Blog 68

Final blog

Blog 67

This week I want to talk about a country singer who people don't really know yet and that is Thomas Rhett. He has an EP out right now that is pretty good, there are two songs on it that I particularly like and those are Something To Do With My Hands and Beer With Jesus. Something To Do With My Hands is a funny song but good at the same time, it is easy to sing along to which I like, because I like to sing. Something To Do With My Hands also sounds a little rock country, it has a hard electric guitar. Beer With Jesus is the story of guy who has a "beer with Jesus." There's a good message in it that I really like, and that makes me like the song even more. I also like the guitar part going along in the background, it's a little twangy. Here are the videos for Something To Do With My Hands and Beer With Jesus by Thomas Rhett. 

Blog 66

This week in class we listened to Massive Attack, I had never heard of them before now. They were pretty good, I was expecting something more along the lines of metal or hard rock but they were pretty chill and had good beats. I also liked their sound, they have very different sounds, sometimes they sound like rock and other times they sound a little like pop. The only part I didn't really like about them was their vocals, you can't understand them at all, it kind of sounds like they are just making noises with their mouths instead of actually saying the words. I don't think I'm going to listen to them again, but I do recommend them to people who like this type of music.

Blog 65

Another up and coming country singer who is going to perform at ACL this year is Eric Church. Eric Church has a pretty unique voice in that he is very nasally, but that doesn't make his songs sound bad. He also has a pretty unique look, he likes to perform with sunglasses on, I don't know why but he does. Two of his songs that I like are Springsteen and Drink In My Hand. Springsteen is a good song to sing along to, and I feel like it would be a good song to listen to around a camp fire. Drink In My Hand is also a really easy song to sing along to but also has a catchy tune which makes it enjoyable for me. Here are the videos for Springsteen and Drink In My Hand. 

Blog 64

This week in class we listened to the Wu Tang Clan, I had never listened to the Wu Tang Clan before, so the only thing I could expect was that it would be rap. When listening to it, it reminded me a little of NWA, but then I remembered that NWA was a little more aggressive and Wu Tang Clan wasn't as aggressive as them. I like the Wu Tang Clan but I like NWA more, NWA had better beats and a better sound I think. Although, the way Wu Tang Clan fits in little references to things is pretty cool and they do it so smoothly. Over all I like the Wu Tang Clan and would recommend them to people who like NWA.

Blog 63

A country music singer that I like is Billy Currington. He has a lot of big hit songs, that are all different is style. He has two songs that I really like and one of them is his new single that came out this week. The first one is People Are Crazy, I like this song because it is a little more mello than most country songs are nowadays. Billy Currington has more of a twangy sounding voice, and I think that makes him a little more unique. His new single is Hey Girl, and I really like this song, it has sweet sounding lyrics when he sings them, I know that may sound weird but when you listen to the song I think it will make sense. Here are the videos for People Are Crazy and Hey Girl by Billy Currington. 

Blog 62

This week in class we listened to Nirvana, and they had a pretty good sound. I liked them, and I didn't think I would. I knew some of there songs because of Guitar Hero, so I already knew those songs but some of the other songs I didn't know, but from what I heard I liked. The songs that I already knew were Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are, and Drain You. Smells Like Teen Spirit has a sweet beginning, and just rocks. Come As You Are is a little repetitive but still has a cool guitar part. Drain You has a pretty cool drum part, but I also think that all of Nirvana's songs have a sweet drum part. It makes me want to get on my drums and go crazy. I'm glad we listened to Nirvana because I really liked it. I am going to listen to more of there songs.

Blog 61

Another country singer that I really like is, Jake Owen. He is pretty new to country, and has only been playing for about 2 to 3 years. Most of his songs are really good and catchy and easy to sing along to. Two of his songs I really like are Barefoot Blue Jean Night and Anywhere With You. Barefoot Blue Jean Night has a really cool banjo part that makes it really catchy. I feel like this song would be very easy for a crowd at a concert to sing along to. This song was really popular when it first came out, and still is very popular. Anywhere With You is another catchy song with a great electric guitar part at the beginning of the song. This song is about a husband telling his wife that he will go "anywhere with" her, but if he's with her. Here are the videos for Barefoot Blue Jean Night and Anywhere With You by Jake Owen. 

