Music Challenge Day 19: A Song from Your Favorite Album

It's a fairly rare occurance for me to like all the songs on a CD.  That's why my favorite album is "The Sun and the Moon" by the Bravery; I love every song on that CD.

"Believe" is the one that got the most radio play and kind of help turn me onto the Bravery, so it's the one I'm going to post here.  Plus the video style is really neat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv2OyI0nXEE

All in all, I think the Bravery is a pretty talented group.  The self titled album had a few songs I didn't like but was over all good.  I love "The Sun and the Moon" like you would not believe.  I haven't really listened to their new CD just because the few songs I had heard didn't really appeal to me.  I should probably give it a chance.  Eventually.

And that's today's music selection. =)

~Meaghan

I'm back.

Sorry it's been a while since I've updated, Cyberland. I've been really busy with work and my extra activities, and then earlier this week I had a freak out moment about college (more on that in a bit). But I'm good and I'm back, and other than being slightly tired, I feel pretty good about things.

So here's what's new in my world.

This week I got to looking around the Fort Hays State University website and discovered that not only is it going to cost more than I expected but all sorts of other things like how far from home it is and how I know no one in Kansas began to filter into my brain. My mom was in the other room and she said she could literally feel the panic coming off of me. Plus, my gut instinct began to protest loudly. I usually rely pretty heavily on my intuition and instincts because they are almost eerily accurate (this is how I knew to apply for my current job, how I knew to take the year off from school initially, etc.); I think that when I was applying to college I shut them off because all my instincts have been fairly quiet the last few months, which is not normal. I think I had chosen to ignore/block them.

So because of how I'm feeling with regards to college, I am in chaos. Or at least I was for a while. I suspect that I am probably going to go to a community college for two years and then transfer out to some place like CSU, which is a logical thing. Plus I can keep my job at Sylvan if I do that, and I really like working there.

I have to take this opportunity to say that I have really great friends. I felt like such a failure earlier this week because I hadn't been smart and I had only applied to one college and now it didn't feel right, but my best guy friend (the only one I told what was going on) made me feel so much better about it. I just want to say that I don't know what I would do without friends like that. I think my world would completely cave in.

And now for a complete topic change. Sunday I am auditioning for the church spring production. Every year my church puts on a fall show and a spring show. Up until this point I had never felt like participating. However, since I started participating in this improv group at church (it's like the show "Who's Line is it Anyway?" and is soo much fun to do), I have been feeling like maybe drama is something I want to pursue a little. Obviously I don't want to make a career out of it - I still want to be a high school English teacher or lit teacher - but I'm going to try for it.

I am planning on auditioning for a singing role in the chorus. And my friend who was mentioned above is going to be trying for a part too. Which makes me happy, because I know who else is probably going to audition and while they are completely nice and whatever, I just don't ever really get along with them. Having my friend there (I almost want to use names cause it's easier to type, but I'm not sure I want everyone who reads this to start stalking him or something) is going to make it a lot more enjoyable. He is actually a bit of a veteran compared to me, cause he's been in various plays and musicals before.

So that is my week. As I write this, I am eating peanut butter and jelly from the jar for my breakfast. Yum.

Until next time,

Birdgirl90

"If this is it/
All we have and ever will/
If this is it/
Time is running out and standing still."
- The Bravery
"Above and Below"

I'm soo excited!!

I'm going to start this blog entry by saying that my week has been rather good. For multiple reasons, including but not limited to, college, a new story idea, the fact that my current favorite band did not disband or die over the last year, and some new realizations about myself. Let's start with what made me write this blog.

So I was doing the rounds on various websites I go to on a fairly regular basis and I decided to pop over to the Bravery's website. I hadn't been there in a while,(the last time I was there, it hadn't been updated since July), so I wasn't really expecting anything. Low and behold, to my incredible surprise, it was updated!

