Here's an update on my Top 25 most played songs according to iTunes.
1. "Faithfully" by Journey from Frontiers ~290 Plays
2. "Northern Downpour" by Panic at the Disco from Pretty. Odd. ~270 Plays
3. "Send Her My Love" by Journey from Frontiers ~235 Plays
4. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey from Escape ~180 Plays
5. "Camisado" by Panic! At The Disco from A Fever You Can't Sweat Out ~176 plays
6. "Time To Dance" by Panic! At The Disco from A Fever You Can't Sweat Out ~176 Plays
7. "Coffee Shop Soundtrack" by All Time Low from Put Up Or Shut Up [EP] ~172 Plays
8. "Miracle" by Paramore from Riot! ~170 Plays
9. "My Heart" by Paramore from All We Know Is Falling ~168 Plays
10. "The Party Scene" by All Time Low from Put Up Or Shut Up [EP] ~164 Plays
11. "For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" by Paramore from Riot! ~158 Plays
12. "Born For This" by Paramore from Riot! ~155 Plays
13. "Bella's Lullaby" by Carter Burwell from Twilight ~154 Plays
14. "The Answer" by Automatic Loveletter from Recover [EP] ~151 Plays
15. "Nine In The Afternoon (Radio Mix)" by Panic at the Disco from Nine In The Afternoon - Single ~149 Plays
16. "Tonight, Tonight" by Smashing Pumpkins from Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness ~146 Plays
17. "I'll Run" by The Cab from Whisper War ~142 Plays
18. "Hearts Burst Into Fire" by Bullet For My Valentine from Scream Aim Fire ~141 Plays
19. "Sleep, Everyone..." by Powerspace from The Kicks Of Passion ~140 Plays
20. "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever" by Journey from Raised On Radio ~138 Plays
21. "Disenchanted" by My Chemical Romance from The Black Parade ~138 Plays
22. "Ocean And Atlantic" by Mayday Parade from A Lesson In Romantics ~137 Plays
23. "Emergency" by Paramore from All We Know Is Falling ~135 Plays
24. "You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I'l Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Sky" by Mayday Parade from A Lesson In Romantics ~130 Plays
25. "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me"" by Fall Out Boy from From Under The Cork Tree ~129 Plays
Currently Listening To: "The Curse Of Curves" by Cute Is What We Aim For from "The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch"
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tell Me You'll Remember, Forever Young...
So I haven't been doing too well keeping up with the blog. Lots of crazy stuff's been happening, and my life is very hectic, but I do have a spare moment. In all of my preparing to graduate high school and go on to summer work and then college, I have been really gearing up for summer. So I will describe some of my favorite summer albums.
Journey's Escape - My favorite album of all time from my favorite band of all time. Escape has so many great songs, both rock and power ballads. Chances are, if you have ever in your life listened to the radio, you have already heard half of these songs. This really is the ultimate summer album. Every single song screams summer to me.
Key Tracks: Don't Stop Believin', Stone In Love, Who's Cryin' Now, Keep On Runnin', Still They Ride, Escape, Lay It Down, Dead Or Alive, Mother, Father, Open Arms.
Boys Like Girls' Boys Like Girls - I first got into Boys Like Girls in '06 right after they first formed, and the summer of '06 I found their album on repeat not only in my mp3 player, but many nights I fell asleep to the CD in my boombox. I spent the entire summer in love with that album, and ever since then, I always put it on when I want to be happy or when the weather's nice.
Key Tracks: The Great Escape, Five Minutes To Midnight, Thunder, On Top Of The World, Up Against The Wall, Dance Hall Drug, Heels Over Head, Holiday. (yeah, so pretty much the whole thing.)
The All-American Rejects' The All-American Rejects - Another self-titled album from one of the best pop punk bands ever. I got into AAR the summer that I got into all of my other favorite bands in the genre, and they were really the first one I fell in love with. This is a really classic album, and pretty much every song is amazing. If you haven't heard Swing, Swing before, you are seriously sad.
Key Tracks: Your Star, Swing, Swing, One More Sad Song, Drive Away, Too Far Gone, Happy Endings, The Last Song.
The Academy Is...'s Almost Here - Okay, so there is no one who has a voice like William Beckett. Amidst the crazy similar voices of a lot of pop punk bands, William's voice has a unique sound to it. The album is very light and happy, while also having lyrics with substance. Basically a feel good album, perfect to put on repeat at work.
Key Tracks: Attention, Season, Skeptics And True Believers, Down And Out, Almost Here.
All Time Low's Put Up Or Shut Up [EP] - I have talked about this album numerous times, so I don't think I really need to say much more. I will say, though, that there is no song that is more summer to me than Coffee Shop Soundtrack. And The Party Scene. I'm such an ATL junkie...
Key Tracks: Coffee Shop Soundtrack, Break Out! Break Out!, The Girl's A Straight-Up Hustler, Jasey Rae, The Party Scene, Running From Lions, Lullabies. (yeah, that's the whole album.)
Cute Is What We Aim For's The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch - This was the album of my first summer going to Warped Tour, which changed my life. I played this album all the time that summer, and now whenever I hear it I go back to that first year at Warped Tour. I heard There's A Class For This on shuffle last week, and went "wow, I haven't heard this in so long!" Thus, I have been addicted to it for the past week. Go figure.
Key Tracks: There's A Class For This, Risque, The Fourth Drink Instinct, The Curse Of Curves, Moan, Teasing To Please (Left Side, Strong Side).
Mayday Parade's A Lesson In Romantics - I first got into Mayday Parade last year through a close friend, and then saw them on Warped Tour last summer. They were so good and quickly became one of my favorite bands. The album is very reminiscent for me of last summer, which was very fun.
Key Tracks: Jamie All Over, Black Cat, Jersey, Walk On Water Or Down, Ocean And Atlantic, Take This To Heart, You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I'll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Sky.
Panic at the Disco's Pretty. Odd. - This is one of my all-time favorite albums, and the only one I have ever bought on the day it was released. The songs are all amazing, and fairly upbeat and happy, emotions that I associate with summer. And it doesn't hurt either that Northern Downpour is my second favorite song of all time. And I figured that out the first time I heard it...
Key Tracks: Nine In The Afternoon, She's A Handsome Woman, That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed), Northern Downpour, Pas De Cheval, Folkin' Around, She Had The World, Mad As Rabbits.
