#panic at the disco

YESSSSS

YESSSSS

nicole!

brendon!

Happy 2019, everyone!

Another year is officially behind us, and oh boy, what a great year it was for every music lover out there, leaving us with a shit-ton of exceptionally good records to enjoy. With that in mind, of course I had to compile a list containing my ten favourite albums that were released in 2018.

We gotta begin with an honorable mention: Living Proof - State Champs.

I don’t know if you’ll agree with me, but I think records of these sort tend to sound fairly similar between one another, which can get a bit monotone. Nevertheless, State Champs have managed to produce an enjoyable bunch of melodies. Really disappointed the band was forced to cancel their South American tour, if I’m honest, I was really looking forward to seeing them :( 

Dead And Gone is my absolute fave.

Okay, now to the actual list!

10. Sunnyland - Mayday Parade

Last place goes to Mayday Parade’s sixth studio album, Sunnyland. While it may not excel at being innovative both musically and lyrically, I think it’s widely agreed, the record is good enough, presenting a select mix between “angsty” and “soft” songs. This, in my opinion, it’s one the things that makes the pop-punk genre so distinguishable, and appreciated. The best of both worlds - pop and punk. 

Favourite tracks are Piece Of Your Heartand Never Sure.

9. Blue Madonna - BØRNS

Next is androgynous singer BØRNS’ sophomore record, from an entirely different type of music. I would definitely say he’s an underappreciated vocalist, and his work deserves far more attention. Blue Madonna it’s mostly uplifting and with few shortfalls present, such as the collaboration with Lana Del Rey. Other than that, the listener is captivated with the pop-influenced sound and its glam vibe, which combined with BØRNS’ beautiful falsetto produces an almost perfect result. 

Most recommended songs are Faded HeartandSweet Dreams.

8. The American Dream - Trophy Eyes

Aaaand we’re back to pop-punk! This somewhat obscure Australian band had only gained some popularity a few years back, from the release of their sophomore album, Chemical Miracle. Hence why it might’ve come as a bit of a shock to some people how solid The American Dreamis. 

It conveys a feeling of optimism and happiness, with so many bangers like Autumn, Something Bigger Than This, Friday Forever, You Can Count On Me, Lavender Bay… to name a few. A 10/10 album for sure!

7. Love & Loathing - With Confidence

With Confidence is a band that’s very near and dear to my heart, and since I’m very fussy (as you might’ve noticed lol) I was very worried they were not going to be able to top the  m a s t e r p i e c e  that was Better Weather. Sincerely I’m not sure they did, but even so, Love & Loathing is filled with so many unbelievably awesome songs. They just can’t do nothing wrong, can they?! 

It’s hard to have preferences when it comes to one of your favourite bands, but I’d say JadedandPâquerette (Without Me) do the best job of portraying the wide range of variety, first one being more upbeat and “punky”, while the latter is more acoustic sounding and makes it easier to value Jayden’s soft and beautiful voice.

6. Little Dark Age - MGMT

It’s likely you’ve heard of this band from one of their most popular songs like Kids, or maybe Time To Pretend, and that’s what most people know them for, but to me they’re so much more than that. They’ve proven yet again, with their newest record, that they’re not just a one-hit wonder. Little Dark Age is their finest work to date, and to be honest, I’m amazed at how it pretty much flew under everyone’s radar. 

Songs like TSLAMP, When You Die, and even the title track are some of my favourites. They have the distinctive MGMT sound, like they’re from a different era, and they sorta portray a psychedelic vibe. Every song in the album makes me feel like I should be at a place like Woodstock maybe, dressed in floral and consuming LSD (lol), yet somehow they still manage to sound current and as something a crowd like Coachella’s would enjoy (not like that’s something to be taken too seriously haha). Very nice, indeed!

5. Youngblood - 5 Seconds of Summer

We’ve come to number 5 on this list, where we encounter 5SOS’ third studio album: Youngblood. Funny enough, this is another band that has a special place in my heart, and I gotta say, I didn’t expect at all the direction they took with their music, it really came as a shock to me. Being more inclined to rockish and heavier sounds myself, a pop influenced album is not something I would usually enjoy. With that being said, Youngblood for me was an acquired taste. The more you listen to it, the more you’ll fall in love with it. Gotta applaud the boys for coming up with so much more of a mature sound, and still managing to stay relevant and top some charts in the process. 

