Guilty Pleasure Friday

I'm gonna do something different today with this. Both the original artist and the show that has the song are guilty pleasures so you're gettting a two for one today. After all I didn't post the past two days so it's only fair.

This person I'm surprised she's still alive after all the crap she has done to herself. Up until she came around the only real crazy singer we had was Britney Spears, but this lady (in my opinion) can top anything Britney has done... well except maybe the whole attacking the car with an umbrella. That was just insane.

Amy Whinehouse

Admit it. You had "Rehab" stuck in your head when it first came out (when you didn't know all the weird details of her life and it was cool to like the song). There's no denying that she's got a great voice, but the unfortunate part is that with her drug use and just all around craziness we probably won't hear too much from her in the future. She's gonna be gone soon I think.

Even if you don't like the song you have to like the hair. Gotta give her props for rocking the beehive. Though not when she had it dyed it blonde. That was just scary.

The show that has a performance of "Rehab" is called Glee and if you haven't seen it you need to go to their page on FOX's website and get to it. It's campy and basically a musical in an hour long comedy or dramedy whatever you want to classify it as. In this clip the Glee Club the show is about goes to watch an opposing school's Glee Club. It's amazing and I can't wait for the season to start in a couple of weeks. Enjoy the weekend!

Celebrating the Islands

This is artist is very successful both as a solo artist and a member a little band called The Fugees. If that doesn't tell you who it is then you really are behind and need to hear his music. He's a multi-platinum artist who is a producer and actor as well.

Wyclef Jean

Not only is he a fabulous musician, he is very involved with helping his native country Haiti with humanitarian work. He created the foundation Yéle Haiti to promote pride and hope for the country.

Today's song comes from his solo album Carnival and it's a mellow song called "Gone Til November." It features the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and was a big hit. If you pay attention to the video you might even catch the cameo by Bob Dylan while Wyclef is singing his name.

First Day Back at School

Today was the first day of classes and it seemed like it lasted forever... but at the same time it went by rather quickly. Two classes in a row and then I got to catch up with some of my friends in between classes. It's so easy to spot out the freshman, and I'm so glad that's not me anymore. So far so good.





Today we need an upbeat song to get through the Monday blues and my back to school blues. It's rainy outside here and I think it needs some brightening up. It just so happens that I've got the perfect video/song just for said occassion. A new artist that you probably haven't heard of before.

La Roux

I first thought that La Roux was a solo act of Elly Jackson but it turns out that it's actually a duo act. They're a British electro-pop synth duo. Elly sings and plays the synth while Ben Langmaid is the co-writer and co-producer. They definitely have a unique sound and it's probably not everyones cup of tea. Even if you like one song another one might be completely different sounding. Personally I like "Bulletproof" (today's song) but I don't really care for "In for the Kill." Take a listen to both and see what you think.

Not So Guilty Pleasure Friday

Saved the best for last once again. This week we end with probably one of the most recognizable summer songs in my opinion. The band on the other hand... not so much. I've heard the song a million times but never knew who sang it. Well today I'm fixing that.

Mungo Jerry

I think saying their name alone would make people look at you crazy, but they gave us a great summer song that I'm sure a ton of you have heard. "In the Summertime" is an infectious pop folk song that topped the charts everywhere around the world. What a better way to start the weekend than to have a song that celebrates the carefree days of summer. Enjoy the weekend!

Surfing Again

Yesterday's post got me thinking about surf music and I don't know how I didn't think of this artist sooner than I did. He is the "King of the Surf Guitar." My dad has always loved this guy's music and played it for me and my sister when we were little. He's experimented with different techniques and was the first to do many of the things he can do with a guitar.

Dick Dale

Dick Dale was a surfer and he wanted his music to sound like the sounds he thought in his head while out on the waves. Listening to his songs you can definitely tell he achieved this goal. He makes his guitar pull out riffs with a "wet" sound. One thing he is also known for is his unique style of picking the strings. Dale is left-handed so he had to play a right-handed guitar. He didn't bother restringing his guitar and instead played it upside-down. He continued to do this even when he got a left-handed guitar. Old habits die hard.

