The Hearing Aid: 2015

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Holiday Songs

I am SO excited for Christmas!!!! I love the songs :)
Here are some Christmas songs:

There are always the cheesy classics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0byH9h1ClBY Rudolph The Red Nose Reighndeer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmuJDmjq-xQ Frosty The Snowman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgP0aUKlmNw The Grinch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysIzPF3BfpQ The Muppets :)

More Minions!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGk42E2eSlU

And of course Charlie Brown is always fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQeKdvXliIU

Not to forget the Nutcracker. Which my family and I have heard a lot of. A lot, a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U_gpW1J4LM

And just for my sister :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez6JMzhMmUY Peppa Pig

Now that you've listened to all the songs, I hope you're as excited as I am about Christmas!

Monday, December 7, 2015

Like all great weddings, we begin this marriage of music and discussion with "ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today..."

We could all very well spend half an hour every Wednesday afternoon simply chatting nonsense, but now that Josie and I have college applications (in a part, at least) out of the way, let's talk about why we come, why you guys come.

Music club seems like a casual place just to chat about anything, and in a sense, it is! But the underlying message under these simple conversations is one of acceptance and friendship. There are many different friend groups that meet up in Music Club, and yet so much mingling. If anyone not familiar with the club were to step in and sit for a second, all they would hear was overlapping conversation marked with the shouting of different artists and songs. This controlled chaos is what draws at least several people here every Wednesday, despite all the crazy schedules and activities.

So please come back! Discussion is what makes this club go round.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Concerts Galore!

We've compiled a list of awesome artists that are coming to Boston soon. Check it out!

The 1975 (December 3, 2015)

The Paper Kites (December 3, 2015)

City and Colour (December 5, 2015)

Miley Cyrus (December 6, 2015)
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die (December 6, 2015)
Vanessa Carlton (December 7, 2015)
Mix 104.1's Not So Silent Night (December 9, 2015)

Jingle Ball (December 10, 2015)

The Roots (January 2, 2016)

Guster (January 15, 2016 also Tina's bday!!)

Hey Marseilles (February 8, 2016)

Voyage, A Journey Tribute (February 19, 2016)

Carrie Underwood (February 23, 2016)

Disney In Concert (February 26, 2016)

Troye Sivan (February 29, 2016)

The Who (March 7, 2016)

Rachel Platten (March 12, 2016)

Drop Kick Murphys (March 17-20, 2016)

Hoodie Allen (March 20, 2016)

Vance Joy (April 1, 2016)

Selena Gomez (May 28, 2016)

Boston Calling (May 2016)

Justin Bieber (May 10-11, 2016)
Kiss 108 Concert (summer 2016)

Twenty One Pilots (June 14-15, 2016)

Ellie Goulding (June 15, 2016)

5 Seconds of Summer (July 9, 2016)

Maroon 5 (September 17, 2016)

Comment any shows that we've missed on the list, shows that you're excited about (if you're going or not), and any other thoughts about this list that you have!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Troye Sivan

HI GUYS!
*some explicit songs!*
Sorry I'm posting this so last minute! (I'm kind of a mess) SO, this week I would like to tell you about Troye Sivan. He is definitely my favorite artist and singer, ever.
A little background on Troye:

His full name is Troye Sivan Mellet
He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on June 5th 1995 (20 years old)
He now lives in Perth Australia
He has released 2 EPs: TRXYE (2014) and WILD (2015) and is releasing his first full album (Blue Neighbourhood) on December 4th
He describes his music as "dark indie pop" (??? maybe I couldnt find the exact quote but it's something like that)
He has 3.6 million followers on youtube and 715,000 on his vevo
He is also an actor, who has been in Wolverine, and the Spud (1,2,and 3)
he's also is openly and addresses LGBT+ issues a lot so woohoo!
ok lets talk about his songs yaaaaaay

TRXYE:

#1 in 66 countries (and a bunch on other achievements)
Happy Little Pill: music video , song on spotify, "So we start the EP with 'Happy Little Pill' - I wrote this song as someone close to me started taking anti-depressants. Simultaneously, I was in LA and feeling the true loneliness of a big city on one of my first trips travelling alone. I had my second ever co-writing session, I had the chorus lyric in my mind and through the writing process the song slowly became a bit of a comment on LA and the coping mechanisms I had seen and been around in my short time there."-Troye Sivan on HLP
Touch: song on spotify, "It’s all about that moment. Right before you have that first electric touch with someone. SLUMS killed the production again here - they're the real stars of the track, in my opinion."- Troye Sivan on Touch
Fun: song on spotify, "To me this is probably the most lyrically exciting song on the EP. I had just read a script for a film I was auditioning for (I didn’t get the role) where a kid about my age gets recruited into the army, falling for the military being painted as some glory-filled holiday with your mates, while the realities of war are swept under the carpet. I wanted to write a song about war and that classic ‘WE WANT YOU’ recruitment style, from the point of view of the recruiter."-Troye Sivan on Fun
Gasoline: EXPLICIT, song on spotify, "'Gasoline' confronts a side of my inner thoughts that I'm still too scared to confront in any other form except music, so I’d say I’m most nervous about releasing this one. Filled with a bunch of emotions, it was one of the first times I turned to writing to literally just escape any emotions I was feeling."- Troye Sivan on Gasoline
The Fault in Our Stars: song on spotify (MMXIV) , music video (MMXIII), "I wrote 'TFIOS' based off of John Green’s book, and I’d say it was the first proper song that I ever wrote. I produced up a pretty dodgy demo in my room (on a MIDI keyboard that I have no idea how to play), and went to a local hospital to shoot a music video that I later uploaded to my YouTube channel. A call from EMI music, over three million views and 100,000 sales of the track with all of the proceeds going to the hospital later, this song honestly changed my life."- Troye Sivan on TFIOS
Personally, I adore all of the songs on TRXYE, they're all so different and range from fun pop to more dark and quiet songs. I've never been able to pick a favorite, but if you get a chance to listen to TRXYE tell me what you think and which son is YOUR favorite.

