Favorites of 2016

So... it's been a little while. I've been doing twenty million different things and none of them ended up being this blog. But, I've always done rankings of my favorite things each year, and I wanted to keep that trend alive. That being said, after evaluating all the things that I ranked last year, I found myself at a bit of an impasse.

Last year, I ranked my overall favorite movies, musicians, albums, songs, TV shows, YouTubers, and BookTubers as well as my favorite albums and songs of 2015. When I looked back, I realized that my overall/all-time favorites haven't changed much if at all, so it seemed a bit ridiculous to re-rank everything. As for the favorites of the year, I realized that in my iTunes library, I only have 3 CDs from 2016 in my iTunes. And while I liked them, it didn't feel like enough to merit a whole ranking. And then I had to consider the new songs of 2016 and I couldn't even think of any off the top of my head. So, I'm just combining the two into one post and adding other favorites of the year into the mix.

Favorite New TV Show of 2016:

Stranger Things

This may be the most obvious answer ever because everyone loved Stranger Things, but I got SO obsessed. It was so good and I watched the entirety of the show in a day. After watching the first episode, I got hooked and watched the entirety of the show without doing anything else in between. I watch a ton of reality shows and very few scripted shows but this one completely stole my heart and I ended up watching it another two times over the following weeks and months. 

Despite the fact that there were new seasons of some of my favorite shows like Project Runway, Rupaul's Drag Race, and Big Brother, Stranger Things was the show that really grabbed me this year. 

Favorite New CD of 2016:

A Pentatonix Christmas by Pentatonix

Like I said earlier in the post, there wasn't really very much competition for the best CD of the year, but as always, Pentatonix was incredibly impressive. I actually didn't jump on this immediately upon its release, because I don't really listen to a bunch of Christmas music. However, once I started listening to it, I couldn't stop. It was so good! The standouts for me are their cover of Kanye's song, Coldest Winter, their cover of Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by NSYNC, and their version of Up on the Housetop. However, the entire CD is really great. And those three songs are also probably my favorite songs of the year. 

The other two CDs that I have from this year were Panic! at the Disco's "Death of a Bachelor" CD and Parachute's "Wide Awake" CD. Both of them were good, but I definitely haven't had them on replay like with A Pentatonix Christmas.

Favorite New Song of 2016:

Bad 4 Us by Superfruit

I said above that the songs from A Pentatonix Christmas were probably my favorites of the year, which is mostly because I didn't listen to a ton of new music this year. But in terms of newly released songs, this is definitely my favorite. I played this constantly for a solid month after its release. I nearly forgot about it because it's Superfruit (Scott and Mitch from Pentatonix) on YouTube rather than one of my favorite bands or a song from a new CD this year. I love this song so much. 

Favorite Pre-2016 TV Show:

The Genius

For the pre-2016 choices, I'm going with things that I discovered in 2016 that didn't come out in 2016.

This one squeaked in there riiiiight at the end of the year but oh boy did it make an impact. The Genius is a reality game show made in South Korea. I discovered it through listening to Rob Has a Podcast, and I checked out the first episode back in the summer. It was great, but I didn't watch past episode 1 until the last week of the year. Although I loved episode 1 the first time through, it resonated a lot more the second time I watched it and I ended up binge-watching the entirety of the season. I didn't finish the season until after the beginning of 2017, but I watched a good chunk of the season in 2016. This show is absolutely amazing and so smart. I can't wait to see the other three seasons, because I've gotten obsessed.

Favorite Pre-2016 CD:

The Walking In Between by Ben Rector

 Technically, I didn't discover The Walking in Between in 2016. I listened to it quite a while back, but I just listened to it on Spotify and then forgot it existed. And then I re-discovered it in 2016 and actually downloaded and played it on repeat. This may not have been my most listened to CD of the year, but it was really high up there. And the songs on this CD all kinda count as my favorite pre-2016 songs. 

The CD I listened to the most this year was probably Astoria by Marianas Trench, which came out in 2015. I first listened to it when it came out, but I severely underestimated it. I fell in love with it in 2016, to the point that I really wanted to put it here, but I did discover it in 2015 so I unfortunately couldn't. It did appear on my favorite CDs of 2015 list, which you can check out here.

Favorite Podcast I Discovered in 2016:

The Black Tapes

2016 was definitely the year of the podcast for me. I'd dabbled in podcasts before 2016, but only minimally (notably, listening to Rob Has a Podcast's Big Brother coverage). However, at the end of 2015 was when I first started listening to fictional podcasts and by the beginning of 2016, I went full force into the world of podcasts. The Black Tapes was the new discovery that I fell in love with the most. (However, I will say that I fell head over heels for Limetown with like 2 days left in 2015)

The Black Tapes is an incredibly creepy but engrossing podcast that is super unique and really interesting. It's not my absolute favorite podcast ever (that honor still goes to Rob Has a Podcast) but it's definitely the best one that I discovered in 2016. 

