Set apart this dream for me...

The year and the decade is over, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to review both in music. 2009 was a great year for music, and there are so many releases that captured my attention, both expected and unexpected. The past decade has been defined by music in my mind, seeing as all of the music, concerts, and artists that I love I discovered in the last ten years. This is gonna be a long one, please be prepared.

THE YEAR IN REVIEW:

Notable Albums Released by Date:

• 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day - 5/15


• Nothing Personal by All Time Low - 7/7


• Ocean Eyes by Owl City - 8/14


• Jennifer's Body Soundtrack by Various Artists - 8/25


• Lost In Pacific Time: The AP EP by The Academy Is... - 9/22


• brand new eyes by Paramore - 9/29


• Crash Love by AFI - 9/29


• Anywhere But Here by Mayday Parade - 10/6


• Time To Win, Vol. 1 by Down With Webster - 10/6


• The Twilight Saga: New Moon: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Various Artists - 10/16


• Glee: The Music, Vol. 1 by The Glee Cast - 11/3


• Memento Mori by Flyleaf - 11/10


• Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits by Fall Out Boy - 11/16


• The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Score by Alexandre Desplat- 11/24


• Glee: The Music, Vol. 2 by The Glee Cast - 12/8

My Top 5 Albums Of The Year:

1. brand new eyes by Paramore


2. Anywhere But Here by Mayday Parade


3. Lost In Pacific Time: The AP EP by The Academy Is...


4. Memento Mori by Flyleaf


5. Crash Love by AFI

Second thought, let's make this a two-parter. More to come.

The neighbors have complained damn near every night

So I can officially declare myself a slave to the world of concerts. On November 5th I went to the Alternative Press Fall Ball with You Me At Six, The Secret Handshake, Set Your Goals and co-headliners Mayday Parade and The Academy Is... and I must say that it was one of the best concert experiences I have ever had. It marked my third Mayday Parade show, and my first The Academy Is... show and both were amazing. I still can't get over how much of a good time I had and I was so pleasantly surprised. Mayday Parade was up to their usual greatness, and The Academy Is... did so much more that I expected. Not only did they play some of my favorites from their first album Almost Here, but they also had amazing stage presence and a great feel. An overall spectacular night that confirmed one of my core beliefs about myself: I most definitely need to be a part of the concert world for the rest of my life.

First of the night to play was You Me At Six, a pop punk band from the UK. Although they didn't have a completely original sound, they were very good for having never really toured here in the US before. They did a cover of Lady Gaga's Poker Face which was the highlight for me since it was the only song I actually recognized. They did a fairly good job, but I wasn't at all familiar with them so it was a little hard to judge.

Next came The Secret Handshake who seemed to enjoy using vocals altered to sound a little more electronic-y, not something I am particularly fond of, but like You Me At Six, they did have a very good stage presence which was commendable. They also did a cover, this time of Miley Cyrus' Party In The USA which was the best part of the opening show. Other than that, I wasn't particularly captivated by them, but for fans, I'm sure they did more than please.

Third and last of the opening bands was Set Your Goals, the one stand out for their seemingly unrelateable music to the rest. They have more of a punk sound that didn't really seem to fit with the rest of the bands playing, and once again, not really my thing. They played a lot longer than they seemed to need to as well, and by the end of their set I found myself checking my cell for the time. They seemed to please the crowd, but I myself wasn't so thrilled.

And then we have one of my favorite bands. Mayday Parade came on and, as usual, killed it. They opened with Jamie All Over, a classic from A Lesson In Romantics that got me going right away. Their set had a great mix of my favorites from Lesson, of course the classic Three Cheers For Five Years, and my three new favorites from their new album Anywhere But Here, including the title track, Kids In Love, and The Silence (incidentally, the albums first three tracks.) The one obviously missing song from the set was Ocean And Atlantic, which is my personal favorite from Lesson, but they did play their biggest hit from the album When I Get Home You're So Dead, and ended, as usual, with my other favorite Jersey, which they close with at most shows. Mayday always has a great stage presence, and you could clearly see their enthusiasm with the new songs especially. They got involved with the crowd really well, and put on an all-around great show. As usual, they did a part acoustic version of Miserable At Best, which although as a song, I'm not a huge fan of, is always beautiful and always has the whole crowd singing. After the whole show was over, I was fortunate enough to get to meet four of the five band members who were the nicest guys. They are very gracious and fan-conscious, thanking me for coming and liking their new album. Overall, they are not only an amazing band, but they perform well and are genuine, nice guys. I will definitely be going to see them again.

