Sound Glimpse

Music and Mental Illness: End the mental illness stigma! Subscribe to Our Newsletter! We focus on the music, the message, and the madness of your favorite artists. We do this amazing thing, we talk to artists about their writing process, inspirations, touring life, and all those burning interview questions. This project is still just a ghost of an idea. It was inspired by my sister's suicide and her love of music. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

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RIVALS

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Music Psychology

This sounds like a promising idea to pursue right now.

Maybe I can interview bands and musicians and educate them on the psychological aspects of music, like how the brain processes it. And the artists can help me understand what their perspective is on mental illness and on what kinds of people have the musician-inclined brain.

So that’s the idea for now. It just needs some polishing.

And I got to start begging people to talk to me!!!

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Still Defining This Project

I have not been known to be a patient person.

So that fact that this THIS is still an unknown project is a little frustrating.

It’s going to matter to me and at least one other human BECAUSE IT’S GOT TO.

Musicians, and creative people, are more likely to commit suicide. But, there has been minimal research done on this relationship.

So I really believe this needs to be talked about.

But I’m just one human.

And what does talking about it mean, anyway?

Do I try interviewing bands? Do I just try to find research on this relationship or??? Do I help people who are struggling with mental illness or their mental health find bands and musicians who discuss these topics in their songwriting?

Does anyone even want someone who does that?

And who am I to do that?

I'm going to figure this out.

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The Depression

Is strong. It just keeps getting bigger.

But I’m trying.

I’m fighting

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One Misstep Away From Hating Myself

While this blog is basically currently becoming a therapy blog for myself, I promise it intends to grow into something more worthwhile.

That being said,

I am starting to realize that when I’m on the brink of a bad depression, the smallest thing becomes my last emotional straw that breaks me. I hit a parked car today.

It ruined my day.

I still feel awful.

I want to never leave the house again, I want to avoid myself somehow, I want to cease to exist.

But I’ve felt this way so many times. I know it’s my depression talking. I know it will pass. But at the same time, I have a voice telling me that’s not what it is not this time and blah blah blah.

I know it IS the depression though.

But my brain doesn't believe it.

I hate feeling so disconnected from myself.

My family members are all sick. My one good friend has been mean to me all day. I have no one to talk to. So I’m here. Saying I will survive my stupid brain somehow. I might be hardly sleeping, I might not feel any motivation to do much of anything and I may have no emotions of joy pretty much ever anymore but I BELIEVE I will one day. I’m just not there yet... again. I need some good therapy and a med adjustment. But until that’s possible I’ll do my best everyday and sometimes that's going to be pretty shitty.

I believe in this project even though I’m not quite sure what it is still.

But my sister’s soul WILL change the future or I’ll die trying.

Stay strong

-April

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‘Whenever I feel like music isn’t the thing I’m passionate about, I know I am beginning to feel depressed again. Sometimes my emotions are on shutdown and I see an artist perform that I really like and I suddenly feel this absence. I went to warped Tour a few days ago and saw a band called New Years Day and despite knowing all the words to their songs I had that feeling again. I’ve been struggling with that feeling coming and going for as long as I’ve known to play any instrument. I was always thinking it was me changing my mind or me proing to myself that I wasn’t passionate about it etc. But that never felt like the truth but it was the closest thing I could come up with at that time.

Since I am having this lack of feeling again, I am starting to question everything in my life that I do.

I just want to come back to this project everyday and after X amount of days, realize that this pattern of caring and not caring is just a temporary cycle that may come and go, but I will always believe I still want the things I wanted when I felt I could feel them.

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Some Food For Thought

Today I started the task of seeking research on whether musicians are more likely to A) suffer from mental illness and B) commit suicide.

If both of these are true than it is worthwhile to ask why? It is even more important to ask how to change this.

I keep mentioning that my one sister killed herself several months ago. I feel the need to consistently mention her as she inspired me to find direction in life and in with this project.

This blog is helpful to keep her memory alive and for me to say goodbye a little more each day.

The point of this post, however, is to say that there is not a lot of research on mental illness and artists, specifically musicians. I hope I might be able to inspire someone to change that. The recent loss of Chester Bennington from Linkin Park is still on my mind and was additional inspiration for this project.

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It Just Got Personal

I feel the best way to approach this whole world I am trying to create is to stick to my original inspiration: my sister’s suicide and my love of music. And my belief music heals people especially when it comes to mental health.

I want to connect musicians and music lovers and the mental health mental illness discussion together. I want this blog/project/idea to help people. Help someone discover an artist that gets their  unique perspective.

But how do I do that?

Can I even do it alone?

Can I even figure out where this is heading?

I’m a girl who can barely go to her job who got her BA almost a year ago who hasn't achieved any of my real dreams. I just want to feel like I am trying again. I’m going to mix my love of research and music together to find artist’s that are doing new things in music and artists that are open to exploring topics around mental health or illness in their lyrics. I want to find people who can really help their listeners.

I want to know every part of an artist’s songwriting process.

I want to inspire a new generation of musicians despite me not being much of a musician myself.

I also want to inspire people who struggle with a chronic physical illness and who have had to alter their life dream because of it.

 I want to help all of the people who are like my sister or who are like me to find a new path in life. And to stay strong.

Anyone want to help?

