Top Christmas Gifts for Music Lovers
December 20, 2015
With Christmas right around the corner, you may find yourself still scrambling to find some last-minute gifts for your friends and family. But have no fear. I’ve come up with a list of great gifts to give to any avid music lover. And who doesn’t love music?
Fortunately, a lot of incredible new albums have come out recently. Just to name a few, One Direction, Justin Bieber, Adele, and Coldplay have all released highly awaited albums in these past few months. One Direction’s album, Made In The A.M. consists of hits such as “Drag Me Down,” “Perfect,” and “Infinity,” and all of the songs from it have a bit of a 60’s rock vibe that even non-Directioners could easily find themselves singing along to. I highly recommend getting the Deluxe Edition, which consists of some amazing bonus tracks: “Temporary Fix,” “Walking In The Wind,” “Wolves” (which is my personal favorite track), and “A.M.” It is the first album One Direction’s done sans Zayn Malik, and the boys’ final album before their year-long break. Que the tears. Overall, Made In The A.M. once again proves that One Direction has completely transformed from pop boy band to rock man band, and I’m extremely proud of them.
Justin Bieber’s album, Purpose, definitely did not disappoint. It took three years of waiting, but it finally arrived last month on the same day One Direction dropped Made In The A.M. so it is no surprise that that day, November 13, was one of the best days of my life. Purpose is possibly Bieber’s best album to date and includes some of his biggest tracks like “Sorry” and “What Do You Mean?” The album’s R&B sound, honest lyrics and Bieber’s angelic voice make it an album that even those who haven’t been big Beliebers in the past will love.
Adele, who has one of the most gifted and unique voices of the century, has released her album, 25, just in time for the holidays. Though we had to wait a few years since her last album, it was definitely worth it. Anyone could find themselves lost in her soulful voice, and the album has many more songs besides “Hello” that can tug at your heartstrings. I strongly recommend getting the special edition of her album from Target, which has three amazing exclusive bonus tracks: “Can’t Let Go,” “Lay Me Down,” and “Why Do You Love Me.” Coldplay, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Alessia Cara have also released some pretty recent albums that you may want to look into as possible Christmas gifts.
If you’re looking for something other than albums, you can opt for a super snazzy pair of headphones. FRENDS headphones are extremely popular right now, and definitely make for a stylish gift, though they are more on the expensive side. Prices range from $100 to $400, if you want them customized. You do however, get what you pay for as they last a long time, have good sound quality, and are gorgeous and oh-so worthy of bragging about. Also, they have replaceable caps, so if you want to mix it up, you can change their look. If FRENDS headphones are out of your price range, a pair of good earbuds always make a great gift. Earbuds that go over the ear are great because it’s nearly impossible for them to fall off while in use, and are especially useful for joggers. Also, you can never go wrong with a simple iTunes gift card.
If you want to really up your gifting game, record players are making a huge comeback. One of my friends actually has one, and I was awestruck when we listened to a vinyl of Ed Sheeran’s album, x, on it. Despite the fact that record players are a more antiquated mode of listening to music, the sound quality of new record players and vinyls is astounding. It sounded like Ed Sheeran was right there in the room singing to us. It really was enchanting. Record players have made such a big comeback that Ed Sheeran is only one of many popular, current artists who have vinyls out. One Direction, Shawn Mendes, Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons, and many others have recent albums on vinyl. You can even get Adele’s 25 on vinyl. And surprisingly, vinyls cost around the same price as a CD, sometimes even cheaper, and you can find some decent record players online for less than $30.
There’s no doubt that this year is a great year to buy Christmas gifts for music lovers. Now your only problem is choosing what to get out of so many choices. Merry Christmas, and happy gifting!
