Sunday's Seven Songs (March 1)

Today's weather is absolutely perfect, despite the clouds taunting me with no rain. The day's not over yet so I'm still crossing my fingers for a storm.

Changing subjects, Tom Delonge announced more information on his new album - "Demos, Odds and Ends." The album is set to be released on April 21. I was disappointed because he kept talking about March 1 so I thought the album was going to be released today. There are a few snippets in the video introducing the album and the sound seems really promising. I don't know how I couldn't love it though. The only thing that makes it less great is that it is neither Blink 182 nor Angels & Airwaves (however, it is AvA's label). Tom kind of led people on to believe that the album would be streamed so he got a spew of negative comments from people saying that they refuse to "give him anymore money" and stuff like that. I never considered him streaming the album since he is so adamantly against the idea of streaming. The first song from the album is supposed to be available on March 9, followed by a second song on March 23, a third song on April 6, then the full album on April 21. For more information on the album, go to tomdelonge.me .

After weeks of Netflix binging, I was able to catch up to the finale of Parks and Recreation. I can definitely say that it is one of the best shows I have seen. There was never a lull in the plot and it makes you laugh at the dumbest things at times. I can't imagine a better finale for the show - every loose end was tied up and you were left not needing any more. I will miss Pawnee and the awesome people in the Parks department. Since finishing the show, I've decided to try to cut back on Netflix (gasp). Instead, I decided to start reading again. AP Lit has caused me to sort of resent reading because I am not fond of the selections, so I decided I'm just going to make some time to read what I want to. I finally finished The Maze Runner and, while it had it's slow parts, it was a great story with an ending that made you wanting more (thankfully, there is a sequel). Next, I decided to start reading the Divergent series. I got hooked the second I started reading. I finished the first book, all 500ish pages, in three or four days. Now I'm on the second installment of the series, Insurgent, which is supposed to come out in theaters this month.

On a side note, I've also been listening to Jack and Alex's (of All Time Low) podcast, "Full Frontal." I am not a big podcast listener because it usually can't keep my attention. Jack and Alex are hilarious though. My favorite parts of their episodes are when they talk about what they are doing on tour and their music segment. It's great to listen to how much music means to them and their takes on different artists.

Okay, I know this is a longer intro than usual, but I felt like talking about what's been going on. Instead of listing seven songs that I have listened to this week, I am putting my music library on shuffle and listing the first seven songs that appear.



1) Enthused by Blink 182
This song comes from Blink's "Dude Ranch" album that debuted in 1997. Eighteen years old. This album captures so much of what early Blink was - three kids just out of high school, playing music and having fun. It shows the stupid humor that surrounded the band. At this time, Scott Raynor (not Travis Barker) was on drums. Most of the songs, like Enthused, are pretty short and emphasized with loud guitar riffs and Tom's unique vocals. The most well known songs to come out of this album are Pathetic, Dammit, and Josie (one of my favorite songs).

2) Listener (Acoustic) by The Technicolors
Only about a month left until I see these guys open for The Maine! The acoustic version of this song, which is also the title of the album, makes me crave rain even more. It's the kind of music that makes me want to go to a coffee shop, watch the rain, and read or something else that's pretty laid back. The vocals are simple and quiet for the most part, giving the song almost a lullaby quality.

3) Drunk (Cover) by 5 Seconds of Summer
Even though they are a huge band now (currently performing to giant crowds all the way in Japan), I have every one of their covers still on my phone. It's a nice reminder that they went from doing small covers of their favorite artists to selling out arenas (and also getting recognized by those same artists years later). This particular cover is by Calum Hood, and I almost forgot how much his voice has improved (even though it was still great then) and how much confidence he has gained since recording this.

4) American Idiot (Live Cover) by 5 Seconds of Summer
I am not even surprised that 5SOS came up twice. This is without a doubt my favorite cover from them. It captures the real sound that they are meant for (and hopefully the sound that they are leaning towards in their next album). Even though their covers of What I Like About You and Teenage Dream were great songs for a live performance, their cover of American Idiot just seems to fit so much better. Maybe that's because Green Day were the ones to really invent pop punk. They sound like they are having the time of their lives during this live cover. I still can't believe I got to see them perform it live back in November.

5) That Girl by All Time Low
It seems like people either love or hate "Dirty Work." I have seen comments leaning both ways, but never in the middle. I am definitely one of the people who loves it. I love that I can still hear the same energy in All Time Low's music since their first EP to their latest single. This is a song that is definitely meant for turning up the volume as high as it can go and shouting the lyrics. The sound and rhythm and beat of the songs is so catchy, you can't help singing along.

6) Ready to Run by One Direction
I used to refer to One Direction as a guilty pleasure, but I don't know why I have to be guilty for liking them. Their music is upbeat and carries a lot of energy in it. This song is from their latest album, "Four," which the group actually had a hand in the songwriting (which I was relieved to find out). I love that the song is relatively fast, yet it still has a very recognizable acoustic guitar in the chorus.

7) Berzerk by Eminem
Well, this is very different from the other songs. Hearing this song instantly makes me think of road tripping to California with my best friend and turning up the music and acting a lot cooler than we really are. How could you not get into this song? The chorus is easy enough to learn quickly and before you know it, you know all the words.


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I almost forgot that today is the first day of a new month. February felt like a brutally long 28 days despite being the shortest month. Here are a few things are coming up in March:

March 13, 14, 15 - Pot of Gold Festival (including Fall Out Boy!!)
March 17 - Sleeping with Sirens new album, "Madness"
March 22 - MUSINK FESTIVAL WITH BLINK 182 FT MATT SKIBA

March 31 - The Maine's new album, "American Candy"

You could probably tell which I am most excited for. It has been three and a half years since I last saw Blink 182 during the Honda Civic Tour. Only three weeks from today and I will be seeing them. I still can't really believe it's going to happen.

Anyways, that is all for Sunday's Seven Songs (and a kind of long update on other things).


Until next time,
Nikole xx