The Weekender: No.1

Happy Saturday!

I had hoped that writing my last post would give me the nudge I needed to get back into blogging. That hasn't been the case. Maybe it's because the things I used to write about are either too private and shameful (my anxieties) or have already been shared on some other platform (my adventures). I was almost convinced that this blog no longer served a novel purpose that wasn't being served by my journal or my social media presence. Then I realized that there was still one thing I could do with this blog --  a weekly, curated collection of my picks from the internet.

This is something that I don't get to do justice in my journaling. I might be really inspired by a piece of art I saw on Instagram or some music I've been listening to on repeat, but I can't really capture it in my journal because of the difference in medium. The Weekender will be my attempt to do so. Let's see how it goes!

October

If there was any doubt before, summer is gone for good and October is here. This song - cheekily released on October 1st - beautifully expresses that carefree feeling that somehow only summer brings. I especially love the bridge:

Paint a picture in my brain, encapsulate the fleetin' feelin'
It ricochets, replace my pain 'til every trace is leavin'
The nerve of autumn time, days flyin' by, every sunrise healin' me
And we're okay, we'll live this way 'til it's done

Hatecopy

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A post shared by Maria (@hatecopy) on Jul 26, 2019 at 9:14am PDT

I'm a huge fan of the artist Hatecopy and this piece really captures a pivotal moment in my life this year. Sometimes the answer is NO!

Blair Eadie

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A post shared by Blair Eadie / Atlantic-Pacific (@blaireadiebee) on Oct 3, 2019 at 10:14am PDT

Speaking of October, fall is officially here and I could not be more excited! One of my favorite things about fall is the fashion. Being able to layer up and wear moody colors is all I really want to do. Blair Eadie's new fall collection with Halogen seems to do just that! I might be biased because I'm a huge fan of Blair Eadie, but it's not difficult to be insired by her bold maximalism. Her style makes me feel ready to do my own thing.

Internal Struggles

https://aphraditi.tumblr.com/post/185192843333

I haven't found a better (or cuter!) representation of how I feel most of the time -- caught in the middle. Luckily "destroy myself" is not quite so literal in my case, but it is making choices that I know are bad for me. Or even just abstaining from making choices that are good for me.

Comic Relief



Regardless of whether you're a TSwift fan or not, it's always funny watching people acting loopy. Being a fan just makes this clip even better.

Guilty Pleasures


 
I think it was the summer between seventh and eigth grade when a friend I met at camp introduced me to Fan Fiction. We're still friends, but I don't know if she realizes what she did for me in that moment. For every time I had read a book and got to the end and wished that there was more, there was suddenly a solution! A miraculous database of works that were written by fans of whatever it was you were looking for - books, movies, tv shows! Since then, I have become somewhat of a fan fiction junkie. It might be months later, but I always eventually return to AO3 or Tumblr to find a story that satisfies my need to devour more Harry Potter or more Mulder and Scully. For years I've felt guilty about this habit, but then I saw this post and felt just slightly better. I think the need to repair the damage becomes apparent when TV shows drag on for no clear reason and introduce unecessary developments to ensure their longevity. So I think I'll forgive myself a little bit for reading fan fiction.

Well, that's all for now. Maybe I'll continue this next weekend!

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

September Music Haul

So much good music is coming out in the next two months, it's unbelievable.



Here's a mini list of September albums I'll be on the lookout for:

Night Visions by Imagine Dragons - 9.4

North by Matchbox Twenty - 9.4

Sun by Cat Power - 9.4

Coexist by The xx - 9.11

The Spirit Indestructible by Nelly Furtado - 9.18

Battle Born by The Killers - 9.18

Push and Shove by No Doubt - 9.25

Babel by Mumford and Sons - 9.25

Now Playing

This summer has been one of the best in terms of how much good music has been released, and there's more coming out! There are so many new, and highly awaited, albums coming out in September... but that's for another post. I wanted to share sixteen of my most played songs from this summer because good music is meant to be shared, and also because I haven't done a 'mixtape' type post in a while. All of them are good to listen to do when relaxing, driving, hanging out, etc. 

From top left corner:            

The Rip Tide - Beirut, Enemies - Hannah Georgas, Tessalate - Alt-J, Old Friend - Sea Wolf

Demons - Imagine Dragons, Lost Dream - Digits, Mountain Sound - Of Monsters and Men, Stars - Fun.     

