Year 7, Day 107

Good Morning! Today's song is Another Day of Sun from La La Land.

Hey guys, guess what? It's musical week! I've done it before and talked about my love of musicals a lot so it will continue. I've written the backstories of some of these shows before, but I'm just going to put those in again because it bears bringing it back. I know technically this isn't a musical in the Broadway show sense, but is technically a movie musical so I'm including it, and actually most of the songs this week are from the movie versions just for quality's sake. This song is actually the only part about La La Land that I find good, I truly don't know how it received so many rewards. The movie was written by Damien Chazelle who also made Whiplash, and stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Chazelle actually wrote this in 2010, but took awhile to find a studio willing to put it out. It's a story about a couple while trying to live there dream in LA. I wont give anything away about the end if you want to watch it though, so that's all the explaining you get. And this song wont give anything away because it's literally the opening scene so if you're interested go forth and enjoy. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 106

Good Morning! Today's song is My Type by Saint Motel.

Photo by: Jabari Jacobs

Saint Motel is an indie pop band active since 2007 and made up of A. J. Jackson, Aaron Sharp, Greg Erwin, and Dak Lerdamornpong. Their first EP came out in 2009 before they released their debut album in 2012. A big majority of those songs hit the charts and got lots of positive reviews. Their next EP came out in 2014 and is where this song is from. They did a bunch of touring and shows while working on their next album, which was released in 2016. What's interesting about that one is that every song on it has a VR experience, which means it's the first ever virtual reality album. They released another EP in 2019 which is part one of three and features music from their 2020 album. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 105

Good Morning! Today's song is Dancing In The Daylight by Scouting For Girls.

Photo from: Caperock1

Scouting For Girls is an English band active since 2005 and made up of Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse, and James Rowlands. Their first song was a demo sent in for the Glastonbury Unsigned competition that impressed the judges enough to offer them a finalist spot. They started a MySpace and playing regular gigs while making demos. Those demos made their way to a record executive, leading to them being signed in 2007 and releasing an EP and their debut album the same year. They toured a bunch before releasing their second album in 2010, then another in 2012. They released a Greatest Hits in 2013, then another album in 2015. They launched their website in 2017 and had a show in honor of their tenth anniversary of signing, before releasing their next album. They released yet another album in 2019 so there is tons for you guys to listen to after this song. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 104

Good Morning! Today's song is The Great Unknown by Jukebox The Ghost.

Photo by: Courtney Armitage

These guys are a power pop band from DC made up of Ben Thornewill, Tommy Siegel, and Jesse Kristin. They've been active since 2003 when the guys met in college and formed a band called The Sunday Mail. After two years they had enough material that they decided to change their name, which they pulled from references of a Captain Beefheart song and a Nabokov novel. By 2008 they released their debut album before touring with Say Hi and Nightmare of You (both of which I've never heard of until now). They continued to tour with lots of other musicians while working on their second album. The uptick in their career was marked by their appearance on David Letterman in 2010. After that they toured even more, with some bigger names like Barenaked Ladies. They released their third album in 2012 followed by another in 2014. By 2015 they had signed with a label, re-releasing an album through them, but split from them a year later. While that was happening they spent three solid years touring before releasing a single in 2017 and another in 2018. They also released their new album the same year, followed by a tour and some music session in 2019. We'll see what they get up to once the world starts going again, until then enjoy this song.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 103

Good Morning! Today's song is Beautiful Anyway by Judah & The Lion.

Photo from: Memorial Student Center Texas A&M University

Judah and the Lion are an American band active since 2011. Currently they're made up of Judah Akers, Brian Macdonald, and Nate Zuercher with one past member in Spencer Cross. They met when they were attending university. Their first EP came was actually a Christian worship album, but they didn't want to cut off their potential audience so they decided to expand past that. Their next EP was released in 2013, followed by them opening for Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors on their tour. Their debut album came out in 2014 followed by another tour which took them through Sweden, leading to them writing the song Stockholm for the fans. Their second album came out in 2016, along with another EP. They toured heavily through 2017, and released a reboot album with new material. Their third album came out in 2019, and their hasn't been much since, but I can't wait for more. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 102

Good Morning! Today's song is Why Worry by Set It Off.

