Smoke + Mirrors Tour

Tour Details:
Album: Smoke + Mirrors
Artist: Imagine Dragons
Genre: Alternative



Concert Details:
Date: July 25, 2015
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ
Opening Acts: Metric and Halsey


Review of the location:

   Compared to some other concert venues in the Phoenix area, US Airways Center was pretty great. You might be more familiar with this as home to the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury basketball teams as well as the arena football team, Arizona Rattlers. The concessions were more varied than other places I have been to, though beware the prices are a little high. The only con in this respect was that at the beginning of the concert the fountain soda machines were not working. I only noticed this because I am crazy addicted to Diet Coke. One major pro, especially because this is Phoenix in the summer, is that this location has AC! This is a huge deal and made the performance far more enjoyable. Bathrooms were clean and lines were never too long. This is practically unheard of for women's restrooms. All of the ushers were extremely friendly and helpful. Overall, it was a very clean and well maintained facility. I would absolutely consider seeing another concert here.

Review of the musical performance:

   Metric was the first on stage. Before the concert I had actually never heard of this band. Some background on them is that they are a Canadian alternative band that formed in 1998. I would recommend listening to a few of their songs before attending a concert. Individuals that knew their songs were very excited to see the performance and were jumping around singing along. Most people around me had never heard their songs before though. The instrumental aspect of the performance was great with a lot of energy. This was probably an issue with the sound system in use, but the singer's voice was very difficult to understand and was almost like humming. I even noticed this when she was speaking to the crowd.
    I believe Halsey was meant to perform next but she was absent from this concert. This was definitely a bummer.
    Finally, Imagine Dragons took the stage. The performance was musically fantastic. There were quite a few epic guitar solos and I liked that there was a lot of movement and energy on the stage from the performers. The coordination of lyrics, music intensity, and lights was absolutely perfect and created an awesome atmosphere. Everyone was dancing, jumping, and singing along. Since I am not huge on ballads, I especially enjoyed the higher energy "I'm So Sorry", "Friction", and "Radioactive". The camaraderie present on stage was great to see as well. Some shows it feels like the various musicians are competing for attention. This was more like a group of friends that respected each other and were willing to share the spotlight. The band did a great job musically as well as creating a visually awesome show. Many families, parents and children aged around 10-14, came to the concert together. There was not much alcohol consumption that I noticed either. This kept the atmosphere family friendly. Be warned though that the lights used in the performance make it nearly impossible to get a great picture and if you're sensitive to flashing or strobe lights this could be a problem.

Review of the show:

   For several reasons this was not the smoothest show I have ever been to. Metric came on after 8:00PM and Imagine Dragons started playing after 9:00 with an intermission of about an hour between acts. Many people became restless and one couple near me even left. This sounds odd but was later explained by the fact that the show was nearly cancelled. It was announced that a virus was affecting several members of the tour and that Imagine Dragon's lead singer, Dan, and one of the opening acts, Halsey, were ill. Halsey did not perform at all. I believe this is the reason for Metric playing for so long and the awkwardly long intermission.

Overall experience:

   This was a great concert, even with the few snafus, and everyone there seemed to be really enjoying themselves. Facebook was full of friends that had attended and everyone agreed that it was amazing. I was beyond ecstatic to have gone to this concert. I've mentioned before that they are my absolute favorite band. For two years I tried seeing Imagine Dragons in concert but I was away at college and every time they came to Phoenix it was one or two days after I had had to return to campus. It was everything I was hoping it would be.

Because it's the weekend

Who doesn't like to dance? It might not actually be in front of other human beings or in public, but dancing is always a fun stress reliever. Feeling cranky? Tired of sitting still? Bored? Get up and move! Or at least bob your head. That works too. Here are five songs that I've been dancing to lately. Turn up the volume and dance around!

