Phil Ajjarapu Tiny Desk Contest Entry - Sing Along Until You Feel Better

so hopeful...

So, Coachella is in full swing and I've been seeing youtube videos gallore....and I am SO excited for the ACL line up to be released. I mean really, there's ALWAYS overlap between ACL and Coachella.

I've been a big Capital Cities fan pretty much from the first time I heard their EP and then I literally lost my shit when they released a full album...and this video just...they're perfect. Those pants? Can we take a second to talk about those pants. They honestly look like a modern barbershop group, in the best, coolest way possible.

Anyway...the ACL line up goes out in, uh, like six or seven days. Hell yeah.

Jesus, she's amazing.

So my Senior prom was this weekend...and if you're a girl, you know what that really means: a whole day of make up and curlers and girl chat, and in my case, AMAZING new music finds. So a friend of mine took over the stero in the room we were all getting ready. (Angela Gafney) Blasted ZZ Ward's "Blue Eyes Blind"...and just...oh my lord. I fell in love. Here: 

Not only are her lyrics captivating, they tell a story and they're so catchy. Her whole album ('Til the Casket Drops) is similar. Beautiful, rhythmic, catchy, thought-out. She's by far my new favorite artist.

This song, "Cryin' Wolf" features Kendrick Lamar (who...come'on y'all...I'm obsessed with, too) is also amazing. I know I keep saying "amazing" but seriously.

Finally, her kind of our-liar song:

Some days you just need to sing. Sing out stress or sadness or anger...this is one of those songs for me. Her sound and the feel of this song (and her voice in general) reminds me a lot of Adele in a fantastic way.


Overall, prom was great, but finding ZZ was the best accomplishment of the weekend.

my dabble in SXSW

So I was actually gone for the majority of spring break. I spent the week soaking up the sun in Mexico...because it's still literally freezing in Texas. So anyway, A while ago I had read about a free Foster the People show...and was so excited. 

Foster the People has always been one of those background bands of my life. Then Torches came out and everybody freaking loved "Pumped Up Kicks".....what. Okay, first, that wasn't even Foster the People's only big hit so far. Don't Stop (color on the wall) was huge before that...just...anyway, but I try not to be one people who gets upset because people find out about their favorite band...as if you as an individual have any possessive right to their success (sorry, that's a whole other rant) but hey, Foster the People put on a great show that night. 

Music to smile for!

Okay...the most applicable song to fit this blog post is totally Happy, by Pharell. Regardless of what kind of music snob you brand yourself to be, this song has to make you smile. The beat is infectious, and rally makes YOU happy! It's just...adorable. I think it's the only song I would classify as "adorable", too.

I also get overly happy when a song just 'click's with me. The song Click, by Brad Blackburn is (okay I lied earlier...) adorable! it's the perfect relationship song, but the best part is how I found it. I love finding music through musician friends of mine. In come Daniel Ethridge, Brad Blackburn is a friend of his! Oh the magic of Facebook.

So, I don't know, obviously people have certain tastes in music, but don't be afraid to branch out to find something new that makes you smile. Have a happy day, y'all.

Thoughts on jail...

That documentary we watched...oh my god. So I have a slight obsession with the show "Scared Straight". It's about shitty teenagers whose parents send them in to this program where they see what their future could be if they keep being little thugs. The show usually ends in tears and drama and it's absolutely the best guilty pleasure....this documentary, however, was not.

Seeing how proud the people were to be in jail...how they recorded albums over the phone? That's just crazy to me.

Hit the weed and pass out...

As y'all probably know by now I have a huge love/weak spot for rap...especially Juicy J. Like, y'all, there's just something about the bass and clever lines that make my shoulders bounce and my head bob.

So this week in class, a friend of mine played this song (Smoke a Nigga) and seriously...I'm the whitest girl ever, but hey, if Miley can twerk, more power to the white girl, right? I love finding new things to jam to, and this is for sure one of my new favorites. Thanks, Will.

Rant on being a "bitch" in America

Recently in my speech class, we watched a documentary called American Tongues, all about how we as Americans, should respect the cultures and accents of others...which I'm all for, until it becomes communistic and absurd. There were many interviews throughout the film, and it was amazing to see how many people felt sorry for themselves. Watching the truth in stereotypes become so apparent was amazing. I’m a strong believer in people only being as smart as they push themselves to be, and part of intelligence is being able to speak properly in the language of your country. This is America and we speak in English, and honestly, it’s your own fault if you’re disrespected or miss-understood because of a lack of effort on your part. How much effort people put in to feeling sorry for other people blew me away. Honestly, that’s what being politically correct is: adapting yourself to make others feel more comfortable.. I think that if people took even a fraction of the time they spend worrying about other people, and spent it on creating more solid opinions for themselves, the country would be much stronger, because that’s what we need. America was founded on, and by people with strong opinions, and all of us trying to please each other is creating weak people that tolerate anything, because intolerance is treated like terrorism now a days.

