Lists... and Resolutions

I don't know why, but I've been making a lot of lists lately. Shopping lists, to-do lists, playlists... It's getting to be that time of year when we all look back on the past 12 months and say, "Wow, I really accomplished a lot this year!" Or, in other cases, "Wow, this year I really didn't do shit, who was I kidding?"
Either of those sound familiar? Anyhow, I've got a rough draft list of New Year's Resolutions, and I recently decided to pull out my resolutions I made for this year. Let's see:
"Make Healthy choices"
Yeah I suppose I did that pretty well, I'm not fat, I'm not addicted to any illegal substances, or legal ones (except Nutella), and I still have both legs, so yeah, I made healthy choices.
What else... Oh, "take more pictures".
Yes, I definitely took lots of pictures, especially because I took a photography class this semester. *pat on the back*.
"Cherish every second of sunlight"
Definitely did that. Praise Rah.
"Love more"
Oh boy. Well, for better or worse, I accomplished that one. I haven't figured out what it's gotten me yet, maybe some wisdom and a baby saguaro cactus, but we'll see.
"Be more organized"
To those of you who know me personally, I know what you're thinking when I say that I did this (Alyssa you're a liar). But in my own ways, I really have done this. Hence the lists.
Those are all the resolutions I feel that I truly accomplished. For my new list, I like to keep a few of them, and certainly add more on.

New Year's Resolutions 2012

1. Drink more water
2. Make healthier choices
3. Get the hell out of Alaska
4. Survive the apocalypse
5. Cherish sunlight and warmth
6. Give away things I don't need more frequently
7. Maintain an undemolished iPhone screen (is that a word? whatever)

I really do have a ton of lists, one of which is 43 items long... Add "maintaining organizational methods" to that list of Resolutions.

WANTED

I've got a list of "wanted" songs, just haven't had the time to go look for them all quite yet. Most of them are from Pandora or are songs I've tagged while driving in the car.

Twilight Soundtrack (yes I hated the movie, calm down.)
"Fine By Me" by Andy Grammar
"Blackout" by Breathe Carolina (they played them on the radio here in Fairbanks! I was excited.)
"Changing" by The Airborne Toxic Event
 "I Like It Like That" by Hot Chelle Rae
"Hangover" by Taio Cruz ft. Flo Rida
"Tonight Is the Night" by Outasight
"Forever" by Walter Meego
and The Black Keys' new album, "El Camino".

 I also recently downloaded a song called Naked by DEV and Enrique Iglesias... It's pretty good, but I think it could use a kick or two. All you DJ's out there, you'd better grab it quick and play with it, I'm excited to hear some remixes. 

You Will Overcome

Dec 20, 2009

As much as I would really just love to leave it at that, making this a Wordless Wednesday post, I can't. I just need to say a few things.

I am not the same person I was three years ago. I look back on certain aspects of my life, and I don't even recognize it. It's like looking into someone else's private life- I feel estranged, alienated, detached from almost every angle.

The day I took this photo, I should've seen it as more than just a pretty picture. I should've looked at this and seen it for what it really was. I believe in signs, and that there are signs everywhere you go. But how do you recognize them right then and there? How do you know it's a sign?

When I took this picture, I should've said to myself:

That sun in the distance is your future. It is bright and beautiful and warm, and so much more than the white, dry cold of the present. Let go of the cold present, follow those rays of light shining through, and you will find your warm future. Why? Because it is so much better. You'll look back on this day, this time, and this photo, and you will laugh. You'll tell yourself you were a child. You'll tell yourself that you should've died from the stress you caused yourself, and you wasted time on things that did not deserve your time. You loved things that did not deserve your love. You thought about things that did not help you in your times of need, and anger, and distress. Yes, everything happens for a reason, and every second of every day is a learning experience. This moment you see in front of you, this glowing ray of hope in the distance, will be heartbreaking to you because in due time, you will grow and change in ways you never thought possible. You will become stronger and better and joyful. You can't ever change your past, but you can always change your future; you will overcome.

Get Up - Carousel by KineticMuzik

November: Rage and Relax

I definitely owe every one a playlist from last month... and I'm pretty sure you all know what I'm about to say. "I've been busy!" Yes, yes, I've been busy. I'm sure everyone can relate in some way, and let me just say, finding the man of my dreams has had me pretty occupied..... :) Let's just get to the music, yeah?

I decided to split my music into two playlists this month, because there were times when I wanted to jam, and times when I wanted to chill.
For my "rage" playlist, I've got some amazing new tracks from people like Frank Ocean, Collin McLoughlin, Rihanna, and Yelawolf, and groups like The White Panda and Shwayze & Cisco. I also listened to the newest Gym Class Heroes album, and it's pretty impressive. If you haven't listened to "Solo Discotheque", please do.
I have a few favorites from this playlist, I'll highlight them and provide as many links as possible.

