An online music magazine where I can share information about bands and artists with a nice sound. I'll provide music samples along with album reviews and track reviews which will be entirely based on my personal opinions and music insight. The rating scale will be from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most loved.
"This is not the sound of a new man or crispy realization. It's the sound of the unlocking and the lift away. Your love will be, safe with me." - Re: stacks - Bon Iver
An arranged marriage is arranged by someone other than the couple getting wedded. Usually, the parents, an older family member, or a matchmaking agent decides the candidate. The future bride and groom have no say in it. Such marriages were practiced by royal and aristocratic families, particularly in Europe. Nowadays, it is still practiced in South Asia, the Middle East, and to an extent, East Asia. The two main religions involved are Islam and Hinduism. According to muslims and hindus, arranged marriages result in fewer divorces or none at all. Their beliefs and their past are strongly impacted by this tradition as dating is not prevalent in their culture.
Before choosing a match, the person must consider numerous factors: reputation, wealth, vocation, horoscopes, age, and language. The family should have a good reputation and social status, and possess a lot of money. The candidate's profession is also extremely important. If they are a doctor, accountant, lawyer, engineer, or scientist, they are traditionally valued as excellent spouse material. However, any profession that has a relatively high income is preferable. Then, numerology and the position of stars at birth are often applied in Indian culture in order to determine the success of the match. Finally, the groom should typically be older than the bride and they should speak the same First language. On certain occasions, the families decide to get their daughter's married because of their financial matters.
There are many pros and cons that are associated with arranged marriages. The parents have control over family matters and members since they decide on the prospective bride and groom. On the other hand, arranged marriages appear to promote racism and class system. Over the years, they have been considered more like a trade than a social custom. For certain people, it is an easy way to make money. But the most crucial inconvenience is that the man and the woman do not know each other. If either of them are opposites, and believe in different things, there would be no mutual level of understanding between the two. For an arranged marriage to succeed, the couple must accept it. Consequently, there will be a mutual level of understanding and agreement between the groom and bride which will allow for a possible flourishing relationship.
Questions 1. Are lower divorces a legitimate reason for arranged marriages? 2. How have arranged marriages changed from 100 years ago? 3. What does the Western world think about arranged marriages?
It was great writing issue no. 1 of Hum to yourself. I hope I have filled your life with amazing music that has somehow impacted you in any way or maybe, I have failed you. Nevertheless, I discovered that my taste in music has evolved since the first couple of entries. Butch Walker has become my musical God while Bon Iver is now the soundtrack to my everything. Can you believe Butch is 40 years old?! And to top it all off, my girl Ke$ha is dancepartyinmyears, forget Gaga. I hope to come across more great music in the future.
Born Bradley Glenn Walker on November 14, 1969, Walker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as Butch Walker. He grew up in Cartersville, Georgia and was a guitarist and performer in various rock bands in the 1980's including Bad Boyz and Byte the Bullet. Afterwards, Butch formed several other bands in the 1990's including Floyds Funk Revival, The Floyds, and the most popular one, Marvelous 3. After Marvelous 3 broke up in 2001, Walker began his solo career and released the following albums: Left of Self-Centered in 2002, Letters in 2004, The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites in 2006 and Sycamore Meadows in 2008. As a matter of fact, Sycamore Meadows was titled after the street the house he was on. Walker had lost all of his posessions, every song he has recorded, when the home he was renting from Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Malibu, burned down due to a wildfire.
Aside from playing and creating his own music, Butch is also a record producer. He has written and produced records for the following artists: Pete Yorn - musicforthemorningafter (2001) Injected - Burn It Black (2002) Bowling for Soup - Drunk Enough to Dance (2002) SR-71 - Tomorrow (2002) Pete Yorn - Day I Forgot (2003) Gob - Foot In Mouth Disease (2003) Default - Elocation (2003) Sevendust - Seasons (2003) Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin (2004) Simple Plan - Still Not Getting Any... (2004) Midtown - Forget What You Know (2004) The Donnas - Gold Medal (2004) American Hi-Fi - Hearts on Parade (2005) Lindsay Lohan - A Little More Personal (Raw) (2005) Pink - I'm Not Dead (2006) PUFFY - Splurge (2006) Family Force 5 - Business Up Front/Party in the Back (2006) Pete Yorn - Nightcrawler (2006) Quietdrive - When All That's Left Is You (2006) Rock Star Supernova - Rock Star Supernova (2006) Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing (2007) The Academy Is... - Santi (2007) The Honorary Title - Scream & Light Up The Sky (2007) Hot Hot Heat - Happiness Ltd. (2007) PUFFY - Honeycreeper (2007) The Automatic - This Is A Fix (2008) Katy Perry - One of the Boys (2008) Pink - Funhouse (2008) Secondhand Serenade - A Twist In My Story (2009) PUFFY - Bring It! (2009) All Time Low - Nothing Personal (2009) Weezer - Raditude (2009) Saosin - In Search Of Solid Ground (2009) Plastiscines - About Love (2009) Dashboard Confessional - Alter the Ending (2009) Never Shout Never! - What Is Love (2010)
Here are his albums up to date: (put your mouse over the album art to reveal the album name)
Despite being a typical rock'n'roll artist, covered up in tattoos, Walker's songwriting is very particular. He opens up to his fans and listeners through his lyrics. The words are carefully selected but are very casual and honest. The listener can easily identify his emotions and feelings on the subject matter. Whenever his fans listen to his music, it's like having a heart-to-heart conversation with someone close to you, wherever you may be. His thrilling experiences are definitely demonstrated in his songs. Walker has grown through his music and has become a mature 40-year-old man.