Blog 60

This week in class we got to recommend music to listen to. Most of the music we listened to was rap which was ok, but I'm more of a country guy, and I didn't want to recommend we listen to one of my songs and then everybody hate it. So I kept my mouth shut, for the most part. I recommended one of the rap songs which was Swimming Pool by Kendrick Lamar. This song has a pretty good beat, and a good flow to it that makes you want to bob your head to. Another kid in class recommended that we listen to a song by Kid Cudi, I can't remember the name of the song but all I remember is it not being the best song in the world. It was way to long and not catchy enough for me to like it. I like the way that class was, and I think that was the most engaged I have ever been in class before. I hope we get to do that again!

Blog 59

I really like country, so I'm going to talk about a country band that I like and that is Florida Georgia Line. I know that is a weird name but they have a really good and sound and really catchy songs. Two of their songs I really like are Cruise and Get Your Shine On. Cruise is a catchy song that is easy to like, and easy to sing to. Get Your Shine On is also very catchy and easy to sing to and that is why I like it. Here are the videos for Cruise and Get Your Shine On by Florida Georgia Line.

Blog 58

This week in class we watched a documentary on Wilco. I had never heard of Wilco before this documentary so I don't know any of his songs. From what I heard, I think he has a pretty good voice, and he seems like a really good musician. I liked it when he played the guitar and the harmonica at the same time. I wish I could do that, it's hard enough just to play the guitar and the harmonica separately, so playing them together at the same time is pretty impressive. From what I heard from Wilco, I kind of like them. I think I will look up more of their songs and listen to more.

Blog 57

I know I write about country music a lot, but that's because I really like it, and another person I want to write about is Brantley Gilbert. Brantley Gilbert isn't your usual country singer, he's more of a rock country star, he wears what a hard rock singer would wear, so he definitely sticks out from all of the other country singers. The good thing is that he has some really good catchy songs. Two examples are Country Must Be Country Wide and More Than Miles. These two songs are really good, and they have more of a hard electric guitar sound than the usual twangy acoustic guitar sound. Country Must Be Country Wide is about exactly what the title says and More Than Miles is about a girl. Here are the videos for Country Must Be Country Wide and More Than Miles by Brantley Gilbert.

Blog 56

This week in class we listened to N.W.A. and I have never listened to them before so it was pretty interesting. They definitely don't care what they say because every song has multiple cuss words. The only song I knew was Express Yourself, and that was only because it was a remix of the original song. I would of liked their songs if they were shorter, it just seemed like they went on forever and they just repeated. We also listened to the Beastie Boys and I had never listened to them before and I now know why I haven't. All that it is, is noise you can't understand them and it's not even that catchy. I just don't like them. I don't think I will be listening to these bands anymore.

Blog 55

A band that I have recently discovered is Young the Giant, this band as a kind of indie sound but their songs are catchy. Two songs that stand out from the rest are Cough Syrup and My Body. Cough Syrup is a softer song but still has a climax in the chorus which is what I like about it. My Body is the opposite, this song is up beat and makes you feel good when you listen to it because of its up beat tempo and catchy tune. I'm glad I discovered Young the Giant because it gives me another band to listen to and follow whenever they put out another album. Here are the videos for Cough Syrup and My Body by Young the Giant.

Blog 54

This week in class we listened to U2, and I had never listened to U2 before now. I didn't know any of their songs except for one, and that was I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, which is a great song. When listening to this song I didn't think it was by them because I thought it was a song I sing at church camp, so when I found out it was by them I was surprised. I really like this song because it feels very easy to sing along to, and it is very catchy. I really don't know any other songs by U2, but maybe if I listened to more of their songs I would find some that I knew, or had heard before.

Blog 53

I would like to talk about the one and only, Justin Timberlake. Justin Timberlake is an amazing talent, he is funny, a great dancer,very good at golf, a good actor, and most of all an amazing singer. Of course he got his name famous by *NSYNC which is one of the biggest boy bands ever, but now he does his own thing. He just recently came out with a new album called The 20/20 Experience which has a lot of great songs on it, but my favorites are Mirrors and Suit & Tie. Both of these songs have great beats and are very catchy, but what makes them so good is Justin Timberlake's voice because it is so original and very good. I think a lot of people don't know that Justin Timberlake is a really talented guy, and they just think he is the guy that was in *NSYNC, but he is a very talented guy who can do almost anything. Here are the videos for Mirrors and Suit & Tie by Justin Timberlake. 

