Best EPs of 2014

As I was writing my Best Albums of 2014 post I realized there were a bunch of EPs that came out that I really liked and wanted to share. I couldn't put them in the best album post so I needed to come up with a new list. So I did. Because it's my blog and I do what I want.
Typically releasing an EP means there are bigger things to come from that artist, so I want everyone to keep their eyes peeled (what a gross expression) for all of these people in 2015. I'm so excited for things to come and I have a feeling 2015 is going to be a hard year for my bank account.

5. George Maple - Vacant Space

I remember browsing the Spotify New Music of the Week playlist (which, sidenote, is really awesome and you can really find some gems every Tuesday) and was instantly caught up in George Maple's music. This is right up my alley. She's a mix of soul and electronic? Very vibe-y sexy dark lovely music. The kind of music you can picture listening to in a dark smoky jazz-club place...you know the type...the only lighting is that tiny tealight candle on your table and you stumble over at least 12 people on the way to the bathroom. Again, I'm not the best at describing things so the best thing to do would be to listen for yourself. (iTunes)

4. Vince Staples - Hell Can Wait

This album is killer. I really don't know what else to say. Vince Staples is an insanely good rapper and this album has such good production value from beginning to end. I first heard about Vince Staples from his feature on Earl Sweatshirt's album and his solo album is such a good transition from his featuring stuff. It still has that sort of dark sound that a lot of Odd Future stuff has, but it's his own sound and is something really refreshing I haven't heard before. I swear I've had the song 65 Hunnid stuck in my head since October. (iTunes)

3. To Kill A King - Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Whatever new things To Kill A King are doing is really working for them. It feels like the perfect next step for this group and I'm very excited for their sophomore album (due in 2015). If you don't know To Kill A King, they are sort of a rock/pop group with very distinct vocals from frontman Ralph Pellymounter. Their songs tell great stories and within a single song can go from something incredibly simple and sweet sounding to a really epic and profound sound. They really are masters of building up a song from beginning to end, which also makes for an incredible live show. This EP is an awesome collection of a wide variety of driving songs and I encourage everyone to give it a listen. (iTunes)

2. Charlotte OC - Strange

This EP only has four songs but they are four incredible songs. Talk about great vocals. I'm sort of obsessed with her voice and I can't rave about her sound enough. It's this mix of soulful folky music with like a darker electronic element to it? Very modern 70s? Is that a thing? I honestly have no idea how to even describe this but it's well-worth a listen. Can I just freak out for a minute about how excited I am that she has been announced for SXSW? See you in Austin, Charlotte. (iTunes)

1. Låpsley - Monday (and other things)

Alright. Where do I even begin? Låpsley is by far my favorite artist I have heard in 2014. I can't even express enough how much I love her music. I heard the song Station and then listened to it another hundred times, and still can't get over how good it is. The Monday EP doesn't have Station on it, but I'm just going to basically say that you should download everything that she has ever come out with ever. Have I raved about her music enough? No. Absolutely not. I could talk about it forever. If you like that sort of deep house electronic vibe-tastic sound like I do, this is a must. Her Understudy EP is due out in like...two days...and I must have it. You must have it. We all must have it. (iTunes)

Best Albums of 2014

Here it is.
Yet again, I'm posting my ~*opinions*~ on the internet, and it's terrifying. Should I put a disclaimer right up front? Sure. I just want to make sure everyone understands that something I might consider "good", isn't necessarily what you might think is good. WOW. What a concept. People like different things.
With that being said, I'm going to string together a top 10 of 2014. I did this last year and frankly, that list is better. For some reason I'm feeling that the music this year is very blah and I'm not sure why. I feel like everything in 2014 was either very artistic, and conceptual, or on the opposite end of the spectrum and very pop and radio-play driven. It's all great music, I just feel different about things this year. We'll see what you guys think.