Even after a cancer diagnosis in 2008 Dale is touring once again this year after a surgery to remove a tumor. This song is my favorite as well as my dad's. If you love listening to the guitar then this song is for you.

A Real Blast From the Past

I don't think you can talk about summer music without mentioning this band. To me they are the definition of summer. I remember my sister, mom, grandma, and I were going to the beach one summer and we listened to a tape of nothing but this band's music all the way down and never got tired of it. They've got the whole surfer vibe down to an art.

Beach Boys

It doesn't matter what time of year I listen to anyone of their songs, I automatically think of summer or the beach. After all beach is in their name so it only makes sense. Even though their songs envoke scenes of the waves of Californian coast, Brian Wilson's creativity took them to a whole 'nother level of wow. Granted Wilson'd drug use and mental instability weren't too good for the band, but you can't deny the power they had. They've influenced countless number of future musicians and were even ranked 12 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Artists of all Time. Even more amazing still is that Billboard ranks them as the #1 selling American band of all time.

This song is one of my favorites. Whenever I go to the beach I spend all my time in the water. the only time I come to shore is when we're about to leave the beach itself. I didn't surf it was just boogie boarding but I've always wanted to learn how to surf. This song has the surfing spirit I have in me I like to think

It's a Cruel World

We're throwing it back to the 80's today. It's an all girl group who have been very successful throughout they're musical career. The line-up hasn't always been the same, but they were most successful when it was the trio of three friends Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin. They even received a Guinness World Record in 1988 for the all-female group for most chart entries. They still have the record today! Who is this amazing group?

Bananarama

I'm sure there are some of you out there who are wondering who in the world this group is. I'll admit I had never heard their name until I was watching a countdown of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's on VH1. It's weird to think that they have all these songs on the charts but they aren't more familiar. Though I know you definitely know their song "Venus." Yes that would be the one on all the Venus razor commercials.

They're still around today touring and what not. Only instead of a trio it's just a duo of Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward (who's married to the vocalist and guitarist from Wham!... no not George Michael the other guy... Andrew Ridgeley). They're at work in the studio and are set to release a couple of singles next month.

Got a pretty nice live peformance of the song "Cruel Summer". The real cruelty is summer is almost gone...

Last Days of Summer

Unfortunately my days left of summer are now numbered. I start back a school in just one week. It will be nice to be back around all my friends at college but nothing can beat being at home and the summer fun. In the spirit of summer all of this weeks posts will be summer related songs that way the feeling can last just a little bit longer. So bust out the shades and kick back.

The Ataris

Yet another pop punk band here for you. They've released five studio albums since they've been a band and yet I've really only heard one of their songs. Funny enough is that it was off of one of those Now compilation CDs and a cover of a very popular song. You might have heard it by a man named Don Henley.

"Boys of Summer" is an amazing song and I think I listened to it about 1000 time when the summer started. I can think of no better way to kick off my summer music week than with this song.

Guilty Pleasure Friday

What can't today's artist do? She has her own TV show, talk show, and is a former supermodel. Well... today's song proves she can't sing. She's crazy amazing and always hilarious to watch on anything. It's...

Tyra Banks

Hate to break it to her but "Shake Ya Body" isn't exactly a Grammy winning hit, but why do I still like it then? I honestly can't tell you. It might be because the people in the video are from one of my favorite cycles of America's Next Top Model or it might be just because it's Tyra and I love all her crazy antics. Whatever the reason, I always look forward to this episode of ANTM because even though this song bombed they still air it at the end of the show. How great is that? Enjoy the weekend!

Who's in whose shadow now?

This artist hasn't really done much in the music world as of late, but I still can't help but listen to her stuff every now and then. Nowadays she's more into the acting world and being a mom. As a matter of fact I saw her and her husband on a rerun of CSI New York last night. This fall you can see her on the remake of Melrose Place as well.

