MUSIC MONDAY: JULY 20, 2015

First off, I hope you all appreciate the new spelling of my Music Monday series. Seemed fitting. Welcome to Music MUNday!

The past few months have been full of me binge listening to a select few albums. There were a lot of singles that I liked throughout too but these four albums made up the majority of my listening time.

First up, Betty Who's album 'Take Me When You Go'-- the standout best and most awesome song off this album is 'All of You'. Seriously stop reading right now and go scroll down to my Spotify player and listen to it. You'll J-A-M. Next best is High Society and Dreaming of You. Plus, you've probably already heard the song 'Somebody Loves You'.

NEEEeeexxxttt...

Smallpools' first full-length, Lovetap! I dug this band before but after seeing them live a few months ago in a tiny venue in downtown Richmond I fell in love. They have so much fun performing and within their lyrics. I have so many favorite tracks but if I had to list the they'd be... Dreaming (best), No Story Time, Mason Jar and Over & Over.

Kacey Musgraves is a country twangin' sweetheart with a modern approach to life. She's not afraid to let you know that she dabbles in some marijuana or that she prefers the country to California. She's a breath of fresh air that somebody like me who is straddling on the 'liking country' and 'not really digging it' line can appreciate and rock out to. My favorite tracks off of her album 'Pageant Material' are Dime Store Cowgirl, Late To The Party, Cup of Tea and her single, Biscuits. I typically don't like female country singers but this girl rules.

Last but CERTAINLY not least are my homegirls Fifth Harmony. I used to be in love with their internet fanbase rivals Little Mix but after they cancelled an entire US tour and sketchily began "writing a new album", I lost interest. Fifth Harmony holds it down. They're getting big and they will be real large very soon. Their album Reflection is the ultimate album for women. They aren't afraid to use their sex appeal despite their young ages and young fans and they aren't afraid to completely love themselves loudly. Absolute bomb songs are REFLECTION & GOING NOWHERE!!! My top two faves. Also love Suga Mama. These girls are goooood.

Take a listen!

MUSIC MONDAY: TORI KELLY - PAPER HEARTS

Happy Music Monday! I'm here today to share Tori Kelly's new music video for her song 'Paper Hearts'. It's incredible. Just like her. Enjoy!

MUSIC MONDAY: FEBRUARY 2014

Here's a little Music Monday post for you all! I finished up my short but sweet February 2014 8tracks playlist yesterday so if you'd like to check it out, go right ahead:

February 2014 from baileymunson on 8tracks Radio.

Hope you all have a lovely Monday and I will be back later this week with more beauty posts!

MUSIC MONDAY: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SUPER BOWL XLVIII HALFTIME SHOW

The announcement of Bruno Mars being the main performer during the 2014 Super Bowl halftime show left many, including myself, disappointed. I'm not a big fan of Bruno Mars and after Beyoncé and Destiny's Child delivered their electric (seriously.. remember the loss of power?) performance last year, anybody was going to have a yough time winning over fans for this year. Opinions swiftly changed after Bruno gave stellar performances of his most popular songs, especially "Treasure". Fans for an even bigger treat when Anthony Kiedis and the rest of the Red Hot Chili Peppers came out to sing their hit "Give It Away" with Bruno and his band.

Throughout the exciting twelve-minute performance there were some special moments. Here are the top five highlights from this year's Super Bowl halftime show:

1. A dozen adorable children kicking off the performance by singing the intro to Bruno Mars' song "Billionaire"

What can be better than a children's chorus singing a pop hit while wearing brightly colored earmuffs? Having a giant American flag waving on the screens behind them, duh. America seemed to be the trend of the evening throughout the performance and the commercials so feel free to let your patriotic side out while you jam to any recordings of the night!

2. Bruno Mars channeling his inner Travis Barker with a fantastic drum solo

If somebody didn't know better, they probably would have thought that Bruno WAS Travis Barker. With the close, intense camera shots to the outrageous amount of power and passion that he was drumming with, he could have gone into full-out rock star mode and it would have fit in perfectly.