Panic! At The Disco's A Fever You Can't Sweat Out - Okay, so this album doesn't scream "summer" but it is the season I associate it with. Another one of my all time favorite albums from my second favorite band. A classic.
Key Tracks: The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage, London Beckoned Songs About Money Written By Machines, Camisado, Time To Dance, But It's Better If You Do, I Write Sins Not Tragedies, I Constantly Thank God For Esteban, There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet.
Paramore's Riot! - I will stop ranting about how much I love this album. Read some previous entries.
Key Tracks: For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic, That's What You Get, Misery Business, When It Rains. Miracle, Crushcrushcrush, Fences, Born For This.
Tall Stories' Tall Stories - You will never find this album in a record store. Tall Stories were a band in the nineties, but were quickly overshadowed by another band whose album released on the same day (ever heard of Pearl Jam?) So unfortunately what could have been one of the greatest rock bands never really got the chance. I found out about them because the lead singer was the lead singer of Journey for eight years, and I went to an old school record store and had to have the clerk order it for me. If you ever do get your hands on a copy, you will be the happiest person in the world. Trust me.
Key Tracks: Wild On The Run, Chain Of Love, Somewhere She Waits, Close Your Eyes.
So those are some of my favorite summer albums. Other artists that I associate with summer are Fall Out Boy (pretty much all of their songs), The Cab, We The Kings, Powerspace, and .38 Special.
Currently Listening To: "There's A Class For This" by Cute Is What We Aim For From "The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch"
Journey's Escape - My favorite album of all time from my favorite band of all time. Escape has so many great songs, both rock and power ballads. Chances are, if you have ever in your life listened to the radio, you have already heard half of these songs. This really is the ultimate summer album. Every single song screams summer to me.
Key Tracks: Don't Stop Believin', Stone In Love, Who's Cryin' Now, Keep On Runnin', Still They Ride, Escape, Lay It Down, Dead Or Alive, Mother, Father, Open Arms.
Boys Like Girls' Boys Like Girls - I first got into Boys Like Girls in '06 right after they first formed, and the summer of '06 I found their album on repeat not only in my mp3 player, but many nights I fell asleep to the CD in my boombox. I spent the entire summer in love with that album, and ever since then, I always put it on when I want to be happy or when the weather's nice.
Key Tracks: The Great Escape, Five Minutes To Midnight, Thunder, On Top Of The World, Up Against The Wall, Dance Hall Drug, Heels Over Head, Holiday. (yeah, so pretty much the whole thing.)
The All-American Rejects' The All-American Rejects - Another self-titled album from one of the best pop punk bands ever. I got into AAR the summer that I got into all of my other favorite bands in the genre, and they were really the first one I fell in love with. This is a really classic album, and pretty much every song is amazing. If you haven't heard Swing, Swing before, you are seriously sad.
Key Tracks: Your Star, Swing, Swing, One More Sad Song, Drive Away, Too Far Gone, Happy Endings, The Last Song.
The Academy Is...'s Almost Here - Okay, so there is no one who has a voice like William Beckett. Amidst the crazy similar voices of a lot of pop punk bands, William's voice has a unique sound to it. The album is very light and happy, while also having lyrics with substance. Basically a feel good album, perfect to put on repeat at work.
Key Tracks: Attention, Season, Skeptics And True Believers, Down And Out, Almost Here.
All Time Low's Put Up Or Shut Up [EP] - I have talked about this album numerous times, so I don't think I really need to say much more. I will say, though, that there is no song that is more summer to me than Coffee Shop Soundtrack. And The Party Scene. I'm such an ATL junkie...
Key Tracks: Coffee Shop Soundtrack, Break Out! Break Out!, The Girl's A Straight-Up Hustler, Jasey Rae, The Party Scene, Running From Lions, Lullabies. (yeah, that's the whole album.)
Cute Is What We Aim For's The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch - This was the album of my first summer going to Warped Tour, which changed my life. I played this album all the time that summer, and now whenever I hear it I go back to that first year at Warped Tour. I heard There's A Class For This on shuffle last week, and went "wow, I haven't heard this in so long!" Thus, I have been addicted to it for the past week. Go figure.
Key Tracks: There's A Class For This, Risque, The Fourth Drink Instinct, The Curse Of Curves, Moan, Teasing To Please (Left Side, Strong Side).
Mayday Parade's A Lesson In Romantics - I first got into Mayday Parade last year through a close friend, and then saw them on Warped Tour last summer. They were so good and quickly became one of my favorite bands. The album is very reminiscent for me of last summer, which was very fun.
Key Tracks: Jamie All Over, Black Cat, Jersey, Walk On Water Or Down, Ocean And Atlantic, Take This To Heart, You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I'll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Sky.
Panic at the Disco's Pretty. Odd. - This is one of my all-time favorite albums, and the only one I have ever bought on the day it was released. The songs are all amazing, and fairly upbeat and happy, emotions that I associate with summer. And it doesn't hurt either that Northern Downpour is my second favorite song of all time. And I figured that out the first time I heard it...
Key Tracks: Nine In The Afternoon, She's A Handsome Woman, That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed), Northern Downpour, Pas De Cheval, Folkin' Around, She Had The World, Mad As Rabbits.
Panic! At The Disco's A Fever You Can't Sweat Out - Okay, so this album doesn't scream "summer" but it is the season I associate it with. Another one of my all time favorite albums from my second favorite band. A classic.
Key Tracks: The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage, London Beckoned Songs About Money Written By Machines, Camisado, Time To Dance, But It's Better If You Do, I Write Sins Not Tragedies, I Constantly Thank God For Esteban, There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet.
Paramore's Riot! - I will stop ranting about how much I love this album. Read some previous entries.
Key Tracks: For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic, That's What You Get, Misery Business, When It Rains. Miracle, Crushcrushcrush, Fences, Born For This.
Tall Stories' Tall Stories - You will never find this album in a record store. Tall Stories were a band in the nineties, but were quickly overshadowed by another band whose album released on the same day (ever heard of Pearl Jam?) So unfortunately what could have been one of the greatest rock bands never really got the chance. I found out about them because the lead singer was the lead singer of Journey for eight years, and I went to an old school record store and had to have the clerk order it for me. If you ever do get your hands on a copy, you will be the happiest person in the world. Trust me.