Mayday Parade Set List:

1. Jamie All Over - A Lesson In Romantics
2. Three Cheers For Five Years - Tales Told By Dead Friends
3. The Silence - Anywhere But Here
4. Kids In Love - Anywhere But Here
5. Miserable At Best - A Lesson In Romantics
6. Anywhere But Here - Anywhere But Here
7. When I Get Home You're So Dead - A Lesson In Romantics
8. Black Cat - A Lesson In Romantics
9. Jersey - A Lesson In Romantics

Last to play was, of course, The Academy Is... who blew my mind. I have been a fan of them for a very long time, since my friend introduced me to Almost Here back in the summer of 2007. Almost Here was one of my favorite albums for a long time, but oddly enough I never listened to Santi for the first year or so after it came out, even though I knew TAI and was a big fan of Almost Here. It took me until about the latter end of 2008 to realize that I had never listened to Santi, and although I had heard LAX To O'Hare and wasn't too fond of it, I decided to give the album a try. It ended up being another favorite album for a while, which encouraged me to listen to Fast Times At Barrington High, which they had come out with in the summer of 2008. So after getting myself caught up with their catalog, I was back into the TAI swing, and although I really enjoyed them, this was the first time I have had the opportunity to see them live. And let me just say, it was well worth the wait. They opened the set with Almost Here, one of my all-time favorites of their songs, which really got me going right away. The second they went into it, I sort of lost it, getting completely wrapped up in the music and the fact that I was less than four feet from them while they were playing one of my favorite songs. Just being there was an amazing thing, and the fact that they started with that song got me absolutely hooked. After Almost Here, they went into Neighbors from Santi, which also happens to be one of my favorite songs of theirs. The energy even by that point was crazy, and as a single, that song got most of the crowd singing, which is one of my favorite parts of concerts, when everyone is singing together. The set followed with Checkmarks, About A Girl, I'm Yours Tonight from their new EP (to be reviewed in the very near future), Classifieds, After The Last Midtown Show, Summer Hair = Forever Young, and Slow Down. They did an excellent job of integrating new and old to please all fans, and I was particularly happy to have four of the nine songs be from my favorite album. Their new song I'm Yours Tonight was really great, and now that I have had time to get to know it better, I am able to appreciate it even more. The whole set was amazing, and their stage presence was electric. They made it one of the most fun concerts I have ever been to, and I applaud the work that they did. All of the bands were very impressive, but The Academy Is... definitely made the show what it was. So thank you, for showing me that there is no way I can live my life without concerts.

The Academy Is... Set List:

1. Almost Here - Almost Here
2. Neighbors - Santi
3. Checkmarks - Almost Here
4. About a Girl - Fast Times At Barrington High
5. I'm Yours Tonight - The AP EP: Lost In Pacific Time
6. Classifieds - Almost Here
7. After The Last Midtown Show - Fast Times At Barrington High
8. Summer Hair = Forever Young - Fast Times At Barrington High
9. Slow Down - Almost Here


Currently Listening To: "I'm Yours Tonight" by The Academy Is from "The AP EP: Lost In Pacific Time"

Think of me when you're out, when you're out there

This is a completely informal blog post but...

I just want to revisit my previous posts about Paramore's brand new eyes for a quick second. After listening to the album a lot more, I have really come to love the track All I Wanted a lot more. It has officially become my fourth favorite song, following Misguided Ghosts. There, you are informed.

