Turkey Day and Christmas Coming Home

Hi all. Happy Thanksgiving- there’s so much to be thankful for: family, friends, good health, food, music, and amusing grammar errors just to name a few!  In addition to commemorating all that we are thankful for, we also consider Thanksgiving the official beginning of the Christmas season.  And let’s be honest, next to food, Christmas is what many of us really get excited about! Radio stations start playing holiday tunes, stores are festively decorated, and Christmas lights brighten up everybody’s days.  This truly is the best time of the year!  In the spirit of such a wonderful season, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite Christmas songs with you.

1.  The First Noel- Josh Groban & Faith Hill

The instrumental introduction to this song is wonderful in and of itself, but Josh Groban and Faith Hill’s golden melodies are simply phenomenal.  Their powerful rendition is one of my absolute favorites to listen to during the Christmas season.

2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen- Barenaked Ladies

So, I’m not a huge fan of this song, but this version makes me happy every time I hear it.  The magical blend of the voices, coupled with the foot-tapping rhythm of the strumming and drumming makes it incredibly fun to bop your head to.

3.  Christmas Coming Home- Lennon & Maisy Stella

I recently discovered these girls while perusing YouTube, and I have fallen in love with them.  Lennon, 12, and Maisy, 8, are two young Canadian sisters whose pure voices are truly a joy to listen to.   Lennon’s voice has a raspy yet innocent quality to it, and Maisy’s alto voice is a bit clearer but less refined.  Together, the two create a magical performance.  Mostly performing cover songs, or songs original to other artists, the girls caught my eye with their version of “I Won’t Give Up,” by Jason Mraz.  I already love his emotionally  powerful version, but their acoustic performance is so simple and amazing.   So, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered their new Christmas single, “Christmas Coming Home.” This is another head-bopping tune with sleigh sounds and jingle bells clinking in the background.  Personally, I love how their voices blend and how they sing every note in a notably artistic fashion.  The innocence of childhood is magnificently represented in this playful song that’s sure to become a Christmas classic!

~ Happy Holidays ~

Na Na Hey Hey Kiss [Them] Goodbye

Phew! I don’t know about you, but I am so happy that the presidential election is over.  THANK THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am literally jumping for joy at this particular moment (making typing somewhat challenging), because I can finally turn on the TV without hearing a stupid political ad.  Don’t get me wrong, democracy is an amazing privilege that we sometimes take advantage of here in the United States.  But, the extreme measures that politicians use in trying to win an election, whether it’s a presidential election, a senatorial election, or even a county election, are downright ridiculous.   The main problem I have with politics (and had with this election) is the amount of money spent on political campaigns- it’s outrageous and, in my opinion, pointless. In Connecticut, Linda McMahon spent 100 million dollars on two senate bids over the past three years, and she didn’t even win her election! (either of them!!) This year’s presidential race costs have been estimated at around six billion dollars.  Six billion dollars?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Do you know how much of the national debt we could have payed off with six billion dollars?  Or how about feeding the hungry??  Helping Hurricane Sandy victims???  But, no.  Instead of doing any of these things, politicians spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the thirty second advertisements that we’re forced to watch on TV, on YouTube, listen to on the radio, etc.; ads that most people detest and find ways to skip through.  If you’re like me, you mute the videos on YouTube, change the channel on the TV, and just turn off the radio in disgust.  Finally, after months and months, the political-ad torture has ceased.   For that, the song “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,” by Steam is wonderfully appropriate.  Kiss them goodbye- we are done with you politicians!! (at least until the next election).

P.S. Many of you recognize this song because it is part of the soundtrack of Remember the Titans– a great movie!

