This months post is shorter than usual, but there's still a lot of good stuff here. Let's start it off with Lindsey Stirling! I really love the stripped down version of the song. I love her elaborate music video productions, but I also love these videos. I love that she had a song she liked, and just sat down and played it on her violin. :)
Earlier this week I shared my eclipse vlog, a video where things didn't turn out exactly as I wanted, but everything worked out anyway. Turns out, things didn't go as expected for lots of people, Peter Hollens included, but I love that even though he kind of failed at making the video he wanted to make, he put it together and put it out there anyway. It's easy to forget that people who make such amazing content like Peter have days where things don't work out for them either. I loved this little reminder of that. Plus I still loved the song, no matter what happened in the actual video.
Last month I introduced you to Ava Ryan with a video compilation of her character Charlene. Charlene is probably most people's favorite Ava character, but not mine, I do love Charlene, she's hilarious, but my favorite character is Bossy Boss Lady.
Last month I also introduced you to Joe Jeremiah, with his epic 8-bit Steven Universe song. Well this month he managed to top that, doing the theme song to Gravity Falls!
And then he also did a piano cover!
Well, it turns out that my favorite clown was not Simon Cowell's favorite clown, and Puddles Pity Party did not make it to the end of America's Got Talent. I'm sad he lost, but I know this isn't the end for him. A talent like his won't be forgotten easily. I still haven't brought myself to watch his last AGT performance, but I've been keeping up with all his videos on YouTube. Here's his latest.
Let's end this post with Mike Tompkins' latest collab with Peter Hollens. This was my absolute favorite music video all month.
This Month's TMI is going to begin the same way the last one did, with a new video from Avriel and the Sequoias. The EP is out now and it is so good. I can't wait until he puts out a full album.
Next we have another Peter and Evynne Hollens duet! This time they are doing a song from one of my childhood favorite movies, At the Beginning, from Anastasia.
One of my favorite artists from years ago, Lights, just released a new song, and it sounds like the perfect fusion of the way her recent music has sounded, and the way she sounded years ago when I first discovered her. I love it!
And speaking of old favorites releasing new music! Owl City just released a new song! The music isn't his normal electronic sound, but I like it, and the acoustic sound just goes so well with his voice. There will be plenty of time for electronic music when he releases his next album. I can't wait!
And for a completely different kind of old favorite, here is Rob Paulson, voice of Yakko from the Animaniacs, singing Yakko's World, absolutely perfectly, more than 20 years later! I don't know how he managed to memorize this thing, but I suppose it's one of those things that once it's in your head, it's there forever.
The premise of this sketch by Studio C is kind of dumb, but the over-the-top performances by the cast, as well as some of the hilarious, ridiculous lines, just make me laugh so much that it somehow became one of my favorites. "Tell my roommates, I hate them!!!!"
Puddles just released a new song. It's amazing.
And in case you were missing Postmodern Jukebox in Puddles' video, here's their best song from the month. It is amazing. Especially considering that I used to hate the original song with an unreasonable and unprovoked passion. (Don't ask me why, I'm not even sure young me knew why.) However, I absolutely love this version.
The only thing I don't like about this latest Disney medley by Voctave is how terribly short it is. I just want them to sing every Disney song ever, for hours on end.
We'll end this with another Disney medley, Peter Hollens recently collaborated with another YouTuber, Whitney Avalon, on a Disney villain medley, and it was one of the best things he's done in a very long time. And I love everything he does, so you know this one's amazing.
What the heck, internet? I wrote this post the night before it was to go up, June 29th, and I wake up this morning, June 30th, and apparently half the internet had decided to save their best videos for the last day of the month! So, I am sorry Peter Hollens, you are no longer my grand finale!
First up on this bonus half of the post, Puddles is back with another David Bowe cover!
Nataly Dawn covered the BeeGees.
And Walk Off the Earth just released their first original song in ages! I absolutely love this song, and it is literally the best song I have heard all month. Hands down, no contest. I love it so much, I will probably be playing this on repeat until I can't listen to it anymore. Yes, it is that good. This will now be the final video is my post. What a way to close out the month!
Let's start this post by getting the bad news out of the way first. Remember in my last post how I was so excited that Avi Kaplan was starting a side project in addition to Pentatonix? It isn't a side project. He is leaving the group. I should have known, but I didn't think it was possible. As long as they find another bass as good as Avi, Pentatonix can survive without him, but it won't be ever quite the same. Anyway, here's the next song from his new EP. It's amazing. As sad as I am about PTX, I know Avriel & the Sequoias is going to be amazing.
Okay, let's lighten the mood a bit, shall we? Here's a sketch by Studio C that has me in stitches every time I watch it. And I've watched it quite a lot. :p
You haven't lived until you've listened to Steve Urkel as remixed by the amazing remix master extraordinaire, Melodysheep.
Here's something quite a bit different. I recently discovered a YouTuber who goes by the name Peter Draws, as that is what he mostly does. However, there is no drawing in this video, but it's one of the best videos he's ever made. And make sure you watch until the very end.
Lindsey Stirling has been busy. She released several videos and a full length documentary this month! This was her best video of the month, a thematic sequel to her Shatter Me video.