Ashlee Simpson

I think she looks really good with the red hair too. Say what you want about her. Yeah she had that lip syncing incident on SNL, but she's still a great singer. Her first CD, Autobiography, debuted at number 1 and went triple platinum. Is it possible that that was all because of her reality show going on at the same time? Of course it's possible, but her second album, I Am Me, also debuted at the top spot and went platinum. There's no denying her talent.

I can't embed the video for her song "Invisible" but the video is so good that I have to post it. So instead of putting the video on here myself I have the youtube link. You just have to watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj1Hfa8GrPU

Best for Last

Ending our journey of my epic trip to Atlanta last week we have the band who was essentially the whole reason why I ever ended up at Warped Tour in the first place. My friend that got us the tickets hadn't ever heard of Warped Tour but when he saw this band on Lady GaGa's Fame Ball Tour he had to see them live again. I had only heard one of tehir songs before, so I didn't really know what all to expect and let me tell you it was definitely worth the hype.

The White Tie Affair

They put on the best show I saw while we were down there. Chris Wallace is their lead singer and you could tell he was putting his all into his performance. He was right in front of us and you could just feel the intensity coming from him. Sean plays the bass and he's definitely the craziest one. It's like he's a little kid just doing whatever. Ryan (keyboard/guitar player) and Tim (drums) aren't as outgoing but you can still see that they loce what they do.

After their show we immediately ran to their tent so we could talk with them and get autographs. Chris and Sean were there and it was amazing. When Chris was signing my shirt he noticed that I was wearing a Paramore shirt and said he thought they were cool and we just had a random conversation from there. He's a really cool guy. Meanwhile Sean is on the other side messing with people in line while signing stuff. They're awesome people and I instantly fell in love with the band.

This is my personal favorite song off of their album. They don't have an official video for it yet but I hope they do soon!

Repeat Offenders

This is the first post where I'll have an artist that has been written about on here before. This band was the one that I wanted to see the most at Warped Tour. When I saw the list of the bands that were going to be there, seeing their name alone sold me on going. It's a little bittersweet because they were my first post...

Meg & Dia

They came out and the first song they played was "Black Wedding", which you should remember as the very first song I blogged about on here. I thought I was going to freak out. Totally had a fangirl moment then.

They're definitely a good live band. The only way you would know that they weren't just playing the CD was that the volumes were off so sometimes the bass overpowered Dia's singing. It was funny too because between songs Dia would make random comments and it was awkward (not in a bad way) but cute.

Interesting note about this song, "Monster" is that the inspiration behind it all is from John Steinbeck's character Cathy Ames in his book East of Eden. If you've ever read the book then you know that Cathy is a horrible person and the word monster is an apt description.

Our next stop on my Warped Tour journey brings us to a band from Michigan. This was one of the few that I actually had heard about before we set foot in Atlanta. They're a more mellow band instead of the many hardcoer ones that were there. It's a nice way to give your ears a break I tell you.

Every Avenue

I first heard these guys on MTVU and immediately loved the song I heard. "Think of You Later (Empty Room)" is a little on the short side but it's still great. They've got a nice mix of mellow and then rocking tracks in their set. One second you'll be headbanging and the the next you want to break out the lighters and sway along. I like it when a band can mix it up a bit but still bring great quality music to the plate

Guilty Pleasure Friday

Take a quick break from the Warped Tour posts to bring another guilty pleasure. Now this one for most people you either like it or you hate it. My sister and I love it, but my mom thinks it's the dumbest thing ever. Generational gap? Who knows...

Anyway this person has a ton of hilarious videos. Most of them are songs but there are a few that aren't. It's his running character named Kelly and her family in almost all of them (including this one), and I'm sure you'll run around quoting it just like I do. This video/song is the first one I ever saw "Shoes." Fair warning: it will get stuck in your head. Enjoy the weekend!

I'm Back!

Warped Tour was probably the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. I saw the 2 bands that I really wanted to see (Meg & Dia and The White Tie Affair), and also discovered some new bands that are pretty amazing. So for the next few days or so I'll be posting about bands that I saw, and putting up one of the pictures I took of them along with the post instead of just finding one on the internet. Let's start with the very first band we saw and go from there. Shall we?

