Year 6, Day 228

Good Morning! Today's song is I Knew You When by Marianas Trench.

I've featured this band many, many times, so no breakdown today either. But today is a very special day considering it's the end of the decade. My first decade was the best, the next one the worst, and this one had been... okay ish. This year specifically has been kind of shitty all around so I'm glad it's coming to an end. I'm not going to make New Year's resolutions, because they never work, but I do have things I'm going to try and do this decade. Gone is the Treat Yourself 2018 and 2019, and here we go into Hindsight 2020: the year to learn from the shit we've done in the past. And I think if any resolutions are going to happen, they should be with that in mind. Let me know what your resolutions are, or what kind of celebration you're going to tonight. Personally I will be ringing in the new year laying in my bed, most likely reading. Very mellow and perfect for me. Hope whatever you do is great for you too!

Peace.

Year 6, Day 227

Good Morning! Today's song is Hands Off My Heart by MKTO.

I've already written about them before so I'm not doing it again. I've been watching Jack's playthroughs of Simulacra again and my computer is freaking me out! In case you don't know, Simulacra is a horror video game where you have someone else's phone, and you're trying to figure out what happened to them by looking through and talking to people on the phone. Part of the game is that it glitches on the phone to freak you out, which isn't that bad since I'm watching someone else play, but my computer keeps doing this thing where it glitches when the glitches are happening in the game and I am losing it. Literal chills go up my spine when it happens and I don't like it! Ugh it's so creepy. The second Simulacra isn't as good, but the first one is. Especially if you watch Jackspeticeye's playthrough because he gets legitimately terrified of it. So listen to the song, and go check out that game if you want some spooks.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 226

Good Morning! Today's song is One Drink by Picture This.

So these guys are an Irish rock band active since 2015 and made up of Ryan Hennessy, Jimmy Rainsford, Owen Cardiff, and Cliff Deane. They uploaded stuff to YouTube, and built a pretty good following, before playing their first show in Dublin. They sold out the venue within half an hour, which was a first for the venue for a debut. In 2016 they did a 20 show tour around Ireland which was followed by the release of their EP. It debuted at number one in Ireland, then they were headliners for Longitude Festival in 2017. The same year they released their debut album. Their second album came out in 2019, which is where this song is from, so go check out the whole album if you like it.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 225

Good Morning! Today's song is Never Been In Love by Will Jay.

I've featured Will Jay before when he was part of the group IM5, which was kind of like a watered down One Direction. I've also featured another former member who broke out so I'm glad that these guys are moving past the group and expanding in their careers. So his full name is William Behlendorf, but goes by his first and middle names. He's won a bunch of singing competitions, and then joined IM5 who he was with from 2012 until 2014 when he left to pursue a solo career. His first single came out in 2016 followed by an EP, with another EP in 2018. He also collaborated on songs and written songs for other artists in the interim. Overall it's not a bad start to a solo career so I have high hopes for his future.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 224

Good Morning! Today's song is Mine Right Now by Sigrid.

So Anna just sent me to this today and I figured I'd share it with you guys. I've shown off Sigrid's stuff before, but this is her newest video, and as you guys will see in it, she didn't actually make it to her video shoot so instead the director filled in. It's beautiful, it's hilarious, and the awkwardness of this man fill me with pure joy. At the point where the drone suddenly disappeared into the water I lost it. Anyway it filled me with some happiness today, so I thought it might do that for you too.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 223

Good Morning! Today's song is Moral of the Story by Ashe.

Ashe is Ashlyn Wilson whose been active since 2017. She started out singing a demo in Nashville, eventually getting signed to a label called Mom+Pop. The 'e' on her moniker was added to pay homage to Carole King, whose 'e' is also not in her given name. She's written a couple songs for other artists, including Demi Lovato, and has been the featured singer on a number of tracks. The one she collaborated on with Shaun Frank earned her a Juno nomination in 2017. She did some touring with other artists before releasing her debut EP in 2018. She also has another EP split into two parts that came out this year, so if you like the song check out her other stuff.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 222

Good Morning! Today's song is This Christmas by Oh Wonder.

