Next is my top artists that put out a CD in 2013. But this one is purely statistical per data from LastFM.
Artists:
10] Movie Sounds Unlimited
9] Maroon 5 & Michael Buble tied with 130 listens
8] Relaxing Piano (study purposes)
7] Mumford & Sons–which dropped so much in rank because of a worrysome, cliche article in “Rollingstone.”
6] Matchbox 20 tied with London Philharmonic Orchestra (another studious listen)
5] John Mayer has 152 in 2013.
4] Tbilisi Orchestra that started out for studying, but became a favorite b/c of “Fast Movements.”
3] Dave Matthews Band with 329 listens
2] Brandi Carlile with 506 listens
1] 909 plays of Vitamin String Quartet for their fantastic vocal-less covers of all types of music that allows study WITH recognizable songs.
I surprised even myself. This is the first year Indigo Girls weren’t #1–they didn’t even make the list! I still love them, but they haven’t made a new album in awhile and I’m pretty particular about which versions of their songs I like. So various live albums don’t cut it. I thought more of my staple-artists would make an appearance, actually. Taylor Swift, Sheryl Crow, Akon, and more are usually in top rotation. I’m also surprised how few listens there are. And this is because I was spreading the artists thin, by listening to a huge vareity instead of just a few favorite people/bands. So it’s good to branch out. I also didn’t realize how much I was studying–good for me with top spot, #4, 6, 8, and 10 all studious listens. If I dip down in the list four spots of just regular music listening I get:
11] Green Day
12] Eisley
13] -study-
14] Phillip Phillips
15] and David Grey
Songs:
10] “Canon in D Major” Study, but a favorite too. I want this one played at my “wedding” whatever form that event may take.
9] “That Moon Song” by Gregory Alan Isakov, feat Brandi Carlile. He is a relaxed, chill listen. This is a song that make emotions choke up in your throat. When Brandi comes in after the first verse, it’s hauntingly beautiful and always moves me.
8] “I Will Wait” Mumford & Sons. I had no idea I liked this song better then others in their catalog. I do like their acoustic sounds, and any song really.
7] “Closer to You” and “Rise Again” Brandi Carlile. Obviously.
6] “I Didn’t” (tied with a random study song that must be on a lot of ipod play lists). Another by Brandi.
5] “Home,” Philip Phillips (live). I like this because it’s an upbeat foot-stomper. And the live version is really rooliking with the audience participating in literal foot stamping.
4] “That Wasn’t Me.” Though I don’t think it fits with the vibe of the rest of the album, I feel like it’s a substancial single that can really stand alone. One of my fave Brandi songs.
3] “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Brandi Carlile covering John Denver. I LOVE this! The whole tribute album is cool–save for the horrible cover-photo. Great for a road-trip especially. DMB has a stand out song on it too. Plus, John Denver always reminds me of Colorado–and THAT makes me excited to move.
2] “So Much to Say,” by Dave Matthews Band, but it doesn’t really count b/c that was my Talent Show clogging song and I had to play it over and over for choreography, practice, and sound-check purposes. So it’s skewed.
real 2] “Raise Hell.” So great a Brandi song. It always helps me feel empowered and excited and it’s a great sing-along.
1] “Hard Way Home” Brandi Carlile. Best. Ever. Bear Creek is one of the best albums, maybe even my favorite better. There’s a country feel, traveling/camping feel, and an authenticity to it. And this song is the antithesis of that. AND it speaks to my life, because I feel like I never have an easy path, but get things done all the same.
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