1)

      Song: Problem
      Artist: Natalia Kills
      Album: Trouble
      Genre: Pop
      Video: Problem 

2)

      Song: Stranger
      Artist: Skrillex
      Album: Divergent Soundtrack or Recess
      Genre: Dance
      Video: Stranger

3)
  
       Song: Worth It (feat. Kid Ink)
       Artist: Fifth Harmony
       Album: Reflection
       Genre: Pop
       Video: Worth It

4)

       Song: Overdrive
       Artist: Calvin Harris & Ummet Ozcan
       Album: Motion
       Genre: Dance
       Video: Overdrive

5)

       Song: Slow Acid
       Artist: Calvin Harris
       Album: Motion
       Genre: Dance
       Video: Slow Acid


I hope you enjoy! Just a couple of things about the above songs before I wrap this up. First, the song and video for "Problem" are labeled explicit. Content may not be super appropriate for very young listeners and viewers. Second, "Overdrive" and "Slow Acid" do not have lyrics. Have an amazing weekend!

Creepy Singles

   Sometimes you need a song that isn't quite ordinary. Not a love song. Not a breakup song. Not a screaming song. Not a crying song. And not even a happy song. But perhaps a creepy song. Creepy in a cool way not in a hiding out, terrified way...


Title: Pity Party
Artist: Melanie Martinez
Album: Pity Party Single
Genre: Alternative
Video: Pity Party

Review:

This one is not as eerie as the song below. It is definitely more the video that has a creepy vibe than the song itself. The premise of the video is a girl who is throwing a party and no one shows up. Martinez is dressed like a much younger girl and her settings are that of a party for little girls. She does end up pretty much losing it (crazy hair, clown makeup, shredding stuffed animals...) by the end of the video. This song is a twist on the older "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore, but not a full remake. Rather than a man leaving, this song is about no one showing up to a girl's party. If you like funny videos that have a touch of crazy then check this one out. It is fun and weird in the best way possible.

Title: Secret
Artist: The Pierces
Album: Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge
Genre: Pop
Video: Secret

Review:

Creepy, creepy, creepy circus freak show. This song is the descent into madness and creeps me out every time I hear it. Years ago it was featured on ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars. The first time I heard it was without the video...this makes it infinitely creepier (if you choose to just listen, here is a video). The entire premise of the song is that "two can keep a secret if one of them is dead" and the music definitely has a circus/carnival feel to it. Singing is done in an almost monotonous tone with a high pitched sweet voice. Even the spoken sections between the sisters gets pretty creepy. If you're looking for an eerie song, this is it.

Coming Soon: Light Up the Dark

Album Title: Light Up the Dark
Artist: Gabrielle Aplin
Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Release Date: September 18, 2015

Teaser Video of "Don't Break Your Heart On Me"- here
Official Video for "Light Up the Dark"- here
Official Video for "Heavy Heart"- here

 Super Exciting Music Release! Yay!

   Gabrielle Aplin is an English singer and songwriter who is freaking fantastic. I absolutely loved her album English Rain with such stunners as "Panic Cord" and "Please Don't Say You Love Me". If you are a fan of the show Outlander then you may have heard her song "Salvation" playing in this fan made video for Jaime and Claire. Her voice is haunting and dreamy. It is never overpowering and keeps a soft quality in every song. Her guitar playing is flawless. Her lyrics are always beautiful and weave captivating tales of love, fear, and loss. Perfect for fans of more mellow, soulful music. If you like Norah Jones, James Bay, or Ed Sheeran then I would definitely check out her music.
   For her American listeners, Aplin's newest album will be released on September 18, 2015. If you have iTunes then I would suggest checking out the deluxe edition of the album. It is only one dollar more and you get six more songs. This includes "Don't Break Your Heart On Me", the song I am most excited to hear. Aplin teased the song on her YouTube channel back in January and I have been wanting to hear it so much ever since. "Heavy Heart" and "Light Up the Dark" seem to be a little different from what I have heard from her before, but I think the change will be interesting.
   Above are details to the album as well as links to three videos, all songs that are featured on the newest album. Check it out and enjoy the music!

Paper Towns by John Green

   With the movie coming out this Friday I figured it was about time I post a review for my absolute favorite John Green book! I loved The Fault in Our Stars and I'm getting into Looking for Alaska but Paper Towns is just so uniquely fantastic that it has to be my favorite. I read it about a year ago during finals week in college when I really needed something fun and fast to read, not horribly depressing and slow. I do not recommend taking 19 credits at a time. Even 18...though I got really bored when I only had 15...so do whatever works for you! What was I saying??? Oh, yeah! This was just what I needed! Below you can check out the book details and a review I wrote right after I finished reading. Sorry it is a bit shorter than my normal review. I blame 19 year old me ;)

Movie Release Date: July 24, 2015

Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green
Page Count: 305
Rating: A
Keywords: Senior Year, Mystery, Crush, the one that got away, male POV
Genre: Contemporary YA
Younger Readers: some crude language but should be fine for younger readers

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...