He allows his fans into his life, especially in "Going back / Going home" from his latest album Sycamore Meadows, in this little rap:
Cut to a life Being born in '69 Low class suburb, Everything's fine. Fondue parties My mom and my dad, Drinks being drunk And fights being had.
[...]
So I took my penicillin and I took my band To a town made of glitter girls and cocaine friends. Got handed the job by the age of eighteen. Saw more than most people that I know had ever seen. Played every bar, drank till black and blue. Did the morning show bullshit And went to China too. Where they left us to die, without a ticket to flee. In sighting the riot, we were only 23. Packed it up, started over just as fast as we can. Selling tapes making merch in the back of a van Living hand-to-mouth for the next five years. Took up drinking wine, gave up drinking beer. Signed another big deal with a devil in a dress. A 'one hit wonder' I think, describes it best. Decided to burn out, then to fade away. Went back to the van the very next day. Picked it up, made a living without any help. Made amazing friends, if I saw so myself. If living like this at thirty-eight is a bore, Then c'mon God, please give me thirty-eight more.
He ends the song beautifully by admitting to have experienced a lot at his age:
And everybody know's I've seen a lot Yeah, I'm experienced. Makes you feel so old after a while, Just like our president. Everytime I come back in this town I know, I finally know the difference between going back and going home.
Walker hasn't been heard in two years, hopefully his next record, I Liked You Better When You Had No Heart, expected to release on February 23, will be a hit. Considering the witty album title, there is no doubt it will be mind-blowing.
Bon Iver (pronounced like the French words, "bon hiver", meaning good winter) is American indie-folk singer-songwriter, Justin Vernon's current band, signed with Jagjaguwar and 4AD. Bon Iver consists of three other members: Michael Noyce (vocals, baritone guitar, guitar), Sean Carey (drums, vocals, piano), and Matthew McCaughan (bass, drums, vocals). Bon Iver's debut album For Emma, Forever Ago was independently released by Justin Vernon in July 2007. However, it was properly released on February 19, 2008 when Vernon decided to sign with Jagjaguwar. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon spent three months in a remote cabin in Northwestern Wisconcin which one of the tracks, Woods, makes a reference to. Vernon's initial idea was to "hibernate". It turns out that three months of solitude resulted in the creation of For Emma, Forever Ago. All the emotions he kept built up inside of him suddenly bursted out into the form of songs. Vernon actually recorded his album by himself. "I had a very light set-up, a basic small recording set-up: a Shure SM57 and an old Silvertone guitar. I had my brother drop off his old drums... some other small things – things I would make or find lying around," he stated. Since then, many tracks from For Emma, Forever Ago have been featured on numerous television shows, some examples include One Tree Hill, Grey's Anatomy, Skins, and Chuck.
His recent EP, called Blood Bank, hit shelves on January 20, 2009.
Track listing: 1. "Flume" 2. "Lump Sum" 3. "Skinny Love" 4. "The Wolves (Act I and II)" 5. "Blindsided" 6. "Creature Fear" 7. "Team" 8. "For Emma" 9. "re: Stacks"
My top 4 favourite songs of this album are Skinny Love, Blindsided, For Emma and re: Stacks.
Skinny Love -
I told you to be patient. I told you to be fine. I told you to be balanced. I told you to be kind. Now all your love is wasted? Then who the hell was I? Now I'm breaking at the britches and at the end of all your lines
Blindsided -
Would you really rush out for me now?
For Emma -
With all your lies, you're still very lovable.
re: Stacks -
This is not the sound of a new man or crispy realization. It's the sound of the unlocking and the lift away. Your love will be, safe with me
Source: LAST FM L to R: Jimmy Richards, Justin Richards, Alex Draper.
Brighten is an unsigned indie pop-rock band hailing from Chico, California. The band consists of brothers Justin Richards (lead vocals, guitar) and Jimmy Richards (drums), and Alex Draper (bass, backing vocals).
They independently released their debut EP, Ready When You Are, on November 9, 2005. The EP was very successful and has since sold out.
Lead singer, Justin Richards is now a full-time touring member of A Rocket To The Moon, which consequently has put Brighten on a temporary hiatus. However, Brighten announced in May 2009 on their Myspace that the following month they would begin recording new material with producer Jeff Schneeweis.
The EP is now officially done and is set to release sometime this fall. Despite the new album, Brighten will not be touring to promote it due to A Rocket To The Moon's busy touring schedules. Justin stated that he won't stop doing Brighten but it will rather be "just for fun".
Brighten's long anticipated new EP "Early Love" was released on February 9, 2008. The album combines a perfect mix of contagious melodies and heartfelt lyrics that they have been known for. You may find your mom and dad humming to their songs and even your little sister singing along. "Early Love" satisfies everybody.
Track listing 1. "Carolina" 2. "Easy To Fall In Love" 3. "Love On My Mind" 4. "We Are Birds" 5. "Swing" 6. "Love Me Honestly" 7. "What She Really Wants"
My top 3 favourite tracks off this EP are, "We Are Birds", "Easy To Fall In Love", and "What She Really Wants".
