EK 16: Year End Chart

Ok, I have not blogged in a long time, but I think I should post my year-end chart (because all of the charts are doing so as well) This chart is specific to me only, I believe, and does not emulate any other chart other than my personal opinion.

Frame By Frame - Cassadee Pope

1. [Wasting All These Tears] - Cassadee Pope
Love Cassadee Pope! I am so proud that she was able to break "The Voice" bubble by having both a gold single, and a silver album! (685k single sales to date [Dec. 11, 2013], and 110k album sales to date [Dec. 11, 2013]) Her album, Frame by Frame, is out now, and it is very good! It's a unique mix of pop rock and country which produces new and modern songs.

Rating: A- (would have received A+ had she wrote it)

Pure Heroine - Lorde

2. [Team] - Lorde
Lorde is taking the world by the storm! Super impressive first single, Royals, but for me, Team is 10x better.

Rating: A

Night Visions - Imagine Dragons

3. [Bleeding Out] - Imagine Dragons
To clarify, I have known them since way before their Night Visions album came out. They are one of my favorite rock bands and are sincerely amazing.

Rating: A+

Avril Lavigne - Avril Lavigne

4.[Here's to Never Growing Up] - Avril Lavigne
Thus begins the list of guilty pleasures... This song was one of my faves for the summer, and it's just a feel good song.

Rating: B

Falling in Love - 2NE1

5. [Falling in Love] - 2NE1
First of the Kpops! While this is not my favorite song from them this year, (Missing You is), it has been the longest on my personal charts as well as retaining it likability.

Rating: A-

PRISM - Katy Perry

6. [Dark Horse (feat. Juicy J)] - Katy Perry
Another guilty pleasure, gosh, this song is just awesome with its bass and synths, and I had no idea Katy could do something like this. (First day it came out)

Rating: A

Pink Tape - f(x)

7. [Rum Pum Pum] - f(x)
While I love this awesome Kpop band, I still feel like its a marketing strategy rather than a genuine group. Nonetheless, they make great electronic Kpop music and I lurv it.
Rating: B-

We Remain - Christina Aguilera

8. [We Remain] - Christina Aguilera
I am a huge fan of Christina, especially with The Voice, but also with her music. This was a pleasant surprise because I was expecting a much more poppy song. The movie, Catching Fire, is fantasticccc, and this song truly conveys the message of the movie.

Rating: A

Reflektor - Arcade Fire

9. [Reflektor] - Arcade Fire
I have known Arcade Fire for a while (ever since the 2010 Grammys), but have never actually listened to them. Starting with this free song from Starbucks, I have grown to love the band. Quality song. Quality band.

Rating: A-

Burn - Ellie Goulding

10. [Burn] - Ellie Goulding
I was super pumped for this summer song as well, but I was a tad bit disappointed for two reasons. 1) It is not composed by her. 2) It was taken from Leona Lewis because she no longer wanted the song
Still a great song with great beats.

Rating: B-

Hard 2 Love - Lee Brice

11. [I Drive Your Truck] - Lee Brice
I usually have more country on the charts, but no other song has stuck around longer than I Drive Your Truck. It is probably the best country song of the year, yes beating Cassadee. Love this song, great meaning and message.

Rating: A+

Make it Up - Sam Tsui

12. [Bring Me the Night (feat. Kina Grannis)] - Sam Tsui
While I usually have more independent/Youtube songs, not many have stuck around for a long time, this one included. I thought that this song was really good, but it wasn't radio ready. I am ok with that because I don't really listen to the radio. The harmonies and emotions truly convey a genuine message.

Rating: B+

Night Visions - Imagine Dragons

13. [Demons] - Imagine Dragons
This is either my second favorite or third favorite off the album. It's solid and rising up on the charts!

Rating: A-

Same Trailer Different Park - Kacey Musgraves

14. [Merry Go' Round] - Kacey Musgraves
She is so awesome. She brings new dark elements to country that have not yet been explored. She represents true country innovation.