Link to Mirrors below

http://youtu.be/uuZE_IRwLNI

Blog 52

This week in class we listened to Paul Simon and he was pretty good, I had heard his name before but I had never listened to any of his songs. The only song I knew was You Can Call Me Al, which is a pretty good song because it is catchy and has a pretty good beat. I was thinking about where I had heard his name before and I now realize that he was the Simon in Simon and Garfunkel which is a very well known name, and I don't know how I didn't think about that earlier. Over all Paul Simon was pretty good but I personally am not going to listen to him anymore.

Blog 51

A band that I like is Simple Plan, two of their songs I like are Vacation and I'd Do Anything. Vacation is in one of the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movies, I can't remember what the movie is called but I will put up the video of Vacation by Simple Plan.

The next song is I'd Do Anything which is a really catchy song because of it's up beat tempo and its guitar part. Here is the video for I'd Do Anything by Simple Plan.

Blog 50

This week in class we listened to the one and only Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson is an amazing artist and singer who will forever be remembered. We listened to his first solo album which had a lot of great songs. For example, Thriller, Beat It and Billie Jean, Thriller and Billie Jean are my favorite because they have really cool beats and they make the most sense to me. I really only listen to Thriller during Halloween but other than that I don't really listen to it, but I still really like the song. Billie Jean has a cool beat that is easy to bob your head to. Michael Jackson was a very talented artist and will forever be remembered.

Blog 49

A great country music singer is Blake Shelton. I like Blake Shelton because of his voice and because his songs are really good. Two songs that I really like are Honey Bee and God Gave Me You. Honey Bee is a great song that is really easy to sing to. I like this song because of its catchy tune which makes it really easy to sing along to. Honey Bee is a good song but God Gave Me You is an even better song because of its message. Blake Shelton is singing about his wife and how God gave him her to help him through life crazy adventures. Here are the lyrics to God Gave Me You which will be followed by the video. 

I've been a walking heartache
I've made a mess of me
The person that I've been lately
Ain't who I wanna be

But you stay here right beside me
Watch as the storm blows through
And I need you

Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I've lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it's true
God gave me you

There's more here than what were seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You'll always be love's great martyr
And I'll be the flattered fool
And I need you
Yeah!

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I've lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it's true
God gave me you

On my own I'm only
Half of what I could be
I can't do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo

Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I've lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it's true
God gave me you, gave me you
He gave me you

Blog 48

This week in class we listened to some disco music which I really like because a lot of the songs we listened to I knew, so I could sing along to them. I also like disco music because it is very easy to dance to, and I like the way the music makes you feel up beat and happy. A couple of the songs we listened to were Celebration and Stayin' Alive which are two very well known songs. Stayin' Alive was in Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta, which we watched the trailer to in class, and Celebration is just a really up beat well known song. I like Stayin' Alive because of the catchy beat it has and the way it makes me bob my head even when thinking about it. I like Celebration because the happy feeling I get when listening to it and because its really easy to sing to.

Blog 47

Another alternative band that I like is The All American Rejects. I started listening to them because of my brother and I have liked them ever since. A couple of songs that I like by them are It Ends Tonight and Dirty Little Secret. These songs are from their Move Along album that came out in 2005. I like It Ends Tonight because it is a much less harsh song than you would think an alternative band would make. It Ends Tonight has a piano part at the beginning of the song that is unusual for an alternative band to have, because when I think of most alternative bands I think of a heavy drum and guitar song not a song with piano in it. But then again this song only has a piano part at the beginning. Here is the music video for It Ends Tonight by The All American Rejects.

Dirty Little Secret starts out with a sweet guitar part led by a cool drum part. I like this song for its catchy tune, and I like that after listening to it a couple of times, you can start to sing along to it. This was actually the first song that I heard by them so it's probably my favorite because of that. Here is the clip for Dirty Little Secret by The All American Rejects.

Blog 46

This week in class we talked about punk and how people categorize it as punk. That was really difficult for me because punk sounds really popish to me. I couldn't tell you what punk is, but I could tell you some punk bands. For example, we talked about the Sex Pistols and The Clash, and those are two very well known bands. I like The Clash better than I like the Sex Pistols because I like more of The Clash's songs and I like their sound better than the Sex Pistols. The Sex Pistols sound is very angry, and to be honest, that's not my style. I like bands with a good, clear sound, that I can listen to without getting a headache. One song we listened to by The Clash, was I Fought The Law, which is a great song that is very easy to sing along to, but the song I wish we got to listen to was Should I Stay Or Should I Go. I have known this song since I was really young, because it was in The Rugrats Go Wild movie, which was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. This song is also very easy to sing along to, and I like the catchy guitar part. I hope you like it to!

