Tag: best
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10 Best New Artists of 2014
This year has proved to be a milestone for many new artists in the music industry. Some of the most innovative songs have topped the charts across all genres. From Sam Smith to Sam Hunt, new artists have been bursting onto the scene since the beginning of the year and show no sign of slowing down any time soon.
10. Mary Lambert
Mary Lambert gained recognition with her part in Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “Same Love.” Her debut album, Heart on My Sleeve, is full of her unique style, and it’s clear her personality shines through.
9. Benjamin Booker
Rock and blues artist Benjamin Booker’s debut album was released in August and instantly earned a spot among the Top 10 Billboard Alternative Albums. He received high praise from major music reviewers such as Rolling Stone, Paste, and SPIN. He also had the privilege of touring with the infamous Jack White and playing major festivals across the country.
8. Vance Joy
Australian artist Vance Joy released his much-anticipated debut album. For the past two years, he’s been booked for multiple festivals without an album, something few artists are able to do. His contagious ukulele-playing and simple lyrics landed him an opening slot on Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour this year.
7. Frankie Ballard
Frankie Ballard attracted listeners of all genres this year. His combination of country, blues, and rock offered a welcome change among the country superstars perpetually claiming the No. 1 spots. His first No. 1 single “Helluva Life” was the country song of the summer and later certified gold.
6. Iggy Azalea
Iggy Azalea became one of the biggest artists of the year after her and Charli XCX’s “Fancy” was released. Her much-anticipated debut album The New Classic sold over 50,000 copies in its first week, after the cancellation of many release dates prior. Azalea’s addictive rapping favored well on the radio and earned her a performance on Saturday Night Live.
5. The Cadillac Three
Country rock band The Cadillac Three has embraced the sound of Lynyrd Skynyrd and added their own unique modern twist. Because the lead vocalist wrote hits for country superstars like Keith Urban and Tim McGraw, the band’s songwriting is spot on. With the addition of some talented musicians, the trio recreated an old sound in their own image and is steadily gaining popularity.
4. Hozier
Hozier became popular after his stellar performance on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago. His debut album achieved the No. 2 position atop the Billboard 200 and the lead single “Take Me To Church” has steadily climbed as well. Because the single doesn’t sound like the conventional radio single, it’s impressive to see the artist’s growing popularity.
3. Meghan Trainor
Meghan Trainor released her instant hit “All About that Bass” this year. While she self-released two albums in 2011, she just recently signed to a record label from which the single was released, along with an EP. The single has captured the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been reluctant to let go for the past 8 weeks. Her studio album is expected to be released in mid-January of next year.
2. Sam Smith
Sam Smith is one of the biggest artists of the year with an internationally successful single and sold-out shows across the globe. The single “Stay With Me” propelled Smith to stardom and solidified his promising potential.
1. Bleachers
Bleachers released their debut album in July. Seasoned band member Jack Antonoff doubles as lead vocalist for the band and lead guitarist for the band Fun. Antonoff truly put everything into the songwriting on the band’s album Strange Desire, clear through the powerful lead single “I Wanna Get Better.”
The Best Subscription Boxes
The market for subscription boxes has blown up within the past year. Companies like Dollar Shave Club and Birchbox have exploded over commercial TV and Facebook; but for the growing number of those who don’t have cable television, the words “subscription box” might be new or completely foreign.
Subscription boxes are themed boxes that are delivered to your doorstep monthly or quarterly, for a relatively cheap price. Most include samples of lesser-known or expensive products that the average person wouldn’t normally try, so it’s a win/win situation for both the company and the customer.
The majority of boxes are geared toward adult women and the beauty industry, which is great for women, considering the steep prices of quality products.
However, with the popularity of subscription boxes has, naturally, come the growing numbers of options. Sifting out the duds from the gems takes a lot of research and sometimes faith, considering one month’s box could be perfect and the next could be filled with products that will just collect dust. Luckily, some boxes seem to stick out more than others:
At $100 (every three months), this quarterly box is the ultimate splurge. Although you’ll only be receiving four a year, fashion journalist Nina Garcia tends to pick products that aren’t only high-end, but super useful. These boxes tend to value over $400 each, so even though you’ll be taking a risk with your credit card, you’re likely to see a high reward.
For $40 per month, PopSugar will deliver more than just beauty samples to your doorstep- past boxes have included everything from purses to mini exercise balls. The site also offers boxes for men and themed boxes such as a “Bridesmaid Box”. Maybe for the more experienced subscriber or just outright adventurous, PopSugar tends to offer an array of cute products each month.
At $15 per month (plus tax), this box is slightly more of a splurge, but for good reasons. Sample Society is a box put out by Allure Magazine and each month includes five deluxe samples, each reviewed by their editors and sent to you in a mini-mag. Each box also includes a $10 off coupon (on a $50 purchase) on BeautyBar.com. Although they may seem similar, Sample Society tends to have higher quality and more interesting products each month.
Similar to Birchbox, Ipsy is $10 a month, shipping included. After signing up, you’ll take a beauty quiz and mid-month you’ll be sent 4-5 “deluxe” samples or full-sized products, picked by the company. Ipsy also packages each box in a makeup bag, which can become great gifts. Ipsy also works on a points system, but is much more social media based- you can get points for sharing a variety of promotions on Facebook for points. If you’re iffy about sharing, you can also earn points through reviewing products. Each product review is 10 points and 500-1000 points will buy you a full-sized version of something from their website.
