Amazing Tunes!

It's a Saturday afternoon and I've got nothing to do. I, like every other teenager, am going to listen to music. Because there's nothing else to do, right?
In light of my boredom, I've decided to post my favorite songs and a few albums; why not spread the joy of music a little further! Keep in mind: I watch gLee, but don't listen to gLee versions of things, so you might recognize a few tracks that they've don; I seem to always prefer the original versions...
Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

1. Atlas Hands - Benjamin Francis Leftwich
This is my absolute favorite song, and has been for the past 2 weeks. It was a free-feature on iTunes and I couldn't resist the singer-songwriter's album cover. It's a pretty straight song: only vocals and a few guitars (maybe 3-ish), but it's beautiful nonetheless. The music video is here.

2. Encounter - The Green Children
There's something so genuinely magical abot this album that I couldn't help but buy up every song. Every track is gorgeously laid with just enough embellishments to make each song unique and special. Milla's voice is stunning and Marlow's acompaniment can only be called ereathreal. My favorites are Dragons(music video ), Skies on Fire, and Hear Me Now (music video ).  Buying the track Hear Me Now and 50% of the money goes to poor women in India.

3. Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
Honestly,  I have never disliked one of Jack Johnson's songs and In Between Dreams was the first album of his I heard. In Between Dreams is full of fabulous songs, but Banana Pancakes is something else. I mean, who wouldn't love a do-nothing-day when you can sleep in and have pancakes for breakfast? It's just a sweet little tune that makes me smile everytime. Listen to: Banana Pancakes .

4. Come Fly Away - Jeremy Fisher
A little background: Jeremy Fisher is a singer-songwriter from Canada. He has a unique style using chords and instruments that aren't used often. Come Fly Away is catchy and uses sparse vocals. It's happy and the music video is a real treat for the eyes; especially for anyone who likes stop-action animation!

5. Violin AND Flower - Amos Lee
Number 5 came to a tie. Amos Lee has a gift with the guitar and Violin is a beautiful song, I believe about the gifts we are given. Flower, I loved the music video because of it's clean-n-simple look; paper made stop-action (or at least it looks that way). The both of them are winners and deserved to be mentioned. Both are from Lee's newest album, Mission Bell.

6. His Young Heart - Daughter
This is another extraordinarily clean sounding albums. Well, I lied, it's only the band's EP, but it's still incredible. The record features 4 songs: Landfill, The Woods, Candles, and Switzerland. Landfill is nearly all vocals; The Woods is guitar-vocals; Candles is just mind-bogglingly with strong then super subtle vocal and instrumentals. Switzerland, I kid you not, has zero lyrics, only a continuing aria-like vocal strain. All of them seem to interweave in a story about lost love, recovery and chidhood. Check out the album here .  FYI: Daughter's realy name = Elena Tonra.

7. Helena Beat - Foster the People
Foster the People has become extremley popular because of their song Pumped Up Kicks. If you haven't already heard it a bazillion times on the radio, colour me surprised. However, the first song released for the album, Torches, was Helena Beat. It was free on iTunes back in June[2011], and hasn't gotten nearly as much play as Pumped Up Kicks, which is a shame; because I think it's a better track. Pumped Up Kicks has a boozey-sounding feel, like you're listening from outside of a crowded coffee shop. Helena Beat is strong and vibrant, taking the other-wise simple beat into an Alice in Wonderland-style spiral, but with a sick getting ready for the apocolypse video, featuring The Lost Children (Peter Pan) and Battery City (My Chemical Romance)

8. Fairytale - Sara Bareilles
Remember Love Song; Sara's break-through song back in 2006-ish? Yea, this is another song off of that album. Sadly, I also did not discover Fairytale until last December, but at least I found it. The song basically trashes every Disney-version princess ever created, turning Cinderella and the gang into normal people. It screams that fairytales are all around us, but we're only looking for the story-book fairytales that Hans Christian Anderson and the Grimm Brothers made us think possible. Harsh, catchy, and all around crazy-goodness, I give yet another quadruple thumbs-up (with my bud, Emmy) to the Piano Queen. (music video here )

9. Stand By Me - Playing For Change
I'm positive most of you have heard this song. It's been done by everyone: John Lennon, Ben E. King, even the Temptations. But, this version was crafted by the organization, Playing For Change, whose goal is to help street preformers across the globe. They've done many songs like this, literally bringing a world together using song, but this one has something more. I can't describe what it is, maybe the muted tones of many instruments or the easy-flowing video . Whatever it is, the track is out of this world. It is by far my favorite version yet!

