The 1975- The 1975 (Deluxe)

My last blog post is going to be about one of my favorite bands called The 1975. The band is a British rock group that has an indie style but also with some dance-floor sound. This album was released in 2013 and they are preparing to release a new album this year by putting out a new single called "Love Me" last week. Their 2013 album has a unique sound and the lead singer, Matt Healy, has a very distinctive voice.

The most popular song on the album is called "Chocolate." Although there has been some criticism from the song because it is hard to understand what the lyrics are, however, the beat is infectious and when listening it is easy to see why this song is popular. I have a few favorites on the album, but recently I can't stop listening to "Fallingforyou" and it is only on the deluxe version of the album. It is one of the slower songs but between the lyrics, tune and Matt's voice, the song is aesthetically pleasing. Their song "Girls" shows off their upbeat style with a Prince-influence. One last song to listen to is "Robbers." This song is one of the calmer ones and has dark/personal lyrics. The track list is below and the stared songs are the ones you should definitely listen to.

1) The 1975
2) The City*
3) M.O.N.E.Y
4) Chocolate *
5) Sex*
6) Talk!
7) An Encounter
8) Heart Out*
9) Settle Down
10) Robbers*
11) Girls*
12) 12
13) She Way Out
14) Menswear
15) Pressure
16) Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You

Happy Listening :)

Avicii - Stories

Avicii is a Swedish electronic musician, DJ, remixer and record producer. He released his debut album True around two years go and caused major success for the new artist with his songs playing over radios everywhere. That album has been followed with self-remixed productions since then and this year Avicii has released a new album, this time called Stories. In the last two years while working on the album, Avicii has been gaining popularity by playing worldwide with big names already in the industry. Now, he has this amazing album to share with the world. 

Stories is fourteen tracks long and shows his maturity by pushing further from typical "EDM" boundaries. Based on the title, the album has personal meaning by each track representing a different "story" which ultimately landed Avicii to where he is today. Starting off the album with the most successful single so far is a song called "Waiting for Love." When first listening to the song it was obvious it was going to be a hit, the beat makes you want to get up and dance, a typical Avicii hit. I definitely recommend checking out the video for this song, it will leave you with happy tears. "Broken Arrows" is similarly styled to an older song of Avivii's which is the popular hit "Wake Me Up." Zac Brown beautifully takes on the singing for this song which gives it a sort of country-influence dance beat. This album is full of surprises and with a Caribbean-themed song "Can't Catch Me" you can see the diversity of tunes this album has to offer. My favorite track on the album is "Trouble." While the song still has a subtle dance beat, there is an acoustic sound that breaks this track from the rest of the electronic sounding album. The songs starred below from the album are songs you should take a few minutes to listen to.

1) Waiting for Love*

2) Talk to Myself

3) Touch Me

4) Ten More Days

5) For a Better Day

6) Broken Arms*

7) True Believer

8) City Lights

9) Pure Grinding

10) Sunset Jesus

11) Can't Catch Me

12) Somewhere In Stockholm*

13) Trouble*

14) Gonna Love Ya

Stories is a really enjoyable album and the way Avicii plays with new sounds and sound engineering, it won't disappoint. Between the catchiness, approachable sound and fun, you'll be glad you gave it a chance.

Happy listening :)

Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness

I had trouble deciding which album to post about this week and I've decided to talk about Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and the self-titled album Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, which was released Oct. 14, 2014. As a cancer survivor, the songs Andrew writes tend to have deep connections to life and what he has learned being a survivor. As the former frontman of Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin, he has a lot of experience with song writing, playing various instruments and the industry. A reason why I support Andrew and his music is that there are many significant quotes and lyrics produced by him throughout his career that are very meaningful. This recent album has been gaining the popularity and success he deserves after so many years of doing what he loves. This is definitely a more heartwarming alternative album compared to his previous stuff.

What made me choose this album is one song specifically called "Cecilia and the Satellite." I first heard this song when my friend's brother got to opportunity to play with Andrew in NYC a few months ago and I fell in love with his new style of music. This song was written for his daughter and the lyrics are amazing and is on my list of favorite songs ever. He talks about his life before his daughter and how he traveled the world with his old band and experiences he's had in his life and all that has happened previous to meeting her. Definitely give this song a listen!

Although "Cecilia and the Satellite" is my favorite song on the album, there are some other great songs to listen to because Andrew McMahon is amazing. For this album Andrew literally went to a cabin in the wilderness to write this album. He wanted to focus on his life and you can see that in the really personal song "See Her On The a Weekend." "Rainy Girl" is perfect and is the epitome of what Andrew writes. Between the vocals and instrumentation, this song is so well written it is amazing. The last song I want to mention is "All Our Lives" because the melody and words fit together perfectly. This song is tells a story of an encounter Andrew had with a friend who didn't end up so well. A lyric that speaks in this song is

There's only two mistakes that I have made: is running from the people who could love me best, and trying to fix a world that I can't change.

