It's no secret that I'm a fan of Brooke White's music and various projects. This song, and this EP are so much fun, I've started to think of them as a soundtrack to a summer drive.
This song is all about getting away... and having an adventure. So, it seems like the perfect way to start a warm weekend!
This entire EP (6 songs!) is only $3.99 on iTunes!! & it's on Spotify if that's how you roll.
Check out my other Jack and White "Have You Heard?" post here, it's got three great tunes including an awesome Fleetwood Mac cover!
Other Posts This Week: May Reads & Escape // Breakout KC - don't forget to use the fabulous coupon code to save on your trip to Breakout KC! :)
This is a really really good few months for music (in my opinion). Ellie Goulding, Jack and White, and Coldplay are all coming out with new albums in November and December!
While I'm sure enough of you have heard of Coldplay and Ellie, I'm thinking more people need to know about Jack and White! (though no promises on not posting about the other two...).
Jack and White is an indie pop band made up of Brooke White (American Idol Finalist, Solo Artist, 1/2 of The Girls with Glasses blog) and Jack Matranga (singer, songwriter, former member of Self Against City). I found out about their music a few years ago, and I still can't stop listening.
They have a bit of a folksy sound, but the music definitely has some pop roots, it's very catchy! But it still has a lot of guitar... that give the songs that indie/alternative vibe.
The band has three EPs Gemini, Winter, and Undercover (a cover EP). Each of these albums is very inexpensive on itunes. Definitely go check them out!
Their newest album Lost, is dropping FRIDAY! Ever since the single "Lost" has been released... I can't stop listening to it. So good. It came up on a mix the other night when friends were over... and everyone was humming along like they'd known it for years.
One of my favorites... an oldie, but a goodie. :)
and... for anyone else who kinda loves Fleetwood Mac....
Super excited to hear the rest of the new album, I love the way "Lost" sounds.
I don't think you can go wrong with any of the EPs, so if you like the sound you're hearing download a few of the EPs and give them a listen. I'm pretty sure you'll find a new favorite in there!
This is definitely one band that I love, but haven't seen in concert... that list is starting to dwindle! Hopefully someday we can catch one of their shows! :) It seems more likely now that my parents live in Phoenix. :)
What do you think?
What have you been listening to? (anybody already listening to Christmas music...?)
I love Christmas music. I didn't always, but I have really started to in the past few years. Summer trips to Goodwill and the Salvation Army ended in many unexpected $2 additions to my collection!
In the meantime, here is a post dedicated to my favorite Christmas albums. Listed in no particular order. Most of these are older albums, and sadly many bands that I like don't do Christmas music.. which isn't surprising. But hopefully someday I can get genre playlists up here for the holidays, because 'cool' Christmas music does exist. :) Keep in mind, this particular post is dedicated to favorite albums, not albums with favorite songs.. so there are of course some essentials being left out here! :) And a lot of the more unique stuff...
Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker
Genre: Classical
A classic in my book. As a child I loved the nutcracker story and the first year I saw the ballet I was mesmerized. Two years ago Kyle took me to see it again and it was just as wonderful. The music is beautiful. I love it in the car or in the background for decorating the tree. Favorite Tracks: Waltz of the Snowflakes, Pas De Deux, & Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy.
A Christmas Celebration - Celtic Woman
Genre: World / Classical / New Age
This is Celtic Woman's first Christmas album. Of course I love Celtic Woman, but this album is so fantastic that it would be a great addition to anyone's Christmas music collection. This album is fairly soothing and calm, it is all amazingly beautiful. Favorite Tracks: Ding Dong Merrily on High!, Christmas Pipes, Carol of the Bells, Don Oiche Ud I Mbeithil (That Night In Bethlehem){amazingly beautiful!}, The Wexford Carol{amazingly beautiful!}.
Home for Christmas - Celtic Woman
Genre: World / Classical / New Age
This album was just released last year but it is already a favorite of mine. This album is much more lively than the other one and recorded with a symphony. I will admit that I like the first album more so far, but this album has so many great songs on it that it can't be left out of my list. Favorite Tracks: I'll be home for Christmas {amazingly beautiful!}, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, Mary's Boy Child, Auld Lang Syne {amazingly beautiful!}.