WILD:

#1 in 20+ countries
Troye Sivan talking about the songs on WILD
WILD: song on spotify
BITE: song on spotify
FOOLS: EXPLICIT song on spotify
EASE(ft. Broods): EXPLICIT,song on spotify
THE QUIET:EXPLICIT song on spotify
DKLA(Tkay Maidza): song on spotify
Troye released WILD as a preview for the rest of the music he will be releasing in 2015 (aka Blue Neighbourhood), it's basically a sneak peek at the rest of his album
IM OBSESSED WITH EP I've memorized all of the words of every song (well except for the rap part of DKLA, but I almost have it down). I love his sound in all of the songs. If you like alternative or dark indie music and a little bit of pop you'll LOVE this album. Even if you're more of a pop person, WILD is more "mainstream" and upbeath and pop. My personal favorite is FOOLS, I love the lyrics as well as the meaning behing the song. My second favorite would probably have to be EASE. I love Broods so when I found out they were making a song with Troye I kind of freaked out, and it definitely lived up to my expectations.

Blue Neighbourhood:

Video Trilogy: WILD (1/3) -shows drinking, FOOLS(2/3)- shows drinking, abuse, and intimacy(not too bad) The Blue Neighbourhood video trilogy is a 3 part story made up of music videos from songs from WILD/Blue Neighbouhood. It is about Troye and his boyfriend/crush/partner. It touches upon issues most LGBT+ people face in relationships, such as not being ablr to be out, childhood crushes and it also bringsup issues about abuse and alcoholism.
why blue neighbouhood?: blue neighbourhood is the sheltered, quiet, isolated place where everyone grows up and that's where troye says all of his stories happen. Video
Talk Me Down: song on spotify
I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH. I connect with it a LOT and I cried when I first heard it. It perfectly describes what I want in a relationship and it just really touched a part of my heart. I don't think I realized how much the things mentioned in the song meant to me and how much I wanted them until I heard this song. And of course, Troye sings in wonderfully.

So as you all can tell, I'm very obsessed with Troye Sivan. Like REALLY obsessed. And 2015 has been such a huge year for him. and you know what makes it even better?

He's going on tour for the first time. Right now. Around the world. and guess what else I GET TO GO TO HIS CONCERT IN BOSTON MONDAY! (THATS IN 6 DAYS, WELL 5 FROM WEDNESDAY AAAAAH) I'll try and make a post about the concert afterwards!

Ok that's all I have time to write, I could defintely write a LOT but unfortunately school is a thing... (PS sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, I didnt proofread this)

Ok I love you all <3

Thursday, October 15, 2015

I love music so much and I am open to all kinds of music but I don't like music that is explicit. Just a few days a go I watched two movies Disney Descendents and the new version of Annie and they both had great music so I have been listening to the songs on Spotify. I am super excited that I get to be part of the music appreciation club this year and I hope we can start learning about some new types of music.

Tessie:)

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Playlist: Contemplation for the Heavy Soul

Hey Music Lovers!

This is a playlist that I made a little while ago and thought I would share. I made it on 8tracks which is this super cool website that lets you make playlists to share with others and I kind of use it 24/7 because it is the best thing ever.

Click Here :)

I made this playlist as a representation of songs that I listen to when I just need time to sit down and think, or maybe even to escape my own thoughts for a while and listen to someone else sing theirs. It includes The 1975, Jaymes Young, Ed Sheeran, and lots of others.

Happy listening!

-- Josie

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

April Come She Will

The first time I heard this little tune, I thought it was rather cute and calming. Paul Simon has a way with his guitar that sounds so light it'll drift away if you don't grab on to it. Not to mention, I was watching the episode of Parks and Rec when Andy and April throw a surprise wedding and she walks down the aisle with April Come She Will playing in the background. It automatically registered in my mind as the perfect love song.
That is not the case.
I actually listened to the lyrics for once, and tried to really decipher what kind of love Simon was describing. I instead heard a seemingly innocent song about a fleeting relationship. "A love once new has now grown old."
This was another reason to tack on to the list of why I love Simon and Garfunkel so very much. The song is only a little over 12 lines long and doesn't even clock in 2 minutes, yet it tells an intricate narrative of young love. It often starts strong and passionately, "streams swelled with rain", a whirlwind of emotion. By summertime, they'll become restless, and itch to take flight. Once fall turns the corner, they have drifted apart, moving on to a new place.

