Los Campesinos! - By Your Hand

I heard this song once about two months ago but wasn't quite as stoked on it. It randomly came on again while I was in the shower today and I decided I liked it a lot more. The chorus is the best part with lots of energy, multiple voices, and cool synths that remind me of playing the original Nintendo. The video is pretty clever but a little morbid at the same time.

Taylor Swift (feat. The Civil Wars) - Safe & Sound

So I'm not completely blown away by this song but it is pretty good. More than anything else I get excited to see big names in music collaborating. The Civil Wars are outstanding and I have been really stoked on them lately, and then of course Taylor Swift is a girl that needs no introduction. Also I'm really excited for this movie to come out in March! Big fan.

Update 12/27

Just saw this video of a cover of "Safe & Sound" by local artist Taylor Olsen. Check it out:

Laura Marling - Rambling Man

I love girl singers. I shared this not-so-secret secret with someone over the weekend and she led me to Laura Marling (thanks Haley). Laura is a girl, and she sings. Naturally, I love her. Laura, from England, was originally part of Noah and the Whale and was once in a relationship with Marcus Mumford from Mumford & Sons. Good influences...

Admiral Fallow - Squealing Pigs

Fact: people with accents are interesting to listen to. That's half the reason why this song is so good. The other half is that it's a fun, upbeat, makes you feel good kind of song. Cool video aaaaand yeah. Check it.

Beth Orton & M. Ward - Buckets of Rain

A cover of the legendary Bob Dylan, this soothing version of "Buckets of Rain" by Beth Orton and M. Ward will calm you down from whatever mood you're in. Just imagine yourself sitting on an old rocking chair on the front porch of an old Southern home while it's pouring buckets of hot summer rain. Thanks for the tip Scotty! Happy Birthday!

Sharing music is what friends are for. This one is coming to you because of another dear music snob friend, Jocelyn King. This cover is just another one of those clever songs where people do something totally different than normal and it turns out so awesome. People that come up with this kind of stuff make me jealous sometimes. Thanks Jocelyn

Lissie - Record Collector & Pursuit of Happiness

Lissie got her big start when a friend told Lenny Kravitz about her myspace page and he asked her to open for him on tour. After that her first big EP "Why You Runnin" was produced by Bill Reynolds from Band of Horses. This song is from her debut album "Catching a Tiger". She's got a great voice and I might love her.

Here's a bonus of a live cover (since I love covers) of Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi. Good stuff. Pardon some of the language.

Ok so this might not be the best song ever but I'm totally amazed at the video. The band Little Comets decided to record an acoustic version of their song "One Night in October" but because of either a desire to challenge themselves or budget constraints they all decided to play the song simultaneously on the same guitar. And honestly the tune is pretty catchy as well.

I don't know how "Nightswimming" got stuck in my head (the R.E.M.) version. But it's a really great song so I'm not complaining. Having it stuck in my head reminded me of an Ingrid Michaelson cover/tribute to R.E.M. that a friend of mine once showed me (thanks Sadie). I love when artists really do something unique to make a cover their own and Ingrid really nails it on this one.

This was a random find, but a real goldmine. I recently downloaded a radio app of one of my favorite music websites. One of the stations is "Female Vocalist" which I was SO stoked to see. If you know me and my music, you know I'm a sucker for girl singers. So Daughter popped up on there today (the song was called "Medicine" which is also very good) and I've been listening to everything I can find of hers ever since. Her vocal style reminds me a lot of Florence + The Machine but more mellow. Hope you liiiiike.

I don't know what's better about this song, the song or the video. It comes from a YouTube documentary called "Life In A Day". I just watched this last night and really enjoyed it. Next time you've got 90 minutes to spend watching a movie, seriously take this one into consideration. The song is light and catchy and really has been stuck in my head since I watched it.

Mates of State is a group comprised of only two members, or one couple I guess you could say. The husband and wife duo has been around since 1997 but I first heard of them as openers for Fun about a year ago. I was really impressed with how much energy their music had for just being the two of them. There's some true love right there.

Happy Halloween everyone! Sorry it's been so long. To make up for things today's track is nearly 30 minutes long. It's a Halloween Mixtape that I put together for a silent dance party that I threw over the weekend. I spent quite a bit of time with it so it's really pounded into my brain. Hope you enjoy it! If you do, you can download it by clicking the down arrow on the SoundCloud player.

