Tunes Worth Listening To
Music is something that is a big part of my life. There is not a day that goes by where I don't listen to music. It has such power to inspire and change someones mood within the press of the play button. The styles I like range from folk to indie to rap to country ...etc.
One of my absolute favourite things to do is attend concerts. I have probably been to over 100 concerts in my lifetime and I do NOT want to stop any time soon. One of the many concert I went to this summer was City and Colour. They are one of my favourite bands ever and the band that opened for them absolutley blew my mind. The group is called Half Moon Run. Prior to the concert I had never heard of them before and knew nothing about them. They played about 10 songs and I was floored by how amazing they were. The next day I downloaded every single one of their songs and today they are one of my favourite bands.
The video posted is a song called Call me in The Afternoon.
Take a listen, prepare to be mind blown.
Talihina Sky
Now this band, I have a lot to say about. Kings of Leon is a band that I could probably call my favourite band of all time. In 2008 they released the hit single, Sex on Fire which ramped up their success and helped build up a stronger name for their group. This song was all that I had personally listened to up until September 20th, 2013 when the album Mechanical Bull was released. I listened to this album religiously until I was able to recite every line from every song.
This summer I was privleged enough to be able to attend a Kings of Leon concert where I happened to be in the front row. Being so close for the entire concert really made the experience that much better. If you think these guys are a good band from simply listening to their album, well wow, you should see them live. I was amazed when I saw them live. They are so amazingly talented that I could have stayed at that concert forever. I would go see them 100 more times if it was possible.
I never really knew much about the invididual members of the band until recently watching the documentary called, Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon. I never would have guessed that the Followill brothers (and one cousin) grew up in an extremely religious household with a preacher for a father. This documentary shows the true roots of Kings of Leon as well as their large southern family and where it all began. I've now seen the film 4 times and would highly recommend watching it to anyone remotely interested. Their story is amazing and it is something you would never expect from a group like this.
The video posted is actually a clip from the film. It shows bickering between brothers and the strong personalities of each individual. The clip shows the band deciding which song to perform when they are put on the spot. The song they end up choosing is Talihina Sky, representing the skies of Talihina, Oklahoma - the place where they once grew up.
Watch if you dare to fall in love.
For Emma, Forever Ago
Justin Vernon is the artist behind the indie band Bon Iver. He is one of those singers who I usually listen to on a daily basis. The calming tone of his voice puts me in a completely relaxed state.
Vernon has a crazy vocal range and is known for the super high pitches he reaches in most of his songs. Bon Iver is a group that I can rely on to take me to another planet and to help clear my mind of all negative thoughts. Take a listen to any one of his songs and I guarantee it will put you in a calming state of mind. Some people say it is sad or depressing but I believe that it is calming and good for the soul. It is the type of music for yoga, rainy days, bed time, reading, studying, long winter walks and many more moments such as the ones listed.
This video is a very unique interpretation of the song For Emma from the album, For Emma, Forever Ago. In an article that I recently read about the video, Vernon said that, "this album is meant to be played in front of small crowds..." and that is exactly what this video shows. The video is of Bon Iver in Montmartre, Paris, France. The harmonies in this video are actually insane. Breathtakingly beautiful. The specific locations they choose to perform provides amazing acoustics that amplify their harmonies.
Just imagine walking down the street in Paris and hearing the sound of this walking towards you....
The Head And The Heart
The Head and the Heart is an indie folk band based out of Seattle, Washington. So far this group has released two albums called: The Head and the Heart (2011), and Lets Be Still (2013). One thing I love about this band is their name. I believe the name represents the type of music they create and the type of artists they are as a whole. The music of this group is mentally and emotionally healing. The type of music they make is calming for the head, and inspirational for the heart.
The song posted to the left is called, Another Story from the album, Lets Be Still. I absolutely love this song. It is one of those tunes that puts a smile on your face as you bob your head to the catchy beat of the song.