And not only updated, I might add, but filled with a blog entry about how the guys are working on album number three! I admit that I didn't discover them until iTunes back in November, but they have quickly become one of my favorite groups since the Beatles. Granted, there are some songs I can't stand by them ("Every Word is a Knife in My Ear" and "Rites of Spring" [which I listen to sometimes because I can't decide if I like it or not] to name some of them), but the majority of the music is good. And I should know this, because I am musically inclined. (After playing the violin for almost ten years, I have some knowledge of the way things flow...) That's what I love about the Bravery - every aspect of rock is given a moment to shine. I especially love the drums and bass. Amazing. One of the best modern groups ever.

So the prospect of a new album made my day.

The next thing that I am both very excited about and equally frightened about at the same time involves college. I made my appointment to tour the campus (Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas) in March and after seeing the residental halls and various other things of interest on campus, I am going to be meeting with a counselor and someone from admissions to pre-enroll in classes.

I am excited because after staying home an extra year (I graduated high school from homeschool last summer), I am finally at a point in my life where I feel as though I can move out and not have to worry about whether or not I can trust myself to take care of myself. The whole reason I stayed home the extra year and got a job was that I felt like my self-injurious tendencies were still ruling me and I didn't feel like I could live away from home yet. I am pleased to say that I have been very good and haven't done anything since April of 2008. Almost a year - that feels like it deserves a pat on the back. And now I feel like I am in control of who I am and what I want; I am ready to go away from home and spread my wings a bit.

At the same time, I'm a bit nervous and/or scared. College is a really big step and I'm going to a place where I will know absolutely no one. But I think it can be a good thing and I'm not going to let fear stop me...

I find it ironic that I am excited about going to Kansas, seeing as I swore when we moved to Colorado and had to drive across Kansas from Missouri that I was never, ever going to live for any period of time in the great Sunflower state.

You can laugh now. It is rather funny.

I read a really good book the other day. It's called "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath. I have not read anything else by Ms. Plath, but my dad said I would really enjoy her because I sometimes have similar sentiments. So I read "The Bell Jar" and I really liked it. At the same time, however, I was a little disturbed because she voices some of the same things I've been realizing and thinking about over the past three or four years.

Anyway, after reading this book, the story I've been tentatively working on came back into view. Sometimes a good book is all I need to stimulate my mind and get the creative juices flowing. So Brie came to life back in my head as a quiet little voice this week and I'll tell you right now that she has matured. It seems that character development has taken place in my self conciousness and because of that, the story plot has changed. I have to start from scratch, in a way, but it's very satisfying. I can't explain why - it's something you have to do for yourself to understand.

And finally, I realized that high school boys are really way too immature and that I don't want, nor need, a relationship to make me happy. I just need to be in my element and all is good. Granted, I do still want to get married and have kids some day, but I think I'm going to wait until everyone matures a bit before I get involved. And until then, I'm just going to keep on doing what I do. It was a very nice revelation and I could not be happier right now.

Oh! and I almost got hit today. I was driving with my sister and was stuck at a very busy road with no light for me to turn with. For some odd reason (maybe it was coffee I had or the fact that it was a beautiful day, I really don't know) I decided to pull out and gun my engine. Not. Smart. We almost got plowed by a giant SUV. I think I scared Katie, and I know I scared myself. Ultimately, I learned from this - always turn at a light or always make sure the coast is clear. Gunning engine = bad.

And that is your incredibly long blog for the day. I'd like to apologize if you have gotten this far - I'm a little hyper right now.

Until next time, Cyberland.

- Birdgirl90 aka Meaghan

"And I don't know where we belong/
I think we grew under a bad sun."

- The Bravery
"Bad Sun"

The Sun and the Moon (Album Review)

Wow, I'm back! Please don't die of enthusiasm. I know it's been a while since I really posted anything of decency on here. I do apologize - it seems that working two jobs is really making me fatigued ( I seriously pass out at night, and caffiene is no good - what am I going to do when I get to college if Dr. Pepper is no longer working? Oh, wait, I know - expresso). But it's worth it -almost every dime goes into my college fund.