So these guys are a rock band active since 2008 with current members including Cody Carson, Maxx Danziger, and Zach DeWall. Previous members consist of Blake Howell, Benji Panico, Dan Clermont, Austin Kerr, and James Arran. While the early members all knew of each other from the local band scene while in high school, the band was started by Carson after quitting college to pursue music. He had a YouTube channel, and had been exchanging video's with All Time Low's frontman and ended up singing an All Time Low song for one of the band's shows. After that, he decided to start the band. A lot of their early popularity came thanks to Carson's channel where their fan base grew. They released an EP in 2008 and another in 2009, followed by three singles and another EP in 2010 before getting signed. They re-released their most recent EP in 2011, which debuted in the iTunes Top 100 Alternative Albums. They released their debut album in 2012, participating in the VH1 Save the Music Foundation by giving them a percentage of the album sales, as well as personally donating $5,000 to the organization. This song comes from their next album, released in 2014, followed by the band touring with a number of other groups and playing festivals before releasing their next album in 2015. They released another album in 2016 before switching record labels. They co-opted a song with their fans in 2018 on YouTube, then released an album in 2019 before going on tour. Part of the tour had to be cancelled when Carson had a vocal hemorrhage requiring surgery, but they have since released an EP so I hope and assume he's doing well. I guess we'll see what's in store for them later on.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 101

Good Morning! Today's song is Cynics & Critics by Icon For Fire.

These guys have been around since 2007 and are currently made up of Ariel Bloomer and Shawn Jump with previous members being Joshua Davis and Adam Kronshagen. They spent their first two years touring, releasing an EP in 2008, and another in 2009. They were signed in 2010, when contacted by a label on MySpace. Their debut album came out in 2011. They spent some time focusing on touring before releasing their second album in 2013. They left their label in 2015, and had a kickstarter going for their next album in to be released in pieces throughout 2016. They did some acoustic stuff released on their YouTube in 2018, so they're still going strong, and we'll have to wait and see what's next. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 100

Good Morning! Today's song is Love Bites (So Do I) by Halestorm.

Halestorm is a rock band active since 1997 and currently made up of Lzzy Hale, Arejay Hale, Joe Hottinger, and Josh Smith with past members including Leo Nessinger, and Roger Hale. It started with the siblings writing and performing original stuff before releasing an EP in 1999. Hottinger and Smith joined the group in 2003 and 2004 respectively, then the band got signed in 2005. They released an EP in 2006, then their debut album came out in 2009. They've continued to release music consistently, with a live album in 2010, an EP in 2011 and 2012, and another album in 2012 before going on tour in 2013. They also won a Grammy in 2013 with this song, being the first female fronted band to both be nominated and win the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance category. Their third album came out in 2015, with another in 2018. They've released an EP this year, so there is still new stuff to check out during the pandemic. If you want to see what they do with cover songs as well, they've released three Reimagined EP's with another one in the works, so look that up if you're curious. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 99

Good Morning! Today's song is Coffee At Midnight by Stand Atlantic.

Stand Atlantic is an Australian band active since 2012 and currently made up of Bonnie Fraser, David Potter, Miki Rich, and Jonno Panichi. Past members include Arthur Ng and Jordan Jansons. The band was first formed under the name What It's Worth, releasing an EP in 2013. They changed to this name in 2014 with a different sound and a new song. Their next EP came out in 2015 followed by a bunch of touring. In 2017 they signed with Rude Records, releasing an EP and doing more touring. They signed to a different label in 2018 and released their debut album and have been releasing singles off their upcoming album. So check that out after this song. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 98

Good Morning! Today's song is Under The Pressure by The Score.

I've written about these guys so many times, so instead I want to shout out a movie I watched while I was cat-sitting for my mom so she could go play with cows on her cousin's farm. Knives Out is the movie, and the writing is so spectacular. The subtle humor, the light jabs, and the utter precision in nailing each "rich person" archetype was so well done. I know it's a good movie when I feel the inclination to watch it again literally the next day and I did that with this one. Also Chris Evans is just always a win, but I like that he got to play something different than what he has been for the last decade. It's like playing Clue, but I do that with my family all the time and I can tell you I never was able to figure out the pivotal plot point until they actually told it which is rare in film these days. Most things are predictable. I truly hope you guys give this movie a watch because it's one of the better ones I've seen in a long time. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 97

Good Morning! Today's song is Warriors by Imagine Dragons & Fall Out Boy.

