4 the Love of Music #8

4 songs - 4 artists/bands - 4 times a year

Today, a year ago, I started "4 the Love of Music" on DiFashionista!
To celebrate this one year anniversary I'm giving you twice as much songs.
It's been a year of picking some of my favorite bands and singers from my most played playlists.

"You say that you love me but I ask you how much?
So you spread your arms wide till behind you. Your thumbs touch"

Amy Kuney is the Stacey Bendet of the music biz! She's whimsical and it's really fun to listen to. If you like her you should thank Indie-music-fan Sophia Bush for telling us about her. They're friends and they've worked together along with Austin Nichols on the compilation album - Gasoline Rainbows - benefiting the Gulf Coast from the 2010 BP Oil Spill. The title track was written and sung by Miss Amy Kuney and it even ended up on So You Think You Can Dance Canada. Amy has also done a couple of covers like Joni Mitchell's "River" and The Script's "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", but what you need to hear is her album "Bird's Eye View". Thank You for Last Night & Rocket Surgery are my favorites because of their peculiar twists.
Let's bring her quirky character and fan-friendliness in this convo 'cause she's hilarious. When I told her on twitter in 2011 that Rocket Surgery was my favorite song from the album she replied: "my mom used to get brain surgery and rocket science mixed up all the time, so you can thank her for the title :)". Rocket Surgery is basically a song about a guy who's really smart and in love with her but makes love seem really difficult. So, she's telling him that he should hurry up or else he'll lose her. Also, at the end when the bridge starts you can hear someone singing opera in the back. What did I say...she makes whimsical music!

Amy Kuney -
Rocket Surgery
Album: Bird's Eye View

"Yeah, We're Locked Up in Ideas, We Like to Label Everything"

If this beat doesn't want you getting all nerdy on the dance floor (that is my room), you are not me. From the makers of the genius song "Pumped Up Kicks", I bring you another song that is one for the century. Foster the People is just one of those bands that gets you in a good mood any time of the day.
This is a rebellious song and you may only pay attention to the beat that totally takes over this song but the lyrics just do it for me. They're basically singing about rebelling against three things: not being yourself, not having to prove yourself and giving in to society's "mainstream" hype. "And I'm in the crossfire dodging bullets from all your expectancies" is the not having to prove yourself part. "But what I've got can't be bought" is the not giving in to society's "mainstream" hype. "If it don't conform to what you were born into then you run the other way" is the being yourself part. No wonder this song is one of the two songs that actually make me want to dance. They created a beat that makes you want to be yourself.

Foster the People -
Call It What You Want

Album: Torches

"I Wish You Would Tell Me How You Really Feel"

If you were looking for a remake of West Side story, you're in the right place. Tyler Posey & Chloe Grace Moretz recreate one of the most famous love stories and it's directed by Drew Barrymore. Victoria Justice, Shailene Woodley, Donald Glover, Alia Shawkat and Miranda Crosgrove also star in it. Yes, it's a music video turned short film and the music will just really grab you. It's an MTV production and the music is by a band "Best Coast". In this short/extended video you'll hear "Our Deal" and "Boyfriend".

Best Coast -

Our Deal + Boyfriend
Album: Crazy for You

"I Think of You Much More than I Should"

I have a lot of bands that I listen to a lot but The Lone Bellow, like The Lumineers Vampire Weekend, Of Monsters and Men and Mumford and Sons, have a special place in my heart. All of their music, slow or upbeat, is amazing, well written and well made. They're a little bit country and a little bit folk but you won't be able to resist the combination of celebratory music and the real stuff. I can't begin to name the songs that I listen too very often like Tree to Grow, You Never Need Nobody, Two Sides of Lonely, You Can Be All Kinds of Emotional, Looking for You, Teach Me To Know, You Don't Love Me Like You Used to, Bleeding Out, Button and so on. This is music to me, one band and songs for every mood I'm in, yet I can't pick my favorite song! Also remarkable is the amount of bridges in their songs. They switch upbeat to slow a lot in their music and that effect is truly admirable. 

The Lone Bellow -

Looking for You

Album: The Lone Bellow

"I'm Born to Go Where They Tell Me It's Impossible"

One of my favorite bands JOHNNYSWIM is finally releasing their first album - Diamonds - and it's already available for pre-ordering. Since June 2013 when I bought and heard their EP, I've been asking them for an album and it's finally here - well April 29th! Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez harmonize perfectly and their onstage energy is really great. Amanda is the daughter of Donna Summer so I'm not surprised by her talent, but music like this just doesn't happen anymore, so I'm grateful! Can't name my favorite song especially since they're so good live, some I like live and some from the studio version. Listen to the EP and pick your fav out of Heart Beats, Don't Let It Get You Down, Make, Don't Keep Heaven Busy, Annie and Adelina.