                                           

Cat Power - Ruin, High For This - Ellie Goulding, Vagabond - Mandy Lee, Fifteen - Goldroom (feat. Chela)

Sweater Weather - The Neighborhood, Time To Run - Lord Huron, Gone - Sea of Bees, Angels - The XX

Imagine Dragons

It's no secret that the Basilica Block Party took place last weekend. While many many well-known bands such as Train, O.A.R., and Fitz & the Tantrums performed, the main highlight for me was watching Imagine Dragons. The Las Vegas based indie rockers have definitely made it onto my list of favorite bands.

If the emotionally charged songs aren't enough to completely brainwash you, their high energy and quality performance will push you over the edge. I have been listening to their EP on repeat since the beginning of June and I literally can't get enough. Still not persuaded? Take a listen to 'Demons':

If you're having trouble with the player, remember to allow quicktime to run.

Girl Crushing on Kimbra

I definitely loved Kimbra's contribution to Gotye's hit song, but her live performance at the Foster the People concert totally swept me off my feet. Not only does she know how to belt it out, she can do it with major swag. While maintaining flawless vocals, she was all over the place with her moves and performed in an awesome pink dress. She definitely has that 'all-out' spirit that is inspiring and energizing. When she came on again to perform 'Warrior' with Foster the People, she was wearing a rainbow coat with a hood. In that moment, I knew. I knew I officially had a girl crush on Kimbra. Now you know what you need to wear to get my attention.


Just kidding.

But seriously, I now find myself listening to her tracks constantly, and also trying to channel my inner Kimbra.  I know that sounds super cheesy, but it's true. I need to find my swag-factor.

Okay, I'll stop trying to sound cool.

If you haven't listened to Kimbra's music yet, you're certifiably crazy and you should head over to Spotify, or whatever software you use to listen to music, to rectify the situation.

The Amy Leininger Mixtape

I know. I haven't made a mixtape in a REALLY long time. What can I say? Between three AP classes (who am I kidding? APUSH totally doesn't count), the ACT, and intense bouts of demotivation, I just haven't found the time. 

Okay, I'm done whining.

Anyway, just because I've been busy doesn't mean I haven't been stocking up on music. Quite the contrary, actually. I've been downloading like no other and I've got all my new obsessions ready to go for wnever the next family road trip to Chicago is.

The Amy Leininger Mixtape was actually a spur of the moment decision. I wasn't planning on making another mixtape like three weeks in advance or anything. The idea of it was conceived on a car ride to an Ellie Goulding performance (See: Starry Eyed). You can probably guess that a certain Amy Leininger had something to do with it and may be my muse or something weird like that. And you're right.

Amy Leininger is probably one of the few people I can closely identify my taste in music with. I'm not trying to say that  I'm hipster or anything, but sometimes it's hard to find people who match your taste in music almost completely. So it's only natural that she was showing me songs that I might like. As I found that I liked more and more of her music, she suggested that she could make me a mixtape of some music and I could make her one in return. Thus, The Amy Leininger Mixtape project was born. 

Many of the songs on the mixtape are not new. Tracks by Foster the People, Ellie Goulding, and Lykke Li were specific requests from Amy. 

Now that I'm done giving you a whole bunch of unnecessary information, here's the mixtape! Disclaimer: Since 8tracks is dumb and won't allow uploads of more than 2 tracks by the same artist or on the same album, the posted mixtape is an "abridged" version of the real mixtape

You can listen to complete mixtape on Spotify! - The Amy Leininger Mixtape

Starry Eyed

Seeing artists perform live always has an exhilaration of its own, and Ellie Goulding was nothing less than spectacular. After getting to the Mall of America at 5:30 pm, we were suddenly disillusioned by the huge line of people already waiting outside Best Buy. The people at the front of the line would no doubt be getting the best view of Ellie, so we didn't waste any time joining the queue. The performance was to be at 7 pm, but we were already getting restless by 6:30 pm. It also didn't help that three middle school boys in front of us 

kept farting. 

When we were finally let in, it became very hard to find a good spot. Since three out of the four of us were "vertically challenged", this quickly became a sore point. We tried to work our way in through the crowd but to no avail. We had to settle for watching Ellie through cameras and phones. However, as soon as she approached the mic, none of it mattered. 

She started out with an acoustic performance of Guns and Horses, and then her cover of Elton John's Your Song. Your Song is one of my favorites by Ellie and it was actually the song that led me to discovering her. She then sang Starry Eyed and right after it, Lights. Let's just say that if I didn't love Ellie Goulding before, I definitely did after her performance of Lights. It was beyond amazing. Her vocals were dazzling, and when she transitioned into the remix version, everyone started jamming to the beat. 