So... that's all I have for my favorites of 2016. It's a bit of a hot mess of a list, but that describes my 2016 pretty well. This list has made me realize that I didn't listen to much new music this year, and I think that this is largely because of the vast amount of podcast listening that I've been doing on my commute to school/work. 

If you're looking for my favorite books of 2016 (given that I make BookTube videos), I promise, it's coming! As with the last couple years, I'm going to be ranking every 2016 read on my blog, and I'm going to be doing end of the year videos on my YouTube channel as well. Patience, young Padawan.

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Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon! 

Top 15 Songs of 2015

Hey, y'all! This is the sixth post in a 10-post series listing some of my favorite things. The first seven posts are lists of my current all-time favorites, while the last 3 posts include only favorites of 2015.

If you want to check out the other lists/posts in this series, you can check them out here:

A Few of My Favorite Things [2015]

This list is my list of my top 15 favorite songs of 2015. These are all, obviously, songs released in 2015. I didn't pay any attention to album song vs. single, and I definitely didn't limit it to one song per artist. There are some songs that, on technicality, should've made this list, but because the album they appear on wasn't released until 2016 (*cough*The Death of a Bachelor*cough*), I decided to save them for the 2016 list.

#15) Lean On by Pentatonix

This one is actually replacing a song (by George Ezra) that iTunes said came out in 2015, but was actually released in 2014. Oops. This would be really high up on the list, because it's one of my favorite songs on the Pentatonix album, but I didn't want to include any covers. So I just added this one once the last two songs on this list had to get nixed, because it's a really awesome cover.

#14) Crave by Parachute

I'm so glad that Parachute is back. I've grown to love this new sound that they have, and hope that their new CD is as great as this single!

#13) This Means War by Marianas Trench

There were a couple standout songs on the new Marianas Trench album, Astoria, and this was one of them. I just really enjoy this song and it's fun to blast and jam to.

#12) Shut Up and Kiss Me by Marianas Trench

This is my favorite song on Astoria. It's got this really cool throwback vibe to the Jackson 5's song ABC. It's just a really fun one, and I love to blast it. Apparently, Josh wrote this as if he were writing for a Motown group, and I love it. 

#11) Old Scars/Future Hearts by All Time Low

This one actually really grew on me. Upon first listening to the CD, I thought it was alright. By the time that I talked about it on The CDs on My Shelf, I'd grown to really love it. This one has a grittier sound than ATL usually does, but it still sounds very ATL. For some reason, it makes me think of Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day, and I love that about it. 

#10) Dancing With A Wolf by All Time Low

This is easily my favorite song on Future Hearts. The first time I listened to it, it grabbed my attention and I fell in love with it. It's just such a fun song to jam to, and I love that about it.

#9) Na Na Na by Pentatonix

This is Mitch's solo on the Pentatonix album, and I (obvs) really love it. I prefer his solo on Lean On, but that's lower down because of the fact that it's a cover. Anyway, this is definitely one of my favorite songs on Pentatonix's album, and it's just really fun and Mitch sounds amazing on it.

#8) Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah) by Andy Grammer

I love Andy Grammer, and when I realized that he had a new single, I got really excited and went to listen to it... and completely fell in love with it. It was an instantaneous love and it's been on a pretty constant repeat ever since. 

#7) Ref by Pentatonix

This Pentatonix song is just really interesting. The vibe to it is really cool, and really fits with where they've taken their sound with this CD. This is another one that I just like to blast. Scott's voice on the chorus is awesome too. 

#6) Can't Sleep Love by Pentatonix

I'll admit, this one took some warming up to. I hated the "uh huh"s and "yeah"s (and I still hate them. Like a lot.) and that really tainted my view of the song. But it's got such a cool vibe and they perform it amazingly live and it's just really grown on me, and I love it. Mitch's high notes/chorus are amazing.

#5) Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon

This was my summer jam. Not even kidding, it has 150 plays on my iTunes. Like... what? But I almost forgot that I enjoyed it as much as I did, because I haven't been listening to it quite as much since the summer. But it was definitely an awesome one, so I had to include it. 

#4) Lane Boy by Twenty One Pilots

I fell in love with Twenty One Pilots this year, and this song was one of the ones that I really attached to. I just think that it's really interesting and unique and I love it.