When do you think that happened? When did American culture become so dependent on total satisfaction? Why is it so important that everyone feel included? That’s honestly absurd. If everyone was meant to be equal, pearls wouldn’t be expensive and restaurants wouldn’t have star rating system; there wouldn’t be social class separation, and a janitor would be viewed the same way as a CEO. But that’s NOT the case. America is characterized by hard work and strong individuals, and the second we say “it’s okay….you don’t really have to work, we’ll make excuses for you” is the day America breeds it’s weakest generation, and I think that that day has already come.

             

One and Done...?

I really do love music of all kinds. Everything from upbeat dub step by Skrillex, to sweet harmonies by Michael Henry and Justin Robinett. My favorite thing about music, though, is rediscovering "one hit wonder" bands. We all know that "one group" that sang that "one song" and it was popular for like one month, and then BAM, the group no longer exists. For example, that song Too Close by Alex Clare. It was popular for what, like 2 months? ...maybe. How about Gangnam Style by PSY? Harlem Shake? I think y'all get the point.

Recently, I was shuffling through my iPod, when Glad You Came by The Wanted came on. Not having heard it in a while, I let it play, and let me tell you, I jammed. Shamelessly and carelessly head banged in my car. Damn, how can we forget about songs that were so important to us weeks, months, even years ago? Sometimes it's great to go back through my music and listen to some of those old songs.

Anyways, remembering how much I enjoyed Glad You Came, I decided to go out on a limb and purchase the entire album from The Wanted, and let me tell you, EVERY song on it is phenomenal. Lots of bands get on the Top 100 chart for a single song, but nobody cares to listen to rest of their music, which is honestly sad. If you haven't listened to all of the songs on The Wanted's most recent album, I would highly suggest it.

Rediscovering old hits is more than just the music, though. It takes you back to memories of your past, whether they be exciting and full of life, or shitty and depressive. Music is always worth rediscovering.

Grammy alert

Okay....Jay Z always looks way older than he is, and Paul McCartney is just so cool. I mean really, the rainbow aztec patterned piano...? The song selection was great, totally something I would drive around town with my windows rolled down jamming to. Him and Ringo really rocked it.

You know who else was amazing? Sara Bareilles and Carole King! I count NOT stop smiling while I was watching them. Not only are these two songs (Beautiful and Brave) so perfect together, but the two women are honestly inspiring, beautiful, and just so truthfully happy. It's worth a watch...I promise you'll be happier.

Anyway, Kacey Muscgraves was beautiful as always...but that song she sang is one of my favorites. Part of it goes "follow your arrow, where ever it points". I just...that's such a great message. And can we take a second to talk about how cute she always looks? She is perfection.

Dance With The Devil

Part of me thinks I should put a content warning on this post. Maybe it would read "do not listen if you're under thirteen"...but I've never thought that music should be tied to age restrictions. Maybe something about the graphic content or the moral shock a listener will undoubtedly encounter...but those aren't going to be here. I didn't have warning before this song...and it was the most emotional experience I've had while listening to a song. here goes. 

So, he rapes his mom. His life of crime and constant rigor of trying to prove himself finally caught up to him and he couldn't take it anymore so he kills himself.

Sitting and listening to this song...watching the lyrics scroll across the screen...I remember feeling my jaw drop. I just, I had never heard a story like that, a song so full of real struggle and conviction. I don;t even really know what to write...hopefully you're as speechless as I am.

bulletproof love

Over winter break, I went to see Jay-Z. Absolutely everything about that show was great. From the bass rumbling through my body to the strange feeling of standing in an arena clogged with weed smoke and drunk people. It was just a great night. 

There's something about seeing music really affect someone, ya know? Watching someone sing along in the crown with just as much conviction as the artist on stage. Time and time again songs of triumph in the struggle of sobriety or the tender hearted nature of breakups fill the holes in people's lives. Music makes us feel. We move and sing, tapping toes, singing off key, preforming a ballet: it's all a human response to the art we are presented with. Some art is just stamped with back beats and bass instead of being laced with strings and pianos...it's still incredible to experience.

Fall too fast

Fallout Boy, more like Fallback Boy. That may sounds stupid, but let me explain.

Fallout Boy put out this amazing song, entitled Thanks for the Memories. It was the kind of song you would see all of the teenage girls of the time jamming out to on their portable cd players, or if they were lucky, a first generation iPod classic. All the girls wanted to see Fallout Boy in concert, hell, even I did.

With such success from Thanks for the Memories, apparently Fallout Boy thought it would be a great idea to make another song with practically the same beat and feel. Seriously, go listen to both of them right now... practically the same song.

What's up with all of these bands repeating ideas over and over again? If you're a band, be in the music industry for the sake of loving what you do...if not, leave room for other artists in the recording studio.