For Good (Music)

Pandora is a lovely thing. For those unfortunate souls who’ve yet to experience the beauty of Pandora’s unlimited music channels, their lives are simply not complete.  When in desperate need of new music to listen to (as I often am), one can visit Pandora online (or use the handy, dandy mobile application) to create personalized playlists with music tailored to specific musical preferences.  This is how I discovered my song of the week. One of the genres I periodically listen to is Broadway show-tunes.  Yes, I am a college student, and yes, I like Broadway musicals…don’t judge me! While listening to my Broadway themed station on Pandora, I stumbled across “For Good,” by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel from Wicked.  Although I’m not too familiar with the plot of this particular musical (something having to do with the witch from The Wizard of Oz), if it’s anything like this song, then I’m sure I’d love it!  This song takes the listeners on such a thrill ride.  It starts with  fairytale-like melodies, builds a little bit more and a little bit more with each of the performers’ voices weaving together as the song reaches the triumphant chorus, and finally, an appropriately magical ending.  This song is so captivating; I can only imagine how incredible the actual show would be in person.  I actually had the privilege to see two Broadway shows in New York City earlier this year, and nothing compares to the awe of live performances.  Plus, I realized that I’ve seen each of these women on Glee (I’m a self professed Gleek!) which only makes me love them more. Great song+great performers=awesome music! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂

Also for your entertainment, here’s a site for funny music parodies that’s sure to provide hours and hours of wholesome entertainment. Check it out!

Anywhere But Here, Sandy!

As I sit here ready to write about my new favorite song, Hurricane Sandy’s wrath is beginning.  The trees are whipping back and forth, and the rain is falling harder and faster by the hour.  Hopefully I’ll be able to finish before the power goes out!  I never thought I’d be happy that classes have been cancelled because of a hurricane, but while I’m stoked about no school, I hope there’s no significant damage caused by it!  Coincidentally, my song choice for this also applies to the weather.  Well, sort of.  It’s “Anywhere But Here,” by Safetysuit.  I’m willing to bet that particularly in the northeastern states, many people are wishing they were anywhere but where the storm is hitting!

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I love this song!  I heard it first on a TV show or a movie (sadly, I can’t remember which exactly) and since I figured out the title, I’ve been listening to it non-stop.  That’s pretty much why I need new songs all of the time- I listen to a few songs over and over and over until I get tired of them and am ready for something else. This song is all about love (gasp!) and for girls like me, it feels totally relatable.  For those of us who have yet to find “the one,” we all hope that there’s someone out there.  In this song, the artists are singing from the opposite point of view- from the perspective of someone who’s in love with a person who has no idea.  It’s romantic, like a love letter put to music.  But, it’s also sort of rock-ish which may symbolize how the singers are ready to fight for that love.  Who knows?  All I know is I wish some guy would sing this song to me!  Take a listen and decide for yourself:

P.S. Since I haven’t found anything hilarious enough to share with you all (aside from a random weather video), I thought I’d tell you about this guy: Ryan O’Shaughnessy.  He was on Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year, and he’s an incredibly gifted performer.  In his audition, Ryan sang an original composition very similar to the song above.  He sang about a girl he’s been in love with who had never noticed his admiration.  How adorable! The first time she heard this song was when he sang it in front of a crowd of thousands of people- soooooooo romantic!! I LOVE IT!! (I will accept the huffs and puffs about so many exclamation points because he is worth it!

P.S.S. I love a good accent- and Irish is definitely a good one!

Elevator Sandwhich Tunes

Currently, I am still jamming away to the awesome soundtrack from my new favorite movie, Pitch Perfect. Therefore, I have no new musical selections to share with you this week.  However, I do have a somewhat amusing rant prepared because I know you are all eager to have something to read (wink).  Anyway, so I went to visit my sister at VCU over Fall Break.  She lives on the ninth floor of the new dorm near the Landmark Theater.  Unlike most people, I typically prefer to take the stairs whenever possible because I have a significant fear of elevators, and I particularly hate the feeling you get as the elevator arrives at the appropriate floor and your stomach somehow feels like it’s jumping out of your body.  However, nine stories is quite a hike, and I figured I could tough it out just this once. My mistake.

As we’re walking into the elevator, the door starts to close and tries to smash me into a Lindsey sandwich.  Just my luck!  The one time I go to ride the elevator, and it almost eats me alive!  Okay, maybe it wasn’t that life-threatening, but I still have a hefty bruise to show for it.  So, after I barely made it into the elevator with my life and all of my limbs in tact, I began to think about how much I hated elevators.  And then, I thought about the elevator music playing in the background (a genre I’m not too fond of).  Personally, I find elevator music to be awkward.  In fact, it’s more awkward than an awkward silence, because instead of thinking about talking to the random stranger standing next to you, you’re thinking of how awkward it would be to talk over the music. Plus, there are hardly ever any words.  Lyrics are 75% of what makes music fun, because you can sing along to them! Don’t get me wrong, I love me some instrumental music, but really. Elevator music isn’t fun to hum to, and it isn’t catchy; it’s just plain annoying, and I don’t feel too bad about not liking it!