I highly recommend taking a listen to this album and some of his earlier work. Andrew McMahon is extremely talented and his music deserves to be heard and I hope after listening you think so too.

Happy Listening :)
   

Ryan Adams - 1989

As a supporter and fan of Taylor Swift I feel the need to blog about one of her albums. Her most recent album, 1989, was released almost a full year ago this October. Recently the artist Ryan Adams released his project of a track-by-track cover of the album of 1989. With an emotional connection to the original album, Adams decided to remake it with the sound of the parents of younger Swift fans could appreciate. With sounds between Bruce Springsteen's Darkness On the Edge of Town and The Smiths' Meat is Murder  the sounds on the album fit perfectly for the decade Taylor is representing.

Although some songs don't live up to the original, the remake of a few make it seem like you're listening to the song for the first time all over again. The upbeat dance songs of the albums are turned into tentative/sad songs. "Out of the Woods" is turned into a rock ballad with the raw emotion showing through the cover. The most shocking cover to me is "Shake it Off". Being a song in which Taylor Swift pokes fun at herself and tells everyone to shake off the small things in life while dancing, Ryan Adams took a different approach and found the emotional resonance in a different way by turning the song into a ballad showing despair. This cover album has not mocked Taylor Swift but has shown the skeptics to her music that there is more depth and meaning to her songs beyond a first listen.

My all time favorite cover is "Wish You Would" maybe because it was the song on the original album that took me a while to really like it because it was way to "annoying pop" for me. The cover slows it down and you can really see the meaning behind the lyrics in it.

I would really consider giving this album (along with the original if you haven't already) a listen, not all the covers are amazing but there are a few gems.

The Maine - American Candy

The Maine is an alternative rock band that formed in 2007 from Tempe, Arizona. In March the band released their fifth studio album called "American Candy," which their fans highly anticipated. Since the release, the album has had a great success along with positive feedback from both old and new fans. On the day of the release, they held a live stream called "24 Hours of American Candy" where the band live streamed their day as they put out the new album. The tour for this album took place earlier this spring; however, The Maine is so thankful for their devoted fans they decided to add shows around the U.S. that would be completely free of charge. 

American Candy's track-list is: 

1) Miles Away

2) Same Suit, Different Tie

3) My Hair

4) English Girls

5) 24 Floors

6) Diet Soda Society

7) Am I Pretty?

8) (Un)Lost

9) American Candy

10) Another Night on Mars

Between the beats and lyrics it is easy to see how many people love this album. Although all the songs are great, the most popular songs are "Miles Away" and "English Girls." Miles Away has more of a relaxed-laid back up beat tune but it still makes you want to dance. English Girls has a very upbeat positive feel to it, which is a little different then their older/darker songs. The ballad of the album is 24 Floors, and the message/lyrics behind this song is deep. I would definitely recommend this album to  whoever needs just an uplift in their day. My top three songs off the album are Miles Away, Another Night on Mars, and Same Suit, Different Tie. The Maine is able to capture hearts along with keeping the beat going so you stay interested and want more. If you are looking for music that will make you want to dance along with and belt out lyrics that make you feel, definitely check out this album!!! 

Happy Listening :) 

The Royal Concept - Smile EP

The Royal Concept is an up and coming band from Stockholm, Sweden.  Originally called "The Concept" they released their first single in 2010. After getting support from Swedish radios, in 2012 they renamed themselves to "The Royal Concept" and released a self-titled album. The band toured around North America with American Authors and Misterwives in 2013, which allowed their music to cross the ocean. Their hit-single "On My Way" grew praise after being heard on the tv show Glee, along with MTV's Catfish and FIFA 2014. Their growing success allowed the band to recently release a new EP called Smile. The EP has the following track-list:

1) Smile
2) Fashion: 
3) Higher Than Love
4) Hurricane
5) Just Wanna Be Loved By U

I have been listening to this album a lot ever since it was released. The beat on each song is something new and completely different then those top songs that are way overplayed. Blending funk, indie and pop together helps make this album very addicting and leaving you wishing it never ends. Catchy hooks fill each song along with a rock 80s dance-influenced beat. My top three songs off this EP are definitely Smile, Just Wanna Be Loved By U and Fashion. The Royal Concept and this EP needs be added to your music library right now! 

Happy Listening :)