A blog about the music I listen to, the music videos I like, and most other music-related subtopics.
Welcome!
In this blog I hope to discuss my favorite music as well as share information on my favorite artists. I'd also like to create music and video playlists at some point. I'm just getting started so I hope you stick around.
On May 14th, Demi Lovato
will release her 4th studio album “Demi”. The album title reflects
the more personal nature of this collection of songs. “Demi” is the follow up
to “Unbroken”, which was the singer’s first release after entering rehab for
self-harm and an eating disorder. “Unbroken” was a bit more adult than her
previous albums – most notably on the track ‘For The Love Of A Daughter’, which
is about her estranged father. The album also had more soulful R&B
influences (such as ‘Like A Star’) and included a collaboration with Timbaland
and Missy Elliott (‘All Night Long’).
“Demi” was recorded when Lovato
wasn’t busy judging/mentoring on the X Factor US. You could say that even when
recording music, Lovato is a mentor – the singer has continued being candid
about her personal struggles and hopes that by being honest about them, she can
encourage her fans to talk about their own problems and be inspired by her story. This is a continued theme from "Unbroken" whose lead single, 'Skyscraper', was about standing tall even when everything is a mess.
The lead single, ‘Heart Attack’, is
about being afraid to fall in love due to past heartbreak. The song utilizes
both acoustic guitar and electronic sounds and effects. The music video for
‘Heart Attack’ features the singer covered from fingertips to elbows in black
paint. In a behind the scenes video about the making of the music video, the
singer explained that the black paint is symbolic of the pain left over from
having your heart broken.
To get her fans (known as Lovatics)
excited about the release of her new album, Lovato employed a Twitter campaign
in which fans would tweet a hash tag on her official site to unlock songs so
they can listen to them before May 14th. At the time of posting this
article, all of the songs off the album are available for streaming on Lovato’s
website so go check them out! You can also visit her Youtube channel if you
prefer to listen to the songs that way.
Let me know what you think about
Demi by Demi Lovato. What is your favorite song off the album? What albums are you
looking forward to hearing in the coming months? Thank you for reading. I hope you
discovered some new music or new facts about musicians you already know and
love. I hope you are all having a good week. Take care!
Little
Boots is the stage name of British Electronic/Pop artist Victoria Hesketh. Her
debut album “Hands” was released in 2009; for “Hands”, Little Boots worked with
songwriter/producer Greg Kurstin on a number of tracks as well as Lady Gaga
collaborator, RedOne, on the track entitled ‘Remedy’. Some of Kurstin’s work
includes songs for P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Lily Allen, Marina And The Diamonds,
and many more singers.
“Hands”
spawned the singles ‘New In Town’, ‘Remedy’, and ‘Earthquake’. ‘New In Town’ is
a feel good song that contains the lyrics, “I don’t have a lot of money but
we’ll be fine. No, I don’t have a penny, but I’ll show you a real good time.” The
party continues with ‘Remedy’ as the singer dances to the music that is the
cure for your poison. ‘Earthquake’ is a bit of a departure from the party and
is about the unraveling of a relationship. I love the irony that if you didn’t
pay attention to the lyrics you would think that ‘Earthquake’ is a happy upbeat
song.
After
soul searching via DJ gigs and working in the studio, Little Boots created a
sound that she says is a better representation of the person she has become. The
new album has a bit more of a Disco sound than a Dance/Pop sound but it is
still very catchy and it still sounds like Little Boots.
Preceding
the album or even the announcement of the release date and album title, the
singer released the songs ‘Shake’, ‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’, and
‘Headphones’. With the releases of ‘Shake’ and ‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’,
Little Boots released mixtapes featuring the songs – “Shake Until Your Heart
Breaks” and “Into The Future” respectively. You can listen to and download
these mixtapes on the singer’s Soundcloud page. Out of the three songs, ‘Every
Night I Say a Prayer’ has the most Disco influence in its sound. Because of
this and the fact that ‘Shake’ has a long musical intro before the first verse,
‘Headphones’ is the most accessible and instantly likeable of the three songs. The
music video for ‘Headphones’ is simple, but very fun and it shows that you
don’t need crazy sets or special effects to make a good music video. It’s
definitely worth a watch because it makes me smile.
On
May 5th, Little Boots will release her second album, which she has
entitled “Nocturnes” because of the important role that the night plays in this
group of songs. The album will have ten songs, the first of which, ‘Motorway’,
is available as a free download on the singer’s official website. Listeners
also have the chance to listen to or purchase the next single, ‘Broken Record’,
before the release of “Nocturnes”. Upon viewing the track listing for the
album, you may notice that ‘Headphones’ is absent. I’m not sure what the reason
was for leaving the song off the album, but what I do know is that we live in
the digital age so luckily we can still buy the song.
