Music Monday!

Am I going to to spam you with multiple posts in a day?

Yes. Yes I am.

Why?

Because today is a special, special day for music and one special inhabitant of Fort Worth, Texas.

Ten years ago, my favorite album was released.

If you're familiar with me, you probably already know that this album is Calendar Days by The Rocket Summer (Bryce Avary).

And if you're familiar with me, you know where this is going. 

ALBUM REVIEW/LOVEFEST! 

I'm nerding out today to tell you why each and every song on here is special to me. Because they all are. They're all amazing. 

In the words of my favorite comedian Jerry Seinfeld, "Let's start the insanity!"

Track One: 

Cross My Heart

Favorite Musical Element: Upbeat tempo. It's really good to listen to first thing in the morning to get you going. The sound is so poppy! I like it! 

Favorite Lyric: "I know everything went wrong, okay. But now's the time to get to better days. 'Cause I don't wanna keep acting this way."

Why I Like It: I like to use this song as a mission statement for bettering myself and my situation. The upbeat nature of this track really gets my heart to a good place. It's fun to sing along with as well! But this entire album is like that. 

Track Two:

Skies So Blue 

Favorite Musical Element: Moar uplifting tonalities. Everything about this song is pop. And it's so great. 

Favorite Lyric: "I'm sorry I sound glad, but why always be so sad?"

Why I Like It: There's no way you can't be in a good mood after listening to this song. There's just no way. This track is so uplifting and poppy that it makes you feel like sunshine. I mean, seriously? Why always be sad? The sky's such a sweet blue! 

Track Three:

This Is Me

Three is me! Haha. Ok. That's done. 

Favorite Musical Element: The piano riff at the beginning sounds so cool. It's always been my favorite part of the song.  

Favorite Lyric: "Just remember what's right for me may be not right for you." 

Why I Like It: Recognize the title? Another mission statement song. "I know what I want to do and I want it to be true." This is the exact reason for this blog. It's like the lyrics of every one of these songs were written for me. 

Track Four:

Saturday

Favorite Musical Element: I think this song really showcases Bryce's talent on the drums (he writes and performs EVERYTHING. He's so talented I could die). His fills are super catchy and I can't help but bounce around like a four year old who's had one too many Oreos. 

Favorite Lyric: "I need to think this time is time for me and you to be a phrase that I would always use in the context like I belong to you."

Why I Like It: Who doesn't wish it were Saturday every day? It's a good Wednesday song. Wednesday has always been my least favorite day of the week. I always think, "Man, everything would be better if it were Saturday." And then this song gets stuck in my head. See? Perfect. 

Track Five: 

She's My Baby

Favorite Musical Element: I love the way he plays with meter in this song. 

Favorite Lyric: "Here's how it sounds to be let down..."

Why I Like It: It's a really cute song (I assume about his wife). I love how the older I get the more I understand the lyrics to these songs. This song is really, really sweet. D'awwwwwwww!! 

Track Six:

That's So You

Favorite Musical Element: This melody is AMAZING for harmonizing. This is why I listen to a ton of male singer-songwriters. I love to harmonize. 

Favorite Lyric: "So thanks for your help. You shine so bright. You are the star that's in my sky. I am yours and you are mine."

Why I Like It: I have always loved a good love song. And this is a good love song. It's so sweet! For a long time, this was my favorite song on the album. It's still amazing, but I switch favorites so often because I keep discovering things in other songs and obsessing over them for a while. 

Track Seven:

Mean Thoughts and Cheap Shots

Favorite Musical Element: There's a fun piano interlude toward the middle of the song. 

Favorite Lyric: "We will show the world just how we passed this test. And we will show the world we're better than this mess."

Why I Like It: This is my "everybody's being mean to me!" song. It really helps me feel better when I'm having a rough time with someone else or myself. I use it as a reminder that I am better than that. I really love being encouraged by music in this way. 

Track Eight:

Movie Stars and Super Models

Favorite Musical Element: The rhythm section. YES. 

Favorite Lyric: "And a sparkle is the reflection in my eye."

Why I Like It: I dig the message in this song. I just really dig this guy's honesty in his lyrics. He sees that by observing the lives of other people on TV and such, he's not looking at his own life and is therefore unsatisfied with it. It's a good reminder to watch what you watch. 

Track Nine:

What We Hate, We Make

Favorite Musical Element: UM. EVERYTHING. But for real, my favorite thing is the tinkly (that's the word that came into my head, guys. Judge all you want) melody in the piano. Guhhhhh I die every time. My heart. It makes my heart feel. And I can't give it words. 

Favorite Lyric: You mean I have to CHOOSE??? "I'm breaking my heart tonight so you can see what's inside."

Why I Like It: This song has been with me for so many things. I could write pages on how many situations this song has helped me through. I can't put this information into words. All I can say is if there is any song on this album that you must listen to, it is this one. I wish I could have you feel what it makes me feel. It's so good. Some people may think it's absolutely ridiculous that a song that some random guy wrote could have this much of an influence on me, but it's true. This song. Is the best song. 

Track Ten: 

TV Family

Favorite Musical Element: I really like the xylophone he adds into the chorus. And then the guitar riff in the second verse. 

