A Few of My Favorite Things [2015]

Hey, y'all! So it's been quite a while since I've been able to post, mostly because I've been insanely swamped this semester with tons and tons of work. I've already been on break for almost two weeks now, but I've spent pretty much the entire time just doing work for my research assistant position and finishing up my graduate school applications. But, FINALLY, I have finished most of the work that I have to do and can finally do some of the fun things that I've really missed over the past few months.

And, once again, it's the end of this year and the beginning of the new year and that means it's once again time for my "favorite things" lists. And this year, I'm going to be doing things a little differently. In the past, I've had a single post listing my all time favorite movies, tv shows, bands, etc. and a single post listing my favorite albums and songs of the year. This year, I'm going to be doing a 10 day posting marathon- one post per day, with one list apiece. These lists, unlike in the past, are not necessarily top 10 lists. They will vary in length depending on how much I'm able to narrow down that particular list.

The posting marathon will begin on January 1st, and the posting schedule with go as follows:

[Posts will be linked below once they go live]

January 1: Favorite Movies

January 2: Favorite TV Shows

January 3: Favorite Bands

January 4: Favorite Albums

January 5: Favorite Songs

January 6: Favorite YouTubers (non-booktube)

January 7: Favorite Booktubers

January 8: Favorite Albums of 2015

January 9: Favorite Songs of 2015

January 10: Ranking All of the Books I Read in 2015

Check out my links below!

YouTube Channel 

Facebook

Goodreads

   

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!

Falling In Reverse- The Drug in Me Is You

Hey, y'all!

So, you've probably realized I was missing last week (as was addressed in a post on Saturday) and then didn't post Tuesday. I'm not gone! As I said in my last post, I didn't have internet at the place we were staying over spring break (which is ridiculous, because hotels have free wifi, but this CONDO didn't). Then, I got back from break and was playing catch-up. My homework piled up big-time, and I actually fell asleep with my laptop laying on my stomach last night. BUT, I was finally able to finish this up and get it posted. There will still be a new post Saturday, per usual!

ANYWAY... It's time for me to talk about another CD on my shelf! As always, I put my iTunes on shuffle, and the CD containing the first song that played is the one I'll be talking about!

Release Date: July 26, 2011

Genre: Post-Hardcore, Alternative

Track Listing

1. Raised by Wolves
2. Tragic Magic
3. The Drug in Me Is You
4. I'm Not A Vampire
5. Good Girls, Bad Guys
6. Pick Up The Phone
7. Don't Mess With Ouija Boards
8. Sink or Swim
9. Caught Like a Fly
10. Goodbye Graceful
11. The Westerner

Falling In Reverse lineup on this CD:
Ronnie Radke- lead vocals
Jacky Vincent- lead guitar
Derek Jones- rhythm guitar
Nason Schoeffler- bass guitar
Scott Gee- drums, percussion

About Falling In Reverse: 
When Ronnie Radke was arrested in 2008, he was kicked out of Escape the Fate, the band he was singing for at the time. Falling In Reverse was actually formed while he was in prison, and they even began putting out music while he was still in prison. When he was released from prison in December 2010, the band began recording their debut CD, The Drug in Me Is You. Their sophomore release, Fashionably Late, was released in June 2013.

My Opinion about Falling In Reverse:
I have really mixed feelings about this band. First off, I don't like Ronnie Radke as a person. I think he's a complete jerk who needs to grow up and pull himself together. As far as their music, I'm very torn. Half of their music is stuff I really enjoy and think is really great. The other half is so bad it's good- guilty pleasure music. I'm very confused how that music could come from the same person.

About the CD:  

As I said earlier, this CD was recorded almost immediately after Ronnie was released from prison. The sound on this CD is fairly consistent (especially when compared to their second CD) and it is the post-hardcore sound which I consider to be the Falling In Reverse "sound". Guitar solos, which are some of Falling In Reverse's best moments, are all over the place in this CD, and it improves it significantly.

IMHO: 
This is my favorite Falling In Reverse CD. I like the consistent sound much better than their completely disjointed sophomore release featuring everything from post-hardcore, to rap, to country. Although this CD still has some songs that are so bad they're good, but overall, I enjoy it.

As always, I'm going to give each song a rating out of 10 and then give a brief explanation of why it got that rating. 


Raised by Wolves- 9.5/10. It's a really strong opener. Really catchy and a great mix of clean and unclean vocals!
Tragic Magic- 8.5/10. One of many songs where Ronnie is writing about himself and being arrogant, but I really like the breakdown in the second half of the song.
The Drug in Me Is You- 9.5/10. I completely love the guitar in this song. The chorus and verses are really different, but both really great. And I love the bass in the verses. It's great.
I'm Not A Vampire- 10/10. My favorite song on the CD. I think it's really fun. It has some of the silly Ronnie lyrics, but they make me laugh rather than roll my eyes (Hi, my name is Ronnie, I'm an addict/ Daddy should've never raised me on Black Sabbath... I just love it!). And the guitar and bass parts are great.

