I love music- as anyone who knows me- or has been around this blog for any period of time knows. But I feel like I go through ruts sometimes when I am just in desperate need of some new stuff to listen too... I am approaching one of those ruts now so I thought I would share what has been most played on my Spotify app lately, and see if y'all have any new suggestions for me.
Indie Pop that might not be new but it's relatively new to me:
I absolutely love the TV show Nashville. Country music based drama set in Nashville... That is right up my alley. The music from the show can be hit or miss (in my opinion) but this song from last week's "Two Sides To Every Story" is amazing. Up beat and a bit bluegrass-y "Borrow My Heart" even appealed to my boyfriend who admittedly does not like country music. Unfortunately, for some reason ABC has not yet released this song to iTunes- which makes me very sad.
If you're a fan of the show, be sure to catch the winter season finale tonight!
And link up with Helene to share what you've been listening to lately.
Like many of you, I am a huge music fan. A song has the power to change my whole mood. Any time I need a little boost in the middle of my work day I will throw my head phones in, open up spotify, and crank up the tunes.
But...other than T Swift's new album- can we all please acknowledge how amazing Blank Space is?!- I have been in a tiny bit of a rut... listening to the same stuff over and over and over lately.
So last week I clicked on a random playlist on Spotify (Workday Pop) and let it go. A few songs in Walk The Moon's- Shut Up and Dance came on and before I realized it I was bobbing my head, tapping my foot, and having to legitimately stop myself from dancing in my chair (remember... I'm in my office at work).
This is just an all-around feel good song. I can't help but want to dance when I hear the beat. It reminds me a bit of the pop-punk scene I loved when I was a teenager. You know... All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Cute Is What We Aim For, The Maine... oh man #tbt. I haven't thought about some of those bands in FOREVER.
Link up with Helene for Song of the Week Wednesday and tell us...
What songs are making you (want to) dance in your office at work?
I'm talking put on Aaron's Party and I'll sing you the whole thing, Spice Girls- I got you, Blow The Whistle by Too Short- I probably can rap 95% of the lyrics without missing a beat, just about any top 100 country song in the past 5-10 years there is a good chance I can at least sing the chorus, the Eagles/Bruce Springsteen/Pat Benatar greatest hits- yep I know that too.
Even random obscure songs- example "Me & You" by Cassie came on the radio the other day... don't remember it? Yeah, thats because it wasn't very good. I'm pretty sure I wasn't even a fan back when it was rockin the TRL charts six years ago, but somehow there I was singing along with a decent amount of the song.
It's weird.
I'm convinced that real, important information doesn't fit in my brain because it's already full of unnecessary song lyrics.
But I digress...
My ability to remember song lyrics, gives me a special connection to lots of songs.
A song can remind you of a person, event, feeling etc. This is the reason I love music. When I hear those songs it's like I'm transported back in time. Transported back to how I felt, what I was thinking, or what was happening when a certain song ingrained itself in my memory for good.
I am once again taking off for the weekend (hello it's Memorial Day!). This time to Las Vegas, NV for a 2nd (annual?) Memorial Day Weekend in Vegas.
There will be sun & heat, food & drinks, dancing in clubs & hotel rooms...
AND of course the annual UCLA 8-Clap at the Bellagio fountain!
Some of the ADPi Seniors 2011 at the fountain
Even though this year I am only going with one other UCLA girlie we will be there to see all the current seniors and our fellow graduates and to scream "U-C-L-A! F*CK SC!" repeatedly until the crowd is ultimately forced by Bellagio security to leave the area.
Thing #2
I recently started watching a new show via Netflix, "Friends With Benefits."
I had never heard of this show, have no idea what network it aired on when it was on TV (although I'm guessing it didn't do well because it doesn't appear to have a second season), and don't know who most of the actors on the show are... But it's not bad. It's a bit like a HIMYM knock-off in my opinion. In fact there were even specific jokes that were ripped straight from HIMYM, but it was a 30-min sitcom when it aired meaning episodes on Netflix are only a little over 20 minutes so if you're looking for a quick funny series to watch, check it out.
Thing #3
My boy, Phillip Phillips, won American Idol. I predicted him as the winner all the way back here in February.
