bright and beautiful. a music review

Owl City

All Things Bright and Beautiful.

 Owl City has been my favorite music ever since I first heard Of June way back in 2007.

 I was extremely excited about this new album. I knew it would be amazing.

 And, well, it's more amazingly amazing then I ever imagined it would be.


   While still keeping with the Owl City sound that I love, all the songs are new and unique. And filled with as many "da da da da"s, silly puns, and breathtaking lyrics that I could ever ask for. It still amazes me that one guy could make it seem like a whole orchestra is playing. This album is fun. And happy. And wonderful. And....Owl City-ish.

1. The Real World

"Reality is a lovely place,

But I wouldn't wanna live there."

 This song is lovely - it has such a pretty tune, the lyrics are awesome, and the music is perfect. I love it more every time I listen to it.

 |This is Adam Young.|

2. Deer in the Headlights

"Met a girl in the parking lot,

And all I did was say hello.

Her pepper spray made it rather hard,

for me to walk her home.

But I guess that's the way it goes."

 This is the kind of song that you just have to sing along to. It's cute, it's fun, and the lyrics make me laugh.

3. Angels

"I've been sleeping with the nightlight unplugged,

With a note on the rocking chair,

That says 'I'm dreaming of the life I once loved,

So wake me if you're out there'."

  I consider all of the songs as "one of my favorites". But I think this one really is my favorite. It's just...so epic. :)

4. Dreams Don't Turn to Dust

"Cuz I couldn't live without,

The sunsets that dazzle in the dusk,

So I'll drag the anchor up,

And rest assured, cuz dreams don't turn to dust."

 The kind of song that's nonsense and yet makes absolute sense. Brilliantness.

5. Honey and the Bee

"If the green left the grass on the other side,

I would make like a tree and leave.

But if I reached for your hand, would your eyes get wide?

Who knew the other side could be so green."

 Try not to smile while listening to this song. I've tried, it's impossible. This song is just SO cute! Also, it's a duet, so the wonderful Breanne Düren is singing in it, too.

|The previously mentioned wonderful person.|

6. Kamikaze

"Maybe I'll ride,

To save my life.

Maybe I'll fly,

The Eagle Eye."

 This song is weird. But in a wonderfully good way. Could this song be any cooler?

7. Galaxies

"Dear God, I was terribly lost,

When the galaxies crossed,

And the sun went dark.

Dear God, you're my only North Star,

I would follow this far."

 This is a great song. I've never heard a song quite like it.

8. Hospital Flowers

"A high-speed collision gave a new sense of sight to me,

And now my vision can render the scene.

A blurry image of wreckage and road-side debris,

Happiness returned to me, through a grave emergency."

  Oh my goodness, I love this song. It's sort of a sad song, but it's happy at the same time. Another favorite.

9. Alligator Sky

"Where was I when the rockets came to life,

And carried you away into the alligator sky?"

 There are two versions of this song - a regular version, and another version featuring Shawn Chrystopher. And he raps. At first, I didn't know what to think of the rap version. Rapping? In Owl City!? But it grew on me, and now I love it. It makes the song unique and it really works.

10. The Yacht Club

"...Cuz she would rather fall in chocolate,
Than fall in love, especially with me."

 This song is awesome. The lyrics are so funny, and the tune makes me happy. :)

11. Plant Life

"I'd rather waltz then just walk through the forest,

The trees keep the tempo, and they sway in time,

A quartet of crickets join in for the chorus,

If I were to strum on your heartstrings would you strum on mine?"

 This whole song is splendid, but my absolute favorite part of this song is the chorus (the lyrics above). It has such a sweet, happy tune. 

12. How I Became the Sea


"When the sky fell in,
When the hurricanes came for me,
I could finally crash again,
And that's how I became the sea."

 This has more of a Port Blue* sound. Beautiful, wonderful, awesomeness.

13. Shy Violet

"Light up the sky, shy violet angel eyes."

 Beautiful. This isn't one of my favorites, but I still really like it.