#3) Cracked by Pentatonix

I was impressed when I first heard this one, but it took me a while to really fall in love with it. Scott's vocals on this one are so impressive and he takes me to church with this. So great. 

#2) Sing by Pentatonix

This one is probably my favorite one on Pentatonix's album. That might change in like 10 minutes, but I think this one is my fave. It's just so fun to jam to, and I like that they all trade off and get to feature, and it's just... fun. 

#1) Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots

And here we are, my favorite song of the year. Originally, I preferred Lane Boy, but this one has grown on me. I love the message of the song, and I love how quirky Twenty One Pilots is. This one is just great. 

So, those are my top 15 favorite songs of 2015. Let me know down in the comments what you think of the songs on this list, and what some of your favorite songs of 2015 are!

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Top 5 Albums of 2015

Hey, y'all! This is the eighth post in a 10-post series listing some of my favorite things. The first seven posts are lists of my current all-time favorites, while the last 3 posts include only favorites of 2015.

If you want to check out the other lists/posts in this series, you can check them out here:

A Few of My Favorite Things [2015]

If this list looks familiar, it's probably because it is. Somehow, my list of my favorite albums didn't change over the past year, so I essentially copied and pasted my list from last year. I wish I had something to change here, but I really don't.

#5: Magazines or Novels [Deluxe] by Andy Grammer

Now, you might consider this cheating because the original of this CD came out in 2014. However, it totally wasn't on my radar at its release and didn't make it on to the list last year because of that. I'm really not sure how I missed its release, because I checked multiple times to see if there was new Andy Grammer music, but somehow I didn't realize that this CD existed until hearing "Honey, I'm Good" on the radio in the spring. Regardless, I immediately downloaded the CD and I've listened to it regularly ever since. And the deluxe edition just has even more songs to love, including Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah), which has definitely become one of my favorite songs on the album. That aside, the songs on this CD fall into either the "endless repeat" category or the "rarely listen" category, which is why this is at the bottom of the list.

Best songs: Honey I'm Good, Back Home, Forever, Holding Out, and Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah)

#4: Astoria by Marianas Trench

Marianas Trench is one of my favorite bands, so getting this CD was a no-brainer. There are a lot of really great songs on this one, but much like Andy Grammer's CD, all the songs on this CD fall under either "endless repeat" or "rarely listen." The reason this one got higher is because A) I prefer Marianas Trench to Andy Grammer and B) Even though I prefer a handful of the songs over the others, I still really enjoy the others that I don't listen to as much. Overall, this definitely isn't my favorite Marianas Trench album, but I'm pretty sure that it will begin to grow on me very soon just like all their other albums have.

Best songs: Shut Up and Kiss Me, This Means War, Yesterday, and Burning Up.

#3: Future Hearts by All Time Low

An All Time Low album only made it to #3 for the year?!?! Yep, unfortunately, that's exactly where this one belongs. If I were to rank this one among all of the other All Time Low albums, this one would be above only Dirty Work, which is most ATL fans' least favorite ATL album- for MANY reasons. This one has some really great ones, a couple not-so-great ones, and then a lot of average ones. And while in general, I do really enjoy this CD, it's not up to the standard that a lot of other ATL albums set. Despite that, it's still a really good CD.

Best songs: Old Scars/Future Hearts, Dancing With a Wolf, and Don't You Go

#2: Blurryface by Twenty One Pilots

2015 was the first year where I really started listening to Twenty One Pilots. I'd heard their music before, but I didn't really have strong feelings one way or another. Then, I gave them another chance this year (I don't totally remember what prompted that) and really just fell in love, especially with this album. The album overall is just really solid, but on top of that there are also several standout songs on top of the rest of the really solid CD.

Best songs: Stressed Out, Lane Boy, Tear In My Heart, and Ride.

#1: Pentatonix by Pentatonix

This. Album. I have no idea how many times I blasted this album on repeat, and I'm not really sure that I want to know. I'm still listening to this on repeat more than 3 months later. It's just so good. I pre-ordered this one, and I remember getting an iTunes alert at about 11 PM the day before its release that said the album was available for download. My roommate and I freaked out and immediately downloaded it and began blasting it and were so, so impressed. This is definitely their best original music to date (except, maybe, On My Way Home, which was my favorite song released last year) and overall, it's just a really awesome album and it was definitely my favorite of 2015.

Best songs: Sing, Na Na Na, Ref, Cracked, and Lean On

So, those are my top 5 album releases of 2015. Let me know down in the comments what you think of the CDs on this list, and what some of your favorite releases of 2015 were!

