february/march playlist.

The last two months have been kind of weird for me music-wise. I spent a majority of the last two months playing the new Fall Out Boy album on repeat, and going through past playlists and listening to those songs. So this playlist is a little bit Fall Out Boy heavy, a little bit random, but still really good if you're typically into the type of stuff I put up on here. Listen to this playlist here, and check out my past playlists here.

january playlist.

This month's playlist came together very quickly as a result of the discover tab on Spotify. I freakin love that thing. You'll never run out of music ever, if you just keep using that feature. I listened to Us The Duo's full album, which was overdue because it's been out for a while and I have been obsessed with them for months because of their vine channel. Because of them I started to listen to Oh Honey, then Gentle Bones and Hudson Taylor, and very quickly this playlist snowballed. The last song, Elastic Heart by Sia is kind of the only outlier, but I'm so obsessed with both the song and the video. Oh god, the video. I love it so much.

Listen to the playlist on spotify here.

december playlist.

This month was another slow month for new music, and super repetitive. Even my dad picked up on this playlist this month because on a few crafting days he said both, "I see you like this song", and, "Well I guess you're into this playlist". So when he notices, that's when I know it's a worse than usual month for repetitiveness. But it's a pretty good playlist, I will say that. It's a little bit more upbeat in general than a few of the past months have been, which is a nice change.

Listen to this playlist on Spotify here.

christmas jamz.

Because I worked in retail every holiday season from age 14 to 22, I have strong feelings about Christmas music. I know what I like, and I know what I would dread hearing over and over again starting November 1 every year. These songs are the narrowed down extent of the music that I can handle hearing for the few weeks before Christmas, plus a few here or there that are classics regardless of how annoying they are to hear too often. To listen to my playlist on repeat for the next few days, follow it here.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

november playlist.

This month's playlist was a little less varied than past ones, simply because I was totally obsessed with the main albums that all of these songs came from. The One Direction album came out, and if you've been reading for a while, you'll know how I feel about that. Taylor Swift also released her new album (and took it off spotify, which was kind of annoying), and I got back in touch with my love for Taking Back Sunday. So much so that I just bought concert tickets to see them in March, so I had a lot of catching up to do with their latest music. The Kina Grannis album is a really pretty album for anyone who loves a delicate voice and softer (for the most part) music. I'm really into it. Listen to the full playlist (minus T-Swift) on spotify here.

october playlist.

This month in terms of music was simultaneously overwhelming and repetitive. I found a ton of new music and was recommended a bunch as well, so while there were about five albums I went back and forth listening to, these songs were what I had on repeat all month. Obviously Steal My Girl made the cut, because One Direction, but everything else has a kind of similar sound and mood, I think. It's a good'un. Listen to it on Spotify here.

september playlist.

This month was another month of new discoveries. A lot of the artists that I have been listening to came to me through a chain of other artists that I already love, which means a ton of new music in the styles that I gravitate towards normally. Air Traffic Controller sounds to me already like they're going to be one of my new faves. Same goes for Barcelona. I'm impressed with the new Maroon 5 album, and I mean, come one, it's Adam Levine. I think there's a pretty good mix on here, though there are definitely some acquired tastes if what you're used to loving is jazz. Listen to the playlist on repeat here.

tunes tuesday // august playlist.

This month has been all over the place music-wise. In my car it's still Ed Sheeran on repeat, but at home, work, and with friends a lot of other songs* have come into play. Plus, I had a spotify binge and found a bunch of new artists by following a long chain link from an artist I love to a bunch of other artists that are similar. Some of those new artists are Lewis Mokler, Bleachers, Lewis Watson, Ross Copperman, Ron Pope, and Mike Dignam. The Script has a new album coming out in September and their new single Superheroes is out now and so good, so that made the cut. Most of this music is a bit softer, kind of folk/indie, but all really good. Listen to the playlist on spotify here.

*honorable mention this month goes to Ariana Grande and Break Free.

tunes tuesday // ed sheeran - x.

Oh, Edward. Before I begin, to see me fangirl over Ed just a little bit more, see this post, this post, this post, this post, this post, or this post. (Or just search Ed Sheeran in the search bar to the right and you'll literally come across seven pages of search results of every time I've mentioned him).