I
hope that I’ve gotten another person excited for the release of “Nocturnes” on
May 5th – if I haven’t then I hope I’ve at least introduced you to a
song that you like. At the bottom of the page are links to the Little Boots
sites that I mentioned above – her official site, her Soundcloud account, as
well as her Youtube account. Let me know what you think about the music of
Little Boots and let me know if there are any albums that you can’t wait to get
your hands on this year.
Sorry folks. I took a bit of a
break from reality and therefore I did not blog about the albums that I said I
would blog about. In the meantime, they have been released so it’d be a bit
silly for me to go on ahead and write about why I’m excited to hear them
because I already have heard them.
Because of this, I have decided to
add more albums to my list to make up for my absence. Below, I have crossed out
the albums that have already been released and I have added albums to my list
and have typed them in bold font so it is easy to tell which albums are being
added.
Here is my updated list of albums
that I am looking forward to hearing in the coming year:
Utopia EP by Kerli (March 19)
Paramore by Paramore (April 9)
Saving Rock And Roll by Fall Out
Boy (April 15)
Nocturnes by Little Boots (May 5)
Demi by Demi Lovato (May 14)
Don’t Look Down by Skylar Grey (July
9)
Portrait of A Chameleon by Blake
Lewis (Spring)
Trouble by Natalia Kills
TBA by Bridget Kelly
The Electric Lady by Janelle Monae
Between by Frankmusik
TBA by The Pretty Reckless
TBA by Aria Grande
Again,
I am very sorry that I’ve fallen behind yet again in my blogging. One day I
hope to become more consistent; until then, don’t hold your breath for a blog
post and bear with me as best as you can. Thank you to anyone who has read any
of these posts so far – I appreciate you more than you know. As always, feel
free to let me know what you think about the artists I post about and feel free
to give me suggestions of music to listen to. Thanks again.
We are in the third month of the
year 2013. I figure that the flip side to making a list of my favorite albums
of the year would be to make a list of albums scheduled to come out within the
year that I’m excited about. Unfortunately, due to record label politics as
well as other problems, some of these albums may not come out in 2013 (or at
all).
Singers who have fallen victim to
release date pushbacks include JoJo, Missy Elliott, Michelle Branch, and The
Veronicas. Last year I wrote posts on both Branch and The Veronicas because
their albums were supposed to be released within the year. They’re still not
out. I hope that my excitement about an album doesn’t jinx it.
Here is my list of albums (or EPs)
that I am excited to hear. Some of them have singles or release dates or
sometimes both while others don’t even have titles yet. I hope to be on the
ball and give you updates when more information is available, but don’t hold me
to that. Without further ado, here is my list of albums I’m looking forward to hearing
in the coming year:
Utopia EP by Kerli (March 19)
Paramore by Paramore (April 9)
Nocturnes by Little Boots (May 5)
Saving Rock And Roll by Fall Out
Boy (April 15)
Don’t Look Down by Skylar Grey
(Spring)
Portrait of A Chameleon by Blake
Lewis (Spring)
Trouble by Natalia Kills
TBA by Demi Lovato
TBA by Bridget Kelly
The Electric Lady by Janelle Monae
Following
this post will be individual posts on each of the albums listed here. I will
try to include as much information as I can from album title, to first single,
to release date, and perhaps why I’m looking forward to the release of the
album. I shall be posting soon. I hope everyone reading this is doing well.
Feel free to let me know what albums you’re looking forward to getting your
hands on in the coming year or give me feedback on my posts.
Here
it is, my favorite album from 2012. This one beat out all the other albums and
took the top spot. Prepare yourseves; I’m going to be gushing about how much I
enjoy this album.
1. The Truth About Love by P!nk
P!nk
is one of my favorite artists. She’s a great vocalist, songwriter, and
performer. How many singers can say that they can still sound great singing
while suspended upside down in mid air? P!nk can. She’s not afraid to take
risks and try something new. She also hasn’t shied away from talking about
personal topics including her parent’s divorce and her own marital problems
with husband, Carey Hart. P!nk is a painfully honest confessional songwriter
who’s known for shooting off her mouth and speaking her mind even (or possibly
especially) if it makes people uncomfortable. She also doesn’t take herself too
seriously so she writes fun songs as well as emotional ones and whether the
song is emotional or fun, you can bet that the singer has something sarcastic
or witty to say. If you thought the singer would mellow out after the birth of
her daughter, Willow, then you’re mistaken; she’s just as foul-mouthed and no
holds barred as ever.
Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
The
first single off P!nk’s sixth album (not including “Greatest Hits… So Far”) was
‘Blow Me (One Last Kiss)’. The song is classic P!nk – big vocals and clever
lyrics over Pop/Rock/Dance music. I love the lyrics – especially the chorus. I
really identify with the lyrics “I think I’ve finally had enough, I think I
maybe think too much” because I’m notorious for over-thinking. And when I’m not
feeling so great the lyrics, “Just when I think it can’t get worse, I had a
shit day/You had a shit day/we’ve had a shit day,” make me feel much better.