3peat

Linkin Park. Possibly the biggest scam artists in the entire world.

First, they come out with Hybrid Theory in 2000, which was a phenomenal album, selling over 10 million albums in the US alone. Next, someone in the band had a "great" idea. Let's put some electronic beats in the background of all of the songs from Hybrid Theory and turn it into another entire album, and let me tell you, that's exactly what they did. Instead of "Crawling", it was now "Krwlng". Instead of "A Place for My Head", it was now "Plc.4 Mie Hæd". Instead of "Forgotten", it was now "Frgt/10". You get the idea, right? A bunch of bull shit names for the exact same songs. BUT WAIT! Why not do the same songs AGAIN with Jay Z rapping in the background? So they did. In 2004, Linkin Park partnered with Jay Z and put out Collision Course. 

In case y'all don't quite understand, Linkin Park managed to put the SAME songs on THREE different albums, and sold millions of copies of each album. What does that say about us, as humans? We like to pay for the same shit over and over again, slightly different variations.

That's crazy, but hey, that's pop music, right? 

If I can be an example of getting sober...

So, guys, it was incredible. One of the best things about Macklemore is his showmanship. He knows how to tell his stories and make the crowd go wild. 

I think that's what people really like about him, there's always a story to relate to. His music isn't always about the exciting lure of drugs or sex of defiance. It's meaningful, about his life and his struggles. 

I was talking to a friend of mine who was at the show the night after me (at his tour stop in Dallas). She, over the past months has been in rehab getting over substance abuse. She's clean and happy and healthy. Macklemore introduced Starting Over with an incredible story of his journey trough addiction and recovery and realizing the impact he is able to have on people... that story brought my friend to tears.

That's the beautiful, incredible side of music. It's stories and moments and connections with people. I consider misc a success when it truly resonates with people. 

Damn, it was a great show. 

Okay guys. Real question.

I'm blogging about this mostly because I'm behind on my blogs, but also because I wonder and also because I COULD google this...but again, I'm behind in these blogs so I might as well spend my time here. (Think of it as a 40:50:10 ratio)

So anyway, the question. How do shapes of guitars effect their shape? I mean really. Like all those nifty electric guitars...some are shaped like triangles or arrow or normal guitar shapes? Maybe it doesn't even effect the sound. Maybe one of my lovely readers will answer...'cause let's be real, I'm not gonna google this.

Ain't nobody got time for dat.

The importance of annoyance

Sometimes you do things that suck. Picking up dog poop and washing your dirty clothes really suck, but if you didn't do those things you would pretty soon begin to hate your life and the smells you would be forced to love in. Okay, so, music. Shitty music total exists: Cream, early Beatles, you get it. But I think those are important for two reasons.

One: people put effort into that music. Simple as that. Respect is due for work that was done.
Two: shitty things make you appreciate beautiful things. Rainy days make rainbows wonderful and coal turns in to diamonds (kind of...just go with it).

Point is, everything has purpose. People, music, food, animals: we're all here for a reason and everything is interconnected. Your annoyance or hatred with a certain band may lead you to find something else that you thing is totally awesome. So, just be open. Be happy.

I would rather listen to animals dying.

Pet sounds was honestly the most painful album I've ever had to listen to. It's a good thing Brian ended up losing his mind over Sargent Peppers....the world might not have made it through too many more Beach Boys albums like this. Both of the instrumentals featured on the album are dreadfully slow and the songs worth listening to...well, let me know when you find them.

The Beach Boys always were second hand to the Beatles, always on step short and three months too late. I would say it's a shame, but it really isn't. Maybe if they wrote something better and stopped featuring barking dogs experimenting with new-age drugs, they would have made something of themselves.

Rubber souls like rubber shoes

A short lived shitty trend. People thought it was cool to walk around with neon rubber molded sandals until something better came out. Then people realized how idiotic those damn sandals were. When the Beatles released their 6th album people flocked to it. As if on que themindless flock of followers that te Beatles always seem to have were five steps behind them. Young people blind to the lack of interesting music around them in the world.

Just because the Beatles finally got over their heartbreak bullshit doesn't mean that they're magically going to get better or any more original. Every song is the same. But what else would you really expect from a band of uneducated English teenagers traveling around the world trying a new drug at every pit stop? Nothing.

Making the Journey

One of the world's greatest rock bands. Journey. With chart toppers such as Don't Stop Believin', Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin', Faithfully, Open Arms… really all of their songs were chart toppers. When a band that formed 1973, still has a strong presence in music, they have done something right. Let's be real, who doesn't start singing when they here "Just a small-town girl, living in a lonely world"? NOBODY. That song is a staple to music. 

Maybe I'm just crazy, but Journey is a must when talking about music to put on your favorite playlist. Sure is better than Dana Falconberry.