Rating: A

ARTPOP - Lady GaGa

15. [Gypsy] - Lady GaGa
Last of the guilty pleasures. I honestly though that ARTPOP was not that great, other than a few songs. This was by far the best. Good clean message, unlike her other songs, and its fun. (Yes, alternative album cover present [I like it more, and it's more appropriate])

Rating: A+

Is Anybody Out There? - A Great Big World 

16. [Say Something ] - A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera
This song barely made the charts, and I have literally no idea why. This song probably should have charted much higher, but it was such a late song, so no dice. My friend recommended me this song the day before it aired on The Voice. I love it so much!

Rating: A-


Hope you enjoyed this playlist/year-end chart! Have a great new year and Merry Christmas! 

Ethan's Playlist 9/6/12

Well, today is the day for a playlist! If there are some people out there who don't like my genre playlist, do not worry, for today is a general playlist day! If you did not know September Music Month started this month. Lots of good albums will come out this month. Here they are: Sept. 4 Lecrae & Imagine Dragons, Sept. 11 Dave Matthews Band, Sept. 18 Tyler Ward & The Killers, Sept. 25 Mumford & Sons and Deadmau5.

1. [Bleeding Out] - Imagine Dragons

I found this band like a couple of months ago when their first digital EP came out, Continued Silence and just absolutely fell in love with their music and style. This is by far their best song, that I have found so far, and they are doing great on iTunes... Yay! Also, check out their also awesome song, It's Time.

2. [Free From It All (feat. Mathai)] - Lecrae

Yeah, Ethan didn't you mention that Lecrae's album came out September 4th... Wait that was 2 days ago! Yep! I was quite excited...  I am such a big fan of both Lecrae and Mathai. I think I like Mathai a little more... she has more plays on iTunes. Well, I really like this song and I think it is just great.

3. [So Sick] - Sam Tsui & Max Schneider

I really like both of these guys' voices. They are so good, and I thought they wouldn't really compliment each other, but they really do. This is such a good cover and the original is pretty cool too. I am glad they did this collaboration together, it is sooo good. This would have topped the list if I did a playlist a week ago.

4. [Broke] - Kye Kye

So my awesome friend, <cough> Caitlyn, just kidding... Katelyn, haha, told me about this alternative band called Kye Kye. Well, I kinda didn't look them up till recently, because honestly, I did not think they would be that great... well, they are not that great... They are amazing! I really like this song, and the best thing is, all the lyrics are Bible verses, besides an occasional added word or two. So Katelyn, thank you so much for telling me about Kye Kye :).

5. [With Ur Love] - Cher Lloyd

Ok, this is kinda poppy... Ok it is really poppy... I thinks it catchy... ish.. Ok its catchy and she's pretty awesome. I liked her X-Factor stuff waaay more, like her rapping... and Stay.. but this will do...

6. [Fortune Teller] - Maroon 5

This was my favorite song for like 2 weeks, but the last time I did a general playlist was longer than that. So, now it has decreased in ranking, but it is my favorite Maroon 5 song, behind Payphone, which I am not sick of, I am just sick of people not being sick of it. I was there listening to the song the first time ever by the public, downloaded it the same night, and was obsessed with it months before it was popular... yeah... done ranting.... but it is fun singing with others.

Ethan's Playlist 8/6/12 [Covers + Free Download]

Haha, I looked at my playlist on my iPad and pretty much all of it was covers! Topping the charts this week with covers is Tyler Ward and Sam Tsui! And just because I feel like it, I will blog a little bit about them. Free Download is under song #3!

1. [Want U Back] - Tyler Ward

Haha, I really liked Cher Lloyd on the X-Factor, but her latest single is kinda pop-y not rap, so I prefer Tyler's version to hers. His is really awesome! Kind of a rock version of it! "Oops, I was supposed to say him..."

2. [Titanium] - Sam Tsui

I liked Titanium before it became a hit and tried around looking for good covers of it, and 2 really stood out to me, Madilyn Bailey's and Sam Tsui's! I kinda figured out 5 days before the youtube video of Titanium came out that it was coming out because I saw it on iTunes. I was pretty excited and was really happy when it came out!