Favorite Lyric: "I don't know much but I know we will be happy as a TV family. Except times infinity."

Why I Like It: Again, I dig his honesty and I feel like this is an honest song about his faith. In the words of my friend Randy, Bryce really knows how to "be about it". I feel like this album is about who Bryce is and his faith is definitely part of that. 

You guys, I had so much fun listening to this album about four times and writing about my love for it. I really hope you give this guy's music a listen. He's on Spotify and he's brilliant. He's also going on tour in April, so you should go check him out! He puts on a crazy good show. He's from Fort Worth, so he always makes a Dallas stop. It's not even that far! 

Now that I'm done advertising... Well, I'm just done. See you round, Internet friendz! 

[Ch'i]s Louise!

Recently, John and I have gotten into Feng Shui. We redesigned his entire apartment according to various guidelines and secrets we found in Feng Shui books. Over the past few days, I've been rearranging my apartment in order to add more energy into my life. 

I'm reading a book called Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life by Karen Rauch Carter. This book gives detailed information into all aspects of Feng Shui and has a chapter devoted to each of the nine guas, or areas of the home which pertain to a specific aspect of life. The first chapter is about the prosperity gua, or the back left corner of your home or room. By adding or removing different items from your prosperity gua, you can either help or hurt your prosperity in life. Prosperity is not solely focused on money and material goods, but if you do wish to have a little extra cash to spend on luxuries, this is the place to focus that energy. 

I won't go into all the details of what should and should not be found in you prosperity corner, but I will share something I made for mine! One of the "power tools" for prosperity and abundance is running water. A fountain or a fish bowl would be the most effective way to energize the flow of money in you life, but the way my apartment is designed, I lack the space for one. Instead, I decided to use symbolism and create my own image of running water. I chose to paint a symbol of running water because I would like for my own creativity to be abundant (but let's be real. I could use some extra cash). I want art, music, and other creative things to flow from me freely. I want art to be my livelihood. 

And so, the image above is the painting of running water I made to hang in my prosperity corner. Let's hope it brings much artistic inspiration and income into my life! :D 

Don't Get Me Wrong, I Still Love Music

I've posted about how my music degree has been dragging me down, but this doesn't mean I'm completely done with music. I have it on in the background for nearly everything I do. A really great song still gives me feels I can't even name.

I'd like to share an album I came across recently that had an impact on me. I don't know if there is an album in your life that, when asked to play only one song, you can't decide because they're all so good. Bear Creek by Brandi Carlile is one of those albums to me. I first heard this song in an art gallery in Denton, Texas. The woman working in the shop showed me her favorite track and I knew I had to have this album. Every single song is so different and so wonderful. The common denominator for this album is the use of acoustic instruments. Brandi's voice is big, powerful, and a little rough around the edges. I was trained classically from the age of twelve, which means I spent a lot of time around vocal perfectionists. As impressive as a beautiful, perfect classical performance can be, I find more beauty and feeling in voice with a rougher, more raw sound.

Some of my favorite moments on the album:


Favorite Vocal Moments:
Track 2: Raise Hell. This track really shows the power in Brandi's voice. I absolutely love the rugged sound of the instrumentation and her voice.
Track 8: I'll Still Be There: The buildup in this song is what really gets me. There's a point near the end of the song that reminds me of a drop in electronic music, where everything stops for a beat or two and comes back in more powerful than before. It's one of those things that I want to make sure someone hears on their first listen.
Track 11: Rise Again: I love how this song had a much more alternative sound than any of the other songs on this album. I really repsect Not to mention the impressive range. This woman's voice is serious. She can do all kinds of things that I only wish I could.


Favorite Lyrics:
I mean, really, every song's lyrics are fantastic. But these really stuck out to me.
Track 2: Raise Hell: "You have mind to keep my quiet and although you can try, better men have hit their knees and bigger men have died." My thought the first time I heard this: "HELL YES."
Track 4: That Wasn't Me: In the last chorus, she switches up some of the lyrics:

"Do I make myself a blessing to everyone I meet? 

When you fall, I will get you on your feet. 

Do I spend time with my family?

Did it show when I was weak?

When that's what you see, that will be me."

I don't know if this was meant as a personal mission statement, but doesn't it make an awesome one? I mean, I'd love it if everyone I knew thought I was humble, loving, and supportive. 

Track 6: 100: "When you close your eyes at night and you rise above your life..." I just think this is an awesome way of describing sleeping. I never would have thought of that. Kudos on your creativity, Brandi! 

So, sometimes, I nerd out and write blogs about music I like. I hope you enjoyed it and I really hope you give her a listen. She's quite talented indeed. 

Brandi's Web Site

Land of Life and Beauty.

Well, I finally put this semester break to good use. John and I road tripped to California and man oh, man, did it have an effect on me. I had no idea what I would see and discover about the world and myself. Here's a day to day account of our journey.


Day One: West Texas
I don't know if there's really anything to say about west Texas. The people are friendly and the steak is great! Other than that, it's nothing for miles and miles and miles.