"We Are Birds" - This song makes a reference to The Notebook, when Noah tells Allie, "If you're a bird, then I'm a bird too." It's a great, love tune. The lyrics are a reminiscence of the oldies.
If you're a bird then I'm a bird but if you can't fly then neither will I 'cause then love is not the right time to die. We still have our whole life to be with you and I'm done and make this life a good one.
"Easy To Fall In Love" - It describes how easy it is to fall in love with this specific girl he is describing. The lyrics, again, are warm and heartfelt. Any girl would want someone to write them a song like this one. (One can dream.)
I love when she writes for me and she doesn't even play the piano. She plays it so good, better than I could. Our love gets better everyday with every touch and sound that your voice makes. How did we get here? It's better than last year.
"What She Really Wants" - The song describes how his significant other became a part of him. Once again, witty, heartfelt and a-mazing! lyrics.
Oh she's my music when I'm trying to sleep. When I forget the words she knows everything. But what I really want is to hear her sing. She's my feet when I cannot dance. She just loves it and she doesn't laugh. And what I really love she says I'm not so bad.
~*~
This band gets a ten because their music is out-of-this-world.
Seabear is an indie-folk band hailing from Reykjavik, Iceland, signed with Morr Music. Although the band is Icelandic, their songs are primarily in English.
Seabear was first a one-man project of Sindri Sigfússon. However, he eventually ended up recruiting six other members: Uðbjörg Hlín Guðmundsdóttir, Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, Halldór Ragnarsson, Örn Ingi Ágústsson, Kjartan Bragi Bjarnason & Sóley Stefánsdóttir.
Their music is for the most part subdued and mellow folk pop, with some piano, violin, acoustic guitar and atmospheric vocals. It's like summer, drinking cold lemonade on a hot day, chilling with your friends in your backyard, sort of feel.
They released their first full-length album, The Ghost That Carried Us Away, in Autumn 2007 under Morr Music. Sindri also has an solo-artist EP under the name Seabear entitled Singing Arc EP.
Seabear has announced on their Myspace that they are currently working on a new album which they hope to release in early Spring 2010.
What I love most about this album is that it is very versatile. If the weather's sunny and warm, it suits it perfectly, and even if the weather's dark and cloudy, it remains appropriate.
My all-time favourite track is "I Sing, I Swim". The lyrics are cute and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Here's an awesome video of their song, "I Sing, I Swim":
Source: NME Online Magazine L to R: Pat Kirch, Jared Monaco, John O'Callaghan, Kennedy Brock, Garrett Nickelsen
The Maine is an American pop rock band signed with Fearless Records in 2007. Hailing from Tempe, Arizona, the band consists of five members: John O'Callaghan (a.k.a. John Ohh, lead vocals), Garrett Nickelsen (bass), Kennedy Brock (rhythm guitar & back-up vocals), Jared Monaco (lead guitar) and Pat Kirch (drums).
The band released their sophomore EP, The Way We Talk EP, in December 2007. Their debut EP included a cover of Akon's hit song, "I Wanna Love You". The Way We Talk EP debuted at #6 on the iTunes Top 100 Alternative Chart and shot to #10 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart, selling 30,000 albums in a less than six months.
Shortly after, the group immediately began their first full-length album. They headed into the studio with multi-platinum music producer, Matt Squire. Can't Stop, Won't Stop was released on July 8, 2008. Their first single off the record was "Everything I Ask For", which was also their first ever recorded music video. The album reflects on relationships and life in general, focusing on the good times and the tough times. A deluxe version of Can't Stop, Won't Stop, along with a digital documentary called "In Person" was released on July 14, 2009.
The Maine spent the summer of 2008 touring alongside Metro Station, Good Charlotte and Boys Like Girls on the Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour. I had the opportunity to see them live in August that summer and it was amazing. Despite their very short set list, I enjoyed every waking moment of their performance.
Two weeks prior, they performed on the Vans Warped Tour 2008.
On December 9, 2009, The Maine released a holiday EP titled "...And A Happy New Year" which included a cover of Wham!'s song "Last Christmas", their own songs called, "Santa Stole My Girlfriend", "Mr. Winter" and "Ho Ho Hopefully" which they originally collaborated with the band and close friends Brighten.
They continued touring in February and March 2009. In the summer of this year, they played on the Hurley Stage at the Vans Warped Tour 2009.
They are currently touring the nation with Boys Like Girls, Cobra Starship, A Rocket To The Moon, and VersaEmerge on the OP Presents! Tour.
Although many of their fans have considered their musical inspiration to be based upon girls, relationships and their make-ups and break-ups, John O'Callaghan stated in an interview, that their songs "are more about going through life and experience, and figure yourself out as a young person, and the same time falling in and out of relationships."
1. "Everything I Ask For" 2. "We All Roll Along" 3. "Girls Do What They Want" 4. "I Must Be Dreaming" 5. "Into Your Arms" 6. "Time to Go" 7. "This Is the End" 8. "Whoever She Is" 9. "Count 'Em One, Two, Three" 10. "Kiss and Sell" 11. "You Left Me" 12. "We'll All Be..."
