Are You Ready?

"I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready..." The ever so familiar sound of Spongebob flooded the air waves. But why? AJR decided to take a chance and mix that annoying, but catchy, Spongebob Squarepants sample with their own music to create the hit song titled "I'm Ready". It's the one that took the world by storm and turned the attention of the music world on them. They followed up their first single with another hit called "Infinity", which just so happens to be my favorite. They have also produced one full-length album titled "Living Room" along with several EPs.
It seems like these three brothers are on to something with their different and unique sound. It has been described as 'eclectic', which means deriving ideas, styles, and/or taste from a wide and diverse range of sources. Digging deeper in to their musical style you can tell that they have influence from many different genres including: pop, foo-wop, electronic, and dub step. They have said that their musical influences as far as bands go range from The Beach Boys to Vampire Weekend and Fun. I find that interesting and pretty cool for some odd reason.
AJR is composed of three brothers: Adam (24), Jack (17), and Ryan (21). Hopefully you can see where they got their band name from now. They started the band of brothers in 2006, so they're not exactly new to the music industry. They are simply just getting the attention now that they so rightly deserve. They started out as most bands doing, busking and doing covers of popular songs and posting them on Youtube. Since then they have performed on Good Day New York, Live with Kelly and Michael, and VH1's Big Morning Buzz. Both of their singles have been on Sirius XM radios hit stations and placed in their countdowns a number of times.
Other than the fact that these three are brothers and their sound is a little different, what makes this band so special? Well, for starters they are a completely do it yourself band. They write, record, produce, and mix all of their own stuff in their living room. I'm guessing that's where they got the title for their first album. Adam plays bass guitar and sings. Ryan plays the ukulele, keyboard, and vocals. He also does a lot of the producing. He has written and produced two songs with Andy Grammar. The youngest of the three, Jack, seems to be the most well-rounded when it comes to instruments. He plays guitar, melodica, ukulele, percussion, and the sample machine. On top of all of that, they all like to dabble in the making of their music videos. Apparently a majority of their music video for "Infinity" was directed and produced by the brothers.
These three have an endless amount of talent. It makes me so happy to see that the music world is actually recognizing somebody that is doing something different. They aren't following the crowd in any way, shape or form. Their songs aren't about drugs and partying. They don't do everything in a professional studio and have other people do all the hard work for them. They do everything themselves. I actually think that's something that not a whole lot of people know. They're not made of the same material as every other performer and artist. They're different. And I like it. Judging by their fast growing success, a lot of other people do too.

Hollywood Ending

Recently I've had a lot of sad songs on repeat, but after this album was released I had to switch it up. Hollywood Ending released their first full length, self-titled album. The album is roughly 38 minutes long with 10 amazing songs! If you're looking for something to play as loud as possible and lose control, this is the perfect album. Every song makes you want to get up and move, just rock out along with them. Most of the songs are upbeat, except for one. Every album needs that slower ballad though, right? 

They start out with a catchy song titled "Zero Gravity". It's fun, upbeat, and about heartbreak. They put a fun spin on it and compare it to being out in zero gravity, hence the song title. I believe that this track shows their creativity. It's a great example of the type of music they like to produce and gives you an example of what the rest of the album will sound like, which makes it the perfect opening track. 

The second song on the album is "Breakthrough". It's one of my favorite tracks. Once again, this is upbeat and a prime example of the type of band they are. It's one of the second longest songs on the album, but I'm alright with that because I love, love, love it! The song is about trying to get a girl that's with the wrong guy. The right one is obviously them and they give plenty of reasons why. 

"Courtney Love" is the third song on the album. It's my favorite song because it's fast, fun, and relatable. The first time I heard it, I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face! They showed a lot of personality in this song, which might by why I like it so much. When I say it's relatable, I don't mean in the normal way that song are relatable, like with feelings and what not. It's relatable because it describes a living with bad luck, which is my life! I almost forgot to mention the echoes in the back which are absolutely hilarious.

"Love You Now" has a slightly different sound than the first few. It just shows how flexible they are when it comes to their music. They don't stray far from who they are though. It still has that Hollywood Ending sound that a lot of people are discovering and becoming obsessed with. At this point in my life, I really relate to this song with what I'm going through. I have it on repeat with my other sad songs, but I'm at least able to jam out to this one like a mad women! 

