I'mma Let You Finish But These are the Greatest Albums of All Time

I should be practicing guitar or reading 11 pages about the court system or doing literally anything else academically related, but alas. I am not. Instead, I am presenting you with a list of some of the best albums I've ever listened to. Which means this is biased and completely, 100% my opinion only. But, like, listen to them and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Disclaimer: My qualifications for "best album" are simply that I can listen to the whole thing without skipping more than one or two songs. I'm really not that complicated.

Legendary - The Summer Set
Nothing Personal - All Time Low
Paramore - Paramore
The Fool - Ryn Weaver
Electra Heart - Marina and the Diamonds
She Looks So Perfect: US Tour Edition - 5 Seconds of Summer
x - Ed Sheeran
1989 - Taylor Swift
Hozier - Hozier
Acronyms - LANY
Communion (Deluxe) - Years & Years
American Candy - The Maine
Froot - Marina and the Diamonds
Losing Sleep - Parachute
The Way It Was - Parachute
Badlands - Halsey
WILD - Troye Sivan

You're welcome.

Aside from "1989," all of these albums are on Spotify so go check them out. Each album title is hyperlinked to the band/artist's website. Even more you're welcomes. 

P.S. - Quick note about the 5SOS EP - the version on Spotify does not include the one song that I love above all else that literally gives me heart palpitations every time I listen to it, which is "Disconnected," So if you would like to truly experience this majestic and beautiful harmony, here is the YouTube link. It's also available on Spotify as a live track off of their other album LIVESOS. 

Singing in the Shower

I'm in college now, so I no longer sing in the shower, as much as it pains me. However, I feel like I could out of sheer joy, because I'm recognizing that I'm making friends and getting acclimated to being away from home, and it's so great I could burst into song. Living in one of the smallest freshmen dorms on campus means that within 3 short weeks, we've all gotten to know each other at least relatively well, and that means that you never have to eat alone in the dining hall, or study by yourself, or be alone if you don't want to be. Today, the girls on my hall spent all afternoon going back and forth between each other's closets borrowing clothes, and shoes, and accessories. It just  made me feel like I was a part of something really cultivating, like we were becoming each other's unofficial sisters and it was a great feeling. I can't wait to spend more time with all of these girls and get to know everyone even better. This year is going to be great.

The other reason I mentioned singing in the shower is because I have SO MANY new songs stuck in my head and I just have to share them with you. Get pumped. :)


House of Gold - Twenty One Pilots [I am fully aware that this song isn't new, but I just learned how to play it on ukulele and I love it. Oh yeah, ukulele is a thing I do now. #college.]

Aquaman - Walk the Moon [the Discover playlist on Spotify that updates weekly is a Godsend. This song sounds like it's from the 80's or something but IT ISN'T and I just love the vibe.Very Wham! meets Sting.]

Dollhouse - Melanie Martinez [This song is like the lyrical version of the entire Pretty Little Liars series, but like, better, and not as frustrating.]

WILD (album) - Troye Sivan [Either you know of Troye, and you're excited about this, or you know Taylor Swift, and you can recognize that she was excited about this. Either way, get more excited because this whole entire album (actually it's an EP but whatever,) is FRICKIN PHENOMENAL. Go listen to it right this very minute. Also, this video for the song "WILD" is amazing.]

Sit Still, Look Pretty - Daya [This song is the ultimate anthem for girls who don't want to conform to gender norms and stereotypes, as well as wanting to be badass. Love.]

Nobody to Love - Alex Newell [The newest song to add to your Thursday-Night-Study-Break-Pre-Weekend-Dance-Party playlist. You're welcome.]

Beware the Dog - The Griswolds [I don't really know how to describe this song other than the fact that it repeatedly uses the line "She used to suck the fun out of me" without making any reference to a vampire, which gets it bonus points in my book.]

Mother & Father - Broods [I mentioned this song in my last post, but honestly guys, go check it out and then go call your parents, maybe spend a weekend at home. It just makes you feel all the things, and also want to spend more time with your family and I really, really, like it.]

Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for Your Eyes - Kristin Andreassen [A very acoustic sounding song, but I will bet you $3 that you will find yourself humming it to yourself within an hour of listening to it.]

Hard Out Here - Lily Allen ["Forget your balls and grow a pair of tits./ It's hard out here for a bitch." All you need to know about this song is contained within those two lines. Go forth and be feminist.] [Maybe don't watch this at work or in front of children or the elderly. Just saying.]

Octahate - Ryn Weaver [Ryn Weaver is a person I wish I knew in real life but at the same time I feel like she is way too cool for me. Just watch the music video for this song and you'll know what I mean. Her whole album, "The Fool" is probably one of my new favorites of the year.]

You Don't Love Me Like You Should - Hey Violet [This band opened for 5 Seconds of Summer, and you all know how much I love me some 5SOS, so of course I checked them out. But I didn't seriously start listening to them until recently, after I saw them and 5SOS live in concert about 2 weeks ago. I *love* girl rock bands, and even though one guitarist in this band is a guy, I still give it credit as a mostly-girl rock band.]

Jet Black Heart - 5 Seconds of Summer [I couldn't end this post without mentioning 5SOS at least three times. But aside from having to meet that quota, this song is really good. It's a little slow for my taste but it is so reminiscent of early All Time Low, I couldn't resist. I am so exceedingly excited for their new album "Sounds Good Feels Good," I cannot wait for October 23rd. Yes yes yes.]