My top 5 favourite tracks off this record are We All Roll Along, I Must Be Dreaming, Into Your Arms, Whoever She Is and We'll All Be...
Listen to... "We All Roll Along": It'll remind you of your high school years or your youth and the people who surrounded you during that time of your life. It's mostly about nostalgic and reminiscence.
"I remember every day that I spent dreaming of leaving this place behind I would run away from thinkin'. Adding up all the days spent wasted. Chasing the girls we hated. Some things, they, they never change. Take me back to the sleepless nights, the stupid fights. It never mattered who was wrong or who was right. You're all a part of me."
"I Must Be Dreaming": Could remind you about your first real relationship and/or "love". (Aww!)
"Remember the day when we started this. And she made the shape of my heart with her hands. We tried to make some sense of it."
"Into Your Arms": About an unstable relationship, that's slowly falling apart.
"Oh she's slippin' away. I always freeze when I'm thinking of words to say. All the things she does, make it seem like love. If it's just a game. (Just a game) Then I like the way that we play."
"Whoever She Is": About the girl or the guy (if you change the lyrics around). It basically tries to explain that the person you're looking for might just be right in front of you.
"She could be rainy days, minimum wage, a book that ends with no last page Whoever she is, whoever she may be, one thing's for sure, you don't have to worry."
"We'll All Be...": About youth, your fun teenage years and whoever you were surrounded by. It also describes the good moments that took place at the time.
"Oh each day's a number, but we can't forget last summer when we say we do, we're on to the end. Go on and sing it out, our days are numbered, we know we're not gettin' any younger. But it's nights like these that make you not really care."
Source: Photobucket L to R: John Keefe, Martin Johnson, Bryan Donahue, Paul DiGiovanni
Boys Like Girls is an American rock band signed with Columbia Records and Red Ink. I started listening to them in 2005 when I was exploring (you could say) different genres of music. I have been a fan ever since. The band originally from Boston, Massachusetts consists of Martin Johnson (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Paul DiGiovanni (lead guitar), Bryan Donahue (bass) and John Keefe (drums). The boys gained recognition after their self-titled debut album, Boys Like Girls, was released on August 22, 2006.
Shortly after, Boys Like Girls completed their first headlining tour, supported by Permanent Me and Scenes from A Movie in August and September, before heading out on an East coast tour, opening for Lostprophets and Eighteen Visions throughout October. For the next four years and a half, the band toured constantly with various bands from North America to Europe to Asia promoting their first record.
Low and behold, on February 10, 2009, devoted Boys Like Girls fans (i.e. me) were thrilled when Martin Johnson announced on his personal blog, Martin Says, that the band had started recording half of their second album in Vancouver and would later on record the other half in New York city. The album was recorded in two different countries because there were "two different producers/production teams, two different environments, and two different styles of inspiration", stated Johnson.
The new album, Love Drunk, hit shelves on September 8, 2009 and is now available worldwide on Itunes. All lyrics were written by frontman, Martin Johnson, himself.
Track listing 1. "Heart Heart Heartbreak" 2. "Love Drunk" 3. "She's Got a Boyfriend Now" 4. "Two is Better than One" (featuring Taylor Swift) 5. "Contagious" 6. "Real Thing" 7. "Someone Like You" 8. "The Shot Heard 'Round The World" 9. "The First One" 10. "Chemicals Collide" 11. "Go"
Love Drunk is even more appetizing than their first album and was definitely worth the wait. Their sound has evolved and contains more substance like explosive shreds and crunchy guitars in terms of more of a rock feel. The album also contains elements from pop from the 80's and rock.
Some songs were designed to hype up the audience and allow them to sing along, for example the "Hey!"s, "Yeah!"s and "Okay!"s from their single, Love Drunk, encourages the fans to interact. They have a catchy tune which you can sing along doing whatever, whenever.
My top 5 favourite tracks off this record are "Two is Better than One" (feat. Taylor Swift), "Someone Like You", "She's Got A Boyfriend", "Chemicals Collide" and "Contagious".
Listen to... Two is Better than One (feat. Taylor Swift): if you are single. I guarantee you will feel entirely depressed by the fact that you are single after listening to the song and its lyrics.
"I remember every look upon your face. The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste. You make it hard for breathing."
Someone Like You: when you forget who you are and where you're going. This song is about figuring out a plan on where to go next.
"My life in the rearview, I'm running from Jesus Don't know where I'm going to. I got nothing to lose, I'm fighting my demons, been looking for someone like you. I've been looking for someone like you."
She's Got A Boyfriend: when you want to be reminded about high school and what you thought of life back then. Or past high school lovers.
"Yeah, maybe we were in high school, but you never see the ending when you're young and not pretending, singing 'Everything's gonna be all right', and everything was gonna be all right."
Chemicals Collide: to bang your head to, sing along, which may result in a possible one man air drumming session.
"When the mornin' is breaking And your heart is shaking I'll remember how it feels right now When we're lost in the moment The sky is exploding Just keep on floating."
Contagious: to bang your head to, sing along. Sometimes all it takes is a catchy tune and witty lyrics to make a song.
"And I know you think I'm crazy, and I dress up like I'm four. I don't do dinner and movies but if I showed up at your door..."
Welcome to Hum to yourself, an online music magazine created by Tatiana, which will include album reviews and information about various bands and artists.
