Listen to This: Gangnam Style

I will not say that this is not weird, but like many things that happen on the internet it has finally attracted me. And once I have determined that I like something, for whatever reason, I will actually send it to all my friends and force them to watch it. So I thought, why not then force it onto my blog? Anyway, the following is a song I had never heard before until YouTube suddenly thrust it upon me as the most popular video out there. When you watch it, you'll see why; and yes you must watch it to really understand. So do not just listen to this song, watch!

Music Video for Gangnam Style by Psy

Let me be the first to say that besides the part where he says gangnam style and eh sexy lady, I have absolutely no idea what he is saying. I do not even know what gangnam style is, but I can guess that it must be the style he just came up with. Still, the weirdness of this video and the awesomeness of the song make me want to write a whole blog about it. So watch and love it!

Listen to This: I'll Bite You

Okay, I lied. Instead of going off to write a whole review on a movie I watched like two days ago I decided to write a review about a song that I have fallen in love with. But before I get to that, let me start off by first telling everyone a little bit about Lydia and my relationship with this band. About a year ago a friend over the internet, as in one I had never met in real life, told me that I should try listening to this band because they do a lot of amazing pieces. They are a small-time indie band, a lot of people have never heard of them before, but I am so happy I got pointed towards them. From their first album and second album there are songs that I still listen to all the time because they are so beautifully done; take for instance Smile, You've Won or Hospital which are both classics.

But this review is not about them. Instead, it is about a band that I thought was breaking-up and done making music. See, after writing one more album (their third if I remember correctly) and doing one final tour, they were going to all disband and go their separate ways. However, Paint it Golden is actually the bands fourth album and actually a wonderful return. After a small hiatus, the band came back and produced this piece, which I instantly fell in love with for its softer tunes that still focused highly on well-writen lyrics.

I'll Bite You by Lydia

I think the reason I can easily separate this song from the other ones on the album is that the song starts with a different sound than the one present in the chorus. The first time I listened to it, that tossed me through a loop, but still I kept coming back because there was something about it. The soft, rhythmic start that is suddenly disturbed by the perfectly offset chorus just really brought me back and touched my heart I guess.

But that was the first few times I listened to it, the main attractant that got me to hear the song. Now I have dived much deeper into the surface of this masterpiece, learned the lyrics that grabbed me and really brought me to enjoy what it has to offer. Like I said before, one of the best parts about Lydia is their key focus to the well-written lyrics in any one of their given songs. If I had to say the one that has been keeping me, the golden lyrics to this song, it would definitely be, "I wanna hear it from your pearly teeth." There is just something about the detail in that one line that gets me thinking and has kept me listening to this one over and over again. Anyway, give it a listen!

The Spotted Canvas uses the Lydia promotional media but is not endorsed or certified by themselves. All of the Lydia logos and trademarks displayed on this website are the property of themselves.

Skip This: Happy Feet 2

Movie Poster for Happy Feet Two

So I was bored tonight, trying to find something fun to do, and I was browsing through the movies I had at my finger tips. I saw that I could watch the sequel to Happy Feet, Happy Feet Two, and was undecided if I wanted to watch it or not. So I kept browsing, hoping that maybe something a little bit more luscious or intuitive would pop-up before I got to the list, never-the-less nothing did.

Now I will not lie when I say that I saw the first Happy Feet and loved the movie. The dancing and the music was exceptionally wonderful for a children's animation; as well as the ideas behind the movie where beautiful ones to teach kids. But I had my doubts about the second movie, feeling they would not be able to pull off the same unique, compelling story that was seen on the first go around. To say that I was not far from right would be only have the story. At any rate, here's my review of Happy Feet Two, and why I think you can skip this one.

Listen to This: Bonfire

On a drive back from some stores that my Mom and I had gone to that day, I started playing some dubstep music for her. Right away, I could tell she loved the backbeat and was liking the song, but then again I was playing what I consider to be great dubstep for her. But in the middle of the song, I said something that got me thinking a bit. I said, "I can't understand how so many terrible sounds on their own can come together to make something as beautiful as this!"

Bonfire by Knife Party

The fact of the matter is that is how life works, where we as people can take the worst things that we are given and turn them into something beautiful. And I think that people that live by that philosophy, that live on the idea that they take whatever they are given and make the best of it, are the types of people that are always happy. But that is just my off-subject discussion that leads me into what I was really getting at, because I have a whole other article written for just that subject.

Listen to This: Turn Up the Music

If someone would have told me to listen to a song by Chris Brown, I probably would have asked why. That is not to say that I think he is a bad person, but more because up until now I just have not found anything that I like by him. No offense, I just did not care for any of his previous stuff and there is a lot of stuff in his modern music that I could not give a care for either. But still, that is not to say that a single does not pop out of the blue and catch me by surprise. So, feeling open to listening to this song, I found that I loved it. Granted, the first time I heard it I thought to myself that it was okay. About two weeks later, I had it stuck in my head even though I had not heard it once since then. Sometimes that is just how things work for me. And now I am in love with this song, dancing along to it like the most amateur dancer that I am (and I do not plan to take my excellent skills professional any time soon, though that might be saving the world from those problems).

Anyway, after that short period of time I just needed to hear this song again. So I loaded up the youtube page and started listening to it again, and again, and again. This did not satisfy my craving though, and as I was in my car driving to target or the liquor store or somewhere (I can't remember exactly, but it was in that general direction from my house), I loaded up the music video again on my smartphone and had another play. To say the least, within a day I had this downloaded and was playing it on repeat.

