We Interrupt this Broadcast

A brief pause in the music scene for a bit because, hey, I never said this was a music blog nor do I intend it to be. It just happened to be that the everlasting battle of what music genre is best or hit songs vs. complete albums struck a chord with me at the time. For (great, if I do say so myself) music-based opinions, recommendations, and, well, just plan music (songs and whatnot), check out my good friend Boy Wonder at http://emoboywonder.blogspot.com/. Very good stuff, let me tell you. I recommend for anyone in or wanting to get in the rock, pop-punk, or electronica scene. Scratch that, I recommend for anyone really. Seriously, his reviews are top-notch; check them out. Plus, you don't have to worry about him bashing your favorite artist or something. He posts what he enjoys, and I hope you enjoy it, too. Alright, enough shameless whoring. This turned into a music post without my intending...

GRADUATION <-- it's a word you always throw around, an event you know is coming, yet when it hits you, it hits you hard but in the slow-progressively-getting-more-noticed kind of way. Put it this way, when the ceremony is over, all you think about is must get pictures with all my friends. Then, summer hits, and you have all your plans either travelling, working, preparing for the upcoming fall, simply hanging out, or some sort of combination of the aforementioned possibilities. Slowly but surely, for most people, that day on your calendar circled in red marked "MOVE-IN DAY" crawls closer and closer. And you begin to realize, this is it. This is a new beginning (of course thought in less groundbreaking, cliche terms, more like "oh, fuck"). I can't comment on how it will be the week before everyone disperses across the country because I haven't reached that point myself. I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it (crossing is just way to easy and I like a bit of an adrenaline rush). For now, I'm going to make the most of my summer: travelling in foreign countries, working for a bit of spending money, and hanging out with old friends, new friends, best friends, and friends I hope to not let go. No need for teary goodbyes when we get to the point of send-offs because we didn't see enough of each other. Just one last hug and a "see you later" will suffice.

snap crackle POP

As mentioned in a previous post, I thought a discussion involving various musical genres would be interesting, seeing as my friends' taste in music, as well as my own, span far and wide through the vast sea of notes, beats, and melodies. I can't say I won't be impartial because 1. it's my blog (and the likelihood of anyone actually reading this is about the same as fangirls denouncing Myspace, Buzznet, and the like... slim to none) and 2. being opinionated results in more interesting and enriching conversation.

But instead of one "blog" of every genre, different posts will be devoted to solely one type. And today, we begin with pop and Top 40. (strictly pop, not delving into the realm of pop-punk or anything)

I'd be lying if I said there was no talent within the pop gene-pool because there are many, many artists who are vocally (if not also instrumentally) talented. Kelly Clarkson qualifies as does Christina Aguilera. Each of their voices, when stripped down and pulled away from editting and studio work, is great, least to say. Live shows truly show that. Give a purely vocal pop artist a mic and perhaps some guitar or piano background music and the true test is whether or not he or she can carry out the song based solely on his or her vocal prowess. For the most part, these ladies pass the test with flying colors. A group that doesn't is the Pussycat Dolls. Now, don't get me wrong; I like their songs as much as the next guy. However, I think their looks/sex appeal (<-- don't deny it), dancing, and catchy, computerized synths (a-la-"When I Grow Up") make their singing better, if not cover up what flaws their singing may have. Honestly, I think their dancing is better than their singing. This is not an attack on PCD because I know I will still be listening to them on my own accord. This is merely an example of how pop is more than just sugary melodies and includes appearance and presentation. As much as I hate to say it, when is the last time an overweight pop singer made it big?

And if you want my opinion on Disney pop (which I think should almost be its own genre and category), look directly below this post. If you want the Sparknotes version, I don't particularly approve.

Finally, a question that relates more to the rock scene than pop (and perhaps not even music at all)...
When guys paint their nails (typically black, as I have seen), do they do it themselves? Do their friends (male or female) help them? Or do they go to a nail salon and get them done? Or some sort of combination, depending on their mood?