About
À propos d'elle
My name is Tatiana.
I'm an aspiring writer and a daydreamer who enjoys tea in the afternoon, her iPod playlists and french pastries.
Arranged Marriages
Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 10:38 AM
An arranged marriage is arranged by someone other than the couple getting wedded. Usually, the parents, an older family member, or a matchmaking agent decides the candidate. The future bride and groom have no say in it. Such marriages were practiced by royal and aristocratic families, particularly in Europe. Nowadays, it is still practiced in South Asia, the Middle East, and to an extent, East Asia. The two main religions involved are Islam and Hinduism. According to muslims and hindus, arranged marriages result in fewer divorces or none at all. Their beliefs and their past are strongly impacted by this tradition as dating is not prevalent in their culture.
Before choosing a match, the person must consider numerous factors: reputation, wealth, vocation, horoscopes, age, and language. The family should have a good reputation and social status, and possess a lot of money. The candidate's profession is also extremely important. If they are a doctor, accountant, lawyer, engineer, or scientist, they are traditionally valued as excellent spouse material. However, any profession that has a relatively high income is preferable. Then, numerology and the position of stars at birth are often applied in Indian culture in order to determine the success of the match. Finally, the groom should typically be older than the bride and they should speak the same First language. On certain occasions, the families decide to get their daughter's married because of their financial matters.
There are many pros and cons that are associated with arranged marriages. The parents have control over family matters and members since they decide on the prospective bride and groom. On the other hand, arranged marriages appear to promote racism and class system. Over the years, they have been considered more like a trade than a social custom. For certain people, it is an easy way to make money. But the most crucial inconvenience is that the man and the woman do not know each other. If either of them are opposites, and believe in different things, there would be no mutual level of understanding between the two. For an arranged marriage to succeed, the couple must accept it. Consequently, there will be a mutual level of understanding and agreement between the groom and bride which will allow for a possible flourishing relationship.
Questions 1. Are lower divorces a legitimate reason for arranged marriages? 2. How have arranged marriages changed from 100 years ago? 3. What does the Western world think about arranged marriages?
It was great writing issue no. 1 of Hum to yourself. I hope I have filled your life with amazing music that has somehow impacted you in any way or maybe, I have failed you. Nevertheless, I discovered that my taste in music has evolved since the first couple of entries. Butch Walker has become my musical God while Bon Iver is now the soundtrack to my everything. Can you believe Butch is 40 years old?! And to top it all off, my girl Ke$ha is dancepartyinmyears, forget Gaga. I hope to come across more great music in the future.
Born Bradley Glenn Walker on November 14, 1969, Walker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as Butch Walker. He grew up in Cartersville, Georgia and was a guitarist and performer in various rock bands in the 1980's including Bad Boyz and Byte the Bullet. Afterwards, Butch formed several other bands in the 1990's including Floyds Funk Revival, The Floyds, and the most popular one, Marvelous 3. After Marvelous 3 broke up in 2001, Walker began his solo career and released the following albums: Left of Self-Centered in 2002, Letters in 2004, The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites in 2006 and Sycamore Meadows in 2008. As a matter of fact, Sycamore Meadows was titled after the street the house he was on. Walker had lost all of his posessions, every song he has recorded, when the home he was renting from Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Malibu, burned down due to a wildfire.
Aside from playing and creating his own music, Butch is also a record producer. He has written and produced records for the following artists: Pete Yorn - musicforthemorningafter (2001) Injected - Burn It Black (2002) Bowling for Soup - Drunk Enough to Dance (2002) SR-71 - Tomorrow (2002) Pete Yorn - Day I Forgot (2003) Gob - Foot In Mouth Disease (2003) Default - Elocation (2003) Sevendust - Seasons (2003) Avril Lavigne - Under My Skin (2004) Simple Plan - Still Not Getting Any... (2004) Midtown - Forget What You Know (2004) The Donnas - Gold Medal (2004) American Hi-Fi - Hearts on Parade (2005) Lindsay Lohan - A Little More Personal (Raw) (2005) Pink - I'm Not Dead (2006) PUFFY - Splurge (2006) Family Force 5 - Business Up Front/Party in the Back (2006) Pete Yorn - Nightcrawler (2006) Quietdrive - When All That's Left Is You (2006) Rock Star Supernova - Rock Star Supernova (2006) Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing (2007) The Academy Is... - Santi (2007) The Honorary Title - Scream & Light Up The Sky (2007) Hot Hot Heat - Happiness Ltd. (2007) PUFFY - Honeycreeper (2007) The Automatic - This Is A Fix (2008) Katy Perry - One of the Boys (2008) Pink - Funhouse (2008) Secondhand Serenade - A Twist In My Story (2009) PUFFY - Bring It! (2009) All Time Low - Nothing Personal (2009) Weezer - Raditude (2009) Saosin - In Search Of Solid Ground (2009) Plastiscines - About Love (2009) Dashboard Confessional - Alter the Ending (2009) Never Shout Never! - What Is Love (2010)
Here are his albums up to date: (put your mouse over the album art to reveal the album name)
Despite being a typical rock'n'roll artist, covered up in tattoos, Walker's songwriting is very particular. He opens up to his fans and listeners through his lyrics. The words are carefully selected but are very casual and honest. The listener can easily identify his emotions and feelings on the subject matter. Whenever his fans listen to his music, it's like having a heart-to-heart conversation with someone close to you, wherever you may be. His thrilling experiences are definitely demonstrated in his songs. Walker has grown through his music and has become a mature 40-year-old man.
