Don't try to fight the feeling.

  I have a new favourite singer. Miles Elkington.

  Usually I'm not the sort to pore over teenage celebrities, but Miles is quite the exception. I was watching Australia's Got Talent last night and his audition was a real blessing. Ever since he walked onto stage he had a beaming presence, which caught my attention immediately. Prior to his performance he showcased humour like I've never seen before on such a TV show. (And to me, that's one ideal quality in a guy.) He was quirky and sarcastic, but also super casual about being in front hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people.

  Then, he began singing. He held me captivated. I could feel chills down my spine and I literally gaped in awe at what I was hearing. He turned an otherwise light-hearted song into something much more; his vocals had the right amount of rasp, youth and smoothness. A guy who's that funny and talented? Just wow. You go Miles. The judges loved him, the audience loved him, and viewers at home like me loved him. I loved him so much that I had to create a Facebook page for him (click here) whilst taking the risk of looking like a crazed fangirl.

  I checked out his Soundcloud and followed him there. (As well as his Instagram, ha.) He was a follower of Two Door Cinema Club. I repeat, Two Door Cinema Club. In addition, he uses the word 'lovely' often. So do I. Coincidence, I think not.

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Shooting stars.

  I just wanted to share this song with you lovely readers. Surely it's quite a famous song, after all it's been released for a long time. I remember this being the soundtrack to Sylvia's summer lookbook video back in 2011. I stumbled upon it again whilst watching Australia's Got Talent last night and had to search it up. (On a side note, the band who created the song, Bag Raiders, is Australian! Instant love.)

  You all must be well aware of the fact that I adore stars and their symbolism, and this song is yet another reminder why. I feel like it brings on hope for a better tomorrow, and has an ethereal glow to it. I hope you dig it as much as I do.

  Have a great day! xo

'Gave my love to a shooting star, but she moves so fast that I can't keep up; I'm chasing.' - Bag Raiders

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Take a minute to breathe.

  Hi lovelies, hope you've had a pleasant day so far.

  I haven't been posting quality material - at least that's what I think - so bear with me! (I've been swarmed with assignments and work.) Today's Music Monday post revolves around easy listening. One of the most important things I make time for is relaxation, and music complements that smoothly. The following are my picks:


I have legitimately been listening to this track non-stop. At first glance, I overlooked it on my Soundcloud stream. A gut feeling told me to go back and give it another listen, so I did and boy am I hooked. Kowalski has always been a feel-good band; well, their new music has surely brought me to a peaceful level. If euphoria was a song, this would be exactly it.

I hadn't ever really listened to Vampire Weekend properly, but I decided to after Malisha's recommendation of this song. It's not hard to see why; their music is inclusive of catchy electro instrumentals and words like honey. Though the lyrics do seem to represent an otherwise meaning, I still take a liking to its soothing tunes.

  Well, ciao. x

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Honey, you're my golden star.

  Happy Monday folks!

  I've finally got around to writing yet another Music Monday post. I had intended to showcase the first song for the longest time, but as to why I have not shared it with you earlier is beyond me. Anywho, this is the last post before I trudge back to school tomorrow. (Dear holidays, please stay.)


  Thanks to Matt, a kind stranger on Ask.fm, I've been seriously addicted to this cover by Two Door Cinema Club. Of course, any mention of TDCC leaves me in a frantic state. I had to look their cover of Treasure by Bruno Mars on Youtube, and boy, I wasn't disappointed. Alex Trimble's honey-like voice really shines through in this particular genre; if TDCC produced more music attuned to jazz/rhythm and blues, I would have no hesitation in supporting them.

  Ah, now this song is a sure winner. I am constantly replaying this mashup of What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club and In My Place by Coldplay. What You Know is an all-time favourite song of mine, and when deconstructed and placed with the instrumental that is Coldplay's specialty, it is pure bliss. Seriously, I recommend you have a listen. What's not to love?

  I discovered this catchy tune through a Youtube video. Yes, I admit that I literally have no idea what they are talking about - but this song was waaaay too fetching for me to pass up.

  Also, a quick announcement; I'm thinking of cancelling the Wishful Wednesdays series as I wouldn't like to have to wait for one particular day of the week to post, or else I'd lose my brainchild. There shan't be any changes in the consistency of posts though, don't worry. In fact, I'm going to upload the 'Best Friend Tag' sometime before the weekend.

  Have a brilliant week, ciao. x

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Serenity.

A playlist of songs compiled by yours truly.

  Thanks to Tara, I was given the idea to create a mixed CD as part of Cassie's birthday gift. I decided to craft my own cover, which made for an unpolished job. Anyway Cassie has always been one to respect, and even fancy, my music taste so I thought this would be perfect. Fingers crossed that she's going to like it. I sure hope you guys do as well; I reckon this post should constitute for this week's Music Monday recommendations. The songs, in order, are as follows..