This song is such a summer jam for me. It reminds me of summer drives up to the cottage or chill nights on the porch with a bottle of wine and good friends.
"Another Story" makes me think of conversations with friends and the constant excitement of sharing new stories with one another. There are many experiences in life that make for great stories and this song brings me back to summer memories and stories from up at the cottage.
What stories does this tune make you think about? Enjoy.
Kansas City
I recently came across a band that is a talented group of artists who call themselves, The New Basement Tapes. This unique band is a collaboration of artists including: Jim James, Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Taylor Goldsmith, and Rhiannon Giddens. The group formed in 2014, which was also the year they released their album called, Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes.
The unique story behind this group revolves around Bob Dylan and the dozens of hidden “basement tape” songs he had written in the late 1960’s. In the basement of a small house is where Dylan collaborated alongside other artists to create a plethora of hidden lyrics. The album, Lost On The River: The New Basement Tapes, is a process that has been going on for 47 years and was finally released within the last year. This album is a huge celebration of never before heard Bob Dylan masterpieces that were never released to the public. The New Basement Tapes have created something magical that was built from a legendary artist who brings so much talent to the music world. He was generous enough to share his hidden lyrics with the five artists that make up The New Basement Tapes.
The song Kansas City is one of my favourite songs on the album. This song is a dishevelled love story about a broken heart and having to “pay for what you break”. Marcus Mumford from Mumford and Sons is the lead vocalist for this song and is also backed up by a wide variety of artists and instrumentals. This is such a captivating song that takes you to a deep place of thought and can bring out many different emotions when you follow along with the lyrics.
Budapest
One of my new favourite songs that I have been listening to non stop is Budapest by George Ezra. The first time I heard this song was on the radio station called indie88 based out of Toronto. George Ezra is a new upcoming artist in the indie world from Hartford, England. At just 21 years old, Ezra has provided the indie world with amazing music that is reaching the top 10 on many charts around the world and number one on the charts in the Czech Republic, Austria and New Zealand. His album Wanted On Voyage was released in late June, 2014 and is slowly starting to become a huge success with the growing popularity of the song Budapest. Ezra was not only born with extreme musical talents but he also has experience with his music knowledge as he studied at The British and Irish Modern Music Institute in 2011. Some of George Ezra’s late musical inspiration comes from artists such as Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan.
In the popular indie music blog called, When The Gramaphone Rings they feature George Ezra on their Live Review section. They review him as being a breath of fresh air with a voice beyond his years. A breath of fresh air is a perfect description for Ezra’s song Budapest. This song brings me to a place of summertime drives and long sunny beach days. Listening to this tune brings me so much happiness and joy and I hope it can do the same for you!
Enjoy!
Lord Huron
The next group that I want to talk about is an indie folk band that started in 2010 in Michigan. The band I am featuring today is called Lord Huron, who is currently made up of four male artists who all incorporate their own musical talents to the band. The day this group was introduced to me, I happened to be out boating with a friend on Lake Huron while Lord Huron's album, Lonesome Dreams was the soundtrack to our day. Interestingly enough, the name behind the band was inspired by Lake Huron. Lead singer Ben Schneider grew up visiting his cottage at Lake Huron where his nights were spent around the campfire jamming out with his guitar. Discovering this band was an amazing find for me because Lake Huron is a place that is very close to my heart as I have a cottage facing the Lake Huron beach-front.
Since I heard the album Lonesome Dreams in the summer of 2013 it has been one of my favourite albums that I put on repeat on almost every day. When choosing a song to feature, I had the most difficult time because it was a challenge to pick only one. Every song on this album is so amazing that I recommend taking a listen to the entire album after listening to the featured song.