Day Two: New Mexico
I spent most of the day driving through New Mexico. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Mountains slowly come into view and the hills are sprinkled with tiny towns. We stopped in Albuquerque for some car maintenance and while we were there, we decided to hit up their museum of natural history. We watched a short film in the planetarium about the search for other  habitable planets in the universe. It stirred up some subjects I hadn't really thought about since childhood: Are we really the only life forms in all of everything? Is our existence THAT much of a fluke? What would the other life forms be like? How advanced would their civilization be? The film was optimistic about 2013 being a great year for discovery so I plan to keep watching the Internet for exciting things.

After the museum, we drove until we decided to rest in Flagstaff, Arizona and this is what we woke to see:

Day Three: The Grand Canyon, The Hoover Dam, and Vegas

I still have yet to see the Grand Canyon. The fog was so dense we couldn't see much of anything. I did, however, see this awesome cat sculpture! 

After moar driving (SO. MUCH. DRIVING.), we came across the Hoover Dam, which is probably the most massive man-made structure I've ever seen. We drove over a new bridge that looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. John and I decided that it reminds us of the statues of Argonath. If that doesn't put the size of the bridge in perspective for you, then I can't help you. It's huge. 

If you've never seen the Hoover Dam before, here you go! 

VEGAS. Vegas was a surprise for me. I had never seen why people were so fascinated with the place. It seemed like a place of shallow consumerism and irresponsibility. The closer we got, the more excited I became. On the strip, anything you can imagine can be brought to life. Everything is extravagant. Everything. Las Vegas is definitely a sight for everyone to see at least once. We stayed the night at the Bellagio, which is one of the casinos featured in Ocean's Eleven. Like any good tourists, we watched it that evening. The fountains out front put on a show every thirty minutes. The fountains are synchronized with music that you can tune into on the television and it's pretty spectacular. Here's the view from our window: 

NUTS, right? I couldn't believe how awesome everything was. I'd definitely visit again! 

Days Four-Seven: Los Angeles, California. AKA Heaven. 

I spent my life hearing how amazing California is and listening to musicians dream about the beauty and opportunity that can be found there. I figured it was probably overrated, but I wanted to see it for myself, especially after hearing what my lovely former roommate had to say about her formative years spent in L.A. I was excited, but nowhere near prepared for the beauty of this place. One minute you're in a desert and the next, you're in the midst of lush, green vegetation. The vibe in L.A. is something else entirely. From the moment you enter the city, you feel the hope, the drive, and the acceptance that L.A. brings. It's a city where you can truly be yourself. 

The first stop we made was Venice Beach. If there is any place that I can feel right at home, it is Venice. Even though it was foggy and cold, Venice was packed with people of all sorts. There were people surfing on waves you couldn't even see, people selling art, people making music, and all sorts of other things. If you're an artist of any sort, Venice is the place to go for inspiration and publicity. Here's a tiny taste of the things I saw: 

One must-do for California visitors: Take a drive through the hills of Malibu. Everything is green, even in January! The houses that dot the hills are beautiful and every turn brings new delights for your eyeballs. And the sunsets. Words do not do the sunsets justice. Pictures do not do the sunsets justice. All I can say is if I got to look out over the Pacific Ocean stretching out into infinity with the sun sinking over the edge, sending out rays of neon colors every day, I would have an entirely different outlook on life. 

California sends a different message than Texas. Growing up in Texas, you're taught that what's important is being larger than life and that climbing the ladder of success is the only route to happiness. California teaches you what real beauty is. It teaches you that there are bigger, better things out there than doing what you're told.

If you wake up to this every morning, I don't know how you could ever be unhappy. I just don't. 

The original plan was to head to Costa Rica, but sometimes, plans change. Although I still haven't left the country, I've seen that America still has beauty. I have no regrets about this trip at all. It opened my eyes to the fact that you can live life the way you want to. You don't have to suffer just to live comfortably. You know the phrase, "If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?" Still relevant. Everyone's going to college, to grad school, and then to careers that suck the life out of life. I'm not going to jump off that bridge with everyone else. I'll finish my degree, but after that, I will live my life. I don't want to work my life.

I got to visit with an old friend who continues to be a role model of mine. I was surprised when the Internet told me she was moving to California. After seeing all of her pictures and posts about being in California, I was DYING to talk to her about her experiences. She's having the time of her life and she isn't hiding it. She's succeeding in following her dreams and I have seriously never seen someone smile so much! Her bravery has inspired me to break the mold and to just go for things that I want. 

Forcing myself to leave California was one of the more difficult things I've had to do in my life. I'll be back. I hope to live there for a few years, at least, but we'll see where life takes me. I live my life in pencil, you see.

If you've ever watched the show Six Feet Under, I'm sure you're familiar with the song that plays in the very last episode: "Breathe Me" by Sia. I really identified with the character Claire, who is a young girl about my age, searching for the same answers and meaning to life and work as I am. This song was played as she left L.A.

"Breathe Me"

 My boyfriend played it as we left and it brought me to tears. Leaving was so hard. I didn't want to come back to Texas life. I wanted to stay there forever. I love so many people here, but I will miss the opportunity and glory of California. But I will be back. One day. 

Texas, you may have my body. California, you have my heart and soul.