Tracklist:

Milano Sun // Already Gone

Breakbot // Baby I'm Yours

Atlas Genius // Back Seat (Aislyn Remix)

We Are Serenades // Birds (Passion Pit Remix)

French Soul Party // French Kissing

San Cisco // Get Lucky (Daft Punk Cover

Foster The People // Houdini (RAC Remix)

Mutemath // In No Time (Pierce Fulton Remix)

Two Door Cinema Club // Next Year (RAC Remix)

Kowalski // Outdoors (Two Door Cinema Club Remix)

SPEAK // Peaks

Neon Indian // Girl

Two Door Cinema Club // Something Good Can Work (Ted & Francis Remix)

Passion Pit // Take A Walk

Kowalski // While We Drive

Daughter // Youth

  I'd also like to give credit to my brother (who helped me with uploading songs onto the blank disc), Soundcloud (for allowing to find such flawless music), Erin (for convincing me to like Take A Walk even more than I had), people in my school (who have gotten me to listen to San Cisco) and each and everyone of these artists. Man, do I love music. It adds so much colour to our lives, whatever the situation.

  On this note, I wish everyone a lovely day. xo

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Want a blog dedication?

  Hello guys! As mentioned in this post, I will be featuring bloggers on an entirely separate page. If you'd like to be a part of it, I request a simple favour in exchange. Simply comment below and provide your email address, and I shall let you know of my plans!

  Thanks a bunch to those who offered their help, though I need a reply ASAP. So far only Tara has followed my instructions and sent me the desired file, and I'm grateful. I would be genuinely happy if many more of you aided me in this little project. :)

  Without further ado, here are this Music Monday's selections.


My newly formed love for French Soul Party is absolutely outrageous. This song is the best out of their entire discography, and minus the minor explicity I find this tune extremely passionate - one of the factors as to why I love them. Finding obscure bands really feel like I've just discovered a gem, too bad they only have a few songs though!

I am not the biggest fan of San Cisco, despite them being a rather well-known band from my hometown. This cover however, was exceptional; better than the original, I'd say. The lead vocals are soothing on a rainy day, and I sure feel perked up after a quick listen to the chorus.

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Peaks.

  So I've been meaning to try this new thing; forgetting the past and starting afresh with friends that I've lost. Disputes, misunderstandings, whatever it is - I don't want to avoid the problems, that have been deeply buried. (Even though it's 6 months into 2013, but better late than never right?)

  Along with establishing new ties, I'd like to amend past friendships. One step at a time, that is. I was able to make up with a close friend a few weeks ago, as well as with another last night. I'm motivated to clear up the cloud that's been looming over me for the past who-knows-how-long. I'm glad I'm now taking matters into my own hands, despite me being a very stubborn person. So if anybody that I've ever hurt/lost/creeped out is reading this, then yes, I'm calling a truce. Let us both have peace of mind.

  On a more positive note, here's this week's Music Monday selection (as shown above). I am completely digging this track at the moment. Let me know what you think, as per usual! x

'And emotion is a terrible thing, but emotion is a terrible thing to waste. I've been over it again and again and the only thing I'm over's the time it takes.' - SPEAK

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Like we're pretending.

  What's up everyone?

  Here I am with my weekly Music Monday picks. On a side note, I hope that every single one of you has had a lovely week. Cheers to yet another!


As mentioned in my previous Music Monday post, I've rekindled my love for Atlas Genius. 'Electric' was a song I had not heard before, and I found it slowly growing on me. I think I can safely say that I adore electro/indie music. 'It's so electric, if we're pretending to, act like we don't know what to do.'

Neon Trees have always had some rather jazzy singles that I've loved, such as Animal, 1983 and Everybody Talks. Lessons In Love pretty much did it for me with the introduction; Tyler Glenn has my heart when it comes to vocals. The fact that the members of Neon Trees are able to construct 'stereotypical' love songs into something much greater is fantastic.

Oooh, this has always been the odd song that I can find myself dancing to. Glee's cover was absolutely spectacular, but I still have to pay tribute to the original musicians who created such a lovely song. (Notice how I say lovely, a lot? I don't know, that word is just lovely.)

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A thousand years.

  'I don't know if you've ever felt like that. That you wanted to sleep for a thousand years . . . I think wanting that is very morbid, but I want it when I get like this. That's why I'm trying not to think.' - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

  Oh look guys! Another book review haha. I realise I'm doing a lot of these, but there's no stopping me. (A generous thank you to everyone who has commented and provided their opinions. I realise I've been slacking when it comes to style posts, but I'll get around to more of that later.)

  As you might've known, I've been reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, thanks to Reneta. Despite its acclaimed fame, I find myself on the fence with this one. To be 100% honest, I have extremely neutral thoughts about it. There was a quite a few moments where I lost myself in the book, but other than that I'm more attached to the movie. It might have been because I saw the movie first before reading the book - I broke that rule, sigh. I do feel as if it was hard to perceive the opinions of the other characters in the book. If not for the visible hallucinations depicted in the movie, I wouldn't have a favourite. Anywho, I don't feel that I'm in an appropriate position to rate this book, as it is set in a much different context to mine.

