Band Bucket List
Today I was talking with my mom at Panera about how much I want to see Bright Eyes in March for my birthday. Bright Eyes is part of a list that I’ve compiled over the years of bands and artists that I want to see before I die. Today was the day I finally called it my “Band Bucket List”. It’s an extensive list, and so far I’ve knocked off one band from the list. Hopefully one day I will be able to say I’ve seen all the artists on the list (provided they don’t break up or die) and I can die a happy camper.
I’m sure as time goes on, more artists will be added to this list.
Something Corporate(August 2010; 9:30 Club, Washington D.C.)- Death Cab for Cutie
- The Decemberists
Bright Eyes(March 2011; The National, Richmond, Va)- Brand New
- The Get Up Kids
- Ben Folds
- Dashboard Confessional
- Sufjan Stevens
- Arcade Fire
- Coldplay
- Radiohead
August Burns Red(July 2011; Warped Tour, Scranton, Pa)The Avett Brothers(April 2012; Movin’ On Festival, State College, Pa)- Bob Dylan
- New Found Glory
- Thrice
fun.(February 2012; Alumni Hall, University Park, Pa)- Hanson
- John Legend
- Manchester Orchestra
- Norah Jones
- Pete Yorn
- Regina Spektor
The Best of the Best: 2010 Edition!
Last night I posted my honorable mentions for the best albums of 2010. Now, I’m putting up the entire list!
Here are my top 15 albums from 2010. You may disagree with some of my choices, but that’s okay. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion :)
15. Emarosa- S/T
Why did I like this album so much this year? Well, I don’t even know. Jonny Craig’s voice just mesmerizes me, it really does. I loved this album a lot, and I even got Hunter into them (after Warped). ‘Pretend.Relive.Regret.’ and ‘Live IT. Love IT. Lust IT.’ were my two favorite tracks from this album, and I got really excited when I met Jonny at Warped, carrying his (now) infamous sign that said ‘Got Painkillerz?’.
14. Matt Pond Pa- The Dark Leaves
This was such a fantastic album. I got to see some of the songs from it performed in May with my friend Steph. Matt Pond’s a really nice guy, and I loved listening to this album, especially right after I got my wisdom teeth out. It calmed me down. ‘Ruins’ is my favorite song off of this album, because it’s got a catchy beat, funny lyrics, and a great opening intro. This album also reminded me of fall, even though I got it in the spring. Either way, it’s really, really awesome.
13. ORBS- Asleep Next To Science
What can I say about this album? It was incredible. I also have a review that I need to post of this one as well. I liked the fact that it was almost experimental prog rock, and it was definitely different from what I had been listening to this year. Back in high school, I listened to a lot of bands in this genre, but I have to say that if they had been around when I really was into the genre, I would’ve been incredibly happy. The album was incredibly well put together, and I loved how melodic it was. Even though the album was nine songs total, it was still pretty awesome.
12. Best Coast- Crazy For You
Bethany Cosentino has such a unique voice, with an awesome Cali vibe. I really loved listening to this album this year, and every time I listen to it, I think summer-y thoughts. I loved this album a lot, and I really loved the songs on it. I mean, ‘When I’m With You’ easily is in my list of top songs of the year, and in general, the album was chill. Perfect for just sitting out in your backyard or at a beach and just listening. I love music with chill vibes to it :)
11. Vampire Weekend- Contra
This isn’t in my top 15 albums just because in the video ‘Giving Up The Gun’ tennis was featured, and Jake Gyllenhaal made a cameo, but rather because so many of the songs were so catchy! Well…and the fact that ‘Giving Up The Gun’ was my anthem for the fall season of tennis. I didn’t like this album as much as their first one, but it was still pretty good, and had a few standout songs. I just wish that I didn’t hear ‘Holiday’ every five minutes in commercials. That Honda one is getting to be really annoying and it’s killing my like of the song. I also wasn’t fond of the fact that they used auto-tune in ‘California English’, because they really don’t need it at all. I’m SO against auto-tune.
10. KiD CuDi- Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager
Kid Cudi’s one of the few rap artists I really, really like, and I really, really liked this album. Even though it’s one of the later releases of 2010, I still enjoyed it. This album was fairly mellow, and I liked that about it. ‘Wild’n Coz I’m Young’ was one of my favorites from this album, along with ‘Mr. Rager’. This album put me in a great mood when I listened to it, and it helped me focus better too when I studied, but I don’t know why. ‘Marijuana’ was also a great track, and of course I giggled a little when I saw that it was a total of 4:20 long. Coincidence? I think not.
9. Sufjan Stevens- The Age of Adz
This was much different than the stuff that Sufjan normally puts out. Different isn’t always good, but in this case, I thought it was. I liked it. It had an Animal Collective vibe about it, and I really liked that. I’ll always love Sufjan, no matter what he puts out. I mean, I did love the Christmas songs he had out this year with the Dessner brothers from The National and Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire. This album was funky. I like funky!
8. Girl Talk- All Day
Girl Talk is one of my favorite mash-up artists ever. After I downloaded this, it was on repeat for days. I jammed to it that much. I jammed to it in the car, in my dorm room, and even in my sleep. How that happened, I don’t even know. What I do know is that I loved this album a lot, even if it was a compilation of songs old and new with artists from a broad spectrum of genres. I’m not afraid to admit that I enjoy dancing horribly to this album like a crazed maniac. It’s good exercise. This album is also going to be one of the few that I will be jamming to when I work out on the treadmill when I go back to school.
