Saturday, January 17, 2015

2014 Summa Cum Laude, TOP 10

Here we go!
10) You probably have heard this song, it's very popular right now. From Ireland, Hozier with Take Me to Church


9) One Republic, Something I Need


8) The Pretty Reckless, Why'd You Bring a Shotgun to the Party


7) Ingrid Michaelson, Over You (feat. A Great Big World)



6) Gabrielle Aplin, Salvation


And now, the top five!
5) NONONO, Pumpin Blood


4) Joseph, Cloudline


3) Nina Nesbitt, Selfies


2) Elizavita, Hero


1) UK chicks rule! 3 of my top 6. Birdy, Wings

Thursday, January 15, 2015

2014 Summa Cum Laude (11-20)

The best part about this part of the list is how much I love these songs.
20) Gabriella Cilmi, Symmetry
19)One Republic, Love Runs Out


18) Ingrid Michaelson, Home

17) No Sinner, Boo Hoo Hoo


16) It seems I love Sweden this year even more than usual. NONONO with Jungle

15) Another amazing talent from the UK, Birdy with Strange Birds


14) Vance Joy again. Best That I Can


13) Within Temptation (featuring Xzibit), And We Run


12) The Strange Familiar, Surrender


11)You had know Nina Nesbitt would show up near the top. The Hardest Part

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

2014 Summa Cum Laude 21-30

30) Polly Scattergood, Cocoon


29) Australia gives us Gossling, Heart Killer


28) Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden strike again with Let Me Go


27) Seems like LA based artists are scoring well with me this year. Here is Jess Penner with Summertime


26) Joseph is a three sister act from Portland, OR. Here is Wind


25) Christina Perri, i don't wanna break


24) Oh Honey is a duo from New York that got noticed in 2014. Be OK


23) The Rentals is an American band lead by the Bass player from Weezer (according to Wikipedia). Just try to not like this song. It's Time To Come Home


22) Ingrid Michaelson's Light's Out may well be the best album this year (it's up there). Saw her at First Avenue this year. She is so special! Here is Afterlife


21) Oh Land, No Particular Order


2014 Summa Cum Laude 31-43

The rank ordering starts:

43) Lauren Aquilina is a brilliant young singer from the UK. Here is Lovers or Liars


42) Sweden brings us Tove Lo's Habits (Stay High)


41) Australia gifts us with Gabriella Cilmi. Here is The Sting


40) My Brightest Diamond is a project of the singer Shara Worden (New York). Here is Pressure


39) Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden (Seattle but based in Nashville) put a super duper album out this year. Here is Wide Open Plain


38) Another New York act on my list, Haerts with Giving Up


37) SNL did skit about people who don't want to admit they like Taylor Swift's music. I am over it. Here is Out of the Woods


36) New Jersey's Nicole Atkins is amazing. Girl You Look Amazing


35) From Wisconsin and currently out of New York, Grace Weber gives us Till I Hurt You


34) Philadelphia gives us Christina Perri, who is 2 for 2 on albums now. Human


33) From Norway, Highasakite with Iran



32) The Pretty Reckless is a band I obviously like a lot. Here is Heaven Knows

31) Cold War Kids is a cool band from Long Beach. Here is Drive Desperate

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

2014 Magna Cum Laude IV

The Novelists, another band I don't actually know much about. This song features Megan Slankard, who is quite a talent. I'm In No Pain


I really love The Pretty Reckless. Perhaps too much, which could result in my Going to Hell


I apologize for the repeat bands at this point. But in my defense, there are a lot of artists on the big long list. Turns out, my favorites dominate near the top. Here are two from The Strange Familiar (who totally deserve to dominate).
Painkiller

Rain


Here is band from LA that is pretty cool I think. Wildcat! Wildcat! with Up & Beyond


Are there two greater pillars in Symphonic Metal than Nightwish and Within Temptation? So, what if the orignal front from Nightwish did a joint song with Within Temptation? You'd get this


In the same genre, here are two great tracks from Xandria. Sacrificium

Nightfall


From Phoenix of all places, here are two from Zola Jesus
Dangerous Days

Hunger


My last Magna, perhaps appropriately, Sick Like Me from In This Moment

2014 Magna Cum Laude III

Another one from Nicole Atkins. Worst Hangover.


A favorite from Denmark, Oh Land had a song in my top 10 last year. She put a new album out late in 2014, and I like it. Nothing is Over.


From Nashville (I think), Olivia Jean. Green Honeycreeper.


From Baraboo, WI, PHOX. Song is called Evil.


Two more from the wonderful Polly Scattergood. Miss You

I've Got A Heart


S (Jenn Ghetto), Losers


The order is alpahbetical, but this will change the mood a bit. Stream of Passion with Monster


Here are two from an obscure artist named Taylor something.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

2014 Magna Cum Laude, II

From Seattle, Jen Wood.
Fell In Love

From Las Vegas, Jenny Lewis. Head Underwater

From Australia, Jezebels. Beat to Beat


Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden (are we are not done with this band)


Again, I just adore Katie Herzig - and this video is a stitch.