Good Girls, Bad Guys- 9/10. I'm so mixed on this song. I really love the music but the lyrics are abysmal. (Just wanna kiss your lips/ the ones between your hips; sexy, please text me/ I'm ready for you... REALLY?). I hate the lyrics but it's just so catchy that I can't hate it or that great guitar solo. But it loses points for those terrible lyrics.
Pick Up The Phone- 9.5/10. Once again with these bass parts that I love. I also really like vocals on this one. Yes, for once, Ronnie Radke is one of the main reasons I like a song. Shocking.
Don't Mess With Ouija Boards- 8.5/10. I'm not sure what it is about the unclean vocals in this song... but I just don't like them. Usually I'm a pretty big fan of Falling In Reverse's use of unclean vocals, but the unclean vocals for the first half of this song aren't my favorite. I like the breakdown in the middle, though! I guess they're just a bit too heavy-handed. But otherwise I like the song!
Sink or Swim- 8.5/10. I thought the unclean vocals were a little heavy-handed in this one as well, but otherwise, it's a really interesting, and pretty eclectic song.
Caught Like a Fly- 9/10. I love the carnival-like sound. It's really cool and unique! And for once I really enjoy Ronnie being kinda angsty.
Goodbye Graceful- 8/10. This is the least played song on the CD. I think I just overlook it a lot because overall, all the songs on this CD are great, and this one's just kinda average.
The Westerner- 9/10. Oh look, another one all about Ronnie! But really like this one. Like Sink or Swim, this one is kinda eclectic. It transitions through several markedly different sections, each of which is really great.

Favorite Songs: I'm Not A Vampire, The Drug in Me Is You, Raised By Wolves, and Pick Up The Phone

Least Favorite Songs: Goodbye Graceful- it just gets lost in the mix.

Video! 

I'm Not A Vampire music video

The Drug In Me is You music video

Rating: 9/10. The average is about a 9, and I think that's accurate. It's good but not absolutely spectacular.

Hope you liked my newest "The CDs on my Shelf" post! Have any questions? What did you think of Falling In Reverse? Let me know in the comments. If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow, because it lets me know y'all are liking them! Hope you enjoyed! Comment, comment, comment! I love feedback! Thanks for reading!

Top 10 CDs/Songs of 2013

Hey, y'all! So, a couple days ago, I did the New Years Challenge (link HERE if you haven't checked it out and would like to) and one of the questions asked what my top 5 songs of the year were. I started thinking about which CDs I enjoyed the most in 2013, and that's how we got here! I'll be listing my top 10 CDs, as well as my top 10 songs.

Also, since this isn't actually a CDs On My Shelf post, I'll try to stay away from full-out reviewing the CDs, because I will probably have a post on each one at some point (and in some cases, I already have!). So this is just going to be my opinion on the CDs, as well as my top few songs to check out on each one.

This year hasn't been the best for music, in my opinion. Although several of my favorite artists released new music, several of those releases went in totally different directions and were disappointing. Several long-anticipated releases failed to impress, and a few gems were total surprises.That being said, let's dive right in! 

Top 10 CDs of 2013

#10) Fashionably Late (Deluxe Edition)- Falling In Reverse

Notice that I didn't say these CDs were necessarily the BEST CDs of the year. And that's definitely true for this one. Everyone has their "trash" music that they know is absolutely terrible, but they still enjoy it and jam to it. That's Falling In Reverse for me. Though many people don't like them, I thought their first CD was pretty good. Great music, but very mediocre lyrics ("sexy, please text me. I'm ready for you" REALLY? A chimp could write that!). This CD, however, is just funny. Ronnie thinks he can rap, so there's rap, his characteristic not-so great lyrics, and a random country song thrown in. It's such a hodge-podge but somehow I actually enjoy it.

The songs I'd say are the ones I like the most are Bad Girl's Club and Drifter. Bad Girl's Club is really catchy and oh so cheesy and bad, but a total jam song. Drifter is the country song, and strangely, I really like it!

#9) Overnight- Parachute

I avoided listening to this CD for quite a while, because Parachute is one of my absolute favorite bands, and upon hearing the singles, I was very disappointed with the direction they were taking their music. Parachute veers more on the pop side, and their music has always been very chill, relaxing, pop rock. Like so many bands like them, Parachute caved to the electronic pop sound, and I miss the old sound. However, this is still a good CD. It still sounds like them, just a more electronic version. I'm sure I would like this CD more if I wasn't so attached to their original sound. You can tell it's a slow year in music when this is the best thing I can say about my #9 CD of the year.

The songs I'd recommend from this one are Overnight and The Other Side. Out of all the songs, I feel like Overnight has the most similarities to their old sound. The Other Side is a really chill song, and it has a really nice beat to it.

#8) Melophobia- Cage The Elephant

Cage The Elephant is one of the most unique bands I listen to. Matt Shultz has a very distinct voice, and their music has a very distinct sound. They've definitely set themselves apart from the other bands in the industry, but I haven't seen a ton of buzz around them since "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" and "In One Ear" were popular back in about 2009. Melophobia isn't a huge deviation from their sound in previous CDs. I guess the only thing that really disappointed me was that they've had a bit less than 3 years since their last CD, and we only get 10 songs, and most of those songs are really mellow. There's nothing wrong with mellow- CTE does mellow really well- but it would be nice to have more excitement in the CD.