So this song is actually a mashup of Warriors by Imagine Dragons and Centuries by Fall Out Boy, so it's like a double feature day. Anyway, Imagine Dragons are a pop rock group active since 2008 and currently made up of Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, and Daniel Platzman. They released two EPs in 2010, followed quickly by another in 2011. They were signed the same year, then lucked out by replacing a band who couldn't perform for a huge audience boosting their fan base by a large margin. Then they kind of blew up. Their debut came out in 2012 and obviously got them international fame. They toured for awhile, then released a live album in 2013, followed by more touring while working on another album. That one was released in 2015, then a tour followed before the band took a hiatus in 2016. It lasted less than a year before the band was hyping their fans up for new stuff and those singles came out in 2017. Fall Out Boy formed in 2001 and is made up of Patrick Stump, Joe Trohman, Pete Wentz, and Andy Hurley. They actually got the band name from a rogue fan at a gig of theirs. They got signed and released their debut in 2003. The band's popularity exploded before the released another album in 2005, and one in 2007. They went on hiatus in 2010 because all the members needed to decompress after the whirlwind career, and they each forayed into solo projects. They've since come back, making the next album in secret, and have been going strong since.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 96

Good Morning! Today's song is Favorite Liar by The Wrecks. 

So from what I can find out these guys are an indie rock band from California and have been around since 2015. According to their Facebook the band currently consists of Nick Anderson, Aaron Kelley, Nick Schmidt and Billy Nally. Their EP was recorded on a whim when they were barely a band yet and had 3 days of studio time... although later they found out they actually weren't supposed to have studio time, but by then they had an EP ready. This song is their debut single which came out in 2016. I found it by accident thank to YouTube, and it's one of my favorite finds. I'm actually kind of surprised I haven't featured it yet. They've kept going since this song, releasing music and touring so keep an eye out for these guys. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 95

Good Morning! Today's song is Sleeping In by All Time Low.

Photo from: Lunchbox LP

These guys are a rock band around since 2003, and currently made up of Jack Barakat, Rian Dawson, Alex Gaskarth, and Zack Merrick. They released an EP and managed to get signed by 2004, releasing another EP the same year. Then their debut album came out in 2005. By 2006 they band has split from their label and were shopping around for a new one signing with Hopeless Records and releasing another EP before going on tour. They released their second album in 2007, which is what brought their fame around. They spent the next year doing a lot of touring and getting features across MTV. They continued this pattern for a bit, with an album release in 2009 followed by touring, then releasing a live CD in 2010 and performing at a bunch of festivals. While working on their next album, the demos for it got leaked and they had to push the release until 2011. They toured through 2011 and into 2012, leaving their label and joining another for their 2012 album to be released. They re-released an old album in 2013, then released new albums in 2015, 2017, and even 2020. I've said it before, but while 2020 sucked for basically everything, it was actually an above average year for new music. And theirs is really good so go check it out.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 94

Good Morning! Today's song is Be With You by Mondays featuring Lucy.

So if you've been following my blog for enough years you'll know that today is my birthday! So happy birthday to myself because I'm spending it alone and I'm happy about it. This month I've thrown caution to the wind and instead are showing you lots of songs I've either had saved for a long time but haven't shown because I love them so much that I don't want to take them out of my rotation to but up here instead, things that I've been fixated on lately that can't get out of my head, or music that I've found that really hypes me up. Or songs that could be all of the above. We've already started this with the buildup to today and it's just going to keep going so I hope you guys enjoy it. My birthday gift to you then is a month-ish of some of my favorites... at least as many as I can get in that I haven't used before. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 93

Good Morning! Today's song is Faster Car by Loving Caliber.

So Loving Caliber is a trio from Sweden made up of Michael Stenmark, Linda Stenmark and Anders Lystell. This song was the first one they all did together, and is the one that made their career blow up, getting really popular both on YouTube and Spotify. Since then they've made other music, and according to Spotify have a new album that's either already out or is coming soon. I also have many other songs saved to show you guys so get ready because they're coming.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 92

Good Morning! Today's song is Dive In by Kwassa.

This one really stumped me for awhile because I had it saved twice to showcase under two different names for the artist: Kwassa and KYKO. I think his name is Scott Verrill since he's listed as having written this song on Genius. And I really haven't found more information on this guy, other than that it seems he is going by Kwassa now, although I imagine the KYKO was maybe an old moniker? I don't know. This song is from an EP he released in 2017. He has two other EP's as well, one from 2015 and one in 2019, plus some singles as recent as 2020. So you should go check out his other music, and if you figure out the specifics of the name thing let me know because I'm curious.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 91

Good Morning! Today's song is I Need More Of You by Hallman featuring Le June.

So Hallman is Viktor Hallman, a Swedish musician. He started kind of by accident when he found he could easily mimic his friend's piano playing, then got a keyboard himself, discovered music looping, and the rest is history. He's got a really promising career with his songs earning him 22 million streams on Spotify, with lots of tracks available as recent as thing year to check out. I do have more of his stuff saved because he is so good so I hope you go check him out. I can't find information about Le June, but there are other songs listed on Spotify along with this one that you can check out on that end if you're curious.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 90

Good Morning! Today's song is Lifeline by LVLY featuring Emmi.