Currently Listening To: "The Silence" by Mayday Parade from "Anywhere But Here"

But if it's true, you can see it with your eyes, oh even in the dark. And that's where I want to be, yeah...

In keeping with my last, ridiculously long post about brand new eyes, Paramore's latest record, I have decided to elaborate a little more on my opinions (seems impossible, eh?) I'll start with the order of my favorite to least favorite songs on the album and then include some of the lyrics that I find really make the album the gem that it is. Here we go again (no pun intended)...

1. Careful
2. Brick By Boring Brick
3. Misguided Ghosts
4. Where The Lines Overlap
5. Looking Up
6. Playing God
7. Turn It Off
8. All I Wanted
9. Feeling Sorry
10. The Only Exception
11. Ignorance

Some of my favorite quotes (note that the style is done the way it appears in the booklet):

Careful:
you'd make your way in i'd resist you just like this
"YOU CAN'T TELL ME TO FEEL!"
the truth never set me
free
so i did it myself

open your eyes like i opened mine
it's only the real world: a life you will never know

you look like I did you resist you just like this
"YOU CAN'T TELL ME TO HEAL!"
and it hurts remembering
how it felt to
shut
down


Ignorance:
it's not a war no it's NOT A RAPTURE


Playing God:
it's just my
humble opinion but it's one that i believe in
you don't deserve a point of view if the only
thing you see is you you don't have to believe
me but the way the way i see it next time you
point a finger i might have to bend it back or
break it break it off NEXT TIME YOU POINT
A FINGER I'LL POINT YOU TO THE
MIRROR this is the last second chance i'm half
as good as it gets i'm on both sides of the fence
without a hint of regret i'll hold you to it.


Brick By Boring Brick:
She lives in a fairy tale
somewhere too far for us to find
forgotten the taste and smell of a world that She's left behind
it's all about the exposure
the lens
i told Her the angles were all wrong now She's ripping
wings off of butterflies
keep your feet
on the ground
when your head's in the clouds
GO GET YOUR SHOVEL
and we'll dig a deep hole
TO BURY THE CASTLE

well make sure to build your home brick
by boring brick or the wolf's gonna blow it
down

you built up a world of magic
because your real life is tragic
if it's not real you can't hold it in your hands
you can't feel it with your heart
and i won't believe it
but if it's true you can see it with your eyes
even in the dark
and that's where i want to be


Turn It Off:
seems like it's getting harder to believe in anything than just to get lost in all my selfish thoughts

i wanna know what it'd be like to find perfection in my pride
to see nothing in the light or turn it off in all my spite
IN ALL MY SPITE I'LL TURN IT OFF

and in the free fall i will realize that i'm better off when i hit the bottom

it's all wrong the way we're working towards a goal that's nonexistent
it's nonexistent but we just keep believing


The Only Exception:
and we've got to find other ways to make it alone
keep a straight face
i've always lived like this
keeping a comfortable
distance
and up until now i had
sworn to myself that i'm
content with loneliness
because none of it was ever
worth the risk

i've got a tight grip on reality but i can't let go
of what's in front of me here
i know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up
leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream

you are the only exception

i'm on my way to believing


Feeling Sorry:
and i'm getting bored waiting around for you
we're not getting any younger and i won't look back
cause there's no use it's time to move forward

i try not to think of what might happen
when your reality finally cuts through
well as for me i got out and i'm
on the road and the worst part is that
this could be you

all the best lies
they are told with fingers tied
so cross them tight won't you promise me tonight
if it's the last thing you do you'll get out


Looking Up:
things are looking up
oh FINALLY
i thought i'd never see the day when you'd smile at me

honestly
can you believe we cross the world while it's asleep?
i'll never trade it in cause i've always wanted this
and it's not a dream anymore
no it's not a dream anymore
IT'S WORTH FIGHTING FOR

could've given up so easily
i was a few cheap shots away from the end of me
taking for granted most everything that i would've died for just yesterday

God knows the world doesn't need another band
but what a waste it would've been
I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ALMOST HUNG IT UP
WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED!