3. The smooth, synchronized dance moves (and outfits!) of Bruno and his band during "Treasure"

Potentially the best individual song performance of the evening, "Treasure" was full of bouncing band members, shimmery gold lamè jackets and in-sync dips and twists. Around mid-song came a rock transition to lead into fan's seemingly favorite part of the night…

4. The Red Hot Chili Peppers joining Bruno on stage for "Give It Away"

For the fan that was left wanting more, the Red Hot Chili Peppers saved the night. It seemed all of the members were looking to avoid another wardrobe mishap as most of them were on stage barechested, showing off their rocker ink and lots more in the freezing temperatures. The two groups jammed together for a bit before the band left the stage to allow Bruno one last song.

5. Fireworks with soldiers' "Just The Way You Are" dedications

As the last song of the night began, videos of military personnel showed on the screen while they gave well wishes to their friends and family back home. It was a great ending moment and got even better when fireworks began exploding over MetLife Stadium.

It seems Bruno Mars' performance was received well by the majority of the viewers. Some are even saying it was one of the best Super Bowl performances of all-time. While that may be debatable to some of you, I believe we can all agree that this performance was easily the most exciting part of the entire evening.

How did you feel about the performance? Let's not talk about the game. I'm actually angry at how bad it all was. Didn't even get to be entertained by the best night in sports! That being said, the Puppy Love commercial tugged at all of my heart strings. So cute.

MUSIC MONDAY: FALL OUT BOY'S 'FOLIE À DEUX'

Ever since the Paramore and Fall Out Boy tour rumor began, I have been reliving my favorite Fall Out Boy Album, Folie à Deux. I was never a HUGE fan of FOB during their big years but for some reason in 2009 when this album came out I decided to give it a go and I really loved it. Unfortunately, they immediately responded with a hiatus so I sort of gave up on my Fall Out Girl dream.. However, they are back in the game so it's only fitting that I get excited for this (potential) tour by listening through the album again! and again.. and again.

As for Folie à Deux, you can get it on iTunes for only $7.99. That's a pretty dang good deal for 15 items including a remix and a music video.

I have some stand-out favorite lyrics and songs from this album so let's go through them real fast..

'The (Shipped) Gold Standard', '20 Dollar Nose Bleed' and 'Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes' are my three favorites with an honorable mention of 'Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On a Bad Bet' for my favorite lyric, "does your husband know the way that the sunshine gleams from your wedding band?"

If you're a devoted FOB fan then you already know of this album but if you've never given it a shot or didn't care about the band by the time this came out, take a listen! That last link will bring you to the iTunes page where you can listen to the previews.

Extra little MM snippet… here's a new Jessie J song that I HOPE AND PRAY makes it's way to the US because she hasn't had a hit over here in awhile and I'm such a huge fan of hers. This song rocks.

Hope you all have a lovely Music Monday and I'll see you in my next post!

MUSIC MONDAY: DECEMBER 8TRACKS

I'm back once more for my monthly 8tracks playlist! I know this isn't my most popular kind of post but I really do enjoy making these every month and sharing them around. It helps make my blog more well-rounded as I don't want to ALWAYS be focusing on makeup. Anyway, if you're looking for some new tunes then check out what I've been listening to lately!

December 2013 from baileymunson on 8tracks Radio.

 I've got a lot of really exciting posts coming up in the next week or two so keep your eyes peeled! Until then, have a lovely day <3

MUSIC MONDAY: VERSA

Versa is back! Well, kind of. VERSA is the remnants of the old band VersaEmerge that now consists of lead singer Sierra and guitarist Blake. After a long hiatus and some rough waters(losing members, release from label) the duo is back at it with a new sound and lots of hype. The video below is for their last song 'No Consequences' that the two announced would be their last work released under the name VersaEmerge. The description on the video says:

      "In the summer of 2012, we filmed a music video for the song 'No Consequences'. We are happy to announce

      that we can finally share that video with all of our fans. This will be the last piece of content released as

      VersaEmerge. Expect music from VERSA before the year (2013) is up."