Acoustic Hearts of Winter - Aly & AJ
Genre: Pop / Early 2000's Pop
This album is fairly short, but possibly my all time favorite Christmas album. I grew up with this one! It's very simple and acoustic but for some reason it's just really special. Their voices are beautiful and the music is simple and fun. The classic hymns are gorgeous and the more modern Christmas songs are fun and upbeat. There are also a few original songs one is very upbeat and pop-y very early 2000's and the other is about a year when their grandmother died during the holidays and they didn't want to celebrate. Overall it's really simple and a sentimental favorite of mine, I'm a sucker for early 2000's pop! Favorite Tracks: Joy to the World, We Three Kings, I'll Be Home for Christmas, Let it Snow, Deck the Halls, Little Drummer Boy.
December - Chris Botti
Genre: Jazz
This album is largely instrumental but contains one original song where Botti sings. He is a fantastic jazz trumpeter. Many of the songs are very lively, others as expected are more simple and slow. I really love it as background music. It would be great for a cocktail party or dinner party during the holidays! Favorite Tracks: Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, Perfect Day, Winter Wonderland, Little Drummer Boy.
Santa Claus Lane - Hilary Duff
Genre: Pop / Early 2000's Pop
This one is definitely a classic for me. You are probably reading this thinking.. "seriously? Hilary Duff makes your list?" And yes, she does! I admit it! This album was my very first Christmas CD of my own. I was a tween and it was perfect at the time. So anytime I listen to it I get really excited and nostalgic. It's very fun and upbeat. Not really quality music, but it's cute and fun. Definitely what gets me pumped up for Christmas.
Favorite Tracks: Jingle Bell Rock, Sleigh Ride, Wonderful Christmastime, I Heard Santa on the Radio, Same Old Christmas, Tell Me a Story. A Few of the Newer Additions to My Collection: Winter Magic - Hayley Westenra
Genre: Classical / Pop
Hayley Westenra is not super well known in the US, but she should be! She is a New Zealand native and was briefly a member of Celtic Woman. She has a fantastic voice so I decided to download her Christmas album this year. So far I really like it. It's not your typical classical type album like you would think. Parts of it are very fun and modernized, but not silly pop like some of the albums mentioned above. Many of these songs will probably make it onto my classics list in the future! Favorite Tracks: Veni Veni Emmanuel, River, Corpus Christi Carol, Peace Shall Come.
White Christmas - Brooke White
Genre: Indie / Folk/ Pop
I love Brooke White. If you don't know who she is, you should. She was a former idol contestant the one year I watched. Now she is not only a singer but a mom, a blogger, a part of a group called Jack and White, and one half of the girls with glasses. I really really like Brooke White. So of course her Christmas album is a favorite too. It's a little pop-y, a little folk-sy and a little indie. My favorite song is probably Christmas Card, an original. Favorite Tracks: Christmas Card, I Love Christmas, pretty much all of them.. :)
Holiday Spirits - Straight No Chaser
Genre: A Capella
If you haven't heard of Straight No Chaser, again go look them up. They are so talented and funny to listen to. Much of this album is funny and really really well performed. 12 Days, will have you laughing out loud! This is a great one for the car and for sing alongs. Favorite Songs: Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Jingle Bell Rock, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Angels We Have Heard On High, Little Saint Nick, The 12 Days of Christmas, Carol of the Bells, Africa {bonus track on itunes}. So there you have it, a few of my favorite Christmas albums. Some are modern, some are classic. Some are well known others are guilty pleasures. I love them all!
I hope this post puts you in the holiday spirit whatever your musical tastes!
As soon as I downloaded 'Bad Blood' I was in love with Bastille. Every song on the album is incredible, I have trouble choosing favorites! I quickly searched for upcoming shows, only finding sold out and far away ones. I was bummed because I prefer to catch a band I love on an album that I know so well, rather than waiting for the next round of touring... when I may not like the music quite as much.
Just a couple weeks later I saw a tweet saying that Bastille was playing in Omaha this December, a mere 3 hours away! I immediately texted Kyle to check if it would be ok with him, and soon after spent the $45 on tickets (including fees!). I am soooooo glad that we went, I think it was the best concert I've been to so far this year! With only one show coming up the rest of the month. Thank you to Twitter again for leading me to a THIRD amazing and incredibly cheap event!!! :)
Omaha & Dinner
We left right after school and drove straight to the hotel. We checked in, changed into concert attire and drove to the venue. After we sized up the parking situation we tried to eat at an urbanspoon find, but it was closed. So we went to the King Kong restaurant near the zoo. It was fast and decent. Then we drove back down, parked on the street and shivered as we walked through all of the snow! It was so cold!