Merry Christmas everybody. So my family did our Christmas a few days early since right now almost everyone is out of town. Well, we had quite the scare on the actual day of our celebration because my grandpa ended up being taken to the hospital by an ambulance. I was with my mom helping set up at her house, so my grandma and uncle went to the hospital. His wife and daughter came over to see my mom's cats, and my other uncle and his wife came over to wait for news. He's still in the hospital today with a blood bacteria and is going to be there for awhile getting doses of heavy duty antibiotics, but he's feeling good enough that he made an escape attempt from his nurses. Now there's an alarm that sounds if he gets up which is hilarious. I'm going up there to hang out with him today so I'm writing this quickly because I did want to wish you all good tidings. I switched the song for today, because this one just feels more accurate for the year for me. With my sister in BC, my grandpa in the hospital, one uncle in Arizona, the other in Lethbridge, and my mom working... my grandma and I are having kind of a non-Christmas. So slow and melancholy fits for today. Anyway, go enjoy your festivities! And happy holidays.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 221

Good Morning! Today's song is Snowman by Sia.

As much as Christmas is about the traditional songs that we all know and love, I do enjoy finding new ones. Now that's not to say new versions of the classics, because I have lamented before about the fact that we really do have enough remakes of those. But Christmas is kind of an oversaturated time for music and most people don't care to try new new Christmas songs so I commend artists who actually take on the mantle of creating some. I have a couple of Sia's songs saved in that regard, but you only get one of them this year. Hope you enjoy it and give it and other new songs a shot. And yes it's Maddie in the photo because I still stand by Sia's wish to remain anonymous as much as possible.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 220

Good Morning! Today's song is That's Christmas To Me by Pentatonix.

I've talked about Pentatonix a lot and I've done variations of their bio a bunch of times, but one of the things they do better than almost anyone is Christmas songs. They even have a Christmas album coming out this year, and are doing a Christmas tour. There are so many versions of songs by them that I want to feature and this is just one, but I love it. The other day I actually heard it one the radio when I first turned my car on and it made me instantly happy. Hopefully it has the same effect on you.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 219

Good Morning! Today's song is Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid.

This song was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure and performed by Band Aid, which is and is not a group. It' a supergroup that is made up of a bunch of British and Irish artists that come together every once in awhile for charity purposes. This song in particular was done in 1984 and is a direct response to the famine that was happening in Ethiopia at the time. There are too many artists involved for me to name all of them, so we're just focusing on them as a whole. The song raised 24 million dollars and the collaboration by all these artists was the blueprint for other projects such as this in other countries. There were also charity concerts involved in this movement like Live Aid, and all of these combined raised 150 million dollars for Ethiopia. So, if you have a little extra cash over the holidays, why not take an example from this cause and donate it to something good. Anything. Christmas is the season of giving after all.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 218

Good Morning! Today's song is All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey.

This has become the quintessential holiday song that is overplayed and shoved down everyone's throats every year. I've manage to stay away from it for six years on this blog, but I just kind of felt like it this year. So it becomes the start of the five days stretch into Christmas on the blog. I could've done Christmas songs for two full weeks, I have enough saved but I figured five days would be enough. So if you don't want to get into the spirit this is your warning to take a break until it's over. Otherwise, embrace the cheesiness that is Mariah Carey popping out of hiding every holiday season.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 217

Good Morning! Today's song is Anything Could Happen by Ellie Goulding.

Ellie's bio has already been done before on here, so instead I'll do a little recap of what's new with me and give one last shout out to #TeamTrees which is making it's final push to get above 20 million dollars donated to the cause before the end of the year. As I'm writing this they are nearing 19 million, but there's only a little over a week left until their deadline, so go donate at their website if you're feeling it. Anyway, my sister has officially moved to BC for her job. She's staying in a rustic cabin and misses her cats already; cats who got very upset with me while I was babysitting them for a few days while she got up there. I've had to go to the doctor a couple times for ultrasounds to figure out what the hell my body wants from me, because stress has turned it into a warzone of pain and confusion. I probably wont get any updates until after the holidays, but even just going to the doctor is a big deal for me since medical professionals lowkey terrify me and my social anxiety makes me not want to deal with people ever. So hooray accomplishments I guess. I don't know what else to say to you guys today so I'll just end it here. Hope you're all doing good.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 216

Good Morning! Today's song is Hangups by Scott Helman.