Johhnyswim -
Heart Beats
Album: Heart Beats - EP

"Wisdom's a Gift but You Trade it for Youth"

Now it's time for a song coming from the Grammy winning album "Modern Vampires of the City" - Step. This was Vampire Weekend's second Grammy nomination but with or without the win the album would still be great! This song is slower than what we're used to from V.W. but it's awesome! My favorite part is the part where he sings "every time I see you in the world you always step to my girl". Apparently, that's Ezra Koenig's fav part too because he sampled it from Souls of Mischief's "Step To My Girl". Based on that phrase he wrote the entire song. Now, replace the word Girl with Music and you'll really get what he's talking about... It's about an obsession with your favorite music and bands.

Vampire Weekend -
Step
Album: Modern Vampires of the City

"She Says She's Taken but I Don't Believe That She's Made for Anybody But Me"

Actress Leighton Meester showed us a new side last summer when she took us to her recording studio in HTC Summer Sessions. This new side is not her voice because we already knew she could sing when she worked with Robin Thicke (Somebody to Love), Cobra Starship (Good Girls Go Bad) and of course music from her role in Country Strong. This new side is more about the change of genre of her new music. It's really personal and more a softer side of her previous work. She toured with Check in the Dark and covered a couple of songs. The Stand In is originally from Check in the Dark's eponymous debut album but they added the version with Leighton Meester to their second album "The Game". The original version was already good - Mike Frieman's voice is amazing - but it really needed a soft female voice to make it more romantic.
Well you know how that story goes...

Check in the Dark ft Leighton Meester -
The Stand In
Album: The Game

"Soon All the Joy that Pours from Everything Makes Fountains of Your Eyes"

Movies and Music go hand in hand for me, not just because of the soundtrack. This particular band, comes out of a scene from the movie 'Stuck in Love (2012)'. It's the scene where Rusty's (Nat Wolff) drug addicted and alcoholic girlfriend Kate (Liana Liberato) gives him a Christmas present, which is the album Fevers and Mirrors by Bright Eyes. I only checked out this album from Bright Eyes so far, but there are a lot more. I just fell in love with the way they made this album. It's not cheesy or romantic or about anything specifically, but it just seems like someone wrote about all the emotions and events of an everyday life, you know the things we can't control. This particular song is about finding something positive in the things that go horribly wrong. Conor Oberst really has a talent for writing. None of the songs are extremely long but the words are just amazing. It almost feels like he didn't write a song but rather a story. And it's like that with all of his music - he's very underappreciated as a singer as well as a writer especially because he's in so many bands. I mean I'm shocked that songs like The Movement of a Hand, Something Vague, When the Curious Girl Realizes She Is Under Glass and The Centre of the World aren't "out there".

Bright Eyes -
The Movement of a Hand
Album: Fevers and Mirrors

One year has passed, many more to come!
Look out for a new article soon,
Much Love,
DiFashionista


P.s. FEEL FREE TO COMMENT IN THE SECTION BELOW

4 the Love of Music #6

I do not know if it is the month November but this month is an indie turned pop edition of 4 the Love of Music. It's not really mainstream pop but pop as in underground bands/artists who have one or two radio hits. This month I will have music by Brett Dennen who just released his 5th album, also The Lumineers who brought out their Deluxe Edition, Imagine Dragons and Of Monsters and Men who have been rocking out all festivals all year!

'When I Do Not Feel Inspired...I Can Only Speak My Heart'

Last week Brett Dennen released his album 'Smoke and Mirrors' - October 22nd to be precise. When Brett is releasing new music rest assured...there's magic happening. Before the release of 'Smoke and Mirrors' Brett had Q&A's on his Facebook and I was lucky enough to be one of the fans who got 2 out of 3 questions answered. I asked him what I always ask musicians who have a different sound - but they never answer, so glad he did - which is "how did you find your sound?". He answered: 'It takes time. Picking and choosing what feels right. Sometimes it's more about what you don't play.' I've been a Brett Dennen fan since Heaven came out and I've really been looking forward to a new album because they're all so personal and honest. He's most of the time talking about 21st century problems, love or just the adventures that life has to offer. That's not too bad for a 34-year-old folk singer and songwriter with five studio albums. Brett calls this album 'back to basics' saying: 

'I wanted to return to folk and acoustic music I loved when I began writing. I decided to tap into my memories and explore new emotional territory as honestly as I could'.

Why the name 'Smoke and Mirrors'?:

'I called the album Smoke and Mirrors, because one of the major themes of the album, lyrically, is that things aren't exactly as they appear to be. If you focus on how you think things should be, then you can't see them for what they really are,'

The first released song off 'Smoke and Mirrors' is Wild Child, it's more of a radio hit - which the first song almost always is. The highlight of the album for me is really 'Only Want You'. It's a love song about choosing the connection over the the tough times you can face when in a relationship. It's a mixture of things that make this song amazing...like the female vocals in the background, the lyrics and the reggae touch. I'm never worried about lyrics with Brett because he has just a simple and clever way of writing his music. If it's one thing this album isn't missing it's great lyrics. 

You can listen & get 'Only Want You' for free on NOISETRADE!