It's very simple, a trait I find a lot of music lacks these days, not that I'm criticizing. It's just, our lives are more out there, and everything moves so quickly we run the risk of not catching up. Few pay attention to the wallpaper and instead stare at the large, beaming object in the middle of the room. We all do it at some point; it's so much easier to look at the exciting stuff, the advertisements and pop music. Sometimes it's nice to sit quietly and maybe let the mind make the magic instead of passively taking it in.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Who?

I started getting into The Who two years ago, around the time Quadrophenia and Roger Daltrey were making the rounds around the country (too bad I was a tad bit late). I think Join Together was the first song that got me interested, and that opened up a new door from my innocent Beach Boys and Beatles obsession into mod music, prog rock, psych rock, the whole shibang. From The Who, I went into Iron Butterfly, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, and so on.
But I digress. The Who had some pretty angsty music, which is why so many teenagers loved them (and why I loved them). Quadrophenia is a rock opera/album completely focused on a boy trying to find himself, and getting caught up in some less-than-appropriate situations. Baba O'Riley, one of my favorite songs EVER, talks about the trials of being a teenager and refers to it as an "exodus". (Other interpretations called it a message against the Vietnam War, but I think this is more relatable.)
Not to mention, they have amazing stage charisma. They went so far as to blow up the Keith Moon's bass drum and ruining Pete's hearing for years. They were the pioneers of destroying instruments onstage. They'd end shows all bloodied from whatever injuries they sustained while going crazy onstage. It was all good fun.
But, I can't say anything about the band members and their (bad) life choices. They had wonderful music, chaotic but controlled. I'm just super excited to see them live this October (!!).

Monday, February 23, 2015

Regrets

1. Find out José González tours next month

2. Find out tickets are all sold out

3. Find out it's 18+ anyway

I regretted everything. Why was I not born a year earlier? Why did I overlook the fact that he was touring? Why is it 18 and over in the first place?

Nothing can be done. We can only enjoy his beautiful music, his voice that flows like a gentle sloping stream. Here's one of my favorite songs from his new album, Vestiges. Open Book makes you want to ponder your existence and your relationships as well.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Artist Profile: The Hunts

I wanted to tell everyone about a cool band called The Hunts:

(Source: http://www.thehuntsmusic.com/about)

The Hunts are a group made up of 7 brothers and sisters; Jenni and Jessi (twins, 25), Josh (23), Jonathan (21), Jordan (20), Justin (18), and Jamison (16). Their parents are also musicians and their mother taught each of them to play violin at a very young age. Some of them also play other instruments, such as guitar, piano, and drums, which they often learned to play on their own.

The Hunt's sounds has been described at "alternative-folk". They all work together to write their songs in a big collaborative writing process.

The band is from Chesapeake, Virginia and they all grew up performing music. A few years ago, they started a program where they traveled to Haiti in order to help those in need and teach music to the children living there.

Here is a link to their most popular song, Make This Leap, that got me interested in them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MywXY6Q21LM

In recent news for them, they just announced that they would be releasing an album this spring, which I am very excited about.

Enjoy!

-- Josie

Sources:

http://www.thehuntsmusic.com/about

http://thehunts.wikia.com/wiki/The_Hunts_Wiki

https://huntsforhaiti.wordpress.com

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Songs To Study By

So with midterms this week, I thought it was only appropriate to share some songs that I like to listen to while I study:

Motivational/Upbeat:

Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap

Easy To Love by The Jezabels

Move My Way by The Vamps

Out of Mind by Magic Man

All I Want by Kodaline

Calm/Quiet:

Bloom by The Paper Kites

Blood by The Middle East

Lifting the Sea by The Hunts

Sunshine and City Lights by Greyson Chance

Strange Things Will Happen by The Radio Dept.

Good luck and enjoy!

-- Josie

Friday, January 16, 2015

Why Concerts Can End Wars

A few months ago, I went with a good friend of mine to Boston Calling, and it was quite the experience. You haven't lived until you've been huddling in the rain with hundreds of other music lovers like you, buzzing and waiting until the lights came on and the first strum of a guitar rang into the crowd. I made friends with the people standing around me - there was a Death Cab for Cutie diehard at his very first show, an adorable couple along for the ride, and a few seniors from school we had run into. Eventually Ben Gibbard appeared from backstage and the rain subsided, almost as if on cue. By the time I Will Follow You Into the Dark, the audience was swaying as a single entity, and it was as if we all felt the simple, dark love radiating from the song. It's an extremely exhilarating experience - all semblance of age and class differences go out the window and you connect with the people around you and just listen and enjoy the music.

That's my spiel. Go to a concert sometime. Peace.

-Tina