Innerpartysystem

Before seeing them Tuesday I had never ever heard of them before, but boy was I glad that we got the chance to hear them. We just walked in right in front of the Hurley.com stage and were blown away by how good they were. We had no idea who in the world they were but knew that we definitely needed to find out.

They've got this great techno rock sound thanks in large part to the synthesizers. The electronic sound is just amazing and maybe even hypnotic. You can't help but want to move around to the music. The just released their first album, Innerpartysystem, last year and let me tell you it's great. We bought it right after they finished their set and I'm definitely not dissappointed. They know how to deliver with their unique style.

Warped 'til Wednesday

So I'll be out of town until late Wednesday or so. I'm headed down to spend some time with my friends who are spending the summer at the college I go to, and the big event in Atlanta that I've been waiting for is on Tuesday... Warped Tour. Warped Tour is a crazy epic concert which features mainly alternative bands, and I'm lucky enough to get the chance to go this year.

Unfortunately one of my absolute favorite bands won't be there this year for the first time since they've been a band. I can't blame them though. I mean when No Doubt wants you to go on tour with them for the summer you can't say no. That would be a sin or something. No I'm not talking about The Sounds. This is all about...

Paramore

I can't get enough of these guys. Every song they put out is amazing. Plus they're from Franklin, Tennessee which as an Alabama native is great to me. Haley Williams is another one of those great frontwomen out there in music. I haven't seen them in person, but from what I know she puts on one hell of a show. Brothers Josh and Zac Farro play guitar and drums, respectively. Jeremy Davis plays bass and new edition Taylor York roundsit out with rhythm guitar. These people work together and produce a wonderful pop punk sound. They were even nominated for a Grammy for "Best New Artist", but they lost to Amy Whinehouse. We see who's still around making music though.

Since I won't be posting for a couple of days I've decided that I'll pick a song from each of Paramore's albums plus their main song from Twilight. From their first album, All We Know is Falling, I've picked the song "Pressure." It was the first song of theirs I ever heard and they've had me hooked ever since. Funny story with this song too. I was watching the Fuse and saw the video and new the song was familiar for some reason. I really like it so I didn't think much of it except that I would keep Paramore in my mind. Then I went to play The Sims 2 and lo and behold a version of the song came playing through my game. Crazy awesome.

Next is from their album Riot!. It's the song "Misery Business." Great video that even my mom thought was amazing. If you're wondering what the song is about, Hayley Williams says it's about a friend of hers that she felt was being controlled by this girl and later Hayley started dating him and the song explains her story.

Last we've got "Decode" from the Twilight Soundtrack. When I heard teh song for the first time I think I was more excited by it than the movie itself. Williams specifically wrote the song for the movie and is actually a huge fan of the series herself.

Their third album Brand New Eyes is set to be released in September of this year, and if you're like me, you can't wait to hear what they have in store for us.

Guilty Pleasure Friday

I've got another Spanish one for you here. Only this time you might be able to understand it all. Literally everything said in the video is something anyone would have learned in the first semester of taking Spanish classes. Hence the name "One Semester of Spanish Love Song."

One of my friends found it and made my Spanish teacher show it to the class. The funny thing is that this was a 4th semester of Spanish class so we all knew what it was saying and we're dying laughing. It's just random phrases put together and sounds great. Take a listen and enjoy the weekend!

Perfect Day

You might have heard this artis before if you've ever seen the movies Legally Blonde or Snow Day, or even possibly on this random cruise line commercial. She's the daughter of legendary hawaiian singer Don Ho.

Hoku

The song "Perfect Day" is a great way to make you feel good, and was the theme to Legally Blonde. Sadly we haven't really heard much from Hoku after the success of this song. She took a break after 2001, but came back into the music scene around 2006 to sing with her dad in the Don Ho Show until he died in '07. She's recorded some more music but I haven't heard any of it, that I know of at least. If it's anything like "Perfect Day" then I think it will be worth a listen.

