Changing, changing

Wow... I can't even believe this. I'd almost forgotten this blog thing even existed! I went back and read over everything I've written here, and I couldn't help but laugh at how much I've changed. A lot has happened over the last two years, a lot fewer concerts, a lot fewer music critiques, but a lot more laughter, joy, and peace.

I returned home from serving an 18 month mission for the LDS church just less than two months ago. I know, I know, everyone says it's the "best two years," that it changed their lives, that they'd go back in a heartbeat... and yes. It's all true. It's been jaw-dropping for me to take a look inside myself and slowly begin to realize how much I have honestly changed. It's not that I felt I was a bad person before or anything, I know deep down I was a good girl wanting to do good things, but I feel like vices and habits and things I'd just get stuck in have been slowly burnt away. I feel ready to take on the world. My heart has been changed.

One of the strangest things was to come home and realize my desire to listen to certain types of music or watch movies or TV shows that had entertained me before the mission had dwindled to basically nothing. I started to reintroduce myself to music and the world by putting my iPod on shuffle. There were some happy moments of "Oh! I forgot how much I love this song!" and a lot of "why on earth did I ever listen to this...?" I found that where before I would've been content to close myself in my room listening to music and searching out the next unknown band I would attach myself to, instead I wanted to be close to people I love and spend as much time with them as possible. That's not to say music has fallen off the radar for me, it is still my greatest form of stress relief and food for the soul, it's just... different. And I like it. I'm a different person, with different desires and passions, with a different priority. I hope I never stop changing.

And for your listening pleasure, one of the cutest songs ever written; it's been stuck in my head for days! Enjoy!

A day of love...

I tried to wait an entire week before writing a post about this, but alas, it was in vain. I thought maybe a portion of my excitement would die down over the last few days, but I have to write about this now.

The MUTEMATH show.

My good friend Tim once told me that MUTEMATH put on one of the best shows he'd ever seen. True, their albums are pretty awesome, but I thought he was exaggerating. I mean, the music is great and everything, and I'd been listening to the first two albums for a while. I wasn't sure how the newest one would be, so I hadn't gotten it yet.

It was NOT an exaggeration. Seeing MUTEMATH Valentine's Day blew my mind. I'd say I've been to quite a few live shows, and this was incredible.

I've spent the last few days analyzing the concert, trying to decide what made it so much better than anything else I'd seen before. I've come up with two things:

1. Drummer Darren King is a beast. He walked on stage and immediately taped his headphones to his head. By the end, he had sweat so much the adhesive was completely gone and the headphones just slipped off.

2. The band is lined up at the front of the stage. Normally, the drummer is positioned behind the other members of the band, but these guys had all four of them up at the front, with King furthest stage left. He was so full of energy, the other guys fed off of it and it made the show incredible.

Oh, and these guys were so classy. They were in sweaters, collared shirts, suits, ties... they looked brilliant. They were so in sync with each other, like they knew exactly how they played and how to play together. The bassist was incredible; he won my heart when he whipped out a fretless bass. The new guitarist is fantastic and completely held his own with the other guys. And of course, singer/keyboardist/frontman Paul Meany was a crowd favorite.

They played a full 2 hour set, going through every song from their latest album and some additional ones from the last two records. They came out in the middle of the crowd, Paul crowd-surfed on a lit-up mattress, they paraded in under a canopy of Christmas lights... it was the best kind of crazy.

Best Valentine's Day ever.

First album: MUTEMATH
Song: Typical
This is the most popular song from the album. Man, the crowd went wild when they played this one. And they had to learn how to sing/play the song backwards for the music video... so crazy.


Second album: Armistice
Song: Backfire
I love the melody of the verses. The choruses are super fun, but I think the verses are beautifully put together.


Third album: Odd Soul
Song: Allies
I probably should've put one of the most popular songs from this album up, like "Odd Soul," "Blood Pressure," or "Tell Your Heart Heads Up." But I'm a music nerd, hence, the songs that stick with me might be a little different. In the verses of this one, they sort of fake you out with a key change and then slip back into the original key. I thought it was weird at first, but now I'm hooked. It's absolutely brilliant.

21.

I should probably try to write more often. This is what happens when I don't:

I get older.

You music people may have thought this post would be about Adele's latest album, but it's not. I'm going to be selfish and talk about me for a second. I've officially reached legal adulthood, and I'm not sure how I'm feeling about it. I was just barely 17, wasn't I? Didn't I just graduate from high school? Don't I still think boys have cooties and that Santa is a wizard?