Brett Dennen -

Only Want You

Album: Smoke and Mirrors

'In the End it All Comes Down to Credibility. I Had None So I Will Die with the Secrets of the Sea'

Yay! My all time favorite song FINALLY has a music video. My favorite band just can't stop doing AMAZING things like releasing a deluxe edition of their album (which I have been waiting for since I heard the album!), getting a track on The Hunger Games' Catching Fire Soundtrack and now releasing their third music video from the self-titled album that came out in 2012. The album version of Submarines is not my favorite song - rather the Submarine live version from the HearYa Live Sessions - but this will do! It's animated and now it's mine and yours...enjoy!

The Lumineers - 
Submarines

Album: The Lumineers (Deluxe Edition)

'I Take it in but Don't Look Down'

If you used to watch the TV-serie Partners you probably already know this song because it was the theme song. But if you didn't this is a really great way to introduce yourself to the band Imagine Dragons. Imagine Dragons' "On Top of the World" is like The Lumineers' "Ho Hey" and Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" - you first love the song and then you fall in love with the band. It's really catchy with the claps and the background vocals and it's a great song to get you or keep you in a great mood:

Imagine Dragons -

On Top of the World

Album: Night Visions

'And as the World Comes to an End, I'll Be Here to Hold Your Hand'

Of Monsters and Men was a must-check-out band at this year's Coachella and they did not let down. They formed O.M.a.M. back in 2010 and they released their first studio album 'My Head is an Animal' in 2011. They - for the most part - have the same fans as 'The Lumineers' and 'Mumford & Sons' and they even share a radio station on iTunes. My favorite song of theirs is "Love Love Love", and I'm basically in love with Nanna's soft yet sharp voice...I just can't get enough! I would advise to listen to all the songs on My Head is an Animal, because they have a whimsical side to their music that I can really appreciate. Like the song 'Dirty Paws' starts with 'Jumping up and down the floor, My head is an animal. And once there was an animal, It had a son that mowed the lawn. The son was an ok guy, They had a pet dragonfly. The dragonfly it ran away. But it came back with a story to say.' All I can say: I can't wait for that video! For now we are going to have to do it with their animated video-game-like music video's which they have released 2 of including 'King and Lionheart' and 'Little Talks'.

Of Monsters and Men -

King and Lionheart

Album: My Head is an Animal

See you in December for the 7th and final edition of 2013 of 4 the Love of Music.

Much Love,
DiFashionista!

4 the Love of Music #5

Summer is over and out and school is in.
I start this Monday at school and I will start blogging again. The last edition of 4 the Love of Music was back in June. Now I'm back with the 5th edition and I have a lot of new bands and songs I can't wait to share with you. These four songs are all songs I have been enjoying all summer.
Enjoy!

'One Day You Screaming You Love Me Loud, the Next Day You're So Cold'

Just like Jay & Ye and Robin Thicke & Pharrell, JT and JAY Z are starting to make a happy combination. Starting with Suit & Tie and now Holy Grail...could this be the year of bromance music? If you're not planning to listen to this song at least do it for 1) JT's amazing vocals 2) JT's extra handsome look 3) JAY Z's artistic value. If you listen to the song and then watch the video, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about! The amazing visuals, vocals and beat almost make you forget that this song is about JAY Z's love/hate relationship with fame.

Jay Z ft Justin Timberlake -
Holy Grail
Album: Magna Carta... Holy Grail

'Only Hate the Road When You're Missing Home'

I'm still in the process of checking all of Passenger's music but I don't have any complaints yet. The lead singer's voice is really good and the lyrics are amazing. It's easy on the ears and I really enjoyed this song:

Passenger -
Let Her Go
Album: All the Little Lights

'And I Was Tired of Giving You More than You Gave to Me'

These siblings have made my summer. The Oh Hellos consists of Maggie and Tyler Heath. I actually found their album for free on noisetrade and I really fell in love with their album 'Through the Deep, Dark Valley'. They're inspired by some of my favorite bands in the industry like The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons. They are another example of why I love Indie Bands so much. Indie bands always look for that unique sound that will make you remember them. They make music for themselves and they won't let go of their creative side for anyone. In return I want to share their amazing music with you and if you like them please continue to support them by sharing their music with others. Their album is a bit diverse so I'm pretty sure you will find at least one song you'll like.

The Oh Hellos -
The Truth is a Cave
Album: Through the Deep, Dark Valley

'I Look to the Skyline and Said: How Many Falls Until I Fly?'

This 22-year-old British singer-songwriter-pianist released his first studio album 'Long Way Down' last June. Tom Odell makes the kind of music everyone can relate to. His album is quite enjoyable especially the tracks like 'Another Love','Supposed To Be', 'I Know' and 'Can't Pretend'. More impressive is the way he writes his lyrics. It's almost like he's writing a story and then singing it. And the cherry on top: his piano-playing skills. He is one of the reasons why singer-songwriter is a separate genre. The kind of soul and feeling you put in to a song about a story that really happened to you makes it sound way more special than someone else just sing your song.
Peter has it...the voice...the face...the talent. I can't wait to hear more.

Tom Odell -
Supposed To Be
Album: Long Way Down