Best Artist Ever

Seriously I have yet to hear a song she has made that I haven't liked. She's got a beautiful voice and can really play the guitar. Let's quit this messing around and get to who today's choice is...

Michelle Branch

I don't know when I first heard her sing, but I know I'll never forget her music. I can listen to any of her albums 1000 times straight through and never get tired of it. She had 2 top selling albums in the early 2000's , and you might have heard some of her songs like "Everywhere" or "All You Wanted" in TV shows and movies. She's probably most known for her Grammy Award winning song "Game of Love" which she collaborated with Santana.

She put her solo career on hold after her marriage and pregnancy, but not too long afterwards she created the country duo The Wreckers with her friend Jessica Harp. Not surprisingly this group was also very successful but they also decided to take a break so they each could focus on their solo careers. As a matter of fact, Jessica Harp recently released her first new single/video "Boy Like Me" (it's pretty awesome if I do say so myself).

Michelle is currently working on a new album which will hopefully be released some time later this year. She's going back to her acoustic/alternative roots. I can't wait to hear it, and you better believe I'll be getting that CD. This song today is my favorite song of hers and always brings a smile to my face. It's just a beautiful song. End of story

Michelle Branch - Breathe

iTunes Find

I discovered this song thanks to iTunes sometime late last year. Surprisingly the little free downloads iTunes has every week are actually really good most of the time. This song is from an indie rock band from Chicago. Their debut album, Ordinary Riches, in it's own debut appeared at #5 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. I'm talking about...

Company of Thieves

The song "Oscar Wilde" was the iTunes magic I stumbled across which is kind of funny because in my senior year of high school for AP English we had to read The Picture of Dorian Gray by you guessed it, Oscar Wilde. It's a great book. I recommend it to anyone who likes a little mystery or sci-fi. It's about a guy who never ages. The character Dorian Gray is also a character in the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (I don't recommend seeing that one though).

Back to the song. Oscar Wilde was a great inspiration for not only just this track, but also the whole album. They were inmpressed by his tenacity Drummer Mike Ortiz says, "It's better to struggle doing what you love than just settling for doing whatever everyone else is doing. We all took risks with this band, and had to make sacrifices in our personal lives, but if you really pursue what you love then you'll ultimately reap benefits from it."

Awesome Aussies

We're starting the week off right with an Australian duo that I think everyone should know about. They're twins and are hilarious. I was watching their hitlist on MTVHits last year and all the comments they made about the songs they picked made me laugh so hard. Like they had a Thirty Seconds to Mars song and said that the video must have been made by one of Jared Leto's movie director friends because we all know he's such a "great" actor. I would watch that hitlist everytime it came on just for the commentary. Well and it didn't hurt that the songs were good.

The Veronicas

I've been keeping up with The Veronicas ever since I heard their first single "4Ever". I don't think their first album reached major success here in the US but it definitely hit it big in Australia. However, their second album Hook Me Up with its edgier and more electro-pop sound really has taken off here for them this time. Some people don't like it when bands change their sound but I think Lisa and Jess Origliasso did it well. I like both albums but the song today is the first song I heard from the second album: "Untouched".

Oh and I would hate it if I didn't mention that Jess was rumored to be romantically linked with Ruby Rose (hot Aussie MTV VJ). They were photographed kissing but never confirmed anything. Would be cool if they did. Wishful thinking I suppose. Also if you want to know more about them just follow them on Twitter. They've got some funny updates every now and then and banter back and forth too

Guilty Pleasure Friday

Round 2. This one is brought to you by a group of people that went to my high school. For my advanced broadcasting class we had to make a music video and one group came up with this rap that they wrote themselves and it was the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. Needless to say they definitely got a 100 on the project.

Word of the video quickly spread through the school and by the end of the day I thinkeveryone had seen it. Even our principal had seen it and liked it. The two guys that are rapping are probably the whitest people ever which makes it all that much better. It's just a fun parody put together for a great class. Enjoy the weekend!