Where The Lines Overlap:
no one is as lucky as us
we're not at the end but oh we already won
no one is as lucky as us

i've never been happier

now i've got a feeling if i sang this loud enough
YOU
would sing it back to me
i've got a feeling I GOT A FEELING!!!
YOU
would sing it back to me


Misguided Ghosts:

i am going away for a while but i'll be back don't try and follow me 'cause i'll return as soon as possible see i'm trying to find my place and it might not be here where i feel safe we all learn to make mistakes and run from them with no direction we'll run from them with no conviction 'cause i'm just one of those ghosts traveling endlessly don't need no roads in fact, they follow me and we just go in circles and now i'm told that this is life and pain is just a simple compromise so we can get what we want out of it would someone care to classify our broken hearts and twisted minds so I can find someone to rely on and run to them full speed ahead oh you are not useless we are just misguided ghosts traveling endlessly the ones we trusted the most pushed us far away and there's no one road we should not be the same but i'm just a ghost and still they echo me they echo me in circles


All I Wanted:
think of me when you're out
when you're out there
i'll beg you nice from my knees
and when the world treats you way too fairly it's a shame i'm a dream

i could follow you to the beginning just to relive the start
maybe then we'd remember to slow down at all of our favorite parts

ALL I WANTED WAS YOU

The truth never set me free, so I did it myself

My latest and greatest musical obsession

brand new eyes by Paramore - This album will go down as one of the best that I have ever listened to. So much of what makes up this album, lyrically and musically, is so profound it astounds me. Now, there is no doubt this is very much tied in with my personal experiences, but nevertheless, it is also universally relateable (oxymoronic much?). Paramore comes back from what was almost their demise and delivers an album that blows Riot! out of the water. As you know (if you've read previous posts) I think very highly of Riot! and it continues to be one of my favorite albums. But brand new eyes takes Paramore to the next level, with lyrics that are so raw and honest it seems as though the band needed everyone to feel what they were feeling at the time when Paramore almost saw the end of their band. Hayley Williams' lyrics strike a very personal chord and show the listener from her point of view what the last tomultuous year and a half was like for her and the band. Opening with Careful, which is my favorite track of the album, the band delivers the kind of guitars that we've come to expect from Paramore, perhaps with a little more grit and rock feel. Top that with much more raw vocals from Williams, and the opener takes old Paramore and roughs it up a little bit. The lyrics take the band to a slightly darker side than For A Pessimist, Riot!'s opener, and introduces those darker themes that will continue throughout the album. Next is Ignorance, the first single off of the album, which returns to a similar sound as Misery Business, a more classic Paramore sound. Although some might like this, it does have the tendency to bore a little bit. Playing God is another depiction of Williams' feelings toward her bandmates, with a sound more original than the previous track. Next is Brick By Boring Brick, one of my own favorites from the album, with a chorus that deviates into a softer, rawer feeling than the guitars that open the track. The melody is very beautiful and gives the song a wonderful charm and emotional quality. I can't even explain why this song moves me so much, but it certainly does. Turn It Off comes next, which is another great track that shows the progression and maturity of the band's sound and lyrics, another look at the realizations of the past year. The Only Exception is the first time we here an acoustic ballad from Paramore, who sing about love and lost love. This one definitely strikes a personal chord considering my own experience with my parents' divorce, and the lyrics are pretty much exclusive to the point. It does have a little too much, well, almost floatiness to it (great job with that description, huh?) which might make me skip over it when listening to the album. Feeling Sorry has a great musical opening, and the first few lines of lyrics are really good, but for some reason, it kind of drops off a little for me. I really like the song, but I almost feel like there is something about it that makes me not want to listen to it as much. Looking Up is a great, feel-good track that reminds me why I love Paramore. They have a wonderful way of getting the listener to feel really good and happy, and the chorus of the song gets stuck in my head quite easily. Following that same train of thought comes Where The Lines Overlap, which ensures the listener that despite some of the struggles the band has gone through, they are certainly not done. The upbeat aspect of the chorus and the lyrics, paired with the musical sound in general makes the track vibrant and encouraging. Another favorite of mine. Misguided Ghosts is simply beautiful in so many ways. The acoustic aspect of the music works much better here than with The Only Exception, with Williams' voice displayed beautifully. I can't describe how perfect the vocals sound, and the lyrics compliment it perfectly, along with the guitars. A simply astounding track. All I Wanted closes the album with a reminder of how versatile Paramore can be. The sound is different from what you've come to expect from the band, even with an album that boasts a sound different from that of their previous work. This track starts slow and ends heavier, also displaying the more raw tendancies of Williams' vocals. Overall, brand new eyes finds Paramore reaching above and beyond what they did so well in Riot! and All We Know Is Falling. An exceptional album that deserves way more than the credit I have tried to give it here.