Next up... Rap/Hip-hop

Faux Singers?

Random thought that popped into my head (and I happened to be on the computer)...

Is it me, or do all Disney stars (former or current) have the need to "launch their music careers" at some point? There is no way that all of them have immense musical talents.

Examples include Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Corbin Bleu (granted, he was in High School Musical, so some talent must have been necessary), Vanessa Hudgens (same thing), Ashley Tisdale (same thing), Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez, Mitchel Musso, etc.

I don't get it. It bugs me. Actors turned singers (as in, releasing self-title/self-named albums) bug me unless actual talent is involved. Or maybe Disney actor-singers bug me... Whatever.

And to end to random rant and tangent of the day, I wonder how Mason Musso feels about his little brother starting up in the music biz, probably garnering a bigger fanbase of screaming tweens faster than he was able to simply because Mitchel's a Disney "star"...

Ridiculous

I definitely meant to write about how ridiculous (in the most awesome way) my week was when it was still, well, that week. But it was delayed, and I would like to re-live through words regardless.

Saturday- Prom. Kinda fun. Bad food. Good friends. Lots of pictures. My camera never left my hand.
Saturday/Sunday- After-Prom. Absolute crazy madness worth of fun. A lot of falling. I can't remember a lot of it, but I had an amazing time, that much I'm sure. Went back to a friend's house for late night/early morning drunken-ness and swimming.
Sunday- Aftermath. Woke up to friends, swimming, and the Lakers. Not much more I can ask.
Monday- School. Buzzkill.
Tuesday- All Time Low video shoot. Wow. It definitely beat my prom experience in terms of fun and amazing-ness. Neck and neck with after-prom. Can't even explain the euphoria.
Wednesday- School. Semi-buzzkill. XP Still on an adrenaline rush/high from the day prior.
Thursday night/Friday morning- Grad Nite at Disneyland. Lots of fun. Absolutely exhausted on the ride home.

And thus, my not really full week of excitement ends. But it was definitely one of the best weeks of my life. No exaggeration. Can't really compare it to my 8th grade Yosemite trip though. I'll put them in two different categories of awesome.

Albums vs. Singles/Songs

A strange debate has taken place in my head about the idea of albums and records of artists versus simply invdividual songs or singles. As of late, I have liked buying whole albums as opposed to songs. I feel like listening to a record in its entirety enhances the meaning the artist(s) try to portray through his/her/their music and sometimes brings even more feeling to the singles everyone hears. Like the songs in The Black Parade. Individually, they are all great songs to listen to. Individually, some people adore them, while others scorn them for being the epitome of stereotypical emo with a circling theme of darkness and death. But together, they tell a story of life and death and the emotions that run through your veins in the moments before and after you take your last breath. Concept albums such as TBP are meant to be listened to as wholes, though they can produce chart-topping singles.

Other albums have songs that are quite possibly impossible to listen to without the rest of the record. Forgive Durgen's Razia's Shadow is essentially a musical within an album, narration and all. The songs typically end with narration leading to the following song. The songs themselves are quite enjoyable to listen to, but missing pieces disallows listeners to fully appreciate what the congregation of musicians have put out.

Then, there are albums that don't have a connection between their songs other than the genre and the artist. Pretty.Odd., Folie a Deux, and City of Evil are all records I love listening to as collective groups rather than singling out the songs within them. As good as they may be, I find a strange enjoyment listening to them all together with the other songs in the album.

And that's my muscial rant for today. Maybe a discussion of rock vs. hip-hop vs. pop next time?

I'm Not Okay (I Promise)

*begin vent sesh'*

I feel. Period. ("period" Period "period"?) I cannot insert any one emotion at the end of that sentence. It's not so much an emotional rollercoaster but rather an emotional scrambler. You know those rides where you're in a little car-type thing and it spins you, and then you try to high-five your friend in the other car-type thing while the person running the thing is yelling at you to keep your hands inside the "vehicle"? Yeah, that scrambler. I have so many different feelings running amuck within me, and I've found no other satisfying way to sort them out other than here. We're being green here, people. No need for the use of paper.

