someday,sarah.

the usual wednesday post.

my valentine's day was actually quite wonderful, thanks for asking. i went to the movies with my friend leah and we saw the vow. the movie was pretty okay. it was based on true events, which made it that much better and that much worse at the same time. i liked it, but it's not my favorite.

moving on.

noisetrade has a new sampler out. 25 love songs.
i don't care if valentine's day was yesterday, go download them anyway. since when do you need it to be valentine's day for you to enjoy a good love song? yeah, since never. plus, noisetrade always has the best samplers. i still listen to their fall sampler on occasion. they sure do know how to pick them. not to mention that there's also lots of NEW music included as well. and, it's free. FREE. so, what are you waiting for?

other new music worth noting, which have no descriptions because i haven't actually purchased them yet due to the fact that i've already spent too much money this week:

the hunger games soundtrack (pre-order)

sugar & the hi lows –– sugar & the hi lows

dave barnes –– white flag (single)

dave barnes –– stories to tell (pre-order)

elenowen –– run (single)

eric hutchinson –– watching you watch him (single)

all of these came out yesterday, with the exception of the eric hutchinson single, which came out last week.

and here's the part where i schedule this to post and then i hide my computer so i won't be tempted to impulsively purchase all of these things. honestly, it wouldn't really be that big of a deal if i did, but i'm trying to exercise some self control here.

but do you see what's on that list?

–– s

scars & stories.

first of all, is there other new music out today besides the fray album? because that's ALL I CAN LISTEN TO. i literally cannot get enough of it. can. not. i know i said that last week when it was streaming on itunes and i was all excited, but this week, i own it. it's mine and it's on my ipod and i can listen to it whenever and wherever i want.

second of all, that was actually an honest question. i haven't even been to the itunes store to see what else came out today (yesterday, by the time you read this). two reasons: one) i am not going to spend money on music that i know i won't be listening to anytime soon, so why even look? (but i probably will take a peek tomorrow and i may or may not post about it. we'll see.) and two) i'm currently in the middle of reading the hunger games series (i'm about half way through catching fire) and, if you've read them before, you know that any free minute is spent with katniss and peeta, either crying or aww!-ing or dropping your jaw out of shock.

i'm not kidding. i have other things to do, even more important than blogging, and they're just not getting done. like sleeping, for example. i wanted to be in bed 43 minutes ago, but chances are, i'm going to go read one more chapter after i'm done writing this.

third of all, ANYWAY, let's get back to the music. here's my usual bit about new music tuesday:

the fray –– scars & stories
this album is just, oh my gosh. so, so good. there are no words to describe it. but it kind of reminds me of their first album in that i love every song so much, for different reasons, and i always end up listening to the album straight through without skipping any songs. i think it also sounds similar to their first album. i'm doing a terrible job at trying to explain myself, so you should probably just do yourself a favor and buy it already. itunes has a deluxe version, which i highly recommend, because those extra songs are SO worth the extra three dollars.
favorite tracks: if i HADDD to choose, i'd say "the wind," "rainy zurich," & "maps" (which is a bonus track and also a cover of the yeah yeah yeah's song). / itunes

also, someone posted this screencap on tumblr, with the caption "favorite thing about the fray's new website." so funny. (and, as of right now, it's still there so you can see for yourself.)

–– s

hello music.

let's just jump right in, shall we?

YOU CAN STREAM THE NEW FRAY ALBUM (scars & stories, due out on february 7) ON ITUNES. FOR FREE. RIGHT NOW. (CLICK HERE.)

ya'll, if that's not caps worthy, i don't know what is. i have basically been listening to the entire album on repeat. all day. i'm obsessed. but i did manage to squeeze in a few minutes of music browsing this week. here's what i got:

adam young on noisetrade.
this man is incredibly talented and this little sampler gives you a nice taste of his various styles. yes, various. he has three different projects: owl city, port blue, and sky sailing. they each have their own sound, so if you're not really in to owl city and his mainstream popularity, you might want to check out his other projects because, let me tell you, you are missing out.

elevation worship –– exalted One (single)
this one's a free download this week and i suggest you head over to your local itunes shop and pick it up. or download it. or whatever. why not? it's free. and it's also a pretty great song. it's probably only a matter of time before i crack and buy the whole album, actually. if the rest of the songs are as good as this one, and "give me faith" which i am also in love with, then it belongs in my itunes library. i'm just saying.
/ itunes

that's all for this week. there were a few things i added to my itunes wish list, but i ran out of gift card money so anything i buy is all out of my pocket. which means i have to really love it. or be in an impulsive mood, which i am not right now. plus, i don't really care to listen to anything other than the new fray album anyway, so it all works out in the end.

–– s

a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

oh my gosh. this week's music selection definitely makes up for last week. so much so that i literally haven't had time to listen to it all, which i am so excited about because i haven't had anything new to listen to for a few weeks and now i have lots.

okay, so here we go.