*       *         *         *         *         *         *         *         *         *         *

 It might sound like I'm a little obsessed with Owl City. That's because I am. :)

 What do you think of Owl City and this new album?

  Hope you have a lovely day!

*port blue is another music project by Adam Young. "It is the soundtrack to my dreams." - Adam.

what I've read - book reviews

  Even though we've been pretty busy here in America, I've been reading a lot.

  Because there are a lot of books here.

  

  Libraries are huge, bookshops are many, and it's usually not hard to find the book your looking for.

  And I love that. A lot.

|this is my traveling library, that keeps growing. My suitcases are heavy.|

  Here are some of the books I've been reading in my spare time that I've really loved.

 Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
   
  Miri is a mountain girl. The kind of girl that lowlanders look down upon. That's why, when the villagers of Mount Eskel hear the King's message, Miri is sure it cannot be true. Would lowlanders really allow a mountain girl to become princess?

  This is a story of home. It's a story of friendship, of courage, and of kindness. And it's a story that I will not soon forget.

  This book was amazing. It is beautifully written, and the whole thing is just so real. I really recommend this!






 Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

  This book is a masterpiece. It is loosely based on the fairy-tale Cinderella -  but a kind of Cinderella story like never before written.

  This story begins with a girl named Ella. She's a kind, smart girl who has an unusual problem: she has to do what she's told. Always. At first, this doesn't seem like a bad problem at all. But then - what if she's told to do something wrong? What if she is told to do something that puts her loved ones' lives in danger? This of   "gift"obedience, given to her at birth by a foolish fairy, turns out to be more dangerous and more devastating then she ever could have imagined. Isn't there some way to break the curse?

  Ella Enchanted is such a sweet book. Read it, okay? :)

Shadow of His Hand by Wendy Lawton


  Young Anita Dittman's world crumbles as Hitler begins his rise to power in Germany, but because she's a Christian and only half-Jewish, Anita feels sure she and her family are safe from 'the Final Solution'. She could not have been more wrong. - goodread's summary


 I've always been interested in WWII, and so I've read lots of books written about that time. This one might be one of my favorites. Anita's story is amazing - it's amazing how a girl not much older than me could go through all that, never giving up hope, and always trusting that God has a purpose.

 I really recommend this book, and the rest of the "Daughters of the Faith" series.



 Nine Day Queen of England by Faith Cook

  The story of Lady Jane Grey is one of tragedy, cruelty, and danger. A young girl growing up during Tudor England, her life is far from being easy. Often called the  "the Tudor Pawn", Jane is forced to do things her whole life. But there is one thing that no one could ever force her to do - deny her faith in Christ. 

 This is not fiction. This is all facts. This all really happened. It's just history.

  And yet it was one of the most interesting and exciting books I have ever read. I couldn't put it down. This book is amazing.








  I hope all of you are having a lovely summer!

i must be in california.

 
I bought a one way ticket
'Cuz I knew I'd never see the ground
Unless I was aboard a jet plane
And we were going down
When I wiped the tears from my eyes
The warm water took me by surprise
And I woke up beside the ocean
I realized

 I must be in California

- west coast friendship by Owl City

  When we got to California, it was nighttime. All I could see out the car window was blurred lights and darkness as we drove away from the airport. 

 That's why, as soon as I woke up the next morning, I jumped up to look out my bedroom window.  I hadn't the slightest idea what I would see.

|don't ya hate it when blogger makes your photos bad quality? This was good quality before I uploaded it here on blogger. Anyone know how I can fix that?|

 I saw sunshine. And palm trees, and green mountains, and pretty white houses. And blue sky and roses. 

 It was a happy sight.

 And really, that whole first California day was a happy day. 

Because: We saw my sister who we hadn't seen since Christmas. (she was going to college there, but now she graduated) :)

And Because: We went to fun places.

|like Chick-fil-a. <3|

 

 

Dear California,

 You are a very pretty place.

