COLUMN: Still waiting for the best music this year
While most people are caught up in a "Star Wars"-frenzy awaiting the premiere of a new movie on Dec. 18, I am instead looking forward to my two favorite bands collaborating on an album dropping the same day. Based off the singles released so far, I have faith in the fact that this will be the highlight of music for me in 2015.
If you are like me you know I’m talking about the upcoming release of Cage the Elephant’s highly anticipated album, "Tell Me I’m Pretty," produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.
The two bands both definitely have their own unique styles, but I saw them both live on The Black Keys’ "Turn Blue" tour last year, and their styles juxtapose together really nicely. It’s not surprising that this collaboration came about because of the fact that they toured together and Dan Auerbach is known for working on a lot of different music projects outside of The Black Keys. I can’t wait to see the result of my two favorite bands having a music baby together.
It's been a good year for new music, especially from the alternative genre, but as the year winds down I am still waiting for the best music of 2015 to be released.
1) "Mess Around" by Cage the Elephant
Out of the three singles released from Tell Me I’m Pretty so far, “Mess Around” is my favorite. It’s edgy but carefree and catchy at the same time. Matt Shultz was quoted on Cage the Elephant's website saying it tried to capture a unique emotion in each song, so it will be interesting to hear how this will make a cohesive album.
2) "Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)" by AWOLNATION 
I feel like most people don’t venture from the song "SAIL" when it comes to AWOLNATION, but I’ve found that almost all of their songs are just as good and fun to sing to at the top of your lungs.
3) "Flesh Without Blood" by Grimes 
I recently discovered my new feminist role model — an artist who goes by the name of Grimes. She also happens to make quirky, electronic songs with bizarre and catchy lyrics. With "California" and "Kill V. Main" being close runner-ups, "Flesh Without Blood" is by far my favorite track off of her last album she released, "Art Angels." Grimes writes her own songs, sings them, produces them herself and even creates her own album artwork.
4) "Thank God For Girls" by Weezer 
I am a long-time Weezer fan, and this song follows the band's trend of coming up in-your-face, amazing lyrics. For example, “God took a rib from Adam, ground it up in a centrifuge machine,” is my favorite bizarre line of this song.
5) "Gasoline" by Hasley 
I’m obsessed with hearing this girl’s voice. She emphasizes each word with such sharp conviction. This emotion-packed song is something I can listen to on loop and not get tired of.
6) "Black Mambo" by Glass Animals 
I could have picked almost any of the songs from Glass Animals, but this one is my favorite by a sliver, probably because of the first few chilling notes. Glass Animals are notorious for being music to listen to when in an altered state of mind, but I would argue this song on it’s own is trippy enough with it’s own hallucinogenic sound effects. I have found their music is especially good to listen to when partaking in any kind of creative activity like drawing or writing.
7) "Get It" by Matt and Kim 
I hated this song the first time I heard it, feeling cheated because of how they recycled of few lyrics from songs on their "Grand" album. Despite my initial turn-off to this typical upbeat dance song from Matt and Kim, it quickly became my go-to when I needed a pick me up. It is impossible to be sad after listening to the whole thing.
