially liked the "It's a revolution, I suppose" because it was so cynical and Grantaire to me.

So there you go. I think that's everything.
 If you read any of that I appreciate it.

Alyssa

Fanmix Artwork

I'm working on a fanmix for Enjolras and Grantaire because I love them to bits and pieces and I thought I'd show you the artwork I made. It's probably not all that great. I'm pretty good at using photoshop to change things but not make things. Anyway, here you go.

I blurred the actual songs because I'm not totally sure about decisions and order yet and I know it's also probably strange to have a poem on the cover but I liked it and thought it might be interesting. So there you go, there's that.
I should also probably mention that this is the first fanmix I've made and put serious thought into so...
I'll post the tracklist as soon as I finalize that.

thanks for letting me ramble,
Alyssa

Tuesday Video Challenge No. 13 - I'll Make a Man Out of You

Who doesn't love this song? When I was in senior year we were watching a movie in my Calc. class and there was a quieter part. We could hear the class next to us watching a movie or listening to music and we realized they were listening to this song and we all started singing it. It was so cool! For four minutes I thought I was in High School Musical!

And while I was searching for a good video I found this video below which, I thought, is also worth showing because it's fuckin' awesome!

Tuesday Video Challenge No. 12 - Mean by Taylor Swift

I know, I know...two Taylor Swift videos in a row? Well when I was picking the one for last week I couldn't decide between that one and this one so now you get both. They're both great videos anyway.