This one really will get stuck in your head. "Mind Your Manners" by Chiddy Bang is fun, upbeat, and is just one of those songs you can't listen to without a smile on your face. I love the kids singing that are sampled, and the guitar adds some good vibes as well. If you need a song to pick you up on a bad day, this one would be a grrreat choice.

Ok I obviously haven't been listening to enough great music recently. Here's a song that I thought was interesting more than anything else. iTribute by...I dunno. ^That kid^. It's a tribute to the man, the myth, legend, Steve Jobs himself. You can catch some sampled Apple noises if you listen close.

Happy October! I love October and Halloween and so I thought I'd start this month off with a good old Halloween song. A tribute from great artist to great artist. I present Imogen Heap covering "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. I love covers, remixes, etc. and I think Imogen does a great job at taking this song and really putting her style all over it. So Happy Halloween! Also sorry it's been over a week since last time. I'm still getting over my hate for YouTube

A good mellow Sunday song. Gregory Alan Isakov was born in Johannesburg, South Africa raised in Philly, PA but now lives in Colorado. He's shared the stage with musicians such as Rodrigo y Gabriela, Alexi Murdoch, Fiona Apple, and Brandi Carlile who you will hear doing backup vocals in this and many of his other songs.

I just have to say that I'm really upset with YouTube recently and how they won't let you play so many videos on any other site besides YouTube. There have been a few songs I've wanted to share recently but I didn't want to post a video that just says "This video is restricted for playback because of so and so Copyright laws. Watch it on YouTube!" It just annoys me...

Don't you love finding old mixes that you made in Jr. High? Most of the music sucks but you love it anyway cause it reminds you of so much. Some of the songs are still good though. I popped in an old mix of mine and found this on it. "Friends & Family" by Trik Turner. It's a great, chill song to roll to in your car on a nice warm evening with your windows down. 

Another remix today. Also the first time that I've had something from an artist I already featured. Kind of. Yonas took the track "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster The People and threw down some rhymes on top of it. It only seems right that a song about pumped up kicks be rapped though...right?

How could you go wrong with a name like "Imagine Dragons"? Once again, another local group hailing from the Provo music scene. These guys (and lady) are a lot of fun and so refreshing to listen to. I chose this video because I think it does a good job showing the kind of energy that they have but this is kind of acoustic so if you want their real sound go check them out on YouTube or iTunes.

Great news! Coldplay's new album is coming out in a little over a month! To keep us entertained in the meantime they recently released this new single called "Paradise". I really like it and it feels more upbeat than a lot of Coldplay's earlier, more mellow stuff. So give it a listen and I hope you like it too.

This song came on as I was driving home from school today and I thought "Hm, it's been a while since I last heard this one...I really like this song." And then I started singing to myself out loud and having a real good time, when a car pulls up next to me and I look over to see a girl I dated in high school laughing. But it's a great song so who cares. And lets be honest who doesn't sing out loud to great songs when they are alone in their cars?

This one is way overdue. I love Florence + The Machine. This song called "Cosmic Love" quickly made it's way onto my personal top 5 favorite songs of all time. It's just one of those songs that you get lost in and it really makes you feel great. I love how they use a harp in their group. Talk about unique. So if you haven't already heard this song I hope you fall in love with it as well.

That's right! It's a two song post! Well, kinda. I also really enjoy listening to remixes. So here's a really nice mellow remix to "Cosmic Love" by Kid Cudi. 

This one really came as a surprise to me the first time I heard it. "I Don't Know" by The Beastie Boys. I'm not really a fan of The Beastie Boys but this is a totally random song that is completely different from their style of music. This was the only video I could even find with the song in it. It's a good mellow song though.

I just heard Ben Howard today but this song has really stuck with me. It's mellow but upbeat at the same time and a lot of fun to listen to. But what Englishman isn't? Plus you can't deny he's got some wild vibrato when he makes (what I think is) his attempt at a wolf noise. Awesome.

I just barely found this song while wirelessly browsing some random strangers iTunes at school today. I sure wish whoever it was would've stuck around for a little bit longer because they had tons of great stuff I've never heard of. This is really fun song with a catchy beat and some subtle use of syths and stuff. It makes me wanna do a little dance.

Lucky you! Today is a two song day! Sayde Price has been on my mind this weekend. Once again, a local artist out of Provo, UT. She's got a fantastic/unique voice that reminds me more of an incredible 9 year old girl than a twenty something year old. Her cd is available on iTunes and I love all of the songs on it. I really only chose this video because it was one of the best recordings of the audio. Check her out!