Review:

    The great and wonderful Margo was probably my least favorite character in this entire book! She came across as shallow and toxic but this doesn't mean that I did not absolutely love this book. Once the story was just Radar, Ben, Lacey, and Quentin I was obsessed. There were sentimental moments but what I really enjoyed was the humor. Not many books make me laugh out loud, but this one certainly did. You will understand this if you have read it: black Santas and the road trip crash. These are two of my absolute favorite moments. Yes, I was angry at Margo for most of the book and still was not a huge fan of hers by the end but the mystery element she introduced was entertaining and kept the story moving and gave it greater depth than if it had simply been a funny book. An added bonus? This book had a good ending and wrapped up nicely. I hate when a book ends in a frustrating way.
   I recommend this to everyone! Check it out!

The Breakup Singles

   These are those songs for when your heart has been broken. Whether it's that special someone just wasn't that into you, you broke up, you were cheated on, etc. But don't worry! These are not the sob fest songs. Both are on the more upbeat side of heartbreak...if there is such a thing. Cry only if you want to and remember that heartbreak sucks at first but it will eventually get better. Even if it seems like the end of the world (especially if it is your first heartbreak), it will get better. Trust me! ;)


Title: Body Talk
Artist: Foxes
Album: Body Talk Single
Genre: Pop
Video: Body Talk

Review:

The video and song are both giving serious 80s vibes. This one is all about realizing that for some reason the relationship just wasn't right and you have to accept it. Let the past go. I like that the song acknowledges this realizing the situation may have been wrong but it still is going to hurt. You're going to feel a little lost and cry. Honesty in lyrics is always a plus. So listen and take the song's advice, "just let it go" and "let your body talk" (aka dance)! This is a great song for if you don't want something horribly depressing (sob fest song) but are not quite ready for the crazy upbeat, bubblegum pop either. Dance away the heartbreak.


Title: Should've Been Us
Artist: Tori Kelly
Album: Unbreakable Smile
Genre: Pop
Video: Should've Been Us

Review:

You may have heard this one on the radio recently. This is all about reminiscing and wondering what could have been. Everything about this is the eternal "what if?". The lyrics talk about how everything should have been, about how everything was crazy before but if things had been given a shot they would have worked out and been perfect. Maybe not realistic in every situation but a lot of people have certainly had this thought after something has ended, that idealized image of possibilities. More honest lyrics! Tori is more traditional pop and her tempo is faster and the video has some fun moments, especially the concert scenes. Check it out.

New Awesome Singles

Two great new songs I would recommend checking out this summer!

Title: Here
Artist: Alessia Cara
Album: Here Single
Genre: Pop
Video: Here

Review:

Introverts unite! This entire song is about not being into parties and the video shows a girl (Alessia) looking completely fed up with a party straight from Clueless. She keeps repeating the lines "what am I doing here?" and "tell my friends I'll be over here". This is pretty much me at a party. I love the sassy quality of the lyrics mixed with Cara's smooth vocals. Most songs are about letting loose and going crazy at a party. I liked that this one was from the perspective of someone that does not enjoy partying. If you're an introvert you will at least find this song amusing. "Antisocial pessimist" was my favorite line. It isn't a song that inspires me to break out dancing but I definitely start bobbing my head every time I hear it. Check it out!

Title: Adore
Artist: Jasmine Thompson
Album: Adore Single
Genre: Pop
Video: Adore

Review:

I loved this song! It has a dreamy quality to it but not in a boring way. It is labeled as "pop" but it almost has a really upbeat "alternative" side to it. When I was listening to it I just kept getting this really fun, cute vibe from it. It is the non bubbly, very chill version of having a crush in the summer. The video is definitely reminiscent of Taylor Swift's "Style" video at certain points but I enjoyed the unique qualities of it as well. Jasmine has a great voice and does quite a few covers. Check out her cover of Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" here.