Astoria - My Review

Hello Lovelies!

So one of my favourite bands released their new album about a month back and it's beautiful. It's so raw and real, I'm in awe of the songwriting. I'm going to do a review of my favourites ordered by their appearance on the album, although that's going to be very, very hard because literally every song is my favourite. However, I thought you should all have a bit of backstory before you listen, so you can appreciate the beauty and pain in this album.

Basically, "Astoria" is the past four years for Josh and the highs and lows that he went through. Having Call Me Maybe become huge, being nominated at the Grammys, going on arena tours and getting engaged. His mother being diagnosed with Dementia, his fiancee leaving him, spending lots of time in and out of the hospital, losing his motivation and drive. This album is pretty much his diary of the past two years. He got tons of people who had been there with him in the crappy parts to actually play and sing little bits on the album. If you want to find out more, the video below goes into the making of Astoria (there is a bit of swearing in it, be forewarned).

1. Astoria

For some stupid reason, I can't upload the video directly from YouTube, so you'll have to click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDuZ5bs4g1s . 

If you know Marianas Trench, you'll know that their opening songs and their closing songs are always the best. This one is no different. It's a medley of a whole bunch of different styles and really intense and it definitely sets the scene for the rest of the album to follow. 3:00-4:30 is the best part of the song in my humble opinion, because minor key and his falsetto. Language warning if you don't like that kind of thing.

2. Burning Up

Alright, so none of the videos will embed in my post. You'll have to click the links if you want to hear them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=423Dln7tZ10

I heard the chorus first on a little preview and was immediately grinning. It's totally got the 80s party vibe and his high notes here are beautiful. I love, love the cockiness in the line "Don't say you don't miss me that much, don't say I don't still make you blush". It's about a relationship that maybe it's going the greatest. Then the guy is saying, "Is this really that bad? Are you really going to call this off? You can see the chemistry we have, don't deny it." 

3. This Means War

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dkD9COPTcU

I can relate slightly to this one and it's another upbeat song. The way I see it, it's about two people who used to have chemistry, who would banter a lot. Then they moved away and kind of lost touch, then when they'd see each other again, they'd be all polite. They'd ask each other how they were doing and ask about their lives. But the chorus is talks about missing the bantering, the chemistry, the "war". It's fun. I like it.

4. Dearly Departed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fKYW_ALPVg

Don't even get me started on this one. Ugh, it's so beautiful and simple and I love it so much. It's just a ukulele and a violin. It's him singing about his relationship with his fiancee. It hits me right in the feels every time I listen to it. The bridge is the best part of the whole song because it has references to all of the songs he wrote for her. If you're not a Trencher, I've written the lyrics of the bridge below, and bolded the song references, just because you have to see this. It's amazing.

"Every masterpiece I'd write again
You'll always be my porcelain
I crossed my heart
But I stuttered too
So truth or dare
Was I good to you
Haven't had enough of you all to myself
Still right beside you
In sickness and health
For ever after
You will be my home
And there's no place like home"

5. While We're Young

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1Aap4cj7jk

This one is beautiful. It's the one that you get your lighters out for when they play it live. It's slow, but not soft. There's a different sort of vibe, less put together. I don't know how to describe it. It's more... messy? The guitars aren't perfectly mixed and it sounds so good. The song's about being in a relationship and slowly growing apart. The slow fade. The chorus talks about how they're young and it should be the time of their lives, but they miss each other. 

6. Forget Me Not

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctp75pgQcF0

I tear up every time I hear this song. My parents can't listen to it without crying. Basically, don't listen to it unless you're ready to feel all the feels. Josh wrote this song about his mother and how she's slowly forgetting him. He says he isn't ready for it all, he still needs his mum, but he's going to be there for her. He'll help her back into the bed and be her forget-me-not. It's beautiful and so sad. 

7. End of Era

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FYqqtwTFFo

Kay, I love this song for so many reasons. First, so many references to other songs in other albums. Porcelain, Masterpiece Theatre, Ever After, Celebrity Status, they're all in there. And it makes me so happy listening to it because I feel like so many artists kinda throw out their old music when they make new stuff, almost ashamed of it. With these guys, they embrace it. They make it part of who they are today. Second, I absolutely love the medley, the way they managed to combine so many different styles of music into an amazing piece of art. Just when you think it can't get cooler, it does. Then I love the lyrics and the meaning. It's all about not forgetting your past but moving on and saying goodbye. He's saying goodbye to the past couple years of his life, his "Astoria". He's grown up, he's moved on, he needs to say goodbye to his past. The first song sang "Tell me I survive you, Astoria". Then this one sings "How did we survive you, Astoria?" A conclusion. An ending. I could literally copy and paste the entire song lyrics here, but I've narrowed it down to three lines that I absolutely love.

