The Best of 2016

Well, there goes another year. 2016 was perhaps the craziest and most toxic 12 months in this decade for various reasons (namely all having to do with the US presidential election). However, there was still some legitimate fun to be had. Although I read less than I normally do, I read some absolutely wonderful books (and even started reading advanced reader copies thanks to a really good friend of mine). Even though pop music was kind of a dud in the mainstream, I still found some great stuff to listen to. And, to top it off, the anime I watched are definitely going to be cherished for some time (primarily regarding one character we'll talk about later). Also, Zootopia was amazing. It's easily one of the best Disney movies I have ever seen, and it included such a positive and inclusive message right when we needed it.

It wasn't even the material stuff that made my year. I made some new friends, was on stage for two plays at my school (one student-directed, one through the school's theatre, and another student-directed one to come in January), and have finally accepted my identity and am going to roll with it (I'M GAY! YAY!).

So why don't we get started and shine some positive light for 2017's sake? Here are the best things to come out of 2016.

Luke's Music Reviews #6: Beautiful Lies by Birdy

Have you ever thought something was effortless? Maybe it was a piece of art somebody drew or painted, maybe it was someone singing a solo at a choir concert, or maybe it was a video someone edited that looks amazing. You know that it took them ages to master what they do, but you still can't quite fathom how easy it looks. It may elicit jealousy, but, really, you're more amazed than envious because OMG THEY'RE SO AMAZING!

That was my reaction when I first caught wind of Birdy at 14. A girl who went to my junior high (and who also goes to my high school) sang her rendition of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" at the talent show my 8th grade year while two dancers accompanied it, and I was blown away by it all. I had to find the original source, and when I did, I couldn't believe it. Birdy had first recorded that cover when she was only 14? She played piano on most of her material? She wrote her own songs, one that was even featured on The Hunger Games soundtrack? I had found my dream artist right here!

Later that spring I got the treat to listening to her second release and debut album of all original songs (aside from "Skinny Love" and another cover, "People Help the People", because if you didn't buy the first album, look, bonus goodies!), Fire Within, on iTunes Radio's First Play (back when that still existed), a week before it was supposed to be released in the US. I was blown away by the way she wrote love songs and by her absolutely beautiful voice that was delicate and strong. There were sad pieces, there were happy ones, and some not even focused on couples but rather on family and friends, and it pretty much made me happy for a while and inspired my songwriting. Of course, revisiting it later raised my appreciation for it, but I kept Birdy in the back of my mind to turn to whenever I needed to play Pandora. Her appearances in The Fault in Our Stars movie were met with praise by me in the meantime.

However, that all changed when, just as 2015 ended, a new single announcement came that I wasn't expecting. "Keeping Your Head Up" was officially released on the first day of the new year, and I was completely floored. Sure, the production was more pop-flavored and packed to the brim with explosive percussion, but it was still Birdy. Her voice had matured and was more powerful than ever, the piano came back with a vengeance, and there was something more distinctly uplifting with the lyrics that I had never heard before. It was a taste of what was to come, and I couldn't wait to see what would happen.

Fast forward a couple weeks later and we had an album announcement, two months later there was a sampler on Apple Music at the end of spring break (which I still think was the work of God itself), and a week later, the album was here and I listened to it all gleefully. Now that it's been out for half a year already, articulating my thoughts instead of earlier (whoops), what did I think of Beautiful Lies? Was it the worst of a deceitful lie, or was it straightforward and actually beautiful?

Luke's Music Reviews #5: Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande

Artists tend to evolve over the course of their careers. Whether it's just a natural development like growing up or a switching of record labels to state more of an independence, music styles could swiftly change and the singer, if they haven't had the chance before, could take a shot at writing some of their material.

One example of a person that shifted their career trajectory is Miley Cyrus, former Disney Channel darling who broke out of that mold (and out of the associated record company), chopped off all her hair and bleached it, and became associated with twerking and 'dancing with Molly' in the summer of 2013. It was an abrupt but not exactly unexpected swing, what with the more sexual imagery involved with her 2010 album Can't Be Tamed (which was pretty much just a typical Miley Cyrus album at the time, TBH) and the fact that Hannah Montana was ending, and with no hope of appearing on a future Disney show, it shouldn't be a surprise that something did happen. However, I was still shocked by these changes. I grew up watching and adoring Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, and I guess I was still stuck in time or expecting that she would be the down to earth girl like Hilary Duff on Lizzie McGuire all those years ago. Besides, my 13 year old brain was baffled and confused by the idea of Miley Cyrus still being a role model for young girls when she was talking about doing drugs in the bathroom in "We Can't Stop" (which was fine until it was played to death at a camp I went to that summer; after that I wanted to scream every time I heard it).

