Getting to see Bleachers live at Radio City Music Hall last year was one of the greatest concert experiences of my life and I can't believe that it is forever immortalized in this new live album! It is truly so emotional for me to listen to this album and get to relive this night over and over. Not only was it my very first full Bleachers concert, but I was also lucky enough to be in the front row with my dad for the show too! It was such an incredible experience; it's hard to even put into words how much this night and their music means to me. Every single song they played that night was absolutely incredible and the live arrangements were so different than the studio versions. There of course were countless incredible moments throughout the night, but a major highlight was when they brought out Bruce Springsteen to perform "Chinatown" live for the first time together! That was really just a cherry on top of what was already such an amazing night, and I cannot recommend checking out this live album enough! The energy of a Bleachers show is like no other. The Take the Sadness Out Of Saturday Night era will always mean so much to me for so many reasons and I am so thankful for all of the memories!
I wrote about my full experience at the show here if you'd like to read more and see the photos I took at the show! It's one of my favorites I've ever written!
ttsoosn forever!!! 🍅
Olivia Rodrigo is following up the ballad "vampire" with a fun, playful track with pop punk elements called "bad idea right?" as the second single off her upcoming album. It reminds me of her song "brutal" and is a direction I hope she continues to lean into with the rest of her upcoming album. It is so catchy and has so many funny lyrics. Her delivery is so perfect too, especially the "....fuck it, it's fine" parts. It's my favorite song from Olivia yet, so I am looking forward to hearing what is to come with the rest of GUTS!
There's nothing I love more than good, fun, pop music and that is exactly what Addison Rae delivered with her debut EP. AR is comprised of five songs, most of which were leaked over a year ago and snippets of it have been going viral ever since. I truly love every song on this EP, from the Charli XCX collaboration, to the official release of a long-lost Lady Gaga leaked demo from the Born This Way era. The whole EP is serving early 2000s pop perfection reminiscent of stars like Britney Spears, Hilary Duff and Selena Gomez, to name a few. "I got it bad" is one of my favorites of this project that I can't get enough of. This track is very reminiscent of Britney, especially since some of the same producers and writers are responsible for many of the hits from the ...Baby One More Time and ...Oops I Did It Again eras of her career. I'm looking forward to hearing what direction she goes in with future releases because she has so much potential!
Ahead of the tenth anniversary of her debut album, Yours Truly, Ariana Grande re-released the album alongside new recordings live from London with a full orchestra. I love this album and the rest of Ariana's music so much. I can't believe it's been a decade of Yours Truly. The pure talent Ariana has is once in a generation and she has proven that time and time again, but it all started with these songs. It really all began with "The Way" featuring Mac Miller, which over the past ten years has taken on a whole new meaning and significance in her discography. The new live version is such a beautiful tribute to him and a celebration of their creative partnership. The updated album cover is even such a beautiful ode to "The Way" music video, of her smiling back at Mac. I have loved getting to follow her journey all of these years and watch her continue to grow in her artistry with each album. I truly hope Ariana continues to release updated live versions of her albums as more anniversaries approach!
I will be sharing my full review of the album for the official anniversary in September, so be sure to come back to check it out!
As we are approaching a decade since Bangerz was released and all of the criticism that surrounded her at that time, "Used to Be Young" feels like such a perfect time to be making this statement. Miley sings, "I know I used to be crazy, I know I used to be fun, You say I used to be wild, I say I used to be young". It is a beautiful song that feels so powerful and representative of her past, present and future.
Although Selena has said her next album isn't quite finished yet, she recently released this fun end of summer single called "Single Soon". It is such an empowering dance track, which is what Selena has always done best with her music. I have missed hearing new music from Selena and am looking forward to hearing the direction she goes in with her next album!
Jon and Lana have collaborated yet again for the stunning closing song to his album, World Music Radio. Their vocal harmonies paired over the piano melody are so gorgeous. After their first collaboration on "Candy Necklace" on Lana's recent album, I was looking forward to hearing them collaborate again and I am so happy they did!
Thanks for reading! August has once again slipped away into a moment in time, but I hope you had a wonderful summer! If you are interested in more of my recent song recommendations, check out my list of the best songs of January 2023, February 2023, March 2023, April 2023, May 2023, June 2023, July 2023 and more from my New Music Friday series! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
-Melissa ♡
photo credit to all owners - header designed by Melissa Kacar
Related Posts:
everything's growing in our garden // playlist
strawberries on a summer evening // playlist
sweet tea in the summer // playlist
salt air & the rust on your door // playlist
My Favorite Albums of 2022
My Favorite Albums of 2021
My Favorite Albums of 2020
My Favorite Albums of the Decade
Comments
Post a Comment