The music video is decent, but it’s not the best video in her repertoire. It’s
still worth a watch though – you should watch until the end because my favorite
part is near the end.
Try (Live at the AMA's)
The
second single is the aforementioned ‘Try’. It’s the only song on the album,
including all the bonus tracks, that P!nk didn’t have a hand in writing. ‘Try’
is a beautiful but sad ballad that centers around a less than perfect
relationship and advises you to “get up and try.” It’s quickly becoming one of
my favorite songs off the album and it’s getting a decent amount of play on the
radio. The video features choreography by the Golden Boyz and Sebastien Stella,
stunt choreographer, as well as Broadway dancer Colt Prattes (as P!nk’s
partner). The choreography is athletic and is so provocative that it prompted
P!nk’s mother, Judith, to say “Wow, honey. I’m speechless. And uncomfortable.
No one can ever say you play it safe.” At the American Music Awards, she sang ‘Try’
while performing choreography taken from the music video. Even though you could
tell that the singer was breathing heavy, she still sang really well. In some
ways, the theatrics of the performance was more powerful than the music video.
How Come You're Not Here
Other
than the singles, one of my favorite songs off “The Truth About Love” is ‘How
Come You’re Not Here’. It’s such a fun song and the lyrics are so cheeky. The
xylophone in the song is catchy and silly, which strengthens the delivery of
sarcasm.I love the lyrics in the
second verse, especially “And that’s all cool/I’ll wait right here/’Til you get
bored/and she gets carded for beer.” Who doesn’t love songs making fun of other
people?
Slut Like You
Another of my favorite songs is
‘Slut Like You’. P!nk has said that the song is her strange way of stating her
feminist views. She doesn’t understand or agree with the double standard that when
men have multiple partners it’s considered sexual conquest but when women have
multiple partners then she’s considered a slut. To paraphrase, she said, “Maybe
he’s my conquest?’ I love that the
song is so provocative and blunt – not to mention that the ad libs are
hilarious. I’m not so sure how a “clean” version was released though…
The Truth About Love
Like
all albums, there are a few songs that I’m not too crazy about. But all in all,
“The Truth About Love” is a pretty solid album from a pretty consistent
singer/songwriter. If you get a chance then check out the bonus tracks, especially 'Timebomb' and 'Run' because they're great ballads. I hope that I can see P!nk on tour because she’s said that
she’s doing her best to top her last tour which she spent suspended in mid air.
Plus, in interviews P!nk has said that she doesn’t want to be on the road when
Willow is in school so it may be a while before she tours again. I know I’ll be
kicking myself if I don’t go see her in concert because she’s one of the best.
So there you have it. Now that
you know my top 10 albums from 2012 do you think there are any that I missed?
Would you have ordered any of the albums differently? Let me know in the
comments.I hope you enjoyed my
ramblings and I hope that you learned about a new artist or two throughout my
‘Top Albums of 2012’ series.
I
apologize for being late. I was busy visiting friends and didn’t have time to
write. Without further delay, here are the albums that ranked 4, 3, and 2 on my
‘Favorite Albums of 2012’ list. Just a warning: these three albums all contain
explicit lyrics or content so be aware of that if you listen to them.
4. Savage by MoXiie
MoXiie
is an independent artist whom I found while wandering around the Internet. She
makes a genre of music that she calls ‘Jungle Pop’, which (to borrow from her
bio) “fuses everything that ever made you lose your mind on a dance floor. (It
is) packed with chants, hints of electro, pop, and world music…” I love MoXiie
and her Jungle Pop; the artist is very hard working and in touch with her fan
base and her music is catchy and has an energy that rubs off on the listener. “Savage”
is the artist’s debut album, but it is preceded by an EP as well as a single.
“Savage” is a very solid album and it goes so hard that it’s pretty safe to say
that it lives up to its name. That’s not to say that MoXiie can’t be vulnerable
– she’s a versatile singer/songwriter who’s not afraid to be honest about her
emotions. She doesn’t shy away from darker subjects either. Her song, ‘Hell Out
Of Heaven’ is a perfect example because its lyrics discuss struggles that many
people go through. The music video that MoXiie released for the song takes the
lyrics a step further; it makes you think and consider the lyrics in a
different light. In the ‘About’ section under the video on Youtube, MoXiie
explains her thought process behind making the visual, “I wanted to communicate
the ways we tend to create our personal hell…” I am impressed by how much
thought she put into making her music video because so many music videos by
mainstream artists who have big budgets lack a plot completely and focus on
making the artist look good. Now, back to the music. My favorite songs off the
album (at the moment) are ‘Hell Out Of Heaven’; ‘Hurt Me Now’, one of the more
vulnerable moments on the album; and ‘Serial Killer’, a song about a merciless
heartbreaker. If you like dance/pop music with meaningful lyrics then you
should definitely give MoXiie a chance.