Yes. Yes I do. Oh well. Now on to some musical musings.

This place in time has brought me a lot of firsts. Last week, for the first time in my life, I was told by a music teacher not to practice so much. Love this. I have also purchased a ukulele for the first time in my life, which should be here tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. My best friend plays fantastically, so we'll see if we can get her to show me the ropes.

fun.'s new album comes out in a month. Hopefully it's as good as the first one. Deas Vail's new album is self-titled and outstanding; check it out. Phantom Planet makes me smile and think of warm beaches. And I have been incredibly impressed with The Airborne Toxic Event's live concert album, All I Ever Wanted. The music is even better than their studio albums, if that's even possible. "I laughed, I cried... it moved me, Bob." 10 points for Gryffindor if you can get that quote. No, it's not from Harry Potter.

Lately, I've been going back in time a little bit. Musically. Been listening to some Cream, some Magnetic Fields, some Alan Parson's Project, some Tom Petty. Who knew Johnny Depp was in a Tom Petty music video? Or of his sweet guitar skills?



Oh, and Matt LeBlanc, aka Joey from Friends. Fantastic. Backtracking a little bit, if you'd like to hear some clean, beautifully produced music, check out The Alan Parson's Project. "Time" is beautiful, "Games People Play" gets stuck in my head for hours... it's awesome. It's an older style, but I love it.

Happy listening.

The Airborne Toxic Event

*Note: To skip the stuff on the October 8th Big A** show, head to the last paragraph. There are a couple Airborne Toxic Event musical gems you'll want to check out.


A few weeks ago, I went to the Big A** show with my dear roommate, Satya. It was awesome. And by awesome, I mean the following: The venue was NOT good, the opening bands were weird, the sets were too short, the weather was cold and wet, and my sprained ankle was acting up; BUT, it was a fantastic opportunity to hear sample shows from a bunch of great bands. MVP of the day was Switchfoot, who most definitely put on the best show. My second favorite was The Airborne Toxic Event, although Anberlin was also great. The day went something like this:

1. Stall at the apartment for as long as reasonably possible, while wondering what Panic! at the Disco will do without Brendon, who was sick with what they thought was malaria, but what we decided to call a "fever he can't sweat out."

2. Head down to catch the last couple opening bands, who are presumably decent, before hearing some headliners.

3. Disappointed by the opening bands. Sleeper Agent: fun tunes, girl singer is weird. Brogan Kelby: way too poppy boy-band for me.

4. She Wants Revenge: Fun. Singer makes weird hand gestures when he doesn't play his guitar. Songs start to sound the same. Fall in love with the Rickenbacker bass.

5. The Airborne Toxic Event: Mind blown by the awesomeness. Although a riot was very close to breaking out. But that was probably their plan.

6. Switchfoot: Tim, the bassist, looking very classy... Jon sounding very stoned... awesome show. The crowd loved them, and their songs from their new album sound better than expected.

7. Anberlin: Intense, awesome music. Decided to vacate in order not to be trampled. Airborne Toxic Event signing.

8. Neon Trees: Tyler is weird... but the guitarist was rocking some red shoes and Elaine (drummer) always makes me smile.

9. Panic! at the Disco: Malar-eoke night. As much as some members of the crowd seemed to hate it, it was actually kind of fun. Ticked that I'm not more internet savvy and didn't realize I could've auditioned to sing with them earlier in the day, but whatever. Dallon sang a Brobecks song, "Love @ First Sight," which was a definite highlight. Some stupid guy was giving him a hard time though, the poor boy...



I felt so bad. I wanted to give him a hug after. But alas, that would be considered creepy in our day and age.

Moral of the day: The Airborne Toxic Event is awesome. Mikel Jollett, singer, is a brilliant writer. They have strings in almost everything. Favorite song at the moment: "All I Ever Wanted" (the music, the interwoven melodies in the viola, guitar, and voice is magnificent).


Song that tugs at my heartstrings: "The Graveyard Near the House." It's a beautiful letter set to music.


Those two tunes are worth a listen, although it's "Changing" and "Numb" that are always playing on the radio.

Happy listening!

Boston

Oooh yeah, Boston. I am here. Finally.