Scott Helman is a Canadian singer whose been active since 2014. He got signed when he was 15, and started uploading songs in 2014 to YouTube. One of his songs got nominated for a MuchMusic Video Award in 2015, and he won Spotify's Emerge program contest. He spent most of the year touring, making debuts in the States and Europe. In 2016 he was nominated for two Juno's before releasing his first album in 2017. He got three more Juno nominations in 2018, then went on tour with Vance Joy before releasing an EP. This song is from the newer EP, and I think I might have featured one of his older songs earlier too. It's a good song and he's got a lot of potential so check him out.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 215

Good Morning! Today's song is Cynic by Noah Kahan.

Noah Kahan has been around since 2017, and is one of my favorite finds from doing this blog. When he was 17, he started working with Cwenga Matanzima, who is a music producer, and that got him a foot in the door when the right people saw his potential. He deferred his university acceptance to pursue music. He was signed in 2016, and released his debut single in 2017. He made an EP that came out in 2018 and his first debut album came out this year, which is where this song is from. It's not the only song by him that I have saved to showcase, but it is the newest so show it some love and expect more from him. He's one that I'm really excited to see how he progresses.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 214

Good Morning! Today's song is Someone To Stay by Vancouver Sleep Clinic.

Vancouver Sleep Clinic (although referred to as a band) is Tim Bettinson from Australia who has been active since 2013. There isn't a lot of information for this one. Vancouver Sleep Clinic has toured extensively since 2013 either to promote their own EP's and albums or with other (amazing) bands around the world including Angus and Julia Stone, Daughter, and London Grammar to name a few. After fighting to get away from their label, last year saw the release of the Therapy EP's Phase One & Two, so they're still going strong. Anyway, give it a listen and tell me what you think.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 213

Good Morning! Today's song is World Gone Mad by Bastille.

So these guys are a British band who've been around since 2010 and are made up of Dan Smith, Kyle Simmons, Will Farquarson, and Chris Wood. They started to get recognition after one of their limited run EP's made it into the hand of an independent radio DJ. After that they released an EP in 2011, then started putting their music up on YouTube, gaining a bigger audience.By 2012 they were signed with a bigger label, releasing a couple singles before making their debut album in 2013. This is when they really blew up, touring, rubbing elbows with other artists, and getting featured in pop culture stuff. They've released two more albums since then, with the most recent out this year so go check that out.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 212

Good Morning! Today's song is The Village by Wrabel.

So this is Stephen Wrabel who has been active since 2012. He spent one year studying music in college before moving to LA to pursue it and getting signed to a label to write songs. He did the theme song for a TV show in 2010, then was signed to a label as an artist in 2012. In 2014, one of his songs was tweaked and released by DJ Afrojack whose version became a huge hit around the world. He released a single in 2016 that was shared a lot by Kesha, then released another the following year. Later in 2017 he released his EP. It's been a slow but steady progression. Now, we need to talk about this song. It was released in 2017, and was written after Trump banned transgender people from the military. As you can see in the music video (assuming YouTube lets it play in your respective countries) it's about a trans boy who lives with his unsupportive family. It's a beautiful piece that is so engaging in explaining what people go through. I can't speak to the accuracy of it because the only person I know who has transitioned is more of an acquaintance so we aren't on the level of sharing intricate details of his life, but I hope this helps to either explain what it could be to someone who doesn't know, or be something to connect to for someone who does. Anyway, check it out, and spread it around. Awareness is the first step and still needed for a lot of people.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 211

Good Morning! Today's song is Say by John Mayer.

So John Mayer has been active in the industry since 1998 when he left college to be in a two man band called LoFi Masters. The guys ended up disagreeing on what kind of music they should make, so instead he went solo, making his first EP in 1999. A label took interest in him and released his debut internet only album in 2001 before being re-released with a bigger parent label. He won a Grammy in 2003, then released a live CD, and his second album the same year. He won another Grammy in 2005, although he didn't think he should've gotten that one, so he cut his name off and gave the award to Alicia Keys. He formed the John Mayer trio and released a live album with them, before going back to solo work with his third album in 2006. He won more Grammys after that then did some collaboration work with other artists in 2009. He took a hiatus for a couple years after that because he had to have multiple surgeries to remove a granuloma in his throat. He released an album in 2012, and continued to deal with his medical stuff through that year. In 2013 he released another album then went on tour since he finally could again. Since then he's released another album in 2017 and some singles in 2018 so he's still going strong. I have one of his newer songs saved to show at a later date that Anna sent to me, so keep an eye out for that.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 210

Good Morning! Today's song is This Town by Niall Horan.