Key Tracks: Wild On The Run, Chain Of Love, Somewhere She Waits, Close Your Eyes.
So those are some of my favorite summer albums. Other artists that I associate with summer are Fall Out Boy (pretty much all of their songs), The Cab, We The Kings, Powerspace, and .38 Special.
Currently Listening To: "There's A Class For This" by Cute Is What We Aim For From "The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch"
Friday, May 1, 2009
The City Is At War.
Tuesday night I went to a concert in Lowell, Massachusetts with my two best friends. It was my eighteenth birthday present from my parents, which was back in February, but the deal was that they would get me a ticket and let me go on a school night and they drove us there. I sound like such a little kid, not driving myself! But whatever, that's not the point of this blog entry. The concert was my first Fall Out Boy concert, with Cobra Starship, All Time Low, Metro Station, and Hey Monday. Just the band list can give you an idea of how awesome the concert was, with two of my favorite bands in there. Two days later my neck still ached from head banging, and yes, it is possible to head bang all through All Time Low and Fall Out Boy sets. Hence my aching neck. All in all, it was an amazing show, and it inspired some new respect for bands I hadn't really taken much interest to before. I'll go through the show artist by artist and give the lowdown on what I thought of them.
First up for the night was Hey Monday, a band I have only heard a few times. One of my friends made me a mix CD a while ago with three of their songs on it, and when I first heard the CD, I wasn't that impressed with it. But I was pleasantly surprised seeing them onstage. Lead singer Cassadee Pope was full of energy that exploded on the stage, even when the vocals were drowned out a little by the guitars. The set lasted for only five songs, but Hey Monday were very successful at engaging the crowd for all of the set, inspiring a lot of singing and moshing down in the pit. As far as an opening band goes, they were very successful, despite some obvious technical difficulties with the vocals.
Up next were the better known Metro Station, the only band out there who can attribute their formation to the Hannah Montana show on Disney (Trace Cyrus and Mason Musso met on the set of their younger siblings' show.) I was a little more familiar with the songs of this band, so it was a little easier to gauge how well the performance went. Cyrus is definitely the entertainer of the group, and he knows it. While switching off singing duties with Musso, he went back and forth between playing his guitar and just singing, doing whatever it took to make as many girls scream as possible. Musically, the band did fairly well, also with a five song set that boasted their two singles, Shake It and Seventeen Forever. The show itself wasn't much to write home about, but all in all they did a fairly good job.
Following the boy band was another, the band that has been seriously dominating my iPod for a long while. All Time Low were, as usual, energetic and fun. They opened with Six Feet Under The Stars from So Wrong, It's Right and went on to play a seven song set mostly sampled from that album. As a live band, All Time Low does a great job of performing their songs well and true, and they are especially talented at getting the crowd involved. The only thing about their performance that did make me cringe was the constant string of profanities, which they couldn't seem to speak without. Guitarist Jack Barakat was able to gather what ended up being 200+ bras onto the stage and subsequently hung them from his microphone stand (which is something he does supposedly every night they play). The language does get raunchy and even embarrassing at times, but as someone who doesn't know a much better time than singing their heart (and throat) out to ATL's pop-punk songs, I was not complaining. Coffee Shop Soundtrack (which I have officially announced as my life's anthem) was the most exhilarating part of the performance, followed closely by Jasey Rae, both of which are tracks from the band's 2006 EP Put Up Or Shut Up. The other songs in the set were Poppin' Champagne, Dear Maria Count Me In, Shameless, and a new song Weightless from their new album Nothing Personal set to be released July 7th.
The last of the opening bands to take the stage was Cobra Starship. Aside from a few songs, I have never been a huge fan of Cobra Starship, neither have my two friends who went with me to the concert. But we were all in agreement that they did the best job after Fall Out Boy. And that is definitely saying something, considering my intense love for All Time Low and my friend's dislike of Cobra Starship. But the band showed a lot of charisma and stage presence, and did a wonderful job all around. Starting with The City Is At War, the opening track from ¡Viva La Cobra! the band immediately got the crowd roaring and jumping, with plenty of fangs in the air (you may not get this if you don't know the band). Although I don't remember the set list exactly, they did play Guilty Pleasure, Bring It (Snakes On A Plane) and Kiss My Sass, which seemed to be crowd favorites. Lead singer Gabe Saporta (who looks way too much like one of my friends at school) did an amazing job of not only involving the crowd, but also getting the rest of the band involved as well. All in all, it was a stellar performance that inspired me to wake up the next morning and rock out to ¡Viva La Cobra! on my way to school.
And of course, the headliners Fall Out Boy went last. Before I get into the actual concert, I must say that I have been waiting for three years to see them in concert. My two friends who I went with were the ones who got me into Fall Out Boy in the summer of '06 when we were working together, and ever since then, they have been one of my favorite bands. There have been a few times were I had the opportunity to see them, but never the means (*cough* money *cough*). But finally, for my birthday my parents got me a ticket. And I could not have gotten a better birthday present. I was on my feet for the whole set, which was about an hour and a half long. The only disappointments that I had with the show was that they only played a few songs from Take This To Your Grave, which is my favorite of their albums, and that they did a little political stuff that was unnecessary for a rock show. But other than that, the show was awesome. This concert marks the first time I have ever cried at a show, which I am not ashamed to admit. During the ballad What A Catch, Donnie from Folie à Deux I was that wack job standing with my arms in the air. And yes, I cried. (The only other time I have come close to crying was hearing Journey perform Faithfully a few years ago.) It was also really cool to see Hey Moday's Cassadee Pope come out and help sing on Sugar, We're Goin' Down and Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low come out during Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy. The best surprise of the show was hearing Homesick At Space Camp, which is my favorite song from Take This To Your Grave. Unfortunately though, hearing that meant that they didn't play Chicago Is So Two Years Ago from the same album. The band was not as energetic as I imagined they would be, but a few things happened that made up for it: one, lead singer Patrick Stump actually talked a few times which NEVER happens in concert. Two, bassist Pete Wentz got the crowd singing Happy Birthday to Patrick who had turned 25 the day before. Third, Andy and Joe were there. Enough said. Fourth, I got to sing the national anthem of FOB fans Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy with the rest of the crowd. And fifth, they didn't play too many songs from Infinity On High, which is my least favorite FOB album.