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Top 9 Favorite Songs

Hey, y'all! This is the fifth post in a 10-post series listing some of my favorite things. The first seven posts are lists of my current all-time favorites, while the last 3 posts include only favorites of 2015.

If you want to check out the other lists/posts in this series, you can check them out here:

A Few of My Favorite Things [2015]

This is the only list that is unranked. I've never attempted a favorite list for songs before because of how ridiculously impossible it is. Ranking bands or albums is a bit easier because there are less of them that you listen to on a daily basis, but there are so many songs that you know and love that it's hard to narrow it down at all. However, there are a few songs that are like the ULTIMATE faves, which I'll save for last. The rest of the songs are listed in alphabetical order.

Also, last thing before I jump into the list, this was originally going to be a top 10 list, but I just simply couldn't figure out what song to put in the 10th slot. Not that I didn't have a stack of about 20 songs lined up to consider- it's just that each of them was too this or too that, and none of them were ones I could make a definitive decision on. So in lieu of those slots, I have an honorable mentions list before jumping into the official top 9.

Honorable Mentions:

Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots (love it, but too recent)
Lane Boy by Twenty One Pilots (again, love it but too recent)
Thrift Shop by Macklemore (love it but can't quite commit. Not sure why)

Playing God by Paramore (again, love it but can't commit for some reason)

Black Mamba by The Academy Is...

This has been my favorite song by The Academy Is... for quite a while, and I've counted it among my favorite songs for quite a while, but it wasn't until I narrowed down this list that I realized how much I really love this song. It was written in response to some negative reviews of TAI's debut EP and is essentially saying "who cares, I didn't write this music for you" and I love that about it.

Here's To The Zeros by Marianas Trench

When I first heard this song, I liked it, but I didn't think it was anything special. But over the past year, it's grown on me like crazy. Right now, it's my ultimate jam song. Whenever I really want to just turn on a song and drive and sing along, this is the one that I go to. Is it super deep? Nah. But it's a great anthem and I love it.

Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute

Now, I'm not super sappy and don't really connect too much to the meaning behind the lyrics, but when the song begins to play and I hear those opening piano notes, my heart swells and I immediately fall in love with it all over again. I love the way that the music and lyrics sound together, but I don't necessarily care about the meaning behind the lyrics, if that makes sense. But don't allow that to downgrade my love of the song, because I do absolutely love it a lot.

Lies by McFly

This is super straight-forward. It's my favorite song by my favorite band. It's an awesome song, and I love everything about it. That's basically the long and short of it. It's great.

On My Way Home by Pentatonix

I'll never forget the first time I heard this song. It was a few days before PTX Vol. III was released, and I was trying to find leaked versions of the songs (I know, I'm awful, but I love PTX and I wanted to listen to it so badly and I'd already pre-ordered the EP so I didn't feel bad). And this was the one I came across. I started listening and was somewhere in between frozen enthrallment and heart-pumping excitement. I was obsessed. I fell completely in love with it. And I'm still in love with it. It's beautiful.

So Long Soldier by All Time Low

When I first listened to Don't Panic, this one was actually one of my least favorite songs on the album. And then I gave it some more chances and it grew on me. It quickly became my favorite song on the album, and one of my favorite songs of all time. It's got some awesome music combined with some awesome lines and I love it.

Ultimate Favorites
(Also in alphabetical order... I can't rank these)

Closer to the Edge by 30 Seconds to Mars

I've long called this one my second favorite song, but like I said, I really can't rank them at this point. I absolutely love the music and the lyrics and the way they combine into this beautiful, beautiful song, And I really like the music video too. This is another one that I just like to blast when driving. 

In One Ear by Cage The Elephant

When I thought of making this list, this was the first song that came to mind. I wouldn't say that this is my favorite song, but it is definitely one of the ones that I think of the quickest when thinking of my favorite songs. I love the lyrics. A lot. The meaning behind them is super cool, and I love the pseudo rap style of it. And I love the big instrumental chunks as well. It's a really cool combo of sing-along-ability and more complex music.

Weightless by All Time Low

For the longest time, I called this my favorite song, but once again, I can no longer actually rank these. I love the music, and I love the lyrics, and I love the music video. It's another one that's great to blast and sing along to. I just really love it.


So, those are my top 9 favorite songs of all time. Let me know down in the comments what you think of the songs on this list, and what some of your all-time favorite songs are!

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Top 10 Favorite Albums

Hey, y'all! This is the fourth post in a 10-post series listing some of my favorite things. The first seven posts are lists of my current all-time favorites, while the last 3 posts include only favorites of 2015.

