Friday, June 1, 2012

My Weekly Playlist

Hey,

Before I dive into the music, I wanted to let you know what next week's post will be about. I'm thinking about talking about why I listen to alternative, why I consider myself  a hipster when it comes to music, and what bands/artists I predicted would be big/have a couple of hits.

Okay, this week it's time for another installment of What I've Been Listening To.
In no particular order...

5. The Guy Who by Julian Verlard
I recently discovered this track through a play list on Spotify and disregarded it for a while, but re-found (not really a word, I know) it and am thoroughly in love. I love the chorus--it's so catchy. The lyrics are adorable, very whimsical. The keyboard line is one of my favorites. :) This guy has another CD from 2009 called "Another Guy's Song" where he did cool covers of "Sex on Fire," "Hot N Cold," and many other hits from that year.

4. Whatever Gets You By by The Features
This band has been around for quite some time, but I first heard of them when they were featured (haha that's a good one) on the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn soundtrack (say what you want; I'm a proud Twi-hard). And, IMO, their song was the best--next to Iron and Wine's Flightless Bird, American Mouth--on the soundtrack. Fast forward to this past week, and I was in the car when one of their new singels came on AltNation and I was like, "Whoa, I know this band. Cool." And I got home, looked it up, and discovered this one on accident. Things I like about this song: it has kind of a macabre feeling, the varying types of percussion, and the harmonies. It's a very dark track, but it's good. I love it.

3. Love Song For A Foreign Exchange Student by Magic Punches
I heard this song when I was shopping at Hollister six months ago and have been hooked ever since. I like the strong guitar at the beginning, the airy vocals, and the lyrics detailing how the singer has fallen for a foreign exchange student who does not share the same feelings. Cute. If the lead singer was a girl, the foreign exchange student reminds me a little of Fez from That 70's Show. :)

2. Freedom Hangs Like Heaven by Iron and Wine
Last summer, this was my jam. ;) I'm usually not much of a fan of folk music, but this is one of those rare exceptions. Iron and Wine is one of my favorite artists, and I'm still kicking myself when he came last summer and I said I didn't want to go. ugh. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Anyways, this song deals with very heavy Biblical references, almost like a re-telling of certain passages, has a strong guitar section, and Sam's vocals are equally weighty, but still a bit of whisper. Amazing.

1. Black Heart Inertia by Incubus
I fell hard for this band back in 8th grade. I thought the lead singer was the cutest thing to ever walk the planet--silly girl, I obviously hadn't seen Ian Somerhalder. haha My first song I listened to by them was Drive, as did every other human being who listened to alternative music/went to the movies/watched TV. I like to listen to them when my other music gets boring--it happens--or I need to stay awake during a long school day. This song was featured on The CoolTV, a channel we get because our cable provider updated everything to HD, but it's confusing and not worth explaining, which shows music videos. And I was doing the dishes and stopped because, I was like, "That's Brandon Boyd!" (the lead singer) Sure, enough, it was Incubus--their sound is very distinctive. This song was realsed along with their best of album, back in 2009, as was the music video. It's quite obvious, considering there, Brandon had the best haircut he has ever had, looked sweet in a plaid shirt, and had shaved recently. Now, he, John Mayer, and Jason Mraz are all trying to make the "I'm a hitchhiker/lonely, homeless musician/I've been walking in the desert for three months/I'm too poor for a haircut look. Ugh, it's horrible. Hopefully that fade will pass. Anyways, the SONG! I am rambling so badly today. So, what I like about it: the line "false inertia," Brandon's strong vocals with a touch of beautiful vibrato, the bass line, and the catchy melody. Nicely done, boys.

Until next week,
Bella

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