Fast forward another two years, and Miley had established the non-profit organization The Happy Hippie Foundation (which sounds pretty cool, actually, although I'm not exactly sure what they do) and released a new album you could stream for free: Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (yes, that is 'pets' with a 'z'). It was an experimental record that was panned by YouTube critics and baffled me from the little that I listened to on Soundcloud (although I have listened to almost all of "Dooo It!" and the entire "BB Talk", which will be eight minutes of my life that I unfortunately won't get back). While I understand the idea of Cyrus wanting to exert more creative control, that didn't help the album from being very uncomfortable to the bits I listened to and for me to cringe at the lyrics I read. It's a complete jump into the pool of debauchery, and while that might be fun for some people, I prefer my cereal without milk, thanks.

Let's step off the Miley train and start talking about the evolution of Ariana Grande instead. She first became popular on the Nickelodeon show Victorius as Cat (the redhead who progressively got dumber as the show went on) before skyrocketing onto Top 40 radio with her debut single "The Way" with Mac Miller (she had released her first debut single called "Put Your Hearts Up" in 2011, which she later scrapped because she felt it didn't represent the style she was going for and felt inauthentic). Her debut album Yours Truly was a pop-R&B crossover that was cutesy and fun but didn't really deviate much from its main template, even though her voice was easily one of the strongest points on the album (it was also a really consistent and strong record overall). Her next record that was released a year later, My Everything, showcased Grande hopping from genre to genre with the help of several different producers, including Zedd, Tommy Brown (who had produced some of the tracks on Grande's first album), and some of Sweden's hottest that have produced countless pop tracks: Max Martin and Ali Payami. Although that album wasn't nearly as cohesive in the production, Grande grew as a performer vocally and thematically, opting for more sensual material that really elevated her to the next level (plus, she had a couple more songs she co-wrote). Both records have their own strengths, and it's been really fun to re-listen to them in preparation for Dangerous Woman.

Originally titled Moonlight coupled with the lead-off single "Focus", the idea was scrapped ("Focus" wasn't included on any of the album editions except on Japan's deluxe) and Dangerous Woman came to life with the title song being the new first single. It was definitely an edgier style from Grande that I wasn't expecting, and it definitely made me more excited for the album to come, especially since it seemed she was taking one more step into making her material as mature as possible.

So how was Dangerous Woman? Was it the treat that I was expecting it to be? Or did it disappoint and made me view it as more of a trick?

Luke's Music Reviews #4: All I Need by Foxes

Foxes has easily become one of my favorite artists of all time. I can't keep track of how many times I've listened to Glorious ever since I came back to it last summer, and I've been waiting for this album with bated breath ever since Foxes unveiled the tracklist in July. I couldn't believe that just when I became attached to an artist, they had new music coming that I could be excited about.

When Foxes said that All I Need would be more personal, I was intrigued. Most of Foxes' songs come across as mystical and otherworldly while still having that raw edge, so having her stripping back the cover even more was definitely an experiment worth waiting for, Three singles and four pre-order instant grants were released before February 5th, so much of the album's sound had already been established beforehand. I was in love with pretty much everything, the only worry I had being that the toxic relationship material would become way too repetitive, especially since most of the songs were shaping up to be in that vein.

However, the instrumental choices were still wonderful, and Foxes' writing and vocals were amazing, so I had incredibly high hopes going into this record. Were those met?

The Best of 2015

Another year, another chapter of the book of life completed. Although there were some awful events that occurred (all the mass shootings, the aftereffects of Leelah Alcorn's suicide, the tsunamis and earthquakes that occurred around the world), there were still great moments, and a big one was the legalization of same sex marriage in the United States. I don't know about you, but in my opinion, 2015 was a fantastic year, one full of happy and sad moments, finding identity, of reading/listening to music/watching anime that made me emotional, but most importantly, of just finally gaining some of the confidence needed to stay true to myself.

This post is going to highlight some of the greatest things to come out of anime, books, and music this year. All of these things are held on very high pedestals in my brain, and they'll definitely be remembered for their excellence for years to come. We might as well get started, shall we?

Luke's Music Reviews #3: Delirium by Ellie Goulding

Sometimes, people stumble upon a new artist that they immediately like randomly. It could be through a song that plays on the radio, a scroll through iTunes to look at the New Artists section (or Single of the Week, back in the day), or an ad that pops up on YouTube or on TV. No matter the case, anything can happen, and it allows people to acquire a new favorite singer or group.