    Sincerely,

                Hannah

   It feels strange writing about that day. It feels like a year ago. It was a month, though. We've just been to a lot of places since then! More on that later :)





I hope you're having a lovely day,

    

and then one day.

   One day, I found myself packing.

   I found myself stacking heavy cardboard boxes, pulling suitcases into my room, and taking everything out of it's place.

 And strangely, I found myself enjoying it. I pushed the thought of leaving Ireland to the back of my mind, and focused on what I was doing. Choosing what to bring, what to put in storage, what to put in my carry-on - that part was fun.

 But the next part? Was not fun. There came a point when I couldn't ignore the fact any longer, no matter how badly it hurt. I had to say goodbye. To my friends, my church, my house, my town, my country. The green fields, the winding roads, the beautiful flowers and hills and valleys, my sparkling lake. My home.

 |And, of course, I said goodbye to Alfred :) But he just purred.|

 On the 9th of May, we were off. On our way to the airport, and from there - America.

 Now, as some of you know, airports are pretty confusing things. But they sell Starbucks, and they sell scones. So it's all good.

|I <3 Air Lingus. Mostly because it has shamrocks on it.|

  Then, with me lugging my book-filled carry-on behind me, we boarded the plane.

 

  The flight, although long, was fun.

 |Ireland is beautiful even when hundreds of feet below.|

 |Sea of Clouds|

|Greenland|

|I watched Tangled and Enchanted. Two awesome movies.|

 |Canada|

 After nine hours of flying, we landed in Chicago to board our next plane. Which wasn't quite as nice. At all. But we made it :)


 And so, after a total of around 23 hours of traveling, we made it to California.




...To be Continued...

p.s If you actually read all of that, you deserve some Oreo ice cream. Because that was a looong post. ;)

playing tourist

  It's extremely fun to pretend to be a tourist sometimes. To go to beautiful sights and snap photos like crazy, and to visit hundreds of gift shops and carry maps around with you everywhere.
 
 We had guests staying at our house for a few days, and my mom took them to see some beautiful places in Ireland. I came along with them on one of the days, because they were going to one of my favorite places ever - Connemara, Galway - and because I always welcome the opportunity to be able to play tourist for the day.
 

  We started off going to Galway city. I don't really like cities. At all. But I do like this one. It's smaller and quieter than some other cities, and it's full of lovely little shops and bookstores and bakeries.

 |There's lots of awesome people along the streets. Like this guy whose pretending to be a rock or metal or something. Awesomeness.|

|A tshirt that I saw in a gift shop. With my blog's name on it.|

 After spending the morning there, we took the coastal road to Connemara. It took a while longer than the regular road, but it was worth it.

 In a little town on the way there was a little craft village. I wish I could have stayed there longer, it was lovely!

 |The whole craft village was decorated with big bright flowers and colorful bunting. So pretty.|

 And then finally, we got there. I don't know of any words that can describe Connemara. It's just so magnificent and breathtaking, and so wild and desolate. Time seems to stand still there.  (warning: lots of photos coming up.)

 |I love the expression on the sheep's face!|

 |This adorable little lamb was only 5 days old. So sweet!|

 |traffic jam.|

 I really, really love that place. I'm sad that I won't be able to see it again for so long. We've already begun to pack things up (thankfully my mom agreed to pack up my room last!) and the house is beginning to look more and more empty. 10 more days of home.


 Hope you have a lovely day,

sunshine.

 A few days ago I realized that one of the most beautiful times of day is just before the sun sets. The time of day when the sky is golden and orange and lilac and pale pink, all at once.

 It is especially nice when your precious kitty decides to come along when you take a walk through the fields...

...and that the white thorns and the cuckoo flowers are softly blooming everywhere you look...

 

...or if you spot an adorable brown hare nibbling on clover...

...and when you discover a beautiful moth which you first thought was a leaf.

And it is also very nice when the sun is shining brightly just behind the trees, causing bokeh-full photos.

|SOOC (straight out of camera). Promise. I so love natural b&w.|

  

  I hope you have a lovely day :)