One of the easiest ways to get a song stuck in your head is to use it in a video you're editing. That's what happened to me with this great song from Fleet Foxes newest album Helplessness Blues. It's a great song and a really wonderful road trip/adventure/journey song. It's got a catchy beat, great guitars, and lots of oooooh's and ahhhh's.

Night Night is a local band out of Provo, Ut. Quite honestly I'm not sure if they even exist anymore but I remember they opened for another band I was seeing and I really enjoyed them. I think that was about a year ago now and they just popped into my head earlier this week so I looked them up and found only a couple songs. They're super mellow and the singers voice reminds me a lot of Ben Gibbard's. Some of their other songs (Maslow's Hierarchy for example) also use some electric beats and syths that I enjoyed.

Ray LaMontagne is a fantastic musician. He's got a wonderful unique, airy voice that I really like and a great folk sound. He's got so many options of great songs to post but I chose this one cause it's been on my mind for quite some time now.

As I was looking up this video I just figured out that Discovery is a side project of Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riots. That just makes me like it even more. This is the song I've been singing all day today. I really like the dramatic time change that happens a couple times throughout the song.

This one is actually one of twenty songs off of a mixtape by Mick Boogie & Terry Urban. "Viva La Hova" is a mashup mixtape of Coldplay and Jay Z. Separately, they are already two incredible artists/groups. Together, well, of course it's even better. If you enjoy this then look up the "Viva La Hova" mixtape and listen to the whole thing.

This is such a great mellow song. His voice is really great and different. This video as well is the first place that I heard the song after it was shared by a friend. So from a friend to a friend to a friend to who knows how many more friends; this one's to you from me.

I'm really diggin the use of the cello in this song. Super mello. And that's all I have to say about that.

I've spent enough time in the rain this summer to last me a long time. While walking to an from work in the rain, the last couple days I've really enjoyed listening to Explosions in the Sky. It's great rainy day music. This is probably their most popular song but I think it's also one of the best and it was also the first one that I heard

I don't know where this one came from but I've been singing it all day. Of course originally by Johnny Cash and June Carter but Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon do a really fantastic job covering it. In fact I'd say it's more of a copy than a cover. So get a little western today, throw on the chaps, bust out those spurs, and throw down a few cowboy steps to "Jackson".

Today I went running. I hate running. But I actually had a good time today because I was trail running through a rainforest in Southeast Alaska as it was raining. I had my headphones in and this song came on on my way down the mountain. The combination of this song, running down a trail like an indian, splashing through the mud (getting as muddy as possible), and being soaked from the rain put me in a really great mood. I still remember the first time I heard this song blaring over the loudspeakers while waiting in between bands at a concert at Velour in Provo, UT. Thank you Shazam for telling me what I was hearing. 

This is one of those random songs that you have no idea how it got onto your iTunes but you hear it and are kinda glad that it made its way on there. Now I'm not super stoked on the chorus but the verses are so catchy and--like the name of the blog--it's just been stuck in my head today.

Ok first off I have to say, give this one a chance. I'm not a huge fan of his voice either but it's such a great song and the longer you listen to it the more you get used to his voice. The guitar part is great though. If by the end you still just can't stand his voice then look up a cover of this one on YouTube. 

I recently got a ton of music by the Avett Brothers. Sometimes getting a huge chunk of music by one artist at one time can be a little overwhelming and it takes a good friend to point out a few key good songs to really start to appreciate the rest of them. I think this is one of my "gateway songs" into the Avett Brothers. If you have time also check out the NPR music video of this song. Thanks Debs.

This is already just great song to begin with and then this ukulele cover by Jake Shimabukuro is absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe how anyone could make four strings on such a tiny instrument sound so amazing...

Ok well I decided that I'd start off with a couple songs that I've been thinking about in the last few days. So to start things off here is the second longest song in my iTunes library. Impossible Soul by Sufjan Stevens. This song is kinda split into two halfs. The first half is more floaty and dreamy and then the second half is more structured and upbeat. It's more the second half that has been in my head. Now a lot of people have said that they don't really like this album of Sufjan's (The Age of Adz) but I had the opportunity to see Sufjan live right after this cd came out and he basically played the entire thing which really helped me appreciate the album. So enjoy spending the next 25:35 with Sufjan Stevens...