Hello everyone and happy happy New Year!! I hope all of you are having a wonderful time ringing in 2017! I, for one, am so excited to push 2016 aside and begin a fresh new year both in my life and here on lifewithlilred. Despite the excitement and anticipation that comes with entering into a new year, I am pretty bad at celebrating it because I NEVER make New Year’s Resolutions!
Lol, I guess I figure that if I want to do something like exercise more or lose a couple of pounds, I will do it when I feel like it as opposed to feeling obligated to doing it for the new year. Instead, I just try to focus my energy on things like *trying* to be a nice, well rounded person while dedicating myself to things like my work, family, pets, volunteer work, and friends.
But, no matter which way you cut it, I think we all can agree that the new year is a perfect time to make improvements. Whether you’re about to hit the gym or stop binge drinking every Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday the new year is the time to bring about healthy changes and a new perspective in your life. For 2017, I encourage my beloved readers and blogging family to practice kindness to everyone that they encounter to do their share in making the world a somewhat more tolerable place! 🙂
Happy 2017, everyone! Enjoy the rest of the holiday season and your new year’s celebrations and also: BYE 2016, ya bish. What is your New Year’s Resolution for 2017? What was your favorite or least favorite part about 2016 (or both!)? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Now, enjoy some new year’s themed music by a few of my faves:
Hey hey guys and happy Saturday! The funky time jams have been real this week, and I’ve had a few songs that I’ve been playing on repeat to the point that I was annoying myself. So here’s a few fun new tracks for you to feast your ears on – let me know what you think!
Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina – “Stereo Love”: I am absolutely OBSESSED with this track. It’s a bit of a throwback since it came out in 2009, but my love for this song got rekindled about a week ago when I was getting my nails done. My beloved nail technician, Vinny had his techno Pandora playlist on and this song came on and mama got hyped. The lyrics are gorgeous for one “I hate to see you cry, your smile is a beautiful lie”. Love it. And for two, that accordion is bangin!! After Vinny and I shared our mutual love for this song with each other, he invited my sister and I to move in with him. It was a beautiful time.
The Neighbourhood – “Afraid”: “You’re too mean, I don’t like you – fuck you anyway.” So. Much. Yes. Whenever I have an emo kid moment (which happened quite a few times this past week), The Neighbourhood is usually my go to band to play. Their entire album “I Love You.” always manages to make me cry no matter what, particularly this song. I remember hearing this for the first time when I was working at PacSun, and it had an instant emotional effect on me and remains one of my favorite whiny Sarah anthems to this day. The music video is pretty cool too, so make sure you check it out.
Wale ft. Sam Drew – “LoveHate Thing”: I know, I know, I’ve already mentioned this song before – SUE ME FOR IT, because I absolutely love it. This track is so sexy and smooth and I can’t get enough of it. “Give me love baby, NOT ENOUGH NOT ENOUGH just a touch babyyy”. You better believe that I scream that part at the top of my lungs when I’m cruising around in the Little Red Love Machine. “LoveHate Thing” has actually been my most played song this week, so of course it had to go back on the funky time jams list for this post.
The War On Drugs – “Baby Missiles”: Alright, I admit it, I wasn’t too keen on The War On Drugs once I first started listening to them, thanks to a suggestion from my brother. I don’t know what changed in my mind, but after the third or fourth time of listening to their albums “Slave Ambient” and “Lost In The Dream” I was in love. I get such an old school rock n’ roll feel from these guys. This song in particular gives me a really amazing Bruce Springsteen vibe, that I’m sure many of you will agree with if you listen to it. If you’re a Bob Dylan fan, I’d highly recommend giving The War On Drugs a try, because some of their vocals are damn near identical to Dylan’s. Top notch.
