Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Burgerama III Playlist

I had the opportunity to attend the third annual Burgerama festival in the OC this weekend and it was awesome. I've only been to like, two other festivals before this one and although I'm not a hardcore festival kind of person, this one's going to be pretty tough to beat! Here's four standout bands I saw this weekend (who may not be the headliners but I think they deserve some recognition!)


Froth - Lost My Mind






Mozes and the Firstborn - I Got Skills





Mac DeMarco - Freaking Out the Neighborhood





Cherry Glazerr - White's Not My Color This Evening 







Wednesday, February 26, 2014

What I'm Listening to This Week 2/26/14

Hello lovelies!
For some reason I'm having trouble making these playlists at the beginning of the week but I hope this will cure your hump day blues regardless!

Transpose - Bad Suns



I remember seeing Bad Suns back in September opening up for The Vaccines and I literally stood there wondering why I've never heard of them before that moment. They've certainly blown up since then and it brought a smile to my face hearing them on 98.7's Close to Home segment! Lead singer Christo Bowman brings a unique hard-hitting vocal essence to the band's sound that makes Bad Suns stand out and leave listeners humming their catchy hooks.

Spinning Signs - Painted Palms



Surprisingly Facebook suggested this little electro-psychedelic-rock outfit to me a few weeks ago and in contrast to most of the melancholic sounds I've been hearing from the psych rock genre (don't get me wrong, I still dig that), this band adds a bit of an upbeat punch that makes me want to put it on my party playlist next time I have a kickback.

Foreigner - The Wild Reeds



If there's one rule I live by in relation to critiquing music, it's the stickiness factor. I had the pleasure of interviewing and watching the lovely ladies of The Wild Reeds perform back in December and to this day, "Foreigner" still pops in my head from time to time. It's a haunting, eerie track and the harmonies are absolutely beautiful (I'm a suck for harmonies, you know!). Try not to hum this after watching, I dare you.

Let me know what you think and what you're listening to this week!

-Amanda

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Disney Princess Themed Photoshoot!

My lovely friend Helen took all of us out for an awesome photoshoot down in Fullerton! Here's some of the shots and make sure to check out her other shots here: probablymagic.tumblr.com







Tuesday, January 28, 2014

What I'm Listening to This Week 1/28/14

Hello Lovelies! It's been a while, huh? (That's soon becoming the catch-phrase of this blog!)
But I'm here to bring you another "What I'm Listening to This Week" (-imaginary crowd cheers-). Also as I'm creating this playlist, it's turning out to be a very relaxing one!

Temples- Colours to Life



I'm really really really excited that psychedelic rock is a big scene right now. Temples, signed to Heavenly records along with the band Toy, creates such a great dreamy hook in the chorus that makes you want to press replay for days. I heard this song on KROQ a couple nights ago and it instantly made my drive much more bearable. 

London Grammar-Metal and Dust



What I like most about this song is how simple the lyrics are. Even though half of the song is a repetition of two lines, lead singer Hannah Reid's vocal range and angelic riffs make the whole song flow perfectly. 

Young the Giant-Apartment



Just saw these guys kill it on Jimmy Kimmel last Tuesday and I know I'm a bit behind posting a song that was on their last album but it's just so good! Think of it as an oldie but goodie. If I could marry a voice, it'd probably be Sameer Gadhia's (although I'm not opposed to marrying the dude himself). It's a somber melody but somehow makes you feel a little warmer inside as the song closes. 

Let me know if any of these are your faves and what you're listening to this week!

-Amanda 

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

What I'm Listening to This Week

Hi all! I'm really good at this consistent posting thing huh? (sarcasm.) But I thought, hm, what could I do to remind myself to update this blog at least once a week? A playlist post of course! It might just be my incessant need to play a song so many times the computer itself is begging me not to press play again, but lately I've been finding new music to rotate into my daily listening routine that I finally decided it's time to share my consumption habits with you all!

This Week:

Peaks-Speak




What I really dig about this track is the fact that you don't even realize 5 minutes and 20 seconds has passed by because you're too busy getting lost in the rollercoaster of ever-changing beats while a soothing voice that could possibly be the lovechild of Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig and The Shins' James Mercer guides you through the refreshing blast of sound.


Teenage Lovers - The Virgins ft. Sky Ferreira




I'm pretty much a sucker for anything Sky Ferreira is involved with so this was a no-brainer. Although I haven't dipped my toes into the electronic music scene, there are a few tracks that really hit the mark in my book, whether they help me get pumped up or actually consider stepping foot onto the dancefloor. This is one of those tracks.

A Lack of Understanding - The Vaccines



Being locked up in your parents house from 8-5 for a week straight can make anyone stir crazy, and for some reason I always turn to The Vaccines to propel myself into a zombie-like trance to distract me from all the little nuisances that bother me throughout the week (on this week's episode: the construction being done on our roof with nonstop drilling for 9 hours straight). This band is so good at writing hits but sounding like they could care less all at the same time. Now that description might make them sound pretentious, but they're nothing of the sort. Seeing them live was one of the best decisions I made last summer, and they really know how to get the crowd going.

As always, feel free to comment and let me know what you've been listening to this week!

-Amanda 

Sunday, January 5, 2014

FOMO Fest 2014 (What Would Have Been)

First off, I'm so sorry I've neglected this blog for the past 3 days. I honestly knew this was going to happen but maybe I fooled a couple of you into thinking I was actually going to stick to a post-a-day on this thing.

Anyway, this past friday I bought tickets to FOMO Fest 2014 at the Echo and I was so stoked to see the lineup. When I stalked the bands beforehand, I really started to dig Bogan Via, Avid Dancer, and Fever the Ghost. They're all local talent so I was excited to see them all in one place!

But alas, all my concert-going friends were out of town, making me force one of my friends who'd rather not listen to weird indie-DIY music to come with me so I wouldn't feel so lonely. I know, I'm weak.

Even though doors were at 7:30, I thought getting there at 8:30 would have allowed time for the crowds to form but literally no one was there! But we came in just in time for Bogan Via and I really enjoyed their set. Their voices sounded lovely together and I loved the keyboard addition. Here's a clip of their song "Kanye" here:


But by the time they were finishing up their set, my friend wanted out. And since there were no ins and outs, and I'm such a killer friend, I gave in and we left. So I attended FOMO for a grand total of 30 minutes.

I think from now on, if i really want to go to a show and no one wants to go with me, I'm just gonna suck it up and go by myself. It's interesting to see how weird of a turn my music taste has taken but it would be nice to have a buddy that's down to go with me to whatever kind of show. Like a little musical pocket elf I can bring out to make myself look less awkward and alone! Does that make sense? Well for now, I'm just gonna sulk and listen to what would have been a great performance by Avid Dancer and Fever the Ghost (with links below):

Avid Dancer - Stop Playing With My Heart




Have a good listen, lovelies!

-Amanda