Certainly this song is pretty much written about a toxic relationship between two people. It tells the tale of someone holding power over someone else for some time, though the narrator eventually realizes that it's time to break free of this control. I love the message behind this song, and use it as a great motivational workout song. In the case of pushing yourself during your session, the "enemy" is the pain or soreness you feel when you are exercising. There are many instances when you try to tell yourself that you've done enough, that you can cut your workout short. That's when you have to decided that you're not going to let that "power" hold you anymore. My favorite lyric in this song goes "Pain, just synapses firing." If you can remember that, then you can remind yourself that you have the ability to overcome your own doubts. You can hold the "Power."
Hey y'all! Obviously, this blog got neglected over the last few months. I had a lot of changes going on: a new job which meant moving to a new state. I now feel settled in from all these changes, and am ready to get back to posting about great music!
I have recommitted myself to focusing on my personal health by getting back into the gym and losing weight. In honor of this, I have decided to dedicate this upcoming month to songs off of my workout playlist! I know that everyone has their own way of getting themselves hyped up to workout, music included. However, I hope that you may find one or two of my songs good enough to add to your sessions!
Imagine Dragons is a band that I first discovered (as I'm sure everyone did) by their first hit single "Radioactive" (which is also on my playlist). I'm a proud owner of the Night Visions album, and that allowed me to find what I consider to be a hidden gem: "Tiptoe". It follows right after "Radioactive" on the album, and, in my opinion, fits perfectly into the track listing there. This was one of the many songs that I played on repeat, which is why it probably found its way onto my workout playlist. According to the Genius description, "Tiptoe" is supposed to be a song about the narrator scoring a "victory over something momentous, despite not being recognized by others." I think this is a great description if you really analyze the lyrics. The narrator is "tiptoeing higher", sneaking past the competition. There's also multiple mentions of flying off the radar. The part of the song that really gets me going is the bridge, when he repeats "nobody else can take me higher." It's great motivation while pushing yourself that nobody else is going to get you to your workout goals, whatever they may be. You have to be the one to get yourself there. Maybe you'll decide "Tiptoe" will help motivate you to tiptoe past your exercise goals.
This song comes from a personal favorite movie of mine, 21. It's a movie about the card game blackjack. More specifically, it is based on the true story of the blackjack team from MIT. Incredibly intelligent students who were great at math were brought together by a professor to learn how to count cards and create a system to sweep through any casino in Vegas. The soundtrack, while not dazzling in terms of awards that previous ones had, falls in line with what you would expect from a movie based on a college experience. There are plenty of more alternative and indie songs that I would argue are actually fairly well known. "Young Folks" falls into that category, and it's got a very catchy beat. It was moderately successful on alternative charts across the world, being more popular in Europe. This is probably based on the fact that the group is originally from Sweden. Even though nothing is flashy about the success of anything related to today's pick, I certainly hope you'll enjoy it.
If you want to learn more about the movie as well as view the track listing, click here
I tend to be more of a Marvel person when it comes to the two different types of major superhero films out there these days. However, I went and saw Suicide Squad and really enjoyed it. The soundtrack also became widely popular as it was released. It reached #1 on the Billboard 200 weekly charts, and finished #20 on the Billboard 200 year end chart. It had quite a few singles that became radio hits, including "Heathens." It was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media in 2017. The song featured today peaked at #2 on the weekly Billboard chart, and was in the top 20 of 41 different charts worldwide. It was Twenty One Pilots first huge hit since the success of their album Blurryface. According to Genius, Tyler Joseph stated that he wanted the song to be "a Twenty One Pilots song first, then a song for the movie." He also stated that as the song came together, he could feel that it had the identity they wanted while also fitting in well with the theme of the movie. I hope you'll take some time to enjoy today's selection as well as the rest of the music this soundtrack has to offer.
If you want to learn more about the soundtrack as well as the track listing, click here
A pop artist that can fall into a few different genres, Lorde was first introduced to the world with her single "Royals." It sat atop the Billboard charts for 9 consecutive weeks, and eventually won Song of the Year at the Grammys in 2013. Lorde hails from New Zealand, and largely gained success doing covers at first. It was her first EP that she posted on her Soundcloud account that brought her popularity, which included "Royals." She also created music for Mockingjacy, Part 1 from The Hunger Games series. Her most recent album, Melodrama, was released last year, and was nominated for Album of the Year at the most recent Grammys. She is only 21, and yet she already has a large fan base. She chose her name from her fascination with royalty, but added the "E" at the end to add more femininity to it. She has been on Time's list of most influential teenagers twice, and has also been featured on Forbes' list of 30 under 30 who are changing the world. She's just another example of a young wave of pop stars who have already gained quite a bit of acclaim at an early age. Her future appears bright, and I encourage you to give her music a listen.