3. [Chapel] - Lindsey Pavao

Honestly, I have no idea who the original is by, I just know it isn't Lindsey's songs. I think this is the best song off her EP, Lucid. She is currently working on an album and raising support through Kickstarter <---- click here to support! Click on the word Chapel above between the [] to get the free download!

4. [(Kissed You) Goodnight {feat. Chester See}] - Tiffany Alvord

I really liked the original version and this version was pretty good. I really like Chester See's voice a lot. I sometimes like Tiffany's voice. I like it when it is ok for her voice not to have power, sorry not trying to hate on her.

5. [Stay] - Cher Lloyd

CHER! I really liked her on the X-Factor and I really liked this song in particular from the show. Yeah she can rap, but she didn't in this song. I think that's why it stood out to me. (This is not my work, I found this art on google and made it into an album cover)

6. [Some Nights] - Tyler Ward & Alex G

I really really like fun's original of Some Nights, I don't know why but it is really good! This stripped back version is so good as well! Alex's voice and Tyler's accompany each other really well.

7. [Payphone/Telephone] - Sam Tsui

I don't really like Telephone, but I love payphone and this mashup was awesome, I guess I can like this song.

 

8. [I Need My Hip Hop] - Tyler Ward & Kev Jumba

I NEED MY HIP HOP! No, I did not spell KevJumba wrong, Tyler did, unless Chester spelled it wrong on other iTunes stuff, haha. I totally thought that Tyler was kidding when he said he wanted to do a video with KevJumba, but apparently they are good friends... youtube is such a small world. This song is hilarious! 

Ethan's Playlist for July [Pt. 1?]

Yeah, I gotta apologize because I haven't posted in a while for anything! So I will now and it will be a longer list, maybe?

Well, I gotta quick story. My cousin listens to Canto pop, so I am her source of American music, so I play music for her to listen to, haha I have converted her to a COUNTRY lover and she likes One Direction... bleh... sorry y'all. She also likes Owl City, but she loves Jana Kramer a lot, and Linkin Park! hahahaha!

BTW, these songs are not in the right order as usual, sorry, the first 2 are right, but after that, they are random, yeah..

1. [Spectrum (Say My Name) {Calvin Harris Remix}] - Florence + The Machine
So I was on Facebook and Flo was talking about Spectrum hitting number one! And I was like what?!? I didn't even know a song was released! So I went to the iTunes store and it wasn't there, and I looked closer and it said it hit number 1 in the UK. So I got the track anyway and I LOVE IT! I think I just love Florence + The Machine too much... Got a pretty awesome beat. CALVIN HARRIS! (No I didn't bandwagon along,  I first listened to Feel So Close a year ago)

2. [What I Love About Your Love] - Jana Kramer
<COUGH> LISA SHAO! Well, I gotta a confession to make. Honestly, I never knew why I hated on Jana so hard as I did. I apologize. I do really like her now and my favorite song is this one! I kinda got hooked on it when Lisa set it as her ringtone... yeah, I guess I secretly liked her music longer than most people thought... teehee...

3. [One Thing] - Megan Nicole & Jason Chen
Gosh, I guess this looks kinda bad for me right now, so I will say it! I AM NOT A DIRECTIONER! Whew I got it out. I will admit they have good voices, but I can't say I love them, I might if they weren't manufactured, they are a product of Simon Cowell, they probably don't like each and every person in the band. Well, back to the song! 2 of my favorite artists in one! I kinda just recently found out about Jason Chen! He is pretty awesome, one downside to him is he autotunes waaay too much, but still a great voice. I used to think that Megan Nicole autotuned a lot, but I listened to a live performance and she sounded the same... YAY!

4. [Guardian] - Alanis Morissette
AAH! ALANIS! NEW SINGLE! ROCK ON! Yeah, I really like Alanis and this song is good!

5. [Good Time] - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
I never liked Call Me Maybe, I just sang along and made a parody, but I do like Carly Rae Jepsen's voice, I would rather her not be backed by Bieber, but that doesn't change her voice. I like Owl City and this is a decent song, a bit too catchy for my taste but yeah.