  Let's get onto this week's Music Monday picks, shall we?

I discovered this whilst watching MrJoshuaBB's fanmade music video for the song. I'm not usually into these kinds of songs, but this was a well exception.

My friend Pearl has been telling me to listen to more of Foster The People (in exchange for me pleading her to listen to TDCC). I'm not regretting the decision, because I've learned to do a little interpretive dance for this one song. I love it quite a bit, and even used it in my Dr Martens 1490 Cherry Red Smooth review.

This goes waaaay back. My brother showed me this 2 years ago, and I've just found them again on Soundcloud, with lurking remixes. I gave them all a go and this Lenno remix is my favourite.

  That's all for now, feel free to leave your opinion! x

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Occupy your mind.

  Hello everyone!

  Today I'm featuring a more in-depth Music Monday post. I was comfortably lazing around last night, hitting up new tunes on Soundcloud. For those who don't have it, I highly recommend you sign up! It's free of charge, and streams music rather fast. You can find original songs, albums, covers, remixes and other compilations on there. The great part is that you can remain a listener, or even upload your own music. Whatever goes.

  Let's get started shall we?


I don't exactly remember how I discovered this band, but I certainly don't regret it. In my opinion they're quite similar to Two Door Cinema Club (obvious bonus for me). This is my favourite song from them, featuring a drumroll and catchy instrumental in the introduction. The lyrics are concise, though I don't mind at all. I find myself humming this nowadays.

Ah, another lovely song by Gotye. Ever since 'Somebody That I Used To Know', I've been frantically searching for identical songs. I found this. It has an eerie, chilled out vibe to it. I adore the song, and I feel that the meaning refers to a sullen aftermath of broken love. Can you fix what's beyond repair, and start all over?

A Bombay Bicycle Club to round things off. Autumn has certainly kicked into full swing, as proved by yesterday's drastic change in elements. I've been waiting for the right moment to showcase this song; it's one of the best from the band, in my opinion. This song was the inspiration for this picture.

  What do you think? x

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Open house.

  Just a brief post consisting of this week's Music Monday selection. The song I picked was one that I merely came across on Spotify a few months back. It has a groovy - yes, I officially used that word - and jovial vibe to it, similar to that of today. Looks like another happy Monday, I'd say. :)



  Anywho, the sleepover had me awake till 5am. Insanity, I know. Throughout our web adventures, I managed to attend a live web show by Beautycrush. That's right, Samantha Maria! She was broadcasting with her boyfriend Ricky. At dawn I was on Skype with a close friend. By then Mel had already fallen asleep, hahahaha.

  During the evening, Melissa and I got started on my first guitar lesson. My musical knowledge is a literally that of a blank page. Majority of people at my school are really musically talented, so it's nothing special with a girl like me learning guitar. But I'm doing this for myself and my Dad, so that's all that matters. Melissa's jamming session was really relaxing to watch. I hope that with effort and practice that I'll put in, I'll make progress in weeks to come.

  Anywho, I hope y'all enjoyed your Easter! Stay tuned. x

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Boom.

  Hey guys! Just a quick post to share some songs I've been loving. I've got a ton of work on my plate, so this will be it. Music can really kick off the start of a great week. Hope you enjoy these song selections.

  Till next time! x

YOU CAN ALSO FIND ME ON BLOGLOVIN // GFC // INSTAGRAM // SOUNDCLOUD // SPOTIFY

Safe haven.

  First of all, I would like to thank all my blog readers. (Note the cheesy smile above.) I've reached the 50 mark, not a milestone for some but definitely for me. I'm immensely grateful for those who have stuck with me through the months, and also the new followers. It's been a pleasure blogging here on Lucid Stars; my day would be instantly brightened up by all you supportive readers. Today, I was feeling a bit blue. Whilst checking my Hotmail in school, I was astounded to see so many comments on my posts. A massive thank you to those who have provided nice words and valuable feedback.

  As a response to this achievement (well, somewhat) I'm going to be doing a new segment or two. I'm introducing Music Mondays onto the blog, and as you might have already figured out, it'll be published every Monday. This is a day where I share my current obsessions, mostly from genres like alternative rock and indie. That's what I mostly listen to, anyway.

  Without further ado, I present to you my top three picks for the week!

  My brother has this song playing for hours on end. It's been growing on me, and I seem to find myself humming it in class. Definitely recommend that you listen.

  Ah, I heard this on the radio and had to look it up. It's got a soft, mellow tone accompanying the wistful lyrics. This is a sure-fire winner for me. Do you ever get that feeling where a song describes exactly how you feel? Well, this seems to be the case.

  One of my favourite remixes in the Tourist History album. Something about it is just strangely calming, yet I can't control the urge to twirl around the house. If you could define freedom in a song, this remix would be it.

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