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About This Author
I am SoCalScribe. This is my InkSpot.
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Blogocentric Formulations
Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).
Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:
 "The Soundtrackers Group" 
"Blogging Circle of Friends "
"Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"
"JAFBG"
"Take up Your Cross"
Thanks for stopping by! 
February 21, 2020 at 11:45pm February 21, 2020 at 11:45pm
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"The Soundtrack of Your Life" | DAY 15
"Can't Hold Me Down" by GRiZ feat. Tash Neal
I found this song on a video game trailer of all places. There was a trailer for Borderlands 3 last year and it was set to this song, which I instantly fell in love with. There's just so much going on, from an electric guitar to a soulful saxophone to funky electronic beats. GRiZ actually self-describes his sound as future-funk, which I suppose is appropriate, and he's known for putting saxophone instrumentation into his songs.
For me, this is along the lines of my first song of this year's Soundtrackers, "Highway Tune" by Greta Van Fleet. This is a song that I don't often listen to in the course of playing my daily current playlist, but it's definitely a song I keep around when I want to get pumped up. Whether that's staying alert while driving, or while exercising, it's got a ton of energy to it and I often find myself playing it in times where I need a little pick me up. I've also found quite a few other songs by GRiZ that also fit that bill; he has such a unique sound that I find myself if not outright enjoying then at least appreciating the artistry in his work... which is not something you can always say about DJs and electronic music producers.
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February 21, 2020 at 11:35pm February 21, 2020 at 11:35pm
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"The Soundtrack of Your Life" | DAY 14
"Cut To The Feeling" by Carly Rae Jepsen
If you had asked me to bet money on whether Carly Rae Jepsen, of 2012's "Call Me Maybe" (and the resulting video by the Team USA swimmers at the Beijing Olympics) fame would still be relevant almost a decade later, I would have bet against it. But she proved me wrong when she came up with another bonafide hit in "I Really Like You" in 2015, and this song from 2017. I discovered this song on the soundtrack to Leap! (called Ballerina in its native France), a surprisingly good animated movie about an orphan girl who dreams of dancing at the famed Paris Opera Ballet. This song was written for the soundtrack (Jepsen also voiced a character in the film), and released as a single to promote the film's stateside release. While the song didn't exactly set the charts on fire, it did appear on "Best Songs of 2017" lists by Billboard, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair. 
If you get a chance, watch Leap! and experience this song in the medium it was created for. I believe the film is currently on Netflix and it truly was a surprising animated movie. Not perfect by any means, but really, really enjoyable. It's definitely worth a watch, and this song is definitely worth a listen. It's one of the better pure pop songs I've heard in the past few years.
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February 21, 2020 at 11:25pm February 21, 2020 at 11:25pm
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"The Soundtrack of Your Life" | DAY 13
"11 Blocks" by Wrabel
I discovered this song in one of those weird situations where you go to a concert and end up liking the opening act better than the headliner you bought tickets to go see. He was one of the opening acts for Ben Platt's Sing to Me Instead tour and, honestly, my wife and I were a little disappointed by Platt. His rapport with the crowd was great, but the songs on the album just... aren't that great. To be fair, he was just coming off sky-high expectations thanks to his stunning performance in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, but still, the songs just didn't hit home for us.
This song from his opening act Wrabel did, though. There's something so melancholic and soulful about it; I immediately had to pull out my phone and download it so I could listen to it again on the way home. As I looked into more of his background, it turns out that there's a reason this song is so catchy; he's a really talented songwriter. One of those that, like Lady Gaga, spent a whole lot of time writing songs from other people you'd readily recognize before striking out on his own. Over the years, he's written songs for P!nk, Kesha, Kygo, Marshmello, and The Backstreet Boys.
Of all the artists I've discovered this year, I think Wrabel might be the one to watch. I'm not fond of all of his music, but he's always trying something new, always pushing boundaries, and has the talent to really establish himself as a household name.
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February 21, 2020 at 11:15pm February 21, 2020 at 11:15pm
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"The Soundtrack of Your Life" | DAY 12
"Every Breath" by Boyce Avenue
This song is at the opposite end of the spectrum as yesterday's entry; this is a song that I still really like, but I find myself skipping over whenever it comes up lately because I've played it so many times since I first discovered it. Which doesn't make it any less of a great song, just one that I need to take a little bit of a break from in order to keep appreciating it.
Boyce Avenue first hit my radar for a number of covers of hit songs they did on YouTube. This song is from their 2010 album which predates all of that stuff, but it's sometimes funny how people have to come back and discover older stuff later on. Their biggest and most popular covers (which are definitely worth seeking out on YouTube if you have the inclination) were a cover of Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" and Ed Sheeran's "Photograph" featuring Bea Miller, the Chainsmokers' "Closer" featuring Sarah Hyland from Modern Family, and my personal favorite and the one that I discovered first, Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" featuring Kina Grannis. They're actually one of the most-watched independent bands on the internet, with apparently over 4 billion (with a b) views on their channel. 
If you enjoy cover versions songs (especially acoustic covers), Boyce Avenue has one of the best channels for that. You can easily spend hours clicking through their renditions of hit songs with a variety of guests. And, if "Every Breath" and a few tracks can attest, their original songs ain't too bad either.
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February 21, 2020 at 11:03pm February 21, 2020 at 11:03pm
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"The Soundtrack of Your Life" | DAY 11
"May I Have This Dance (Remix)" by Francis and the Lights feat. Chance the Rapper
I discovered this song (or the original song, rather) on the soundtrack of the Netflix original movie Always Be My Maybe with Ali Wong and Randall Park (which I highly recommend if you're a fan of romantic comedies). I'd never heard this song, or even of Francis and the Lights at all up until that point, but they're quickly becoming one of my favorite new artists to listen to, and I think that Chance the Rapper adds some interesting additional depth to this song. I'm not usually one for remixes over originals, but every once in a while a remix finds the right balance of preserving what was great about the original and managing to add a little extra something.
Overall, this is probably one of my most-played songs from last year. There are quite a few on my playlist this year that I listened to a whole lot and then kind of lost interest in or were starting to feel played out, but this one is consistently in my regular playlist, and I never get tired of it when it comes around again. It just hits all the right notes for me and really cheers me up whenever I listen to it.
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