The Charter

ALBUMS (No particular order except for #1)

5. More Beautiful Than Silence (EP) - K’naan 

4. Voyageur - Kathleen Edwards 

3. Making Mirrors - Gotye

2. Hearts on Fire (EP) - Scars on 45

1. Beautiful Things - Anthony Green

TRACKS

10. Domino - Jessie J

09. Love the Way You Lie Part III - Skylar Grey

08. Ass Back Home - Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch

07. Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

06. Mind Eraser - The Black Keys

05. Reunion - M83

04. Safe & Sound - Taylor Swift ft. the Civil Wars

03. Just to Feel Alive - Anthony Green

02. If I Don’t Sing - Anthony Green

01. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye

Tracks that will become big during the month of February:

Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye

Glad You Came - The Wanted

Albums I’ll Be Listening To:

Given To The Wild - The Maccabees

Henge Beat - Total Control

The Horror - Pop. 1280

Stop the World - Arranda

Invicta - Hit the Lights

ALBUMS

“America Give Up” - Howler (7.5/10) 

The album is the perfect blend of the Trashmen and the Beach Boys with a modern twist. It works.

“The Lion’s Roar” - First Aid Kit (4/10)

The album is so boring and so bland that not even the lead vocalist’s fantastic vocals could keep me listening.

“The Buried Sessions - EP” - Skylar Grey (8/10) 

The rising pop star releases her new EP, in which she uses her own style on famous pop songs (two of which she was featured in). All three are enjoyable, and they make me look forward to her upcoming LP.

TRACKS

“Ass Back Home (feat. Neon Hitch)” - Gym Class Heroes (7.5/10)

I would usually say a talented rapper needn’t have a featured artist. However, Travie McCoy sucks. In other words, good job Neon Hitch.

“Domino” - Jessie J (8/10)

British pop star Jessie J never seems to disappoint me with her singles. They are so catchy and fun, that I ignore the fact that it sounds like everything else on mainstream radio.

“Reunion” - M83 (9.5/10)

After Midnight City’s moderate success, electronic French band M83 released their newest single, “Reunion.” Midnight City ranked 15th on my favorite songs of 2011. Reunion is better.

-everysecond:

tatertotz—and—jello:

ic or ooc

I’ll get nothing but whatever |:

tatertotz—and—jello:

ALBUMS

Making Mirrors - Gotye (8/10)

Gotye’s vocals and style are very simplistic, which can sometimes slow the album down. Almost all songs are worthy of being singles.

Wonderland - Steve Aoki (7/10)

It’s a fun album, however, I feel as if Steve Aoki is trying to make his album much more radio friendly. There are standout tracks such as “The 80’s” and “Come With Me.”

TRACKS/SONGS

Rack City - Tyga (3/10)

Tyga… what the hell happened to “Far Away?”

Set Fire to the Rain - Adele (8/10)

The track does not compare to “Rolling in the Deep” or “Someone Like You.” “Rain” sounds a lot like her first single, with the same dark vibe.

Drive By - Train (5.5/10)

I gave this song 4.5 more than it deserves. Why? It’s not the fake instrumentals.It’s because it really is catchy. 

I Won’t Give Up, Jason Mraz, I Won’t Give You Up - Single, 2012

6/10

Jason Mraz has been someone I’ve been looking out for ever since the release of his single “The Remedy.” The single was like a very fresh tomato randomly placed in a group of rotten tomatoes. It was something new, fresh, and extremely juicy. Reassuring Mraz’s creativity was his 2009 hit single, “I’m Yours,” one of the greatest singles of all time, spending 77 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, a record. No tracks of his were released in 2010 or 2011, which was pretty disappointing. However, Mraz finally released his new single, “I Won’t Give Up.” I am disappointed.

There really isn’t much to say about this song. It’s a simple acoustic ballad. Nothing really different here. The beginning sounds exactly like Switchfoot’s “I Dare You To Move,” which immediately means Mraz loses points for creativity. The lyrics are not badly written, but I just expected so much more from a real artist like him. Not to mention the song is as boring as hell the first time you listen to it.

In his latest attempt, Jason Mraz decides to release an acoustic ballad as his first single. The vocals are all Mraz, and, while the singing is alright, I’ve lost the connection between him and I. In other words, I can relate to him, but I can’t at the same time. The overused theme of the song annoyed me a bit (a struggling relationship that you try to overcome). 

On a brighter side, I do credit Mraz for using such simple technique when writing this song. For example, the lone usage of a guitar and the vocals makes the song a bit more heartfelt. The simplicity of the song is magnificent because it was an appropriate time to use it. Overall, “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz is hopefully the only song to leave me with an “okay” review in his upcoming album.  

Safe & Sound, Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars, The Hunger Games Soundtrack, 2011

9.5/10

I have read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In fact, I read all three of the trilogy. Even though I’m that guy who hates reading and uses Sparknotes for my homework, I could not put this book down. After I heard that this novel was coming into the theaters, I was more than excited. It seems that the soundtrack is already being picked out.

“Safe & Sound” will be appearing in the movie’s soundtrack. The entire song is acoustic, but not like Swift’s usual style. No, the song isn’t about break-ups or relationships, but displays the suffering of a person desperately trying to survive. The narrator, in this case, Swift, reassures the victim and herself by saying that death is the best option because then there would be no suffering or pain. 