Just when it felt like the night couldn't get any better, we found out that Ellie would take pictures with everyone and autograph CDs. We had to wait in a line again, but no one cared. All I could think about was meeting Ellie Goulding! When I finally did get to meet her, it wasn't disappointing. She was extremely sweet and funny! She mentioned how much she was enjoying her visit to Minnesota and how she wished she could go shopping at the MOA. All I could do was try and keep my giddiness under control. I was definitely starry eyed. 

Now that I've thoroughly bragged, I hope everyone else had an awesome spring break :)

Feel So Close

This video gets me in the mood to do something. I don't know what, but something. I've been stuck in this lazy rut, but I'm getting my groove back.

Lana Del Rey

To be honest, I don't even know how to describe how much I love Lana Del Rey's music. I am actually obsessed with her. I first heard her song "Video Games" over the summer through The Kollection and I've never been the same. Her songs are infused with heartbreakingly beautiful vocals and each one is an honest, vulnerable ballad. Though she looks like a barbie doll, her songs are anything but superficial. I always get goosebumps when listening to her music and her voice tends to linger in my head for a while after. "Born To Die" is just another reason why we should all be counting the days until her full LP comes out on January 31st.

Talking to the Moon

Just a visual delight. I'm so ready for winter break.

For audio: Talking to the Moon

1 & 2: Taken from Here.  3. Taken by Lauren Lemon   4. From it's better than bad on flickr 

5. Taken by Marina Refur  6. Taken by Steve McKenzie

Autumn

I have my first behind the wheel on Friday, and I'm not going to lie. I'm super excited. People have told me that their behind the wheel experiences were terrible and one of my friends even said she felt like crying at one point. I don't know why, but none of that information phases me. I'm just extremely eager to get my license, and anything that brings me closer to that goal is my best friend.

Since tomorrow is Turkey Day, my mom and I are making mock turkey. You could say I'm really excited.

Are you one of those people that feels a need to 'join' every website you come across even though you know it might be pointless? If so, you should take advantage of 'Join this site' button on the left! :)

I was originally planning on making this a regular blog post, but I know I haven't posted a playlist/mixtape in a while. If you're friends with me on Spotify (is that the right terminology? I don't think it's called 'following'...), you will probably see that I've been adding music to a playlist called 'Autumn'. I don't feel like posting the entire playlist because it has around thirty songs on it, but I will attach the link to it and you can subscribe to it on Spotify!

Here is the link: Spotify - Autumn

I'm also posting an abridged version for those who don't have Spotify and won't be able to open the link.
Note: Abridged version doesn't contain all the songs.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Florence + the Machine

As I had mentioned in a previous post, I am obsessed with Florence + the Machine. If Hellogoodbye is the apple of my eye, Florence would be my best friend that I constantly rely on to back me up. Her vocals are insane, and it is not enough to say that I get lost in her music. Also, her timing could not be more perfect. She released her second album, Ceremonials, on November 1st, just in time for me to buy myself a nice little birthday present. In fact, the day of my birthday, I came home to find it in the mailbox.

Florence + the Machine definitely doesn't disappoint with her sequel. Each song is power packed with her soulful voice and the intensity that we all know Florence for. Many of the songs send shivers down my back and I would even go so far as to say that each song is a powerful release of emotions. But that's just me.

Here's a preview of one of the tracks.

No Light, No Light

The Kooks

Apparently I hadn't been living until this afternoon, when I first listened to The Kooks. I was perusing through Spotify's 'top songs' list as usual, and saw that this song called Petulia by The Kooks was attracting a large amount of attention. My curiosity got the best of me and I afforded myself a listen. Let's just say that I completely understood why the song was in the list. For lack of a better cliche, I felt like I had come home.

The Kooks is an English indie rock band primarily influenced by the 1960s British Invasion movement and the post-punk revival of the new millennium. They just released their third album, Junk of the Heart, on September 12th. Though the album falls under the genre of 'indie pop', each song is a complex and different personality that makes you fall in love. Hopefully, you like The Kooks as much as I now do :)

The Kooks - Junk of the Heart (Happy)

Fascination

Hey guys, welcome to Postcards From Far Away! As I mentioned in the last post, I've been working on another playlist with artists that I'm currently obsessed with. So I was thinking, "what would be a better opportunity to unveil it than on the first official post on my new blog?"


Anyway, I hope you guys like it as much as I do!

Joy To The World

This is extremely overdue, but I would never feel quite right if I didn't publish it. So without further ado, my Euro Trip playlist!

Note: Please keep in mind that these are not the only songs I listened to.

Hope it was worth the wait!