He allows his fans into his life, especially in "Going back / Going home" from his latest album Sycamore Meadows, in this little rap:
Cut to a life Being born in '69 Low class suburb, Everything's fine. Fondue parties My mom and my dad, Drinks being drunk And fights being had.
[...]
So I took my penicillin and I took my band To a town made of glitter girls and cocaine friends. Got handed the job by the age of eighteen. Saw more than most people that I know had ever seen. Played every bar, drank till black and blue. Did the morning show bullshit And went to China too. Where they left us to die, without a ticket to flee. In sighting the riot, we were only 23. Packed it up, started over just as fast as we can. Selling tapes making merch in the back of a van Living hand-to-mouth for the next five years. Took up drinking wine, gave up drinking beer. Signed another big deal with a devil in a dress. A 'one hit wonder' I think, describes it best. Decided to burn out, then to fade away. Went back to the van the very next day. Picked it up, made a living without any help. Made amazing friends, if I saw so myself. If living like this at thirty-eight is a bore, Then c'mon God, please give me thirty-eight more.
He ends the song beautifully by admitting to have experienced a lot at his age:
And everybody know's I've seen a lot Yeah, I'm experienced. Makes you feel so old after a while, Just like our president. Everytime I come back in this town I know, I finally know the difference between going back and going home.
Walker hasn't been heard in two years, hopefully his next record, I Liked You Better When You Had No Heart, expected to release on February 23, will be a hit. Considering the witty album title, there is no doubt it will be mind-blowing.
Bon Iver (pronounced like the French words, "bon hiver", meaning good winter) is American indie-folk singer-songwriter, Justin Vernon's current band, signed with Jagjaguwar and 4AD. Bon Iver consists of three other members: Michael Noyce (vocals, baritone guitar, guitar), Sean Carey (drums, vocals, piano), and Matthew McCaughan (bass, drums, vocals). Bon Iver's debut album For Emma, Forever Ago was independently released by Justin Vernon in July 2007. However, it was properly released on February 19, 2008 when Vernon decided to sign with Jagjaguwar. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon spent three months in a remote cabin in Northwestern Wisconcin which one of the tracks, Woods, makes a reference to. Vernon's initial idea was to "hibernate". It turns out that three months of solitude resulted in the creation of For Emma, Forever Ago. All the emotions he kept built up inside of him suddenly bursted out into the form of songs. Vernon actually recorded his album by himself. "I had a very light set-up, a basic small recording set-up: a Shure SM57 and an old Silvertone guitar. I had my brother drop off his old drums... some other small things – things I would make or find lying around," he stated. Since then, many tracks from For Emma, Forever Ago have been featured on numerous television shows, some examples include One Tree Hill, Grey's Anatomy, Skins, and Chuck.
His recent EP, called Blood Bank, hit shelves on January 20, 2009.
Track listing: 1. "Flume" 2. "Lump Sum" 3. "Skinny Love" 4. "The Wolves (Act I and II)" 5. "Blindsided" 6. "Creature Fear" 7. "Team" 8. "For Emma" 9. "re: Stacks"
My top 4 favourite songs of this album are Skinny Love, Blindsided, For Emma and re: Stacks.
Skinny Love -
I told you to be patient. I told you to be fine. I told you to be balanced. I told you to be kind. Now all your love is wasted? Then who the hell was I? Now I'm breaking at the britches and at the end of all your lines
Blindsided -
Would you really rush out for me now?
For Emma -
With all your lies, you're still very lovable.
re: Stacks -
This is not the sound of a new man or crispy realization. It's the sound of the unlocking and the lift away. Your love will be, safe with me
Source: LAST FM L to R: Jimmy Richards, Justin Richards, Alex Draper.
Brighten is an unsigned indie pop-rock band hailing from Chico, California. The band consists of brothers Justin Richards (lead vocals, guitar) and Jimmy Richards (drums), and Alex Draper (bass, backing vocals).
They independently released their debut EP, Ready When You Are, on November 9, 2005. The EP was very successful and has since sold out.
Lead singer, Justin Richards is now a full-time touring member of A Rocket To The Moon, which consequently has put Brighten on a temporary hiatus. However, Brighten announced in May 2009 on their Myspace that the following month they would begin recording new material with producer Jeff Schneeweis.
The EP is now officially done and is set to release sometime this fall. Despite the new album, Brighten will not be touring to promote it due to A Rocket To The Moon's busy touring schedules. Justin stated that he won't stop doing Brighten but it will rather be "just for fun".
Brighten's long anticipated new EP "Early Love" was released on February 9, 2008. The album combines a perfect mix of contagious melodies and heartfelt lyrics that they have been known for. You may find your mom and dad humming to their songs and even your little sister singing along. "Early Love" satisfies everybody.
Track listing 1. "Carolina" 2. "Easy To Fall In Love" 3. "Love On My Mind" 4. "We Are Birds" 5. "Swing" 6. "Love Me Honestly" 7. "What She Really Wants"
My top 3 favourite tracks off this EP are, "We Are Birds", "Easy To Fall In Love", and "What She Really Wants".
