When I said that this series was going to be random, I didn't exactly intend there being a full year and a half between posts 2 & 3. However, that's how this beat seems to be falling, so we're just going to roll with it.

For this post, I'm skipping the Choir Music segment. For one, my choir season is ending next week. For second, I haven't attended choir since April due to my aunt's surgery. So, even though I know what they're singing, I haven't been exactly participating, so it doesn't count in my book.

Instead, I shall devote it entirely to music that I've been listening to lately.





My brother Anthony found this group via a comment on an online article on the Remnant, a traditional Catholic newspaper several months ago. Since we both love uplifting songs of a "strong" element, he showed me their original song "Song of Kings". I promptly fell in love with it, and the group.

I've since discovered that they made original instrumentations of some of J.R.R Tolkien's songs from Lord of the Rings, including Song of Durin, and Boromir's Lament. They don't have any albums out...yet. But all of their singles may be found on YouTube and Spotify.

Their latest original song is "When the Hammer Falls", which is based on Tolkein's dwarven songs. It's super epic, so epic that I'm linking the video below so you can listen!





Okay, I admit, this isn't the first exposure that I've had to this band. The first time I'd ever heard of them is finding one song of theirs on my mom's Amazon music and snitching it for my own library. It was their cover for "Angels We Have Heard on High" from their old Christmas album, which is now my favorite cover of that song.

However, a week or so, I was perusing a friend's Spotify account and played this song of theirs:




As I have been trying to find music with a pop sound with clean lyrics, and these guys fit the bill a lot better than I had anticipated.

I then accessed their artist page and stole a lot of songs from their "Burn the Ships" and "Live Free" albums.



Most landed into my "uplifting" playlist, especially this one:






Lia introduced me to this artist quite a while ago, but I've grown to love his music of my own accord. I love the uplifting lyrics and the contemporary sound that he gives to his music. I'll link my favorite three songs of his here:














In addition to the new artists, I also found singles from other artists that I've been listening to a lot recently.

This first one though....requires some explanation.

One day in April, I really wanted a throwback, and so I made a playlist of all the children's songs that I grew up listening to. Of course, VeggieTales had to be a part of that....seeing as how I grew up watching them as a child.

I discovered this newish Silly Song that it is super catchy and I like the style that they did:





This next single came out a few months ago, but it's one that I now blast every time I hear it on the radio. I mean, I am a country girl.....(and it's one of the few clean songs that Luke Bryan has done...)





Oh by the way, that one line that talks about being converted from hearing an Alabama song? SO ME. My mother is a huge Alabama fan, and I listened to them so much that I practically could spout any song of theirs.


This next single, Lia sent me one day. I've since snitched it for my playlist for The White Rose, a story that I've been working on.






I'm a huge connoisseur of music, as anybody who has found my Spotify account knows for sure. And so, I keep an eye out for new music almost all the time. Especially when it comes to writing novels.

As some of my friends know, writing has led me to some rather strange music tastes. For example, when I was drafting my Welsh retelling of Snow White, I got sucked into a Welsh folk song obsession. I still really like it, but I don't listen to it as often now, LOL.

And another novel has led me to look into a rather interesting genre:

Sea Shanties

You see, I'm writing a pirate/seafaring story, and so shanties fit the aesthetic really nicely. Now, granted, I have listened to a few shanties years ago, and have liked it. This, however, is the first time that I've actually searched them out to listen.

Here are my favorite three shanties: