top 20 songs of 2015

 20. The Ghosts of Beverly Drive- Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab is one of my favorite bands of all time and "Kintsugi" was good. It wasn't "Plans" or "Transatlanticism" but nothing will ever be. This was my favorite song off the album.

19. Mine (Michael Keenan Remix)- Phoebe Ryan feat. Skizzy Mars
I am a sucker for breathy female vocals and synth featuring rap verses.

18. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)- Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell 
When I first heard of this collab I became giddy at the possibilities. The album itself was unremarkable, but I loved this sweet little ballad and anything Sam Beam touches.

17. Clean- Ryan Adams
Like most of the 15 year old girls stoked for this album, I only heard a few things here and there from Ryan Adams, but I did know he had a super loyal fan base of people whose music tastes I share. I think Ryan's version of "Clean" demonstrated how Taylor Swift is a true lyricist. I loved it when Taylor did it and loved it even more when Ryan did.

16. When We Were Young- Adele
If Adele didn't make your list this year, do you live under a rock? She's back and still has that mind-numbingly perfect voice that orchestrated numerous solo performances in my car.

15. Kamikaze- MØ
Kinda ethnic sounding but I am at a loss for which ethnicity. This song is way cute and happy.

14. Only One- Kanye West feat. Paul McCartney
Remember when this came out and people were like, "who's Paul, he's pretty good." This song is so tender and sweet and so far from everything Yeezus and I liked seeing that different side of Kanye. Technically it was dropped NYE 2014 but that's pretty close to 2015 so I'm including it.

13. Show Me the Way- Penguin Prison
It's just so good and danceable.

12. Unknown Song- Milky Chance feat. Paulina Eisenberg
When I first heard this song, and still every time I hear it, I don't know what to think. I try finding a comparison and can't but just know that I love its laidback feel.

11. Until You Were Gone- The Chain Smokers & Tritonal feat. Emily Warren
Pop dance happy beats.

10. Electric Love- BØRNS
Lyrics sweet like candy and just a feel good jam.

9. Where Are Ü Now- Skrillex, Diplo & Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber had one of my favorite albums of the year. I think this was the first preview of the album and after my first listen, I knew I beliebed.

8. John My Beloved- Sufjan Stevens
Such a gorgeous album. I got to see him perform this live and I silently wept during its entirety.

7. Yeah You- Freedom Fry
This is the cutest song on my list I think because I want to have a wedding reception just to use this as the first dance song.

6. Gibraltar- Beirut
I remember first hearing this and smiling while thinking, "I just love Beirut."

5. Sorry- Justin Bieber
Sorry that Biebs made my list twice but this song is dope and so is the music video.

4. California- Grimes
"Art Angels" was my favorite album of 2015. Grimes is too freaking cute and weird not to love and I couldn't decide between this song and the next one so I put them both because they are both that good to me. This is the stuff of pop dreams.

4. Flesh Without Blood- Grimes
^^

2. FourFiveSeconds- Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney
I still don't know what 'wiling' is but I had this on repeat for a month when it came out. As soon as RiRi hits that first note, I lose it.

1. Tempted- Giorgio Moroder feat. Matthew Koma
There is something about this easily missed disco gem from Giorgio Moroder's "Deja Vu" album that instantly puts me in a good mood and has me singing shamelessly along.

monthly playlist: july & august

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monthly playlist: june

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

monthly playlist: may

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

coachella 2016 lineup weekend 2 (according to kev)

For weekend 2, I asked Kev Nemelka to make up his dream lineup. Kev is a dear friend and we both have similar music tastes, so I was excited to see how similar/different our lineups would be. At BYU we used to throw IDPs and his mixes were always my fave. He also does monthly playlist for the blog The House That Lars Built and we often have multiple matching tracks.  Same rules applied: 1) only one hologram 2) you can have bands/groups that have broken up and 3) you can combine artists that have recently been collaborating together. Coachella 2016 if it were up to Kev: So sick. Thanks for helping, Kev. I only hope that next year's lineup will be half as good as either of our weekends.

coachella 2016 lineup (according to me)

In lieu of Coachella Music Festival this weekend, I thought it would be fun to create my ultimate festival lineup. I found this random website www.createlineup.com and actually had a blast making up my dream lineup. If you're ever super bored, I highly suggest this and share your lineup with me!