Here is what the setlist was (the order might be a little messed up though:)
1. Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes - Folie à Deux
2. Thriller - Infinity On High
3. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me" - From Under The Cork Tree
4. Sugar, We're Goin' Down - From Under The Cork Tree
5. This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race - Infinity On High
6. I Don't Care - Folie à Deux
7. Homesick At Spacecamp - Take This To Your Grave
8. Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet - Folie à Deux
9. I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me - From Under The Cork Tree
10. Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy - Take This To Your Grave
11. What A Catch, Donnie - Folie à Deux
12. (Coffee's For Closers) - Folie à Deux
13. She's My Winona - Folie à Deux
14. Beat It - ****Live In Phoenix
15. America's Suitehearts - Folie à Deux
The last of the opening bands to take the stage was Cobra Starship. Aside from a few songs, I have never been a huge fan of Cobra Starship, neither have my two friends who went with me to the concert. But we were all in agreement that they did the best job after Fall Out Boy. And that is definitely saying something, considering my intense love for All Time Low and my friend's dislike of Cobra Starship. But the band showed a lot of charisma and stage presence, and did a wonderful job all around. Starting with The City Is At War, the opening track from ¡Viva La Cobra! the band immediately got the crowd roaring and jumping, with plenty of fangs in the air (you may not get this if you don't know the band). Although I don't remember the set list exactly, they did play Guilty Pleasure, Bring It (Snakes On A Plane) and Kiss My Sass, which seemed to be crowd favorites. Lead singer Gabe Saporta (who looks way too much like one of my friends at school) did an amazing job of not only involving the crowd, but also getting the rest of the band involved as well. All in all, it was a stellar performance that inspired me to wake up the next morning and rock out to ¡Viva La Cobra! on my way to school.
And of course, the headliners Fall Out Boy went last. Before I get into the actual concert, I must say that I have been waiting for three years to see them in concert. My two friends who I went with were the ones who got me into Fall Out Boy in the summer of '06 when we were working together, and ever since then, they have been one of my favorite bands. There have been a few times were I had the opportunity to see them, but never the means (*cough* money *cough*). But finally, for my birthday my parents got me a ticket. And I could not have gotten a better birthday present. I was on my feet for the whole set, which was about an hour and a half long. The only disappointments that I had with the show was that they only played a few songs from Take This To Your Grave, which is my favorite of their albums, and that they did a little political stuff that was unnecessary for a rock show. But other than that, the show was awesome. This concert marks the first time I have ever cried at a show, which I am not ashamed to admit. During the ballad What A Catch, Donnie from Folie à Deux I was that wack job standing with my arms in the air. And yes, I cried. (The only other time I have come close to crying was hearing Journey perform Faithfully a few years ago.) It was also really cool to see Hey Moday's Cassadee Pope come out and help sing on Sugar, We're Goin' Down and Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low come out during Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy. The best surprise of the show was hearing Homesick At Space Camp, which is my favorite song from Take This To Your Grave. Unfortunately though, hearing that meant that they didn't play Chicago Is So Two Years Ago from the same album. The band was not as energetic as I imagined they would be, but a few things happened that made up for it: one, lead singer Patrick Stump actually talked a few times which NEVER happens in concert. Two, bassist Pete Wentz got the crowd singing Happy Birthday to Patrick who had turned 25 the day before. Third, Andy and Joe were there. Enough said. Fourth, I got to sing the national anthem of FOB fans Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy with the rest of the crowd. And fifth, they didn't play too many songs from Infinity On High, which is my least favorite FOB album.
Here is what the setlist was (the order might be a little messed up though:)
1. Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes - Folie à Deux
2. Thriller - Infinity On High
3. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me" - From Under The Cork Tree
4. Sugar, We're Goin' Down - From Under The Cork Tree
5. This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race - Infinity On High
6. I Don't Care - Folie à Deux
7. Homesick At Spacecamp - Take This To Your Grave
8. Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet - Folie à Deux
9. I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me - From Under The Cork Tree
10. Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy - Take This To Your Grave
11. What A Catch, Donnie - Folie à Deux
12. (Coffee's For Closers) - Folie à Deux
13. She's My Winona - Folie à Deux
14. Beat It - ****Live In Phoenix
15. America's Suitehearts - Folie à Deux
Encore
16. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs - Infinity On High
17. Tiffany Blews - Folie à Deux
18. Dance, Dance - From Under The Cork Tree
19. Saturday - Take This To Your Grave
Overall, it was a pretty solid setlist, despite the absence of Chicago and a few others from that album that were supposedly played at other shows. It was an amazing night, and I would definitely recommend that anyone go see this band. They all did really well, but Fall Out Boy was definitely the best part of the night.
Currently Listening To: "Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued" by Fall Out Boy from From Under The Cork Tree
17. Tiffany Blews - Folie à Deux
18. Dance, Dance - From Under The Cork Tree
19. Saturday - Take This To Your Grave
Overall, it was a pretty solid setlist, despite the absence of Chicago and a few others from that album that were supposedly played at other shows. It was an amazing night, and I would definitely recommend that anyone go see this band. They all did really well, but Fall Out Boy was definitely the best part of the night.
Currently Listening To: "Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued" by Fall Out Boy from From Under The Cork Tree
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Nobody Wants To Hear You Sing About Tragedy...
I realized that when I was writing a few posts ago about albums that I was getting into, I missed a few. So here goes another few blurbs about some albums you should check out.