Cameron, Chris, Tyler, Danny

"Perfect" is the song that they released a lyric video for in order to promote the album. It's like the single. I'm in love with this song to. I wish more artists wrote songs similar to this. A lot of songs are about how people look, but they're not like this one. The message is different in a way. You'll have to listen to understand. 

The 6th song on the album is "Fade to Blue". It's the favorite track for band member Dan Geraghty. This one also has a pretty different sound compare to the rest of the tracks on the album. It's not slow, but it's more of a chill song. You can still totally jam out to it, just not as hard core as the others. This song is yet another one that I can easily relate to relationship wise, which is probably why I love it so much. 

"Come on Come on" is the seventh track. To me it's definitely one of the jamming. It's something that I would play when I need to burn off some energy. The sound is similar to All Time Low. If you're a fan of ATL, you'll most likely enjoy this song.

I mentioned before that there was one slow song on this album. That would be this one. "Ghost" is considered the ballad of the album. I'm in love with this song. The first time I heard it, I was honestly shocked by the lyrics. They are deep and meaningful when you really listen to it. Some of it seems pretty simple, but if you look at the deeper meaning, it makes it so much better. This is just another song that shows how versatile they can be with their music and their lyrics. I love it soooo much. It's also the longest song the album. 

"Hypnotized" is their hard core rock song in my opinion. It has kind of a old school vocal sound to it in some parts, which makes it interesting to listen to. It's not hard to figure out what the song is about after listening to the first few seconds of it. It's a different kind of love song if you know what I mean. Every album needs one of those songs though too. It's still extremely fun! 

Always having fun and being themselves = Major brownie points

The last song on the album is the perfect song to close with if you ask me. Their is a tempo change that took me by surprise, so it will most likely take others by surprise too because of it's placement. The lyrics in this song are pretty blunt, which I like. It's a realistic break-up song. When you think about it, there's not that many of them out there. 

If you don't know who Hollywood Ending is, you definitely should go look them up. They have plenty of music out. You're bound to find something that you like by them. They started out on Disney's Next Big Thing, but they have evolved so much from them. They are an awesome, young band. I always think it's amazing when people my age are out doing stuff like this. They're aren't the most well-known band on the planet. I think they need some more recognition. They truly are amazing and deserve all the love they can get. They're true musicians and amazing people.

Soundtrack for the Brokenhearted

This isn't the best playlist of "break up" songs, but they're the songs that I have on repeat. A lot of them bring me to tears, but I always feel better afterwards. I know it's supposed to get better. I'm honestly starting to wonder if the pain really ever does go away...

1) Save Your Heart- Mayday Parade
2) No Good in Goodbye- The Script
3) Waiting for Superman- Daughtry
4) Fool's Gold- One Direction
5) Nothing- The Script
6) Half a Heart- One Direction
7) She Was the One- The Vamps
8) Everything I didn't Say- 5 Seconds of Summer
9) Heartbreak Holiday- MKTO
10) Drunk- Ed Sheeran
11) I Hate This Part- The Pussycat Dolls
12) Life After You- Daughtry
13) Drowning- Conor Maynard
14) Can't Let Go- Faydee
15) Distance- Jack and Jack
16) Bruised and Scarred- Mayday Parade
17) The Memory- Mayday Parade
18) Safe to Say- Playjerise
19) Stitches- Shawn Mendes
20) Hotel Ceiling- Rixton
21) Once in a Lifetime- One Direction
22) Party Girl- Dan and Shay