Smallpools is a fantastic up and coming alternative band. I would almost guarantee that you may recognize their song "Dreaming"if you do recognize this band. Lovetap! is a truly a great listen, and I'm convinced that if this is your type of music, you'll fall in love with the album. "American Love" is about an international love story. The narrator has fallen in love with a foreign girl, seemingly from Italy, given the lyric "she flew me to Milan." The lyrics seem to indicate she is affluent and somewhat cold-hearted. But, with him, she has this soft side that he can bring out, and he has to remind her of that time and again. It's definitely a different kind of love song. It's not necessarily cushy or romantic in the way you tend to expect from love songs, but it gets its message of love across just the same. I hope you'll come to enjoy this song, and use it as a springboard to the rest of what Smallpools has to offer.
If you'd like a guide to the track list, check out this awesome breakdown by Atwood Magazine
This is a nice, soft rock love song. When you actually dive into the lyrics, "Home" is actually a fairly sweet song. Many people like to make the allusion that they don't care where they end up in life, geographically or otherwise, as long as they have that one special person by their side. This song is very emblematic to that point. The verses talk about many things that the duet loves, but that the love for all those other items cannot match the love they have for each other. Towards the end, there is a cute dialogue discussing the first time Alexander fell in love with Jade. I feel like more people would know this song than I expected. Either way, here's another great selection for this month's theme.
The Audition is one of those bands that's a real guilty pleasure of mine. I randomly discovered them on the soundtrack of the NCAA baseball video game from way back in 2006. After doing some investigation, I discovered that I really liked their music. "My Temperature's Rising" is a simple song about a guy who has fallen for a girl. From that point forward, he's telling her everything he can offer her. I kind of feel like this is a semi accurate representation of how we tend to feel when we do fall for someone. We almost feel invincible, and that everything we can give someone would be good enough. In a way, I believe that song captures this just a little bit. I personally recommend The Audition if you find that you like this song or like this kind of music. As for today, enjoy the song!
"Fire Escape" is a love song where the main character has just had this amazing night with the person he is infatuated with. He is describing this night full of strange characters and shenanigans. Through it all, he is always reminded that there is no one else he'd rather be beside while taking part in these activities. This is kind of a cute love song, where it reiterates that idea that you are typically willing to do anything just to be with that person you really care about. Even if that's staying up all night after a wild adventure through the city. It's a really upbeat song that you'll end up catching yourself tapping along to. Hope you'll give it a listen!
Electric Guest is one of those bands that, once I discovered them, I was hooked on their music. I love the instrumental to this song, and the smooth beat that it creates. It gives the song somewhat of an old school feel. The song itself is about dealing with a relationship. The lyrics mention the strain that the relationship can cause at times, but, as the chorus points out, the main character always comes back to the important realization that this person means a lot to them. Therefore, that should always be in the forefront of any decisions that are made about it. The second verse points out how this one person stuck around for the main character through everything. According to lead singer Asa Taccone, the Haim sisters helped provide some vocals for this song as well. Here's to hoping you've got someone dear to you, and that you'll enjoy the song.
I would imagine most people would know Breathe Carolina from their hit "Blackout," which was very popular in the late 2000s. "Please Don't Say" comes off of the album after that, where as a group they add a lot more electronic to their sound. This song tends to actually deviate from the style of the rest of the songs on this album. The song talks about a love that seems to potentially rekindling. The main character of this song doesn't want the night to end for fear that those sparks that have come back may go away when the sun comes up again. He is hopeful that they can find the love they once lost. Maybe you were lucky enough to have something like that happen for you yesterday, and if so, here's a song for you.
I think most people would recognize Foster The People from their hit "Pumped Up Kicks." "I Would Do Anything For You" is off of the same album as that hit, and "Torches" as a whole is a pretty good selection of tracks. This is a smooth love song with some great instrumental work in my opinion. It is a song about a guy professing his unwavering love for his girl. The lyrics talk about putting her before himself, and doing what it takes to make sure she is happy. While this is another song that doesn't really have any deep meanings behind the lyrics, it's still a pretty fun, upbeat song that you can enjoy. Of course, you can always put your own meaning behind a song if it has a special relation to someone or something. Go ahead and enjoy this Pre-Valentine's Day selection.
Vance Joy is another one of my favorite artists, and he actually has a few love songs. "Lay It On Me" was released last year as part of his second album. A fantastic artist out of Australia, a lot of his songs are mellow, yet usually pretty meaningful and sincere. This song follows that pattern, as it discusses falling in love with that special someone. As the song talks about defenses coming down, that's usually when you know you're really in love with someone, as you are not afraid to be vulnerable around them. I personally like the pre-chorus that talks about leaving notes. I think that is something that is pretty romantic, and gets lost and considered old-fashioned these days. The note I leave to you today is to go ahead and give "Lay It On Me" a listen. You won't be disappointed.