"We Are Birds" - This song makes a reference to The Notebook, when Noah tells Allie, "If you're a bird, then I'm a bird too." It's a great, love tune. The lyrics are a reminiscence of the oldies.
If you're a bird then I'm a bird but if you can't fly then neither will I 'cause then love is not the right time to die. We still have our whole life to be with you and I'm done and make this life a good one.
"Easy To Fall In Love" - It describes how easy it is to fall in love with this specific girl he is describing. The lyrics, again, are warm and heartfelt. Any girl would want someone to write them a song like this one. (One can dream.)
I love when she writes for me and she doesn't even play the piano. She plays it so good, better than I could. Our love gets better everyday with every touch and sound that your voice makes. How did we get here? It's better than last year.
"What She Really Wants" - The song describes how his significant other became a part of him. Once again, witty, heartfelt and a-mazing! lyrics.
Oh she's my music when I'm trying to sleep. When I forget the words she knows everything. But what I really want is to hear her sing. She's my feet when I cannot dance. She just loves it and she doesn't laugh. And what I really love she says I'm not so bad.
~*~
This band gets a ten because their music is out-of-this-world.
Seabear is an indie-folk band hailing from Reykjavik, Iceland, signed with Morr Music. Although the band is Icelandic, their songs are primarily in English.
Seabear was first a one-man project of Sindri Sigfússon. However, he eventually ended up recruiting six other members: Uðbjörg Hlín Guðmundsdóttir, Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, Halldór Ragnarsson, Örn Ingi Ágústsson, Kjartan Bragi Bjarnason & Sóley Stefánsdóttir.
Their music is for the most part subdued and mellow folk pop, with some piano, violin, acoustic guitar and atmospheric vocals. It's like summer, drinking cold lemonade on a hot day, chilling with your friends in your backyard, sort of feel.
They released their first full-length album, The Ghost That Carried Us Away, in Autumn 2007 under Morr Music. Sindri also has an solo-artist EP under the name Seabear entitled Singing Arc EP.
Seabear has announced on their Myspace that they are currently working on a new album which they hope to release in early Spring 2010.
What I love most about this album is that it is very versatile. If the weather's sunny and warm, it suits it perfectly, and even if the weather's dark and cloudy, it remains appropriate.
My all-time favourite track is "I Sing, I Swim". The lyrics are cute and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Here's an awesome video of their song, "I Sing, I Swim":
Source: NME Online Magazine L to R: Pat Kirch, Jared Monaco, John O'Callaghan, Kennedy Brock, Garrett Nickelsen
The Maine is an American pop rock band signed with Fearless Records in 2007. Hailing from Tempe, Arizona, the band consists of five members: John O'Callaghan (a.k.a. John Ohh, lead vocals), Garrett Nickelsen (bass), Kennedy Brock (rhythm guitar & back-up vocals), Jared Monaco (lead guitar) and Pat Kirch (drums).
The band released their sophomore EP, The Way We Talk EP, in December 2007. Their debut EP included a cover of Akon's hit song, "I Wanna Love You". The Way We Talk EP debuted at #6 on the iTunes Top 100 Alternative Chart and shot to #10 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart, selling 30,000 albums in a less than six months.
Shortly after, the group immediately began their first full-length album. They headed into the studio with multi-platinum music producer, Matt Squire. Can't Stop, Won't Stop was released on July 8, 2008. Their first single off the record was "Everything I Ask For", which was also their first ever recorded music video. The album reflects on relationships and life in general, focusing on the good times and the tough times. A deluxe version of Can't Stop, Won't Stop, along with a digital documentary called "In Person" was released on July 14, 2009.
The Maine spent the summer of 2008 touring alongside Metro Station, Good Charlotte and Boys Like Girls on the Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour. I had the opportunity to see them live in August that summer and it was amazing. Despite their very short set list, I enjoyed every waking moment of their performance.
Two weeks prior, they performed on the Vans Warped Tour 2008.
On December 9, 2009, The Maine released a holiday EP titled "...And A Happy New Year" which included a cover of Wham!'s song "Last Christmas", their own songs called, "Santa Stole My Girlfriend", "Mr. Winter" and "Ho Ho Hopefully" which they originally collaborated with the band and close friends Brighten.
They continued touring in February and March 2009. In the summer of this year, they played on the Hurley Stage at the Vans Warped Tour 2009.
They are currently touring the nation with Boys Like Girls, Cobra Starship, A Rocket To The Moon, and VersaEmerge on the OP Presents! Tour.
Although many of their fans have considered their musical inspiration to be based upon girls, relationships and their make-ups and break-ups, John O'Callaghan stated in an interview, that their songs "are more about going through life and experience, and figure yourself out as a young person, and the same time falling in and out of relationships."
1. "Everything I Ask For" 2. "We All Roll Along" 3. "Girls Do What They Want" 4. "I Must Be Dreaming" 5. "Into Your Arms" 6. "Time to Go" 7. "This Is the End" 8. "Whoever She Is" 9. "Count 'Em One, Two, Three" 10. "Kiss and Sell" 11. "You Left Me" 12. "We'll All Be..."
My top 5 favourite tracks off this record are We All Roll Along, I Must Be Dreaming, Into Your Arms, Whoever She Is and We'll All Be...