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I am rethinking the purpose of this blog. As my sister killed herself several months ago now, I want to find a way to include my love of music with her memory. I want to find a way to show music that really has a big meaning to others and help them heal their own scars. I want to find the bands who already talk about these things and mental health. I want to share those artists and groups with everyone I can. So it can continue to save more lives. But I think this thing I am creating could really help further that idea by interacting with newer up and coming bands and artists who may not have intended to address mental illness and etc. in their music. While encouraging this, I would also like to find a way to talk about mental illness and health in general with bands and artists who don’t normally discuss these issues so that the stigma against it can disappear.

One day at a time I am going to try and work towards this. I don’t really know where to start. But that's my goal. Make her memory an antidote.

-April

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Testing testing

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By: April Whelan

Follow Jeff Miller On Youtube

Well, what can be said of this cover of “I Took A Pill In Ibiza”? It takes you to a special, calm place. The song fits Jeff Miller’s voice perfectly and we may have binge-watched some videos which include vlogs. It is fun to know who someone is when you’re listening to their music. It is less common in smaller YouTubers and artists. With less than 3,000 subscribers, he certainly deserves more!

And he has covered Troye Sivan, twenty one pilots, and Say Anything which is the perfect mixture in our book!

Follw Jeff:

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Twitter: @JeffAMiller17

Instagram: jeffamiller17

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Top Ten New Alt. Rock Songs to Workout To

In honor of the New Year, it is fitting to dedicate a playlist to exercise! These songs are sure to motivate you.

Full Playlist on Youtube is HERE

1. Victorious - Panic! At The Disco (Good For: running or warmups)

This song is sure to get you energized and uplift you at the same time. Urie’s vocals could probably raise the dead, after all.

2. Burning Up - Marianas Trench (Good For: jumping jacks or anything bouncy and rhythmic)

If you’re looking for the perfect song to do jumping-jacks to, this song is it! Although you may be just a bit too tempted to sing along. 

8. Cardinals- The Wonder Years (Good For: that final burst of energy before you hit warm-down mode) 

Perhaps this song is not quite as “new” as the others but it’s just THAT good to be included anyway. 

9. Your Body is a Weapon- The Wombats (Good For: jog or warm down)The song is calm and much less in your face than the others on this list.

10. English Girls- The Maine (Good For: cool down and chugging water)

Definitely the best song for a cool down and a nice mood shift to sum up your exercise session.

Don’t forget to check out the Full Playlist on Youtube HERE

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CJ Li Cover of Taylor Swift’s New Romantics

Her sound is akin to that of those indie 90s songs you would hear backing an episode of Dawson’s Creek. 

And we mean that in the best way possible. 

Find Her Online:

Subscribe to her YouTube

Follow CJ on Twitter

And on Facebook

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It can be hard to do a cover song just right. But changing a song up and adding a ton of character is a talent some have, and this cover of DNCE’s Cake By The Ocean shows just that.

Get her EP, In The Garden, on iTunes here

Subscribe to her on Youtube

Follow her on Twitter @drewtabor

and Facebook

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An Introduction...

Today is the day we launch SoundGlimpse, a blog dedicated to finding new alternative music for fellow music addicts with a particular focus on artists that have (or, in some cases haven’t) barely began to make their own music! Those hidden youtube covers that have ten views are hidden gems and we’re here to discover those underrated musicians so you don’t have to. What inspired this? 

Well, I’m glad you asked!

As a musician, I often hear covers of songs in my head. Sadly, I have the voice of a duck that is being strangled. One day I wondered how Zedd’s (feat. Foxes) “Clarity” would sound if the chorus was sung in falsetto. One Youtube search later led to...

She’s going to be famous someday. But this video led me into thinking up covers to songs that I could never execute. Which led me to...

Which is an emotional take of Smash Mouth’s “Allstar” (that song from Shrek). I kept searching odd cover ideas I had online until I needed another way to appreciate everything I was finding. This mixed in with my odd skill of finding bands and artists right before they get signed to a major label, or before they even play a show, or right before they make it big in America, pushed me to do more. So that’s the simple version of how this blog came to be.

By April Whelan

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Viral Music Vids of January 2016

January is coming to a close and that means we’re going to recap all the top viral music videos from this month. 

The most viewed music video of the month is Selena Gomez’s “Hands To Myself” which has gained over twenty-one million views in just six days. Some memorable aspects of the video include her in a bathtub which is also the video’s thumbnail and a slight twist at the end which almost makes the video worth watching. Despite not being a Selena Gomez fan, this song is the most tolerable song I have heard from her yet and she is clearly improving over time.

Next is Ellie Goulding’s Army. While Ellie is almost constantly on the radio here in Sacramento, this recent release off of Delirium, has yet to recieve much airplay. The video was shot in black and white and is sure to be uplifting as it is about Ellie’s friends and her fans.

With the recent passing of David Bowie, it is no surprise that his most recent video for “Lazarus” from his latest album, Blackstar, which was released only two days before his death. The video, unsuprisingly, is quite haunting. It is certainly a must watch.

The most recent music vid to make it on the list, is One Direction’s “History”. The video contains black and white footage of the group from their time at the X factor to late 2015. It is a sentimental video that is sure to uplift fans of the boy band. 

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Lyrical Analysis