Boyce Avenue Ends The Year With Their Official Video For "Find Me"

For their final video of 2011, the guys have released the official video for their original song Find Me.

If someone were to ask me, "What is Boyce Avenue's best original song?" I would answer, "Find Me. Without question."  It is beautifully composed.  The lyrics are incredibly romantic.  It absolutely blows my mind that this is the first song Alejandro ever wrote.

A few months ago, I tried to explain to Boyce Avenue's Alejandro Manzano why I loved the song "Find Me" so much, and I had trouble finding the words. But somehow he got what I was trying to say. He told me, "This reaction and connection is what we strive for with every song we play."

Now, with the release of the video, I find myself searching for the right words again.

I want to write about why I love this song so much.  I want to write about how even though I'm not a musician, I love all of the instrumental complexities I hear when I listen to it....the little details and the way the instruments all blend together so perfectly.  (I actually considered breaking it down and pointing out all of the details I love about it, and where they happen in the song, but it would probably get too complex, and it would probably not make any sense to anyone but me, and maybe Alejandro.)

I want to write about how listening to this song changed the way I listen to music, and helped me appreciate music more than any other song I've ever listened to.

I want to write about how I can listen to this song on a pair of headphones and get completely lost in it.

I want to write about how the lyrics remind me of how magical and intense love can be.

The truth is, the way I feel about the song is just that....it's the way I feel about it, and sometimes you can't find the right words to describe how you feel. You either get it or you don't. So I'll just leave it at this: The song is awesome. I love the song. And I am grateful for what I feel when I listen to it.

The video is pretty cool....not at all what I expected.  The couple is absolutely gorgeous.  I love the way the colors change and flow in the background of the set the guys are in.  It kinda looks like they're inside a kaleidoscope, which goes along with the storyline.  I wonder if that was what they were going for....






Find Me is available on the album "All We Have Left"

Click here to purchase the album on iTunes.

Katy Perry's Songs Are Always Better Once They've Been Boyced

Boyce Avenue released their third Katy Perry cover this week....an acoustic version of The One That Got Away.

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about how Boyce Avenue can take a song that is just okay and turn it into something I love. Their covers of Katy Perry's songs are a perfect example of exactly what I'm talking about. I actually really like Katy's stuff. It's a lot of fun to dance to. But sometimes her lyrics are just a bit too suggestive for my tastes, and I think her overall image is a little bit inappropriate for the teenage girls who idolize her. So while I don't necessarily change the station when her songs come on the radio, I would never buy them.  I'd much rather support artists that demonstrate the notion that a song doesn't have to be raunchy or sexually explicit to be good.  Artists like Boyce Avenue, for example.

My personal opinion is that Katy Perry's songs are always better once they've been Boyced.  So I thought it would be fun to look at the three Katy Perry songs that Boyce Avenue has covered and invite you to see what I'm talking about. :)

First they did it with their cover of Teenage Dream. The original lyrics to this song suggest that getting drunk on the beach, getting a hotel room and going all the way (with no regrets) is romantic. Alejandro made this song so much better by changing the lyrics in the second verse and in the chorus, turning the message of the song into, "Let's take our time and get to know each other....there's no need to rush." I really admire and respect the choices that he made when he re-wrote the lyrics to this song. It sends a much more appropriate message to the teenage audience the song was originally targeted for.

(Sidenote: You know that "thump" I love in Dare To Believe? There's one in Teenage Dream, too....right as he hits that power note at the 3:00 mark, which also happens to be my favorite part of the song. ♥)




Then, there's Firework, a collaboration Boyce Avenue did with David Choi on the violin. This one amazes me, because even though the tempo of the song doesn't change from the original, it somehow seems more intimate, more personal, more meaningful. There's something about the softness of Alejandro's voice in this one just struck a chord with me.  I like to think he's singing it to people who are really struggling with low self-esteem, or are just in a dark place, encouraging them to remember how amazing they are, which is clearly the message intended with this song.

He also changed the lyrics in the bridge, replacing Katy's "Boom, boom, boom, even brighter than the moon, moon, moon...." with "So don't ever take your life for granted, you're the only one who needs to rule your world; when life leaves you feelin' empty-handed, light it up and show 'em what you're worth."

BOOM indeed!!  Just like that, the song is so much better.




And now, there's The One That Got Away. Like the others, the tempo doesn't change from the original, but it feels slower somehow, more meaningful. This song has heartbreaking lyrics, and Boyce Avenue's stripped down acoustic cover delivers the message of the song much more powerfully than the upbeat techno dance club feel of the original.

My favorite part of this cover is at the 3:45 mark. Alejandro gets really into the song and belts out, "The wahhhhhhhn, the wahhhhhhhn....." and it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.




I would also like to mention that it's nice to see Fabian in this video.  somehow, seeing all three of the guys in their videos makes them feel complete to me.

So, there it is....that's why I say that Katy Perry's songs are always better once they've been Boyced. Do you agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

NEW VIDEO: Wherever You Will Go (Acoustic Cover)

Earlier this week, Boyce Avenue tweeted that they would be releasing a video today for a heavily requested cover....

.....and this morning they released the video for their latest cover, a flawless acoustic version of The Calling's "Wherever You Will Go."

Indeed, this is a heavily requested cover....fans have been asking the guys to Boyce this one for quite a while, and judging from the reactions I've seen on Facebook and Twitter this morning, I think it's safe to say that they definitely did not let us down!!  :)

I can say with absolute certainty that this video is going to quickly make its way into my Top 10 Favorite Boyce Avenue videos.  The song is perfect for Alejandro's voice, and everything about this video is perfect, in my opinion.  The lighting, the close-ups, the intimacy and emotion, all combine perfectly to make this one a video that will have female fans swooning and hitting the replay button over and over again (myself included.)



I spend every Sunday morning chatting with several other hardcore fans about every detail of the newest video, and this morning, our attention was focused on the way Alejandro transitions from finger plucking the guitar strings to strumming and back to finger plucking again so effortlessly.  This isn't the first time I've mentioned how impressive I find this....I blogged about it when they released their video for "Jumper" back in October. That was the first time I had actually spotted the transition in one of their videos, and today, I noticed it right away, at the 2:08 mark.

But what I find even more baffling is the moment when he slaps the guitar strings at the 1:33 mark....it must still be in his palm, so I can only assume he moves it right back into place and starts strumming again.

How does he DO that?!

Maybe for people who play guitar, and especially one who plays as well as Alejandro does, this is a simple thing to do, as automatic as breathing, something he does without even thinking about it....but I find it amazing. Every time I notice something like this, it makes me respect him even more as a musician.

So, aside from all the gushing, and the obsessing over Alejandro's musical slight of hand, I do love this video, and I am happily sharing it on Facebook and Twitter.  While playing it on repeat.  :)

What do you think of Boyce Avenue's latest video? Share your thoughts in the comments!!