10. Na Na Na - My Chemical Romance
Yea, this is quite a change up, huh? I love MCR and the release of the new album Danger Days was the best day this past year. I'm not going to post the video because I'm not sure if it curses like it does in the song, but that's my only warning: a few f-bombs and the word "drugs". Honestly, the song pulses with tension, capable of giving even me an adrenaline rush at 5:30 in the morning! And it's a song about blowing things up; your argument is invalid. Battery City here I come

11. Sing - My Chemical Romance
Yes, another Danger Days song. This was done on glee a while back (they were all wearing plaid shirts in it...), and personally they killed it. When the cast members did their rendition, it lost every ounce of power and ferocity that made this song so good. It takes someone with a voice as skillfully brutal as Gerard Way's to get the messege across, and the Broadway stars on glee couldn't muster the strength. The only was to get the full taste of the track, you've gotta watch the music video. It's dirty, gritty and strange, but that's the point: making you want to get up and "keep running" away from the cruel city in the dust and take down BLI yourself.

12. Rumors - Fleetwood Mac
Rumors is one of the most iconic albums of the last 50-odd years, and it was the album that secured Fleetwood Mac's rightful spot in music history. I love this entire record, the best being The Chain, Songbird, and Never Going Back. There are also plenty of other great tracks like Gold Dust Woman, Oh Daddy, and Dreams. If you haven't heard Don't Stop [ you know: "don't stop/thinking about tomorrow"], then you really need to check this album out. Seriously; Go. Now. listen to album

Well, there are my favorite songs, at least for today. Yea, I have more, but soft, old-ish music really struck my fancy. I was drinking Coca-Cola while listening to MCR, so they're sugar-rush craze songs; but in a really good way! Check 'em out; they all rock. I promise.

Til Next Time: 

 

Carie Lea

My Fascination with Amy Winehouse

Amy by waytoFall (deviantart)

Every since the news broke about Amy Winehouse's death, every gossip blog, news network, magazine, everyone has given their two cents about the artist. Well, here's mine.

Amy Winehouse was extraordinary. She was the singer with that boozey, passionate voice that made jazz great. Amy had talent, style, and was beyond gorgeous; even with the slightly ridiculous, enlarged eyeliner wing.

Amy knew who she was and who she wanted to become. She was the retro bad-ass beauty that could turn out incredible music and look wicked while doing it. Now, anybody born in the last 16 years has obviously heard their share of Winehouse stories. Her wild partying was to be reckoned with. Of course, that's were most people's 2 pennies went: to her recklessness.

Honestly, when all is said and done, I can't totally blame her. I get that she went overboard a bit. The lifestyle of those in the fast-lane is something I can only imagine, if aspire to. If I was in the shoes of someone like Adele or Gwenyth Paltrow, I'm damned sure that I would want a drink at some point. I'm sure even Oprah has downed a shot on a particularly hard "Favorite Things" episode. Snobbish people tend to stick to the opinion of "I could do better".

Well, could you?



Her partying and addictions are not the point of this entry, please understand that much. The point of this was her talent.

Amy's talent was something of Brittney Spears and Bruno Mars' wildest fantasies. She had a voice well beyond her years, and her lyrics spoke of a depth most modern music can't ever seem to reach. Her album, Back to Black, was nominated for 5 Emmy's; all of which, Amy won.

People have singled out Amy's hit, Rehab, as a cry for help. I beg to differ. I believe the song was less about Amy's choice to abandon/refuse help, but about choices in general; the way a choice can effect a life. Amy was reflecting on her choices, but not entirely bringing the spotlight to her less-than-brilliant ones. Amy defined an era where music still meant something to those that were creating it. When Amy felt something, we all felt something; whether it was a smirk, a grimace, or a little tug at the old heart-strings

Escapades aside, I've wanted to be Amy. I have dreamt about being the girl that everybody likes and respects, but can hold her own and be strong in the arena of life. Obviously, Amy may have taken to much and I feel that society is partly to blame, for alot of celebrity has-beens and mis-haps.

We gave Amy alot of un-needed attention for over-doing it and making a fool of herself. I'm almost positive that she wasn't proud of it and didn't mean to go that far! To her, it must have been like that crazy child-hood dream we have when your at school, but you didn't put on your pants that morning. Then, a picture of you in your lucky space-teddy undies (don't laugh!) appears in the school paper the following day. It's one of those "oh God, why me?" moments.

So, as I listen to my worn-out copy of Back to Black, and look at the picture of her above, I wonder what she was thinking there. Was she excited for something? Scared or angry? Maybe she was filled with pride, but was modestly trying not to reveal it?

I also wonder what was going through Amy's mind on her last day. She couldn't have known that was it! There is just this aching thought in the back of my mind, the pounding urge to know what was going through her mind, what she did, what music she listened to, on her last day.

All that is left to say, as Valerie flows through the speakers, is that it's making me smile a little bit more. This song was supremely her; Amy Winehouse is written in neon lights all over it! Bruno Mars and his lighters can go off into their corner, because his cover can't hold a flame to Amy.

Let's just leave it at Miss Amy Winehouse will never be replaced and the music business will be doing 360's in it's grave at a million miles an hour trying to find the next Amy.

I believe it will be hard to recover the era of Black.

Until next time, all!

Carie Lea

listen to Amy's song Valerie here

listen to Amy's song Rehab here