Lia Ices, Higher


For whatever reasons, Canada seems underrepresented this year. Here is Lights (Up We Go).


On other hand, Scandinavia is doing very well this year. Lykke Li with Love Me Like I'm Not Made of Stone


MØ - XXX 88 ft. Diplo


From New York, Mister Wives. This is Twisted Tongue.
Here are two more from the very productive Nerina Pallot
Lay Down With Me

Men Are Not From Mars

2014 Magna Cum Laude I

Moving up in my rankings. The Cum Laude's were 87-138. The Magna Cum Laude's are 43-86.
Note, these are again, mostly alphabetical
Another one from Amy Stroup, Falling.


Annie Stela, Liar


From New Zealand, here is Brooke Fraser with two songs.



Elizabeth and The Catapult, Sugar Covered Poison.


Here are two from one my favorite albums of 2014, Epica's Quantum Enigma

This one is worth listening to the whole way (well, they all are, but this song is, well, no pun intended, epic).


Gabriella Aplin, The Power of Love


Haerts, Hemiplegia


Imelda May, Wild Woman


I've liked this very innovative artist from quite some time. Imogene Heap, Me the Machine


2014 Cum Laude V

From Kentucky, Sleeper Agent.


The band is from the Netherlands, the singer? Mexico. Stream of Passion.


This is a really good album. Period. The assist from Imogene Heap only helps.


From LA, The Pretty Reckless


From LA, The Shoe


I think this band is just going to get more and more popular. From Ohio, The Strange Familiar.


Tori Amos put an album out this year, and I got to see her perform. She still has it.


Who is Vance Joy? I didn't know until recently. Turns out he is a very talented singer-songwriter from down-under.


To be honest, I don't know much about this band. Various Hands. It's a cool song though.


From New York State, We Are The In Crowd.


My last Cum Laude. But trust me, you will see many of these bands again in the coming posts. Here is a band from The Netherlands I got to see at First Avenue this year. Within Temptation.

2014 Cum Laude IV

From LA, In This Moment.


From Denmark, MØ


From the UK, a singer who put out a ton of EPs in 2014, Nerina Pallot.

And another


From New Jersey, Nicole Atkins.


I am a big fan of this gal from the UK, Nina Nesbitt.



From Vancouver, two from No Sinner.



From Sweden, NoNoNO


If you didn't hear this song this year, you don't have a radio.


Back to the UK, Polly Scattergood


S (Jenn Ghetto), out of Seattle.


Friday, January 9, 2015

2014 Cum Laude III

From LA (though originally Hawaii) Jess Penner. Make Your Demands.


Based Nashville, originally from Dallas, here are two from Jillian Edwards.
Daydream

Gotta Have You


Also based in Nashville, from Seattle. Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden. Blue Hotel.


Based in Nashville (where else?) and from Colorado, here is one of my very favorite musicians, Katie Herzig. Your Side.


From LA, Kitten. Cathedral.


From Connecticut, via CA, Lia Ices. Tell Me.


A couple from Liv Kristine, the Norwegian front for Leaves Eyes.
Two and a Heart

Love Decay


From Sweden, Lykke Li. Heart of Steel.

2014 Cum Laude, II

From Russia, born in New York, Elizaveta.

Sorry

From Greece, Elysion. Made of Lies.

From Texas, Emily Wolfe. Ghost Limb


Did I say the Dutch produce amazing symphonic metal? These guys are among the best of the best. Epica. Sense Without Sanity.


If you follow me, you know I have a thing for female singers. Especially if they are from the UK. Here are two from Gabrielle Aplin.
Home

Human

Another band from Brooklyn, NY. Haerts. All The Days.


From Norway, Highasakite. Lover, Where You Live?


From Ireland, Imelda May. Wicked Way


OK, I can't say enough good things about Ingrid Michaelson. Boys Chase Girls (love the Robert Palmer reference)


2014, Cum Laude, first set

Lot's of songs I have been sorting through.  Here are my Cum Laude's in more or less alphabetical order.  Remember, these are songs I like.  There aren't really any other criteria.


Let's start with a fabulous piano player and singer from Denmark.  Agnes Obel.
Riverside



On Powdered Ground.


From Canada, Alexz Johnson.



Currently out of Nashville, Amy Stroup.

From Michigan, Annie Stela. Lucky


Another band out of Nashville, Christina Bailey and the Civil Men. Siren.

From Philadelphia, Christina Perri. This is Lonely Child.


The Dutch produce so many awesome symphonic metal bands. This is one of them. Delain. Stardust.

From Brooklyn NY, here are two from Elizabeth and the Catapult. This is one of the best albums of 2014 by the way.
Happy Pop

Wish I didn't