Ed Sheeran is by far one of my favorite artists, if not my absolute favorite. He is pure talent in an adorable redheaded man's body and I love the crap out of him. This new album, 'x' or 'multiply', came out in June, and since then it has been on repeat all the damn day. It's the only CD in my six disc car changer that I've listened to since I put it in, and it's constantly playing on my spotify at work, with friends, or in anyone's car other than mine who actually has the capability to play music that isn't on a disc. So it's safe to say that I'm obsessed, just as I knew I would be.

This album is different than his last in that I think he picked more of his songs that include a bit of rapping and quickness, but there's still a million uses of the loop pedal as usual, and that's the best part. His voice is angelic, his rapping is magic, and the music is fantastic. I could talk about the album for hours, so honestly I think the album should just speak for itself. Listen to my favorite song on the album, I'm A Mess below, and buy the album on iTunes here, Amazon (for hard copy and mp3 versions) here, or listen on spotify here.

I'm A Mess

Ed Sheeran

X

tunes tuesday // july playlist.

Most of this music is a result of what I was listening to on my contiki trip. The first song was our group's bus song, Rather Be was our "unofficial" tour song, and most of the other songs are what I put on my ipod for the trip or what was available to me on spotify whenever I had whiffy (wi-fi). The XO cover by John Mayer is amazing for Beyonce/John Mayer lovers alike, and the prevalence of Ed Sheeran is purely because his new album is amazing and he is amazing and it's all just amazing. I think it's a pretty good mix, so to listen to it on spotify, click here.

tunes tuesday // june playlist.

So. Much. New. Music. This past month I've discovered a new band, This Wild Life, I've gotten so into Sam Smith, Birdy, and Rixton, and a few of my already favorite artists like Passenger and Ingrid Michaelson released new albums. The TFIOS movie soundtrack is also amazing, and while not every song is on Spotify yet, pretty much all of the ones that I was obsessed with throughout the movie are on there (minus Ed Sheeran's song, which I still have to play on YouTube on repeat). To get on my level, listen to this playlist about three million times.

tunes tuesday // may playlist.

This past month I've been a bit guilty of the top 40 lists because I have been listening to the radio a lot (even though I freak out at how repetitive it is and want to gauge my eyes out every time I hear "Happy" or "All of Me"). I've also continued to get my Frozen on for the past few weeks, as well as my Beyoncè. Not to mention that even though there are plenty of songs on this playlist, I have been playing Ed Sheeran's two new songs, "One" and "All of the Stars" on repeat ("All of the Stars" is on the soundtrack for The Fault in Our Stars and it's ah-mah-zing). Listen to the playlist on spotify here, and check below for links to the songs marked with a * because they're unfortunately not on spotify yet.

One - Ed Sheeran // Pretty Hurts - Beyoncè // All Of The Stars - Ed Sheeran // Mine - Beyoncè ft. Drake

tunes tuesday // april playlist.

This month I've been listening to a bunch of new albums (Haim, CHVRCHES, the Divergent and Catching Fire soundtracks), a new song was released last week by one of my favorite artists (Ed Sheeran) and another a few weeks ago by another fave (Phillip Phillips), and I have gone back to listening to a few old favorite albums (Ben Howard, Bastille, random glee fave). I upgraded to spotify premium, and it's so nice to have all of the music I could ever want to listen to at my beck and call on my iphone. Also, the computer app just got a huge facelift, which looks awesome. To listen to this playlist on spotify, click here.

*this post is not in collaboration with spotify in any way, I just love it.

tunes tuesday // march playlist.

Over the past month ish, I've had a few albums on repeat every time I sit at my desk or computer, but this group of single songs has been my go to playlist all month. A few are off of the albums I'm binging on, like One Republic's album and Bastille's album, and some are from xm radio that are either on regular radio now or will be soon. To my fellow spotifyers, listen to this playlist here. And for everyone else, seriously, get spotify. Just do it. Now.

tunes tuesday // daughter.

I've had this album for over a month now, and I honestly can't tell you half of the track names or how many of them go. Though I've listened to it constantly, it's such a great background album to whatever you're doing. I usually light a candle, throw this into my hi-fi, and spend some time blogging or creating and it really just sets the mood. There is one song though, that every time it comes on I'm excited for it, and that's Youth. I'm not sure why, but this is pretty much the only track I know by name and the one that I seem to know the words to. Listen to that one below, and if you like really slow, atmospheric indie music, then you'll really like the rest of the album. It is a bit dark, but like I said, it's great for the background of a calm activity.

