Keeping It Fresh

Today I have some music for you by a trio of musicians out of Australia. Glades is one of the most chill and smoothest bands out there right now, yet I feel like they haven't gained a huge following in the States. But that is why I am so glad to share this song with you all! Hopefully, you end up falling in love with their music the same way I have. Glades is a very interesting band to take a look at because their fundamental beliefs about the music they make is very different. When you listen to their music, they like to tell an emotion-driven story. In this song, we get the story of a relationship, a very common subject for musicians and lyricists. However, when you take a look at the pop scene, these songs seem to be rampant with overly sexual lyrics or innuendos. But Glades does not do any of that. Their focus is to tell the real story of what it is like to be in a relationship. The lyrics are about the emotional and mental relationship that you have with another person. They...

Today I have music for you that is so incredibly unique and weirdly riveting, that I had to share it with you all! This song is by the American gypsy punk band known as Gogol Bordello. Yeah, that's right. Gypsy punk. I can guarantee that this song is going to be on the stranger side of most people's musical taste, yet, it's the kind of music which you can't pull away from. Gogol Bordello is all about making music that intrigues you and leaves you hooked. The entire sound and reputation of Gogol Bordello hinge on this idea of unorthodox instrumentation and melodies. The vocal melody is just so catchy though that you get completely ensnared by the song and have to hear it out through the end. Even for those of you who don't find it to be your cup of tea, you can't deny the intrigue and odd attraction that the song has to the ears The song starts off with the plucking of a guitar in a melody that is clearly influenced by the common chord progression associated wi...

Today I have some music for you that comes from a band that has so much nostalgia attached to it. Last night, Panic! At the Disco played a show in Austin. Now many of you who have been following the blog for a while now, know that I like to report on the concerts I have been to. You probably also know that I frequent a lot of concerts. Keeping those thoughts in mind, I have to say, Panic! At the Disco was one of the most incredible and well-done shows I have ever seen. The lead singer, Brendon Urie, is one the most incredible and talented entertainers of our time. Not only can the man write songs and sing, but he can play multiple instruments and dances incredibly well. To top it all off, the man can perform so many different genres, and it is absolutely fantastic. So when I say that Panic! At the Disco was one of the greatest shows I have ever seen, it isn't a joke. Even before the show started, there was a theatrical aspect to the show. From beginning to end, the concert was rive...

Well, it has been quite a while since I have posted, and they have definitely become more sporadic this past week. But with exam season over, I am back in full swing with some great music headed your way. So to start this off, today I have some music for you by Ella Eyre. This is a girl who is not well known but should be because she has so much talent. Ella Eyre not only creates her own incredible songs, but is one of the best collaborators I have heard. She has worked with groups ranging in style from Bastille to Rudimental. Honestly, I think that is extremely impressive. Something about the way Ella Eyre works and the way she sings is so fierce. Not the stereotypical Beyonce fierce, but something that is strong and bold. She is a vocal powerhouse and can belt out the highest of notes, and yet can still become soft and vulnerable.  Ella Eyre pursues a sound that is really different from a lot of what we hear nowadays. This song is pretty percussion heavy, but ...

Today I have music for you by an artist that I haven't really posted about in a long time. They also happen to be one of the most incredibly talented artists of recent years and our generation. Florence and the Machine is a group that has so much to offer. Florence Welch has one of the most unique and fantastic voices I have ever heard. She is an absolute powerhouse, with the ability to belt out those high notes and fill them with so much strength and sound. And then we have songs like this where we get to hear more of her softer side. We get to hear more of her emotional side and vulnerability because she held back. Florence Welch is also quite an artist in all sense of the term. Not only is the music production itself phenomenal, but the depth of her songs can sometimes overwhelm me. She is a true artist in the sense that her creativity and artistic nature is not limited to just her music. She has found that delicate balance between technical mastery and sensitive lyricism. Her a...

Today is a big day for a couple of reasons. First off, it's Halloween! One of the most fun holidays to celebrate, this is the time you get to be whatever or whomever you choose to be! Scary costumes are definitely fan favorites, but no matter what you dress up as, it's all about the spirit of Halloween. Now there are some really cool eerie and spooky kinds of songs out there that fit so perfectly with the holiday. And they range from being fun songs with the typical Halloween kind of sound, to that really crisp baroque pop kind of sound that is my favorite kind of Halloween sound. What is even better, is that there are so many bands that like to take on that Halloween kind of sound and make it their own. All those burlesque and vaudeville bands, this is their time of year. And so in honor of these bands, today's song is by the kings of this genre, Panic! At the Disco. Whenever I hear this band, I am immediately transported to this era of steam punk and eerie atmospheres. Bu...