The rules are: 1) only one hologram 2) you can have bands/groups who have broken up and 3) you can combine artists that have recently been collaborating together.

So here it is. Coachella 2016 if it were up to me:
I would drop big bucks to go to this festival. I truly can't decide which is the best day either!

FBF to Coachella 2012 with my main chick Kylie O. 

monthly playlist: april

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

monthly playlist: march

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

monthly playlist: february

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

monthly playlist: january

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11

preston's top 20 songs of 2014

Here are Preston's top song picks of 2014:

20. Mr Little Jeans - Oh Sailor (ft. the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Youth Chorale

Great use of the children's choir and very sweet, simple lyrics.

19. Moby - Almost Home (Washed Out Remix)

This is a match made in chillwave heaven (a place that is kind of fun to imagine).  I love the little bridge section at around 2:10, where it sounds like we are sitting in a chillwave cathedral, about to ascend!

18. MO - Say You'll Be There

I didn't know until recently that this was a Spice Girls cover, but that kind of makes it even cooler. My memory of this song will always be hearing MO as we filed into Zilker Park for ACL (even though we arrived to late to really see any of MO's set).

17. Calvin Harris - Pray to God (Ft. HAIM)

A surprising/questionable collaboration when first announced, this song was about the best outcome anyone could have hoped for. I think CH showcased HAIM pretty favorably in this catchy tune.

16. Tennis - Never Work For Free

In their latest album they added a few instruments and departed a little from their signature lo-fi sound, but managed to keep the vintage feel of their music, which I really enjoy.

15. Leon Bridges - Coming Home

Speaking of vintage sound, no one this year captured that as purely as Leon Bridges. This song comes fresh out of a time machine from the 50s and wouldn't sound out of place in my grandparent's record collection.

14. Sam Smith - Stay With Me

It would be a lie to not include a Sam Smith track on this list.  He had a bunch of popular songs this year, but this was the real show stopper when we got to see him in October. 

13. The Knocks - Classic (RAC Remix)

RAC can do no wrong. His remixes seem so simple, but he must have some kind of special touch because no one can remake a song like Andre.  I see on Soundcloud that this song is now streaming on the Hollister Vibe 2015 playlist but that only makes me like it more.  

12. Gilligan Moss - Choreograph

I've been on an "ewok" kick lately and this song sounds like a jungle thumping Endor dance party with an all ewok percussion section.

11. Felix Jaehn - Ain't Nobody (Ft. Jasmine Thompson)

Great summer jam - bouncy synth, catchy lyrics, that little xylophone thing - when I listen to this song, I sometimes pretend that I'm playing that xylophone in a "more cowbell" type skit.

10. Saint Pepsi - Fiona Coyne

I have a pretty soft spot for joyous disco-pop and I love that down-to-earth quality that his voice has.

9. Odesza - Memories That You Call (Ft. Moonsiren)

Amazing mastering or arrangement or whatever...insert random audio production words...the song just feel spatially enormous, like it was performed in a giant white room with glittery strobe lights pulsing and flashing.  

8. Golden Coast - Who We Are

This song is just pure energy and joy. Kev pointed out they have an Imagine Dragons-type sound and I think they will break out in 2016 - their other single, "Break My Fall" was also excellent and has had some great remixes made of it. 

7. David Guetta - Dangerous (Ft. Sam Martin)

One of Guetta's first forays into funk, and I think he nailed it.  

6. Tala - Serbia

I love the unexpected rhythm of this song, it catches you on the wrong foot, but in a good way.  It has a some moody drums, horn-like synths and great diva vocals.  The synth kind of bursts out of the haze, and reminds me a lot of Jai Paul.

5. Todd Terje - Delorean Dynamite

This will be the theme song for the Mars remake of Miami Vice.  It's a layered slow build, a perfect, subtle, nudisco masterpiece.  Terje's whole album "It's Album Time" is fantastic, and one of my all-time fav live concert videos is of another track (originally released in 2012, or it would have been on this list) from the album.

4. Grizfolk - Hymnals (RAC Remix)

I find the harmonies and that dancing bass line in this song just addictive. Another simple, subtle, phenomenal remix from Andre.

