If there’s one thing people know about me, it’s my passion for music. A moment when music isn’t playing in my home is scarce. From the time I was little, music has been one of the largest parts of my mental and emotional development. When looking through my iTunes library, you’ll see large varieties of musical types. From Fleetwood Mac to Atreyu, my collection rarely discriminates.
This year, there were three albums that stood out to me among the rest. All of which are sophomore albums.
1) "Low Tides" by This Wild Life
If you haven’t gotten the chance to listen to This Wild Life yet, you need to be sure to do so this year. This acoustic pop-punk duo from Long Beach, California have become a well known name in their circle of music. Their first album was a success, delivering soft guitar strums with lyrics that pack a punch. The follow up album, “Low Tides” delivers the same vulnerability, but the band did more experimentation with musical style.
2) "Disappear Here" by Bad Suns
This Los Angeles based band brought out their second album this year after a successful first album in the indie circuit. The four piece band stretched their musical limits, adding more elements of guitar and percussion. The stand out song on this album for me was “Daft Pretty Boys”.
3) “I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It” by The 1975
Since the release of their debut album in 2014 The 1975 have become a name known amongst a wide range of audiences worldwide. This British band brings a flare to their pop music that stirs up respect. Their lyrics are not about things that the radio spits out. Their songs question social norms, encourage education, while also revealing the dark things that go hand in hand with the human existence. Both albums are cohesive, sharing on the same themes, but changing the music in which they’re shared.
2016 brought about an abundance of worldly change, some good and some bad. However my feelings about differing subjects throughout the past year, 2016 did not disappoint in the music department. I look forward to what music 2017 has to share.