6. [CASTLE OF GLASS] - Linkin Park
Best song of the record, LIVING THINGS by Linkin Park! :D A good calm/folky song rather than the usual screaming, not that the screaming isn't good, just that this is a good change!

7. [Baby, I Love You] - Tiffany Alvord
I kinda always hated on Tiffany Alvord as well, I didn't think her voice was special, and I kinda don't think it is still, but her songwriting is decent and it is a nice song.

8. [Wide Awake] - Sam Tsui
I don't really like Katy Perry or her songs at all, but I love the way Sam does them. I don't know why.

9. [Met Him In a Motel Room] - Gwen Sebastian
I first heard of Gwen from The Voice, and this song is one of my favorite Country songs of all time! The title seems kinda deceiving, yes, the song is about meeting someone in a motel room, but not just a someone... SHE MET JESUS :D! (Not an autobiographical song)

10. [Over] - Blake Shelton
This song is BS! Yes it is! BLAKE SHELTON AT HIS BEST! This is my favorite song of his latest record, Red River Blue, which isn't new... but it is really good. 

11. [Masterpiece] - Meg & Dia
Didn't think you were going to see a song from Meg & Dia would you? Well, Meg recently blogged about this song and she said it was the first song she ever wrote, so I gave it a second chance, and it is so good! I think it is my favorite off their 2nd record, Something Real!

I don't know when I will blog again on my playlist, so I made an extra long playlist! A big music post coming out soon! I hope to do at least one more playlist this month, but if I can't I am sorry.

Ethan's Playlist 6/18/12

This week’s playlist is a bit different, ranging from electronic, to dubstep/violin (How can these 2 go together?), to extreme alternative rock, to singer/songwriter, to hip hop/ rap. It is a very diverse playlist. (I seem to be keeping up reputation)

1. [Titanium (feat. Sia)] – David Guetta

Wow, this song is pretty amazing! I remember first hearing Sia from Wild Ones, I really liked her voice, but I didn’t like the song, so I quickly glanced over the song without approval. Then, hearing her voice (and not to forget power) in this song and seeing how well it actually matched this time, it clicked and worked for me! Her voice is truly remarkable and the electronic beats always fit well for me. (Did I mention this song is catchy?)

2. [Crystallize] – Lindsey Stirling

I remember first seeing Lindsey Stirling in the first blog post I read, and that was my friends! (Shout out to A**** M*!) It was the Lord of the Rings’ Medley, I like the movies, but not an avid follower of them, so yet again I glanced over talent, and I didn’t listen to it. I can say that I found her again in We Found Love, but I didn’t really understand it, so I glanced over it again! (What a big mistake yet again, yet again!) Then I listened to her cover of Starships that she did with Megan Nicole and then I looked at her channel and started to listen to her songs, and they were so good! This was her biggest hit and my favorite by far! I love dubstep and what she did with her violin accompanied the beats so well! For some reason, I just love Lindsey’s! Lindsey Pavao and now Lindsey Sterling!

3. [Every Single Night] – Fiona Apple

 I remembered in Lindsey Pavao’s blind audition, Blake said she sounded like Fiona Apple and then Lindsey cited her as a big influence. So, when I saw that she was getting a new album, I got the first single as well as her big hits. I love her voice, and now I see that Blake knew exactly what he was talking about, because she sounds a lot like Lindsey, just a little more extreme. She is a bit weird, 2 of her albums are titled long titles. One with over 190 words and one with over 20! She is a bit out there, but she is good. This is her lead single from the album!

4. [Wide Awake] – Tiffany Alvord

I love listening to covers! I wasn’t a big cover person back then, but then I was recommended Sam Tsui and Tyler Ward! Then, further pursuing led to Megan Nicolle, Tiffany Alvord, Boyce Avenue, Luke Conard, Alex Goot, Alex G, and more! I like this version of Wide Awake a lot. It is a different take, but it is good.

5. [The Fighter] – Gym Class Heroes 

I really like this song, and the lyrics are really meaningful as well as clean! I don’t remember where I heard this song, but I really like it and I hope it is covered! Ryan Tedder is so good!