Top 10 Albums of 2014

10. Iggy Azalea - The New Classic

I could literally hear 80% of you clicking out of this blog post as soon as you read this choice - LET ME EXPLAIN. I honestly don't understand the hatred that is being aimed at Iggy Azalea lately. Yes, I've listened to everyone's ~*opinions*~ (there's that word again) and I can see the validity I suppose but to me, she's just doing her thing. If we are going to condemn every artist for taking influence from another music style then we should just push everyone and their dog off a bridge. I think she's talented, yes, she's drawn from other people and styles, but she has worked hard for a really long time (she's been around for a while y'all) and I love her album. She genuinely is a really good rapper, it's full of fun and interesting songs and the variety is really great.
Favorite Track: New Bitch

9. Jessie Ware - Tough Love

I've been a fan of Jessie Ware for a really long time so I was excited to hear she was coming out with a new album after 2012's Devotion.  She's a wonderful vocalist with a soft and expressive sound and this album really showcases her range. It's a great mix of ballads, electronic, r&b, something else and something else. I honestly don't know. I think we've established I'm not the best at describing music (good thing I have a music blog). It's sort of like Adele, but if Adele was floating through a cloud.
Favorite Track: Cruel

8. Passenger - Whispers

My love for Passenger knows no bounds. Before even discussing the great music on this album, we need to address the album design and art. It's gorgeous. This is one of the most beautiful albums I own, with the case resembling a children's book. It has a cute little pop-up scene and beautiful artwork throughout. Just a sidenote, but this is the kind of thing that is keeping physical music alive. If you're a fan of singer-songwriter-type music, this is sort of as good as it gets. The lyrics are amazing and each one of the songs tells a very vivid story. Truly a concept album.
Favorite Track: Scare Away the Dark

7. St. Vincent - St. Vincent

Annie Clark is owning everything with this album. She's amazing and her album is amazing and everything is amazing. She's the kind of musician that has it all and can do everything and anything and this album is so representative of that. The sound and melodies are very eclectic/pop/electronic but the concept is so much more complex. It's one of those art-type-albums I try to understand, really can't completely, but totally enjoy to regardless. Catchy, fun, and intelligent music.
Favorite Track: Digital Witness

6. Taylor Swift - 1989

Here it is. I don't even know what to say. It's a good pop album. A lot of the lyrics are dumb, but hey, it's still good. I don't know. I think that's it. If you want to listen to it, I'm sure you already have, and there's nothing I can say that's going to change anything. This is the end of this blurb.
Favorite Track: I Know Places

5. Paolo Nutini - Caustic Love

If you're in the mood for some gritty blues type whatever, this is it. I'm so happy with this album it's ridiculous. I've always liked Paolo Nutini but this is totally the album he was meant to do, you know? Yeah. It's jazzy, bluesy, gospel-y, all-of-that-y. It feels like everything that happened with this album was really well thought out and it just works. Listen to this, immediately.
Favorite Track: One Day

4. Hozier - Hozier

You really can't escape Hozier lately. Every time I turn on the radio, Take Me To Church is playing on multiple stations and I immediately turn it off. I can't have radio ruining good music (like it always does). Although Take Me To Church has been out for a while, his self-titled album came out in 2014 and it's a stunning album that doesn't disappoint. When an artist has one song that really gets buzz, the rest of their music tends to just pass by unnoticed but I refuse to let that happen with Hozier. His album is amazing through and through and I'm just obsessed with his sound. It's all really powerful vocal-driven music and...I can't even talk about how attractive he is. I'm going to stop.
Favorite Track: From Eden

3. Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso

(Hey look another self-titled album) I completely and totally love Sylvan Esso. Their whole "band" consists of two people, and despite that their sound is so complex and complete. It's such fun music and a lot of it makes you want to get up and dance, which is rare for me, because I don't dance. At all. I had the opportunity to see them live a couple months ago and damn. Blew me away. I had so much fun and I love to see bands that sound better live than they do on their album. It's all so great. I'm glad something like this came out this year because I just love hearing something totally and uniquely new.

Favorite Track: Dress

2. Ed Sheeran - X (Multiply)

I already wrote a whole blog post reviewing this album track-by-track (Link!) so I don't know how much I can add except that this album has withstood the test of time since I wrote it. Again, like with Hozier, I refuse to listen to Ed Sheeran on the radio because I know it will ruin it. He's getting so much hype and publicity and well-deserved recognition for this album and I'm just so happy. It's a wonderful album and has a huge variety of styles and sounds that so many people can enjoy. Nothing else to say. It's just damn good. Oh yeah, and get the Deluxe Edition because there's no reason not to.

Favorite Track: Runaway or The Man

1. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2

I'm not sure if I put these in an actual order but I'm probably going to say this is my favorite album of 2014. Run the Jewels are a hip hop duo from New York made up of El-P and Killer Mike and I've only recently heard about them. A friend of mine was listening to this album and I was instantly hooked. It's insanely good hip hop and is super catchy, energetic and smart. I'll be listening to this well into 2015. 