My closest friends and roommates know that being in Boston has been my dream for years. Have I ever even visited before? Nope. Why the attraction? Honestly? I have no idea. I somehow got it in my head when I was a freshman in college that Boston was the perfect place for me. There were opportunities to keep studying and working in engineering while still getting in the music scene, which sounded beautiful. And then I had a dream... one of those super intensely vividly real dreams. Yes, it deserved all of those adverbs. I was a little older, just getting home from work (don't ask me what my job was, I guess it wasn't important), putting a key in the door of what was obviously my apartment. I opened the door, and it was the most amazing living space I'd ever seen (although in my dream it wasn't anything special, it just seemed normal). The kitchen was off to the left, the living room was straight ahead, and the bedroom through a door on the right. The walls in the living room were a light yellow, sort of a honeysuckle color. One wall was covered with amps, and there were instruments everywhere... There was a drum set in the corner, a keyboard to the side, an upright piano against the wall, and my violin and viola were up on their stands. I had two acoustic guitars and an acoustic bass on stands, a cello leaning in the other corner, and an electric guitar (semi-hollow) and an electric bass hanging on the wall. The wall directly across from the door was completely glass, an enormous window looking out at the Charles River.

Like I said, one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. Too bad it wasn't real. But Boston has still been a dream of mine.

But maybe it's because my life has somehow kind of followed this beautiful song by Augustana, also named Boston.

"I think I'll go to Boston, I think I'll start a new life. I think I'll start it over where no one knows my name."

Don't get me wrong, I love my friends, I love my home town, I love Utah. Then again, my brother tells me one of my biggest problems is loving everyone and everything. Oops. But even then, I don't know that I actually know who I am. And I feel like I have this unrealistic expectation that the more I run away to different places, to snow or summer, maybe I'll figure it out. But maybe I'll just get tired. Here's to all of us running around in circles, trying to find ourselves.

Oh, and did I go "out to Spain?" Last summer, Study Abroad. Oh yeah.

C'Mon

Whew. That last entry must have really taken it out of me. Note to self: never do that again. I've also realized how difficult it is to keep up a blog without internet access at one's place of residence. Bah. Well, on to the music.

Death Cab's new single, "You Are a Tourist," is awesome. Yes, it's Death Cab, they have a signature sound, and you think after so many albums you'd get a little tired of it. Not the case. They had me at the guitar riff. It also has a sweet music video, check it out.



The entire album comes out May 31st. I'm excited to see what Death Cab has in store for me this year. Also, I now have my ticket for their Salt Lake show in August. I'm kinda ticked it's in a stadium, so the sound could be lousy, but whatever, I'm still excited.

Now. One of my favorite bands I've been listening to for the past few years is called "fun." F-U-N-period. All lower case. Mr. Nate was in the Format before, but they split, and then he, Andrew, and Jack got together with some sweet musicians and recorded an album. Yes, maybe I have a slightly greater love for them because two of the three band members have my brothers' names, but their music rocks. Pop-rocks. The only word I can use to accurately describe the album is "fun." Pure, wonderful, fun. Check out their album if you feel like smiling.

Panic! at the Disco and fun. are beginning their tour today. And guess where they skip. Utah. Go figure. Then I thought, wait, I'll be in Boston for most of the summer anyway, and I'm sure they play there... and they do! I checked! In... May. Boo. This may be one of the greatest band-combos touring together, and I'm missing it. Yes, I cried quietly to myself as reality sank in. And, as if to anger me further, the two recorded a single together entitled "C'Mon." I can just hear them... C'Mon Rhiannon, why aren't you listening to us play, hmm? Everybody's doing it... The single's great, although I think it'd be way more accurate to say it's by fun. featuring Panic! at the Disco rather than the other way around. It sounds like fun. Not Panic. Lo siento, muchachos.

That's all for now, Rhi is out.

Don't Panic!

Vices and Virtues.

Clever album title, no? Sounds very Panic! at the Disco-y. Now, as one who seeks to express their musical views and opinions, why on earth, you may ask, would I choose to start off with a band as well-known and popular as Panic? Truthfully, they've just been on my mind. I've been inexplicably drawn to their latest album. So bear with me. We'll get to the more obscure bands, I promise. First, a history.

Debut album: A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.
That's pretty much how this album went for me. I felt... sick. And I couldn't recover. Until I stopped the album. No, it really wasn't that bad, there are some very catchy tunes on this album, and "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" made them a must-have for every high school teenager out there. If there's one thing you can expect from this band, it's theatricality and drama, which this album has plenty of. Some of the lyrics are really clever too. But if you listen to the album all the way through, it just seems... young. Angsty. Angry. Cynical. They're a very new band at this point, so you'd expect them to sound young, but after a few tries, I just couldn't get myself to listen to the album anymore. It just made my heart hurt.