7. She & Him- Volume Two
I. LOVED. THIS. ALBUM. Zooey Deschanel is so pretty, and has such an amazing voice, and she’s married to Ben Gibbard. I’m incredibly jealous. Ahem, anyway, she and M. Ward make an excellent duo. Even my brother got excited when this album came out, and he got REALLY excited when I bought it. The fact that this album is one that my brother and I both like is pretty great, and also why it’s in my top ten. I just like the fact that this album is carefree and cutesy, and it makes me happy every time I listen to it. Like Best Coast, this band makes me think of summer, and this album is just adorable.
6. Band of Horses- Infinite Arms
I will never not love this band. I enjoyed this album thoroughly. Every time I listen to it, I want to go on a road trip somewhere far, far away. In fact, this album is great for road tripping. I’ve listened to it many times on my journeys between Virginia and Pennsylvania. This isn’t my favorite Band of Horses album, but I still enjoyed it a lot.
5. The Rocket Summer- Of Men and Angels
I got really excited when I got this album for my birthday. Bryce Avary ALWAYS makes me feel better, and this album was amazing. I loved ‘Japanese Exchange Student’ so much that I put it on TWO different mix cds that I made for my best friend. In fact, the one thing I enjoyed most about this album were the lyrics. Bryce writes songs with so much meaning, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I love TRS so much. Seeing some of the songs live at Warped were great. This album is one of the few that I tend to blast on repeat just to get me in a better mood.
4. Mumford & Sons- Sigh No More
I’m hooked on this band. I’m hooked on this album. I played this SO many times the first week I was at school that I’m sure my roomies never want to hear any of their songs ever again, even though they don’t listen to them. I really don’t know what else to say about this album other than the fact that it was absolutely beautiful.
3. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Surprise! Kanye West makes an appearance in my top THREE albums. I didn’t expect to love this album as much as I did, but I really did like it a lot. Kanye’s also one of the few rap artists I enjoy. I wish that ‘Christian Dior Denim Flow’ made it onto this album, because it was really awesome, but it’s okay. ‘So Appalled’ made it onto the album, and that song is also one of my favorites from 2010. I know I said earlier that I’m not a fan of auto-tune at all, I know Kanye uses it, but somehow he makes it work more than T-Pain. The collaborations on this album were spectacular, and honestly, I thought it was great.
2. The National- High Violet
I had this album on repeat a lot too this year, especially in my car. This was quite an amazing album, and words really can’t express how much I loved it. Plus I really liked the album art, haha. But seriously, this was an incredible album. Matt Berninger’s vocals were hauntingly gorgeous, and even if it were an instrumental album, I’d still love it. The music on here was absolutely fantastic.
1. Arcade Fire- The Suburbs
I am fully aware that a LOT of people absolutely loved this album this year. Yes, I am one of those people. I was really excited for this album to come out, and when I finally heard it in its entirety, I was amazed. I did wait a while to get it, and didn’t rush out right away to buy it, but the wait was well worth it. Everything about this album was amazing. The lyrics, the music, even the music videos. I liked this album a lot more than ‘Neon Bible’, which my brother still tries to argue is one of the best Arcade Fire albums yet. This was a stunning album, and it holds one of my favorite Arcade Fire songs ever, ‘Rococo’.
I’ve got a few EPs that I liked this year as well, but I’m not going to write an explanation as to why I liked them so like I did with the honorable mentions and this list. There were a lot more EPs that I listened to this year, as opposed to last year, and felt like they needed recognition too!
- Texas In July- Uncivilized
*Side note: I am incredibly excited that the guys got signed to Equal Vision. I look forward to hearing new tunes from them and seeing them grow even more! If this was a peek into what their first release from EVR is going to be like, then I’m incredibly happy! - The Devil Wears Prada- Zombie
- The Rocket Summer- Of Men and Angels: B-Sides
That’s all for this year, thanks for reading this entry (if you read the whole thing)! I look forward to 2011, because there are a LOT of releases that I’m excited to hear, even more so than this year :)
This is a List. Or Two. Or Three.
Things I Love:
Spark Vitamin Water.
Music.
Concerts.
Cupcakes.
Fashion.
Burritos.
Wes Anderson Movies.
Harry Potter.
York Peppermint Patty Pieces.
Moshing.
Ikea.
Pigs.
Buying CDs.
The Lion King.
Mashed Potatoes.
Guitars.
Jewelry.
Summer.
Beaches.
Converse.
Books.
XXX Vitamin Water.
Neon Colored Pre-Wrap.
Stilettos.
Sephora.
Urban Outfitters.
Warped Tour.
Art.
Shopping.
Eating.
Starbucks Passion Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade.
Things I Like:
Puppies.
Coffee.
Pearls.
Uggs.
Ugly Dolls.
My Macbook Pro.
Tennis.
Shiny Things.
OPI Nail Polish.
Dandelions.
Vintage Clothes.
Cake.
Things I Hate:
Fakes.
Bitches.
Country Music.
Twilight.
Ke$ha.
Justin Bieber.
Running.
Freeform Jazz.
Math.
Science.
Professors Who Lecture For Hours.
Cigarettes.
Liars.
Macaroni & Cheese.
My Brother’s Drum Set.
Allergies.
People Who Shove Their Beliefs Down Your Throat.
Rednecks.
People Who Don’t Use Turn Signals.
Facebook Fights.
Geese.
That is all.