So Niall Horan has been around since 2010 when he auditioned for the X Factor and got put together with the other guys into One Direction. They finished in third place, but got signed and became huge. Obviously. They had five studio albums between 2011 and 2015 and became a worldwide phenomenon before the guys went on an indefinite hiatus so they could all do solo stuff. I'm honestly surprised they stayed together as long as they did since being a group wasn't their idea. In 2016, Niall Horan got signed and released his debut single which was this song. He also founded a golf management company which is super random, but to each his own. His first solo album came out in 2017 followed by a tour in 2018. He's currently working on his next album, releasing some songs that will be on it, so keep an eye out for that album.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 209

Good Morning! Today's song is Love In A Box by the Workday Release.

The Workday Release is one person named David Ottestad who chose the moniker because his name is a little too complex for most people. He's been active since 2009 when he released his first album while still at university. During this time he was also involved in a band called Wandering Tree, releasing an album with them in 2009 as well. They played some shows but ultimately disbanded in 2010. David continued on as Workday Release with an EP coming out in 2011. As of now he has done six records and seems to still be going strong. I know I like the music, so I hope you do too.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 208

Good Morning! Today's song is Good Old Days by Macklemore featuring Kesha.

I've already featured both these people multiple times so there is no bio for today. Instead I have a question that I could use some input on. I'm making a holiday party game for my family's Christmas since my mom asked me to, and I've got three sections plus a bonus thing and I'm not sure how to score it. There's trivia questions, a family feud type thing, and a holiday song pictionary section. Then a Christmas alphabet as the bonus thing, but not all of those things are equal. So do I make a board game and have specific squares be specific things? Do I give them different scores and it's whoever reaches a certain point value first wins? I have no idea how to make it work. If anyone has any advice for me please shout it out.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 207

Good Morning! Today's song is I Miss Those Days by Bleachers.

I've already done their write up earlier this year with a different song of theirs, and I probably should have left this song to do in a different cycle, but I'm really feeling this one today. Bleachers is one of the bands that as I've been collecting music I keep saving lots of their stuff, because all of it is good. I want to warn you guys too that I've officially run out of pre-written posts and my figured out order, but there is still so much shit going on in my life that I might not keep up daily. I'm going to try. And if I get one good day where I can sit down and figure things out we'll be good again, but just keep that in mind if I suddenly ghost for a couple days for no reason. Sorry in advance if it happens.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 206

Good Morning! Today's song is Fantasy by MS MR.

These guys are a pop duo, active from 2011 to 2017 and made up of Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow. They released a demo on 2011, then released some singles on iTunes in 2012 which got them some international recognition. They then released their debut EP in the same year. Their first album came out in 2013, with another following in 2015. As of 2017 they are on hiatus because Lizzy is working on a solo career as LPX. So we'll see if the group comes back or not, for now enjoy the music.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 205

Good Morning! Today's song is Alone by Hollyn featuring TRU.

I am honestly shocked it's taken me so long to feature this song because I've had it saved for at least three years. Hollyn is Holly Wilson, whose been singing since 2013 when she was on American Idol. After that she got featured on two songs by Christian hip hop star Tobymac. Her EP came out in 2015, which featured this song, then released her debut album in 2017. This song features TRU, which is Truett McKeehan, and actually Tobymac's son. He's done a couple different things, but he had a lot of monikers including truDog, Moxie, and, Shiloh, and Truett Foster. He actually died earlier this year, so it's fitting that I'm featuring this song now rather than later on. It's horrible when young artists don't get the chance to see their career through, but at least he was doing what he loved.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 204

Good Morning! Today's song is Two by Mujybela.

So I've actually featured these guys before when they were releasing stuff under a different name. A couple years ago they were going by Pixikill, but in the last year they have switched to Mujybela, so there isn't a lot of accomplishments under their new pseudonym yet. They so have a couple songs that you can look up on Spotify besides this one if you like it. Let me know what you think!