The songs I'd recommend the most from Melophobia are Come A Little Closer and Teeth. Come A Little Closer is probably the most mainstream friendly song. CTE is a very oddball band, and much of their music would leave 'normal' people scratching their heads. This one is one that would probably appeal to a fairly sizable audience. Teeth is the exact opposite. Teeth is the excitement I wanted out of this CD. It's full, oddball, in your face CTE, and I love it. 

#7) Sunflower- Never Shout Never

Never Shout Never (or more specifically, frontman Christofer Drew, who was the sole member of Never Shout Never for a very long time) is one of those bands that goes though endless phases of musical styles. NSN started as a uke/acoustic guitar based pop rock band, ventured into a folksy phase, into a more electric phase, into a more bluesy/ soft rock sound, and then to this. Sunflower is a mix of a couple of the band's phases. Quite a bit of it is rather bluesy, a couple are more of the acoustic sound, and a couple even have the folk in them. Some sounds are more successful than others, but overall, I feel like they've hit their stride by mixing the different sounds, and have bounced back from a couple of CDs that I didn't think were that outstanding.

For me, the best songs on the CD are New Sound and Wild Child. Both are more of the bluesy sound. New Sound has a really fun groove to it, and was a great choice for the first track. Wild Child is my favorite on the album. It's a really unique song, and I'm not sure what else to say about it except that I really like it!

#6) The Pioneer Sessions- William Beckett

We now arrive at the CD I've already talked about on CDs On My Shelf (You can click HERE if you'd like to check it out). William Beckett was the lead singer of The Academy Is... until they broke up in 2011. In 2012, he began releasing a series of EPs, and at the beginning of 2013, he released The Pioneer Sessions, which is basically the acoustic, stripped down versions of the songs on the EPs. Some of them, I actually enjoy the acoustic version more than the pop one, because I really miss him doing alternative music. That being said, this is a CD I really enjoy, and listen to on a regular basis. 

My two favorite songs on the CD would have to be Compromising Me and Dear Life. These are both songs where I really enjoy both the normal and acoustic versions. Compromising Me is a really interesting song, possibly more interesting in the normal version, but I love it either way. Dear Life stuck out at me the first time I heard the normal version, but I think the acoustic might be better. I really like the way the music and vocals mesh together.

#5) Feel- Sleeping With Sirens

Here's another one that I talked about on CDs On My Shelf (link HERE if you'd like to read it). Sleeping With Sirens is one of my favorite bands, and although I'm of the opinion that this CD isn't quite as good as their last release, it's still really strong. I'm not even upset that they collaborated with a rapper on Alone, because I think it sounds really cool. They made some really smart choices with collabs on this CD. In my opinion, the best thing this band has going for them is Kellin Quinn's unique voice. Honestly, I've never heard anyone with a voice like Kellin's. Sure, some people think he and Vic Fuentes (from Pierce The Veil) sound similar, but they each have very distinct voices.

There are so many great songs to mention on this CD. Free Now, a song about Kellin's broken family and how he wants to be a good father to his daughter, Copeland, is really sweet. Alone, feat. MGK, is different for them because of the rap, and I think it works really well. Congratulations, feat. Matty Mullins, is definitely a jam song, as is Deja Vu.

#4) PTX Vol. II- Pentatonix

Pentatonix is an a cappella group that I was introduced to this year. I've completely fallen in love. Each member brings something unique to the group. Kevin is an excellent beatboxer/ rhythm section, Avi has a KILLER bass range, Scott has an insanely amazing and soulful voice, Mitch has a great voice with an amazing range, and Kirstie supplies the necessary female voice. They do great arrangements, and their original music is also really good. PTX Vol. 2 falls just the smallest bit shy of the bar that PTX Vol. 1 set, but that bar was set really high, so it would be nearly impossible for them to do better than that.

My favorite songs on the CD are Can't Hold Us (A Macklemore cover) and Daft Punk (a medley of Daft Punk songs). I really liked the original Can't Hold Us, and Pentatonix just improved upon it. Having Scott, Mitch, and Kirstie take sections of it was great. The arrangement of Daft Punk is great and the bass kills me every time. It's just awesome. 

#3) Save Rock and Roll- Fall Out Boy

Believe it or not, I wasn't a huge fan of this CD when it came out. I'd already listened to My Songs Know and Phoenix, so I was a bit worried about the direction of the CD. And I've since realized that yes, it's a different direction for them, but I really, really like it. There were (and still are) some songs that I don't enjoy as much, but there are quite a few songs that I can listen to on repeat. My only complaint is that this is one of those CDs where a song either falls into the like or dislike pile. There're no middle ground where songs are just ok.