Favorite Track: Blockbuster Night Part 1

Honorable Mentions:

iamamiwhoami - BLUE

Nina Nesbitt - Peroxide

Beck - Morning Phase

FKA Twigs - LP1

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 Soundtrack Compilation Thing

My Playlist

After months of dealing with a hacked Google account cutting off access to this blog, and whatever other garbage has been thrown at me, I am finally able to write a new post. I honestly can't even think of how to begin this, or how to write, or how to do anything. My brain has been consumed by grad school and work and other bullshit that is going on and I need to remember to just stop, breathe, and do something cathartic. I find writing really cathartic, and even though I'm not good at it, at all, it still helps me feel better. Music also helps me feel better...hence this post. I have been working on a Spotify playlist on and off since early September and I'm really excited to finally share it.
I constantly (...not that constantly...occasionally is probably a better word) get asked what my favorite music is. "What do you listen to?" "What genre do you like?" "What's the cool jams?" Fuck if I know. It's pretty cliche to say that you listen to "everything" but I really do. With that being said, I think electronic-based-alternative-whatever is my favorite genre. Is that a genre? Anyway, genres don't exactly exist anymore so I thought I'd explain my favorite type of music through...music. Wow.
I spent WAY more time than I should have making this playlist flow, and sound smooth and consistent from beginning to end. So, if you need some new and not-so-new music to listen to, or a playlist for some sort of activity, this might be for you.

Here are some activities which I think would go well with this type of sound.

1) Star-gazing

2) Working out...but sort of low-energy work-outs...like stretching. Yeah. Stretching.

3) Sexy time. I mean...to be honest, it's all pretty sexual, hip-gyrating stuff. Go for it.

4) Looking at a city from the top of a skyscraper

5) Staring aimlessly at spreadsheets or computer programming. I can vouch for this.

6) Drinking a hot toddy, or mulled wine. I was going to say tea but this is too vibe-licious for that.

7) Being on an airplane. It's good cloud-watching music. Or drowing-out-screaming-children music.

8) Painting? Probably. I haven't tested this.

9) Drugs? Again, probably. No comment.

10) Meditating

So, overall this is a pretty dark, vibey, playlist. I think if anything this group of songs is a really easy stepping stone for a lot of people into the world of electronic. For a lot of people, myself included, "electronic" is a pretty intimidating genre with a lot of sub-styles, weird sounds and robotic notes. Even after listening to all types of electronic music for years, I really couldn't tell you how to categorize things. I guess this playlist would be like deep house for dummies? It's deep house mixed with bass mixed with god knows what. REGARDLESS, it's a really good mix of vocal electronic. I think you guys will like it. I know I do.

ALBUM REVIEW : Troye Sivan - TRXYE

I'm trying to think of an introduction to this review but it's proving to be very difficult. I honestly don't know much about Troye Sivan other than that he's a YouTuber and is quite popular with the #teenz. So, I suppose this review is coming from a totally unbiased place since I have no connection to Troye and literally just read his Wikipedia page to figure out a bit about him.

Anyway, TRXYE is a 5-song EP filled with electropop goodness. The album has a very consistent and cohesive feeling with a sort of dark pop vibe and a lot of interesting production going on. When I think of "internet people" transitioning into musicians I just automatically assume they are going to be acoustic or some sort of vocal-based singer-songwriter. So when I heard Troye's music I was pleasantly surprised. It's not like that at all. I wholeheartedly believe that electronic music, until quite recently, has been sort of underrepresented in the pop music scene but I can't say that anymore. Troye Sivan has embraced electronic...but not just by adding a beat or a bit of synth, there's some dark electronica in there and it really works. Who produced this? I must know. All of these tracks are screaming to be remixed, so give it a couple weeks...(days)...until the deep house remixes start emerging. I'm waiting.

Now, I'm not going to come in here and say that he's the best singer in the world, because he's not. He has a nice voice but there's not a lot of strength to it. I really don't care though because the music on this EP has more to do with the overall vibe. While I can't see him belting out an anthem anytime soon (maybe he has...again...I don't know anything about him) he has a very relaxing and soft voice on all the tracks which fits well with what he's trying to do.

Happy Little Pill and Touch are definitely my favorites on the album. Actually, now that I think about it, the order of the tracks on the album are also in order of how much I like them. When we get down to Gasoline and The Fault in Our Stars I start feeling a cheesy lyric vibe and I'm not about that. You might be. It's ok. We can like different things. For example, Gasoline has some nice R&B energy that's a little Frank Ocean-y and I can dig that.