Folie à Deux by Fall Out Boy - There are a lot of problems with bands these days over-producing albums, especially when a member of that band is getting into the producing business. Well, Fall Out Boy is a bit guilty on that count with their new album Folie à Deux, which is contains a few tracks that are a far cry from sounding like three dudes on guitar and one on drums. Nevertheless, I have to admit that the album has some real gems on it, if you can overlook the fact that this is the same band who produced a punk/indie epic Take This To Your Grave a few short years ago. But the evolution of Fall Out Boy has not been sudden. From Take This To Your Grave to From Under The Cork Tree to Infinity On High, there has been a noticeable change occurring, sending Fall Out Boy from being indie rock heroes to the dominate faces on the walls of thirteen year old girls who want to date Pete Wentz. With Folie à Deux, they take one more step in the pop direction, which actually works well for them. The album's opener Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes is one of those songs that I can play on repeat all day and still enjoy. It is admittedly a victim of the aforementioned over-production, but sheer adrenaline-laced triumphance of the song makes up for that. My other absolute favorite from the album is the ballad What A Catch, Donnie, which features guest vocals from other Fueled By Ramen labelmates and Elvis Costello. The whole song is simply beautiful, and kudos go to the band for having their labelmates sing snippets from past Fall Out Boy singles, which brings the whole song's charm full circle. Beginning with Elvis Costello singing a verse from Folie à Deux's Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet, and continuing with Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta singing Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy, Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy singing Sugar, We're Goin' Down, Panic at the Disco's Brendon Urie singing Dance, Dance, Doug Newman singing This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race, The Cab's Alex DeLeon singing Thnks Fr Th Mmrs, and The Academy Is...'s William Beckett singing "Growing Up." The whole song is simply amazing, and a must hear for anyone. Other recommended songs include Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet, The (Shipped) Gold Standard, (Coffee's For Closers), and 20 Dollar Nose Bleed (which features Brendon Urie from Panic at the Disco). The one song on this album that I cannot bring myself to enjoy is Tiffany Blews. It's not because the song is bad even, but just that it is a hip-hop song more than anything, not recognizably Fall Out Boy. I know that is a little mean, and I am all about letting bands progress the way that they want to, but I personally don't like that kind of music, and hearing it come from one of my favorite bands makes me a little disappointed. All in all, the album is very good, and has some tracks that are essential Fall Out Boy favorites of mine.
Take This To Your Grave by Fall Out Boy - After writing about Folie à Deux and having mentioned Take This To Your Grave a few times, I thought that I would talk about it as well. This is by far my favorite Fall Out Boy album. There isn't one song on this album that I don't love and often my friends and I talk about the best track. I honestly cannot choose between five: Homesick At Space Camp, Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy, Chicago Is So Two Years Ago, Calm Before The Storm, and The Patron Saint Of Liars And Fakes. This is an amazing album that is light and happy, while at the same time made of mildly dark lyrics. My two best friends and I consider this our summer album. This is one of the only albums of which I love every song.
Put Up Or Shut Up [EP] by All Time Low - I was introduced to this album by one of my close friends a few weeks before an All Time Low concert we were going to, and unfortunately it took me until after seeing them live to really start listening to the album. I absolutely love it, disregarding the fact that it's only seven songs long. The opener, Coffee Shop Soundtrack is one of the greatest pop songs I have ever heard. It's one of those songs that you can listen to over and over because it is just really happy and puts you into a great mood no matter what kind of mood you start with. The other song on this album that always makes me happy is The Party Scene, a proud anthem about being young and alive. The whole EP runs a little over 23 minutes, and thus is not hard to get through. The sound of the songs is very poppy, quite similar to the other pop-punk bands that have been recently dominating the music scene. With this first batch of songs, All Time Low is memorable, but not necessarily very original or unique.
Currently Listening To: "Chicago Is So Two Years Ago" by Fall Out Boy from Take This To Your Grave
Folie à Deux by Fall Out Boy - There are a lot of problems with bands these days over-producing albums, especially when a member of that band is getting into the producing business. Well, Fall Out Boy is a bit guilty on that count with their new album Folie à Deux, which is contains a few tracks that are a far cry from sounding like three dudes on guitar and one on drums. Nevertheless, I have to admit that the album has some real gems on it, if you can overlook the fact that this is the same band who produced a punk/indie epic Take This To Your Grave a few short years ago. But the evolution of Fall Out Boy has not been sudden. From Take This To Your Grave to From Under The Cork Tree to Infinity On High, there has been a noticeable change occurring, sending Fall Out Boy from being indie rock heroes to the dominate faces on the walls of thirteen year old girls who want to date Pete Wentz. With Folie à Deux, they take one more step in the pop direction, which actually works well for them. The album's opener Disloyal Order Of Water Buffaloes is one of those songs that I can play on repeat all day and still enjoy. It is admittedly a victim of the aforementioned over-production, but sheer adrenaline-laced triumphance of the song makes up for that. My other absolute favorite from the album is the ballad What A Catch, Donnie, which features guest vocals from other Fueled By Ramen labelmates and Elvis Costello. The whole song is simply beautiful, and kudos go to the band for having their labelmates sing snippets from past Fall Out Boy singles, which brings the whole song's charm full circle. Beginning with Elvis Costello singing a verse from Folie à Deux's Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet, and continuing with Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta singing Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy, Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy singing Sugar, We're Goin' Down, Panic at the Disco's Brendon Urie singing Dance, Dance, Doug Newman singing This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race, The Cab's Alex DeLeon singing Thnks Fr Th Mmrs, and The Academy Is...'s William Beckett singing "Growing Up." The whole song is simply amazing, and a must hear for anyone. Other recommended songs include Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet, The (Shipped) Gold Standard, (Coffee's For Closers), and 20 Dollar Nose Bleed (which features Brendon Urie from Panic at the Disco). The one song on this album that I cannot bring myself to enjoy is Tiffany Blews. It's not because the song is bad even, but just that it is a hip-hop song more than anything, not recognizably Fall Out Boy. I know that is a little mean, and I am all about letting bands progress the way that they want to, but I personally don't like that kind of music, and hearing it come from one of my favorite bands makes me a little disappointed. All in all, the album is very good, and has some tracks that are essential Fall Out Boy favorites of mine.
Take This To Your Grave by Fall Out Boy - After writing about Folie à Deux and having mentioned Take This To Your Grave a few times, I thought that I would talk about it as well. This is by far my favorite Fall Out Boy album. There isn't one song on this album that I don't love and often my friends and I talk about the best track. I honestly cannot choose between five: Homesick At Space Camp, Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy, Chicago Is So Two Years Ago, Calm Before The Storm, and The Patron Saint Of Liars And Fakes. This is an amazing album that is light and happy, while at the same time made of mildly dark lyrics. My two best friends and I consider this our summer album. This is one of the only albums of which I love every song.
Put Up Or Shut Up [EP] by All Time Low - I was introduced to this album by one of my close friends a few weeks before an All Time Low concert we were going to, and unfortunately it took me until after seeing them live to really start listening to the album. I absolutely love it, disregarding the fact that it's only seven songs long. The opener, Coffee Shop Soundtrack is one of the greatest pop songs I have ever heard. It's one of those songs that you can listen to over and over because it is just really happy and puts you into a great mood no matter what kind of mood you start with. The other song on this album that always makes me happy is The Party Scene, a proud anthem about being young and alive. The whole EP runs a little over 23 minutes, and thus is not hard to get through. The sound of the songs is very poppy, quite similar to the other pop-punk bands that have been recently dominating the music scene. With this first batch of songs, All Time Low is memorable, but not necessarily very original or unique.