There are several really great ones on here. Save Rock and Roll is one of those songs where I'll be out driving with my windows rolled down, loudly singing along. Young Volcanoes is surprisingly fun for FOB, and I really enjoy it. The Mighty Fall is also another good one, and the only thing I'm not a fan of is the rap on it. It detracts from the song just a little, but Patrick's parts are amazing. The Phoenix is another I like to blast while driving. The cello intro is spot on!

#2) Paramore- Paramore

I really wasn't sure what to expect out of this CD. I hadn't listened to Paramore much since the Farro brothers left the band, and I really wasn't sure where their music was headed. But still, I decided to pick up their CD when it came out, trusting it would at least be decent. It really exceeded expectations. So many of the songs on this CD are standout songs, and have become some of my favorite Paramore songs. I went back and forth over whether this or Save Rock and Roll should be higher, but in the end, Paramore won because of the sheer number of tracks that I absolutely love. However, like Save Rock and Roll, nearly all the songs fall into either a like or dislike pile. There are several that are good, but I just don't care about them in comparison to the outstanding songs.

There are so many amazing songs that it's hard to not talk about them all. Fast In My Car is an amazing combo of music and lyrics. Great opener. Now is especially good because of Hayley's vocals. Grow Up is another great one. I especially love Hayley's vocals in the chorus. Daydreaming is also really fun. Ain't It Fun has a cool sound, with the choir to back it up. Still Into You is such a catchy and fun song. Anklebiters is a really fun, harder song. (One of Those) Crazy Girls is kinda creepy but cool.

Before I continue... My two favorite CDs that came out this year both seemed like cop-outs to put as the #1 CD of the year, because one is the deluxe edition of a CD released last year, and the other is a live CD. Since I couldn't decide which is better, and thought each was a bit of a cop out, I figured I should just put them both as #1... which makes it an even bigger cop out, but whatever!

#1) TIE

10th Anniversary Concert- Royal Albert Hall (Live)- McFly

McFly has been my favorite band for quite some time now, and this CD is really special because it's from their 10th anniversary concert. Also, Busted, a band who broke up in 2005 and is friends with McFly, came back together and performed with McFly. Since they only did shows in Royal Albert Hall, I was unable to go, but this CD makes it a little better.

I love all of the songs! More specifically, though... McFly the Musical is a song written specifically for the concert, and it's all about McFly in the last 10 years. Tom hit the nail on the head writing this one. It's perfect. Five Colours In Her Hair was their first ever single, and to this day, it's still one of their best, and certainly their most recognizable song.

Don't Panic: It's Longer Now- All Time Low

All Time Low is my other favorite band. Just like I can't choose between these two CDs, I can't choose between these two bands. They're both amazing in their own ways. Don't Panic was released in late 2012, and not only did it become my favorite All Time Low CD, but it made its way into my top 2 CDs of all time. Seriously, it's that good. That's why I was so excited to hear they were re-releasing it with extra songs. Although if I were to give each song a rating and then average it out to get an album rating, the rating of It's Longer Now would be lower than the original Don't Panic, the added songs are all really good. 

I'll just choose from the new songs for this, because the old songs are ALL perfect. A Love Like War is really great, and features Vic Fuentes as a guest vocalist, which elevates it even higher. I also really enjoy Canals, because it has a really cool beat to it. But, if you wanna talk about the original songs, my top songs would have to be: So Long, Soldier, Backseat Serenade, Paint You Wings, The Reckless and the Brave, The Irony of Choking on a Lifesaver, and Outlines. Also, I just listed half of the CD, and there are more I wanted to list, but it's just too many. 

Honorable Mentions: 

LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS by 30 Seconds to Mars

Wild & Free by A Rocket To The Moon

Night Visions by Imagine Dragons

Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! by Panic! At The Disco

Hunter Hayes (Encore) by Hunter Hayes

Top 10 Songs of 2013

I gave myself a couple extra rules on this one. The main, and most complicated rule, has to do with when it was released. Obviously, the song has to have been released in 2013. However, if the CD it was on was released before 2013, and the song was released as a single in 2013, it's fair game.

I chose mostly singles (or songs that I know for sure will be a single). I'm keeping it to one song per artist/CD because if I didn't, you'd see the same artists multiple times.

I couldn't put them in a specific order, but I did divide them a bit. I like the top 6 songs evenly, so they're separate from the other 4.

7-10

• Come A Little Closer by Cage The Elephant. Of all of the songs on Melophobia, this is the one I was immediately drawn to. It's very Cage The Elephant, and very chill.
• This Is Gospel by Panic! At The Disco. I enjoyed several songs on Panic!'s 2013 CD, but I thought this one was the most musically interesting. The beginning has a really cool sound to it, and I especially love the chorus.
• Do Or Die by 30 Seconds To Mars. 30 Seconds To Mars is a band I listen to fairly casually. Closer To The Edge is one of my all time favorites, but I just don't listen to the band a ton. But I really liked this song. It's very 30STM, and the chorus is really interesting.
• Benny & Joon by William Beckett. The lead single off of his summer 2013 release. Unfortunately, I couldn't include the songs from Pioneer Sessions because they were released in 2012, but this was the best song on this CD by far. 

