Soundtrack To My Life
Aside from my short-lived career as a middle-school jazz band saxophone player, I have never been someone who can readily play or create music. That being said, music is an integral part of my life. This page is dedicated to the tunes and melodies that are streaming through my headphones these days. Enjoy!
Great Good Fine Ok, is not only just the collection of words I use most commonly when on the phone with my mom, it's also the name of the band that I've been playing on repeat for the past few weeks. They popped up in my recommended artists about two weeks ago. I'm not always a huge fan of the more synth heavy electronic music scene, but Great Good Fine Ok blends in some light pop qualities that make for the perfect windows down singing too loud in the car kinda jam. Enjoy!
I had the great fortune of being able to see The Lumineers in concert last year with BORNS, another one of my favorite bands. Granted I was so drunk that I offered a spliff to someone who later turned out to be a teenager in a Young Life t-shirt, but hey, we've all been there. In any case, Cleopatra is an incredible album, and Angela is the tune I've been streaming most lately. The slow, but steady build of the song all hits home with the final hoorah of "Vacancy, hotel room, lost in me, lost in you, Angela, on my knees, I belong, I believe" I mean, I'm sold. Enjoy!
So I know I'm real late on this, but Cold War Kids are REALLY doing it for me lately. First, it was "First" followed by "Love is Mystical" and now "Can We Hang On?" To me, it's The Black Keys meets Kings of Leon, meets Modest Mouse, which is a recipe I am SUPER cool with. Also, this is the band that sings "Hang Me Up To Dry"? What rock have I been living under? In any case, loving the addition of some new indie rock, blues infused goodness into my daily music routine. Enjoy!
UHHHMMMM, you guys, Paramore has a new single! I have been waiting for this day for what feels like, I don't know, my entire life. I have been a huge fan of Paramore since I was a teenager with bangs swooped over my eyes. There self-titled album and the release of "Ain't it Fun" solidified their place in my heart. Now, after much debate as to whether they would continue to release new music, we have "Hard Times, a 80s-synth inspired CLUB BANGER. SO EXCITED to hear the rest of After Laughter. Enjoy!
I could write a literal novel about my love for Frank Ocean and his music. Channel Orange had me hooked from the start and Blond only exceeded my expectations. Needless to say when I heard "Slide" for the first time, I immediately got a toner (a musical boner). Frank has graced us with music in-between albums and I couldn't be more thankful for this most gracious gift. The Calvin Harris collar is straight FIRE and has been playing on repeat on my shuffle for weeks. Check it out!
As previously discussed, Paramore has a new album out called After Laughter. Hard Times was the lead single from the album and gave me LIFE for weeks. Once the full album dropped, and I had the opportunity to check it out in its entirety, "Rose Colored Boy" quickly emerged as one of my favorites off the album. Paramore has shifted their sound a bit while still holding on to that energetic, up-beat sound they captured in their self-titled album. "Rose Colored Boy" takes the fun and the funk of songs like "Ain't It Fun" a step further, making it damn near impossible not to dance. Check it out!
So the finale of Rupaul's Drag Race Season 9 was about a week or two ago now and after watching Sasha Velour (my love) and Peppermint duel it out to arguably the gayest song ever written, I have begun to wonder if music even existed before Whitney Houston's "It's Not Right, But It's Okay" (the Thunderous remix...lol). Like Whitney, this song makes me feel like I too can pay my own rent, pay my light bill, AND take care of my babies, despite what his cheating ass might think BECAUSE I AM A STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN. HEAR ME ROAR!
With lines like "I know you wanna see me nakey, naked, naked" and "Fuck you till you burned out, cremation" it's a wonder I can tolerate listening to this song. However, it's the Santana guitar sample from "Maria, Maria" (one of my favorites) that got me hooked. The riff is infamous and gets me every time. Also, the music video recently came out and Rihanna looks like A LITERAL FUCKING GODDESS. So while it may be lacking in some areas (it's top 40 pop, not looking for all that much out of it) it's got everything I need to get on the dance floor and get down. Check it out!
There are few things I enjoy more than a band like HAIM, three sisters from California coming together to create a dope ass band. I could stick around just to watch Este's infamous "bass face" but more than that, the music is just so damn good. My love affair started back in 2012 with "Don't Save Me". The band quickly developed and put out several records, the latest of which is set to release soon. The lead single "Want You Back" has everything I've come to love from HAIM: dope harmonies, hard guitar riffs, a little bit of angst, and a whole lot of jam. Check it out!
Y'all. KESHA. I mean. I just. It...uhhmmm....yea. Kesha is back and her music is even better than ever! I followed the lawsuit between Kesha and Dr. Luke as it unfolded over the past few years and watched as white male privilege continually reared its ugly fucking head while anonymous internet trolls slut-shamed to no end. But at the end of it all, Kesha is back and she is pumping out HITS. Praying is EVERYTHING and I've been playing it on repeat for weeks! I'm here for the message, the lyrics, and I am MOST DEFINITELY here for that high note!
The past two days have had gloomy, rain-filled starts. I've also been feeling a little down, admittedly. In times such as these, I turn to Spotify to get me through and what I came to was Ray Lamontagne's "Let It Be Me". I could make a whole blog about my love for Ray Lamontagne's music, but I'll just say this: for a day like today, a song like "Let It Be Me" is perfect. It taps into the pain of the struggle, but also the desire for the love and support of friends, family, significant others, etc and leaves you reminded of the comfort those people bring. Give it a listen!