Today, VERSA streamed their new song 'Neon' via Rolling Stone's website and can be listened to here. The sound is more electronic but you can still hear bits of their old style in there and it makes me feel good and I believe their future is promising. As a long time fan of VE, I'm very interested to see where they go from here. It's been a long time coming and they definitely deserve to roll a positive wave for awhile.

Happy Music Monday!

MUSIC MONDAY: NOVEMBER 8TRACKS

It's already time for another 8tracks playlist! Well, not entirely. I'm a week early but somebody was asking for it so I decided to put it together since I already had the songs planned. So many new albums and new songs! You know what I'm DIGGING lately? Timber by Pitbull and Ke$ha. Such a good, feel-good jam.

Listen to that and all my other tracks here:

November 2013 from baileymunson on 8tracks Radio.

MUSIC MONDAY: OCTOBER 8TRACKS

I have now made it a thing to create an 8tracks playlist each month featuring my favorite jams from that month. I started in July and I just made my October one live! It's been an exciting past couple of weeks of new music and I have included some songs that aren't even going to be released until tomorrow :)

October 2013 from baileymunson on 8tracks Radio.

Isn't the cover photo so cute? Such an October feel.

This is a short post but I hope you enjoy my mix! I'll be back every month doing this!

MUSIC MONDAY: 8TRACKS

Hey guys! I'm back today with another Music Monday post for you all. I have been making playlists on the website 8tracks for the past few months as sort of.. soundtracks to my life. July, August and September have all been made into playlists full of all my favorite songs from those months. I also have a few more that I'll share as well.

They've been pretty big hits with my friends and on 8tracks itself so I figured I'd share with y'all!

If you guys don't know what 8tracks is, let me let you in on it a little. It's a music sharing website(think: Pandora, Spotify) that users can upload their own playlists of songs for others to listen to. It's a bit difficult using the site simply being a listener and not a playlist creator because although you CAN search for specific songs, you can't search for specific artist(because of legal stuff..) so there's just a bunch of jumbled playlists and such.

The reason that I included my monthly playlists is because I wanted to share all of the new music that I've been listening to! This way is a little easier than just throwing a random compilation of music at you guys and inviting you to listen. I encourage you to take part in 8tracks and create a profile and mixes of your own! I'd love to get links to them.

July 2013 from baileymunson on 8tracks Radio.

August 2013 from baileymunson on 8tracks Radio.

September 2013 from baileymunson on 8tracks Radio.

I invite you to go take a listen! You can click on my username from those widgets above and it'll take you to my profile where I have even more mixes. Happy listening!

What songs have you been jamming to this week? I know I'm totally in love with the new Ariana Grande CD so.. my roommate has probably had enough of me trying to sound like I can actually sing. The girl is great!

MUSIC MONDAY: NEW MUSIC + VIDEOS

This is gonna be a heavy post, y'all. I cannot even begin to grasp all the new music that is floating around!! I've put all of them into this post today to share what I've been listening to.

First is my OFFICIAL new favorite song. I just.. holy wow. Fifth Harmony is finally out releasing music after their third place finish on the US X Factor. I never really got into them and the 'fandom' war between Little Mix and Fifth Harmony kind of kept me away from listening into them too much more. I knew they were all very talented singers but this song just showcases how AMAZING they all are when together. I give huge props to the music video producer and director as well because I love the video just as much as I love the song. Definitely blows any Little Mix song out of the water.

Not a new song but a new video! 'Made in the USA' was one of my favorite tracks off of Demi Lovato's latest self-titled album and I was super stoked to hear that it was going to be her next single! The music video goes well with the song's story and I enjoyed having Dustin Milligan (from 90210) in the video, too.

New Selena! Not only is today the girl's 21st birthday but tomorrow is the drop date for her album 'Stars Dance'. After the huge success that was 'Come and Get It', I can only assume the same for this new single! The music video is provocative and sultry but I'm totally digging it. She's battling the child-star-turned-adult very well and as sexy as this video is, it wasn't in a bad light on Selena.