ALSO: In the one in a billion chance you haven't seen it yet, here is the music video for Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams," which may or may not whitewash the plains of Africa, but also may or may not have done that on purpose in order to emulate the 40's film era. Decide for yourself. But other than that, the video kills me every time. I'm also 99.99% sure it features Cecil the Lion, which means I'm officially in love with this video.

Current Music Recommendations

So, as you know, I haven't posted since February, which means I haven't updated you on what I'm currently listening to since before that. So here I am, back and better than ever with the songs/albums/artists I'm currently listening to on repeat. You can thank me later.
(As always, each title is hyperlinked to the video for the song, when available.)


Le Chant des Sirenes by Frero Delavega (A song my high school French teacher introduced me to that I absolutely fell in love with.)

She's Kinda Hot by 5 Seconds of Summer (Thankfully not as sexist as I feared it would be, actually has a really good message)

Tiny Dancer by Elton John (How can you not love this song?)

Hold Me Down by Halsey (I adoorreeee this song and I want everyone to know it, and love it with me.)

American Candy (album) by The Maine (Jumped on this train and I never want to get off)

Black Magic by Little Mix (Top 40 isn't always a bad thing. Plus, the video for this song reminds me of the live-action version of the show Sabrina: The Teenage Witch and I loved that show so I kinda love this song.)

Like I Can by Sam Smith (I don't think Sam Smith is capable of making a bad song.)

Crave by Parachute (I've loved this band since I was like, 9, and their first two albums were EXPONENTIALLY better than their third one, but with this new single I'm hoping they go back to sounding the way they did in their hey-day. This is promising though.)

Fight Song by Rachel Platten (Sue me, I love this song.)

Woman (Oh Mama) by Joy Williams (This song is simple in it's composition, but it gives me goosebumps and I loved the Civil Wars so much, so since they're broken up I've turned to the individual members' music, and Joy does not disappoint. This song is frickin phenomenal.)

Renegade by Styx (Old song, still badass.)

Speechless by Lady Gaga (Another song that was popular back in the 6th grade, but still a jam nonetheless.)

Blank Space/Stand By Me - Live From Spotify London by Imagine Dragons (You haven't heard Blank Space like this before and you never knew you absolutely needed to until now. Just note that the Spotify version is better than the one I linked to but it was all I could find.)

In Defense of T. Swizzle

So, as many of you know, Miss Taylor Swift has come a long way since her "Picture to Burn" days, but at the same time, not much has changed in reference to her fantastical romantic notions. She's known for nearly always placing the blame on the boy in a relationship gone wrong, and has many people criticizing her for not realizing the common denominator in all her relationships. But then again, not all of her songs are about breakup. Some of them are about new romance, new love, or a relationship that actually worked, in the case of "Mine."

So, why am I writing this, you're probably asking. It's because I want to make an attempt to defend Taylor, as a fellow girl. A lot of her songs include overly-romanticized ideals about relationships between two people, how the man should always be chivalrous and sweet, otherwise he's a monster. There's even a Twitter account under the tag @feministtswift which changes certain Swift lyrics to be more, well, feminist. I don't necessarily disagree with this Twitter account, because it makes me realize that in a lot of her songs, Taylor expects to be treated as something other than equal to a man, though not in a bad way. She is expressing her want for a fairy-tale romance, which is just not rational. But at the same time we have to realize, for Taylor, her songs are like her diary, and she's letting us read it. We have no right to criticize someone's fantasies, however screwed they may be. She's simply expressing how she wishes things were. I don't believe she is completely delusional to how men really act, as exemplified in the sheer amount of guys she's rumored to have dated, which should be evidence enough.

 It's not wrong for a woman to want to be treated right by a man, or even wish that he put in a little effort to be more romantic and Ryan Gosling-like. What's wrong is to not admit that maybe you, as the female, could put in more effort to appeal to your partner. It's wrong to expect that he give up everything that makes him happy to go out and do whatever you want to make you happy. A relationship has to be a two way street with give and take on both sides for it to work, and I think most people's problem with Taylor Swift and her songs is that she nearly always portrays herself as either the victim or the doted-upon princess. Don't get me wrong, I do like her as an artist, but I see where she's kind of missing the mark, so to speak. Sure, there are songs in which she admits to being at fault, such as "Back to December," but most people remember her for "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together," which are kind of self-indicting in this case. Overall, I think Taylor Swift is majorly successful because she appeals to the wannabe-princess-slash-Rachel-McAdams in all of us girls out there, but she can definitely improve by writing songs in which blame is placed on those who truly deserve it. I think this will come with age though, because look at this way - at least she's not still writing about being Juliet Capulet.

P.S. - Keep in mind, if we're going to criticize Taylor Swift for portraying herself as somewhat of a princess, why can't we criticize male musicians who portray women as prostitutional low-lifes who were made only to provide sexual pleasure to men? Because I mean, really, they're both distorted portrayals of women, but we only seem to focus on the extreme presented by a girl. Which makes everything you argue complete hypocrisy. Just remember that. ;)

UPDATE: I recently saw an article in the Huffington Post stating that the Westboro Baptist Church is now calling Swift a "whore." For whatever reason they are claiming, this is not ok. It's people like this that create chaos, promote injustice and inequality, and allow hatred to spread. Not ok.