Saturday, December 20, 2014

2014 in Review: Monthly favorites

This might not be scientific, but I'm going to give it a shot. The plan hit me last night as I was crawling into bed: I'll sort my iTunes by "Date Added" then look at the entries month by month to see what floats to the top. I've got new neighbors moving in today (which means hours of footsteps running up and down the stairs) so this will work nicely to drown out the noise.

The skepticism about being scientific comes from the fact that, just because I add a track in a certain month, it doesn't mean the song was released then, so keep that in mind. Plus, sometimes I forget to turn off my iPod, so getting a lot of plays isn't always a sign of liking a song/band; it might be utter coincidence.

January:

Fun. - Some Nights

...from the EP, Before Shane Went to Bangkok: Fun. Live in the USA. You might check their site; it had been a free download. Not sure if it's still available.



February:

The Districts - Rocking Chair

They have a new album coming out in February 2015 and also are scheduled to be in Kansas City that same month. Mark your calendars!



March:

Water Liars - Tolling Bells

My copy is from a Daytrotter session. You know how I am addicted to Daytrotter. In fact, I just renewed my annual subscription and saved 50% (so that's $16) and now I can download all I want for another year. Daytrotter is a great source of music and I can't praise them enough. (In December 2014, subscribe and save 50%: Use promo code CHEER1YR and get half off a 1-yr membership. See their website for details.)



Tied for March is:

Kodaline - All I Want



April:

Manchester Orchestra - After the Scripture

I adore this song. I can't say anything more.



May:

Tim Fite - all of it.

In all honesty, the whole month of May should pretty much be dedicated to finding Tim Fite. The thing is, I now own about 4 bazillion Tim Fite songs, so the numbers get spread a little thin if I only look at plays, so it's hard to pick one song in particular.



June:

I definitely have days when I need something a little heavier in my life. I guess that's how I was feeling in June!

PUP - Reservoir

They have free downloads of this song available on Bandcamp.



The Menzingers - The Talk



July:

Bootstraps - Fourty five

In July, Daytrotter released a Bootstraps session, so although I did officially really like them before July and owned some of their music, I'm going to count them for July. We had company in town this month, so I didn't have much chance for music exploration this month!



August:

Vampire Weekend - M79

Vampire Weekend has been around for a while and I've been listening to them here and there, but this year they hit me a little harder with Step. I love the song. Consequently, I realized they had a Daytrotter session that I hadn't downloaded, which is why M 79 is one of this month's winner.




Thad Kopec - Albatross

Albatross doesn't have a video I can share, but here's a link so you can listen. I've told you -- probably more than once -- about how much I enjoy listening to his music.

The Griswolds - Red Tuxedo

What a fun song!



September:

Sara Swenson - Darling Dear

Sara Swenson came home this year after about a year in the UK; new husband in tow. I prefer Sara's music live, but since I can't really have her follow me around and sing me songs all day, I do have to resort to listening to her recorded music -- which I do frequently.

Darling Dear is from her new album, Runway Lights. It's a great chapter in her story. There's not a video for the song, so you can watch this one instead.



October:

The Paragraphs - Turns to Dust

I know, I know, I've already told you about Lost Ark Studio and The Paragraphs, but fair is fair, They won October. Check NoiseTrade and the band's Bandcamp page to get some cheap/free downloads of their music.



Bear's Den - Agape

This song is so emotional and beautiful and I have to just freeze in place when it comes on and listen to every single word.



November:

The Lonely Hunter - Lost and Found

I couldn't find a video for this song, but I really like it. You can get a sampler album from NoiseTrade that has the song and many others to help support The Orphan Care Network.

December:

Thrift - Mockingbird

December is easy, I didn't even have to look to know that it was Thrift. I'm crazy about Thrift lately and listen to their album every day. My thanks goes to Instagram for helping me cross paths with this music!



There were certainly many more great bands, songs, and live shows this year, so those who are not mentioned shouldn't feel slighted! Unless you suck, then yes, you should feel slighted. Very, very slighted.

Bye!

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Dinoscore: Joshua James, his new album, and a Rafflecopter giveaway!

I've been listening to Joshua James for a few years now. I love how his voice is haunting and soothing at the same time. If I'm struggling to get to sleep, or feeling anxious, I just put on his music and float away.

Recently, my mom and I had to take an emergency road trip from Kansas City to Florida for my grandma's funeral. We wanted to get there ASAP, so we drove straight through -- only stopping for brief gas/pit stops. I was letting her drive while I took a nap, but couldn't fall asleep. I dug out my iPod and was search through for something to listen to that would help me settle in and sleep for a bit. I was skipping through song by song, when finally, Joshua James popped up and I knew that was just what I needed to block out the traffic and distractions.

If I'm every trying to concentrate on something (which is often a struggle for me), I'll often switch over to Joshua James to help me keep that focus.

So, recently, his new album came out: Well, Then, I'll Go to Hell. I ordered it right away. Turns out, I've talked about him enough that one of my friends got the album for me too, so now I have two copies. Lucky for you, I'm not a hoarder (anymore), so I decided to try a Rafflecopter giveaway to share my extra copy. So, one of the copies I have is autographed, so I figured you might like to have that one. This will be my first Rafflecopter, so FINGERS CROSSED... I hope this goes smoothly.

I encourage you to check out Joshua James' music -- not just the new album!

From time to time, I end up getting extra CDs and other things from bands, so maybe this will be a good way to spread the wealth.

Dramamine is definitely one of my new favorites, but there are many other great songs!






a Rafflecopter giveaway