I love me some P-squared and I hope we don't have to wait too long for an album to come out. Unfortunately, we know based on past idol's timelines that it will be awhile since they have to first complete the Top 10 Summer Tour.
Thing #4
Sara Bareilles song "Sweet As A Whole" from her new EP Once Upon Another Time CRACKS me up. It's completely inappropriate (if you are bothered by bad language) but totally hilarious. The irony of her sweet voice and harsh words is fabulous.
Thing #5
I apologize in advance for most likely being MIA til sometime next week. Blame Vegas, LA, my friends, and the fact that I just don't feel like scheduling fluff posts in the meantime.
It is quite likely that I may be taking some plane flights in the near futuring (visiting grad programs- I found out yesterday that I got in to Texas A&M, still waiting to hear from Purdue and South Carolina).
That in mind, I laughed while listening to this Sara Evans song.
I wouldn't mind meeting my soulmate on an airplane.
My favorite line:
"Lord knows I've tried to find a decent guy
It's hard to do
The way I hate to shop, how I love football
You'd think I'd have two"
That's me.
Although hate is too strong of a word for how I feel about shopping, it's more like I've just got to be in the right mood...
Luckily the girl in the song finds love right there on that plane.
I'll let you know if that happens to me...
Somehow I predict I'll be sitting next to an old woman who chats my ear off the entire time.
For some reason ever since taking my trips these last two weekend I just have not been able to get back in to the swing of blogging everyday (probably because before that I was using the weekends to plan out my posts...). Anyway, because it is currently 10:30pm Tuesday night, this is going to be a quick and dirty music post. Hopefully tomorrow, I won't feel quite so lazy and I'll write up and awesome Vegas recap!
This week, I'm introducing y'all to one of my favorite new songs of the month... "Drive By" by Train.
I think we all liked Train back in the late 90s when "Meet Virginia" and "Drops Of Jupiter", then they tried to make themselves relevant again in the early 2000s with whatever CD had "Calling All Angels" on it. But they really popped back in to all of our lives in 2010 when they released Save Me San Francisco and EVERYBODY and their mother was loving "Hey Soul Sister".
Early last month they released their new single "Drive By". I heard it for the first time late last month on the radio and Shazmed it on my phone as I was driving home from work. I think its a cute song.
My only beef is with the lyric "just a shy guy looking for a two ply hefty bag to hold my love". Really? A two ply hefty bag.... Does two ply make anyone else automatically think of toilet paper?
Anyway, if you haven't heard the song, and you liked anything on the Save Me San Francisco album, you will probably enjoy this song too.
Also, since I've been doing (and tweeting) these music updates I've been followed by some random artists. Most are small, little known types... One is not.
That one... Matchbox Twenty.
As in Matchbox Twenty's official twitter... Must say I was super confused as to how they found me and why they are following me, but it's cool. I mean I REALLY liked the song "3am" back in the day.
If you wanna be cool like Matchbox Twenty and follow me on twitter, you can do that HERE.
It's Wednesday! Wednesday is quickly becoming my favorite day of the week because I get to share music with you guys! I really enjoy writing these posts and deciding which songs/artists I'm going to share so I hope you guys enjoy reading them =) I need to come up with a catchy title for these music-filled Wednesday posts... suggestions are certainly welcome!
Now I'm sure most of you have heard Andy Grammer's single "Keep Your Head Up". It's been all over radio. Its catchy, fun, upbeat, and sort of inspirational if you are not having the best day. I like the song but it did really pull me in initially.
Admittedly a friend told me months ago that I would like Andy Grammer but since I wasn't in love with "Keep Your Head Up" I didn't ever take the time to go check him out. Well I recently heard Andy's second single "Fine By Me" and I loooooovvvee it. So I finally took that friends advice and downloaded the rest of his album.
As a side note, what do you guys think of this little dude who lip sync's popular songs? I'm not gonna lie I think he is obnoxious, and I don't like that he has gotten so much fame from just being a funky looking dude, who poorly lip syncs other people's music. Okay, rant over.
Andy does pop music without being super generic. He even gets a little bit funky sometimes. I like watching him perform because you can see the way he feels the music.
