Current Playlist Favorites...

So I think I'll write a little bit about what has been recently dominating my playlist. I'll start with some individual songs, then move on some albums.

As I talked about in my last post, a friend of mine recently introduced me to a band called Safetysuit. I don't know much about them, but their song Annie is one of my new favorites. It is one of those songs that can put you in a good mood no matter how you are feeling. The message is great too, just a solid overall song.
Another amazing song I've been hooked on for a while now is called The Answer by Automatic Loveletter. The song is from their Recover EP which is available on iTunes or through Smartpunk. The whole EP is great, but The Answer is one of those great songs that you hear and think, wow this is amazing. I love the sound of the lead singers voice, and it is certainly nice to hear some good new bands fronted by female singers. Aside from the singing, the music is also great, and personally I like that it doesn't sound exactly like the rest of the genre. They have a unique, original sound that is very refreshing.
Okay, one more that same friend told me about, also by a female-fronted band. So I Thought by Flyleaf is another new favorite song of mine. The vocals are just amazing on this song, and it does have that potential to make me cry. I would highly recommend this song to anyone.
Some other songs to look into if you want some new listening (although some of these are older songs): Love Like Winter by AFI, Not Good Enough For Truth In Cliche by Escape The Fate, Summer Hair = Forever Young by The Academy Is..., Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes by Fall Out Boy, Ocean And Atlantic by Mayday Parade, She Talks To Angels by Black Crowes

Lately there have been some albums I have listened to that have really impressed me for being well rounded and surprising. These are mostly albums that I listen to all the way through, rarely missing a song.

Riot! by Paramore - Let me preface this by saying that I did not get into Paramore because of Misery Business. I first heard them through a friend who gave me All We Know Is Falling, their first record. But I must say that Riot! is one of the few albums that I feel like I will never grow tired of listening to. Hayley Williams vocals sound much more evolved and grown up from the first record, and she handles some pretty tough ranges with ease. Pair that with some amazing musicianship and true rock tracks, and Paramore basically have the recipe for a monstrously dynamic album. Everyday I go back and forth between favorites, and currently the first track, For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic is my go-to song. That and Born For This, the last track. That's a pretty good indication for me of an album's effectiveness, because if I get bored with an album after a while, I might be inclined to change it before hearing the last songs. But Riot! carries through very well. Miracle is the most played Paramore song on my mp3 player, and has been my favorite for a while. Other key tracks include That's What You Get, When It Rains, Crushcrushcrush and Fences, although I would encourage you to listen to the whole album. All in all Riot! is a great progression from the equally impressive All We Know Is Falling.

Twilight Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Various Artists - Let me preface this one by saying that I got this soundtrack before I saw the movie. Although I do admit that I like the movie, I also think that it is horribly done, along with the book. Stephanie Meyer really can't be considered a professional writer, period. Aside from that, the soundtrack itself is amazing. I love the mix of styles, with the more commercial sounding stuff, some indie, and the classical (see Currently Listening To below). Starting off with Muse's Supermassive Black Hole, and continuing with Paramore's Decode, the soundtrack starts with a lot of promise and just keeps getting better. The next song, Full Moon by The Black Ghosts is one of my new favorites. I am not exactly sure why, but this song is so different and sounds really cool. It was one of the things about the movie that I actually liked when I first heard it in the opening. The rest continues fairly similarly, though not quite as dynamic as the first three songs. The other notable tracks are dispersed well throughout the album. Iron & Wine's Flightless Bird, American Mouth is another beautiful song, along with the rather mysterious sounding Eyes On Fire by Blue Foundation. Bella's Lullaby is probably one of my favorite classical pieces ever, despite its length and origin. (To give you an idea of how much I like it, I have been listening to it on repeat for about two hours now.) I must also make a note that I do love Rob Pattinson's voice on his two tracks Never Think and Let Me Sign. He has a very unique and different voice, and although I'm not so sure about the pitch at the very end of the former, I do love the way his voice sounds with the guitar, (which I think he played himself). So, all in all, a wonderful collection on this soundtrack, despite my feelings toward the whole Twilight thing. Great musical collection.

The Final Riot! Live In Chicago by Paramore - Ah, another Paramore album. I know that not everyone is into live CDs , but for some reason, I always have been. I love pretty much all of Paramore's songs, so naturally I love this live album, but even if you aren't into live performances, this is a great album. I watch the DVD a lot too, which is great because it includes some behind the scenes footage of the band during their tour, and gives the viewer a feel for how the members of Paramore are as people. If you like live albums and Paramore, this is a good bet.

So I guess that's it for now. My second long post today! Hope you enjoy, if you even got through all of it......


Currently Listening To: "Bella's Lullaby" by Carter Burwell from "Twilight"