If you want to check out the other lists/posts in this series, you can check them out here:

A Few of My Favorite Things [2015]

If this list looks familiar, it's probably because it is. Somehow, my list of my favorite albums didn't change over the past year, so I essentially copied and pasted my list from last year. I wish I had something to change here, but I really don't.

#10: The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance

I'm a big fan of concept albums, and this one is really great. Although there are a couple songs I'm not a huge fan of, the majority of them are really great, and overall it's just a really great and unique album.

#9: Hold on Tight by Hey Monday

Hey Monday's one and only full-length CD is most of the reason that I count it as one of my favorite bands-- they just barely missed out on my top 10. There are so many really great songs on this CD, and I just love Cassadee Pope's voice. I really wish the band had stayed together, because this is a really solid debut.

#8: Controversy Loves Company by The Audition

Another outstanding debut album! The Audition is another band with consistently good music, but this is the first and best of their CDs. Even my least favorite song on this CD is one of their better songs. This is just a really solid album, and I absolutely love it. 

#7: Almost Here by The Academy Is...

Oh, look! Another awesome debut! There are a couple songs I don't love on here, but I still really enjoy them and love the CD overall. Some of The Academy Is..'s strongest songs are on this CD, and it's especially impressive because this CD was released when most of the band were under 20. 

#6: American Idiot by Green Day

This one is kinda a given, right? It's a concept album, which is obviously a plus for me. It has some amazing songs on it, especially the full 10 minute long songs like Jesus of Suburbia. It has some of the strongest Green Day songs, and I could listen to it over and over and over and over. There's a reason why it's their most well-known album. 

#5: Ever After by Marianas Trench

Hey, look! Another concept album! This CD is based around a fantasy story that Josh Ramsay wrote. It's one long seamless song, divided into several tracks. And it's fantastic. Just like with their first concept album, Masterpiece Theatre, the last song is a mashup that samples all of the previous songs on the album, and it's amazing. This CD is just too great. 

#4: Losing Sleep by Parachute

Guess what? Another amazing debut! I love every single song on this CD. I used to fall asleep to this CD most nights (ironic, since it's called losing sleep) because it's just so chill. Parachute's whole vibe is just really awesome, and this CD is just the epitome of their vibe. It's so great.

#3: PTX, Vol. III by Pentatonix

This is the newest release on this list, as it was released only back in October. There are only 7 songs on this CD (technically EP, but whatever), but it's perfection. It's flawless. All of the songs are amazing, and there have been several times where I just listened to this EP over and over and over in one sitting and didn't get sick of it at all. Some of the songs on the EP are already among my top 25 most played. It's that good.

#2: Don't Panic by All Time Low

When this CD came out back in 2012, I don't think I stopped listening to it on repeat until halfway through 2013. This is one of the only albums I've ever listened to where I had to struggle to find a weak point. I'm usually really good at ranking songs from favorite to least favorite, but I found that impossible with this CD. It'll be a long-time fave for sure.

#1: Radio:ACTIVE by McFly

And, of course, my all-time favorite CD is by my all-time favorite band. This CD... it's just perfection. I've listened to it on repeat SO. MANY. TIMES. since its release in 2008, and I'm nowhere near tired of it. My list of favorite McFly songs is absolutely dominated by this CD. Up until I reset my iTunes, every single song on this CD was in my top 25 most played. That's 13/25. I love this CD. 

So, those are my top 15 favorite TV shows of all time. Let me know down in the comments what you think of the shows on this list, and what some of your all-time favorite TV shows are!

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Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!

Top 15 Favorite Bands/Musicians

Hey, y'all! This is the third post in a 10-post series listing some of my favorite things. The first seven posts are lists of my current all-time favorites, while the last 3 posts include only favorites of 2015.

If you want to check out the other lists/posts in this series, you can check them out here:

A Few of My Favorite Things [2015]

Last year, my list of favorite bands was only 10 slots instead of 15, so a handful of the musicians on the list have been "top 15" favorites for a while but didn't make the list last year due to it being only 10 bands. In that case, I'll note it for that band, because there are a couple total newcomers to the list

#15: Hey Monday

[Not on the list last year]

Hey Monday has been a long-standing favorite of mine, and last time I made a top 15 list, they were actually somewhere around #11. They have fallen a little bit due to the fact that they only had one full CD and a couple EPs and have been on hiatus for 4 years (honestly, they've essentially broken up at this point), but I still really enjoy the music that they did make before they broke up.

Favorite songs: Josey, Set Off, and Obvious

#14: Cage The Elephant

[Not on the list last year]

I have an interesting relationship with Cage The Elephant. Sometimes, I'm really in the mood for their music, and sometimes I'm really not. Their song, In One Ear, is one of my absolute favorite songs ever. I'm a bit behind, though- I haven't even gotten their newest CD yet for some reason.