Listen to... "We All Roll Along": It'll remind you of your high school years or your youth and the people who surrounded you during that time of your life. It's mostly about nostalgic and reminiscence.
"I remember every day that I spent dreaming of leaving this place behind I would run away from thinkin'. Adding up all the days spent wasted. Chasing the girls we hated. Some things, they, they never change. Take me back to the sleepless nights, the stupid fights. It never mattered who was wrong or who was right. You're all a part of me."
"I Must Be Dreaming": Could remind you about your first real relationship and/or "love". (Aww!)
"Remember the day when we started this. And she made the shape of my heart with her hands. We tried to make some sense of it."
"Into Your Arms": About an unstable relationship, that's slowly falling apart.
"Oh she's slippin' away. I always freeze when I'm thinking of words to say. All the things she does, make it seem like love. If it's just a game. (Just a game) Then I like the way that we play."
"Whoever She Is": About the girl or the guy (if you change the lyrics around). It basically tries to explain that the person you're looking for might just be right in front of you.
"She could be rainy days, minimum wage, a book that ends with no last page Whoever she is, whoever she may be, one thing's for sure, you don't have to worry."
"We'll All Be...": About youth, your fun teenage years and whoever you were surrounded by. It also describes the good moments that took place at the time.
"Oh each day's a number, but we can't forget last summer when we say we do, we're on to the end. Go on and sing it out, our days are numbered, we know we're not gettin' any younger. But it's nights like these that make you not really care."
Source: Photobucket L to R: John Keefe, Martin Johnson, Bryan Donahue, Paul DiGiovanni
Boys Like Girls is an American rock band signed with Columbia Records and Red Ink. I started listening to them in 2005 when I was exploring (you could say) different genres of music. I have been a fan ever since. The band originally from Boston, Massachusetts consists of Martin Johnson (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Paul DiGiovanni (lead guitar), Bryan Donahue (bass) and John Keefe (drums). The boys gained recognition after their self-titled debut album, Boys Like Girls, was released on August 22, 2006.
Shortly after, Boys Like Girls completed their first headlining tour, supported by Permanent Me and Scenes from A Movie in August and September, before heading out on an East coast tour, opening for Lostprophets and Eighteen Visions throughout October. For the next four years and a half, the band toured constantly with various bands from North America to Europe to Asia promoting their first record.
Low and behold, on February 10, 2009, devoted Boys Like Girls fans (i.e. me) were thrilled when Martin Johnson announced on his personal blog, Martin Says, that the band had started recording half of their second album in Vancouver and would later on record the other half in New York city. The album was recorded in two different countries because there were "two different producers/production teams, two different environments, and two different styles of inspiration", stated Johnson.
The new album, Love Drunk, hit shelves on September 8, 2009 and is now available worldwide on Itunes. All lyrics were written by frontman, Martin Johnson, himself.
Track listing 1. "Heart Heart Heartbreak" 2. "Love Drunk" 3. "She's Got a Boyfriend Now" 4. "Two is Better than One" (featuring Taylor Swift) 5. "Contagious" 6. "Real Thing" 7. "Someone Like You" 8. "The Shot Heard 'Round The World" 9. "The First One" 10. "Chemicals Collide" 11. "Go"
Love Drunk is even more appetizing than their first album and was definitely worth the wait. Their sound has evolved and contains more substance like explosive shreds and crunchy guitars in terms of more of a rock feel. The album also contains elements from pop from the 80's and rock.
Some songs were designed to hype up the audience and allow them to sing along, for example the "Hey!"s, "Yeah!"s and "Okay!"s from their single, Love Drunk, encourages the fans to interact. They have a catchy tune which you can sing along doing whatever, whenever.
My top 5 favourite tracks off this record are "Two is Better than One" (feat. Taylor Swift), "Someone Like You", "She's Got A Boyfriend", "Chemicals Collide" and "Contagious".
Listen to... Two is Better than One (feat. Taylor Swift): if you are single. I guarantee you will feel entirely depressed by the fact that you are single after listening to the song and its lyrics.
"I remember every look upon your face. The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste. You make it hard for breathing."
Someone Like You: when you forget who you are and where you're going. This song is about figuring out a plan on where to go next.
"My life in the rearview, I'm running from Jesus Don't know where I'm going to. I got nothing to lose, I'm fighting my demons, been looking for someone like you. I've been looking for someone like you."
She's Got A Boyfriend: when you want to be reminded about high school and what you thought of life back then. Or past high school lovers.
"Yeah, maybe we were in high school, but you never see the ending when you're young and not pretending, singing 'Everything's gonna be all right', and everything was gonna be all right."
Chemicals Collide: to bang your head to, sing along, which may result in a possible one man air drumming session.
"When the mornin' is breaking And your heart is shaking I'll remember how it feels right now When we're lost in the moment The sky is exploding Just keep on floating."
Contagious: to bang your head to, sing along. Sometimes all it takes is a catchy tune and witty lyrics to make a song.
"And I know you think I'm crazy, and I dress up like I'm four. I don't do dinner and movies but if I showed up at your door..."
Welcome to Hum to yourself, an online music magazine created by Tatiana, which will include album reviews and information about various bands and artists.
À propos d'elle
I'm an aspiring writer and a daydreamer who enjoys tea in the afternoon, her iPod playlists and french pastries.