Kiesza – “Hideaway”: The first time I heard this song was when I was flipping through channels and landed on some award show or another. I saw this lanky, gorgeous redhead singing her ass off and I was mesmerized. Her vocals are SO strong, and you guys know I don’t say that about female vocalists very often. This is such a great electronica track, it makes me feel like taking LSD and staring at a lava lamp for hours on end. So mission accomplished, Kiesza – keep doing your thang. -From one redhead to another. ❤
Rae Sremmurd – “No Type”: Yes. Oh hell yes. This song is my JAM. We played this at Next constantly when I worked there, and I was obsessed. I love these guys’ voices so much. They have so much swag, it’s ridiculous and this track is bumpin. “Bad bitches is the only thing that I like”. They took the words right out of my mouth. We truly are on the same page with that beautiful sentiment.
Viva Brother – “Fly By Nights”: I love these Brit boys so so very much. I had a blast listening to their album “Famous First Words” while I was getting ready in the morning a few days ago. What I like so much about Viva Brother is that they’re so sure of who they are as a band. They’re this perfect blend of poppy boy band charm with just the right amount of a punk edge to give them a very unique sound. They often get compared to The Wombats in terms of sound, but I hear two distinctively different bands whenever I listen to either of them. There’s this fantastic lyric in “Fly By Nights”, “I’m thinking of you and so I’m drinking for two” which I fricken love. I can’t tell you guys how many times I cracked open a bottle of wine over a stupid ex boyfriend or whatever and that lyric sums it up perfectly. Did I also forget to mention that the Viva Brother boys are cute as hell? Hubba hubba!
Jack White – “Lazaretto”: This track is without a doubt in my top five favorite songs to drive to. I happened to drive a lot to Jack White this past week, shocker, I know. I’m sure I’ve mentioned multiple times before my undying love for Mr. White, but let me mention it again: I love him, and I will have his pale children some day. COUNT ON IT. Jack White loves redheads too so that definitely will earn me some extra brownie points! This song is just fantastic. It’s a true testament to who Jack White is as an artist. That amazing guitar and those raw vocals – the fact that you can hear through his music just how much fun he has making it. It’s amazing. The lyrics “When I say nothing, I say everything” spoke to me enough that I got it tattooed. #superfan #marrymeJackWhite (PS: make sure you check out the music video for “Lazaretto” – it’s way cool!)
Santigold – “You’ll Find A Way”: Yasssssss! I’ve been a big Santigold fan for ages now! I actually was just listening to her today as I was applying my makeup. Santigold is fantastic putting on makeup music because she’s so damn sassy, so it got me extremely hyped up to get all dolled up! This girl can spit, and I love her sound so much. It’s this fantastic combination of rap, gorgeous vocals, and just a hint of electronica. It’s quite brilliant, actually. The best part about her sound is how distinctive it is. I’d know a Santigold track instantly just by her somewhat throaty voice (which I find incredibly sexy!). And can we talk about that album cover? GORGEOUS!
Cloud Nothings – “Understand At All”: Cloud Nothings is a cool, cool band. It’s quite amazing the transformation that their music has undertaken within a few short years. “Understand At All” is the opening track to their debut self titled album which definitely had a beachy, surfer boy/garage band feel. Just imagine a group of handsome guys playing in a garage filled with surfboards and you’ll get early Cloud Nothings. This is such a simple little song, but sometimes simple is better. The refrain repeats “I don’t understand at all, and I don’t understand at all” which is a sentiment I’m sure many of us has felt in their lifetime. Whether it be from a breakup or a math problem, Cloud Nothings took one universal statement and turned it into a bangin track. Their sound is a lot more mature now, which you can hear in “I’m Not Part Of Me” which is off of one of their latest albums “Here And Nowhere Else”. You’ll be amazed by their metamorphosis if you take the time to compare and contrast these tracks.
So there you have it, my top ten latest and greatest funky time jams! What’s your favorite song or album to drive to? Do you have any lyrics from a favorite song tattooed on you? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a fabulous Saturday! -Sarah
There’s been quite a few songs and artists who I’ve been obsessed with as of late, so I figured why not share the joy and tell you guys all about it!
Sir Sly – Gold: Ohhhh yes indeed. I LOVE this song. We started playing it the last week or so that I was at PacSun and it was always one of my favorite funky time jams. I really just love screaming the refrain of “pocket full of YELLOW, YELLOW, YELLOW” even though I’m not quite sure what he’s talking about. Either way, this song is rad.