Favorite songs: In One Ear, Free Love, Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

#13: Green Day

[Not on the list last year]

Given that I'm a pop punk fan, it would be inconceivable for me to leave them off of this list. I'm pretty sure that I have almost all of their CDs, and I just really enjoy their music. American Idiot is definitely my favorite Green Day CD, but I also really love a lot of their other CDs.

Favorite songs: Minority, Jesus of Suburbia, and FOD

#12: Busted

[#10 last year]

I first discovered Busted because of their song, Year 3000, that the Jonas Brothers covered. I didn't fall in love with them immediately, but their music is just so much fun, so cheeky, and really clever. I've loved them even more since the creation of McBusted, but overall, Busted is just a really fun band and I'm excited that they're back and recording new music.

Favorite Songs: She Wants To Be Me, Meet You There, and Nerdy

#11: Sleeping With Sirens

[#9 last year]

I discovered Sleeping With Sirens in my freshman year of college, and I've been hooked ever since. Kellin Quinn's voice is just super unique, and it gives their music a really interesting sound. 

Favorite Songs: Do It Now Remember It Later, Congratulations, and Kick Me

#10: Twenty One Pilots

[Not on the list last year]

I started listening to Twenty One Pilots back in August and absolutely fell in love. Their music is so interesting, and such a cool mix of genres, and weird in a beautiful way. I just think that their music is super cool and incredibly creative and I love the theatrical aspects that they add in with their music videos.

Favorite Songs: Lane Boy, Stressed Out, Car Radio, and Guns For Hands

#9: Andy Grammer

[Not on the list last year]

This list was changed from just my favorite bands to my favorite bands/musicians specifically because I wanted to include Andy Grammer on this list. I. LOVE. Andy Grammer. I'm pretty sure that I have all of his music, and I listen to a lot of it on a regular basis. His first album (self-titled) is still my fave, but his 2014 release, Magazines or Novels is also really great and gets a lot of play on my phone. And I recently got an alert that my most-played Pandora station of the year was my Andy Grammer station. I just really love him and his music. 

Favorite Songs: Fine By Me, Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah), Honey I'm Good, and Crazy Beautiful

#8: Parachute
[#8 Last Year]

These guys used to be higher up on my list... like #3. Unfortunately, their 3rd album happened, and they wound up here. Their first CD is one of my all-time favorites (as you'll see later on this post), and their second CD was really great too. And then their third album went a bit too pop and I didn't like it much. I'm holding out hope that they'll have a better fourth CD, but until then, they get to chill at #8 and think about what they've done. I've grown to appreciate their 3rd album more over this past year (its vibe is kinda similar to Andy Grammer's music, which I've grown to appreciate), but it's still definitely my least favorite of their albums.

Favorite Songs: Kiss Me Slowly, Back Again, You & Me, and The New Year

#7: Paramore
[#7 Last Year]

Paramore was the first alternative band that I listened to, and they've been a consistent favorite. For a little while, they were my all-time favorite. They fell a bit during the 4.5 year span between their 3rd and 4th albums, but since their self-titled CD came out in 2013, they've moved right back up. They're consistently great! It's a bummer that Jeremy left the band, because he and Hayley were the last two founding members, but TBH it's kinda the Hayley show at this point, so it shouldn't make a huge difference.

Favorite Songs: Playing God, Brick By Boring Brick, Ain't It Fun, and Born For This

#6: The Academy Is...
[#6 Last Year]

For a really long time, The Academy Is... was my favorite band. I loved their podcast that they did (TAITV!), I loved all of the members, and I obviously loved their music. Their 3rd CD was slightly disappointing, but nowhere near as disappointing as when they announced their breakup in 2011. I'm still sad about that. I was really bummed that I couldn't make their Almost Here reunion stuff, but I keep holding out hope that they will reunite because I love them SO MUCH.

Favorite Songs: Black Mamba, We've Got A Big Mess On Our Hands, About a Girl, and The Phrase That Pays

#5: The Audition
[#5 Last Year]

I miss these guys. Officially they're not broken up, but they haven't done anything in a while, and even though Danny still has his Twitter handle as @auditiondanny, his Twitter bio says that he's the "Former Frontman of The Audition" so it doesn't sound good at all. There was something they posted last summer hinting at a new album, but I haven't heard anything else about that since then. The Audition is a fairly unknown band, but they're really great. Danny Stevens is a powerhouse vocalist and all of their CDs are really great. I really hope that new album happens, because I need more of The Audition in my life. 