3. Ryn Weaver - Octahate

Best debut single of the year. Seriously, she comes out guns a blazin' in this one, showcasing her great voice and some pretty stellar production. I'm excited to hear what Kev has to say about this one, he liked it as well and is the best pop analyst I know. 

2. The Weeknd - Often (Kygo Remix)

Holy smokes. What a remix. There is just nothing wrong with this song. Nothing at all.  Abel's croon. Kygo's snaps and silky synth on the backbeats.  Just brilliant.

1. Glass Animals - Gooey (Gilligan Moss Remix)

This song makes me wiiiild.

my top 20 songs of 2014

It's that time of year. Here's the first of several end-of-the year lists on this blog:

20. Kingdom (feat. Simon Le Bon)- Charli XCX Featured on the Mockingjay soundtrack, this Charli XCX track is different than anything she's ever done and has a great whimsical quality to it.

19. Heaven Knows- First Aid Kit These Swedish chicks are the real deal. I'm a little late jumping on the First Aid Kit train, but I thoroughly enjoyed their 2014 album, Stay Gold and this super folk-y song was my favorite track from it.

18. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel Cover)- Buffetlibre feat. Dragonette I'm a sucker for covers, especially covers of all-time favorite songs. This is a gorgeous rendition of Neutral Milk Hotel's original and if this song came out pre June 2013 and we didn't already have special memories to "First Day of My Life," this would've been our first dance song.

17. Words (Glastrophobie Remix)- Anna Graceman Fun piano infused pop.

16. Riptide (Vance Joy Cover)- Gossling This song is 10x better than the original in my opinion and when I first discovered it, had it on repeat for hours. It sounds like Joanna Newsom covering Vance Joy.

15. Ignition Remix (Viceroy Jet Life Remix)- R. Kelly Oops, last cover I swear. I love R.Kelly's "Ignition Remix" and I've loved the Viceroy Jet Life remixes of other popular hip hop songs. This one is a fun, hyper version of R.Kelly's smooth original.

14. New Bitch- Iggy Azalea Iggy was one of my favorite acts at ACL last year and this is my favorite song from New Classic.


13. I'm Not the Only One- Sam Smith How could you not include this guy in a top 2014 list? He has the voice of an angel and I had a hard time choosing a favorite from his debut album, but this was it.


12. Classic (The Knocks Remix)- RAC RAC always puts me in a good mood and makes me wanna dance. This is a great summer jam to listen to with the windows rolled down.

11. Sail- Noosa Another favorite from summer. So happy and carefree.

10. Push Pull- Purity Ring Hopefully the release of this track means a new album is coming out in 2015. I love Purity Ring and their little baby voices.

9. Empress- Morningsiders Such a random find, but honestly easily another one of my most played. This kind of reminds me of music I liked in high school like Hellogoodbye, and definitely has a juvenile vibe to it, but I love the chorus.

8. Uma- Panama Wedding Preston said I like this song so much because it sounds like Vampire Weekend and that's 100% accurate.

7. Circles- Vanic x Machineheart Another happy-go-lucky female pop number. I can never get enough.

6. Head Underwater- Jenny Lewis Oh Jenny. Voyager was tied with 1989 for most played album of 2014. Jenny was my favorite act at ACL and after seeing her live I developed a newfound love and respect for her. She's an incredibly gifted musician and just is too cool for school, but nice enough to want to be friends with her.

5. I Will Never Let You Down- Rita Ora Great vocals, bubblegum pop lyrics. Another excessively played jam during my summer.

4. Often (Kygo Remix)- The Weeknd Best remix on this list. I love anything The Weeknd does and this had the perfect amount of sexy and funk.

3. Shake It Off- Taylor Swift I had a dilemma choosing which Taylor song I was going to put on this list. 2014 was the year of T.Swift. My very favorite song from 1989 is actually "How You Get the Girl" but I think "Shake It Off" was such a perfect single to release to get us excited for 1989. It's also one of the most unique tracks off the album and has spawned so many great remixes. I always turn this one up when it comes on. All hail baby T.

2. OctaHate- Ryn Weaver What an incredible debut single from Ryn Weaver. She has amazingly powerful vocals and this song has such an addictive beat that makes me wanna move.