Today I have some eclectic music for you by the artist known as Melanie Martinez. I had no idea that she was a contestant on the X-Factor! It is kind of incredible to see how different her sound is compared to other X-Factor contestants. Melanie Martinez has such an original and creative sound and look to her, something I can really appreciate! I think a great way to describe Melanie Martinez is surrealist flow. Her music doesn't necessarily have a very "set in stone" structure. While her songs do have a specific pattern they follow, the structure of those patterns allows for a lot of wiggle room. Her music has a dark and dream-like feel to them, painting pictures of scenes out of a Tim Burton film. Her music is almost jarring, enough so so that the tunes stick in your head for a long while afterwards. There is a sense of having pop tendencies to the songs, but that theatricality her songs have make it an absolute masterpiece. Added to that is the lyrics she writes and si...

Today I have some music for you by a band that I have and always will love. If you've been following for a while, you can probably guess which band this is. Today's song is by the band Anberlin, the band that really got me started with music. And this song, is possibly one of my favorites ever. Now this is a cover of a song by Depeche Mode, but Anberlin's is the best version I have heard. If you watch the Vampire Diaries, you have probably heard this song before. Anyway, this song is one that is so well done in a lot of different ways. First off, Anberlin has one of the best drummers I have ever heard from a band. There are only a couple of others who I would consider on par with Anberlin's drummer. Now I know this can sound a little biased because I love the band, but in all honesty, the drum work throughout Anberlin's career has been pretty darn epic. And this song is no different. What I love about Anberlin, is that they give each instrument a little solo in most...

Today I have music for you by the musical project known as Anchor and Braille. For those of you who have never heard of Anchor and Braille or don't know much about them, this project was started by the lead singer of Anberlin. He created this project to record songs that had been written but never recorded with the band. Stephen Christian had written these songs, but these did not have the same energy and feel of Anberlin. Anberlin is known to be a heavier rock band with some more grunge elements to it. But Anchor and Braille takes the more indie and slow and sad sides of Anberlin and creates songs that really make you feel. These songs are more intimate, more personal. Every song I have heard by Anchor and Braille makes me feel something in my heart and my soul. The kind of emotions and feelings Anchor and Braille creates is one that is so indescribably deep and complex. I don't know if I have the appropriate words to describe these feelings but I can at least try. There is th...

Today I have some interesting music for you by a band whom I never expected to create music like this. The Plain White T's are generally a very sweet sounding band, with more acoustic and guitar oriented music. Their music is more along the lines of contemporary and more of a pop sound. Their most popular radio hits have been romantic ballads accompanied by a guitar and well performed melodies. But this song seems to be much more off the beaten path. Now I guess a precursor to the song is to explain that it was actually created to be a part of the Alice in Wonderland soundtrack. This being said, The Plain White T's had to create a song that was worthy of a Tim Burton film, in other words, something strange and out of the ordinary. And my oh my did they nail it! This song is such a wonderful expression of Tim Burton and his style, making it one of the greatest songs to accompany a movie of this caliber. Alice In Wonderland is a movie about a girl who gets swept into a world of m...

Today I have some incredible music for you today. This first song is by Florence  + The Machine. Many of you may know her, but the question is how well do you know her music. This song is really great because it has a darker twist to her music. Florence + The Machine has a very special style of music because it features elements used in a lot of movie scores. The heavy drums, the Celtic influences, the orchestral swells, etc. This song in particular features beautiful and amazing drum work. The title might give it away, but this song is more than just drum beats. It is the magnificence behind the way the drums sound. It is the strength and power which they thrum and pound. Florence Welch's vocals of course serve as a splendid compliment. Her voices sways and swells and grows stronger as the song progresses. In my opinion, Florence + The Machine is one of the most underrated musical groups. One listen to this song says it all. However, today I am not as focused on the vocal son...

Today I have some music for you inspired by this wonderful holiday. One is a classic, sung by the king of Christmas time cheer, Michael Buble. Today's second song is another Christmas classic by a rather unconventional artist, Panic! At The Disco. Both of these are lovely songs that tend to remind us of how wonderful the holidays are. So I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Today I have some eclectic music for you by the artist known as Melanie Martinez. I had no idea that she was a contestant on the X-Factor! It is kind of incredible to see how different her sound is compared to other X-Factor contestants. Melanie Martinez has such an original and creative sound and look to her, something I can really appreciate! I think a great way to describe Melanie Martinez is surrealist flow. Her music doesn't necessarily have a very "set in stone" structure. While her songs do have a specific pattern they follow, the structure of those patterns allows for a lot of wiggle room. Her music has a dark and dream-like feel to them, painting pictures of scenes out of a Tim Burton film. Her music is almost jarring, enough so so that the tunes stick in your head for a long while afterwards. There is a sense of having pop tendencies to the songs, but that theatricality her songs have make it an absolute masterpiece. Added to that is the lyrics she writes and si...