Favorite Songs: You've Made Us Conscious, You Ruined This, My Temperature's Rising, Make It Rain, and Don't Be So Hard

#4: Marianas Trench

I've completely fallen in love with Marianas Trench over the past few years. I started listening to them casually a couple years ago, but I didn't really get into them until 2014. And I'm completely in love. Their second and third albums were concept albums, and they're super cool. Their music is really unique and actually really complex and layered. I can't wait to hear what they come up with next, because I'm sure it'll be amazing. 

Favorite Songs: Here's To The Zeros, Shake Tramp, No Place Like Home, Stutter, and Truth or Dare

#3: Pentatonix

These five are possibly the most talented musicians around right now. Each of them is so incredibly talented, from Avi's intense bass, to Kevin's beatboxing, to Mitch's 5 octave range. These five create the perfect combination of talent and vocal parts. They make amazing arrangements, and they just keep gaining momentum. They're perfection.

Favorite Songs: On My Way Home, Can't Hold Us, Aha!, Problem, and Sing

#2: All Time Low

These four... I love them. They were one of the first alternative bands that I discovered, and they've stuck around as a favorite ever since. They're just so consistently good. OK, Dirty Work wasn't amazing, but I won't hold that against them, because they released Don't Panic the next year. These four are just too great, and I'll be a fan 5EVER.

Favorite Songs: Weightless, So Long Soldier, Lost in Stereo, Poppin' Champagne, and Shameless

#1: McFly

These four are just perfect. I love my boys. Galaxy Defenders stay forever! They've made so much amazing music. I don't even know what all to say about them. I love them 5EVER and 5EVER. Perf.

Favorite Songs: Lies, Five Colours in Her Hair, Transylvania, The Last Song, and Love Is On the Radio

So, those are my top 15 favorite bands/musicians of all time. Let me know down in the comments what you think of the musicians on this list, and what some of your all-time favorite musicians are!

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Best Songs and Albums of 2014!

Hey, y'all! So, last year, I did a post talking about my top 10 songs and CDs of 2013, and I decided that I should really continue the tradition this year  (link HERE if you want to check out my 2013 faves). This year, however, there are a couple slight changes. The first of those is that I don't have a top 10 this year, at least for CDS. There were only a handful of CDs and that I really, really enjoyed in 2014, so I'm not even going to bother with trying to come up with more just to fill in places.

Last year, I also gave the songs the stipulation that they had to be singles. I didn't do that this year. My favorite songs of the year tended to be the songs that artists didn't release as singles, and I didn't want to neglect them. Last year, I also gave the stipulation that there could only be one song/CD from each artist. That's not the case this year, because I'd be neglecting several amazing songs and CDs.

Best CDs of 2014

#6: Punk Goes Pop, Vol. 6

by Various Artists

These are always just so much fun. Sometimes my biggest problem that I have with a pop song is that I hate the singer or their voice. Punk Goes Pop never fails to take the fun of pop songs and make it just a bit grittier and more enjoyable. 

Best songs: Problem by Set It Off, Royals by Youth in Revolt, and Chocolate by KnucklePuck

#5: Oh, What A Life

by American Authors

For the first half of the year, this was the only CD on my favorites of 2014. I was actually starting to worry that there wouldn't be any others on the list. I really like the folk/pop blend that American Authors create throughout pretty much all of their music. It's really interesting and pretty unique and their songs are nice to just chill out to. Plus, I really love their band name and the album's cover art/ typogrphy. Everything about this CD is just a win.

Best Songs: Heart of Stone, Hit It, Best Day of My Life, Luck

#4: That's Christmas To Me

by Pentatonix

Pentatonix can do no wrong. They're flawless, as is this Christmas CD. I generally don't listen to a ton of Christmas music, but I've listened to this SO. MUCH. I love that they switch up the parts more on this than they usually do, so that everyone gets lead more often. This just got me completely in the holiday spirit. So much fun.

Best Songs: Let It Go, White Winter Hymnal, Sleigh Ride, and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

#3: Don't Kill The Magic

by MAGIC!

I blasted this CD all summer long, and even into the fall. I listened to it over, and over, and over. It's just so good. I love almost all of the songs, and the ones I don't quite love are still pretty good. It's just so chill but so fun. I love the reggae-pop mix that they have going on.

Best Songs: Stupid Me, Paradise, Little Girl Big World, and Mama Didn't Raise No Fool

#2: McBusted

by McBusted

I was actually slightly disappointed that this CD didn't make #1 on my list, but the one at #1 has quickly become one of my all-time favorite albums ever. Anyway, McBusted is absolutely amazing. I still love my beloved McFly more and hope that they'll decide to continue on as just McFly and Busted at some point in the future, but I did really enjoy this CD, and love them as a superband.