Key Tracks: Careful, Brick By Boring Brick, Misguided Ghosts, Where The Lines Overlap, Looking Up

Currently Listening To: "Misguided Ghosts" by Paramore from "brand new eyes"

Play the role with a good girl heart, hide the tangled webs within

This next album is one that came out a year ago, and I've been listening to it since one of my best friends gave it to me.

New Surrender by Anberlin - I cannot believe that I didn't find this band sooner. Following an article I read in Alternative Press about frontman Stephen Christian and a steady reccomendation from my friend, I finally got myself a copy of New Surrender and fell in love with Anberlin. The first track The Resistance pulls the listener right into the album, a solid rock track that lays down the groundwork for the rest of an amazing hand: "You've got a riot on your hands." And that is exactly right. The album is comprised of individual gems, and when looked at as a whole just blows the listener away. Following the first track comes my personal favorite, Breaking, which is a softer, piano-opened track that gives way to guitars leading into the chorus. An overall amazing track that stands out among the others. The rest of the album is very dynamic, with songs ranging through different sounds and styles that boast Anberlin's impressive talent. Another stand out is the single Feel Good Drag, which also shows off the band's instrumentation and lyrical prowess. The album is solid throughout, and I', hard pressed to pick a track I don't like, perhaps only Blame Me! Blame Me! which I cannot get into for some reason. Other than that, New Surrender is an amazing album that I enjoy from beginning to end, something that not a lot of albums do for me.

Key Tracks: The Resistance, Breaking, Feel Good Drag, Breathe, Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights), Soft Skeletons, Miserable Visu (Ex Malo Bonum)

Currently Listening To: "Brick By Boring Brick" by Paramore from "brand new eyes"

Maybe it's not my weekend, but it's gonna be my year

I am admittedly waaaay behind on my blog. Since my last post, so much has happened musically in my life that I haven't covered, mainly some album releases and newly discovered albums. Thus begins one of quite a few posts that will catch my blog up on some musical discoveries.

Nothing Personal by All Time Low - I got this album a few days after it came out, and as a diehard All Time Low fan, I must admit I like it, despite a few complaints. I've already reviewed the album opener Weightless and expressed how amazing it is, so I'll leave it at that. The rest of the album that follows is a rather generic and poppy version of ATL (which isn't helped by the fact that all of the songs are cowritten, a.k.a. no true original ATL tracks here). What was once a pop punk band in the early 2000's has since evolved into a band that, while remaining carefree, happy and upbeat, has gone down the path many bands like them have - they have come close to trading in their signature sound for a more generic pop. But it still can work. Tracks like Weightless, Break Your Little Heart, Lost In Stereo and Stella show that you can still jump around and have a great time with All Time Low. Nothing Personal does have a terrible case of over-production and way too much Auto-Tune for a kid that sings way better than a lot of other pop-punk singers out there (not to mention way too many songs about partying and girls rather than substantial lyrics we used to see). The album does drop off a little toward the end, but the beginning and middle definitely have some spark. Overall, a decent album, as long as you stay away from Too Much; this song has WAY "too much" production.

Key Tracks: Weightless, Lost In Stereo, Stella

Currently Listening To: "Careful" by Paramore from "brand new eyes"