My brother first stumbled upon Ellie Goulding on a random trip through the UK Amazon to see new Rainbow Magic books (we were very weird children). I immediately found her pretty (I had a blonde obsession as a child; again, I was weird) and I was interested in listening to her. I took the first step in searching up her music, found "Lights" in April 2011, and was immediately hooked. That song stuck in my memory for a while, and when it began to grace mainstream radio airwaves in early 2012, I was surprised. At the time, Goulding gaining success here in the US boggled my mind, but now, three years later, we have her third album, Delirium, and the successes of "Lights", "Anything Could Happen", "Burn", and the surprise hit in "Love Me Like You Do."

When this new album was announced, I became really excited, and the first single "On My Mind" was great. However, I felt it lacked some of Goulding's identity on the first couple of listens. Since those first listens, the song has grown on me massively, and with every pre-order single that came out, my hopes grew and grew.

Plus, Goulding herself stated that she wanted to take this record in a grandiose pop direction, and judging from all of the songs that came out before hand, she had succeeded that goal. But would a full length album deliver? And would I enjoy it as much as I had enjoyed Lights, Halcyon, and Halcyon Days?

Luke's Music Reviews #2: Honeymoon by Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey's career has been quite the interesting topic to discuss. Literally coming out of nowhere with her debut major label album, Born to Die, and met with polarizing reviews from music critics for the two years afterwards, she became an elusive part of the indie scene until the Cedric Gervais remix of her song "Summertime Sadness" got her some mainstream coverage. I first heard about her in 2012 through VH1, and three years later, I can state that I've become a real fan of hers. It's something about her ethereal persona and the lush atmospheres that she has for her songs that has me coming back.

With her second album, Ultraviolence, things took a turn for the better. Music critics started to fall in love with her music, and the album received collectively positive reviews (meanwhile, some YouTube critics just wanted Ultraviolence to jump off the face of the earth). That album was definitely one of my favorites of last year, as Lana's lyrics and singing blended perfectly with the 70's surf rock instrumentals and the subdued darkness the album had. Even if some of the songs went on for a little too long, I still found myself drawn to the complicated character that is Lana Del Rey.

Fast forward a year later, and we already have a new album from Del Rey. This record, Honeymoon, focuses on the same themes that she has touched upon time and time again, but this time, she worked and co-produced with only two main producers: Rick Nowels and Kieron Menzies. With her new content being worked on by one of the people she's worked with in the past, and with an album solely produced by herself and two other people, did Lana deliver another winner? Or was this album a disappointment?

Luke's Music Reviews #1: E•MO•TION by Carly Rae Jepsen

Who has heard of "Call Me Maybe"? Pretty much everybody? Alright, I was predicting that outcome.

The song that I just mentioned threw Carly Rae Jepsen into the spotlight in 2012 after her debut off Canadian Idol and a debut album, giving the Canadian singer-songwriter a 9x platinum designation here in the US (which is crazy). The album that the single appeared on, Kiss, was nice, but I never really found it to be remarkable. The songs are cute and sweet (not to mention most are undeniably catchy), but I found it kind of odd for a woman in her late 20's to sing about love like she was still a teenager. Some of the instrumentals were also very sugary, and none of the songs really clicked together to make a strong album statement,

Sadly (and unfortunately), the only really successful single off Kiss was "Call Me Maybe", and although more singles were released (including the sneaking-behind-the-lovers'-backs song "This Kiss" or the accurately named "Tonight I'm Getting Over You", not to mention the collaboration with Owl City on "Good Time"), none of them made the splash that "Call Me Maybe" ever did. As a result, Carly Rae Jepsen mostly faded out of the spotlight, and most of the American public was left to assume she'd be left as a one hit wonder.

And then along came March 2015, when "I Really Like You" first dropped, the lead single to a new album from Jepsen. I was surprised when I found it on Spotify the first Tuesday of March, and I immediately attached onto it. Sure, the naivete of "Call Me Maybe" was still present, but the beat was much more lush and extravagant, perfectly fitting that person teetering on the precipice of falling in love but not being quite there yet.

After listening to "I Really Like You" several times, I knew that Carly deserved another chance. Maybe I needed some more of that cuteness that had felt at times lackluster during Kiss; maybe I would find some of that simpler Carly that had been on songs from her debut album, Tug of War (which I haven't listened to all of yet, but all of the tracks I've heard have been great). At the same time, I was thinking that it would be similar to Kiss in that it would be juvenile in some aspects, so I went in with mixed expectations.

So how was E•MO•TION? Was it as I expected? Or did it succeed my expectations and turn out to be a surprisingly great album?