Essentially, I learned two things from this whole experience that I am now passing on to you: elevators like to eat people, and elevator music makes (nerve-wracking) elevator rides awkward.  Bet you’ll think twice before you step onto an elevator again!

However, I realize that somewhere out there, elevator music enthusiasts do sit and listen to nothing but elevator music all day long.  Well, to each his own and all that jazz.  So, just for them, here’s 10 hours of their favorite music in one handy-dandy YouTube video:

Aca-love My Blog (Get Pitch Slapped)!

Greetings bloggers.  Well so far, my Fall Break has been awesome.  I visited my sister at VCU, and we painted the town. Okay, well, if you know us, that means that we ate junk food and watched movies in our pajamas all night.  But, the best part of our visit had to do with music (Are you surprised? ;-)). We saw the movie Pitch Perfect! It was awesome!!  Pitch perfect is about four different acapella groups that are competing in the national acapella group competition.  My favorite group, the Barden Bellas, was pitted against the Treble Tones, the cocky all-male group.  Although the movie was predictable, I absolutely loved it.  Movies and music, my two most favorite things!  Plus, the finals of the competition were performed at Lincoln Center in New York City (next to Julliard, which everyone knows as a school famous for its arts program) which was neat because my sister and I had just been there this past year. Anyway, I fell in love with the girls and their crisp melodies.  SO, naturally my favorite song of the week is from the movie. Although I loved all of the songs and heartfelt renditions, my favorite song is definitely the mash-up the girls performed called “Just the Way You Are/ Just a Dream”.  It’s so cool how they can blend two totally different songs into one beautiful masterpiece- I lovvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeee it, or rather, I LOVE IT!!

Oh, and in case you couldn’t tell that this is my kind of movie, there was also a budding romance between the two main characters.  How awesome is this movie?! (Insert interrobang here…)

P.S. the title refers to a phrase that “Fat Amy” says in the movie that’s a totally terrible pun, and yet, is still funny.

My sister and I also enjoyed this particular scene very much:

…pretty much sums up her character!

Thanks for reading!!

Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing

Man, coming up with witty titles is a lot harder than I had originally thought!  So, for today’s blog, I settled for the album title of one of my absolute favorite artists. I love, love, love Keith Urban! (And who else is excited that he’s going to be a judge on American Idol this year?) The “Sweet Thing” singer has been in the biz for over ten years, producing nine albums and various Grammy-winning tunes. Although I have a plethora of his songs on my iPod, my current favorite is “Stupid Boy.” As I mentioned, I pretty much love any songs about love and romance, so this choice is probably not that surprising! It’s about a guy beating himself up over losing a girl he loved.

“She laid her heart and soul right in your hands
And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans
She never even knew she had a choice and that’s what happens
When the only voice she hears is telling her she can’t
Stupid boy, stupid boy”

Aside from the heartfelt lyrics, I absolutely love the acoustic guitar in this song, especially in the beginning- it’s just so pretty and perfect!  And then he gets to the chorus- amazing!  There are definitely some intense emotions in his songs, yet another reason why I love him.  Did I mention that I love him?  (wink, wink). I should probably at least try and profess my love for his music with a variety of verbs other than love, but I digress.  I guess, to spare you from my ramblings, I’ll let you listen to the song and form your own opinion, and  I’ll only be really offended if you don’t like it. Just kidding! Enjoy 🙂

Fun Music Tidbit:

The music video for “In Your Arms,” by Kina Grannis took 22 months, 1,357 hours, 30 people, 2 ladders, 1 still camera, and 288,000 jelly beans to film. Intrigued? Check it out:

Dubstep Cat

Dubstep is a type of music that originated in Britain in the late 1990s.