Magic Man – Texas: I’m fairly certain that I’ve mentioned this song before, and if so – I don’t care. This song is so beautiful and fantastic that it’s worth repeating. Once again, this is another PacSun funky time jam (judge me for it) and it’s without a doubt in my mind on my list of top five favorite songs that we would play there. This song is just gorgeous. When I’m hung up on a guy or feeling shitty in general, this is my go to tune to play. I remember when I would be at the store early in the morning, and this song would come on and I would feel so good. I felt calm. This song makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.
Grizzly Bear – Will Calls (Diplo Remix): I absolutely love Grizzly Bear, and usually I’m not fond of a lot of remixes – BUT Diplo kills this beat like no other. This remix makes me want to cover my body in glow in the dark paint and take Ecstasy at a rave…too much? Don’t care. When the beat drops in this track and Diplo’s fingers start moving a mile a minute on whatever the hell he’s playing on, best believe I start dancing very poorly. 😉
Steriogram – Walkie Talkie Man: Way back when I was around ten years old there was a band called Steriogram….they kind of sucked. BUT this song is the best throwback in the world. It was featured on this one soccer game that my brother would play on the N64 and it became one of our favorites. This song gets me hyped in the way that it takes me back to silly memories of watching my brother play video games in the basement and I would watch even though I had no clue what was going on. WELL YOU’RE WALKIN AND TALKINNNNN!
Maroon 5 – Animals: I rarely listen to the radio, but I quite like this song. Adam Levine is a sex god. Having said that, I think this song is a great compromise between the poppy bullshit that’s often played on the radio with something dark and alternative. Animals took me back to Maroon 5’s strictly alternative days a la Songs About Jane and I really appreciated the effort. Don’t get me wrong, I rock out to Maroon 5 like any girl does, but this song really showcases their musical talent that I know they have. Way cool.
Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out: The other day I decided I needed some Franz Ferdinand in my life again and was blasting Take Me Out in my car – just like any person would do when they decide that they need some Franz Ferdinand in their life. I remember when this song first came out and I always would think how weird the music video was when it would play on MTV or vh1. This song kicked so much ass when it was released and flash forward five years later and it’s still fantastic. That’s how you know a song is good!
Daft Punk – Doin’ it Right: This very well might be one of my favorite Daft Punk jams. This song takes my minds eye to a club where the lighting is all blues and purples and everyone is slightly drunk and vibing off of each other….Judge me for it. This is an intoxicating track, when Panda Bear comes swooping in with those vocals magic is created. Instant head nodder for sure.
Best Coast – Boyfriend: I’ve been listening to Best Coast a lot as of late and I really just adore them. I’m kind of late in the game to them too. I’ve had them on my iPod for quite some time now but just never really cared to listen to them extensively until now. This song has kind of been the soundtrack to my love life (or lack there of) lately. I’m pretty sure every girl has written variations of these lyrics in their diary when they’re about to go to sleep and thinking of that special someone.
Tom Vek – A Chore: Shit, this song takes me back to my early days at PacSun. I love the pure angst that Tom Vek is showcasing in this song. When he goes into “you’re not really listening to me” I identified with it so much. If I listen to this song when I’m in just the right mood, I get transported into this weird place in my mind where I can see memories of myself saying variations of that phrase to different people in my life. It’s like my own personal music video to this song in my head. Music is amazing.
Viva Brother – Darling Buds of May: I absolutely LOVE this song. Viva Brother has a lot of really fun feel good anthems, but this one is my all time favorite. When I’m screaming along with them to “it is what it is” I get this really cool feeling of girl power bad ass-ness and it’s AWESOME! I feel like I should be wearing leather pants and a crop top and lip synching the lyrics into the mirror while dancing provocatively when I hear this song. What of it?
So there you have it, my top ten funky time jams of the moment. Who are you guys listening to right now? I’m always up for music suggestions to please leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah
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