"I'm so afraid of trying something new

Cause every start begins with saying goodbye to you"

"(How did we survive)

We went through hell in Astoria
(How did we survive)
We lost ourselves in Astoria
(How did we survive)
I gave in to sickness
Can you find forgiveness
For a dear old friend
So Astoria can end"

"I hope you know that I don't blame you my dear friend

Always will love you still
But Astoria must end"

Anyways. This album is amazing and beautiful and this was possibly the hardest album review I've had to write because there are ten amazing songs I didn't even include in this list. You should all go listen to it, because it's priceless.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Hello Lovelies,

This post is about a month overdue and the truth is, I completely forgot about it. I was scrolling through my photo library, looking through the photos from the past month and realized that I had a whole bunch of photos from Thanksgiving weekend that I'd never posted!

Back in July, my family and I bought tickets to see Marianas Trench at Norfolk County Fair. Closer to the date, we thought, "Why don't we just spend the weekend up there?" Let me tell you, it was really fun to tell people who were having dinner with their families for Thanksgiving that I was going to see one of my favourite bands and spending the weekend in Norfolk. It made me feel like I was part of the dangerous, rock band loving family. Oh shush, let me live happily in my delusion. My family is totally dangerous and rock band loving. ;) Anyways, I didn't actually get to take any good pictures of Marianas Trench because I wasn't allowed to bring my good camera in, but I'll give you a crappy iPhone picture, just so I can say that I was there.

Ta da! I was there! They were incredible, again. Definitely
going to see them perform on their next Canadian tour.
Astoria songs anyone?

This was heavenly. Truly beautiful. It was a poutine with
pulled pork and fresh cheese curds. The gravy was just salty
enough and the fries were crispy and I'm drooling just
remembering it.

You know you're small when...

He was so cute and flopsy. 

This little guy was just two weeks old and he was so cute
and soft. Smelly, but very adorable.

I love bird eyes. They're always so
alert and round. That probably sounds
really weird. I'm not a creepy person,
I promise.

Is it just me, or does he look remind
you of a vampire? Dracula or something.

Ferris wheels are very picturesque.
They remind me of Grease and the
Notebook. 

It took me a zillion times to get this
picture because I had to get the sun
flare just right with the people and the
merry-go-round. But I'm really happy
with the way it turned out. 

 

Again with the Ferris wheel. ^^

My Grandy is very pretty. I really like
this picture. It captures her quiet
personality and her artist side at the
same time. 

Ahaha, no family outing would be complete without a
ridiculous picture from Jonathan and I. 

Sunset out the hotel window the first night.  

On the Sunday, we visited Chudley's
Apple Farm to grab some apples.
My family all went to get the bags,
I went to go get the pictures. 

This was the second weekend in October,
and it felt like the beginning of September.

I really need a macro lens.

Gorgeous, gorgeous flowers.

The beginnings of fall colours. 

Late on Monday night, we did have
the typical, traditional Thanksgiving
meal. Turkey, ham, brussel sprouts,
green beans, squash and more.

Nostalgia Hits Me Hard Playlist

Hello Lovelies!

I don't know what it is about them, but I love nostalgic songs. Songs that talk about the beauty, the struggles, the innocence of times gone by. Songs that make me ache for times past. I love those songs. I have a whole playlist of them and I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you.

1. Acadia by Marianas Trench

First off, this song is by one of my favourite bands ever, so that's pretty great. It describes the teenage and young adult years and growing up in a small town with your friends. The chorus says "Every memory comes on, when I hear that old song that we used to sing with the words all wrong". It talks about that old town being gone and how you can't return, but you have the memories. Beautiful, beautiful song.

2. Anne Leaves Green Gables by Hagood Hardy

Ever notice how songs don't have to have words to be nostalgic. This song is one of those songs. It's a soundtrack piece from, well, Anne of Green Gables. It's sad sounding, but beautiful sounding as well. I can't help but be taken back to years ago when we'd spend our summers at my Grandparents' farm.

3. Autumn Leaves by Ed Sheeran

This song is one of his lesser known songs, but I really like it. It's the perfect song to fall asleep to. It's a bit deeper; I can't tell if it's about the end of relationship or about the end of a person's life. "Float down, like autumn leaves. Hush now, close your eyes before the sleep. And you're miles away, and yesterday, you were here with me." It's a really pretty, soft song. Kinda sad, but definitely brings back the memories.

4. Old School by Hedley

I love this song so much. It's got to be in the top three favourite nostalgic songs. First of all, Hedley's Canadian, so that makes it ten times better. ;) I love the feeling of this song and the way the lyrics are written. It's so beautiful. "Why don't you meet me, down behind our old school? We'll waste away the weekend with perfect regard for how cavalier we used to be, that beautiful insanity. The apathy surrounding me, don't close your eyes or we'll fade away." Gahhh, amazing.

5. The Last Goodbye by Billy Boyd

I don't know if this one gets to me so much just because I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan and Pippin is the one who sings it. It's almost folkish and the way it builds is so beautiful. I know I keep using that word, but they truly are beautiful songs. Pippin's, ahem, Billy's voice is so whimsical and the mix of the guitar with the violins and piano is gorgeous. It makes me teary every time I hear it. "And though where the road then takes me, I can not tell. We came all this way, but now comes the day to bid you farewell."