For only $10 a month (that includes shipping), subscribers are sent 4-5 beauty and lifestyle samples that they get to pick ahead of time. Most products in this box tend to be high-end and this box works on a points system. You can earn points by giving feedback, referring friends and buying full-sized products (1 point per dollar spent). After 100 points, you get a $10 store credit to the website- not too shabby.
5 Best Christmas Movies on Netflix
December has thus far proved a good one to be a Netflix subscriber, with the arrivals of American Horror Story: Coven, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, and Almost Famous. Sadly, there were a couple of anxiously awaited titles missing from the list, and they all revolve around the most important part of December: the holidays!
No Home Alone, no Christmas Vacation, not even Will Ferrell dressed as an Elf! Disappointment would be an understatement, but never fear, they haven’t completely let us down. From the classics to the wildly inappropriate, the top picks of Netflix’s slim holiday pickings are here:
5. Bad Santa
Billy Bob Thornton becomes drunk Santa to tell the most raunchy Christmas tale of all time. Definitely not one to watch with the family, but this anti-“feel good” film is sure to keep you laughing.
We’ll forgive Netflix this time, but hopefully next holiday season we’ll be seeing The Grinch, a non-computerized Frosty the Snowman, and at the very least, Tim Allen as The Santa Clause.
4. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Holy Jonathan Taylor Thomas! A Disney throwback of epic proportions. What do you get when you combine a cheesy Disney movie with a cheesy Christmas movie mixed? The cheesiest holiday movie ever. Complete with a 1998 Jessica Biel as the love interest, this one is certain to bring back memories you didn’t know you had.
3. Love Actually
Speaking of love story, Love Actually is (actually) a great romcom for the holiday season. With actors like Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, and Keira Knightley, this predictable love story is sure to warm you up inside no matter what the weather is like outside.
2. Nightmare Before Christmas
“Is it a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie?” is one of the first questions asked about this movie, and the answer is that it doubles as both. Who doesn’t love a creepy Tim Burton love story?
1. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
While there’s a good chance you might find this movie just about as interesting as watching laundry dry, this is the most classic Netflix pick and most appropriate to watch with the family. If you want that good, ol’ fashioned Christmas time feeling, this is a great choice. Maybe even bring some notes to get in to the Christmas spirit during finals, or something to keep you entertained.
10 Best Soundtracks of All Time
The perfect soundtrack can elevate any movie from average to spectacular. The task of choosing songs is not easy, but it has to be done correctly in order to match the plot and setting of a film. With the recent success of Frozen, it’s apparent that soundtracks aren’t a thing of the past. The success of soundtracks thrived in earlier decades, but they still hold a portion of music sales today. Here are our top 10 favorite soundtracks of all time:
10. 8 Mile
Of all the musician-turned-actors that have appeared over the last couple of decades, Eminem was one of the last expected to participate. In the pseudo-biography 8 Mile, he made his empowering song “Lose Yourself” one of the most popular rap songs of all time. The album sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. alone.
9. Juno
Juno brought one of the best indie soundtracks in more recent years. The soundtrack contains multiple songs by Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches and many others. One of the most notable songs on the album is a cover of “Anyone Else But You” by The Moldy Peaches that features the two main characters of the film, played by Ellen Page and Michael Cera.
8. Dirty Dancing
The soundtrack for Dirty Dancing achieved so much success with its original release that two subsequent albums were released from it in 1988 and 2003. From the iconic “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes to “She’s Like the Wind” by Patrick Swayze, the album appealed to everyone who had a liking for everything from rock to R&B.
7. The Bodyguard
One of the best-selling albums of all time is the soundtrack to the early ‘90s film The Bodyguard. The first half contains songs by Whitney Houston, who assumed the role of executive producer on the album. With this title, she had full reign over the song selections and led the album to worldwide success.
6. Footloose
The original version of Footloose collected some of the best music of the ‘80s. What good is a dance movie without good music? Of the nine songs on the album, six reached the Top 40 the year of its release. The soundtrack was also certified platinum nine times in the U.S.
5. Pretty In Pink
The ‘80s were notorious for great music that still holds influence today, as were movies produced during the decade. Pretty In Pink has been noted by Rolling Stone and The Huffington Post for its stellar soundtrack. Like many other John Hughes films, the soundtrack contains songs from the more pop/new wave aspect of the ‘80s. Every film by the director has placed heavy emphasis on incorporating music into the plot.
4. Garden State
Zach Braff, popular for his acting on the TV show Scrubs and other films, wrote and directed the 2004 groundbreaking film Garden State. Another role of his was choosing the soundtrack. Because the film directly related to his life, selecting the songs was more personal to him. As a result, the album won a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Pictures, Television, or Other Visual Media.
3. Pulp Fiction
What iconic ‘90s movie would be complete without capturing the changing rock genre at the time? Pulp Fiction managed to encapsulate the emerging and returning rock sounds during the early ‘90s, emphasizing the surf rock genre. The soundtrack has sold over two million copies since its release in 1994.
2. Saturday Night Fever
While John Travolta showed off his vocal abilities in Grease, his performance in Saturday Night Fever was purely acting. The true stars of this soundtrack were the Bee Gees, who lifted the album to critical acclaim. The soundtrack is the only disco album to earn a Grammy for Album of the Year.
1. O, Brother, Where Art Thou
The soundtrack to O, Brother, Where Art Thou proved the importance of music’s role in appropriating the setting. The film is set in Mississippi during the Great Depression, and the soundtrack effectively captures the time through the use of folk, country, and bluegrass music. There was so much emphasis placed on the music that the album was compiled before filming even began.