This track really shows how much Swift has matured from her last major single, and not the way Bieber matured (voice somehow finally got deep at 17 but still makes the same crappy pop songs). Instead of choosing a song about a fight with a boyfriend or something, Swift explores her darker side. It works for her. 

The depressing lyrics complement her tone. During the chorus, her voice trembles, clearly portraying an upset Taylor. This is the first time I have ever heard the pop-country star display any emotion in any of her songs. Harmonies by Joy Williams and John Paul White of the Civil Wars add a more eerie edge to the song. The track as a whole is a dark ballad about losing someone you love, which sounds very cliche, but is something Swift and the Civil Wars pull off very well.

Note: This review may be a bit biased if you have never read The Hunger Games. When listening to this song, I imagine where it would be in the movie. The most emotional part of the book is when a young girl who is only twelve is brutally murdered by taking an arrow to the chest (not the knee). She painfully dies while Katniss performs a special ceremony for her death. THIS would be the scene where the song would occur. It would provide an emotional response from someone who doesn’t even like Taylor Swift because of its emotional scene where it is displayed to the audience.

I am still unsure if Swift wrote the song or not (Wikipedia didn’t tell me). The lyrics are thoughtful, touching, and very depressing. It’s story about dying so we don’t have to suffer can be related to us as people, whether we’re killing an ant who’s unresponsive, or performing a ceremony for a twelve year old girl named Rue who fought till the death with countless other kids on live TV in a huge dome with no way out. Either way, Swift’s matured sound works for her, and hopefully we’ll here more from the Civil Wars and their beautiful vocals.

50. Red Solo Cup - Toby Keith

49. Don’t You Remember - Adele

48. Bayou Breakdown - Brant Karrick

47. The One That Got Away - Katy Perry

46. Holocene - Bon Iver

45. The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga

44. It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

43. Life is Life - Noah & the Whale

42. Sure Feels Right - Sixx A.M.

41. Lighters - Bad Meets Evil ft. Bruno Mars

40. Written in the Stars - Tinie Tempah & Eric Turner

39. If I Die Young - The Band Perry

38. Loser of the Year - Simple Plan

37. The Last Goodbye - David Cook

36. Rocketeer - Far*East Movement ft. Ryan Tedder

35. Give Me Everything - Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo

34. Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera

33. Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine

32. Dark Star Core Theme - Yoko Shimomura

31. Don’t Let Me Fall - B.o.B

30. A Kiss - Bad Meets Evil

29. Walk - Foo Fighters

28. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall - Coldplay

27. Firework - Katy Perry

26. Monster You Made - Pop Evil

25. We Found Love - Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris

24. Dirt Road Anthem - Jason Aldean

23. Fuck You - Cee lo Green

22. Kush - Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg, Akon

21. Donald Trump - Mac Miller

20. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock

19. Keep Your Head Up - Andy Grammer

18. The Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco

17. She Ain’t You - Chris Brown

16. Look At Me Now - Chris Brown

15. Midnight City - M83

14. Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons

13. All of the Lights - Kanye West ft. Various

12. Take a Minute - K’naan

11. Tighten Up - The Black Keys

10. Nobody’s Perfect - Jessie J

09. Someone Like You - Adele

08. Far Away - Tyga ft. Chris Richardson

07. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

06. Summer Paradise - Simple Plan ft. K’naan

05. Rope - Foo Fighters

04. I Need a Doctor - Dr. Dre ft. Eminem, Skylar Grey

03. Changing - The Airborne Toxic Event

02. Rolling in the Deep - Adele

01. Forget Your Heart - Silverstein

Red Solo Cup, Toby Keith, Clancy’s Tavern, 2011.

8.5/10

Who honestly is more patriotic than Toby Keith? The country star already released songs like “Made in America” and “Bleed Red.” His newest song, “Red Solo Cup” isthe epitome of funny and stupid songs.

No wonder Americans are stereotyped as stupid. With songs like this, I wouldn’t see why not. Besides, country music is THE American music. In fact, the Billboard Country Chart was first issued BEFORE the Billboard Hot 100 or Billboard 200, perhaps the biggest charts in the world. Yes, country music is criticized for being to abundant on the Hot 100, but there’s a special reason why it is. It’s freakin’ hilarious.

I dislike Toby Keith. He just screams jerk, and his over-patriotic songs just make the impression that he’s extremely self centered. When I heard “Red Solo Cup” for the first time I truly hated it. Yes, HATED it. Over time though, something changed. It seemed as if Toby Keith planted something in my brain, and overtime this seed grew and grew and made me love the song “Red Solo Cup.”

There’s nothing special about the song except that he was as drunk as hell when he was writing and performing it. The music video is hilarious, and can easily grab your attention. If you’re a country fanatic, you’ll notice country superstars such as Eric Church are displayed in the video, one scene where Church uses the cup as a bong. The lyrics are suprisingly witty and funny, and the banjo part is also really clever. I’m not cool so I’ve never been to party, but I can wholeheartedly say this is what it would be like.

Overall, the stupidity factor of “Red Solo Cup” is way beyond 10. Just give it a chance, even if you absolutely hate it the first listen. It needs time to grow on you, and once it does you’ll be hooked. With a banjo and a red solo cup, magic can easily happen. The lyrics are clever and hilarious, but the song CAN get a bit repetitive. However, if you truly hate this song, then you sir do not have a pair of testacles.