Sophomore album: Pretty. Odd.
Also, perfect title. This album was so experimental and different, but it still had that sense of drama, that artistic and theatric touch that defines Panic. May I just say, especially after the first album, I LOVED this. Panic! played with sound effects, with different instruments, with voices... it was amazing. The songwriting also took a turn for the better, it matured, and it became much more relatable for me. Needless to say, after listening to this album for a few months straight, I was expecting great things from this band. And then...

The Split.
Change is good. Change is unavoidable. And so it was with Panic. It is reported to have been quite amiable, a mutual sort of separation, which is comforting. But I think we were all worried about what would happen next. Let's take a look...

Third album: Vices and Virtues.
Did Panic! return to their original sound? Yep, you can definitely hear it. Did they preserve some of their experimental qualities? Yeah, in a sense. Did it work? Oh yeah. I will not lie to you, I was kind of surprised by how much I've loved this new album. The melodies are incredibly catchy, but it's the harmonies that provide all the support to the music. Spencer's beats add the Panic! attitude we love, and Brendon's lyrics have done nothing but improve. Almost every song has strings as well, and you know how much I love bands that record with strings. Or brass. Or symphonies. I read somewhere that they'd been listening to Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" album, and it shows. Funnily enough, one of my favorite parts of this album is the insert. Remember how I said Panic!'s trademark of sorts is their theatric/artistic take on everything? Well, their lyrics layout only affirms this fact. It's absolutely brilliant. Now, on to the music...

1. The Ballad of Mona Lisa - So, SO catchy. You'll be humming this for days. The music-box-like keyboard is fantastically creepy, the drums are perfect... It is very, very first-album-Panic, but more... refined, or polished maybe. You'll love it all the same.

2. Let's Kill Tonight - The transition from the first song to this one is very fun. And much more electric. Normally, I'm not one for electric tunes, but this intro works.

3. Hurricane - Cool song, not my favorite, but it fits in the album perfectly.

4. Memories - The melody is fun, also not my favorite, BUT, the lyrics of this song intrigue me. It sounds like Mr. Urie is talking about a couple of newly-weds. Kinda like Utah people. And, being an LDS girl from Utah, it makes me laugh. However, we also know that Panic! has now learned the subtle art of using lyrics that sound like one thing but really mean another. There's speculation that this song is about the guys who split from the band. This theory leaves me with one question: which of the past band members is the girl?

5. Trade Mistakes - One of the top three songs on the album. The lyrics are genius, and the melody/harmonies match the words unnaturally well. The bridge especially... it sounds like he's pleading so hard it almost hurts, but somehow he's still singing beautifully... I also love string quartets, which may contribute to my love of this song.

6. Ready to Go (Get Me Out Of My Mind) - This song is very fun, the choruses are great and, again, super catchy. Well done Panic! for writing so many catchy melodies.

7. Always - Fantastic. The acoustic guitar is something we really only heard on the second album, and I am so glad they kept this style in their music. This is definitely not your typical love song, but it is absolutely beautiful. Again, there are strings playing, which significantly contributes to its beauty.

8. The Calendar - The dissonance at the beginning, the sounds of clockwork, the days passing... It's brilliant.

9. Sarah Smiles - The accordion-sounding melody at the beginning is a perfect way to set up this song. This style both matches the rest of the album and throws it off kilter a bit... the lyrics may also be one of those "say one thing, mean another" things. Sarah is the name of Mr. Urie's lovely lady, but the lyrics sound a little spiteful. Don't think he meant that.

10. Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met...) - The children's choir singing the French translation of the chorus is marvelous! This song sounds like it could be in a musical theater production, and the fact that they left in the little sound bit of the teacher lecturing the students before they start ("Kids, you have to remember I'm up here conducting you for a reason, ok? Watch me, watch my fingers. Here we go; ready? Watch me. One and, two and...) makes it that much more real. It's a perfect finale, and the children singing "Mona Lisa, pleased to please ya" as a final thought wraps the album up in a beautiful, brilliant little bow.

As a whole, Vices and Virtues is an incredible third album for Panic! at the Disco. I've heard people describe it as a child, spawn of the first and second albums. To this, I say "Yes." But I'd also add that this child has grown up and progressed on its own for a while before it was released to the ears of the eagerly awaiting public. If you're in the mood for pop rock mixed with theater and a touch of brown sugar, you're in for a real treat.