RED

I'm a country music fan. I certainly dig the genre's emphasis on having good lyrics or narrative rather than putting more weight on the musicality (tunes, melody, or whatever it is called).  But don't get me wrong.  Country music could just rival pop in terms of auditory confection, although on a personal level, I believe country is way better.

Shania Twain is my ultimate favorite country singer and no one's gonna change that fact. For those who don't even know who she is, she is no other than the voice behind From This Moment On, You're Still The One, and You Got A Way (the song from Notting Hill).  She has this very awesome voice and although her lyrics speak with more maturity, her songs are fantastic.  Try listening to I'm Gonna Getcha Good, The Woman In Me (Needs The Man In You), and That Don't Impress Me Much and you'll know why I am so in love with her.

But this post is not about Shania.  Perhaps I'll dedicate to her one.  But for now, I'll write about another country singer who also captivated me.  And she is no other than Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift is among the new acts that has amassed a great following. Who wouldn't? She sings songs that many youngsters could relate to, especially when she starts to belt her lovesongs out.  The joys of falling in and the pains of falling out of love --- we all went through that.  Hence, we could all relate.

Last October, Switfies all over the world went gaga over the release of TSwift's fourth studio album - RED.  But why RED?  Taylor Swift said in a statement that it is "because of the tumultuous, crazy adventures in love and loss that it chronicles. In my mind, when you experience love that’s fast paced and out of control and mixes infatuation, jealousy, frustration, miscommunication, and all of those lovely emotions…in retrospect, it all looks red"

The Deluxe Edition cover.  This is actually from my Digital Booklet.

The Standard Edition of the album contains sixteen brand new songs from the country sweetheart while the Deluxe Edition (the one I have, digitally) has six additional tracks, including the demo versions of Treacherous and Red.

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Colorfully Rockin' with Indie

The mainstream music industry could sometimes make my ears bleed.  Although I love listening to Lady Gaga and Katy Perry or ogling to Adam Levine's divine hotness or singing along (or should I say rapping along) to Nicki Minaj while wondering of the circumference of her bum, sometimes, the popular could be so sickening.  I cannot even resort to the Kpop music scene although it could be a cuter alternative; it's just shared by many.  Sometimes, I would just want to take a break from all things everybody knows about.

Great thing, months ago, one video took me to the better side of Youtube (thanks to Veda Bongalos for this one).  Although at first, I didn't really got hooked, the search for interesting acts made me so in love with the indie music scene.  And yes, I'm pledging my loyalty to it.  Not only are the indie artists music industry's precious secret, the entire indie music scene is no-crap at all.  Each song has depth and a story unlike mainstream which has songs about seeing peacocks and tralalas and ding ding dongs.  Plus, each band has their own sound.  No one will sound like the other.

I might have said that indie bands are music's secrets but I think these bands deserve some attention, too (although they are making great waves already).  So let's colorfully rock as I share three of the indie bands I listen to.  And yes, at times, their songs are on the loop.

1. The Honey Trees

Photo taken from The Honey Trees official fanpage.

The first band to actually get me hooked to indie, The Honey Trees is a dream pop band from Sacramento, California.  The band, a two-man act, is composed of Becky Filip and Jacob Wick (and you hear me scream! AHHHH!!!!)  The dreamy approach of the band on their songs is what draws me to them, something which I rarely hear in the mainstream industry.  In fact, it is through The Honey Trees that I found out that there exist dream pop.  The band's photographs and music video, which is taken by Simon Filip, Becky's brother, are astonishing and cute. Just check the above photo and the music video of the song To Be With You.  And oh, there is Becky's über-cute dresses and impecable style.  And yes, Jacob Wick!

Recommended songs:  their original titled Love and Loss and their cover of the Moon River.  Both songs are to die for! Like seriously.

2. The Perishers

Photo taken from the blog caffeine-headache

If you are a fan of the OC, then you might have heard their songs playing on some of the show's episodes.  But in case you are not a fan of the OC, or you haven't even seen the OC (like me), it's never too late to fall for this Swedish indie rock band.  The Perishers is a band composed of Ola Klüft (vocals, guitar), Martin Gustafson (keyboards, backing vocals), Pehr  Aström (bass) and Thomas Hedlund (drums).  What I love about this band is that their songs explore the depths of a man honestly and faithfully in love.  Their songs are pieces that every girl would love to hear and every boy would like to sing to their girl.  

Try listening to Sway, a song that about how a boy wants to be just friends with a girl he loves and who picks him up whenever he crumbles just because he doesn't want to hurt her anymore. Meanwhile, 8 AM Departure talks about the feeling of never leaving someone but you have to whereas Nothing Like You and I, my personal favorite, is a narrative of a couple whose relationship is about to end.


3. The Paper Kites

Photo taken from The Paper Kites Official Fanpage

The Paper Kites' specialized genre is folk.  And if you think that folk is so-not-awesome, then you better check out their songs.  This band from Melbourne, Australia and is comprised of Sam Bentley, Christina Lacy, Dave Powys, Sam Rasmussen, and Josh Bentley, offers folk music that is so awesome you'll never think it is folk.  Like seriously!  If you would really want a chill out background on lazy days, The Paper Kites is the best option.  Their songs are very much relaxing and very much enjoyable.  Their music videos are very cool too.

Arms, one of my favorite indie songs, will certainly make your heart jump with it's melodramatic music and heartwarming lyrics.  The first time I heart the song, well, I just died.  Also try Featherstone and The Mortal Boy King.  Their songs will undeniably make you feel relaxed, certainly a great respite from ear-splitting pop music.

These three bands are the very bands that made me join the "I Love Indie" bandwagon.  But if we don't share the same taste on music, you could simply look for a band that will suit your taste.  That is certainly the beauty of indie --- it has everything for everyone.  Whether you are a romantic, a goth, or a hippie,  you wouldn't resist the greatness of these unknown industry.

Indie rocks! Indie make me rock! \m/

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