Viva España

I love the Spanish language. I took 5 semesters of it in high school and I was so pissed to find out that I have no room to take it at college. This band is from Spain. You can tell because they have a bit of a lisp on some words. My Spanish teacher told me once that the reason spanairds have that accent is because back in the day one of their kings had a lisp and they didn't want to offend him and starting speaking like him so he wouldn't get mad (trivia for the day).

Bizarre

Obviously the song is in Spanish so you might only be able to pixk out a few words unless you speak the language. It took me a few times but I eventually figured out what they were saying. Even if you don't understand anything they say the song is still great. I've noticed that in music in other languages you focus on things like the beat, tone, and feel since you have no idea what the words mean. It gives you a better appreciation for the song I think. Oh and if your offended by gay stuff then don't watch the video. Features some gay ladies

The Pussycat Dolls have a twin?

That's what it seems like at least. This group seriously could be the Pussycat Dolls. Both were created by Robin Antin and their an all girl group with 5 members. Plus it doesn't hurt that they have people that look and dress the same in both groups. I had to do a double take when I first saw them. What is it with Robin Antin and created all these girl groups that are basically the same thing? Pussycat Dolls, Girlicious, and now....

Paradiso Girls

The interesting thing about this group is that each member is from a different country. Chelsea Korka is from the US, Kelly Beckett is from Barbados, Aria Cascaval is from France, Shar Mae Amor is from the Philippines, and Lauren Bennett is from the UK. They feature 3 lead singers, a rapper, and a DJ. It's an interesting mix that plays well in their first single "Patron Tequila" (featuring Eve and Lil' Jon).

And if the Paradiso Girls are familiar to you for some other reason you might have seen them on the NewNowNext Awards this year.

Destiny's who?

We've got a former member of a super group today. Not the most famous one in the group but don't count her out. She's got some star power of her own. Ok technically it's not her song but she's featured in it. Currently you can see her in a different kind of gig on Bravo lending Isaac Mizrahi a hand with the judging.

Kelly Rowland

Former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland was kind of stuck behind Beyonce's shadow in the group. After all how many people can name anyone from the group other than Beyonce? I can but I was like 7 and obsessed with them, the Spice Girls, and whoever else so I think I'm an exception. Oh and did anyone see her in Freddy vs. Jason? Interesting movie role there for her if you ask me. Didn't expect to see her in a slasher flick. Especially that one but hey whatever works for you.

This song is your perfect dance tune. It's repetitive, catchy, and has a beat that you can't help but move to. I could totally see someone doing a drag performance to this. Kelly Rowland knows her dance hits and this is definitely one of them

Crazy weather we're having don't you think?

Last night we had some intenense rain come through. Thunder, lightning, wind, the whole nine yards. We left a tent up from our 4th of July party and let's just say that it won't be doing it's job without the help of some duct tape and some jury rigging. Good thing I know a highly appropriate song for a day such as this!

Shiny Toy Guns

Great band that has an awesome techno sound. Unfortunately since they replaced Carah Faye with some other girl their newer stuff isn't that good. Which is why I'm thankful I found their first album We are Pilots. Carah and Chad took turns with the vocals and in this song it's Chad's turn. Kind of an emo song but hey in my neck of the woods it's a dreary day. Plus I couldn't resist posting a song called "Rainy Monday" when it's in fact... a rainy Monday.

Guilty Pleasure Friday

To start the weekends out right I'm going to post a guilty pleasure song every Friday. You know songs that you like but don't necessarily want the whole world to know. I'll be a brave sould here and admit one every week for your enjoyment.

This person is one we all know. Love her, hate her, love to hate her it doesn't matter. You know you've seen her face everywhere. Whether it was while you where at the movies, watching Ugly Betty, or laughing at her hilarious eHarmony parody on funny or die. Think you know who it is?

That Girl

As much as I hate to admit it, I love all the songs I've heard her sing. I have no idea why. Maybe it's just because it's Lohan. After all who didn't love Mean Girls? I'll sit here and quote that all day. The song is from a movie guilty pleasure of mine (2 for the price of one here you lucky people you). Enjoy the weekend!