Quickly transitioning from sultry to the ultra-innocent Angie Miller.. the phenomenal singer who sprouted from last season's American Idol. Can anybody else (who actually watched the show.. I know almost nobody does any longer) believe she came in third place? Not even second. Third! Insanity. Sure to be a huge star, Angie released this teaser of a new song of hers called 'Put it On Me'. I can't wait to hear the entire thing!

Next we've got Cassadee Pope's new music video for her new song 'Wasting All These Tears'! The girl  did it. She transitioned to country while still remaining herself. Can you believe this video was playing all over CMT? After spending years seeing her and her old band Hey Monday in the smallest of venues, it super cool to watch her on my television screen. Wish I liked Rascal Flatts enough to go catch her on his tour in September.

What the heck. Five minutes after I post this post I check my YouTube to find another new song! This is Ariana Grande's newest song, Baby I. A couple of listens in and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. However, the girl is so talented and I feel such power in all of her songs that I can surely see myself growing to like this. I wonder if it'll become a radio hit as much as 'The Way' was since she doesn't have a popular rapper to duet with her?

Last but certainly not least is our favorite group of boys from across the sea. Unless you're a fan of The Wanted.. then it's your second favorite group of boys! Given I'm not a fanatic 'directioner', I had no clue they were releasing a new song. I guess it had to do with their 3D movie coming out quite soon. Since I saw this leak on Tumblr, I have seen tweets everywhere and have even begun hearing it on the radio. Definitely a feel-good pop song. If you're not down to have fun, don't even try it! But I love One Direction a ton so I'll always love a new song of theirs. **update** of course, an hour and a half after I post the lyric video, they upload the music video. Enjoy!

Whew! That was a lot. Hope you all liked at least some of the songs and videos I've shown you! I realized they're all pretty much in the same Top 40 realm but hey? It's Summer. It's the season for cheesy radio hits.

MUSIC MONDAY: CARTEL

This is a continuation(and last) of my mini-series-within-a-series

This choice is way less emotional than a lot of the other choices in this series mainly because Cartel is a special band to me. As I have mentioned in a past post, they aren't a band that I was really ever a huge fan of. I only became a fan of theirs in high school and really, after this album. I love that no matter what you listen to by them, you'll get the same sound. Most bands like to change and evolve their sound, but Cartel hasn't. and it's unique because it isn't necessarily bad. If you like them, then you'll always like them.

Their most solid piece of work to me personally, is this album, 'Cycles'. It came out in 2009 and just introduced me to them as a group. All of the songs are strong and they just tell a story of me being a freshman and sophomore in high school and learning everything about life and myself.

My top favorites are 'Deep South', 'Typical', 'Retrograde' and without a doubt, 'Lets Go'. They just are all so special to me for some reason and I can't get tired of them. It just won't happen!

Highly suggest this. So good! All of their work is good, actually. But obviously, this is the one that I can listen to on repeat for years without getting tired of.

MUSIC MONDAY: HOODIE ALLEN FT. KINNIS & SELENA GOMEZ

HI! Today's MM involves two new music videos. Exciting, right?

First off is Hoodie Allen ft. Kina Grannis with Hoodie's new song, "Make It Home". Hoodie, always love. Kina Grannis I had never heard of but her voice is good enough, could be better. BUT! The reason I'm posting the video is because I really just like the song. It's a bit slower for Hoodie and having a girl in there singing really helped it stay soft and plus, it's acoustic. Just check it out!

Second video is for Selena Gomez's new song, "Come & Get It" which I am actually a huge fan of. It's got a cool, ethnic beat and is just really groovy and I love whenever it comes on in my car. She looks fantastic in this video and that is why I wanted to show you it. It's really aethetically pleasing to watch and is just a nice video for a cool song!

Kinda lame MM? Eh. I don't know. I didn't necessarily have to post today but I've been liking these two lately so I figured why not?

MUSIC MONDAY: THE MAINE

This is a continuation of my mini-series-within-a-series

When I was younger, The Maine was that band. They were the good looking guys that seemed to have a bad edge but still managed to be lovable. and that's what we all did. We all loved them. Cue the end of my concert phase and simultaneously cue the period where The Maine seemed to grow up. It was weird. They released this album and all of a sudden they just seemed more legitimate, better. A better band altogether. Of course, I listened. and I listened. and some more listening. I found myself loving it to absolutely no end. It came out back in 2010 and still to this day, I listen to it quite frequently.