Anyway, this blog tonight is going to be me reviewing an album I just fell head over heels in love with. The album, like the name of this blog, is titled The Sun and the Moon by a group called the Bravery. But before we get into the meat of the album, let me tell you how I got into the Bravery.

Basically it started about a month or so ago when iTunes had a free single that I thought looked interesting. I'm one of those people who likes reading what people are saying about a give product before investing in it (even if it is free - I like having security), so I read the various comments people had left. There, amist the praise and criticism, someone made the comment of how the free single reminded them of a cross between the Bravery and the Killers. 'The Bravery,' I thought. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. So I looked up their stuff on iTunes and found "Believe" which was catchy and put it on my iPod.

But then I saw the music video for "An Honest Mistake" and instantly remembered where I had heard of them. Flash back to the end of summer 2005. I, still feeling dazed and whatnot from our move to Denver from St. Louis, was sitting on the couch watching VH1 (screw MTV - not enough music, too much reality TV) when this music video full of dominos and some random guy with weird hair came on. I was sucked in and made a mental note to look the group up because the video was amazing.

Mental notes mean nothing when you are dazed or tired.

So that's how I rediscovered the Bravery. Their first album I got a few weeks ago from the library. Pretty good for the most part, and the videos are really creative. I was hooked; I checked their new CD. I have to be honest - this new album, The Sun and the Moon, blew me out of the water. And I'm not just saying that because I love Sam Endicott, either (although that does add to the effect).

The Sun and the Moon is just over all a good disk. You can tell that the Bravery has matured in musical ability and there is a variety of music styles to prove it. From the acoustic "Tradgedy Bound" to the orchestrated "The Ocean" to the pop-like "Time Won't Let Me Go" to the rock "Believe", this CD has something for everyone. Plus, Sam has done a wonderful job on vocals - there is a good use of tenor and bass ranges and you can hear the emotion in his voice.

What I love about this CD is that it's provocing. The lyrics are all fairly deep, and tackle the ever present human condition of longing and searching for things we can't always see yet know exist. I'm not sure if the guys in the Bravery were thinking about that when they wrote the songs, and it's always open for interpretation, but that's what I got out of it. It makes me feel like I'm a little less alone in the world.

Some of the songs are hard. "Tradgedy Bound" was one that I really wanted to turn off, but I just couldn't. I wanted to cry so badly when I heard it, especially the line about the girl harming herself (I have a history, and so that sort of thing really affects me). And yet the combination of the acoustic guitar and Sam's voice make the misery of abuse almost into a painstaking lullabye.

A song I felt I could really relate to is "The Ocean", where the lyrics talk of the constant comings and goings of those around you and decisions made along the path of life. "So many friends now and none of them mine..." How many times can you give a piece of yourself away and still be you? It's a question I think we have all faced at one point or another, and isn't it true how we always see things perfectly in hindsight? These are things I always find myself doing and now there's a song about it.

Of course there is "Believe" which is very catchy and very addicting. The more you listen to it, the more you seem to gain from it or discover about it. "Time Won't Let Me Go" again reflects upon hindsight, and has that irresistable beat that seems to flow through the Bravery's music.

All in all, I give The Sun and the Moon an A. I think there were only two or three songs I didn't care for, and the rest are on repeat right now on my iPod. My only question now is what happened to the mohawk or whatever that Sam used to have? Also, along with the cleaned up style, the music videos for The Sun and the Moon are now in color while the music videos for the self-titled album The Bravery were all black, white, and yellow. Just an observation; seriously, no complaints. I love these guys. Hopefully they will be working on a new album soon.

And that was my very, very long music review. I have to say, for it being after 9 at night and for me being ready to pass out, that wasn't half bad.

Until next time, Cyberland.

www.thebravery.com

(Just in case you all become as obsessed as I seem to have.)