Category: Music

Music reviews/blogs

Posted in Music

Playlists

Posted on by Bri

Since recieving an iPod Nano for my birthday (thanks again mom and dad!!!), I’ve realized the value of multiple playlists. In my quest for creating the perfect mix of music for every possible situation, I have made two playlists, one for falling to sleep to, and one for studying. No doubt I’m going to make more, but as of right now, that’s what I’ve got.

Today I’ll only reveal my study playlist.

Rush and Collapsed by Aly and AJ

Eleanor Rigby and Hey Jude by The Beatles

The Great Escape, Five Minutes to Midnight, and Dance Hall Drug by Boys Like Girls

I Will Hide Myself Away, If I Fail, The Fortunate, Save Us, and Lucky St. by Cartel

The Time Of My Life by David Cook

Holiday From Real, Dark Blue, Made For Each Other, You Can Breath, Spinning, Swim, and Annie Use Your Telescope by Jack’s Mannequin

Geek In The Pink (for variety and study breaks), Did You Get My Message?, Plane, I’ll Do Anything, The Remedy, Who Needs Shelter, On Love On Sadness, Tonight Not Again, I’m Yours, Live High, and Details in the Fabric by Jason Mraz

Waiting On The World To Change, Stop This Train, Bold As Love, and My Stupid Mouth by John Mayer

That’s Just The Way We Roll, Burnin’ Up, Shelf, and A Little Bit Longer by the Jonas Brothers

Control, Kelsey, True To Me, Tell Me What To Do, and California by Metro Station

End Up Alone and Sometimes by Nine Days

My Heart by Paramore

Our Time Now, You and Me, So Damn Clever, and Hey There Delilah by Plain White Tees

Outline Of A Love by Run Kid Run

One Girl Revolution by Saving Jane

Love is a Lie and When I’m Gone (Acoustic) by Simple Plan

As You Sleep, Down, the Runaway, and Space by Something Corporate

 

It really does help. Some songs are more upbeat that I’ve found make me work faster, some are slower so that I don’t get distracted, and some, like Geek in the Pink, Burnin’ Up, and That’s Just The Way We Roll are study break songs so I can breath.

Posted in Music

I look at all the lonely people

Posted on by Bri

I know I wasn’t going to post a music blog today, but after an argument with a friend on Facebook (“friendly disagreement”) I was looking up the cover of Eleanor Rigby by Doxology. She seems to think that this version is better than the original. I disagreed on principal, then decided to see for myself.

What I found was

1. It’s not better, I was right, but also

2. Everyone and their brother has done a cover for it

Seeing as this is my favorite Beatles song, I was disturbed and intruiged, and promptly listened to many of them. My thoughts?

Doxology: Has merits, but eh. It’s a more mellow song. Leave it mellow, man.

The Fray: I actually liked this one alright, but it sounded a bit off.

Oasis: The recording I found (I was on YouTube) was a bit quiet. I think they were playing it for a sound check before a show. It was alright, I suppose…

David Cook: I hate to admit it, but his version is what got me back listening to the Beatles. Again, has merit, but it’s not mellow anymore. Meh.

Thrice: A bit too hardcore.

Pain: The singer sounds perpetually stoned. And looks it…. this version makes my head hurt.

Godhead: They even had a music video. This was really weird… I’m going to go cut myself at an emo concert now…

Ray Charles: Meh. Not very good in my opinion. He looked like he was having fun though.

Overall, please stop trying to do sucessful Beatles covers. It will never work.

However, on Pandora, I found this really great cover group who I think does pretty much all covers… New Found Glory. They did a cover for Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris, and it actually wasn’t bad. The original was much better, but still. They also did a cover of King of Wishful Thinking, by a band whose name I can not remember. So… yeah. Music Nerd Bri is going away now.

Posted in Music

What’s your password?

Posted on by Bri

If I told you, I’d have to kill you.

So I had this great music blog idea the other day, but because I’m dumb and lazy, I didn’t write it down. So now I don’t know what to talk about…

Ok, you know what? I’m going to type up some of my newest lyrics, and you guys critique their musicality. I don’t think that’s a word…

*NO TITLE*

There’s five years of my life
That I’m not getting back
And it’s weighing on my mind
Strength was what I lacked

I met you on a sunny day
But now you’re done, the skies are grey
I guess some things were never meant to last

I’ve wasted so much time
Hoping I could call you mine
Even when the crush was through
I was always waiting ’round for you

I trusted too many times
Until you said goodbye to me
Why wasn’t I the one
Who had the guts to set you free?

I met you on a sunny day
But now you’re done, the skies are grey
I guess some things were never meant to last

I’ve wasted so much time
Hoping I could call you mine
Even when the crush was through
I still waited ’round for you

You left me broken on the floor
You didn’t want me anymore
Was I expected to lie and wait?
To be picked up at a later date?