Music Video for Turn Up the Music by Chris Brown

Now what I like about this song is almost everything. I love the back beat, which is that rhythmic dance beat that just gets my hands and feet moving. And if the last music video I picked is to describe how much I love songs about the love of music, then that should tell you why I like the lyrics. But even beyond that, Chris Brown does a wonderful job of taking his song emotionally to the next level. Listen, by which I do not mean closely, and you will hear him screaming as he tries to convey how much turning up the music means to him. It is this emotional involvement, which we have not seen as in-depth in modern music, that I really like. Anyway, I say give it a listen!

The Spotted Canvas uses the Turn Up the Music music video but is not endorsed or certified by Sony Music Entertainment. All of the Turn Up the Music promotional material and trademarks displayed on this website are the property of Sony Music Entertainment.

Listen to This: This is Love

I know that the last time I had music on my blog it was to relate it to my life, but that is not to say that the only reason I want to spread the music I'm currently listening to is because it relates to me or to a friend. I also want to share music that I just enjoyed, or found meaning in, or just started dancing to because it made me happy. And similar to movies, I don't feel that I can put a rating on how good of a song it is. Everyone has different tastes, I know there is a lot of music out there that I do not like. As such, I'm naming all of my recommendations similar to how I write reviews for movies, though even more simplistic. With music I will only be putting up Listen to This, which is a positive spin, and never doing the negative version of Don't Listen to This.

The first song, I've chosen one that I actually just found today but instantly knew I loved. There is something about the beat and sound that just drew me straight in. So, by will.i.am and featuring Eva Simons, I recommend This is Love.

For a little bit of a background, most people actually already know who will.i.am is. His real name is William James Adams, born March 15, 1975, and he is one of the members of The Black Eyed Peas. So if you thought you recognized him but you aren't sure from where, it is probably from that group! Enjoy!

The Spotted Canvas uses the This is Love music video but is not endorsed or certified by Interscope Records. All of the This is Love promotional material and trademarks displayed on this website are the property of Interscope Records.

Watch this Music Video: I'm Not a Vampire

A few weeks ago my brother handed me a album by a band I had never heard of. About a day after that, I was listening to several songs over and over again. And a few days after that, I got curious if there was a music video to my favorite songs and went to  on my hunt. What I found was rather surprising, but never-the-less a classic video that I honestly think everyone should watch at least once!

So the reasons I like this music video are always mounting, but the most important reason is that I love the song. It's comical, intelligent, and relatable on several levels! But even beyond that, I love charismatic way that the lead singer (Ronnie Radke) moves about and sings songs relating to his personal experiences and life. That's what I love to see in singers, an enthusiasm that shows more than tells their lives. At any rate, if you haven't seen this music video, take a look!

The Spotted Canvas uses the YouTube^® application programming interface but is not endorsed or certified by YouTube, LLC. All of the YouTube^® videos  and trademarks displayed on this website are the property of their creators, including but not limited to YouTube, LLC and Epitaph Records.

Watch Me Bleed (A Song)

You ever hear a song and just keep thinking it reminds you of something that just recently happened in your life. I feel like that is happening all the time right now with a friend's situation. I can hear her situation, her pain in these songs and I really feel terrible for her. I know she'll get through this, but it is really painful...

And then I got something new..

Relating to Life
On the second time listening through to this new album my brother found, I started hearing my friend's situation. There's something about the beginning that makes me sad, followed by just the burst of emotion that makes me really click and see what she's going through. I felt like just sharing that music with the people around me, I think it does some justice (not full justice) to what happened.

Watch Me Bleed by Scary Kids Scaring Kids

A Quick Analysis-
The beginning of the song is very much a story, hidden in some very cleverly done lyrics. He starts by singing, "The silence keeps it easy, keeps you safe for the moment," which is really a focus on that moment right after something horrible has been said. Imagine being the person who was hurt, unable to speak and unable to understand what just happened, and the loss of words between the two just sort of settling in.

Then with the next part, the lover begins to walk away in real life but not in the singer's mind. You can tell that the singer was hurt by someone they had fallen in love with, it's very obvious.
So to me the song sounds like the singer was hurt by someone they had fallen in love with. The lyrics describe how inside the singer feels hollow now with such lines as "You pierce my lungs, my limbs go numb." I don't think there's any song I've heard that really brings the moment around as clearly as this one. And the line "All you needed was time, but now time will destroy us." This is the line that made it all click and make me think of my friend. I know she is in pain, I know she is hurting, but there's a lot of truth to these lines. I really feel for her, and it's painful to hear a song like this, one that really helps put me in her shoes and understand what she's going through.

"You watch me bleed" and "We're stuck inside this salted earth together" go really well together as well, where the lyrics have found a way around using the cliché way of saying 'Salt on an open wound.' I really love this part of the song for my friend, because she herself has used that cliché several times, so I know it describes what is happening to her.

Final Thoughts-
To my friend, I hope the best for you every day. I know it's going to take some time before you feel like you can make a day without thinking about what happened, about him, and about all of that. I just want you to know that I support you, that I'm here to listen no matter what, and that I do care deeply for you! You'll get through this, you'll do it at your own speed, and I'm here to help and support you.

---

About the Song
So I have to give credit to my brother for finding that song, for finding the whole album, and for finding the band. Before he sent it to me, I did not know who they were or if their music was good or not. In fact, I probably would have passed them up completely, but they are actually really good. I recommend them! They have a really amazing orchestration going on that makes it all flow and the lyrics are well done. And not just that song, truly a lot of the album is great!

I think one of the reasons that the song I've listed here, along with a few other on the album, really hooked with me is that they remind me of Silent Hill. It has this gloomy sort of feel to the beginning that catches my attention and keeps me listening. It works, in it's own way.

One of the odd things about all of this is that the person that wrecked my friends life, who is also my friend as well (and why this whole situation is very hard for me personally, though still incomparable) is that he'll actually have this song by now. He'll have downloaded it, listened to it, and probably related to it in his own way as well. It seems strange to me.