Monday Mashup :: Radioactive in the Dark

Hello everyone! Sorry for being M.I.A., it's been a crazy few weeks. While browsing the Internet, as I normally do, I stumbled upon this little beauty and I think I had eargasms when I pressed play. Fall Out Boy's My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark and Radioactive by Imagine Dragons mesh excellently together. 
The heavy bass adds tremendous depth and dimension to the mashup. I'm such a big fan of mashup, but with two of my favourite artists? Irresistible.
So many awesome things come from the Internet, sometimes.
Till next time xx,
Sierra

REVIEW :: 'AM' by Arctic Monkeys

This album has been high on my list for anticipated releases in September, and I've been so busy that it was released right under my nose!

In the recent weeks, I've fallen in love with Arctic Monkeys. I'm a sucker for a smooth voice.

This whole album's vibe exudes sex appeal. Is it Alex Turner's sultry voice, or the strategic use of awesome electric guitar riffs or thick bass notes? Perhaps it's the sexy lyrics combined with all of the above. Either way, 'AM' has a fantastic feel to it. There's little to dislike about this album.

Though the album seems to have the same sort of tone, it slows down by the time one reaches No. 1 Party Anthem, ironically, being the first slow track on the album to appear.

'AM' has a multigenerational tone to it, a mix of yesterday and today. Turner's voice harks back to 70s and 80s rock, yet stays planted in the present for a modern sound. With pre-release singles such as R U Mine?, Do I Wanna Know?, and Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?, you're hooked before the album's even released.

(source)

What's interesting about the Arctic Monkeys is that every album has it's own sound, vibe, and feel. The common denominators are the band members themselves, but that's about it. They're constantly experimenting with their sound, yet staying intrinsically themselves. Often times bands can't pull this off without losing a significant amount of fans, but the Arctic Monkeys are an exception.

One song I hope is released as a bonus track is Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You, since it's nowhere to be found on the regular track list. Hmph.

Here are some recommended tracks off of 'AM'

• One For The Road
• Arabella
• R U Mine?
• Snap Out Of It
• Knee Socks
• I Wanna Be Yours

AM is now available on iTunes for purchase and Spotify for streaming.

Till next time xx,

Sierra

P.S. What's your favourite track off the new album?

Mix It Up :: Naked As We Came

naked as we came from erraberra on 8tracks Radio.

Tracklist:

Flaws (Acoustic) // Bastille

Seen It All // Jake Bugg

Houdini (Acoustic) // Foster the People

Hey Love // Jason Mraz

Give Me Love // Ed Sheeran

California Dreamin' // The Mamas and The Papas

What A Catch, Donnie (Acoustic) // Fall Out Boy

Lies [Acoustic] // Marina and the Diamonds

Write It On Your Skin (Acoustic) // Newton Faulkner

Underdog (Acoustic) // You Me At Six

A Beautiful Lie (Acoustic) // 30 Seconds to Mars

Idaho (Acoustic) // Josh Ritter

Ocean // John Butler

The Longer I Run // Peter Bradley Adams

Learning to Breathe // Switchfoot

Jezebel // Iron & Wine

Riptide // Vance Joy

Night of the Hunter (Unplugged) // 30 Seconds to Mars

Zebra // John Butler Trio

Be Honest (ft. Inara George) // Jason Mraz

Naked As We Came // Iron & Wine

My love for acoustic songs has no bounds, so I combined a few of my favourites onto one playlist! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Till next time xx,

Sierra

Weekly Tuneage :: London Grammar

I was listening to an amazing playlist on 8tracks the other day and this track was on it. London Grammar's Wasting My Young Years is already a great, nay, wonderful song, but this remix by Kids of the Apocalypse makes it AMAZING. I can barely put it into words how much I adore this remix.
In other news, there are some exciting things that I'm putting in the works (aka I'm making a new mix! Woo!) and school is just barreling along. I have so much homework, it's a little crazy...
Anyhow! I hope to be posting somewhat regularly, who knows, but I might track my progress once November rolls around for NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month for those who don't know. I'm planning on participating again after taking last year off.
I'm always willing to hear about new music from you guys, so just comment below and I'll check your suggestions out. If I like it, It might make an appearance in a future Weekly Tuneage post.
Till next time xx,
Sierra

Weekly Tuneage :: Imaginary Friend

Hello all! I haven't forgotten about my little blog, don't worry. It's just been my first official week of school so things have been busy to say the least.

My friend just introduced me to this really pretty song Fire Escape by one-man band, Imaginary Friend. I thought it was really serene sounding and overall quite beautiful. The music video is also rather artistic and kinda fits with the song. You guys should totally check this artist out.

Till next time xx,

Sierra

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In Retrospect: August

PC: Christina Kilbourn

As we all know, August is on its last legs and September is quickly upon us. Quicker than I expected, definitely. The end of my summer has come and it's back to the grindstone in only a few days. This month was really nice, with summer winding down and me revving to get back to school (that isn't sarcasm, I was actually pretty excited to go back).

Inspired by one of my favourite blogs, The Dainty Squid, I decided to do a reflective post on the previous month.

Noteworthy posts from August

(original picture credit)

How to Pack for College: Dos and Don'ts

Videos of the Week: Mumford & Sons, 30 Seconds to Mars

Mix It Up: Crazy Country Love

SPOTLIGHT :: Mat Kearney

August Jams:

• Do I Wanna Know? // Arctic Monkeys
• Royals // LORDE
• Tessellate // alt-J
• Flaws (Acoustic) // Bastille
• Midnight City // M83
• Beat the Devil's Tattoo // Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
• Jungle // Emma Louise
• Ya Hey // Vampire Weekend

For more of my music taste, check out my last.fm profile!

Happenings, Events, Lessons:

• I have made an initiative to get into better shape. I'm gonna start going to the gym on campus, eating better, etc. It's gonna be difficult, but I'm gonna do my best.
• I moved into my dorm at school for my sophomore year! I got to move in early to help with the freshmen orientation (yay freshmen!) and it took me at least two days to unpack everything. Even though it's rather noisy, I love the new energy on campus brought by the class of 2017. It's like the campus is buzzing with new life, and I love it so much.
• I really got into the band Arctic Monkeys, Bastille, and Vampire Weekend. Maybe it's because of all the new music coming out, but I've been jamming to them a lot lately. Thanks to some of my friends with more of an indie taste in music, I'm being exposed to a lot of new music.
• I went diving for the first time in a year! I got open water certified last summer and finally got to get back into the water a few weeks. I'll make a post about it soon, but I was a little hesitant since all the pictures were taken by my awesome instructor and I wouldn't want to steal her thunder.
• I started the book The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galibrath/J.K. Rowling, and I'm trying to give it a chance. However, it's rather difficult to get through. I'm honestly ready to give up on it (sorry, Jo).
• I learned that 4 months is quite a long time to be home (a little too long, some days), but I appreciate what I have and how I'm lucky to have such a long vacation.
• I got tanner! Thanks to that Hawaiian sun :)

Here's hoping September is awesome!

Till next time xx,

Sierra