Lord Huron has slowly been gaining popularity over the years and have recently been called out by Rolling Stone as an upcoming band to watch. They have also gained popularity due to being featured in a recent popular film. One of their most popular songs is called Ends of the Earth because it was featured in the film, Endless Love. I decided not to feature that particular song because of its growing popularity and instead feature another song on the album that is one of my favourites (though they are all my favourite). The song I am featuring is called Time to Run from the album Lonesome Dreams. This song definitely brings me back to the day of boating on Lake Huron and hanging out by the beach at my cottage on sunny summer days. On a side note, when listening to this song, do not be deceived by the slow calming start; it gets more upbeat and exciting at about 0:50 seconds in. Take a listen and enjoy!
Youth
I came across this UK artist, Elena Tonra, – mainly known as Daughter – in the summer of 2013. Daughter is an indie folk band lead by Torna and accompanied by guitarist, Igor Haefeli and drummer, Remi Aguilella. Torna's interest in music began as a young child when she was living in Northwood, London. Fascinatingly enough, she was bullied in school and used music as a way to deal emotionally with her life. When she became older, she was quoted saying “I write about things I feel difficult talking about in adulthood,” in a 2013 article from the Irish Examiner. Looking back on this quote, I feel like this is applicable to many young people of this generation. Writing is a very useful tool for one to be able to express how they feel, and I think putting those thoughts into lyrics is genius. Sometimes people don’t actually focus on the lyrics of a song but instead just enjoy listening to the tune. The lyrics in Daughter’s songs are so incredibly captivating and deep that they are a must to focus on when listening to her album.
My favorite album of hers that I listen to the most is her debut album that was released in March 2013 called, If You Leave. This album has a ton of great songs with my favorite being a song called, Youth. The first time I heard this song it caught my eye and I fell in love with it. Many of the songs on this album are pretty deep and dark when you listen to the lyrics. Though this is so, many of them are very applicable to the everyday young person dealing with their own issues. The reason Youth is my favorite song is because it talks about being young, reckless, and appreciating the lives we are given.
My favorite Youth lyrics:
And if you’re still breathing, you’re the lucky ones
‘Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs Setting fire to our insides for fun Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong
AND
We are the reckless,
We are the wild youth
Chasing visions of our future
AND
And if you’re in love, then you are the lucky one,
‘Cause most of us are bitter over someone
Setting fire to our insides for fun,
To distract our hearts from ever missing them
But I’m forever missing him
Firefly
One of my favourite summer tunes that I’ve been listening to non stop is called Firefly by Hollerado. This band is a favourite of mine and Firefly is a recent single that they've released. Right off the bat the song starts with a toe tapping beat that you can't turn away from. It is the perfect kind of song for beach days, bike tours, patio drinks or backyard summer parties.
I guarantee you will not regret putting on this jam at a party filled with dozens of close friends. Those who know it will love it and those who are hearing it for the first time will fall in love with it during it's first listen. This song is what summer is all about; partying all night with your friends until you turn the dark into light. Firefly is definitely on my top 5 list of summer songs. I don’t think I will ever get sick of this one.
You should definitely give it a listen and see for yourself!
Song Requests
Since I often get quite a few people asking me what songs I am putting in my videos or what new songs I am listening to, I thought I would put together a list of some of these songs.
Throughout my recent 30 hour drive to Calgary, I made sure that I had my iPod loaded up with hundreds of songs to help the time pass by quickly.
Please feel free to check out these songs or send me any new ones you've heard recently!
Enjoy!
weighty ghost - wintersleep
yesterday was hard on all of us - fink
fire and the flood - vance joy
electric love - borns
turn your love - half moon run
paradise waiting - vacationer
aftergold - big wild
let go (ft. veronika redd)- ark patrol
classic (ft. powers) - the knocks
loud places (ft. romy) - jamie xx
catch & release - matt simons
Singer Songwriters
Coming into 2016, I thought I would take a look back at 2015 and provide you with a list of 10 Female Singer Songwriters to take a look at from last year. Some of these artrists I have never even heard of before prior to checking out this list but once I took a listen, I realized what I was missing!
Click on the heart for the full list!
