Best Songs of the Year 2012

          Most of us can agree that music is an essential part of our lives. We all have a favorite band, or musician, that we love to listen to when we're doing homework, or driving in our cars or after we've finished our Algebra 2 test. So most of us can agree that we all had a favorite song, if not more, last year in 2012. It was that song that got constantly played on Z102.9 and you just enjoyed to blast it to the point where everyone around you got annoyed. Most people have a song in ind. I know I had quite a few that I just couldn't stop listening to and those are the same songs that I just can't get enough of today. That's what music is supposed to do, it's supposed to stay with you because you enjoy it and you're able to relate to it in some way or another.
        The top five songs I enjoyed in 2012 were catchy, fun, entertaining, and most people couldn't help but sing along. Here are my top five, in no particular order:

• One Thing by One Direction. One Thing is from One Direction's first album: Up All Night, the song was released as a single about a year ago in January. I adore this song because each member of the group has their own, unique voice that contributes to the track and the lyrics to the song are so sweet and it's just a fun, catchy song to listen to overall when you're feeling down.
• I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift from her fourth studio album, Red. I know, of course this had to make the list! Whether that's a good or bad thing is up to you to determine but this song is totally different for Taylor Swift. She's singing about the same old, same old, I know but it's because she's going through life and she's just writing what she knows best and what she has experienced to let her fans know that they're not the only ones who ever feel the way she does in I Knew You Were Trouble. Because at one point we're all going to experience that toxic relationship we should probably let go of because it's what's best we but don't want to have to.
• Castle of Glass by Linkin Park from their fifth album, Living Things. The lyrics and the metaphors used in this song are just amazing, I love them for the reason that their lyrics are so powerfully conveyed in different ways. My favorite part is probably when they sing: 'Cause I'm only a crack in this castle of glass, hardly anything for you to see, for you to see. I enjoy this song because I like how I interpret it, what I'm able to get out of this song.
• This Kiss by Carly Rae Jepsen from her second album, Kiss. The reason I like this song is just because it's a fun song to listen to, to dance to, to sing to just because it's catchy.
• Madness by Muse from their sixth studio album, The 2nd Law. One of my favorite songs by them because I think it's different from their usual sound which I enjoy because their lyrics are still meaningful to me.

        Music, it's all around us and it's something we can all enjoy. I can't wait for the kind of songs I hear this year.

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Living Things by Linkin Park

       Living Things is the fifth studio album by American rock band, Linkin Park! It was released, in the United States, on June 20, 2012 and in some countries it was released earlier than that which I call lucky! I'm not going to lie, Linkin Park, is one of my favorite bands which I think I've mentioned before but I'm not sure. I haven't been a fan of theirs since the very beginning but I wish I had been, I've actually been a fan of Linkin Park since A Thousand Suns, which you might say is not too long ago but hey, better late than never, right?

     So Living Things is different from their last albums, which I'm totally fine with. Unlike some, I'm never bothered by the fact that a band or musician is steering away from the sound they're used to. With A Thousand Suns, I think that was like a preamble to this album, Living Things. Usually I'm not able to get through the whole album (the first time hearing it) without skipping a song or two when I first get it, I know, I'm guilty about that. With Living Things I was able to listen to the whole thing from beginning to end without interruptions or skipping ahead. Let me tell you, it was the best half hour I've spent listening to music, I was just never bored.
      Each track had a distinct sound with a different message, like all songs should. Living Things starts off with Lost in the Echo which I think is great because it's a strong track which, to me, defines those moments when you're feeling alone without any hope but you're able to pick yourself right back up no matter what. Meanwhile the album ended with the track, Powerless. Powerless is much more softer than Lost in the Echo, but Powerless, to me is about losing that one person you wouldn't want to lose and not being able to do anything about it which really makes you think about your loved ones while you're listening to it. Anyways, the songs in between Lost in the Echo and Powerless are all good in the their own way for the reason that you get a different message along with a good beat at the same time. 
      My favorite song of the album would be, Castle of Glass. I'm not exactly sure why but what I do know is that it has this eerie sound to it which is mesmerizing and haunting and I think Chester's voice is just beautiful in this track and like always, Mike Shinoda's voice is an amazing part! The title, like the song, is also haunting, I just love that!
      All in all I think I would rate Living Things by Linkin Park a 5 out of 5 for the reason that I could relate to each song in a different way which is hard to do!

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