April has brought out some sunshine, and I am trying to transition out of the sad, depressing state of winter, but as some of you may know, it is a pretty big task.
I wanted to bring you eight songs I have been listening to recently, and two that mean a lot to me, because my brother’s birthday is April 15.
If you are just interested in the first eight songs, I will totally understand. The last two are strictly country, but I have a specific reason behind why I chose them.
Stick with me, and I will bring you more amazing music!
Brand New – The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot
Off of the album “Deja Entendu,” which peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart, “The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot” is not quite an acoustic song but very close to it.
This song is one of the lesser-known songs from the album; “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” is the highest peaking song and the first of two singles from the album.
“The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot” describes an unhealthy relationship—just as most songs do these days—and the manipulative cycle a couple goes through.
Make sure to give this song a listen when you are sad—I know, I just told you I was trying to get out of sad music, and I promise I am trying my best.
Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine
Off of their 2018 album “Trench,” “Chlorine” is a more upbeat song. See, I told you I am trying to make it out of the sad world.
“Chlorine” peaked at number 6 on the Billboard US Hot Rock Songs Chart.
The song discusses how Tyler Joseph, the lead singer of Twenty One Pilots, is coming back to the music world, and how chlorine is cleansing but can also be a drug, as he believes the music industry is both cleansing and highly addictive.
The music video for this song is awesome as well, so make sure to check it out!
Zacari – Don’t Trip
Zacari is a lesser-known artist, as he is just starting to release his own music.
He has collaborated with other artists, most notably Kendrick Lamar on the 2017 track “LOVE” from the album “Damn,” the song going quadruple platinum in the US.
“Don’t Trip” is from a string of recent singles Zacari has released, and with an album yet to be announced, we are left with this amazing song.
Flyleaf – All Around Me
I first heard this song on a “Now That’s What I Call Music! 28″ CD, however, the song has critical acclaim with this culmination of great songs from the year 2008.
Off of their self-titled album “Flyleaf,” “All Around Me” peaked highly on multiple different charts within the Billboard.
The song talks about the presence of someone being felt around them, most likely referencing God— Flyleaf is an Alternative Christian band—but the song can be interpreted in many different ways.
Plans – Answering Machine
A lesser-known band from Indianapolis, Plans released “Answering Machine” on their EP “Ending // Starting.”
The cool thing about this album is that it was written as the lead singer was ending one band and starting another, hence the title of the EP.
Although not very popular, the band really experiments with multiple genres, and their lyrics pack a punch.
If you are into the emo/rock/punk vibe, then definitely give this band a try!
Paramore – Brick By Boring Brick
From the 2009 album “Brand New Eyes,” “Brick By Boring Brick” was the second single to be released.
“Brick By Boring Brick” is about someone who seems to have it all together, but has built up a wall of bricks, isolating herself from the real world.
The song peaked at number nine on the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart, and the album itself peaked at number one on multiple Billboard charts and many other charts from around the world.
This song is anything from boring—it’s most certainly an emo anthem!
Devin Townsend Project – Kingdom
This is the heaviest song on this music report as Devin Townsend is both a metal genius and guitar legend.
“Kingdom” originally comes from the 2000 album “Physicist,” but an updated version of the song comes from his 2012 album “Epicloud.”
The cool thing about “Epicloud” is that it comes from a four-album series called “The Devin Townsend Project,” which included some of his older songs being added to a few different albums from this series.
“Kingdom” uses a deep guitar riff with opera-like vocals to portray its message of the vast world we live in and how caught up we can get in said world.
This song is very melodic, and while I know a lot of the people reading this don’t listen to metal, I highly recommend this song as a start, because of its beautiful harmonies and easy-to-follow lyrics.
Pierce the Veil – Circles
From the album “Misadventures,” “Circles” is a song with a different meaning than most would guess.
The song details the tragic events of the Paris Terror Attacks, as two friends try to escape the horrible scenes, simply running in “Circles” as they realize that even after the events that have unfolded, they can only try to move past them, unfortunately running them through the same cycle of thinking about the tragedy.
As sad as the content of the song may be, the song itself is very hopeful, as it doesn’t sound like a sadder song. I highly recommend this song, because Pierce the Veil is one of my favorite bands.
Frank
These last two songs are two that mean a lot to me.
Frank, if you’re reading this, I just want to say happy birthday and that I love and miss you so insanely much these days.
These songs are the first two that come to mind when I think of you.
I hope heaven throws you an amazing birthday.
Diamond Rio – Beautiful Mess
I remember smelling fresh coffee grounds and listening to CMT on our Saturday mornings. I know the words now, but when I was little, I would mess them up really bad.
You, mom and dad would laugh as I would butcher song lyrics and dance around.
This song comes in waves to me. Some days, it’s the only song I listen to. Sometimes I don’t listen to it for weeks or even months.
But the crazy part about music is that it’s always right there waiting for you when you get back, and someday, I hope to find you waiting for me like I’ve been waiting for the music to find me again.
Shania Twain – Man! I Feel Like A Woman
Shania was your favorite. You had this large blue poster of her in your room, and whenever her face would appear on screen or whenever you would look at her poster, your eyes would widen and your smile would brighter than the sun. I swear you knew her in a past life by the way you acted whenever you saw her.
I bought this song on vinyl about a year ago, and I played it in the basement and sat in your room two floors up. The hum of the walls still vibrated the same and I could still see Shania on your wall, even after the poster had been taken down a decade ago.
In Closing
Frank is the single most reason why I got into music, and why I have the passion to show other people music or things they may not have heard before. I wouldn’t say I’m a hipster who listens to all the new music before you do—please don’t be this person—but I try to stay updated on releases in all genres, which keeps me open to all types of music.
I just want to say thank you to Frank, my mother, my father, my friends, my dogs, my friend’s dogs, the cardboard cutout of Elvis sitting in the car of the garage and his passenger Mike Ditka holding a box of Cheez-Its, the countless amount of speakers I’ve bursted, the neighbors for also listening to my music, YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, Pandora, Google Play, my radio in my car, the radio station WBWH 96.1 The Wit and many other of things I could go on forever naming.
The point is, music isn’t limited to one thing. Music doesn’t have to be just rap, or just rock or just country; it can be any and everything or even nothing. Music can mean whatever it wants to in your eyes.
But what is music if you never share it? What is music if you don’t have memories surrounding certain songs?
Like a smell, taste or feeling you will always remember, music is that to me. I will always remember dancing around the house at five years old mispronouncing lyrics to songs.
So thank you, Frank, for your unmatched kindness, hostility, appreciation and love. I will spend the rest of my life sharing music with people, the same way you did with me.
