I swear when I grow up, I won’t just buy you a rose. I’ll buy you the flower shop, and you’ll never be lonely. 

Oh Brother opened the show. You know that stereotypical metal/grunge band that played in their parents garage: The gravely voice, the guitarists with ridiculously long hair, and lots of head-banging? Well take those guys, and add some modern techniques, dynamics, more proficiency, and you have Oh Brother. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of that style music, but I must commend them. They executed their songs very cohesively, through even the most complicated breakdowns. They certainly knew what they were doing, even if I wasn’t a huge fan of it.

Animals as leaders, the heavy instrumental trio came on stage next. They had a drummer, and two guitarists, each of whom had 12 string guitars. As a musician, I’m always a fan of technical breakdowns and key changes, but let’s be tasteful about things. They certainly proved their talent that night, but not once was I melodically or rhythmically entertained. It sounded like they decided to take the most ridiculous fills and riffs they could play, and throw them together in the most unidentifiable and complicated way. Before I had time to dissect something they were doing musically, they were prematurely off to the the next part of the song. And the randomness of their music was only further distinguished by the lack of vocals. Brilliant skills, but as for listening quality, not as impressive.

Next came the most fresh breath of musical air I could hope for. Theres something beautiful about a successful band like Thrice going a farewell tour. They didn’t need to make an introduction, or command any attention from the crowd, everyone already knew how incredible they were. Instead, this tour’s sole purpose was to rock out one last time for the fans. So much so, that Thrice posted polls on their Facebook asking what songs everyone wanted to hear on this tour, and they created a set list accordingly. Played that night was range of songs, old and new, heavy, and soft, all of which received an (almost overly) enthusiastic response from the crowd.  As a whole, they put on an excellent show, probably the best I’ve seen from them, which is saying a lot. It was also obvious that they knew what they were doing. The mighty stage presence they embodied can only be achieved through years of experience, and not to mention the nearly 10 albums that make up their repertoire.

Consider the tour highly recommended for avid Thrice fans, otherwise, it might not be worth your ticket.

(Source: carissadiehard)

Pissing off authority figures with justice… It feels dangerous, socially illicit, yet somehow satisfying. It feels great.

We hear so often about people being “called” somewhere by God, and their “calling” always seems bizarrely specific, for example: “I’m being called to be a doctor!” or “God is calling me to go to this college!”. I’m starting to question how often this honestly happens… Show me one bible verse that says that the Lord will do something like that… I can’t find one. We are, however, all called to follow him (in general), but when we are following God, I think it’s more up to us to deal responsibly with the situations given to us, and make our own wise decisions. Because most every question we have is answered in Gods word. But if you are following all his rules and you’re still split, then I think He’ll bless you no matter where you go. That’s maybe the only time that it’s okay to make an emotional decision. 

I’m not doubting that God still gives people specific directions, but it’s rare, and it usually only occurs with witnessing. But as for questions of what church to go to, or where should I live , I think that God expects us to be more mature and be able to make our own choices to glorify Him.

Imagine Dragons is a group of four ambitious young musicians from Las Vegas, NV. They are indisputably one of the freshest and most ingenious groups to hit the scene in a long time. Their style is most easily categorized as Indie Rock (only because indie can mean anything nowadays), but it is one of the most gloriously diverse EP’s I have ever had the privilege of hearing. Throughout the album, the loops and synths reveal a sort of computerized underpinning in their music, but such a foundation never once limits them: they incorporate layered vocals, mandolins, whistles, claps, and many other similar sounds that are so often used in bluegrass music.

The album’s first song is “Radiocative”. The track at first sounds like it’s going to be some woodland traveler song, but about 30 seconds in, a dustup-like bass line suddenly (and somehow smoothly), drops in, and brings in the verse. The song as a whole shows the bands rave side, without deviating to much from their style too much. A brilliant opener. 

“Demons” is a solid, dynamic, and melodically addictive second track. It’s slightly funky in the chorus, and displays an engaging range of energies throughout the song. While it’s not their hit song, it has every potential to be.

In “On Top of the World”, Imagine Dragons continues to show their stylistic divergence. This song is more light spirited than it’s two preceding tracks. Different parts are accompanied by whistles, claps, and group vocals, creating almost reggae feel to the song. It’s extremely entertaining, and well composed. 

“Round and Round” may not be as much of a standout in the album, but it is, nonetheless, a very worthy piece of music. It acts as a stylistic standardizer, in the midst of some very different songs. 

Next is the standout, their hit: “It’s Time”. If I had to introduce you to Imagine Dragons, I would show you this song, without a second thought. It seems to encompasses their musical characteristics quite well: It’s lyrically intricate, rhythmically developed, properly structured, has an underlying energy, and it’s as catchy as anyone would hope. Overall, it’s one of my favorite songs at the moment. 

“My Fault” closes the album, by slightly subsiding the tempo and drive in the album, and swaying the listener to another appealing melody. It’s also slightly more electronic than most of the other songs.

ivegotbrandneweyes: 

Fun. ft. Hayley Williams - Somebody that I used to know

(Source: paramore-edits, via hopefisch)