Tuesday 2 October 2012

10 Artists Who Made My Year

These days, the internet makes it really easy to find awesome music. It's actually a little overwhelming at times. There's a lot of amazing stuff out there and not enough time to listen to it all. However, we all manage to find our favourite artists. Although the following artists may not count as my favourite of all time, here is a list of the artists I've enjoyed the most over the last 12 months.


10. Train


I saw Train in concert a little more than a year ago and it reminded me how good their oldies are. I rediscovered Meet Virginia and that was enough for me. Pat Monahan can be kind of a jerk in real life but he makes up for it by having an amazing, original voice (although he's kind of creepy looking, isn't he?) It was nice to see them raise from the musical darkness. They're pretty mainstream but alternative enough that they're pleasing to most people, so a good background music choice for sure.


9. Zac Brown Band


I'm not really sure what kind of person could possibly dislike this band. Zac Brown has an amazing voice, and their songs are undeniably catchy. A good band for a day on the boat or sitting lakeside.
My Fave: Keep Me In Mind




8. Every Avenue


Up and comers in the alternative rock world. I honestly discovered this band by walking up to the Alternative section at HMV and grabbing the first cool looking CD I saw. I've since seen them play live and developed an enormous crush on the lead singer.
My Fave: Clumsy Little Heart



7. Jack Johnson



This is funny because I used to kind of hate this guy. Something to do with his song Sitting, Wishing, Waiting that rubbed me the wrong way. Now though, I love his laid back tunes, and his albums are my go-to easy listening/background choices.
My Fave: From The Clouds





6. Paramore

You can't deny that Hayley Williams is the female face of alternative rock/pop rock/whatever you'd like to call it. And she's only 23. Not that there are too many female faces in that genre. Paramore is definitely one of my favourite bands of all time, and I never get sick of listening to them. It's really awesome to see that a lot of their songs have made it into some mainstream playlists. I think it's a good time to mention that at one time my younger brothers would never admit to liking a girl singer (I KNOW, right?) and Misery Business was definitely the first female-vocaled song they admitted to enjoying.


5. Neon Trees

I don't even really know what to say about Neon Trees. They have a female drummer (which seems to be a rising trend, yay) and they're just awesome. That's it. Awesome. They're different from a lot of stuff that's out there right now, and in a very good way. The new album, Picture Show,  is a big change from Habits, but I think they're headed in a good direction.



4. Patrick Stump


Fall Out Boy will forever hold the number one band place in my heart. Say what you will, but FOB introduced me to an entire genre of music that I hadn't really listened to before, and my life is a lot better because of it. That being said, Patrick's solo stuff is nothing like FOB, so get that out of your head. However, it is excellent in its own way. There's nothing like it right now. And he plays every single instrument on the album himself. No computers. That doesn't happen very often these days. Oh, did I mention that his is the voice that angels sing with?
My Fave: Allie




3. Rise Against

There are certain bands that you need to be in a certain mood to listen to. For me, Rise Against is definitely not one of those bands. I can listen to them anytime, anywhere. I know they aren't for everyone, so this isn't the stuff I'd be playing at parties. But for me, this is the kind of band that you get something new from every time you listen. The lyrics are fantastic, and that's what I care about most a lot of the time.
My Fave: Paper Wings


2. The Cab

These guys are all in their early 20s but their music is amazing. They're on their way to being a huge hit, I can tell. Catchy music and catchy lyrics and an excellent vocalist. Can you ask for anything more in a band? No, I think that's you need. Onward with the alternative rock takeover or something! I keep hearing new things in their songs that I love. Not to mention, I heard one of their songs on Sirius Hits so I guess that's as good a sign as any. The only thing I wish would change is the lead singer's long greasy hair, but you can't have everything, folks.
My Fave: This City Is Contagious

1. Marianas Trench

I've loved MT since the very first "ooo ooooooooo ooo" in Shake Tramp and I've been wowed several times by their excellent live performances. I used to compare them to Hedley but in light of Hedley's complete and terrible sell-out I've put Marianas Trench nearer to the top of my Top Bands list and thrown Hedley in the garbage (well attempted to. I can take them back out, but I'm getting off topic now.) Josh Ramsay is a genius both lyrically and musically. Example: He produced Call Me Maybe. I don't need to make any more of an argument for him now, do I? His voice is excellent. It sounds good live, and it sounds good no matter what it is he's singing. Aaaand all four band members can sing. They have lovely harmonies which in my opinion make a lot of their songs sound very original. It does annoy me that they've become a mainstream hit and I have to share my love of them with a bunch of annoying fan girls. (Just kidding, kinda.)
My Fave: Perfect





Of course, I do not own any of these images, YouTube vids, or the tracks themselves.





2 comments:

  1. Try Mumford And Sons, or Fun.

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    1. I like them both in moderation for sure. They're good background tunes as well, definitely. I don't know if I could listen to them all the time though. I guess it might depend on my mood.

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