Songs that are very important: A Playlist

I feel like I've neglected this blog quite a lot lately, so I thought it's time for another playlist! This one is full of songs which are super duper important to me, I hope you enjoy it!

• All Time Low - Jasey Rae
• All Time Low - Time Bomb
• All Time Low - Backseat Serenade
• Bring Me The Horizon - Sleepwalking
• letlive. - Empty Elvis
• letlive. - Younger
• Of Mice & Men - Second & Sebring
• Of Mice & Men - The Great Hendowski
• Of Mice & Men - You're Not Alone
• Pierce The Veil - Hold On Till May
• Tonight Alive - Come Home
• We Are The In Crowd - Attention
• 30 Seconds To Mars - Alibi

This isn't the fanciest playlist you'll ever come across, but it'll do to share some special songs. Which songs are important for you? Share them with me in the comments!

Concert Review: letlive., Night Verses & The American Scene in Stuttgart

There are two things I still think about a few days after the concert: 1) Why did Douglas (vocalist in Night Verses) wear a rain coat on stage? (Douglas if you're reading this right now, you can probably give me an answer) and 2) Does Jason Butler count his bruises after a show? 

I arrived at the venue early because I didn't want to be late for the interview with Night Verses but in the end the guys were late because they were looking for a Starbucks - a mission which failed tragically. Anyway, when they came back with coffee, they took me downstairs to a room where the interview took place - on a billiard table.
You definitely have to check out Night Verses because they're the nicest people I ever worked with. They managed to take away all of my nervosity and actually they deserve an award for that because on a scale of 1-10 my nervosity before the interview was at 25. I didn't even worry about my english anymore. 

The venue itself was pretty small, there were no barricades so I stood right in front of the stage. 

The American Scene opened the show with a solid performance. They sound like a mix of Coldplay and Kings Of Leon, I liked how concentrated they were even though their setlist didn't fully convince me. They played a few slower songs which sounded great but I don't think they helped to increase the atmosphere in the crowd. I was hoping for more kick-ass songs.

I was so busy listening to The American Scene while taking notes that I didn't realise that Jason from letlive. stood right next to me during most of their set. However, when I noticed him, I didn't have the guts to ask for a picture or autograph (Yes I can be shy sometimes!)

Night Verses were up next and let me tell you, they tore the place apart. I literally got to shower in Douglas' sweat (why didn't you take that jacket off??), he almost kicked me in the face, things got intense up there and the crowd started to fill the space in front of the stage. The whole band gave their everything and watching them was simply amazing. I definitely have to get their current album Lift Your Existence soon and I'm very excited for new material!

Finally letlive. were on and things got totally mental. The first thing I noticed was Jason's beard, I mean how could you not. I'm not the biggest fan of beards but damn, he can definitely wear it. 

There were around 200 people there what doesn't sound like a huge crowd but nevertheless there was a mosh pit and a circle pit and both almost pushed me on stage while Jason stumbled around on it - I didn't count how many times he fell on the floor but there were moments when I wondered if he was okay or if he hurt himself. I also wondered if it stopped being common sense not to put your empty beer bottles on stage but that's another story.

I had enough time to think about their performance and I came to the conclusion that Jason Butler is an artist through and through. The whole show was a reflection of the dedication and passion and energy he puts into music. It was more than obvious that he breathes and lives music. I dealt with their songs long before I attended the concert, but I wasn't aware of the real intensity of every single track. I only realised how honest and serious they are when I saw Jason perform them. He almost started to cry when he told us how thankful he was for every single person who came out to see them because he thought nobody gave a shit about his stuff. Jason, here's a message just for you: There are people who give a shit about your music, there are people who appreciate and understand your lyrics because they know how you feel, me included. I'm so happy that I got the chance to see letlive. live because they're one of the most special bands I've ever seen. 

If you ever get the chance to see Night Verses or Letlive., go and take that chance, you definitely won't regret it! 

PS: I'm really, deeply sorry for the crappy pics but I can't afford a proper camera (hit me up if you're cool with donating to a poor student). 

letlive. - The Blackest Beautiful

Five days ago, letlive., four guys from LA, released their new record The Blackest Beautiful and if you haven’t already listened to it, I recommend you do so immediately. Before I started to write about it, I listened to the commentary given by Jason Butler, lead vocalist of the band, on Spotify and let me tell you, the thought and work alone that have gone into these 11 songs is nothing short of impressive.

The Blackest Beautiful kicks off with Banshee, a song which is intended to reflect the different stages the album went through until it became the beautiful record that we can listen to today. Empty Elvis follows this, as a sequel of sorts to Banshee. It deals with the way the entertainment industry works, and explains the changes that people can go through as they entirely devote themselves to their dream.

Some culturally conscious topics are also brought up in this record. For example, in song number three, White America’s Beautiful Black Market, the issues of being born into restrictive environments are explored, especially discussing how differing circumstances of birth can determine people’s futures. Furthermore, this song is also a commentary on the state of the health system in America. Of this subject, Jason says the following: “There is a sickness that is spread throughout societies and it’s intentional. They want to keep us sick." A statement which arguably says a lot in itself.
The Priest And Used Cars discusses faith and the ignorance which results from the blind following of ideology, whether it’s religious or scientific. One of the most important things gained from this is that having individual opinion is imperative to the wellbeing of society.

As well as covering political arguments, this album handles some of Jason’s personal demons. In Dreamer’s Disease he discusses his struggle to place someone in a position of trust and to be able to open up, while Virgin Dirt is meant to reveal how he has difficulty with love in general. He tries to live his life as normal as possible and yet he says that relationships are tightly connected to self-sabotage. Pheromone Cvlt even describes how Jason failed being “the" man for a woman, how he failed being in a relationship; he even provides conflicting imagery by describing love as a war.

Concluding the record is 27 Club, a song that reflects the recklessness in Jason’s life and an amazing end to an amazing record.

The Blackest Beautiful turned out to be a challenge for me. The lyrics caused, and still cause, me to reflect a lot. Jason has a very special way of handling words and putting them together and sometimes it is difficult to understand what his intentions are. If you’re already a fan of letlive., I’m sure you’ll love this album as much as I do and if you’re going to listen to them for the first time, you’ll get used to their sound. All in all I believe that this is one of the best records of 2013 so far.