You can buy it on iTunes if you want: Link!
Or, like, listen to it online before you buy it because you should be an informed consumer. I don't want to be responsible for you spending money on something you're not into. *fist bump*

ALBUM REVIEW: Ed Sheeran - X (Multiply)

Well, here it is. It's been three extremely long years since + and finally there's something new from Ed Sheeran. Honestly, writing these words feels almost like I'm in a dream. NEW. ALBUM. HERE. NOW. WHAT.

The promotion for this album has been smart and extensive...a radio premiere of the first single 'Sing', entire days of promotion in cities worldwide, festivals, releasing songs at midnight every night leading up to the release of the album, a 90-minute special on MTV. It has all been highly calculated and with the looks of the iTunes charts at the moment, extremely successful. With the curse of the sophomore album looming over, all eyes are on Ed. He's climbing higher and higher and higher with his career and hopefully this album will fit nicely on that path straight up to the top.

I have been plugging my ears this past month, trying to keep a lot of the songs on this album a surprise. I'm a big fan of that "first-listen"...when you sit down, put headphones on, and just submerge into a new album. Being a massive fan of Ed Sheeran, this album deserves my full attention, and I want to experience the album not just a song here and there. With this review, I thought I would do a sort-of initial reaction to the songs, one at a time, and then a more comprehensive review after.
Disclaimer: This is a review done by a fan. There are plenty of reviews done by professional music-type journalist-type professional-type people...all of which I am not...so don't expect anything too extraordinary. And, sidenote, I will definitely keep all my opinions completely unbiased. I may be a fan of Ed, but that doesn't mean I'm going to build a shrine for everything that he puts out.

Overly Detailed Track-By-Track Review:

(scroll to the bottom for an overall reaction/review)

The star ranking is out of 5 possible stars.

1. One

(*****)

The perfect song to open the album with. I mean, besides the fact that it's named "One" and it's track one. Good one, One. ...I'll stop. That raw guitar plucking as the first couple notes of this album is completely necessary. What do we think of when we think of Ed? Guitar. That's him. He's opening this album with something beautiful and heartwarming and quintessentially him. This is the perfect bridge between '+' and 'X'. In terms of the actual song, it's lovely. It starts completely acoustic...just a guitar and a voice, and it builds beautifully without too many extra things (just a little beat and some violin), then fades back to barebones acoustic. It's wonderful. Wonderfully produced and wonderfully written...just...amazing.

2. I'm a Mess

(*****)

I really like this song. This is one of those songs you can listen to in your car with the windows rolled down, wind in the hair, and just drive. It's energetic and basically acoustic for the majority. There is some beat and bass in there but it's minimal and adds to the epic-ness of the song. His voice goes from normal to falsetto to raspy and aggressive within a couple minutes. Huge range of vocal ability here, and also I think a couple guitar strings might be broken when this is performed live. Mark my words, this is going to be insanely good with a loop pedal.

Sidenote: I read some things talking about how they didn't like the autotune used in this song...I didn't hear any autotune. There's some vocal layering and a bit of reverb, but no autotune.

3. Sing

(**)

I listened to this song during the radio release back in April....my initial reaction still stands. I didn't like it when I first heard it, and I still don't particularly like it. All I hear is Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You" and Britney Spears' "Me Against the Music"...which are great songs, but it just doesn't work for this. It sounds like Pharrell vomited all over it. The heavy breathing in the background and the bongos (?) are what kill it for me. With that being said, seeing it live is totally different. It's a really good song for a concert with a lot of audience interaction and a fun dance-y vibe. So I give it two stars for the recorded version, but maybe 3.5 stars for a live version. Also, I understand completely why he released it for his first single and I thought that was super smart. It got people talking and radios really loved playing it. Kudos for that.

4. Don't

(****)

This is the second song I heard from this album, and it made me so happy. After having a general feeling of disappointment from 'Sing' I heard this and was like "YESSSSSS. THISSSS." (actual quote) This is an amazing song. Rhythmic. Soulful. Bass-y. Lots of wordplay. This is the hip-hop influenced Ed that I was waiting for. So, why four stars instead of five? Editing. Apparently, because of a suggestion from a cab driver and his daughter not being able to listen to it, Ed took out all the explicit lyrics from his album. It doesn't bug me that much, but it sort of does at the same time. I like hearing things the way they were originally intended to be heard. He did a clever thing by adding an inhaling noise as a "fuck" replacement" but still. Can I still be mad about this? I'm still mad about this. I'll get over it...eventually? Maybe.

