April Favorites (2016)

Hello, lovelies!

April is over, May's been here for a while, and I'm still surprised even though I've had a few weeks to absorb that knowledge. The hardest part for me is realizing that I'm going to be a senior in high school next year, and from there it's college and adulthood (eep!). Besides gathering up end of semester exam stress, I've also rounded up some of the things I've been loving in the month of April.

Let's begin, shall we?

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1.) Music

(I've been song hoarding for a while now, but I'll try to cut my list down to my all time favorites from last month.)

"La Da Dee" by Cody Simpson

(This was apparently part of the Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs movie soundtrack in the credits, which is pretty cool. The song is so bubbly and cute, and I've always loved Cody Simpson's voice, and his songs "Flower" and "Pretty Brown Eyes".)

"Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

(I'm so obsessed with this song, you have no idea. The lyrics are incredible, and I also just love the overall acoustic feel to it.)

"Just the Girl" by The Click Five

(For some reason I couldn't link the official video, but if you watch it, the 2009 haircuts the band has make me laugh so much. This song is also great for road trips, in case you were wondering.)

"Haunted" by Taylor Swift

(Older Taylor Swift songs are great overall, but I recently found this one that I never heard before. The lyrics are so powerful, and this song is especially good for shower singing.)

"Dancing With A Wolf" and "Running From Lions" by All Time Low

(Dancing With a Wolf is a super fierce song, and you definitely can't listen to it without a few hair flips. Running From Lions also has really incredible lyrics, but it's much less of a rock-esque feel to it like the other one.)

"Living In Twilight" by The Weepies

(This song is SUCH a coffee shop feeling song. I could totally picture myself hanging out in a cute little cafe with some coffee listening to this song. I love the descriptions of sunsets and sunrises, and living in the space between them. Also, MORE AMAZING ACOUSTIC YES.)

"Like We Used To" by A Rocket To the Moon

(This song is actually really sad and happy at the same time, and it tells a story, which I love. It's definitely a rainy day song.)

"The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot" by Brand New

(I'd never even heard of this band before, but the lyrics are so incredibly written, and of course, since there's more acoustic guitar action, I love it. The title fits so well with the whole aesthetic of the verses and chorus, and it's amazing.)

"Dark Blue" by Jack's Mannequin

(I've always been obsessed with color, and this song has such a lovely feel to it. It's a band I hadn't heard before, but there are a few other songs of theirs that I've discovered too that are pretty bomb.)

"Secret Love Song" by Little Mix

(This song is such a powerhouse song, and I love how emotional it is. Perrie, one of the girls in the group has a perfect voice for the chorus, and the overall meaning behind the song is so melancholy but beautiful at the same time, which I adore. Also, Leigh-Anne during the bridge part has a gorgeous grit to her voice which is gorgeous. The girls had mentioned on Twitter that this song can be applied to LGBT situations, which I think is really sweet because that's one group of people that has to fight for acceptance a lot, and having a song written for them is a great way to show support.)

2.) Books

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is a classic book, but since we're rereading it for my Ethnic Lit. class, I've realized just how much I missed during my first read-through, and how much more symbolism there is. The book is historical fiction, taking place in Germany during WWII. It's such a beautiful story, narrated by Death himself and mixed with the thoughts of a girl named Liesel, who is so young when the book begins that she brings a beautiful childhood innocence and grit to the story.

3.) Miscellaneous

Rhett and Link

Rhett and Link make YouTube videos, and their two channels, Good Mythical Morning and the Rhett and Link channel, are both really funny. GMM is a weekly show of sorts that they do, where they do challenges, talk about random things, and just overall make me laugh because they have super outrageous videos. The Rhett and Link channel has more songs and skits on there, which are insanely creative (if you have a chance, watch their 600 pillow music video, it's crazy). I also like that they're both older, with families, because even though they're ridiculous, they have a really open mindset and look at the world in a way that younger YouTubers might not.

Episode App

I've always loved stories, and I'd been on the hunt for a good story app a while ago. I came across this one when it was in its earlier stages of developments and wasn't as polished as it is now, but you can find some really cool "Choose Your Own Adventure"-esque stories. It's basically an app where the Episode authors write stories, but people from the public can also write and essentially create a visual version of a short story/novel. Of course, like with any app where viewers can take the reigns a little bit, there are definitely some stories not worth reading, either because of sketchiness or because the plot is boring. But once you find stories you like, it all works out. (A few of my favorite ones are"The Phoenix Prophecy", "Tangled Love", "Lovestruck", and "Dripping Mascara".)

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Well.

That's all the favorites I have for you, but as always feel free to comment what you've been loving.

That is all.

Cheers,
Sea