Currently Listening To: "Chicago Is So Two Years Ago" by Fall Out Boy from Take This To Your Grave
Thursday, April 23, 2009
My Current Sleep Playlist
Most nights I fall asleep with music playing, and lately I've been using a playlist that I've kept the same for a few weeks with only minor song changes. Usually I change the songs and playlist after a few nights, but now that I've come to one that I really like, I figure a good idea would be to document it. So here it is. (Keep in mind that I know these aren't all quiet songs.)
1. My Heart by Paramore from All We Know Is Falling
2. In This Diary by The Ataris from So Long, Astoria
3. Northern Downpour by Panic at the Disco from Pretty. Odd.
4. Clair de Lune (Bonus Track) by the APM Orchestra from the Twilight Soundtrack
5. Disenchanted by My Chemical Romance from The Black Parade
6. Annie by Safetysuit from Life Left To Go
7. Homesick At Space Camp by Fall Out Boy from Take This To Your Grave
8. Season by The Academy Is... from Almost Here
9. Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine from the Twilight Soundtrack
10. Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) by Green Day from Nimrod
11. In Other Words by Ben Kweller from Sha Sha
12. Through Glass by Stone Sour from Come What(Ever) May
13. Don't Stop Believin' by Journey from Escape
14. So I Thought by Flyleaf from Flyleaf
15. You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I'll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Clouds by Mayday Parade from A Lesson In Romantics
16. Eyes On Fire by Blue Foundation from the Twilight Soundtrack
17. Hearts Burst Into Fire by Bullet For My Valentine from Scream Aim Fire
18. Decode by Paramore from the Twilight Soundtrack
19. We Are Broken [Live] by Paramore from The Final Riot! Live In Chicago
20. Slide by Goo Goo Dolls from Dizzy Up The Girl
21. 7th Period: 7 Weeks by Gym Class Heroes featuring William Beckett from As Cruel As School Children
22. Emergency by Paramore from All We Know Is Falling
23. Ocean And Atlantic by Mayday Parade from A Lesson In Romantics
24. Never Think by Rob Pattinson from the Twilight Soundtrack
25. Be My Escape by Relient K from Mmhmm
26. All Around Me by Flyleaf from Flyleaf
27. Bella's Lullaby by Carter Burwell from the Twilight Soundtrack
28. Lullabies by All Time Low from Put Up Or Shut Up [EP]
29. Sleep, Everyone... by Powerspace from The Kicks Of Passion
30. Move Along by The All-American Rejects from Move Along
31. Love Like Winter by AFI from Decemberunderground
32. My Heart [Live] by Paramore from The Final Riot! Live In Chicago
33. The End Of The Innocence by Don Henley from The End Of The Innocence
34. Tiny Dancer by Elton John from Greatest Hits Volume II
35. The Kill by 30 Seconds To Mars from A Beautiful Lie
36. Full Moon by The Black Ghosts from the Twilight Soundtrack
37. For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic from Paramore from Riot!
38. Time To Dance by Panic! At The Disco from A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
39. When It Rains (Demo) by Paramore from The B Sides
40. Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus from Don't You Fake It
41. Faithfully by Journey from Frontiers
42. Almost Here by The Academy Is... from Almost Here
43. Camisado by Panic! At The Disco from A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
44. Black Balloon by Goo Goo Dolls from Dizzy Up The Girl
45. Send Her My Love by Journey from Frontiers
46. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by Smashing Pumpkins from Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
47. For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic [Live] by Paramore from The Final Riot! Live In Chicago
48. If he Should Break Your Heart by Journey from Trial By Fire
49. Only The Young by Journey from The Essential Journey Disc 1
50. The Party Scene by All Time Low from Put Up Or Shut Up [EP]
51. Miracle by Paramore from Riot!
52. Tonight, Tonight by Smashing Pumpkins by Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
53. Let Me Sign (Bonus Track) by Rob Pattinson from the Twilight Soundtrack
54. Why Can't This Night Go On Forever by Journey from Raised On Radio
55. The Answer by Automatic Loveletter from Recover [EP]
56. Born For This by Paramore from Riot!
Okay, so it's an admittedly lengthy list, but I like having a lot of different songs playing. This is shuffled, and with each rotation gets reshuffled, so the order doesn't really matter. But regardless, I think it's a pretty solid playlist with some favorites of mine and a lot of variety. I do tend to have multiple songs by the same artist, which some say make for a bad playlist, but I do it all the time. I love making playlists, and this is one of my favorites so far.
Currently Listening To: "The Kill" by 30 Seconds To Mars from "A Beautiful Lie"
1. My Heart by Paramore from All We Know Is Falling
2. In This Diary by The Ataris from So Long, Astoria
3. Northern Downpour by Panic at the Disco from Pretty. Odd.
4. Clair de Lune (Bonus Track) by the APM Orchestra from the Twilight Soundtrack
5. Disenchanted by My Chemical Romance from The Black Parade
6. Annie by Safetysuit from Life Left To Go
7. Homesick At Space Camp by Fall Out Boy from Take This To Your Grave
8. Season by The Academy Is... from Almost Here
9. Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine from the Twilight Soundtrack
10. Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) by Green Day from Nimrod
11. In Other Words by Ben Kweller from Sha Sha
12. Through Glass by Stone Sour from Come What(Ever) May
13. Don't Stop Believin' by Journey from Escape
14. So I Thought by Flyleaf from Flyleaf
15. You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I'll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Clouds by Mayday Parade from A Lesson In Romantics
16. Eyes On Fire by Blue Foundation from the Twilight Soundtrack
17. Hearts Burst Into Fire by Bullet For My Valentine from Scream Aim Fire
18. Decode by Paramore from the Twilight Soundtrack
19. We Are Broken [Live] by Paramore from The Final Riot! Live In Chicago
20. Slide by Goo Goo Dolls from Dizzy Up The Girl
21. 7th Period: 7 Weeks by Gym Class Heroes featuring William Beckett from As Cruel As School Children