Also, I'm adding a whole extra bit to this review about the way he sings the lyric "god knows I'm singing" at 2:50 of the song is utter perfection and the best part of the whole song. Ok. That just needed to be said.

5. Nina

(***)

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those songs that I'm going to like live better than I like the recorded version. Another song that will sound incredible with a loop pedal and some audience interaction. Again, I still really like it but there's just something about it that isn't complete. High points: love the piano and the round at the end. It's like a very lightweight hiphop song and it's nice to finally hear some insight into his relationship which people speculated about for years.

6. Photograph

(***)

Photograph sounds like a classic love song. It's very lovely, light and pretty. All of those good things. It sounds quite Snow Patrol-y...which makes sense since Johnny McDaid is the producer and co-writer. Piano, rhythmic drumming, catchy melody. It's all there. So, I suppose it's a great song but maybe I was a bit underwhelmed. It sounds like it should be part of the soundtrack to some epic love story film. You know, at the point when the two protagonists are running towards each other in the rain and finally kiss after years of being separated by war or something. Is it all a bit cliche? I really do like the song, and it's already stuck in my head, but maybe it's just not what I was expecting. Hmm. This one might take a couple more listens.

7. Bloodstream

(*****)

Hooked from the first beat. Yep. Rick Rubin, I hear you here. Slightly overproduced but not enough so it bugs me. God, this is fantastic. Is it weird that I picture Ed singing this song while in the 1800's Wild West? Like on horseback? Maybe.

With wild west imagery aside, this is a catchy-ass song with great rhythm and movement. Damn.

OH SHIT IT JUST HIT THAT DRIVING BEAT AT 3:46. Yep. Ok. This is great. Nothing else to say.

8. Tenerife Sea

(**** or *****)

So, this was probably the first song I heard from X. I was lucky enough to go to one of his concerts at Madison Square Garden and a really small gig at Mercury Lounge where he performed this. It's honestly one of my favorite songs that he's ever done. The recorded version is...um...a bit worse than the live version. There's something about adding that drum kit in there that just doesn't do it for me. Honestly it could be because I heard it live first, but that's just my opinion. It's still a really incredible track and I love the bit of classical guitar-type plucking throughout.

9. Runaway

(*****)

LET ME GUESS PHARRELL AGAIN? Yep. You can hear that influence from the first second. This one is better than Sing though. Definitely. By about 10,000 percent give or take a percent. I'm really digging this song. It's Ed mixed with a hint of Pharrell, not Pharrell with a hint of Ed. This would be a good concert opener song.

For Ed fans: You know that part of "We Are" that's like "They're never going to change me. They're never going to change us. We'll always be the same." Those lyrics could fit perfectly in this song during the chorus. Just a random thought. There's a lot of melodic similarity there.

10. The Man

(****)

"Oh. OH. Oh my. Yes. Wait. EDITING FUCK." - My brain

So, this song. I love it. I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with The Streets/Mike Skinner but there is some serious inspiration coming from them in this song. The way the lyrics are put together is so incredibly Mike Skinner it's uncanny. I heard a lot of "Eminem inspiration" buzz on the twittersphere but no. I'm not getting that at all. This is The Streets all the way. It's a mix between spoken word, hip-hop and soul. Really amazing lyrics. It's raw and minimal and amazing. How many times can I use the word amazing? So why the four stars instead of 5? Again, editing. In this song, the censoring actually stood out at me and I went "oh...no". I really hope an explicit version of this song comes out because if any song on the album should be raw and contain it's original emotion, it's this one.

11. Thinking Out Loud

(*****)

Ummmmmmmm hello James Taylor. Is it 1970? Are we at the Troubadour? This is AMAZING. Ok, so there's some serious soul power going on with this song. Otis Redding mixed with James Taylor mixed with (surprise) Ed Sheeran. Ed's vocal ability is massive here. I mean, wow. Can you tell I'm typing this as I'm listening? Hah. I'm so eloquent. I don't know if there's any more I can say about this song. It's just great. That bit of piano in there makes it sound totally retro but the lyrics are totally modern and it's a great fusion of a lot of different styles. 