The Next Big Duo

Josh Devine... Drummer for One Direction 

Ollie Green...Upcoming musician 

What happens when you put the two of them together? You get one of the best duos ever! I'm am so in love with these too! They are both extremely talented on their own, but when you put them together, the results are astounding! So far the two of them have released 2 singles: Fight For You and Here to Stay. Both songs have been a huge success on the music charts. They have gotten loads of shares on the Internet thanks to the One Direction fans and music lovers everywhere. These two artists deserve to be played on the radio so that the rest of the world know what they're capable of. The two of them are continuing to work on music together. I can't really blame them either. They have been such a hit in the music world. I honestly think if they get the right amount of publicity that these two could go the distance.
Josh Devine is the loved drummer in One Direction. He's been there since the beginning. What most people didn't realize was that Josh was more than a pretty face and a drummer. He has an amazing voice! I hate to say this, but he could be the new fifth member in One Direction! Not only that, but he is also a talented song writer. He can play the guitar along with the drums. He's just a well-rounded musician who deserves to be where he's at in life. He has the most vocals in his latest release with Ollie, "Here to Stay". It's a song with a bit of a rock edge and sick vocal provided by the one and only Josh Devine.
Ollie Green is an upcoming British musician. He is a singer/songwriter that not all to many people have heard of until he linked up with Josh. I couldn't be happier that these two came together! Ollie has a strong talent when it comes to producing and writing music. It's a hard thing to master. This kid has done it if you ask me. There aren't many people that can come up with the things that Ollie does. The stuff he's putting out isn't the same shit that you hear on the radio. He's following his own path working on his own music. That's the best thing he can do. If he wasn't doing that, we wouldn't be blessed with the two amazing songs he worked on with Josh. "Fight for You" was their debut song together and it left people in shock. Not only did the world discover that Josh was more than a drummer, but they were introduced to the talented Ollie Green. The song is a nice ballad that you can sit back and relax to. It also has more of a rock-ish edge to it.
These two songs are absolutely amazing! I love, love, love them! I literally can't wait to hear the other things that they have been working on. I believe that the two of them have enough talent and a large enough following to put together a successful album. I'm praying that that day will come. Whenever Josh gets a day off, he usually spends it with Ollie working on some new music. The two of them are working extremely hard to put together music that is different and people will love. They have a bright future as a duo!

One Direction Going in Two Directions

The music world was shaken by the news that Zayn Malik was leaving One Direction. The word spread faster than the plague. Everybody knew minutes after they made the announcement that the world's biggest boy band was losing one of it's cherished members. I know that I'm a few weeks behind on posting this, but in all honesty, it was too difficult for me to write last week. It's still hard for me to write about it. I'm a huge Directioner. (Judge me if you want) Zayn leaving the band hit me harder than anything I'd ever experienced before. (Again judge me) I cried for over three days. The second I thought that I was over it, something would remind me of him and I would just lose all control again. This happened to a lot of people, so it's reassuring knowing that I didn't go through this alone. I had thousands of Directioners, family, by my side throughout this entire thing. On top of that, there was the amazing support of Harry, Niall, Louis, and Liam, as well as other celebrities and fandoms that showed their love and support.
Zayn told the whole world, including his four best friends that he has shared the stage with, his life with, that he was leaving because he couldn't handle the fame and the publicity. He was being called names. Rumors were always coming up about him cheating on his fiancee, which put a strain on their relationship. He also said that it was starting to affect his family and that is something that he never wanted to happen. He felt like the attention should never be on his family because they didn't do anything to deserve fans and paparazzi on their front lawn when he wasn't even there. People were also sending in hate to him and his family through the internet and the mail. There was no escape from his hectic life. He didn't like that. He wanted to be a normal 22 year old boy. He told the band this. They all did their best to get him to stay, but nothing proved to be enough. Zayn's decision stood. He was leaving the band. During their last concert as a whole group, Harry and Louis openly wept. Nobody understood why until the next day when they released the news of Zayn leaving. It all made sense. They said "One last group hug" and "We want to tell you all one last time that we all love you". Not to mention there were more tears on the stage that night that ever seen before. It seemed like they could barely keep themselves together.
This post isn't just about Zayn though. It's about One Direction and how they're holding together since his departure. Everything has changed for them. They had to figure out who gets Zayn's parts. There is no longer somebody that can hit those amazing high notes without even trying. They don't have any "mystery" in the band anymore. The chemistry on stage and in their music won't be the same. Their sound is going to be different. Yes, only one member left, but Zayn was an important piece to the band. Every single one of them plays an important role in the group. During the X-Factor, Louis almost didn't make it to the judge's house and they were so thrown off that they thought they had no chance of getting through. That's what it's going to be like all the time now for them. It's not only that though, but the memories they share won't be the same. Their laughter, jokes, and time spent together won't be the same as it was. It's going to take a while to get used to. After all, they'd spent almost every minute with Zayn over the past five years. They literally lost a family member, a brother. One Direction isn't One Direction anymore.
They're working extremely hard on new things for us, for their fans. They know it's going to be way different. They're trying ten times harder. This isn't easy for them. They had to cut Zayn's vocals out of their album on tracks they had already completed. They cut out any parts of the video diary they are working on that had Zayn in them. Can you imagine having to do that, cut your friend out of everything? It's like they're washing away his memory. We'll never get to see what memories they shared with him on there OTRA tour. They will be the only ones to ever know what happened before he left. They are the only ones that know what really made Zayn leave. We all know it wasn't because he wanted to be normal. If it was, then Zayn wouldn't have gotten with NaughtyBoy and started working on a single. This started a riff between NaughtyBoy and Louis. Nobody knows where Zayn stands between the two. This could mean the end of one of the best friendships ever. Zouis could be dead for all we know. This thought kills me.
Zayn is on his own. The band is working harder than they ever have before. The fandom is slowly healing from what some say is a betrayal from their idol. We've been doing good so far though. We've been strong. The band has been strong. As long as they keep working hard, I know that everything is going to be okay. It will be different, but it will be alright. Plus, Zayn is supposedly happy. So, I'm going to be happy too. Best of luck to the rest of One Direction and Zayn. I can't wait to hear new music from both artists.