Call me crazy but I just felt like it had this grown up feel to it that really worked out with me because I felt like I had been growing up during that time. Heck, there's a song on the album titled 'Growing Up'.

Anyway, this album was 'Black and White' again by The Maine. Top favorites include but are not limited to 'Saving Grace', 'Listen to Your Heart', 'Inside of You' and 'Growing Up'.

This CD reminds me of my summer going into junior year of high school. During the summers I sleep every other day(it's super weird) and pull all-nighters every other day. During those all-nighters, I watch Netflix all night until the sun rises and then I would go to McDonalds. This CD reminds me of those early morning drives to McDonalds. It's a fond memory. It's just weird to reminisce on because I didn't know that it was that long ago that it came out.. and that I still listen to it.

Overall, if you haven't listened to this album, please give it a shot. Don't be turned off by the artist because they really did grow up a whole lot on this.

(Couldn't find 'Saving Grace' on SoundCloud and I could only find a remix of 'Listen to Your Heart') :(

MUSIC MONDAY: ERIK HASSLE

This is a continuation of my mini-series-within-a-series

I almost forgot to post my most important in the series! Here's another album that I love dearly and will until the day that I die. I know it. My best friend showed me Erik Hassle back at the beginning of our senior year of high school and I have been infatuated ever since. He's a Swedish artist and I sometimes miss out on hearing his new stuff because it's just not broadcasted here. You can't even see his new music on the American iTunes! I have to switch over to the Swedish iTunes just to listen to him!

Anywho, he had this one album that just tied my heart strings in a bow and never let go. It's just called 'Hassle' and is from 2009. He has newer songs and albums but they didn't stick to me as much as this whole entire album did. When I say whole I mean to every corner of these songs. Every single one. Perfect. I'll list off my top favorites but it'll be hard. They are all flawless. Favorites are 'Hurtful', 'Bump in the Road', 'Wanna Be Loved', 'Bitter End' and 'Back to Bed'. Hell, all of them. I can't even narrow it down.

You know when songs bring you back to a specific time in your life? See, I've experienced that to an extent but nothing like I have with this. I can remember exactly what I was doing and where when I began listening. When I realized that one really related to me. When I realized they all related to me. The album makes me cry every time I listen to it because of that.

I just don't know. I can never see myself growing tired of this grouping. Impeccable songs by a truly unique artist.

MUSIC MONDAY: FALL OUT BOY'S 'SAVE ROCK AND ROLL'

Happy Music Monday! Now, this post may come as obvious news to some of you and possibly a surprise to some other! Fall Out Boy is back. After their three and a half year hiatus, the band announced that they would be returning with a new album and tour. I have not ever really been a huge FOB fan and the only album that I own (and love, for the record) is the last one they released before they went on a break. So I was a little late to the game, to say the least. After listening to this new album I believe that I'm going to like this album as well. I think they have enough of their old sound to excite old fans, too! They took the collaborative route with a slew of famous names alongside of some of their song titles. Talents include Courtney Love, Sir Elton John, Big Sean and Foxes.

Some of my favorite songs on the record are Alone Together, Miss Missing You and Rat a Tat.

Be sure to pick up the album tomorrow when it drops! Only $7.99 on iTunes. SUCH a deal!

MUSIC MONDAY: PARAMORE SELF-TITLED ALBUM

It's here! It's here! It's here!!! Well, almost.

Paramore's self-titled album, 'Paramore', officially drops tomorrow. For mega-fans like myself, you're gonna love it. For the casual fan, I'm not so sure.

The sound overall is very different. When you take each some separately and dissect them, you definitely can find the same sound that you've learned to love and expect from Paramore. My first listen-through was very stressful because I honestly thought that I didn't like the album but now that I've had the full songs to listen to for a week or so(they leaked last Saturday), I'm slowly coming around to it.