Fine By Me is probably my favorite song on the album. However, I also like "Ladies" a song in which Andy sings about his mother's advice relating to how he should treat women, "Biggest Man In Los Angeles" in which he takes us back to his days as a street performer in Santa Monica Promenade (my favorite place to shop when I went to UCLA), and "Miss Me" a song about love lost and reminding that person that they are going to miss him when he is gone.
Andy gets me with his witty, heartfelt lyrics (if you haven't gathered, I'm a sucker for lyrics I can take and twist and relate to my own life). If you haven't heard any more than just "Keep Your Head Up" I strongly recommend that you go check out the rest of his album.
I planned to end this post here but just the other day I saw a video that made me so happy. My girl Miley is back! She participated in the special album made to celebrate 50 years of Amnesty International which features a ton of amazing artists covering just about every Bob Dylan song you can think of. The album is Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan and it is pretty dang awesome. It features artists like Adele, Kris Kristopherson, Darren Criss, Maroon 5, Elvis Costello, Jack's Mannequin, and the list goes on. Miley covers "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" and I love it. Call this blasphemy but I like it better than Bob Dylan's original version.
I know Miley Cyrus is not most peoples favorite- but I've always loved her. Considering this girl used to sing "Best Of Both Worlds" as Hannah Montana just a few short year ago, I think she has grown up a lot. Her voice sounds so much more mature on this track.
I literally clapped at the end of this video when I first saw it on Monday night (and my mom thought I was a total freak...). I then proceeded to listen to it about 10 billion times at work yesterday. Hope y'all like it. Let me know!
I really enjoyed writing the post last week about Sunday Lane. Music is truly a passion of mine. I wish I could say that I personally am musical- a singer, songwriter, or even just someone who can play an instrument- sadly I can not do any of those things; but I can appreciate good music of all kinds. Therefore, I am going to make a habit of posting once a week about a song/artist that has stood out to me in the past week. I'll try to stick with somewhat lesser known artists in hopes that I will introduce y'all to something new.
The artist I'm going to share with you today is not new to me, nor is he particularly obscure but I have been listening to him quite a bit lately and I think you all will enjoy his music.
This is Ron Pope. The song above was the first song I ever heard from him, called "A Drop In The Ocean". My friends Jamee introduced me to this song quite a few years ago. The song has been featured in multiple TV shows (it was on the most recent season Vampire Diaries), but other than that I've never heard Ron Pope's music anywhere else.
Ron Pope is comparable to guys like Gavin DeGraw and Ernie Halter. You know, singer/songwriter, strong, sensitive man types.
"A Drop In The Ocean" is certainly one of my favorites, but I also love"Stranded In Los Angeles", "You're The Reason I Come Home", and "Headlights On The Highway" all from his Live and Unplugged album.
He did release a new album in 2011 called "Whatever It Takes" and I'll admit I have not listened to enough of it to form an opinion about any of those songs, mainly because I tend to listen to the songs I am already familiar with because I love them so much, but I plan to make an effort to check it out ASAP!
Let me know what you guys think of Ron Pope, and of these music related posts!
On last weeks season premiere of One Tree Hill (yeah, you all know I'm obsessed by now) there was a gorgeous song I noticed in the back groud behind one of the scenes. I have a tendency to hear lyrics I like, google them, and then download the song. Well last week I heard
"You can be careful and I'll be the reckless one..."
A quick trip to google and then over to youtube and spotify led me to the discovery of the beautiful Sunday Lane. This girl has only released one EP called "Bring Me Sunshine" but I hope she has plans to release more music soon. Sunday is a young singer/songwriter who reminds me a bit of someone like Ingrid Michaelson, or Regina Spektor. A few of her songs kind of remind me of a smaller band from here in CA called "Lady Danville", especially "Heavy Heart, Heavy Hands." Her voice is sweet and soulful, and her lyrics are relevant and beautiful.
I must say "Reckless One" is probably my favorite song on the EP, but I truly do love each song. I encourage you to go check her out on YouTube or Spotify. I honestly can't stop listening to this girl's EP. It has essentially been on repeat since I discovered it.