Blog 45

A classic alternative band that I like is Fall Out Boy. They have a great mix of vocals, drums and guitar and two songs that display that well are Dance, Dance and Sugar, We're Goin Down. Both of the songs have great drum parts that get you really into the song. I like how these songs are really easy to sing along to because they are so catchy, it makes them that much better. Here are the music videos for Dance, Dance and Sugar, We're Goin Down by Fall Out Boy.

Blog 44

A great country music band is the Eli Young Band. I like the Eli Young Band for there sound and there lyrics. They have a very distinct sound that you can recognize pretty easily if you have heard them before. Two of there songs that I really like are Crazy Girl and Even If It Breaks Your Heart. Crazy Girl is about a guy telling a girl how much he loves her and that he "wouldn't dream of going anywhere" without her. I like this song for its soft sound and good lyrics that put together a great song. Here is the music video for Crazy Girl by the Eli Young Band.

Even If It Breaks Your Heart is another great song with great lyrics. I like this song for its softness and the guitar part at the beginning. This song is about someone reaching for their dreams and not giving up no matter "if it breaks your heart." Here is the music video for Even If It Breaks Your Heart by the Eli Young Band.

Blog 43

An artist that I really like is Andy Grammer. Andy Grammer has two songs that are pretty popular, and they are songs that if you heard them you would probably recognize them. Those two songs are Keep Your Head Up and Fine By Me. Keep Your Head Up is a song that has a catchy beat and tune to it that make you want to get up and dance and sing, and that is why I like it. Keep Your Head Up was in the movie Pitch Perfect, so if you've seen that movie then you have probably heard this song before. Here's the music video of Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer.

Fine By Me is another song that I really like because of the catchy tune and the beat it has. It makes me bob my head up and down to the beat, and that gets me more and more into the song. Here's the music video for Fine By Me by Andy Grammer.

Blog 42

Last week in class we listened to Stevie Wonder and I thought he was extremely good at what he did knowing that he was blind. He has a very good voice and has very good skills on pretty much every instrument you could think of. Two of my favorite songs by him are Superstition and I Wish. Superstition has been in one of the Bud Light commercials this year and that it where I recognized it from. This song has a very distinct guitar part that gets used in a lot of things. Here is the Bud Light commercial with Stevie Wonder's song Superstition in it.

I Wish is a another very recognizable Stevie Wonder song, but not for the guitar part. The bass part at the beginning of the song is what tells you that it I Wish, and this bass part has been used in many things as well. This is a great song that is very catchy to me because of the bass and brass part.

Blog 41

An artist that has been around for a while that I think has always been good is Usher. Usher was born in Dallas, Texas which is pretty cool because he is very famous and popular. He has had a ton of good songs, but one of the most popular one would be Yeah! which has a really sweet beat and good sound. Yeah! features Lil' Jon and Ludacris who are also really big named artists. Here is the video for Yeah! by Usher.

Usher has a ton of great songs and one of them came out this year and it's called Scream. Scream also has a sick beat like Yeah! and a great catchy sound. Here is the video for Scream by Usher.

Blog 40

This week in class we listened to John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The only song I knew by John Lennon was Imagine, which is a great song that is very popular. Imagine has awesome lyrics and a good sound. I hope some day I will know more of John Lennon's songs because the songs he wrote with The Beatles are amazing and I'm sure if I listened to more of his songs, I would think they were just as good. Here is the video for John Lennon's Imagine.

The only song I knew by Paul McCartney was Another Day. Another Day has a tricky beat that sounds really cool. The sound of this song is great and it switches from sad to happy. Here's the video for Paul McCartney's Another Day.

Blog 39

Some music I have been listening to is Gavin DeGraw. He has been around for a while but last year he came out with a great album called Sweeter. Some good songs on this album are Soldier and Not Over You. I'm going to talk about Not Over You, this song has a great beat and great lyrics. Here is the video for Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw.

Another song that I like by him is In Love With A Girl on his self titled album, this song also has a cool beat and I really like his voice. Here's the video for In Love With A Girl by Gavin DeGraw.

Blog 38

This week in class we listened to some David Bowie and Sweet. A song that David Bowie does that I didn't know he did is Changes. I really like this song because of the beat and the lyrics. David Bowie is a pretty weird guy because of his alter ego Ziggy Stardust but in my opinion this is one of his better songs. Here is the video for Changes by David Bowie.