Let The Road- Rixton

Rixton is one of the rising stars of 2015. In my opinion anyways. I'm in love with their new album 'Let The Road'. Every song delivers something different and shows off all of their talent. This much anticipated album was worth the wait! 

Track 1: Let The Road

The opening and title track, Let The Road, is done Acappella style.You are truly able to hear the talent the four musicians have to offer. Towards the end of the track they surprise you by adding some instrument, but they still sing Acappella syle. It's something that not many people have done before. The last band I can remember doing something like that was Nsync and that's been a while ago. Major props to them for this wonderful track! It was a great way to open the album. 

Track 2: Wait On Me

Wait On Me is a song that shows you how different they can be. It has a totally different sound than the first track on the list. It makes you want to listen to the album even more. Wait On Me was also their second single from the album. It did almost as well as Me and My Broken Heart. Once again, this song shows you how talented they are. It allows them to show you the variety of music they are able to perform. They pull of this sound so well. It's a Rixton original! 

Track 3: Appreciated 

This track begins with a soothing guitar accompanied by whistling. It's an interesting way to start a track. It caught my interest because of that. What I really like about this song, isn't necessarily the music, but the lyrics themselves. The song is about the one they love always being there for them and they appreciate them. Not many songs are out there like this one. This song also shows off how good they are when it comes to harmonizing and using their instruments to emphasize what they are singing. It's a great song to just sit back, listen, and relax to. 

Track 4: Beautiful Excuses 

This song is one of my favorites from the album. It is similar to Appreciated music wise except it relies more on guitar and piano. It's a slow song, so it's nice to relax to. If you listen to it though, it really pulls at your heart strings. "What makes an angel fall in love? What makes a good man turn and run? How do you know if she's the one?" Those are my favorite lyrics from the song. The ones that follow only make the song stronger and more emotional than it already is. This band has a serious talent when it comes to song writing. Everything is so different and original. I love everything about this song. This song is one of the highlights of the album. Good luck getting it out of your head! Not many slow songs have the power to be as catchy as this one! Amazing vocals as well on this track, especially towards the end. 

Track 5: Me and My Broken Heart No review is needed for this song! Everybody knows it! 

Track 6: Hotel Ceiling Check out the review I did for this song earlier this year! LOVE IT! So emotional and overall just amazing! One of my favorite songs of all time.  

Track 7: I Like Girls 

When it comes to this song, it is completely different than any other song they have done. I think that's why I like it so much. When it starts playing, you're actually kind of surprised that it came from Rixton. It is very laid back and will definitely put a smile on your face. It's going to be on my playlist for the summer because it has a beachy vibe. This is one of the songs that shows you how much variety they are capable of doing. Just like I've said a thousand times before, it's very original. I mean, they put jingle bells in this song! It only added to the overall enjoyment of the song though. Excellent song for their debut album! It's the fun, silly, song that every album needs to have. 

Track 8: Speakerphone

This song starts out with strong harmonization from the band belting out the chorus, not instrument added. They are showing off their talent within the first 10 seconds of this song. This one changes speeds as it goes. I love that when it comes to a song. The verses are slower, not slow, but slower. The chorus picks up and will have you dancing around your house singing the lyrics out loud with them. There a quite a few high notes hit in this song that I find to be very impressive. They highlight them usually with a cymbal shot here and there. This song also does a great job at emphasizing things with their instruments. One of my favorite songs from the album because of they way it's structured and the overall vibe from the song! 