1. Completely Not Me- Jenny Lewis This song was featured on GIRLS which makes me love/hate it more, but I'm obsessed with this quintessentially Jenny Lewis folk pop track. Everything from the instrumentals to the quirky lyrics makes me smile whenever I hear it. I'm such a fangirl for J and this was my favorite song of the year.

monthly playlist: december

 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

monthly playlist: november

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

monthly playlist: october

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

austin city limits 2014 weekend 2

This weekend we went to Austin for the 2nd weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. We went with our friends Mike and Cheryl and had a fantastic time and saw so many great acts.

This picture was taken right after we saw Sam Smith on Day 1. We got into Austin right at the beginning of set on Friday night. It felt like there were 100,000 people at Zilker Park, no exaggeration. Compared to Coachella, my only other music festival, ACL felt ENORMOUS. Day 1 was the sweatiest day but we saw: Sam Smith, Childish Gambino, Belle & Sebastian and Outkast.

We got pretty good seats for Belle & Sebastian^^

Outkast was a blast!

On Saturday morning it rained and stopped right when we wanted to go back to the park. This made for cool temperatures and lots of mud. I was kind of in shock that I was a little bit chilly on Saturday compared to Friday's sweat fest. On Saturday we saw: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Zoe, Iggy Azalea, The Avett Brothers, Broken Bells, Skrillex and Eminem.

Iggy Azalea was one of my favorite shows of the weekend. I have an Iggy running playlist and I've always liked her songs, but after seeing her perform, despite being super far and super crowded, I have the biggest crush on her. She's beautiful, so sassy, sexy and can spit. Dem. Beats. A guy puked in front of me at her show and if I weren't wearing sandals, I would have stepped in it to get a little closer. At the end of the weekend, I rated all the shows we had seen by whether or not I would pay to see them if they came to Dallas. I would 100% pay to see Iggy again.

We got great spots for Broken Bells. This was one of the coolest shows of the weekend because James Mercer and Danger Mouse are incredible musicians. Also, this show was visually amazing. At the end there were giant bouncy balls in the crowd.

 On Sunday we walked around the University of Texas campus and had the best donuts in the world at Gourdough's, pictured above and below. If you are ever in Austin, make the stop to this food truck because it's insane.

Another really great part about ACL were the food stands. All the stands were local restaurants that took the best things from their menu and sold them. It was a great variety of delicious foods and I had everything from gyros to brisket nachos. Also, ACL is super tech savvy and when you activated your wristband, you could attached a credit card to it and pay with your wristband. Maybe that's not a new thing, but I was very impressed with this system.

On Sunday we saw Cults, Jenny Lewis, Lorde and Calvin Harris. Preston also saw Zedd, but I was too deep into the crowd for Lorde to join him.

Cults were great and Madeline Follin is adorable^^

Probably my favorite show because we were front row was Jenny Lewis. I love Voyager and listened to a lot of Rilo Kiley in middle school, so it was an absolute dream to see her so close. Jenny is wildly talented and I wanted to hang out with her afterwards. She had a beautiful voice and such a great stage presence, I was stoked to be in the front row.

I would probably not pay more than $30 to see Jenny Lewis if she came to Dallas only because I couldn't have asked for a better show in Austin. She makes my all-time girl crush list forever.

I'll be honest, I was most excited to see Lorde and she probably would have been my favorite show if 1) I had been closer to the stage and 2) she would have sung more. I was surrounded by giants at the beginning of Lorde and had to weave my way in, but by the end I had a pretty good spot for a headliner. So I still have a lot of respect for her, but my biggest complaint after her show was the fact that I felt like didn't sing as much as she could have. She would do the thing where she had the audience sing or she would just thrash around and let her backup singers do the work. I think she has great stage presence, but I paid the big bucks and squeezed my way through a crowd to her Lorde sing, not the weekend 2 crowd or her backup singers.

 Overall, I thought she was great and I had a good time. She was worth it to me and I think I would still pay to see her in Dallas.

We ended the night with a Calvin Harris dance party and drove back to Dallas. ACL was a great time and if you're ever in Austin when it's going on, go!

Preston made this super cute video of the weekend and I love it and if you didn't really read anything in this post at least watch this vid.