A Storm is Brewing

Yesterday's post had a sad sounding song, so today I'm going to give you a hard rockin' song. Another one of those that I found out about by watching one of my many music channels. Seriously the Fuse, MtvU, and MtvHits are amazing. Found it on the Fuse during their rock countdown. I wasn't going to watch the video, but I'll always give a band that has a girl in it a chance. What can I say? It's a weakness

Halestorm

They've been around for a while because they started out when they were like 10 years old, but they just recently released their debut album which features this song "I Get Off." It's been getting quite a bit of radio play, so their hard work is paying off. "I Get Off" is a hard rocking song and I look forward to seeing what they do in the future.

O Canada

Nope this isn't a post about Tegan and Sara (though don't worry I'll definitely have one sometime). Instead this is about the lead singer of one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands from the 90's, The Matthew Good Band. So as you might be able to guess the selection today is:

Matthew Good

I hate to admit it, but I found this song while watching Spashley fan videos on youtube (Spencer and Ashley from the show South of Nowhere). Hey if you watched the show you know they had way too many months in between seasons to go without them, so I had to fill in the gap. Thankfully I stumbled across the song "Weapon."

The song has a dark feel to it, and features the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The original edit of the video won a Juno award, but Matthew hated it so he changed it up a bit. Here's the original version. I'll let you be the judge as to whether it was as bad as he thought it was.

Since I mententioned Maja Ivarsson yesterday, I feel it's only fair that her band get the spotlight today. This amazing group comes to us courtesy of Sweden and thank the lord for it. They've got a punk pop sound mixed with synthesizers. You could say they're a modern day Blondie. Maja is an impressive frontwoman and always puts on a great show.

The Sounds

This is one of my favorite songs of theirs, but there are so many to choose from. They've released three albums and they even produced the newest one themselves. They can pretty much do no wrong in my book if you ask me.

Starting the week off right

I saw this video last week when it premiered on MtvU. I love the band because they're just crazy and seem like they're always having a good time. Plus it doesn't hurt that one of their songs features the lovely Maja Ivarsson from The Sounds. Seriously I'm pretty much guaranteed to like a song if she's in it. And if that wasn't enough, they parody songs like no tomorrow ("I Kissed a Boy" and "Hollaback Boy").

Cobra Starship

This song features Leighton Meester, and before you turn away with that yes she can actually sing. Who would have thought? She's actually making an album of her own so we'll see how that turns out. The video is classic Cobra Starship fun. I have yet to see a video of theirs that bored me. There's even some pie throwing reminiscent of their video for "City is at War."

4th of July fun

In the spirit of Independence Day, summer, and just all around great fun, today's song we're gonna take it back a few years. I'm a huge 80's fan. Seriously I probably should have been born then. So I've picked a ground breaking band that had quite their share of firsts. They started out with a punk pop sounds, but that eventually morphed into 80's rock.

That's right. I'm talking about the Go Go's.

So whether you're on a vacation of your own this holiday weekend, or you're just staying around home enjoying the fireworks... here's a song to help start the day of right. Happy 4th of July!

Inaugural Post

So I've decided to take up blogging once again only this time it will be way more interesting on all of our parts. This go around I'll be writing about something we all love and have many opinions about, music. I like to think my taste in music is rather eclectic and from all walks of life so every day or so I'm going to update with a song. It won't necessarily be new or random, but it will definitely be a good one... or at least I think it will be.


Just a run down of the layout of these posts here. I'll give a picture of the artist or band and then I'll try and find some kind of video or link for the song. I make no guarantees about the quality but I'll try my best to find an awesome one. So without further ado here's the first song.

"Black Wedding" by Meg & Dia

"Black Wedding" is a song dealing with religion and you can find it on their most recent album here, here and here. It takes a heavier tone compared to their earlier songs like "Roses" or "Monster" (both songs worth taking a listen to as well). Their unique voices blend well and overall just a very catchy song. You can currently see them on Warped Tour this year, and before you ask no they're not twins (I totally thought they were), just sisters. Feel free to leave any feedback or suggestions for further listening or possible posts!