The song we listened to by Sweet is Ballroom Blitz which has a sick guitar part and a catchy tune. What's cool about this song is that it's in many movies, but the one that I am thinking about is Daddy Day Care. Here is the video of Ballroom Blitz by Sweet in the movie Daddy Day Care.

Blog 37

I have recently discovered that I like a singer that is liked by many girls, and his name is Ed Sheeran. His music is really good, especially my favorite two songs The A Team and Lego House. These are two very good songs with awesome lyrics. Here are the lyrics for Lego House which will be followed by the video.

I'm gonna pick up the pieces,
And build a Lego house
If things go wrong we can knock it down

My three words have two meanings,
There's one thing on my mind
It's all for you

And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got you to keep me warm
If you're broken I will mend you and I'll keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now

I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind
I'll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now

I'm gonna paint you by numbers
And colour you in
If things go right we can frame it and put you on a wall

And it's so hard to say it but I've been here before
Now I'll surrender up my heart
And swap it for yours

I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind
I'll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now

Don't hold me down
I think my braces are breaking, and it's more than I can take

And it's dark in a cold December, but I've got you to keep me warm
If you're broken I will mend you and I'll keep you sheltered from the storm that's raging on now

I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now
I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind
I'll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now

I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
[Album version enging:]
And out of all these things I've done I will love you better now

[Music video version enging:]
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now

I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind
I'll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I've done I think I love you better now
I'm out of touch, I'm out of love
I'll pick you up when you're getting down
And out of all these things I've done I will love you better now

The A Team is a good song that is about a girl that sleeps with guys for drugs, from listening to the song you can't really get that unless you listen closely. Here's the video for The A Team by Ed Sheeran.

Blog 36

This week in class we listened to Led Zepplin 4 and I didn't really know any songs so I am going to talk about something else we listened to which was Let It Be, and of course I know and love this song just like a lot of people do. This song references Paul McCartney's mother who's name is Mary, which is sung at the very beginning of the song. Here is the video of Let It Be by the Beatles which will be followed by the lyrics.

When I find myself in times of trouble

Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Yeah there will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be
Ah let it be, yeah let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Yeah let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah let it be
Oh there will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah let it be
Oh there will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Ah let it be, yeah let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blog 35

I really like this one song called Wagon Wheel and it's originally by Old Crow Medicine Show but I like this new version is by Darius Rucker who used to be in Hootie & The Blowfish and is now doing his own thing in the genre of country. Darius Rucker's version of it sounds much like the original but less nasally, which is why I like his version better. Here is the original version of Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show, that will be followed by Darius Rucker's video of Wagon Wheel.

Blog 34

This week in class we watched a video about copyright, and it was interesting because it was very one sided on it being ok to steal music. I feel like they didn't talk about how it was a bad thing to steal music. Stealing music isn't fair for the artist, because artists already don't make tons of money, so if you're stealing their music then you are essentially stealing their money. I have done it before I'm not going to lie, but I don't do it anymore because I feel it's wrong. So from now on I buy all of my songs and feel much better about it.

Blog 33

An artist that I have been listening to recently is Macklemore. A couple of songs that I really like are Same Love, Thrift Shop and Wings. They are inspirational songs with a good message which is hard to find in a rap or pop songs. The songs also give background information about Macklemore and his childhood. The cool thing is that the way that Macklemore puts across his stories are in a way that applies to people who enjoy rap and to people who want to hear inspirational stories. As a mentioned earlier, I really like his song Thrift shop because of how ironic it is. In some rap song you hear the rappers talking about how much money they spend and all the expensive things they buy, but in this song, Macklemore talks about only spending about $20 in a thrift shop. Below I have posted the music video to this song so that you can listen to the lyrics and hopefully become a Macklemore fan like me. 

Blog 32

This week in class we listened to Black Sabbath. The only song I knew by Black Sabbath was Iron Man, but after discussing them in class, I realized that I knew more songs. Iron Man is a classic Black Sabbath song that everyone knows. One cool thing that I learned about Black Sabbath is that in 1970, they defined the genre of heavy metal by releasing some albums. Ozzy Osbourne was the lead singer of Black Sabbath. He was fired from the band because of heavy drug use. The reason that I knew about Black Sabbath, as I mentioned before, was because of their very famous song, Iron Man. I like this song because of the lyrics. I have posted the video below so that you all can listen to the lyrics.