And then The Piano Guys came back with a bang! This is their best video in ages!
And the trifecta is complete with an amazing new Peter Hollens video! You're Welcome, from Disney's Moana, with Andrew Huang!
Then Blimey Cow released a new Homeschoolers video, several points of which were, as usual, uncomfortably real. :p
And speaking of real, this video from Glove and Boots, BEAUTIFULLY explains my social media policy. It uses a little more language than I myself would, so, fair warning, but the sentiments expressed are exactly how I feel.
Next, we have a brand new video from the other remix master extraordinaire, Pogo!
Next up we have an AMAZING video from Funny or Die. However, unless you and I share a similar taste for absurd humor, you are unlikely to find this as side-splittingly hilarious as I do. Side note, have I ever mentioned how much I love Louie Anderson? The man is a treasure.
And finally, we have a brand new, amazing video from Puddles Pity Party. Normally when I feature the most amazing clown in the universe, it's with Postmodern Jukebox. Not that he's not good on his own, it's just that he's usually at his best with the musical styling of Scott Bradlee and Co. Well not this time! This video was (mostly) on his own and it's amazing!!! Side note, P³ is on this season of America's Got Talent! I am so excited! I hope he goes all the way!
And that was May! There were a few more videos than I normally put in one of these posts, but it's probably going to vary from month to month, depending on how many great videos I see. This month we had a lot of great ones! I'll see you again in June!
I have decided to reboot my video post series with a new title. Starting today my TIIA (The Internet is Awesome) series will be replaced with This Month in Internet. I probably won't abbreviate it like I always did with TIIA, but if I do, it's going to be TMI, or TMInternet. Not sure yet. :)
In the past I have found myself saving videos to a playlist intending to make a blog post, but forgetting about them until there is way too many to use in one blog post. So I decided to give myself motivation to keep on top of them by starting an intentionally monthly series. From now on these posts will collect all my favorite videos over each month and then put it up at the end of that month, or, like in this case, the beginning of the next.
And, as with all my ongoing series, I needed a new logo, so here is the logo for This Month in Internet!
First up, did you know that Avi Kaplan, the bass from Pentatonix has his own group? Band? Project? Something? He's doing music on his own, guys! In addition to PTX! I didn't know either, but the first EP from Avriel and the Sequoias is coming in July, and he released his first song this month! And I am OBSESSED! I love everyone in Pentatonix, but if someone were to force me at gunpoint to pick a favorite member, I'd have to go with Avi. I just love what his bass notes bring to the group, and now I love everything else I never knew his voice could do!
And speaking of Pentatonix, they also just released a new EP, and the songs are so good! Here is one of them. (There was another song released this month too, but I'm saving that for a seperate post. Be on the lookout for that. :) )
STOP EVERYTHING! Puddles Pity Party did another song with Postmodern Jukebox!!!!!!
A YouTuber I haven't featured on my blog, due to the sometimes adult-ish nature of some(many) of his videos, is TomSka. He has a series called asdfmovie, and it is probably one of the most random things on the internet, and I LOVE it. Like I said though, it can be adulty, so I'm not sharing it here, but if you're curious you can look it up. Just be warned of language and cartoon violence/blood. However, one segment of the most recent episode of asdfmovie was this song, which it had nothing problematic at all, so I'm sharing it here because I have been obsessed with it, and it's just been on repeat off and on all month.
Kurt Hugo Schneider, Sam Tsui, and Madilyn Bailey all came together to do this excellent TV theme song mashup. Despite the fact that I probably don't even watch half the shows featured, I still loved it so much! Kurt and friends always do such an amazing job!
We'll end with Mike Tompkins' latest masterpiece. There are so many different a capella voices on YouTube, but there's just something so unique about his. I love it!
And that's it for this month! From now on I will try to have one post like this a month, with maybe an extra one here and there, where I see fit. Be on the lookout for a post featuring Pentatonix next; as amazing as the song I included in this post was, it has NOTHING on what I'm saving for next time. Stay tuned. :)
I was putting together one of my TIIA posts and I suddenly realized that I've never shared any videos of Puddles on my blog! Who is Puddles you ask? Well, let me tell you, you are in for a treat. Unless you hate clowns. If that's the case, then you are better off just slamming your laptop closed as hard as you can, or frisbee-ing your iPad across the room through the nearest plate glass window, or kicking your computer monitor off the desk and running out the door screaming, because if you hate clowns, it's about to get all sorts of freaky up in here.
I should preface this by telling you that these are all Postmodern Jukebox videos. Postmodern Jukebox is always awesome, but when they team up with Puddles they transcend awesomeness. Especially when they cover Lorde.
Which they've done twice.
They've also covered Sia.
Among others.
This cover of Mad World is one of my absolute favorites. I just love the understated little dance.
Their latest video is a cover of a Twenty One Pilots song, one of the ones that just totally gets stuck in your head. :)
Can you see why I'm obsessed? No? Well, that's your loss then, isn't it?
Anyway, now that you've been enriched, go forth and spread the joy of Puddles. Or... well... the melancholy. Go forth and spread the melancholy of Puddles.