Top 6

• Still Into You by Paramore. This was the hardest to choose, because there are so many tracks from their album that I love. It was between this, Grow Up, Ain't It Fun, and Anklebiters. This one had literally one more play than the other 3, so I chose this one. 
• Save Rock and Roll by Fall Out Boy Feat. Elton John. Technically, this isn't a single. But Fall Out Boy will be doing a video for all of the songs on Save Rock and Roll, so I allowed it. I went back and forth on which track from their album to choose. It was between this one, Young Volcanoes, and The Mighty Fall. In the end, this one has been on repeat for the longest. I love it.
• A Love Like War by All Time Low Feat. Vic Fuentes (of Pierce The Veil). This is such a great song, and I love Vic Fuentes. Having him on there just makes it that much better.
• Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix. PTX Vol. II came out this year, and I've been greatly enjoying it. All the songs are great, but this one is a big standout for me.
• Love Is On The Radio by McFly. The latest single by my favorite band. It's been playing on repeat ever since it was released.
• Congratulations by Sleeping With Sirens. It took forever to choose a song from this CD, but I ended up picking this one because of the especially strong vocal performance by both Kellin and Matty.

Honorable Mentions:

Daft Punk by Pentatonix

Ain't It Fun and Grow Up by Paramore

Young Volcanoes and The Mighty Fall by Fall Out Boy

Alone by Sleeping With Sirens
Backseat Serenade and Somewhere In Neverland by All Time Low

Hope you enjoyed my lists for the top 10 CDs and songs of 2013! Let me know in the comments what your favorite CDs and songs were, as well as what you thought of my choices! Also, reminder: the prologue of The Secret Lightning Scar [A Harry Potter Fanfic] will be posted TOMORROW, so don't forget to check that out!

Punk Goes Pop Volume 5- Various Artists

Hey, y'all! It's been a while since I've been on here! But, I've been wanting to do a blog for a while, and decided to talk about another CD on my shelf! As always, I put my iTunes on shuffle and, and the CD containing the first song that played is the one I'll be talking about!

Release Date: November 6, 2012

Genre: Alternative, Post-Hardcore, Punk

Track Listing
Since This CD is comprised entirely of different bands' covers of songs, I'll list the band beside the track.

1. Grenade- Memphis May Fire
2. Call Me Maybe- Upon This Dawning
3. Somebody That I Used To Know- Mayday Parade ft. Vic Fuentes
4. Glad You Came- We Came as Romans
5. Some Nights- Like Moths to Flames
6. Billie Jean- Breathe Carolina
7. We Found Love- Forever The Sickest Kids
8. Boyfriend- Issues
9. Girls Just Want to Have Fun- The Maine ft. Adam Lazzara
10. Payphone- Crown The Empire
11. Paradise- Craig Owens
12. Mercy- The Word Alive
13. A** Back Home- Secrets

About the CD:  Punk Goes Pop 5 is the most recent release in Fearless Records' "Punk Goes..." series. Besides pop, there have also been releases covering Rap/Hip Hop, Metal, and (my personal favorite) Classic Rock. Other releases include 2 acoustic "Punk Goes..." CDs, as well as an 80's CD and 90's CD. Punk Goes Pop has been the longest running series. The next release will be Punk Goes Christmas sometime near the end of this year.

IMHO: I'm a big fan of the "Punk Goes..." series. The only thing that bothers me about them is that I only enjoy certain styles of unclean vocals (screaming) in songs, and often, I find myself thinking 'I really like that clean vocalist, but not the unclean one' and wishing there were more clean vocals. On one on this CD, that was actually reversed. I feel like each CD, though good, is hit and miss. There are some I'm really excited about and others that I just never listen to. I also sometimes have some issues with the songs they consider to be "pop." Some songs they choose are alternative songs that happened to make it big on the radio, and I don't think that makes them pop, even though they are popular. But I'll get more into that when I get into the songs.

Since there are multiple artists on this CD, I'm going to do something a little different and talk about each song and artist individually... as well as the original song, because there are some songs on this CD that I had definite opinions on before hearing their covers.

Grenade- Memphis May Fire: I think this is a pretty good cover. I don't really listen to Memphis May Fire, but from what I have heard, it seems like they mostly have unclean vocals, so I enjoyed hearing what clean vocals they have to offer. Not my favorite song on the CD, but not a bad start either. I definitely prefer this cover over the original track, but the original isn't too bad. Bruno Mars is pretty OK in my book.

Call Me Maybe- Upon This Dawning: I have mixed feelings about this song. I really like the parts with the clean vocals. I'm not a big fan of this band's style of unclean vocals. I've never heard of this band, and they're also the only band on the CD that doesn't have a Wikipedia page. So, they seem to be relatively unknown. Overall, I like the clean vocals/vocalist, and what they've done with the instruments. It's hard to be worse than the original, but I feel like if they'd stuck with clean vocals, it would have been more successful.

