The Lumineers | Equal Parts of a Whole

I’ve been in dire need of some new music.

I’ll be honest and say that I get pretty devoted to music and it’s sometimes hard for me to introduce new artists into my library. I find myself more comfortable with the old stuff. I know what songs fit my moods, what songs fit the weather, and what songs can help me when I’m really angry. I’ve been noticing my lack of new music more and more with each bus ride.

Since I go to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor but live in the nearby city of Ypsilanti (rhymes with Tips-i-man-tea), I take a bus to school every day. The bus ride can range from 25 -50 minutes and can either be a relaxing drive or a stressful, packed traffic jam depending on what time I happen to need to be in town. I started out spending those precious moments listening to some of my favorite podcasts, on which you can expect a post on in the near future, or catching up on some reading. But lately, I’ve just wanted to cruise through and my current musical selections were simply not cutting it.

So I bought some new music to please my ears and soothe my brain.

The Lumineers 08-21-12 (Photo credit: staceymk11)

My first purchase was the self-titled album, The Lumineers, by The Lumineers. I was first attracted to this folksy group when I randomly saw the music video for their song “Ho Hey”, that you can watch here. It’s an adorable and magical video with a catchy song. My favorite lyrics of the whole album are “I belong with you, you belong with me, you’re my sweetheart.” It’s a wonderful and warm love song that has been my go-to when things get stressful on the bus. Other awesome tracks include “Classy Girls”, “Flowers in Your Hair”, and “Dead Sea”. I’m by no means a stellar music critic, but I’d say that if you love music of the Mumford and Sons persuasion, you might be interested in checking out The Lumineers.

My next purchase was of a band that I’m pretty familiar with, but this is my first time buying a full album of theirs. The Avett Brothers already have a few songs in my Top Rated playlist, like “I and Love and You” or “November Blue”, and I’ve completely worn them out. So I took this chance to buy their new album, The Carpenter, and it’s pretty wonderful. A little more twangy and a little more reminiscent of my family’s vacation down to Tennessee, but I still dig it. I’m truly enjoying the sadness of “Pretty Girl in Michigan” or the upbeat sound of “Live and Die”. Totallly worth the purchase and I’m sure I’ll enjoy these tunes far into the future.

Imagine Dragons at Bunbury Music Festival (Photo credit: Brian J. Bruemmer)

I first heard of Imagine Dragons when my sorority sister known to most as my Pledge heard that I was going to a music festival (Bunbury Music Festival, and you should totally go!) in Cincinnati over the summer and insisted that I see their set. Of course, trusting her completely, I dragged C, G, and G’s friend to the stage even though it was pouring down rain. I remember liking what I heard, but didn’t push the issue any further. Fast forward to this past month and who should appear on my Songza station several times and play some pretty awesome songs, but Imagine Dragons. So I caved and bought the album Night Visions and oh man…do I love it. The true test came on a morning when I went out for a run and decided to just listen to the album all the way through. I loved the tracks “Radioactive”, “It’s Time”, and “Amsterdam”, but really the entire album is awesome. To me they sound like The Killers meet Grouplove, but other people might have a different idea.

I’ll say it again, I’m no music critic, but I do appreciate some good tunes every once in a while. So check this stuff out, and happy listening!

XOXO