I met you on a sunny day
But now you’re done, the skies are grey
I guess some things were never meant to last

I’ve wasted so much time
Hoping I could call you mine
Even when the crush was through
I still waited ’round for you

(People who know me should know what that one is about…)

*SONG I WROTE IN ASTRONOMY*

There’s faith and then there’s logic
There’s heart and then there’s mind
Why can’t they be put together?
Together, we could shine

It doesn’t matter what you worship
But that you practice what you love
You don’t have to have a God
Just turn your gun in for a dove

There’s wrong and then there’s right
You’ve got your heaven and your hell
Who are we to hurt each other?
In hatred, we control the swell

It doesn’t matter what you worship
But that you practice what you love
You don’t have to have a God
Just turn your gun in for a dove

Love your neighbor and your brother
Your friends, and all the others
Do to me what I’d do to you
To everyone, not just a few
Love the beauties and the flaws
And we’ll stay out of hatred’s claws
Show a smile before a frown
And not a one can bring us down

It doesn’t matter what you worship
But that you practice what you love
You don’t have to have a God
Just turn your gun in for a dove

(Yay!)

Posted in Music

It’s all good

Posted on by Bri

So I was searching Google News for some music headlines that I can write about, and then got sidetracked by searching for Jason Mraz.

It just went downhill from here.

So it’s well known that Jason Mraz is my crack. But why, you ask? Well, fiddly doo da, I’ll tell you!

First off, as is always important, Mr. A-Z is attractive. I’m just getting that out of the way.

Secondly, his music not only has interesting and meaningful lyrics, but it also has a diverse sound. I’m Yours is more of an island beat, while Geek In The Pink is more parody rap. But his voice is consistently beautiful.

Third, he knows what matters. He took a year off of touring and recording and “rediscovered” himself. He’s read books on a variety of different religions, and voted no on Prop 8. He’s controversial, but he’s intelligent.

The bell is about to ring, but listen to his music. He is amazing

Posted in Music

You should be careful what you wish for!

Posted on by Bri

One thing I’ve noticed about music is that it’s really hard to imagine most people listening to it, unless they’re stereotypical indie types or boy-band loving preteens.

I remember once in middle school where I was once asked if I ever listened to music, not including Beethoven.

Ok, seriously? Do I really look like I listen to classical music? But since then, I’ve watched people closely (do I sound creepy enough yet?) and noticed the exact same thing. I can’t see any of these people listening to music. Even my friend Kelli (SROTS), who is a huge music lover that I’ve personally seen listening to music, and I STILL can’t see it. It’s so weird!

However, there are those people, like our new admin, Shawn, who I can definitely see kicking back with a retro cassette player listening to obscure bands that no one’s heard about. Shawn, like every other cliched (sorry, Shawn) indie rocker, is the kind of person who wears colorful, seizure-inducing graphic tee shirts and skinny jeans. He rocks the straight, shaggy blond hair that’s swept to the side over his eyes, the over-sized skater shoes, and the handmade beanies. (Has anyone else noticed this new trend… colorful hand made stocking caps? Or the fact that boys are learning to knit so they can make them themselves? No se…)

I can imagine Shawn rocking out on an actual guitar listening to bands like Run Kid Run, Metro Station, and INSERT NEEDLESSLY LONG OBSCURE INDIE BAND NAME HERE. Not to diss your music or your look, indie rockers, I like a lot of that stuff too. Red Jumpsuit Aparatus and Death Cab For Cutie are bands I regularly enjoy.

But really, can you actually imagine just some normal person listening to music? Everyone has their specific musical tastes, but not matter how much you understand that the cowgirl listens to country, can you actually imagine her, sitting in her room covered in pictures of her and her prize winning rodeo horses, rocking out to Keith Urban?

Posted in Music

Music that is so amazing it’s not even funny

Posted on by iridethelines

If you have never heard these songs… I have no words…

The Boxer
Simon & Garfunkel

Sound of Silence
Simon & Garfunkel

Stairway to Heaven
Led Zeppelin

Don’t Fear The Reaper
Blue Oyster Cult

Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen

American Pie
Don McLean

25 or 6 to 4
Chicago

Africa
ToTo

Eleanor Rigby
The Beatles

The Boy in the Bubble
Paul Simon

Pinball Wizard
The Who

Free Falling
Tom Petty

Joy to The World
Three Dog Night

Dylan Van Pelt
Stephen Kasica &the 06 XC Band

The Needle and the Damage Done
Neil Young

Intro/Walk on Water
Men Without Hats

Oh no… There are too many *cries*

Posted in Blog, Music

I’m just gonna say the railroad tracks

Posted on by Bri

I love newspaper class. I always get the controversial articles. The whole school is going to hate me by the end of the year.

So firstly, I’d like you all to welcome IRideTheLines, who has posted an introduction blog, and Cairo, who should be posting soon. New admins! Should I be worried that most of my admins are at least a year younger than me? Sigh.