12. Afire Love

(*****)

Yet another type of song. I swear, the variety on this album is out of control. So it's like rap mixed with pop mixed with electronic mixed with soul mixed with gospel? Alright then. I can dig it. The story behind this song is touching and can hit home with a lot of people. It's touching and beautiful. Honestly, I can't find a single thing wrong with this song. It's something new I haven't really heard before and still sounds very Sheeran.

(Deluxe Edition)

13. Take It Back

(*****)

I (sort-of) got to hear this song at Mercury Lounge. Part of it at least. I've been memorizing the lyrics for months. It's literally brilliant and this is the reason you always buy the deluxe edition of any album. There's no production here. This is Ed, raw and unedited. This is what you hear when it's just Ed singing in front of you without any extra bullshit or added elements. Damn. This is talent exemplified in a song. AND THE WORDPLAY. Damn. Damn. DAMN. Really take a look and listen to the lyrics and you'll laugh and then be like "Damn."

14. Shirtsleeves

(****)

This one reminds me a lot of + for some reason. Lyrically, I think it's really similar to a lot of his old stuff but then he added a bit more production and elements like on the rest of X. Good combination of the two albums. It's one of those songs that Ed does so well where it's sad and happy all at the same time and you sit back and go "wait, what am I feeling right now?"

15. Even My Dad Does Sometimes

(***)

So, I think we can conclude that piano is a new part to this album that hasn't really existed in Ed's music before. I think it's a welcome addition. This is a very ballad-esque song that's really giving a lot of life advice in a heartfelt and soft-spoken way. It starts with a piano, plain and simple, then builds really nicely up until the end and becomes a full-blown ballad with a big sound. It's nice, and I'm glad it's included but not my favorite on the album.

16. I See Fire

(****)

The song from the Hobbit soundtrack. I love this song. I think it fits perfectly in the movie and it was really well written with complete inspiration drawn from the plot. There was quite a bit of backlash from the LOTR community. I mean, understandably so, since you're adding some so-called pop musician to your movie. But hey, it was only in the credits, and it worked beautifully. So, boohoo to them. It's great.

17. All of the Stars

(***)

This song is alright. It's a very classic sappy love song that worked really well for The Fault in Our Stars. I'm not sure how much I will listen to it since it seems sort of uninspired, but I don't think it's a bad song by any means and it's perfectly lovely and *cute*. You know? Like one of of those songs where you just go AWWwwwAwawwwW. Like that.

Synopsis:

Alright, so with all that being said I'm giving this album a 10/10. "How does that make sense since you didn't give all the songs a perfect rating?" Hush. The album is great. There are definite high points but there aren't really that many low points. Even with any "low" points...they are all relative. After listening I can definitely conclude that this is one of the most varied albums I have ever listened to. There is a song on here that everyone will like. If you're not usually a fan of singer-songwriter-type music, there is more hip-hop-type music for you and vise-versa. Ed Sheeran gains influence from so many genres that it only makes sense that he uses that influence in different ways on this album. He's showcasing everything that he does well, but doesn't try to do it all at once.

You can tell that this album was carefully constructed and each song was thought of as it's own piece of the puzzle. Each one tells a different story, each one has a different meaning, each one encompasses a unique emotion. All together, they make something complex and thoughtful. A gem of an album. Sophomore album curse be gone.

Written by: Carmen Bernu

Summer Playlist

There's something about summer music that's different than all other music. I think it's a weird combination of sun, bonfires, mosquito bites and all that crap that defines the appropriate music. For example, I would never listen to Bon Iver in the summer. That is strictly autumn music and everyone knows that.
So for your summer enjoyment I constructed a summer playlist! How exciting! There is mix of brand spankin' new music with some of my old favorites. I even did the thing when the songs should seam well together and sort of flow, you know? I spent far too much time on this. I even made a list of things you could do while listening to this playlist:

1. Roast marshmallows

2. Grill all the foods (even peaches)

3. Go for a drive in a convertible (preferably next to a coastline)

4. Find the best sunglasses for your face shape

5. Inspect your moles for irregularity in shape and color

6. Skip through a field

7. Pick non-poisonous berries

8. Kill wasps

9. Attempt to climb a tree for the first time in years and get stuck halfway up

10. Have a pool party...or crash your neighbor's...or a stranger's

Enjoy!

PHOTOSET: Ed Sheeran at KDWB Star Party - May 16, 2014

All photos taken by Carmen Bernu