Photo from: LVLY

LVLY is Myra Granberg who is a Swedish singer. She went to a music centered high school, and even earned a spot in the Songwriters Academy of Sweden. She's also part of other projects with music under monikers other than LVLY, including MAJRO, Peachy Pavement, and under her real name. She's got three albums listed on her Spotify from 2018 and 2019, along with a lot of singles from 2020 so there is lots for you to check out. I have a couple more saved already so you'll see those soon. And apologies to Emmi, but I honestly couldn't find any information. At least one of two is better than nothing like yesterday. And you can still jam to the song.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 89

Good Morning! Today's song is Get Up Again by Gamma Skies featuring NeiNei.

Okay this week is going to be a little weird because it's a lot of music I found and love from a YouTube channel called Epidemic Song, which is also a website, where you can license royalty free music to use on all the social media platforms. It's great to have resources like this database to make it easier for creators since so many more people are doing that, both as a job and for fun, but there is a downside. It is ridiculously hard to get information on these artists. Which upsets me because I want to showcase them well enough that they get more exposure, but I think shouting out Epidemic Sound is going to have to be enough. If you guys want out more about some of these people this week let me know though.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 88

Good Morning! Today's song is Death Stranding by CHVRCHES.

Photo by: Viktor Rosenfeld

These guys are a Scottish band so shoutout to Scotland! The members include Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, and Martin Doherty. All three of them had been in bands of their own before they ended up working together on a few demos and decided to form this group. Their name is stylistically written as a preemptive move to ensure they weren't confused with people looking for legitimate churches. And no they aren't super religious. The name was chosen in the way most bands choose names... basically they thought it was cool. I approve. A fun fact about these guys is that before they started to officially perform under their given name, they did two shows with the pseudonym Shark Week so they could work out the kinks and start strong as Chvrches. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 87

Good Morning! Today's song is Crying For No Reason by Katy B.

Photo by: Stuart Sevastos

Katy B is an English singer active since 2007. Her first single was released in 2010, although by then she had already been signed and guested on some songs. Then in 2011 she released her debut album and went on tour. Her second album came out in 2014, then she appeared as a mentor on The Voice and participated in doing England's 2014 World Cup song alongside a lot of other artists. In 2015 she teamed up with Tinie Tempah on a song before releasing her next album in 2016. There hasn't really been any music from her since then, but she has thrown her fame around in 2019 to show endorsement on the political ground so she's still active technically. I just don't know if she'll do more music for us eventually. I guess we will wait and see.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 86

Good Morning! Today's song is Come Over by Dagny.

Photo by: the amazing Justin Higuchi

So Dagny is a Norwegian singer active since 2009, and is a bit of a legacy as both her parents are musicians. he started off performing locally under the moniker Tromsø, the moved to the UK in 2012 and started performing with her then boyfriend. That didn't end up working out, so she focused on her digital media design degree in 2015. In 2016 she recorded a song then went pretty big on Apple music and Spotify, growing her Spotify exposure until that led to her being signed. She released some singles with that label before starting her own to release an album on in 2020. Alongside music, she also has some acting chops, starring in a Netflix Original called Home For Christmas. So we may see more of her soon. For now, enjoy this song.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 85

Good Morning! Today's song is Sweet But Psycho by Ava Max.

Photo by: David Bennehag

Ava Max is the stage name for Amanda Koci whose been active in the industry since 2013. She adopted the middle name Ava at 13, saying she never felt like an Amanda. Originally known as just AVA, she released her debut song in 2013. She failed to get a demo picked up for a couple years until meeting the record producer Cirkut in 2015. In 2016 she released a song she worked on with him through SoundCloud, which gained popularity and led to her being signed. This is when she added the last name, which according to her adds a masculine element to the femininity of just Ava. She tries to represent the femininity and masculinity with her haircut too. You'll see what I mean in the video. In 2018 she started releasing a lot of music, gaining popularity on the charts in multiple countries. One of those includes this song. She released a couple more songs in 2019 and was featured in a few more from other artists. Her lead single came out in 2020 from her upcoming debut album so keep an eye out for that. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 84

Good Morning! Today's song is Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato.

Photo from: Ashley Graham on YouTube

I've featured enough Demi Lovato songs over the years that I'm not going to write a history on her because I'm about 80% sure I've already done it once. This song has so much attitude, it always make me feel like singing it at someone. Alas my life does not fit with the narrative of the song, I have no exes to make feel bad for how good I'm doing without them, plus in general I'm just really not doing that great. Still, when I listen to this I do feel a little bit like a bad bitch as the song says. If I'm alone in my room I can exude as much attitude to this as I feel like without people thinking I'm weird. Join in. Today we all get to be savages. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 83

Good Morning! Today's song is Ain't My Fault by Zara Larsson.