Youth

Daughter

IF YOU LEAVE

tunes tuesday // bastille.

I've had this album, Bad Blood, for a while now but I'm finally really starting to vibe with it. I initially loved their single 'Pompeii', which is the first song on the album. Now that it's been on the radio a bit I went back to the whole album a few weeks ago to give it another listen. I'm so glad that I did or I might have forgotten how good it actually is. It's a very similar sound to Thirty Seconds to Mars but without all of the theatrics of their songs. It's good running music, which is a plus, and it's good music to have in the background of other things. I definitely recommend this album, it's a winner.

Even though I love the whole album, 'Pompeii' was the first song I heard and it's still definitely my favorite even though it's the single. It just gets me so pumped up and makes me want to sing at the top of my lungs (which I do in the car, I must look like an idiot). Give it a listen if you haven't heard it on your local radio station and if you like it give the album a chance. The lyrics are great for every song and the music is upbeat and fun. They don't reinvent the wheel with their sound on every song - they definitely know what works for them - but they're not all so similar that it's a bad thing. 

Pompeii

Bastille

BAD BLOOD

tunes tuesday // midnight memories.

OHHHH MAN. It's here, it's very here. Midnight Memories was released last Monday, and after a week of delirious glee, I have decided to share my thoughts about the album with you. Well. I'm just so overwhelmed, I don't know where to start really. I did a little post about Best Song Ever and the video for that already, as well as one for Story of My Life before the album actually came out. Those are the first two songs on the album, and Story of My Life is still one of my favorites now that I've heard the rest because the song and video are just so grown up and amazing, but I do have other favorites. I always tend to go for the more ballady songs, and for this album that's You & I, Half a Heart, and Don't Forget Where You Belong. Along with those and SOML, my last top five spot I think is taken by Strong. Such a great song, so relatable, and it has a nice little beat that goes with the lyrics. Another notable mention is the namesake of the album, and I kind of hope that it's one of the next radio singles because it's a really cool, rock-pop-ish song. Though it is very hard to pick a favorite, as of right now the song that I go to first nine times out of ten is Strong, so I am sharing that one with you all. Even if you weren't a One Direction fan before, this album is definitely worth a listen to give them a second chance. Their musical abilities, taste, and style are totally evolving as they get a little older, and I'm lovin' it.

Strong

One Direction

MIDNIGHT MEMORIES

november playlist.

I'm super obsessive with music. Once I like a song I love it and if you could be a fly on the windshield of my car you'd probably wish I'd crack a window and let you out. I play the same songs on repeat, a lot of the time one song on repeat for a whole drive somewhere. It's sick, I know, I just love when I love a song. These songs are a few of those 'on repeat' songs and some are 'to be on repeat soon' songs that I've just gotten into because of a tv show, spotify or pandora, or when I'm lucky (and get to drive the boss' car), pulse radio on xm. Whenver I can get my hands on new music I hoard it until it's unhealthy and obsessive. I've even got Max giving me playlist requests in the car when I pick him up from school ("Best Song Ever and Best I Ever Had [a million times] please?" Yes Max, yes we can do that. As your nanny I take full responsibility and am proud of your choices). Listen to this playlist over and over and over on spotify.

*disclaimer: I am not a Miley fan. For those of you Miley lovers out there, I'm sorry, I can't stand her. But Wrecking Ball is suuuuch a guilty pleasure. Sometimes you just gotta give in.

story of my life.

Ladies and gentlemen, One Direction has done it again. It is an understatement to say I am proud of these boys. It is so typical that a fan of One Direction would praise the crap out of them, but considering my typical music preferences, I am speaking as a well-rounded music lover when I say that these boys have grown up. If 'Story of My Life' is any indication of the maturity level of this next album, Midnight Memories, I will be one happy girl (I'll be happy either way because I love them, but this song takes them in a Second Direction - get it?!)