Tonight is Halloween night! It is the time when we all get to go out, dress up in costumes, and scare the hell out of people. This holiday is definitely one that gets people very excited and energized. I for one, am one of those people who love to go for the scare factor, jumping out at random people or being slightly creepy. This year though, the character that I was was enough to get people freaked out. The Joker is one of the most iconic villains, and he is definitely my favorite comic book villain. So, keeping this post short and simple so you all can go out and get your Halloween on, this first song is one of the greatest Halloween themes ever. It is a classic, both movie and song. Today's instrumental song is from The Dark Knight, because once you go Joker, you never go back. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!

Today I have some interesting music for you which does not correlate whatsoever! So this first song is a cover done by a group called Toploader, and this song has such a unique mix of funk and jazz. It is so weird and so appealing that you kind of just have to continue listening because it has that energetic and different sound. I just like this song a lot! Today's instrumental song is by a phenomenal duo called 2cellos. These guys are just so damn incredible and talented! As a cellist myself, I definitely have a huge respect for these two and wish I could play as fantastically and magically as they do. This duo have some astonishing covers! If you watch them play, live or on Youtube, it is something you will not forget. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!

Today I have a new song for you, one that is to be featured in one of the few movies this year that I am having trouble waiting for. For those of you who don't know, this year will mark the release of the 24th Bond movie and the fourth installment Daniel Craig does. Now a lot of speculation is being thrown around out there regarding who the next Bond will be. And while yes, that is a very interesting conversation to have, I am definitely more focused on the release of Spectre. This movie will introduce one of the Bond's most notorious villainous agencies, and I personally believe will serve as a movie that answers a lot of questions we Bond fans have. And while I could go on and on about how excited I am for this movie, I am going to turn my attention back to the point of this blog. This round's Bond theme is performed by the one and only Sam Smith. I won't lie, I totally did not see that one coming. What is really cool about the Bond themes is that they have generally ...

Today's song is by a band that released a new album last year, and has done really well. Panic! At the Disco seems to always create songs that have this unique energy to it, a primal desire mixed with creativity and lack of boundaries. Each song, on this album especially, has a specific message. What is even better is that each message addresses an issue that everyone has had at some point. This song especially has a strong message that almost everyone can relate to. I love this band and can't wait to see them! Today's instrumental song is from the movie Jumper. I for one found the concept of this movie extremely intriguing. This movie features some familiar faces, such as Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, and a small performance by Kristen Stewart. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!

Today I have music for you by one of the most incredibly talented artists of recent years and our generation. Florence and the Machine is a group that has so much to offer. Florence Welch has one of the most unique and fantastic voices I have ever heard. She is an absolute powerhouse, with the ability to belt out those high notes and fill them with so much strength and sound. And then we have songs like this where we get to hear more of her softer side. We get to hear more of her emotional side and vulnerability because she held back. Florence Welch is also quite an artist in all sense of the term. Not only is the music production itself phenomenal, but the depth of her songs can sometime overwhelm me. She is a true artist in the sense that her creativity and artistic nature is not limited to just her music. Florence Welch becomes a poet when penning her lyrics. She becomes a filmmaker and director when she decides to make a music video. She becomes an actress while filming her videos....

Today I have some new music for you by a group that got pretty popular last year. Clean Bandit has a very distinct and signature style that you can pinpoint pretty easily. Clean Bandit loves throwing a lot of older sounds, from past decades, and jazz it up with some modern twists. Honestly, their music and production is something that is just incredible. This is a band that creates music that is infectious and has such a great energy to it that it is impossible to stay still! I think one of the best things about Clean Bandit is the capability they have to produce music. Everything you hear by Clean Bandit has been produced by themselves. The music is all composed and performed by artists within the band and the vocals are often done by people in the band in collaboration with other artists. Clean Bandit is a very unique band because they love to incorporate orchestral sounds into their dance styled music. Often times, they takes samples from music that has already been composed, from a...

Today I have music for you by an extremely talented German rapper who goes by the name Cro. I was instantly hooked to this from the beginning. I think what entranced me the most was the idea of someone rapping to a groovy tune like this. In the majority of American rap, music like this does not accompany rap music and honestly, it sucks sometimes. This song is so fresh and unique and so out there that you can't help but enjoy it! I understand nothing in this song, but there is a fluidity to the rap that makes me kind of understand the idea of being suave and charming. This song has such a pumped up energy to it and the unique style that the instrumentals have makes this song wonderfully delightful. It is almost as if this is a mix of pop and rap, but instead of leaning towards one or the other, falls smack dab in the middle. I honestly cannot get enough of this song! Everything about it is so perfect, even down to the panda mask. There is a funky flair that Cro has that really make...