So. Music. I got a Sansa dock this week. It’s where I plug in my Sansa e260 and it’s got speakers and I can hear my MP3 all over my room! Which is cool. But we had to update my MP3’s firmware, and it totally screwed up all my music. So now I can only listen to my playlist or specific albums. I can’t click “play all”. Luckily, most of the new music I have is on the playlist, so I just listen to that. I’m waiting for a day after school where I don’t have anything to do so I can take evrything off the MP3 and then put everything back on. This is going to take forever, and I have absolutely NO TIME.

Monday I had speech and debate after school, went home for ten minutes, and then went to training for a Kids Voting thing I’m volunteering for. I got home at seven and then ate dinner and did homework.

Tuesday I had speech and debate after school, went home and did homework for four hours.

Today I have a haircut right after school, then I go home to feed my animals, then I have about an hour to do my homework, then I get all fancied up to go to the Academic Awards Ceremony until about eight.

Tomorrow I have speech and debate after school, then I go home for about a half hour, then I leave to go volunteer until eight or eight thirty at that Kids Voting thing. Then I will do homework.

Friday I’m going to out school’s play at seven. And then I rest. Maybe Saturday.

Posted in Music

I am calling on you now

Posted on by Bri

So as many of you know, I went to homecoming last friday. Because this is a dance, of course, there was music. And because this was a high school dance, of course, the music was crappy.

No offense, Taylor, but really? They all sound the same. Here was our selection:

Rap
Save a horse, ride a cowboy
Rap
All Summer Long (I CAN’T STAND THIS SONG)
Rap
TNT
Rap
Shake It
Rap
Unidentifiable slow song
Rap
Baby Got Back
Rap
Cotton Eye Joe
Rap
Unidentifiable slow song
Rap
Rap
Rap
Unidentifiable Slow Song
Rap
Rap
Rap
Rap

…you get the picture. Of course, I danced to most of them, unless I was out in the courtyard because it was so hot inside the gym. But did I actually enjoy the music? Not so much. I sang along to Shake It and TNT. I enjoyed those songs. Then I just lapsed into mechanical teen-dancing, which consists of shaking your hips and flailing your arms.

Ok, I did actually have fun. Just because the music stank like a trout that your cousin hid under your couch three weeks ago, doesn’t mean that the company was lacking. Or some of it. Most of the people that filled up the tiny little gym were not the people I typically enjoyed conversing with, but we had our own little group of about seven people, so it was all good.

Posted in Music

Making a memory

Posted on by Bri

Usher is doing an all ladies tour. “What better way to get up close and personal than to make it all women?”

Apparently, the 29 year old rapper believes that his new CD is very intimate, and in order to get closer to his audience, he thought an all-woman tour would be a good idea. Which seems weird, but hey, it’s Usher. No offense. (Take it. Take offense! Yell at me!)

But the intimacy issue isn’t the only pro of the tour. “The ladies like to see that masculine build,” he said. “They question if I still got it.” So apparently Usher is also questioning his masculinity and wants to be reassured by thousands of woman that he’s attractive, all at the same time. Yeah, read that again. Usher has masculinity issues. So he’s going on an all woman tour. Hm.

He also re-hired his mother as his manager, which suggests that he has fired her before. I’m sorry, but that just made me laugh. almost as hard as the masculinity issues.

When I’m a rock star (yeah, you know it’s coming), I’m gonna go on an all-man tour. and then sing about female issues like periods and childbirth so men and women can get “closer”. It’s like those videos they showed in fifth grade, how they separated the boys and girls and taught them about the other gender and sex. It’ll be like that, except more graphic and not as much about sex since most grown men know what that is.

If you would buy a ticket to my all man concert (ladies, I expect to see you trying to get in with fake beards), let me know and I’ll start scheduling my tour. (I think I’ll start in Greece and make my way around Germany….)

Posted in Music

Life fills in my veins

Posted on by Bri

 

     I’m reviewing Panic’s second album, Pretty. Odd. And I have to say, I’m disappointed. Their debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, was incredible. Each song had it’s own personality, a good beat, interesting lyrics, and an upbeat and electric sound. Pretty. Odd., however, is much more mellow.

    I’ll give them credit for trying new things, and some of the songs were pretty decent, like Nine In The Afternoon, When The Day Met The Night, and That Green Gentleman. But overall, I was looking for their previous, punk/techno/orchestra/alternative sound, and I didn’t get it.

    One thing I found interesting was how the band traded instruments for some of the songs, and one or two Ryan, a guitarist, sand instead of Brendan, the regular lead singer. It was interesting, and brave, but next time I’ll be a little more wary of their music. Who knows what they’ll do next?

    Sounds like: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, The Academy Is

    Best Track: When The Day Met The Night

 

Sorry for the late post tonight.