The record presents a perfect mixture of songs, where you have your sad and slow songs, like Lie To MeandGhost Of You, while on the other hand there’s much more upbeat tracks like BabylonandTalk Fast. There’s something for everyone to enjoy! It seems to me like it would be such an experience in concert, so I can’t wait till I can see them! The best most underrated song is definitely Empty Wallets.5SOS, stop paying it dust, please!

4. Composure - Real Friends

Not to brag or anything but… I’M SEEING THEM LIVE SOON! AND I HAVE MEET & GREET TICKETS! WHAT EVEN IS LIFE! Okay, let’s get back on track lol. There’s not a single song I dislike of Composure, which is so rare for me. Definitely a solid record from start to finish. Several songs touch up on the topic of mental health, which is always appreciated, as we all know, it is not talked about enough. 

If I had to pick, faves are probably Me First, From The Outside, Composure and Get By.

3. Entertainment - Waterparks

It’s so funny to me, looking back at the same time last year, how I felt sooo different about this record. Somehow, here we are now, labeling it as my top 3 favourite album of 2018, what even. Definitely an acquired taste! 

The best songs for me will always be Peach (Lobotomy)and Lucky People.

2. Pray For The Wicked - Panic! At The Disco

Pray For The Wicked is absolutely deserving of this spot, in my opinion. Not to be dramatic or anything (who, me?) but never in my entire life I have loved an album sooo damn much on the first listen. Probably because it’s exactly my style, exactly what I enjoy most in music: theatrical, over the top, mostly upbeat and Broadway-like. Truly, Panic! At The Disco is an amazing band and Brendon Urie is such a talented man, they’ve been around for 15 years and it seems to me as if they’re becoming more successful everyday. 

I gotta stay true to the first song I loved of the album: Roaring 20s. Then of course, they’re all bangers, so it doesn’t really matter.

1. Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life - The Wombats

Finally, we’ve arrived to the cherry on top. Wow. Can we please talk about how this band and this album don’t get nearly enough recognition and appreciation?! What even are people doing if they’re not listening to The Wombats on repeat? Is so hard to find the adequate words to describe Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life, I feel like no matter what I say, it won’t do it justice. Every single song is so beautifully crafted, exceptionally composed, lyrically and instrumentally, just perfect. The music suits any occasion, I can listen to it if I’m feeling down and it cheers me up, if I’m unmotivated it gets me to do stuff, if I’m happy it makes me wanna dance, if there’s no one else with me it makes me feel less lonely. I don’t wanna get too sappy so I’ll just leave it at that haha. They need to come to South America asap, the thought of never being able to see them live makes me so miserable :(

Not to be that bitch who only appreciates the singles, but Turn is my absolute favourite. Clever lyrics accompanied by beautiful instrumentals. 10/10.

Bonus:

Ya thought we were done? Nah fam, just before I go, gotta give a quick shout to two of my absolute favourite bands and their masterpiece of EPs they released last year. Go give them a listen, I promise you won’t be sorry!

1981 Extended Play - IDKHOW

Ann - The Front Bottoms

:-)

Can we  p l e a s e  talk about how this band deserves way more appreciationandrecognition? If you’ve never heard their name before, now you have no excuse cause imma tell you all about them. By the time I’m done I’m sure you’ll adore them as much as I do.

So, a bit of context for starters: ‘I Don’t Know How But They Found Me’ is an American duo, composed by lead singer and bassist Dallon Weekes, and Ryan Seaman on the drums and backing vocals.

The main concept behind this project portrays IDKHBTFM as a “band out of time”, as explained on their website: “One who faded away into obscurity after struggling to find success in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Only recently, the internet has begun to uncover the performances and recordings of a band that the world wasn’t ready for. Perhaps the world is ready now…”

If you were to ask me to explain why I love them so much, there’s of course tons of reasons. They’re kind people. They’re exceptionally talentedmusicians, yet down-to-earth and humble individuals. They have the courage to pursue their dream, no matter how hard to achieve it may seem. They keep their live performances simple and focus on the music itself. The band’s way to present themselves in social media is pretty cryptic and mysterious, which in my opinion is really clever because it keeps everyone on their toes and paying attention. At least, I know I am.