Track 9: We All Want The Same Thing

This song is very surprising coming from Rixton and I love it! This is the most sexual song from the album. Once again, every album needs a song like that, right? This one if perfect for it. The entire song is sung in high notes. The beat is very catchy. It's more computerized than other songs on the album, but it still shows off the immense amount of talent the band has. It was one of the first songs available for download before the album was released, I was sketchy about it at first, but after listening to the full song, I began to appreciate it for what it was and I ended up falling in love with it. You can sing to it. Dance to it, and just have an all-around good time. Good luck trying to match the notes though! 

Track 10: Whole 

Whole is similar to let the road. It starts out Acappella style. The piano is thrown in there after the first couple of seconds. The versus are very slow and have very little instrumentation. The closer you get the verse, the more instruments there are. The verse mainly consists of just the words "make them whole", but it's so amazing how they are able to pull it off by singing it in different keys, different lengths, and using that Acappella style that you don't hear very often. The second verse consists of a lot of repeating after each other. Usually I'm not a fan of that, but they did such a good job with it and matched each other so well that it sounded like one huge voice instead of three or four. This is another ballad for the album. It's not my favorite song, but the album wouldn't be the same without it. They just have sooo much talent! 

Track 11: Make Out

This.,. This here is my favorite song from the entire album. This song has been out for over a year, but it hasn't been available on iTunes. However, the music video has been. The music video is a whole other story. I strongly suggest you watch it if you're looking for a laugh. This is the party song of the album. Can't you tell by it's title? They put a romantic twist to it, which I find very interesting. Yes, they are saying 'Let's make out', but they're also encouraging you to go out there and find the one you love! It shows how much fun they can have. I would love to see this song performed live. I don't know what else to say about this song other than it leaves me speechless because I love it so, so much! Good luck getting this song out of your head. One listen and your stuck with it for a week! (Excellent layering at the end of the track btw)

  

Talking About

What everyone talking about? Isn't the answer obvious? Conor Maynard is stepping back out in to the music industry with his new amazing single "Talking About". It hasn't even been out for a week yet and its caught the attention of thousands of people. It's his first single in some time. The wait was worth it. I'm absolutely in love with this song! Sadly, it's not available in the U.S. iTunes store yet. However, it is up for pre-order. I've been having to settle for racking up the video's views on YouTube.
The song is extremely catchy. I suggest you listen with caution. The second you listen to it, it will be stuck in your head for days on end. I'm not complaining though because it's such a great song! It has the typical Conor Maynard style. The beat is easy to move to. It's definitely a song that will be played in clubs! It has similar sound to his previous songs, but it's not as computerized as many of them. There is a range of sounds the meld perfectly together to create the catchiest song of the year so far.
If people recognized this song and the artist, Conor would have so much more fame than he already does. It's just that nobody appreciates music unless it comes from a big name. Honestly, I think his song is ten times better than anything Taylor Swift will put out or Rihanna who just released that song "Fourfive Seconds" or whatever it's called. The only reason their songs are so popular even if they are crap is because they created a name for themselves. It's time to start recognizing artists like Conor. He is using everything that is being used in today's popular music. It's got bass, catchy lyrics, easy to remember, fast-paced, and it uses computerized instruments. I feel like this song could be Conor's big hit to launch his career again.
 "Talking About" is easily one of my favorite songs of the year so far and I think it will stay highly ranked in my book. I'm not usually in to this kind of music, but there is something about Conor that makes me love, love, love his music. I don't know if it's because of the type of person he and his personality or if his music is just different and draw me in. As I'm typing this, I'm realizing that it's both. Conor has an amazing personality! I've discovered that by watching him appear on YouTube videos and by watching the videos he post on social media or videos other have posted with him. His music is different than a lot of the things that we hear on the radio. Sure, it has a similar sound, but the thing is that he hasn't changed his sound. He started with it and he has continued with it. He didn't change to fit in with the time just to get a number one single. I don't think he ever will. That makes him more likable for me.

Not only that, but I know Conor is capable of doing things other than the type of music he releases. He displays his talent on his YouTube channel by posting covers of songs. One of his most recent ones was a cover of "Waves". Personally I liked his cover more than the actual song because it was more raw. Conor has an immense amount of talent. This will be the song that people will hear and recognize him for what he is. An immensely talented artist who has worked his ass off to get where he is at.