RAGE

G.O.O.D.G.I.R.L.S.	The White Panda
Pumped Up Kicks (Remix)	YONAS
Ass Back Home (Ft. Neon Hitch)	Gym Class Heroes
Back [Prod. By Dapo]	Frank Ocean
Old School	B. Reith
Island In the Sun	Shwayze & Cisco
Strobe Lights Say My Name (Porter Robinson Edit)	Kap Slap
Kaskade Found Love (Rihanna x Nero x Chrizz Luvly)	Kap Slap
Gone Going	Black Eyed Peas
She's Got A Boyfriend Now	Boys Like Girls
Hard White (Up In The Club) (Feat. Lil' Jon)	Yelawolf
Good Girl (Feat. Poo Bear)	Yelawolf
Animal (Feat. Fefe Dobson)	Yelawolf
Write Your Name (Feat. Mona Mona)	Yelawolf
The Hardest Love Song In The World	Yelawolf
Radio	Yelawolf
Solo Discotheque (Whiskey Bitness)	Gym Class Heroes
Nil-Nil-Draw	Gym Class Heroes
Life Goes On (Feat. Oh Land)	Gym Class Heroes
The Fighter (Feat. Ryan Tedder)	Gym Class Heroes
Got Some Stratosphere (Obie Trice vs Junkie XL)	The White Panda
You Da One	Rihanna
Blow Up	Sam Adams
Gold Dust Paradise	DOSVEC
Hotel California	Timeflies
Get Down On It (Prod. By Spadez)	Collin McLoughlin

The White Panda - G.O.O.D.G.I.R.L.S. by The Kollection

Pumped Up Kicks feat. Foster The People by YONAS


Back by Frank Ocean

Old School by B. Reith


01 Island In The Sun by Thissongissick.com



You Da One by Rihanna


In my "relax" playlist, I'm really diggin' a few new-ish albums, like Phantogram's "Nightlife", and "Hakuna Matata" from VIBE. I've also loved Matt Wertz for a long time now, and my favorite of his is "Twenty Three Places". I'm super excited about the last song, "Finally Moving". Listen to it, you'll know it if you know Flo Rida's "Good Feeling". The entire album is fantastic, give it a listen, and enjoy.

Chill.

Surrender	Angels & Airwaves
Nightlife	Phantogram
Jammin	VIBE
Due Time	VIBE
Party Pants	VIBE
Just Smile	VIBE
Falling Slowly	Kris Allen
Paradise	Coldplay
Warm Whispers	Missy Higgins
Make It Mine	Jason Mraz
Gravity	Sara Bareilles
The Day Forever Died	Matt Wertz
Red Meets Blue	Matt Wertz
Everything's Right	Matt Wertz
That For You	Matt Wertz
Wesley, Why?	Matt Wertz
Sweetness In Starlight	Matt Wertz
Falling Off The Face Of The Earth	Matt Wertz
Last Hurrah	Run Kid Run
Daylight	Run Kid Run
Rely On Her	Run Kid Run
Half Light	Young Statues
Losing A Friend	Young Statues
Bumble Bee	Young Statues
We Trusted Everything Enough	Young Statues
Meet Me At The Hudson	Young Statues
Keep It Dark	Young Statues
Dream Machine (Downtempo Mix) Feat Sean Hayes	Mark Farina
Room for Happiness (feat. Skylar Grey)	Kaskade
Finally Moving	Pretty Lights

Pretty Lights - Finally Moving by prettylights

My Place

It’s such a strange feeling, to suddenly be humbled so quickly it makes your stomach drop and your head spin. A strange feeling, to suddenly realize that something you’ve put heart and soul into is really not good enough compared to the time spent by others on something similar. Something you’re proud of is suddenly insignificant, and someone else’s hard work is much better than your hard work, probably because they worked harder.

Why is my passion not as good as someone else’s passion?

Why is my effort not as significant as everyone else’s effort?

Isn’t effort the same for each person?

Isn’t “my best” the same as another’s “best”?

Well, I guess it’s really not. Times like these make me realize that I actually suck, and that my effort isn’t really my best at all, because else’s time and best effort kicked my ass. Sure, I’m proud of the things I’ve accomplished, but I’m an ant in this world. My “work” is shit, compared to the work of the people who shape our existence.

There are people who save lives in this world. There are people who are builders and artists and entertainers, and there are people in this world who make a difference to the majority of the seven billion people on this planet, pretty much every day of their lives. Who am I?