22. Emergency by Paramore from All We Know Is Falling
23. Ocean And Atlantic by Mayday Parade from A Lesson In Romantics
24. Never Think by Rob Pattinson from the Twilight Soundtrack
25. Be My Escape by Relient K from Mmhmm
26. All Around Me by Flyleaf from Flyleaf
27. Bella's Lullaby by Carter Burwell from the Twilight Soundtrack
28. Lullabies by All Time Low from Put Up Or Shut Up [EP]
29. Sleep, Everyone... by Powerspace from The Kicks Of Passion
30. Move Along by The All-American Rejects from Move Along
31. Love Like Winter by AFI from Decemberunderground
32. My Heart [Live] by Paramore from The Final Riot! Live In Chicago
33. The End Of The Innocence by Don Henley from The End Of The Innocence
34. Tiny Dancer by Elton John from Greatest Hits Volume II
35. The Kill by 30 Seconds To Mars from A Beautiful Lie
36. Full Moon by The Black Ghosts from the Twilight Soundtrack
37. For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic from Paramore from Riot!
38. Time To Dance by Panic! At The Disco from A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
39. When It Rains (Demo) by Paramore from The B Sides
40. Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus from Don't You Fake It
41. Faithfully by Journey from Frontiers
42. Almost Here by The Academy Is... from Almost Here
43. Camisado by Panic! At The Disco from A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
44. Black Balloon by Goo Goo Dolls from Dizzy Up The Girl
45. Send Her My Love by Journey from Frontiers
46. Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by Smashing Pumpkins from Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
47. For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic [Live] by Paramore from The Final Riot! Live In Chicago
48. If he Should Break Your Heart by Journey from Trial By Fire
49. Only The Young by Journey from The Essential Journey Disc 1
50. The Party Scene by All Time Low from Put Up Or Shut Up [EP]
51. Miracle by Paramore from Riot!
52. Tonight, Tonight by Smashing Pumpkins by Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
53. Let Me Sign (Bonus Track) by Rob Pattinson from the Twilight Soundtrack
54. Why Can't This Night Go On Forever by Journey from Raised On Radio
55. The Answer by Automatic Loveletter from Recover [EP]
56. Born For This by Paramore from Riot!
Okay, so it's an admittedly lengthy list, but I like having a lot of different songs playing. This is shuffled, and with each rotation gets reshuffled, so the order doesn't really matter. But regardless, I think it's a pretty solid playlist with some favorites of mine and a lot of variety. I do tend to have multiple songs by the same artist, which some say make for a bad playlist, but I do it all the time. I love making playlists, and this is one of my favorites so far.
Currently Listening To: "The Kill" by 30 Seconds To Mars from "A Beautiful Lie"
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
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"
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"
So How'd I Do?
Alright, so my idea of using this blog for music reviews kind of failed. I did attempt to write some reviews, but they sounded off, like I was trying too hard but had no idea what I was talking about. So instead, I've decided that I will just write a little bit about my favorite music at the moment as often as I can get on to do this.
I figure I'll start first by saying that since I was fourteen, I have been hopelessly obsessed with the band Journey*. My dad took me to one of their concerts that summer, and ever since then, I have been listening to them nonstop. My favorite song by them is Faithfully from the Frontiers album, and my favorite album as a whole is Escape. I would recommend their music to anyone. I currently have 236 Journey songs on my mp3 player, and yes, I own all of them. I still don't even have all of the songs or albums though, something I continue to work on.
Other than Journey, I have a rather wide range of musical preference. I have a little bit of everything, but my favorite genres are Classic Rock and Alternative/Punk-Pop Rock. Journey is of course my favorite, and is followed not so closely by Panic(!) At The Disco* (however you prefer to call them.) My two best friends got me into Panic right after their first album came out, and ever since them, I've really loved their music. I think I own about eight or nine shirts of theirs, which I admit is a little ridiculous. Other than those two, I have a lot of bands I love. At the moment, I'm really into Paramore (see the Top 25 List below.) I've liked them for a while, but just recently I bought their new CD/DVD and I love all of it. They seem like nice, down to earth people, and I love the music. So that's been dominating what I've been listening to lately.
Some of my other favorites in that similar genre are Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance*, All Time Low*, Mayday Parade*, Kelsey and the Chaos (still a small, unknown band, you should check them out!), The Cab (another band I knew before their album came out), The Academy Is..., Automatic Loveletter, Flyleaf, Bullet For My Valentine* (okay, so not so fitting with the rest...), Powerspace*, Envy On The Coast, AFI, The Ataris and Boys Like Girls*. I also recently got introduced to the band Safetysuit by one of the same friends who introduced me to Panic, and they are amazing. If you need a good song to listen to, hear the song Annie by Safetysuit. It's amazing.
Like I said before, I'm a huge classic rock fan. Some of my favorites are Fleetwood Mac, The Moody Blues*, Boston, .38 Special, Bob Seger, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Eagles, Don Henley, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Def Leppard*, Bruce Hornsby (not exactly sure if he fits with this genre exactly but...), Billy Joel, Queen, Foreigner, and so many others. Essentially, if it's classic rock, chances are I like it. Although I do have to admit that I have never been a fan of either Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. I know that's a musical crime or whatever, but they've just never interested me. I do have to say though that I appreciate how talented these bands are and influential on music. They aren't my personal favorites, but they are great bands.
I think it is important that I recognize a band on the preceding list for the profound effect they have had on me. The whole reason I really listen to and love music is owed to Fleetwood Mac. I grew up going back and forth between my two parent's houses, and my dad is a huge classic rock fan. When I was young, he would put on Fleetwood Mac's The Dance DVD and play it multiple times a day. I fell in love with the sound of Lindsay Buckingham's guitar, and Mick Fleetwood's nonstop euphoria behind the drums. It was listening to those songs that made me want to explore and listen to as much music as I possibly could. It was them that led me to Journey, which led me to concerts, which led me to my two best friends, who then led me to the music I hoard so much to this day. So if anyone were to ask me which band really influenced my life the most, as much as I would like to say Journey, I would have to say Fleetwood Mac. So I would like to say thanks to them, knowing that they will probably never see or hear about this. But regardless, I owe them my musical life.
So to end this first post, I will give the list of my mp3's top 25 played songs, to give a taste of exactly what I love.