Sadly, they have yet to release their first album, fact that has thousands of fans - myself included - waiting eager and impatiently. I don’t know what record labels are thinking that they haven’t offered them a deal yet but, c’mon people, wake up!

Anyways, to finish this post I’d like to list a few of my favourite songs on this band’s setlist.

Must include classic live performances opener and unreleased track ‘Nobody Likes The Opening Band’. Played with no background music other than Dallon’s snapping fingers, it serves the purpose of warming up the crowd to start the show. As it is inferred by the title, the song addresses the topic of being an opening band and playing to an audience that usually isn’t interested. Every lyric, despite its simplicity, it’s genius and honestly just so accurate. Things like the line ‘oh unfamiliar things will make us nervous, but singing here for you gives me a purpose’ sang with high pitched and flawless voice move me every time. Follower ‘so… take pity on the opening bands, cause no one came to see them, except their mom and dad’ always makes everyone laugh.

Next is a track that has blown up so quickly, as proven by its over 1.8 million views on YouTube.Chokeis the second single that IDK has released, about 2 months ago. I think what captivates the listener is the contradiction between its sound and its lyrics. The first one is upbeat and happy, while the second one is just… creepy. To the point it has made fans wonder who is it about. Sadly Dallon hasn’t spilled the tea on this one, but of course the mystery just adds to it! ;)

An old Brobecks fans favourite that has made it into the setlist is ‘Visitation Of The Ghost’. Its best feature in my opinion is the instrumental part, the always-present drums and the simple bass chord just enhance the beauty of the lyrics and blend perfectly with Weekes’ voice. The way IDK perform it live makes it so special, as they invite a fan to the stage to play the bass while Dallon steps into the crowd to sing the ‘oh my lord’ part right next to them. An unmissable track for sure!

A full video of one of their live presentations can be found right below, in case you’re interested on checking them out further.

I’ll just be over here, looking forward to their album release and patiently awaiting for them to start touring and conquer the planet.

And of course, I wish them nothing but success and all the love in the world!

hello welcome back to my i love bassists saga

if you’re a bassist you’re hot i don’t make the rules

This is why we get too attached to a certain song and get so emotional. It shows how sad we truly are.

Cassie, holding Sisky’s hand over her stomach so he can feel the baby kick: sorry this is taking so long, he kicked for everyone else.

Jon: it’s hard for the little guy to perform under pressure.

Ryan: top 10 things Jon said on his wedding night.

Sisky: woah! It was small, but I think I felt something!

Ryan: top 10 things Cassie said on her wedding night.

Cassie:*laughs*

Jon: stop laughing at it, Cas!

Sisky: top 10 things Jon said on his wedding night!

Cassie, holding Sisky’s hand over her stomach so he can feel the baby kick: sorry this is taking so long, he kicked for everyone else.

Jon: it’s hard for the little guy to perform under pressure.

Ryan: top 10 things Jon said on his wedding night.

Sisky: woah! It was small, but I think I felt something!

Ryan: top 10 things Cassie said on her wedding night.

Cassie:*laughs*

Jon: stop laughing at it, Cas!

Sisky: top 10 things Jon said on his wedding night!

Sisky: hey Ryan-

Ryan:no.

Sisky: you don’t even know what I was gonna say-

Ryan: I don’t care, I can guarantee the answer is gonna be no.

Sisky: hey Ryan-

Ryan:no.

Sisky: you don’t even know what I was gonna say-

Ryan: I don’t care, I can guarantee the answer is gonna be no.

Vicky: hey Jon, what are the symptoms of depression?

Jon: why do you ask?

Vicky: Ryan was doing laundry earlier and he dropped a sock and I heard him say “why has God forsaken me?”

Vicky: hey Jon, what are the symptoms of depression?

Jon: why do you ask?

Vicky: Ryan was doing laundry earlier and he dropped a sock and I heard him say “why has God forsaken me?”

Brendon, into the microphone: how’s everybody doing tonight?

Crowd:WOO

Ryan, from the back in a normal voice: it’s been a tough few months.