It's been three years since Paramore last put out an album and there were times when I as well as they, too, thought that Paramore would be no more. Losing two band members and trying to grab onto a new sound I think they're going to walk away from this with much more power and unity as a group. I can't wait to see that unity in person when I see them in May!

Give this album a go. You won't know if you'll like it until you try it. Full versions of all the songs can be found almost anywhere online(don't download them, just listen! Here's a link here.) and iTunes has the amazing new feature of the 1:30 song previews so no money lost giving it a shot.

If you're looking to buy just a few songs, I'm going to go ahead and recommend my favorites: Proof, Part II, Grow Up and Ain't It Fun. Some other favorites are Last Hope and Be Alone.

MUSIC MONDAY: EVERY AVENUE PT. 1

This is a continuation of my mini-series-within-a-series

Hi guys. Another album I will never tire of post! Upon playing this last night, instant memories of my immature ages comes to mind. With intense nostalgia, I'll begin writing this. I just had to stop for a second because I got really emotional about the thoughts that tie together with this album. The album I speak of is Every Avenue's 'Picture Perfect'. Super poppy. Super boy bandy. Super everything I don't like anymore. Still, it's great because of the memories tied in.

The album is from 2009 which is when I was a freshman in high school. I was experiencing dating for the first time. Experiencing my first real sense of freedom with friends who could drive. I was rounding out my hopes and dreams and becoming intensely involved in the world of photography. It seems so silly to think that I learned so much in my four years of high school and it seems even more silly to think that an album such as this one seemed to be my soundtrack to the beginning of my journey.

I can just remember driving in my friend's car before I could even myself and screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs. I remember still listening to it come sophomore year and screaming the lyrics in chemistry class with another friend. I remember sitting in my bedroom screaming the lyrics as I made the über-stressful decision to quit the sport that I had been playing for 11 years prior. All of my problems that I thought were going to cause the end of the world were catered on a plate along with the songs on this track list.

Every Avenue recently broke up as a band and that even brings this all full circle because it's no longer something that we will all enjoy and be a part of, but the memories and songs are all still there. You would think that those memories wouldn't be revisited and it would be odd to listen to this album on the regular, but it happens. It's just become a piece of my foundation that I don't want to let go of because I still enjoy it so much.

My top favorites would definitely have to be 'Mindset', 'Picture Perfect' and 'For Always, Forever'.

There's another album by this group that will be included in this series, hence why this is a 'part 1'.

MUSIC MONDAY: PARAMORE 'STILL INTO YOU'

Another week, another new Paramore track! This one was released directly after the band did a live performance at SXSW in Austin, TX that fans were able to watch online. Unashamed to say that I stayed up until 4am to watch the whole thing. It was great.

This song is super cute because you can obviously tell that it's about Hayley's relationship with New Found Glory singer Chad Gilbert. Just as with their first single 'Now', this song is very.. ska. I'm not sure. It's hard to place where it is exactly so just go into it with an open mind!

As mentioned previously, their new album drops April 9th!

Here's 'Still Into You':

MUSIC MONDAY: GAVIN DEGRAW

I'm going to begin a series within a series.. inception. I have thought about the fact that sometimes a week may pass and I won't know of any new music for my Music Mondays! It hasn't happened yet but I know it will definitely happen sometimes. For those weeks, I'm going to fill in with albums that I have loved for awhile. They're going to be my favorite albums, per sey. But not really. They don't have to be my favorites of all-time because sometimes I don't listen to those! But they will be those albums that when I'm scrolling through my iTunes, I can always stop and get a great listen out of over and over again.

The first album that falls into that grouping is Gavin Degraw's album 'Sweeter'.

There are so many hits on here that I can just pop it on whenever and be happy with whatever plays. Let it play for hours and you won't hear a peep out of me! My personal top favorites are 'Soldier' and 'Run Everytime'.

This album isn't thaaat new, it was released at the end of 2011. Most likely none of the albums that I mention will be too new because it takes time in order for me to know that certain albums will never get overplayed and get tired. So here's to the end of this post and the beginning of this new serinception! Series + inception? Eek. I'm done.