1. Faithfully by Journey - 247 Plays
2. Northern Downpour by Panic at the Disco - 228 Plays
3. Send Her My Love by Journey - 193 Plays
4. Coffee Shop Soundtrack by All Time Low - 158 Plays
5. Nine In The Afternoon (Radio Mix) by Panic at the Disco - 149 Plays
6. Don't Stop Believin' by Journey - 147 Plays
7. Camisado by Panic! At The Disco - 146 Plays
8. Time To Dance by Panic! At The Disco - 146 Plays
9. Miracle by Paramore - 140 Plays
10. I'll Run by The Cab - 139 Plays
11. My Heart by Paramore - 126 Plays
12. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me" by Fall Out Boy - 125 Plays
13. The Take Over, The Break's Over by Fall Out Boy - 125 Plays
14. What A Catch, Donnie by Fall Out Boy - 123 Plays
15. That's What You Get by Paramore - 123 Plays
16. Born For This by Paramore - 122 Plays
17. For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic by Paramore - 121 Plays
18. The Answer by Automatic Loveletter - 120 Plays
19. The Party Scene by All Time Low - 119 Plays
20. Misery Business by Paramore - 119 Plays
21. That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed) by Panic at the Disco - 116 Plays
22. When It Rains by Paramore - 110 Plays
23. The Great Escape by Boys Like Girls - 108 Plays
24. Ocean and Atlantic by Mayday Parade - 107 Plays
25. Tonight, Tonight by Smashing Pumpkins - 107 Plays
I figure I'll start first by saying that since I was fourteen, I have been hopelessly obsessed with the band Journey*. My dad took me to one of their concerts that summer, and ever since then, I have been listening to them nonstop. My favorite song by them is Faithfully from the Frontiers album, and my favorite album as a whole is Escape. I would recommend their music to anyone. I currently have 236 Journey songs on my mp3 player, and yes, I own all of them. I still don't even have all of the songs or albums though, something I continue to work on.
Other than Journey, I have a rather wide range of musical preference. I have a little bit of everything, but my favorite genres are Classic Rock and Alternative/Punk-Pop Rock. Journey is of course my favorite, and is followed not so closely by Panic(!) At The Disco* (however you prefer to call them.) My two best friends got me into Panic right after their first album came out, and ever since them, I've really loved their music. I think I own about eight or nine shirts of theirs, which I admit is a little ridiculous. Other than those two, I have a lot of bands I love. At the moment, I'm really into Paramore (see the Top 25 List below.) I've liked them for a while, but just recently I bought their new CD/DVD and I love all of it. They seem like nice, down to earth people, and I love the music. So that's been dominating what I've been listening to lately.
Some of my other favorites in that similar genre are Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance*, All Time Low*, Mayday Parade*, Kelsey and the Chaos (still a small, unknown band, you should check them out!), The Cab (another band I knew before their album came out), The Academy Is..., Automatic Loveletter, Flyleaf, Bullet For My Valentine* (okay, so not so fitting with the rest...), Powerspace*, Envy On The Coast, AFI, The Ataris and Boys Like Girls*. I also recently got introduced to the band Safetysuit by one of the same friends who introduced me to Panic, and they are amazing. If you need a good song to listen to, hear the song Annie by Safetysuit. It's amazing.
Like I said before, I'm a huge classic rock fan. Some of my favorites are Fleetwood Mac, The Moody Blues*, Boston, .38 Special, Bob Seger, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Eagles, Don Henley, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Def Leppard*, Bruce Hornsby (not exactly sure if he fits with this genre exactly but...), Billy Joel, Queen, Foreigner, and so many others. Essentially, if it's classic rock, chances are I like it. Although I do have to admit that I have never been a fan of either Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. I know that's a musical crime or whatever, but they've just never interested me. I do have to say though that I appreciate how talented these bands are and influential on music. They aren't my personal favorites, but they are great bands.
I think it is important that I recognize a band on the preceding list for the profound effect they have had on me. The whole reason I really listen to and love music is owed to Fleetwood Mac. I grew up going back and forth between my two parent's houses, and my dad is a huge classic rock fan. When I was young, he would put on Fleetwood Mac's The Dance DVD and play it multiple times a day. I fell in love with the sound of Lindsay Buckingham's guitar, and Mick Fleetwood's nonstop euphoria behind the drums. It was listening to those songs that made me want to explore and listen to as much music as I possibly could. It was them that led me to Journey, which led me to concerts, which led me to my two best friends, who then led me to the music I hoard so much to this day. So if anyone were to ask me which band really influenced my life the most, as much as I would like to say Journey, I would have to say Fleetwood Mac. So I would like to say thanks to them, knowing that they will probably never see or hear about this. But regardless, I owe them my musical life.
So to end this first post, I will give the list of my mp3's top 25 played songs, to give a taste of exactly what I love.
1. Faithfully by Journey - 247 Plays
2. Northern Downpour by Panic at the Disco - 228 Plays
3. Send Her My Love by Journey - 193 Plays
4. Coffee Shop Soundtrack by All Time Low - 158 Plays
5. Nine In The Afternoon (Radio Mix) by Panic at the Disco - 149 Plays
6. Don't Stop Believin' by Journey - 147 Plays
7. Camisado by Panic! At The Disco - 146 Plays
8. Time To Dance by Panic! At The Disco - 146 Plays
9. Miracle by Paramore - 140 Plays
10. I'll Run by The Cab - 139 Plays
11. My Heart by Paramore - 126 Plays
12. A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me" by Fall Out Boy - 125 Plays
13. The Take Over, The Break's Over by Fall Out Boy - 125 Plays
14. What A Catch, Donnie by Fall Out Boy - 123 Plays
15. That's What You Get by Paramore - 123 Plays
16. Born For This by Paramore - 122 Plays
17. For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic by Paramore - 121 Plays
18. The Answer by Automatic Loveletter - 120 Plays
19. The Party Scene by All Time Low - 119 Plays
20. Misery Business by Paramore - 119 Plays
21. That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed) by Panic at the Disco - 116 Plays
22. When It Rains by Paramore - 110 Plays
23. The Great Escape by Boys Like Girls - 108 Plays
24. Ocean and Atlantic by Mayday Parade - 107 Plays
25. Tonight, Tonight by Smashing Pumpkins - 107 Plays
* - indicates that I have seen them in concert
Currently Listening To: "Decoy" by Paramore
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