Sadly, I couldn’t come up with a catchy play on the song title this week (but not for a lack of trying!) So, I improvised the best I could.  For this blog entry, I’m combining one of my favorite songs with the funny video bit I usually do.  “Sail” by Awolnation is a pretty popular piece of dubstep music that’s come out recently.  For those of you who are unenlightened about the new musical trend, dubstep is electronically generated music that uses mostly drums and basses to create low, pulsing sounds. Basically, the songs build up in pitch to then drop and create a big boom. I could go into much greater detail on the subject seeing as it’s currently my little brother’s favorite obsession (and favorite thing to talk about) but I think I’ll spare you all.  One thing about dubstep is that it typically has a great beat to it.  In the video I’ve posted, a cat is pouncing perfectly in sync to the rhythm of the song.  But, there’s more to the video than a random cat dancing.  All I’ll say is make sure you stick it through to the end!

P.S. I am a total animal lover, so combining music and a cute cat makes this video all the more exciting (for me anyways!) Hope you at least get a little chuckle out of it!

 

Blog, Gangnam Style!

So, I think that in addition to blogging about my favorite song of the week, I will talk about something humorous in the music world each week.  For today’s bit, the title gives it away. I think everyone is surprised about how popular Psy’s “Gangnam Style” has become; it’s taken the US by storm!  I’m still gawking at the fact that I actually heard it on the radio this morning (and sadly, I listened to it!).  The song is almost entirely in Korean, and yet people who have absolutely no idea what he’s saying are captivated.  Let’s be honest, most of us love that Psy is randomly singing and dancing weirdly.  It’s certainly interesting how today’s pop culture is so influenced by weird artists and songs.  Why else would Ke$ha or Lady Gaga or anyone else like them be famous?  Nonetheless, from college marching band performances to flash mobs and several parodies, “Gangnam Style” is all the craze right now!

Here’s the song itself that’s become so popular:

Here’s Oregon’s Marching band performing it (and dancing accordingly):

And here’s our neighbor, good ole VCU, doing a flash mob using the song!

As for my favorite song of the week, I’d say it’s “The Power of Two” by the Indigo Girls.  It’s definitely a throwback to our parents’ generation.  I love it how it starts with the acoustic guitar- it really reminds me of a great summer road trip.  I guess I like it because it’s fun and catchy; I can sing along to it and it just makes me feel happy 😛 So, here it is:

Enjoy!

P.S. Could you take a second to tackle this poll please? Thanks!!

Hey, here’s my song choice, and it’s not crazy, so listen to it, and like it maybe!

My song choice is not the overplayed jam of the summer, “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, so don’t be too worried. But, I thought it’d be a good way to start today’s post.  Yes, this is one of those songs that sticks in your head and you end up singing it, maybe even without knowing it, during one of your teachers “interesting” lectures. Deny it all you want.  “Call Me Maybe” is catchy.  So, for the fun part of today’s blog, I thought I’d share just a few of the parodies people have made for your amusement: (Shades of Rebecca Black’s “Friday” anyone?)

Jimmy Fallon and Carly Rae singing and using kids toys for instruments:

U.S. Olympic Team:

Celebrity Mash-up featuring fuzzy mustaches and banana phones: ”

And lastly, a somewhat related parody of the Carly Rae/ Owl City song “Good Time”

Now on to the meat part of today’s blog.  The song I’ve been listening to like crazy this week is “I Love You,” by The Eli Young Band.  (Some of you may know the country band by its summer hit, “Crazy Girl.”) This song is pretty simple, and that’s what I think I love most about it. I suppose I should note that I definitely fall into the “hopeless romantic” category in terms of the music I typically listen to and the sorts of movies that I like to watch.  However, that’s not to say that I don’t love a great action movie or a piece of “Scream-o” music as my brother likes to call it.  I just appreciate a variety.  This song is a slow paced tune that’s all about what the writers say matters the most- LOVE.  It’s about taking risks.  For example, professing your undying love for someone might could be considered a risk, right?  I mean, sitting around twiddling your thumbs probably won’t alert the other party to your feelings, but if you don’t do it you may never know what the other person thinks.  This song is a great song about how people may not appreciate or recognize what they have, i.e. relationships, and how love matters.  And, the acoustic guitar certainly adds to the romantic aspect of it.  (Yes, I am totally a sucker for a dude with a guitar singing about love!)

Sadly, there is no official music video, so here’s one with lyrics. Enjoy!