6. Vienna by Billy Joel

This one's an oldie but a goldie. It's about slowing down and letting yourself relax because your life is always going to be there for you. Your life waits for you, so there's no point in getting super stressed out about it. Which technically doesn't make it a nostalgic song I guess, but it makes me feel nostalgic, so it gets included in this list.

7. 18 Years by Daughtry

"18 Years" is quite similar to "Acadia" in my mind. It's about remembering the wild, fun teen years in your little town. You move on, you move away, but you never really forget the times you spent there. "We were young, we were wild, we were halfway free. We were kids on the run on a dead end street. Looking back in the rearview mirror, you know the view used to be much clearer. But we'll laugh and we'll cry 'til there's no more tears. Yeah tonight can we just hold on to those 18 years?"

What are your favourite nostalgic songs, if you listen to them?

May I freak out yet?

Hello Lovelies!

Agha blagha boo! There is so much new music coming out over the next two months and I cannot physically contain my excitement!

So first Marianas Trench was like, "Hey! We've got a new album coming out on October 23!" And I was like:

And then 5SOS was like, "Would you like a heart attack? Our new album also comes out on the 23rd." And I was like:

THEN! Hedley was like, "While recovering from your heart attack, listen to our new music on November 6th."

And One Direction thinks it'll then be funny to release their FIRST ALBUM WITHOUT Zayn on the 13th. 

And they're all like "PREORDER! PREORDER! PREORDER! PREORDER!" 

And I'm like:

May I freak out yet?

Couldn't Have Been Better

Hello Lovelies,

Do you ever have one of those days that just goes so perfectly that you can't imagine how it could have gone any better? Last wednesday was one of those rare beautiful days. I'd been volunteering at a theatre camp for kids aged 8-13 the previous week and then that week from 9-4 every day, so my perfect day started with sleeping in until 10:30.

Around noon, my mum and I got on a bus to go down to Toronto, an agenda for the day in our minds. First, we'd look at where I'd be going to film camp/school in August, then look at my top University choice, Ryerson. After, we'd spend the afternoon walking around downtown Toronto, go out for dinner and then go to see Marianas Trench at Nathan Philips Square.

We started at this place called Honest Ed's because being the snowman I am, I needed sunscreen if I didn't want to resemble a tomato lobster at the end of the day. Two warehouses long and three floors tall, it was like a giant flea market/dollar store. The whole time we were in there I just thought, "I'm definitely coming back here when I need to go dorm/apartment shopping."

They had pictures of celebrities who'd visited this place
all over the walls.

After Honest Ed's, we subway-ed over to Ryerson to look at the campus, which I thought was pretty cool. We stopped for coffee in one of their little cafes.

One of the campus entrances is right on a main street in
Toronto, but when you walk in, it's like stepping
into a whole other world. 

Om nom.

The coffee shop we stopped at was connected
to the school I'm hoping to study at.

After we left Ryerson, we had most of the afternoon to just hang out, walk around and take in the city.

Pretty. ^^

And it just so happened that whilst walking down a wonderful, blessed street called Queen's street, I see two people casually eating sushi outside the restaurant. I pause. Gee, they look awfully familiar. My heart stops when I realize who they are. Mike and Ian from Marianas Trench. Sitting there, eating sushi. In the middle of the afternoon. Casually, as if they have no idea they are part of one of the coolest bands in the world.

"Mum, those guys are from Marianas Trench," I nudge her.

"What? Really? Where?" She begins to look around.

"Behind us."

"Do you want to go say hi and ask them for a picture?"

"Yeah."

Slowly and fairly nervously, I approach them. We meet them and talk for a few minutes. We talk about Pop 101, one of their songs that we love. They ask where we're from and we tell them. Miraculously, they actually know where it is. My town's pretty small. I ask for a picture and they oblige happily.

 And I shook wildly for the next hour as I tried to regain any sense of sanity still left in my brain. They were so nice!

Next, we went to have dinner at this place called Marche's, which is kind of like an indoor supermarket of restaurants. That's the only way I can think of to describe it.

I could have gone much more fancy with my food,
but I wasn't super hungry, as any appetite had disappeared
after meeting Mike and Ian.

Then we walked over to Nathan Philips Square to get standing space so the band didn't look like ants.

This is what the square looked like three hours before the concert.

Finally in our spots.

In the end, I was super happy with where we were and as you'll see in the pictures below, we were pretty close. I have like over 150 pictures, so it was pretty hard to narrow it down to nine. ;) They were incredible and I would definitely go to see them again. In fact, I am in October!

During Ever After.

Mike rocking out.

Josh's facial expressions were the best. I have a collection
of my favourites in my photo library.

The whole stage.

During the first couple of songs the hat, scarf and jacket
were lost.

Then a bra was generously donated by a screaming female
fan. Pants a little low there, Josh?

They stopped in the middle of the concert to do a
four part a cappella song, which was beautiful. They
got the crowd to be completely quiet and it was amazing.

Love this picture.

Yes Josh, reppin' the home
country.

It was such an incredible day. One of those days when you're just super happy to be alive and here on the planet. Ooh! And bonus, I didn't get sunburnt. Not even a little.