'Story of My Life' was released last week as an audio video, and as soon as I heard it I teared up. It sounds so grown up and much more mature as a piece of music. I played the song on repeat all week, and starting a few days ago, the band's twitter rep was announcing things about the video being released this past Sunday. I woke up Sunday morning and the first thing I did was get on youtube to watch. I sobbed. I am typically not a music video person. I think they're a little bit silly usually, the stories are weird, and the acting/singing always looks fake. There are a select few videos that I really love, for example 'Give Me Love' by Ed Sheeran, 'We Found Love' by Rihanna, and 'Beauty and a Beat' by Justin Bieber. I know there's a few more, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. However, this video for SOML has completely topped them all. I like most of One Direction's other videos because they normally go a sillier route that makes me laugh and enjoy the song even more, but this more serious song came with a serious video and it is fantastic.

The video starts in a dark room where the boys are developing old family pictures, until finally they are in a giant dome with pictures hung all over the place. The real photos are then brought to life with present day versions of the boys and their families. Each boy has one picture transformation, and the last one you're shown is Louis' family photo (when I teared most), in which he and his four grandparents are smiling. But in the transformation two of his grandparents slowly disappear when the photo is brought to present day. I think the video is really clever, and it is relatable to anyone watching whether they like One Direction or not. Everyone has photos like the ones shown in the video and everyone wishes they could go back to the times that they were taken to spend just another minute with their loved ones in that exact moment that the photo was snapped.

Watch the video below, and bear with me as I analyze the parts I love from second to second, much like I did with the 'Best Song Ever' video because I just can't help myself. I love these boys no matter what the 'stereotype' of loving them is. I appreciate them and their hard work and how little they get to see their families to take pictures and enjoy the little moments because they are so busy making music for the fans that they love.



:17 Zayn's facial hair
:22 Harry's smolder
:44-49 my favorite line of the song and Liam's forearm tattoo, which I love
:53 Zayn's baby face
:56 Zayn's photo transformation
1:07 The amazing room of photos
1:18 Harry's face. Always Harry's face.
1:22 The way Zayn looks at his baby sister
1:32 tiny Louis with a baby
1:36 baby Niall
1:37 Niall's photo transformation and the fact that he's so much taller than his older brother now
2:01 the way Liam tugs at his suit
2:06 Liam smiling at a picture of his younger self
2:12 Louis' smile
2:23 baby Harry
2:31-36 the way Harry looks at his mom with so much love in his eyes
2:42 the way Niall looks at his brother
2:58 whoever that baby is (Niall?) with the spaghetti all over his face (I wish they transformed that one into present day)
3:08 Zayn's suspenders. I loooooove a good looking man in suspenders.
3:19 baby Louis
3:24 when Louis' grandparents disappear I really lose it. That one hits home for me.
3:27-29 the way he looks back and forth to their missing spots. Rip my heart out and throw in on the ground.
3:42 Harry and his mama laughing
3:49 Louis laughing
3:52 baby Liam and those cheeeeeeeks
4:00 Zayn hugging his little sister

So lots of trends there in the parts I like and the things that caught my eye (#typicalalessia).

Their full album comes out at the end of this month, but three more songs are due to be released before that date, so if you love them, be sure to keep up with me over here because I swear that on this blog that I intended to post crafts and recipes on, One Direction makes more appearances than anything DIY or edible.

tunes tuesday // gavin degraw.

I have always been a fan of Gavin Degraw. I love his voice and his style, and from the very beginning I have been rooting for his success. The first song I remember hearing is 'I Don't Wanna Be', which is still one of my favorite songs, and I remember tuning into the premiere of One Tree Hill 10 years ago and hearing it play over the theme sequence. (Hearing this song a few months ago on the radio was the sole reason for me devouring the entire nine season series of OTH in a month's time. Powerful stuff, people. Also the world's greatest show.)

When this new album 'Make A Move' came out, I was really excited because I had already heard the first single, 'Best I Ever Had' on satellite radio and consumed myself with it. The album only has eleven songs, but I really genuinely love every single one of them. He's always had a blusey undertone in his voice, but I think it comes out a lot more in this album, and there's the perfect mix of fast & slow, and happy & sad songs.

I love his first single, but I think it's on the radio a lot now, so I'll share one of my other favorites below, which is the namesake of the album.

Make A Move

Gavin DeGraw

MAKE A MOVE