I’ve saved a life before. How many regular old people like myself can say they’ve saved a life in a matter of 20 years? I’ve built things before, things that come in great use in other people’s every day lives. I’m an artist, as well. I can draw. I can paint. I can sing and play instruments. I can entertain people around me, I’m funny. I’m interesting to be around. I make a difference in some way, every day.

For those of you who don’t know, now, you will.

Music is the most prominent aspect of my life; it is my one true love and passion. It is my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When I hear music it fills my soul and it paints a picture in my mind. With every byte of sound that enters my ears, I want more. I hunger for it. I want to see more, hear more, and feel more. Most of all, I want to learn more. I want to learn about what I'm hearing and know why music makes me feel so much. I want to reach to every corner of music and grasp every aspect of it. I believe it is one of the most powerful things in the world because music is everywhere. In today’s society, technology allows us to bring music anywhere we go. We listen to music in the shower, in the car, at work, while riding the bus, while exercising, and even while trying to fall asleep. We meditate to music and we use music therapeutically. We use music to help us concentrate and relax. It is used to connect people, share memories, and sometimes to promote ideas. Music is believed to have a positive effect on us; emotionally, mentally, and physically.

With my blog, I hope to share my love and passion in ways that will inspire others to feel as strongly as I do about music. The title of my blog, “Spread Thy Wings”, embodies this idea in a way that if people will open up to new possibilities and allow themselves to grow, they will gain new perspectives on the world around them. I feel that the power of blogging is similar to the way I view the powers of music. I recognize the potential I have to bring together very diverse groups of individuals from across the globe and use music as my driving force. As the author of an art-based blog, I can connect art and technology and use this power to unify many cultures throughout the world that may not have any other way or reason to make a connection in the first place. My goal is to aid the connections people make in this world by providing good music to discover and fall in love with. Blogging is the best way I know to achieve my goal because my posts are easy to read and easy to share. If I inspire at least one reader to enjoy a song as much as I do and give them a song to play when they’re happy, or to help them feel better when they’re sad, I will have done my part in this world.
My newest Pandora station- give it a listen

Wordless Wednesday

Every time I get a little bit closer...

These songs make me feel something... I'm sharing them because maybe they'll make you feel something, too.

Save The Hour by Stellar Road

Life of the Party by A Rocket To the Moon

Kids In Love by Mayday Parade

This entire Matt Wertz album, Twenty Three Places

Warm Whispers by Missy Higgins

Due Time by Vibe

Island In the Sun by Shwayze & Cisco








My Facebook Page
Follow it: @spreadthywings

The Girl From Ipanema

My best friend told me this song reminds her of me... I just think it's beautiful. <3

Refreshingly Dangerous

This morning as I was laying in bed, I felt that certain craving for something refreshing. My throat wasn't thirsty, but my ears were. I felt like I needed to splash water on my face in a way, like I was desperate for something good to listen to. Not necessarily something new... something that would warm me.

A few years ago, I came upon a song that refreshed me in a way I hadn't really experienced before. I wasn't looking for it, but as I listened to it, I felt like I had just jumped into the ocean. Like I was standing on a beach, letting the wind whip over me... This may sound crazy, and it probably does. But if you've ever experienced something like this, you'll understand what I'm saying.

The sound of this man's voice, the melodies of the guitars, the rhythmic pounding of the drums... I know it sounds like I'm explaining every band there is, but I swear I'm not. 

I'm trying to find the words to describe The Dangerous Summer, founded during the summer of 2006, in Ellicott City, Maryland. These guys were seniors in High School. I promise, though, they're not your typical kid rock band. If you like Third Eye Blind, Bright Eyes, U2, Phil Collins, Explosions in the Sky, Jimmy Eat World, and Andrew McMahon, you'll love The Dangerous Summer.

Their music sounds like a breath of fresh air to me. Good for anytime, any day, anywhere, always.

The Dangerous Summer - Where I Want to be from greg ephraim on Vimeo.

Trending on YouTube

I just watched three AWESOME currently trending videos on YouTube, and holy crap I have to share them. The first one I watched is adorable, the Deaf Professional Arts Network made an ASL video to the White Stripes' song, "We're Going To Be Friends". For more info about D-PAN, visit them at www.d-pan.com.




Okay, next video is mind blowing. These guys definitely know how to move. I love comparing their "dancing" to our American hip-hop dancing. Different, but still with a few similarities and fun to watch. This is like seeing OK Go and The Postal Service have Asian babies. Phenomenal.




This last one is gunna make you poop your pants, I'm not kidding. I've never seen anything like this before... Maybe it's just because I'm from Alaska, or maybe it's because sometimes I'm okay with living under a rock. But this totally threw me for a loop. I just wanna party with these people, and their neighbors.... must love them.