Photo by: Tuomas Vitikainen

Zara Larsson is a Swedish singer who got discovered on their version of Got Talent in 2008, but she didn't officially get on the music scene until 2013 when she released two EP's. Fun Fact: She also has a sister in the music world whose in the band Hanna & Andrea. So far Larrson has released two albums, one in 2014 and another in 2017, with a third set to release in 2021. She's pretty outspoken on social issues, claiming herself a feminist, actively supporting the LGBTQIA community, and singling out other celebrities for their lack of opinions on international political affairs. Notably last year targeting Demi Lovato and but saying it applies to "all the people who think their option to be disengaged in politics is anything but privilege." Considering how interconnected countries are through trade deals, peace agreements, and societal pressure thanks to social media, I have to say I agree with her on that point. I do though also believe that "I don't know enough to have an informed opinion" is an adequate response if you are willing to learn more. Anyway, this song is not meant to be any kind of statement (I don't think) so let's just have a little fun today. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 82

Good Morning! Today's song is Braveheart by Neon Jungle.

Photo from Daily Record

Neon Jungle was a British girl group active from 2013 until 2015 and made up of Shereen Cutkelvin, Amira McCarthy, Jessica Plummer, and Asami Zdrenka. The group was created by David Cooper who held auditions in 2012. McCarthy and Plummer were found in London, then Zdrenka and Cutkelvin were discovered through YouTube. They got picked, signed, and showcased in 2013. They chose the name after, meant to showcase that each member is an individual (in the jungle). They released their debut single, then supported Jessie J on her tour and performed at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. This was their second single from 2014, followed by their debut album. They got dropped from their label in 2015 and when failing to land another deal, they disbanded. The irony is the same year they disbanded they got nominated for a Next Big Thing award from Teen Choice. Since then Cutkalvin formed a band with her brothers called The Cutkelvins and went on X Factor in 2017, while Plummer has done acting, appearing on East Enders in 2019. Zdrenka has been working on solo stuff, but I haven't hear anything about McCarthy. I guess we'll see. 

Peace.

Year 7, Day 81

 Good Morning! Today's song is Policeman by Eva Simons featuring Konshens.

Photo from: RenegadeSimons

So Eva Simons is a Dutch singer active since 2004. First she was in a band called Raffish, earning the spot after being on Popstars the Rivals in 2004. They released an album in 2005, then some other singles before leaving the group. She got her solo start with a demo released on YouTube accidentally that people mistook as a new single from either Rihanna or Lady Gaga, but once they realized it was hers she got signed. In 2010 she teamed up with Mike Hamilton and Afrojack with a song that went popular worldwide, then she toured in 2011 while collaborating with other artists through 2012. In 2013 she supported Beyonce on her tour and had a deal with Pepsi, then released another song in 2014 before releasing this song in 2015. Since then she's released more singles in 2017, 2018, and 2019, so she's still kicking around. Konshens is Garfield Spence, a Jamaican singer and DJ whose been active since 2005. I know I've featured Dutch artists before, but this might be a first for Jamaican artists, so today let's give it up for Jamaica! And I don't have him pictured above because he isn't in the video and there wasn't a creative commons photo to share, but you can see him on his website. So Spence had a duo with his brother called SoJah before he went solo. His career seems to start in Japan, with a single going huge there in 2005, leading to a tour there, and an album being released in 2010 on a Japanese label. He is also popular around the world as well. He released another album in 2012, then became a Pepsi brand ambassador in 2014. He released another album in 2018 and had one slotted to come out in 2020 so if you like what you hear, go check out both these artists other stuff.

Peace.

Year 7, Day 80

 Good Morning! Today's song is 1, 2, 3 by Sofia Reyes featuring Jason Derulo and De La Ghetto.

Sofia Reyes is Úrsula Sofía Reyes Piñeyro a Mexican singer and actress active since 2011. She got her start through YouTube, where she was discovered by Prince Royce who signed her to his new music label when she was 12. Her debut single came out in 2013, and then she started collaborating with other artists, releasing another single in 2014. She continued releasing singles and working with increasingly popular artists before releasing her debut album in 2017. This song was released in 2018, capitalizing on the Spanish music craze happening in America at the time. She's done some more songs since, and has participated in a Canadian Benefit Concert for healthcare relief during the pandemic and in memorium for the 2020 Nova Scotia Attacks. I'm sure we'll hear more from her and I honestly can't wait. 

Peace.