Most prominent, I have been excited/happy/ecstatic about college. I'm going to (in my eyes) an amazing school, I have a roommate, and I'm registered for orientation in June. I can't believe it's all happening, graduation then college and such; it's so surreal... bringing up my next point.

I, as of recently, am scared. Not anxious. Not nervous. Flat. out. scared. It's not so much graduation (that goes under the excited category) but what happens after that. I'm not social by nature. I don't meet tons of new people; I make friends with individuals. The problem is that I don't make the effort to maintain said friendships. The friends I have now are basically family, but they're the ones calling me, never the other way around. I've met other people throughout high school, and even though I would call them "friends," they're more like "acquaintances" as horrible as that sounds. Don't lie to yourself; you know people like that, too. Back to why I'm scared: I have no idea what it will be like once everyone's gone for college. I'm fucking terrified that we'll lose contact with each other. Moreso that I will lose contact with them. And the sad thing is that I wouldn't do a thing about it. Just sulk in self-pity because I'm a self-loathsome kind of person, but I don't normally tell anyone that...

Moving on, I guess the other biggest feeling I've been having is frustration, non-menstrual cycle related (but who am I to say it didn't contribute?). As much as I love my friends, they piss me off sometimes. Yes, I am aware this is completely contradictory to what I said above. I think I just have a short bullshit-tolerance level, and I definitely have a barely-there lack-of-common-sense tolerance. Prom sucks. People who flake suck. People who don't realize that this is senior year and that we will not have another experience like this all together again suck. I'm willing to delve into my own pocket and savings to make sure we can all do this, but some people have too much pride, while others refuse help. I'm kind of sick of everything already. If I hadn't paid for everything, I would consider not going and returning to my shell of anti-social-ness. But I did, so I won't, and I'll have to deal.

There's a little anxiety flowing around, too, what with APs being next week and all. That's not so much a big deal since I'm technically in college already. But passing = credits = less courses = less money that has to be spent. OR passing = credits = more space for elective courses = opportunity to actually continue drawing and art.

On a side note with no identifiable emotion that I can think of is the feeling of always being a black sheep. Even when I somewhat fit in somewhere, there's always something to set me apart. But I guess that's what makes everyone else unique, huh? I don't know. Sometimes, I wonder if I landed myself in the wrong group of friends, not that I would change anything. I really do love them. But this is a post for another day, I suppose...

Bah, this was too long. And it doesn't even cover everything. But it covers the majority of it, I guess. And it helped get things off my chest. Music is my boyfriend and is doing a fan-fucking-tastic job of keeping me sane at the moment. I need to go to a live show, stat. It's been too long since my ears have been pierced by the sounds of guitars, bass, drums, and screams.

The title of this post has been brought to you by the lovely gentlemen of My Chemical Romance. My sanity thanks you, Mr. Way, Mr. Way, Mr. Iero, Mr. Toro, and Mr. Bryar.

*end vent sesh*

I'm No Philosopher

Finally went to the beach. It was fantastic. That was expected. What was not expected was thinking of matters greater than moments consisting of myself and my friends. I stood at the shore (the water was freezing) with the waves meeting my feet only to recede back into the ocean, and I thought to myself "What a concept." Different people walk into your life, and I'm not talking about your best friends. I'm talking about the people with whom you converse not too often, yet you remember them. And as soon as you begin to revel in their presence, their momentary stance with you disappears and retreats back into obscurity. But they're not really gone. They stay with you and shape who you are. The friends and family you see and with whom you interact can obviously have a huge influence in your life. But sometimes, it's the people who tangentially touch you --such that it almost seems immaterial-- that help shape your views and personality. Each wave onto shore is different, as is every person, but they blend together to make something greater.

Don't know if I conveyed everything within my thoughts at the moment, but I hope that the jist of it is displayed.