Yonas: Pumped Up Kicks

If you don't know by now, well, now you know, that Foster The People is pretty much the fastest new band to get popular with a single song in basically forever... FTP was only together for 3 or 4 months before their song Pumped Up Kicks started topping the charts.
The song is about a troubled and delusional youth with homicidal thoughts. Foster said, "I was trying to get inside the head of an isolated, psychotic kid."* Others have interpreted that the song could be about the Columbine High School Shootings in 1999, which is also believable.
We've heard many remixes to this song by now, but I feel that this one deserves some recognition. Yonas has put an interesting but fun twist to the song in his video that was released today, and despite the song's dark roots, I think he did a pretty damn good job. I also feel that Yonas needs more publicity, and hopefully he'll get it.





*Doyle, Patrick (2011-06-08). "Band to Watch: Foster the People's Pumped-up Psych-Pop". Rolling Stone.

October Bomb

October has officially ended. I know it's been way too long since I've posted anything, but I'm going to pull out my usual excuse and say that I've just been busy. October has been a pretty big month for me, and I've made a few big decisions, like moving back home next semester because I miss my family and I need to save money for moving out of state next year. I'm basically going to become an über nerd and do nothing but go to class and do homework so I can get good grades. I don't even care about anything else at this point, I've had enough of it and I'm ready to focus on school.

Enough about me, though. How about we talk about music, yeah? It's been a pretty exciting month for many bands,  like Feist, Bjork, Ryan Adams, Radiohead, Kelly Clarkson, and of course, Coldplay. I don't really have enough room to talk about all of these albums, but I have room enough to say that all of them need to be listened to, except for Kelly Clarkson's. It's all pretty much the same as what she's been singing since she won American Idol 27 years ago, or whenever that was. I'm over her.

Now let's get down to it. Here's my October playlist. Thanks to all my readers lately, I've had a big boom in views lately. It's greatly appreciated :)

OCTOBER BOMB

In The Dark	Dev
Chain Gang (Prod by JCW & Siegel - Stoner)	MOD SUN
All Night, Everynight feat The Ready Set (Prod by Dave   Siegel)	MOD SUN
Shaun White (Prod by Sam & Sluggo)	MOD SUN
Minez _ Yourz (My Body)	Cherub
Love You Right	Cherub
How Bad Do You Want It Now	Sex Ray Vision
5 O'clock (Ft. Wiz Khalifa & Lily Allen)	T-Pain
Eat Your Heart Out	Lydia
Dragging Your Feet In The Mud	Lydia
Hailey	Lydia
Ghosts	Lydia
No More Secrets	Carolina Liar
Miss America	Carolina Liar
Lessons In Love	Cartel
Conduit	Cartel
American Dreams	Cartel
Something to Believe	Cartel
In Stereo	Cartel
Gucci Swag	Chrishan
Love U More (RAC Mix)	Sunday Girl
In This Life	Mike Stud
Bottle It Up ft. Kinetics	Mike Stud
Top Of The City	Mike Stud
Gone In September (DJ Lil Raskal Blend) ft. Mike Posner	Mike Stud
College Humor	Mike Stud
In The Rain ft. Justin Cohen	Mike Stud
ID 2	Avicii
Yes	Beyoncé
Phone Rings Goodbye (Long Edit)	Brenton Duvall
iTribute	Timeflies
Chris Brown's Temper (Rihanna x Axwell & Dirty South x Temper Trap)	Kap Slap
Without Jagger (Maroon 5, Usher, David Guetta)	Basic Physics
Sweat (feat. Lil Wayne)	Bow Wow
Make Me Proud (feat. Nicki Minaj)	Drake
And WE Danced	Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Otherside	Macklemore
Wild Boy feat. Waka Flocka (DatPiff Exclusive)	Machine Gun Kelly
STFU (DatPiff Exclusive)	Machine Gun Kelly
The Morning After Voicemail... (DatPiff Exclusive)	Machine Gun Kelly
LTFU (One More Time) (DatPiff Exclusive)	Machine Gun Kelly
Half Naked and Almost Famous (DatPiff Exclusive)	Machine Gun Kelly
Welcome To The Rage feat. The Madden Brothers (DatPiff   Exclusive)	Machine Gun Kelly
Jello (feat. Rye Rye)	Far East Movement
Out Of Town	August Coupe
Stars (Prod. DJ DStar) (Bonus Track)	Silver Medallion
Sexy and I Know It	LMFAO
In The Kitchen	Asher Roth
Bigger Than You (CDQ) (Prod. By Emile)	Kid Cudi
San Diego VIP (Nothing Yet)	Skrillex
I Hear Them Calling	KiD CuDi
Heaven	John Legend
Donald Trump	Mac Miller