Somebody That I Used To Know- Mayday Parade ft. Vic Fuentes: Mayday Parade has been featured on most "Punk Goes..." CDs that I have, and for a good reason: they do really great covers. They improve on the music but keep the clean vocals, which is how I really like to have it done. Also, they have Vic Fuentes (lead singer of Pierce The Veil, one of my favorite bands) singing the girl parts, which is just perfect. As always, I think they delivered a great cover. I also really loved the original song, so I was really excited that they were covering it. Since I love the original so much, it's hard to beat it, but I feel like this is definitely right on par with it. This is one of those songs that I thought shouldn't be considered pop, but this is my favorite song on the CD, so I'll let it slide.

Glad You Came- We Came as Romans: I actually haven't listened to this track very much. But, as I'm listening to it right now, I'm really liking it. I like the way that they're including the unclean vocals as the background vocals and as part of one verse. I haven't listened to much from this band, but I'm pretty sure they're another that's really heavy on the unclean vocals. I'm really liking the clean vocalist for this band as well. I didn't really have much of an opinion on the song before, and I'd have to say I really enjoy what they did with the cover.

Some Nights- Like Moths to Flames: When I discovered the original Some Nights in early 2012, I fell in love. That's why this cover hurts a bit. I like the grit that they added to the beginning of the song, and honestly, it's a pretty good cover (a bit heavy on the unclean vocals, but that's subjective). But, I just can't like it. I like the original too much.

Billie Jean- Breathe Carolina: Don't hurt me, but I'm really not a Michael Jackson fan. I like that this cover is a nice little relief from the heavy post-hardcore of the majority of the first few tracks... well, for most of the song. There's a cool breakdown at the end. This is another band I haven't really listened to much outside of this song, but I like this cover. And I like it better than the original, but only because I'm not a Michael fan. Seriously, you're talking to the girl who prefers both the Alien Ant Farm and dueling cellos versions of Smooth Criminal a lot more than the Michael version. Sorry, not sorry.

We Found Love- Forever The Sickest Kids: I really really hate Rihanna. Like a lot. She's probably among my least favorite singers ever. I do, however, like Forever The Sickest Kids. But this song, not so much. The way they arranged some of it is just weird and there was randomly screaming even though FTSK doesn't have unclean vocals normally. I'm just not a fan of the way they handled the cover.

Boyfriend- Issues: I feel like you already probably have an idea of how I feel about Justin Bieber. I absolutely cannot stand him, and the first time I heard the original song, I cringed so many times I probably looked like I was having a seizure. My reaction to this was the exact opposite. I really love this cover, thought I'd never heard of the band before this song. I like the unclean vocals and the way they're incorporated into the song. The clean vocalist isn't my favorite, but I think his voice works for the song. I also really enjoy tricking my friends with it, and when they actually hear it, they appreciate my music a bit more. Overall, this is one of my favorites on the CD.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun- The Maine ft. Adam Lazzara: I'm not a big fan of the original song, and I can't really say that I've ever heard it all the way through. I do really like the cover though. The Maine is one of my personal favorite bands featured on the CD, and I also like Taking Back Sunday, the band Adam Lazzara sings in. I wish they'd done a different song, because there's not too much that could convince me to really like this song. But, I do like what they did with it, so kudos to that!

Payphone- Crown The Empire: Crown The Empire is another band I believe is mostly screaming. Once again, I feel like the song would be stronger with just clean vocals, but I really like the way they incorporated the unclean vocals. They seemed to fit in really well. Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the cover, but I definitely prefer the original. It's really hard for anyone to top Adam Levine in my mind.

Paradise- Craig Owens: This is another one that left me a bit annoyed by what they consider to be "pop". Sure, this song became really popular, but it's still an alternative song. This cover got some crap for being lackluster, but I like that it's true to the original. HOWEVER, I feel like it may be a bit too true to the original. I wish it was just a little more punk. Just a little more punkified and it would get a significant amount more play on my iTunes. Don't get me wrong, though- I still really enjoy this cover!

Mercy- The Word Alive: My least favorite on the album. They literally just scream their way through a crappy song, and then do a barely intelligible rap later in the song. I dunno, I just wasn't impressed. I think I understood maybe like two words of the lyrics. Two thumbs down.

A** Back Home- Secrets: I've never even heard of this band before, but I like what they did with the song. I like the difference between the verses with unclean vocals and heavy guitar and the chorus with minimal instruments. Definitely far above the original song.

Favorite Songs: I'd have to say that my favorite covers are definitely Somebody That I Used To Know, Boyfriend, Paradise, and Grenade. I also like Glad You Came, Payphone, and A** Back Home.

Video! 

Somebody That I Used To Know cover

Boyfriend cover (lyric video)


Rating: 6/10. Beside the few winners, quite a few of these songs are completely mediocre.

Hope you liked my newest "The CDs on my Shelf" post! Want to know more information about the CD? Less? or just different info? Or is what I put good? What did you think of punk going pop? Let me know all of this in the comments. If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe, because it lets me know y'all are liking them! Hope you enjoyed! Comment, comment, comment! I love feedback! Thanks for reading!