3. ‘Til The Casket Drops by ZZ Ward
ZZ
Ward is an artist who sings a unique blend of blues and alternative music. It’s
so different from what I’m used to that when I first listened to her music I
wasn’t sure what to think about it. After giving it the benefit of the doubt
and listening to it a second time the song grew on me and from then on I’ve
been hooked. I even have my younger sister hooked on Ward’s music because I
played it around the house so much. Ward accents her music with handclaps and
pieces of melody sung on words without meaning, such as ‘Ooh’. It gives the
music a very organic feel. Before releasing any original music, Ward released a
mixtape called “Eleven Roses” by re-writing pre-existing Rap songs. One of the
songs, ‘Criminal’, used the music from a song by Freddie Gibbs called ‘Oil
Money’. Gibbs was a fan of Ward’s interpretation so he asked to be a part of
the song when it was released officially. ‘Criminal’ is one of my favorite songs
off the album because of its moody sound and the grove that the ‘Oohs’ add to
the song. My other favorites are the title track, which very uniquely
illustrates just how loyal Ward is, and ‘Cryin’ Wolf’, a song that dances the
line between singing and talking and features handclaps, ‘Oohs’, and a verse by
Kendrick Lamar. The songs off “’Til The Casket Drops” are much different from
the rest of my music library, which is comprised mostly of Pop music. Wards
music would probably have been at home in past decades but I love it here and
now.
2. Electra Heart by Marina And The Diamonds
If
you’ve read some of my previous posts then you may have read one entitled
‘Artists You Should Know: Marina & The Diamonds.” In it, I discuss my newly
found love for Marina’s music so I was excited when I heard that she was
working on her sophomore album. After many delays, “Electra Heart” was finally
released. When creating her second album, Marina decided to take a chance on
big Pop producers and give co-writing a try. Previously, she had been afraid
that co-writing and working with big producers would strip her music of what
made it hers. Fans of her debut, “The Family Jewels”, might say that Marina
sold out, but I think otherwise because her wit and sarcasm is still prevalent
in the lyrics of these new songs. All she did was try something new, which
shows artistic growth – I find that admirable. Then again, I am a fan so I know
I’m biased. If you don’t like her new sound then take a listen to the acoustic
versions of ‘Primadonna’, ‘Starring Role’, ‘Lies’, and ‘Radioactive’.
‘Radioactive’ in particular has a very different sound when compared to the
studio version; the studio version is backed by energetic Dance music and it
sounds upbeat while the acoustic version is backed by a piano and sounds
melancholy. The acoustic version of ‘Radioactive’ can be downloaded from Marina’s
website in exchange for joining her mailing list. The other acoustic songs are
bundled together in an EP called “Primadonna Exclusive Acoustic EP”, which can
be purchased from her UK webstore but is not available in the US. I don’t
understand why artists would release different material in different regions in
this day and age because the fans that can’t buy the music in their country
will just download it from the Internet for free. For whatever reason, the UK
and US versions of “Electra Heart” have different songs on them. The US version
lacks ‘Living Dead’ and bonus tracks ‘Lonely Hearts Club’ and ‘Buy The Stars’. ‘Lonely
Hearts Club’ doesn’t do much for me but ‘Living Dead’ (a catchy, up-beat song
that questions where your life is headed) and ‘Buy The Stars’ (a rare
vulnerable moment where Marina sounds sweet) would’ve been nice to have on the
US version. ‘How To Be A Heartbreaker’, a fun cheeky song is the only song that
the deluxe edition of the UK album lacks- but that’s because the song was written after the album was released
in the UK and before it was released in the US. My favorite songs on “Electra
Heart” are ‘Fear And Loathing’, a dark and introspective song; ‘Starring Role’,
a confessional (and at times angry) song about wanting to be number one in a
person’s life; and “Power & Control”, a song about the power struggle that
exists between people in a relationship. All in all, I find the album a fine
addition to Marina’s catalogue.
So there you have it. In my next post I will reveal my
favorite album of 2012. Thank you to anyone who has read my blog posts and
thank you for bearing with me. Let me know what you think about my favorite
albums of 2012.
I had intended posting a blog a day until the end of the year so that I could reveal my favorite album of 2012 on the last day of 2012. Unfortunately, I got busy visiting with friends so I didn't write and publish the posts when I said I would. Fortunately for me, I'm not a professional by any means and I don't have much of an audience so the only one I've really let down is myself.
I have half a mind to skip these posts but I'd really like to see them through because it's better late than never, right? So if anyone besides me feels let down then I am very sorry. Please bear with me because I will get these posts out sooner or later.