Best Songs: Get Over It, Air Guitar, Sensitive Guy, and Hate Your Guts

#1: PTX, Vol. III

by Pentatonix

Yes, I'm fully aware that this is only a 7 song EP and not a full-length album, but I DON'T CARE. This is flawless. I absolutely love this EP. Every song is amazing. I can't accurately express how incredible this is. It was released in September, and I've had it on an almost constant repeat ever since and I'm nowhere near sick of it. I can't imagine how Pentatonix could ever top this. It's just so amazing.

Best Songs: All of them. But since I have to choose, I'll just least them from absolute favorite to less-absolute favorite.
On My Way Home. Problem. La La Latch. Rather Be. See Through. Standing By. Papaoutai.



Best Songs of 2014
I tried really hard to order them from least favorite to favorite, but this order is pretty interchangeable, especially when it comes to #2-7.

#10: Lemonade 
by SOPHIE

This song is so random for me, because I typically don't listen to anything like this at all. But one week on Superfruit (the YouTube channel that Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying from PTX have together), this was Mitch's song of the week, and I was curious so I went and listened to it, and I've been listening to it ever since. It's so unique and weird but super cool and I love it. 

#9: Kick Me
by Sleeping With Sirens

This is the Sleeping With Sirens that I love. It's so aggressive and angry and I'll be 100% happy if their next album sounds a lot like this song. Love the message, love the music. LOVE.

#8: Here's To The Zeros
by Marianas Trench

Marianas Trench squeaked onto the list at pretty much the last second with this song. I've been listening to it on repeat since its release in the last week of the year, and I really love it. It's got me really excited for their new CD that's coming out in the spring. And the lyrics are great. 

#7: Rather Be
by Pentatonix

I've been obsessed with this song ever since I heard Mitch's first opening theme. I'm not a huge fan of the original song, but I love this one a lot. I also think that the music video is really great. It's fun to see them just wandering around Japan, and I especially love the little Scomiche (Scott+Mitch= Scomiche) moments that we get.

#6: Air Guitar
by McBusted

This was the first single that McFly and Busted released as a single entity, and I really enjoyed it. A lot of people thought that there was too much Busted and not enough McFly, but I didn't really feel that way. I thought that Air Guitar (more than most of the songs on the CD) was a really great mix of the two bands.

#5: La La Latch
by Pentatonix

I love how this song highlights all 3 of the main singers of Pentatonix and gives them all their little moments. The video pays homage to the way that they circle up to do their arrangements. And speaking of arrangements, this one is great. They never fail to combine songs in amazing ways.

#4: Pop 101
by Marianas Trench

This song has been on repeat ever since I found out that it existed. This song is basically just Marianas Trench using the medium of a pop song and sampling pop songs to make fun of pop songs and point out all of their flaws. It's hilarious and amazing and extremely accurate. I really love this song.

#3: Problem
by Pentatonix

When this came out, I didn't listen to anything but this song for about a week. Not kidding. Even though I do still wish that Mitch had gotten to sing the really high parts, that's literally the only complaint I could make about this. Mitch's rap is perfection and so sassy. All of the sass. Kevin's beatboxing and whispers are on point. I don't even know what to call Avi's throat thing, but it's incredible too. Everything about this song is just so awesome.

#2: Get Over It
by McBusted

This is McBusted's latest single, and it's definitely my favorite from their CD. It's just so much fun and I've been listening to it on repeat for quite a while now. I love these boys, and if they continue as a supergroup into the new year, I hope that their music continues to be this awesome.


#1: On My Way Home
by Pentatonix

I don't even have the words to say how much I love this song. The first time I listened to it, my jaw hit the ground. This is by far my new favorite original Pentatonix song, and is honestly probably my favorite Pentatonix song of all-time. It has such a cool world music vibe, and the harmonies are so amazing, and I love everything about this song. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

So, those were my favorite songs and CDs of 2014! This was definitely the year of Pentatonix. It was also definitely not the best year of releases. As much as I loved the ones that were on this list, I had to abandon my usual rules in order to have lists of music that I actually really, really enjoyed. I hope that this time next year, my lists are full of 10 CDs by 10 artists and 10 songs by 10 artists, and that I'm struggling to figure out what amazing music I'm going to have to cut from the list. Wishful thinking? Probably. But with releases from at least 3 of my 5 favorite bands coming out in 2015, I'm thinking that it's going to be a great year. 

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