Hawthorne Heights- Fragile Future

Release Date: August 5, 2008

Genre: Post-hardcore, Emo

Track Listing

1.       The Business Of Paper Stars

2.       Rescue Me

3.       Until The Judgement Day

4.       Somewhere In Between

5.       Sugar In The Engine

6.       Desperation

7.       Four Became One

8.       321

9.       Disaster

10.   Let Go Of Everything You Know

11.   Corps of Corpses

12.   Come Back Home (Reprised)

On this CD, Hawthorne Heights is:
JT Woodruff- vocals, guitar
Micah Carli- guitar
Matt Ridenour- bass, backup vocals
Eron Bucciarelli- drums

About Hawthorne Heights: I don't really know a ton about them, but there are some important things I should talk about. They released their first CD, The Silence In Black and White, in 2004. Their first single off of this CD is also probably their most well-known song, Ohio Is For Lovers. Then, in 2006, they released If Only You Were Lonely. Their third album, Fragile Future, was released in 2008. These are the only 3 CDs I have by them, although they have released 2 CDs since- Skeletons in 2010, and Zero last month. There was a very abrupt lineup change between albums 2 &3, which I'll talk about in the "About The CD" bit, because it had an impact on the CD.

My opinion about Hawthorne Heights: I’m not a huge Hawthorne Heights fan, although I have 3 of their CDs. It’s kinda odd, but the bands that are more mainstream, as in regular people who listen to top 40 stations (bands like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco) often aren’t ones I like A LOT. While I may enjoy their music, I’m usually not a devoted fan. I think I may have mentioned this in a previous post. It’s like this with Hawthorne Heights. While I like this CD and a lot of the songs on it, I only really like their singles on their other CDs.

About The CD: One thing that had a big effect on this CD was the sudden death of band member Casey Calvert. Casey did the guitar and unclean vocals for the band. While they were on tour in 2007, he was found dead in the tour bus. He died in his sleep of an accidental drug overdose. Two songs on the CD (Four Became One, Sugar In The Engine) were inspired by his death, and it brought the band closer together, and lead to this being, in my opinion, their best CD.

IMHO: This is my favorite CD by them. But it also holds a special place in my heart for another reason. I bought this CD back in 2009 when it was fairly new. When I opened the case, I realized that there was a second CD inside. This CD had a random selection of music videos by other artists on Victory Records (the label HH was on). I was really interested in listening to some new music, so I popped it into my DVD player. I really liked a lot of the songs, and still have a lot of them on my iPod now. These included “I Didn’t Mean To Interrupt…” by Jamies Elsewhere, a “Since U Been Gone” cover by A Day To Remember, “Still Dreaming” by Silverstein, and some songs by a band named 1997, a band that I never researched much further… but the songs on the CD are great! Anyway, among these songs, I found the music video for a song called “Warm Me Up” by The Audition. I had never heard of The Audition, but I really liked this song. The Audition is now one of my top 5 favorite bands ever, and I never would have found them without this CD.

Favorite Songs: Somewhere In Between is definitely my favorite song on the CD.

Other Gems: Sugar In The Engine, Desperation, Four Became One, 321

Video!

Music Video for Somewhere In Between

Four Became One

Rating: 7.5/10. There are a lot of songs on the CD that I really like, and the rest I just never really listen to.

Hope you liked my newest "The CDs on my Shelf" post! What did you think? Want to know more information about the CD? Less? or just different info? Or is what I put good? What did you think of Hawthorne Heights? Did you already hate them? I know a lot of people do. Let me know all of this in the comments. If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe, because it lets me know y'all are liking them! Still taking comments on the time they're posted, because if you haven't noticed, I schedule them to post at the same time, as I'm either asleep or at work at noon! Hope you enjoyed! Check back at noon tomorrow, because might possibly be a new post. Not totally sure. Comment, comment, comment! I love feedback! Thanks for reading!

Pierce The Veil- Collide With The Sky

Release Date: July 17, 2012

Genre: post-hardcore

Track Listing

1. May These Noises Startle You In Your Sleep Tonight
2. Hell Above
3. A Match Into Water
4. King For A Day (Ft. Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens)
5. Bulls In The Bronx
6. Props & Mayhem
7. Tangled In The Great Escape (Ft. Jason Butler
8. I'm Low On Gas And You Need A Jacket
9. The First Punch
10. One Hundred Sleepless Nights
11. Staind Class And Colorful Tears
12. Hold On Till May (Ft. Lindsay Stamey)
13. I'm Low On Gas And You Need A Jacket (alt. version)
14. Hold On 'Till May (acoustic)

Pierce The Veil is:
Vic Fuentes- lead vocals, guitar, keyboard
Tony Perry- lead guitar
Jaime Preciado- bass, backup vocals
Mike Fuentes- drums, percussion

PTV, L-R: Jaime, Tony, Vic, Mike

About Pierce The Veil: The band was formed in 2006 by brothers Vic and Mike. Jaime and Tony joined the band in 2007. Collide With The Sky is the band's 3rd CD, after A Flair For The Dramatic in 2007 and Selfish Machines in 2010. A Flair For The Dramatic was actually released before Jaime and Tony joined, so the first PTV album is all the Fuentes brothers! PTV fans (especially those on Tumblr) often think of the bands Sleeping With Sirens and All Time Low when thinking of PTV. The 3 bands are all close friends and have done tours together. Sleeping With Sirens is especially compared to PTV because, like Kellin Quinn from SWS, Vic has a very unique voice that is especially high pitched for a guy. And, of course, on "King For A Day" on this album, the two collab!