The Venue
We got to the Sokol Auditorium which looks a lot like an old school or community center and checked in. We grabbed our tickets and went inside. The place was already pretty packed! We found a spot on the balcony level near the railing where we could see pretty well. Before Bastille came on a very nice man offered to switch us spots because he was very tall. It was so amazing. I more or less had my favorite view (minus the guy near us's elbow....). It was perfect! For KC people, the venue reminds me of a grittier, smaller, more retro version of Uptown. It was very fitting for this show. Small, a little grungy and unique.
Wild Cub
The opening band was called Wild Cub, from Nashville, TN. We didn't hear their entire set, but they were pretty decent from what we did hear. The lead singer did some sort of drum solos... that were kind of improvisational. It was very interesting. I think I would need to hear recorded versions to get a better idea of how much I like them... But either way, I liked them more than I usually like opening bands that I hadn't already wanted to see. Which may not sound like high praise, but it is! Looking forward to exploring more of their music. :) -Update: I love Thunderclatter, but so far can't quite get into the rest of their album. -I'll keep trying.
Bastille
To sum this up, I just kept turning to Kyle and saying, 'Holy Cow!' It never occurred to me that they could be bad. But I don't think I was prepared for how AMAZING they ended up being!
Every song was fantastic. The stuff from the album I love, the covers, the new songs... The atmosphere was great and so many people there were just as excited as we were. (rare!) I really love their style of music, but also that they can pull off gritty 90's rap songs like City High's 'What Would You Do?' in their own style. So versatile.
I spent the whole show in a state of giddyness. Singing, dancing, clapping, laughing.... just really absorbed in the show. I think it is definitely the best concert I've been to all year, and absolutely at the top of my list altogether.
The frontman, Dan Smith was very cool, very interactive with the crowd. At one point he jumped off of the stage and wove himself through the standing audience with his corded mic. About 100 ladies down there shrieked! At first everyone was just pulling on him, but eventually he was able to walk more and dance and sing with the audience. It was all being filmed, so it will be cool to see what that ends up becoming. At another point he walked backwards into his mic stand and it fell over. He didn't trip too much, but kind of laughed at himself, picked it up and held it in the air triumphantly and then threw it back across the stage (all while continuing the song). When it had ended, he said something like 'well that was cool...' which got everyone laughing. But honestly, I don't think anyone in the entire place thought otherwise.
They are playing in KC on Saturday at a sold out show alongside some other amazing bands for The Night the Buzz Stole Christmas. So if you are going, be VERY excited, and make sure that you get to be there when Bastille plays! I am a little bummed that we don't have tickets, because it would be amazing to see them again, and to see the rest of the bands, but I loved that we got to see them headline. I think this is the best type of show to see a band. Hoping to attend many similar shows in the future!
A while back I decided to download Bastille's album 'Bad Blood' ... and I can't. stop. listening.
It's amazing, if you haven't heard it... make it happen!
Have you heard this album? What do you think?
I like every song.. which is unusual for me recently. I will say that one of them is my least favorite... but other than that I LOVE them. My favorite track has to be Oblivion. It's so beautiful. (but it's definitely the slowest, so if it's not your thing check out the other tracks which are more upbeat and have catchier choruses)
I appreciate that most every song tells a story.
After seeing that their tour was sold out in the US, I was bummed that I hadn't stumbled upon them sooner. Just when I was about to give up hope, two shows were announced nearby for this winter! I managed to get tickets ($16 each, ROBBERY!) and am SO SO excited for the show! (read about the show here!) Once again thank you to twitter for always bringing me random tweets that lead me to the perfect events! (other twitter event successes include: the Girls with Glasses Event and the Bethany Dillon Concert )
I think that the show is going to be epic! I can't wait to write about it for you guys! :)
What is your favorite track?
Have you seen Bastille live?
Thank you for Reading! 85,000 views!! I'm so Grateful!!