dave barnes –– mine to love (single)
um, who knew he had a new single coming out TODAY? because i sure didn't, until i got his email informing me that, not only did he have a single drop today, but he's also going on tour for a couple months because his new album is being released on march 13! i don't feel like i need to say it, but i will. this song is great and i am already in love with it after a total of two whole listens. #notsurprised
by the way, did you know dave has been nominated for a GRAMMY for best country song blake shelton's version of "God gave me you"? so well deserved. and i hope he wins.
/ itunes

ingrid michaelson –– human again
i've always enjoyed her music, but i've never actually taken the plunge and bought any of her albums. i think i have purchased maybe one or two songs. the rest of my collection comes from various playlists i've downloaded from other people on the internet, which i know is questionable in terms of illegal downloads, but i read this amazing quote the other day that makes me feel less guilty about it. ANYWAY, i listened to approximately three seconds of the first song on this album and decided i should just go ahead and buy it, which was actually pretty risky because it's over $10 and anything over $10 has to be really worth it. but, let me assure you, it is totally worth the whole extra dollar i paid for it.
favorite tracks: "fire" & "this is war" / itunes

kari jobe –– where i find you
i'm pretty sure i've heard her name before, but i'm going to be honest here and say that the reason i found myself on her album page was because i liked her cover art, so i clicked on it. pretty art? yes. christian music? yes. a track featuring matt maher? yes. enough said. (but really, it's pretty great for a random find on itunes.)
favorite tracks: "steady my heart" & "we are" / itunes 

AND i have also downloaded bits and pieces of things from noisetrade, which i am not going to list out, but i will tell you what's on there that's totally worth trading your email and zip code for. madi diaz, alyssa sease, evan wickham, sugar & the hi lows, michael shoup (who i found because he follows me on tumblr) jenny & tyler, katelyn tarver. of course, there's a TON more on there, like the civil wars and paper route and ben rector to name a few, but i have aready downloaded this stuff so it's not as fresh on my mind. you'll just have to search for those goodies on your own.

and with that, i'm going to bed.

–– s

"there's nothing more to life than love, is there?"

i want to hurry up and write this post so i can go read extremely loud & incredibly close because it's the first time i'm reading it (i have a feeling there will be a second and a third and a twenty-eighth) and i'm in love with it and i also want to find out what happens. i'm also extremely curious to see how they made it into movie.

this is my life.

in other news, i went running on the treadmill again yesterday and i was three minutes in when i remembered you're supposed to run on the balls of your feet and not your heels, which i know but always forget when i'm actually, you know, running. so i tried it out and it turns out i really like it.

i asked my brother, who has been going to the gym practically every day for the past month, if he runs on the balls of his feet and he was all, "of course" like i'm weird for naturally wanting to run on my heels. what is that about? i can't be the only person who has to learn how to run differently.

anyway, so much for keeping this short and sweet. here are my music purchases for the week:

snow patrol –– fallen empires
i didn't realize they had an album coming out when i bought "new york" last week. i didn't realize they even had a new single until last week when i finally caught up with what's been going on on itunes. but, here it is. it's not my favorite album by them, but there are a few songs i cannot get enough of.
favorite tracks: "this isn't everything you are" & "in the end" (which includes lyrics i have quoted in the title) / itunes

train –– drive by (single)
i heard the last 30 seconds of this song on the radio the other day, and then i went on that station's website to find out the title/artist, and then i went on itunes yesterday and saw that it was just released. so there you go. it's fun, it's catchy, and the lyrics to it crack me up. "just a shy guy looking for a two-ply hefty bag to hold my love." umm, really? it's crazy, the kinds of lyrics songs can get away with.
/ itunes

aaaand that's all, folks.

–– s

'new music tuesday' on a wednesday.

everybody knows that new music (usually) gets released on tuesdays. itunes sends out a "new on itunes" email every tuesday because tuesday is the day it all happens. and every tuesday, i go on itunes and click on the music tab and do research. i check out what's new and what's free and what's on sale and what's featured and so on.

i usually end up making a few select purchases and then put the rest in my "wish list." if you're really interested in my music purchasing habits, my wish list is what i shop from on weeks when there's nothing new that catches my attention. this is rare, however, so my wish list just keeps growing.

on wednesdays, i usually post a recap of my recent music adventures, including anything i'm currently listening to that may not be new. since today is wednesday, here's what's recently been added to my itunes library:

safetysuit –– these times
i LOVE the old safetysuit album, life left to go, which was released in 2008. i think i impulsively bought it and then immediately forgot about it, only to rediscover it a couple years later. and it's so good, i still go back and listen to it occasionally. (which says a lot, because i often forget about a lot of the music i have.) these times was released on tuesday and i downloaded it without even previewing any of the songs. all i can say is that i have no regrets.
favorite tracks: "believe," "never stop," & "you don't see me" / itunes

(their single, "these times," is the free single of the week & their album is included in the "albums under $8" section because it's only $6.99!)

snow patrol –– new york (single)
there's not much else to say except i don't think snow patrol has recorded a bad song. LOVE.
/ itunes

paper route –– absence
this album has been on my wish list for so long and i always put off buying it for one reason or another. but yesterday, it was released on noisetrade for FREE. such a score. i'm loving it and listening to the entire thing on repeat.
favorite tracks: "wish," "last time," & "gutter" / noisetrade

(their free download on noisetrade also includes their new single, "better life," which i bought when it was released on itunes. you can read my review of it here.)

lady antebellum –– own the night
i'm a little late to join this party, but oh my word. this album is so great. i knew it would be. i don't have their old album or anything, but from their radio singles, especially "we owned the night," i could tell i would just love them.
favorite tracks: "we owned the night," "dancin' away with my heart," "wanted you more," & "heart of the world" / itunes

the fray –– the fighter (single)
last, but not least! this single was released a few weeks ago, but i wanted to mention it because it's THE FRAY and also because it's AMAZING. i have been listening to it nonstop since i downloaded it. i just love them and i am very impatiently waiting to hear the rest of their new stuff on scars & stories, which gets released on february 7. i have already preordered it. twice.
/ itunes

that's all for this week! to see more of what i'm currently loving, click here. to let me know of something good i've been missing out on, leave me a comment!

–– s

(for past "new music tuesday" posts, click here.)