Music for listening: Album Reviews

  Caamp is a musical group that started with two childhood friends, Taylor Meier, and Evan Westfall. The two grew up in Arlington, OH, and attended Ohio University. Eventually, bass player Matt Vinson and keyboardist Joseph Kavalec were added to the group's lineup. Since then, they have released three albums, including their self-titled debut in 2016, "By and By" in 2019, and "Lavender Days" in 2022.  While looking through my past blogs, I have kept the trend of choosing my favorite artist's albums. Over the weeks, it has become less obvious which to choose every week. Each week though, I end up scrolling through my albums and finding one I get incredibly excited to listen to and write about. This week is that way as well! Caamp's first album is not the band's most popular, but it has some amazing songs on it. I will listen to each song, rate it 1-10, and then at the end give the album an overall score out of 10.  1: "All the Debts I Owe" 

The Backseat Lovers is an American Indie Rock band from Provo, UT. The band was formed in 2018 and is composed of lead vocalist & guitarist Josh Harmon, lead guitarist Jonas Swanson, bassist KJ Ward, and drummer Juice Welch. They have released several singles and two studio albums that have characterized their music as high energy and straight from the heart. The band has quickly gained a following for the relatability of their songs and their dynamic live performances.  I was told about this band a little over a year ago. A friend knew their manager somehow and talked a lot about them for a while. I was hesitant to listen because from how he described them, it sounded like another small band with an LA-type alternative vibe. I ended up finding one song after another that I loved and saw them perform this past summer. What I love about this band is how they are taking indie rock and making it their own. It feels like there are a lot of indie rock bands growing now but this band has

Every week I feel as though I describe whatever album I write about as "unique." I stand by this because I feel my music taste is unique. After all, not many people listen to the music I do! This artist though is a more popular one. Kid Cudi is a rapper most of my peers are familiar with, so instead of describing this album as unique to my taste, a more appropriate term would be "ahead of its time."  "Man on the Moon: The End of Day" is an album he released in 2009. It follows a loose narrative structure that tells the story of Kid Cudi's alter-ego, "Mr. Rager," as he navigates through life. It is known for its blend of hip-hop, rock, and electronic music. This debut studio album was such a critical and commercial success that it cemented Kid Cudi's place in the music industry very early in his career. I know a couple of these songs by heart but have never gone through and listened to the whole album. I'm hoping to find a few new ones

Choosing what album I do each week has honestly been the hardest part of writing this blog. What makes it easier is just listening to what I usually choose to listen to and choose what artist I want to write about that week. From there I can look at their discography and pick which album would be best to review.  This week, I chose to write about one of my favorite artist's only full-length album. Briston Maroney's "Sunflower" is a 10-track project that showcases his impressive range and unique style. It mixes indie, rock, folk, and pop, with strong emphasis on storytelling and personal reflection. It is an impressive debut album from an artist with a bright future ahead of him.  I had the chance to see him live this past summer at a festival named "Bonnaroo," shortly after he released this album. I wasn't sure what to expect from him live because I wasn't sure his songs would be very fun to be at live but he chose a good set that made it fun.  The s