My Opinion about Pierce The Veil: I really like them! I've only been listening to them since January, but I've definitely fallen in love with their music. I really like the unique tone to Vic's voice. There's seriously NO mistaking him with anyone else- not even Kellin. PTV is definitely in my top 20 bands, but that's about as far as they go... right now, at least. The more I listen to their music, especially Collide With The Sky, the more I want to move them up on the totem pole.

About the CD:  Since its release last year, it's been a real success for the band. Many consider it to be their best album to date. One key to that success is "King For A Day" because of Kellin Quinn, making the song essentially a PTV/SWS collab, and those are pretty much the two biggest bands in post-hardcore. King For A Day was voted as the best collab of 2012 by Alternative Press readers.

IMHO: It's definitely my favorite Pierce The Veil album. The other two were good, but I just REALLY like Collide With The Sky.

Favorite songs: King For A Day, for sure. I love the combination of Kellin and Vic and their screaming and singing. I also really love Hell Above as well.

Other gems: Bulls In The Bronx, Props & Mayhem, I'm Low On Gas And You Need A Jacket (the first version, One Hundred Sleepless Nights, Staind Glass And Colorful Tears

Video!

 Music Video for King For A Day ft. Kellin Quinn

Music Video for Hell Above

Rating: 8/10. I really like several songs, but don't listen to many of the songs past those.

Hope you liked my newest "The CDs on my Shelf" post! What did you think? Want to know more information about the CD? Less? or just different info? Or is what I put good? What do you think of Pierce The Veil? Let me know all of this in the comments. If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe, because it lets me know y'all are liking them! Still taking comments on the time they're posted, because if you haven't noticed, I schedule them to post at the same time, as I'm either asleep or at work at noon! Hope you enjoyed! Check back at noon tomorrow, because there will definitely be a new post. Comment, comment, comment! I love feedback! Thanks for reading!

Sleeping With Sirens- Feel

Out of some weird coincidence, this next post is actually about the most recent CD I bought.
Let's start this out with some basic info about the CD:

Release Date: June 4, 2013

Genre: Post-hardcore, pop punk 

Track Listing

1. Feel
2. Here We Go
3. Free Now
4. Alone
5. I'll Take You There
6. The Best There Ever Was
7. Low
8. Congratulations
9. Deja Vu
10. These Things I've Done
11. Sorry
12. Satellites

Sleeping With Sirens Is:
Kellin Quinn- lead vocals
Jack Fowler- lead guitar, keyboard
Jesse Lawson- backup vocals, rhythm guitar
Justin Hills- bass guitar
Gabe Barham- drums

About Sleeping With Sirens: To date, they have released 3 CDs (including Feel) and 1 EP. Their debut, With Ears To See, and Eyes To Hear was released in 2010. This CD was definitely more intense than any of their other releases, with much more screaming parts. Their sophomore album, Let's Cheers to This, was released in 2011. The next year, their EP, If You Were A Movie, This Would Be Your Soundtrack, was released. This was an entirely acoustic album, including some of their previous songs performed acoustically, as well as new acoustic songs. The key to the band's sound is almost certainly Kellin Quinn's uniquely high voice for a male, as well as his attractiveness making him popular among teenage girls. SWS is definitely one of 'those' bands where everyone knows the lead singer, but many cannot even name other members.

The SWS boys. L-R: Gabe, Jack, Kellin, Justin, Jesse

About the CD: The CD features a lot of collabs with other musicians, and although it's a bit of a different direction, it's been received fairly positively by fans and critics alike

IMHO: So far, I've liked the CD pretty well, but I'm still at the point where I haven't listened to it enough times to know all the words to every song, or even be able to differentiate some songs. There are some that I really like, but I'm still in the beginning stages of my appreciation for it. 

Favorite songs: I'd say that right now, Free Now is my favorite track, because of the meaning behind it. It's about Kellin's family and how he wants to be a good father to his daughter, Copeland.

Other gems: Feel, Alone, The Best There Ever Was, Low, Congratulations, Deja Vu. While the other songs are really good, I haven't listened to them enough to like them much.

Video!

Music Video for Alone, ft. MGK

Lyric video for Free Now

Rating: 8/10. Pretty good CD. It has yet to make it into a normal rotation in my iTunes, but I do really like all the songs on it.

Hope you liked my second "The CDs on my Shelf" post! What did you think? Want to know more information about the CD? Less? or just different info? Or is what I put good? What did you think of Sleeping With Sirens? Let me know all of this in the comments. Also, any opinion on the time? I had it automatically set to post at 12, since I worked all day. Unless I get any other preferences or info, it'll be posted at 12- maybe not every day, but many days. Hope you enjoyed! Check back at noon tomorrow to see if there's a new post!