Peace.

Year 6, Day 203

Good Morning! Today's song is Plot Twist by Sigrid.

Sigrid is a Norwegian singer active since 2013 when she released a debut single. She was signed to next year, and performed at some festivals. Then in 2016 she signed with a different label releasing a EP in 2017 that I might have already featured the title song from. She had another EP the next year, then her debut album came out this year. She's been touring for it since then, and I'm sure she'll have more in the next couple years so keep an eye out.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 202

Good Morning! Today's song is Hello Hello by Fickle Friends.

These guys are an English band active since 2013 and currently made up of Natassja Shiner, Jack Wilson, Harry Herrington, and Sam Morris. The first two years they toured around Europe playing shows before they got signed with a label. Their debut album came out in 2018 so they are still fairly new in the industry, but they also had a pretty good list of singles that you can check out too. So if you like the song, give their other stuff a listen.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 201

Good Morning! Today's song is Don't Want You Back by Bakermat featuring Kiesza.

Bakermat is Lodewijk Fluttert, a Dutch DJ whose been active since 2012. He's released a lot of EPs and is a bit different from other DJ's when performing because he has included live artists in his gigs. As of 2014 he has six musicians with him that form his live band. He did a bunch of touring, then in 2015 he started Bakermat's Circus. I don't really understand what it is, but apparently it's "a night where artists could push themselves musically and the audience would be carried away music, event and ambience wise." As of 2016 he had 8 EP's and has some more singles, with the most recent out this year. Kiesza is Kiesa Ellestad, whose from Calgary and been around since 2006. She has two albums, and another that was scheduled for this year, but I don't know if that came out. A fun fact is that she's actually a reservist for the Royal Canadian Navy. From how I understand it a reservist isn't technically in the forces until there is a need for more bodies, in which they can be called in. She probably has never been called in since we haven't had any wars lately, but it's cool that she'd be prepared for it. I'm pretty sure I've featured another of her songs before so you can go find that, but for now enjoy this one.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 200

Good Morning! Today''s song is I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You by Black Kids.

So these guys are an indie rock group active since 2006 and are currently made up of Reggie Youngblood, Dawn Watley, Kevin Snow, and Ali Youngblood. They started out local in Jacksonville, but in 2007 after a performance at Athen's Popfest they got lots of attention. They released an EP on MySpace before signing to a management group and releasing another EP. In 2008 they toured the UK and the States, and released their debut album. That's where this song is from. It's since been used in all kinds of pop culture stuff from TV shows to movies to video games. In 2010 they started an album, but ended up scrapping that and started a new one in 2013. They did some touring and had a brief pause while some members did side projects before releasing their next album in 2017. Let me know what you think of the song!

Peace.

Year 6, Day 199

Good Morning! Today's song is Humongous by Declan McKenna.

So this guy is an English singer whose been around since 2014. In 2015, he won the Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition and became the talent that everyone was vying for. He ended up with Columbia Records, who beat out 39 others trying to sign him too. His first release was the same year, although it was up on his YouTube since 2014. It was a politically charged song, criticizing FIFA and there blind eye to poverty. Ballsy for using your first song as a public statement, but it worked out. His next song was much the same, this time taking on the misrepresentation of transgender teens by the media. He's now considered to be a protest singer, but it's not like that's a new thing in the industry. He spent most of 2016 writing, as well as releasing two EP's, before releasing his debut album in 2017. He's done lots of performances, and has released another EP this year, so if you dig the song and want more, go look that up.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 198

Good morning! Today's song is Turn Your Love by Half Moon Run.

Half Moon Run is a Canadian band from Quebec. They've been active since 2010 and is made up of Devon Portielje, Dylan Phillips, Conner Molander, and Isaac Symonds. Their debut album came out in 2012. It was followed by a tour around Europe and North America, along with a lot of festival performances. Fun Fact: one of their songs was used for Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. I am a fan of the whole Assassin's Creed series (although I refuse to see the movie because I hear they butchered it) so this is exciting to me. Their second album came out in 2015, and they announced a European tour. Since then there hasn't been much of anything, but I'm betting they'll be back.

Peace.