Doing the research for this song brought to light a debate over this song's meaning. Death Cab For Cutie themselves said that this song is essentially about a stalker. However, there are plenty of other people who make the argument that it is just an elegant love song, and that the lyrics have deeper meanings. That side argues that it's essentially a song that is only professing a true, heartfelt love for someone who just needs to give the narrator a chance. However, from the stalker side of it, there is certainly some argument for that given lyrics like "passing outside your window." Some of those lyrics imply that the narrator is simply living in this fantasy inside his own head, one that will never come true. So, why don't you go ahead and give today's song a listen and decide for yourself.
Twin Atlantic is a British alt rock group, and I personally love this song. There are no gimmicks or deep seated meanings in this song. It's pretty straightforward when it comes to talking about someone special. The song talks about "owning the lock and the key to the window of my soul," which is about as romantic as I think it can get. Still, it's a nice, upbeat song and actually not a bad one to jam out to. The music video has a lot going on, yet I find it oddly interesting all the same. Here's to hoping you enjoy this song, and that you may have someone to open your "Heart and Soul" to in February. (Also, enjoy the heavy Scottish accent throughout the whole song!)
Maybe it's cheesy, but with Valentine's Day in the month of February, I figured I would feature a month's worth of love songs. From some old classics, to some newer ballads, love songs have been getting created for decades. Today we start with alt rock band New Politics. They're a group out of Denmark, and tend to be a guilty pleasure of mine. They're song "Tonight You're Perfect" is about that feeling of falling in love. There's some doubt in what you're feeling, but you can't deny it when it becomes strong. To me, that's kind of how this song plays out. In the first verse, the main character isn't sure what to do with these feelings. But, in the second verse, there's no doubt that what he's feeling is real. And that is when he comes to this conclusion that in that moment, his love is perfect. And, hopefully you'll find some perfection in this song too. Happy February, and enjoy!
P.S. I've decided to start posting links to the lyrics of the posted songs. I'll continue to use Genius.com as that website often provides some meanings behind the lyrics.
DAY 28: A SONG BY AN ARTIST WITH A VOICE THAT YOU LOVE
Salt Cathedral "Holy Soul"
In keeping with the spirit of this challenge, I will not double post an artist. However, at the very top of my list for this kind of category is Bishop Briggs. I absolutely love her voice. Salt Cathedral has their own strong, soulful voice though. This is a duo from Colombia, and I also saw them perform at Firefly last summer. That's truthfully the first time I had heard of them. But, after watching them perform, I was hooked. "Holy Soul" has a smooth rhythm to it, which immediately kind of makes you want to relax. The actual music video was not shareable here, but I recommend watching it if you have the chance, as the story it tells is pretty powerful in my opinion. So, here is the wonderful voice of Juliana Ronderos singing "Holy Soul" for today's selection.
Ever since I've heard this song, I've felt like it kind of describes my generation fairly well. So many of us are glued to our phones these days, or any other type of media outlet in general. We live our lives through social media and the images we've created of ourselves on there. I mean, there's a whole TV show about finding people who create fake profiles and live vicariously through them. I've seen plenty of examples where someone forgets how to actually interact with other people when there isn't some sort of screen in front of them. The lyrics of this Young The Giant song describe this scenario perfectly. The characters in the song are too distracted by their phone to generate any sort of serious connection. The line, "Even though we sit together, you feel so alone," feels like an accurate description of a lot of human interaction tends to be now. That, quite frankly, does break my heart that society has become this way, because I believe there's a lot of value in having a genuine conversation with someone. It's a lot of work to talk and get to know someone, but it's also extremely rewarding. "It's such a tragedy when people hardly speak," but I hope maybe this song will change your mind.
DAY 24: A SONG BY A BAND YOU WISH WAS STILL TOGETHER
Vampire Weekend "A-Punk"
I'm trying not to post the same artist twice, otherwise Yellowcard would've probably been here again today. However, from what I researched, the original group of Vampire Weekend split up a year ago. While I still believe they are making music, I think that at least counts here. First of all, I didn't know Vampire Weekend had been around for approximately ten years now. Maybe I'm just getting older and losing track of time. This was the first song I ever heard from them. If the catchy tune doesn't pull you in, perhaps the music video will. The group is shown in some version of a fast forward playing along to the song, with some synced choreography that makes it a pretty cool one to watch. Hope you'll give this song and this group a listen.
DAY 23: A SONG YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD LISTEN TO
Glass Animals "Youth"
Glass Animals has been one of my favorite artists ever since I learned about them from a friend. I personally think all of their songs are great. So, I'm using today's post as a plug for all of their music, and "Youth" is a great start for that. Their second album, "How to be a Human Being," is a collection of songs that tell stories the group overheard on one of their tours. This particular song is a story about a mother who had to give up her child. The music itself is really great to jam out to, but the lyrics are just as fantastic. One of the main reasons I went to Firefly this past summer was to see Glass Animals perform. Their live performance was truly phenomenal, and I still get chills thinking about the fact that I had the opportunity to see them. So, with that being said, check out "Youth" and check out the rest of Glass Animals music soon.
