What Are You Listening To? Fall 2012

I've been wasting too much time trying to decide where to put this piece.  The What are you listening to? series has been published on Yahoo Voices every season for the past couple of years, save the summer of 2012.  It was back then that I was having difficulty getting things published and so even though I penned one for the summer (which was a bust anyway), it was never published.  Now I'm back in the swing of things over there and I can re-introduce the series over there, I figured I'd post it here instead, as it is late in the season.  I will continue the series on Yahoo for the next installment, but in the meantime here is the fall 2012 edition:


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What Are You Listening To? Fall 2012

What kind of music listener are you? Are you up on the newest tracks from your favorite artists, or do you prefer to listen to nothing but oldies? Do you listen to rock, rap, country, or something else?  Do your listening habits change from time to time or do you pretty much stick to your usual stuff? We all have our own habits for listening to the music we enjoy, and the variety of music that's out there is so vast that no two people have the same exact musical tastes or preferences.

One of my favorite things about having an iPod is the ability to organize your music into folders, or playlists (check out Creating Customized Playlists on iTunes and Creating Smart Playlists on iTunes ). With this feature, it's so easy to put songs together that will suit the way you listen to music. Some of the playlists that I keep in my iTunes library include titles such as "Party Songs", "Sad Songs" and "All Time Faves", etc.  One of the most listened to playlists in my iTunes library is a folder that I like to call "Current".

"Current" is the folder where I keep the music that I like to listen to the most. It is the one playlist in iTunes that I'm most often changing, and is the purpose for this series. Music is as fluid as anything, and I enjoy adding great new stuff to my music collection. I keep all of my new stuff in the "Current" folder, as well as some favorites from the past year or so. My passion for music motivates me to want to share some of the good music I listen to with other music lovers who share my tastes.

Without further adieu, I present some offerings from my "Current" playlist this fall.  Many of them I’ve featured on my blog’s very popular “Song of the Day” posts, and I’ve linked some of the songs below to them.  These are the songs I listen to on a daily basis during my commute to and from work or in the house while I'm doing some house cleaning. Most of the songs are dance oriented, as that is my thing, but there’s some pop, R&B, and rock listed here, as well.  Hopefully you'll find something new to get excited about.

After a dull summer of new music, the fall scene has awakened with some big-time releases that have gotten my iTunes account buzzing.  Check out what I've been listening to...

Individual Songs

Scream and Shout - willi.i.am and Britney Spears

I spoke of this one in the most recent Music News Bytes and at the time I said I wasn't too crazy about the track.  To me, it's just more of the same old, same old, and Britney doesn't even sound like Britney on it.  However, after hearing the reactions of some friends and after taking a couple more listens, the song is growing on me, if only as a mindless tune to dance to, which is something I like.

Boys and Girls - Martin Solveig, featuring Dragonette

In recent months I've become a big fan of Martin Solveig.  Ever since having a big hit last winter with the frenzied Hello, I've taken notice and have downloaded a few of his tunes, including this one.  All I can say about this one is fun!  Check it out:  

Martin Solveig & Dragonette "Boys & Girls" from onelove on Vimeo.

Can't Stop / Big in Japan - Martin Solveig, featuring Dragonette & Ready to Go, featuring Kele

Three more Solveig concoctions that have all been featured here on John's World.  All of them are just like the previous tune: fast-moving, dancealicious, and fun!  Check out Can't Stop, Big in Japan and Ready to Go.

Too Close - Alex Clare

I featured this rockish one back in September, and have grown to love it even more with dance remixes that I've been hearing a lot at the clubs.  Great one!

I Found You - The Wanted

The Wanted is back with a brand new single, their best since Glad You Came.  Check out I Found You.

Some Nights - Fun

Fun made huge waves with their song We Are Young last winter.  I have to admit I wasn't too crazy about that one, but this war-themed tune seems perfect for another time and I can't help but stop and listen whenever I come to it on my iPod.  

Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj

Though I'm not as big a Nikki fan as some, I think her voice and style work well on the dance floor, and this is a good dance tune.  Check out Pound the Alarm.

Die Young - Ke$ha

I've said many times before that I think Ke$ha does not have a voice for singing, but she does have an ear for what's hot and the first single off her new Warrior album is her best yet.  Very catchy and a great track, too!  Check out Die Young.

Albums

The Truth About Love - P!nk

It's no secret to any who follow this blog just how much I love Ms. P!nk, and this record has already been way played out on my iPod, and I'm still not sick of it.  Great tunes through and through.  Check out my track by track reviews of The Truth on John's World, and check out me lip-syncing to my favorite song off the album, True Love:

Me lip-syncing to P!nk's "True Love" from John Myers on Vimeo.

Lotus - Christina Aguilera

There's been a lot of pressure on Christina Aguilera to get back in the game after her commercially disappointing Bionic album, and her newest is good, but does it fit the bill?  I've been reviewing the tracks on this one, one at a time, which you can check out here.  The dance stuff is pretty good, and so is the ballad between X-Tina and country singer Blake Shelton, but the rest of the slow stuff is yawn inducing, mostly.

Unapologetic - Rihanna

Here's another one I've been reviewing, song by song, and mostly I'm disappointed in Miss Ri-Ri's latest effort, especially compared to the last one.  Check out my take on the tracks from Unapologetic right here.

Spirit Indestructible - Nelly Furtado

Nelly's latest is good,, not great, but since I've been a big fan of hers since the beginning I take a listen every once in awhile.  Standouts include the title track, Big Hoops, Bucket List, and this one, the funky Parking Lot:

   

Nelly Furtado - Parking Lot from BestFan TV on Vimeo. 

Calvin Harris, Natalia Kills, Wynter Gordon

Other noteworthy albums I've been listening to include the latest by a new favorite Calvin Harris, and two lesser known artists Natalia Kills and Wynter Gordon.  Harris' newest, 18 Months, is not as good as his last, Ready for the Weekend, but there is some good stuff on this one, including the fantastic I Need Your Love, with Elie Goulding, the funky Drinking from the Bottle, with Tinie Tempah, and the stellar Sweet Nothing, featuring Florence Welch, from Florence + the Machine.

Natalia Kills - freak deluxe

Natalia Kills is a Brit pop singer whose album I bought on a whim and boy am I glad I did!  This one features some great stuff, including the fun Free, with will.i.am, the dark, driving Wonderland, and the light-hearted and silly Kill My Boyfriend.  Really, most all of the songs are great on this one from 2011.  Highly recommended!

Some of you may know Wynter Gordon from 2010's dance smash Dirty Talk.  Well, I love her voice and recently downloaded her EP With the Music I Die, and it's pretty good.  Especially good is the bubble gum sweet Till Death and Buy My Love.  Check out the former right here.

Well there you have it, most of what I've been listening to this busy fall for new music.  As always I hope you've found something new to get excited about, if you haven't already.  Stay tuned to Yahoo Voices for the next installment coming sometime in January/February.  As always, thanks for checking me out!

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